US judge orders release of Iranian student held after strikes - NYT

“The Islamic Republic does not trust the ceasefire,” Aziz Nasirzadeh said in a phone call with Turkey’s defense minister Yasar Guler on Monday, according to the state-run IRNA news. “We have therefore anticipated various scenarios for any new adventurism.”

“We are not seeking to expand war and insecurity in the region, but we are ready to give a firm and regret-inducing response to any act of aggression,” he added.

Nasirzadeh also criticized the timing of the strikes, saying, “The attack on Iran took place during negotiations. We have proven to the world that we are not opposed to dialogue and negotiation.”

On June 13, Israel launched a large-scale surprise air campaign against Iran, striking multiple nuclear and military sites as part of the opening phase of what became a 12‑day conflict.

Hundreds of Iranian civilians were killed in the Israeli airstrikes. Iranian missile attacks also killed 27 Israeli civilians.

Following the Israeli strikes, Iran–US nuclear talks scheduled for June 15 in Muscat were called off.

The United States joined the offensive on June 22 with its own strikes—dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer—involving B‑2 bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles targeting Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.

A ceasefire came into effect on June 24, brokered by US President Donald, marking the end of the fighting. While the ceasefire ended the air war, its long-term viability remains in doubt.

Last month, Iran’s reformist daily Shargh described the ceasefire as legally fragile and unpredictable.

“The ceasefire is not based on any international legal standards, regulations, or the rules of official global organizations and institutions,” the newspaper wrote.

“In fact, it is a temporary and ambiguous ceasefire, and there can be no serious certainty about its durability.”

Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview that Israel had rolled back Iran's nuclear program but implied the Jewish state had not yet finished its confrontation with the Islamic Republic.

In an op-ed published Monday on Khamenei’s official website, his office issued a rare rejoinder to Israeli officialdom in which it dismissed Gallant's assertions of overwhelming Israeli military and intelligence superiority.

The statement described Gallant's message as part of “a conflict whose primary battlefield is not border zones, but public perception and the realm of awareness.”

Gallant’s letter, dated July 9, highlighted what he described as Israel’s supremacy over Iran which had unraveled the Islamic Republic's long-held strategy.

“What unfolded in June 2025 was not merely a military campaign. It was the strategic collapse of a system you spent four decades constructing,” Gallant wrote, referring to the 12-day Iran-Israel war last month.

Israel launched a series of strikes on June 13 which pounded military and nuclear sites, assassinated senior commanders and killed hundreds of civilians. Iranian missiles killed 27 Israeli civilians.

Gallant warned Khamenei that Israel has full access to Iran’s inner workings, including military planning and high-level decision-making.

“We knew your schedules. Your sites. Your communications. Your conversations with your closest allies — most of whom are no longer with you — in Beirut, Damascus, and Tehran. Your timelines. Your fallback plans. And your blind spots,” he wrote.

The letter also highlighted weaknesses in Iran’s air defenses and warned that any attempt to restore the nuclear program would invite future attacks.

“Abandon your war against a small, determined country a thousand miles from your border," Gallant said, "and focus instead on the welfare and future of your own people.”

“The Iran nuclear program was a threat to the United States because Iran voices ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel.’ And It was a direct threat to us," Lummis said.

"It was the right thing to do to take it out on a very targeted basis and then hope that the Iranian people, who are not our enemies, can reclaim their government and participate in a global economy that is robust and that is good for the Iranian people.”

The administration of US President Donald Trump has counted the attacks on the Natanz, Fordo and Isfahan nuclear sites dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer as a historic victory.

Trump had mooted killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the early days of the US-backed 12-day Israeli war and had broached regime change but swiftly called for a ceasefire after the US attacks which continues to hold.

Trump asserted Iran's nuclear program was “obliterated”. However, subsequent US intelligence assessments have varied.

An initial assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said the attacks may have set Iran's nuclear program back by only months. A subsequent Pentagon report concluded the strikes hindered Iran’s nuclear progress by up to two years.

The Central Intelligence Agency and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also said the Islamic Republic's nuclear infrastructure had been severely damaged and set back by years.

The championship match of the Club World Cup in which Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 was held on Saturday evening in the United States.

Faghani, one of the most prominent referees in the world, officiated the match and participated in the tournament representing Australia after migrating there in 2019 due to disagreements with Iran's Football Federation.

The Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Fars News Agency ripped the appearance on its Telegram channel on Saturday.

“Just days after the Israeli and American attack on Iranian soil and the martyrdom of over a thousand Iranians, Alireza Faghani warmly greeted Trump after receiving his award and mimicked his pose in the commemorative photo.”

Faghani later posted a series of photos on Instagram showing his work at the tournament and his pose alongside Trump, writing: "Grateful for the opportunity to once again be part of football history."

Pro-government social media users criticized the appearance as a national betrayal.

“Alireza Faghani completed all his academic degrees (bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD) in Iran," a user celled Third Generation Khomeini Revolution wrote on X.

"But in the end, he took a commemorative photo with the invader of his homeland and the killer of Iranian women and children.”

Alireza Dabir, president of the Iranian Wrestling Federation, said Faghani should have killed Trump. "If there were any honor, he would have torn out the killer’s throat instead of shaking his hand."

Ali Akbar Raefipour, an Islamic Republic propagandist, shared an AI-generated image of hoped-for physical altercation and said Faghani should have emulated an Iraqi journalist who launched his shoes at US President Bush in 2008.

Popular among religious youth, Raefipour is a hardline Iranian speaker and founder of the Revolutionary Guards-linked Masaf Institute which promotes anti-Western narratives and conspiracy theories.

Make Iran Great Again (MIGA)

In contrast, many Iranians opposed to Tehran defended Faghani, calling his presence at such a major event a source of pride for Iran.

A hashtag for a phrase promoted by Trump during the conflict, #MIGA — Make Iran Great Again — spread among the Islamic Republic's detractors.

Prominent Iranian activist Masih Alinejad praised Faghani, saying: “You don’t have to like it. But you can’t ignore it. This isn’t about loving war. It’s about recognizing who the real warmonger is: the Islamic Republic.”

A user named Sina criticized those threatening Faghani, saying: “They’re threatening Alireza Faghani for shaking hands with Trump at a football match — a completely non-political event. Well then, what should be done with those who beg to negotiate with him?”

State-run Iranian TV did not air the Club World Cup award ceremony — a decision that also drew widespread reaction from users on social media.

Canadian-Iranian politician Golsa Ghamari reacted to the post, saying: “Iranians and Americans were once great allies, and will once again be great allies when the terrorist Islamic Republic is overthrown.”

Another user praised Faghani, saying: “He received his medal from none other than Donald Trump — the man who turned Qassem Soleimani into 'kotlet.'”

“Kotlet,” an Iranian meat patty, became a meme symbolizing the assassination of senior Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020 during the first Trump administration.

Another user named Shayan Amiri shared the handshake moment between Faghani and Trump, tagging Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on X and writing: “Perhaps it’s time to take a lesson in diplomacy and class — from Alireza Faghani.”

The missive from the relative moderate president appeared aimed at projecting a conciliatory tone abroad as Iran's diplomatic and economic isolation has deepened.

“We still believe the window of diplomacy is open, and we are seriously pursuing this peaceful path by mobilizing all political capacities,” Pezeshkian wrote.

Many diaspora Iranians fled the country and are deeply skeptical of official policy, especially as the value of the Iranian currency has cratered and costs of living soar.

In his letter, Pezeshkian vowed to address domestic woes as a priority.

“All executive agencies and government servants are paying special attention to this issue, and public satisfaction is the main criterion for our planning and actions," he said. "We are doing our utmost to ensure that people face no difficulty in livelihood or healthcare."

While Pezeshkian has repeatedly signaled willingness to resume diplomacy, hardline voices within the Islamic Republic maintained pre-war red lines.

“Uranium enrichment is one of our red lines,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “If negotiations are to be contingent on halting enrichment, they will definitely not take place,” he told Pakistan’s interior minister during a meeting in Tehran.

In his letter, Pezeshkian said Tehran enjoyed support from the Iranian diaspora during the war and cited unity among “critics and non-critics" but cited Iran's might in arms.

"Our national security is guaranteed both by military strength and by the unity of hearts and social cohesion. Now is the time to look forward and step toward a more prosperous Iran, backed by our nation’s vast social capital."