43031
The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️US approves $510M bomb kit sale to Israel
The Trump administration has notified Congress of a $510 million arms deal to supply Israel with over 7,000 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kits. Approved by the State Department and Pentagon, the kits will convert Israel’s unguided BLU-109 (2,000 lb) and Mk-82 (500 lb) bombs into precision-guided weapons for the Israeli Air Force.
UPDATE | According to Al-Manar's correspondent, the group arrested in the Burj al-Barajneh area of Beirut's southern suburb was found to have a private app on their phones used to communicate with the Mossad, as well as content indicating an affiliation with ISIS.
Читать полностью…
Grossi now claims Iran could resume bomb-grade uranium enrichment within months
—
Despite recent US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi now warns that Iran could resume uranium enrichment for a possible bomb “in a matter of months.”
Speaking to CBS, Grossi contradicted President Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear facilities were “totally obliterated,” saying, “One cannot claim that everything has disappeared.” He added that the strikes had caused “severe but not total” damage to the sites.
The attacks targeted key facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, but both the IAEA and a leaked Pentagon assessment suggest the damage likely delayed the program by months — not eliminated it. Grossi claims Iran still has the industrial and technological capabilities to restart enrichment if it chooses.
Iran’s armed forces chief Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi said Tehran doubts Israel will honor the truce and is ready to respond to any further aggression.
Meanwhile, Iran has rejected IAEA inspection requests, with its parliament moving to suspend cooperation with the watchdog over its bias.
❗️The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announces that it has arrested 130 Iranians this week.
Читать полностью…
WATCH | Quds Brigades releases footage of a mortar shelling operation targeting gatherings of Israeli soldiers and vehicles near Al-Muntar Hill, east of Al-Shujaiya neighborhood, Gaza City.
Читать полностью…
Syria's Christians targeted again, this time by those claiming to protect them
Under the rule of a rebranded Al-Qaeda administration, Syria’s Christian minority faces state-sanctioned terror – this time inside their own churches
WATCH | Israeli army publishes footage of some of its airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Читать полностью…
❗️Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC):
——
"Tonight, in this 19th wave of True Promise 3, a vast swarm of attack and suicide drones set off hours earlier toward strategic targets across the [Israeli] regime, from the north to the south of the occupied lands.
We warn the Zionist regime’s confused air-defense system to be on alert; this operation will be continuous and escalatory, disrupting their balance, Allah willing."
❗️Israel has launched a new wave of attacks on Iran, many of them via Iraqi airspace.
Air defenses are active in Tehran, and have been active for over an hour in Isfahan and Tabriz, with heavy strikes reported in western and southwestern regions.
WATCH | Quds Brigades shows footage of its fighters downing and taking control of an Israeli drone type MATRICE 600, which was carrying bombs and mortar shells, east of Al-Tuffah neighborhood, Gaza City.
Читать полностью…
❗️RT correspondent in Gaza Saed Swerki:
"Internet outage for the sixth consecutive day in the central and southern Gaza Strip."
❗️At least one impact in the Tel Aviv area confirmed.
Читать полностью…
❗️Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the wreckage of the Weizmann Institute bombed by Iran days ago:
– Trump is a great leader, and we thank him for his assistance.
– Our goal is to destroy Iran's nuclear program, and we have the necessary capabilities.
– We only target nuclear and military facilities in Iran while they target civilians.
– Iran has 28,000 missiles and is trying to develop nuclear bombs.
WATCH | Iranian missile impact in Haifa. Preliminary reports of casualties and material damage.
Читать полностью…
Pakistan breaks ranks, backs Iran in war with Israel
Pakistan reveals that Israeli drone operators attempted to sabotage Pakistan's nuclear facilities during the India-Pakistan crisis in May. This is a major reason why Islamabad is throwing its full weight behind Tehran in the Israel-Iran war.
By F.M. Shakil
⭕️ Brent crude set to average almost 1$ higher for 2025 than previously forecasted
A June survey of 40 economists and analysts predicts Brent crude will average $67.86 per barrel in 2025, slightly higher than the $66.98 forecast in May. US crude is expected to average $64.51, up from last month’s estimate of $63.35. According to LSEG data, average prices so far this year are around $70.80 for Brent and $67.50 for US crude.
The US-backed Israeli war on Iran triggered significant volatility in oil markets this month, with Brent briefly rising to $81.40 before dropping to $67.14 following the ceasefire.
(Reuters)
❗️US envoy to Turkiye Tom Barrack says Israel-Iran war presents an opportunity to chart a “new road” in the region, with Turkiye playing a central role.
– “What just happened between Israel and Iran is an opportunity for all of us to say: 'Time out. Let's create a new road.’”
– He stated that people in the region are “tired of the same old story” and that decades-long hostilities must be reframed.
– Barrack claimed Israel is “in the process of being redefined,” and its neighbors must move toward agreements with it.
– He said Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has indicated he doesn’t hate Israel and wants peace on the border, adding that Lebanon is likely to follow. “It’s a necessity to have an agreement with Israel.”
– He attributed recent developments in Syria largely to Turkiye, which backed HTS in its offensive to topple Bashar al-Assad. He said Turkiye can play a central role in reshaping the regional narrative.
– Barrack described both Trump and Erdogan as seeing this moment as a turning point where they can “change the dialogue."
– “We're going to see a ceasefire in Gaza in the near future... I think we have the right team on it.”
– Barrack said the region is gradually returning to the Abraham Accords framework.
From the War of the Cities to True Promise 3: Iran's ballistic program and the path to networked deterrence
The Islamic Republic’s long-range missile doctrine is not just a tale of arsenal accumulation, but a four-decade transformation from survivalist improvisation to operational supremacy in the face of western and Israeli air dominance.
By Abbas Al-Zein
Golan Heights to become ‘garden of peace’ under Israel-Syria normalization deal: Report
Syria's extremist-led government came to power as part of a covert US-Israeli operation launched in 2011 to topple former president Bashar al-Assad
Hundreds of thousands gather in Tehran for a funeral procession mourning the victims of Israel's strikes on Iran.
Читать полностью…
Israeli defense minister threatens to restart war against Iran
The US is simultaneously pushing to revive nuclear negotiations by offering Tehran billions in sanctions relief and civilian energy investment, under a proposed deal that prohibits uranium enrichment
⭕️ Iran’s Red Crescent: 8 medical facilities targeted by Israel
——
The head of Iran’s Red Crescent confirmed that Israeli strikes damaged or destroyed eight healthcare facilities, including Vali Asr Hospital, Motahari Burn Hospital, Khatam Hospital, a welfare center, a rehabilitation center, and the Red Crescent’s Solh building.
The ICU at Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah was deliberately targeted, while the 115 Emergency Center in Khuzestan was completely destroyed.
BREAKING | Israel targets Bandar Abbas Port in Iran.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that an Iranian warship has been targeted.
⭕️ Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) has issued a final warning to individuals collaborating with Israel, offering them a last opportunity to voluntarily turn themselves in.
The SNSC stated that those who were misled by Israel—whether knowingly or unknowingly—have until Sunday to come forward. After that deadline, authorities will begin taking decisive action, and collaborators will face the harshest penalties under wartime measures.
Following the announcement, several individuals claiming to have been deceived agents reportedly surrendered overnight and turned themselves in.
WATCH | Former US President Bill Clinton says Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu needs war with Iran because "that way he can stay in office forever and ever."
Читать полностью…
❗️Air defenses activated in several locations across Tehran.
Читать полностью…
❗️Israel's Channel 12: A missile landed in the central region, and an ambulance is heading to the area.
Читать полностью…
❗️A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran is open to negotiations on limiting uranium enrichment, but any proposal calling for zero enrichment, completely halting enrichment activities, would be dismissed, "especially now under Israel's strikes."
Читать полностью…
⭕️ 14 military cargo planes arrived in Israel since start of US-backed war on Iran
Since the start of the US-backed Israel war on Iran, a total of 14 cargo planes carrying equipment for the Israeli army have landed, the defense ministry said, adding that they are part of a broader flow of 800 such military cargo since Israel's brutal war on Gaza.
The ministry stated the shipment is “part of efforts to strengthen operational continuity and support all the IDF’s needs, both for achieving the goals of the war and for improving readiness and stockpiles.”
Most of these planes have originated from the United States, the rest came from Germany.
(Jerusalem Post)
Israel cracks down on coverage of Iran's missile strikes, accuses reporters of 'helping the enemy'
Military censorship has been significantly heightened since the start of Israel’s war and Iran’s retaliatory strikes