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President Donald Trump sharply criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer today, saying the United Kingdom is only considering joining the military campaign against Iran after the United States has already achieved victory.
Trump made the remarks in a post on Truth Social, responding to reports that Britain may send naval forces to the region. “The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”
His comments came after Britain’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that one of the country’s two aircraft carriers had been placed on heightened readiness at Portsmouth in preparation for a possible deployment to the Middle East, according to the BBC.
A British destroyer, HMS Dragon, is also stationed in Portsmouth and preparing to depart for Cyprus after earlier delays.
Starmer has emphasized that the United Kingdom did not participate in the recent strikes but said British forces are still active in the region in a defensive role.
In remarks to the British public on Sunday, Starmer condemned Iran’s response to the U.S. strikes and described Tehran’s actions as dangerous.
He criticized what he called “indiscriminate” attacks by Iran after the U.S. strikes, adding, “The only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source.”
Starmer also confirmed that Britain agreed to a U.S. request to allow American forces to use British military bases for what he described as a limited purpose.
Trump also voiced frustration in comments to the Telegraph in the U.K., saying he was unhappy with the timing of Britain’s decision.
He told the newspaper he was “very disappointed” in Starmer and argued that it “took far too long” for the prime minister to authorize the use of British bases for U.S. operations.
Meanwhile, Britain has increased its military presence across the region. According to the Ministry of Defence, British fighter aircraft are conducting flights over Jordan, Cyprus, and Qatar as part of regional defense efforts, and a Merlin helicopter is being deployed to support aerial surveillance operations.
Starmer said his government’s approach is focused on stability and responsible leadership during the crisis.
“While the region has been plunged into chaos, my focus is providing calm, levelheaded leadership in the national interest,” Starmer said this week. “That means deploying our military and diplomatic strength to protect our people.
“And it means having the strength to stand firm by our values and our principles, no matter the pressure to do otherwise. The longstanding British position is that the best way forward for the regime and world is a negotiated settlement with Iran where they give up their nuclear ambitions.”
Starmer said that position is why Britain chose not to participate in the initial joint strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on February 28.
Speaking in Parliament this week, he also stressed that any British military action must meet strict legal and strategic standards.
“We all remember the mistakes of Iraq, and we have learned those lessons. Any U.K. actions must always have a lawful basis, and a viable, thought-through plan,” Starmer said. “This government does not believe in regime change from the skies.”
Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss weighed in on the dispute, sharing Trump’s Truth Social comments on X and writing, “Justified and damning.”
{Matzav.com}
Iran’s ruling religious establishment may move within the next day to select a new supreme leader, according to reports indicating that members of the country’s Assembly of Experts could soon convene to make the decision.
Ayatollah Mozaffari, one of the members of the 88-member Assembly of Experts, said he hopes a meeting will be held in the coming 24 hours, although an official session has not yet been formally scheduled, according to Iranian International.
Because the Assembly’s regular meeting location was damaged in recent Israeli airstrikes, the selection process is expected to be conducted virtually.
The strikes earlier this week caused significant destruction to Iranian government and military facilities. According to The Jerusalem Post, the Tuesday attack “flattened” the IRGC’s compound in Qom, as well as a building in Tehran that served as the previous parliament site.
Under Iran’s political system, the Assembly of Experts is responsible for choosing the country’s supreme leader, and the next leader is expected to be selected from among the body’s 88 members.
Sources told the outlet that Mojtaba Khamenei had been expected to be announced as the next supreme leader on Saturday, but the vote did not proceed as planned after 14 members of the Assembly reportedly boycotted the session.
Mojtaba, the second son of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is believed to have strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, some members of the Assembly have reportedly objected to the idea of transferring leadership directly to the son of the longtime ayatollah.
He has been widely associated with his father’s hardline ideological positions and strong anti-Western views.
President Donald Trump criticized the possibility of Mojtaba assuming the position, saying such a move would not resolve the current conflict.
“They are wasting their time. Khamenei’s son is a lightweight,” Trump said this week.
“We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.”
{Matzav.com}President Donald Trump said today that U.S. forces have inflicted major damage on Iran’s military in recent days, claiming that dozens of Iranian naval vessels have been destroyed as part of the ongoing conflict.
Speaking at the first Shield of the Americas Summit, Trump said the United States had achieved significant military successes in Iran while also hinting that Washington may take action against Cuba. The summit is being led by outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Trump described what he said were decisive blows against Iran’s military infrastructure. “we’ve knocked out 42 navy ships” in three days, adding that the US is doing “very well” in Iran.
He also said Iranian air and communications systems had been severely damaged during the campaign. “We knocked out their Air Force. We knocked out their communications, and all telecommunications has gone,” Trump said of Iran.
The summit reflects Trump’s broader push to expand U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere under what his administration calls the “Donroe Doctrine,” a policy aimed at restoring stronger American leadership in the region. In recent decades, U.S. presidents have generally avoided asserting that level of control across the hemisphere.
Iran responded critically to Trump’s remarks. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that Iran’s president had signaled a willingness to reduce tensions under certain conditions.
According to Araghchi, the Iranian president “expressed openness to de-escalation within our region-provided that our neighbors’ airspace, territory, and waters are not used to attack the Iranian People.”
He added that the effort at easing tensions “Gesture to our neighbors was almost immediately killed by President Trump.”
While Trump said the administration’s primary focus remains on Iran, he also suggested the United States could soon turn attention toward Cuba.
The administration has already indicated it may support political change on the island and is examining claims by the Cuban government that four people were killed aboard a Florida-registered boat near the Villa Clara coastline last month.
“Cuba’s at the end of the line,” Trump said. “They’re very much at the end of the line. They have no money. They have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time.”
The summit takes place as Trump devotes much of his current term to reshaping global trade relationships while also pressing leaders in the Western Hemisphere to increase efforts to stop illegal immigration.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the administration’s strategy is intended to strengthen stability and cooperation across the region.
“After years of neglect, President Trump established the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere,” Kelly said in a statement emailed to Axios.
“The President has successfully strengthened our relationships in our own backyard to make the entire region safer and more stable.”
{Matzav.com}
A familiar and beloved figure who welcomed countless visitors to the Kosel HaMa’aravi for decades has passed away. Reb Mordechai Levy z”l, widely known as the “Ish HaKosel – Man of the Kosel,” passed away at the age of 81. His levayah was held on Friday and kevurah took place on Har HaMenuchos in Yerushalayim.
Reb Mordechai had become one of the most recognizable and cherished presences at the Kosel. For years, he stood in the shadow of the ancient stones of the site, greeting thousands of mispallelim with warmth.
Reb Mordechai passed away at Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center in Yerushalayim after a period of suffering. He leaves behind a large family, as well as countless admirers and regular visitors to the Kosel who feel his absence deeply.
Those who frequented the site knew that Reb Mordechai was far more than just another regular mispallel. He had become, in many ways, the living spirit of the Kosel plaza itself. Anyone who arrived at s’rid Beis Mikdasheinu, whether in the quiet hours before dawn or late at night, would likely encounter his radiant presence.
He was known for offering heartfelt brachos to anyone who approached him, greeting people with an unusually warm smile. His friendly words and encouragement made him a source of comfort for countless visitors.
Reb Mordechai had a particularly special connection with soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces. Whenever he noticed a soldier standing at the Kosel plaza in uniform, he would approach, place his hand gently on the soldier’s head, and shower him with brachos for protection and success.
Yehi zichro boruch. {Matzav.com}Ali Larijani, one of the senior figures remaining in Iran’s leadership, issued a stark warning today that President Donald Trump would face consequences following the U.S. and Israeli military strikes that have severely weakened Iran’s top leadership.
Larijani, who currently serves as secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and previously held a position within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, made the statement in a post on X. “We won’t let #Trump off the hook; he must pay the price—he’s martyred our leader and our people. This isn’t a simple matter; we won’t let it go until we retaliate in kind.”
Iran has been carrying out retaliatory attacks since last Saturday’s large-scale strike on Tehran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In response, Iran has launched missiles and drones toward American military facilities located in territories around the Persian Gulf.
Larijani’s message was posted as Trump attended a solemn dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where the remains of six U.S. soldiers killed in an Iranian strike on an American installation in Kuwait were returned to the United States.
Larijani, who was born into a well-known family in Iraq, has played a prominent role in Iranian politics for years. He previously served as a representative for Iran in negotiations over its nuclear program and has long been viewed as a figure likely to continue playing an influential role within the regime.
Earlier Saturday, Trump issued a warning of his own in a post on Truth Social, declaring that Iran would face severe consequences and suggesting that additional targets were now under consideration.
In that message, Trump said Iran would be “hit very hard” and added that areas and groups not previously regarded as targets were now “under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death.”
{Matzav.com}
Prediction market platform Kalshi is facing a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of refusing to pay out roughly $54 million to users who wagered that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would leave office before March 1, 2026.
Khamenei was killed on Saturday during joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that also killed hundreds of people, including several senior Iranian officials.
Those attacks came after months of military buildup by the United States in the region.
According to the lawsuit, many Kalshi users were attracted to the company’s “Khamenei Market” because of rapidly changing geopolitical developments surrounding Iran.
The complaint claims that only after the Iranian leader was killed did Kalshi invoke a contractual “death carveout” clause in order to avoid paying bettors.
“With an American naval armada amassed on Iran’s doorstep and military conflict not merely foreseeable but widely anticipated, consumers understood that the most likely—and in many cases the only realistic—mechanism by which an 85-year-old autocratic leader would ‘leave office’ was through his death. Defendants understood this as well,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit argues that the market language made clear that Khamenei leaving office could occur through any circumstance, including death.
The wording, according to the complaint, was “clear, unambiguous and binary,” and the plaintiffs describe Kalshi’s conduct as “deceptive” and “predatory.”
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the lawsuit also alleges that trading in the market continued even as reports about Khamenei’s death were beginning to spread.
Kalshi disputed the claims. A company spokesperson said the firm’s policies were consistent and clearly stated from the outset, explaining that the market rules “included every precaution …. to make sure people could not trade on the outcome of death.”
The spokesperson also said the company reimbursed users for fees and losses connected to the market.
“We even reimbursed all fees and net losses out of pocket — to the tune of millions of dollars — to make sure not a single person lost money on this market,” the spokesperson said.
Prediction markets have surged in popularity since the 2024 U.S. presidential election, when the real-time probabilities on such platforms proved more accurate than many traditional polls in predicting Donald Trump’s victory.
These markets allow users to trade contracts tied to real-world outcomes, covering topics that range from sporting events to political developments and economic indicators.
Typically, users purchase “yes” or “no” contracts priced between zero and 100 cents, with payouts triggered once the relevant outcome is officially confirmed.
{Matzav.com}
