New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday denounced the attempted bombing outside Gracie Mansion, calling it a “heinous act of terrorism” after criminal charges against two teenage suspects were unsealed.
In a statement released following the charges, Mamdani addressed the alleged actions of the two suspects and said they must face the consequences of their conduct.
“Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi have been charged with committing a heinous act of terrorism and proclaiming their allegiance to ISIS,” Hizzoner said in a statement — that stopped short of condemning radical Islam.
“They should be held fully accountable for their actions,” he said, adding, “We will continue to keep New Yorkers safe. We will not tolerate terrorism or violence in our city.”
Authorities say Balat and Kayumi were arrested in connection with homemade explosive devices that were thrown during a protest and counter-protest outside Gracie Mansion.
According to the criminal complaint, both suspects later told NYPD investigators that the attack was motivated by their loyalty to ISIS.
Investigators say Balat also expressed a desire for the attack to cause more casualties than the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
“No, even bigger. It was only three deaths,” he told a cop, according to the complaint.
Mamdani’s remarks mirrored comments he made earlier in the day, when he also described the attempted bombing as terrorism while simultaneously criticizing a planned protest organized by far-right activists, accusing them of promoting anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Earlier statements by the mayor did not reference the suspects as self-radicalized or as Islamic extremists.
Mamdani is the first Muslim mayor of New York City.
{Matzav.com}
The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday evening that Home Front Command restrictions will remain in place following a fresh assessment of the security situation, leaving current nationwide guidelines unchanged.
In a statement, the IDF said the existing directives will continue through Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. Military officials explained that the decision was based on the latest evaluation of security conditions and noted that the policy could be revised if developments on the ground require it.
Following the announcement, Education Minister Yoav Kisch said that schools throughout Israel will remain closed and will not resume classes before Sunday.
The government had previously planned to introduce the “Yellow Framework,” a program designed to begin reopening schools gradually in municipalities considered to be at lower risk. That plan has now been delayed.
The Ministry of Education said the framework was developed together with local authorities and is expected to begin early next week, pending approval from the Home Front Command and depending on the evolving security assessment.
Officials in the ministry added that coordination with the Home Front Command is ongoing as they prepare for a range of possible scenarios, with the goal of enabling students to return to classrooms safely and in stages once conditions allow.
{Matzav.com}
A senior Iranian official said Monday that Tehran is prepared for an extended confrontation with the United States, warning that Iran is willing to keep striking targets in Gulf countries in an effort to push regional governments to pressure President Donald Trump to halt the conflict.
The remarks were made by Kamal Kharazi, a foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, during an interview with CNN in Tehran. His comments reflected a defiant posture from the Iranian leadership as the war entered its tenth day, while also dismissing the possibility of diplomatic talks in the near term.
“I don’t see any room for diplomacy anymore. Because Donald Trump had been deceiving others and not keeping with his promises, and we experienced this in two times of negotiations — that while we were engaged in negotiation, they struck us,” Kharazi told the outlet on Monday.
“There’s no room unless the economic pressure would be built up to the extent that other countries would intervene to guarantee termination of aggression of Americans and Israelis against Iran,” Kharazi said.
Kharazi suggested that economic fallout from the conflict could eventually force Gulf Arab states and other nations to push Washington toward ending the war.
“This war has been producing a lot of pressure — economic pressure — on others, in terms of inflation, in terms of lack of energy, and so if it will be continued, this pressure will be built up more, and therefore others have no choice to intervene,” he said.
Since the United States and Israel began their military campaign against Iran, Tehran has carried out attacks in several countries across the Middle East. Iranian officials claim the strikes are directed at American interests in Gulf states, though some of the missiles and drones have also struck residential areas and airports.
The fighting has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, threatening major oil infrastructure and shipping routes throughout the region. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has sharply declined, while crude oil prices climbed above $100 per barrel on Monday, unsettling international markets and fueling concerns over rising energy costs.
Data compiled by Rapidan Energy Group indicates that roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply has been affected by the conflict — about twice the level of disruption recorded during the 1956–57 Suez crisis.
The war has also eliminated much of the oil market’s so-called spare capacity, the emergency production reserves that can typically be brought online quickly to stabilize supply during disruptions.
A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Sunday that Iranian forces are currently using about 60% of their military firepower to strike U.S. bases and what he described as “strategic interests” throughout the region.
{Matzav.com}
