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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Tehran has emerged victorious in its confrontation with the United States, claiming that the international community has already recognized Iran’s triumph even as President Donald Trump intensifies a sweeping economic campaign aimed at crippling the Islamic Republic.

“The entire world approved our victory, and the U.S. is hated,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

Pezeshkian reportedly argued that the conflict with Washington should now be brought to an end because, in his telling, Iran’s victory has already been established and accepted around the world.

His comments came as the Trump administration presented a dramatically different assessment of Iran’s position, saying Tehran is facing devastating financial pressure under a new American campaign that Trump has characterized as an “economic D-Day.”

Trump announced that Washington would unleash an “unprecedented” campaign of economic warfare and international isolation against Iran, with the goal of compelling Tehran to abandon its nuclear program and fully reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.

Separately, Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, generated controversy Friday when he discussed Israel’s control of the Golan Heights and said Israel “still” occupies the territory despite United Nations resolutions.

Speaking in an interview with Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Mario Nawfal, Barrack said that “in the Golan, with Syria, they (Israel) still occupy the Golan, against the U.N. resolutions.”

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and formally applied Israeli law to the territory in 1981.

The United Nations continues to regard the Golan Heights as occupied Syrian territory and considers Israel’s annexation invalid, with UN resolutions calling for an Israeli withdrawal to the line that existed on June 4, 1967.

Trump dramatically altered longstanding American policy in March 2019 when he signed a presidential proclamation formally recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

The American recognition did not alter the territory’s status under international law and initially failed to generate broader recognition from other governments.

That changed this month when Colombia became the second country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, joining the United States.

Barrack’s comments drew criticism today from conservative activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer, who argued that his description of the Golan contradicted established US policy.

Loomer wrote on X that Barrack “should resign for his lack of understanding of U.S. foreign policy.”

Hackers linked to Iran successfully forced a British power plant offline for four days last month, marking what is believed to be the first known cyberattack to completely shut down a power-generating facility in the United Kingdom, according to a report by The Telegraph.

The breach is being viewed by officials as the most successful cyber operation of its kind against British energy infrastructure to date. Hackers associated with the Iranian regime are suspected of carrying out the attack.

The incident occurred at approximately the same time that water infrastructure across 12 US states was targeted in a series of cyberattacks, developments that reportedly raised concerns within the White House.

British authorities have withheld the identity and location of the power station for security reasons. The facility was reportedly relatively small, and its shutdown therefore posed no significant danger to the country’s overall electricity supply. Workers spent four days restoring operations at the site.

Following the attack, British government officials briefed executives at power companies and reached out to businesses with instructions and recommendations for dealing with potential cyber threats. The National Cyber Security Centre, the public-facing cybersecurity division of GCHQ, was also notified.

The NCSC would not address the specific attack. Intelligence officials in both Britain and the United States have repeatedly cautioned that cyber operatives connected to Iran, Russia, China and North Korea routinely attempt to penetrate government networks and critical infrastructure.

Britain has previously experienced major cyber incidents affecting hospitals and other NHS systems, schools and industrial facilities. Manufacturing operations at Jaguar Land Rover have also been disrupted, while foreign hackers have succeeded in obtaining customer information from retailers and voter data maintained by the Electoral Commission.

Until the latest incident, however, no publicly known cyberattack had succeeded in bringing a British electricity-generating facility completely offline.

According to The Telegraph, the operation apparently was not designed to cause widespread disruption to the British public and attracted little attention while it was unfolding. Investigators are reportedly considering whether the attack was instead intended as a demonstration of capability by hackers connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, showing that they could infiltrate British networks and disable sensitive infrastructure.

The United Kingdom operates dozens of smaller generating stations connected to the national electricity grid. Many are gas-powered facilities used only when necessary, including during periods when weak winds reduce the amount of electricity produced by wind turbines.

Because of the structure of Britain’s power network, an extended shutdown at one small facility would generally have little effect on the national grid. Hospitals and some industrial facilities also maintain independent generators to provide electricity when necessary.

The NCSC urged British organizations in March to review and strengthen their cybersecurity defenses amid heightened international tensions.

Richard Horne, chief executive of the NCSC, revealed in June that the agency had responded to more than 200 cyberattacks against Britain’s critical national infrastructure during the preceding year.

A government source sought to emphasize the limited size of the power station involved in the latest incident.

“We have thresholds for important generators to legally notify us of cyber activity, and this site is nowhere near. It’s a very small scale site, less than a rounding error compared to grid capacity.”

A British government spokesman similarly stressed that the cyberattack never posed a broader danger to the country’s power supply.

“The UK has a highly resilient energy system. We work closely with the energy sector to protect infrastructure and ensure the highest security standards. This story refers to an incident impacting a small-scale energy generator, and at no point was there a risk to the wider energy system.”

{Matzav.com}

A federal judge has invalidated the Trump administration’s suspension of immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, ruling that the sweeping policy unlawfully discriminated against applicants based solely on their nationality and exceeded the authority granted to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The State Department announced earlier this year that immigrant visas would no longer be issued to nationals of Afghanistan, Brazil, Yemen and dozens of other countries. The administration said the affected countries were selected because their citizens were considered more likely to rely on public assistance after immigrating to the United States.

Under the policy, immigrant visas could be withheld even when individual applicants underwent consular review and officers concluded that they were likely to support themselves after arriving in the United States, according to Friday’s ruling by US District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas of the Southern District of New York.

“In many ways, this is not a challenging case,” Vargas wrote.

The judge pointed to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which she said prohibits nationality-based discrimination in the issuance of immigrant visas. The administration’s policy, she concluded, denied certain applicants visas “based solely on their nationality.”

As part of her ruling, Vargas cited a US diplomatic cable directing American consulates to reject immigrant visa applications that had already been approved in cases where the physical visas had not yet left the consular office.

Vargas determined that the administration’s policy was “contrary to law” and went beyond Rubio’s legal authority as secretary of state. Her decision vacated the 75-country suspension and also set aside visa denials that had been issued solely under the challenged policy.

Responding to the ruling, a State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration is “protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants,” while noting that the administration does not discuss pending litigation.

When the visa suspension was initially announced, the State Department said it would “remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.”

The restrictions were one component of the Trump administration’s larger effort to reduce both legal and illegal immigration into the United States.

Another major immigration initiative suffered a setback in June, when the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional right to birthright citizenship. The justices rejected Trump’s executive order seeking to deny citizenship to children born in the United States whose parents had either entered the country illegally or were legally residing and working in the country on temporary visas. The order had never taken effect after lower courts found it unconstitutional.

Susan Welber, supervising attorney at The Legal Aid Society, which represented plaintiffs challenging the visa restrictions, argued that the administration’s justification for targeting the 75 countries was “premised on a fiction” that immigrants from those nations would be particularly likely to depend on government assistance.

“Any time that we can fight back against policies that are based on fictions and untruths and prejudices, I think we’re making for a more just immigration system,” Welber says.

The plaintiffs included the Catholic Immigration Legal Network and African Communities Together, organizations that provide immigration legal assistance. The case also involved six American citizens who had submitted family-based immigration petitions for relatives and five “intending immigrants” who filed employment-based petitions for themselves.

“The suspension of lawful visa processing across 75 countries separated spouses, parents, and children who were simply following the legal immigration process,” Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, said in a statement.

Attorneys representing the plaintiffs said Vargas’ decision clears the way for their clients to resume moving through the legal immigration system rather than facing an automatic rejection because of their country of origin.

“For 75 countries’ worth of families, this decision means a return to fair, case-by-case review, and a chance to be reunited with their loved ones,” said Antionette Dozier, senior attorney for Western Center on Law & Poverty, which represented the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. “No administration gets to override the law because it deems an applicant’s nationality unacceptable.”

{Matzav.com}

A Texas judge today rejected Karmelo Anthony’s request for a new trial, leaving intact his murder conviction and 35-year prison sentence for the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet near Dallas.

Attorneys for Anthony argued that problems surrounding his June trial warranted another proceeding, pointing to restrictive courtroom rules and what they contended were improper jury instructions. The defense and prosecutors also disputed the implications of an agreement between the two sides that limited the evidence presented to jurors about events preceding the deadly confrontation.

Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder on June 9 and sentenced to 35 years behind bars for stabbing Metcalf during the April 2025 track meet.

Anthony did score a victory in court following his conviction when the original judge in the case, John Roach, was removed after publicly commenting on the jury’s verdict.

“Yeah, they did, whatever they say, they got it right,” Roach told WFAA TV.

Anthony did not take the witness stand during his murder trial. His defense maintained that he acted in self-defense when he stabbed Metcalf inside a tent during the track meet.

The confrontation began after Metcalf told Anthony to leave the tent, which had been set up for students from Metcalf’s high school.

Anthony had taken a seat beneath the Memorial High School tent under the bleachers at the multi-school meet. Metcalf and other students repeatedly instructed him to leave the area, according to testimony about the encounter.

As tensions rose, Anthony warned Metcalf, “touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.

Metcalf then pushed Anthony. Witnesses testified that Anthony had been the aggressor in the confrontation. Anthony subsequently retrieved a knife from his bag and stabbed Metcalf, a standout football player, inflicting the wound that killed him.

The killing and subsequent prosecution attracted national attention, with race becoming a prominent issue surrounding the case because Anthony is black and Metcalf was white.

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys told jurors that the killing was not racially motivated. Nevertheless, relatives of both Anthony and Metcalf reported being subjected to harassment and threats as public attention surrounding the case intensified.

Another significant issue to emerge following the trial involved evidence that jurors never heard. Prosecutors and Anthony’s defense had reached a gentleman’s agreement under which certain material would not be introduced before the jury, and some of that evidence subsequently became public.

Among the material withheld from jurors was a disturbing 2023 text message in which Anthony threatened to carry out a shooting at his school.

“imma shoot the school up tmr,” Anthony wrote in a 2023 text that prosecutors revealed during the hearings to determine of he should receive a new trial.

Saturday’s ruling means Anthony’s conviction remains in place despite his attorneys’ attempt to persuade the court that problems with the original proceedings justified giving him another trial.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump made an impassioned pitch to South Carolina Republicans on Friday to turn out for Sen. Darline Graham in next week’s GOP Senate primary runoff, urging his supporters to vote as though his own name were on the ballot and warning that his agenda could be jeopardized if Graham loses.

Appearing alongside Graham at a packed rally at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Trump acknowledged that Republicans face a potential turnout problem during the midterms because he himself is not running. Without Trump at the top of the ticket, he suggested, some of the MAGA voters who reliably turn out for him might stay home.

Trump offered his supporters a simple solution.

“What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot,” Trump urged voters. “Just come and vote. It’s so important.”

“So just say that I’m on the ballot, one more time, you got to say it, and you got to come out and vote.”

Trump sought to frame the South Carolina contest as much more than a race over a single Senate seat, arguing that the outcome could determine whether the policies enacted under his administration survive. He warned voters that they could “lose everything” if Graham does not prevail.

“You got to come out and vote,” Trump said, “because if we lose, you’re going to lose your border, you’re going to lose your tax cuts, you’re going to lose everything that we’ve done.”

“Think about no tax on tips, no tax on social security for our seniors, no tax on overtime – all of that’s going to be gone,” the president warned.

Trump also predicted that Democrats would seek to impeach him if they capture control of Congress in the midterm elections.

“I’m going to be impeached. They’re going to impeach me. They have no idea why,” the president fumed.

“You’re gonna lose all of your tax breaks. You’re gonna lose everything. So you have to get out of vote,” he added.

Trump spoke for more than an hour before the large Myrtle Beach crowd, with video screens inside the convention center alternating between messages declaring, “South Carolina is Trump Country” and “South Carolina is Graham Country.”

The rally also included a familiar feature from Trump’s years on the campaign trail, as the president recited “The Snake,” the poem he has frequently used as an allegory while making his case against illegal immigration.

At least one protester interrupted Trump during his remarks, causing him to briefly stop speaking before responding with a joke about the heckler’s mother.

“That’s all right. That person’s going home to mom. Gonna get scolded because mom is voting for us. You know, mom is voting for us.”

Trump was joined at the event by a number of prominent Republicans, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is scheduled to leave her position at the end of August, Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Tim Scott of South Carolina, Rep. Russell Fry of South Carolina, and Graham. Trump invited several of the guests onto the stage during his address.

When Graham took the microphone, she offered an emotional expression of gratitude to Trump for the tribute he delivered at the funeral of her late brother, Lindsey Graham.

Graham thanked the president for “the beautiful eulogy you gave at Lindsey’s service.”

“That meant the world to me,” she said. It was beautiful.”

“You were one of his closest friends. I hope you know that, and you will forever be part of the Graham family,” the senator added.

Graham entered the Senate following her brother’s death. At Trump’s urging, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to fill the vacant seat on July 14, and she is now seeking to win a full six-year term in her own right.

In the first round of the Republican primary on Aug. 11, Graham led the field with 32.7% of the vote. Rep. Ralph Norman finished second with 24.6%, while Fry placed third with 19.7%.

Because no candidate secured enough support to win outright, Graham and Norman will face each other in the Aug. 25 Republican Senate primary runoff.

Before wrapping up his appearance, Trump added one more incentive for South Carolina Republicans to deliver Graham a victory.

After pointing out that Myrtle Beach is “the home of 90 great golf courses,” the president promised that if Graham wins the runoff, he will return to the area and take on the city’s best golfer.

“I’ll make you a deal that if Darline wins, I’ll come down and play the best golfer in Myrtle Beach in a match. We’ll see who wins,” he said.

WATCH:

President Donald Trump’s 50% tariff on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian imports took effect early today after eleventh-hour negotiations between Washington and Ottawa broke down, setting the stage for a new trade confrontation as Canada vowed to retaliate dollar for dollar.

The sweeping levy applies to an array of Canadian products entering the United States, including wine, hockey sticks and cement, after the two countries failed to finalize an agreement before the deadline.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer blamed Canada for the collapse, saying Ottawa backed away from understandings that had been reached only days earlier.

“Tonight, Canada declined to finalize the trade deal under the terms agreed earlier this week, despite the US offer to Canada to receive the best treatment of any major exporter to our market,” Greer told reporters.

“New demands and walk backs of other commitments by Canada have upended the careful balance reached in the past days,” he added.

The new 50% tariff covers approximately $20 billion in Canadian goods, though energy products and certain essential imports, including fish and critical minerals, will be exempted.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded to the breakdown by promising that Ottawa would strike back against the new American tariffs.

“Canada will match those tariffs dollar for dollar to protect our workers and businesses,” he said in a statement.

“In the coming days, the government will introduce additional measures to support Canadian workers and businesses, building on the nearly $25 billion in support provided over the past 18 months,” Carney added.

Trump had initially given the two sides until 12:01 a.m. Wednesday to reach an agreement and avoid the 50% levy. He subsequently extended the deadline until Saturday as negotiations appeared to make progress in their final stages.

Trump administration officials have said the tariffs are intended to address Canada’s “substantial retaliation” and “discrimination” against American products and businesses.

Carney, however, portrayed the dispute as part of a broader transformation in Washington’s approach toward international trade, including its economic relationships with longstanding allies.

“We have recognised from the beginning that America has changed, and that we will not return to our old relationship,” Carney’ statement continued. “Our government understood, before many, that America is altering all its trade relationships. Putting tariffs on its closest allies and charging for access to its vast market.”

The Canadian prime minister blamed the failed negotiations on “last-minute changes in the US proposed terms” that he described as “unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal”.

Only hours before the tariffs took effect, Trump had publicly expressed confidence that Washington and Ottawa would ultimately reach an agreement, citing his relationship with Carney.

“The deal with Canada is moving along and we should be able to have a deal,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for a rally in South Carolina.

Trump also revealed that his administration is “starting on a new deal with Mexico” while simultaneously negotiating with its northern neighbor.

“I only make good deals. Much better deal for the United States, both with Canada and Mexico,” Trump declared.

The 50% tariff was first announced last month, shortly after Trump and Carney were seen speaking with one another at the World Cup final in New Jersey.

The two leaders continued their discussions this week, speaking by telephone Monday afternoon as officials attempted to hammer out an agreement.

″We are negotiating,” Carney said of talks with Trump. “The negotiations are very intense and delicate. This is not the time to talk about negotiations in public.”

One of Washington’s objectives during the talks was reportedly to persuade Canada to withdraw retaliatory actions imposed in response to Trump’s earlier tariffs. Those Canadian measures included restrictions on American liquor and tariffs targeting US automobiles.

When Trump announced Wednesday that he was extending the deadline by three days, he also raised the possibility that a trade agreement could include a revival of the long-stalled Keystone XL pipeline project.

“The great Keystone XL Pipeline, long ago killed by Sleepy Joe Biden, may be awoken from the grave!” the president wrote on Truth Social.

Canada, meanwhile, had been pressing Washington for significant reductions in American tariffs affecting some of its most important industries.

Ottawa sought to have the US tariff on Canadian-made automobiles reduced from 25% to 15%, while also pushing for tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to be cut in half, from 50% to 25%.

Even late Friday, Canadian officials were publicly insisting that negotiations remained alive.

“We have more work to do. We are going to continue working up until the last minute. Our job is not finished,” Canada’s Minister of Internal Trade Dominic LeBlanc said as he left Greer’s office approximately four hours before the deadline.

LeBlanc’s office also communicated with Carney’s US economic advisory team earlier Friday, describing the negotiations as “complex and consequential.”

“I want to be direct with you about where we stand. This is an intense moment. The stakes are significant… That pressure is being felt by Canadians across the country, and those at the table ‌are acutely ⁠aware of it,” the email read.

The stakes are particularly significant because of the enormous volume of commerce flowing between the neighboring countries. Canada is the United States’ second-largest trading partner, and nearly 72% of Canadian goods exports went to the American market last year.

At the same time, the United States recorded a $46.4 billion goods trade deficit with Canada in 2025, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.

The latest confrontation comes after Trump imposed broad double-digit tariffs on imports from nearly every country last year, after declaring America’s trade deficit a national emergency.

In February, the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs, ruling that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not give the president authority to impose the sweeping duties.

For the new Canadian tariffs, the Trump administration has instead turned to Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, a Great Depression-era provision that has never previously been invoked.

Section 338 permits the president to impose tariffs as high as 50% on imports from countries deemed to have discriminated against American businesses. The provision does not require a trade investigation and places no specific time limit on how long such tariffs may remain in effect.

Trump has accused Canada of discriminating against American automobile, alcohol and cheese exports. Canada, along with China, was one of only two countries to impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States in response to Trump’s levies last year.

Greer warned last week that the administration would not allow retaliatory measures against American tariffs to go unanswered.

“If a country retaliates against us, we’re obviously not going to tolerate that,” Greer said. “We’ll take action. My sense is the Canadians, they want to have a more conciliatory approach, but we’ll see.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz disclosed on Shabbos that Israel struck Syria’s Abu al-Duhur airbase only after warning the Syrian regime against allowing Turkey to establish a military presence at the facility, saying that Israel acted after Damascus failed to heed the warning.

Katz said Israeli intelligence had produced clear information indicating that Turkey was preparing to establish military infrastructure at the Syrian airbase, a development Israeli officials believed could pose a threat to the country’s security.

According to the defense minister, the IDF recommended on several occasions that Israel attack the site. However, before approving military action, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz held a series of consultations with senior security officials and decided to first attempt to stop the Turkish move through diplomatic pressure.

Israel subsequently delivered a direct warning to the Syrian regime at the highest levels, making clear that it would not tolerate the planned Turkish presence. Katz said relevant American officials were also notified about the situation.

“When the Syrian regime did not heed the warning, the strike was authorized and successfully carried out,” Katz said. “Erdoğan was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and was forced to back down.”

Katz said the episode demonstrated Israel’s determination to prevent hostile forces from establishing a presence in Syria that could create new security dangers along Israel’s borders.

“We will not allow anyone to endanger the security of the State of Israel, and we will act against every threat. This is one of the central lessons of the events of October 7,” he said.

The defense minister also pushed back against accusations from opposition politicians and media figures who claimed that the timing of the attack was influenced by political considerations ahead of Israel’s elections.

“The attempt to paint a security operation in political colors stems from ignorance, a lack of understanding of Israel’s security interests, and a constant desire to attack the government,” he charged.

Katz separately took aim at Tom Barrack, President Donald Trump’s envoy to Syria, after Barrack suggested that the Israeli operation had been intended to provoke a response from Turkey and referred to Israel as occupying the Golan Heights.

The defense minister said Barrack’s comments were “full of inaccuracies and contradict President Trump’s clear position,” pointing to Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Katz argued that an official representing the Trump administration could not disregard the administration’s established policy on the strategically important territory.

The disclosures came as Israeli military activity inside Syria continued Saturday. The IDF said it struck a terrorist in the Beit Jinn area of southern Syria who had been advancing terrorist plots that presented an immediate danger to Israeli troops.

Israeli officials reiterated following the operation that the country intends to continue acting across the border whenever necessary to prevent emerging threats and protect Israel’s security.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on three high-profile figures associated with the conservative movement, tearing into Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie following a meeting involving the trio and branding them “LOSERS ALL!”

Trump delivered the broadside on social media, directing personal and political attacks at all three while accusing them of having lost their standing within the Republican movement.

The President reserved some of his harshest criticism for Carlson, the media personality and former television host who has repeatedly generated controversy over his anti-Israel views and statements widely condemned as antisemitic. Trump claimed that Carlson’s “‘Views’ have fallen through the floor,” described him as “a very Low I.Q. individual,” and added, “He could barely get out of College, and maybe he didn’t.”

Trump then turned to the possibility of Carlson eventually seeking political office, arguing that the commentator should be subjected to a cognitive examination if he ever launches a campaign.

“He’s got no chance, but could probably take a couple of points away from whatever the Republican ticket happens to be! Tucker is a loser, and always has been!” Trump declared.

Trump also went after Greene, the onetime Georgia congresswoman who had previously been one of his close political allies, referring to her as Marjorie “‘Traitor’ Greene” and characterizing her as “a highly neurotic young woman.”

According to Trump, Greene’s politics underwent a dramatic transformation, saying that she “went from Ultra Conservative to a Liberal ‘Fool,’ all in a matter of weeks.”

The President further argued that Greene’s political fortunes collapsed after he withdrew his backing, asserting that she had been “way down in the Polls in Georgia (because I took away my Endorsement),” and that she “would have had no chance at winning,” prompting her eventually to “QUIT!”

Massie, another frequent Trump critic who previously represented Kentucky in Congress, was also targeted in the President’s lengthy attack.

Trump said Massie “has turned out to be a failed politician, and a real JERK.” He also accused the former lawmaker of building his political identity around reflexively opposing legislation, claiming Massie believed that “it was really wonderful to vote, ‘NO,’ on everything, no matter how good, strong, or proper the Legislation would be.”

Wrapping up the broadside, Trump lumped Carlson, Greene and Massie together as “THREE LOSERS” and suggested that their political future now lies outside the Republican mainstream.

Their only remaining option, Trump argued, was “to join the Radical Left Dumocrats, and try breaking into the Primary System.”

“To all of them I say, PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!” Trump concluded.

{Matzav.com}

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri met Friday morning with the party’s spiritual leader, Rav Yitzchok Yosef, president of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, as signs continued to emerge that recent tensions surrounding the spiritual leadership of the party have been resolved.

Deri visited Rav Yosef at his home as part of the regular weekly consultations between the two. During the meeting, Deri also heard a lengthy Torah discussion from Rav Yosef on the halachos of Shabbos.

The meeting came following efforts by Deri and others to stabilize his relationship with Rav Yosef and bring an end to uncertainty that had developed over the question of Shas’ spiritual leadership.

According to a previous report, one proposal discussed during the negotiations would have Deri sign a document — or approve a provision to be incorporated into the Shas party bylaws — formally establishing that the party’s Torah decisions will follow the path laid down by its founder, Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, as represented today through the leadership of his son, Rav Yitzchok Yosef.

In practical terms, the arrangement would establish Rav Yosef as Shas’ central Torah authority without requiring, at least for now, his formal appointment as president of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah.

The contacts between the sides came alongside a lengthy conversation this week between Deri and Rav Moshe Maya, the senior member of the Shas Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah. The discussion reportedly lasted approximately two hours.

During that conversation, Rav Maya made clear to Deri that he regards the leadership of Shas as being entrusted to Rav Yitzchok Yosef, whom he described as the son and continuation of the path of Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l.

“I am already weak, and I rely on Maran Rav Yitzchok Yosef for everything. By his word shall everything be decided,” Rav Maya told Deri.

Recent reports have also identified Deri’s brother, Momo Deri, as one of the central figures working behind the scenes to bridge the differences and reach an understanding between the sides. Former minister Ariel Atias was also reportedly involved in the reconciliation efforts.

The developments follow Rav Yitzchok Yosef’s appearance Thursday alongside Deri at the launch of Shas’ election campaign, where the Rishon LeTzion publicly spoke about the relationship between his father, Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, and Deri, while calling for Shas to be strengthened ahead of the upcoming elections.

“My father established this movement together with Reb Aryeh,” Rav Yosef said.

Calling upon the public to work on behalf of Shas, he added, “We are approaching the Day of Judgment. How can a person merit favor on the Day of Judgment? By helping this holy movement.”

Rav Yosef also addressed the ongoing battle over the draft status of bnei yeshivos, arguing that the issue demonstrates the importance of maintaining Shas’ political strength.

“After the elections, we will have to deal with the issue of the bnei yeshivos. How will we deal with it if we do not have this holy movement?” he said.

Rav Yosef additionally addressed the Chareidi community’s attitude toward IDF soldiers, stressing that support for the olam haTorah should not be interpreted as hostility toward soldiers.

“We speak a great deal about the bnei yeshivos, about the olam haTorah, but people need to know that we love the soldiers. I myself went from base to base and blessed them, and I saw how moved they were,” Rav Yosef said.

“The media portrayed it as though we are against them. We are against them? We love the soldiers,” he added.

The public appearances and Friday meeting represent the latest indications that the internal tensions surrounding Shas’ spiritual leadership have eased, with Rav Yosef increasingly being positioned as the party’s central Torah authority while Deri continues to lead the movement politically.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu lashed out at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday after authorities in Turkey sought Interpol arrest warrants targeting Netanyahu and dozens of other senior Israeli officials, sharply escalating the already bitter confrontation between Yerushalayim and Ankara.

The Prime Minister’s Office responded to the Turkish move with a blistering attack on Erdogan and his government.

“Erdogan is an antisemitic dictator who has massacred Kurds, harbors Hamas terrorists, occupies half of Cyprus, and jails record numbers of journalists and politicians who oppose him. He now seeks to extend his aggression against Israel into Syria. Israel will not tolerate it,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Erdogan’s pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, will go nowhere,” the statement stressed.

The Turkish request for the international warrants was filed in connection with criminal proceedings taking place in the absence of the Israeli defendants at Istanbul’s 11th High Criminal Court.

Reports indicated that the case stems from Israel’s interception of the “Global Sumud” flotilla, which attempted to break the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces stopped the vessels in international waters before they could reach Gaza. There has thus far been no indication that Interpol has approved Turkey’s request for warrants.

Relations between Israel and Turkey had appeared to be moving toward a diplomatic thaw in the period preceding the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 massacre in southern Israel. The relationship deteriorated dramatically following the attack and the ensuing war, with Erdogan and other senior Turkish officials repeatedly launching harsh attacks against Israel.

In March 2025, Erdogan branded Israel a “terror state” following Israeli preemptive strikes targeting terrorist infrastructure in Gaza. He subsequently accused Netanyahu’s government of being the greatest single threat to stability across the Middle East.

Erdogan stepped up his rhetoric again last week, charging that Israel was attempting to push the Palestinian Arab issue off the international agenda.

The latest dispute also comes amid growing tensions between Israel and Turkey over Syria. Earlier this week, Israel carried out a strike against the Abu al-Duhur airbase in Syria after Syrian authorities came close to violating a security understanding by permitting Turkish forces to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.

Turkey rejected Israel’s justification for the strike and accused Yerushalayim of using security claims as a pretext for attacking Syrian territory.

Ankara also leveled broader accusations against Netanyahu, claiming that he was pursuing territorial expansion and fueling instability across the region for political reasons ahead of Israel’s elections.

The Turkish effort to secure international arrest warrants now adds another front to the increasingly hostile relationship, with Netanyahu making clear that Israel has no intention of being deterred by Erdogan’s move.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Friday that military action against Iran remains a possibility, making clear that his administration’s new emphasis on economic warfare against Tehran does not mean the United States has taken the use of force off the table.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews, Trump was asked whether the shift toward an aggressive economic campaign against the Islamic Republic meant that Washington’s military options had become more limited.

“No, not at all,” the President replied. “It just means that we’re seeing what happens. They have no money, they have no navy, they have no air force, they have 350% inflation. So we’re just going to sort of see what happens.”

Trump on Iran:

They would love to make a deal, but they are not ready to make the right deal, in my opinion. pic.twitter.com/YR5yxQu37O

— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 21, 2026

Trump pointed to what he described as overwhelming American control in the region, including around the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, as evidence of the pressure currently being exerted on Tehran.

“We have total control, as you know, of the border. We have total control, if you look at the blockade, we have total control of that entire region having to do with the Strait of Hormuz. And that means well into it, the land areas,” Trump continued.

Despite the mounting pressure, Trump suggested that Tehran remains interested in reaching an agreement with Washington, but said Iranian leaders have not yet shown a willingness to accept terms that he considers satisfactory.

Iran “would love to make a deal, but they are not ready to make the right deal, in my opinion,” Trump said.

The President’s remarks came just two days after he unveiled a sweeping new economic campaign targeting Iran, describing the effort as an “economic D-Day” intended to further isolate and weaken the Islamic Republic.

In announcing the initiative on Truth Social, Trump warned that governments and other entities continuing to provide economic assistance to Iran could themselves face consequences from the United States.

“These maniacs are on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide. IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” he wrote.

The administration’s latest moves follow the expiration Tuesday of a 60-day negotiating period between Washington and Tehran. Trump said at the time that there were neither active negotiations nor any new talks scheduled between the two countries.

“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect. The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated.”

Trump’s latest comments underscore that while the White House is currently seeking to squeeze Tehran through economic and strategic pressure, the administration is continuing to preserve the possibility of military action if Iran refuses to reach an agreement acceptable to Washington.

{Matzav.com}