When I first joined the Air Force in 1979 we were in the midst of the Iran hostage crisis and I was quite the “chairborne ranger,” itching for…
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A Iran returns to an uneasy calm after protests led to a violent crackdown, a senior cleric is calling for the death penalty for detained demonstrators. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami's sermon Friday also threatened U.S. President Donald Trump. However, Trump struck a conciliatory tone, thanking Iran's leaders for not executing hundreds of protesters so far, signaling he may be backing away from military action. Executions and the killing of peaceful protesters are two of the red lines laid down by Trump for possible action against Iran. The protests began over economic issues, and have challenged Iran's theocracy. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports a death toll of 2,797.
Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has outlined his vision for a democratic Iran on social media. His plan includes ending a pursuit of nuclear weapons, confronting drug trafficking, and recognizing Israel. Experts say his proposals, which were expressed in English and not Farsi, seem more aimed at impressing U.S. President Donald Trump than resonating with Iranians. Pahlavi's influence is unclear, as nearly 50 years of theocratic rule have stifled the opposition. While some Iranians chant his name, experts believe it's due to a lack of alternatives. Pahlavi's appeal is limited by his family's long exile, as well as by bitter memories among Iranians of his father's rule.
European leaders are urging Iran to allow its citizens to demonstrate without reprisal after Tehran signaled security forces would crack down on the protesters. Activists said Friday that at least 62 people have been killed in the protests that began in late December over Iran's ailing economy and have morphed into the most significant challenge to Tehran in years. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticized President Donald Trump's support for the protesters, saying Trump's hands are "stained with the blood of Iranians." The government has shut down the internet and is blocking international calls. State media has labeled the demonstrators as "terrorists" and more than 2,300 people have been detained.
As Trump floats regime change in Iran, past US attempts to remake the Middle East may offer warnings
As President Donald Trump floats "regime change" in Tehran, previous U.S. attempts to remake the Middle East by force in recent decades can offer stark warnings about the possibility of a deepening involvement in the Iran-Israeli conflict. Trump posted over the weekend: "If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???" The White House insists Trump, who spent years railing against "forever wars," isn't doing an about-face and that Iranian citizens could revolt against its government. But that's a delicate, perilous path that other U.S. administrations have been down before. And it's a long way from Trump's dismissal of "stupid, endless wars."
What motivated this column is a reader who sent a letter that the "Iranian Hostage Crisis” was the opening gun of an Islamic Jihad takeover of…
TEHRAN — A military plane loaded with Iranian journalists crashed into a 10-story apartment building Tuesday as the pilot attempted an emergen…
