Latest news with #JonathanSchanzer
Fox News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Expert confident Iran's nuclear program is 'no longer' after massive US strike
A top expert on the Iran nuclear program believes the regime's atomic program has been obliterated by Saturday night's strikes by the United States. "The nuclear program is no longer," Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a "national security and foreign policy" think tank, told Fox News Digital. "Sources in Israel report with high confidence that this chapter is over. Responsible parties must still remove nuclear materials from the facility in Isfahan. But that appears to be the final page to turn," he continued. President Donald Trump said during his address on Saturday night that "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated." Fox News reported earlier on that Isfahan was "the hardest target," according to a senior U.S. official. "Everyone was talking about and focused on Fordow, but Isfahan was actually the hardest target," the official said on background. The U.S. used B-2 bombers to carry out the mission. A senior U.S. official also told Fox News that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu communicated after the strikes and that Israel had been informed ahead of time. Lisa Daftari, Iran expert and Editor-in-Chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital, "Both Israeli and U.S. officials understand that anything less than total destruction of Iran's nuclear infrastructure will only result in a temporary pause, not a permanent end. But to truly end Iran's nuclear ambitions, the U.S. and its allies must commit to a campaign—beyond these targeted strikes—backed by sustained pressure, intelligence, and the credible threat of further action if Iran attempts to rebuild."To ensure the eradication of the regime's nuclear weapons capability, the U.S. must maintain persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to detect any attempts by Iran's regime to disperse, hide or rebuild its nuclear infrastructure. This would be coupled with continued diplomatic isolation and strict multilateral sanctions blocking the regime's access to nuclear technology, materials and financing," she said. Trump announced that the U.S. had struck nuclear sites in Iran – a major development amid rising tensions in the region, as Israel and Iran continued to launch airstrikes against each other. "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday night. "All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter," he continued. Fox News' Sean Hannity said on Saturday night that President Donald Trump had given him details on the U.S. strikes in Iran. According to the "Hannity" host, the U.S. used six bunker-buster bombs — each of which weighs 15 tons — in its strikes on Iran's Fordow nuclear facility. The bombs were dropped from American B-2 stealth bombers. During a press conference on Sunday morning, the number of bunker busters used was updated to 14 by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Caine. "President Trump took decisive leadership and action to eliminate the last vestiges of Iran's nuclear weapons program, after Israel's sustained strikes, which seriously damaged the atomic weapons supply chain from uranium conversion to enrichment, and all the way to weaponization," Andrea Stricker, FDD's Director of Nonproliferation and Biological Weapons told Fox News Digital. "While Tehran's program is likely set back by years, the United States and Israel need to ensure the regime's highly enriched uranium stockpiles and all secret advanced centrifuges are fully recovered and destroyed — which means more work ahead," she added. Fordow had two entrances and one ventilation shaft, which likely served as the entrance points for the Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs). Additionally, 30 Tomahawk missiles launched from U.S. submarines were used in the attacks on the Nanatz and Isfahan facilities. There is speculation that the missiles were shot from an Ohio Class Submarine, but there has been no confirmation.
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Any attempt to close Strait of Homuz ...': Former Treasury official flags Iran, Houthi reaction
Washington DC: "...Any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz right now will be met with probably unbelievable force from the United States. Now that this has started, it's not that difficult to imagine the French or the Brits coming in to clear the lanes... I see the Iranians as being absolutely suicidal if they go down this route, and I do get a sense that we could be at a pivotal moment here. It doesn't mean that Iran won't try to attack, but I think asymmetrically is much more likely than through conventional means.., "says Jonathan Schanzer, a former US Treasury official and terror finance analyst, when asked about the impact if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Show more Show less
Times of Oman
19 hours ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
US will use "unbelievable force" if Iran tries shutting Strait of Hormuz: Ex-US Treasury official
Washington DC: United States' former Treasury Department official and a terror finance analyst, Jonathan Schanzer has warned that America will respond with "unbelievable force" if Iran attempts to close the Strait of Hormuz. His comments come in the wake of recent US airstrikes targeting three key Iranian nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Iran's main enrichment location for uranium enrichment to 60 per cent. "Any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz right now will be met with probably unbelievable force from the United States. Now that this has started, it's not that difficult to imagine the French or the Brits coming in to clear the lanes... I see the Iranians as being absolutely suicidal if they go down this route, and I do get a sense that we could be at a pivotal moment here. It doesn't mean that Iran won't try to attack, but I think asymmetrically is much more likely than through conventional means," Schanzer said. Commenting on the scale of damage inflicted on Iran by the joint US-Israeli strikes, Schanzer suggested that the Iranian regime has suffered irreparable losses but remains defiant. "There is no coming back from this for the (Iranian) regime. They've lost their entire air force, they have lost their air defences, they have lost their nuclear facilities. There is not much to operate with right now, other than asymmetric attacks and whatever is left of their missile arsenal. We'll wait and see whether the Israelis sustain strikes or the United States sustain strikes. But this is a regime that appears defiant, despite the president's assessment that they are effectively a spent force," Schanzer said. The terror finance analyst also expressed serious concern about potential retaliation from Iran, especially through non-conventional methods, including the threat of sleeper cells within the US. "I am concerned about asymmetric attacks here in the United States, sleeper cells in particular... Because this (Iran) is the world's number one state sponsor of terrorism, they have the means, they have the will, they've got the capabilities. If they choose to attack the United States, they certainly can do so," he said. On President Donald Trump's address following the strikes, Schanzer said his remarks was unusually short and that it might be premature to declare success. "It was a very short speech. I think his (US President Trump) assessment of the success of those strikes may be a bit premature... Donald Trump is calling for Iran's full and complete capitulation, a complete surrender, and right now, I'm not sure that the (Iranian) regime is prepared to do that. If you look at the statements coming out of the regime right now, they are threatening to strike America, in response," Schanzer said. After Northrop Grumman-made B-2 Spirit bombers struck nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, Trump, in his first public remarks, warned that he could order further action if Tehran does not agree to a satisfactory peace agreement. In his address to the nation from the White House on Saturday (local time), Trump said, "There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we've witnessed over the last eight days." In a Truth Social post, Trump said, "This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be a tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill." Trump also thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said, "I want to thank Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel." He went on to praise the military minds involved in the operation. "I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they've done and, most importantly, I want to congratulate great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight, and all of the United States' military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades. Hopefully, we will no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope so." Top brass of the American political leadership stood beside Trump as he delivered the remarks, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth.
Scoop
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Bad Old Habits: Israel Backs Palestinian Militias In Gaza
It is one of those things that should be recorded and replayed for eternity: Israel, in order to guard some misplaced sense of security, happily backs Palestinian groups in order to divide themselves. Hamas, seen now as an existential monster, was tolerated and even supported for lengthy stints in efforts to undermine the various factions in the Palestinian Liberation Organisation represented by Fatah. In his 2008 work, Hamas vs. Fatah, Jonathan Schanzer, writes how the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, the inspirational font for Hamas, was seen as an opportunity by the Israelis when taking root in Gaza. 'By the late 1970s, the Israelis believed that they had found Fatah's Achilles' heel.' Israeli strategy permitted the Brotherhood to thrive, going so far as to allow the cleric Sheikh Ahmed Yassin to operate a network of welfare, medical and education services. These had been sorely neglected by Fatah in the Gaza Strip. This approach effectively licensed the emergence of fundamentalism, seen, curiously enough, as more manageable than the military adventurism of the PLO. The First Intifada in 1987 spurred on the creation by Yassin and his followers of Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya ('Islamic Resistance Movement'). The 1988 charter of the organisation we know as Hamas, more youthful, and leaner, and hungrier than their Fatah rivals, made its purpose clear: 'There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through jihad'. In 2009, while surveying the ruins of a neighbour's bungalow in Moshav Tekuma, the retired Israeli officer Avner Cohen, who had served in Gaza for over two decades, was rueful. 'Hamas, to my regret,' he told the Wall Street Journal, 'is Israel's creation.' Sustenance and encouragement from the Jewish state had effectively emboldened a mortal enemy. Such a record should chasten wise legislators and leaders. But the only lesson history teaches is that its grave lessons are left unlearned, with disastrous, inimical mistakes made anew. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is proof of that contention. His various governments proudly backed the policy of division between the Gaza Strip and West Bank, defanging Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the latter while propping up Hamas in the former. Every now and then, the Israeli Defense Forces would keep Hamas in bloody check, a strategy that came to be called 'mowing the grass'. Israel's support for Hamas has come in the form of work permits (up to 3,000 granted to Gazans in 2021, rising to 10,000 during the Bennett-Lapid government), and suitcases, heavy with Qatari cash, entering the Strip through crossings since 2018. In 2019, Netanyahu was quoted as telling a Likud faction meeting that opponents of a Palestinian state should support the transfer of funds to Hamas. Five years prior, Bezalel Smotrich, the current firebrand, pro-ethnic cleansing Finance Minister, declared with candour that 'The Palestinian Authority is a burden, and Hamas is an asset.' With Hamas now the target and sworn enemy, the PM feels that the same, failed experiment adopted at stages since the 1970s can be replicated: backing and encouraging yet another group of Palestinians to undermine any sovereign cause. The central figure and beneficiary of this latest folly is the shady Yasser Abu Shabab, a Rafah resident from a Bedouin family known for a spotty criminal record. Calling itself the 'Anti-Terror Service' or the Popular Forces, and possessing assault rifles and equipment seized from Hamas, his 'clan', as reports have described it, has a committed record of looting humanitarian aid in Gaza. In Netanyahu's eyes, these rapacious poachers have turned into opportunistic game keepers, partially guarding the paltry aid that is currently being sent into Gaza under the supervision of the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Georgios Petropoulos, a senior United Nations official based in Gaza last year, calls Abu Shabab 'the self-styled power broker of east Rafah.' For his part, Abu Shabab admits to looting aid trucks, but only 'so we can eat, not so we can sell.' The looting proclivities of such groups is well noted, with the head of the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs in occupied Palestinian territories, Jonathan Whittall, making a damning accusation on May 28: 'The real theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces, and they were allowed to operate in proximity to the Kerem Shalom crossing point in Gaza.' On May 21, Abu Shabab's group posted on Facebook that '92 trucks were secured and entered areas under the protection of our popular forces, and exited safely under our supervision.' Details on which organisation was behind hiring the transporting vehicles were not given. With rumours bubbling that the Israeli government had embarked on this latest course of action, Netanyahu came clean. 'On the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas,' he announced in a posted video with usual, glowing cynicism. 'What's wrong with that?' The strategy 'only saves the lives of Israeli soldiers and publicising this only benefits Hamas.' The advice purportedly given by Shin Bet to Netanyahu to arm Gaza militias opposed to Hamas was an expedient measure, largely occasioned by the PM's continued refusal to involve the Palestinian Authority in the strip. Not all Israeli lawmakers were impressed by Netanyahu's latest effort at supposed cleverness. Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats in the Knesset, condemned him as a threat to Israeli security. 'Instead of bringing about a deal, making arrangements with the moderate Sunni axis, and returning the hostages and security of Israeli citizens, he is creating a new ticking bomb in Gaza.' The leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, Avigdor Lieberman, is of the view that the transfer of weapons to Abu Shabab's outfit was done unilaterally. 'The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with the Islamic State group,' he told the public broadcaster Kan. 'To my knowledge, this did not go through approval by the cabinet.' With humanitarian aid now at the mercy of a group scorned by UN officials, humanitarian workers and certain Israeli politicians – a rare coming together of minds – the next round of errors is playing out with rich, quixotic stupidity. Israel further adds to its own insecurity, while Abu Shabab knows all too well the views of his family, expressed in chilling statement: 'We affirm that we will not accept Yasser's return to the family. We have no objection to those around him liquidating him immediately, and we tell you that his blood is forfeit.'
