Khamenei To Trump: ‘Who Are You To Tell Iran That We Can’t Have A Nuclear Program?’
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Wednesday (4th) rejected American pressure and proposals to end its nuclear weapons program, calling such proposals a violation of the principle of Iranian independence.
“The leader of our revolution is a great man whose presence in the world is still tangible after thirty-odd years since his passing, and the impact of his revolution is clearly visible to people around the world,” Khamenei said at an event marking 35 years since the death of predecessor, the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruhollah Khomeini.
“The sharp decline in America’s position in the world is due to his presence, and hatred of Zionists is due to this revolution,” he claimed.
“The Islamic Revolution of Iran surprised the Western world. They did not think that a single cleric, without equipment and financial resources, could lead a nation into battle,” Khamenei added. “They did not believe that this revolution and this Imam would be able to sweep away the Americans and the Zionists, who had dominated everything in Iran for years, and would be able to expel them from the country.”
Addressing the negotiations with the U.S. on Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, he stated that Iran rejects the latest proposal from the Trump administration because it “contradicts our principle of power by one hundred percent.”
“It goes against the slogan ‘we can,’ which is an important principle in our country’s independence,” he added.
Addressing U.S. President Donald Trump, he asked, “Who are you to tell us whether we can have a nuclear program or not? We will not give up the ability to enrich uranium.”
The American proposal submitted to Iran by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday (5/31) outlines a nuclear deal predicated on the creation of a regional uranium enrichment consortium under specific conditions. Under the terms of the proposal, Iran would be restricted from developing domestic enrichment capabilities beyond those necessary for civilian applications. Following the signaling of an agreement, Iran would be required to temporarily reduce its enrichment concentration to three percent, with the duration of this period to be determined through negotiations. Furthermore, Iran’s underground enrichment facilities would need to become “non-operational” for an agreed-upon timeframe, while enrichment activities at its above-ground facilities would be temporarily limited to the level required for nuclear reactor fuel.
IDF Artillery Fire On Syria After Two Rockets Launched At Northern Israel From Beyond Buffer Zone
Sirens sounded in villages and towns across northern Israel and the Golan Heights on Tuesday evening (3rd) following a barrage of rockets fired from southern Syria, the military said.
The IDF responded with artillery fire on southern Syria.
Defense sources told The Jerusalem Post that as of now, it is unclear whether a missile launch from Yemen and the rockets launched from Syria were coordinated, and sources noted that the military is investigating.
Additionally, the sources said that the rockets were fired from deep in Syria, beyond the buffer zone with Israel, indicating that the entity that launched the rockets used a medium-range rocket. Sources also told the Post that it is still unclear which group was behind the attack.
Rocket sirens were triggered in Hispin in the Golan Heights, Nof Hagalil, Kfar Tavor, and Nazareth. The Jezreel Valley Regional Council later confirmed that the sirens that sounded in Nazareth were activated due to a missile launch from Yemen, which triggered sirens across central Israel.
The IDF confirmed that initial rocket fire from Syria fell in open areas, causing no harm or damage. Minutes later, a second barrage of rockets was fired into northern Israel. It was unclear whether the second barrage towards northern Israel was fired from Syria.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that the launches came from the Daraa Governate in southern Syria.
This is the first time that rockets have been launched from Syrian territory into Israel since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, and President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s rise to power.
Netanyahu’s Message After Death Of 3 IDF Soldiers In Gaza: ‘We Are Advancing Carefully’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video statement Tuesday evening (3rd) following the deaths of three Givati Brigade soldiers in a powerful explosion in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya..
“We are advancing in a measured way to prevent or minimize, as much as possible, the loss of our soldiers,” Netanyahu said in the video, published as the three soldiers were being laid to rest.
Since the launch of Operation Gideon’s Chariots in Gaza in mid-May, five IDF soldiers have been killed.
The fallen soldiers were identified as Staff Sgt. Lior Steinberg, 20, from Petah Tikva; Staff Sgt. Ofek Barhana, 20, from Yavne; and Staff Sgt. Omer Van Gelder, 22, from Ma’ale Adumim. All three were members of the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion. Two additional soldiers were wounded in the explosion.
“I wish to express my deep sorrow over the deaths of Staff Sgt Lior Steinberg, Staff Sgt. Ofek Barhana, and Staff Sgt. Omer Van Gelder, of blessed memory. May God avenge their blood,” said the prime minister. “I want to embrace their families and tell them: Your precious sons did not fall in vain. They fell in a just war — one of the most just there is — in a war in which we will defeat Hamas, free all hostages, and ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”
Netanyahu added, “Sadly, there are no wars without cost. The price you are paying – the price the people of Israel are paying – is heavy, sometimes unbearably so. But we will achieve all the goals of this war – every single one of them, without exception,”
First Dig In 100 Years Reveals Rare Discovery At Biblical Israel Capital
After nearly a century of archaeological silence, the ancient stones of Sebastia are speaking again as Israeli excavators uncover remarkable evidence of the grandeur that once defined Samaria, the biblical capital of the Kingdom of Israel.
The excavation launched two weeks ago has already yielded extraordinary discoveries, including an elegant stone pavement that formed part of a ceremonial street leading from the city’s heart to its main gate. Decorated columns that once flanked this ancient thoroughfare now lie beside the pathway, a testament to the architectural sophistication of the Herodian period.
Among the most intriguing finds is an ornate stone base that archaeologists believe supported a significant monument near the city gate. Though the monument itself has vanished through the millennia, researchers suspect it may have been a decorative gateway marking the entrance to a tower or temple complex.
These excavations represent the first comprehensive archaeological work at Sebastia in approximately 100 years, following Harvard University’s pioneering expedition that initially uncovered the gate and its protective towers around 115 years ago. Since then, the site has suffered from neglect, with debris accumulating around these ancient structures.
The current project emerged after Israel Hayom reported in May 2023 on repeated acts of vandalism at the historically significant location. This prompted government officials to allocate $8.5 million toward developing Sebastia into a major tourist destination, following the successful model of Herodium in eastern Gush Etzion.
Currently, Israeli visitors can only access the site during special events with advanced planning. But the development project aims to transform Sebastia into an accessible destination capable of welcoming hundreds of thousands of annual visitors.
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu expressed satisfaction with the project’s early progress, noting that Sebastia is one of the most important sites in our national and historical heritage. “I am pleased that the work undertaken, as part of the resources we are investing to expose the great splendor of ancient Samaria, is already bearing fruit in preserving Jewish heritage in the region.
The minister emphasized the broader goal of making archaeological treasures accessible to the general public, stating that officials “will continue our efforts to make these accessible to the general public so that the site becomes a magnet for hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, which will strengthen the connection between the people and their heritage and their land.”
Benjamin Har Even, Archaeological Staff Officer, described the initiative as multifaceted work “to make accessible, develop and preserve the site. We are working in Judea and Samaria to preserve and make accessible historical sites in order to perpetuate the heritage of all of us.”
Why A Nuclear Agreement With Iran Is Not Enough – Khaled Abu Toameh (Gatestone Institute)
• Even If Washington and Tehran reach an agreement on Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, unless it features “anywhere, anytime,” inspections, to which Iran has never agreed, Iran will secretly continue to develop nuclear weapons and cheat, cheat, cheat.
• Moreover, Iran is not going to stop its financial and military support for its terror proxies in the Middle East, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthi militia in Yemen. In short, Iran is not going to abandon its declared goal of obliterating the “Zionist entity” or the United States.
• Were it not for Iran’s financial and military support, its proxies would not have been able to fire thousands of rockets, ballistic missiles and explosive drones at Israel over the past 20 months. The Trump administration must demand an immediate halt to the funding and arming of the Iran-backed Islamist terror groups. Furthermore, it must demand that Iran’s leaders stop calling for the annihilation of Israel.
• As President Trump was voicing optimism regarding the prospects of reaching a nuclear deal with the Iranian regime, Ali Akbar Velayati, senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, received a delegation of Hamas and PIJ officials in Tehran.
• Iranian and Palestinian media quoted Velayati as “assuring” the officials that “the Zionist entity is doomed to disappear.” Velayati “praised the victories of the Palestinian resistance [against Israel] as a rare achievement in the history of Islam.”
• He also reassured the Palestinian terror leaders that the Iranian regime is determined to continue supporting them, to help them achieve their goal of murdering Jews and eliminating Israel. As long as the mullahs continue to wish for the destruction of Israel and America, and to back Islamist terror groups, they should be treated as dangerous enemies of both Israel and the U.S.
The writer, a veteran Israeli journalist, is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs..
Sanctimony On The High Seas – Brendan O’Neill
Bored with saving the planet, Greta Thunberg, Sweden’s prophetess of doom, now wants to save Gaza. She and a gaggle of self-righteous pals have set sail for Sicily, their boat a riot of keffiyehs and Palestinian flags, hoping to dock in Gaza in a week’s time to “break the Israeli blockade.”
Of all the smug stunts of the faux-virtuous activist class, this is surely the most preposterous . What does Greta Thunberg wish to do when she gets there? Bellow: “HOW DARE YOU!” at a column of IDF soldiers? Such daft antics might work on the political elites of the West who love nothing more than being told off by eco-pompous children. But it won’t wash with the army of the Jewish state that is in hot pursuit of the anti-Semitic terrorists that butchered more than a thousand Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.
If Gaza’s two million inhabitants really are being “systematically starved” – they aren’t – then how on earth will a small boat carrying little more than boxes of spare keffiyehs and smug activists help them? The most hilarious part of this watery clown show is that as these narcissists wail “Feed Gaza!,” that’s exactly what Israel is doing. Israel has handed out millions of meals over the past week through its Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
As they take selfies of themselves sobbing into their keffiyehs over what a uniquely barbarous nation Israel is, Israel is literally saving Palestinian lives. They do moral pantomime, for likes and clicks – Israel does actual aid, with very little thanks. All that these boat people have to offer to Gaza is cheap slogans and lame platitudes. I can’t be the only person who finds it chilling that the world’s only Jewish nation has become the target of rich, bored Westerners’ fashionable rage. (Telegraph-UK)
