Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei 'misfunctioning,' not controlling regime: sources

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is little more than an "empty entity" who is not at the helm of the regime, according to Israeli national security sources.

The son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a targeted Israeli strike on Feb. 28, is also linked to what officials describe as a "misfunctioning" regime.

"The new leader is an empty entity," Kobi Michael, a defense analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital.

TRUMP VOWS TO HIT IRAN 'VERY HARD' AFTER OBLITERATING NEARLY '90 PERCENT' OF REGIME MISSILES

"Mojtaba Khamenei does not appear in public, but we also have reliable information that he does not control or lead the regime or what has been left of the regime.

"The current Iranian leadership is broken, confused and is almost misfunctioning."

Mojtaba reportedly escaped death by minutes when his father was killed Feb. 28, leaving the compound for a walk shortly before an Israeli missile strike, according to leaked audio accessed by The Telegraph.

The audio, reportedly from a March 12 meeting, revealed details about the strikes that also took out several members of the Khamenei family.

Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol for Khamenei’s office, is supposedly heard in the audio telling senior leaders that Mojtaba sustained "a minor injury to his leg." 

Since being named supreme leader, Mojtaba has not made one public appearance. Instead, a message by him was read on Iranian state TV, warning of continued strikes and urging Gulf nations to shut down U.S. bases.

ISRAEL KILLS IRANIAN INTELLIGENCE MINISTER WHO SURVIVED INITIAL STRIKE, OFFICIAL SAYS

Other reports claimed Mojtaba was in critical condition or even in a coma, though Iranian officials have insisted that the new supreme leader is in good health.

Mojtaba Khamenei vowed revenge Wednesday after the killing of senior security official Ali Larijani in an Israeli strike.

"Such acts of terror only reflect the enemies’ hostility and will strengthen the resolve of the Islamic nation. Undoubtedly, justice will be served," the statement said.

Larijani, one of Iran’s top security figures, was killed after Israeli intelligence reportedly located him and other officials on the outskirts of Tehran.

Other senior figures have also been killed in recent strikes, including Basij militia leader Gholamreza Soleimani, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

"This is not a new phase, but a continuing effort and a very successful and impressive one and a crucial component of the strategy meant to weaken the Iranian regime," Michael said of the continued strikes at regime figures.

"This is to the degree that it will not be able to reconstitute itself and/or to become again a severe threat and destabilizing player in the broader Middle East."

US-SANCTIONED MOJTABA KHAMENEI NAMED IRAN’S NEXT SUPREME LEADER AFTER FATHER’S DEATH: REPORTS

After the opening U.S.-Israeli strikes, President Donald Trump told the Iranian people that their "moment of freedom" was at hand.

"When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take," Trump said, suggesting the U.S. would help bring down the Iranian regime.

"At the very same time, by weakening the regime and paralyzing its capacities generally speaking and its domestic control specifically, the U.S. and Israel are facilitating the required conditions for the Iranian people to topple the regime," Michael added.

"This is the ultimate victory in their eyes, and the route to this destination is that they are trying to increase any damage wherever they can."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/DNCbJvh

Iran’s hidden mountain nuclear site raises urgent threat, must be ‘neutralized': reports

Iran’s potentially most dangerous nuclear site is buried as deep as 100 meters below a granite mountain, according to new assessments, and one nonproliferation expert warned it must be "neutralized" before the U.S. war with Iran ends.

This came as new figures released Wednesday by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) show that U.S. and Israeli forces launched Operation Epic Fury in late February and have since struck more than 7,800 targets in Iran as the conflict enters Day 18.

"Before the United States and Israel end major combat operations against Iran, they must complete two urgent tasks," Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Nonproliferation Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in a policy briefing.

WHILE UN ISSUES MIXED SIGNALS, WITKOFF EXPOSES IRAN'S NUCLEAR EVASION ‘PRIDE’

"First, they must neutralize Pickaxe Mountain. Second, they must recover or eliminate highly enriched uranium stocks to prevent them from falling into the hands of surviving regime elements, other adversarial states or terrorist proxies."

High-resolution satellite imagery from mid-February shows Iran's accelerated efforts to reinforce the site at Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, known as "Pickaxe Mountain," against potential airstrikes, according to the Institute for Science and International Security.

"At one of the eastern tunnel entrances, rock and soil can be seen pushed back and leveled on top of the tunnel portal," the institute's report said.

"Additionally, over the last month, a concrete-reinforced headworks for the tunnel entrance extension was added. This allows for additional overburden in the form of rock, soil or concrete."

STRIKES MAY SET IRAN BACK — BUT LIKELY WON'T END NUCLEAR PROGRAM, UN WATCHDOG CHIEF SAYS

The report added that "these efforts strengthen the tunnel portals and provide additional protection against an airstrike," noting visible piles of construction materials near the entrances.

Preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon is one of President Donald Trump’s stated war aims. 

In June 2025, U.S. forces carried out strikes against nuclear sites, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

Iran had roughly 441 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% as of June 2025, enough material, if further enriched to weapons-grade levels, for multiple nuclear weapons, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Rafael Grossi, its director general, also said March 9 that the U.N. watchdog believes roughly 200 kilograms of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile are still stored in deep tunnels at a nuclear complex outside Isfahan.

SATELLITE IMAGES REVEAL ACTIVITY AT IRAN NUCLEAR SITES BOMBED BY US, ISRAEL

Grossi added that additional quantities of highly enriched uranium are believed to be at another nuclear center in Natanz, where Iran has constructed a new fortified underground facility at Pickaxe Mountain.

On March 9, Trump pointed to Iran’s efforts to resume nuclear activity at a deeper site and said Tehran has continued pursuing a nuclear weapon "even after we obliterated their key nuclear sites."

"They were starting work at another site, a different site … that was protected by granite. … They wanted to go a lot deeper, and they started the process," Trump said, according to reports.

According to Stricker, the "different site" referenced by Trump is Pickaxe Mountain, where Iran has said it has been building a centrifuge assembly plant at the site since 2021. The site is a mile from its Natanz enrichment plant.

"The size of the facility, as well as the protection provided by the tall mountain, raised immediate concerns about whether additional sensitive activities are planned, such as uranium enrichment," the Institute for Science and International Security also noted in its report.

At the beginning of March, a vehicle was struck outside the site, presumably by Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported, before suggesting that the vehicle strike was evidence the U.S. and Israel are watching the mountain carefully.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/ZUvcRhW

Fiery aftermath of Iran missile strike near Tel Aviv caught on video after 2 killed

Video footage captured the fiery aftermath of a ballistic missile strike that hit Ramat Gan, a neighborhood east of Tel Aviv, overnight Tuesday, killing at least two people, according to Israeli officials.

The footage shows a car engulfed in flames, with wreckage scattered across the street as emergency responders assess the scene and ambulance sirens sound in the background.

The missile was launched by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which said it targeted central Israel to avenge the killing of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and one of the country’s most powerful figures.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it launched Khorramshahr-4 and Qadr multiple-warhead missiles, which it claims have an increased chance of evading missile defense systems and can overwhelm radar tracking. 

ISRAEL HITS BACK AFTER COORDINATED IRAN-HEZBOLLAH MISSILE, DRONE STRIKES, URGES BEIRUT TO REIN IN TERRORISTS

Israel said the two victims killed in the overnight strike were a couple in their 70s.

The attack is part of a rapidly escalating tit-for-tat conflict that began Feb. 28 following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, which have since killed multiple senior Iranian officials. Those include Larijani and Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard’s Basij militia, who was killed Tuesday.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also said Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib was killed in an overnight strike, though Iran has not confirmed his death.

Iran has responded with a widening campaign of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, U.S.-linked positions and energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf, including strikes reported in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

The broader conflict has raised fears of a regional war and potential disruptions to global energy supplies, as Iran has also threatened shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical transit route for the world’s oil. 

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/vUuz1I8

Israel kills Iranian intelligence minister who survived initial strike, official says

Israel killed Iran’s Minister of Intelligence Esmaeil Khatib in a precision strike overnight, a senior Israeli official told Fox News Wednesday.

The official said the strike was enabled by a joint U.S.-Israeli intelligence effort and described Khatib as a central player in plots targeting American officials.

"This man had American blood on his hands. His network specifically targeted current and former U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump," the official added.

Khatib had previously survived a sweeping strike on Iran’s senior leadership at the "Defense Council" compound in Tehran during the opening phase of Operation Epic Fury, where more than 40 Iranian leaders were killed in roughly 40 seconds, according to the official.

TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ

He was reportedly the only person to survive the initial attack.

"Today, he met the fate of his combatant comrades," the official told Fox News.

Israel has targeted and killed several senior Iranian leaders since the start of the war, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Gen. Gholamreza Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Basij unit, and Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Israel Defense Forces said Khatib played a central role in directing crackdowns on protesters, including arrests and killings during recent unrest and the nationwide demonstrations sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini.

ISRAELI MINISTER OUTLINES IRAN MISSION GOALS, SAYS IRANIAN PEOPLE NOW HAVE CHANCE TO ‘REGAIN THEIR FREEDOM'

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Khatib in 2022 for his role in leading Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), which U.S. officials said was responsible for cyberattacks against the United States and its allies. 

Treasury said the ministry oversaw global cyber operations targeting government and private-sector organizations, including disruptive attacks on critical infrastructure.

United Against Nuclear Iran, a non-partisan advocacy group, said Khatib enlisted in the IRGC at the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980 and studied under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.

NEXT US MOVE ON IRAN: SEIZE KHARG ISLAND, SECURE URANIUM OR RISK GROUND WAR ESCALATION

He joined MOIS in 1985 or 1986 after it was established in 1983.

The State Department’s Rewards for Justice program last week offered up to $10 million for information on senior Iranian security figures tied to the IRGC and its networks, including Khatib.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/P0wiJLU

Pro-life leader criticizes 'insane' UK bill that would decriminalize certain abortions up until birth

EXCLUSIVE: The leader of an international pro-life group is criticizing a bill being considered in the United Kingdom that would protect women from criminal liability for abortions up until birth.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, 40 Days for Life CEO Shawn Carney said British lawmakers are following efforts by Democrats in the U.S. in seeking to allow abortion in these instances, which he described as "absolutely absurd."

"They haven't really lobbied for this," Carney said. "Typically, Europe is far more conservative on abortion than the United States. Most European countries regulate abortion to 12 weeks. England has 16. In some cases, they do late term, up to 24 weeks. But now they want abortion through all 40 weeks. And this just seems sort of out of nowhere."

Carney said he fears this bill, if enacted into law, would "start an unfortunate trend throughout Europe."

PRO-LIFE GROUP FINDS BIDEN-ERA FDA POLICY IS DRIVING 500 ABORTIONS PER DAY, SAYS TRUMP HAS POWER TO END IT

The Crime and Policing Bill includes a provision, Clause 208, that would remove criminal penalties for women in England and Wales who end their own pregnancy at any stage. The bill is now in its final stages in the House of Lords and is expected to receive a vote as early as Wednesday. If the House of Lords approves the clause, the bill would return to the House of Commons for any final changes before receiving Royal Assent to become law.

Under the provision, a woman can no longer be investigated, arrested or prosecuted for ending her own pregnancy at any gestation, even though the current standard legal threshold for most abortions in England and Wales is 24 weeks.

While women who terminate their pregnancies would be exempt from criminal liability, doctors and others who assist in an abortion after 24 weeks without medical necessity can still face prosecution.

As lawmakers consider Clause 208, several amendments have been offered, including removing it entirely, modifying it to exclude late-term abortions and adding an in-person requirement for medical consultations to end so-called "pills-by-post" services.

PUERTO RICO GOVERNOR SIGNS LAW RECOGNIZING UNBORN BABIES AS HUMAN BEINGS

Carney argued that the latter two amendments should still be unacceptable, stating that the clause appears to represent "a desire to kill."

"I think it's insane," he said. "I know what they're trying to do, but you need to combat the laws by saying we're not aborting children at 40 weeks. The left built an entire movement on being able to survive outside the womb with viability. Then, as science and medicine progressed, viability changed because we could do a lot for unborn children. So they said at first it was 24 weeks, and then it was 22 weeks. Some say it's 20 weeks. Others say it's still 22 weeks. Nobody's ever said it was 40 weeks. They've all said, of course, you can survive outside the womb. This is just a desire to kill, it seems, at 40 weeks."

"I understand the idea of trying to make a legal compromise," he continued. "But the compromise would be that you people have lost your minds. You want to abort a child the day before he or she is born. And it's not medically necessary. The baby's completely viable … so that's how I think that you have to defeat these bills."

Carney also said that "people don't want to celebrate abortion" and "certainly don't want to brag about how they can have an abortion up to 40 weeks," adding that opponents of the U.K. bill are "missing common sense responses" to efforts to allow any abortion up until birth.

He added that while most people are not "monsters" seeking abortions at 40 weeks, removing legal liability for women at that point could make abortion more socially acceptable.

"I think what it does is it takes a little bit of a stigma away from abortions at 8, 10, 12, 16 weeks, because typically what we've seen in the U.S. is when you have states that say, hey, you're going to have an abortion through all 40 weeks, what they do is say, well, okay, I'm not that bad. My abortion is not that bad because it's only at 10 weeks, it's only at 12 weeks, it's only at 16 weeks," Carney said.

"It's not that you're going to see a lot of abortions at 40 weeks. It's the mentality that abortion is not a big deal. You can even do it the day before birth, and so it's more acceptable to most people," he continued.

"People aren't monsters," he added. "The monsters write these bills, which are typically very liberal White people who say, you know what, we need to be able to have an abortion the day before your birthday. And most people look around at a party and say that person's clinically insane."

The left "has just married themselves to this," Carney said.

"They believe you need unfettered abortion at all times in order to be a free and just society," Carney said. "But nobody's actually really medically needing that whatsoever."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/sceICdh

Deadly blasts at market and hospital raise fears of renewed Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria

Nigeria suicide bombings killed at least 23 people and wounded more than 100 others in Maiduguri, officials said Tuesday, as a Christian nonprofit leader warned the violence highlights ongoing religious persecution.

The Associated Press reported that one of the deadliest attacks on Maiduguri in recent history involved explosions in crowded areas on Monday night, including a major market in the capital of Borno state and the entrance to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

Borno police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso said in a statement that the wounded "sustained varying degrees of injuries," blaming the attacks on suspected suicide bombers.

President Bola Tinubu, who departed Nigeria on Tuesday for a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom, offered condolences to the victims and instructed security chiefs to "take charge of the situation" in Maiduguri.

AFRICA’S CHRISTIAN CRISIS: HOW 2025’S DEADLY ATTACKS FINALLY DREW GLOBAL ATTENTION AFTER TRUMP’S INTERVENTION

"The Monday attacks were desperate acts of the evil-minded terrorist groups," Tinubu said. "Our gallant military and civilian task forces will curtail and put them down."

While no group has claimed responsibility, the AP reported suspicion has fallen on the Boko Haram jihadi group, which launched an insurgency in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 to enforce its radical interpretation of Shariah law.

Since launching its insurgency, Boko Haram has grown stronger, with thousands of fighters and multiple factions, some aligned with the Islamic State group.

NIGERIA’S FIRST LADY SAYS US STRIKES WERE A ‘BLESSING,' WELCOMES COLLABORATION WITH TRUMP

The explosions on Monday night began at about 7:30 p.m. at the entrance of the teaching hospital. A few minutes later, a second and third blast followed at the Monday Market and a nearby post office hub, both about 2.5 miles from the hospital.

Caleb Jonah, who survived the explosion at the hospital entrance, told the AP he suffered injuries to his legs and hands.

"I was coming to the hospital to check (in on) a patient when I saw two men struggling with the security men at the gate," Jonah said. "Before I could process what was going on I heard the deafening blast and I passed out."

CHRISTIANS TARGETED IN SYSTEMATIC KIDNAPPING CAMPAIGN IN NIGERIA BY JIHADI HERDSMEN, EXPERTS SAY

Brad Brandon, CEO and founder of Across Nigeria, said the attack was personal. His organization is committed to transforming Nigeria and the surrounding regions by sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ, according to the group’s website.

"As the CEO and founder of Across Nigeria, these recent attacks in Maiduguri are personal and a stark reminder that the devastating violence continues in northern Nigeria," he said in a statement. "This is the result of radical Islamic groups that are allowed to operate unchecked. The only question is, how many more must be killed, before the world wakes up to the genocide that slaughters thousands of Christians every year."

"We condemn these violent acts and the perpetrators who commit them," he added. "We also call on the U.S. Government to intervene and the media to embrace their role in bringing light to the hidden things of darkness."

TRUMP LAUNCHES CHRISTMAS NIGHT AIRSTRIKES ON ISIS 'TERRORIST SCUM' IN NIGERIA AFTER KILLINGS OF CHRISTIANS

While Maiduguri has been at the center of deadly violence in Nigeria, it has experienced relative peace in recent years, even as extremists batter the countryside.

Monday’s attack took place less than 24 hours after the Nigerian military repelled attacks by militants outside Maiduguri.

By Tuesday morning, heavy security had been deployed to the affected locations and along major roads.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/T5PYQND

Top Iranian official, commander killed in strike, Israel defense minister says

Iranian Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Larijani and Basij Commander Gholamreza Soleimani have both been killed, according to the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

"I have just been updated by the Chief of Staff that Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and the head of the Basij — Iran’s central repression apparatus — Salimani, were eliminated last night and have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation program, along with all those eliminated from the axis of evil in the depths of hell," Katz said, according to a translation provided to Fox News by his office.

The news comes more than two weeks since Israel launched a war against the Islamic Republic of Iran in conjunction with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and the regime’s effective leader, has been eliminated," the Israel Defense Forces noted in a post on X.

WHY GULF STATES AREN'T JOINING THE WAR AGAINST IRAN — DESPITE ATTACKS ON THEIR SOIL

"Throughout the years, Larijani was considered one of the most veteran and senior figures within the Iranian regime leadership, and was a close associate of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. During the most recent wave of protests against the Iranian terror regime, Larijani personally oversaw the massacre that was carried out against Iranian protestors," the post added.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN'S MILITARY ‘DECIMATED,’ BUT STILL NOT DECLARING WAR OVER

Another IDF post noted, "Yesterday, the IDF targeted & eliminated Gholamreza Soleimani, who operated as commander of the Basij unit for the past 6 years. Under Soleimani, the Basij unit led the main repression operations in Iran, employing severe violence, widespread arrests, and the use of force against civilian demonstrators."

The U.S. government had previously indicated that it would offer a reward for information on Larijani.

"Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on the key leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its component branches," rewardsforjustice.net notes. "Under this reward offer, RFJ is seeking information on the following individuals," the webpage notes, listing Larijani and others.

HAMAS REASSERTS CONTROL IN GAZA AS IRAN WAR DOMINATES REGIONAL ATTENTION AND GLOBAL FOCUS

"Over a dozen Basij officials were targeted in Iran last night in different strikes, including the head of the Basij forces Gholamreza Soleimani. This was a joint U.S. and Israeli effort," a senior Israeli official noted. "A strike in Tehran targeted the Basij commander and around a dozen others, including the most senior figures in the Basij forces—people with a lot of blood on their hands."

Fox News' Trey Yingst and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/jq32ZCz