Global Pulse

分类： politics

  • South Africa court rules impeachment proceedings against president should not have been blocked

    South Africa court rules impeachment proceedings against president should not have been blocked

    In a landmark judicial decision that has upended South Africa’s political landscape, the country’s Constitutional Court has ruled that parliament acted unconstitutionally when it blocked efforts to initiate impeachment proceedings against sitting President Cyril Ramaphosa back in 2022. The ruling directly responds to a legal challenge launched by opposition parties, who argued that the 2022 parliamentary vote to halt impeachment violated the core separation of powers enshrined in South Africa’s constitution.

    The entire controversy traces back to a 2020 burglary at Ramaphosa’s private farm in rural South Africa, where intruders stole more than $500,000 in undeclared cash that had been stashed inside a sofa at the property. Following the incident, an independent panel of senior legal experts assembled by parliament concluded that there was sufficient credible evidence to open an impeachment inquiry, finding that Ramaphosa may need to answer to allegations of misconduct related to the unreported cash.

    Critics of the president have raised persistent questions about the origin of the large sum of hidden money, demanding full transparency over how the funds were acquired and why they were not properly disclosed per South African ethics rules for public officials. Ramaphosa has repeatedly and forcefully denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that he has violated no laws or ethical codes during his time in office.

    In 2022, when impeachment proceedings were first brought to a parliamentary vote, Ramaphosa’s long-governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), held an absolute majority in the chamber. That majority allowed the ANC to block the impeachment push from moving forward. However, the political calculus shifted dramatically following South Africa’s 2024 general election, where the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid, leaving it reliant on fragile coalition agreements to retain power.

    With the Constitutional Court’s latest ruling clearing the legal path for a new impeachment vote, the coming parliamentary vote will be a critical test for Ramaphosa’s presidency, with the outcome potentially reshaping the future of South African politics.

  • Rubio set to meet Italy’s Meloni as both sides seek to ease frictions over Iran war

    Rubio set to meet Italy’s Meloni as both sides seek to ease frictions over Iran war

    ROME — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a high-stakes diplomatic push on Friday for his second day of damage-control talks, kicking off the day’s schedule with a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The negotiations center on defusing mounting tensions between the two longstanding NATO allies over the ongoing U.S.-led conflict with Iran, alongside simmering disagreements over trade policy.

  • Family of imprisoned Chinese journalist pleads for his release over health concerns

    Family of imprisoned Chinese journalist pleads for his release over health concerns

    BANGKOK, Associated Press – In a desperate new appeal, family members of Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu and international press freedom advocates are calling for the immediate release of the 7-year-sentenced editor, whose rapidly deteriorating health has put his life at imminent risk.

    Dong, a veteran editor at Beijing-based state-owned Guangming Daily who also contributed commentary to Chinese independent outlets and The New York Times’ Chinese-language platform, was detained in 2022 during a routine lunch meeting with a Japanese diplomat in Beijing. In 2024, Chinese courts convicted him of espionage charges and handed down a seven-year prison term.

    In a public statement released Thursday, Dong’s family warned that the journalist’s current condition amounts to a de facto death sentence. According to the family’s account, Dong was admitted to a prison-run hospital in Tianjin on April 27, where medical practitioners diagnosed him with heart arrhythmia and detected a lung tumor that the family suspects is cancerous. The family added that Dong has been forced to work long hours on garment production tasks during his incarceration, with no access to adequate rest to manage his worsening health.

    Speaking from the United States, where he has waged a sustained advocacy campaign for his father’s release, Dong Yuyu’s son Dong Yifu shared that he and his grandmother are overwhelmed by grief and anxiety over the rapidly unfolding situation.

    International press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders has joined the call for action, with Aleksandra Bielakowska, an activist with the group, urging the global community to ramp up diplomatic pressure on Beijing. The organization is pushing for Beijing to grant Dong medical parole, approve his travel to an overseas medical facility for urgent treatment, and allow him to reunite with his waiting family.

    Dong’s family has pinned additional hopes on the upcoming bilateral summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, expressing optimism that world leaders will raise Dong’s case during high-level talks.

    Prior to his detention, Dong published commentary advocating for constitutional democracy, political liberalization, and greater government transparency – reform-minded positions that were once permitted for public discussion in Chinese media circles but have become heavily restricted and taboo in recent years under Beijing’s tightening ideological control.

  • Political uncertainty in India state as film star winner falls short of majority

    Political uncertainty in India state as film star winner falls short of majority

    In a political upheaval that has rewritten decades of electoral history in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, film superstar-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay’s newly launched Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has emerged as the single largest party in the 234-member state legislative assembly, shattering the long-standing duopoly of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). But five days after vote counting concluded, the state remains mired in political uncertainty, with no clear timeline for the formation of a new government and competing constitutional debates over who should get the first chance to take power.

    Vijay, a 51-year-old megastar popularly known by his fan nickname ‘Thalapathy’, led his fledgling party to a stunning 108 seats in the election, defeating the incumbent DMK government led by Chief Minister MK Stalin. The result leaves TVK just 10 seats short of the 118-seat majority required to form a government on its own. So far, India’s main national opposition party, the Congress, has pledged its five seats to Vijay’s bloc, leaving the celebrity politician just five legislators short of the required threshold.

    Two days after the vote count, Vijay met with Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar twice to formally stake his claim as the leader of the single largest party to form the next administration. Following the second meeting on Thursday, however, the Governor’s office released a statement rejecting the claim, noting that Vijay had not yet demonstrated he holds the requisite majority support to form a stable government. The Governor has insisted that Vijay submit documented proof of the 118 committed legislators before being invited to form government, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from TVK leaders and their backers.

    Constitutional experts are divided over the Governor’s decision. Many point to well-established constitutional precedent that grants the leader of the single largest party the first opportunity to form government, with a floor test of majority held after the government takes office. They argue that denying Vijay this opportunity is procedurally unfair. Analysts defending the Governor’s position note that his primary mandate is to ensure the formation of a stable administration that can survive a confidence vote, rather than inviting a minority government that could collapse shortly after taking office.

    Vijay’s rapid rise to the top of Tamil Nadu politics has drawn widespread comparisons to MG Ramachandran, another iconic matinee idol who split from the DMK in 1977 to form the AIADMK and went on to become the state’s Chief Minister. For nearly half a century, Tamil Nadu’s politics have been dominated by a two-party system between the DMK and AIADMK, a status quo that TVK has already overturned with its election performance. Unlike Ramachandran and his successor J Jayalalithaa — another film star who led the state for decades — Vijay enters politics with no prior elected experience, though he followed the traditional path of celebrity-turned-politician by retiring from his 69-film acting career full-time after launching TVK in 2024.

    As political uncertainty drags on, Indian media outlets have floated a range of hypothetical coalition scenarios, including a shocking power-sharing agreement between the bitter long-time rivals DMK and AIADMK to block TVK from power. Still, many analysts remain optimistic that Vijay can cobble together the required support from smaller regional parties and independent candidates to hit the 118-seat magic number and form the next government, closing out one of the most dramatic political upsets in recent Indian electoral history.

  • Paraguay and Taiwan reaffirm ties after China sought to lure away another Taipei ally

    Paraguay and Taiwan reaffirm ties after China sought to lure away another Taipei ally

    TAIPEI, Taiwan — On a high-profile visit to the self-ruled island democracy of Taiwan, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña delivered a clear message of diplomatic solidarity Friday, one day after China issued a formal demand that the South American nation cut its official ties with Taipei. Currently, Paraguay stands as the only remaining South American country that recognizes Taiwan, making it one of just 13 UN-unrecognized states worldwide that maintain full diplomatic relations with the island. For decades, Beijing has claimed Taiwan as an inalienable part of its sovereign territory, and in recent years, it has intensified two parallel campaigns to isolate Taipei: ramping up military pressure through frequent air and sea incursions around the island, and actively courting Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies to switch recognition to Beijing.

    Speaking at a military honors reception outside Taiwan’s presidential office, Peña framed the event as a tangible symbol of the unshakable commitment between Taipei and Asunción to deepen their long-standing bilateral partnership. Through an interpreter, he noted that the two sides share core foundational values including democracy, personal freedom, and universal human rights, and reiterated that Paraguay would remain a steadfast international advocate for Taiwan. “Paraguay highly values this relationship,” Peña stated, later expanding on that commitment during closed bilateral talks with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. In that meeting, Peña issued a formal call to the global community: the people of Taiwan deserve the right to determine their own future in line with democratic and equitable principles. He also pushed back against Taipei’s exclusion from global bodies, arguing that barring Taiwan from the United Nations system is not only a fundamental injustice but also erodes the legitimacy of the UN as an institution that claims to represent democratic nations globally.

    Lai thanked Peña and the Paraguayan government for their public, unflinching support for Taiwan and its bid for meaningful international participation. “I believe the friendship between Taiwan and Paraguay will further deepen, and our cooperation will grow closer through this visit,” Lai said in his public remarks. Following their meeting, the two leaders oversaw the signing of several new bilateral agreements, highlighted by a memorandum of understanding focused on investment in an artificial intelligence computing center on Taiwan.

    This public reaffirmation of ties came just 24 hours after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian urged Paraguayan officials to “come to the right side of history as soon as possible” and sever all diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Lin emphasized that the one-China principle is a widely accepted norm of international relations, noting that 183 countries around the world currently maintain official diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China.

    In comments to Taiwan’s Central News Agency ahead of his four-day visit, Peña revealed that he had met with Honduran President Nasry Asfura on the sidelines of a regional event earlier this year. While the pair did not directly discuss whether Honduras would reverse its 2023 decision to cut ties with Taiwan and establish relations with Beijing, Peña told Asfura that Paraguay has built a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with Taipei. Asfura, who was elected with open backing from former U.S. President Donald Trump, has already ordered a full review of all existing bilateral agreements between Honduras and China, stoking widespread speculation that Honduras could distance itself from Beijing as part of a broader Trump administration push to reduce Chinese economic and political influence across Latin America.

    Peña’s visit is the latest high-profile diplomatic engagement for Lai, who just completed a trip last week to Eswatini, Taiwan’s last remaining diplomatic ally in Africa. Lai was forced to postpone that trip earlier after multiple regional countries denied his aircraft overflight permission, a move widely attributed to diplomatic pressure from Beijing. Beijing never publicly confirmed or denied that it pressured those countries, but did express “high appreciation” for their adherence to the one-China principle.

    The cross-strait split dates back to 1949, when the Chinese Communist Party defeated the Nationalist Party in a brutal civil war and established the People’s Republic of China on the mainland. The defeated Nationalist forces retreated to Taiwan, which has since evolved from decades of martial law to a fully functional multi-party democracy. Today, the island maintains its own governance, military, and foreign policy, while Beijing continues to claim it as part of its territory.

  • Pope Leo XIV sought a pastoral role in his first year, but verbal sparring with Trump intervened

    Pope Leo XIV sought a pastoral role in his first year, but verbal sparring with Trump intervened

    As Pope Leo XIV marked the first anniversary of his election to the papacy on Friday, the milestone was overshadowed by an escalating public feud with former president and current U.S. leader Donald Trump – a conflict that has dragged the soft-spoken, pastorally focused pontiff into the center of global geopolitical tensions.

    When Leo took office one year ago, he framed his papacy as centered on walking alongside the global Catholic flock, prioritizing pastoral care over high-profile political confrontation. The 70-year-old pontiff, a former Midwestern U.S. missionary and Augustinian priest, has always been known for his reserved, mild-mannered demeanor: he prefers solitary tennis matches, can quote 5th-century St. Augustine from memory, and frames his calls for global peace as simple, faithful readings of Christian scripture, not political posturing.

    But repeated public criticisms from Trump have forced Leo into the public fray, with the pontiff delivering increasingly sharp responses to the U.S. president’s attacks. The back-and-forth, which centers on competing stances on the ongoing Iran war, has strained diplomatic ties between the U.S. and the Holy See. On the eve of his anniversary, Leo hosted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who traveled to Vatican City for a fence-mending meeting aimed at repairing bilateral relations. While both the Vatican and U.S. State Department reaffirmed their longstanding strong ties after the meeting, the conflict has nonetheless pushed Leo far outside his expected comfort zone on the global stage.

    Most recently, after Trump misrepresented the pontiff’s positions, Leo hit back: “If someone wants to criticize me for announcing the Gospel, let him do it with the truth.”

    Beyond the high-profile conflict with Trump, Leo’s first year in office has been defined by his promise to heal deep rifts within the Catholic Church and a polarized global community, a mission he has advanced steadily after 12 years of Pope Francis’ revolutionary, often divisive papacy. The pontiff has worked to calm tensions across the church, even amid rising threats of schism, as he navigates thorny challenges including friction between traditionalist and progressive factions, longstanding financial instability at the Holy See, and the geopolitical rift opened by his clashes with the Trump administration.

    Cardinal Wilton Gregory, a retired Washington archbishop and fellow Chicago native, noted that social media has amplified existing divisions within the church, creating a unique test for any sitting pope. “He has to call us to our better angels,” Gregory said of Leo’s approach, which has focused on de-escalating tensions rather than leaning into partisan friction. This approach was on display during Leo’s recent trip to Africa, where he sought to downplay the feud with Trump, saying that entering a public debate with the U.S. president “is not in my interest at all.” “I primarily come to Africa as a pastor, as the head of the Catholic Church to be with, to celebrate with, to encourage and accompany all the Catholics throughout Africa,” he said, repeating his stance that the political trappings of his role as a head of state and global moral figure are not his primary focus.

    For many observers, the novelty of having the first-ever U.S. pope, a development that breaks the longstanding unwritten norm that the papacy would not be held by a citizen of the world’s dominant superpower, has yet to fade. Unlike his predecessor Pope Francis, who frequently clashed with U.S. conservatives over his criticism of American-style capitalism and was often dismissed as out of touch with U.S. Catholic life, Leo speaks fluent English as a native speaker and has a deep, firsthand understanding of U.S. culture and institutions.

    Anthea Butler, a senior fellow at the Koch Institute at the University of Oxford, noted that Leo’s criticism of current U.S. policy differs sharply from Francis’ confrontational style. “He’s doing it not coming full-on like Francis would,” Butler explained, “but approaching issues from the side. He’s not naming names, he’s merely preaching the Gospel.”

    This approach has already yielded notable shifts in relations between the Holy See and U.S. Catholic institutions. During Francis’ papacy, tensions ran high between the Argentine pontiff and U.S. conservative Catholics, with unrelenting coverage of mismanagement and scandal at the Vatican leading many U.S. donors to stop contributing to the Holy See. Today, with a native-born U.S. leader in St. Peter’s, many U.S. Catholic leaders report newfound unity among American bishops, particularly around shared commitments to advocating for migrants and people living in poverty – a cohesion that leaders attribute in part to Leo’s unifying, accessible message.

    “It’s very different when you are hearing the message without it being mediated through translation,” said Kerry Alys Robinson, chief executive of Catholic Charities USA. Robinson noted that U.S. Catholic bishops are more united today than they have been in decades, a shift she credits in part to Leo’s consistent call for collective action around issues of shared concern to the church.

    Ward Fitzgerald, president of The Papal Foundation, which funds the pontiff’s global charity work, said the “Leo effect” has already translated to tangible growth in support from U.S. donors and new conversions to Catholicism across the U.S. and Europe. “I think there’s lots of reasons for it, but I certainly think that having a pope who speaks English helps young people understand the messages of the Holy Father,” Fitzgerald said. For U.S. donors, hearing the pontiff’s appeals directly in English resonates far more than translated remarks, Fitzgerald added, leading to increased giving. The Papal Foundation has already added 25 new donor families since Leo’s election – a significant gain, as membership requires a minimum pledge of $1.25 million.

    Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the influential U.S. prelate who was a key power broker in the 2025 conclave that elected Leo and who has close ties to Trump, celebrated a special anniversary Mass for foundation donors last week in St. Peter’s Basilica. In his homily, Dolan compared Leo to St. Joseph, the patron saint of the universal church, describing the pope as matching St. Joseph’s quiet, steady character. “A man who exuded a sense of depth and substance,” Dolan said. “A man who is shy, all right, a man who is focused on his mission. A man, always attentive to God’s plan. I can think of no one who fits that description better than Pope Leo.”

  • Partial results show losses for Starmer’s Labour and wins for Reform UK in local elections

    Partial results show losses for Starmer’s Labour and wins for Reform UK in local elections

    LONDON – Early partial outcomes from England’s 2025 local elections have delivered a sharp early warning to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his governing Labour Party, with the party facing significant electoral setbacks and the hard-right Reform UK party, under the leadership of veteran populist politician Nigel Farage, recording major vote gains.

    Counting for the nationwide local contests, alongside separate elections for the devolved legislatures of Scotland and Wales, kicked off overnight Thursday, with results continuing to roll in across the full day of Friday. Early counts were concentrated in smaller regional authorities, with full results from major population centers including London, a long-time Labour stronghold, still pending by early Friday.

    In the working-class regions of northern England that have historically leaned Labour, Reform UK’s early performance has shaken British political observers: the party has already secured hundreds of local council seats in constituencies including Hartlepool, a result that underscores its growing traction among disillusioned working voters. Farage’s party has positioned itself as a radical right alternative to both major parties in recent years, capitalizing on public frustration over post-Brexit economic stagnation and migration policy to build support.

    Political analysts across the UK have framed these local elections as an informal midterm referendum on Starmer’s leadership, less than two years after he won the 2024 general election that brought Labour back to power after 14 years in opposition. Early signs of a heavy Labour defeat have already fueled speculation of internal unrest within the party, with restive backbench lawmakers reportedly preparing to push for a leadership challenge if the final overall result proves catastrophic for Labour.

    Even if Starmer manages to fend off an immediate challenge to his leadership, multiple senior political analysts have cast serious doubt on whether he will remain in post to lead the party into the next required national general election, scheduled to take place no later than 2029. The growing speculation has prompted a public intervention from Starmer’s own deputy, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who has urged party factions to stand behind the current leadership, warning that “you don’t change the pilot during the flight.”

    As counting continues through Friday, political leaders and observers across the country are waiting to see whether the early grim trends for Labour hold in results from larger, more heavily populated areas, a final outcome that could reshape the trajectory of British politics for the rest of the decade.

  • Hungary’s incoming prime minister plans a ‘regime-change celebration’ to mark Orbán’s departure

    Hungary’s incoming prime minister plans a ‘regime-change celebration’ to mark Orbán’s departure

    BUDAPEST, Hungary – On Saturday, a historic political transition will unfold in Hungary’s capital: incoming center-right Prime Minister Péter Magyar will take his oath of office inside the country’s iconic neo-Gothic parliament building, while thousands of supporters gather on the adjacent square to celebrate the close of Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power.

    Last month, Magyar’s newly formed Tisza party delivered a stunning rebuke to Orbán’s nationalist-populist Fidesz party, securing a landslide electoral victory unmatched in Hungary’s post-Communist era. The mandate, widely described as a political earthquake, clears the way for Tisza to reverse the controversial policies that led critics to label Orbán a far-right authoritarian, and to dismantle the economic network that enabled massive wealth accumulation among the outgoing prime minister’s close allies and family. Ahead of assuming governing duties, Magyar has called on all Hungarians to join an all-day “regime change” celebration to mark both his inauguration and the definitive end of the Orbán era. “We will step through the gateway of regime change with a huge party. Come along, and invite your family and friends!” Magyar shared in a social media post over the preceding weekend.

    A 45-year-old lawyer who built Tisza in 2024 after years as an insider within Orbán’s own party, Magyar has centered his incoming administration on undoing the harm he says the previous regime inflicted on Hungary and its people. Top of his policy agenda is unlocking roughly €17 billion (US$20 billion) in frozen European Union cohesion funds, which Brussels blocked during Orbán’s tenure over widespread rule-of-law breaches and corruption. This capital infusion is widely seen as critical to reversing four straight years of economic stagnation that has held back living standards for ordinary Hungarians.

    Magyar has also pledged to repair Hungary’s frayed relationships with EU partners, which Orbán pushed to near collapse during his final years in office, and to restore the country’s standing as a committed member of the community of Western democracies – a status that came under intense scrutiny as Orbán increasingly aligned Hungary with the Kremlin amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In a tangible early signal of this new commitment, Tisza party officials confirmed that the European Union flag will return to the parliament building’s facade starting Saturday, 10 years after Orbán’s government ordered its removal.

    For the nearly 3.4 million Hungarians who cast ballots for Tisza, the transition comes with high expectations that the new administration will hold outgoing Fidesz officials and their business associates accountable for years of alleged misconduct. In response, Magyar plans to launch the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, a dedicated new agency tasked with investigating and clawing back public funds misappropriated during Orbán’s tenure. He has also promised to suspend operations at Hungary’s public broadcaster – long derided as a partisan mouthpiece for Fidesz – until sweeping reforms can guarantee independent, objective news coverage.

    A full structural overhaul of Hungary’s government is also on the immediate agenda, with Tisza set to re-establish standalone cabinet ministries for health, environmental protection and education, all of which were merged under Orbán’s administration. To deliver on his promise of restoring professional competence to government, Magyar has nominated a slate of internationally recognized experts to top cabinet posts. Among them are veteran diplomat and foreign policy analyst Anita Orbán – who is not related to the outgoing prime minister – tapped for foreign minister; former Shell executive István Kapitány, selected to lead the economy and energy portfolio; and prominent economist András Kármán, nominated for finance minister.

    Saturday’s inauguration is scheduled to begin with Magyar’s oath at approximately 3 p.m. local time, followed by an address to the crowd gathered outside parliament, where the celebration will include live artistic performances and unannounced special guests. Separately, Gergely Karácsony, the liberal mayor of Budapest, has organized a parallel “system-closing” celebration along the banks of the Danube River, designed to honor Hungarians who spent years organizing opposition to Orbán’s government. “Teachers fired, civilians and journalists humiliated, small churches torn apart,” Karácsony wrote in his social media invitation. “We can finally leave this era behind us — but first, let us remember the everyday heroes and express our gratitude with a farewell to the system.”

  • Hundreds of Iranian nationals detained by ICE amid June 2025 attack on Iran

    Hundreds of Iranian nationals detained by ICE amid June 2025 attack on Iran

    Newly released government data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request has exposed a widespread surge in detentions of Iranian nationals carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that coincided with American and Israeli military strikes on Iran in 2025, according to the National Iranian American Council (NIAC).

    The advocacy group announced Wednesday that ICE ramped up arrests of people of Iranian citizenship and descent immediately following the escalation of conflict in the Middle East that began in late February 2025. Between the opening of U.S. military strikes in June 2025 and the following month, ICE recorded 300 total arrests: 220 detentions in June alone, and an additional 80 in July. This crackdown aligned with a major U.S. bombing campaign targeting three key Iranian nuclear sites—Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan—carried out after Israel launched its initial attack on Iran.

    As of December 21, 2025, the total number of Iranian nationals held in ICE detention facilities across the country has reached 577. The demographic scope of these detentions is remarkably broad: records show the oldest detainee is 77 years old, while the youngest is a five-year-old child. The child was taken into custody in November, alongside individuals believed to be members of their immediate family, and is currently being held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.

    NIAC’s analysis of the released records notes that seven of the 577 detained Iranians are legal permanent residents (LPRs), commonly known as green card holders. ICE has cited past criminal offenses as the official justification for holding these seven individuals. The full legal status of all detained Iranian nationals has not been disclosed by NIAC, and it remains unclear whether U.S. authorities provided complete information on statuses in their response to the FOIA request.

    This wave of detentions is part of a broader, escalating administration push to revoke legal residency for Iranian nationals already residing within U.S. borders. Earlier in 2025, the Trump administration revoked the green cards of three Iranian nationals, including the son of a figure connected to the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. Seyed Eissa Hashemi, his wife, and his son all lost their lawful permanent residence status; Hashemi is the son of former Iranian politician Masoumeh Ebtekar.

    The ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, which launched on February 28, 2025, has drawn increased scrutiny to the targeting of Iranian community members within the U.S. by federal immigration authorities. In early April 2025, ICE arrested two women who had publicly claimed to be relatives of assassinated Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani. Subsequent reporting by Drop Site News, which verified the pair’s identities through Iranian birth records, government identification, family estate documents and other personal records, disproved these claims, confirming the women had no familial connection to Soleimani at all. In fact, outlet reporting found one of the women, Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, had participated in anti-Islamic Republic protests in Iran during the 1990s and 2000s, and served a week in prison for her activism before resettling in the U.S.

    The targeting of Iranian nationals comes as ICE broadens its crackdown on legal permanent residents across the U.S. In a separate high-profile case, Mohsen Mahdawi’s legal team confirmed Thursday that the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals has reinstated deportation proceedings against the Palestinian green card holder. Mahdawi gained national attention for helping lead high-profile anti-war protests on Columbia University’s campus last year, and was originally detained by ICE during a scheduled citizenship interview in Vermont in mid-April 2024.

  • CIA says Iran has 70 percent of pre-war missiles, can ride out blockade for months: Report

    CIA says Iran has 70 percent of pre-war missiles, can ride out blockade for months: Report

    A confidential CIA assessment delivered to the Trump administration this week has directly contradicted senior U.S. officials’ public claims about Iran’s weakened military standing and economic vulnerability to a U.S. naval blockade, according to a Thursday report from The Washington Post.

    On the economic front, the CIA estimates that Iran can withstand the ongoing U.S. naval blockade for an extended 90 to 120 days (three to four months) before it faces severe, widespread economic hardship. This projection is far longer than timelines offered by other independent analysts: Middle East Eye analysts have suggested Iran only has weeks of remaining oil storage capacity, while energy analytics firm Kpler estimated 25 to 30 days of storage before depletion in comments to The New York Times Wednesday. The Trump administration has pushed even more aggressive claims, with former President Trump telling Fox News last week that Iran’s oil infrastructure would collapse within three days due to overflowing storage.

    The intelligence assessment also challenges the administration’s claims about Iran’s devastated missile and drone capabilities, coming after weeks of joint U.S. and Israeli bombardment targeting Iranian military sites. The CIA confirmed that Tehran still retains significant ballistic missile capabilities, contradicting Trump’s Wednesday statement from the Oval Office that 80 to 82 percent of Iran’s pre-strike missile and drone infrastructure had been destroyed. Citing an unnamed U.S. official, The Washington Post reports Iran still holds 75 percent of its pre-conflict inventory of mobile missile launchers and roughly 70 percent of its original missile stockpiles, and has successfully resumed operations at underground missile storage facilities previously targeted in strikes.

    This disconnect between classified intelligence and public messaging has been ongoing for weeks: Trump and his top advisors have repeatedly insisted that U.S. and Israeli strikes have left Iran’s military crippled, even as Iran has demonstrated it retains full command and control over its forces and the ability to launch offensive attacks at will. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claimed in early April that Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli strike campaign, had decimated Iran’s military and left it combat-ineffective for years. Yet just this week, Iran launched over a dozen missiles and drones at targets in the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for a U.S. warship’s attempt to traverse the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also claimed it struck a U.S. warship in the attack, a claim the White House has denied.

    The current standoff centers on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically critical waterway where both the U.S. and Iran have imposed blockades to assert control. While Iran has been unable to move its own oil tankers out of the Gulf of Oman and past Hormuz, it has also blocked oil exports from neighboring Gulf states. Notably, Iran has alternative trade routes to mitigate the impact of the Hormuz blockade: it maintains access to the Caspian Sea for trade with regional nations including Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, and shares overland borders with seven neighboring countries. For critical staple goods, Iran is already 80 percent self-sufficient, further reducing its vulnerability to the naval embargo.