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GAZA PEACE DEAL UPDATES (HOSTAGES RELEASE)
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Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Secures Major Settlement with Columbia University The White House July 24, 2025
SECURING
HISTORIC SETTLEMENT WITH COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Today, President Donald J. Trump secured a
historic settlement with Columbia University to address violations of federal
civil rights laws and to restore fairness, merit, and safety in higher
education. ADDRESSING
DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: The Trump Administration took
action to address Columbia University’s violations of federal civil rights
laws, protecting students and upholding fairness in higher education. ADVANCING
REFORMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: President Trump is holding elite universities accountable,
ensuring they prioritize fairness, merit, and American values. |
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July 7, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Nominates
July 7, 2025
President Trump is "forging peace as we speak, in one country and one region after the other. So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee. It's nominating you for the peace prize, which is well-deserved." –Israeli PM Netanyahu -
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The White House July 3, 2025
Today, Edan Alexander — held hostage by Hamas for 584 days — visited the Oval Office with his loved ones. His mother, Yael, shared: “Thank you for saving my son and bringing heart back to my family.”
We remain committed to bringing every hostage home.
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An armed conflict between Iran and Israel began when Israel launched surprise attacks on key military and nuclear facilities in Iran on 13 June 2025, in the midst of the Gaza war and its broader regional spillover. In the opening hours of the war, Israeli air and ground forces assassinated some of Iran's prominent military leaders, nuclear scientists, and politicians; and damaged or destroyed Iran's air defenses and some of its nuclear and military facilities. Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes throughout the war.
Iran retaliated with waves of missile and drone strikes against Israeli cities and military sites; over 550 ballistic missiles and more than 1,000 explosive drones were launched by Iran during the war. The Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen also fired several missiles at Israel, in an adjunct of the Red Sea crisis. The United States, which defended Israel against Iranian missiles and drones, took offensive action on the ninth day of the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites. Iran retaliated by firing missiles at a US base in Qatar.
On 24 June, Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire after insistence from the US, following an appeal by Iran to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press US President Donald Trump to use his influence on Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire with Iran
"PEACE OF MIND"
THE WORLD KNOWS THERE ARE
International
Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi: Director of National
Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard: Former ODNI
National Intelligence Manager for Iran Norman Roule: Institute for
Science and International Security President David Albright: Israel
Atomic Energy Commission: Iran Foreign
Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei: Chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan “Razin” Caine: Secretary of
State Marco Rubio: American
Enterprise Institute Institute
for Science and
Statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio The White House June 12, 2025 “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.”
On 12 June 2025, Iran announced the activation of a third uranium enrichment site following the IAEA's first formal censure of Iran in two decades. While the location has not been disclosed, Iranian officials described it as "secure and invulnerable."
Analysts and researchers say that a nuclear-armed Iran poses significant global security risks and undermines the stability of the Middle East about the nuclear program of Iran
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi warns that an Iranian nuclear weapon could trigger broad nuclear proliferation, as other countries, particularly in the Middle East, may seek similar capabilities in response. Concerns also exist that Iran's nuclear assets could fall into the hands of extremist factions due to internal instability or regime change. Additionally, Iran's success in acquiring nuclear weapons could encourage other regional powers to seek their own nuclear arsenals. The potential transfer of nuclear technology or weapons to radical states and terrorist organizations heightens fears of nuclear terrorism. Scholars argue that a nuclear-armed Iran could feel emboldened to increase its support for terrorism and insurgency, core elements of its strategy, while deterring retaliation through its newfound nuclear leverage.
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IAEA, May 2025 reported that there are several undeclared locations in Iran remain at the center of its investigation into Iran's past nuclear activities.
These include Turquzabad, first identified publicly in 2018 when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed it was a secret nuclear warehouse. Inspectors later detected man-made uranium particles there in 2019. Two other sites, Varamin and Marivan, also yielded traces of undeclared nuclear material when IAEA inspectors were granted access in 2020. A fourth site, Lavisan-Shian, has been under scrutiny as well, though inspectors were never able to visit it because it was demolished after 2003.[101] IAEA concluded that these locations, and possibly others too, were part of an undeclared nuclear program conducted by Iran up until the early 2000s.
—————————————— Iran's nuclear program is one of the most scrutinized nuclear programs in the world. While the Islamic Republic of Iran claims its program is for peaceful purposes, it has developed nuclear technologies that provide it the capability to develop a nuclear weapon within weeks if it decides to do so. According to experts, the military capabilities of the program are possible through its mass enrichment activities in facilities such as Natanz and Arak. In June 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found Iran non-compliant with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years.
Iran retaliated by launching a new enrichment site and installing advanced centrifuges. Iran's nuclear program began in the 1950s under the Pahlavi dynasty with US support. It expanded in the 1970s with plans for power reactors, paused after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and resumed secretly during the 1980s Iran–Iraq War. In the 1990s, Iran pursued a full nuclear fuel cycle and acquired centrifuge technology through illicit networks, including ties with Pakistan and North Korea. Undeclared enrichment sites at Natanz and Arak were exposed in 2002, and Fordow, an underground fuel enrichment site, was revealed in 2009. ——————— https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/12/middleeast/iran-threatens-nuclear-escalation-iaea-intl CNN — Iran has warned it will ramp up its nuclear activities after the United Nations nuclear watchdog’s 35-member board of governors adopted a resolution Thursday declaring it in breach of its non-proliferation obligations. Tehran retaliated by announcing the launch of a new uranium enrichment center and the installation of advanced centrifuges – an escalatory move likely to complicate nuclear talks with the United States set to resume this weekend. Nations attending the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board meeting in Vienna voted on the resolution, with 19 in favor, 3 against and 11 abstentions, Reuters reported.
The IAEA has previously accused Iran of non-cooperation but Thursday’s move marks an official finding of non-compliance and raises the prospect of escalating the issue to the UN Security Council.
The resolution was tabled by European countries and the US after a May 31 IAEA report found Iran to be non-compliant in its nuclear duties, including failing to answer questions on uranium particles found in undeclared sites in the country, and its stockpiling of uranium enriched to nearly weapons grade. Iran says the IAEA report was politicized.
US withdraws some diplomats and military families from Middle East amid Iran tensions Uranium is a nuclear fuel that, when highly enriched, can be used to make a bomb. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Tehran condemned the US, the United Kingdom, France and Germany for tabling the resolution and said it has “no option but to respond.”
2025 United States–Iran negotiations In January 2025, it was reported that Iran is developing long-range missile technology under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), with some designs based on North Korean models. According to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), these missiles, such as the Ghaem-100 and Simorgh, could carry nuclear warheads and reach targets as far as 3,000 km away, including parts of Europe.
In March 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump sent a letter to Iran seeking to reopen negotiations. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei later said, "Some bullying governments insist on negotiations not to resolve issues but to impose their own expectations," which was seen as in response to the letter.
In April 2025, Trump revealed that Iran had decided to undertake talks with the United States for an agreement over its nuclear program.
On 12 April, both countries held their first high-level meeting in Oman, followed by a second meeting on 19 April in Italy. On May 16, Trump sent Iran an offer and said they have to move quickly or else bad things would happen. On May 17, Khamenei condemned Trump, saying that he lied about wanting peace and that he was not worth responding to, calling the US demands "outrageous nonsense." Khamenei also reiterated that Israel is "cancerous tumour" that must be uprooted.
On May 31, 2025, IAEA reported that Iran had sharply increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity, just below weapons-grade, reaching over 408 kilograms, a nearly 50% rise since February. The agency warned that this amount is enough for multiple nuclear weapons if further enriched. It also noted that Iran remains the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material, calling the situation a "serious concern." In June 2025, the NCRI said Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons through a new program called the "Kavir Plan". According to the NCRI, the new project involves six sites in Semnan province working on warheads and related technology, succeeding the previous AMAD Project. On June 10, Trump stated in that Iran was becoming "much more aggressive" in the negotiations.
On 11 June, the Iranian regime threatened US bases in the Middle East, with Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh stating, "If a conflict is imposed on us... all US bases are within our reach, and we will boldly target them in host countries." The U.S. embassy in Iraq evacuated all personnel.[85][86][87] The Iran-backed Yemen-based Houthi movement threatened to attack the United States if a strike on Iran were to occur. CENTCOM presented a wide range of military options for an attack on Iran. UK issued threat advisory for ships on Arabian Gulf. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told Congress that Iran was attempting a nuclear breakout.
On 12 June 2025, IAEA found Iran non-compliant with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years. Iran retaliated by launching a new enrichment site and installing advanced centrifuges.
Natanz Nuclear Facility Natanz, located about 220 km southeast of Tehran, is Iran's main uranium enrichment site. The facility includes an underground Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) housing large cascades of gas centrifuges, as well as a smaller Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) above the ground. Iran has installed thousands of first-generation IR-1 centrifuges and more advanced models (IR-2m, IR-4, IR-6) here. As of 2025, Natanz is enriching uranium up to 60% U-235, a level approaching weapons-grade. Iran has also begun excavating a new enrichment hall deep under the adjacent Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā (“Pickaxe Mountain”) to harden the site against airstrikes. In the past, the site saw multiple sabotage attacks (such as the Stuxnet cyberattack and unexplained explosions).
On 13 June 2025, the site was struck by Israeli airstrikes during Operation Rising Lion.
Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant Fordow (near the city of Qom, approximately 100 km southwest of Tehran) is an underground enrichment site built inside a mountain. Originally designed to host about 3,000 centrifuges, Fordow was revealed in 2009 and appears engineered to withstand airstrikes. It was re-purposed under the 2015 nuclear deal as a research facility with no enrichment, but Iran resumed enrichment at Fordow after 2019.
By 2025, Iran is using Fordow to enrich uranium up to 60% U-235 as well, deploying advanced IR-6 centrifuges. Fordow's smaller size and heavy fortification make it a particular proliferation concern. The IAEA still inspects Fordow, but Iran's suspension of the Additional Protocol means inspectors no longer have daily access.
In June 2025, Iran revealed plans to install advanced centrifuges at the facility. Bushehr
Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant Bushehr is Iran's only commercial nuclear power station, situated on the Persian Gulf coast in southern Iran. The site's first unit, a 1000 MWe pressurized water reactor (VVER-1000) built with Russian assistance, began operation in 2011–2013. Russia supplies the enriched fuel for Bushehr-1 and removes the spent fuel, an arrangement that minimizes proliferation risk. Iran is constructing two additional VVER-1000 reactors at Bushehr with Russian collaboration, slated to come online in the late 2020s. Bushehr is under full IAEA safeguards. Its operation is closely monitored by the Agency, and Iran, like any NPT party, must report and permit inspection of the reactor and its fuel.
Arak IR-40 Arak IR-40 complex, a heavy water reactor and production plant Arak, about 250 km southwest of Tehran, is the site of Iran's IR-40 heavy water reactor and associated heavy water production plant. The 40 MW (thermal) reactor, still under construction, is designed to use natural uranium fuel and heavy water moderation, which would produce plutonium as a byproduct in the spent fuel. In its original configuration, the Arak reactor could have yielded enough plutonium for roughly 1–2 nuclear weapons per year if Iran built a reprocessing facility (which it does not have). Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to halt work on Arak and redesign the reactor to a smaller, proliferation-resistant version. In January 2016, Iran removed and filled Arak’s original reactor core with concrete, disabling it. As of mid-2025, Iran, with international input, has been modifying the reactor design to limit its plutonium output, and the reactor has not yet become operational. A heavy water production plant at the Arak site continues to operate (25 tons/year capacity), supplying heavy water for the reactor and medical research; Iran's heavy water stockpile is under IAEA monitoring per its safeguards commitments.
Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) Located in Tehran at the headquarters of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, the Tehran Research Reactor is a 5 MW pool-type research reactor. It was provided by the United States in 1967 as part of the "Atoms for Peace" program. Originally fueled with highly enriched uranium (HEU), the TRR was converted in 1987 to use 19.75% enriched uranium (LEU). The TRR is used to produce medical isotopes (such as molybdenum-99) and for scientific research. Its need for 20% LEU fuel became a point of contention when Iran's external fuel supply ran low in 2009, prompting the decision to enrich uranium to 20%.
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