The Islamic Republic Has Taken Iran Hostage
The regime presents itself as the guardian of Iran while plundering its oil for an insular few and neglecting to provide basic water infrastructure to the rest. Rather than invest the nation's wealth in its citizens, the mullahs have wasted billions on a nuclear-weapons program. It despises the civilization it claims to lead. For nearly half a century the ruling class has tried to erase the cultural, intellectual and moral foundations of Iran and replace them with imperial ideas about jihadist conquests from Najaf to Karbala. In its fanaticism, the regime even cracks down on the annual celebration of one of Persia's greatest figures, Cyrus II, calling the event a 'Zionist plot.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Laura Loomer takes victory lap after State Department halts visitor visas for Gaza
Far-right activist Laura Loomer is taking a victory lap for a new State Department policy decision: halting all visitor visas from Gaza. The State Department announced Saturday it was stopping the visas for people from Gaza, one day after Loomer posted a series of videos capturing alleged flights bringing people from the territory to the United States. She questioned why they were allowed into the country, and demanded that whoever approved their visas be fired. 'All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,' the State Department said in a statement Saturday. In a social media post, the conservative firebrand celebrated the department's decision as 'fantastic news,' noting that it was made 'following the release of my reports yesterday exposing flights of GAZANS arriving at airports all across the US.' She added: 'Hopefully all GAZANS will be added to President Trump's travel ban. There are doctors in other countries. The US is not the world's hospital!' The Independent has asked the State Department whether Loomer had any influence on the decision. Throughout the day Friday, Loomer posted videos allegedly showing people from Gaza arriving at airports across the U.S., including Seattle, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Houston, in the past few weeks. The videos were originally posted by HEAL Palestine, a nonprofit dedicated to delivering urgent and long-term support to Palestinian children and families. The videos, posted by HEAL Palestine's Instagram account, show children coming to the U.S. for medical treatment. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's war in Gaza since Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, according to Gaza's Health Ministry last month. Visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons who want to enter the U.S. temporarily. The B-1 visa covers business, and the B-2 visa is for tourism which includes medical treatment, according to the State Department. In one heart-wrenching example, a 14-year-old girl, who arrived in San Francisco this month, was injured when a school that her displaced family was using as shelter was bombed. 'She sustained second-and third-degree burns across her body and face, shrapnel wounds to her head and leg, and is still living with embedded fragments,' the nonprofit wrote in an August 6 post. The child also suffers from malnutrition, weighing just 20 kilograms, or 44 pounds. The Independent has asked the nonprofit for comment on Loomer's posts. 'Who from the State Department is assisting 'Heal Palestine'?' Loomer wrote in a Friday social media post. 'Why are any Islamic invaders coming into the U.S. under the Trump admin?' She continued: 'This is a national security threat. We didn't vote for more Islamic immigration into the United States. Who signed off on these visas? They should be fired.' Loomer's posts picked up some traction, including from GOP members of Congress. Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy remarked Friday: 'Deeply concerned about the incoming flights - including to Texas - allegedly filled with folks from Gaza as reported by @LauraLoomer. Inquiring.' Florida Republican Congressman Randy Fine similarly said he was 'troubled' by Loomer's report. 'If true, this is absolutely unacceptable. My office will be working with the relevant authorities to confirm the truth, understand how it happened, and seek immediate expulsion,' he wrote on X Friday. After the State Department's announcement Saturday, Fine gave Loomer a pat on the back. 'Massive credit needs to be given to @LauraLoomer for uncovering this and making me and other officials aware. Well done, Laura,' he wrote on X. The far-right activist seems to have some sway within the Trump administration as a pattern seems to have emerged. Not long after Loomer makes an online complaint, a change seems to happen within the administration. Last month, Loomer boasted after Maurene Comey, who prosecuted Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend and sex offender, Ghislaine Maxwell, and music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs, was fired from the Justice Department. After she was terminated, Loomer took a victory lap, writing on X: 'This comes 2 months after my pressure campaign on Pam Blondi [sic] to fire Comey's daughter and Comey's son-in-law from the DOJ.' In May, Loomer urged President Donald Trump to pick a new nominee for surgeon general after she called his pick, Janette Nesheiwat, 'not ideologically aligned with Donald Trump or his admin's health initiatives.' The president later withdrew Nesheiwat's nomination. In April, Loomer met with Trump, urging him to fire members of the National Security Council who had been disloyal to him. Not long after, the president terminated several NSC staff. It's not clear how much Loomer's demands played a role in the decisions. Asked how many staffing decisions she's had a hand in, Loomer told the New York Times last month: 'I don't even know…I really enjoy and take great pleasure in humiliating people who suck at their job.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Labor union will not join hostage families' strike calling for an urgent deal
The chairman did commit to calling on management and worker committees to allow any employees who wish to participate in the protest events and solidarity rally scheduled for August 17. The Histadrut labor federation will not join the hostages' families strike, it announced on Monday. This was decided following a meeting between Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David, senior business sector leaders, and representatives of the hostage families. Bar-David, who requested to meet with the families to explain his decision to refrain from a general strike, expressed concern that the Histadrut's involvement at this time would shift the public discourse surrounding the return of the hostages toward political directions. 'If I knew that a strike, not just for one day but longer, would resolve the issue – stop the war and bring back the hostages – I would go for it with all my strength. Unfortunately, and despite my heart bursting with frustration, it is not feasible.' The chairman did commit to calling on management and worker committees to allow any employees who wish to participate in the protest events and solidarity rally scheduled for August 17. The Histadrut represents 800,000 workers. Decision to occupy Gaza City At a press conference in front of the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, families represented by the October Council said that Sunday, August 17, would mark a nationwide shutdown in protest of the security cabinet's decision to occupy Gaza City, which they say endangers the lives of the hostages and soldiers. The families said the shutdown is expected to include private companies, organizations, and labor unions. In July of last year, Bar-David threw his support behind a march planned by family members of hostages and called on the Israeli public to join them. Bar-David also said he would supply the march with resources and appointed a senior team to accompany marchers and organizers. Last Friday, the security cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to occupy Gaza City and adopted five principles for ending the war. These include disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, both living and murdered, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, maintaining security control over Gaza, and the existence of a civilian government that is not controlled by either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. Hostage families and Israeli opposition figures criticized the plan, calling it 'a disaster' that would endanger the remaining hostages in terrorist captivity.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Netanyahu rejects partial hostage deal, Israel gears up for nationwide strikes
'The Prime Minister's Office clarifies that Israel will agree to a deal on condition that all the hostages are released in one go," the statement read. Amid renewed reports of Hamas flexibility on a phased ceasefire-hostage agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office declared that Israel will only accept a comprehensive deal that secures the release of all captives at once on Saturday night. 'The Prime Minister's Office clarifies that Israel will agree to a deal on condition that all the hostages are released in one go, and in accordance with our conditions for ending the war, which include the disarming of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, Israeli control of the Gaza perimeter, and the installation of non-Hamas and non-Palestinian Authority governance that will live in peace with Israel,' the statement read. The clarification came as Hamas was reported to be reconsidering the so-called Witkoff proposal by US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. He proposed a 60-day ceasefire plan under which roughly half of the remaining hostages would be freed, followed by negotiations on a permanent truce. Netanyahu dismissed that approach on Saturday night, reiterating that he 'will not agree to a partial deal.' Preperation for continued of fighting in Gaza Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for a new stage of its Gaza campaign. Beginning Sunday, the IDF will start transferring tents and shelter equipment into southern Gaza to house hundreds of thousands of civilians expected to be displaced ahead of an offensive to seize Gaza City. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) tweeted that the aid movement is designed to facilitate civilian evacuation. 'In accordance with the directive of the political echelon, and as part of the IDF preparations to move the population from combat zones to southern Gaza for their protection, the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza will resume tomorrow,' COGAT said. 'The aid will be transferred through the Kerem Shalom crossing by the UN and international organizations, following a thorough security inspection.' Meanwhile, Israelis prepared for a nationwide general strike and demonstrations calling for an immediate agreement to bring the hostages home and end the war. Demonstrations began Saturday night in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square and in other cities. The general strike is being organized by the October Council — representing relatives of hostages and fallen soldiers. Hundreds of municipalities, businesses, universities, tech companies, and civic organizations have already pledged participation. Events will begin at 7 a.m. and include marches, speeches, and rallies throughout the day. Protest convoys are expected to converge in Tel Aviv by evening, culminating in a march with families of the hostages to Hostage Square, where a central rally is scheduled for 8 p.m. Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 50 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead.
