WATCH: President Trump Gives Update on Operation Epic Fury, Outlines Objectives – Says US is “Substantially Ahead of Our Time Projections” With Military Leadership Being Eliminated in “About an Hour”

Former President Donald Trump delivers a speech at the White House, standing at a podium with flags in the background.

Former President Donald Trump delivers a speech at the White House, standing at a podium with flags in the background.

President Trump gave an update on Operation Epic Fury during remarks at a White House Medal of Honor Ceremony on Monday and outlined his objectives in the war in Iran. 

Trump spoke for approximately six minutes about Iran, where he made the case for stopping Iran’s nuclear and missile ambitions, before awarding the Medal of Honor to three Army Soldiers.

“This was our last best chance to strike, what we’re doing right now, and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime, and they are indeed sick and sinister. Our objectives are clear,” Trump said.

“First, we’re destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, and you see that happening on an hourly basis, and their capacity to produce brand new ones and pretty good ones they make. Second, we’re annihilating their neighbor. We’ve knocked out already 10 ships. They’re at the bottom of the sea. Third, we’re ensuring that the world’s number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon, never going to have a nuclear weapon. I said that from the beginning, they’re never going to have a nuclear weapon. They were on the road to getting one, legitimately, through a deal that was signed foolishly by our country. And finally, we’re ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund, and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.”

The President further grieved the deaths of four US Service Members, stating, “In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people, and a threat indeed it is.”

Trump noted that the US is “substantially ahead of our time projections,” stating that it was initially “four weeks to terminate the military leadership,” which he said was “done in about an hour.”

Still, he threatened, “We have the capability to go far longer than that.” He added, “We’ll do it.”

WATCH:

Transcript:

Before we begin this important ceremony, and there’s no ceremony that can be much more important than this, let me provide a brief update on Operation Epic Fury. Today, the United States military continues to carry out large scale combat operations in Iran to eliminate the grave threats posed to America by this terrible terrorist regime.

Following our obliteration of Iran’s nuclear program and Operation Midnight Hammer, a short while ago, we warned Iran not to make any attempt to rebuild at a different location, because they were unable to use the ones that we so powerfully blew up. But they ignored those warnings and refused to cease their pursuit of nuclear weapons.

In addition, the regime’s conventional ballistic missile program was growing rapidly and dramatically, and this posed a very clear, colossal threat to America and our forces stationed overseas. The regime already had missiles capable of hitting Europe and our bases, both local and overseas, and would soon have had missiles capable of reaching our beautiful America.

The purpose of this fast growing missile program was to shield their nuclear weapon development and make it extraordinarily difficult for anyone to stop them from making these highly forbidden, by us, nuclear weapons. We were the ones that were complaining. We were the ones that wanted it stopped, but everybody was behind us. They just didn’t have the courage to say so. An Iranian regime armed with long range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat to the Middle East, but also to the American people.

Our country itself would be under threat, and it was very nearly under threat. I was very proud to have knocked out the Iran nuclear deal by President Barack Hussein Obama. That was a horrible, horrible, dangerous document. They would have had nuclear weapons three years ago, and they would have used them. But I’ll not let that happen. For almost 47 years, this regime has been attacking the United States and killing Americans. Every time you see someone with missing arms and legs or a face that’s been absolutely shattered violently, it was almost certainly caused by an Iran roadside bomb.

They were put there by General Soleimani, who was the father of the roadside bomb, very proudly, he thought. But I terminated him in my first term. This was our last best chance to strike, what we’re doing right now, and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime, and they are indeed sick and sinister. Our objectives are clear.

First, we’re destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, and you see that happening on an hourly basis, and their capacity to produce brand new ones and pretty good ones they make. Second, we’re annihilating their neighbor. We’ve knocked out already 10 ships. They’re at the bottom of the sea. Third, we’re ensuring that the world’s number one sponsor of terror can never obtain a nuclear weapon, never going to have a nuclear weapon. I said that from the beginning, they’re never going to have a nuclear weapon. They were on the road to getting one, legitimately, through a deal that was signed foolishly by our country. And finally, we’re ensuring that the Iranian regime cannot continue to arm, fund, and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.

And we thought we had a deal, but then they backed out, and they came back. And we thought we had a deal, and they backed out. I said, you can’t deal with these people. You got to do it the right way.

Today, we grieve for the four heroic American service members, who have been killed in action, and send our love and support to their families. In their memory, we continue this mission with ferocious, unyielding resolve to crush the threat this terrorist regime poses to the American people, and a threat indeed it is. We have the strongest and most powerful, by far, military in the world, and we will easily prevail.

We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections. But whatever the time is, it’s okay. Whatever it takes, we will always, and we have right from the get beginning, we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that. We’ll do it. Whatever— somebody said today, they said, “Oh, well, the President wants to do it really quickly. After that, he’ll get bored.” I don’t get bored. There’s nothing boring about this. Do you agree with that? Pete, I don’t think there’s anything, Mr. General, there’s nothing boring about it.

Somebody actually said, from the media, “I think he’ll get bored after about a week or two.” No, we don’t get bored. I never get bored. If I got bored, I wouldn’t be standing here right now, I guarantee you that, to go through what I had to go through. We also projected four weeks to terminate the military leadership, and as you know, that was done in about an hour. So we’re ahead of schedule there by a lot.

But please join me in thanking every American service member who bravely is standing in harm’s way. They really are incredible. And I just want to thank you. We have a lot of them right here. Thank you very much. Thank you.

The post WATCH: President Trump Gives Update on Operation Epic Fury, Outlines Objectives – Says US is “Substantially Ahead of Our Time Projections” With Military Leadership Being Eliminated in “About an Hour” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

EXCLUSIVE: Over 210 Tankers and Ships Anchored Outside Strait of Hormuz – Experiencing AIS Transponder Interference

Map showing shipping routes in the Middle East after attacks began on February 28, highlighting significant maritime activity and trade patterns.

Map showing maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf, highlighting vessel locations and key areas near Dubai and Abu Dhabi with color-coded indicators for different types of ships.
Bottlenecked ships anchored outside Straight of Hormuz.

Ships travel the seas using the Automatic Identification System (AIS). It’s a satellite tracking system that uses transponders to continuously broadcast a ship’s location, type, length, and so on. Currently, over 210 tankers and container ships are anchored outside the Strait of Hormuz.

Through this waterway choke point (Hormuz) flows 20% of the global oil, along with large volumes of LNG (Liquefied natural gas). The Strait is only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point. But the shipping lane width, in either direction, is only 2 miles. Those two lanes are separated by a 2-mile buffer zone.

Massive AIS signal interference has been observed around the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. This appears to come mostly from the Iranian coastal cities of Assaluyeh and Bandar Abbas. The images below show the ship AIS signals before the attacks (Feb 27th) and the signal interference created after the attacks (Feb. 28th).

Map showing AIS signals of tankers in the Strait of Hormuz before and after attacks on February 27 and 28, highlighting changes in shipping routes.

Maritime intelligence organization KPLER processes over 1.2 billion of these AIS signals daily. KPLER stated, “This current AIS disruption can cause vessel positions to cluster unnaturally in a single area and skew the distribution of maritime traffic. This complicates situational awareness around key terminals and transit lanes”.

Vessels affected by AIS interference may be broadcasting a position that is miles from their actual position, sometimes even inland. They may appear “on water” but in the wrong location, which is harder to identify at first glance. The distortions can also create false port calls and misrepresent loadings and unloading at the terminals.

View this real-time maritime map to see all the ships bottlenecked at the Strait of Hormuz. Tankers (red) and container ships (green) are shown as arrows if they are moving, and circles if anchored. Filters are available on the right of the map, and zoom in/out features.

Reuters reported that several tanker owners and trading houses suspended crude oil, fuel, and LNG through the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

Tehran said it had closed navigation, trading sources said on Saturday.”Our ships will stay put for several days,” one top executive at a major trading desk said. Satellite images from tanker trackers showed vessels backed up next to big ports, such as Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, and not moving through Hormuz.

Multiple vessels in the area have received VHF transmission from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that “no ship is allowed to pass the Strait of Hormuz”, an official with the EU naval mission Aspides told Reuters.

The British Navy said Iran’s orders were not legally binding and advised vessels to transit with caution. Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has not completely stopped, but disruptions are building rapidly, shipbroker Poten & Partners said in a note to clients.

Lloyd’s List, the newspaper devoted to shipping news, said: “In a notice issued by US Navy Central Command in the early hours of Saturday morning, ships were warned against navigating within this area, if possible.”

The tanker association INTERTANKO said the U.S. Navy had warned against navigation in the area – the whole of the Gulf, Gulf of Oman, North Arabian Sea, and the Strait of Hormuz – saying it could not guarantee the safety of shipping. Lloyd’s also said merchant ships should navigate no closer than 30 nautical miles from a naval vessel, the statement explained.

The naval advisory, which has subsequently been distributed by flag states and security firms globally, recommends that “aircraft and ships keep clear of the designated area”.

Jamming and spoofing of satellite navigation systems is likely, according to multiple advisories issued by regional naval operations and industry security sources.

 

The post EXCLUSIVE: Over 210 Tankers and Ships Anchored Outside Strait of Hormuz – Experiencing AIS Transponder Interference appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

US Central Command Releases Footage of B-1 Bombers Degrading Iranian Ballistic Missile Capabilities (VIDEO)

A military aircraft on a tarmac at night, with personnel and equipment visible under bright lights.

A military aircraft on a tarmac at night, with personnel and equipment visible under bright lights.

US Central Command on Monday released footage of B-1 bombers degrading Iranian ballistic missile capabilities.

“Last night, U.S. B-1 bombers, struck deep inside Iran to degrade Iranian ballistic missile capabilities. As the President stated, “we’re going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground,”” CENTCOM said.

WATCH:

US Central Command on Sunday evening released unclassified footage of the military’s new strikes on Iran.

“U.S. forces are taking bold action to eliminate imminent threats posed by the Iranian regime. Strikes continue,” CENTCOM said.

The latest US military strike targeted a hangar full of drones.

WATCH:

President Trump on Sunday addressed the nation, announcing the progress of the strikes on Iran, which have killed dozens of top Iranian leaders and the Supreme Leader of Iran.

During his address, Trump described Operation Epic Fury as “one of the largest, most complex, most overwhelming military offenses the world has ever seen,” noting that “combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved.”

“Combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved. We have very strong objectives. They could have done something two weeks ago, but they just couldn’t get there,” Trump said.

4 US service members have been killed in action and several more have been wounded in Operation Epic Fury.

The post US Central Command Releases Footage of B-1 Bombers Degrading Iranian Ballistic Missile Capabilities (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

JUST IN: MI Couple Takes Action After Husband Refused Service At Smoothie King In Liberal College Town For Wearing A Trump Hoodie [VIDEO]

Customer interaction at a fast-food restaurant with a staff member pointing and explaining menu options to patrons.

When Erika Lindemyer and her husband walked inside the Smoothie King on Jackson Ave in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to order a smoothie for him, they never dreamed that an employee working behind the counter would refuse to provide service to them because he was wearing a sweatshirt with the name of the President of the United States on the front.

Customer interaction at a fast-food restaurant with a staff member pointing and explaining menu options to patrons.
Mr. and Mrs. Lindemyer and the unidentified Smoothie King employee telling them to leave. Mr. Lindemyer’s sweatshirt is visible in the center image.

In a stunning video recorded by Mrs. Lindemyer, a young woman, who appears to be a manager of the Smoothie King in Ann Arbor, Michigan (home to the far-left University of Michigan), can be seen arrogantly attempting to explain away the unlawful actions of another employee working behind the counter with her who refused to provide service to him because his hoodie sweatshirt bears the name of President Trump.

The unidentified black woman (supervisor?) working behind the counter, who appears to have assumed the role of Smoothie King manager for the purposes of arguing why it’s okay to refuse service to a customer because he doesn’t align with their political views, is either completely ignorant when it comes to laws against discrimination, or believes she has the right to to break the law because in her intolerant mind, its okay to discriminate if it’s against President Trump or his supporters.

Watch the interaction unfold here:

In what can only be explained as another unhinged liberal suffering from what many believe is an actual psychological condition that causes individuals to behave in a completely irrational way when confronted with someone who doesn’t align with their leftist viewpoints, the Smoothie King employee actually posted a video of herself refusing Mr. Lindemyer service, telling him it is making her fellow employee “uncomfortable” serving him with Donald J. Trump, the President of the United States, name on the front of his sweatshirt.

The Gateway Pundit has been in communication with Erika. She and her husband have filed a police report and have also hired a lawyer who, according to Mr. Lindemyer, advised them to hold off on speaking to us for now. We plan to get more details about the incident from her later today and will update this story as soon as we know more.

The post JUST IN: MI Couple Takes Action After Husband Refused Service At Smoothie King In Liberal College Town For Wearing A Trump Hoodie [VIDEO] appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

First Victim of Austin Mass Shooting by Obama Third-World Migrant Identified

Smiling young man with tousled hair wearing a striped polo shirt, posing outdoors in a sunny setting with greenery in the background.

Smiling young man with tousled hair wearing a striped polo shirt, posing outdoors in a sunny setting with greenery in the background.
Austin mass shooting victim Ryder Harrington / GoFundMe

The first victim of the mass shooting in Austin, Texas, was identified on Monday.

Very early Sunday morning, Ndiaga Diagne, a 53-year-old Senegalese immigrant who was living in Pflugerville, Texas, as a naturalized citizen under Obama, opened fire and killed 3 people and wounded 14.

Authorities received a call at 1:59 am for the shooting at Buford’s Bar on West Sixth Street, Austin EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said.

Three of the 14 victims who were transported to local hospitals were in critical condition.

Ndiaga Diagne committed the mass shooting after Iran’s Supreme Leader and more than 40 top Iranian officials were killed on Saturday in the US’s Operation Epic Fury.

Surveillance image and identification photo of a man wearing a gray hoodie with "Property of Allah" text, captured in a public area.
Austin bar mass shooter Ndiaga Diagne

Diagne wore a sweatshirt that said, “Property of Allah.” Authorities also found a Quran in his car.

Diagne was killed by police.

Image of a gray undershirt displaying the Iranian flag, stained with blood, while being examined by an investigator at a crime scene.
Austin mass shooter dead

On Monday, it was revealed that one of the shooting victims was a Texas college student.

Ryder Harrington was a student at Texas Tech University.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our brother, Ryder Harrington, a member of the Fall 2024 Pledge Class,” the GoFundMe said.

“Ryder was a beloved son, brother, and friend whose kindness and presence touched countless lives. From the moment he joined our brotherhood, he brought a light that was impossible to ignore. Ryder had a rare ability to truly enjoy life to make people laugh, to make moments feel bigger, and to make ordinary days unforgettable. If anyone embodied what it meant to live fully and love deeply, it was Ryder,” they said.

“All donations will go directly to the Harrington family to help cover funeral and memorial costs,” they said.

The post First Victim of Austin Mass Shooting by Obama Third-World Migrant Identified appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Iran War Enters Third Day

As the American-Israeli war on Iran entered its third day Monday, Israel was rocked by Iranian missiles while Israel and the U.S. continued air operations over Iran. 

Hezbollah also retaliated against Israel, launching missiles against Israel from Lebanon. Israel responded with strikes, killing more than two dozen people

President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters that the war will continue, probably for about four weeks, and that the U.S. has not ruled out sending ground troops into the conflict.

In a phone interview conducted by CNN’s Jake Tapper early Monday morning, President Donald Trump said that  the “big wave” is yet to come in the war with Iran. “I think it’s going very well. It’s very powerful. We’ve got the greatest military in the world and we’re using it,” he said. Trump told the Daily Mail that the Iran War would last four weeks or less. “It’s always been a four week process… It’s a big country. It’ll take four weeks — or less,” he told the paper.

Trump later told the New York Post that he has not ruled out sending U.S. ground troops into the conflict. 

Secretary of War Pete Hesgeth told reporters at a press conference on Monday morning that the operation had a “clear, devastating, decisive mission” to “destroy the missile threat” from Iran, as well as to destroy its naval forces and ensure “no nukes.”

Asked whether or not there are U.S. boots on the ground in Iran, Hegseth said, “No, but we’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do.”

“This is not a so-called regime-change war, but the regime sure did change and the world is better off for it,” Hegseth added. 

CENTCOM reported that an additional U.S. servicemember had been killed, bringing the reported American fatality count to four.

Qatar announced on Monday that it has halted liquefied natural gas (LNG) production due to attacks from Iran against its operating facilities. Meanwhile, Qatar’s Ministry of Defense reported that it shot down two Iranian Su-24 bomber planes on Monday, on behalf of the U.S.-Israeli war effort. Qatar hosts the Middle East’s largest U.S. military base, Al Udeid Air Base, near Doha. 

Oil prices and defense contractor share prices surged in reaction to the ongoing war and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20 to 30 percent of global seaborne oil shipments.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Saturday and released on Sunday found that only 27 percent of Americans approve of U.S. strikes against Iran, compared with 43 percent who disapprove. Surveys taken before the attacks likewise showed only minority backing for the war the U.S. is now engaged in.

The post Iran War Enters Third Day appeared first on The American Conservative.

New York Mayor Mamdani Condemns U.S. Strikes, Not Iran Regime

Two men in formal attire, one with a beard and the other wearing a traditional headdress, both depicted in a professional setting.

Two men in formal attire, one with a beard and the other wearing a traditional headdress, both depicted in a professional setting.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani (left), photo courtesy of Fotografía oficial de la Presidencia de Colombia, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons; and Iran’s recently killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei (right), photo courtesy of Khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

“Today’s military strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression. Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war. Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change,” wrote New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in an official statement.

Mamdani’s position is troubling, as he appears to be siding with the Iranian regime while Iranians in New York City are marching in the streets praising President Trump for eliminating Ayatollah Khamenei.

The mayor is also factually incorrect when he calls it an “illegal war.” The United States has not declared war, and the president’s actions were not illegal. The strikes were carried out under presidential war powers.

Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams criticized his successor for labeling the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes “illegal” while failing to acknowledge the Iranian regime’s long history of terrorism and repression.

“Let me be very clear. When the mayor of the largest city in America characterizes defensive action against the Iranian regime as ‘illegal’ without acknowledging decades of terror sponsorship, nuclear escalation, and human rights abuses, that is not leadership — that is dangerous oversimplification,” Adams said Sunday in a statement to The Post.

Adams argued that Iran has spent decades funding and arming terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, backing militia attacks on U.S. forces, advancing nuclear and long-range missile programs, and violently suppressing peaceful protesters at home.

Mamdani has no record of publicly condemning the Iranian regime for decades of murder, torture of civilians, human-rights abuses, and restrictions on religious freedom. Even during protests in which thousands were reportedly killed, he did not issue an official condemnation.

His only apparent criticism came on January 13, when he stated at a press conference, “I absolutely do not support the way the Iranian government has responded to [the protests],” adding that all governments must “respect the right of people to express their political opinions safely.” That statement falls short of a direct condemnation.

In the weeks leading up to the U.S. strikes, Iran’s internal crackdown over the previous three months resulted in heavy casualties, with estimates varying widely due to a near-total internet blackout. The Iranian government, through the Martyrs Foundation, acknowledged 3,117 deaths, categorizing many as “terrorists” or security personnel rather than peaceful protesters. The Human Rights Activists News Agency confirmed 7,007 deaths as of late February 2026 and reported more than 11,000 additional cases under investigation.

International observers cited higher figures. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Iran stated the civilian death toll likely surpassed 20,000, citing the systematic use of heavy weaponry against unarmed crowds. Reports from The Guardian and Time magazine, based on interviews with doctors and morgue staff, suggested the total could exceed 30,000. Iran International cited leaked intelligence documents estimating as many as 36,500 deaths, describing the “January Massacres” as the deadliest two-day crackdown on protesters in modern history.

Human Rights Watch reported that Iran’s human rights situation deteriorated sharply in 2025 and early 2026, marked by a surge in executions during the nationwide crackdown on protests. According to its World Report 2026, Iranian authorities carried out more than 2,000 executions in 2025, the highest number since the late 1980s, with over half related to drug offenses. The report states many followed gross fair-trial violations and disproportionately targeted women and ethnic and religious minorities, including members of the Sunni minority.

In addition to killing Ayatollah Khamenei, the U.S. strikes targeted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the regime’s primary instrument of repression and foreign proxy warfare. President Trump designated the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on April 8, 2019, the first time in U.S. history that part of another nation’s government received that designation. The Obama administration declined to do so, and although the Biden administration considered lifting the designation during nuclear negotiations, it ultimately left it in place.

Established in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution, the IRGC answers directly to the Supreme Leader and operates as a parallel armed force with its own ground, naval, air, intelligence, and missile units. Its Quds Force oversees foreign operations and proxy warfare, supervises ballistic missile development, and funds, trains, arms, and directs allied militant groups.

Domestically, the IRGC and its Basij militia have crushed dissent. During the 2009 Green Movement protests, security forces killed hundreds. In November 2019, an estimated 1,500 protesters were killed within days. After the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, more than 500 were killed and over 19,000 arrested. Repression has included live ammunition against unarmed civilians, torture, forced disappearances, executions, sexual violence against detainees, targeting of ethnic minorities, and internet shutdowns.

Abroad, the IRGC has built and sustained a network of proxy forces. It helped create Hezbollah in 1982 and continues to fund and arm it. Hezbollah was responsible for the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 241 U.S. Marines, the 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing, and decades of rocket attacks against Israeli civilians. The IRGC also supports Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, including assistance tied to the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. In Yemen, it has trained and armed the Houthis, supplying ballistic missiles and drone technology used against Saudi infrastructure, Red Sea shipping, U.S. naval vessels, and Israeli territory.

In Iraq, the IRGC created and directs Shi’a militias that used explosively formed penetrators against U.S. troops, suppressed Iraqi protest movements, attacked U.S. bases in 2023 and 2024, and targeted political opponents. In Syria, it deployed thousands of fighters to support Bashar al-Assad and backed siege campaigns against civilian areas.

The Quds Force has also been linked to global assassination and bombing plots, including the 1994 AMIA bombing in Argentina, the 2012 Burgas bus bombing in Bulgaria, and a 2011 plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, DC. Iran has supplied advanced missiles and drone technology to its proxies and provided Russia with Shahed drones used against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

Economically, the IRGC controls a network of front companies and oversees a significant portion of Iran’s economy, using that empire to fund operations and evade sanctions. Its record of repression and foreign terrorism spans decades and has been documented by U.S. agencies, United Nations investigators, European courts, and human rights organizations. The 2019 terrorist designation was based on that record.

Given the documented history of oppression, terrorism, torture, and murder carried out by both Ayatollah Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, it is unreasonable that Zohran Mamdani refused to condemn them and instead condemned the U.S. strikes that have freed the people of Iran from living under a repressive regime.

The post New York Mayor Mamdani Condemns U.S. Strikes, Not Iran Regime appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Trump on Khamenei: “I Got Him Before He Got Me. They Tried Twice“

Donald Trump speaking at a podium with the presidential seal, flanked by American flags during an official event.

Donald Trump speaking at a podium with the presidential seal, flanked by American flags during an official event.
Trump gives update on Iran operations – Sunday March 1, 2026

President Trump spoke to ABC News’s Jonathan Karl on Sunday and boasted that he got Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “before he got me.”

Trump announced the strikes on Iran on Saturday morning.

The President later released a statement on Truth Social, confirming the death of the Ayatollah and urging the people of Iran to rise up and take over their government.

“The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!” Trump said.

“I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well I got him first,” Trump told Jonathan Karl in reference to a foiled plot to kill then-candidate Trump in 2024.

He further spoke with Trump about the next leader of Iran, the timeline of Operation Epic Fury, and the troops that were killed by Iran over the last few days.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, US Central Command confirmed an updated death toll, announcing that a fourth troop, “who was seriously wounded during Iran’s initial attacks,” has passed after they said three were killed and five were injured on Sunday.

Trump, Karl said, “marveled at the fact that, with all the operations he has conducted as president in Venezuela, the one last summer in Iran, and this one, that the total casualty count, American casualties, is three.”

Trump has told numerous outlets that the operation could last four or five weeks, but has also said he could end it in a few days. On the first day of the operation, Trump told Axios he could “go long and take over the whole thing or end it in two or three days and tell the Iranians: ‘See you again in a few years if you start rebuilding [your nuclear and missile programs].”

“The President told me we always thought, he always thought it was going to be a four or five week deal. That’s what he told me, a four or five week operation. He said it could be shorter, and he was prepared to go longer,” Karl said.

WATCH:

I just spoke to President Trump for several minutes about Iran. I asked him about who is going to take over now that the Ayatollah, the Supreme Leader is gone, and his answer was interesting. He said the attack was so successful, it knocked out most of the candidates.

He told me it’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead. I talked to him about the fact that the Iranians had tried to kill him. There was a plot in 2024, an Iranian plot, to try to kill Trump. And he said, of the Ayatollah, I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well, I got him first.

As for how long the war will go on, the President told me we always thought, he always thought it was going to be a four or five week deal. That’s what he told me, a four or five week operation. He said it could be shorter, and he was prepared to go longer.

And about the three Americans who were killed, the President said, it’s war and you have casualties in war. He marveled at the fact that, with all the operations he has conducted as president in Venezuela, the one last summer in Iran, and this one, that the total casualty count, American casualties, is three. That’s a quick summary of a rather lengthy conversation with President Trump tonight.

Karl shared on X:

In another phone call this evening, President Trump told me this about the death of Ayatollah Khamenei:

“I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well I got him first.”

That’s a reference to what US intelligence believes was a plot to kill Trump in 2024.

The post Trump on Khamenei: “I Got Him Before He Got Me. They Tried Twice“ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

JUST IN: Federal Circuit Court of Appeals Rejects Trump Admin Request to Delay Supreme Court Ruling on Tariffs

The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday rejected the Trump Administration’s request to delay the Supreme Court’s ruling on tariffs.

The US Supreme Court recently struck down President Trump’s tariffs in a 6-3 decision.

The Supreme Court said President Trump does not have the authority to impose the tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

The high court’s decision only invalidates Trump’s tariffs under the IEEPA.

Chief Justices Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch sided with the three liberal justices.

Conservative Justices Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh sided with President Trump.

The Trump Administration asked for a 90-day delay but the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals denied the request.

Last May, The Court of International Trade in New York said President Trump exceeded his authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA).

“The order halts Trump’s 30% tariffs on China, his 25% tariffs on some goods imported from Mexico and Canada, and the 10% universal tariffs on most goods coming into the United States. It does not, however, affect the 25% tariffs on autos, auto parts, steel or aluminum, which were subject to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act – a different law than the one Trump cited for his broader trade actions,” CNN reported last year.

Last August, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected President Trump’s authority to impose sweeping tariffs in a 7-4 decision.

Last week FedEx filed a lawsuit seeking a refund.

“Plaintiffs seek for themselves a full refund from Defendants of all IEEPA duties Plaintiffs have paid to the United States,” the lawsuit said.

The post JUST IN: Federal Circuit Court of Appeals Rejects Trump Admin Request to Delay Supreme Court Ruling on Tariffs appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

US Embassy Orders Americans to Shelter in Place as F-15 Fighter Jets Fall From Sky in Kuwait

F-15E Strike Eagle via Wikimedia Commons

A dramatic series of military incidents unfolded over Kuwait over the weekend, as multiple US Air Force fighter jets went down amid rapidly escalating tensions across the Middle East, with footage circulating online showing at least one F-15E Strike Eagle engulfed in flames before spiraling toward the ground west of Al Jahra.

White smoke streaked across the sky as the aircraft plunged, prompting immediate speculation about the cause.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense later confirmed that “several” US military aircraft had crashed that morning. In an official statement, the ministry emphasized that all crew members were safe.

“The spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense stated that several U.S. military aircraft crashed this morning, confirming the complete safety of their crews,” the statement said. Authorities stressed that search and rescue teams were dispatched immediately.

“He explained that the relevant authorities immediately initiated search and rescue procedures, whereby the crews were evacuated and transferred to the hospital to check on their health status and provide the necessary medical care, noting that their condition is stable,” the statement added.

Videos appear to show one crew member descending by parachute before landing in a desert area. Another clip shows locals assisting an airman into a civilian vehicle before he was handed over to Kuwaiti authorities.

Independent analysts geolocated the primary crash site west of Al Jahra. The location lies not far from Ali Al Salem Air Base, a key American military installation in Kuwait.

Confusion remains over the precise number of aircraft involved. Early reporting suggested the downed jet might have been hit by friendly fire from a Patriot air defense battery, though officials have not confirmed that claim.

Systems such as Patriot rely on radar identification and encrypted communications to distinguish between friend and foe. Even so, friendly fire incidents have historically occurred in high-pressure combat environments.

Kuwaiti officials urged the public to rely only on official sources. “Direct coordination was conducted with the friendly US forces regarding the circumstances of the incident, and joint technical measures were taken,” the ministry noted, adding that investigations are ongoing.

Complicating matters even further, debris from one of the aircraft reportedly fell inside the Mina Al Ahmadi refinery complex. Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company confirmed that two refinery workers were injured, though their injuries were not described as life-threatening.

The crashes came as air raid sirens sounded across Kuwait amid continued regional hostilities. The US Embassy in Kuwait has issued an urgent security advisory to American citizens.

“There is a continuing threat of missile and UAV attacks over Kuwait. Do not come to the Embassy. Take cover in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows. Do not go outside,” the State Department’s Consular Affairs bureau warned. Embassy personnel were themselves sheltering in place.

Kuwait’s air defenses reportedly intercepted hostile drones as retaliatory strikes rippled across Gulf states. Similar incidents were reported overnight at Britain’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, where a suspected drone strike caused limited material damage.

The broader conflict has widened dramatically. Israeli airstrikes targeted Tehran while also expanding operations against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, triggering explosions in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Iran’s state media reported additional missile launches toward what it described as “enemy locations,” while air raid sirens echoed in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The cycle of action and retaliation has left civilians across the region bracing for further escalation.

A senior White House official stated that the joint US–Israeli campaign, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” “continues unabated.” President Donald Trump signaled that Washington remains open to eventual diplomatic engagement, even as operations proceed.

Meanwhile, Iran announced that a temporary leadership council has assumed the duties of the Supreme Leader following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death. Despite reports from Israeli media saying that Trump reached out to Iran through Italy regarding a proposed ceasefire, Iranian officials have signaled little to no appetite for negotiations under current conditions.

The United States confirmed its first casualties linked to the broader campaign, with three American service members killed at a military facility in Kuwait. The milestone underscores the mounting human cost of the confrontation.

Beyond the battlefield, the economic fallout is already being felt. Shipping routes near the Strait of Hormuz have been disrupted, insurance rates have spiked, and oil prices have surged on fears of prolonged instability.

Global aviation has also been thrown into turmoil. Major airports across the Middle East have suspended flights, producing one of the most significant air travel disruptions in recent years.

As investigations continue into what brought the aircraft down, leaders face mounting pressure to prevent further escalation.

The post US Embassy Orders Americans to Shelter in Place as F-15 Fighter Jets Fall From Sky in Kuwait appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.