Israel, new US envoy say Iran seeks their destruction

“The Ayatollah regime in Iran continues to pursue its radical vision of regional dominance and destabilisation – on its own and via its proxies – while pursuing nuclear arms and openly calling for the destruction of Israel,” President Isaac Herzog said at the ceremony to reci.

“History has taught us that when a radical regime declares, ‘Death to Israel and Death to America!’ we must take these threats seriously — and counter them with all of our determination, resolve, and might. For the sake of the safety of our people. For the sake of peace.”

The comments come as Israel continues to fight Iran's allies, Hamas in Gaza and Houthis in Yemen.

Huckabee echoed the fears of the looming threat posed by Iran, saying, “There are challenges, and I share with you that concern that the Iranian regime and all of its hostility, which has been inflicted upon the world for 46 years, continues to threaten not just the peace of Israel, but the peace of the United States,” he said.

“And I constantly remind people that the Iranians have always said ‘Death to Israel’, and chapter two is ‘Death to America’. It has always been their desire that Israel would be the opening act, and then it would be America's turn to face destruction.”

Since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, scores of attacks have also been launched at US infrastructure and personnel around the region.

The US is also leading a global coalition against the Houthis amid the group's attacks on ships in the Red Sea, an initiative pushed by Iran's Supreme Leader.

Iran's renewed engagement in nuclear talks with the United States is likely a survival tactic driven by economic, geopolitical, and social pressures, rather than a fundamental shift in strategy, according to an analysis by Oded Ailam of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA).

Ailam, a former head of the Counterterrorism Division in the Mossad, pointed out the critical expiration of key provisions of the 2015 nuclear agreement in October 2025.

These "Sunset Clauses" include the end of restrictions on Iran's ballistic missile program, the ban on advanced uranium enrichment technology development, and limits on civilian nuclear trade.

The analysis warns that if these clauses expire without a new arrangement, Iran will face no significant legal barriers to developing a military nuclear infrastructure within weeks. This scenario, Ailam argues, could trigger a dangerous nuclear arms race in the Middle East, prompting countries like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Turkey, and Egypt to pursue their own independent nuclear programs.

Drawing a parallel to a Persian proverb about muddying waters to catch fish, Ailam suggests Iran's negotiation method involves exhausting and obscuring, rather than seeking quick agreement.

Former Iranian lawmaker Ali Motahari has expressed optimism about the ongoing indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, citing the start of expert-level discussions as a good prospect.

In an interview with Khabar Online, Motahari commented on the positive assessments from both Tehran and Washington following the second round of talks.

He said that the start of expert-level meetings on Wednesday indicates that Iran and the US have likely agreed on a framework for the negotiations, suggesting a lack of fundamental disagreement on the parameters.

He also reacted to criticism from hardline newspapers that have labeled the talks as futile, despite the establishment's decision to pursue them. Motahari said everyone should support the negotiations and refrain from undermining them.

“Teachers across the country will not allow schools to be turned into military barracks,” reads a statement by the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations, which condemned the move on Monday.

The pact, signed between police chief Ahmadreza Radan and Education Minister Alireza Kazemi, grants security forces a role in shaping school policies in the name of cultural guidance.

“This is a degrading and alarming stance,” said Mohammad Habibi, the council’s spokesperson. He criticized the minister for calling himself a soldier of police and accused him of surrendering civilian education to military influence.

“The education ministry is not the minister’s private estate or a parade ground for security forces,” Habibi said.

Teachers and rights groups say the agreement violates students’ rights and threatens the safety of schools. “Any intrusion of police into the secure space of schools is blatantly illegal, repressive, and a violation of both student and teacher rights,” Habibi added.

Kazemi defended the agreement in a televised ceremony, calling hijab “one of today’s challenges that requires cultural efforts.”

Radan, who is under US, EU, and Canadian sanctions for human rights abuses, said cooperation between police and schools must go further.

"While this memorandum of understanding and the militarization and policing of schools is very painful and aims to exert pressure on our teenagers, it also reflects a kind of acknowledgment of the regime's failure in enforcing compulsory hijab," Roghayeh Rezaei, a member of the IranWire website editorial team said in an interview with Iran International.

The Council’s warning follows mounting pressure on students and teachers since the 2022 protests that were sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody. The young woman was arrested for not wearing her hijab properly.

In recent months, pro-government outlets such as Tasnim News have called for surveillance cameras in classrooms and tighter controls on student behavior.

“Schools are no place for batons or coercive forces. Don't entrust cultural matters to colonels. The consequences will come back to haunt you,” Morteza Beheshti Langroudi, a teacher and former political prisoner wrote on X.

The Iranian government said in January that the implementation of the controversial hijab law has been postponed due to the potential unrest it may spark.

The law was due to impose harsh penalties on women and girls who defy veiling requirements, including fines, prison terms, flogging and even the death penalty.

Many women now refuse to wear the compulsory head covering, long tunics, and trousers as dictated by the country's Shariah law. They are also now often seen singing and dancing in public in defiance of the religious establishment.

A military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, whether by Israel or the United States, would carry severe risks and could destabilize the region, former senior US diplomat Alan Eyre said in an interview with Bloomberg.

“That seems to be a real possibility,” said Eyre when asked about the likelihood of a military action against Iran if no agreement is reached between Tehran and Washington.

He warned such an attack could set off a chain of destabilizing developments. “A strike by whomever on Iran’s nuclear facilities would possibly solve the problem temporarily,” Eyre said. “But in the Middle East, when you roll the dice on military action, the dice are usually loaded toward bad consequences.”

He added that if Iran were attacked, it would likely withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty and expel international inspectors. “We’d be blind on Iran’s nuclear program,” he said, adding the potential for retaliation as another major risk.