Israel welcomes Dominican Republic IRGC terror designation

An Iranian US citizen has pleaded guilty in federal court in New York to alien smuggling and receiving child sexual abuse material, the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday.

The defendant, Sharon Gohari, admitted to facilitating the illegal entry of foreign nationals into the United States in exchange for payment, according to the Justice Department.

Prosecutors said he helped migrants enter the US through Mexico as part of a wider smuggling network involving associates in Iran and other countries.

Authorities said at least one individual he assisted had links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization.

During the investigation, federal agents also found child sexual abuse material on his devices, as well as images showing the covert recording and stalking of women in New York City, according to the department.

Gohari faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for the child exploitation charge, along with additional penalties for alien smuggling.

Australia will join a “strictly defensive” France and UK-led mission aimed at securing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday.

Australia will contribute an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft already deployed in the region, according to Marles, who said the mission followed a meeting of 40 countries, CBS reported.

Marles said Australia stood ready to support the multinational mission once established, describing it as a commitment to the security of international trade.

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Iran said on Tuesday a suspected oil spill near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf was likely caused by a tanker discharging contaminated ballast water, rejecting claims it came from its oil facilities, Reuters reported.

Vice-President Shina Ansari said monitoring pointed to a non-Iranian tanker as the source, while Iran’s Oil Terminals Company said inspections found no evidence of leaks from pipelines, storage tanks or loading infrastructure, the report added.

Satellite images showed a grey and white slick spreading across dozens of square kilometers near Iran’s main oil export hub.

Maritime tracking group Tanker Trackers said the explanation “seems very plausible,” adding that the vessel in question had previously been seized by Iran.

Senate Republicans said Democrats “sent pallets of cash to Iran” while the Islamic Republic built missiles, in a post on X that criticized past US policy toward Tehran.

"Democrats sent pallets of cash to Iran while the regime built missiles to threaten our allies. Until Iran abandons nuclear ambitions, President Trump is using American strength to starve the terror machine," the post said.

US intelligence assessments indicate Iran still retains a substantial ballistic missile capability despite months of US and Israeli strikes, according to a report by The New York Times.

The report said Iran is believed to have preserved a significant portion of its missile forces, even after sustained military operations targeting its infrastructure.

US officials assessed that while parts of Iran’s missile production and launch network have been damaged, the country continues to maintain a sizeable operational arsenal and production capacity.