Iran is enriching uranium to levels that only countries seeking to make atomic weapons reach, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog confirmed. He added that Tehran’s nuclear program can no longer be dialed back to where it stood six years ago.
“A country enriching at 60 percent is a very serious thing — only countries making bombs are reaching this level,” International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said, adding that “60 percent is almost weapons-grade, commercial enrichment is two, three [percent].”
The head of the UN watchdog expressed skepticism about whether a return to the 2015 nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic would stop this development. “The Iranian program has grown, become more sophisticated, so the linear return to 2015 is no longer possible,” Grossi noted.
The bombshell remarks came after world powers resumed talks with Iran to save the 2015 deal that put limitations on Tehran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. In 2018, the US pulled out of the pact and reimposed crippling penalties, after which the Islamic Republic began to renege on its promises.
“You cannot put the genie back into the bottle — once you know how to do stuff, you know, and the only way to check this is through verification,” Grossi said on Wednesday, referring to checks by UN monitors.
Antisemitism Watch: During Israel’s 11-day conflict with Gaza-based terrorist groups, the Secure Community Network (SCN) recorded an 80 percent spike in antisemitic acts across the United States. “We’re seeing a clear rise in the calls for violence against the Jewish community and an uptick of attacks of violence,” CEO Michael Masters said.
The security expert cited recent incidents: “Acts of vandalism from Oregon to Virginia, synagogue desecrations from Illinois to Arizona, reports of people having bottles thrown at them, children’s playgrounds being daubed with swastikas in New York and Tennessee.”
The SCN, responsible for advising Jewish communities on security matters, said that one of the causes was disinformation campaigns about Israel on social media, possibly exacerbated by foreign actors like Iran. A popular hashtag on Twitter, #COVID1948, connecting the Jewish state’s founding year to the deadly virus, seems to have had its origins in the Islamic Republic.
The independent Network Contagion Research Institute, which tracks online disinformation, discerned a sudden massive spike in the usage of #COVID1948 on May 12, the third day of the Gaza conflict. Additionally, it discovered a surge in the use of phrases like “Hitler was right,” “Zionazi” and “Kill all Jews.”
After a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Washington’s plans to reopen its Jerusalem consulate – an office that for years served as the de facto embassy to the Palestinians.
Blinken also pledged nearly $40 million in new aid to the West Bank and Gaza, reversing key policies of the previous administration.
Experts ascribe significant symbolic meaning to the reopening of the consular office in the holy city. US President Trump in 2018 downgraded the operations of the diplomatic mission to the Palestinians and placed them under his ambassador to Israel.
Blinken did not give a timeframe for the reopening.
America’s top diplomat landed in Tel Aviv for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials aimed at ensuring that the Israel-Hamas ceasefire holds. In the West Bank city of Ramallah, the Secretary announced some $38.5 million in additional aid for the Palestinians, including $5.5 million in emergency assistance for Gaza.
Moreover, he urged all parties to refrain from steps that could escalate tensions or reignite violence, citing the possible evictions in Sheikh Jarrah, Israeli settlement activity, and Palestinian incitement to violence.
On Wednesday, Blinken will head to neighboring Egypt and Jordan, which have acted as mediators in the conflict between Israel and Gaza-based terrorists.
Following a backlash from Palestinians, Matthias Schmale, director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, apologized for confirming that IDF retaliatory strikes on Hamas targets were “very precise.”
“I am not a military expert, but I would not dispute that,” Schmale told Israeli media this week in a segment about the recent conflict. “I also have the impression that there is a huge sophistication in the way the Israeli military struck over the last 11 days.”
Related Reading: Unreported: IDF Values Life as Hamas Aims to Maximize Casualties
His comments quickly sparked outrage in the Gaza Strip. Palestinians on social media called for his dismissal: “Matthias’s recent statements confirm that he is part of the aggression, and is not suitable for playing another role,” Hamas-affiliated analyst Ibrahim al-Madhoun wrote.
Hamas, a US-designated terrorist organization, accused Schmale of being a “military analyst for the occupation army.”
Following these remarks, the UNRWA director apologized.
“This is blatant manipulation of my interview,” he tweeted, adding that “I did NOT say the IDF operated within the laws of war.” Schmale said that “no one” forced him to apologize.
In a televised speech, Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah, warned that any future Israeli “violations” in Jerusalem would lead to a “regional war for Al-Quds,” which would mean “the end of the Israeli entity.” These were the Hezbollah chief’s first comments since the Gaza ceasefire went into effect.
“We are now celebrating two great victories, the 25th of May 2000 in Lebanon [Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon] and the 21st of May 2021 in Gaza,” the terrorist leader claimed.
Nasrallah said he did not make any statements during the 11-day Gaza conflict because he was sick. Many noted that the arch-terrorist did not look well during his TV address, occasionally coughing during his remarks.
“Gaza surprised both friend and foe, to be honest,” the Iran-backed terrorist alleged. “And so, Israel misjudged the impact of its moves, until matters reached a point when resistance in Gaza would have to carry out its threats,” Nasrallah asserted.
Last week, rockets were also fired from southern Lebanon into Israel, although the source of the attacks was not Hezbollah but Palestinian factions operating inside the country.
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