Month: July 2026

I certainly have nothing in common with the hardliners.  (BTW, Happy July 4).  But note that some of them and I are continuing to say “Show yourself.”  This story today from the Times of Israel indicates the continuing split among those who say he is alive and in control and by others who say he is dead or being used by those immediately around him.  This is so mysterious—Who is calling the shots for the Regime?  Who is physically with him?  The FM and Parliament head certainly are not going in and out and seeing him and getting directions, as they are publicly negotiating with the U.S. and can by seen physically by others.  They are not disappearing to some underground hospital room.  Here is the story, “Iran said to bar Mojtaba Khamenei from father’s funeral, fearing Israel could kill him,” Times of Israel, 7-4-26.  “Officials nixed supreme leader’s request to perform burial rites for his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei, as Mojtaba’s public absence fuels conservative infighting, NYT says.”  Think about that—someone is telling the Supreme Leader what to do?  I don’t think so.

“Khamenei funeral processions begin in absence of world leaders, his sons,” Iran International, 7-4-26.

Like out of a comic strip.  “Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthi officials attend funeral ceremonies for Iran’s Khamenei,” France 24, 7-4-26.

“Yemen’s Houthis threaten Saudi targets over Iran flight to Sanaa,” Reuters, 7-3-26.

“Iran war updates: Day one of Khamenei funeral ends, Israel bombs Lebanon,” Al Jazeera, 7-3-26.

This blog will continue to mention here not just the need for Iran to move toward being a normal country, but roadblocks and countries creating difficulties.  Hence this story.  Yes, at the first of the Feb. War the leadership was targeted.  But at some point, and as we reported, the U.S. created a short protected list of Iranian negotiators.  This list was shared by Pakistan.  It is important for Israel to not kneecap negotiating abilities of Iran.  See “U.S. Officials Believed Israel Was Plotting to Kill Iranian Negotiators,” NYT, 7-2-26.

“Iran Has Another Path To The Bomb. Trump Needs To Close It Off,” Forbes, 7-2-26.  “Now, after three decades of operation, Bushehr has generated a substantial stockpile of spent nuclear fuel. Henry Sokolski, a leading nuclear expert who runs the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, has estimated that today Iran “probably has roughly 2,100 kilograms of weapons-usable plutonium” at Bushehr, which is enough material “to make more than 200 bombs.” The Iranian regime, moreover, is exceedingly capable of doing so. As Sokolski explains, the technical steps needed to convert plutonium into bomb cores are not fundamentally more difficult than those involved in weaponizing uranium. Both involve turning the material into metal, casting it, and machining it into a usable core. The key difference lies in the process for converting the fissile material to be bomb usable (chemical reprocessing in the case of plutonium, rather than enrichment, which can be done covertly and in small batches). Moreover, the timeline for doing all this is roughly analogous as well – a matter of weeks, once the fissile material is in hand. … Iran’s plutonium stockpile is situated in spent-fuel pools at Bushehr.”

“Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face a ‘forceful response’,” PBS, 7-2-26.

“Iran’s flex in Strait of Hormuz puts Trump on back foot,” The Hill, 7-1-26.

“June 30, 2026 – Witkoff, Kushner meet Qatari PM, Oman delivers Strait of Hormuz proposal,” CNN, 7-1-26.