U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Tuesday accused Iran’s regime of dramatically intensifying its crackdown on dissent in the wake of the February conflict, warning that Tehran has carried out executions, mass arrests, torture and one of the world’s longest internet shutdowns while invoking national security.
In a sharply worded statement from Geneva, Türk said at least 21 people have been executed and more than 4,000 arrested on national security-related charges since Feb. 28 as the regime faces mounting scrutiny over what he described as a sweeping assault on fundamental rights.
"I am appalled that, on top of the already severe impacts of the conflict, the rights of the Iranian people continue to be stripped from them by the authorities in harsh and brutal ways," Türk said.
Since the start of the conflict two months ago, the U.N. said nine people have been executed over the January 2026 protests, 10 for alleged membership in opposition groups and two on espionage charges. It's estimated some 40,000 people were killed by regime forces during January's uprising.
Türk warned that Iran’s broad use of vaguely defined national security laws has enabled authorities to fast-track prosecutions, deny legal counsel and rely on coerced confessions.
"Even where national security is invoked, human rights can only be limited where strictly necessary and proportionate," he said, calling on Tehran to halt executions, impose a moratorium on capital punishment and immediately release those arbitrarily detained.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Efrat Lachter.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined Fox News on Sunay to discuss President Donald Trump's economic pressure on Iran, as well as U.S. efforts to secure critical industries amid an AI boom.
Bessent appeared on "Sunday Morning Futures, arguing that Trump's blockade has been wildly successful in hampering Iran's economy.
As President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on NATO allies to increase defense spending — and orders the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany over the next six to 12 months — a deeper issue is coming into focus: even as allied budgets rise, NATO still depends heavily on American military power to function.
NATO’s imbalance is not theoretical — and it is not new, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg told Fox News Digital, "I told the president… maybe you ought to talk about a tiered relationship with NATO," Kellogg described conversations with Trump in his first term about the alliance’s future. "…we need to develop a new, for lack of a better term, a new NATO a new defensive alignment with Europe."
Kellogg, who served as a senior national security official during Trump's first term, said the alliance has expanded politically but not militarily — creating what he sees as a growing gap between commitments and real capability.
"You started with 12, and you went to 32, and in the process, I think you diluted the impact," he argued, calling today’s NATO "a very bloated architecture."
"They haven't put the money into defense. Their defense industry and defense forces have atrophied. When you look at the Brits right now, they could barely deploy forces: they have two aircraft carriers, both under maintenance. Their brigades are like one out of six that work. And you just look at the capability, it's just not there. So I think we need to realize that and say, well, we need something different," Kellogg, who is the co-chair of the Center for American Security at the America First Foreign Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Efrat Lachter.
{{#rendered}}U.S. Central Command says U.S. forces have redirected 49 commercial vessels as part of President Donald Trump's blockade on Iranian ports Sunday.
CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper also visited the USS Milius on Saturday as the guided-missile destroyer patrolled regional waters in support of the U.S. blockade operations against Iran.
"While on board, he interacted with Sailors and addressed them on the 1MC while highlighting the importance of the ongoing mission. As of today, 49 commercial vessels have been redirected to comply with blockade. U.S. forces remain fully committed to total enforcement," CENTCOM wrote.
Iran is reportedly considering deploying mine-carrying dolphins to target U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Iran purchased specially trained dolphins from Russia in 2000, and has considered using them in the past, according to the BBC.
Americans shopping for smartphones, laptops or even home appliances may soon start feeling the effects of the Iran conflict – not just at the gas pump, but at the checkout screen.
A disruption to an essential component in electronics – printed circuit boards (PCBs) – is driving up costs across the tech industry, increasing the likelihood that consumers will face higher prices and fewer deals in the months ahead.
Prices for circuit boards have already surged, jumping as much as 40% in April alone, according to Goldman Sachs. At the same time, other key inputs like copper foil – one of the largest cost components in PCBs – have climbed as much as 30% this year.
The ongoing war with Iran has disrupted supplies of key raw materials used to produce PCBs, which function as the "nervous system" inside nearly every electronic device, from smartphones and computers to cars and AI servers.
At the center of the disruption is an Iranian strike on Saudi Arabia’s Jubail petrochemical complex in early April, which halted production of a critical resin used in circuit boards and tightened global supply, according to analysts. Shipping routes in and out of the Gulf have also been disrupted, compounding delays and shortages.
Manufacturers are now scrambling to secure materials, with lead times for some chemicals stretching from just three weeks to as long as 15 weeks, according to industry sources. The pressure is cascading through the broader tech supply chain.
"It is not just PCBs," said Ben Bajarin, CEO of Creative Strategies. "Memory, storage and wafer costs are all increasing the bill of materials for devices."
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox Business' Bradford Betz.
{{#rendered}}Former Deputy National Security Advisor KT McFarland joined Fox News to discuss Iran's latest proposal for peace talks, including opening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly planning to travel to the Vatican and Italy this week for meetings aimed at steadying relations after public spats between President Donald Trump, Pope Leo and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Rubio, a Catholic, is expected to meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s top diplomatic official, Reuters reported, citing Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera.
Rubio is also expected to hold talks with Italy’s foreign and defense ministers, the Italian newspapers reported.
The visit would come at a tense moment for U.S.-European relations. The Pentagon on Friday announced a drawdown of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, the largest American base presence in Europe, as disagreements over Iran and tariffs deepen strains between Washington and several European capitals.
Trump added he "probably should" weigh a drawdown of U.S. troops for NATO in Italy, too.
"Why shouldn't I? Italy has not been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible," Trump said Friday from the Oval Office.
"I didn't need the help, but I said, 'yeah, we'd love to have your help, because I want to see if they'd do it. And they, in all cases, they said, 'We don't want to get involved.' And you know the amazing thing is they use the Strait of Hormuz, and we don't. We don't use it. We don't need it. We have a lot of oil."
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Eric Mack.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday he discussed a potential deal with Iran and will review the "exact wording" aboard Air Force One en route to Miami International Airport.
"They told me about the concept of the deal. They're going to give me the exact wording now," Trump said. "... We're doing very well with regard to Iran. Again, they want to make a deal. They are decimated."
"... If we left right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild," he continued. "But we're not leaving right now. We're going to do it so nobody has to go back in two years or five years."
Trump added the regime is "having a hard time figuring out who their leader is," and said there is a possibility the U.S. could restart military strikes on targets.
He later posted on Truth Social, noting he "can’t imagine that [the deal] would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years."
Fox News' Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump on Friday defended the war with Iran as necessary to prevent the regime from having a nuclear weapon.
“We cannot let lunatics have a nuclear weapon," Trump said during remarks at The Villages in Florida.
The president acknowledged he expected more severe economic fallout but said he had to do “what's right.”
“I thought the numbers would be much worse. I thought the stock market would go down much more. I thought the oil prices would go up much more," Trump said. “I said, 'But we have no choice. Whether it does or doesn't, I have to do what's right.' We can't let them have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump also claimed Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly degraded.
“They're getting decimated. They have no Navy. They have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment. They have no radar. They have no leaders. Their leaders are all gone.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Sophia Compton.
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