Iran-born winemaker ‘thrilled’ to be in US after fleeing country where alcohol is outlawed
FIRST ON FOX — As scrutiny of Iran’s leadership intensifies amid renewed attention, an Iranian-born Oregon winemaker told Fox News Digital his homeland “could progress” if the regime falls.
Moe Momtazi, founder of Maysara Winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, fled Iran in 1982. Today, as an American citizen, he runs one of the world’s top-ranked vineyards.
Alcohol is banned in modern Iran under Islamic law, but Momtazi has built a globally recognized wine business in the United States.
Maysara Winery means “house of wine” in Farsi. It currently ranks No. 23 worldwide.
“If this regime is gone, we could progress and be the pride of the Middle East,” said Momtazi, 74.
Iran’s restrictions on alcohol date back to the Islamic Revolution in 1979, when religious authorities outlawed production and sale for most citizens.
“In Persian culture, wine has been and still is a very key component of society,” Momtazi said.
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He, his wife and their three daughters see the family business as a continuation of that legacy, thousands of miles from their ancestral homeland.
Momtazi’s 98-year-old mother still lives in Tehran, as do two of his brothers.
His middle daughter, Naseem Momtazi Bachinsky, told Fox News Digital she’s communicated with her mother’s relatives in Iran — and they’re all safe.
Momtazi left Iran with his wife, Flora, who was eight months pregnant at the time with their oldest daughter, in 1982. Tahmiene Momtazi was born later that year in Spain.
“We had a really hard journey to get to the United States, but I’m really thrilled and happy that we did leave from there because, even then, life was unbearable for us,” he recalled.
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It would be more than two decades before he returned to visit family.
Despite the distance, the Momtazi family’s success in America is something their relatives back home celebrate.
“They’re very proud of us, which makes me proud that they’re proud of what we’re doing and what we’ve created,” said Momtazi Bachinsky, who is also president of sales.
Wine, they pointed out, is part of a cultural heritage that stretches back thousands of years — one that predates modern political divides. Persian poets wrote about wine as a symbol of joy, reflection and even spiritual connection, Momtazi said.
For the Momtazi family, producing wine in America is both an expression of gratitude and a nod to history.
“We’re just really lucky and thrilled to be in this country.”
“The United States is not second to any other country, and we’re just really lucky and thrilled to be in this country,” Momtazi said.
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Momtazi Bachinsky, who was born in the U.S., said her parents raised her with a simple principle.
“Add value to where you are and who you are,” she said.
That mindset shaped the winery — and their outlook on Iran’s future.
“I want freedom … for the people to be able to make their own choices and to be able to do what they want,” Momtazi Bachinsky said.
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She remembers first visiting Iran and being upset that she was forced to wear a hijab while she was there.
“I want women and girls to be able to make that choice without a fear,” she said.
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She’s also hopeful that Iran will become a country that is welcoming to all religions.
“I’m personally not Islamic. I don’t have ties to the religion, but it’s not the religion that [is] making people bad,” she said.
“There are certain leaders [who] are using the religious aspect as a power mechanism. And that is what has been bad for the root of that country.”
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Noted Moe Momtazi about what’s happened in Iran amid Operation Epic Fury, “I couldn’t be happier that the head guy has been put out, because finally somebody had the guts to interfere. … We’ve gone through so many things over 40-some years.”
As Maysara Winery celebrates American opportunity, the Momtazi family said it hopes the Iranian people can soon raise a glass in the name of freedom.
Longtime Trump critic reveals why she thinks his Iran actions are wrong, warns it’s a ‘much bigger war’
The House voted Thursday on a Democrat-led Iran War Powers Resolution, aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s military authority in Tehran — bringing to the fore a sharp debate over executive powers, and reviving fresh questions as to what level of consultation, if any, presidents must seek from Congress before proceeding with military strikes.
If passed, the Democrat-led Iran War Powers Resolution would have required Trump to terminate the use of any U.S. armed forces against Iran unless it was “explicitly authorized” by Congress. House lawmakers are largely split on the issue along party lines.
Speaking to Fox News Digital in an interview after the House vote, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., defended her support for the new Iran War Powers Resolution. She said that, in her view, Trump had exceeded his authority and impinged upon Article I of the Constitution. “It’s about our Article I power,” she said.
Congress alone “has the power to declare war, and we cannot be putting our troops at risk based on the ‘opinion’ of any President unilaterally,” Jayapal said in a statement.
The vote came amid war in the Middle East following the U.S. strike on Iran days earlier— and as some Democrats have accused the Trump administration of racing to involve the U.S. in yet another long-running conflict in the Middle East without first consulting Congress.
Republicans, meanwhile, maintain that the White House is acting within its authority in the best interests of the country.
Jayapal told Fox News Digital that she has long been a critic of other presidents who failed to consult Congress before taking military action — including under former President Joe Biden, after he ordered a U.S. airstrike on an Iran-backed militia in Syria.
“I spoke out against Biden as well,” Jayapal said of Biden’s 2021 airstrike in Syria.
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“I spoke out against every Democratic and Republican president who tried to go to war without authorization, because I don’t think it should be partisan,” she continued, adding: “It’s about our Article I power.”
Her remarks come as the Democrat-led measure has sparked fierce opposition from nearly all GOP House members, and a small group of Democrats in the chamber, who noted that the commander in chief must retain some level of flexibility to respond to foreign threats and protect U.S. personnel and interests abroad.
They also criticized Democrats who supported the Iran War Powers Resolution for second-guessing military decisions during a sensitive moment overseas.
Earlier this week, a group of Democrats urged House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to keep the House of Representatives in D.C. next week, citing the “rapidly evolving” situation in Iran.
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Backers argue that restricting a president’s authority — and doing so in the middle of a volatile national security situation — could embolden foreign adversaries and undermine the U.S. ability to respond.
Democrats, meanwhile, have continued to cite concerns that Trump has failed to demonstrate an “imminent” threat that would justify unilateral military action under his Article II powers.
The vote underscores a broader, long-running bipartisan debate over the scope of executive war powers and Congress’ role in authorizing the use of force — a tension that has spanned multiple administrations and conflicts.
Jayapal, for her part, appeared unfazed by the GOP pushback.
She noted that, in her view, the U.S. action in Iran could be long-lasting, and is likely to have “much bigger consequences” than the U.S. involvement in Syria.
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“There are real troops on the ground here in a way that wasn’t the case in Syria,” Jayapal said. “And I think it’s a much, much, much bigger war with no imminent threat.”
Exiled Iranian crown prince says regime is ‘crumbling’ after killing of Khamenei, other leaders
Exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said Saturday that the Islamic Republic is “crumbling” and that Iranians are ready to reclaim their country one week after U.S. and Israeli military operations rocked the regime.
The operations, which began last weekend, resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and nearly 50 other regime figures, creating what Pahlavi described as a pivotal moment for change.
The situation on the ground is the fact that people obviously were waiting for an opportunity to get back to the streets to take their country back. We see more and more elements of the regime crumbling. A lot of people at home are ready to step in and this is exactly what will be required for a successful and stable transition,” he said during a Fox News appearance on “My View” with Lara Trump.
Following the supreme leader’s death, Pahlavi said the Iranian people will not accept any outcome tied to the current regime.
“Only a clean break will ensure that not only we achieve a democratic solution and alternative to this regime, but there will be people who are not in any form or shape directly associated with this regime,” he said.
Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, has called for a transition of power from theocracy to democracy and said he would help guide that transition, facilitated by a coalition of forces, including people inside Iran and members of the country’s military.
“The transition involves leaving the people of Iran with that choice, and only the ballot box should determine the outcome and who would be, in the future, responsible for our country,” he said. “I think what we will expect any government, including, of course, the current Trump administration to recognize that indeed the best way to help the Iranian people is to allow them to make that choice freely and to support that choice as a Western democracy, as the leading democracy in the world.”
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When asked whether other forms of government were possible, Pahlavi said Iranians would not settle for “anything less than a democratic outcome.”
“I don’t see any formula outside democracy that will be lasting, tenable, or acceptable. The only way that people will accept the outcome is to make sure that they are in charge of their own destiny,” he said. “And I don’t think there’s any other way than a democratic system that can guarantee that. That’s a recipe for stability, long-term progress, a guarantee of protecting all the citizens of all of their rights.
Pahlavi argued that a democratic Iran would bring greater regional stability and open significant economic opportunities for the United States.
He said the Iranian market has been closed off for nearly half a century, adding that the U.S. economy could see more than $1 trillion in revenue over the first decade of new Iranian leadership.
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“As a democracy, Iranians will be committed to establish an element of cordial relationship with our neighbors, bring peace to the area, bring an element of stability, which ultimately is conducive to development, prosperity, something that would be good for us, but it will also be good, for our partners,” he said. “I think America has a lot to gain as a result. And don’t forget that after the dust settles and we achieve that future, then Iran is open for economic opportunities.”
Pahlavi has lived in exile since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled Iran’s monarchy and established the Islamic Republic. In recent years, he has sought to position himself as a unifying opposition figure.
Trump says US, Israel shattered Iranian military capabilities, presses leaders to surrender: ‘Cry uncle’
President Donald Trump on Saturday said that U.S. and Israeli forces have “wiped out” Iran’s navy, air force and much of its missile capability in just one week of war, declaring the regime’s military “almost nonexistent” as he continues to press Tehran to surrender for “a much safer world.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the president said the sweeping offensive has exceeded expectations, noting Iran’s navy “is now at the bottom of the sea.”
“We’ve wiped out their Navy — 44 ships. We’ve wiped out their air force — every plane. We’ve wiped out most of their missiles — you see their missiles aren’t coming much anymore,” Trump said.
He added military strikes have hit missile manufacturing areas “very hard,” and the country’s drone capacity is “way down.”
The president said he is seeking an “unconditional surrender” from Iran, explaining the term means “they cry uncle, or when they can’t fight any longer.”
“Or there’s nobody around to cry uncle to, because we wiped out their leadership numerous times already,” he continued. “It’s if they surrender, or if there is nobody around to surrender, but they’re rendered useless in terms of military [capabilities].”
Discussing atrocities allegedly carried out by the regime, Trump said the war was 47 years coming and “no president had the guts to do it.”
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“They are about the most evil people ever on Earth,” he said. “They cut babies’ heads off. They chop women in half. Take a look at Oct. 7, take a look at what they’ve done over the last 47 years.… When this ends, we’re going to have a much safer world.”
Despite concerns about rising gas prices on the home front, Trump said he is not worried.
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“They’ll come down very fast, and we will have gotten rid of a major, major cancer on the face of the earth,” the president said. “We’ll have taken out a cancer.… What we’re doing is a great thing, not only for our country, not only for Israel, not only for the Middle East, but for the world.”
It is unclear if ground troops will be sent to secure the enriched uranium at Iranian nuclear sites targeted by joint forces, though the president described the attacks as “a total obliteration.”
“They haven’t been able to get to it, and at some point, maybe we will be,” he said. “It would be a great thing, but right now, we’re just decimating them. We haven’t gone after it, but [it’s] something we could do later.”
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Trump concluded by calling the war “a minor excursion” that in the end will make the world a safer place.
“When this ends, we’re going to have a much safer world, you know, so, you know, this is a minor excursion,” he said. “And we will have gotten rid of a lot of sick and demented people, the leadership. So we got rid of one leadership. We got rid of the second level of leadership. Now they’re on that third or fourth level of leadership. And they have leaders right now that nobody even knows who they are.”
Trump tells Starmer aircraft carriers no longer needed in Mideast, accuses him of joining war US ‘already won’
President Donald Trump on Saturday slammed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying he was joining the war in Iran after the U.S. has “already won.”
“The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”
Trump’s statement came after the U.K. Ministry of Defense said that one of the country’s two aircraft carriers had been placed on advanced readiness in Portsmouth, England, for a possible mobilization to the Middle East, according to the BBC.
A British destroyer, HMS Dragon, is also in Portsmouth, waiting to leave for Cyprus after delays.
Starmer said that while the U.K. wasn’t involved in the strikes, it is “operating defensively in the region.”
In an address to the British people Sunday, Starmer condemned “indiscriminate” attacks by Iran after the U.S. strikes, adding, “The only way to stop the threat is to destroy the missiles at source.”
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He added that Britain has agreed to the United States’ request to use British bases for that “limited” purpose.
After the strikes, Trump told the Telegraph in the U.K. he was “very disappointed” in Starmer, claiming it “took far too long” for the prime minister to allow the U.S. to use British bases in the region.
British fighter jets are also flying over Jordan, Cyprus and Qatar to strengthen defense in the region, and a Merlin helicopter is on the way for additional airborne surveillance, according to the Ministry of Defense.
“While the region has been plunged into chaos, my focus is providing calm, levelheaded leadership in the national interest,” Starmer said this week. “That means deploying our military and diplomatic strength to protect our people.
“And it means having the strength to stand firm by our values and our principles, no matter the pressure to do otherwise. The longstanding British position is that the best way forward for the regime and world is a negotiated settlement with Iran where they give up their nuclear ambitions.”
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He said that’s why he decided the U.K. would not join the initial coordinated strikes launched by the U.S. and Israel Feb. 28.
In Parliament this week, Starmer added, “We all remember the mistakes of Iraq, and we have learned those lessons. Any U.K. actions must always have a lawful basis, and a viable, thought-through plan,” Starmer said. “This government does not believe in regime change from the skies.”
Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss reposted Trump’s Saturday Truth Social comments on X, writing, “Justified and damning.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Starmer’s office for comment.
Trump and first lady attend dignified transfer for 6 US troops killed in Kuwait
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump participated in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Kent County, Delaware, Saturday for six U.S. service members killed in a March 1 Iranian drone attack in Kuwait.
The solemn ritual returns the remains of troops killed in action and is considered one of the most somber duties of a commander in chief.
The fallen troops were killed in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, while supporting Operation Epic Fury.
Transfer cases were used to move the soldiers to Dover Air Force Base, where they will be identified and prepared for their journey home.
After identification, the fallen, who were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command from Des Moines, Iowa, are placed in a casket and transported to their final resting places.
All six were U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command in Des Moines, Iowa, which provides food, fuel, water and ammunition and transports equipment and supplies.
The War Department identified the fallen service members as Maj. Jeffery O’Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa; Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa.
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California, is also believed to be deceased.
Each of the soldiers’ families were present at the transfer.
Trump, speaking at a summit of Latin American leaders in Miami before traveling to Delaware, called the fallen service members heroes “coming home in a different manner than they thought they’d be coming home.”
He described the attack as “a very sad situation” and pledged to keep American war deaths “to a minimum.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who also attended the ritual, wrote in a social media post Friday of “an unbreakable spirit to honor their memory and the resolve they embodied.”
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Officials said the soldiers were supporting operations in the region when the unmanned aircraft struck their position.
Khork enlisted in the National Guard in 2009 as a multiple launch rocket system/fire direction specialist, then commissioned as a military police officer in the Army Reserve in 2014. He deployed to Saudi Arabia in 2018, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in 2021 and Poland in 2024. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with 10 Year Device and “M” Device.
Amor joined the National Guard in 2005 as an automated logistics specialist and transferred to the Army Reserve the following year. She deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in 2019 and earned multiple commendations, including the Army Commendation Medal and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Device.
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Tietjens joined the Army Reserve in 2006 as a wheeled vehicle mechanic and completed two deployments to Kuwait in 2009 and 2019. His decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star.
Coady enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2023 as an information technology specialist and was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. His awards include the National Defense Service Medal and the Overseas Service Ribbon.
O’Brien served nearly 15 years in the Army Reserve. Commissioned in 2012 as a Signal Corps officer, he was promoted to major in 2024 and previously deployed to Kuwait in 2019. In civilian life, he worked in cybersecurity and defensive cyber operations.
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Marzan, of Sacramento, California, was an Army reservist assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command. Family and state officials described him as a devoted husband and father.