Iran accused of sex assaults on teenage prisoners, while families charged to recover remains of loved ones
Reports have emerged from eyewitnesses in Iran alleging sexual assaults on teenagers held in custody, as well as authorities forcing families of those protesters killed to pay as much as 10 billion rials to recover their bodies.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI-US) also told Fox News Digital Wednesday that the “barbarity continues” across the nation, with prison detainees allegedly being killed and their bodies burned.
The reports came as Iran’s government claimed it had successfully crushed weeks of unrest that swept the country.
Beginning Dec. 28, the protests erupted amid deep public anger over political repression, economic hardship and state violence before rapidly expanding nationwide.
LINDSEY GRAHAM SPEAKS AGAINST PENDING EXECUTION OF 26-YEAR-OLD IRANIAN PROTESTER: ‘THIS REGIME MUST FALL’
“The sedition is over now,” Iran’s prosecutor general Mohammad Movahedi said, according to the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency.
“And we must be grateful, as always, to the people who extinguished this sedition by being in the field in a timely manner,” he added, according to the New York Times.
The regime’s claims emerged on day 25 of the protests with the number of confirmed fatalities reaching 4,902, and the number of deaths still under review standing at 9,387.
The total number of arrests has risen to 26,541, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.
IRAN STATE TV HACKED TO SHOW EXILED CROWN PRINCE PAHLAVI
The France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) also said it received information indicating that some families were forced to pay sums of up to 10 billion rials to recover the bodies of their relatives.
In many cases, funeral ceremonies were held under heavy security control in the hometowns of those killed.
Some families were reportedly subjected to threats and pressure to falsely attribute responsibility for the killings to protesters.
KHRN further said that two protesters, including a 16-year-old, said they were sexually assaulted by Iranian security forces who detained them in Kermanshah, according to reports.
G7 THREATENS IRAN WITH NEW SANCTIONS OVER NATIONWIDE PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS
Meanwhile, NCRI’s Ali Safavi said eyewitnesses reported that “several young women and men were forced to undress, so the military could see whether they had pellet wounds.”
“There has been barbarity with people who were detained. When they were killed, their bodies were burned,” he added.
Safavi also said clashes continued in multiple cities Tuesday night, including “Kermanshah where protesters and armed units of the IRGC fought in parts of the city.”
“There was the same in Rasht and Mashhad where the people and the regime will not return to the status quo even if the uprisings have slowed down. This is because of the blood of thousands of martyrs on their hands.”
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“The regime is still in power, and it won’t abandon brutal and bloody suppression so there is no pathway to a velvet revolution in Iran.”
“The shoes and sneakers seen left along the sidewalks remind us of the 30,000 MEK members and Iranian prisoners who were hanged during the 1988 massacre based on a fatwa by Khomeini,” Safavi added.
US begins transferring ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq amid security transition
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Wednesday it has begun moving ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraqi-controlled facilities as part of a broader effort to prevent the terror group’s resurgence and maintain long-term security in the region.
CENTCOM said U.S. forces transported 150 ISIS fighters who were being held at a detention facility in Hasakah, Syria, to a secure location in Iraq, with up to 7,000 detainees potentially slated for transfer.
“We are closely coordinating with regional partners, including the Iraqi government, and we sincerely appreciate their role in ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. “Facilitating the orderly and secure transfer of ISIS detainees is critical to preventing a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security.”
US LAUNCHES WAVE OF STRIKES IN SOMALIA TARGETING ISIS, AL-SHABAB TERROR THREATS
The announcement comes one day after Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, said Damascus is prepared to assume security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps.
The State Department said in a 2025 report to Congress that roughly 8,400 ISIS-affiliated detainees from more than 70 countries are being held in detention facilities run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the largest of which is the al-Hol camp.
Barrack helped broker a fragile four-day ceasefire agreement Tuesday between the new interim Syrian government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the Kurdish-led SDF, after escalating clashes threatened to spiral further.
The U.S. official said the Trump administration does not seek a long-term military presence in Syria, emphasizing the need instead for a continued focus on defeating remaining ISIS elements.
“The deal integrates SDF fighters into the national military (as individuals, which remains among the most contentious issues), hand over key infrastructure (oil fields, dams, border crossings), and cede control of ISIS prisons and camps to Damascus,” Barrack wrote on X.
“This creates a unique window for the Kurds: integration into the new Syrian state offers full citizenship rights (including for those previously stateless), recognition as an integral part of Syria, constitutional protections for Kurdish language and culture (e.g., teaching in Kurdish, celebrating Nawruz as a national holiday), and participation in governance—far beyond the semi-autonomy the SDF held amid civil war chaos,” he added.
ISIS SOLDIERS BEHEAD CHRISTIANS IN MOZAMBIQUE, BURNING CHURCH AND HOMES: ‘SILENT GENOCIDE’
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Syria’s Ministry of Interior said Monday that security forces had recaptured 81 of the 120 ISIS prisoners who escaped from the al-Shaddadi prison in the Hasakah countryside and were continuing efforts to track down the remaining escapees.
The interim government and the SDF have since traded blame over responsibility for the escape, which occurred amid heightened tensions over security arrangements in the region.
Witkoff and Kushner scheduled to meet Putin in Moscow
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said he and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday to discuss a potential peace deal that would end the country’s nearly four-year war with Ukraine.
″[There’s been] lots of progress in the last six to eight weeks,” Witkoff told CNBC, referring to a possible peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
When asked about whether he believed Putin would come to a deal to end the war, Witkoff told CNBC that he is optimistic and has a “sense that everybody wants a peace there, that it’s time.”
TRUMP CONFIRMS HE INVITED PUTIN TO JOIN HIS BOARD OF PEACE: ‘HE’S BEEN INVITED’
A White House official confirmed to Fox News that Kushner and Witkoff will meet with Putin on Thursday in Russia.
A spokesperson with the Kremlin also confirmed the meeting to Russian state media outlet TASS.
“We expect such a meeting tomorrow; it’s on the president’s schedule,” the spokesperson reportedly said. “It will take place tomorrow.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy will reportedly meet with President Donald Trump on Thursday in Davos, according to Axios.
“I think Russia wants to make a deal, I think Ukraine wants to make a deal. I think I can say we are relatively close,” Trump told the crowd at Davos.
UKRAINIAN DRONE STRIKES LEAVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWER ACROSS RUSSIAN-CONTROLLED AREA
This will not be Witkoff and Kushner’s first meeting with Putin in Moscow. The two held a five-hour meeting with Putin in December, though they were not able to yield any major breakthroughs.
Representatives of the U.S. and Russia held talks in Davos, Switzerland, where world leaders are gathered for the World Economic Forum, according to Reuters, which added that Washington’s envoys also met with Ukrainian and European leaders. Envoys for Putin and Trump said the talks were “very positive” and “constructive.”
“Dialogue is constructive and more and more people understand the fairness of Russian position,” Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said after the talks in Davos, Reuters reported.
Last month, Witkoff and Kushner spoke with Zelenskyy, who expressed optimism after the talks.
“Today we had a very good conversation with President Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and [Jared Kushner]. I thank them for the constructive approach, the intensive work, and the kind words and Christmas greetings to the Ukrainian people,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “We are truly working 24/7 to bring closer the end of this brutal Russian war against Ukraine and to ensure that all documents and steps are realistic, effective, and reliable.”
Feb. 24 will mark four years since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine sparked a war that has drawn international attention. Trump has blamed both Putin and Zelenskyy for prolonging the war, saying at various times that one of the two leaders was seemingly not ready to reach a deal.
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While the issue of territory has long been a major sticking point, with Zelenskyy repeatedly opposing any land concessions, Witkoff told CNBC that “land deals” remain on the table.
The Trump administration has worked to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine for over a year. Trump has met with both Zelenskyy and Putin, though those meetings did not appear to make major shifts to the peace process.
Iran will retaliate ‘with everything we have’ if US attacks, senior diplomat warns
Iran warned it would respond “with everything we have” to any new U.S. military attack, accusing Washington and its allies of exploiting recent unrest to push the region toward a wider war.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said protests in Iran began peacefully before being hijacked by “foreign and domestic terrorist actors,” prompting a violent crackdown and near-total internet and communications shutdown.
He blamed U.S. rhetoric for escalating the bloodshed, arguing that warnings from President Donald Trump created incentives for mass violence.
While insisting Iran prefers diplomacy, Araghchi cautioned that future attacks would trigger a far more forceful response and risk igniting a prolonged regional conflict.
KHAMENEI CALLS TRUMP A ‘CRIMINAL,’ BLAMES HIM FOR DEADLY PROTESTS SWEEPING IRAN
“As Iranians grieve their loved ones and rebuild what has been destroyed, another threat looms: the final failure of diplomacy. Unlike the restraint Iran showed in June 2025, our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack,” he said.
“Iran’s message to President Trump is clear: The U.S. has tried every conceivable hostile act against Iran, from sanctions and cyber assaults to outright military attack—and, most recently, it clearly fanned a major terrorist operation—all of which failed. It is time to think differently. Try respect, which will allow us to advance farther than one may believe.”
Trump is weighing military action against Tehran, with U.S. assets moving into the region amid international scrutiny over a crackdown that has killed thousands of anti-government protesters.
KEANE WARNS IRAN’S LEADERSHIP TO TAKE TRUMP ‘AT HIS WORD’ AS MILITARY ASSETS MOVE INTO REGION
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which tracks human rights violations in Iran, said on Tuesday that nationwide protests continued into the 24th day.
The group’s aggregated figures showed 629 recorded protests, the arrest of at least 26,314 people and the confirmed deaths of 4,519 individuals.
HRANA said 4,251 of those killed were protesters, including 33 children under the age of 18.
The United Nations Human Rights Council announced it will hold a special session to address the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran on Friday.
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Iranian journalist Elaheh Mohammadi said on X that for the past day or two, VPN access has worked only sporadically for 30 minutes to an hour at a time, allowing brief internet connections to let people know they are still alive.
“The city smells of death. In all my life, I had never seen snow fall in Tehran and not a single person even smile,” she wrote. “Hard days have passed and everyone is stunned; a whole country is in mourning, a whole country is holding back tears, a whole country has a lump in its throat.”
Iranian soldier sentenced to death for refusing to fire on protesters during nationwide unrest
A young soldier who refused to obey orders to shoot protesters during one of Iran’s most intense waves of nationwide unrest has been sentenced to death, a human rights group reported Tuesday.
The Iran Human Rights Society (IHRS) identified the soldier as Javid Khales, who was arrested during the nationwide protests of 1404, a major wave of anti-regime demonstrations from late 2025 to early 2026 calling for an end to the country’s current dictatorship.
“According to informed sources, when faced with the command to shoot at protesting people, he refused to execute the order, leading to his immediate arrest and the opening of a case against him,” IHRS said.
Witnesses claimed Khales, now in Isfahan prison, did not commit a crime but refused to shoot in an act of humanity, the group said.
LINDSEY GRAHAM SPEAKS AGAINST PENDING EXECUTION OF 26-YEAR-OLD IRANIAN PROTESTER: ‘THIS REGIME MUST FALL’
While the unrest has already led to thousands of arrests and deaths among protesters, Khales’ planned execution further raises concerns over unfair, state-sanctioned killings and rushed trials that deny defendants proper legal protections.
“Amid the continuation of protests and the intensification of deadly repression against the people, the news of Javid Khales — a young soldier who refused to shoot at protesters — being sentenced to death has heightened concerns about a new wave of judicial massacre,” the human rights group said.
“This sentence comes at a time when judiciary officials have openly spoken of summary trials and the swift execution of death sentences against those arrested in the protests.”
IRAN ACCUSED OF KILLING 16,500 IN SWEEPING ‘GENOCIDE’ CRACKDOWN: REPORT
A judiciary spokesperson and the Tehran prosecutor, in separate statements, emphasized that cases involving dissidents must be resolved as quickly as possible, IHRS reported, raising concerns that executions could take place outside proper legal procedures. Human rights sources say many detainees have remained in custody without access to a lawyer or a fair trial.
The organization added that Khales’ death sentence is seen as part of a broader effort to instill fear, “enforce absolute obedience and intensify protest repression.”
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Over the past several days, the government shut down and restricted the internet nationwide to prevent protesters from organizing. Human rights activists say the blackout was also a strategic move to conceal the realities on the ground and suppress public reaction.
Precise details were unavailable regarding Khales’ case, his current status or the judicial process.
Armed militias fire heavy machine guns through Tehran streets in deadly night attacks
Gunfire echoed through Tehran Tuesday as heavily armed militias were deployed across the Iranian capital, transforming some districts into fortified zones under intense security.
Video footage showed bursts of automatic weapons after dark as government buildings, state media sites and major intersections were reportedly placed under guard, with armored pickups and masked fighters patrolling the streets in Toyotas.
The trucks were mounted with heavy machine guns and were moving in convoys with weapons firing into the darkness as armed men shouted commands.
In the video, large-caliber guns can be heard rattling as vehicles maneuver through urban streets.
ARMED KURDISH FIGHTERS TRY TO BREACH IRAN BORDER AS REGIONAL THREAT GROWS AMID PROTESTS: REPORTS
“There has been a deployment of dozens of Toyotas mounted with heavy machine guns (DShK) and other heavy weapons in Tehran,” Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told Fox News Digital.
“They are reportedly being used by elements linked to Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF),” he said.
“Their commander speaks in Farsi, and these fighters are Iraqi Hashd al-Sha’bi, Popular Mobilization Force and Hezbollah fighters who have joined the IRGC. The IRGC are their commanders, and you can hear them shouting in Farsi.”
According to Safavi, the Iranian regime has increasingly relied on foreign proxy forces to maintain control of the capital.
“The regime has brought in at least 5,000 foreign elements now from Iraq and Hezbollah to control Tehran,” he explained.
US AMBASSADOR WARNS IRAN AT EMERGENCY UN MEETING THAT TRUMP IS ‘MAN OF ACTION,’ ‘ALL OPTIONS ARE ON THE TABLE’
“They are guarding the government buildings and the state radio and TV and are using heavy machine guns, which are Russian-made and 50 caliber.”
Safavi added that “at night, there are fierce clashes that are ongoing as well as running street battles between the protesters and the special unit forces.”
The footage emerged as the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported what it described as Day 24 of nationwide protests marked by a continued communications blackout.
“The number of confirmed deaths has reached 4,519, while the number of deaths still under investigation stands at 9,049,” the agency said, adding that at least 5,811 people have been seriously injured and 26,314 arrested.
HRANA reports also described an overwhelming security presence, particularly with law enforcement, the IRGC, Basij units and plainclothes agents after nightfall, creating what the group called an atmosphere of deterrence and fear.
The first protests began Dec. 28 and rapidly spread nationwide, driven by economic grievances and opposition to clerical rule.
IRAN ACCUSED OF KILLING 16,500 IN SWEEPING ‘GENOCIDE’ CRACKDOWN: REPORT
Demonstrations have persisted despite mass arrests, lethal force and internet shutdowns.
“Sometimes the protesters hold their ground to the gunfire, ammunition and volleys of tear gas,” Safavi said.
He alleged that IRGC units attacked a hospital in Gorgan, killing wounded patients, stationing snipers on rooftops and firing into surrounding areas.
“They then took around 76 bodies to a warehouse and are refusing to hand them over to families because the forces want to bury them in secret,” he claimed.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly blamed foreign enemies for unrest while backing the IRGC’s response.
President Trump on Tuesday warned Iran that continued assassination threats from leaders in Tehran would trigger overwhelming retaliation.
“Anything ever happens, we’re going to blow the whole — the whole country’s going to get blown up,” Trump told NewsNation.
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NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi rejected the notion that external military action could topple the regime.
“A foreign war cannot bring down this regime,” she said in a statement. “What is required is an organized nationwide resistance rooted in active, combat-ready forces inside Iran’s cities to defeat one of the most brutal and repressive apparatuses in the world today — the IRGC.”
Israeli UN ambassador sends stark warning to Iran amid growing unrest
Israel is watching Iran and is sending a blunt warning to the regime, which is facing international pressure over growing protests.
“We are in high readiness,” Israeli United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters. “We are ready with our defense capability, and we’re ready with our offensive capabilities… We would advise Iran not to test our capabilities.”
Danon also said that Israel was aware of where Iran is keeping its ballistic missiles, something Tehran used against Jerusalem during the 12-day war in June 2025.
In June 2025, Israel started “Operation Rising Lion,” which was aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The U.S. ultimately got involved and launched “Operation Midnight Hammer,” in which it destroyed Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities.
IRAN LOCKS NATION INTO ‘DARKER’ DIGITAL BLACKOUT, VIEWING INTERNET AS AN ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT’
The diplomat said that what happened over the summer was a “partial” showing of Israel’s capabilities, though he did not elaborate on the point.
Danon told reporters that it would ultimately be up to the U.S. to decide what and whether this could happen and that Israel would “respect that decision.”
“Our position is very clear, it is a decision of the United States. We are ready,” Danon said. “We will not tell the U.S. if they should do it or not do it and when to do it.”
The diplomat also implied that the U.S. could be ready to come to Israel’s aid, saying that if Iran were to attack Israel that “the U.S. or somebody else will attack them.”
When asked about Danon’s remarks, a White House official told Fox News Digital that the president was watching the situation in Iran very seriously and that all options remained on the table. The official also credited the president’s threats for a series of cancelled executions.
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM BOOTS IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER FROM DAVOS SUMMIT AMID DEADLY CRACKDOWN ON PROTESTERS
On Tuesday, Iran warned President Donald Trump not to take action against its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Trump knows that if any hand of aggression is extended toward our leader, we not only cut that hand, but also we will set fire to their world,” Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said, according to The Associated Press.
The remarks came in response to Trump’s call for “new leadership in Iran.” He made the comment in an interview with Politico and told the outlet that Khamenei “is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people.”
Since the protests in Iran began in late December, both the U.S. and Israel have expressed support for the civilians taking to the streets. President Donald Trump threatened that if the regime met protesters with violence, the U.S. would act. However, the U.S. has yet to intervene, and the president has signaled that he has held off on military strikes because of canceled executions.
“I greatly respect the fact that all scheduled hangings, which were to take place yesterday (over 800 of them), have been cancelled by the leadership of Iran. Thank you!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed a similar message to reporters, saying that all options remained on the table. She told reporters at a White House briefing that Trump told Iran “if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences.”
IRAN STATE TV HACKED TO SHOW EXILED CROWN PRINCE PAHLAVI
Israel has been open about its support for the people of Iran, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying on Jan. 11 that the country was “closely monitoring” what was taking place. He also vowed that once Iran was “liberated from the yoke of tyranny” Israel would be prepared to be a partner in peace.
“Israel is closely monitoring the events unfolding in Iran. The protests for freedom have spread throughout the country. The people of Israel, and the entire world, stand in awe of the immense bravery of Iran’s citizens. Israel supports their struggle for freedom and firmly condemns the mass killings of innocent civilians,” Netanyahu said at the beginning of his weekly cabinet meeting.
“We all hope that the Persian nation will soon be liberated from the yoke of tyranny, and when that day comes, Israel and Iran will once again be faithful partners in building a future of prosperity and peace for both nations,” he added.
Iran has also linked the U.S. and Israel to the protests. On Jan. 16, an Iranian ambassador said that both the U.S. and Israel were responsible for instilling “political destabilization, internal unrest and chaos.” The representative also blamed the U.S. and Israel for “the innocent blood that has been shed in my country.”
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Days before the diplomat made his comments, the Iranian mission to the U.N. said on X, “The satanic plot hatched by the United States and the Zionist regime to fragment Iran and to engineer an internal civil war will be neutralized through the national solidarity of the Government and the people of Iran, the ignominy of which will remain upon them.”
Iranian officials frequently use the phrase “Zionist regime” to refer to Israel.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which tracks unrest in Iran, reported on Monday that the number of confirmed fatalities reached 4,029 since the protests began. The agency said at least 5,811 people were severely injured and that 26,015 people had been arrested during the protests.
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department and the Iranian Mission to the U.N. for comment.
Trump floats ‘Board of Peace’ to replace UN, signals major global power shift
President Donald Trump has suggested his proposed “Board of Peace” in Gaza could replace the U.N., underscoring what one national security analyst has described as a revision of the “existing international order.”
Asked Tuesday whether he envisioned the new body supplanting the U.N., Trump replied, “It might.”
Speaking at a White House press conference, the president also told reporters the U.N. has consistently failed to fulfill its mission.
“The UN just hasn’t been very helpful. I’m a big fan of the UN, but it has never lived up to its potential,” Trump said. While arguing the U.N. should continue to exist, he added, “The UN should have settled every one of the wars that I settled.”
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National security analyst Kobi Michael claimed the proposal already signaled a break with the international order that has defined global politics for decades.
“The norms, international institutions and organizations and liberalism are out, and real politics, interests and power are in,” Prof. Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital, before adding that “the EU is much less important.”
Michael’s comments come as the Trump administration moved forward with plans for the board, an initiative officials say extends far beyond the immediate conflict in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement Jan. 16, the White House said, in alignment with the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, the “Board of Peace will play an essential role in fulfilling all 20 points of the President’s plan, providing strategic oversight, mobilizing international resources, and ensuring accountability as Gaza transitions from conflict to peace and development.”
US OFFICIALS TOUT PROGRESS IN TALKS TO REACH ‘LASTING AND DURABLE PEACE’ BETWEEN UKRAINE, RUSSIA
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, preparations are said to be underway for a signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland with Bloomberg first reporting the plans.
“Dozens” of countries were invited, officials confirmed, with formal invitations sent Friday. Trump extended invitations to leaders from Russia, Belarus, China, Ukraine, India, Canada, Argentina, Jordan, Egypt, Hungary, and Vietnam, among others.
The White House said Trump will chair the Board of Peace and be joined by senior political, diplomatic and business figures, including Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, and billionaire Marc Rowan.
According to Michael, the initiative reflects a new approach to the international system.
“We are talking about something which is much bigger than the Gaza Strip,” he said, before describing “a revisionist approach of President Trump regarding the existing international order, where the board is a tool in his vision of changing the existing international order.”
Michael said Iran sits at the center of that calculation, as protests engulfed the country amid economic and political pressure.
UN CHIEF ACCUSES US OF DITCHING INTERNATIONAL LAW AS TRUMP BLASTS GLOBAL BODIES
“Iran is the real game changer, and we are in front of a very significant and dramatic change, well coordinated with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” he said.
Russia’s role on the board is uncertain, with the Trump administration extending invitations to Russia and Belarus, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirming President Vladimir Putin is reviewing the offer.
Michael suggested Moscow’s participation would come with conditions. “If Putin is in it, it will be in order to finish the Ukrainian war and be forced to give up on some major demands,” he said.
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“The president invited Putin to join the board basing an understanding with him about division of power and influence, promising him to relieve sanctions and cut a deal.”
“Still, alliances are out, whereas allies and regional structures are in,” Michael added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.