Iran could ‘activate’ Hezbollah if US targets regime, Trump’s inner circle to decide: expert

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has tightened control over Hezbollah in the Middle East amid looming prospects of potential U.S. strikes, according to reports.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the tactical shift comes as Hezbollah and Iran prepare for military confrontation in the region, with analysts warning that if Washington specifically strikes the regime, Hezbollah is ready to be “activated.”

“If the regime in Tehran feels threatened, the likelihood of unleashing Hezbollah against Israel and U.S. regional assets increases substantially,” Ross Harrison, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital.

“Hezbollah would not be activated right away, unless the attack immediately targets the leadership of the Islamic Republic. But as part of a graduated response, Hezbollah will likely be seen as an asset,” he said.

“If it faces an existential risk, then Iran may throw caution to the wind and try to deploy Hezbollah to the maximum,” Harrison explained.

IRAN SIGNALS NUCLEAR PROGRESS IN GENEVA AS TRUMP CALLS FOR FULL DISMANTLEMENT

President Donald Trump previously gave Iran a deadline of 10 to 15 days to respond to a deal, raising questions about what steps Washington could take if Tehran fails to comply.

A new round of talks is now scheduled for Thursday in Geneva and expected to focus on Iran’s nuclear program, including uranium enrichment levels and sanctions relief.

“The decision-making circle in the White House is very small regarding Iran, with the president keeping a close hand on it all,” Harrison explained.

He added that any decision to directly target the Iranian regime would likely rest within Trump’s inner circle of advisers.

“Normally there is input from the National Security Council and the wider intelligence community,” Harrison said. “Since the decision-making process in the White House is opaque, it is hard to know how much of this is getting through.”

WITKOFF WARNS IRAN IS ‘A WEEK AWAY’ FROM ‘BOMB-MAKING MATERIAL’ AS TRUMP WEIGHS ACTION

“If the U.S. is engaging with the Saudis and Emiratis, they are getting warnings about the possibility of this war spreading to the broader region, which would be deleterious to the U.S. and its allies,” he added.

Harrirson also warned that there was “potential for attacks to spread across the region, to Israel through direct Iranian ballistic attacks and via Hezbollah, and to the Gulf Arab states through Iran directly and possibly via the Houthis from Yemen.”

Regional media reports also suggest Iran’s ties with Hezbollah are strengthening. Sources told Al Arabiya and Al Hadath that IRGC officers have been rebuilding Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and managing strategic war plans.

The coordination follows changes within Hezbollah’s leadership, Harrison explained.

“Since the killing by Israel of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last year, ties and operational coordination have to some degree been reestablished,” he said.

“The IRGC has supported Hezbollah in Lebanon for decades,” he said, adding that efforts to reestablish ties appear to be occurring “particularly in light of the destruction of Iran’s nuclear sites last June.”

IRAN DRAWS MISSILE RED LINE AS ANALYSTS WARN TEHRAN IS STALLING US TALKS

“Iran is trying to resurrect lost assets, such as its missile program and its connections to Hezbollah,” Harrison said.

“Hezbollah has been seen for decades by Iran as a deterrence asset against an Israeli or American attack. Since Hezbollah has its own interests, connected to but separate from Iran, whether its leadership will go all the way for Tehran is unknown,” he concluded.

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The developments surrounding Hezbollah and the IRGC came as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed close ally Ali Larijani as the country’s de facto leader, according to reports.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

Iran announces test of new naval air defense missile in Strait of Hormuz as US military buildup continues

Iran announced Sunday that it tested a new naval air defense missile during military drills in the Strait of Hormuz as the United States continues to increase its military presence in the region.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy launched the Sayyad 3-G missile for the first time during the “Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz” exercise, according to Iran’s state-linked Mehr News Agency.

The Sayyad 3-G, a naval adaptation of Iran’s land-based Sayyad-3 air defense system, is reported to have a range of approximately 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) and can be fired from ship-based vertical launch systems.

The missile is intended to intercept military aircraft, maritime patrol planes and high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S IRAN BUILDUP MIRRORS 2003 IRAQ WAR SCALE AS TENSIONS ESCALATE

Iranian state media said it can integrate into a ship’s onboard radar systems and command-and-control network while also maintaining independent tracking capability.

The announcement comes amid heightened regional tensions and a continued U.S. military buildup in the Gulf as Washington holds talks with Tehran over its nuclear program.

The U.S. currently has a significant buildup of naval and air assets positioned around Iran, particularly across the eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

IRAN SAYS US MUST ‘PROVE THEY WANT TO DO A DEAL’ ON NUCLEAR TALKS IN GENEVA

The U.S. has been building up forces in the region, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and multiple guided-missile destroyers operating in the Arabian Sea, as well as additional destroyers stationed in the Mediterranean and Red Sea. 

Several combat ships are also positioned in the Persian Gulf near Iran’s southern coastline.

At least one U.S. military base in Saudi Arabia is shown hosting aircraft, with additional installations across the region supporting air operations and logistics.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN HAS 15 DAYS TO REACH A DEAL OR FACE ‘UNFORTUNATE’ OUTCOME

In an interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said diplomacy remains the only path forward and dismissed the impact of the U.S. military buildup. 

“There is no need for any military buildup, and military buildup cannot help it and cannot pressurize us,” he said.

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Araghchi confirmed that Iranian and U.S. negotiators are expected to meet again Thursday in Geneva, saying he believes it is “quite possible” to prepare a draft text and reach a deal quickly. 

He added that talks are focused solely on nuclear issues and “there is no other subject.”

Witkoff warns Iran is ‘a week away’ from ‘bomb-making material’ as Trump weighs action

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff warned Saturday that Iran could be “a week away” from having “industrial-grade bomb-making material,” raising urgent questions about what President Donald Trump could do next to address the looming threat.

“It’s up to 60%,” Witkoff said of Iran’s enrichment level. “They’re probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material.”

The “dangerous” proposition, Witkoff said on “My View with Lara Trump,” comes despite Trump’s “zero enrichment” red line, which he accused Iran of violating “well beyond” what a civil nuclear program requires.

“We can’t have that,” he said. “This is something that they have to stick with until they prove to us that they can behave.”

TRUMP WARNS IRAN, DELAYS STRIKES AS RED LINE DEBATE ECHOES OBAMA’S SYRIA MOMENT

Witkoff told Fox News that the president is “curious” why Iran has not shifted course despite mounting U.S. pressure in the region.

“With the amount of sea power, naval power that we have over there, why they haven’t come to us and said, ‘We profess that we don’t want a weapon?'”

But external pressures are only part of the picture. The Islamic regime faces additional pressures from its own civilians, prompting unrest and state-driven aggression against protesters.

TRUMP GIVES IRAN 10-DAY ULTIMATUM, BUT EXPERTS SIGNAL TALKS MAY BE BUYING TIME FOR STRIKE

Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who has discussed the proposition of Iranian regime change on multiple occasions, has previously expressed faith in Trump’s ability and willingness to help topple the regime.

Pahlavi has outlined a series of measures the U.S. could take to weaken the ayatollah, including neutralizing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), cracking down on “ghost tankers” that secretly transport sanctioned oil and fund the regime, expelling diplomats or holding them accountable for criminal behavior, freezing oligarchs’ assets, supporting protesters with internet access and calling for the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Iran.

Witkoff told Lara Trump he met with Pahlavi at the president’s direction.

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“I think he’s strong for his country, cares about his country, but this is going to be about President Trump’s policies, not Mr. Pahlavi’s policies,” he said. 

“I think the president is interested in hearing everyone’s views. He has no pride of authorship [which] is maybe the best way for me to say it, which I greatly respect because he’s open to new ideas and new ways of thinking.”

1 dead, dozens injured in ‘terrorist attack’ in Ukraine, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian authorities detained a suspect accused of carrying out a deadly “terrorist attack” in central Lviv that killed one police officer and injured 25 others, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday.

Zelenskyy said in a post on X that Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko had reported the detention following the early-morning attack.

“My condolences to the family and loved ones… All necessary resources have been provided to the investigation. The required procedural actions involving the detainee are ongoing. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will provide further updates as needed,” he wrote.

Ukraine’s National Police said in a post on Telegram that authorities initially received a message around 12:30 a.m. about a break-in at a store on Danylyshyn Street.

UKRAINE ARRESTS BRITISH SUSPECT WHO ALLEGEDLY AIDED RUSSIA’S FSB IN ASSASSINATION PLAN

After the first patrol police crew arrived at the scene, an explosion occurred. A second blast followed after another patrol unit responded.

Officials said preliminary findings indicate improvised explosive devices hidden inside garbage bins detonated in the city center. 

Police launched a large-scale operation after the blasts, deploying explosives technicians, canine units and other specialized teams.

RUSSIA FIRES NEW BALLISTIC MISSILE AT UKRAINE, KILLING AT LEAST FOUR

The National Police said 23-year-old policewoman Victoria Shpylka was killed in the explosion, while 25 people suffered injuries of varying severity. Eleven victims were hospitalized, including six law enforcement officers who are in serious condition.

A 33-year-old woman from the Rivne region was detained several hours later in the border area of Stary Sambir in connection with the attack.

AS WAR LOSSES NEAR 2 MILLION, RUSSIA ACCUSED OF TRAFFICKING FOREIGN RECRUITS FROM AFRICA, ASIA

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Investigators allege she acted at the direction of a “curator” linked to Russian special services and manufactured and planted the explosive devices.

“There is every reason to believe that the crime was committed on the order of Russia. It is not the first time that the enemy purposefully creates death traps for Ukrainian law enforcement officers. And at the same time uses our recruited citizens,” said Klymenko.