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(Iran) – The streets of Tehran are empty, businesses are closed, communications are patchy at best. With no legitimate bomb shelters open to the public, hundreds of panicked people spend restless nights on the floors of metro stations as bombs boom overhead. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 585 people and wounded over 1,300, one human rights group says. State media, which has also been bombarded, have stopped reporting on the attacks, leaving Iranians in the dark.
On Thursday, Gordon Chang joined Sid Rosenberg and provided expert-level analysis of the situation.
President Trump told senior aides late Tuesday (June 17, 2025) that he approved of attack plans for Iran, but was holding off to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program, people familiar with the deliberations said. Iran’s well-defended Fordow enrichment facility is a possible U.S. target; it is buried under a mountain and generally considered by military experts to be out of reach of all but the most powerful bombs.
When asked about his call for an “unconditional surrender” from Iran, Trump said, “That means I’ve had it. OK, I’ve had it. I give up. No more.” He then went on to say, “Then we go blow up all the nuclear stuff that’s all over the place there.”
Members of Congress are calling for a coordinated evacuation plan for Americans in Israel. New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer and fellow Intelligence committee members urged President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to share what concrete steps they are taking to get Americans out of Israel. Members of Congress say they understand the security situation in Israel has created many obstacles, but they’re urging the administration to explore all evacuation routes by land and sea.
Protests are taking place today around the U.S. to push back against any U.S. involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict. Demonstrations are planned at more than two dozen locations, including New York City, Boston, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and outside the White House in Washington, DC. Organizers say if President Trump orders strikes to take out Iranian nuclear facilities, the war could be escalated to dangerous new heights across the entire region and even the whole world.