‘You close it and you won’t have a country’ – Trump threatens to strike Iran if IRGC closes Hormuz

All Israel News Staff | Published: June 21, 202

Preliminary meetings before talks begin in Switzerland.  Screengrab via X

The Israel-Hezbollah conflict is reportedly at the head of the agenda as representatives from the United States, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Qatar, and Pakistan meet for the first of several rounds of negotiations in Switzerland. aimed at ending the conflict.

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Peloni:  Excellent analysis by Dan Proft who is joined by FDD’s Hussain Abdul-Hussain who counter’s Trump assessment that Jolani would do a better job than the IDF.  As Abdul-Hussain explains, Syrian intervention would cause the growing public animosity against Iran and Hezbollah to evaporate as support would unify Lebanese popular support around Hezbollah in opposition to Jolani’s forces, while also acknowledging that there is NO basis to support the conclusion that Syria’s forces could do better when facing Hezbollah.   He also addresses the decline in Christian majority in Lebanon which is now a Christian minority, while the US has used Lebanon as a bargaining chip traded to stronger nations in the region without the slightest concern or consideration for the minorities within Lebanon.

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Peloni:  The assets under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood Qatari govt are vast and as we have seen with just the case of Senator Menendez, those assets are well disposed to gain the support of Washington’s leadership, but across Europe as well.  Notably, there was no mention of Qatar’s role in the Menedez bribary trial, even as it was Qatari gold with which he had been bribed, which exposes the greater truth and real threat which lies before the West as its political class as welll as its media oversight are well under the control of Qatar and other Islamist elements.

By: Tufail Ahmad | MEMRI.org | June 18,2026

Photo by Chris Yang on Unsplash

According to reports by Associated Press and Fox News, the Qatari Al Thani ruling family hired a former CIA official, Kevin Chalker, and his company, Global Research Associates, to spy on U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), as well as Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and former Representative Ed Royce (R-CA) who had chaired the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

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Peloni:  A remarkably well explained statement harkening both the convictions of congratulations and reproach which are both necessary and difficult to describe in the same moment, as it relates the wisdom and clarity with which Trump has acted in the past with the inexplicable choices he has made in recent days.  Of course, it is not too late to choose a better course, to right the wrongs which are now taking shape under a misguided MOU, and reverse the unveiling disaster into an unbelievable victory, as it has always been true that Trump holds all the cards, but he has to choose to play these cards rather than folding before the Iranian menace to allow such a victory to be realized.  So we shall see what comes from all of this, but for my own thoughts, I still conclude that this war is far from over, despite Trump’s best efforts to end it currently at all costs.

You could have been the greatest president of all, but you failed. Mr. President. You missed the opportunity. Instead, unless you change course against the advice of your vice president and envoy, you will be remembered forever as the president who brought about the humiliation of great America and gravely damaged its strategic power and its leading status in the world, writes Israeli Journalist Danny Zaken.

By BareNakedIslam | June 20, 2026

Danny (Daniel) Zaken. Photo by Yoel Knoll, ­ IDF Radio spokesperson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikipedia

Israel Hayom (h/t Amil I) Mr. President. My name is Danny (Daniel) Zaken, and I am a proud Israeli citizen who has worked in journalism and covered developments in the region and around the world, including our country’s relations with the great US, for many years.

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By Janatan Sayeh | June 19, 2026

Mojtaba Khamenei. By Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, Wikipedia

On June 18, the Islamic Republic’s new supreme leader, , who succeeded his father, issued a statement on the recent memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. Khamenei confirmed that an agreement had been signed, claimed the United States pursued it “out of desperation,” and reiterated that his regime would not accept “excessive demands” in future negotiations.

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Peloni:  Join Alan Dershowitz being interviewed by Zev Brenner as he reviews the US-Iranian MOU, his reflections on Trump and Vance in wake of this deal, Obama, and a number of other topics.  One point about his comments which I think deserves disputing is that Dershowitz implies that there is a legitimate distinction between antisemitism and anti-Zionism, when there is none.  Antisemitism is the promotion of Jew Hatred, and Anti-Zionism is the delegitimization of the Jewish state on ancestral Jewish lands. Both of these themes are illegitimate and based on Jew hatred.

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Peloni:  This is an important article highlighting the ongoing policy shift taking place in Washington under the personal control of VP Vance. While I would argue that the claims made below about US Executive overreach is inaccurate, the remainder of the arguments are well made.

By Amil Imani | June 20, 2026

The June 2026 Tehran Accord stands as the ultimate executioner of international trust. Donald Trump traded decades of strategic alliances for short-term political survival, leaving a trail of broken promises from Washington to Jerusalem.

The transactional foreign policy of the administration compromises the defense perimeter of America’s primary Middle Eastern ally. Jerusalem faces a direct existential threat due to this unilateral surrender to the Iranian regime. Corporate media assets previously loyal to the administration now lead the condemnation.

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Peloni: One of the vital issues related to the Strait of Hormuz is the imposition of tolls on this vital international waterway.  Yet, Iran is continuing to require the charging ‘insurance fees’, demonstrating that their racketeering efforts are far from ended.  As highlighted below, is this what is meant by Unconditional Surrender?  In fact, Trump continues to insist that he achieved Unconditional Surrender with this MOU, despite the MOU providing the means by which Iran’s unfettered racketeering remains in force.

By Post Editorial Board | NYP | June 20, 2026

As he prepared to sign his “memorandum of understanding” with the Islamic dictatorship of Iran, President Trump again insisted that his deal was much different than that of his predecessor, President Barack Obama.

He’s right — it’s probably worse.

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Peloni: Vance’s claim of don’t Trust, just Verify, and then only reward good behavior is entirely undone by the fact that the MOU provides the lifting of sanctions days before the Strait of Hormuz was ever going to be opened, and as the Strait was not opened on time, what was Vance’s response?  To pressure Israel.  So Vance is correct, we should not look at what people say, and focus on their actions, but even in the opening window of the negotiations using this blighted MOU, it has been Vance’s position that Israel will compromise under the ire of Washington’s criticisms so as to appease the Iranians into even begin fulfilling their first obligation under the MOU, which was simply to meet with Vance.  This deal is very bad, but so too are the management skills being employed by Vance and his team in even starting the negotiations with the Iranians.

Part Two of the interview follows at bottom.

Part One of an exclusive interview: US VP Vance explains why the administration believes diplomacy offers best path to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran

David Brody | All Israel News |  Published: June 18, 2026

Screengrab via Youtube

U.S. Vice President JD Vance knows he’s got a tough sell on his hands.

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Peloni:  It is informative that MAGA supports regime change in Iran by 2:1.  So is the election really what is fueling Trump’s push to keep the Mullahs in power and ending the war.  It is interesting that Trump referenced that what was left of the regime could be offered a seat at the table on the first day of the war if they stopped fighting, and by the third day of the war, Trump was advocating for a Venezuela style regime transformation instead of regime change.  So, Trump was always in preference of dealing with the devils in Tehran rather than eliminating them, and this is an important distinction which fails to address the reality of the threat from the Iranian establishment.  More than this, I would argue that this same misconception about Iran persists in the formation of the current deal, even as it is absurdly one sided in favor of the Ayahtollahs.  Indeed, I believe that Trump’s extreme efforts in this deal, which are meant to gain compliance from the regime, will actually embolden them further, leaving Trump with a choice of having of either surrendering entirely to the regime, or to give up  all hopes of dealing with them altogether.  Hence, if political calculations are what led Trump to enter what many reasonably see as a mad scheme in this MOU, this hoped for MOU solution will soon be seen to entirely backfire and Trump will be faced with doing what he should have done all along, ie finish the war.

by Steve Kramer 

Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America – Donald Trump, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikipedia

On June 7 a year ago Israeli fighter jets attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities in a very powerful and successful way. Subsequently, the US joined Israel in devastating the Iranian regime’s nuclear ambitions. A year later, on June 19, President Trump will sign a loser’s deal with Iran. In many respects the deal leaves Iran in a more powerful position than  ever. As far as many Israelis are concerned, this deal revives Iran and Hezbollah, erasing most of the damage that Israel and the US inflicted upon them.

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Peloni:  Must read  essay by Bob Goldberg!

Israel made Trump’s Iran deal possible. Washington should not repay it by letting Tehran use Hormuz to rebuild Hezbollah.

Bob Goldberg | The New Zionist Times | Jun 18, 2026

Screengrab via Youtube

JD Vance is worried that Israel is isolated.

He should ask why.

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Peloni:  New ceasefire is imposed on Israel.   There is no benefit for Israel to accept this ceasefire beyond supporting Trump’s fantastical MOU which has little chance of doing anything but improving Iran’s financial desperation, which was the actual leverage which Trump had over Iran.  This is particularly true in the wake of 4 IDF soldiers being killed overnight.

Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” | June 19, 2026

State Department Seal. Photo by U.S. Department of State – Flickr, Public Domain, Wikipedia

*The US-initiated negotiation with the Ayatollah regime – which has been preoccupied, since February 1979, with anti-US global war, terrorism and drug trafficking – is consistent with the traditional approach to the Middle East by the State Department’s establishment, irrespective of the fact that this establishment has been sidelined by President Trump from the center stage of shaping US foreign policy during his first and second terms.

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Peloni:  As you read thru the reports revealing the horrors which were unleashed on the children of England with the complicity of the British authorities over the decades, it is an inescapable to conclude the complete state of collapse in which the British stand today.  The evil which came to be empowered by the British authorities came at the cost of literal child sacrifices being conducted in a variety of manners.  Those responsible for and associated with these crimes should face the death penalty.

By Christine Douglass-Williams | June 18, 2026

The extent of the gross atrocities that Muslim rape gangs committed against non-Muslim British girls are now exposed in MP Rupert Lowe’s 219-page Rape Gang Inquiry report. One truth-teller in particular who paid a dear price for trying to expose what was going on for an extended period was Tommy Robinson. Britain’s authorities savaged him as he relentlessly fought in defense of the voiceless girls and women who faced unimaginable cruelty.

MP Rupert Lowe’s 219-page Rape Gang Inquiry report can be found  HERE.

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If Trump’s “deal” goes through, the damage won’t be limited to the America-First president’s legacy.

by Robert Spencer | June 18, 2026

Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran. By ir.voanews.com – ir.voanews.com, Public Domain, Wikipedia

President Donald Trump is going full speed ahead with his disastrous Iran deal, and that’s not good news for Americans, Israelis, Iranians, or anyone else. Fox News reported Wednesday that the Trump administration finally disclosed the details, which include “plans for immediate waivers on Iranian oil exports, a framework for at least $300 billion in reconstruction and economic development, and a 60-day negotiation period aimed at securing a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.”

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Peloni:  It is telling that on a recent appearance on Megyn Kelly’s podcast show, while referring to Israel,  Vance announced that “They want this to go on until every bomb has been dropped or every Iranian is dead.”  This malicious characterization precedes all the anxiety about the recent ceasefire drama, and seems to truly characterize the manner in which he views Israel.  In fact, it is Vance’s MOU which is abandoning the Iranians to the fate in which they have been captured for want of support for decades, support which Israel wanted to offer them, but which by all reports was cancelled by instruction of Trump.  More than this, the bombing in Lebanon is a response to the Jihadi mentality which has held the Arabs in a continued state of war with Israel since its reconstitution in 1948.  While this is clearly not something with which we can negotiate, it is equally clear that Israel has done exactly this since before the Declaration of Statehood was announced.  From King Abdullah I to the leaders of the Arab states today, it is the Arabs who refuse to make peace with Israel, because they with Israel existence.  This fact seems to be wasted on Vance, whose world view has him making deals with the Iranians at the expense of Israel, while chastising Israel for not being more appreciative for all the good which the US provides to Israel.  The similarities between Vance and Barack Obama seems to only grow with time.

Pablo Nankin MD

President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in the Situation Room of the White House, Saturday, June 21, 2025. Photo by The White House – Flickr, Public Domain, Wikipedia

We had a close friend, a lifelong Democrat, whom we all loved and respected. Politics never got in the way of our friendship. During one of our regular Monday lunches, he made a comment that stayed with me: “Just wait until Trump opens his mouth.” We all laughed and enjoyed the afternoon.

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