World News
UK counterterrorism police probe antisemitic arson attack as Iran-linked group claims responsibility
Counterterrorism police are leading an investigation after four Jewish community ambulances were set on fire outside a synagogue in London early Monday in what authorities are treating as an antisemitic hate crime.
The attack took place around 1:45 a.m. in the Golders Green neighborhood, where Hatzola ambulances, a volunteer emergency service run by the Jewish community, were deliberately set ablaze in a synagogue parking lot, according to a statement by Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams of the Metropolitan Police.
"This arson attack is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime. This is a devastating incident for our Jewish communities," Williams said. He added that while the incident has not yet been formally declared terrorism, "the investigation is now being led by Counterterrorism Policing… and all lines of enquiry remain open."
A video circulating online purports to show Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, an Iran-linked group that has claimed responsibility for recent attacks on Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands, taking credit for the London attack, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
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Authorities are examining a potential link to a newly emerged group with suspected ties to Iran. "We are aware of an online claim from a group taking responsibility for this attack," Williams said. "Establishing the authenticity and accuracy of this claim will be a priority… but it is not something we can confirm at this point."
Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that the attack reflects years of policy failures in confronting Iranian activity on British soil. "Successive U.K. Governments have completely failed in their primary duty of keeping the home front safe. Iranian terrorist activity has been known about in the U.K. for years yet no significant moves have been made to ban the IRGC or restrict the ability of regime-linked entities to function within British society. We have created the conditions for terrorism to flourish," he said.
He argued that Britain’s broader approach to the conflict with Iran — attempting to maintain distance while avoiding direct confrontation — has further emboldened Tehran. "The current policy on the war in Iran is delusional. The Government is pretending Britain is not involved. The Iranian regime does not, however, believe in neutrality and has decided its position for us: ripe for targeting."
Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in a post on X that "My initial assessment is that the attack could potentially be linked to Ashab al-Yamin, an Iran-linked group that has carried out multiple attacks against Jewish institutions across Europe since the war began… Hopefully this is something different, but the possibility that the group is involved should be examined."
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Police said they are searching for three suspects seen on CCTV pouring an accelerant onto the vehicles before igniting them. No injuries were reported, though nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution.
The attack comes amid a broader wave of violence targeting Jewish communities across Europe in recent weeks.
Scott Saunders, CEO of the International March of the Living, said the incident represents a dangerous escalation. "The arson attack in Golders Green… marks a dangerous escalation in the targeting of Jewish communities," Saunders said. "Emergency vehicles operated by Jewish volunteer first responders were deliberately attacked… in direct proximity to a place of worship — a space that should represent safety."
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"These ambulances do not only serve Jewish communities… Targeting them is an attack not only on Jewish life, but on the shared fabric of the community they serve," he added. "Since the war with Iran began, antisemitic attacks have become more frequent, more brazen, and more direct. Jewish institutions are being singled out; synagogues, community spaces, and now even the emergency services that exist to protect Jewish lives, with a growing sense that these are legitimate targets. Following the deadly shooting in and around a synagogue in Manchester last October, where this escalation already resulted in loss of life, the attack in Golders Green makes clear that this trajectory is continuing."
Dr. Charles Asher Small, founder of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, said the attack reflects a broader trend.
"The attack against a visible Jewish target is not an isolated act of vandalism; it is the violent fruition of a climate where Jew-hatred has been normalized and institutionalized," Small said.
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"At the center of this malignancy sits the Iranian regime… which actively funds and directs the networks that view British Jewish institutions as legitimate targets," he added.
British officials also condemned the attack.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, "An attack on our Jewish community is an attack on us all. We will fight the poison that is antisemitism."
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called the incident on X "a particularly sickening assault — not only on the Jewish community, but on the values we share as a society."
"The targeting of Hatzola… is a most painful illustration of the ongoing battle between those who sanctify life and those who seek to destroy it," he added in a statement posted March 23, 2026.
Police said there have been no arrests and urged anyone with information to come forward.
EU blocks US vote to define gender as biological men and women at UN women’s forum
The United States stood alone at the United Nations in early March after a European-led procedural move blocked a vote on defining gender in biological terms at one of the world’s leading forums on women’s rights.
At the conclusion of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, the U.S. was the only country to oppose the body’s annual "Agreed Conclusions," citing concerns that the language departs from biological definitions of women and girls. No other member state voted with the United States.
At the center of the dispute is how the United Nations defines "gender." Current U.N. frameworks, rooted in the 1995 Beijing Declaration, do not provide a fixed definition and instead rely on evolving interpretations tied to broader concepts of gender identity, according to EU officials.
The U.S. proposal sought to anchor the term explicitly in biological sex.
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The U.S. introduced a resolution titled "Protection of women and girls through appropriate terminology," which sought to clarify how gender is understood across U.N. policy.
The draft states that the term "gender" should be interpreted "according to its ordinary, generally accepted usage, as referring to men and women."
The proposal never reached a vote. Belgium, speaking on behalf of the European Union, introduced a "no action motion," a procedural tool that blocks debate and prevents a proposal from being considered.
The motion passed, halting the U.S. resolution before it reached the floor.
That distinction carries practical implications. U.N. language shapes global standards tied to development funding, humanitarian programs, education policy and anti-discrimination frameworks.
Bethany Kozma, director of global affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, told Fox News Digital the move reflects a broader effort to shut down debate at the U.N.
"While our redlines were ignored, the United States Government will not stand by and watch as malicious forces misuse multilateral organizations to promote their ideologies and social agendas, obstructing nations’ abilities to exercise their national sovereignty," Kozma said. "We will always protect women and girls from dangerous gender ideology and affirm biological truth."
She added that the decision to block the vote was driven by political calculation.
"The EU blocked our resolution to define gender to mean men and women at the U.N. because they feared we would win and they would lose," Kozma said. "We will not give up on doing what is right for women and girls. Even if we stand alone like we did at the U.N. last week, we will always stand to protect women and girls from dangerous radical gender ideology and always affirm biological truth."
A State Department official, speaking on background, described the move as part of a broader coordinated effort led by European countries.
"These are procedural games that these countries are not prepared for," the official said, referring to smaller delegations that may lack guidance on complex procedural votes.
The official said the maneuver allowed opponents to block a vote despite what the U.S. believed was growing support. These claims could not be independently verified.
The European Union rejected the U.S. criticism, saying the proposal was flawed and rushed.
"The draft resolution presented by the U.S. was factually incorrect," said David Jordens, spokesperson for Belgium’s foreign ministry, adding that it "misquotes and contradicts" language agreed to in the 1995 Beijing Declaration.
"While the EU respects member states’ prerogative to put forward new initiatives for consideration, CSW members should not be forced to rush a decision on an issue of this importance by the unilateral initiative of one member state, without any prior consultations or negotiations," Jordens said.
He added that "there is no universally agreed definition of the term ‘gender’. As reflected in the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the term was understood in accordance with its ordinary and generally accepted usage, without establishing a fixed or exhaustive definition. The United Nations should continue to approach gender equality in an inclusive and forward-looking manner, respectful of diversity. Any effort to revisit or reinterpret internationally agreed language must take place through broad, transparent consultations with the full membership."
If Cuba falls, who steps in? Castro dynasty shadows island’s future
President Donald Trump signaled this week that the United States could take action on Cuba, raising new questions about what would happen if mounting pressure triggers a political shift on the island.
The warning comes as Cuba faces one of its most severe internal crises in decades, with a collapsing economy, widespread blackouts and fuel shortages straining the regime’s ability to govern. The situation has worsened as shipments of subsidized fuel from Venezuela have declined, cutting off a key energy lifeline.
But as pressure builds from both inside and outside the island, experts say the central question is not who could replace President Miguel Díaz-Canel — it’s that there is no clear successor at all.
"Cuba’s leadership vacuum is the result of a system that has spent decades making sure no independent leadership can exist in the first place," Melissa Ford Maldonado, AFPI director of the Western Hemisphere Initiative, told Fox News Digital.
She added that the regime has "controlled communication, restricted the gathering of people, surveilled its own people, killed press freedom, criminalized dissent and ultimately made a powerful opposition force highly unlikely."
"Who replaces Díaz-Canel is more symbolic than anything else," Sebastián A. Arcos, interim director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University, told Fox News Digital.
Arcos said Díaz-Canel "has very little power," describing him as a figure installed to project a younger image without altering the system.
"The key person continues to be Raúl Castro," he said, referring to the 94-year-old former Cuban leader.
That dynamic, analysts argue, explains why even a dramatic shift — whether driven by internal collapse or external pressure — may not immediately produce a new leader.
And yet a small group of insiders, technocrats and opposition figures are seen as potential players in any transition — though none represent a clear or unified alternative.
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A relatively unknown figure to most Cubans, Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga has quietly risen through the ranks.
The 54-year-old electronics engineer serves as deputy prime minister and minister of foreign trade and foreign investment, and is the great-nephew of Fidel and Raúl Castro.
"He’s part of the family," Arcos said, underscoring how even emerging figures remain embedded within the same ruling network.
Arcos said his rapid rise makes him one of the more plausible faces of a controlled transition.
"He might be a good technocrat… based on the standards of the Castro system," he said.
But any such move would likely be cosmetic. "They might take Díaz-Canel down and replace him with someone like Pérez-Oliva… as a gesture… but it doesn’t change anything," Arcos said, explaining it would be a technocratic reshuffle designed to ease pressure, not reform the system.
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Raúl Castro’s son, Alejandro Castro Espín, represents the regime’s security backbone.
A longtime intelligence official, he is closely tied to Cuba’s internal security apparatus and the inner circle of power, according to El País.
While not publicly positioned as a successor, his influence underscores how power remains concentrated within the Castro family and military-linked elite, which experts say could lead to a hardline continuity scenario rooted in security control.
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz remains one of the most visible figures in Cuba’s current leadership.
But Arcos noted that Marrero’s tenure is deeply tied to the country’s economic collapse. "He’s been there during this dramatic decline… so he’s closely associated with the catastrophe," he said.
Experts cited by El País similarly assess that figures like Marrero are unlikely to represent meaningful change, and that he represents continuity tied to the current crisis, with little credibility for reform.
As a senior Communist Party official, Roberto Morales Ojeda represents the regime’s institutional core. His power lies within the party apparatus, enforcing loyalty and ideological control.
Like other insiders, he is seen as part of the continuity model rather than a break from it.
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While regime insiders dominate succession discussions, opposition figures remain largely outside the island.
Rosa María Payá, a prominent activist and founder of Cuba Decide, has emerged as a leading voice for democratic change from exile.
"The Cuban opposition is organized, we are present both inside Cuba and in the diaspora, and we have a concrete plan," Rosa María Payá told Fox News Digital. "Cubans do not need to be liberated from the outside and handed a government. We are ready to lead. What we need is for the United States and the international community to ensure that when this regime falls, the opposition has a seat at the table."
"The first priority is political prisoners and guaranteeing basic civil liberties," she described their plan. "They must be released immediately, and that has to be a non-negotiable condition of any agreement. The second is dismantling the repressive apparatus… From there, the plan moves to a transitional government, addressing the humanitarian situation and setting a clear timeline toward free and internationally monitored elections."
Arcos spoke positively about Payá role and the broader opposition movement. "They are honorable, respectful, smart people, who want the best for Cuba," he said. "They’re not just seeking power… they’re doing this based on a sense of duty."
Still, analysts caution that the system leaves little room for an opposition-led transition in the near term.
"The reality is that much of Cuba’s real opposition no longer lives on the island," Ford Maldonado said, noting that repression has pushed leadership into exile.
Despite speculation around individual names, experts say the real issue is structural.
"If Raúl dies tomorrow, that could open the Pandora’s box," Arcos said, suggesting internal power struggles could surface.
Even then, he warned, the regime is unlikely to relinquish control easily after decades in power.
"There’s likely no real path forward that runs through the Castros or the current regime," Ford Maldonado said.
For now, Cuba’s succession question remains unresolved, not because there are no names, but because the system itself was designed to ensure there is no true alternative waiting in the wings.
Trump, Starmer agree Strait of Hormuz must reopen as Middle East conflict escalates
President Donald Trump spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday to discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East, with a focus on the urgent need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore global shipping.
The leaders discussed the current situation in the Middle East, and in particular, the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to resume global shipping, Downing Street said in a statement.
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"They agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz was essential to ensure stability in the global energy market. They agreed to speak again soon."
The call came amid a rapidly intensifying conflict in the region, with Iran blocking the strategically vital strait since the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iranian targets on Feb. 28.
The military action triggered swift retaliation from Tehran and has since escalated into a broader regional war as Iran has sent missiles into numerous neighboring countries not directly involved in the initial conflict.
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On March 21, Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran demanding the reopening of the key maritime route, through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil supply passes.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned that failure to comply would result in further U.S. action, including potential strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure.
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Sunday's conversation between Trump and Starmer perhaps reflected a thaw in the tense relationship between the two leaders.
Trump had publicly criticized the U.K. government, stating that Britain "should have acted a lot faster" in allowing the U.S. to use British military bases for strikes targeting Iranian missile sites.
Starmer had also maintained that the use of U.K. bases could only be justified under the principle of "collective self-defense" in the region.
He had initially declined to support the U.S.-Israeli military operation, drawing repeated criticism from the White House.
Meanwhile, Trump appeared to apply public pressure, sharing a "Saturday Night Live" clip Sunday mocking the British prime minister’s handling of the crisis.
Iran threatens mass ‘water war’ with strikes on key plants in days, UN official warns
Iran is poised to strike critical desalination infrastructure across the Middle East within days, escalating tensions with the U.S. and Israel and triggering global economic fallout, a U.N. official warned Sunday.
Kaveh Madani, an Iranian scientist and U.N. official, said desalination plants across the region could be hit "within the next few days," raising the prospect of a broader regional water crisis and affecting global markets.
The strike threats made by the regime on Sunday came in response to President Donald Trump's warning that the U.S. would hit Iranian power infrastructure unless the Strait of Hormuz was opened within 48 hours.
A spokesperson for the Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya (PBUH) said, "Following previous warnings, if Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked by the enemy, all energy, information technology, and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted."
"The desalination plants might be targeted again within the next few days," Madani told Fox News Digital.
"The driest region of the world might see a real water war, but the knock-on effects on the world’s economy, including the U.S., will be both immediate and lasting," Madani said, pointing to what he described as a "new phase in the conflict" involving such critical civilian infrastructure.
"Now, add the possibility of damage to the already fragile water infrastructure, including treatment plants, pumping stations, and distribution networks," he said. "The consequences would be catastrophic and lasting."
Kaveh’s warning comes as the conflict — now in its fourth week — has expanded beyond military targets. Desalination facilities, including a plant on Iran’s Qeshm Island and another in Bahrain, have allegedly already been struck.
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Desalination, the process of creating drinkable water from seawater, is critical to supplying water across Israel and many of Iran’s Gulf neighbors, particularly in such arid regions where natural freshwater is scarce.
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, echoed the regime’s threats in a post on X on Sunday, warning that "critical infrastructure, energy, and oil across the region will be irreversibly destroyed, and oil prices will rise for a long time" if Iran’s power plants are struck.
"With a blackout, water treatment and distribution systems will also collapse in some parts of the country," Madani clarified.
"Iran will retaliate by attacking desalination, energy, and other energy-related infrastructure in all countries in the region that are parties to the war, including Israel," he added. "The price of oil and gas will increase further, and the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, while a humanitarian disaster is created as millions of people lose access to water and electricity in the region."
TRUMP SAYS US ‘OBLITERATED’ TARGETS IN STRIKE ON KEY IRANIAN OIL HUB
"The U.S. has allegedly already attacked a desalination plant in Qeshm Island, and the Iranians have allegedly responded by striking a plant in Bahrain," he said.
"Iran is the least reliant on desalination plants, so it is explicitly including them as legitimate targets for retaliation because this is the biggest vulnerability of the other parties to the war across the Middle East," he added.
Despite that relative advantage, Iran itself has faced years of severe drought, mismanagement of water resources, and declining groundwater levels, leaving parts of the country increasingly water-stressed.
"If Iranians run out of water and/or electricity, they won’t rise up," Holly Dagres, Libitzky Family Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said.
"The unfortunate truth is that the Islamic Republic would rather allow the country to burn than appear weak while it is facing an existential threat," she said.
Authorities share update on circumstances around missing college student Jimmy Gracey's death
An autopsy of the body of a 20-year-old University of Alabama student who disappeared last week while on spring break in Barcelona shows he likely died from an accidental drowning, according to a preliminary report filed by local police.
The body of James "Jimmy" Gracey, whose disappearance in the wee hours last Tuesday set off a frantic search by Catalan police forces, was found floating in the Mediterranean Sea days later. The report police filed with a local judge found no signs of foul play, but final results will be available on Thursday, according to Spanish newspaper El Periódico.
The Elmhurst, Ill., native had been out with friends at a world-famous nightclub at the city’s Port Olímpic district, which flanks a promenade on sea.
A police spokesman told Fox News that Gracey’s phone had been found on an individual known to local authorities for past charges. The individual was ultimately determined to not have come into contact with Gracey and instead was charged with "illegal possession of another person’s belonging."
On Thursday, Gracey’s wallet was found floating in the water. Police finally recovered Gracey’s body from the water near the nightclub where he had been on Friday afternoon.
According to the newspaper, security camera footage shows Gracey walking by himself onto a dock near the Shoko club and falling in the water.
The preliminary autopsy report points to drowning as the cause of death with multiple injuries to the body consistent with repeated hitting against breakwater rocks, possibly during a swell.
The police spokesman told Fox News that the investigation is ongoing and that their first line of investigation is accidental death. He noted that Gracey’s wallet was found intact with money, credit cards and documents, which lessen the likelihood of foul play.. They also confirmed the preliminary autopsy report did not indicate Jimmy suffered injuries prior to drowning.
Fox News is still waiting on confirmation of Spanish media claims and on whether Gracey’s body was found with his gold chain and rhinestone cross.
A Hungarian tourist reported being robbed of her gold necklace in the same area where Jimmy was last seen alive the night before the American student went missing.
UK nuclear submarine deployed to Arabian Sea before Iran targets key US-UK base: reports
A British nuclear-powered submarine has been deployed to the Arabian Sea amid rising tensions in the region and came ahead of Iran’s failed ballistic missile attempt targeting Diego Garcia, a key U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean, according to reports.
HMS Anson — a Royal Navy Astute-class submarine armed with Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes — traveled about 5,500 miles from HMAS Stirling, near Perth, Australia, to the region earlier in March.
The submarine is reportedly operating in the northern Arabian Sea, positioning Britain to respond quickly if the conflict escalates.
HMS Anson periodically surfaces to maintain communications with the U.K.’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in London, GB News reported.
TRUMP SAYS US ‘OBLITERATED’ TARGETS IN STRIKE ON KEY IRANIAN OIL HUB
The outlet reported that Anson is typically based at Faslane in Scotland, where an Iranian man has been charged with attempting to gain entry.
The deployment was said to have come shortly after the U.K. government authorized the United States to use British military bases for defensive operations targeting Iranian missile capabilities that have threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement, Downing Street said the aim of those operations was to "degrade the missile sites and capabilities" used in attacks on ships, while emphasizing that Britain does not want to be drawn into a wider regional conflict.
Tensions intensified Sunday after Iran launched two ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia, according to multiple reports. Neither missile reached its target; one reportedly failed in flight, while the other was intercepted.
The attempted strike has raised concerns about Iran’s missile range, as Diego Garcia is roughly 2,485 miles from Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi had warned Britain against supporting U.S. or Israeli military action, saying such involvement could further escalate the conflict.
Araghchi told U.K. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper that Iran views Britain’s decision to allow U.S. forces to use its bases as "participation in aggression," according to his account of the call, the BBC reported.
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He also criticized what he described as the U.K.’s "negative and biased" approach and demanded that it cease cooperation with the United States.
The U.K. did not allow the U.S. to use its bases for initial offensive strikes against Iran but later granted permission for defensive operations in response to Iranian missile threats.
Downing Street said: "We didn’t participate in the initial strikes, and we’re not getting drawn into the wider war."
Tehran has said it would exercise what it calls its right to self-defense if threatened.
Meanwhile, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said Sunday that Royal Air Force assets, including Typhoon jets, remain engaged in defensive operations in the region.
The ministry added that British forces have helped counter Iranian drone threats while coordinating closely with allies.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.K. Ministry of Defence for comment.
Iran chokes Strait of Hormuz with reported $2M tanker toll, regime threatens global oil supply
The Iranian regime is charging some tankers $2 million to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to further its control over the global shipping choke point, according to reports.
Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi told state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) on Sunday that the massive toll marks the start of a new approach to controlling the waterway, Iran International reported.
"Collecting $2 million as transit fees from some vessels crossing the strait reflects Iran’s strength," Boroujerdi said during a television program cited by Iranian media.
The member of parliament’s national security committee also said the measure has already been implemented and reflects what he called a new "sovereign regime" in the strait after decades, the outlet said.
"Now, because war has costs, naturally we must do this and take transit fees from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
Boroujerdi’s comments came after President Donald Trump warned Saturday that the United States could target Iran’s power infrastructure if the strait is not reopened within 48 hours.
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"If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 hours from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Trump said in a post shared on Truth Social.
The strait is "open to everyone" except Iran’s adversaries, Tehran’s permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization, Ali Mousavi, also told the Mehr News Agency on Sunday, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also set out Iran’s policy on X.
"The Strait of Hormuz is open to all except those who violate our soil," he said.
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According to Lloyds List, Iran has set up a de facto ‘safe’ shipping passage in the Strait of Hormuz and is offering vetted tankers passage in exchange for approval — and in "at least one case, a reported $2m payment," it said.
Several governments, including China, India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Iraq are in talks with Tehran over ship transit, as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard sets up a new system to register "approved" vessels for safe passage, the outlet reported.
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Maritime intelligence firm Windward AI reported Sunday that Strait of Hormuz traffic was "near collapse", with only "16 AIS-visible crossings recorded over the past seven days."
Transit is controlled increasingly stringently, with vessels rerouting via Iran's territorial waters, the firm said, noting that Gulf energy exports continue to decline, with crude and LPG flows at recent lows.
"Iranian exports remain active, supported by alternative routing and sustained on-water volumes," Windward said.
The strait normally handles about 20 million barrels of oil per day and roughly 20% of global liquefied natural gas trade. The closure has driven up shipping and insurance costs, pushed oil prices higher, and raised global economic concerns.
Russian crude volumes remain elevated, reinforcing continued reliance on maritime energy transport, Windward said.
Carlos Fernández de Cossío: Cuba 'preparing' for 'possibility of military aggression'
Cuba is preparing for possible U.S. aggression even as Trump administration officials have recently signaled they are not planning an invasion, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said Sunday.
"Our military is always prepared, and in fact it is preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression," Fernández de Cossío told NBC News’ "Meet the Press" in an interview that aired Sunday.
"We would be naive if, looking at what’s happening around the world, we would not do that."
"But we truly hope that it doesn’t occur. We don’t see why it would have to occur, and we find no justification whatsoever — why would the government of the United States force its country to take military action against a neighboring country like Cuba."
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The Cuban official’s remarks come just days after President Donald Trump said it would be "a big honor" to be the president that has the "honor of taking Cuba."
"Taking Cuba in some form, yeah, taking Cuba – I mean, whether I free it, take it: I think I can do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth," Trump said, despite the fact Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed diplomacy with the failing regime over any talk of an invasion as Trump's statement might suggest.
"They’re in a lot of trouble, and the people in charge, they don’t know how to fix it," Rubio said this week. "So they have to get new people in charge."
But Fernández de Cossío said Cuba is "absolutely" opposed to regime change, signaling defiance of Trump and Rubio's public statements and setting the stage for potential military action down the road.
"Our country has historically been ready to mobilize, as a nation as a whole, for military aggression," Fernández de Cossío told NBC's Kristen Welker. "We truly always see it as something far from us. We don’t believe it is something that is probable. But we would be naive if we do not prepare. That’s what I can tell you."
Asked whether Cuba was bracing for the United States "to take it in some form," Fernández de Cossío answered: "Truly, we don’t know what they’re talking about."
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"But I can tell you this: Cuba is a sovereign country and has the right to be a sovereign country and has the right to self-determination," he added. "Cuba would not accept to become a vassal state or a dependent state from any other country or any other superpower."
Fernández de Cossío said Cuba was prepared to negotiate with Rubio despite the secretary of state’s longstanding criticism of the Cuban government.
"We are ready to negotiate with the person that the U.S. government, as a sovereign nation, designates as their spokesperson, as their lead negotiator, and we’re ready to negotiate with whoever is designated by the U.S. government," he said. "They’re a sovereign nation. We don’t interfere with that."
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Throughout the interview, the Cuban diplomat cast Havana’s position as defensive, saying Cuba "has no quarrel with the United States" and wants "a respectful relationship," while blaming the island’s worsening energy and economic crisis on U.S. pressure, including efforts to choke off fuel supplies. Recent reporting has documented Cuba’s deepening blackout crisis and the Trump administration’s increased efforts to isolate the government economically.
"What does ‘on its own’ mean when it’s being forced by the United States?" Fernández de Cossío said when asked about Trump’s claim that Cuba could collapse on its own. "It’s a very bizarre statement."
His closing message to Trump was conciliatory, even as he warned that Cuba was preparing for the worst.
"Cuba has no quarrel with the United States," Fernández de Cossío said. "We do have the need and the right to protect ourself.
"But we are willing to sit down, we’re open for business, and we’re all being open to having a respectful relationship that I’m sure the majority of Americans would support and I’m sure the president of the United States would support if we could sit down and talk meaningfully about it."
Analysts say Gaza 'civilian' deaths include Hamas, other terror members working as medics, media workers
As Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) publicly claim their dead, new research shows that many previously counted as civilians were in fact members of the terrorist organizations, undermining accusations that Israeli forces deliberately targeted civilians in Gaza.
Researchers monitoring the Hamas-run health ministry’s death reports told Fox News Digital that a growing number of 'martyrs' were exposed as terrorists by their own groups such as Hamas, despite maintaining public identities as healthcare or media workers.
Gabriel Epstein, senior policy associate at Israel Policy Forum, told Fox News Digital that he has tracked multiple individuals named by Hamas and PIJ as martyrs killed in battle in Gaza who held positions in the health industry, including nongovernmental organizations (NGOs.)
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Epstein found several individuals labeled as medical staff who are also members of terrorist groups. The most serious revelation from the martyr list is Fadi al-Wadiyya, a physiotherapist for Médecins sans frontières, who was killed by Israel Defense Forces in June 2024. MSF responded to the death, saying they were "outraged" and "strongly condemn[ed] the killing of our colleague."
When the IDF claimed that al-Wadiyya was a member of PIJ, MSF said they had "no prior knowledge" of his "alleged involvement in military activities" and said they had "not received any formal explanation" of "the circumstances of his killing."
In a Telegram account claiming to be the media reserve for the Al-Quds Brigades, a post mourning al-Wadiyya’s martyrdom on Feb. 24 lists the physiotherapist as an assistant to the military manufacturing unit of PIJ’s Al-Quds Brigades.
Fox News Digital asked MSF whether they were aware of al-Wadiyya’s PIJ connections prior to the martyr announcement. A spokesperson said, "We would not knowingly employ people engaging in military activity" as it "would pose a danger to our staff and patients by compromising our neutrality."
The spokesperson said that "MSF had no indication that Fadi Al Wadiya might have been involved in military activity of any kind prior to the Israeli authorities’ online posts in June 2024. In the immediate aftermath of Al-Wadiya's killing, we asked for explanations from the Israeli authorities, but never received an official response. If the Israeli authorities were aware of Al-Wadiya's links with militant activities, they never shared this info with us until after he was killed. To this day, the only information they shared and that we are aware of is what was shared through public social media posts."
The IDF banned MSF operations in Gaza from the beginning of March because the organization refused to provide a list of its Palestinian employees. In response to Fox News Digital’s questions about whether they would consider providing this list to the IDF presently, MSF’s spokesperson said, "We did not share our staff lists with Israel because we did not receive concrete assurances to ensure the safety of our staff or the independent management of our operations. This is a place where humanitarian workers have frequently been detained, attacked, and killed. We have a responsibility to protect our colleagues from harm."
Epstein shared several other cases of healthcare workers who played prominent roles in terror groups.
MEDICAL NGO THAT SLAMMED ISRAEL’S ANTI-TERROR RAID NOW QUITS GAZA HOSPITAL OVER ARMED OPERATIVES
Mohammed Akram Abdullah al-Kafarna was mourned by the Palestinian Nursing and Midwifery Association’s Facebook page as the nursing supervisor at Kamal Adwan Hospital and by the Institute for Palestine Studies as head of the Gaza nursing system. A Telegram account that lists members of Hamas’ best-outfitted Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, al-Kafarna is described as one of Beit Hanoun’s "Qassam Martyrs."
Ayman Suleiman Aliyan Abu Tayr was listed as martyred in Khan Younis in June 2025. The Institute for Palestine Studies labels him as a nurse and head of the clinical nutrition department at Nasser Hospital. According to a Telegram account linked to PIJ’s Al-Quds Brigades, Abu Tayr was a Commander in the Central Operations Unit of the Al-Quds Brigades.
Jaber Abdulhamid Diab Mohammedin was mourned on the Palestinian Ministry of Health General Directorate of Nursing’s Facebook page as an Intensive Care Unit nurse at the Al-Rantisi Specialized Children’s Hospital. A Telegram account linked to the Islamic Jihad Movement lists Mohammedin as a commander in the military manufacturing unit of the PIJ’s Al-Quds Brigade.
Nidal Jaber Abdulfattah al-Najjar is labeled as an administrator at the Palestinian Ministry of Health, according to the Institute for Palestine Studies, while a mourner on Facebook noted that he worked in the Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital. He is labeled on a Telegram account emblazoned with Hamas’ distinctive red triangle as a martyr commander of Hamas’ Al-Radwan Battalion.
Salo Aizenberg, director of media watchdog group HonestReporting, told Fox News Digital that he is tracking at least ten "virtually indisputable" examples of journalists who are actually combatants, working with Hamas and other terrorist groups.
David Adesnik, vice president of research for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that he has also been tracking the disclosures. "With PIJ, the number of commanders who operated with civilian cover is striking," Adesnik said. "We’re at a point where the evidence indicates that this duplicity was a routine part of a strategy to infiltrate civilian organization, especially humanitarian ones. This provides access and protection while ensuring outrage when these supposed humanitarians are killed."
Adesnik said he believes it "likely that Hamas also employed this strategy in a systematic way, but right now we mainly have the PIJ disclosures. Given that Hamas is many times larger, if it were to disclose this kind of information, the effects could easily ripple across the humanitarian sector in Gaza."
Among the cases Aizenberg is tracking are media workers. He said that his list is "based solely on admissions by those groups and other Gazan sources," and "does not include the many additional examples identified through Israeli evidence."
Though the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) cites Yacoup Al-Borsch as a journalist and the executive director of Namaa Radio, Aizenberg has found "numerous social media posts and martyr notices identifying him as a fighter and ‘mujahid.’" This includes a Facebook post from an account affiliated with the Al-Omari Mosque in Jabalia.
Ahmed Abu Sharia was a freelancer who worked for outlets like Iranian Tasnim News Agency, the CPJ says. According to the "official" Telegram site of the Mujahideen Brigades, the Palestinian Mujahideen movement’s military wing, he was also a member of the Mujahideen Brigades.
Rizq Abu Shakian was a "media worker and administrator for the pro-Hamas Palestine Now Agency," according to CPJ. Shakian also appears in Hamas uniform on a Telegram site that shares images of Palestinian martyrs. According to Aizenberg’s research, he was a member of the Al-Qassam Brigades.
In response to questions about whether CPJ would update listings of journalists who have been claimed as terror affiliates, the group directed Fox News Digital to its policy for updating listings, which states, "CPJ has a long-standing policy of updating its data and the accompanying narrative accounts without issuing formal corrections as new information becomes available over time. In certain cases, a record may be removed from public view when new information leads CPJ to determine that a case falls outside its mandate or for security concerns, such as the safety of the journalist and their family. CPJ will publicly record when it has removed a journalist from the database for a reason outside of security concerns. "
As the shaky ceasefire in Gaza continues, analysts say they continue to place value in closely examining the war’s casualties. Epstein said that "reviewing cases of militants who held dual civilian roles in key sectors like media, healthcare and education is important for the historical record and underscores the information limitations press, government, and analysts face in real time during conflict." He said that "over time, militant identification can give a sense of just how deep Hamas, PIJ and other militant groups' hold over key sectors in Gaza was."
Churchill, Shakespeare and the UK flag all under siege in modern Britain, commentators say
Over a century ago, Britain was seen as the place to be. It pioneered science, including medicine. It built industries such as railroads, major bridges and created a strong middle class. And despite what some would say, it was the only major empire that abolished slavery and policed the oceans, at its own considerable expense, to make sure other countries didn’t enslave people. And it had the largest Navy in the World. Now, many say that all seems like a distant memory.
The latest controversy involves images or statues of some of the United Kingdom’s most lauded people. The face of Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during WWII, is being removed from the five-pound note by the Bank of England. The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called the decision "absolutely crackers," noting the proposal was to replace Churchill and others with a picture of a beaver.
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Churchill’s statue in Westminster was vandalized in 2020 and again last month. Churchill led the defense of Britain, which was the only country in Europe that didn’t fall during WWII.
"Decades of woke education policy have taught people to deny and decry the history of this country as it is deemed to be oppressive, racist and unfair," Alan Mendoza, founder and executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital. He says the teaching labor unions controlled by the hard left have enforced their agenda on generations of pupils. "It is no surprise, therefore, that at least some of their victims have imbibed this philosophy and are acting on it."
Statues of British people who lived centuries ago have been targeted to be pulled down and then destroyed. Some of these efforts have been successful. Some have not. William Gladstone, Robert Peel, James Cook, and Francis Drake were targeted for destruction by activists, according to Sky News. These men were, respectively, a reformist prime minister, the founder of the police force, a naval explorer and a privateer. Luckily, their statues remain largely intact.
Now William Shakespeare is under attack. Apparently, being white is a bad thing, and some say the Bard was really a black woman. The activist summary is that Shakespeare might be used to advocate white nationalism.
These attempts to erase high-achieving Brits from history might appear trivial, Matt Goodwin, a GB News Presenter, wrote on X. "It matters far more than many people realize," he wrote. "Across the Western World, an assortment of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion [DEI] bureaucrats, radical activists, and increasingly compliant public institutions are engaged in a cultural project that seeks to delegitimize our national."
It’s not just statues and images that have been targeted. Flying your own country’s flag can get you in trouble. Left-wingers in Britain, such as Labour Party supporters, often view the flying of the United Kingdom’s Union Flag, or England’s George Cross, as racist or anti-immigration.
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"So strong has become the voice of DEI and immigrants that any sign of a proud U.K. gets denounced," Ben Habib, founder of the Advance UK political party, told Fox News Digital. "DEI cannot bear strong nations - it wants them set aside so minorities feel at "home".
Habib also notes there’s an added complication with the Union and St. George's flags - they both represent Christian Saints. "That is offensive to the growing numbers practicing foreign religions in the U.K.," he told Fox News Digital.
Much of this flag-hating began following the invasion of Israel by Hamas, an Iran-backed terrorist organization. The U.K. then witnessed a surge in Palestinian flags flying on public buildings. This upset more than a few British patriots, who then stepped out with the British flags. "We need to start cohering around national stories and symbols, and the flag is the most visual way of doing that," says Colin Brazier, a British culture commentator had previously told Fox News Digital.
Planning authorities, usually the local U.K. councils, do not need to grant permission for people to fly either the Union Flag or the George Cross. Other flags are seen as an advertisement. However, spray-painting a George Cross on a building that’s not yours is not allowed.
Despite the George Cross being seen as anti-immigrant in the U.K., the historical St. George, who died approximately 1700 years ago, is mentioned in the Koran as a friend of Moses. And some religious scholars suggest he is a servant of God.
At the same time, Britain’s economy has slowed to a near total stop under the present center-left Starmer government. The unemployment rate increased to 5.4% in December, up from 3.6% in August 2022, according to data from Trading Economics. The country’s GDP growth has been stuck at 1% or less since the first quarter of 2022.
Part of the rush to take up flags may be the disastrous economy in Britain. One outstanding, poorly thought-through government policy came from the Labour Party, which mandated an increase in National Insurance contributions (the U.S. equivalent to FICA) by corporations, undermining any chance of increasing employment, as the jump in costs effectively acted as a tax on employment.
Fox News Digital's Michael Saunders contributed to this report.
Dad loses custody of autistic son after fighting sex change, gets support from Elon Musk
A devastated father in Iceland says he was stripped of his parental rights after speaking out against his 11-year-old autistic son's sex change — a case that has drawn international attention, including from billionaire Elon Musk — as he accuses the courts of prioritizing progressive ideology over a parent’s right to protect their child.
Alexandre Rocha, a French national who has lived in Iceland for 25 years, lost custody to the child’s mother in December and told Fox News Digital he believes the judge ruled against him because he questioned the long-term impacts of puberty blockers and hormone therapies.
"It should be a crime," Rocha said of the medical interventions. "You are molesting kids, castrating a boy, like in the case of my kid. This shouldn’t happen. This is an ideology that has no place for kids."
He argued that his then-10-year-old — whose worldview is shaped by video games like Minecraft and Roblox — could not comprehend the permanent consequences of sex reassignment.
ESSAY EXPOSES CRUMBLING MEDICAL CONSENSUS ON YOUTH GENDER SURGERY
"Naturally, every kid [after a separation and autism diagnosis] will have a mental challenge," Rocha said. "The transition is a happy place. They do feel validated, they like the attention… To me, the concern is the long-term. Will they still be happy in four years from now, or six years, from having blockers and having more hormones? Is it really fixing what is underlying — the mental challenge or difficulty, whatever they're going through?"
Despite his child being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder just eight months ago, Rocha said the court and medical professionals "slightly passed over" the diagnosis during the trial.
He noted that children on the autism spectrum often struggle with feeling "right in their skin" or "wanting to be something else," adding that his child sometimes prefers to be a cat — wearing a tail or cat ears.
VIRGINIA MOM PRAISES TRUMP FOR SHINING 'A LIGHT' ON DAUGHTER'S SCHOOL TRANSITION CASE DURING SOTU
However, when he raised those concerns in court, Rocha said an Icelandic endocrinologist "totally dismissed" him under oath, guaranteeing the hormone drugs posed "no problem" and refusing to examine underlying mental health factors.
Now cut out of the medical decision-making process, Rocha said he fears what treatment his son may be receiving without his knowledge.
"It could very well be that he is being treated with hormones and I don’t know anything about it," he said.
Rocha added that the child’s mother is pushing a "stronger ideology than ever," saying he had to use advanced artificial intelligence (AI) program ChatGPT to understand terms like "deadname," which refers to a person’s birth name before a sex change.
DAVID MARCUS: SCOTUS GETS CASE ON TRANSING KIDS RIGHT, DESPITE THREE CLUELESS JUSTICES
"I can’t support this kind of speech. This, to me, is diabolical. It’s beyond love," he said. "When you talk about a kid, you can’t talk about death. It just doesn’t make sense to me."
Rocha said he was notified in February that the child’s mother formally changed his son’s name to a female name, "meaning his ID will now clearly state he is a girl."
The father said he believes the court's ruling was not about his child’s welfare, but rather a coordinated effort to silence dissent.
"It is to control parents. It is to control me," he said. "It is to silence me. It is to give all power to this ideology."
Rocha’s story has garnered international attention and recently caught Musk’s eye.
The Tesla CEO has been outspoken about transgender issues after revealing his son, Xavier, transitioned to a female and now goes by the name Vivian Jenna Wilson.
Musk said he was "essentially tricked" into giving consent for Wilson to go on puberty blockers, before he had "any understanding of what was going on."
In response to a post about Rocha's story on popular X account @libsoftiktok, Musk said, "The woke mind virus even affects Iceland."
Rocha said he was "very surprised and honored" that Musk shared his story.
"I think we have a common fight going on," he said. "Because at the end of the day, we’re all parents, no matter the borders or nationalities."
Musk did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Beyond politics, Rocha said he misses everyday moments with his son, who he said he hasn't seen since January.
"I miss story time at night and cooking together," he said, noting how much he enjoyed sharing 1990s Steven Spielberg movies like "Jurassic Park" with his son.
Rocha recently requested daily fines against the child's mother for obstructing his court-ordered visitation rights.
The mother denied intentionally blocking the visits, claiming the child refuses to attend because Rocha rejects his transgender identity and does not use his new name, according to court documents.
Rocha provided a witness affidavit alleging their last visitation went smoothly and that the child appeared happy and secure in his presence.
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He recalled a recent visit where his son said he "missed it, to be with grandma and my sister."
"When you don’t know what’s happening on the other side, as a parent, you get really worried," Rocha said. "We are slowly drifting apart, and that’s a very sad outcome of this."
Despite pressure to stay quiet, Rocha urged other parents to trust their "instincts," speak up and seek professional guidance.
"I’m here for my kid and for his future," he said. "That’s the only thing I care about. I am campaigning for him, for his future."
The child's mother could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
Trump proven right on Iran's long-range missile capability as regime targets US-UK base, experts say
The Islamic Republic of Iran significantly escalated its war effort against the U.S. with its launch of two intermediate-range ballistic missiles on Friday toward Diego Garcia, a key U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean.
The targeting of Diego Garcia, roughly 2,500 miles from Iran, means Tehran’s missile capabilities appear to have exceeded previously acknowledged limits.
In the period leading up to Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that "We intentionally kept the range of our missiles below 2,000 km so we don’t have that capability. And we don’t want to do that because we do not have hostility against the United States people and all Europeans."
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On Saturday, Israel Defense Forces IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said "Just yesterday, Iran launched a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometers [2,500 miles] toward an American target on the island of Diego Garcia. These missiles were not intended to hit Israel. Their range reaches the capitals of Europe — Berlin, Paris and Rome are all within direct threat range."
IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani blasted the alleged Iranian deception on X: "Just 3 days before the war, the Iranian regime said they don’t obtain long-range missiles. Today, their lies were exposed once again, when missiles were fired 4000km away from Iran. They hoped to lie their way into becoming a force that can terrorize the world. We didn’t buy it."
Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital, "The Trump administration, in citing Iran's missile threat as a rationale for Operation Epic Fury, was therefore justified in its decision to undertake military action as Iran has consistently refused to negotiate over its missile program. It also shows how dangerous it is to solely rely on Iranian nuclear weapons fatwas and the supreme leader’s public rhetoric in formulating U.S. policy. As long as Iran retains the technical capability beyond public pronouncements, it is a threat."
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According to Brodsky, "I think it's a message that the IRGC is in charge in Iran after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's death. When Khamenei was alive, he limited the range of Iran's missile program to 2000 km. Khamenei recounted in 2018 how he had rejected overtures from IRGC commanders seeking to increase the range to as much as 5000 km."
He continued, "But now that he has died, those voices in the IRGC seeking to increase the range are likely driving the agenda. The launch of the missiles was likely meant as a signal of the IRGC's capabilities to threaten U.S. allies beyond the Middle East. For example, this threatens Europe."
The two long-range Iranian missiles did not hit the base, but the attempted attack marked a significant expansion of Iran’s reach beyond the Middle East and toward a major U.S. strategic hub. One missile reportedly failed in flight, while a U.S. warship launched an SM-3 interceptor at the other, officials said. It was not immediately clear whether the interception was successful. The remote base is a critical launch point for U.S. bombers, nuclear submarines and other strategic assets.
Ilan Berman, Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, "The launch hammers home the president’s point about Iran being an imminent threat. It’s easy for casual observers to ignore, but the increasing maturity of Iran’s strategic programs, plural, has been exponentially expanding the threat that the Islamic Republic poses beyond the Middle East. That is what "Epic Fury" is seeking to address. The administration believes, absolutely correctly in my view, that these types of capabilities cannot be left in the hands of a radical, predatory regime."
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He continued that "Despite its public denials, it’s been clear that the Iranian regime has been working on expanding the range of its ballistic missile capabilities for years. The launch toward Diego Garcia confirms that it has made real progress toward that goal, and is already able to put targets in the same range as Central and Eastern Europe at risk. Moreover, it’s clear that the regime is seeking still greater capabilities – and that, if left intact, Iran’s ballistic missiles would attain intercontinental range soon."
Berman, the author of "Iran’s Deadly Ambition: The Islamic Republic’s Quest for Global Power," added, "The parallel development Iran has been carrying out on its space program is significant. The booster used to put payloads into orbit can be married onto a medium-range missile to create intercontinental range capabilities. Before the war, we were seeing a clear convergence of the regime’s strategic programs: its ballistic missile work, its space capabilities and its nuclear program."
He warned about the serious Iranian threat to continental Europe. "Europe is absolutely at risk, as the recent launch makes clear. I wouldn’t say that a failure to recognize this to date has been due to a grand deception by Tehran, though. It is more attributable to willful blindness on the part of European elites about the extent of the threat that the Iranian regime poses, as well as undue faith in diplomacy and arms control in containing it," he said.
On Saturday, the United Kingdom condemned the attack. "Iran’s reckless attacks, lashing out across the region and holding hostage the Strait of Hormuz, are a threat to British interests and British allies," the U.K. Ministry of Defense said in a statement. "RAF jets and other U.K. military assets are continuing to defend our people and personnel in the region."
"This government has given permission to the U.S. to use British bases for specific and limited defensive operations," it added.
Fox News Digital's Greg Norman and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
Iranian man, Romanian woman charged after allegedly trying to enter UK nuclear missile base, officials say
An Iranian man and a Romanian woman have now been charged after allegedly unsuccessfully attempting to enter a nuclear missile base in Scotland this week, Police Scotland announced Saturday.
The agency said around 5 p.m. on Thursday, "we were made aware of two people attempting to enter HM Naval Base Clyde."
"A 34-year-old Iranian man and a 31-year-old Romanian woman have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. They are due to appear at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Monday, March 23," Police Scotland said. "Enquiries are ongoing."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Police Scotland for further comment.
IRANIAN MAN, SECOND PERSON ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY TRYING TO ENTER UK NUCLEAR MISSILE BASE
Citing the Times, the Telegraph newspaper reported that the suspects were turned away from the base because they lacked the correct passes and were later arrested nearby for allegedly "acting suspiciously in the vicinity."
HM Naval Base Clyde — commonly known as Faslane — is considered the primary base for the United Kingdom's missile fleet.
The Royal Navy says the base is home "to the core of the Submarine Service, including the nation's nuclear deterrent, and the new generation of hunter-killer submarines."
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The U.K. Parliament says the Royal Navy currently operates a fleet of nine submarines, with the entire fleet based at HM Naval Base Clyde.
"Five of those are conventionally-armed nuclear-powered attack submarines of the Astute class. A further four are ballistic missiles submarines (SSBN) of the Vanguard class that comprise the UK’s submarine-based nuclear deterrent," it added.
A Royal Navy spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday, "Police Scotland have arrested two people who unsuccessfully attempted to enter HM Naval Base Clyde on Thursday 19 March. As the matter is subject to an ongoing investigation, we will not comment further."
Families of Iran's elite live lavishly abroad while ordinary citizens suffer at home
For decades, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and ruling clerical elite have relied on a system critics say is as strategic as it is cynical: denounce the West in public, while quietly securing a future there for their own families.
"The Islamic regime in Iran is corrupt to its core," Kasra Aarabi, director of IRGC research at United Against Nuclear Iran, told Fox News Digital. "While regime clerics and IRGC commanders violently Islamize Iranian society and export anti-Americanism globally, their sons and daughters live lavish lifestyles on blood money in Western capitals."
Iranian journalist Banafsheh Zand still remembers the girl from her school, the kind of memory that only becomes meaningful years later, when a familiar face reappears in a completely different context.
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They sat together in classrooms at Tehran’s elite Iranzamin School, an institution designed for the children of diplomats and Iran’s upper class, where students spoke multiple languages and moved easily between cultures. The girl was quiet and studious, already shaped in part by years spent in the United States, where she had lived as a child and picked up fluent English that would later define her public role.
Years later, Zand would see her again, not across a desk or in a school hallway, but on television screens around the world. Her former classmate had become the voice of the 1979 U.S. embassy hostage crisis.
The girl was Masoumeh Ebtekar, the English-speaking spokesperson for the extremists who held 52 Americans hostages for 444 days, and who would go on to defend the takeover of the U.S. embassy and later describe it as "the best move" for the revolution.
And yet, decades later, the story did not end in Tehran. It continued, quietly and almost predictably, in California.
Ebtekar son, Eissa Hashemi, was living in the United States, pursuing graduate studies and eventually building a career in academia in Los Angeles, Zand exposed on her substack "Iran So Far Away" — a trajectory that stands in stark contrast to the ideology his mother helped articulate to the world.
For Zand, this is not an anecdote or an isolated irony, but a window into how the system itself functions.
"They take the money from corruption inside the country and use it to live a better life elsewhere," she said. "It’s not a few cases. It’s how they operate."
What Zand is describing is widely referred to inside Iran as the "aghazadeh" phenomenon, a term used for the children of the Iranian regime’s elite who live lives of privilege abroad while their families enforce ideological restrictions at home, and who have come to symbolize for many Iranians the gap between the regime’s rhetoric and its reality.
CHASING THE APOCALYPSE: RADICAL SHIITE CLERICS ON AMERICAN SOIL PREACH PROPHETIC SHOWDOWN WITH US
Exiled Iranian journalist Mehdi Ghadimi, now based in Canada, argues that this phenomenon is structured.
"When we talk about the presence of agents of the Islamic Republic, especially the IRGC, here in Canada, we should understand this is not random," Ghadimi told Fox News Digital. "It operates in layers."
The system functions as a three-tiered structure that allows regime-linked individuals to embed themselves across Western societies, according to Ghadimi, beginning with those who arrive as students and academics, often presenting themselves as ordinary immigrants while maintaining ties to the regime or its security apparatus.
"They come as students or professors," he said, "but many have prior connections to the IRGC, and part of their role is to normalize the Islamic Republic in universities and gather information on activists."
That category includes individuals identified in recent reporting across U.S. campuses, such as Leila Khatami, daughter of former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami at Union College in New York, Zeinab Hajjarian, the daughter of Saeed Hajjarian, a founder of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence, at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, according to a March 18 New York Post report.
The second layer, Ghadimi explained, is financial, consisting of former insiders and trusted affiliates who enter Western countries as investors or business figures, often carrying significant capital that raises questions about its origin.
"In Iran, a monthly salary might be $100 or $200, while an apartment costs $100,000," he said. "So when someone arrives with millions, they are not an ordinary individual."
These individuals, he said, often serve as conduits for moving money out of Iran, operating under the cover of private enterprise while maintaining ties to the system that enabled their wealth. "They change their professional status and enter as private-sector investors," he said. "But they are trusted by the system."
The third layer involves individuals who receive explicit approval from the regime to move large sums abroad, a process that, according to Ghadimi, requires a "green light" from the security apparatus and often comes with expectations in return. "In order to move that level of money, you need permission," he said, "and in return, they help finance networks connected to the regime."
One of the most prominent examples is Mahmoud Reza Khavari, the former chairman of Bank Melli Iran, who fled the country in 2011 after the bank was implicated in a roughly $2.6 billion embezzlement scandal, one of the largest corruption cases in Iran’s history.
Khavari later settled in Canada, where public reporting shows that he and his family acquired millions of dollars in real estate, including properties in Toronto, where he remains more than a decade later.
For Zand, the pattern is unmistakable.
"It’s a mafia structure," she said.
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As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, the daughter of senior Iranian political figure Ali Larijani and a conservative force within Iran’s theocracy, who was killed in an Israeli strike this week, held a position at Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta before leaving earlier this year following public pressure.
At the same time, a February 2026 report by The Guardian highlighted how relatives of Iranian elites have built lives not only in the United States, but also in Britain and Canada, including members of the Larijani family and relatives of other senior officials, even as the regime continues to position itself in opposition to the West.
Thousands of relatives of Iranian officials were believed to be living across Western countries, IranWire reported in 2022, though precise figures remain difficult to independently verify, underscoring both the scale of the phenomenon and the opacity of the system behind it.
"The problem is even more visible in Europe," Aarabi said, "Governments, not least the U.K., have turned a blind eye."
IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER MOJTABA KHAMENEI 'MISFUNCTIONING,' NOT CONTROLLING REGIME: SOURCES
Mojtaba Khamenei, who is slated as the country’s new supreme leader, has been linked to a network of overseas assets, including high-value real estate in Europe.
A March 2026 investigation by The Times of London, identified two luxury apartments in London’s Kensington neighborhood, acquired in 2014 and 2016 through intermediaries, that sit directly adjacent to the Israeli Embassy compound.
The findings are part of a broader probe into Khamenei’s alleged overseas holdings, with a Bloomberg investigation estimating a portfolio spanning multiple countries and totaling roughly $138 million in assets across Europe and the Gulf, pending verification of full ownership structures.
"He has been operating behind the scenes, managing a large part of the Revolutionary Guard’s security and economic cartel," Ghadimi said. "His hands are deeply stained with corruption and crimes, and the same Revolutionary Guard is now the main force backing his rise."
US OFFERS $10M REWARD FOR INFO ON IRAN’S NEW SUPREME LEADER, TOP IRGC OFFICIALS
Inside Iran, the contrast with everyday life is stark. Women are arrested for violating dress codes, protesters are jailed and economic hardship has deepened across much of the population. Outside Iran, the children of the elite live differently.
"They’re telling people how to live, what to wear, what to believe," Zand said. "But their own families don’t live like that."
For her, the issue is not only hypocrisy, but strategy. "It’s also about influence," she said. "They integrate into societies, they build networks, they learn how the West works."
Aarabi believes Western governments have failed to respond accordingly. "The Islamic regime’s oligarchs should be treated no differently from Putin’s oligarchs," he said. "The West should identify, sanction and deport these individuals."
Live possum discovered hiding among plush toys in an Australian airport gift shop
Someone was playing possum — or stuffed animal.
Among plush kangaroos, dingoes and Tasmanian devils ready to be bought by parents of antsy children, a live brushtail possum waited in a gift shop at an Australian airport this week.
The wild animal was first noticed by a shopper in the store on Wednesday, retail manager Liam Bloomfield of Hobart Airport in the state of Tasmania said.
"A passenger reported it to …. one of the staff members on shift who couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing," Bloomfield told The Associated Press. "She then called the (airport) management and said we’ve got a possum in the store."
TOURISTS IN LAS VEGAS PAY $1,000 FOR DINNER ON THE STRIP WHILE SHARKS EAT LIKE ROYALTY
Staff at the airport were able to remove the animal without harming it.
"I’m imaging it saw some of the plush animals that were for sale on the shelf and it decided to make its home with those," Bloomfield joked of why the possum was hiding with the stuffed toys. "It wanted to blend in."
EXPERT SOUNDS ALARM AFTER STUDY FINDS POPULAR TRAVEL ITEM CARRIES FAR MORE BACTERIA THAN EXPECTED
"Can you spot the imposter?" the airport wrote in a Facebook post Thursday that showed the possum curled up in a cubby with its stuffed counterparts.
"This cheeky lost possum found a clever hiding place among the Aussie plushies in our retail store," the airport continued. "Luckily it was safely relocated out of the terminal area and the space was cleaned."
Bloomfield said the possum not only found a way into the airport but also their hearts.
"We’ll have a little shrine to the possum," he revealed, according to The Independent. "There will be a nice little photo; once it gets a name, we will put a nice little post in front of the store to make sure it’s remembered."
Australian prime minister heckled at mosque, called 'putrid dog' by protestors
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was chased out of the country's largest mosque Friday as Muslims in attendance voiced anger over his stance on the Israeli war against Hamas.
Albanese was called several names, including a "putrid dog" and a "genocide supporter" in reference to the deaths of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel, The Telegraph reported.
Video footage showed the prime minister standing alongside Tony Burke, the home affairs minister, at the Lakemba Mosque in Sydney as the community marked Eid, the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
"Why is he in here? Get him out of here!" some shouted.
Albanese and his Left Labor government have drawn criticism for its support of a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel's right to defend itself.
During the commotion, Gamel Kheir, the mosque’s secretary, pleaded for calm.
"Respect the place you’re in," he said. "We must engage and have frank and open dialogue with our political leaders and not shy away and be reclusive."
"You called him honorable. He’s responsible for the deaths of 1 million people, 1 million of our brothers and sisters," one person reportedly shouted.
AUSTRALIAN PM ALBANESE GETS BOOED DURING BONDI BEACH VIGIL HONORING HANUKKAH ATTACK VICTIMS
Albanese was taken into an office inside the mosque by security before he was taken out of the building and into his motorcade.
As he was leaving, cries of "shame on you" and the slur "Alba-tizi," a derogatory Arabic play on his surname, referencing buttocks, were shouted.
"He wants to come here after shaking hands with the president of Israel, who’s got blood on his hands," said one person who confronted the prime minister. "To come here and act like nothing has happened is a disgrace."
Albanese posted photos on X showing him smiling and shaking hands with attendees.
"Overwhelmingly, the reception was incredibly positive," he told reporters of his visit. "I walked through the crowd to the mosque, and not a single person heckled. There were a couple of hecklers inside. They were dealt with.
"Contrary to what’s been suggested, no one was rushed out," he added. "We just sat there. … It was dealt with by the community themselves because overwhelmingly they did not want that to occur."
Iranian man, 2nd person arrested after allegedly trying to enter UK nuclear missile base: report
Two people were arrested after allegedly unsuccessfully attempting to enter HM Naval Base Clyde in Scotland on Thursday, authorities confirmed to Fox News Digital.
One suspect was an Iranian man, while the other was a woman of unknown nationality, The Telegraph reported.
"Around 5pm on Thursday, 19 March, 2026, we were made aware of two people attempting to enter HM Naval Base Clyde," Police Scotland said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "A 34-year-old man and 31-year-old woman have been arrested in connection and enquiries are ongoing."
The Telegraph reported that the man was Iranian, while the woman's nationality was not immediately known. Citing the Times, the Telegraph said the suspects were turned away from the base because they lacked the correct passes and were later arrested nearby for allegedly "acting suspiciously in the vicinity."
IRAN'S NEW SUPREME LEADER LINKED TO PROPERTIES WITH ‘LINE OF SIGHT’ INTO ISRAELI UK EMBASSY
A Royal Navy spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital, "Police Scotland have arrested two people who unsuccessfully attempted to enter HM Naval Base Clyde on Thursday 19 March. As the matter is subject to an ongoing investigation, we will not comment further."
HM Naval Base Clyde — commonly known as Faslane — is considered the primary base for the United Kingdom's missile fleet.
PENCE BACKS TRUMP'S IRAN STRIKES, SAYS PRESIDENT ‘IGNORED’ GOP ISOLATIONISTS
The Royal Navy says the base is home "to the core of the Submarine Service, including the nation's nuclear deterrent, and the new generation of hunter-killer submarines."
The U.K. Parliament says the Royal Navy currently operates a fleet of nine submarines, with the entire fleet based at HM Naval Base Clyde.
"Five of those are conventionally-armed nuclear-powered attack submarines of the Astute class. A further four are ballistic missiles submarines (SSBN) of the Vanguard class that comprise the UK’s submarine-based nuclear deterrent," it added.
Ukraine peace talks on ‘situational pause’ as Middle East conflict intensifies: Kremlin
Ukraine peace talks are on a "situational pause" as the Middle East conflict intensifies, the Kremlin said Thursday, even as Kyiv signaled negotiations could resume as soon as this weekend.
Following reports in Russian media that the Kremlin had paused talks on Ukraine and that the Middle East conflict could push Kyiv toward compromise, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the pause.
"This is a situational pause, for obvious reasons," Peskov told reporters when asked about the report, according to Reuters.
Peskov added that as soon as "our American partners" could refocus on the Ukraine conflict, Moscow hopes the pause will end and new talks can begin, the outlet reported.
UKRAINE TO MEET TRUMP ENVOYS AHEAD OF HIGH-STAKES GENEVA TALKS WITH RUSSIA AS WAR ENTERS FIFTH YEAR
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video posted on X that Kyiv has received signals from the U.S. that it is ready to resume talks aimed at ending the war.
"There has been a pause in the talks, and it is time to resume them," he said. "We are doing everything to ensure that the negotiations are genuinely substantive."
Zelenskyy added that a Ukrainian negotiating team is already on its way to the U.S. and is expected to hold meetings Saturday.
RUSSIA, UKRAINE TO DISCUSS TERRITORY AS TRUMP SAYS BOTH SIDES 'WANT TO MAKE A DEAL'
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said the "hatred" between Russia and Ukraine was getting in the way of reaching a peace deal.
Speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Florida, Trump said the "hatred between Putin and his counterpart is so great."
"It's so great that, you know, Ukraine, Russia, you'd think there would be a little bit of camaraderie, [but] there’s not. And the hatred is so great. It's very hard for them to get there. It's very, very hard to get there. So we'll see what happens," Trump said. "But we've been close a lot of times and one or the other would back out."
UKRAINE'S ZELENSKYY: RUSSIA TRYING 'TO PLAY' GAME WITH TRUMP, STALL PEACE TALKS
Trump’s comments came after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in January that Russia was losing between 20,000 and 25,000 troops each month in its war against Ukraine.
The pause in talks comes as Ukraine is increasingly being drawn into the wider Middle East conflict.
With the conflict in Iran now in its third week, Ukraine is providing technology and battlefield-tested tactics to counter Iranian drone attacks.
U.S. and Gulf partners have requested Ukrainian assistance, with Kyiv signaling it is prepared to share both systems and personnel to help defend against Iranian aerial threats.
Fox News Digital's Greg Norman-Diamond and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report, along with Reuters.
Denmark secretly prepared to blow up Greenland's runways to stop US aircraft: report
Denmark prepared to sabotage Greenland’s airstrips using explosives and flew in blood supplies amid fears of a potential U.S. invasion earlier this year, according to a new report by Danish public broadcaster DR.
The measures were said to be part of a contingency plan that included deploying troops to the island in January with explosives for possible runway demolition aimed at preventing U.S. aircraft from landing, EuroNews said.
The measures were outlined in a Danish military operations order dated Jan. 13, which DR said it had reviewed.
RUSSIA, CHINA SQUEEZE US ARCTIC DEFENSE ZONE AS TRUMP EYES GREENLAND
The preparations were made as tensions escalated over President Donald Trump’s statement that the U.S. should control Greenland for national security reasons.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen repeatedly rejected Trump’s demands to acquire the island.
DR said it based its report on 12 sources within the highest levels of the Danish government and military and sources among Denmark’s allies in France and Germany, the BBC said.
TRUMP’S GREENLAND PUSH DRIVES DANISH PM TO CALL EARLY ELECTION
"When Trump says all the time that he wants to buy Greenland … we had to take all possible scenarios seriously," an unnamed Danish military official told DR.
Denmark and several European allies also deployed troops to Greenland under what was a NATO exercise called Arctic Endurance.
In reality, according to the sources cited by DR, the deployment was operational.
Soldiers arrived equipped not only with standard military gear but also with the medical supplies and the explosives, the report said. France, Germany and Sweden also took part in the January deployment.
Despite the preparations, Danish authorities sought to avoid escalation with Washington.
Trump announced a vague "framework" agreement on Greenland with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Jan. 21, though details remain unclear.
TRUMP SENDING US MILITARY HOSPITAL SHIP TO GREENLAND TO 'TAKE CARE' OF SICK
At the World Economic forum in Davos Trump said, "I don't want to use force. I won't use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland."
On March 17, the commander of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), Gen. Gregory Guillot, said, "We are working with Denmark through the Department of State to expand some of the authorities that are in the 1951 treaty to give increased access to different bases across Greenland.
"But everything that we're doing through NORTHCOM is through Greenland and through Denmark."
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