MEDIA MONDAY / REMEMBER THE ISRAEL - IRAN WAR?

With the world’s attention locked on GazaGate, EpsteinGate and Homeless DCgate, some critical international developments have slipped under the Persian carpet.    

Here’s the latest on the Israel–Iran War, 2025—a conflict whose fires may not be out just yet. The short but devastating war erupted in June 2025 when Israel launched sweeping airstrikes across Iran, striking nuclear facilities, military bases, and high-ranking IRGC targets. 

In response, Iran unleashed Operation True Promise 3, sending hundreds of drones and missiles into Israeli territory. For nearly two weeks, the Middle East teetered on the edge of a larger regional conflagration. 

The 12-day war ended in a tenuous ceasefire. But the damage was immense. Iran’s airports, oil refineries, and power grids lay in ruins. Oil exports fell by more than 50 percent. Civilian casualties climbed above 600, with thousands injured and dozens of senior scientists and military leaders among the dead. Many of Iran’s surviving nuclear scientists have since gone into hiding under heavy guard. The political fallout continues. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has dispatched officials to Tehran for the first time since the war, though their visit will not include inspections—only technical talks that Iran says will be “complicated” and tightly controlled. 

 Regionally, Iran’s defense chief is in Iraq pushing for a new security pact aimed at controlling cross-border militia movements and preventing future Israeli strikes via Iraqi airspace. Meanwhile, the United States is promoting a deal to disarm Hezbollah by year’s end in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon—a proposal Lebanon’s cabinet has tentatively endorsed, though Hezbollah itself remains defiant. 

 Tensions remain combustible. Political analysts warn that Israel could launch another major strike on Iran before December 2025—perhaps even this month—if intelligence suggests Tehran is rebuilding its nuclear capabilities or repositioning for retaliation. 

 The war’s military phase may have ended in June, but the strategic contest between Israel and Iran continues—largely away from the headlines, yet under the constant glare of satellites, spies, and the small cadre of diplomats still trying to prevent the next explosion.