Teetering On The Brink Of Full-Blown War

A detailed recount mixed with meme comedy to mark our times at Week 24 of 2025 featuring source material from Star Trek Lower Decks, Gundam Gquuuuuux, and Hailey’s On It

Jun 22, 2025

Middle East War Watch - A World On Edge

As deaths in Iran and Israel surge over airstrikes between the two countries, Israel claimed it has achieved “aerial superiority” over Tehran, adding it has control of the skies from western Iran to the capital. This came hours after Netanyahu said regime change “could certainly” happen during a Fox News interview and denied allegations by a Reuters report that Trump had vetoed assassinating the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Meanwhile, Iran claimed they have developed “new methods” that can breach Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system. It comes as the US embassy in Israel was “damaged” after an Iranian strike, and the Israeli Haifa power plant was “on fire.” As the IDF warns residents in part of Tehran to evacuate ahead of Israeli strikes in an unprecedented move, Iran threatened to leave the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) as a result of the strikes. The WSJ reported Iran was “urgently signaling” it wants to end hostilities and restart nuclear talks by sending messages to the US and Israel via intermediaries, leading to US stocks soaring on Monday. One of the targets Israel hit is Iran’s state media, as cries of “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest”) could be heard off-screen after the Israeli missile hit the state broadcaster’s building. A female presenter was unharmed and hurried off the studio after the explosion. The country’s foreign minister called it a “wicked act” and a “war crime.” According to NBC News, Trump was persuaded by Israel in the lead-up to the current fiasco that concerns over Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities were warranted, while Axios reported that the US told its allies it wouldn't join the war unless Iran targets Americans. By the end of Monday, Trump suddenly urged all of Tehran to evacuate “immediately” in a new social media post as he left the G7 early.

By Tuesday midnight, Axios reported that the Trump team had proposed Iran talks this week on the nuclear deal and a ceasefire. With most of the attention being on Israel and Iran, at least 50 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops as they were waiting for food trucks in Khan Younis. On social media, Trump called for the “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and claimed the US knows the supreme leader’s locations. The Pentagon sent warplanes and an aircraft carrier to the Middle East, as US VP JD Vance signalled the possibility of “further action” in a social media post. At the political level, some Republicans have joined Democrats in opposition to any American military involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump met with his national security team and was considering a potential strike on Iran among other options. Meanwhile, others have reported that Trump had talked with Netanyahu moments after the national security meeting. Amid more missile strikes between Iran and Israel, Israel claimed to have killed the newly appointed wartime chief of staff, who had just come into the job four days ago.

By Wednesday, the WSJ reported that Israel is running low on defensive interceptors, raising concerns about the country’s ability to fend for itself if the conflict continues. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson warned any US intervention in the Middle East would be "a recipe for all-out war in the region,” while admitting the Iranian government believes the US cannot control its ally Israel. In recorded remarks, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel made a “huge mistake” and they would never surrender. In a direct warning to the US, Khamenei said military intervention by America will lead to “irreversible damage.” Meanwhile, WhatsApp had to deny Iran’s claim that it works for Israel as the theocratic regime calls on its citizens to delete the app, and the UN’s nuclear watchdog said Israel had hit two centrifuge production facilities in its continuing airstrikes. In the US, Donald Trump said “nobody knows” his plans on Iran as the situation escalates, adding he delivered an “ultimate ultimatum” to Iranian leaders to dismantle their nuclear program, but it might be too late for negotiations. “Next week will be decisive regarding Iran, and it may happen before the end of the week,” Trump told reporters as he and some workers planted two flag poles in the White House parameters. “I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble.” The WSJ reported that Trump privately approved attack plans for Iran but has withheld from making the final order, as the president held a Situation Room meeting on Wednesday afternoon. In a sign of how the Israel-Iran issue has turned into a potent, divisive issue inside the GOP base, an interview clip from the far-right journalist Tucker Carlson went viral as he grilled pro-Israel Senator Ted Cruz and accused him of not knowing anything about Iran.

According to Bloomberg, US officials were preparing for the possibility of an Iran strike in the upcoming days, but noted the situation was still evolving and could change. In the latest round of strikes, Israel struck Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor that helps cool nuclear reactors but can create plutonium as a byproduct that can be used in nuclear weapons, while Iranian missiles hit a hospital in southern Israel as dozens of rockets were fired at population centers. With multiple countries evacuating their citizens from Iran, China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on the Middle East situation, with Xi reiterating his calls for peace. After Iran’s missile strikes, Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said “eliminating” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is one of the country’s war goals, just hours after Israel’s president tried to reassure everyone that regime change is not their goal. In case this is not all crazy yet, the American ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, wrote a fawning message to Donald Trump with deep religious undertones, and the president shared it with the world.

Showing signs of slightly backing off and buying time, the US president will decide whether his country will attack Iran “within the next two weeks,” adding in a statement that “there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.” This comes as Trump pushed back on reports that he approved an attack plan for Iran. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted on social media that Israel is “being punished right now,” as Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, heads to Geneva for talks with his counterparts from the UK, France, and Germany. However, the talks showed limited results as Araghchi said Tehran was not interested in negotiating an end to the war until Israel stopped its attacks. In an interview with NBC News, Araghchi said a deal could be reached with the US within the two-week time frame given by the president, but Tehran is uncertain whether it could trust officials in Washington to handle negotiations.

In a public rebuke of his own Director of National Intelligence, Trump said Tulsi Gabbard was “wrong” in claiming Iran was not building a nuclear weapon during a public testimony months ago, saying the Iranians could have a nuke in “weeks.” Meanwhile, an FT report suggests Israel used hacked phones to assassinate top Iranian generals, simultaneously, and the Times of Israel reported on a secret weapon that killed nine top Iranian nuclear scientists in one go. Inside the White House, multiple reports suggest Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and DNI Tulsi Gabbard were frozen out of the president’s inner circle. On Saturday, several US Air Force B-2 bombers (The only aircraft capable of carrying bombs to destroy the Fordo facility) took off and headed across the Pacific in a show of force, as Reuters reported Israeli officials told their American counterparts that they do not want to wait two weeks for Iran to reach a deal, threatening it would act alone if necessary. Meanwhile, Israel said it has killed a senior Iranian commander who helped plan the October 7 attack with Hamas, and had hit a centrifuge manufacturing workshop in Isfahan.

Out of the blue on Saturday afternoon, Trump suddenly announced on Truth Social that the US had completed a “very successful” attack on three Iranian nuclear sites, which immediately led to the social media platform experiencing global outages due to the traffic. The facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Esfahan were attacked. According to Reuters, B-2 bombers were deployed in the US-led intervention. Iran confirmed the strikes, as state media reported that the three nuclear sites bombed by the US had evacuated their personnel some time ago. Fox News host Sean Hannity said he had spoken with Trump, and the president confirmed six bunker buster GBU-57 Massive Ordinance Penetrators were used in Fordo, adding that 30 Tomahawk missiles fired from US submarines struck the Iranian nuclear sites of Natanz and Festivus. After the US conducted strikes on Iran, CNN reported that Trump spoke with Netanyahu on the phone, as officials say America gave its close ally a heads-up before the strikes. Before his 10 pm local time speech, Trump called the strikes “a HISTORIC MOMENT” for the US, Israel, and the world, and called on Iran to surrender. In a brief phone call with NBC News, Trump called the strikes on Iran a “great success” and a “complete and total success.” Ahead of the speech, NBC News reported that Trump was expected to say the US is not currently planning additional strikes inside Iran. Netanyahu congratulated Trump for his “bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might” of the American military in the first public statement since the US strikes, hailing that the decision will “change history.” Not hiding his glee at the attacks, the Israeli leader said "America has been truly unsurpassed,” and that Trump had created a "pivot of history" that will "help lead the Middle East and beyond to a future of prosperity and peace." During Trump’s speech inside the White House, the president said the three targeted nuclear facilities were part of a “horribly destructive enterprise” and were “totally obliterated.” In a warning to Iran, Trump said there will either be peace or tragedy in the country, and the US would go after other Iranian targets if peace doesn’t come. On social media, the UN Secretary General António Guterres called it a “dangerous escalation,” warning there is now a "growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world.” Iran’s foreign minister called it “outrageous” and warns they “will have everlasting consequences,” adding that Tehran “reserves all options” to retaliate. According to CBS News, the US had reached out to Iran through diplomatic channels on Saturday, saying the strikes were limited in scope and Washington does not want to seek regime change.

On Sunday’s Pentagon press briefing, we learned the B-2s taken off from Missouri to Guam were a ruse in order to create surprise. One group of B-2 jets headed west, while another turned east and headed to Iran for the airstrikes. Defense officials say Trump gave the final order for Operation Midnight Hammer (The name for the Iran mission) to go ahead on Saturday afternoon, East Coast time, at his private club in New Jersey, and all three Iranian nuclear sites sustained severe damage by the strikes. General Dan Caine added that a full assessment would take time, and it’s too soon to say whether Iran still retains some nuclear capability. Now, the US is on high alert as defense officials are expecting an Iranian retaliation through proxy attacks or other means. Pete Hegseth said Washington has sent “public and private” messages through multiple channels to officials in Tehran, urging them to engage in peace talks. The defense secretary claimed the Trump administration had “complied with the notification requirements of the War Powers Act,” and had informed members of Congress of the attacks immediately “after the planes were safely out.” As Hegseth reiterated that the strikes were not about regime change, VP JD Vance said on NBC News that "the United States is not at war with Iran,” insisting they were only focused on Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Vance believes America has "destroyed" Iran's nuclear program, and responded to questions of breaking their promise in entangling in foreign wars by saying, “I empathize with Americans who are exhausted after 25 years of foreign entanglements in the Middle East. I understand the concern, but the difference is that back then we had dumb presidents.” In Gaza, Israel announced they have retrieved the voices of three dead hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Marking the first escalating move, Iran’s parliament approved closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly 20% of the world’s oil passes. On Truth Social, it seemed like Trump wants to push for regime change in Iran when he wrote, "It’s not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" In a separate post notifying the B-2 bomber pilots that they arrived safely back at Missouri, the commander in chief wrote his name “DONAKD J. TRUMP.” According to aerial footage before and after the strikes, we can see that there was at least some damage done to the nuclear sites in Iran. In the UN, Iran’s ambassador said the US “decided to destroy diplomacy” with strikes on nuclear sites.

Geopolitical Upheaval - The Gathering Of Leaders

Between last Sunday to Tuesday, leaders of the world’s largest economies met in the Canadian Rockies retreat of Kananaskis, amid growing tensions around the world. On Sunday, they did pretty much nothing but show up in front of the cameras before heading to closed-door talks. European Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen said the Iran nuclear situation is “deeply alarming,” adding Europe is willing to work with partners to find a diplomatic solution. Canada’s PM Mark Carney said his priorities include strengthening peace and security, UK PM Keir Starmer said he had discussed efforts to defuse tensions with Trump and Netanyahu, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hoped the summit would avoid an escalation of conflict.

By Monday, Trump somehow discovered new ways to embarrass America. He made bizarre G7 comments where he repeated his longstanding call for Russia to be readmitted to the G7 summit, blamed Obama and Trudeau for Russia’s aggression (Even though Stephen Harper was Canada’s PM in 2014), and claimed the current Ukranine war would not have happened if Moscow had not been thrown out over Crimea back in 2014. Further defending Putin, Trump signalled there will be no further Russian sanctions imposed by the US. As European leaders at the G7 were trying to bring Iran back to diplomatic negotiations, Trump did not intend to sign a joint G7 statement calling for the conflict to de-escalate. Outside of the flurry of diplomacy over Iran, Trump was there to make trade deals. Standing alongside UK PM Keir Starmer, Trump showed off the US-UK trade agreement (Which he called a deal between the US and the EU) before some of the papers fell out. He also praised a trade deal with the EU and will reach another one with Canada in under 30 days. By the end of Monday, Trump cut short his summit visit and returned to Washington, citing the Middle East crisis. On social media, the US President posted a very childish post that rejected French President Emmanuel Macron's claims that he was working on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran. Hours later, in a hilariously stunning twist, Trump joined G7 leaders in signing a statement criticizing Iran and affirming their support for Israel.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the G7 meeting on the same day his country faced another brutal round of air attacks from Russia that killed 15 people. However, at the end of the meeting, leaders failed to reach ambitious joint agreements on key issues after Trump’s exit, and Zelensky failed to get assurances of US support or even a meeting with the president. During the G7 meeting, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Israel was doing the “dirty work” for other countries through its strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, while French President Emmanuel Macron warned against pursuing regime change in Iran through “military means.”

On the other side of the world, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Monday for the second China-Central Asia summit, two years after the first summit helped five central Asian countries and China to establish a mechanism for future meetings. It comes as China has seen growing trade relations with Central Asia, and wants to juxtapose itself with the chaos going on with Western countries at the G7. By the end of the meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping commits to a 1.5 billion yuan pledge towards livelihood and development projects in the region and a landmark permanent friendship pact.

The Trump Show: Series 2 - Residual Chaos

Kicking off the week, the masks were off as Trump directed ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities, targeting places like New York and Chicago. It comes as Trump TACOed out and announced they would not round up and deport farmers and hospitality workers. However, officials made a sudden reversal on Monday night as the Washington Post reported ICE agents “should continue conducting immigration raids on farms, hotels and restaurants.” In the latest unexplainable move, Trump’s family is launching a mobile phone service branded with the president’s last name, which would rely on wireless networks and “made in America” hardware, while including a real Trump-branded phone. However, many tech experts agree that the new Trump phone cannot be made in the USA. Concerning the Minnesota assassination case that killed one lawmaker and injured another, the manhunt was over as police caught Vance Boelter and took him into custody. He now faces federal murder charges, as we learned he visited four politicians’ homes as he carried out attacks last Saturday. In other headlines, a judge ruled against the Trump administration’s cancellation of federal health grants over their connections to “gender ideology” and “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Democratic senator Tina Smith confronted her Republican colleague Mike Lee over his disgusting posts concerning the fatal shooting of Minnesota lawmakers (He deleted that post on Tuesday), while Jane Goodall’s chimpanzee conservation project in Tanzania was one of the projects hit by USAID cuts.

New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was detained by ICE while he was observing immigration hearings and escorting a defendant out of the courthouse in Lower Manhattan. When federal agents moved to detain a Yoruba-speaking immigrant, Lander asked them to show a judicial warrant. The agents did not show any warrant and moved to detain him instead. Lander was freed hours later, after protests by figures such as New York Governor Kathy Hochul and fellow NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Asked about whether he would call Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after last weekend’s tragic shootings, Trump said on Air Force One: “I’m not calling. Why would I call him? I could call and say, ‘Hi, how you doing?’ The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. I could be nice and call, but why waste time?” Concerning legal developments, a judge blocked the administration from limiting passport sex markers for many transgender and nonbinary people, while two toy companies asked the Supreme Court to take up a challenge to Trump’s tariffs. In other headlines, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass lifted a curfew order for downtown LA, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was taken to the hospital after an allergic reaction.

By Wednesday, we learned Trump is giving TikTok a third reprieve by extending the deadline for which the app must be separated from its Chinese owner, Bytedance, or face a US ban. The US State Department resumes visas for foreign students, but now demands public access to social media accounts in a bid to scrutinize whether they pose a threat to the country. In a blow to LGBTQ+ rights, the Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee ban on transgender medical care for youth, and the Trump administration will officially shut down the LGBTQ youth suicide hotline on July 17. Concerning the economy, the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at the same level, much to the dislike of the president. A federal appeals court won’t let the Justice Department step in for Trump in E. Jean Carroll’s $83M verdict, handing another loss to Trump’s remaining legal issues. For some comic relief, Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket blew up into a dramatic fireball in a new setback for the billionaire.

On Juneteenth, the federal holiday celebrating the end of slavery, goes uncelebrated in the White House, except for a rant by Trump on how there are too many non-working holidays in the US. In a bit of rare defiance, the Los Angeles Dodgers said they denied ICE officials access to the area around the team’s stadium, adding they would provide assistance to immigrants impacted by the recent militarized raids in LA. Concerning other immigration news, a French lawmaker had his visa request rejected as he planned to meet with progressive lawmakers and intellectuals about life under the Trump regime, while a federal judge blocked Trump's plan to tie states’ transportation funds to immigration enforcement. Trump officially delayed the TikTok ban to September 17, the third delay this year. Marking a legal win for the president, an appeals court ruled Trump is allowed to keep control of National Guard troops deployed to LA in response to anti-immigration raid protests.

Showing signs of division inside the Federal Reserve, potential Fed chair replacement pick Christopher Waller called for a rate cut as soon as July and played down the risks that Trump’s levies could cause inflation. Judge Michael Farbiarz ordered the release of pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil on bail, marking a major victory after being detained by immigration officials for three months and finally getting to see his son for the first time. In another win for Harvard, District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled indefinitely to preserve the ability of Harvard University to host foreign students while the case is decided. Calling it “blatantly unconstitutional,” a federal appeals court ruled unanimously in favor of blocking a state law requiring public schools and colleges to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms. JD Vance made a surprise visit to Los Angeles, blaming Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass for the unrest and referring to Senator Alex Padilla as “Jose Padilla.” Concerning trade, the WSJ reported that the US is nearing a deal on multiple non-tariff trade issues with the EU. In Donald Trump’s wonderland, the president demanded a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election and repeated debunked conspiracy theories about the election he lost. Ending with a moment of hilarity, the Pakistani government nominated Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in mediating the India-Pakistan conflict earlier this year.