Opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died suddenly at the penal colony in the northern Ural Mountains where he is being held, according to a press release from the Russian Prison Service.
The press release is not available at the time of writing but is referred to by the Russian news agency RIA.
According to the report from the Federal Penitentiary Service, Navalny complained about his well-being after a walk and lost consciousness almost immediately afterwards. Doctors at the prison colony in the Jamalo-Nentsien region reportedly tried to revive him but failed. The cause of death is speculated to be a blood clot but is said to be undetermined.
Navalny was serving a 19-year sentence for, according to the court, “rehabilitating Nazi ideology” and “inciting extremist activity”. The sentence has been described by critics as politically motivated in practice.
The opposition politician was a high-profile critic of incumbent President Vladimir Putin and made allegations of corruption. Navalny himself was also convicted of corruption in several high-profile trials that were also suspected of being politically motivated.
The Russian Ministry of Justice labeled Navalny as a “foreign agent” and his organization FBK as an “extremist” and “undesirable” organization in the country.
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President Donald Trump is beginning to realize that Israel does not want peace – but is doing everything it can to drag the US into a major war with Iran. This is the conclusion of Middle East expert and political scientist Trita Parsi.
“If Trump wants peace and for the US and Iran to strike a deal, he has no choice but to FORCE Israel to accept that America has to put America first”, he emphasizes.
In a widely shared video clip on social media, President Donald Trump launches a fierce attack on Israel shortly after the country intensified its bombing of Tehran just hours after Trump announced that the parties had agreed to a ceasefire.
– Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out, and they dropped a load of bombs the likes of which I’ve never seen before, the biggest load that we’ve seen. I’m not happy with Israel. When I say, ‘Okay, now you have 12 hours’, you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them. So, I’m not happy with them.
– I’m not happy with Iran either. But I’m really unhappy if Israel’s going out this morning because of one rocket that didn’t land that was shot, perhaps by mistake, that didn’t land. I’m not happy about that. We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the [bleep] they’re doing. Do you understand that? said the visibly upset president to a journalist.
WOW!
The longer video in which Trump says Israel and Iran “don’t know what the FUCK they are doing” is really important to watch.
He is really unhappy with Israel because as soon as a ceasefire was struck, Israel used the last hours of the war to massively attack Iran.
Even on his own platform, Truth Social, Trump sharpened his tone toward the Israelis and ordered them to stop the bombings.
“Israel. Do not drop those bombs. If you do it is a major violation. Bring your pilots home, now!” he wrote.
Photo: facsimile/Trump/Truth Social
Continued bombing
In a later post, Trump claimed that “Israel is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘plane wave’ to Iran”.
“Nobody will be hurt, the ceasefire is in effect”, he promised.
Shortly thereafter, however, Iranian news agencies reported that Israel had carried out attacks in the western part of the country. According to ISNA, explosions were heard near the cities of Babol and Babolsar, while the Mehr news agency said the projectiles struck an empty, uninhabited area.
Israeli officials told The Times of Israel that the IDF had carried out “a minor strike” against an Iranian radar north of Tehran in response to an earlier attack by Iran.
“The US must put its own interests first”
Swedish-Iranian political scientist and Middle East expert Trita Parsi has reacted to Trump’s tone towards his closest ally and believes that Trump seems to be beginning to understand that Israel is not interested in creating peace in the region – and will do everything it can to drag the US into the war.
“Trump is also starting to discover the core of the problem: Israel doesn’t want peace and doesn’t want to allow the US to stay out of the war Israel unnecessarily started. If Trump wants peace and for the US and Iran to strike a deal, he has no choice but to force Israel to accept that America has to put America first “, he writes on X, continuing:
“If he doesn’t, Netanyahu will make sure that Trump puts Israel first and drags the US into an endless war with Iran. There are no other choices”.
In an interview with Democracy Now, Parsi elaborates on his reasoning. He believes that Trump is very frustrated that Israel is ignoring US directives and doing everything it can to escalate the conflict – and ensure that the US also intensifies its military involvement.
– Israel wants to continue this war. Israel wants only unilateral ceasefires in which it is allowed to continue to bomb the countries in question. That’s exactly what it has done in Gaza, that’s what it has done in Lebanon, and they wanted the same thing here. And they wanted to make sure that the United States could not keep itself out of the war that Israel unnecessarily started, Parsi assesses.
As Trump lashes out at Israel for continuing to strike Iran even after his announcement of a ceasefire, analyst @tparsi says the core problem the U.S. president is encountering in his Middle East diplomatic efforts is that “Israel does not want peace.” pic.twitter.com/xAYuHingsc
He believes that Trump is genuine in his desire to reach a sustainable ceasefire agreement and put an end to the fighting – but that the president has chosen the wrong path and methods.
– I think he was genuine about getting the ceasefire, staying out of this. We have seen the revolt that has taken place in large parts of his own base. And now, he’s discovering that the Israelis, at the end of the day, wanted to drag him to this point in order to keep him in the war, not allow him to get out of the war or not allowing a peace or a ceasefire to break out.
Initially, the bombing campaign against Iran was said to be about preventing the country from acquiring nuclear weapons – a message repeated by neoconservatives and Israeli voices for over 40 years.
However, Israeli representatives and Republicans soon began declaring that the Iranian regime must be overthrown, by force if necessary, and replaced with a more pro-Israel and Western-friendly government. Even Trump has expressed support on social media for forcing regime change in Iran, which has led to harsh criticism from his own voter base.
In the middle of Florida’s swamplands, the state is now building a new migrant detention center. According to the authorities, nature’s own predators will contribute to security—and make the facility both cheap and effective.
The new facility, informally known as “Alligator Alcatraz”, is being built at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a defunct airport facility 36 miles west of Miami. The site is surrounded by wetlands and swampy areas that are home to alligators, pythons, and other predators.
– You don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter. If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons, said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in a presentation video.
The video describes the detention center as key to implementing President Trump’s plan for mass deportations, accompanied by slow-motion clips of attacking alligators.
Uthmeier calls the project “cost-effective” and describes the area as “an old, virtually abandoned airport facility right in the middle of the Everglades”. According to information from the Department of Homeland Security, the facility is expected to cost the state approximately $450 million per year to operate. He has also confirmed that the Florida National Guard will participate in the operation of the center, which will consist of lighter infrastructure such as tents and trailers.
Alligator Alcatraz: the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. pic.twitter.com/96um2IXE7U
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 19, 2025
“Cost-effective and innovative”
The facility is scheduled to be completed in the first week of July and will be one of several temporary facilities that Florida is setting up to meet the increasing strain on the federal system. According to Uthmeier, the federal government has approved the state’s plans to create 5,000 detention places in Florida as early as this summer.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem called the initiative “cost-effective and innovative” in a post on X, highlighting the collaboration with Florida as an example of how capacity can be expanded in a matter of days. The state’s offer to purchase the land from Miami-Dade County for $20 million is based on an executive order from Governor Ron DeSantis and an emergency order from the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed to deliver cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens. We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our…
The Minister of Justice assures that the rule of law will be upheld.
– We will give them the legal process that the courts say they are entitled to, Uthmeier said in an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson.
Environmental activists are furious
However, the initiative has drawn criticism from political opponents, particularly environmental activists and groups advocating mass immigration. Friends of the Everglades, which took part in a protest against the construction over the weekend, has warned in an open letter that the project threatens an ecologically sensitive area.
The group calls the site “critical to the future of the Everglades” and warns against opening it up to development in what it describes as one of America’s most iconic and vulnerable ecosystems.
– It really strikes you as a clueless idea that was off the cuff, the group’s executive director, Eve Samples, told CNN. She also pointed out that the same site was the subject of protests back in the 1970s, when plans for a huge airport were halted after massive public opposition.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has also expressed concern about the project.
– We continue to have significant concerns about the scope and scale of the state’s effort, particularly regarding the environmental safeguards, she said in a statement, warning that the rapid pace of implementation leaves little time for reflection and risk assessment.
Israel’s campaign against Iran is characterized by unrealistic hopes for regime change, in which the son of the deposed Shah, Reza Pahlavi, could emerge as a pro-Israeli puppet leader for a new Iran.
This is the view of Elfadil Ibrahim, a geopolitical writer and analyst, who warns that the strategy risks creating the same chaos as previous foreign interventions in the region.
In an article for the think tank Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Ibrahim describes how the Middle East is a region where history rarely repeats itself exactly, but where it often “rhymes in ways that are both tragic and absurd”. According to him, this is particularly evident in Israel’s current strategy toward Iran.
The campaign, which on the surface is about knocking out Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities, actually has more far-reaching ambitions: to overthrow the Islamic Republic and replace it with a friendly regime under Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last shah.
“This is not a policy officially declared in Jerusalem or Washington, but it lingers in the background of Israel’s actions and its overt calls for Iranians to ‘stand up’ to the Islamic Republic”, the writer notes.
Israel wants to get rid of the mullahs for good—and wants to see a pro-Israel government in their place. Photo: Khamenei.ir
He highlights Reza Pahlavi’s visit to Israel in April 2023 as an important symbolic act. During the visit, Pahlavi prayed at the Western Wall but refrained from visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount and made no attempt to meet with Palestinian leaders. An analysis by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs described the visit as a message that Israel considers Pahlavi “the main leader of the Iranian opposition”.
CIA overthrew secular leader
Israeli officials have also openly expressed a desire for regime change. Ibrahim quotes former intelligence minister Gila Gamliel as saying that “window of opportunity has opened to overthrow the regime”.
According to Ibrahim, what could have been dismissed as diplomatic gamesmanship has instead developed into “a strategic bet” in which military pressure is hoped to create conditions for a political shift entirely to Israel’s liking.
“The irony is hard to overstate. It was foreign intervention that set the stage for the current enmity”, he states bluntly.
The writer is referring to the 1953 coup in which the CIA and MI6 overthrew the democratically elected Mohammad Mossadegh and reinstated the Shah an intervention that paved the way for totalitarian rule, growing anti-imperialism, and the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
The Shah was reinstated when Prime Minister Mossadegh was overthrown in a coup orchestrated by the CIA and MI6. Photo: Pahlavi.org, fararu
“The coup reinstalled the Shah, whose autocratic rule and dependence on the West bred a potent mix of anti-imperialist sentiment and religious fervor”, he explains, continuing:
“The 1979 Islamic Revolution, in its own way, was a delayed reaction to 1953, a radical assertion of national sovereignty over foreign interests. Now, Israel and the US seem to believe that a new foreign-backed intervention could be the solution to a problem the last one helped create”.
Israel’s preferred leader
In his analysis, Ibrahim points out that Israel’s air strikes since June 12 have targeted more than just nuclear facilities. Among the targets are government institutions, the headquarters of state television, and the notorious Evin prison, where political prisoners are held.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the conflict as a path to liberation for the Iranian people. “As we achieve our objective”, Netanyahu said in a video message addressed to the Iranians, “we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom”.
The name of the operation, Operation Rising Lion, is also, according to Ibrahim, a clear reference to Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag and the legacy of the monarchy.
Several analysts believe that a weak, easily manipulated leader such as Pahlavi would have benefited both Israel and the US. Photo: Benjamin Netanyahu/FB
However, the geopolitical analyst emphasizes that there is considerable uncertainty surrounding what a regime change in Iran would actually entail in practice. He points out that Israel’s public support for Pahlavi contrasts with official statements that the Iranian people themselves should choose their leaders.
“Reza Pahlavi has spent decades cultivating an image as a democratic statesman-in-waiting. In interviews, he speaks of a future decided by a popular referendum, backed by detailed proposals like a 100-day transition plan. To Israel’s delight, his alignment extends beyond symbolism to the core of Israeli strategic thinking”.
During his visit to Israel, he dismissed the nuclear agreement negotiations as a “waste of time” and claimed that “the quickest way to eliminate all threats” is to invest in an alternative to the Iranian regime.
Many remember the Shah’s torture chambers
But Ibrahim warns that Pahlavi’s vision – including ideas about “Cyrus agreements” and a reborn friendship between the Persian and Jewish peoples – is unrealistic in today’s Iran.
He points out that for many, the name Pahlavi is still associated with the security service “SAVAK torture chambers, lavish corruption, and dependence on foreign powers for viability” and emphasizes that even though there is widespread dissatisfaction with the mullahs’ rule, many still remember the Shah with deep hatred and contempt.
“Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Leader”, was one of many similar slogans chanted during opposition protests in Tehran in 2022.
“The monarchy Israel hints at reviving was not merely overthrown in 1979, it was actively rejected by a powerful coalition of Islamists, leftists, and nationalists united against the Shah’s repression. This legacy of popular rejection severely curbs Reza Pahlavi’s appeal today”, the writer continues, assessing that Pahlavi is in fact perceived by many Iranians as “opportunistic” and “disconnected from the Iranian people”.
Elfadil Ibrahim is a writer and analyst with a particular focus on Sudan. His work has been published in The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The New Arab, and several other media outlets. Photo: Private
Iran’s future must be decided by Iranians
He further argues that it is extremely dangerous for Israel to try to force or hasten a “popular” uprising through assassinations and bombings, pointing out that even within the opposition there are many who do not want to see a new Iranian regime forced upon them by a foreign power rather than by the Iranian people themselves.
“In addition, the fantasy that a successor regime in Tehran would be inherently friendly to Israel ignores deep-seated suspicion embedded through decades of conflict, propaganda, and animosity now being cemented by overt foreign intervention. Even Reza Pahlavi, if somehow installed, would likely face immense pressure to distance himself from any perception of being ‘Israel’s man in Iran'”, Ibrahim continues.
The analyst believes that Israel certainly has the capacity to weaken the Islamic Republic significantly, but that it will never be able to conjure up a new, pro-Israeli Iran from the ashes, least of all by promoting a “successor from a fallen dynasty that Iranians have long since rejected”.
“In the end, the future of Iran should be decided not in Jerusalem or Washington, but by Iranians themselves – on their own terms, in their own time”, he concludes.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, known as the Shah of Iran, took power in 1941 after his father was forced to abdicate under British and Soviet pressure. His rule was characterized by rapid modernization, but also by brutal political repression, systematic persecution of dissenters, growing social and economic inequalities, and a strong dependence on Western powers, especially the United States and the United Kingdom.
In 1951, Mohammad Mossadeq was elected prime minister and quickly became popular for his policy of nationalizing the country's oil industry, which was then controlled by the British. This led to a crisis that culminated in a coup in 1953, orchestrated by the CIA and MI6, in which Mossadeq was overthrown and the Shah's power strengthened. The coup created widespread hatred of foreign interference and undermined popular faith in the monarchy.
The Shah's authoritarian rule was characterized by oppression and harsh repression through the corruption of the security services (SAVAK) and widening social divisions. Dissatisfaction grew during the 1970s, uniting various opposition forces - Islamists, leftist activists and nationalists - in opposition to the Shah's regime.
In 1979, the Shah was overthrown in the Islamic Revolution, which at the time was seen by many Iranians as a way to regain national independence and end both the Shah's oppression and Western influence. After the revolution, however, the new clerical leadership quickly purged former allies of the opposition, including leftist activists, nationalists and secular groups. Through persecution, arrests and executions, the ayatollahs consolidated their power and established a one-party theocratic state, which many observers say has become even more brutal than the Shah's rule.
After pushing for some of the most disastrous wars in US history, neoconservative Senator Lindsey Graham wants the US to step up its military involvement even further – and for Trump to force regime change in Iran.
Lindsey Graham, from South Carolina, has for decades been one of the most vocal advocates of US wars and military interventions around the world. He has consistently backed calls for new wars and for many years helped to initiate or prolong protracted and disastrous conflicts.
Graham supported the invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq and has repeatedly called for the US to bomb Iran, overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, invade Libya, and use force to stop North Korea’s nuclear program.
According to analysts, his line is strongly influenced by neoconservative warmongering rather than diplomacy, and even in the Ukraine war, he has been one of the most vocal advocates of increasingly aggressive Western involvement, with constant demands for increased arms deliveries.
Graham also wants the US to further escalate the situation with Iran. He is not satisfied with the US bombing Iranian nuclear facilities, but wants the US to force regime change in the country.
“A new chapter in the Middle East”
Even before the Trump administration joined Israel’s bombing campaign, Graham argued that this was not enough, saying that the US should take strong action to force out the Iranian regime and replace it with another government that better serves the interests of the US and Israel.
“But here’s the bigger question: Wouldn’t the world be better off if the ayatollahs went away and were replaced by something better? Wouldn’t Iran be better off?” asked the Republican senator, before answering his own question.
BREAKING: Senator Lindsey Graham calls for regime change in Iran, says Trump should go “all in” in helping take out Iran’s nuclear program.
“It’s time to close the chapter on the Iranian Ayatollah and his henchmen! […] Start a new chapter in the Middle East.”
“It’s time to close the chapter on the ayatollah and his henchmen. Let’s close it soon and start a new chapter in the Mideast: one of tolerance, hope, and peace”, he declared.
In recent days, the bellicose senator has repeated the message that the US should force regime change in interviews and on social media, stating that “it is time to end the madness in Iran”.
Trump wants to “make Iran great again”
This stance also seems to have gained some support from President Trump, who recently hinted that the US – despite promises to the contrary – may still use military force to overthrow the current regime.
“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!!!” he wrote on his own platform, Truth Social.
Graham was quick to praise the president’s statement and stated that the Iranian regime must change “either through their behavior or new leadership”.
“who in their right mind would want this regime to continue the status quo, attacking their neighbors, oppressing their people, and being the largest state sponsor of terrorism on the planet? If you like that, you’re a sick puppy. Count me in for any way possible to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN by making it decent again”, the senator said.
As usual, President Trump is spot on with his desire to make Iran great again by changing the regime either through their behavior or new leadership.
As President Trump suggested, who in their right mind would want this regime to continue the status quo, attacking their… pic.twitter.com/l25Uk3KBqh
It is difficult to determine exactly how many people have lost their lives in the wars that Graham has helped to incite, but the Iraq War alone is estimated to have cost around one million lives. In Afghanistan, the Taliban are back in power, and in Syria, Islamists with ties to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State are now in control.
Mr. President: It’s time to end this madness in Iran.
Many of Trump’s supporters have long been critical of the influence that Lindsey Graham and other neoconservative Republicans still wield, pointing out that they appear to serve interests other than those of the American people.
Others have noted that Trump’s voter base elected the president precisely to avoid unnecessary and protracted major wars and instead focus on the US – and that people like Graham should therefore be kept as far away from influence as possible.
