Revolutionary Guards: Israel’s Skies Are Open to Iran

IRGC Brig. Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini. (Tasnim)
IRGC Brig. Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini. (Tasnim)
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Revolutionary Guards: Israel’s Skies Are Open to Iran

IRGC Brig. Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini. (Tasnim)
IRGC Brig. Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini. (Tasnim)

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said Israel’s skies are "open and unprotected" against Iran, with "no obstacles" to launching new operations at the right time.

The statement denied any damage to Iran’s air defenses or missile production following an Israeli strike in late October.

IRGC Brig. Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini said joint military drills with the Iranian army would continue, showcasing what he called "a new chapter in Iran’s deterrence power."

The drills include revealing underground missile bases and testing ballistic missiles.

Iran is fully prepared for "major and complex battles of any scale," Naeini said, as tensions with Israel and regional developments grow.

Speaking at a press conference, he referred to recent changes in Syria and the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. He accused Iran's enemies of using "cognitive warfare" to falsely portray the country as weakened.

Naeini pointed to Iran’s strikes on Israel in April and October, calling them "just a small part of our limitless power."

"The skies over occupied territories remain open and unprotected for us. We can act with more precision, speed, and destructive force," he added.

He accused Israel of spreading false narratives to weaken Iran’s morale but vowed to "correct the enemy’s distorted perception."

"We are always ready, and when the orders come, we will show our strength again," he warned.

Naeini described the military drills as a display of "strength and deterrence" and said their message "will reach the enemy in the coming days."

Iran’s army and the IRGC have begun three months of annual military drills across land, sea, and air, aimed at addressing new security threats and simulating real battles. The exercises, both defensive and offensive, aim to boost military readiness, counter terrorism and sabotage, and strengthen national morale.

Naeini dismissed Israeli claims that Iran’s defenses were weakened after the October 26 attack, saying missile production remains unaffected and defense systems are fully operational.

On warnings of a possible third Iranian strike on Israel, Naeini said: "There is no obstacle to new operations when the time is right." He promised future actions would be "more powerful and surprising."

He accused Israel of suffering heavy losses, claiming 1,000 Israeli soldiers have died since the start of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation in Gaza. Supporting resistance movements remains central to Iran’s military doctrine, he said.

Naeini emphasized that Iran does not seek war, but the drills are meant to strengthen deterrence and defense.

Iranian media reported that air defense units conducted exercises near sensitive sites, including the Natanz nuclear facility. Special forces were also deployed in western Iran to address security threats.

In early October, Iran launched 200 missiles towards Israel, with Tel Aviv reporting that most were intercepted by its air defenses or those of its allies.

Tehran said the attack was in retaliation for Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and an IRGC commander in a strike on southern Beirut in September, along with the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in July.

On October 26, Israeli warplanes targeted military sites in Iran, including missile facilities and radar systems, destroying them.



Report: Trump Tells Advisers He May Hold Off on Iran Attacks Barring New Provocations

US President Donald Trump attends a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump attends a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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Report: Trump Tells Advisers He May Hold Off on Iran Attacks Barring New Provocations

US President Donald Trump attends a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump attends a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the US faces no new provocations from Tehran or the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Trump has alternated between threats of escalating the war with new strikes and winding down hostilities, and current and former officials say he does not appear to have made up his mind about how to resolve the unpopular conflict, which he launched in February with Israel.

But in meetings with his national security advisers and after a series of intelligence briefings, Trump said he was considering holding off on strikes, said the people, who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity.

The war has hiked global fuel ‌prices and proven unpopular with ‌US voters, who handed control of Congress to the Democrats in last week's midterm elections. In ‌a Reuters/Ipsos ⁠poll taken shortly before ⁠the November 3 elections, 55% of Americans said the war was not worth the cost, and Vice President JD Vance cited it as the reason Trump's Republicans lost Congress.

Trump's private comments build on public remarks playing down the likelihood of major warfare resuming.

"As Commander-in-Chief, President Trump is the architect and sole decision-maker who holds all the cards and will always ensure that America’s interests are protected," a White House official said in a statement. "The United States is in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian economy collapsing. Only President Trump knows what he will do, and when."

The CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to requests for comment.

US intelligence agencies have assessed that the US naval blockade and economic sanctions are hurting the Iranian economy and would continue to put pressure on Tehran, two US officials briefed on the intelligence said.

Building on its months-long ‌blockade of Iranian sea traffic, the US military is also seeking to prevent weapons and other sanctioned material from entering the country by land or through the Caspian Sea, Reuters first reported last week.

MILITARY OPTIONS

At ⁠the same time, the US military ⁠is ready to escalate if needed, three more people familiar with US planning said.

A third aircraft carrier is moving into the Middle East in the coming days to replace one of the two currently operating in the region, but all three carriers could stay if needed, the people said.

Trump could opt to bomb Iran's underground nuclear facilities, one of the people familiar with Trump's talks said. But the US has already struck those facilities, and it is unclear whether further strikes would be successful.

US intelligence agencies have assessed that renewed strikes would not significantly shift Iran’s demands in negotiations, two US officials said.

Trump was also briefed on US weapon stockpiles, some of which have drawn down to worrying levels, the two people familiar with the intelligence briefings said. Reuters reported in August that the US had used “virtually all” of its long-range precision munitions, and another person briefed on the matter said they have not been replenished.

"The United States Military has enough munitions and ammo to serve all of the Commander-in-Chief’s strategic goals and beyond," the White House official said.

ISRAELI PRESSURE

Israeli officials have continued to lobby the administration to engage in another military campaign, according to a US official.

Trump signaled this week that the US has already achieved what it could from negotiations, but did not say whether he would resume strikes.

“We don’t need a deal with Iran,” Trump said in a social media post on Thursday. “We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!”


Trump Is Taking Elon Musk on His Asia Trip, but He Plans to Avoid Talking About Nvidia Scandal

US President Donald Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during the "A New Golden Age" summit at the US Institute of Peace, renamed The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace by the Trump administration, in Washington, DC, US, October 8, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during the "A New Golden Age" summit at the US Institute of Peace, renamed The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace by the Trump administration, in Washington, DC, US, October 8, 2026. (Reuters)
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Trump Is Taking Elon Musk on His Asia Trip, but He Plans to Avoid Talking About Nvidia Scandal

US President Donald Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during the "A New Golden Age" summit at the US Institute of Peace, renamed The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace by the Trump administration, in Washington, DC, US, October 8, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during the "A New Golden Age" summit at the US Institute of Peace, renamed The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace by the Trump administration, in Washington, DC, US, October 8, 2026. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump plans to take the world's wealthiest man, Elon Musk, with him next week when he travels to the Philippines and China.

As the head of SpaceX and Tesla, Musk has economic and national security interests that make him a valuable adviser to Trump, according to administration officials who insisted on anonymity as a condition for previewing the president's plans on a Friday call with reporters.

The journey comes as the fallout spreads from Jensen Huang being ousted as the CEO of Nvidia for having an extramarital affair with an alleged agent of the Chinese government. Beijing denies that Alice Huang is a spy. Her company Megaspeed was accused last year of shipping Nvidia's advanced computer chips into China.

But Trump does not plan to confront Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the matter and administration officials do not expect Chinese retaliation for any follow-up actions to prohibit China from smuggling or using advanced computer chips, officials told reporters.

The administration believes the situation with Nvidia should not have any bearing on the trip, as the US does not make its use of export controls subject to negotiations with foreign countries. Trump's aides are discussing the possibility of closing loopholes in existing trade measures, including the use of export licensing and preventing the ability of Chinese firms to use advanced chips over the internet through remote access.

The trip will be capped with a historic trilateral meeting with Xi and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, where efforts to limit nuclear weapons will be a chief topic. Still, there are no plans for Trump to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose nuclear arsenal has been a source of consternation to the US and its allies.

Trump is set to arrive Tuesday in the Philippines to meet with his counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. While in Manila, he intends to sign a trade deal with Thailand and meet with the Quad, an alliance composed of the US, India, Australia and Japan.

On Wednesday, Trump will leave for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, where he’ll have his third in-person meeting this year with Xi. Afterward, Trump and Xi will hold their joint meeting with Putin.

The leaders are expected to talk about the Iran war, but Russia's war in Ukraine is not expected to be part of the agenda, officials said and Musk, whose Starlink system has been integral to Ukraine's ability to fight back against Russia's invasion, will not be part of the trilateral meeting.


South Sudan Delays Election to February 2027

South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) officers attend the funeral of Sudan's late former Vice President Joseph Lagu, near the Dr John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, November 13, 2026. (Reuters)
South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) officers attend the funeral of Sudan's late former Vice President Joseph Lagu, near the Dr John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, November 13, 2026. (Reuters)
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South Sudan Delays Election to February 2027

South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) officers attend the funeral of Sudan's late former Vice President Joseph Lagu, near the Dr John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, November 13, 2026. (Reuters)
South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) officers attend the funeral of Sudan's late former Vice President Joseph Lagu, near the Dr John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, November 13, 2026. (Reuters)

South Sudan has pushed back its national elections to February 11, 2027, according to a timetable issued by the country's National Elections Commission, in another delay to its first election since independence in 2011. No ‌reason was ‌given for the ‌postponement.

⁠Presidential and parliamentary ⁠elections were scheduled for December 22.

In September, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said the ⁠country lacked safeguards ‌and conditions for ‌peaceful and credible elections.

"This is ‌the timeline we ‌have come up with after a thorough consultation with the stakeholders," Josephine Achiro Fortelo, commissioner of ‌the National Election Commission and its spokesperson, told ⁠Reuters ⁠on Saturday, confirming the electoral date had been changed.

South Sudan has been formally at peace since a 2018 deal ended a five-year conflict responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, but violence between rival communities flares frequently.