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Juggernaut Exploration

Investor Insight

Juggernaut Exploration is an early-stage explorer and project generator with a compelling investment story, focused on unlocking high-grade precious and base metal discoveries in the prolific Golden Triangle of northwestern British Columbia.

Overview

Juggernaut Exploration(TSXV:JUGR,OTCQB:JUGRF,FSE:4JE) is a precious metals explorer focused on northwestern British Columbia’s Golden Triangle, a globally recognized district for world-class porphyry, VMS and high-grade gold systems. The company operates in a geopolitically stable jurisdiction with excellent infrastructure, adjacent to Newmont’s Galore Creek project and in proximity to major road and airstrip developments.

The company controls three 100 percent owned projects – Big One, Midas and Bingo – totaling nearly 60,000 hectares in the heart of British Columbia’s most prolific mineral belt.

The company’s current strategy focuses on aggressive exploration at its flagship Big One project, where the rapid abatement of glacial cover led to the discovery of over 200 mineralized veins in a matter of days. The scale of the system, coupled with strong geophysical and geochemical signatures, points to a significant buried porphyry system.

Backed by world-renowned geologist Dr. Quinton Hennigh, Juggernaut is founded by the team behind Goliath Resources, which returned 2,400 percent to early investors in just 20 months.

Company Highlights

  • The Big One property has uncovered an 11-km gold-rich porphyry system, described as a “highway of gold,” adjacent to Newmont’s $100 billion Galore Creek project.
  • Founded by the team behind Goliath Resources, which returned 2,400 percent to early investors in just 20 months. Juggernaut is supported by world-renowned geologist Dr. Quinton Hennigh.
  • Crescat Capital is a cornerstone investor, holding a 19.99 percent stake and providing both financial and technical backing.
  • The company controls three 100 percent owned projects – Big One, Midas and Bingo – totaling nearly 60,000 hectares in the heart of the Golden Triangle in British Columbia.
  • With $11.5 million recently raised, the 2025 field season is fully funded. The upcoming campaign aims to scale and define the scope of the porphyry system discovered in just five days of boots-on-the-ground work.
  • Over 70 percent of the company’s shares are held by management, insiders and accredited investors. The company is debt-free.

Key Projects

Big One

The Big One project is Juggernaut’s flagship asset and the focus of its 2025 exploration campaign. Located in the heart of British Columbia’s Golden Triangle, the property spans 36,989 hectares of world-class geological terrain, 95 percent of which remains unexplored.

The project benefits from rapid glacial and snowpack abatement, which has recently exposed a vast mineralized system previously hidden under ice. This includes the newly identified Eldorado porphyry system, a high-grade, multi-kilometer corridor with grades reaching up to 79.01 grams per ton (g/t) gold and 3,157 g/t silver. More than 200 quartz-sulphide veins, containing semi-massive to massive chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena, have been identified within a 4 km x 1 km alteration footprint, with coincident geophysical anomalies suggesting the presence of a large, buried mineralizing system at depth.

Drill-ready targets include the Whopper Vein (16.04 g/t gold equivalent over 8 meters, >200 m strike length) and the Big Mac Vein (41.46 g/t gold equivalent over 4 m), both of which are planned for drill testing in 2025.

The Big One project qualifies for the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit and is strategically located adjacent to key infrastructure, including the Scud airstrip and a new $45 million government-funded road within 12 km of the site.

Midas

The Midas property covers 20,803 hectares in a geologically favorable setting for volcanogenic massive sulphide (VHMS) deposits, particularly those resembling the high-grade Eskay Creek system. Drilling at the Kokomo zone has intercepted significant VHMS-style mineralization, including standout results such as 8.27 g/t gold equivalent over 11.03 meters (MD-24-47) and 6.85 g/t gold over 9 meters (MD-18-08). The mineralized zone remains open to the north, and the company plans to step out aggressively with additional drilling.

Midas is considered a strong near-term value generator with potential for scale through further discovery.

Bingo

The Bingo property, although smaller in footprint at 1,008 hectares, is located in a structurally favorable setting for shear-hosted gold systems. The project features a 700-meter x 400-meter mineralized zone characterized by consistent sulphide mineralization. Sampling has confirmed an average mineralized width of 7 meters with grades averaging 5.67 g/t gold equivalent. The presence of strong K-spar alteration in the northeast quadrant of the property suggests proximity to a porphyry feeder system, making Bingo a compelling target for both high-grade, shear-hosted and porphyry-style exploration.

Management Team

Dan Stuart – President, CEO & Director

Dan Stuart has over 30 years of experience in capital markets, having raised more than $500 million for natural resource companies. He is a founding member and financier of several private mineral syndicates, including the J2 Syndicate behind Goliath Resources. Stuart is known for his investor acumen and has established strong institutional relationships in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Under his leadership, Juggernaut secured cornerstone funding from Crescat Capital and Dr. Quinton Hennigh while simultaneously building a platform for rapid discovery-driven growth.

Jim McCrea – Director

Jim McCrea brings 25 years of exploration and resource estimation experience. Notably, he worked on orebody modeling and resource estimation at Cumberland Resources, which was acquired by Agnico Eagle for $710 million. His deep expertise in geology and modeling helps guide exploration targeting and resource development.

William Jung – Director & CFO

A former chartered accountant with over 35 years of experience in finance, William Jung has managed several publicly listed companies on the TSX. His oversight ensures financial discipline, compliance and strategic capital allocation.

Peter Bryant – Director

Peter Bryant is a seasoned international investment banker with 45 years of experience, including senior roles at Standard Chartered Group, Hill Samuel Group and Guinness Mahon Holdings in London. His presence brings strong governance and capital markets insights to the board.

Chris Verrico – Director

Chris Verrico has over two decades of experience managing mineral exploration and infrastructure projects in remote northern regions, including British Columbia, Yukon and Nunavut. His knowledge of field operations and community engagement is critical to project execution.

Bill Chornobay – Program Manager

Bill Chornobay has over 30 years of experience in mineral exploration and has been directly involved in discoveries resulting in more than $1 billion in value. He played a pivotal role in the Surebet discovery for Goliath Resources and now leads on-ground execution at Juggernaut.

Dr. Quinton Hennigh – Technical Advisor

A globally respected exploration geologist, Dr. Quinton Hennigh has over 30 years of experience with major mining companies, including Homestake, Newcrest and Newmont. He is currently the chairman of Novo Resources and serves as a technical advisor to Crescat Capital. His guidance has helped validate and shape the exploration strategy at Juggernaut.

Dr. Manuele Lazzarotto – Senior Consulting Geologist

Dr. Manuele Lazzarotto has eight years of experience advancing early-stage exploration projects into defined resources, particularly in VMS and gold systems. He played a critical technical role in the Surebet discovery and brings valuable geological and structural insight to Juggernaut’s targeting approach.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com
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Investing

LaFleur Minerals

Investor Insight

With a strategic asset base in the prolific Abitibi Gold Belt near Val d’Or, and a fully permitted gold mill facility, LaFleur Minerals is well-positioned for near-term production and long-term growth.

Overview

LaFleur Minerals (CSE:LFLR,OTCQB:LFLRF) is a growth-focused gold exploration and development company with assets in Québec’s Abitibi Gold Belt, one of the most prolific gold regions globally. The company is focused on the production restart at Beacon Mill in parallel to advancing key exploration programs at its Swanson gold project, a well-located, resource-rich deposit with strong growth potential.

LaFleur Minerals boasts a favourable entry point with a market cap yet to reflect the company’s asset base, as well as solid fundamentals with strong growth catalysts and significant upside potential from a near-term producing gold mill with low restart cost.

Company Highlights

  • Focused on developing high-potential gold projects in the Abitibi Gold Belt in Québec, a top-tier mining jurisdiction with strong government support and flow-through financing incentives, and Canada’s largest gold producing region.
  • Successfully assembled over 150 square kilometers of mineral claims and a mining lease, anchored by the Swanson gold deposit and complemented by recent acquisitions from Abcourt Mines.
  • The Swanson gold project hosts an NI 43-101-compliant mineral resource of 123 koz indicated and 64 koz inferred, with significant exploration upside.
  • LaFleur owns the fully permitted and refurbished 750 tpd Beacon Gold Mill, which previously underwent ~$20 million in upgrades, providing a clear pathway to near-term gold production from Swanson and other potential regional sources.
  • The company has launched an extensive exploration program, including geophysics, geochemistry and a planned 10,000-meter drill campaign for 2025, targeting a resource expansion to over 1 Moz.
  • Led by CEO Paul Ténière, a highly experienced geologist and mining executive, supported by a team with extensive expertise in gold exploration, project development and corporate finance.

Key Projects

Swanson Gold Project – Flagship Asset

The Swanson gold project is located in Québec, Canada, rated as the fifth top jurisdiction in the world for mining investment (Fraser Institute’s 2023 annual survey), offering a stable and supportive environment for resource development with easy access to flow through capital. The Swanson gold project has had in excess of 36,000 metres of historical drilling, which underscores the advanced exploration and development potential of the project, which includes several favourable gold bearing regional structures and deformation corridors extending across the property.

LaFleur Minerals

Project Highlights:

  • +16,600 hectares (166 sq km) and rich in gold and critical metals, hosts the Swanson, Bartec and Jolin gold deposits
  • Previously held by Monarch Mining, Abcourt Mines and Globex
  • Accessible by road/rail, 66 km north of Val-d’Or on the Southend Abitibi gold belt, close proximity to established producers such as Agnico Eagle and Eldorado, as well as developers like Probe Gold and O3 Mining, with direct access to several nearby gold mills
  • Mineral resource estimate reinforces status as flagship project:
    • Indicated mineral resource estimate of 2,113,000 t with avg grade of 1.8 g/t gold, containing 123,400 oz of gold.
    • Inf. Mineral Resource Estimate of 872,000 t with avg grade of 2.3 g/t gold, containing 64,500 oz of gold
  • The project’s current MRE was optimized with a price of gold at US$1,850/oz, current gold market price has hit above US$3,000/oz
  • $3 million in flow-through to deploy with immediate plans to increase gold resources through diamond drilling at Swanson, Bartec, Jolin, and other gold deposits, and up to 10,000 metres of drilling expected to commence by mid-2025
  • Other key developments include a decline portal and ramp extending to a depth of 80 metres; well positioned for advanced exploration with over $5 million invested by the previous owner between 2021 and 2023
  • Since acquiring the Swanson deposit and consolidating the large claims package, the company has deployed in excess of $1 million in flow-through funds, completed detailed soil geochemistry and prospecting across several gold targets, completed a very-high resolution airborne magnetic and VLF-EM geophysical survey, and is currently in the process of completing a ground IP survey over the Swanson, Jolin, and Bartec gold deposits
  • Several new promising gold targets have been identified from the recent surface exploration and geophysics programs, highlighting the potential for mineral resource growth and new discoveries at Swanson
  • The company has submitted an application for a diamond drilling permit to the Québec government for the Swanson gold project and will be sending Requests for Quotes (RFQ) to local drilling contractors, with drilling expected to commence in the spring at the Swanson, Bartec, Jolin and other recently delineated gold targets

Beacon Gold Mill – Near-term Production

The Beacon Gold Mill is a strategically positioned, fully permitted 750 tpd processing facility located less than 50 km from Swanson. Originally acquired through the Monarch Mining CCAA process, the mill underwent a $20 million refurbishment in 2022 and remains in excellent condition. LaFleur’s strategic location on the mineral rich Abitibi Greenstone Belt is key to its plans to restart gold production as its positioned in a prime area with over 100 historical and operational mines, allowing for rapid monetization of ore from nearby gold deposits.

Project Highlights:

  • Low restart cost with processing capacity of over 750 tonnes per day, targeting production of up to 30,000 oz of gold per year. At US$2900/oz, the projected potential revenue is ~$100 million
  • Capable of custom milling operations for other nearby gold projects
  • Currently being evaluated for processing mineralized material from Swanson as part of a high-level preliminary mining and economic study
  • Past-producing Beacon Mine is located on the site of the Beacon Mill: the property consists of a mining lease, a mining concession, and 11 mining claims
  • Beacon I and II mines include mineralized zones where limited historical gold production was achieved during the period of 1984 to 1988 and again in 2005
  • The advancement of operations at the Beacon Mill has transformational qualities for the company, evolving it from explorer to a near term gold producer in a Tier 1 jurisdiction with significant upside potential
  • The restart of production at the Beacon Mill to process bulk samples and/or for custom milling purposes is targeted for before 2025 year end, or once all required restart work has been completed and final approvals have been received by the Québec government, meanwhile equipment inspections, parts inventory, and maintenance work continues on a full-time basis at the company’s Beacon Gold Mill as part of its restart program including a final plan and budget to restart the mill to be completed by ABF Mines by late April once final inspections are complete

Management Team

Kal Malhi – Chairman

A successful entrepreneur and the founder of Bullrun Capital, Kal Malhi has raised over $300 million for various public and private companies across multiple industries, including mining, biotechnology and technology.

Paul Ténière – CEO

Paul Ténière has more than 20 years of experience in mine development, geology and project management. He has held senior leadership roles across multiple mining companies and is a recognized expert in NI 43-101 compliance and technical reporting.

Harry Nijjar – CFO and Corporate Secretary

Harry Nijjar is currently a managing director with Malaspina Consultants and provides CFO and strategic financial advisory services to his clients across many industries. This experience has allowed him to help his clients successfully navigate regulatory and financial environments within which they operate. Harry holds a CPA CMA designation from the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia and a BComm from the University of British Columbia

Louis Martin – Technical Advisor and Exploration Manager

Louis Martin is a professional geoscientist. and has been a major contributor to the discovery of several gold and base metal deposits during his more than 40-year career. Martin has been fortunate to be part of the exploration teams that were awarded the Discovery of the Year by the AEMQ for the West Ansil Deposit (2005) and the Louvicourt Deposit (1989). He has worked on several advanced exploration projects that included bringing four of these projects into production. For the last eight years, Martin has worked as a technical advisor and geological consultant for numerous junior and major mining companies.

Preet Gill – Director

Preet Gill is a business professional offering leading development and implementation of superior business strategy. Gill has a proven track record of identifying and creating profitable business opportunities, qualifying authentic prospects, and cultivating strong partnerships. She has over 28 years of experience in leadership roles within Home Depot Canada and has an MBA from Royal Roads University and certificates in business leadership from Queen’s University.

Harveer Sidhu – Director

Harveer Sidhu is the founder of BuildSmartr.com and has served as a director, officer and audit committee member for publicly listed companies. Sidhu is experienced in manufacturing, import and exporting, information technology systems, e-commerce and construction project management. He is also the president and director of Beyond Medical Technologies. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Simon Fraser University and has been a licensed builder with BC Housing since 2014.

Michael Kelly – Director

Michael Kelly is a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces Military Police and a retired member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Kelly currently serves as a Partner at BullRun Capital Inc. and is a respected businessman based in Kelowna, British Columbia. He is also a director and member of the audit committee of Beyond Medical Technologies, an industrial/technology company with a manufacturing facility located in Delta, British Columbia.

Jean Lafleur – Senior Advisor

A highly respected geologist with over 40 years of experience in the mining sector, Jean Lafleurhas led multiple exploration programs and mining projects, contributing to major gold discoveries worldwide.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com
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Inside Israel’s secret war in Iran: Mossad commandos, hidden drones and the strike that stunned Tehran

Israel’s overnight strike on Iran was not only one of the most ambitious aerial campaigns in recent history, it was the result of years of covert planning, surveillance and infiltration by Israeli intelligence. 

While dozens of fighter jets bombed nuclear and military targets across Iran early Friday morning, the groundwork had long been laid by Mossad agents working in lockstep with the Israeli military.

Code-named ‘Am Kelavi’ (Rising Lion), the preemptive operation was the product of unprecedented coordination between the Israeli air force, the Military Intelligence Directorate, Mossad and the country’s defense industries. For years, they worked ‘shoulder to shoulder’ to gather the intelligence files needed to eliminate Iran’s most sensitive military and nuclear assets.

A senior Israeli security official told Fox News Digital, ‘The Mossad worked with a huge number of people—a mass of agents deep inside Iran, operating at the highest level of penetration imaginable. Some of these agents were retrained as commando fighters to carry out mission-critical operations.’

That work culminated in what the official described as a three-layered strike. ‘We eliminated vast areas of Iran’s surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missile infrastructure, a massive number of senior scientists, and large portions of their air defense systems.’

Mossad operation against Iran (Video: Mossad.)

‘We established a drone base inside Iran, and at zero hour, Mossad operatives retrieved them from hiding spots. We placed precision missiles on numerous vehicles and embedded additional missiles throughout the country, hidden inside rocks. We activated this entire array in precise coordination with the Israeli air force.’

Israeli jets launched simultaneous strikes on dozens of sites, including Iran’s primary uranium enrichment facility at Natanz. Located 1,500 kilometers from Israeli territory, Natanz had long been a critical part of Iran’s nuclear program. Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson, described it as an underground compound containing multi-level centrifuge halls and electrical infrastructure.

‘We inflicted significant damage on this site,’ Defrin said. ‘This facility was used by the IRGC to advance Iran’s project for acquiring nuclear weapons.’

Avner Golov, vice president of the Mind Israel think tank, told Fox News Digital, ‘The biggest success was hitting the Natanz facility and neutralizing Iran’s first wave of retaliation—the automatic response. 

‘We took out their opening move—the ballistic missiles that were meant to launch immediately, and the drones that were already on the way. The fact that scientists were eliminated—that’s the true achievement.’

However, far beyond the airstrikes, Israeli sources revealed that a massive intelligence and sabotage campaign was unfolding in parallel inside Iran. A former senior Israeli official told Fox News Digital, ‘There was activity inside Iran—an insane level of intelligence work.

‘They located the entire command center of the Iranian Air Force. All the commanders were together, and they were taken out in real time.’

According to the same official, Iran’s military had gathered its top air force brass in one facility as part of a publicized drill meant to project deterrence. Instead, it exposed them. ‘It was partly luck, but also planned—the ability to see them in real time and strike with precision,’ he said. ‘It’s a reminder of what happened in Lebanon—taking out contaminated leadership with surgical intelligence.’

That operation in Lebanon, often referred to as the ‘pagers’ operation, saw Israel infiltrate and sabotage Hezbollah’s command network using Chinese-made radios embedded with explosives. The current operation, Israeli experts say, was broader, deeper, and more strategically impactful.

Attack on Iran

‘I think this is so much more substantial,’ said Nadav Eyal, an Israeli journalist and analyst for ‘Yediot Ahronot’ newspaper. ‘What was done here was much more than the James Bond kind of type of pagers operation. It’s more about the infrastructure, intelligence needed to read devastating strikes on military installations, and the ingenuity of its intelligence services—electronic surveillance, things that it’s been developing for many years now.’

The Mossad’s infiltration campaign involved the quiet smuggling of sophisticated weaponry into Iran, hidden inside vehicles and embedded near strategic targets. In central Iran, precision-guided weapons were planted near surface-to-air missile batteries and launched on command. Disguised vehicles were also used to destroy Iran’s air defense systems at the moment of the strike. Meanwhile, explosive drones positioned near Tehran were activated to destroy long-range missile launchers at the Esfajabad base.

All of it took place under the watch of Iranian intelligence and succeeded without detection.

Israeli defense officials now say the mission represents one of the most successful intelligence-military integrations in the country’s history. If the Lebanon pagers stunned the world, the message from this strike is even clearer: nowhere is out of reach.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Everything you need to know about Iran’s nuclear program

After decades of threats, Israel on Friday launched an audacious attack on Iran, targeting its nuclear sites, scientists and military leaders.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation had “struck at the head of Iran’s nuclear weaponization program.”

But international assessments, including by the US intelligence community, say that Iran’s nuclear program isn’t currently weaponized. Tehran has also repeatedly insisted it isn’t building a bomb.

Still, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t if it chose to.

Iran has spent decades developing its nuclear program and sees it as a source of national pride and sovereignty. It maintains the program is solely for peaceful energy purposes and plans to build additional nuclear power plants to meet domestic energy needs and free up more oil for export.

Nuclear plants require a fuel called uranium – and according to the UN nuclear watchdog, no other country has the kind of uranium that Iran currently does without also having a nuclear weapons program.

That has fueled suspicions that Iran isn’t being fully transparent about its intentions. Tehran has used its stockpile of weapons-grade uranium as a bargaining chip in talks with the United States, repeatedly saying it would get rid of it if US-led sanctions are lifted.

So, what exactly is uranium’s role in a nuclear weapon, and how far is Iran from weaponizing its program? Here’s what you need to know.

When did Iran’s nuclear program start?

The US launched a nuclear program with Iran in 1957. Back then, the Western-friendly monarch – the Shah – ruled Iran and the two countries were still friends.

With backing from the US, Iran started developing its nuclear power program in the 1970s. But the US pulled its support when the Shah was overthrown during the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Since the revolution, which transformed Iran into an Islamic Republic, Western nations have worried the country could use its nuclear program to produce atomic weapons using highly enriched uranium.

Iran has maintained that it does not seek to build nuclear weapons. It is a party to the UN’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), under which it has pledged not to develop a bomb.

Here’s where its nuclear facilities are located.

Why is the program so controversial?

At the heart of the controversy over Iran’s nuclear program is its enrichment of uranium – a process used to produce fuel for power plants that, at higher levels, can also be used to make a nuclear bomb.

In the early 2000s, international inspectors announced that they had found traces of highly enriched uranium at an Iranian plant in Natanz. Iran temporarily halted enrichment, but resumed it in 2006, insisting it was allowed under its agreement with the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

It prompted years of international sanctions against Iran.

After years of negotiations, Iran and six world powers in 2015 agreed to a nuclear deal that limited Iran’s nuclear threat in return for lighter sanctions.

The deal required Iran to keep its uranium enrichment levels at no more than 3.67%, down from near 20%, dramatically reduce its uranium stockpile, and phase out its centrifuges, among other measures.

Uranium isn’t bomb-grade until it’s enriched to 90% purity. And nuclear power plants that generate electricity use uranium that is enriched to between 3.5% and 5%.

Does Iran have nuclear weapons?

It’s unclear how close Iran might be to actually building a nuclear bomb, if at all, but it has made significant progress in producing its key ingredient: highly enriched uranium. In recent years, it has sharply reduced the time needed to reach weapons-grade levels – now requiring just about a week to produce enough for one bomb.

In 2018, Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and initiated new sanctions on the regime to cripple its economy.

Tehran in turn said it would stop complying with parts of the agreement, and started increasing uranium enrichment and uranium stockpiles, and using advanced centrifuges.

It removed all of the IAEA equipment previously installed for surveillance and monitoring activities.

The Biden administration then kicked off more than a year of indirect negotiations with Iran aimed at reviving the deal, but those broke down in 2022.

In 2023, the IAEA said uranium particles enriched to 83.7% purity – close to bomb-grade levels – were found at an Iranian nuclear facility. Its stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% had also grown to 128.3 kilograms, the highest level then documented.

And last year, the US shortened Iran’s so-called “breakout time” – the amount of time needed to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon – “to one or two weeks.”

An IAEA report sent to member states late last month said Iran’s stock of 60% purity enriched uranium had now grown to 408 kilograms. That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick.

The IAEA has long accused Iran of violating its non-proliferation obligations, but on Thursday – for the first time in almost 20 years – its board passed a resolution officially declaring Iran in breach of those obligations. Iran promised to respond by escalating its nuclear activities.

What exactly is enriched uranium?

Enrichment is a process that increases the amount of uranium-235, a special type of uranium used to power nuclear reactors or, in much higher amounts, to make nuclear weapons.

Natural uranium is mostly uranium‑238 – about 99.3%, which isn’t good for power or bombs. Only about 0.7% is uranium‑235, the part needed to release energy.

For nuclear energy use, that tiny amount of useful uranium-235 needs to be concentrated. To do this, uranium is first turned into a gas, then spun at high speeds in machines called centrifuges. These machines help separate uranium-235 from the more common uranium-238. That is what enrichment is.

Uranium used in nuclear power plants is typically enriched to about 3.67%. To make a nuclear bomb, it needs to be enriched to around 90%. Iran has enriched uranium to 60% – not enough for a bomb, but a major step closer to weapons-grade material.

Centrifuges are essential for enriching uranium. The more advanced the centrifuge, the faster and more efficiently it can separate uranium-235 from uranium-238 – shortening the time needed to produce nuclear fuel or, potentially, weapons-grade material. Iran has spent decades improving its centrifuge technology, starting with its first-generation IR-1 model in the late 1980s. Today, it operates thousands of machines, including advanced models like the IR-6 and IR-9.

According to the Arms Control Association, Iran’s current centrifuge capacity could allow it to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb in less than two weeks.

How has Iran’s nuclear program been hit?

Israel says it’s targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure in its attack.

The nuclear complex there, about 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of the capital Tehran, is considered Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility. Analysts say the site is used to develop and assemble centrifuges for uranium enrichment, a key technology that turns uranium into nuclear fuel.

The IAEA said three nuclear sites, Fordow, Isfahan and Bushehr, had not been impacted.

Six of Iran’s nuclear scientists were also killed in Israel’s strikes, Iranian state-affiliated Tasnim news agency said.

Some facilities are buried deep underground to put them out of reach of Israel’s weapons.

This post appeared first on cnn.com
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Second federal judge sides against Trump’s election executive order

A second federal judge on Friday blocked an executive order from President Donald Trump aimed at overhauling elections in the U.S.

Trump’s March 25 executive order sought to compel officials to require documentary proof of citizenship for everyone registering to vote for federal elections, accept only mailed ballots received by Election Day and condition federal election grant funding on states adhering to the new ballot deadline.

‘The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,’ Judge Denise J. Casper of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts said in Friday’s ruling.

A group of Democratic state attorneys general had challenged the executive order as unconstitutional. 

The attorneys general said the directive ‘usurps the States’ constitutional power and seeks to amend election law by fiat.’

The defended the order as ‘standing up for free, fair and honest elections’ and called proof of citizenship a ‘commonsense’ requirement.

‘Despite pioneering self-government, the United States now fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections employed by modern, developed nations, as well as those still developing,’ Trump wrote in the executive order, titled ‘Preserving and protecting the integrity of American elections.’

‘India and Brazil, for example, are tying voter identification to a biometric database, while the United States largely relies on self-attestation for citizenship. In tabulating votes, Germany and Canada require use of paper ballots, counted in public by local officials, which substantially reduces the number of disputes as compared to the American patchwork of voting methods that can lead to basic chain-of-custody problems,’ he continued.

‘Further, while countries like Denmark and Sweden sensibly limit mail-in voting to those unable to vote in person and do not count late-arriving votes regardless of the date of postmark, many American elections now feature mass voting by mail, with many officials accepting ballots without postmarks or those received well after Election Day,’ he also said.

Casper also noted that, when it comes to citizenship, ‘there is no dispute (nor could there be) that U.S. citizenship is required to vote in federal elections and the federal voter registration forms require attestation of citizenship.’

Casper cited arguments made by the states that the requirements would ‘burden the States with significant efforts and substantial costs’ to update procedures.

The ruling is the second legal setback for Trump’s election order. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., previously blocked parts of the directive, including the proof-of-citizenship requirement for the federal voter registration form.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Iran claims right to nuclear prowess following Israel strikes, but remains silent on negotiations with US

Iran on Friday confirmed it will not end its nuclear programs despite the overnight attacks by Israel on its atomic facilities and apparent continued U.S. efforts to meet with Iranian counterparts on Sunday.

In a statement released by the Iranian government, Tehran claimed Israel’s attack proved it has a ‘right to enrichment and nuclear technology and missile capability.’

‘The enemy has caused our victimhood and legitimacy to be proven as to who is the aggressor and which regime threatens the security of the region,’ the statement said.

The comments not only followed Israel’s strike that killed seven top officials – including four military commanders, one official allegedly involved in the nuclear talks with the U.S., and two nuclear scientists – but also after the board of governors from the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog on Thursday declared Iran is in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Despite the formal rebuke over its nuclear violations, including its substantial stockpiles of near-weapons-grade uranium, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed Tehran would continue to enrich uranium – the core hiccup in ongoing U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations. 

‘The cowardly nocturnal operation while the diplomatic process on the nuclear issue of Iran was underway is a sign of this regime’s fear of Iran’s power of persuasion and defense for the world,’ Tehran said Friday. 

Iranian political heads have claimed that the overnight strikes mean Tehran will not continue with nuclear negotiations with Washington, D.C., and that a meeting set with Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman on Sunday was off. 

However, the Trump administration has not confirmed these claims and neither has the Iranian regime. 

When asked if Iranian officials have notified the U.S. that Iran is withdrawing from nuclear negotiations, a US official said, ‘We still hope to have talks.’

Neither the White House nor the State Department immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s questions regarding the talks. 

President Donald Trump is set to hold a security meeting at 11 a.m. on Friday, when the future of the talks is expected to be addressed. 

Rich Edson contributed to this report. 

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IAEA chief calls Israeli president, reportedly says Iran nuclear facility was severely damaged

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi called Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Friday following airstrikes on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, an Israeli presidential spokesperson told Fox News. 

Grossi told Herzog that the facility was severely damaged in the strikes, according to Israeli media reports. 

‘We are currently in contact with the Iranian nuclear safety authorities to ascertain the status of relevant nuclear facilities and to assess any wider impacts on nuclear safety and security,’ Grossi said in a statement. 

‘At present, the competent Iranian authorities have confirmed that the Natanz enrichment site has been impacted and that there are no elevated radiation levels. They have also reported that at present the Esfahan and Fordow sites have not been impacted.’ 

‘This development is deeply concerning. I have repeatedly stated that nuclear facilities must never be attacked, regardless of the context or circumstances, as it could harm both people and the environment. Such attacks have serious implications for nuclear safety, security and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security,’ Grossi continued. 

‘As Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and consistent with the objectives of the IAEA under the IAEA Statute, I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation. I reiterate that any military action that jeopardizes the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond,’ he also said. 

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that ‘Overnight, Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the Intelligence Directorate, struck the Iranian regime’s uranium enrichment site in the Natanz area.’ 

‘This is the largest uranium enrichment site in Iran, which has operated for years to achieve nuclear weapons capability and houses the infrastructure required for enriching uranium to military-grade levels. As part of the strikes, the underground area of the site was damaged. This area contains a multi-story enrichment hall with centrifuges, electrical rooms, and additional supporting infrastructure,’ according to the IDF. 

‘In addition, critical infrastructure enabling the site’s continuous operation and the Iranian regime’s ongoing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons were targeted,’ it said. 

Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report. 

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Marjorie Taylor Greene launches probe into Planned Parenthood’s use of taxpayer funds

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and her DOGE subcommittee are launching an investigation into Planned Parenthood on Friday.

Greene is sending a letter to Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, questioning whether the nonprofit is commingling ‘federal funds and using them for unpermitted purposes.’

Federal funds are barred from being used for abortions under a measure called the Hyde Amendment. President Donald Trump has also taken executive action toward affirming the Hyde Amendment and blocking federal dollars from organizations that provide transgender healthcare to youth.

However, Greene’s letter suggested she is accusing Planned Parenthood of doing both.

‘Despite receiving 39 percent of its annual revenue from federal funds intended for essential health services, such as cancer screenings and wellness exams, Planned Parenthood is increasingly using its resources to offer abortions to its patients,’ Greene wrote.

Greene said the data show that the ‘latest Planned Parenthood annual report shows that it performed more than 400,000 abortions, an increase of 23 percent over the last 10 years.’

The letter also accused Planned Parenthood of providing ‘gender-affirming care’ with ‘allegedly little to no medical or psychological evaluation.’

An annual report by Planned Parenthood, cited by Greene, showed 45 ‘affiliate health centers’ providing hormone therapy for so-called ‘gender-affirming care.’

However, Greene said other gender transition services were reported as ‘other procedures,’ including pediatric care and infertility services as well, which she said obscured the ‘true number of transgender services provided.’

‘Planned Parenthood’s official policy varies by state, but some Planned Parenthood health centers will provide cross-sex hormones to minors as young as 16 years old with parental consent,’ Greene wrote, while also accusing the group of ‘not consistently adhering to its own parental consent policies.’

To assist her probe, Greene is seeking Planned Parenthood’s non-public financial statements from between January 2020 through June 2025, as well as a list of its independent affiliate health centers, informed consent documents, and other documentation.

Notably, that period includes when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the issue of abortion back to the states in June 2022.

Republicans have long targeted Planned Parenthood, accusing the nonprofit of misusing federal dollars despite the longstanding anti-abortion funding measure.

The group’s supporters, meanwhile, have held it up as a key nationwide provider of women’s healthcare – which they believe has only gotten more critical after the high court’s June 2022 decision.

Greene’s panel, which is under the House Oversight Committee, is opening the probe weeks after House Republicans passed their version of Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ which includes a provision to block federal funds from organizations that provide abortions.

Fox News Digital reached out to Planned Parenthood for comment but did not immediately hear back.

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‘War criminal Netanyahu’: ‘Squad’ members erupt over Israel’s ‘reckless’ strike on Iran

Far-left House Democrats are hammering Israel for its Thursday night strikes on Iran.

Members of the House’s progressive ‘Squad,’ already critical of Israel’s war on Gaza, are denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a ‘war criminal’ after his government launched attacks on Tehran and surrounding areas.

‘Israel has once again bombed Iran, a dangerous & reckless escalation. The war criminal Netanyahu wants to ignite an endless regional war & drag the US into it,’ Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., wrote on X. ‘Any politician who tries to help him betrays us all. The American people do not want this.’

Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., claimed Israel would drag the U.S. into war in the Middle East.

‘The Israeli government bombing Iran is a dangerous escalation that could lead to regional war. War Criminal Netanyahu will do anything to maintain his grip on power,’ Tlaib wrote.

‘We cannot let him drag our country into a war with Iran. Our government must stop funding and supporting this rogue genocidal regime.’

Omar said, ‘Regardless of what [President Donald Trump] thinks, Israel knows America will do whatever they want and feels confident about their ability to get into war and have the American government back them up. Israel also knows they can always rely on getting America to protect and serve its needs.’

‘Everyone in America should prepare themselves to either see their tax dollars being spent on weapon supplies to Israel or be dragged into war with Iran if this escalates,’ Omar said.

Washington and Tehran have been engaged in talks about a new Iran nuclear deal aimed at reining in the Islamic republic’s uranium enrichment.

Trump posted on Truth Social Friday morning that Iran now had a ‘second chance’ to come to the table after Israel’s strikes.

Democrats, meanwhile, were more concerned.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ that he thought Israel’s strikes, which it called preemptive, were a bid to scuttle those talks.

‘It appears as if this was an attempt by Israel to scuttle Donald Trump’s negotiations with Iran. Of course, our preferred pathway here to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is diplomacy,’ Murphy said.

U.S. officials have been warning Iran not to respond to what Israel has said will be a multi-strike operation.

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An Israeli operation hit Iran’s nuclear program and killed top military officials. Here’s what we know

Shortly before sunrise in Iran on Friday, Israel launched the first strikes of its operation against the regime’s nuclear program.

That operation, called “Rising Lion,” had two prongs: Heavy airstrikes against at least one of Iran’s enrichment sites, and more targeted strikes in Tehran to decapitate the regime’s military leadership. It aimed to halt what Israel said was Tehran’s rapid progress in developing nuclear weapons.

Israel’s attack came after years of threats and days of heightened speculation – but without the United States’ blessing. The Trump administration stressed that Israel acted unilaterally and that Washington was “not involved.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation would continue “for as many days as it takes” to eliminate Iran’s nuclear threat. Tehran, which insists its nuclear program is peaceful, says it has “no option but to respond.”

Here’s what you need to know.

Where and when did Israel strike?

Shortly after explosions rocked Tehran, Israel also struck elsewhere in the country. Israel’s military said it used jets to strike “dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran.”

An explosion was reported at Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz, about 250 kilometers (150 miles) south of Tehran.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirmed that Natanz had been hit, but said it had not observed an increase in radiation levels in the area.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, said other nuclear facilities in Iran – Isfahan, Bushehr and Fordow – were not impacted. The Fordow site is buried under a mountain, and is considered a much harder target for Israel.

What did Israel say?

In a televised address, Netanyahu said Israel had taken action to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival,” and said it would continue its operation for as long as it takes “to remove these threats.”

Netanyahu claimed that Iran had in recent years produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine nuclear weapons.

“Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year, it could be within a few months,” he said. “This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s survival.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also said it had destroyed Iran’s ballistic missile launch sites and stockpiles.

Who did Israel kill?

Several of the most important men in Iran’s military and its nuclear program were killed in Israel’s strikes.

Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, head of the secretive Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was the highest-profile of those killed.

Israel also said it killed Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces; Ali Shamkhani, a close aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; and Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s air force.

How might Iran hit back?

Iran’s retaliation has already begun. The IDF said Tehran has fired more than 100 drones toward Israel and that Israeli defenses were working to intercept the drones.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian urged the Iranian people to remain unified and trust Iran’s leadership.

“The nation needs unity… more than ever,” he added.

After a series of lethal and embarrassing Israeli blows against the Iranian regime, it is not clear how Tehran might attempt to exact retribution.

Following previous Israeli attacks against Iran and its proxies in the region, Tehran fired back with huge salvos of ballistic missiles.

The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington DC, said this time it was “possible that Israel somehow disrupted Iran’s response by targeting Iran’s ballistic missile launch sites and stockpiles.”

How has the US responded?

The Trump administration – which has been pursuing a diplomatic path with Iran in recent weeks – sought to distance itself from Israel’s attack.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel’s actions were “unilateral.” Although Israel notified the US ahead of its strikes, Rubio said the US was “not involved” in the attack.

“Our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” he added. Earlier this week, the US had made efforts to arrange the departure of non-essential personnel from various countries in the Middle East, leading to speculation that an Israeli attack on Iran could be imminent.

US President Donald Trump urged Iran to agree to a new nuclear deal “before there is nothing left,” suggesting that follow-up Israeli attacks on the country would be “even more brutal.”

Trump said he had given Iran “chance after chance” to make a deal. “JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” he wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.

What happened to the last Iran nuclear deal?

Under a 2015 nuclear deal struck by former US President Barack Obama, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran agreed to drastically limit its number of centrifuges and cap uranium enrichment at levels far below those required to make weapons, in exchange for sanctions relief.

But during his first term as president in 2018, Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, saying the “rotten structure” of the agreement was not enough to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. He ramped up sanctions on Iran and threatened to sanction any country that helped the regime to obtain nuclear weapons.

In his second term, Trump has revived efforts to strike a new nuclear deal with Iran. Just hours before Israel’s strikes, the president cautioned Israel against launching an attack while US-Iran talks are ongoing.

“As long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want them going in because that would blow it. Might help it, actually, but also could blow it,” Trump said.

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