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The whole world can recognize that “superpower” America is surrendering to Iran. What they don’t realize is what a truly jaw-dropping example—surely one of the most dramatic in years—of the absolute reliability of biblical prophecy in forecasting world events.

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Think of it: America spent more than a year—two fierce bombing campaigns, around $50 billion, the blood of soldiers—to break Iran’s power. It has all backfired spectacularly. Today, war-torn, demolished Iran is dictating the terms of peace.

• President Trump demanded zero enrichment; Iran gets to enrich.
• Trump demanded proxy networks dismantled; Iran’s proxies are still firing rockets.
• Trump wanted regime change; it didn’t happen, yet he says it did.
• Trump demanded unconditional surrender; Iran gets $300 billion in reconstruction funding, sanctions relief and frozen assets unlocked.

The mullahs are absolutely correct in calling this a victory. They have more leverage now than before the war started.

• At the memorandum of understanding signing in Versailles, President Trump explained, “I wanted to prevent an economic catastrophe.” In other words, Iran has been able to hold the world hostage by controlling the Strait of Hormuz, and I’ve realized I’m powerless to stop it.
• The Iranian mullahs well recognize this reality and know they have the upper hand as negotiation continues. And regardless of the final deal, their ability to close Hormuz, and to disrupt the global economy at will, remains.

The latest insult: Iran called off the first round of talks. It won’t proceed with this farcical process because Israeli operations in Lebanon constitute a “flagrant violation” of the memorandum of understanding.

• Insolent Iran is demanding that America muzzle Israel—which wasn’t even party to the deal.
• And stunningly, embarrassingly, America is complying. Yesterday, Vice President JD Vance called Israeli strikes against Hezbollah “unacceptable” and said Israel “must respect this peace process.” He warned Israeli leaders not to attack “the only powerful ally” they have left in the world.

This is the kind of insult that drives Israelis to look for other allies. Bible prophecy says they’ll find one—and that it will betray them even more devastatingly.

• Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem called the negotiations a “farce” and said, “As long as the occupation exists, the resistance will continue.” As Israel defends itself, Trump will perversely view it as the obstacle to peace.

How could this happen? It is all unfolding in perfect accord with Bible prophecy.

• Watching the U.S. get checkmated by this ravaged, impoverished, evil little regime is truly a stunning sight. Yet it is by God’s design. It spotlights His curses on sin-sick America.

Donald Trump speaks as though his power is limitless, his achievements unmatched. He’s dead wrong.

• The world’s mightiest military doesn’t guarantee victory (Psalm 33:16-17). If God isn’t behind your effort, you’re spending your strength in vain (Psalm 127:1; Leviticus 26:20).

The war that backfired powerfully testifies of the immutability of God’s prophecies. The only thing that could alter the outcome of this cursed conflict is America’s national repentance.

Is Qatar Influencing Trump’s Iran Policy?

Yesterday’s Air Force One flight bringing President Donald Trump from France was the plane’s last, White House communications director Steven Cheung indicated. Make way for the lavish $400 million “flying palace” donated by Qatar.

• As the Trump administration negotiates with Iran, this gift resurfaces questions about how much this Middle Eastern autocracy is influencing the president’s foreign policy.

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry had strong words against the arrangement when it was publicized last year. He wrote in the July 2025 issue:

Do you think the Qatari leaders offered President Trump that jet because they love him? They are flattering him. … They hate him and everything he stands for. These Muslims want everybody to serve their god their way—and they use force to achieve that! They want to take over America and kill nonbelievers! … The Qataris are giving an airplane to a man they know is vulnerable and is caving in. When you do things like this, Satan will not let you get away with it!

Qatar was among Hamas’s main sponsors and used its leverage with the U.S. to prevent Israel from defeating the terrorist group. There is evidence that it is trying a similar tactic to protect Iran.

• The Washington Post reported June 12 that Qatar offered to pressure the U.S. to call off its bombing campaign, conditional on Iran leaving Qatar’s main natural gas field alone.
• According to the Post, pending Iran’s agreement, “Qatar would halt gas production unilaterally—a move that would send energy prices soaring and put economic pressure on the United States and Israel to shorten the war.” One of the Post’s sources summarized Qatar’s offer to Iran: “You will achieve your objectives without striking us.”
• Iran ended up striking the field anyway. But on May 14, during peace talks with Iran, President Trump announced he had signed a deal with Qatar “to generate an economic exchange worth at least $1.2 trillion.”

Nothing publicly known directly links the agreement to the negotiations, but given Qatar’s track record, the circumstances are highly suspect. At the very least, President Trump’s acceptance of lavish gifts from Qatar at moments like this suggests he has a conflict of interest. Learn more in Mr. Flurry’s article “Don’t Accept Gifts From Terrorists.”

Moscow Shrouded in Oil Smoke After Ukraine Drone Assault

Moscow was blanketed in thick black smoke on Thursday after Ukraine carried out its largest drone assault yet on the city—an attack that triggered fires, airport shutdowns and a range of heightened security measures.

Air defenses downed 992 drones, 4 cruise missiles and 10 aerial bombs, Russian state media reported. These figures have not been independently verified, but regardless of the number of interceptions, numerous targets were hit.

• Most notably, the Moscow Oil Refinery was struck, which supplies roughly 40 percent of the capital city’s gasoline and half of its diesel.
• Following strikes on the facility, an acrid haze formed across large parts of the city, with some residents posting videos of what they called “oil rain” falling from the sky.

Russian authorities launched a large-scale security operation across the city, sealing off Red Square, deploying additional armed personnel to key government locations, suspending flights, and initiating emergency response measures that halted traffic on the city’s outer ring road.

The attack underscores the expanding reach and power of Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign, which has increasingly targeted energy infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.

• Such operations have been dubbed “Ukrainian sanctions” by some observers due to their disruptions of Russian oil production and exports in ways that Western sanctions have struggled to achieve.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Thursday’s attack a retaliation for Russia damaging a revered monastery in Kyiv and killing 10 Ukrainians earlier in the week. He reiterated that peace would be possible if Moscow engages in meaningful negotiations, and said Russian leadership had refused repeated opportunities for talks.

“We don’t want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it, and our partners ​know it,” Zelenskyy said in a message to ​reporters. “But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn.”

Despite this humiliating attack on Russia’s capital and Ukraine’s growing ability to strike deep inside Russia, we should not expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to sheathe his sword.

• Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has identified Putin as a ruler who was foretold in ancient biblical prophecies. The passages depict him as a relentless aggressor driven by imperial ambition, and Mr. Flurry says Ukraine is “the linchpin of his goal of a renewed imperial Russia.”

Conquering Ukraine is not an ambition Putin is likely to abandon. To understand more, read The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia.’

New Fed Chair Won’t Lower Rates

President Donald Trump pushed to replace former Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell with Kevin Warsh for one primary reason: lower interest rates. But on Wednesday, the Fed chose to keep rates unchanged, between 3.5 and 3.75 percent.

• Warsh said he intends to bring inflation down to the Federal Reserve’s long-standing 2 percent target and to “deliver price stability,” a hint that he may actually raise interest rates later this year.

Inflation for May was reported to be 4.2 percent last week, the highest level in three years. The Federal Reserve estimates inflation will remain above 3 percent throughout the year.

• Much of the current inflation can be attributed to the Iran war’s effect on oil prices. However, even without the increase in energy prices and food prices, inflation would still be high at 2.9 percent.

Markets seemed displeased with the decision.

• On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell by 1.2 percent, while the nasdaq, which mainly tracks technology companies, fell by 1.3 percent. The two-year treasury yield also increased 16 basis points, indicating investors believe Warsh will indeed raise interest rates.

President Trump also seemed displeased, remarking that the decision was “Alright. Whatever.”

• When asked about the possibility of a future rate increase, he stated it could happen and that “it’s hard to believe. It just keeps a country down.” But he reiterated that he thinks Warsh is a “very good guy.”

This highlights America’s difficult financial situation. On one hand, if interest rates rise, the economy slows and unemployment rises. If rates decrease, inflation worsens and unaffordability grows.

• The U.S. national debt has surpassed $39 trillion, inflation is at a three-year high, and markets are gambling trillions on speculative technologies. The government has no solution.

This financial conundrum is a curse because of America’s disobedience to God’s laws (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). America’s financial difficulties will persist until the United States suffers a financial meltdown. To learn about the prophecies of America’s financial future, read our Trends article “Why the Trumpet Watches America’s Economic Collapse.”

IN OTHER NEWS

Germany prepares deployment in the Strait of Hormuz: Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced yesterday that Germany is ready to deploy two ships and 140 personnel to the Strait of Hormuz. He told reporters, “As we speak, our minesweeper Fulda and the supply ship Mosel are sailing through the Suez Canal toward the Red Sea.” Although the vessels do not yet have a mandate from the government, experts have serious concerns and wonder “whether the German Navy was operating in the strait at Iran’s invitation or whether the mullah regime would at least tolerate the warships,” Bild reported today. These concerns go beyond the life and safety of the military personnel. The mission could get Germany into a direct confrontation with Iran—which is prophesied to happen.

U.S. military reviewing its position in Europe: The United States will review its military position in Europe over the next six months, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced yesterday at a meeting with nato defense ministers, to “ensure that nato is moving fast and irreversibly towards Europe stepping up to take primary responsibility.” Losing American firepower actually will not weaken Europe but rather motivate it to build a deceptive and deadly superpower.

Britain is now ready to oust its prime minister, Keir Starmer, after his key challenger, Andy Burnham, won the election necessary to challenge him. Burnham won 55 percent of the vote in Makerfield, returning him to Parliament after soundly defeating Nigel Farage’s Reform party. In the wake of the victory, 100 Labour M.P.s have called on Starmer to step down. As Britain prepares for its seventh prime minister in 10 years, it’s clear the nation has a substantial leadership crisis.

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago opened yesterday after 10 years of construction and $850 million in spending and amid ongoing disputes by builders who say they haven’t been paid. Former presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton attended, along with several popular musicians. Obama used the occasion in part to praise people who resisted immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota. The center’s museum opens to the public today, “Juneteenth.”