VFI News Iran Frighteningly Close to Nuclear Weapon; Israel Sues NY Times Over Op-Ed

Iran's currency has collapsed to 1.9 million rials to the dollar. With 45,000+ dead in street protests and the central bank governor publicly breaking ranks, is the regime finally cracking?

This week's BFI News from Israel covers one of the most consequential moments in the Iran-US standoff yet. We break down the Strait of Hormuz crisis, the devastating economic collapse inside Iran, Israel's massive new defence purchases, and what it all means for the region going forward.

Iran's infrastructure has taken an estimated $270 billion in damage — nearly 60% of its entire GDP. Over a million jobs gone. The rial rendered virtually worthless. And now even regime insiders are publicly calling for a ceasefire. Meanwhile, US Navy vessels successfully escorted civilian shipping through the Strait under "Project Freedom," and Israeli and American forces are reportedly preparing for a sharp new campaign of strikes.

We also look at the ripple effects on Israel's economy, rising global inflation tied to energy supply disruptions, and the IDF's newly announced purchase of F-35I and F-15IA fighter squadrons.

⏱️ CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction — This Week's Headlines

1:20 Strait of Hormuz — Project Freedom & Iranian Attacks

5:45 Iran's Economic Catastrophe Explained

11:30 Regime Cracks & Street Protests

16:10 Global Economic Fallout & Israel's Economy

21:00 IDF Defence Purchases — F-35I & F-15IA Squadrons

25:40 Final Analysis & Prayer

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Shalom and God bless.

#Israel #Iran #StraitOfHormuz #MiddleEast #WarUpdate

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright informed lawmakers that Iran is “frighteningly close” to developing nuclear weapons during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, May 13. “They are weeks, a small number of weeks away to enrich that to weapons-grade uranium,” Wright asserted, referring to Iran’s current uranium stockpile. “There’s still a weaponization process that happens after that, but they’re quite close to constructing nuclear weapons.”

Iran retains a uranium stockpile enriched as high as 60%, while weapons-grade uranium must be enriched to approximately 90%. Wright stressed that he considers even 20%-enriched uranium “very concerning,” given the size of Iran’s stockpile. Several officials from US President Donald Trump’s administration have used Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, reportedly at least 11 tons, as the justification for the Iran war, with Trump himself demanding that Iran give up the uranium as part of any potential peace deal.

Wright told lawmakers that pursuing all of Iran’s enriched uranium is a “wise strategy” for putting an end to the country’s nuclear enrichment program. “Ultimately, the goal is to prevent future enrichment of uranium as well,” he said. “Yes, to have a safe world, we need to end their nuclear program.”

(JPost/VFI News)

“Dear Lord, we lift up the situation with Iran’s nuclear program before You. We pray in Yeshua’s Name that You frustrate the plans of those who seek to harm Israel and the nations. Please grant wisdom to world leaders as they confront this grave threat and provide them with discernment in their decisions. We ask You to protect the people of Israel from any harm and to bring about the complete dismantlement of weapons designed for destruction. May peace and security prevail in the region according to Your sovereign will.”

Israel will sue The New York Times over an op-ed alleging widespread sexual abuse and rape against Palestinian prisoners, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced in a joint statement on Thursday, May 14. The column by Nicholas Kristof, published on Monday, May 11, alleged “a pattern of widespread Israeli sexual violence against men, women and even children — by soldiers, settlers, interrogators.” The two leaders called the column “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press.”

“Today I instructed my legal advisers to consider the harshest legal action against The New York Times and Nicholas Kristof,” Netanyahu wrote on X. “They defamed the soldiers of Israel and perpetuated a blood libel about rape, trying to create a false symmetry between the genocidal terrorists of Hamas and Israel’s valiant soldiers. Under my leadership, Israel will not be silent. We will fight these lies in the court of public opinion and in the court of law. Truth will prevail.”

The Israel Prison Service said the allegations raised “are false and entirely unfounded.” The Foreign Ministry denounced the column as “one of the worst blood libels in modern media,” while assailing its reliance on a monitor whose leaders have been photographed alongside top Hamas officials. A spokesperson for the newspaper responded with a statement calling the threatened suit “without merit” and “part of a well-worn political playbook,” claiming Kristof’s reporting had been independently fact-checked.

(TOI/VFI News)

“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.” – Proverbs 12:22

A new investigation has found that sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated during the October 7, 2023, massacre and atrocities by Hamas and other terror groups in Israel was systematic, widespread, and a key, calculated component of the brutal terror assault. The probe, conducted by the Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children, was released on Tuesday, May 12, and determined that the violence was deliberately designed not just to brutalize the victims but also to terrorize Israeli society as a whole.

“What we have witnessed is deep hatred to humiliate us and terrorize us as a people, as a nation, as women, as vulnerable people who found themselves in captivity and in a prolonged hell,” said Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, an international law expert and founding chair of the Civil Commission. The 300-page study, titled “Silenced No More,” detailed 13 types of sexual violence committed during the attack and against hostages, including rape, gang rape, sexual torture and mutilation, executions linked to sexual violence, postmortem sexual abuse, and assaults carried out in the presence of family members.

The findings are based on 430 formal and informal interviews, testimonies, and meetings with survivors, witnesses, former hostages, experts, and family members, along with nearly 2,000 hours of visual analysis. “The scale, coordination, and repetition of the conduct demonstrate a widespread and systematic attack against civilians in which sexual violence was deliberately used as a method of terror,” the commission concluded. Elkayam-Levy and her team have now laid out a roadmap to turn two years of documentation into legal prosecution of the perpetrators.

(TOI/VFI News)

“Our Heavenly Father, we come before You with heavy hearts as we remember the unspeakable atrocities of October 7. We pray in Yeshua’s Name that You bring healing and comfort to all the victims and their families whose lives were shattered by these horrific acts. Please grant strength to those continuing to seek justice and accountability for the perpetrators. We ask You to be especially close to the survivors, binding up their wounds and restoring their hearts. May truth prevail and may these crimes never be forgotten or denied by the world.”

Police once again locked down the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Golders Green in northwest London on Thursday, May 14 — but unlike after the stabbing attack in which a terrorist wounded two Jewish men last month, this time the cordon was welcome, as residents turned out in force to greet King Charles III. The monarch visited the head office of Jewish Care, a leading nonprofit health and social care organization serving the local Jewish community, and met with the two men who were stabbed just feet away from the building as he sought to express his support for the country’s beleaguered Jewish community.

British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who was also at the meeting along with Metropolitan Police chief Mark Rowley, told Charles his visit was much appreciated by the victims, 34-year-old Shloime Rand and 76-year-old Norman Shine. Mirvis later wrote on Facebook: “Thank you, your Majesty, for coming today to Golders Green to bring comfort and encouragement to our Jewish community.” Shine said the King “didn’t let go of my hand. He is the King, but I felt a genuine warmth and concern. We feel we have a genuine friend in the King.”

The trip came the day after the King’s speech marking the opening of parliament at Westminster, in which Charles outlined government plans to introduce tougher new legislation to protect the Jewish community from growing antisemitism. The stabbings were the most recent in a string of attacks on Britain’s Jewish community in recent months, amid an unprecedented spike in antisemitism following Israel’s wars in Gaza and Iran. Two men were killed during Yom Kippur services in a Manchester terror attack this past October, and four ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola were torched by arsonists in March.

(TOI/VFI News)

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” – Matthew 5:4

Immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty of Jerusalem through captivating drone footage capturing the modern splendor and historical significance of this ancient city. Discover the divine promises and prophetic scriptures that highlight God's eternal plan for Jerusalem. Don't miss this enlightening tribute to Jerusalem Day, celebrating the reunification of the Holy City.

If there was ever a metaphor for British Jews’ ambivalence about emigrating to Israel, it was on full display at the Aliyah Day fair in London on Sunday, May 10. Visitors to the event, held at StoneX Stadium, a north London rugby venue, passed through airport-style security under the watchful eye of Metropolitan Police officers, volunteers for the Jewish nonprofit Community Security Trust, and burly Israeli guards.

Inside, the mood shifted. “Come home,” beckoned a blue-and-white sign at the entrance to the event space. Beyond it was a one-stop shop for those considering a new life in Israel, with representatives offering advice on citizenship, Hebrew lessons, universities, jobs, taxes, schools and choosing a city or community. More than 1,200 people passed through the doors throughout the day, a high compared with previous years.

Britain’s Jewish community has been on edge amid a wave of antisemitic violence, including the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, an arson attack on four ambulances belonging to the Hatzola volunteer EMT service in the same heavily Jewish neighborhood, and the deaths of two worshipers during Yom Kippur services in a Manchester synagogue terror attack last October. The fair was organized by the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Hayesod, Israel’s Aliyah and Integration Ministry, Ofek Israeli — a World Zionist Organization company that works to encourage immigration to Israel — and the WZO’s Department for the Promotion of Aliyah.

(TOI/VFI News)

“Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the ends of the earth… a great throng shall return there.” – Jeremiah 31:8

President Isaac Herzog delivered remarks on the evening of Thursday, May 14, at the state ceremony marking 59 years since the liberation and unification of Jerusalem, held at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem. “Jerusalem is not only a symbol. Anyone who sees in it only a symbol misses Jerusalem. Jerusalem is so wondrous because it is alive,” he told attendees. “Because in the shadow of the ancient stones, children play. Because alongside the grand sweep of history, there are small, tangible, daily lives.”

“And this, perhaps, is Jerusalem’s great secret: it does not ask us to choose between memory and life. It demands that we carry both together. To remember the fallen, and to build homes; to safeguard the holy places, and to develop every sphere of life,” Herzog continued. “This evening, we stand on the threshold of the sixtieth year of the city’s reunification. More years have passed in the State of Israel with a united Jerusalem than with a divided one.”

“We have already proven to the entire world that we will never give up on Jerusalem and its past. Now is the time to prove to ourselves that we are capable of proudly shaping its future as well,” the president declared. Herzog concluded by urging Israelis to safeguard Jerusalem not only with strength but also in spirit, morality, and responsibility, ensuring that every young person in the city — from every neighborhood and every community — knows they are part of its future.

(INN/VFI News)

“Dear God, we thank You for the unification of Jerusalem and for the privilege of seeing Your eternal city flourish in our generation. We pray in Yeshua’s Name for the peace of Jerusalem and for all those who dwell within her gates. Please continue to safeguard this holy city and its people, fulfilling Your promises concerning the place where You have chosen to put Your Name. We pray that every resident of Jerusalem would know Your love and shaping hand upon their lives, and that the city would shine as a beacon of Your purposes for the nations.”

Two rare ancient coins — including one bearing one of the earliest known depictions of the seven-branched menorah from the Second Temple period — have been returned to Israel following a joint investigation by Israeli and American authorities into antiquities trafficking, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Wednesday, May 13. The coins were formally handed over earlier this week during a ceremony at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York, after a cross-border probe involving the IAA’s Theft Prevention Unit, the Manhattan DA’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit and US Homeland Security officials.

One of the recovered coins is a small bronze prutah minted during the reign of Mattathias Antigonus, the last Hasmonean king, who ruled Jerusalem between 40 and 37 BCE. The coin features a seven-branched menorah on one side and the Temple showbread table on the other. The IAA described it as the only known ancient Jewish coin depicting the menorah that stood in the Temple in Jerusalem and one of the earliest artistic representations of the sacred candelabrum ever discovered.

Officials said Antigonus likely chose the distinctly Jewish imagery to rally support among the population during his struggle against Herod, who was backed by Rome. The second coin returned to Israel is an exceptionally rare silver tetradrachm minted more than 2,500 years ago in the ancient Mediterranean port city of Ascalon, now Ashkelon. Only one other example of the coin is known to exist, currently held in the Israel Museum collection. Both coins were illegally excavated and smuggled out of Israel, then placed on US auction blocks before being intercepted by investigators.

(TOI/VFI News)

“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold… Six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side.” – Exodus 25:31-32

Israel’s Noam Bettan qualified on Tuesday night, May 12, for the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, after his semifinal performance garnered him enough points to advance. Bettan performed “Michelle” in French, Hebrew and English over the sounds of “Stop the genocide” chanting in the Wiener Stadthalle in the Austrian capital, which could be heard on the live broadcast at the start of the song. Austrian public broadcaster ORF had said it would not use anti-booing technology during the show.

Eurovision organizers said on Wednesday, May 13, that the heckler in question was removed from the audience by security “for continuing to disturb the audience,” while three others were also removed from the arena “for disruptive behavior.” “I heard the boos, but quickly afterward, I heard calls from people on our side who were making noise and lifting me up,” Bettan said in a video message shortly after the performance. At one point toward the end of the song, when singing the Hebrew line “someone who will hear me,” Bettan said: “I was just singing to Israel — it sounds like such a cliche, but I was singing to Israel, and I felt it on every level.”

The qualifiers from Tuesday evening will compete on Saturday night, May 16, against the “Big Four” countries — France, Germany, Italy and the UK — as well as the 10 qualifiers from Thursday night’s semifinal, and host country Austria. This year’s Eurovision, the 70th edition of the annual song contest, has been shadowed in controversy over Israel’s participation. Spain, Slovenia, Iceland, Ireland and the Netherlands led a push to remove Israel from the contest, and when they were unsuccessful in doing so, quit in protest, leaving just 35 nations in the competition — the largest boycott in Eurovision history.

(TOI/VFI News)

The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.

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