Morning Brief: US and Israeli Strikes Deal Major Blow to Iran’s Nuclear Program, Ukraine Halts Russian Advance in Sumy

· Guy D. McCardle

New satellite images show damage at Iran’s Fordo nuclear site after Israeli strike, with craters at tunnel entrances and destroyed buildings. (Maxar Technologies)

Good morning! It’s a world on the brink—airstrikes shake Iran’s nuclear program, border missions strain the Pentagon, and the Supreme Court prepares to hand down rulings that could reshape US law. On the front lines, Ukraine holds firm, North Korea tightens its bond with Russia, and three nations return to space for the first time in decades. Strap in, folks! Here’s what’s driving this Friday morning, June 27, 2025.

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US and Israeli Strikes Deal Major Blow to Iran’s Nuclear Program, but Key Questions Remain

The US and Israel have inflicted significant damage on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure with coordinated airstrikes, but intelligence and expert assessments remain divided on the long-term impact.

US President Donald Trump claimed the three targeted facilities—Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan—were “obliterated,” while the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) characterized the damage as severe but not total.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed “extensive damage” at all three sites, including the destruction of centrifuge cascades and uranium-processing plants. The IAEA now believes the centrifuges at Fordo are “no longer operational,” and that Natanz’s underground and aboveground enrichment facilities have been “functionally destroyed.” Isfahan’s uranium conversion and metal production plants also suffered heavy damage.

However, uncertainty remains over the status of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. Preliminary US assessments suggest some material may have been moved prior to the strikes, possibly preserving a portion of the fuel needed to produce nuclear weapons.

The White House has denied this, asserting that heavy uranium containers were too large and hazardous to relocate in time.

Satellite images showed trucks at Fordo before the strike, prompting speculation that uranium may have been evacuated. Some analysts argue the vehicles were used to seal tunnel entrances with dirt and concrete rather than to remove materials.

The DIA’s initial assessment, described as “low confidence,” estimates the strikes may have delayed Iran’s nuclear program by several months, while Israeli officials claim the attacks set the program back by years.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a cautious endorsement of the operation, stating that Iran is now “much further away” from a nuclear weapon than before.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has dismissed US claims as exaggerated and maintains that the country’s nuclear efforts remain peaceful. IAEA inspectors remain in Iran but are currently unable to access the damaged sites due to safety concerns.

The full extent of the program’s setback remains under evaluation.

 

Pentagon Budgets $5B for Border Mission, Diverts Military Funds

The Pentagon plans to allocate over $5 billion in fiscal year 2026 to support the Trump administration’s military operations at the southern US border, potentially delaying or defunding unrelated military projects, including critical barracks maintenance.

Defense officials acknowledged that funds are being reprogrammed from service budgets to support expanded deployments and immigration missions, including troop surges to the US-Mexico border and Los Angeles.

Officials said they are banking on congressional passage of a proposed “Big Beautiful Bill,” a Trump-backed legislative package, to replenish the diverted funds. Until then, the Army has already lost $1 billion earmarked for facility upkeep, drawing bipartisan criticism for worsening conditions affecting junior troops.

Roughly 10,000 US troops, including Marines and the 4th Infantry Division with Stryker vehicles, have been deployed to the southern border, rivaling troop levels in combat zones. Another 4,700 troops are deployed in LA amid anti-immigration protest responses, costing $134 million, also pulled from operations and maintenance budgets.

The Pentagon also pledged $5 billion for barracks upgrades, but service-specific figures appear inconsistent. The Navy plans $4.2 billion, the Marine Corps $2.9 billion under its Barracks 2030 initiative, and the Army and Air Force each aim to spend $2.5 billion, raising questions about the actual total.

Some branches, like the Space Force, are already seeing budget cuts despite claims of offsetting mandatory funding.

With much of the budget tied to legislation not yet passed, uncertainty surrounds the administration’s military funding priorities for the coming year.

 

Supreme Court Set to Rule on Trump Birthright Citizenship Order and Five Other Key Cases

The US Supreme Court will issue its final six rulings of the term on Friday, including a major decision on President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented immigrants.

The order remains blocked nationwide by lower courts, and Trump has appealed to narrow the scope of nationwide injunctions, a legal tool that has hindered both Republican and Democratic administrations.

The court is also expected to rule on several other high-profile cases:

  • Religious Rights vs. LGBTQ Curriculum: Justices will decide whether Maryland parents can opt their children out of public school lessons that include LGBTQ-themed storybooks. The school district reversed an earlier opt-out policy, citing disruption.
  • Louisiana Redistricting: The court will weigh the legality of a congressional map that added a second Black-majority district. Conservative justices have signaled skepticism about racial considerations in redistricting under the Voting Rights Act.
  • Texas Online Porn Law: A Texas law requiring age verification to access pornographic websites is under review. The case centers on whether the law infringes on adults’ First Amendment rights and privacy by mandating submission of personal data.

Friday’s decisions will be the court’s final public actions until the new term begins October 6.

 

Ukraine Halts Russian Advance in Sumy, Front Line Stabilizes

Ukrainian forces have stopped Russia’s recent advance into the northern Sumy region and stabilized the front near the Russian border, according to Ukraine’s top commander, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Syrskyi said Thursday the successful defense prevented Russia from reallocating up to 50,000 troops, including elite airborne and marine units, to other battlefronts.

The claim has not been independently verified, and Moscow has not commented.

Sumy, a regional capital near the front line, has seen intensified fortification efforts. A special defense group has been formed to strengthen local security and accelerate barrier construction. Russia’s earlier push into the area prompted Ukraine to reinforce its defenses after losing ground in neighboring Kursk.

Meanwhile, intense fighting continues in the Donetsk region. Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the capture of Novoserhiivka and Shevchenko, strategic locations in its broader effort to reach the Dnipropetrovsk region, a major Ukrainian industrial hub.

Both sides also carried out long-range drone strikes. Russia claimed it downed 50 Ukrainian drones over nine regions, including Moscow, while Ukraine reported intercepting or jamming 24 of 41 incoming Russian drones. Five civilians were wounded in the attacks.

Additionally, Ukraine and Russia completed another prisoner exchange on Thursday, involving wounded and ill soldiers. Ukrainian officials expect more exchanges in the near future.

 

North Korea Poised to Send More Troops to Support Russia’s War in Ukraine

North Korea is preparing to deploy additional troops to Russia as early as July or August, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), raising alarm over Pyongyang’s deepening involvement in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

Lawmakers briefed by the NIS said Thursday recruitment efforts for new deployments are already underway.

Seoul estimates that North Korea has already supplied over 10 million artillery shells and ballistic missiles to Russia in exchange for economic and technical aid. The upcoming troop deployment would follow previous reported plans to send up to 25,000 North Korean laborers to assist with drone production, specifically Shahed-type loitering munitions, at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan.

In return, Pyongyang is seeking drone operation training to bolster its own military capabilities.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea on June 17 and secured an agreement for Pyongyang to send 1,000 sappers and 5,000 military engineers to Kursk Oblast.

North Korean combat troops have already supported Russia in combat, notably helping repel a Ukrainian offensive in Kursk that briefly gained 1,300 square kilometers (502 square miles) before being reversed in a March 2025 counteroffensive.

British defense intelligence estimates North Korea has suffered over 6,000 casualties in the conflict.

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief confirmed that North Korea and Russia have agreed to begin domestic production of Shahed-136 drones inside North Korea, cementing the alliance further. The partnership was visibly endorsed at Russia’s May 9 Victory Day Parade, where President Putin greeted North Korean troops in Red Square.

While Kim Jong Un did not attend the parade, he remains one of the Kremlin’s most loyal international allies.

 

India, Poland, and Hungary Send First Astronauts in Decades to ISS via SpaceX Private Mission

For the first time in over 40 years, astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary have arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), joining a private mission organized by Axiom Space and launched by SpaceX.

The four-person crew docked on Thursday after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center a day earlier.

Commanded by America’s most experienced astronaut, Peggy Whitson, the crew includes India’s Air Force pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, Hungary’s mechanical engineer Tibor Kapu, and Poland’s radiation expert Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, an ESA project astronaut.

The mission marks the first ISS visit for all three nations, whose last spaceflights occurred in the Soviet era.

The team will spend two weeks conducting scientific experiments aboard the ISS. Their arrival increases the station’s crew to 11, representing six nations. The visit had been delayed due to extended pre-launch quarantine and recent leak repairs on the Russian side of the station.

This mission is Axiom Space’s fourth private ISS flight since 2022, as the company and others prepare to launch their own commercial space stations. NASA plans to retire the ISS in 2030, paving the way for private sector replacements.

 

India Urges China to Find Permanent Border Solution Amid SCO Defense Talks

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh urged his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, to pursue a “permanent solution” to the long-standing border dispute between the two nuclear-armed nations.

The discussion took place on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) defense ministers’ meeting in Qingdao on Thursday.

Singh emphasized the need for a structured roadmap to resolve the 3,800 kilometer (2,400 mile) undemarcated Himalayan border, which has been the source of multiple conflicts, including a deadly 2020 clash that killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. That incident triggered a four-year military standoff, with tens of thousands of troops deployed in high-altitude zones until a mutual withdrawal agreement was reached in October 2024.

Singh also called for restoring trust between the two nations, which deteriorated sharply following the 2020 confrontation. The SCO meeting, which included China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and Iran, was held in advance of the group’s annual summit scheduled for the fall.

 

Sources: News Agencies