Iran

The Truth About Jihad With Anni Cyrus

Alyssa Sonnenburg — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:00:02 +0000

Written by Alyssa Sonnenburg

In this special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, IFI’s Jenna Smith sits down with Aynaz “Anni” Cyrus.

Aynaz “Anni” Cyrus is an Iranian-American investigative author and national security voice focused on the ideological and psychological strategies of Islamism and political Islam in the West.

Her latest work, The Architecture of Jihad, examines how movements, institutions, and state actors deploy religious doctrine, narrative warfare, and moral inversion to influence Western policy, culture, and security.… Continue Reading

The France Strategy: Could It Work for Iran?

David E. Smith — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:00:21 +0000

Written by Rev. James McDonald

Ever wonder why the U.S. exists as a free nation today? Spoiler: France played the hero in our Revolutionary War. Without their weapons, cash, troops, and that epic naval win at Yorktown, the British likely would’ve steamrolled us. It wasn’t just charity—it was a smart strategy to weaken a rival, and it worked, birthing a democracy that changed the world.

Now, in 2026, with U.S.-Israeli strikes having taken out Ali Khamenei and key regime targets, crippling Iran’s nuclear ambitions and military reach—could America be stepping up as ‘France’ for the Iranian people?

Can We At Least Stop Funding Hezbollah?

David E. Smith — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 12:00:55 +0000

Written by Daniel Horowitz

Foreign policy is no different from domestic policy in that most programs our government wants to fund address problems that our previous policies caused. Hence, the cycle of government. When it comes to foreign aid, how about we first stop funding the problem before throwing endless funding at a solution — while continuing to fund the problem?

Nowhere is this cycle of insanity more evident than with Joe Biden’s massive Israel aid package (primarily consisting of Ukraine grift), while he handcuffs the Jewish state’s self-defense efforts and continues to fund its enemies, including the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.… Continue Reading

How Did We Turn Universities Into Hamas Cheerleaders?

David E. Smith — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 12:28:19 +0000

Written by Daniel Horowitz

How did nearly every major college campus turn into the Third Reich overnight, with large gatherings of belligerent rally-goers chanting genocidal slogans against Jews? It didn’t happen overnight. Over a generation, we’ve imported the Muslim world to our college campuses. Not surprisingly, we also imported some of the slogans, chants, and values undergirding it.

Is this what we really need for our civilization?

The ubiquitous pro-Hamas rallies we’ve seen on nearly every major college campus over the past week are not the typical “end the occupation” rallies.… Continue Reading

Twitter Censors Trump Yet Keeps Khamenei’s Tweet Calling for Jihad Violence

David E. Smith — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 09:00:42 +0000

Written by Robert Spencer

Twitter did this after the President’s Executive Order calling for an end to politically motivated censorship on Twitter. And so the war is on. It is clear from Twitter’s leaving up Khamenei’s tweet calling for jihad violence that they’re not censoring Trump out of concern about violence, but because he is the largest voice dissenting from their agenda. Once he is silenced, it will be easy to silence everyone else. Who appointed Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, and Mark Zuckerberg, and the clowns at Google/YouTube and the Southern Poverty Law Center, as the guardians of acceptable opinion and permitted speech?… Continue Reading

Pelosi’s Democrats Threaten Democracy in the Name of Protecting It

David E. Smith — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 10:00:31 +0000

Written by David Limbaugh

Did you notice how presidential President Donald Trump appeared at his press conference on Iran? It was a fitting symbol for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s colossal failure in withholding the impeachment articles from the U.S. Senate.

Whatever Pelosi’s loony strategy — her unorthodox decision to withhold is only about strategy and not principle — she has ensured that the hyperpartisan impeachment will be viewed for exactly what it was. For all the Democrats’ manufactured impeachment drama, people seem to care less and less about the their shameless effort to affix a scarlet letter to Trump’s presidential record.… Continue Reading

Yes, It Was a Ransom Payment

David E. Smith — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 16:00:31 +0000

Written by Andrew C. McCarthy

Despite weeks of Obama administration stonewalling of refreshingly persistent media inquiries about its outrageous – and, I believe, illegal – transfer to Iran of $400 million in foreign currency in an unmarked cargo plane, the Wall Street Journal has confirmed that the payment was, in fact, a ransom payment for the release of American hostages.

The White House and State Department have insisted that there was absolutely, positively, cross-their-hearts no connection between (a) an agreed-upon prisoner swap in which American hostages held by Iran were released, and (b) the settlement of Iran’s claim regarding $400 million (plus interest) withheld by the United States in connection with a failed 1970s arms deal.

Poll: Foreign Policy Is Rand Paul’s Biggest Vulnerability in S.C., Iowa

David E. Smith — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 11:00:29 +0000

Written by Alana Goodman

U.S. Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) greatest vulnerabilities in the early GOP primaries are his positions on Iran and Israel, according to a private poll commissioned by a group called the Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America.

The Republican PAC, which launched a $1 million ad campaign highlighting Paul’s foreign policy positions this week, conducted the polls of likely Iowa and South Carolina GOP primary voters in February.

While respondents were surveyed on a number of Paul’s potential weaknesses, including his association with conspiracy-minded radio host Alex Jones and opposition to mandatory minimum prison sentences, the polls indicate that Paul’s comments on Iranian nuclear weapons and aid to Israel are his biggest liability with Republicans.… Continue Reading

Is Rand Paul More Liberal Than Obama on Foreign Policy?

David E. Smith — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 11:00:53 +0000

Written by Samuel Smith

As U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) officially became the second Republican to formally announce his candidacy for the 2016 presidential election on Tuesday, the 52-year-old obstetrician is already being attacked by conservatives as being “to the left of Obama” when it comes to his foreign policy and openness to negotiating with Iran.

Although Paul was victorious in the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference presidential straw poll in February, some prominent conservatives and even a conservative political action group have wasted no time in jumping on the presidential candidate over his stance on foreign policy issues.… Continue Reading