Iran has turned to its commercial sector to conceal its development of ballistic missiles in a move to circumvent international sanctions, turning private companies into fronts for its illicit military dealings. 

Sources embedded within the Iranian regime and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and who are also affiliated with the Iranian resistance group called the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, have collected months of information on how the civilian workforce is unknowingly fueling Tehran’s war machine.

According to a report by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, civilian companies involved with oil, gas, petrochemicals and electronic components are susceptible to Tehran’s determination to bolster its missile and drone programs, especially as tensions with the West continue to mount over its aid to Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine as well as Iran’s direct and indirect attacks on Israel.

The NCRI is sounding the alarm that at least three companies in Iran, including the Kaveh Mobadel Industrial Co., also known as Kaveh Machinery Co. (KMC), Sanaye Garma Gostar (SGG), also dubbed the Garma Gostar Industries, as well as the Sana Bargh Tavan Co., also known as SBT Electric, are tasked with producing items used to develop missile and drones.

“The Iranian regime’s missile program is not limited to the dozens of known military sites of the Aerospace Force of the IRGC or the Ministry of Defense,” Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the NCRI in the U.S., told Fox News Digital. “It has built a sophisticated network of commercial companies to cover up the true extent of Tehran’s missile and drone programs, as well as evading sanctions and accountability.”

Fox News Digital could not reach any of the mentioned companies for comment, but according to findings provided by embedded sources, these companies are not only subject to inspection by the Iranian Ministry of Defense but also hold contracts with the IRGC and the regime.

Despite evidence to suggest that while company executives are aware of how their businesses are being used to circumvent sanctions, the workers within the companies apparently remain uninformed despite dubious production demands.

The NCRI said it had obtained information indicating that certain items have entered the companies’ production lines that are incompatible with the business platforms.

One example highlighted in the NRCI report pointed to dozens of aluminum tanks allegedly being produced for the “dairy industry,” though the report also pointed out that “using aluminum for dairy purposes is prohibited.”

While there is a strong indication that the Iranian regime is doing what it can to keep its efforts to circumvent sanctions secret, even within its own borders, some products being manufactured have likely not escaped notice. 

The Sana Bargh Tavan Co., a collection of electronic factories situated in an area known as Pardis Technology Park and produces elevator drives, was reportedly discovered to be manufacturing “electronic boards for missiles and drones under the guise of other industrial products for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”

The complex was also reported to be “under the control of the IRGC, and visitors’ access is regulated.”

Iran’s attempts to circumvent sanctions are nothing new, and despite heavy sanctions by the U.S., U.K. and the European Union (EU), Iran has continued to develop its nuclear and missile programs. 

In October 2023, U.N. sanctions on Iran, which prohibited its ability to import or export missiles, drones and other related technology without prior U.N. Security Council approval under Resolution 2231, expired.

Though the sanctions were believed to have slowed Iran’s ability to develop its missile and drone programs, it did not halt it altogether. 

“The Iranian regime has relied on the expansion of its missile program to make up for its near-zero air power and minimal air defense capabilities,” Jafarzadeh told Fox News Digital.

“The missile program serves two purposes for the regime: one is arming its regional proxies, such as Hezbollah, and the second, which is of strategic significance, is building missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead,” he added.

The U.S. last year deemed that Iran’s “missile program remains one of the greatest challenges to international nonproliferation efforts,” and it has since implemented several rounds of targeted sanctions.

The U.K. and the EU on Monday announced fresh sanctions on Tehran over its support for Russia, targeting its shipping industry that is allegedly used to transfer drones and missiles.

Iran has repeatedly denied sending missiles or drones to Russia for its war against Kyiv, but the use of Iranian-made Shahed drones to target soldiers and civilians alike has been well documented in Ukraine.

Russian troops launched various missiles, reportedly including an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Astrakhan region, in an early morning attack on Ukraine on Thursday.

Ukraine’s Air Force said on its Telegram account that it destroyed six Kh-101 cruise missiles using anti-aircraft combat.

The Russian attack hit critical infrastructure in the central-eastern city of Dnipro, according to the air force.

This comes after Ukraine fired American-supplied long-range missiles into Russia on Tuesday, marking the first time for Kyiv to do so in the 1,000 days of war – a move that was authorized by President Biden on Sunday.

There are currently no reports on injuries or fatalities.

If the attack did involve an ICBM, it would mark a major escalation in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the first time such a weapon has been used.

Mollen, who appeared in the film “My Best Friend’s Girl” and is the wife of actor Jason Biggs, said she was mid-flight from Los Angeles to New York when she realized she had lice that was pointed out by a friend.

Her Instagram announcement, along with a follow-up post, was shared by Mollen late last month but has made recent headlines and prompted users to sound off.

“The people on that flight. Ugh… poor them,” one woman wrote under Mollen’s initial post.

Another user commented, “Itching…from here….”

“I hope you told the crew,” said another.

Mollen, who was seen with a plastic bag on her head in the video, said she had been scratching her head for two weeks.

In a more recent video, Mollen is seen getting lice removal treatment and clearing up the controversy about flying with lice.

“The airplane seat that’s a bummer for whoever sits there next,” Mollen said on Instagram, where she tagged the New York City-based lice removal company, Licenders.

She said, “I wanted to be clear, I did not know I had lice until I was on the airplane.”

One user commented, “You should be banned from flying.”

“The world in its oversharing era,” said another.

“Calm down, People! It’s just lice,” one user commented on the video update.

Another said, “I hope you told the airline.”

Lice are parasitic insects found on people’s heads and bodies and can spread by close person-to-person contact that move by crawling and cannot hop or fly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Christine Bonanno is the owner of Fairy LiceMothers, a professional lice removal service that has been in business for more than 18 years with locations on Long Island in New York and in Austin, Texas.

Bonanno told Fox News Digital via email that the most common way to catch lice is through head-to-head contact.

“It is possible to catch lice while traveling on an airplane. You would not get it from the airplane seat itself, you would have to sit next to someone who actually has it,” said Bonanno.

Bonanno added, “the only place lice can live is on a human head… An adult bug will crawl from one head to another – you cannot catch an egg – only a bug.”

She said the most effective way to treat lice is to comb out all the bugs, and it is very important to communicate with those you are around so they can be checked and treated.

“The hair acts as a bridge for lice to crawl from one head to another. So the less hair exposed the better. Hair tied back in a braid or bun helps,” said Bonanno.

Bonanno, who is a certified head lice removal clinician, said certain scents such as lavender, peppermint, coconut and tea tree oil could help repel the bugs.

Treatments at removal service companies like Fairy LiceMothers typically take between one and two hours but may take longer if it is done by someone themselves.

“We tell clients, ‘once a week take a peek,’ meaning check yourself for lice weekly, so even if you do get [lice] it will be manageable and easy to treat,” Bonanno said.

Jose Ibarra entered the United States illegally. He received taxpayer-funded flights. He got housing and protection from law enforcement upon arrival. But when he stalked and murdered an innocent nursing student on the campus of the University of Georgia – rather than eradicating the planet of this deranged depraved lunatic, the now-defeated District Attorney in Athens, Georgia has made sure taxpayers will fund his room and board for the rest of his life.

The monster who killed Laken Riley is off to serve the rest of his natural life in a Georgia prison. He was sentenced to two life sentences without parole and then some. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, illegal Venezuelan immigrant Jose Ibarra will never breathe free air again. But the question remains: why is he not facing the death penalty? Why would DA Gonzalez be so callous and indifferent to the memory of Laken Riley that she would not seek the ultimate punishment in one of the most heartbreaking murders in Georgia history?

After all, Georgia’s death penalty law provides for the death penalty in the worst of the worst murder cases, but only if the district attorney elects to pursue it.

To qualify for the death penalty for murder in Georgia there must exist special circumstances. The law says those circumstances are as follows:

• Aggravating circumstances: The prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that one of the following circumstances applied:The offender has a prior record of a capital felony convictionThe offender committed the crime while committing another capital felony or aggravated batteryThe offender committed the crime for financial gainThe offender created a great risk of death to multiple people in a public placeThe offender murdered a judicial officer, district attorney, or solicitor-general while they were exercising their official dutiesThe offender committed the crime as an agent of another personThe crime was outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible, or inhuman
• The offender has a prior record of a capital felony conviction
• The offender committed the crime while committing another capital felony or aggravated battery
• The offender committed the crime for financial gain
• The offender created a great risk of death to multiple people in a public place
• The offender murdered a judicial officer, district attorney, or solicitor-general while they were exercising their official duties
• The offender committed the crime as an agent of another person
• The crime was outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible, or inhuman

Applying these factors, this case qualified for the death penalty in at least the following ways:

First, Ibarra committed his heinous deed while in the process committing the capital crime of “Kidnapping with Bodily injury.” Indeed, he was convicted of this offense in count 6 of the indictment.

Second, the crime was committed while Ibarra was committing the crime of aggravated battery which was count 8 of the indictment and for which he was found guilty.

Third, the murder of Laken Riley was without question “outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible or inhuman.” Ibarra went hunting for someone to rape. He found Laken Riley and when she fought her attacker for nearly 20 minutes, he smashed her head in with a rock and discarded her remains like she was a piece of common trash.

Despite the existence of these circumstances, District Attorney Gonzalez opted not to seek the death penalty in this case. In fact, she vowed never to seek the death penalty in any case, regardless of how terrible or awful the particulars of the crime might be. On her first day in office 4 years ago Gonzalez sent a memo announcing that she would not seek the death penalty no matter the circumstances, taking away the right of the jury to make that decision in the most heinous of cases. This unilateral decision not what Georgia lawmakers intended and it defies the will of the people.

This was not some ordinary robbery or drug deal gone bad. This crime was truly sick, vile, disgusting and unimaginably sad. This cold-blooded killer went hunting for someone to rape and she refused to be his victim. As the prosecutor said in opening statements, Laken Riley fought with him for almost 20 minutes. She fought for her life and she fought for her dignity. And then Ibarra bashed her repeatedly in the head with a rock, strangled her until blood vessels in her eyes burst open, tried to remove her clothing and left her lifeless body covered in debris. If ever there was anyone that deserved to forfeit their life, it is Jose Ibarra.

The message – to all “sanctuary cities” – and to all who would seek to come to America should be loud and clear: If you come here illegally and violently murder one of our daughters, you will pay with your life. This animal does not deserve 3 hots and a cot. Jose Ibarra is irredeemably morally depraved. He cannot be rehabilitated. Georgia deserves retribution and Laken Riley deserves substantially more justice than District Attorney Gonzalez allowed.

Young people worry about the impacts of climate change – a lot. Of course they do. How could they not, given media and elementary and secondary school curricula? Some research suggests 60% or more of high school students will tell surveyors that they view climate change as “an existential threat.” Given how much time and attention is spent on cataclysmic rhetoric about climate change, it is surprising the number isn’t 95%

How about the national debt? Five years ago, Brooking Institute scholar Stuart Butler worried that very few Millennials cared about the national debt despite the projection that the national debt “is rising rapidly and will be close to 150% of GDP by 2050,” and that the total “would easily surpass the previous record during World War II.”

Butler – respected across the political spectrum – noted a “lot of frustration among economists and policymakers about the seeming unwillingness of young Americans to appreciate the enormous threat posed by deficits and debt.”

“Prophesying fiscal disaster and urging action is a challenging line of work these days,” he concluded.

It’s not going to get easier because the electorate does not care about the national debt. Not even young voters care, even though they are going to get stuck with the tab as the last tranche of Boomers bolt the workforce for retirement or eternity.

Voters under the age of 30 favored Vice President Harris by a few points in this month’s election, but in crucial states like Michigan it was a statistical tie. The gender gap that played out in 2024 was also present among young voters. The issues that mattered were very different among the young voters choosing Harris over Trump, but neither camp was concerned with the national debt.

The national debt of the United States is approximately $36 trillion dollars. The Peter G. Peterson Foundation keeps a steady eye on the total debt and on the interest cost of that debt, which is presently almost $2 billion a day, an interest-only slice of the federal budget which is expected to double over the next decade.

All of the presidents and all of the members of the House and the Senate of the past 75 years are responsible for spending the $36 trillion which we have collectively borrowed. But neither President-elect Trump nor his successor or their successor will be able to do much about the debt, even as it eats into the future prosperity of every American. Because the electorate simply shrugs off these numbers.

Because voters do not care about the debt, the debt won’t be addressed in the first or second budgets of the second Trump term or the laws that pass pursuant to the reconciliation process those budgets unlock. The debt will in all likelihood grow to more than 40 trillion before the 2026 elections have changed Congress again. That’s because President-elect Trump and the Senate and House will agree to extend and revise (and hopefully make permanent) the Trump tax cuts from 2018 and the productivity jolt that certainty about tax rates brings will take some years to show up in total tax receipts.

Debt doomsayers are everywhere and everywhere ignored. Reporters in the New York Times warned this week that “[b]udget experts have warned that his plans could add as much as $15 trillion to the national debt while increasing inflation and slowing growth.” Hard to know on what such predictions are based given that we don’t have any idea what the first budget will look like much less the second. But this story was a flare to the rest of legacy media that the left has decided that annual federal budget deficits and the total national debt matter again after President Biden’s four-year spending spree. There will be more coverage of the debt because with the GOP in control, legacy media will want to blame Trump and his allies on Capitol Hill. But will all the hand-wringing ahead result in the national debt registering as an issue among voters?

Nah. Not a chance.

Inflation mattered in the election – a lot. So did the “wrong direction” number as super-majorities of Americans concluded Bidenomics was a disaster. Stagflation was the undoing of President Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election and it was the undoing of Vice President Harris on November 5. Americans want the economy to boom, not contract or slink along. Trump’s tax cuts being made permanent could unleash productivity again.

But don’t expect spending cuts that matter or new revenue streams from any source unless and until there are at least gestures made by the Congress about cutting the cost of the federal government. Don’t blame the public for its indifference to alarms over the debt when Congress is still pulsing grants through the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. If the Congress cannot be serious about obvious cuts of agencies and subsidies that ought never to have been begun, don’t expect it to bring an axe to entitlements or to trot out new tax proposals.

If the debt alarms you, figure out a way to express the risk it poses to future generations the way that climate alarmists have persuaded Millennials, Generation Z and Generation Aloha that the future is dark because the planet is going to cook. Young voters worry about getting jobs and buying first houses or about the climate and abortion rights. Don’t expect them, much less the beneficiaries of entitlements, to demand fiscal responsibility unless and until Congress at least makes a show of shaving off the obvious fat.

Hugh Hewitt is host of “The Hugh Hewitt Show,” heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990.  Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcast, and this column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

He directed every agency to implement regulations to carry out this policy, and they did. Today, schools cannot even qualify for school lunch money unless they implement radical policies that treat men as women, including in the locker room. (This is all illegal, obviously, and court challenges have blunted the effect in some states.)

Unwinding will take some time, and President-elect Donald Trump has committed himself to it. He vowed his administration would use Title IX to prohibit men from participating in women’s sports. That’s a good start. I was an attorney for the first Trump White House. I have traveled the country with Paula Scanlan, who was forced to strip before Lia Thomas 18 times per week. I got to know Payton McNabb who was partially paralyzed by a man spiking a ball at her head. Here’s my take on what can and should be done immediately.

Announce a high-profile Title IX investigation, like of San Jose State University, and follow through to rescind their federal dollars

During Trump’s first administration, the Department of Justice found that a Connecticut policy permitting men in women’s sports cuts against Title IX’s core purpose, to ensure women have an equal opportunity to participate in educational programs, including sports.

That was correct, which multiple courts have now agreed with when enjoining Biden’s Title IX rewrite (which requires schools to allow men in women’s locker rooms). The Supreme Court has indicated it unanimously agrees Title IX cannot sustain a gender ideology mandate.

The Department of Education Office of Civil Rights should immediately announce an investigation into a school that fails to protect women’s sports, like San Jose State University, which continues to permit a male to take the roster spot of women, endanger women during practices and matches and silence women from speaking out. SJSU is only one option. Several schools in New Hampshire, for example, are directly violating their state law that protects women’s sports, claiming Biden’s illegal Title IX rewrite gives them cover.

Rescind all guidance that illegally represents that Title IX covers gender identity

Title IX is a 1972 law designed to stop schools from discriminating against women — discrimination that included offering them zero athletic opportunities, except occasionally field hockey. The Biden-Harris administration seemed to miss that memo, and says Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of “gender identity,” in document after document. That argument is illegal. The Department of Education has absolutely no statutory authority to impose a gender ideology mandate on our nation’s female athletes. Delete all this guidance.

Go beyond reversing Biden’s Title IX regulation and enact a regulation that protects women’s sports

My ideal end solution is to get the federal government out of the school business and return it to the states. But that’s going to take a while. In the meantime, a new Title IX regulation should explicitly protect women’s sports.

The longstanding regulation says that schools “shall provide equal athletic opportunity for members of both sexes.” As if that needed clarification, Trump’s Department of Education should add that equal opportunity requires a reasonable number of female-only teams and private spaces (which is how the statute has been understood for decades). And as if that needed clarification, the regulation should define female to mean an individual belonging to the sex that has the reproductive role of producing ova.

Whack the NCAA

The NCAA is a multi-billion-dollar organization that strips women of opportunities by permitting post-pubescent males in the female category. Before supporting any NCAA wish list items, which might include name-image-likeness (NIL) legislation, an exemption from Title IX for NIL payments (which go predominantly to men), or breathing room from antitrust investigation, the NCAA should comply with Title IX’s purpose of protecting women’s sports.

Ask for review of three women’s sports cases pending before the Supreme Court

Three states (Idaho, West Virginia and Arizona) are currently unable to protect women’s sports due to rogue court interpretations that the 14th Amendment and Title IX require men in women’s sports. Ask the Supreme Court to review and overturn these unhinged decisions.