Eye on Extremism: June 22, 2026
Top Stories
High-level negotiations in Switzerland seeking a permanent end to the Iran war concluded early Monday, with lower-level talks planned for the rest of the week as Iran and the United States agreed to create a “de-confliction cell” to address the fighting in Lebanon.
ABC News: Iran's top negotiator says military 'ready to respond' amid Trump threats
Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf has responded to President Donald Trump's threat to take over Iran and control of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran's President, Masoud Pezeshkian, said his country would not give up its right to enrich uranium. In a social media post, Ghalibaf said Iran's “armed forces are ready to respond."
CEP Mentions
New York Sun: UNRWA Overlooks Terror Roles in Firing of 70 Staffers With Hamas Ties
“Firing a relatively significant number of employees could only be a first, minimal step,” the senior director of the Counter Extremism Project, Hans-Jakob Schindler, tells the Sun. “What would be necessary would be a large-scale, deep reform of UNRWA procedures, HR management and control systems and changes in policies to harden against future attempts of Hamas or any other terrorist group to exploit and undermine its work.”
Over the past few decades, neorealistic approaches have largely dominated European perspectives on international affairs and security challenges. [Jaideep Saikia’s] work provided global strategists with a more accurate, ground-level lens for analysing the Indo-Pacific. - Dr Hans Jakob-Schindler, the Senior Director of the Counter Extremism Project in New York.
Rolling Stone: The Plot to Drone-Bomb the UFC’s White House Event Wasn’t an Anomaly
"Mass shootings will always be a part of mass violence in the U.S., but the drone element is coming," Joshua Fisher-Birch, a researcher at the Counter Extremism Project, tells Rolling Stone. Fisher-Birch specializes in monitoring and analyzing the online posts of extremists, analyzing trends and predicting where violence may come from next.
WELT TV: "That would be political harakiri for Trump"
The agreement between the US and Iran includes initial steps such as opening the Strait of Hormuz and oil sales, but remains vague on key issues like the nuclear dossier. "Money will only be paid at the end," says security expert Hans-Jakob Schindler.
Cicero: "The US accepts that this regime continues to exist."
Iran has achieved a great deal – but the conflict remains unresolved. Hans-Jakob Schindler explains what concessions Tehran is receiving, why the US is changing its strategy, and why uranium enrichment is becoming the crucial test for the agreement.
The democratization of Syria is only just beginning to take shape; in fact, observers expect the interim government to rely on what extremism expert Hans Jakob Schindler, director of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), calls "hardcore Islamism." "There is no indication that minority rights will be respected," says Schindler. "Druze, Shiites, or Christians will have a difficult time in Syria."
"While the regime is economically weakened and politically isolated," [Iran expert Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counterextremism Project think tank] told this newsroom, he fears that if a large sum of money flows to the Iranian leadership, as the leaked details of the memorandum of understanding suggest, it will significantly stabilize the regime.
Analysis
Fox News: Trump’s Iran deal is a fantasy as long as Tehran’s terror network exists
In 1979, American indecision and the abandonment of a loyal ally helped pave the way for the rise of Islamist terrorism and the loss of pro-Western Iran to the Soviet camp. In 2026, the same reluctance to support Iran's pro-democracy opposition and its recognized leadership has once again strengthened Islamist forces
The Diplomat: Strategic Affairs Expert Aleksei Zakharov on the Russia-Taliban Defense Deal
Besides “restoration of various Russian-made military equipment,” the Taliban regime may be keen on “Russian air defense systems” and “attack and surveillance drones” for use in conflicts with Pakistan.
United States
Federal authorities say a foiled plot targeting a planned UFC event at the White House is the latest case to raise concerns about the role the internet can play in radicalizing people and connecting would-be attackers. According to court documents, the men accused in the UFC plot allegedly communicated through encrypted messaging platforms and discussed plans involving drones, firearms and attacks on government officials.
A federal judge sentenced Alexander Justin White, 30, to 8 years in federal prison for conspiring to provide and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). The Court sentenced White after law enforcement officers arrested him as he attempted to fly to North Africa to join ISIS as terrorist and fight in an ISIS-controlled territory.
Canada
A former neo-Nazi says white nationalist groups often raise local issues in an effort to gain legitimacy, promoting extremist ideas and trying to recruit new members in the process. Tony McAleer, now a Vancouver-based anti-hate activist, spoke to CBC News after Second Sons Canada's two recent northern Ontario visits.
United Kingdom
Deutsche Welle: Terror probe into suspected anti-Muslim attacks in Edinburgh
Counterterrorism police have taken over an investigation into suspected anti-Muslim violence in Edinburgh, Scotland, that left five men injured, authorities said Saturday. The unrest comes as the United Kingdom is seeing a wave of anti-migrant and anti-Muslim sentiment, including recent riots in Northern Ireland and England.
Homeland Security Today: Man Convicted of Sharing and Possessing Islamist Terrorist Material in UK
A 20-year-old man has been found guilty of sharing and possessing Islamist terrorist material following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London.
Afghanistan
Kabul Now: Taliban Arrest Uzbek Cultural Activist in Northeastern Afghanistan
Local sources in Badakhshan say that the Taliban have arrested Masoud Taimur, an Uzbek cultural activist, in Faizabad. Sources report that the Taliban arrested the cultural activist because of his advocacy for the identity of Afghanistan’s Turkic ethnic groups and his support for protesters in Herat Province on social media.
Afghanistan International: Kandahar Tightens Grip As Taliban Rivals Compete For Badakhshan’s Mines
Taliban leadership has launched a coordinated campaign in recent months to curb the growing influence of local commanders in Badakhshan. The measures include dismissing, arresting and transferring influential local figures, replacing them with individuals trusted by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and his inner circle.
Gaza Strip/West Bank
Groups boast of gains in reshaping the enclave, but experts say they’ve had almost no impact, and Israelis should be questioning if apparent bid to replace Hamas with gun-toting gangs is a good idea.
Israel
After paying “heavy prices” over the past several years of war, “we have reached the point closest to a decisive victory,” declares National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, arguing against what he described as “weak ceasefires.”
The IDF and Shin Bet announced on Sunday that they killed Zaki Youssef Mahmoud Abu Mustafa, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist who participated in the kidnapping of then-12-year-old Yagil Yaakov from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 massacre.
Iran
Wall Street Journal: As War With U.S. Eases, Iran Steps Up Hangings of Dissidents
At least 45 people have been executed in Iran this year on political charges, ranging from spreading propaganda to espionage, according to human-rights groups and Iranian state media.
Lebanon
Iran International: Israel reveals Iranian-designed Hezbollah ‘terror tunnel’ with large drone cache
The Israeli army revealed on Friday that it had discovered an Iranian-financed and -designed Hezbollah tunnel in the heart of Majdal Zoun in south Lebanon that can be used to launch drones into Israel. The aerial projectiles can reach the densely populated cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa, according to an Israeli military official.
Pakistan
Qatar and Pakistan announced Monday the creation of a new "deconfliction cell" in Lebanon, describing it as a mechanism to help enforce the Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire reached under the emerging U.S.-Iran framework.
An anti-terrorism court in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's Balochistan province, has sentenced prominent Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch, popular as the Lioness of Balochistan, and Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Sibghatullah Shah to life imprisonment in connection with the killing of a security official during a rally in Gwadar in 2024, according to The Balochistan Post.
Syria
The Syrian transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, once again ruled out on Sunday any prospect of Syrian military intervention against Hezbollah, despite recent discussions about a possible role for Damascus in the disarmament of the terrorist group.
Around 60% of women abducted during sectarian attacks last year in the western Hama countryside and Homs have not been returned, according to a report published last month by the Syrian Feminist Lobby.
Turkey
Middle East Monitor: The next Iran? Why Israel’s Turkey anxiety is becoming doctrine
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accused Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of seeking to “encircle Israel.” He charged Ankara and Doha with nourishing a Muslim Brotherhood axis modeled on Iran’s proxy network, this time anchored by a “hostile Sunni axis with nuclear Pakistan.”
Australia
A teenager accused of preparing a nail bombing campaign was either a “troubled kid” who made edgy jokes or a determined terrorist in waiting, a court has been told. The teenager spent last week on trial in the Brisbane supreme court after pleading not guilty to one count of acts done in preparation for or planning a terrorist act.
The Times: Former Isis bride wants ‘fair dinkum’ peaceful life in Australia
Barristers for Kawsar Abbas, who had applied for bail after being arrested when she flew into Australia with her daughter on May 7, said she no longer supported Isis and “wants nothing to do with them.” Abbas, 54, is accused of crimes against humanity, facing four charges of enslavement including using a slave and slave trading while living under the Isis regime.
Nigeria
Christian Post: The Nigerian anti-Christian terrorism blind spot the West ignores
While the world watches jihadist violence in the north, a different form of jihadist expansion has been advancing through Nigeria's predominantly Christian Middle Belt and increasingly into parts of the Christian South.
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