Israeli oil refinery hit by missile in latest Iran attack

The weekend was particularly harsh for St. John’s fans, from the longtime supporters to those who joined during the team’s thrilling journey to the Sweet 16. It was almost too much to bear, witnessing Braylon Mullins’ breathtaking 35-foot shot clinch victory at Capital One Arena. This marked the end of UConn’s 19-point comeback, a feat that had eluded the Red Storm against Duke just two days earlier. Once again, UConn, those perennial Huskies, secured a spot in the Final Four for the third time in four years, underscoring that despite St. John’s season successes, the path through the Big East still inevitably leads to Storrs.

In the grand scheme, UConn’s narrow 73-72 victory over Duke, just 48 hours after Duke had bested St. John’s 80-75, resonates more powerfully than any back-to-back Big East Tournament titles won by Rick Pitino’s squad. The Huskies’ prowess on the national stage is undeniably impressive, as they head to the final weekend of college basketball, a familiar rendezvous for them in this bracket season. Meanwhile, St. John’s continues to strive for a return to this stage, a feat they haven’t achieved since 1975.

The drama of Mullins’ game-winning shot was unexpected. Alex Karaban, aiming for his third national title, had possession with a chance for a last-second shot. Yet, he passed to the freshman Mullins, who, despite not having hit a 3-pointer all game and tallying just 10 points, released a shot so smoothly it seemed destined to score even from 45 feet out. Throughout the season, this team had been led by Karaban, Taris Reed Jr., and Solo Ball. It was a UConn squad that had stumbled twice against St. John’s.

Yet, in this moment, it was Mullins, the former five-star recruit who bypassed offers from his home-state Indiana and North Carolina for Danny Hurley’s program, who carved his name into the annals of March Madness history.

The formidable missile arsenal of the Islamic Republic of Iran is largely attributed to the collaboration with North Korea, a nation recognized by the United States as a state-sponsor of terrorism. This connection is highlighted by one of the leading authorities on the strategic partnership between Iran and North Korea.

“The missile recently launched at Diego Garcia is identified as a Musudan. Iran acquired 19 of these missiles from North Korea back in 2005. They have possessed this capability ever since—it’s far from being a ‘secret weapon,'” explained Bruce Bechtol to Fox News Digital. Bechtol, alongside Anthony Celso, co-authored the insightful book “Rogue Allies: The Strategic Partnership Between Iran and North Korea.”

In a report last week, Fox News Digital revealed that Iran had notably intensified its military actions against the United States by launching two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia, a location approximately 2,500 miles from Iran.

An image released in December 2025 shows Kim visiting a significant munitions depot. (KCNA via Reuters)

Bechtol further noted, “As the conflict involving the United States and Israel has developed, Iran’s most significant threat has been its ballistic missiles. These have been launched not only at U.S. and Israeli targets but also at other neighboring Islamic nations. It’s crucial to examine this capability and its origins.”

He said, “The short-range ballistic missiles that Iran has launched at key U.S. facilities and at neighboring Arab states include a key system – the “QIAM.”  The QIAM was developed and improved with North Korean assistance… North Korea has proliferated a lot to Iran that we are seeing right now in the war.”

Here is the launch of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Shahab-3 medium-range missile during a test at an undisclosed location on Monday, Sept. 28, 2009. (AP Photo)

The joint U.S.-Israeli war against Iran’s regime, the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism, according to the U.S. State Department, has entered its fifth week of combat.

Bechtol, who is a professor of political science in the Department of Security Studies at Angelo State University in Texas, noted that, according to the Wisconsin Project, North Korea had constructed a large missile test facility at Emamshahr, a city in the Fars Province in Iran, and a tracking facility at Tabas in South Khorasan province.

He said that North Korea aided Iran with crucial technology “for targets farther away from Iran.”

“The North Koreans proliferated around 150 No Dong systems to Iran in the late 1990s. The Iranians were apparently very happy with the missiles the North Koreans provided them, and, following the earlier precedent of the Scud C factory, contracted with Pyongyang to build a No Dong facility in Iran.”

Bechtol continued, “The Iranians called this “new” missile the Shahab-3. The Shahab-3 is almost an exact copy of the No Dong. Once the Shahab-3 was up and running, the North Koreans moved forward with the Iranians in improving its range and lethality.”

He said, “With assistance from the North Koreans, the Iranians were then able to produce (at the No Dong facility) the Emad and the Ghadr. The Emad has a range of 1,750 kilometers (approx 1,087 miles) and the Ghadr has a range of 1,950 kilometers (approximately 1,212 miles.) The Iranians have used these two systems to target not only Israel, but their Arab neighbors (including U.S. bases located in these countries) throughout the ongoing first stages of this conflict.”

A Ghadr-H missile, center, a Sejjil missile and a portrait of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are on display for the annual Defense Week, marking the 37th anniversary of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, at Baharestan Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017 (AP)

Bechtol said that the North Koreans spawned an Iranian missile warhead that weighs a ton and a half to two tons on the powerful Khorramshahr-4. “There is another system capable of hitting Israel that has been even more lethal than any of the systems described thus far. This system is called the ‘Khorramshahr,’ and the fourth version of this system, appropriately called the ‘Khorramshahr-4,’ has been proven to carry a warhead larger than any other in Iran’s missile inventory, armed with what appears to be cluster munitions,” he said.

He described the strategic partnership, noting: “North Korea is the seller and Iran is the buyer. North Korea proliferates weapons systems, technology, parts and components, technicians, engineers and specialists and military capabilities (such as the building of underground facilities) to Iran. Iran pays North Korea with cash and oil. Simple as that.”

Residents and officers from Israel’s Home Front Command inspect a house destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Zarzir, northern Israel, Friday, March 13, 2026. (Ariel Schalit/AP Photo)

Bechtol said the only way to stop this is through sanctions enforcement against North Korea. “The sanctions that are needed are already on the books. But the USA and our key allies need to robustly enforce them. We need to go after banks, front companies and cyber entities in order to squeeze the money and contain or destroy the supply chain.”

He said, “More emphasis needs to be placed, and more action needs to be taken using the Proliferation Security Initiative — an underused aspect of preventing North Korea’s arms from flowing to rogue nations and terrorist groups.  If you cut off the supply chain, you cut off the proliferation.”

On Sunday night, Charles Barkley, the famed NBA icon, took CBS’s March Madness audience by surprise with an impassioned outburst on immigration. This unexpected turn occurred as ‘No Kings’ protests against former President Donald Trump erupted into chaos nationwide over the weekend.

As millions of basketball enthusiasts across the United States tuned in to witness the thrilling face-off between UConn and Duke for a coveted spot in the Final Four, the broadcast took an unexpected detour. During a pause in the game, the 63-year-old Barkley shifted the focus from sports to a broader societal issue, using the moment to discuss immigration in America—a topic that has been fraught with tension and debate.

The discussion began with an analysis of UConn star Alex Karaban, whose roots trace back to immigrant parents from Belarus and Ukraine. Barkley seized this opportunity to voice his concerns. “I want to be very careful with my words right now because this is a touchy subject for me,” he began, setting the stage for his candid commentary.

Expressing his admiration for Karaban and his family, Barkley didn’t shy away from addressing what he sees as injustices within the immigration system. “I love that kid and his family,” he remarked, “but the way some of these other immigrants are getting treated in our country right now is a travesty and a disgrace.”

‘I love that kid and his family, but the way some of these other immigrants are getting treated in our country right now is a travesty and a disgrace.

‘I think there’s a difference between amazing immigrants and criminal immigrants and I think what’s gone on in our country and what we’re doing to some of these amazing immigrants is really unfortunate, and it’s really sad.

NBA legend Charles Barkley stunned March Madness viewers with a rant about immigration

The panel was discussing UConn’s Alex Karaban, whose parents are from Belarus and Ukraine

Barkley issued a plea for Donald Trump to take action after Alex Pretti was killed in Minnesota

‘That’s a great immigrant story and we have a lot of great immigrant stories out there that need to be told. But some of the stuff that is happening to immigrants in our country right now is really unfortunate and unfair.’

‘Immigrants built this country, and we should admire them and respect them,’ he concluded.  

After Barkley was finished, CBS host Nate Burleson said: ‘Chuck, I love you, bro’.

However, while millions of Americans shared Barkley’s view as they rallied against Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies on Saturday, the NBA legend’s comments sparked fury on social media, with fans wishing he’d stick to matters on the court.

‘Why is this topic talked about during a college basketball show?’ one viewer asked.

Another commented: ‘Keep politics out of sports, Chuck. No one cares about your opinion!’

A third posted: ‘Stop politicizing the @NCAA unless you want to go to decreased ratings town like the @NBA – we can do better than these jokers @MarchMadnessMBB’.

‘What does that have to do with the NCAA tournament?’ another viewer asked.

Barkley’s comments on immigration came one day after millions gathered coast to coast for coordinated demonstrations against the president, driven by anger over his immigration crackdown, rising costs and the ongoing war in Iran.

The rally, which organizers had expected to go down as the ‘largest political protest’ in American history, descended into chaos. 

Violent demonstrators pelted cops with concrete blocks and stormed federal buildings resulting in multiple arrests.

The demonstrations came as President Trump’s approval ratings have plunged to new lows, with even parts of his own MAGA base expressing growing frustration.

Meanwhile, Barkley admitted after the presidential election in 2024 that he’s ‘an Independent who voted Democratic’.

Donald Trump’s administration has made deporting illegal immigrants and defending America’s borders its top priorities during his second term in the White House.

Border Patrol and ICE have launched controversial operations to remove illegal immigrants in a number of major cities across the country. 

Back in January, Barkley issued a desperate plea for Trump to take action after Alex Pretti was ‘executed’ by federal agents in Minneapolis.

Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot and killed after a struggle with federal agents. It came just two weeks after 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot in her car as she drove away from a group of officers following a confrontation.

Hours after the shooting, the NBA game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors was postponed. Barkley and the ‘Inside The NBA’ crew, which also features Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith, were due to be covering the game for ABC.

When they returned from a commercial break, host Johnson asked Barkley for his thoughts on the ongoing situation in Minneapolis.

Barkley replied: ‘It’s just sad, man. It’s scary. It’s sad. I don’t know how… It’s going to end bad – it’s already ended badly twice.

‘Somebody has got to step up and be adults. Two people have died for no reason, and it’s just sad.’ 

Barkley has previously said he’d punch black people who show support for Trump by wearing his infamous mug shot on a t-shirt. He also called for Joe Biden to step down from the race for the White House in 2024 after his disastrous debate against Trump.