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With a muscular and collaborative defensive effort to help deflect Iran鈥檚 missile barrage, the Biden administration is hoping its message of 鈥渋ronclad support鈥� for Israel can prevent the escalation of the Gaza war into a regional conflict.

鈥� Iran claims it warned of attack: Iran鈥檚 foreign minister said Sunday that Tehran gave neighboring countries and the United States 72 hours鈥� notice of its drone and missile attack on Israel. A White House official said the statement was 鈥渁bsolutely not true.鈥�
鈥� Top U.S. diplomat meets Chinese counterparts: The meeting to discuss Middle East developments, the South China Sea, and Taiwan issues is the latest effort by the two countries to stabilize rocky ties.
鈥� Tesla plans layoffs: CEO Elon Musk detailed plans to lay off a tenth of its workforce as it tries to cut costs after reporting dismal first-quarter sales, media outlets reported Monday. The layoffs could affect about 14,000 workers.
鈥� Poorest nations getting poorer: Half of the world鈥檚 75 poorest countries are experiencing a widening income gap with the wealthiest economies for the first time this century, the World Bank said Monday.

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The so-called hush money case has been billed as one of the less important lawsuits facing former President Donald Trump. But it鈥檚 the one that is underway 鈥� and it goes beyond payments over an alleged affair.

Indians head to the polls this week for one of the world鈥檚 largest, longest, and most expensive elections. Here鈥檚 what you need to know before it starts.

The U.S. Mint at Denver cranks out $1 million a day in coins.聽In an era when 鈥渇rictionless鈥� payment implies distance from human touch, there鈥檚 still value in having cash 鈥渋n hand.鈥欌�櫬�

The Monitor has long respected the work of Trusting News, which aims to help news organizations build trust with readers. So as part of our Rebuilding Trust series, we asked them: Is the Monitor trustworthy? Here鈥檚 their response.

This past weekend, when Iran attacked Israel directly for the first time, reaction among Iranians was not exactly what the regime in Tehran expected. Yes, many people rushed to buy gasoline and food, fearing a wider war. Some expressed a deep dread of war, recalling a 1980s conflict with Iraq. Yet one common response, expressed online and in street graffiti, was hope that Israel would somehow bring down the regime.

That sentiment was so prevalent that Iran鈥檚 rulers quickly issued a notice urging citizens to report any support of Israel, saying it was a crime.

For all the gloom among Iranians 鈥� about the economy, suppression of women, and Iran鈥檚 role in regional conflicts 鈥� they show an independent streak that鈥檚 evident in a constant redefining of their nation鈥檚 identity. Well before the weekend attack, for example, one poll showed more than a third of people have a positive view of Israel.

Years of protest by Iranians in favor of the freedom to choose their own government has led to a more inclusive nationalism. One prominent critic, the exiled soccer star Ali Karimi, who has 15 million Instagram followers, uploaded a picture after the attack on Israel that stated, 鈥淲e are Iran, not the Islamic Republic.鈥�

Perhaps the biggest critic who remains free in Iran is Shaikh Abdol-Hamid, the top Sunni leader in a country controlled by Shiite clerics. In a speech last month, he said, 鈥淭oday, Iranians love each other more than ever.鈥� He asked for an inclusive government that respects the will of all Iranians.

鈥淲e share common interests with all people of the world,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e respect and love all people.鈥�

Iran鈥檚 strength over decades has been its ability to fuse the identities of many faiths, ethnicities, and languages into a plurality that embraces one country. The current Islamic regime, like the secular monarchy before it, has not been able to impose a singular identity from on high. If many Iranians extend a welcoming hand to Israel, that is simply part of their identity.