Former Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board members said the Trump administration usurped their authority by denying awards to "a substantial number" of the individuals it had selected for the program.

"We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values," the board said.

Most of the 13 Fulbright scholarship board members resigned over the Trump administration’s interference with the award selection procedure. Many selected award recipients were denied funding, while others are undergoing an unauthorized review process.

The push by the Trump administration to persuade Tehran to give up its nuclear program came after the U.S. and other world powers in 2015 reached a long-term, comprehensive nuclear agreement that limited Tehran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

When Israel struck Iran, it also capped a long-running power struggle within President Donald Trump's inner circle.

"If Israel is to be taken at its word that tonight's strikes were the first round in an all-out Israeli campaign against Iran's nuclear and missile programs, Iran's regime is now