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How does Trump solve key 'nuclear dust' hang-up in negotiations to end Iran War?

Fri, 29 May 2026 05:05:36 -0400

Even as U.S. and Iranian negotiators reportedly move toward a temporary framework agreement, one of the most consequential questions remains unresolved: What happens to Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile?

Iranian officials have repeatedly insisted retaining enriched uranium is a red line in negotiations, even as President Donald Trump has vowed Iran "will not have a nuclear weapon" and suggested the United States could ultimately "take" the material if necessary.

Nonproliferation experts say the issue sits at the center of whether any future agreement can credibly prevent Iran from rapidly moving toward weapons-grade enrichment — particularly after U.S. strikes damaged key nuclear facilities but did not necessarily eliminate the nuclear material itself.

"I think it would put a poison pill in any agreement because retaining any of these 60% stockpile or really any of the lower enriched material," Andrea Stricker, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "That would give them the ability to go higher to weapons grade at a time of their choosing."

AFTER THE STRIKES, HOW WOULD THE US SECURE IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM?

The issue has taken on renewed urgency following 2026's Operation Epic Fury against Iran and 2025 U.S. strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

While airstrikes can damage centrifuges, tunnel systems and enrichment infrastructure, experts say physically locating, securing and neutralizing enriched uranium presents a separate challenge altogether. Destroying infrastructure can slow or disrupt a nuclear program, but accounting for nuclear material itself requires sustained access, reliable intelligence and international oversight.

"The stockpile is going to be the focus for the administration because that is the material, in particular the 60%," Stricker said.

Iran is believed to possess thousands of kilograms of enriched uranium ranging from low-enriched material to uranium enriched to 60%, which is considered near weapons-grade and can be more quickly refined to the 90% level typically associated with nuclear weapons.

Stricker said the Trump administration is likely to insist the stockpiles either be destroyed inside Iran or removed from the country under international supervision.

"The best option would be to destroy the stockpile in Iran, and then you're not having to deal with who takes possession and what can Iran do with the stockpile as far as having it sent back under certain terms," she said.

EX-CENTCOM COMMANDER WARNS AGAINST 'RISKY' US GROUND OPERATION TO SEIZE IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM

But even if Iran agreed to surrender or neutralize the uranium, carrying out such an operation would likely involve excavation teams, international nuclear inspectors and hazardous materials specialists working inside heavily damaged underground facilities.

Any operation to physically secure or remove the uranium could also raise broader questions about how much direct U.S. or international involvement would ultimately be required on the ground, even as the administration faces political pressure to avoid a prolonged military commitment in Iran.

"You're talking about having to go down into heavily damaged sites, and you're not sure what the state of the material even is," Stricker said.

Experts gauge success of ‘bunker buster’ bombs

Stricker said the underground Isfahan tunnel facility was struck with Tomahawk missiles, while Natanz and Fordow sites were hit with massive ordnance penetrators designed to reach buried nuclear infrastructure.

"So you will need hazard material teams to handle it, to safely package it and either to have it destroyed or to remove it from the country safely," she said.

Stricker noted that enriched uranium in this form is chemically toxic and corrosive, though she said it would not pose the kind of large-scale radiological danger associated with a nuclear detonation.

"People don't want to be breathing that material or coming into contact with it with their skin," she said.

Another possible pathway would involve transferring the material to international custody.

Stricker said the International Atomic Energy Agency, along with an international recovery team, could potentially oversee the removal of the uranium and transfer it to the agency's low-enriched uranium fuel bank in Kazakhstan.

Limited quantities could also eventually be converted into fuel rods for civilian nuclear reactors, she said, though she argued Iran should not retain direct access to the material itself.

Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, previously told ӣ��Ƶ Digital that internationally monitored downblending may ultimately prove more practical than attempting to physically seize or destroy the material inside damaged facilities.

"The IAEA remains the best place to go back into Iran to monitor the sites, to try to track down and account for the enriched uranium," Davenport said.

The White House could not immediately be reached for comment. "The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States … or, preferably … destroyed in place," Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday.

Iranian officials, however, have continued to insist the country has a right to maintain uranium enrichment and stockpiles as part of a civilian nuclear program.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said Wednesday that maintaining enriched uranium stockpiles remains one of Iran’s "red lines" in negotiations with the United States.

That position may ultimately collide with what many nonproliferation advocates view as the core objective of any agreement: preventing Iran from preserving a rapid nuclear breakout capability.

Stricker said international inspectors had a relatively strong understanding of the quantities and locations of the material before access became more restricted, but argued that any future agreement would require continuous international monitoring over how the uranium is handled and removed.

Stricker argued that any long-term deal would likely require not only removal of the stockpile, but also strict limits on Iran’s future enrichment capabilities and expanded access for international inspectors.

"Ideally it would be a permanent ban," she said, referring to uranium enrichment. "But it appears that they're leaning more towards a long moratorium."

She added that any agreement would also require the International Atomic Energy Agency to regain deep access to Iranian facilities, including military sites, to verify compliance and account for nuclear materials.

"They need full access to go wherever they would like, including to military sites to rule out any Iranian cheating," Stricker said.

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For now, negotiators appear to be moving toward a temporary framework agreement while broader nuclear talks continue. But experts say the question of what happens to Iran’s enriched uranium may ultimately become the defining issue of any deal.

Even if diplomacy advances, physically locating, securing and permanently neutralizing the material could remain a challenge long after any agreement is signed.

MORNING GLORY: President Trump needs to finish the war against Iran once and for all

Thu, 14 May 2026 05:00:30 -0400

My mornings begin with coffee — how did I ever get through high school without coffee? — and the "News Items" newsletter from John Ellis, longtime NBC News poobah whose reputation for fairness and seriousness led his hobby of collecting key stories and circulating a summary of them to friends and family to become an influential summary of the key stories from overnight as well as the obscure and the incredible (but always true and very well sourced).

John’s missive had been my 6 AM companion for so many years that when he decided to expand the shop, I was one of scores of recipients who said "Hey, I’ll invest a few bucks to grow that project — the country needs one newsletter that does not spin and can’t be spun," and over the next many years it’s grown into a replacement for the long march through the legacy outlets for an AM update on the world’s news.

"News Items" doesn’t have a slant, so when it opens with a "Well that really matters!" moment, I paused and considered its vast implications. Wednesday’s "News Items" began this way:

MORNING GLORY: PRESIDENT TRUMP MUST REJECT A SECOND MUNICH AND HOLD FIRM AGAIN IRAN

"1. The Trump administration’s public portrayal of a shattered Iranian military is sharply at odds with what U.S. intelligence agencies are telling policymakers behind closed doors, according to classified assessments from early this month that show Iran has regained access to most of its missile sites, launchers and underground facilities. Most alarming to some senior officials is evidence that Iran has restored operational access to 30 of the 33 missile sites it maintains along the Strait of Hormuz, which could threaten American warships and oil tankers transiting the narrow waterway. People with knowledge of the assessments said they show — to varying degrees, depending on the level of damage incurred at the different sites — that the Iranians can use mobile launchers that are inside the sites to move missiles to other locations. In some cases they can launch missiles directly from launchpads that are part of the facilities. Only three of the missile sites along the strait remain totally inaccessible, according to the assessments."

Having given up on the New York Times years ago — and the already infamous "rape-trained dogs" column from Nicholas Kristof must have sent more subscribers who relied on the platform for actual news as opposed to recipes and puzzles or The Athletic to the exits — I would not have known about that report early yesterday but for "News Items."

The newsletter can certainly be trusted to provide a faithful summary of a story from a platform that is not trusted by the center-right, but a story of consequence nonetheless.

The CIA — presumably the lead agency for the assessment that was leaked — is currently led by the very competent John Ratcliffe. But the CIA has a checkered record on Iran from 1979 when they didn’t see the Islamic Republic coming (much less what it portended) to 2007 when its "assessment" of Iran’s nuclear ambitions wholly missed the mark. That 2007 debacle should haunt consumers of this report:

"We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program."

So declared the opening words of the key judgments of the November 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on "Iran's Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities." The CIA might have had collaborators in the broader Intelligence Community in that enormous "swing and a miss" of an NIE 19 years ago, but the damage it did in handcuffing President George W Bush regarding Iran in his closing months was vast.

Of course President Obama spent eight years trying to find ways to welcome Iran into the community of nations —including the now infamous pallets of cash Obama sent the IRGC as part of the JCPOW—perhaps not realizing because of that 2007 NIE that the Islamic Republic was and would always remain a rogue and dangerous theocracy run by a two lunatic dictators in succession since 1979, fanatics whose whole plan was to build and use nuclear weapons to end first Israel and then any other opponent of its end-times apocalyptic vision including the U.S. if it could build the missile capable of reaching the homeland. No update and improved NIE was ever leaked even after Israel pilfered the entire Iranian nuclear file. But we know Team Obama was ideologicallly predisposed to play and lose the three-card monte Iran has been playing with the world for half a century.

That’s a longer way of saying that (1) the new assessment could be as wrong as 2007’s, but (2) hope isn’t a strategy especially when it comes to the battle with Iran. This time, as with 2007, the president ought to again go with the Intelligence Community’s assessment.

Which should mean that the next wave of planning for massive strikes on Iran’s arsenal should already be far advanced.

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Iran’s immediate response the to the February 28 attacks was to lash out not just at Israel and U.S. bases, but at a dozen other countries and their militaries and infrastructure. Like the proverbial wounded beast, the lunatic regime went wild. Noted. Iran wasn’t chastened or changed by the massive blows that rained down on it. Rather, the lunatics that remained regrouped and doubled and tripled down on vengeance.

It is relatively calm now with President Trump in China, but the "News Items" summary of the New York Times’ summary of the intelligence leak should mean the resumption of strikes when President Trump returns.

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There is no point to negotiation with the third string fanatics in Tehran. There is only the path of sustained degradation of their capabilities and strangulation of their economy. Perhaps the Artesh will tire of not getting paid. Perhaps some colonel in the IRGC figures out how to gather enough other colonels to pull off a coup. There are paths forward, but hard to see how internal resistance to the crazies atop the regime congeals absent military means combined with an economic vise.

None of the paths forward should include leaving Iran as it is. Lunatics in the neighborhood shouldn’t have hand guns or rifles. Lunatics on the world stage shouldn’t have missiles, mines, drones and enriched uranium. It really is that simple. Alone or with Israel and our Gulf Allies, President Trump has to finish the job.

Hugh Hewitt is a ӣ��Ƶ contributor and host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the ӣ��Ƶ 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 broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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What you need to know: 5 key takeaways from Trump’s Iran address

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 05:00:26 -0400

President Donald Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night, saying the United States’ "core strategic objectives" in Iran are "nearing completion" just a month after Operation Epic Fury began and warned that the U.S. will hit Tehran "extremely hard" over the next several weeks.

"Tonight, I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion," the president said, touting the United States military and their "extraordinary" efforts.

Here are the top five takeaways from the president’s address:

Trump says Operation Epic Fury is ‘nearing completion’

President Trump told Americans Wednesday night that after 32 days of Operation Epic Fury, Iran is "essentially really no longer a threat."

The president, upon the announcement of Operation Epic Fury, detailed the United States’ objectives. Trump said, "We are systematically dismantling the regime’s ability to threaten America or project power outside of their borders."

"That means eliminating Iran’s navy, which is now absolutely destroyed, hurting their air force and their missile program at levels never seen before, and annihilating their defense industrial base," the president said Wednesday night.

INSIDE IRAN’S MILITARY: MISSILES, MILITIAS AND A FORCE BUILT FOR SURVIVAL

"We’ve done all of it," he continued. "Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their missiles are just about used up or beaten. Taken together, these actions will cripple Iran’s military, crush their ability to support terrorist proxies and deny them the ability to build a nuclear bomb."

"Our armed forces have been extraordinary," the president said. "There’s never been anything like it militarily. Everyone is talking about it."

"And tonight, I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion," he said.

Meanwhile, the president thanked U.S. allies in the Middle East — "Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain."

"They've been great, and we will not let them get hurt or fail in any way, shape or form," he said.

"I've made clear from the beginning of Operation Epic Fury that we will continue until our objectives are fully achieved, thanks to the progress we've made," he said. "I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America's military objectives shortly. Very shortly."

The president warned that the U.S. is "going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks."

"We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong," he said. "In the meantime, discussions are ongoing. Regime change was not our goal. We never said regime change, but regime change has occurred because of all of their original leaders' deaths. They're all dead. The new group is less radical and much more reasonable."

Trump says rising gas prices in the US are ‘short term’

Since Operation Epic Fury began, gas prices in the United States have increased. The president acknowledged that development, and expressed confidence that those increases are "short term."

The average price of a gallon of gas surpassed $4 Tuesday, a first since 2022.

"Many Americans have been concerned to see the recent rise in gasoline prices here at home," the president said. "The short-term increase has been entirely the result of the Iranian regime launching deranged terror attacks against commercial oil tankers and neighboring countries that have nothing to do with the conflict."

WHY TRUMP, IRAN SEEM LIGHT-YEARS APART ON ANY POSSIBLE DEAL TO END THE WAR

"This is yet more proof that Iran can never be trusted with nuclear weapons. They will use them, and they will use them quickly. It would lead to decades of extortion, economic pain and instability worse than we can ever imagine," the president said. "The United States has never been better prepared economically to confront this threat. You all know that we built the strongest economy in history."

The president touted the economy under his leadership, saying that he has "taken a dead and crippled country — I hate to say that, but we were dead and crippled country after the last administration — and made it the hottest country anywhere in the world by far, with no inflation, record-setting investments coming into the United States, over $18 trillion and the highest stock market ever with 53 all-time record highs in just one year."

The president said those economic gains "all positioned us to get rid of a cancer that has long simmered."

"It's known as the nuclear Iran, and they didn't know what was coming. They've never imagined it," he said. "Remember, because of our drill baby drill program, America has plenty of gas. We have so much gas."

The president said that, under his leadership, the U.S. is the "number one producer of oil and gas on the planet without even discussing the millions of barrels that we're getting from Venezuela because of the Trump administration's policies. We produce more oil and gas than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined."

"Think of that — Saudi Arabia and Russia combined," he continued. "And that number will soon be substantially higher than that. There's no country like us anywhere in the world."

The president stressed that "the hard part is done."

"When this conflict is over, the strait will open up. Naturally. It'll just open up naturally. They're going to want to be able to sell oil because that's all they have to try and rebuild," he said. "It will resume the flowing and the gas prices will rapidly come back down."

The president said it was necessary to "take that little journey to Iran to get rid of this horrible threat with our historic tax cuts, where people are just now talking about receiving larger refunds than they ever thought possible, they are getting so much more money than they thought. That's from the great big, beautiful bill."

He added: "Our economy is strong and improving by the day and it will soon be roaring back like never before. It will top the levels that it was a month ago."

Trump thanks US troops for work in Middle East, Venezuela

The president began his address Wednesday night by thanking U.S. troops for "the massive job they did in taking the country of Venezuela in a matter of minutes."

"That hit was quick, lethal, violent and respected by everyone all over the world," Trump said, referring to the January operation.

"We're working along with Venezuela are, in a true sense, joint venture partners," Trump said. "We’re getting along incredibly well in the production and sale of massive amounts of oil and gas — the second-largest reserves on Earth after the United States of America."

POLL POSITION: WHERE TRUMP STANDS AMONG AMERICANS AS HE FACES THE NATION IN PRIMETIME

Shifting to Operation Epic Fury and the progress made, the president honored "the 13 American warriors who have laid down their lives and this fight to prevent our children from ever having to face a nuclear Iran."

"Twice this past month, I have traveled to Dover Air Force Base, and it's been something I wanted to be with those heroes as they return to American soil," he said. "And I was with them and their families, their parents, their wives, their husbands."

"We salute them, and now we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives," the president said. "And every single one of the people, their loved one said, please, sir, please finish the job, every one of them, and we are going to finish the job and we're going to finish it very fast. We're getting very close."

Trump urges Americans to keep the Iran conflict ‘in perspective’

"It’s very important that we keep this conflict in perspective," the president said. "American involvement in World War One lasted one year, seven months and five days."

"World War Two lasted for three years, eight months and 25 days," he continued. "The Korean War lasted for three years, one month and two days. The Vietnam War lasted for 19 years, five months and 29 days."

"Iraq went on for eight years, eight months and 28 days," the president said.

"We are in this military operation, so powerful, so brilliant against one of the most powerful countries for 32 days," he said. "And the country has been eviscerated and, essentially, is really no longer a threat."

FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE U.S. WAR WITH IRAN

Trump said that Iran was "the bully of the Middle East, but they're the bully no longer."

"This is a true investment in your children and your grandchildren's future," he said. "The whole world is watching, and they can't leave the power, strength and brilliance. They just can't believe what they're seeing. They leave it to your imagination, but they can't believe what they're seeing — The brilliance of the United States military."

He added: "Tonight, every American can look forward to a day when we are finally free from the wickedness of Iranian aggression and the specter of nuclear blackmail. Because of the actions we have taken, we are on the cusp of ending Iran's sinister threat to America and the world. And I'll tell you, the world is watching."

Trump rips into Obama’s Iran Nuclear Deal

President Trump said ending former President Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear deal was among his top achievements as president, telling the nation he was "honored" to do it.

"I terminated Barack Hussein Obama’s Iran nuclear deal disaster," Trump said. "Obama gave them $1.7 billion in cash. Green, green cash took it out of banks from Virginia, D.C. and Maryland. All the cash they had."

The president went on to say that Obama "flew it by airplanes in an attempt to buy their respect and loyalty. But it didn't work."

"They laughed at our president and went on with their mission to have a nuclear bomb," Trump said. "His Iran deal would have led to a colossal arsenal of massive nuclear weapons for Iran, and they would have had them years ago, and they would have used them, would have been a different world."

The president said, "There would have been no Middle East and no Israel right now, in my opinion, the opinion of a lot of great experts, had I not terminated that terrible deal that I was so honored to do it."

"I was so proud to do it It was so bad right from the beginning," he said. "Essentially, I did what no other president was willing to do."

He added: "They made mistakes, and I am correcting them."

The president said his "first preference was always the path of diplomacy, yet the regime continued their relentless quest for nuclear weapons and rejected every attempt at an agreement."

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"For this reason, in June, I ordered a strike on Iran's key nuclear facilities and Operation Midnight Hammer. And nobody's ever seen anything like it. Those beautiful B-2 bombers performed magnificently," he said. "We totally obliterated those nuclear sites."

But the president said the Iranian regime "then sought to rebuild their nuclear program at a totally different location, making clear they had no intention of abandoning their pursuit of nuclear weapons."

US positions F-22 stealth fighters in Israel, puts 'almost any target in Iran at risk'

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:55:57 -0500

As the Trump administration weighs its next move on Iran, one of the most advanced aircraft in the U.S. arsenal has taken up position closer to Tehran.

Eleven U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters have arrived at Israel’s Ovda Air Base in the country’s south, ӣ��Ƶ reported, marking the first-ever operational deployment of American combat aircraft to Israel. The move comes amid a broader U.S. military buildup in the region not seen at this scale in years and as concerns grow over Iran’s nuclear program and missile capabilities.

For American decision-makers, the significance is straightforward: The F-22 changes the military equation.

"The F-22 is indeed the most air-to-air capable fighter in the world; nothing comes close to it in the air-to-air role," said retired Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, former deputy chief of staff for operations at U.S. Air Force headquarters. During a May 26 webinar hosted by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), he described its presence as "a very clear deterrent signal" that allows the United States to "negotiate with strength."

TRUMP 'NOT HAPPY' WITH IRAN TALKS, HASN'T MADE 'FINAL DECISION' ON US STRIKES

Designed to establish and maintain air superiority, the F-22 can operate in heavily defended airspace and suppress enemy air defenses. In any potential strike scenario against Iran, that capability would be critical. Before bombers or strike aircraft can reach hardened nuclear or missile targets, someone has to clear the skies. That is the F-22’s core mission, former generals explained in the webinar.

Guastella underscored what forward positioning means in practical terms. "The advantage of the large force that’s there is that it can hold almost any target in Iran at risk … if that’s what the president wants to do," he said.

Retired Lt. Gen. Charles Moore, former deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command, said in the webinar that the deployment is about expanding presidential options rather than signaling a predetermined strike.

TRUMP ISSUES STERN IRAN WARNING AS TEHRAN ANGRILY REACTS TO SPEECH AMID MUTED WORLD REACTION

"There is a lot of combat capability that’s been moved into the region … the more capability, the more assets we put, the more options that the President has. We don’t box him in," Moore said.

He added that the posture allows the United States "to be prepared for a long-term type of deployment and sustainment of combat capability if that’s what the President decides he wants us to do."

Trump signaled Friday that diplomacy remains his preference but did not rule out force. Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas, he said he was not happy with Iran and wants to make a deal with Tehran, but warned that "sometimes you have to" use military force. He added that Iran remains unwilling to forswear nuclear weapons as demanded by the United States.

The choice of Israel as the deployment site also matters. Unlike some Gulf bases, where operational restrictions can apply, Israel offers fewer political constraints, they explained. That gives U.S. planners additional freedom of action in a fast-moving crisis.

THE ONLY MAP YOU NEED TO SEE TO UNDERSTAND HOW SERIOUS TRUMP IS ABOUT IRAN

JINSA’s fellow for American Strategy, Jonathan Ruhe, said the move follows a JINSA recommendation to expand U.S. basing options in Israel, outlined in a report the organization published last fall.

That report argued that forward basing in Israel would enhance U.S. flexibility and deterrence in the region. The organization has for months pushed the idea that Israel could function as a land-based platform for American airpower in the Middle East.

Former Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amikam Norkin said deploying such high-end aircraft to the region is not routine and framed the move as both operational and strategic. "It presents the American commitment to Israeli security once you are landing with your best airplane in Israel," he said, adding that regional actors "understand the very strong commitment of the American government, American military, American President, to the national security of Israel."

At the same time, he rejected the idea that the deployment represents a shift toward American "boots on the ground" in Israel.

"Well, it’s not the first time that America is on the ground. As you remember the 12-Day War, the American Air Defense System supported us. So it’s already been done," Norkin said.

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More broadly, he emphasized that Iran is not solely an Israeli problem. "The Iranian threat, it’s not just an Israeli threat, it’s a regional threat, and the American forces support the region, not just Israel."

Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command briefed President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday on potential military options targeting Iran, a source familiar with the meeting confirmed to ӣ��Ƶ. The president’s top military adviser, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, also attended the briefing.

For now, officials describe the move as part of preparedness rather than a prelude to immediate conflict. But the arrival of America’s premier air-dominance fighter on Israeli soil signals a new phase in U.S.-Israel military coordination and a clear message to Tehran: If the president chooses to strike, the tools are already in place.

Iran rebuilding nuclear program despite Trump talks, opposition figure claims

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 22:05:51 -0500

Iran is rebuilding nuclear sites damaged in previous U.S. strikes and "preparing for war," despite engaging in talks with the Trump administration, according to a prominent Iranian opposition figure.

Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said newly released satellite images also prove the regime has accelerated its efforts to restore its "$2 trillion" uranium enrichment capabilities.

"The regime has clearly stepped up efforts to rebuild its uranium enrichment capabilities," Jafarzadeh told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "It is preparing itself for a possible war by trying to preserve its nuclear weapons program and ensure its protection."

IRAN SAYS US MUST 'PROVE THEY WANT TO DO A DEAL' ON NUCLEAR TALKS IN GENEVA

"That said, the ongoing rebuilding of Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities is particularly alarming as the regime is now engaged in nuclear talks with the United States," he added.

New satellite images released by Earth intelligence monitor Planet Labs show reconstruction activity appears to be underway at the Isfahan complex.

Isfahan is one of three Iranian uranium enrichment plants targeted in the U.S. military operation known as "Midnight Hammer."

The June 22 operation involved coordinated Air Force and Navy strikes on the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan facilities.

US POSITIONS AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, STRIKE PLATFORMS ACROSS MIDDLE EAST AS IRAN TALKS SHIFT TO OMAN

Despite the damage, the satellite images show Iran has buried entrances to a tunnel complex at the site, according to Reuters.

Similar steps were reportedly taken at the Natanz facility, which houses two additional enrichment plants.

"These efforts in Isfahan involve rebuilding its centrifuge program and other activities related to uranium enrichment," Jafarzadeh said.

The renewed movements come as Iran participated in talks with the U.S. in Geneva.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump warned that "bad things" would happen if Iran did not make a deal.

While the talks were aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, Jafarzadeh argues that for the regime, talks would be nothing more than a tactical delay.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS

"Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei agreed to the nuclear talks as it would give the regime crucial time to avoid or limit the consequences of confrontation with the West," he said.

Jafarzadeh also described the regime spending at least "$2 trillion" on nuclear capabilities, which he said "is higher than the entire oil revenue generated since the regime came to power in Iran in 1979."

"Tehran is trying to salvage whatever has remained of its nuclear weapons program and quickly rebuild it," he said. "It has heavily invested in the nuclear weapons program as a key tool for the survival of the regime."

IRANIAN OFFICIAL SAYS NUCLEAR TALKS WILL CONTINUE AFTER US, TEHRAN NEGOTIATIONS HAD 'A GOOD START' IN OMAN

Jafarzadeh is best known for publicly revealing the existence of Iran’s Natanz nuclear site in 2002, which led to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency and intensified global scrutiny of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

"The insistence of the Iranian regime during the nuclear talks on maintaining its uranium enrichment capabilities, while rebuilding its damaged sites, is a clear indication that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has no plans to abandon its nuclear weapons program," he said.

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The National Council of Resistance of Iran, led by Maryam Rajavi, exposed for the first time the nuclear sites in Natanz, Arak, Fordow and more than 100 other sites and projects, Jafarzadeh said, "despite a massive crackdown by the regime on this movement."

Israeli officials reportedly warn Iran's ballistic missiles could trigger solo military action against Tehran

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 12:16:05 -0500

As U.S.-Iran diplomacy remains primarily focused on Tehran’s nuclear program, Israeli officials and analysts warn that ballistic missiles remain a central red line for Jerusalem and could shape any decision on unilateral action.

Before departing for his trip to Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he plans to press Israel’s priorities in the talks. "I will present to the president our views regarding the principles of the negotiations — the important principles — and, in my view, they are important not only for Israel, but for anyone in the world who wants peace and security in the Middle East."

Those priorities, Israeli officials say, extend beyond the nuclear file and include Iran’s missile capabilities. Israeli defense officials have recently warned U.S. counterparts that Iran’s ballistic missile program constitutes an existential threat to Israel and that Jerusalem is prepared to act alone if necessary, according to reporting by The Jerusalem Post.

‘ISRAEL IS ONLY THE APPETIZER’: HUCKABEE WARNS IRAN THREAT LOOMS AS NETANYAHU EYES TRUMP TALKS

The outlet reported that Israeli security officials conveyed in recent weeks their intent to dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities and production infrastructure through a series of high-level exchanges with Washington. Military planners outlined potential operational concepts aimed at degrading the program, including strikes on key manufacturing and development sites.

A spokesperson for Israel’s defense minister declined to comment on the issue.

Sima Shine, a former senior Israeli intelligence official and current senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, told ӣ��Ƶ Digital that limiting talks to the nuclear issue risks missing what Israel considers the broader threat.

IRAN REPORTEDLY DEVELOPING CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL MISSILE WARHEADS AS PROTESTS SPREAD OVER COLLAPSING ECONOMY

"If negotiations deal only with the nuclear file and ignore the missiles, Israel will remain exposed," Shine said. "Iran treats its ballistic missile program as its main deterrence and will not give it up." She stressed that Tehran views them as a defensive and deterrent capability dictated by the supreme leader. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country would not negotiate on its ballistic missile program, rejecting a core U.S. demand and further dimming prospects for a breakthrough deal. Shine described that stance as a fundamental red line for Israel.

She also warned that Tehran may be stalling diplomatically while assessing whether Washington will limit the talks to nuclear constraints alone.

"They have room to show flexibility on enrichment," she said, noting that activity slowed after strikes on facilities, "but missiles are different. That they would not discuss."

Israeli concerns extend beyond the negotiating table. A former intelligence official familiar with strategic planning said Israel retains the capability to strike independently if necessary.

TRUMP WARNS IRAN, DELAYS STRIKES AS RED LINE DEBATE ECHOES OBAMA’S SYRIA MOMENT

"Israel can act by itself if there is no choice," the former official said, adding that missile expansion and regional threats would be key triggers.

Shine says the optics of Israeli pressure on Washington could complicate matters.

"If missiles become the central public demand, it may look as if Israel is pushing the U.S. toward military action," she said. "If that fails, Israel could be blamed."

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She added that Iran’s missile arsenal is not aimed solely at Israel but forms part of a broader deterrence strategy against the United States and regional adversaries.

For Israel, the implication is clear. A nuclear agreement that leaves Iran’s missile infrastructure untouched could be seen in Jerusalem as stabilizing the regime while leaving the most immediate threat in place. That calculation, Israeli analysts say, defines the red line.

‘Israel is only the appetizer’: Huckabee warns Iran threat looms as Netanyahu eyes Trump talks

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 11:35:34 -0500

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a meeting with President Donald Trump as Israeli officials warn that recent Iranian missile drills could be used as cover for a surprise attack, raising fresh urgency around Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and military posture ahead of the expected Dec. 29 talks.

Those concerns were echoed publicly on Monday by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who warned that Iran’s nuclear ambitions and military posture pose a direct threat not only to Israel but also to the United States and Europe.

Speaking Monday at the Israel Institute for National Security conference, Huckabee said Trump has maintained a consistent red line on Iran. "All I can do is point out to you what the president has said repeatedly, and he consistently has said Iran is never going to enrich uranium, and they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon," he said.

ISRAELI PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG THANKS TRUMP FOR 'HISTORIC' IRAN STRIKE

"It presents a threat, but not just to Israel, not just to the United States. This presents a real threat to all of Europe," he added. "And if the Europeans don’t understand this, then they’re even dumber than I sometimes think they are."

Huckabee suggested in his interview that Iran may not have taken that message seriously until U.S. military action earlier this year. "I don’t know that they ever took him seriously until the night that the B-2 bombers went to Fordow," Huckabee said. "I hope they got the message, but apparently they didn’t get the full message because, as you have mentioned, they appear to be trying to reconstitute and find a new way to dig the hole deeper and secure it more," he said at the conference.

Huckabee also framed Iran’s long-standing threats as fundamentally aimed at Washington. "Iran has threatened America for 46 consecutive years, from 1979, when the ayatollahs took power," he said. "They’ve always said, ‘Death to Israel, death to America,’ in the same sentence."

"Israel is only the appetizer because you’re closer, and you’re an easier target than the vast geographical expanse that represents the United States," Huckabee continued. "But they’ve never hidden the fact that the real entrée, their ultimate goal, is to destroy the United States."

HEGSETH, PENTAGON BRASS PRAISE TRUMP'S 'SPECTACULAR' MILITARY SUCCESS IN IRAN NUCLEAR STRIKES

The remarks come amid heightened concern in Israel over recent Iranian military activity. According to Axios, Israeli officials warned the Trump administration over the weekend that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile exercise "could be preparations for a strike on Israel," citing three Israeli and U.S. sources with knowledge of the issue. One Israeli source told Axios that while intelligence currently shows force movements inside Iran, Israel’s tolerance for risk is far lower than it was before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

A senior Israeli official told ӣ��Ƶ Digital on background that concern over the Iranian drills is rooted in history rather than speculation. "Iran is doing drills. A concern that the drill will become a surprise attack is a real concern based on history. The Yom Kippur War started that way. I remind you, we shouldn’t ignore it," the official said.

The source dismissed speculation that the drills signal imminent coordinated military action with Washington. "If we were planning an attack with the U.S., it probably wouldn’t make it into the media," the official said.

UN NUCLEAR CHIEF SAYS IRAN HAS MATERIAL TO BUILD BOMBS, BUT NO PLAN TO DO SO

The official acknowledged that the Iranian activity has also shifted Israel’s domestic political conversation, including debate over draft evasion legislation. "The headlines in Israel are now about the Iranian threat instead of the bill," the official said. "Is it spin? Is there something special? Is there truth? Maybe. But we always need to be prepared."

NBC News reported on Saturday that Netanyahu plans to use his meeting with Trump to argue that Iran’s renewed expansion of its ballistic missile program poses a growing threat that could require swift action. According to the report, Netanyahu is expected to emphasize that Iran’s activities endanger not only Israel but also broader regional stability and U.S. interests.

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NBC reported that Netanyahu is expected to present Trump with several options, including potential U.S. involvement or support, should Israel determine that additional military action against Iran is necessary.

Asked Thursday about a possible Dec. 29 meeting with Netanyahu, Trump told reporters, "We haven’t set it up formally, but he’d like to see me." Israeli officials have announced that a meeting is planned for Dec. 29.

ӣ��Ƶ Digital reached out to Netanyahu's spokesperson but did not get a response.

North Korea fires ballistic missile days after Hegseth wraps South Korea visit

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 11:01:17 -0500

North Korea launched a ballistic missile off its east coast Friday, just days after U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth wrapped up a visit to South Korea focused on deterring Pyongyang and reinforcing the alliance between the two countries.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the suspected short-range missile was fired from an inland area around the western county of Taekwan toward the East Sea, traveling roughly 435 miles. The launch was reported by Reuters and The Associated Press, citing military officials in Seoul and Tokyo.

No injuries or damage were reported, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said. Seoul’s military added that it had detected signs of preparations before the launch and was monitoring additional activity in the area, according to The Associated Press.

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILES DAYS BEFORE TRUMP'S VISIT TO THE PENINSULA

Reuters reported that North Korea has conducted several missile launches in recent weeks, including systems it claims are "cutting-edge" strategic weapons.

During his three-day visit to South Korea on Nov. 4, Hegseth spoke to reporters following annual security talks with South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul and said he was "greatly encouraged" by Seoul’s commitment to increasing defense spending and investing more heavily in its own military capabilities. He said both allies agreed that these investments would strengthen South Korea’s ability to take the lead in conventional deterrence against its northern adversary.

Hegseth added that President Donald Trump’s decision to support South Korea’s plans to build nuclear-powered submarines was driven by his desire to have strong allies. "And because Korea has been a model ally, he’s open to opportunities like that, that ensure they have the best capabilities in their own defense and alongside us as allies," he said.

HEGSETH APPLAUDS SOUTH KOREA'S PLAN TO TAKE LARGER ROLE IN DEFENSE AGAINST NORTH KOREAN AGGRESSION

The United States and South Korea have maintained close military coordination as Pyongyang accelerates its weapons testing program. Hegseth’s visit was meant to reaffirm U.S. commitment to the alliance and emphasize deterrence against North Korea. His remarks in Seoul echoed earlier statements that the alliance will stay focused on deterring North Korea.

When asked whether the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea might be used in conflicts beyond the peninsula, including with China, Hegseth said that protecting against nuclear-armed North Korea remains the alliance’s primary goal. "But there’s no doubt that flexibility for regional contingency is something we would take a look at," he told reporters.

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Friday’s launch underscores the fragile security situation on the peninsula and highlights ongoing tensions as North Korea continues to expand its missile capabilities. Both Seoul and Tokyo said they are analyzing the launch in coordination with the United States.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Trump goes after CNN, NY Times for ‘fake news’ about strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 14:21:58 -0400

President Donald Trump called out CNN and The New York Times for "fake news" on Wednesday about the strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

"Great statements just came out from the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission and from, Iran, as you know, that it was complete total destruction," Trump said Wednesday, speaking during the NATO Summit in The Netherlands about last weekend's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

"And, CNN turned out to be fake news," Trump added. "As always. I swear they have no credibility. That's why they have no viewers. But we're going to read it to you if you haven't seen it."

Trump said Saturday that the United States completed a "very successful" strike against Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, saying that Iran’s nuclear enrichment installations have been "obliterated."

FAR LEFT, ANTI-ISRAEL VOICES DECRY TRUMP IRAN STRIKE, DISMISS IDEA HE'S 'ANTIWAR PRESIDENT'

On Wednesday, CNN published an exclusive claiming the "US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy the core components of the country’s nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, according to an early US intelligence assessment that was described by seven people briefed on it."

On Tuesday, the New York Times published an article entitled, "Strike Set Back Iran's Nuclear Program by Only a Few Months, U.S. Report Says."

"A preliminary classified U.S. report says the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran set back the country’s nuclear program by only a few months, according to officials familiar with the findings," the piece reads.

"The strikes sealed off the entrances to two of the facilities but did not collapse their underground buildings, the officials said the early findings concluded," it adds.

TRUMP ADDRESSES NATION ON 'SPECTACULAR MILITARY SUCCESS' OF US STRIKES ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES

Trump called the media coverage "very unfair" to the mission's pilots and added, "New York Times and CNN make up a phony story to get some hits. That's the only reason I cared about it. Because those pilots were so brave. I've never seen anything like it. They flew into the hornet's nest, and then they got hurt so badly by what the fake news wrote."

He criticized CNN and The New York Times by name, saying, "It was CNN. It was a New York Times and they're both, disgusting, disgusting, really horrible groups of people. The pilots did an unbelievable job like nobody's ever seen. They hit pay dirt, you see... Look, they go at the wound, you see where the wound is on the earth, and three of them right next to each other."

He also said that the pilots who performed the strikes should be "respected."

CNN shot back at Trump's criticisms on Wednesday, with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer saying,"I speak as a former Pentagon correspondent and we appreciate, we love the men and women of the United States military who risk their lives to protect all of us, and we’re not criticizing them at all."

Blitzer added the "only thing that we were doing was of course reporting what the Pentagon’s top intelligence agency, the DIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, said in their preliminary report about the damage that was assessed as a result of this mission."

"Yesterday, President Trump called this 'fake news,'" a New York Times spokesperson told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "But he and his entire national security team subsequently confirmed that the Defense Intelligence Agency did in fact produce the preliminary assessment described in a report by The Times and others. So their statement was fake, not The Times’s reporting. We’ll continue to report fully on the administration’s decision-making, including the president’s dispute with the Defense Intelligence Agency, as we did this morning."

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While Trump has asserted that the strikes on Iran destroyed its nuclear weapon-making capabilities, there are still questions about whether the ground-penetrating "bunker buster" bombs used to attack the key enrichment sites were enough to stop the rogue country from developing a nuclear bomb.

"I actually have a little bit of a rosier view on things," Andrea Stricker, Deputy Director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program, told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "I think that because of the massive damage and the shock wave that would have been sent by 12 Massive Ordnance Penetrators at the Fordow site, that it likely would render its centrifuges damaged or inoperable."

ӣ��Ƶ Digital's Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

Experts gauge success of 'bunker buster' bombs dropped by US on Iran nuclear sites

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 16:13:25 -0400

While President Donald Trump has asserted that the military's weekend strike against Iran "completely and totally obliterated" its nuclear weapon-making capabilities, there are still questions about whether the ground-penetrating "bunker buster" bombs used to attack Iran's key enrichment sites were enough to stop the rogue country from developing a nuclear bomb.

A report released last week by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) explains that the special "bunker buster" bombs the U.S. used in Iran over the weekend that everyone is talking about, known as GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, or MOPs, might not be able to fully destroy the Iranian nuclear facility at Fordow. Fordow, which Trump said was "gone" now following the strike, is considered central to Iran's nuclear weapon-making capabilities.

Meanwhile, a satellite imagery expert relayed to Reuters that confirmation of below-ground destruction could not be determined via pictures alone, because the facility's hundreds of centrifuges are too deeply buried in order to make an accurate determination.

EXPERT CONFIDENT IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS 'NO LONGER' AFTER MASSIVE US STRIKE

Stricker noted that centrifuges are "very delicate" and the kind of shock wave coming from the MOPs would at least put them "out of commission." She also said if any centrifuges did survive the blasts, it would be likely that they would be inaccessible by Iranian authorities for several months.

"Underground facilities present a difficult target, not only for destruction, but also in terms of follow-on battle damage assessment," added Wes Rumbaugh, a fellow in the Missile Defense Project at CSIS. "The United States and Israel will likely need to invest additional intelligence resources to determine the true extent of the damage from the U.S. strikes and their long-term effect on Iranian nuclear infrastructure."

SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWS FORDOW NUCLEAR FACILITY AFTER MASSIVE BOMB STRIKE

In addition to Fordow, the U.S. used its MOPs at an Iranian enrichment facility called Natanz, where, according to Stricker, at least 14,000 centrifuges are located, as well as an above-ground enrichment plant and other labs capable of making uranium metal.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the above-ground labs had previously been damaged by Israeli airstrikes, destroying the plant's electrical infrastructure. Meanwhile, satellite imagery following the U.S.'s decision to drop two MOPs on Natanz show two craters located where the site's underground enrichment facilities are reportedly located. However, it is still not clear if the U.S. attacks completely destroyed the underground nuclear infrastructure.

Either way, Stricker noted, the significant damage to Iran's Natanz facility will create a "bottleneck" in the country's supply chain for weapons-grade uranium, which will significantly impact Iran's nuclear weapon-making capabilities.

The third site targeted by the U.S.'s airstrikes was Iran's Isfahan nuclear enrichment facility, but MOPs were not used at that site. Instead, the U.S. used Tomahawk cruise missiles, which the IAEA confirmed caused significant damage. Satellite imagery reportedly shows Isfahan's above-ground facilities were taken out, but it remains unclear the extent of the damage to the site's underground sections.

US STRIKE DAMAGE TO IRAN'S NATANZ, ISFAHAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES CAPTURED IN SATELLITE IMAGES

One of the biggest outstanding questions regarding the success of the United States' weekend strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, is whether authorities in the country were able to move their nuclear materials from the targeted sites before the U.S. launched its missiles at them. But, according to CSIS's Bumbaugh, even if that is the case and Iran moved their nuclear materials, the chaos would still make it hard for Iran to "sprint to a nuclear weapon."

"Having to move these assets to new facilities likely degrades Iran's immediate ability to sprint to a nuclear weapon but makes it likely that Iran will go to great lengths to conceal their new location," Bumbaugh said. "This movement of nuclear infrastructure or material would make follow-on strikes difficult if intelligence is unable to find all of the new hidden facilities."

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"There's a lot of alarmism right now about whether Iran could sprint to a bomb," Stricker added. "Israel has done so much damage to their ability to make nuclear weapons [and] the weaponization supply chain. So the facilities, the components that [Iran] would need, the equipment, and then up to 14 nuclear scientists, I think, if they did want to build a bomb quickly, they're really stymieing – they don't have access to all of all that, all of those assets they would need. And so, I think in the short to medium term, we don't need to be overly concerned that they could get there."

ӣ��Ƶ Digital reached out to both the Pentagon and the Air Force to glean more details about the success of the weekend strike on Iran, but no new information was gleaned.

An Air Force spokesperson did confirm to ӣ��Ƶ Digital that, in total, U.S. forces deployed 75 "precision guided weapons" targeting Iran over the weekend, including 14 30,000 pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators.

On Monday, Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, appealed for immediate access to the targeted Iranian nuclear sites in order to assess the damage that is likely "significant," according to the United Nations.

JD Vance says Iranian nuclear program 'substantially' set back after 'precise, surgical' US strikes

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 15:49:37 -0400

Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that America "is not at war with Iran," but rather is at war with the Iranian nuclear program, which was "substantially" set back by U.S. strikes.

In an appearance on ABC’s "This Week," Vance praised President Donald Trump’s "decisive action to destroy the program" and expressed an "incredible amount of gratitude" to the U.S. troops, who, he says, flew thousands of miles on a 30-hour non-stop flight, "never touched down on the ground" and dropped a 30,000-pound bomb "on a target about the size of a washing machine."

"No military in the world has the training, the skills, and the equipment to do what these guys did last night," Vance said. "I know the president and I are both very proud of them, and I think what they did was accomplish a very core American national objective. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapons program. The president's been very clear about this, and thanks to the bravery and competence and skill of our great pilots and everybody who supported this mission, we took a major step forward for that national objective last night."

Vance was hesitant to disclose too much sensitive information about the mission, which reportedly involved 125 aircraft.

THE MISSING MULLAH: IRAN'S 'SUPREME LEADER' A NO-SHOW FOR NEGOTIATIONS, THEN HID AS US POUNDED NUKE SITES

ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked the vice president, "Can you say definitively that Iran’s nuclear program has now been destroyed?"

"I don't want to get into sensitive intelligence here, but we know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night. Whether it's years or beyond that, we know it's going to be a very long time before Iran can even build a nuclear weapon if they want to," Vance said.

Pressed on the extent of the damage, the vice president again declined to disclose sensitive intelligence but added, "I feel extremely confident, and I can say to the American people with great confidence that they are much further away from a nuclear program today than they were 24 hours ago."

"That was the objective of the mission – to destroy that Fordow nuclear site – and, of course, do some damage to the other sites as well," he said. "But we feel very confident that the Fordow nuclear site was substantially set back and that was our goal."

Vance separately told NBC's "Meet The Press" that the U.S. had engaged in a diplomatic process with the Iranians to no avail until around mid-May when Trump then "decided to issue some private ultimatums to the Iranians."

ISRAEL RECOVERS REMAINS OF THREE MORE BODIES

"My message to the Iranians is it would be the stupidest thing in the world," Vance said about potential retaliation after the U.S. strikes. "If you look at what happened last night, we had an incredibly targeted, precise surgical strike on the nuclear facilities that are the target of the American operation. Our national interest is for Iran to not get a nuclear weapon. Our strikes last night facilitated that national objective. If the Iranians want to enlarge this by attacking American troops, I think that would be a catastrophic mistake."

Vance reiterated how Trump mentioned in his late Saturday night address from the White House that the United States wants Iran to give up their nuclear program peacefully – but allowing Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon remains off the table.

"There is no way that the United States is going to let Iran have a nuclear weapon. And so they really have to choose a pathway," Vance told ABC. "Are they going to go down the path of continued war, of funding terrorism, of seeking a nuclear weapons? Or are they going work with us to give up nuclear weapons permanently? If they're willing to choose the smart path, they're certainly going to find a willing partner in the United States to dismantle that nuclear weapons program."

He also issued a warning.

"But if they decide they're going to attack our troops, if they decide they're going to continue to try to build a nuclear weapon. Then we are going to respond to that with overwhelming force. So really, what happens next is up to the Iranians."

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Trump warned Saturday that "any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight." The U.S. military carried out "massive precision strikes" on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan," which Trump said for years carried on a "horribly destructive enterprise" and have now been "completely and totally obliterated."

Rubio declares Iran's days of 'playing the world' over after Trump's decisive strike

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 12:04:17 -0400

Iran's days of "playing the world" are over, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told ӣ��Ƶ on Sunday, one day after the U.S. obliterated three of the nation's key nuclear facilities in a surprise attack.

"The most important thing I hope that they realize is that the game is up," he told "Sunday Morning Futures" host Maria Bartiromo.

"They have played the world for 40-something years with these nuclear talks and delaying things… they're not going to play President Trump, and they found out last night that when he says he's going to do something, he'll do it. And he doesn't want to do it. It's not his first choice, but it's the only choice. That's the choice the Iranian regime left us, because they play too many games."

While distinguishing the regime from the Iranian people, Rubio accused the former of using diplomacy to "hide" and "buy themselves time" in the past.

HEGSETH, MILITARY BRASS DESCRIBE ‘INCREDIBLE AND OVERWHELMING SUCCESS’ OF US STRIKES ON IRAN

"They think they're cute," he continued. "They're not cute, and they're not going to get away with this stuff, not under President Trump."

Rubio went further by critiquing Iran's leadership for failing to directly negotiate with the United States, forcing the need for a middleman while the regime opts for "passing messages."

"We're not doing that anymore," he said succinctly.

"With direct negotiations, let's talk about how we peacefully resolve this problem. The Europeans have pressured them on that point, and we encourage them to continue to do so and are grateful that they've been doing that so far."

TRUMP DECLARES 'VERY SUCCESSFUL ATTACK' ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM AS US FORCES STRIKE 3 KEY SITE

The U.S. launched "Operation Midnight Hammer" on Saturday with B-2 stealth bombers departing from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri at 12:01 a.m.

Some of the bombers flew to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy, top defense officials revealed on Sunday. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called it a "deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders."

The main strike force proceeded to fly silently eastward, undertaking the 18-hour flight to the target area, Caine said.

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President Donald Trump addressed the nation from the White House following the attacks on Saturday night, touting the success in taking out the Iranian regime's three key facilities — Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

"Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," he said, warning that the regime should answer the call for peace or risk "far greater" tragedy.

Iran warns US joining conflict would mean 'all-out war,' refuses demands to give up disputed nuclear program

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 08:05:31 -0400

Iran warned that the United States joining forces with Israel would mean an "all-out war," as Israel bombarded sites overnight that it says would have allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium, as well as attack Israeli forces.

"Any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei warned Wednesday during an interview with Al Jazeera English.

He did not elaborate, but thousands of American troops are based in nearby countries within range of Iran's weapons. The U.S. has threatened a massive response to any attack.

ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT: LIVE UPDATES

Another Iranian official apparently ruled out demands for the country to give up its disputed nuclear program.

Iran's ambassador to Geneva, Ali Bahreini, told reporters that Iran "will continue to produce the enriched uranium as far as we need for peaceful purposes."

He rejected any talk of a setback to Iran’s nuclear research and development from the Israeli strikes, saying, "Our scientists will continue their work."

Israeli warplanes pounded Tehran overnight and into Wednesday as Iran launched a small barrage of missiles at Israel with no reports of casualties, according to the Associated Press.

VANCE DEFENDS TRUMP'S IRAN POSITION AMID 'CRAZY STUFF ON SOCIAL MEDIA'

Israel says it launched the strikes to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, after talks between the United States and Iran over a diplomatic resolution had made little visible progress over two months but were still ongoing.

President Donald Trump has said Israel’s campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks.

Iran has long insisted its nuclear program was peaceful, though it is the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. U.S. intelligence agencies have said they did not believe Iran was actively pursuing the bomb, according to the AP. Israel is believed to be the only country in the Middle East with nuclear weapons but has never publicly acknowledged them.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday that it eliminated Ali Shadmani, identified as Iran’s "wartime chief of staff," overnight. Shadmani held the role for only four days before meeting the same fate as his predecessor, spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a video statement Wednesday.

GEN. KEANE: TRUMP'S SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL CREATES OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE IRANIAN REGIME ‘OFF THE TABLE’

"We have delivered significant blows to the Iranian regime, and as such, they have been pushed back into central Iran," Defrin said. "They are now focusing their efforts on conducting missile fire from the area of Isfahan. We are aiming at military targets, they are attacking civilian homes."

"While we are working to remove threats from Iran, we are still fighting their proxy, Hamas in Gaza, who is still holding 53 of our hostages in brutal conditions," he added. "We will not rest until they are returned home."

More than fifty Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets conducted three waves of strikes over three hours in an extensive operation Tuesday night, hitting an Iranian centrifuge production site "that was intended to enable the regime to continue to enhance its uranium enrichment," Defrin said in another statement Wednesday. "This complements actions from previous operations we have conducted targeting components of the nuclear program."

USS NIMITZ CARRIER STRIKE GROUP SAILING TOWARD MIDDLE EAST AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, US OFFICIAL SAYS

Israeli forces have struck over 1,100 different components across Iran as of the sixth day of the conflict, Defrin said.

He said IAF jets also struck several weapons and missile production sites in Tehran. On Wednesday morning, Israeli aircraft identified and struck five Iranian AH-1 attack helicopters located at Kermanshah airport.

"We have clear goals and objectives: removing the existential threat to the State of Israel, significantly impairing the nuclear program in all its components, and inflicting substantial damage to the missile array," Defrin said.

The IDF said it identified around thirty launches fired from Iran towards Israeli territory in two barrages Tuesday night.

"Most of them were intercepted, and there were no casualties. I know these are complex days, but we cannot afford complacency," Defrin said, warning Israelis to strictly adhere to home-front safety guidelines.

Trump initially distanced himself from Israel's surprise attack on Friday that triggered the conflict, but in recent days has hinted at greater American involvement, saying he wants something "much bigger" than a cease-fire.

The U.S. has also been shifting assets to the Middle East, including sending more warplanes to the region.

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Trump said in social media posts on Wednesday that the U.S. knows where Iran's Supreme Leader is but would not kill him, for now. He also called for the "complete surrender" of Iran.

"We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran," Trump wrote.

ӣ��Ƶ' Stephanie Simon and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Vance defends Trump's Iran position amid 'crazy stuff on social media'

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:19:45 -0400

Vice President JD Vance on Monday defended President Donald Trump's position on Iran in response to what he described as "crazy" accusations on social media.

"Look, I'm seeing this from the inside, and am admittedly biased towards our president (and my friend), but there's a lot of crazy stuff on social media, so I wanted to address some things directly on the Iran issue," Vance wrote on X.

He said Trump "has been amazingly consistent, over 10 years, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

USS NIMITZ CARRIER STRIKE GROUP SAILING TOWARD MIDDLE EAST AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, US OFFICIAL SAYS

"Over the last few months, he encouraged his foreign policy team to reach a deal with the Iranians to accomplish this goal. The president has made clear that Iran cannot have uranium enrichment. And he said repeatedly that this would happen one of two ways--the easy way or the ‘other’ way."

The vice president said he saw "a lot of confusion" online over the issue of "civilian nuclear power" and "uranium enrichment."

"These are distinct issues. Iran could have civilian nuclear power without enrichment, but Iran rejected that," Vance said. "Meanwhile, they've enriched uranium far above the level necessary for any civilian purpose. They've been found in violation of their non-proliferation obligations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is hardly a rightwing organization.

"It's one thing to want civilian nuclear energy. It's another thing to demand sophisticated enrichment capacity. And it's still another to cling to enrichment while simultaneously violating basic non-proliferation obligations and enriching right to the point of weapons-grade uranium."

LIVE UPDATES: ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT

ISRAEL SAYS IT HAS AERIAL SUPERIORITY OVER TEHRAN, IRANIAN INTELLIGENCE LEADER KILLED

Vance said he's yet to see "a single good argument for why Iran needed to enrich uranium well above the threshold for civilian use" and "for why Iran was justified in violating its non-proliferation obligations."

"I've yet to see a single good pushback against the IAEA's findings," he wrote. "Meanwhile, the president has shown remarkable restraint in keeping our military's focus on protecting our troops and protecting our citizens. He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment. That decision ultimately belongs to the president.

"And of course, people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy. But I believe the president has earned some trust on this issue. And having seen this up close and personal, I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to accomplish American people's goals. Whatever he does, that is his focus."

Trump on Tuesday took to TRUTH Social to call for an "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" from Iran on the fifth day since Israel launched its preemptive attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and leadership.

The United States has been surging assets to the Middle East and reportedly helped Israel block Iranian counter-strikes.

Trump left the G7 summit in Canada early Monday to head back to Washington, D.C., for a Situation Room meeting on Iran Tuesday afternoon.

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"We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding," Trump wrote earlier Tuesday in a social media post. "He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Trump said Tuesday that the United States and Israel have "complete and total control of the skies over Iran."

Chris Matthews says it's fair to call Obama's Iran nuclear deal a 'joke'

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 17:00:28 -0400

Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews offered surprising criticism of former President Obama on Friday after Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a sweeping strike on Iran's nuclear sites Thursday evening.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that one of Iran’s top nuclear facilities had been hit in the operation intended to target Iran's nuclear and missile infrastructure. Two Iranian generals and at least 20 senior Iranian commanders were also killed in the strikes.

According to an IDF spokesman, the strike came after Jerusalem had collected "high-quality intel" that suggested "Iran is closer than ever to developing a nuke."

During an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Friday, Matthews defended Israel's attack, saying the country "can't afford to have an aggressive war by nuclear weapons with Iran."

TRUMP SAYS ISRAEL’S NEXT IRAN ATTACK WILL BE EVEN MORE BRUTAL: ‘MAKE A DEAL’

"They have to stop them from having nuclear weapons," he said, before criticizing Obama's 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that President Donald Trump withdrew from in his first term.

"Now, Obama said, ‘I’ll put a time limit on it. ’They can’t have one for five years.' Well, fairly enough, Trump said, 'That’s a joke. Five years, they’ll have one.' So that’s not going to stop them," Matthews said.

The criticism of the former president is notable since Matthews is widely remembered for saying he "felt a thrill" up his leg listening to then-candidate Obama speak during the 2008 election.

Obama's office did not immediately return ӣ��Ƶ Digital's request for comment.

CHRIS MATTHEWS SUGGESTS TRUMP 'SMART' TO TARGET HARVARD AND ELITE UNIVERSITIES

Matthews continued on Friday by discussing how Trump should deal with Iran: "So he can’t make a deal that says X many years. He can’t come out and say, 'Okay, we're going to stop them from getting a weapon for five years.' He’ll be laughed at because that’s what the Obama deal was. So he has to really get rid of the bomb-making ability of that country."

In 2018, Trump terminated the U.S. participation in the nuclear deal with Iran, calling it "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."

Matthews said that Iran "wants to bomb Israel," so destroying their ability to make nuclear weapons is the only option.

"He’s got to stop them from their nuclear route. He’s got to get them off that route to something else," the former "Hardball" host said of Trump.

"But I think it’s an aggressive war by Iran, and that’s why people are rooting for Israel in this situation with Iran," Matthews added.

IRAN’S LONG TRAIL OF DECEPTION FUELS SKEPTICISM OVER NEW NUCLEAR DEAL AS TALKS CONTINUE

On Thursday, Trump told ӣ��Ƶ that he was aware beforehand that Israel was going to launch strikes as he urged Iran to make a deal.

"Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see. There are several people in leadership in Iran that will not be coming back," Trump said.

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ӣ��Ƶ' Caitlin McFall, Greg Wehner and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

Trump administration open to allowing Iran to continue some uranium enrichment: report

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 19:51:27 -0400

A report from Axios has indicated that the United States plans to allow Iran to continue limited low-level uranium enrichment on its soil for an unspecified period of time.

On Saturday, the Trump administration presented its first formal proposal to Tehran in an attempt to sign a nuclear deal with the country, but did not share any details of the proposed deal publicly. "President Trump has made it clear that Iran can never obtain a nuclear bomb," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said over the weekend. "Special Envoy Witkoff has sent a detailed and acceptable proposal to the Iranian regime, and it's in their best interest to accept it."

The report, from Axios, cited two sources familiar with the Trump administration's ongoing negotiations with Iran. The White House did not deny the details of Axios' reporting when ӣ��Ƶ Digital reached out for confirmation.

IRAN CONDEMNS AUSTRIA OVER REPORT ON ADVANCED NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM

Instead, a White House official responded with a statement calling the terms of the deal "very tough" and insisted the terms of the deal prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

"President Trump is speaking the cold, hard truth. The terms we gave Iran were very tough and would make it impossible for them to ever obtain a nuclear bomb," the official said.

Media reports Monday said that Iranian officials were planning to reject the U.S.'s proposed deal. The new details reported by Axios might serve to assuage some of the Iranians' concerns, but could also anger some Republicans, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have all expressed that they only want zero nuclear enrichment as part of the deal – in addition to full dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program.

WHITE HOUSE URGES IRAN TO ACCEPT NUCLEAR DEAL AS IAEA REPORTS URANIUM ENRICHMENT SPIKE

Axios reported that the details of the proposal described to them indicated that Iran would not be allowed to build any more new enrichment facilities, must "dismantle critical infrastructure for conversion and processing of uranium," and would be forced to halt any new research and development on nuclear centrifuges. However, according to the details of the proposal reported by Axios, Iran will be allowed to participate in a regional enrichment consortium under certain conditions.

For example, Iran will only be able to develop domestic enrichment capabilities for civilian purposes only, according to Axios. Meanwhile, after signing the agreement, Iran would be forced to reduce its enrichment concentration to 3% and shut down all underground enrichment facilities for an agreed-upon time period by both parties.

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The new proposal also seeks to develop auditing and oversight mechanisms to ensure Iran follows the rules of the agreement.

Iranian president calls for negotiation and dialogue as nuclear talks continue

Mon, 19 May 2025 10:21:45 -0400

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke over the weekend, reiterating Iran’s commitment to dialogue and desire for a civilian nuclear program.

The Iranian leader addressed navy officials in Bandar Abbas, discussing the ongoing negotiations for a deal with the United States.

"We are not seeking war, we favor negotiation and dialogue, but we are not afraid of threats either, and we will in no way retreat from our legal rights," Pezeshkian said.

IRAN FOREIGN MINISTER VOWS NUCLEAR ENRICHMENT WILL CONTINUE 'WITH OR WITHOUT A DEAL'

Compared to previous Iranian presidents, Pezeshkian has emerged as a more level-headed and reformist leader, aiming to reach new understandings with the West, according to Politico.

The United States and Iran have completed four rounds of indirect negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program, though the public has received mixed messages on the path forward. While officials from Washington and Tehran have expressed optimism about the conversations, a number of technical details have yet to be discussed, including the specifics surrounding uranium enrichment and stockpile levels.

Iran is insisting they will continue to enrich uranium for civilian and research purposes, while the Trump administration is calling for all enrichment to end. Right now, Iran is enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, well beyond the confines of the 2015 nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018.

IRAN'S KHAMENEI LAUNCHES BLISTERING ATTACK ON TRUMP AFTER MIDDLE EAST VISIT

Over the weekend, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi commented on the current situation, saying that Iran has received no written proposal from the United States about an agreement.

"Mark my words: there is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to enrichment for peaceful purposes: a right afforded to all other NPT signatories, too," Ataghchi said in a post on X.

In an interview with ӣ��Ƶ, Trump spoke about the ongoing talks with Iran, opening up the possibility of trade with the country, if the talks lead to a deal.

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"Iran wants to trade with us," Trump told Bret Baier. "And I’m OK with it."

Trump wrapped up a four-day tour of the Gulf last week, pushing for new normalization deals and an agreement with Iran. Any deal with the United States is expected to lead to much-needed sanctions relief for Iran.

"I’ve told Iran, we make a deal," Trump said, "you’re going to be very happy."

Iran talks in Rome not happening this weekend and were never confirmed, State Department says

Thu, 01 May 2025 15:55:03 -0400

The U.S. has not committed to participating in a fourth round of denuclearization talks with Iran this weekend despite reports to the contrary, according to the State Department.

"The United States was never confirmed to be participating in a fourth round of talks with Iran, which people had believed were Saturday in Rome," spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a news conference Thursday. "We expect another round of talks will take place in the near future."

The U.S. participated in talks with Iranian officials once in Rome and twice in Oman. Envoy Steve Witkoff is the lead negotiator for President Donald Trump’s desired deal that stops Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

IRAN, US BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS OVER TEHRAN'S ADVANCING NUCLEAR PROGRAM

Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi, whose nation is trying to help broker a deal, posted on X that the talks had been postponed for "logistical reasons."

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said Tehran is still committed to getting to a "fair and lasting agreement."

Iran seeks to have U.S. sanctions lifted, while the Trump team has insisted it will need verifiable proof Iran has stopped enriching uranium to lift any financial penalties.

HEGSETH SENDS STRONG MESSAGE TO IRAN AND HOUTHIS: 'YOU WILL PAY'

Trump has threatened to launch strikes on Iran if talks go sideways.

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued an ominous threat to Iran over its backing of the Houthis.

"Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing," Hegseth wrote on X. "You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing."

A U.S. official described last week's talks as "positive and productive."

"There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal," the official said. "We agreed to meet again soon, in Europe, and we thank our Omani partners for facilitating these talks."

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"This time, the negotiations were much more serious than in the past, and we gradually entered into deeper and more detailed discussions," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. "We have moved somewhat away from broader, general discussions, though it is not the case that all disagreements have been resolved. Differences still exist both on major issues and on the details."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Supporters defend Trump’s pick to control America’s nuclear arsenal before Senate grilling

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 10:25:39 -0400

A former GOP congressman tapped by President Donald Trump to oversee the country's nuclear arsenal is facing a grilling before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday on his road to confirmation.

Brandon Williams, nominated to become Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security, is a Navy veteran who formerly chaired the energy subcommittee for the House Science, Space and Technology Committee during his brief stint in Congress.

He brings with him thousands of hours of experience supervising the operation of a nuclear power plant and propulsion plant on a nuclear submarine, and he's undergone rigorous training to supervise two naval reactor designs, sources tell ӣ��Ƶ Digital.

Tom D'Agostino, a former administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration himself who served under former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said Williams' nomination comes at a critical time for nuclear deterrence.

"There's no question in my mind that he has what it takes from a technical expertise, technical competence and technical leadership standpoint, because he's already proven it," D'Agostino told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "He's proven it in the Navy. And just having gone through and made it through the nuclear propulsion program, which is the heralded program started by Admiral Rickover over 50 years ago, I have absolutely no doubt at all that he could run this organization."

REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER SAYS ENERGY 'UNDERPINS EVERYTHING WE DO'

"It's obviously proven time and time again, that electricity, power lifts the standard of living for all that have it," D'Agostino said. "And so having a somebody at the helm of the NNSA, which isn't a commercial nuclear power organization, it s a national security power organization, but there are relationships between the two, but having somebody like him in that position at this point in time is a really important, it's very important."

"There's no question that other powers – China, Russia, whatever, you can throw in, maybe, however you think about North Koreans – but the reality is there's geopolitical instability," he said. "Over years, having a strong nuclear deterrent led by people that know what they're doing and will get the job done is a key of that nuclear deterrance. It's not just the warheads themselves, it's the technical competence of the people in the organization."

"Brandon Williams, absolutely, Congressman Williams certainly has that," D'Agostino told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "And he's, you know, he's confirmed he'll be leading an organization that is filled with technically competent people that know how to get the job done. So this is an important time. The world is watching. There's no question about it."

In his opening statement, Williams thanked Trump for the nomination and promised the committee that, if confirmed, he would "work diligently to strengthen the capability, credibility and communication of our strategic deterrence." Williams said he "shares the president’s commitment to peace through strength" and looked forward to serving under Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

"At the Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration has functioned in relative obscurity for many decades but has recently been thrust back into the public’s consciousness. In my estimation, the men and women of the NNSA compromise one of the greatest scientific and engineering organizations in human history," Willaims said. "This workforce, since the Manhattan Project, continues to ensure the safety, security, reliability and effectiveness of our nuclear stockpile. If given the opportunity to lead this extraordinary organization, I will do so humbly in the shadow of great Americans like Admiral Rickover, Ernest Lawrence and Robert Oppenheimer."

Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., penned a letter to Williams arguing that he lacks any of the extensive technical experience of his predecessors.

Williams completed training at the Naval Nuclear Power School and served as a junior officer on a nuclear submarine, but Warren said he does not possess any advanced degree in physics or engineering. The Democratic senator said the NNSA is in the middle of a $200 billion nuclear modernization project, which the Government Accountability Office has found has already exceeded initial cost estimates by more than $2 billion and is behind by almost 10 years.

Warren also hit at Williams' experience in the private sector. He founded a software company that focused on modernizing and securing industrial controls for manufacturing industries, but Warren raised concerns over alleged Chinese ties.

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"I am concerned that a leader without strong technical expertise and extensive experience could put our nuclear deterrent at risk and waste billions of dollars," Warren said in a statement. "The person confirmed to lead the NNSA…must also make it abundantly clear that they would not share information with companies that might support China’s own nuclear modernization efforts, further jeopardizing American national security."

Trump has touted nominees to his Cabinet as "outsiders," as the Republican prioritizes upending the entrenched bureaucracy in Washington.

American Nuclear Society CEO Craig Piercy told ӣ��Ƶ Digital that Williams participated in a number of discussions over the past few years as a House member focused on ensuring policymakers have a good textual understanding of nuclear energy.

"The one thing that I can say about Brandon Williams is he's thoughtful, he listens, and he asks good questions," Piercy said. "Those are all the hallmarks of a good leader who cut their teeth in the nuclear Navy, right? And I mean, the nuclear Navy is the source for a significant portion of the workforce in nuclear today. And it brings a certainness free to core."

"He's always been knowledgeable, he has always demonstrated an understanding, not just of technology, but of the larger, you know, geopolitical consequences of the technology," Piercy said.

Piercy said the next NNSA administrator must focus both on ensuring both the efficacy of the nuclear stockpile and deterring the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

"I think that part of the challenge here is also, while we're doing both of those things, ensuring that American nuclear companies have an opportunity to export civil nuclear technologies to other countries that have the energy needs, and those are fairly broad," he told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "There is a way of doing that safely without compromising our non-proliferation objectives. And in fact, you know, having the U.S. engaged in civil nuclear commerce is a good thing for the country because it gives us greater influence over the safety and non-proliferation norms globally. So it's a big challenge for anyone in that job and obviously it requires the whole of government approach to do it well."

D'Agostino said Williams' lack of experience in the federal government should not raise concerns about his ability to effectively manage the nuclear arsenal. In his own career before leading the NNSA, D'Agostino said he picked up experience in the military and as a civilian employee before joining the executive branch. Williams also has that military experience, but is unique in that he brings with him strong relationships from his time on Capitol Hill.

"He has that experience in the military and he has that experience on Capitol Hill, which is frankly incredibly important to understand… So there are similarities from the standpoint of cultural and commitment to national security and serving your country," D'Agostino told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "That will serve the country well. I'm confident of that because a big part of the job in the NNSA, in addition to leading a technical organization, is also about relationships on the Hill, explaining to members what's going on in the program and why it's so important."

The role of NNSA administrator involves overseeing the nation's nuclear laboratories. D'Agostino named the Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Los Livermore National Laboratories as the three of the largest laboratories in the country and "with the highest qualifications and standards, frankly, throughout the world" that "were a part of the organization that developed the nuclear deterrent" and are "a key part of maintaining the nuclear-deterrent stockpile." Another of significance is the Naval Nuclear Laboratory underneath Admiral William J. Houston, which is part of the Naval Reactors Program.

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"Those Naval Nuclear Laboratories are also part of NNSA," D'Agostino said. "Because Congressman Williams is a product of the naval nuclear propulsion program, his understanding of and experience with these laboratories will be important to maintain their technical competence and supporting, frankly, the country's security well into the future."

The US is not ready for a nuclear showdown with China, key conservatives warn Trump

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:18:09 -0400

FIRST ON FOX: A group of influential conservatives and lawmakers is warning the Trump administration that the U.S. does not have the tactical nuclear weapons to fight China if war breaks out in the Indo-Pacific.

A 13-minute video obtained by ӣ��Ƶ Digital and set for release Thursday by the Heritage Foundation argues the U.S. nuclear arsenal is outdated, with the newest weapons nearly 40 years old – about as modern as a grandpa's vintage Corvette.

Military experts across Washington have begun gaming out the potential scenario if China invades Taiwan and the U.S. comes to the island democracy’s aid.

The video opens by putting forth a scenario where China may launch a tactical nuclear weapon to destroy the U.S. Air Force Base at Guam, killing 3,000, in "an attempt to change the tide of the battle in their favor."

CHINA WILL DOUBLE ITS NUCLEAR ARSENAL TO OVER 1,000 WARHEADS BY 2030, ACCORDING TO US INTELLIGENCE

"The president wants to respond in kind by targeting a similar Chinese target with our own tactical nuclear weapon. There's only one problem with all this: we probably couldn't do such a mission if we tried."

The video argues the U.S. has abandoned its buildup of tactical nuclear weapons, which are forceful but smaller and more targeted in their destruction than earth-shattering strategic nuclear weapons.

Since the end of the Cold War, according to Bob Peters, strategic deterrence fellow at Heritage, the U.S. has "dramatically reduced the number of nuclear weapons around the world, signed multiple arms control agreements with the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation, and today has an arsenal that is roughly 85% smaller than the ones it fielded at the height of the Cold War."

The U.S. removed naval and land-based tactical nuclear weapons from Korea in 1991 and retired the nuclear variants of the Tomahawk cruise missile that were stationed across the Pacific.

"We had Russia, we thought, under control with the breakup of the Soviet Union. We always thought China would be an economic threat," Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., a top member on the Armed Services Committee, said in the clip.

IRAN, CHINA AND RUSSIA HUDDLE FOR NUCLEAR TALKS WHILE UN MEETS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS ON POSSIBLE SANCTIONS

But now, China has tripled its nuclear arsenal over the past five years, and plans to go from 500 to 1,000 warheads by 2030.

The newest nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal is now over 35 years old, Peters points out, and many are decades older, "meant to be retired and replaced in the 1980s."

"Like a 1975 Cadillac bought by our grandfather, we've been keeping America's strategic deterrence on life support," said Peters.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, blamed it on a decades-long focus on the Middle East, at the expense of containing threats in the Indo-Pacific region.

"Part of this is a hangover from what I call endless wars, where, instead of having that strong deterrence, we got involved with, you know, a quarter-century of endless conflict that caused a great toll, both in terms of blood and treasure."

China has not only been building up its strategic and tactical nuclear weapons, but its anti-ship nuclear capabilities and its fractional orbital bombardment systems, space-based platforms that can drop munitions, including nuclear ones, from space onto the Earth’s surface.

WOULD THE US WIN A WAR WITH CHINA OVER TAIWAN? US LAWMAKERS BRIEFED ON THE POTENTIAL OUTCOME

"At the same time, China's building nuclear-capable long-range hypersonic missiles that could in time be able to deliver nuclear weapons to the American homeland with little to no notice," Peters warned.

The video argues that the U.S. has too few tactical nuclear weapons when compared with China – weapons that would offer a forceful response but avoid population-decimating strategic nukes.

"Right now, we’re preaching about arms control but building nothing," the video states. "We must modernize the existing strategic arsenal and replace the decades-old warheads and missiles that were meant to be retired in the 1980s and 1990s."

"We need a much stronger but modern Navy," said Roy. "Not built on what K Street contractors are saying they need to be, but rather, what do we actually need?"

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"The world is really watching both allies and adversaries. Is the United States going to accept decline and live in a world in which the Chinese, the Russians, perhaps the Iran regime and the North Koreans can successfully coerce the United States of America to prevent us from moving in the world on terms that benefit the American people in our prosperity and freedom?" said Rebecca Heinrichs, senior fellow with Heritage.

"The United States must field the military capabilities that will convince the Chinese leadership that today is not the day to pick a fight with the United States or its allies," said Adm. Charles Richard, former head of U.S. Strategic Command.

Trump cautions 'bad things' in store if Iran won't negotiate as Islamic Republic touts 'Missile City'

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 16:01:57 -0400

President Donald Trump promised that ‘bad things’ would happen to Iran if the regime does not come to the table for nuclear negotiations.

"My big preference is that we work it out with Iran, but if we don’t work it out, bad things are gonna happen to Iran," the president said Friday.

Iran is enriching uranium to 60%, just shy of the 90% weapons-grade. Experts say it could have a nuclear weapon within weeks if it were to take the final steps to building one.

In response to U.S. sanctions threats, Iran showed off a sprawling underground tunnel system replete with missiles, launchers, engines and other advanced weapons.

WALTZ TELLS IRAN TO GIVE UP NUCLEAR PROGRAM OR 'THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES'

A video released this week by state media shows two Iranian military leaders, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri and IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, riding in a vehicle through long, weapons-packed tunnels that Tehran has dubbed "Missile City."

The 85-second clip, which has not been independently verified, is set to menacing music and suggests that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps stands ready to respond to threats of an attack from the U.S. and Israel.

"Iran’s ballistic missile force remains the largest in the Middle East," said Behnam Taleblu, fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "This is all part of the regime’s deterrent strategy to cement the idea of any conflict with Tehran being a costly and protracted one."

The move comes as U.S. is bolstering its forces in the Middle East. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently sent a second aircraft carrier, the U.S. Navy’s USS Carl Vinson, to join the USS Harry S. Truman‘s carrier strike group, whose deployment was also extended.

The U.S. also recently deployed two B-2 stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, a warning to Iran and Yemen's Houthi militia. The planes are capable of carrying 30,000-pound "bunker buster" bombs and are now situated within range of Iran.

Weeks ago, Trump wrote a letter to Iran urging the regime to engage in talks on its nuclear program.

Kamal Kharazi, the top foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Thursday that the regime would engage in "indirect" talks, according to local news reports.

IRAN'S LEADER WARNS US COULD RECEIVE ‘SEVERE SLAPS’ FOLLOWING TRUMP'S THREATS TO HOUTHIS

"The Islamic Republic has not closed all the doors and is willing to begin indirect negotiations with the United States."

"Our policy is to not negotiate directly while there is maximum pressure policy and threats of military strikes," foreign minister Abbas Aragchi explained. "But indirect negotiations can take place as they have in the past."

If talks falter, the U.S. and Israel have floated the possibility of targeted strikes on underground nuclear facilities.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration launched a series of offensive attacks on the Houthis in Yemen to send a message to Tehran, which supports them.

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"Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN," Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.

"Iran has played 'the innocent victim' of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control," he continued. "They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, "Intelligence.'"

Iran's supreme leader rejects nuclear talks with US after Trump's overtures

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 22:11:14 -0500

Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday he will not negotiate a nuclear deal with the U.S., citing demands about the country's missile range and influence.

In a series of posts on X, Khamenei called the U.S. government "coercive," claiming negotiations are only a means to impose new demands.

"Such negotiations aren't aimed at solving issues," Khamenei wrote. "Their aim is to exert their dominance and impose what they want."

He added the "demands" relate to the country's defense and international capabilities.

TRUMP REINSTATES ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN

"Telling us not to do this, not to meet that person, not to go there, not to produce this, and to limit the range of our missiles to a certain extend," Khamenei wrote. "How could anyone accept such things?"

Khamenei posted one day after President Donald Trump said he had sent a letter to Khamenei pushing for a nuclear agreement with Tehran, suggesting there could be military consequences if a deal is not reached.

Trump told reporters Friday the U.S. is "down to the final moments" negotiating with Iran, and he hoped a military intervention would not be necessary.

TRUMP'S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL

In a statement Saturday, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said the administration hopes Iran "puts its people and best interests ahead of terror."

"President Trump said it clearly that there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily or by making a deal," Hughes wrote.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Iran program, wrote in a statement that Trump should "be careful" in discussions with Tehran.

"Tehran has set a trap for him, hoping to lure him into endless diplomacy that is used to blunt maximum pressure and dampen the credibility of an American or Israeli military option while buying time to creep towards a nuclear weapon," Ben Taleblu wrote in a statement.

While Trump said in February he believed Iran was "close" to developing a nuclear weapon, he noted the U.S. would prevent the action.

IRAN'S WEAKENED POSITION COULD LEAD IT TO PURSUE NUCLEAR WEAPON, BIDEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WARNS

He also signed an executive action ordering the Department of Treasury to execute "maximum economic pressure" on Iran through a series of sanctions that would devastate the country's oil exports.

The "maximum pressure" initiative against Tehran, which was enacted during the first Trump administration, issues greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations.

The president's comments and Khamenei's subsequent posts came days before Sunday's 18th anniversary of the abduction of retired FBI Special Agent Robert "Bob" Levinson from Kish Island, Iran.

The FBI Washington Field posted Friday on Facebook, saying it "remembers Bob and his family every day" ahead of the anniversary and National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day.

The FBI is still offering up to a $5 million reward for information that leads to Levinson’s location, recovery and return, according to the post.

The State Department's Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return and information leading to the arrest or conviction of anyone responsible for his alleged abduction.

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"As part of our ongoing efforts to resolve Bob's case and hold the Iranian regime responsible for its role in Bob's disappearance, we recently released seeking information posters featuring Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai, two senior Iranian intelligence officers who worked for Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security at the time of Bob's abduction," the agency wrote in the post.

ӣ��Ƶ Digital's Diana Stancy contributed to this report.

Retired US military leaders support letting Israel 'finish the job' against Iran, proxies

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 14:43:53 -0500

Senior retired military commanders are sounding the alarm over Iran’s nuclear capabilities and are calling on President Donald Trump to throw U.S. support behind Israel. In a letter issued by Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) and signed by 77 retired U.S. generals and admirals, they say it’s "time to let Israel finish the job against the Iranian axis."

The letter, which was issued just hours ahead of President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, asserts that a nuclear Iran would be a threat to U.S. national security. They warn that there is not much more time to stop Iran’s "march to the bomb," and say the Islamic Republic cannot be allowed to "cross the nuclear threshold."

"What Israel seeks from the United States is support to ensure the maximum effectiveness of its actions and manage the risk of Iranian retaliation. We should provide it expeditiously," the letter says.

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The former leaders say that they do not take military action lightly and that diplomacy would be "preferable," but they doubt that Iran will participate in the talks in good faith.

"Repeated negotiations with Iran over two decades have led to one dangerous result: The world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism now stands on the cusp of developing the world’s most dangerous weapons."

The retired generals and admirals are calling on the U.S. to provide Israel with munitions, weapons systems and "support needed to ensure the effectiveness of its operations against this common threat." They assert that by supporting Israel in its fight against a nuclear Iran, the U.S. would be protecting its own influence in the region.

The Iranian regime was also recently accused of plotting to assassinate Trump, which the president said would lead to the Islamic Republic being "obliterated."

During a recent trip to Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Iran "the single greatest source of instability" in the Middle East. He added that the Islamic Republic is "behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence."

Rubio went on to say that "there can never be a nuclear Iran — a nuclear Iran that could then hold itself immune from pressure and from action. That can never happen."

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In the same news conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been a staunch opponent of a nuclear Iran, said that "Israel and America are shoulder-to-shoulder in countering the threat of Iran."

While the theme of President Trump’s speech Tuesday night is "Renewal of the American Dream," he is still expected to speak about domestic and foreign issues — one of which could be the threat of a nuclear Iran.

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On Feb. 4, President Trump signed a national security memorandum declaring the return of maximum pressure on the Iranian regime and vowing to block any and all paths to a nuclear weapon.

"Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terror and has aided Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, the Taliban, al-Qa’ida, and other terrorist networks," the memorandum reads.

In the memorandum, President Trump also says, "Iran bears responsibility for the horrific Hamas massacres committed on October 7, 2023."

Tonight, there will be someone in the audience of the joint address who experienced the brutality of an Iran-funded terror group firsthand. Former Hamas hostage Noa Argamani, who was rescued by the Israel Defense Forces in June, will attend as a guest of House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Putin signs revised doctrine lowering threshold for nuclear response if Russia is attacked

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 05:54:43 -0500

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine on Tuesday stating that any attack on Russia supported by a country with nuclear power could be grounds for a nuclear response.

Putin signed the new policy on the 1,000th day of the war with Ukraine and the day after President Biden authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles to strike inside Russia.

The doctrine also states that Russia could respond to aggression against its ally Belarus with nuclear weapons, The Associated Press reported.

Though the doctrine doesn't specify that Russia will definitely respond to such attacks with nuclear weapons, it does mention the "uncertainty of scale, time and place of possible use of nuclear deterrent" as key principles of deterrence.

BIDEN AUTHORIZES UKRAINE TO USE US LONG-RANGE MISSILES TO STRIKE INSIDE RUSSIA

When asked if the updated doctrine comes in response to Biden's decision to ease restrictions on how Ukraine can strike Russia, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the AP that the doctrine was published "in a timely manner."

Peskov also said Putin told the government to update it earlier this year so that it's "in line with the current situation" – the Russian president led a meeting in September to discuss these proposed revisions to the doctrine.

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Revealed in September, the doctrine now officially states that an attack on Russia by a nonnuclear power with the "participation or support of a nuclear power" will be seen as a "joint attack on the Russian Federation."

It also contains a broader range of conditions that would trigger the use of nuclear weapons, noting that they could be used in response to an air attack involving ballistic and cruise missiles, aircraft, drones and other flying vehicles.

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The previous document threatened the use of Russia's arsenal if "reliable information is received about the launch of ballistic missiles targeting the territory of Russia or its allies."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

UN watchdog warns time to 'maneuver' on Iran's nuclear program is shrinking: report

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 04:00:40 -0500

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog warned this week the window to "maneuver" a diplomatic solution to halt Iran’s nuclear development was beginning to "shrink."

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, issued an urgent message in an interview with AFP at the COP29 climate summit in Baku.

"The Iranian administration must understand that the international situation is becoming increasingly tense and that the margins to maneuver are beginning to shrink," he said.

"It is imperative to find ways to reach diplomatic solutions."

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The warning came ahead of Grossi’s trip to Tehran this week for "high-level" meetings with Iranian government officials, where he was set to hold "technical discussions" relating to Tehran’s agreement under a March 2023 Joint Statement to adhere to IAEA safeguard parameters.

Grossi landed in Tehran Wednesday, and state media showed the IAEA chief meeting with the spokesperson for Iran's state atomic energy agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, upon his arrival.

In the lead-up to the meeting, Grossi said in a statement Sunday, "It is essential that we make substantive progress in the implementation of the Joint Statement agreed with Iran in March 2023. My visit to Tehran will be very important in that regard."

The IAEA is further permitted to inspect all nuclear sites as a part of its safeguard duties, but Grossi told AFP, "We need to see more."

"Given the size, depth and ambition of Iran’s program, we need to find ways of giving the agency more visibility," he added.

Concerns over Iran’s nuclear program have remained heightened since the U.S. pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Agreement, in May 2018, despite IAEA assurances that Iran was not in violation of its nuclear agreements.

Grossi is expected to push Iran for increased access to its nuclear sites and for an explanation regarding the traces of uranium that have been found at undeclared sites, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The IAEA director general has been sounding the alarm for months that Iran's nuclear program has essentially run unchecked since Tehran stopped adhering to its commitments under the JCPOA, and it has since increased its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium metals to 60% purity levels, just shy of the steps needed to reach weapons-grade uranium enriched to 90% purity.

IRAN THREATENS TO USE MORE POWERFUL WARHEADS AGAINST ISRAEL IN NEXT ATTACK: REPORT

Grossi's trip comes at a pivotal time for geopolitical relations with President-elect Trump returning to the Oval Office come January, where he is expected to take a hardline approach when it comes to Tehran.

During his first term, President Trump maintained that the agreement was a "terrible deal" cemented under the Obama administration by Secretary of State John Kerry and signed by Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the deal.

After the U.S. withdrawal, Tehran claimed the agreement had been voided and said it was no longer bound under the international nuclear agreement.

Despite the withdrawal by the U.S., the other international co-signatories, including Russia, urged Tehran to continue to adhere to the JCPOA, though, by 2022, Moscow dropped its diplomatic encouragement as tensions with the West escalated over its invasion of Ukraine.

Grossi told AFP the deal now sits as "an empty shell."

According to Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert and senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the best way to stop Iran from pursuing its nuclear ambitions is to move past the Biden administration's ambitions to restore a nuclear deal and to rely on Cold War-era tactics of nuclear deterrence.

"The irreversible and knowledge-based nuclear gains Tehran has made under Biden's policy of maximum deference are what actually have shut the window for anything meaningful, even if only transactional with Tehran," he told ӣ��Ƶ Digital. "The incoming Trump administration will be faced with an increasingly risk-tolerant Islamic Republic that is either on the nuclear threshold and keen to exploit this status or one that will have weaponized.

"Deterring and confronting such a regime will require pushing past Washington's obsession with a deal and embracing other tools of national power."

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But the IAEA chief said he isn’t worried by the prospect of another Trump presidency despite the tense geopolitical framework he now operates under with the West’s unification against Russia and Iran amid the war in Ukraine and Israel’s fight against Tehran-backed proxies.

"I already worked with the first Trump administration, and we worked well together," he said.

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