OT subject but worth a main-stream read- OT News Feeds...

lousubcap · June 9

California and the National Guard-some light reading from

"Some legal background: On Saturday, Trump claimed the protests “constitute a form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.” But the law he invoked is not the Insurrection Act, and the Posse Comitatus Act forbids the military (including federalized National Guard troops) from being used for domestic law enforcement.

Another thing: The U.S. military’s job is not to police fellow citizens; it is to protect against foreign threats.

More background: “10 USC 12406 has not historically been treated or used as an independent authority. Trump’s move is vulnerable to legal challenge on that ground alone,” Goitein explained. But “No president has ever federalized the National Guard for purposes of responding to potential future civil unrest anywhere in the country,” she added. “Preemptive deployment is literally the opposite of deployment as a last resort. It would be a shocking abuse of power and the law.”

For what it’s worth: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem just last year claimedfederalizing the National Guard “would be a direct attack on state’s rights.”

Observations from a former Naval War College professor: “Sending in the National Guard is meant to provoke, not pacify, and [Trump’s] power will only grow if he succeeds in tempting Americans to intemperate reactions that give him the authoritarian opening he’s seeking,” Tom Nichols argued in The Atlantic on Sunday in a piece titled, “Trump Is Using the National Guard as Bait.” “Trump sees the U.S. military as his personal honor guard and his private muscle,” Nichols writes, “and he’s going to get a show from his honor guard in a birthday parade next weekend. In the meantime, he’s going to flex that muscle, and prove that the officers and service members who will do whatever he orders are the real military.”

“ICE is on a rampage, but physically assaulting or obstructing its agents—and thus causing a confrontation with the cops who have to protect them, whether those police officers like it or not—will provide precisely the pretext that some of the people in Trump’s White House are trying to create,” Nichols argues.

Bigger picture: Trump “is resorting to the grand theater of militarism because he is losing on multiple fronts in the courts—and he knows it,” says Nichols. “The law, for most people, is dreary to hear about, but one of the most important stories of Trump’s second term is that lawyers and judges are so far holding a vital line against the administration, sometimes at great personal risk.”

Historian’s reax: “There is real weakness behind the regime’s power grab.,” Heather Cox Richardson of Boston College wrote Sunday evening. “Trump’s promised trade deals have not materialized, and indicators show his policies are hurting the economy…There is no doubt that as their other initiatives have stalled and popular opinion is turning against the administration on every issue, the Trump regime is trying to establish a police state.”

“We are one flared temper, one foolish incident, away from a true national emergency,” said Joyce Vance, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. “This is a moment where de-escalation is called for. But it doesn’t look like that’s what the Trump administration wants here,” she added. Indeed, “They are not taking steps to de-escalate. To the contrary, they continued to dig in on Sunday afternoon.”

Worth noting: “As written, Trump’s Action is not limited to California,” Vance continues. “The framework is there for this to expand to other states, for instance, if protests against ICE operations erupt.”

Something to watch for: If Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, “The military can’t go any further than their civilian counterparts could in enforcing the law,” Vance explains. “They can arrest people, if the law authorizes it, or disperse them. However, our constitutional rights would still remain in effect. That constitutional context is not an environment in which members of the military are accustomed to operating, which could present its own complications.”

By the way: ICE arrested a former Afghan National Army soldier at his home in Texas, Houston Public Media reported last week. He entered the U.S. legally, has no criminal record, and was applying for asylum, his attorney says. His case appears to be the result of Trump’s decision to de-document legal Afghan immigrants.

Expert reax: “This guy did nothing wrong. He broke not a single law. He was a guard at a base that housed U.S. troops. He came here legally through humanitarian parole. He had an asylum application pending. Yet the Trump admin had ICE grab him anyway,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council. ""

lousubcap · June 9

And this today from

BY AMY MACKINNON AND ERIC BAZAIL-EIMIL

'President DONALD TRUMP’s conception of national security is much more domestically focused than his predecessors — as we’re seeing play out right now in California.

Over the weekend, Trump federalized the California National Guard in response to dayslong protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles — an action no president had taken since 1965.

White House spokesperson KAROLINE LEAVITT said Saturday that those actions were “essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States.” Others, including analysts at MAGA-aligned America First Policy Institute and the Heritage Foundation, have also used the word invasion to describe the effects of illegal immigration.

It’s the latest example of a Trump approach to national security that focuses mainly on immigration, drugs and trade. That’s different from other administrations, which largely conceived of national security through the prisms of threats from militant groups around the world, nuclear proliferation and great power competition.

It also may expose the limits of this administration’s approach. Constitutional law scholars say the deployment in California strains the legal limits of how the military can be used in domestic law enforcement, as our colleagues Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report today. California Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM is also suing the Trump administration, arguing Trump’s decision to federalize the National Guard broke the law.

It’s unclear if such challenges could also endanger the larger strategy.

In his first 100 days in office, Trump invoked eight declarations of national emergency regarding the southern border, energy and trade according to an NPR analysis, enabling him to unlock wide-ranging executive powers. He has invoked these emergency powers more than any other modern president.

“What I think is really clear and distinct about his second term so far, is that Trump manifests more animus for the enemy within, whatever that means, than for America’s adversaries abroad,” said STEPHEN WERTHEIM, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International peace. “Even China has taken a lower profile in Trump’s account of what he and the country are contending with.”

Trump has also dispatched some 9,000 U.S. troops along the southern border with Mexico to support a wide-ranging crackdown on immigration and drug smuggling, blurring the lines between defense and domestic law enforcement.

Director of National Intelligence TULSI GABBARD has likewise called the threat of gangs and cartels at the southern border as the most “immediate and direct threat” to national security. Last month, she announced a reorientation of U.S. intelligence collection efforts towards border security and counternarcotics as “the biggest shift in collection priorities in ODNI history.”

To be sure, the international drug trade poses a more real and immediate challenge to many American communities than the overseas national security threats that have long preoccupied Washington. An estimated 48,000 people in the United States died after overdosing on synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, last year.

But it is still a striking break with her predecessors to see Gabbard give the drug trade top billing over, say, threats from China against Taiwan and other East Asian allies or the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Trump has also repeatedly invoked national security as a reason for applying tariffs on countries ranging from Canada to China.

So far, these redefinitions don’t appear to be inspiring much by way of overt Republican criticism, even in the face of accusations Trump is employing an extreme and unconstitutional conception of executive powers in California. Speaker MIKE JOHNSON was the most prominent GOP leader to back Trump’s actions, telling ABC on Sunday that the decisions to deploy the National Guard and Marines weren’t heavy-handed."

lousubcap · June 10

From The Atlantic today:

David A. Graham

STAFF WRITER

The president has turned long-standing conservative dogma on its head, choosing to bully states when it suits him and ignore them when it doesn’t.

A One-Way Street

(Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Getty; Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP / Getty)

Under Donald Trump, the federal government is like a bad parent: never there when you need him but eager to stick his nose in your business when you don’t want him to.

The relationship between Trump and California has always been bad, but the past few days represent a new low. On Friday, CNN reported that the White House was seeking to cut off as much federal funding to the Golden State as possible, especially to state universities. That afternoon, protests broke out in Los Angeles as ICE agents sought to make arrests. By Saturday, Trump had announced that he was federalizing members of the National Guard and deploying them to L.A., over the objections of Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat.

Americans have seen the National Guard called out to deal with the aftermath of riots in the past, but its involvement over the weekend represents a dramatic escalation. The National Guard was deployed to L.A. in 1992, during riots after the acquittal of four police officers in the beating of Rodney King. The scale of the destruction in that instance, compared with scattered violence in L.A. this weekend, helps show why Trump’s order was disproportionate. (National Guard troops were also deployed in Minneapolis during protests after the murder of George Floyd, at the request of Governor Tim Walz. Trump has falsely claimed that he deployed the troops when Walz wouldn’t.)

In all of these recent cases, however, governors have made the call to bring out the National Guard. A president has not done so since 1965, when Lyndon Johnson took control of the Alabama National Guard from the arch-segregationist Governor George Wallace and ordered it to protect civil-rights leaders’ third attempt to march from Selma to Montgomery. The situations aren’t even closely analogous. Johnson acted only after local leaders had demonstrated that law enforcement would violently attack the peaceful marchers. By contrast, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have plenty of experience and sufficient man power to deal with protests of the weekend’s size, and military forces are a riskier choice because they aren’t trained as police. This morning, Newsom said he will sue the administration over the deployment.

Elizabeth Goitein, a scholar at the Brennan Center for Justice who has written extensively in The Atlantic about the abuse of presidential emergency powers, told The Washington Post that Trump’s order “is completely unprecedented under any legal authority.” “The use of the military to quell civil unrest is supposed to be an absolute last resort,” she added.

Trump is doing this, as my colleague Tom Nichols writes, because he wants to provoke a confrontation with California. The president sees tough immigration enforcement as a political winner, but he also wants to use the face-off to expand the federal government’s power to control states. Trump’s vision is federalism as a one-way street: If states need help, they might be on their own, but if states believe that federal intervention is unnecessary or even harmful, too bad. If the president wants to shut off funds to states for nothing more than political retribution or personal animus, he believes that he can do that. (A White House spokesperson told CNN that decisions about potential cuts were not final but said that “no taxpayer should be forced to fund the demise of our country,” a laughably vague and overheated rationale.) If states have been struck by major disasters, however, they’d better hope they voted for Trump, or that their governors have a good relationship with him.

Some of these attempts to strong-arm states are likely illegal, and will be successfully challenged in court. Others are in gray areas, and still others are plainly legal—manifestations of what I call “total politics,” in which officials wield powers that are legal but improper or unwise. This is a marked shift from the traditional American conservative defense of states’ rights. Although that argument has often been deployed to defend racist policies, such as slavery and segregation, the right has also argued for the prerogative of local people to stave off an overweaning federal government. Conservatives also tended to view Lyndon Johnson as a boogeyman, not a role model. Kristi Noem, now the secretary of Homeland Security, bristled at the idea of federalizing the National Guard just last year, when she was serving as governor of South Dakota. But Trump’s entire approach is to centralize control. He has pursued Project 2025’s plan to seize new powers for the executive branch and to establish right-wing Big Government, flexing the coercive capacity of the federal government over citizens’ lives.

Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, has suggested that he wouldn’t hesitate to arrest Newsom, and Trump endorsed the idea today. And Trump allies have proposed all sorts of other ways to force state governments to comply, such as cutting off Justice Department grants or FEMA assistance for states that don’t sign up to enforce Trump’s immigration policies, an issue where state governments do not traditionally have a role. This duress is not limited to blue states. Just last week, under pressure from the DOJ, Texas agreed to trash a 24-year-old law (signed by then-Governor Rick Perry, who later became Trump’s secretary of energy) that gives in-state college tuition to some undocumented immigrants.

If nothing else, the Trump era has given progressives a new appreciation for states’ rights. Democrat attorneys general have become some of the most effective opponents of the Trump White House, just as Republican ones battled the Obama and Biden administrations. On Friday, Newsom mused about California withholding federal taxes. This is plainly illegal, but you can see where he’s coming from: In fiscal year 2022, the state contributed $83 billion dollars more to the federal government than it received. If California is not getting disaster aid but is getting hostile deployments of federal troops, Californians might find it harder to see what’s in it for them. No wonder one poll commissioned by an advocacy group earlier this year found that 61 percent of the state’s residents thought California would be better off as a separate nation.

Secession isn’t going to happen: As journalists writing about aspiring red-state secessionists in recent years have noted, leaving the Union is unconstitutional. But the fact that these questions keep coming up is a testament to the fraying relationship between the federal government and the states. Trump’s recent actions toward California show why tensions between Washington and the states are likely to get worse as long as he’s president."

Edit in an attempt (unsuccessful) to reduce the para spacing.

lousubcap · June 10

Tuesday Middle East update:

"Israeli gunfire today killed at least 17 Palestinians and wounded dozens as crowds of displaced Palestinians approached the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s (GHF) aid distribution site, local health authorities said. Separately, the authorities said that an Israeli strike on a house in central Gaza killed eight people. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.

A U.N. spokesperson yesterday said that the minimal supply of flour the U.N. has been able to bring into Gaza in the last three weeks has mostly been looted by armed gangs or taken by starving Palestinians. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.

Israeli security forces have committed the crime against humanity of extermination by killing civilians sheltering in schools and mosques, according to a report by the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory released yesterday. The report also finds that Israeli security forces “committed the war crime of directing attacks against civilians and that the conduct of the Israeli security forces amounts to the war crime of wilful killing.” Francois Murphy reports for Reuters.

Trump and his top foreign policy officials discussed U.S. strategy on the Iran nuclear crisis and the war in Gaza in an hours-long Camp David “retreat” on Sunday, according to U.S. officials. In addition to Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and other senior officials attended the meetings. Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, a Netanyahu aide and a source said. Barak Ravid reports for Axios."

lousubcap · June 10

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered another blow to Trump’s dwindling hopes for peace with a second intense night of bombing on Ukraine’s cities. Putin deployed more than 300 drones and missiles against Kyiv and Odesa over a five-hour period, ABC’s Jason Volack and David Brennan report, and the images and footage coming out this morning are bleak. “Russian missile and Shahed strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X.

The damage: Reuters reports that the attack damaged a maternity ward in Odesa. Bloomberg adds that in Kyiv, “a fleet of Russian drones struck apartment buildings, a business center, a drug store and a warehouse, causing blazes in several districts.” It comes just a day after Russia launched the largest drone attack of its three-year-long war against Ukraine, AP’s Illia Novikov and Hanna Arhirova report."

lousubcap · June 11

Wednesday Middle East update:

"The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway yesterday announced they would sanction Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over Ben Gvir and Smotrich “inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.” The countries’ statement added that the sanctions “cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza.” Lauren Kent and Eugenia Yosef report for CNN.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the imposition of sanctions on Ben Gvir and Smotrich, while Israel called the measures “outrageous.” Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the U.S. and Israeli condemnation of sanctions was “predictable” and that Ben Gvir and Smotrich had impeded a two-state solution. Reuters reports.

The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, yesterday suggested that the United States no longer wholeheartedly endorses an independent state for Palestinians as a policy goal and that “Muslim countries” should give up their land to create a future Palestinian state. Ethan Bronner reports for Bloomberg News; Mike Wendling reports for BBC News.

Trump on Monday told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he believes there is a chance of reaching a nuclear deal with Iran and that, for now, he opposes military action on this basis, according to an Israeli and a U.S. official. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

Tehran will strike U.S. bases if nuclear negotiations fail and conflict between Iran and the United States arises, Tehran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said today. Reuters reports.

The U.S. Army has presented Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with “a wide range of options” on how to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, head of U.S. Central Command General Michael “Erik” Kurilla told a congressional hearing yesterday. Reuters reports."

lousubcap · June 11

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russia and Ukraine both said they had exchanged an unspecified number of sick and wounded prisoners of war yesterday under a deal reached at last week’s peace talks in Turkey. Aleksandar Vasovic reports for Reuters.

The Ukrainian military said that Russia launched 315 drones and seven missiles at Ukrainian cities in total. Ukrainian air defenders shot down 213 drones, two ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles, the military said.

Ukrainian forces also engaged in 167 firefights with Russian troops across multiple fronts on Tuesday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

The Russian Ministry of Defence said that air defence units shot down 109 Ukrainian drones from Monday night into Tuesday."

lousubcap · June 11

Worth a look-I hope the imbedded link works:
"The president of the United States has been tougher on L.A. than Russia. Remember that two-week deadline he gave Putin to sit down for peace talks with Ukraine? As of tomorrow, it’s two weeks. But by all means, send the Marines to The Grove." Jimmy Kimmel completely nails it (and hopefully gives a lesson to some in the media) as he outlines what's really happening in LA. (Jimmy Kimmel fighting the good fight every night makes it a lot easier for some of us to wake up the next morning and do the same.)"

lousubcap · June 12

Thursday Middle East update:

"Israel appears to be preparing to attack Iran, European and U.S. officials say.Israeli officials say the IDF has been on high alert in recent days for possible escalation with Iran, while a senior Iranian official said that Iranian military and government officials have discussed their response to a potential Israeli strike. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations yesterday advised commercial mariners to exercise caution while in the region due to “increased tensions ... which could lead to an escalation of military activity.” Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Michael Crowley, David E. Sanger, Farnaz Fassihi, and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.

The State and Defense Departments yesterday began arranging the departure of non-essential personnel from diplomatic and military locations in Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait, U.S. and sources say. According to a defense official, the U.S. Central Command is monitoring “developing tension” in the Middle East, while President Trump said that the personnel are being moved out because “it could be a dangerous place.” Natasha Bertrand, Kylie Atwood, and Michael Williams report for CNN.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors today voted to declare that Iran has failed to meet its non-proliferation obligations, the first resolution against Teheran the watchdog has passed in 20 years. Steven Erlanger reports for the New York Times.

Russia yesterday said that it is ready to remove highly enriched uranium from Iran and convert it into civilian reactor fuel to help narrow U.S.-Iranian differences, with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov telling Russian media that efforts to reach a solution should be redoubled. Guy Faulconbridge and Parisa Hafezi report for Reuters.

The sixth round of the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks will be held in Muscat this Sunday, the Omani foreign minister confirmed today. Jana Choukeir and Ahmed Elimam report for Reuters.

Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 60 Palestinians in Gaza yesterday, 39 of whom were killed near GHF-operated aid sites, according to Gaza health officials and medical officials at Shifa, Al-Quds, and Nasser hospitals. According to BBC News, there were also reports of people being crushed by lorries and being shot by Palestinians. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters; Sebastian Usher and David Gritten report.

Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza and cease threatening an attack on Iran during the two leaders’ Monday conversation, according to a source. Eugenia Yosef and Oren Liebermann report for CNN.

The Trump administration is “urging governments not to participate” in a U.N. conference on a possible two-state solution between Israel and Palestine organized by France and Saudi Arabia next week, according to a diplomatic cable reviewed by Reuters. The Tuesday cable states that countries that take “anti-Israel actions” following the conference could face diplomatic consequences from Washington. John Irish and Humeyra Pamuk report for Reuters.

The U.N. General Assembly will today vote on a draft resolution that demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza after the United States vetoed a similar draft resolution in a Security Council vote last week. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.

Netanyahu told U.S. Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack that he is interested in negotiating an updated security deal and a potential full peace agreement with the new Syrian government and has asked the United States to serve as a mediator, according to Israeli officials. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

Israeli forces have arrested several members of Hamas, the Israeli military said today. Syria TV reported that a force of about 100 Israeli troops stormed the southern Syrian village of Beit Jin near the border with Lebanon, killing one person. AP News reports."

lousubcap · June 12

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"A concentrated, nine-minute-long Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv in the middle of the night killed six people and injured 64, including nine children, Ukrainian officials have said.

The Ukrainian military said it had struck a major Russian gunpowder plant in the western Tambov region overnight, causing a fire at the site.

Russian mechanised infantry units have reached the western border of Ukraine’s Donetsk region and, along with a tank division, are continuing their offensive against the adjacent Dnipropetrovsk region, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said.

Russia’s air defence systems destroyed 32 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. Half of the drones were downed over the southern Voronezh region, while the rest were intercepted over the Kursk, Tambov, Rostov region and the Crimean Peninsula.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressing a conference of southeast European leaders in the Black Sea port of Odesa, said Russia was determined to destroy the south of his country as well as nearby Moldova and Romania, as he called for increased pressure on Moscow to prevent further military threats."

lousubcap · June 13

Friday Middle East update:

"Israeli strikes on Iran are ongoing, with reports of a strike on Iran’s key Natanz nuclear site, according to Israel’s chief military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin. Johnathan Reiss reports for the New York Times.

Israel launched a series of large-scale strikes on Iran earlier this morning, targeting Tehran’s nuclear program. Israel also said that it had destroyed dozens of Iranian radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers. Jon Gambrell and Josef Federman report for AP News; Tamar Michaelis reports for CNN.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei promised a “harsh punishment” for Israel’s attack, with the IDF later stating that Iran had launched about 100 drones toward Israel. An Israeli military official said that Israel sought to intercept Iran-launched drones in the Saudi Arabian, Syrian, and Jordanian airspace. Israel has since lifted an order for Israeli residents to take shelter. Shira Rubin reports for the Washington Post; Maayan Lubell, Parisa Hafezi, and Steve Holland report for Reuters; BBC News reports.

Israel’s strikes killed the leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, Gen. Hossein Salami, and the Iranian military’s Chief of Staff, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iranian state media confirmed. Israel also killed multiple top nuclear scientists, another senior general, and an unknown number of civilians, according to media reports. Khamenei has since named new commanders to lead key military entities. Shayan Sardarizadeh and Ghoncheh Habibiazad report for BBC News; Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler report for Axios; Francesca Regalado reports for the New York Times; Mostafa Salem reports for CNN.

In a televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning said that Israel had attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities to ward off “the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival” and vowed that the attacks would continue for “as many days as it takes.” Aaron Boxerman and Isabel Kershner report for the New York Times; BBC News reports.

Israel’s Mossad spy agency has laid the groundwork for today’s attacks by secretly installing swarms of explosive drones inside Iran several months ago, a senior Israeli official said. Gerry Shih, Ilan Ben Zion, and Lior Soroka report for the Washington Post.

The United States was not involved in Israel’s “unilateral” strikes on Iran and its “top priority” is protecting U.S. forces in the region, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late yesterday, adding that “Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.” Separately, President Trump claimed that he was aware of Israel’s strikes before they happened and that while he hopes that talks with Iran would continue, “several people in leadership … will not be coming back.” Alex Gangitano reports for the Hill; Frances Vinall reports for the Washington Post.

Trump will attend a National Security Council meeting this morning to discuss Israel’s strikes on Iran, the White House said. Kanishka Singh reports for Reuters."

lousubcap · June 13

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Gen. Dan Caine on Wednesday told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing that “[he] does not believe” that Putin intends to “stop in Ukraine,”departing from Trump’s assessment of the Russian president’s intentions. Abigail Hauslohner reports for the Washington Post.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces had shot down 260 Ukrainian drones over the past day, the Interfax news agency reported on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the rapid development and deployment of separate drone forces within Russia’s military. “We are currently creating unmanned systems troops as a separate branch of the military and we need to ensure their rapid and high-quality deployment and development,” Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukrainian forces are gradually pushing Russian forces out of the border Sumy region, where Moscow has established a foothold in order to create a buffer zone with Russia’s western Kursk region.

A Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Canada from June 15-17 will be about the extent to which the European Union and United States can align on sanctions against Russia, an unnamed German government official told the Reuters news agency.

President Zelenskyy said he planned to attend the G7 summit and hoped to meet US President DonaldTrump on the sidelines of the meeting. Zelenskyy said he would discuss continued support for Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and financing for Kyiv’s reconstruction efforts.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said Russia’s approach to peace talks with Ukraine is not helpful. “The Russians are sending this historian now twice to these talks in Istanbul, trying to start with the history of 1,000 years ago and then explaining more or less that Ukraine is at fault here. I think that’s not helpful,” Rutte said."

lousubcap · June 15

Sunday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Zelenskyy stressed that Europe’s support for his country was “stalling” without the United States. The Ukrainian leader wrote on X that “US-Russia dialogue feels too warm” and warned that appeasing Russian President Vladimir Putin would not end the war.

Ukraine said it hoped that the ongoing military escalation between Iran and Israel would not affect its aid, as the attacks have led to a “sharp rise in oil prices”, which will hurt Kyiv and help Moscow, Zelenskyy said.

The two sides are no closer to any temporary ceasefire agreement as a concrete step towards ending the war, despite some initial momentum from United States President Donald Trump."

lousubcap · June 15

Sunday Middle East update;

"Israel has unleashed air attacks across Iran for a third day and threatened even greater attacks, while some Iranian missiles have evaded Israeli air defences to strike buildings in the heart of the country.

The region braced for a protracted conflict after Israel’s surprise bombardment of Iran’s nuclear and military sites on Friday killed top generals and nuclear scientists, and neither side has showed any sign of backing down since.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that if the Israeli strikes on Iran stop, then “our responses will also stop”.

Araghchi said Israel had targeted an oil refinery near Tehran and another in the country’s Bushehr province on the Gulf. He said Iran’s retaliatory strikes also targeted “economic” sites in Israel, without elaborating.

The conflict has raised prospects of a broader assault on Iran’s heavily sanctioned energy industry that could affect global markets.

United States President Donald Trump has expressed full support for Israel’s actions while warning Iran that it can avoid further destruction only by agreeing to a new nuclear deal. But talks scheduled on Sunday in Oman were called off, with Tehran calling the dialogue “meaningless”.

Tehran, Iran – Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Israel’s attacks on his country could not have materialised without the agreement and support of the United States.

“We have well-documented and solid evidence of the support provided by American forces in the region and their bases for the military attacks of the Zionist regime,” Iran’s top diplomat told reporters during a news conference in the capital, Tehran, on Sunday.

He said, more importantly, US President Donald Trump has publicly and explicitly confirmed he knew about the attacks, that they could not have happened without US weapons and equipment, and that more attacks are coming.

“Therefore, the US, in our opinion, is a partner in these attacks and must accept its responsibility. It is necessary for the US government to clearly state its position and explicitly condemn the attack on nuclear facilities,” he said. “This act is condemned under international law, and our expectation is that the US government, in order to prove its good faith regarding nuclear weapons, will condemn the attack on a peaceful nuclear facility and distance itself from this conflict.”

Pointing out that the Israeli attacks came as Iran and the US were slated to hold a sixth round of nuclear negotiations mediated by Oman on Sunday, Araghchi emphasised that Israel “will do anything” to stop the talks and diplomacy, as it has done in the past.Iranian authorities said the Israeli attacks, which have targeted residential and military areas in Tehran as well as many cities across the country since Friday, have killed at least 80 people, including civilians.

Multiple top-ranking commanders of the Iranian armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were also assassinated, as were a number of nuclear scientists and university professors.

Iran has so far launched two nights of retaliatory attacks on Israel’s Tel Aviv and Haifa, using hundreds of missiles and drones, which have led to at least 10 deaths and dozens of injuries.

Araghchi told reporters that Iran’s attacks overnight into Sunday started targeting Israel’s energy infrastructure after the Israeli army hit refineries, power stations and oil reserves across Iran.

As sounds of explosions and air defences rang across Tehran in the early hours of Sunday, Israel hit a fuel reserve in western Tehran’s Shahran neighbourhood that caused a massive fire. Authorities said the fire was contained after several hours and that most of the fuel in the reserve was taken out before the air raids.

But Araghchi said Tehran is willing to stop if Israel halts its attacks, and urged the international community to intervene and condemn Israel."

lousubcap · June 16

Monday Middle East update:

"The fiercest clash between Iran and Israel in decades entered its fourth day today. A spokesperson for Israel’s military on Saturday claimed Israel has “full aerial operational control” over western Iran and the capital city of Tehran and that Israel has destroyed one-third of Iran’s surface-to-surface missile launchers. Earlier in the weekend, Israel said that it killed the intelligence chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, along with his deputy. BBC News reports; Yaroslav Trofimov reports for the Wall Street Journal; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

Israel on Saturday widened its military campaign against Iran by targeting Iran’s gas and petrochemical refineries, according to a statement from Iran’s oil ministry. Videos verified by the New York Times showed a large fire burning at the South Pars gas refinery, one of the world’s largest gas fields. Israeli strikes also targeted Iran’s foreign ministry building, Iranian authorities said. Farnaz Fassihi reports; Jon Gambrell, Natalie Melzer, and Tia Goldberg report for AP News.

U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend told Israel he is against Israel killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei when an opportunity for Israel to do so arose, according to two U.S. officials. An Israeli national security adviser denied that Trump had blocked the strike, calling the reports “fake news.” Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis yesterday said that they had targeted Israel’s Jaffa with ballistic missiles in coordination with Iran in the last 24 hours, the Houthis' spokesperson said. Reuters reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said that regime change in Iran could be a result of Israel's military attacks on the country and that Israel will do “whatever is necessary” to remove the “existential threat” posed by Tehran. Michael Martina and Katharine Jackson report for Reuters.

Israel late last week asked the Trump administration to join its conflict with Iran, according to Israeli officials. While the U.S. government has so far largely distanced itself from Israel’s operations, the U.S. military has helped Israel intercept Iranian missiles, two U.S. officials confirmed on Friday. Netanyahu yesterday said that he and Trump are “fully coordinated.” Reuters reports; Barak Ravid reports for Axios; BBC News reports.

Trump on Saturday called for Israel and Iran to “make a deal” and stated that “we will have PEACE, soon” and that “many calls and meetings [are] now taking place.” Trump also said that he is open to Russian President Vladimir Putin serving as a mediator in the conflict, and that he believes Israel’s attack likely improved the chances of reaching a nuclear deal. Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Jeff Mason reports for Reuters; Avery Lotz reports for Axios.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday told Trump that he condemns Israel’s attack on Iran and is concerned the conflict could escalate in unpredictable ways, a Kremlin foreign policy aide said. Paul Sonne reports for the New York Times.

The State Department on Friday reactivated the Farsi-language news broadcast for Voice of America, recalling dozens of workers from administrative leave “effective immediately,” according to staff members and an email seen by the New York Times. Minho Kim and Chris Cameron report.

The U.S. Northern Command on Saturday announced that the U.S. military has stepped up security at all military installations in the United States “based on world events.” Reuters reports.

Leaders of the Group of Seven nations are set to meet today to begin their annual talks, expected to focus on the Iran-Israel conflict and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. David Ljunggren, John Irish, and Andreas Rinke report for Reuters."

lousubcap · June 16

Monday Russia-Ukraine update:

"A recent Russian air attack badly damaged a building used by Boeing in Kyiv, in what appeared to be a deliberate strike on the U.S. aerospace company, according to sources and photographs seen by the Financial Times. According to the deputy general director of Boeing’s operation in Ukraine, the attack caused “no operational disruption.” Christopher Miller reports.

The Russian defense ministry yesterday said that Russian forces carried out an overnight strike on the Kremenchuk oil refinery that supplies fuel to Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack occurred “after the Americans asked [Ukraine] not to strike at Russian energy facilities.” Reuters reports.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for increased pressure on Russia to achieve a ceasefire, urging the Group of Seven (G7) nations to strengthen sanctions against Moscow when they meet in Canada on Monday. Zelenskyy will attend the meeting.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he plans to ask United States President Donald Trump if Washington is prepared to back stronger sanctions if Russia continues to refuse to agree to a ceasefire.

The White House confirmed that Trump would meet Zelenskyy for bilateral talks."

lousubcap · June 17

Tuesday Middle East update:

"The Israeli military said today it has killed Iran’s most senior military commander, Maj. Gen. Ali Shadmani, in an overnight strike, days after killing his predecessor. The IDF said Shadmani had commanded both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian army, and was the closest figure to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has not commented at the time of writing. Lawhez Jabari and Peter Guo report for NBC News.

Centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant were likely “severely damaged if not destroyed altogether” following Israeli strikes on Friday, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, told the BBC News. Grossi said the damage was a result of power cuts caused by the attack, adding that an above-ground plant has been “completely destroyed.” David Gritten reports.

President Trump yesterday abruptly left the G7 summit in Canada “because of what is going on in the Middle East,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, without elaborating. Trump later stated the reason for his departure was “much bigger” than trying to reach an Israel-Iran ceasefire. Patrick Kingsley, Farnaz Fassihi, Natan Odenheimer, David E. Sanger, and Jonathan Swan report for the Washington Post.

Trump has disputed the assessment of the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, on how developed Iran’s nuclear capabilities were. Gabbard testified in March that the intelligence community “continues to assess [that] Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.” However, Trump told reporters on Air Force One, “I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having it.” Kaitlan Collins reports for CNN.

The Trump administration told multiple Middle Eastern allies on Sunday that it will not actively join the Israel-Iran conflict unless Iran targets Americans, sources told Axios. Separately, the White House is in talks with Iran over the possibility of facilitating a meeting this week between the U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran’s foreign minister, sources say. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

In a post on X, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he has directed the “deployment of additional capabilities” to the Central Command Area of Responsibility, the section of the U.S. military whose area of responsibility includes the Middle East. Meanwhile, U.S. ships have been used to defend against Iranian missiles aimed at Israel, in addition to ground-based interceptors, two U.S. officials told NBC News. BBC News reports; Courtney Kube and Mosheh Gains report.

During their summit in Canada, the leaders of G7 nations urged a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,” but stopped short of calling for an Israel-Iran ceasefire. In a joint statement, signed by Trump, said Israel had the right to defend itself and that “Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror.” James Landale and Nadine Yousif report for BBC News.

European foreign ministers yesterday urged Iran to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States and refrain from escalating the conflict with Israel, according to a French diplomatic source. In response, Iran’s foreign minister was quoted by state media as saying that Tehran’s “focus at this stage is, of course, to effectively… confront aggression.” John Irish reports for Reuters."

lousubcap · June 17

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The United Kingdom, alongside other allies, is expected to unveil fresh sanctions against Russia today, aimed at “restrict[ing] Putin’s war machine.” In a statement, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that he and other G7 partners were finalizing the new measures at the Alberta summit.Meanwhile, Trump signalled his opposition to further measures against Russia, telling the G7 summit yesterday that sanctions “cost [the United States] a lot of money.” Yang Tian reports for BBC News.

The Trump administration recently ended its working group which it had set up to formulate strategies for pressuring Russia into accelerating peace talks with Ukraine, U.S. officials say. “It lost steam toward the end because the president wasn’t there. Instead of doing more, maybe he wanted to do less,” one official said. Gram Slattery reports for Reuters.

More than one month since it signed a mineral deal agreement with the United States, Ukraine yesterday approved the first steps to permitting private investors to mine a major state-owned lithium deposit, officials say. Constant Méheut reports for the New York Times.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 440 drones and 32 missiles at his country. Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko said that a citizen of the United States was killed in the city’s Solomianskyi district. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Zelenskyy, slammed the Russian strikes on residential buildings in Kyiv, accusing Moscow of “continuing its war against civilians”.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that air defence units intercepted and destroyed 147 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, including the Moscow region, overnight."

lousubcap · June 18

Wednesday Middle East update:

“We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,” President Trump wrote yesterday on social media. Implying U.S. collaboration with Israel’s attacks, the statement marks a contrast from Trump’s previous statements refuting claims Washington was involved in Israel’s offensive against Iran. In another post, Trump said, “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] is hiding,” and urged Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” Kathryn Watson, Jennifer Jacobs, and James LaPorta report for CBS News; Ammer Madhani and Chris Megerian report for AP News; Michael R. Gordon, Tarini Parti, and Alex Leary report for the Wall Street Journal.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today said his nation “will not surrender” and warned of “irreparable harm” if the United States joins Israel’s strikes targeting underground nuclear sites in Iran. The comments follow reports that Trump is considering joining the Israeli campaign on Tehran’s nuclear sites, with officials saying he is growing increasingly warm to the idea of using U.S. military assets. “Any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region,” an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson added. BBC News reports; Abbie Cheeseman reports for the Washington Post; Alayna Treene, Kevin Liptak, Kaitlan Collins, Kylie Atwood, and Natasha Bertrand report.

After meeting with his national security team, Trump yesterday spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the escalating Israel-Iran conflict, officials told Axios. Ahead of the meeting, Trump was seriously considering joining the war, U.S. officials say. Meanwhile, Israeli officials said that the Israeli government believes Trump is poised to enter the war in the coming days. Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler report.

Iran has prepared missiles and other military equipment for possible retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East should the United States join the Israeli campaign against the country, U.S. officials who have reviewed intelligence reports say. Julian E. Barnes, Farnaz Fassih, Eric Schmitt, and Helene Cooper report for the New York Times.

Before its attack last week, Israel shared intelligence with the United States regarding Iran’s nuclear research and alleged work on an explosive triggering system. In a gap of assessment between the allies, U.S. officials say they are not convinced the information indicates that Iran has made a decision to move forward on building a bomb – an assessment which Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard previously shared with Congress in March. Alexander Ward, Lara Seligman, and Dustin Volz report for the Wall Street Journal.

Israel and Iran traded fresh strikes early today as the conflict enters its sixth day. Israel said it attacked a centrifuge production site and weapons manufacturing sites overnight, while Iran said it used its hypersonic Fattah-1 missile for the first time. Meanwhile, sources say that Israel’s spy agency, the Mossad and the Israeli military worked together for at least three years to lay the groundwork for last week’s attack. The Washington Post reports.

Predatory Sparrow, an Israeli hacking group, yesterday said it attacked Bank Sepah, a major Iranian bank, marking the first significant cyberattack on critical infrastructure in the conflict. While the bank has not publicly commented on the attack, Iranian state media warned the disruptions could impact the country’s gas stations. Separately, Iran’s cyber command has ordered senior officials and their security teams to ditch IT equipment connected to telecom networks. Sam Sabin reports for Axios; Antoaneta Roussi and Dana Nickel report for POLITICO.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has praised Israel for doing the “dirty work” for other countries by striking Iran’s nuclear sites. “I can only say I have the greatest respect for the fact that the Israeli army and the Israeli government had the courage to do this,” Merz told German media at the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada. Laurence Norman reports for the Wall Street Journal."

lousubcap · June 18

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"North Korea will send “two military brigades [of] 5,000 people” to help with the “restoration” of Russia’s war-torn Kursk region, Moscow’s security chief and Russian state media reported today. South Korea and Japan condemned the plan, saying it was a violation of U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang. Koh Ewe reports for BBC News.

Canada scrapped plans for the G7 to issue a strong statement on the war after opposition from the United States, a Canadian official told reporters on the sidelines of the summit, the Reuters news agency reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he told the G7 leaders that diplomacy was now “in crisis” and they needed to push US President Donald Trump to use his “real influence” to bring an end to the war. “Even if the American President is not putting enough pressure on Russia right now, the truth is that America still has the broadest global interests and the largest number of allies,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

The Trump administration’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, is set to meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in the coming days, the Reuters news agency reported, citing four people familiar with the plans. Kellogg has in private cast the trip as a step towards reviving talks aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to Reuters."

lousubcap · June 19

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Speaking to foreign media at a late-night news conference, Russian leader Vladimir Putin dismissed fears that he was planning to attack the NATO military alliance. He said the military bloc and its rearmament did not threaten Russia.

Putin said he would consider Germany to be a direct actor in the Ukraine war should it supply Kyiv with Taurus cruise missiles. Earlier this month, Germany’s Ministry of Defence said it did not have plans to do so, despite repeated requests from Ukraine. Putin further said he does not consider Germany to be a “neutral state”, but a “party supporting Ukraine, and in some cases … as accomplices in these hostilities”.

Despite his remarks, Putin said he was prepared to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, although he also expressed doubts about Germany’s role as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Putin has offered to meet with Zelenskyy but only during the “final phase” of talks to end the conflict. Last month, Putin declined to attend a face-to-face summit in Istanbul with the Ukrainian president."

lousubcap · June 20

Friday Middle East update:

"President Trump said there is a “substantial chance of negotiations” with Iran as he gave a two week deadline to decide whether to attack the country’s nuclear program. Trump previously told his senior aides on Tuesday that he has approved of attack plans for Iran, but is holding off on a final order in hopes Tehran would abandon its nuclear program. In response, Iran’s foreign minister said that Iran “does not want to negotiate with anyone” until Israel ends its attacks, adding, “The Americans want to negotiate and have sent messages several times, but we have clearly said that there is no room for talking until this aggression stops.” The Washington Postreports; the New York Times reports; Alexander Ward, Lara Seligman, and Michael R. Gordon report for the Wall Street Journal.

Iran is yet to decide whether to construct a nuclear bomb, even though it has a large stockpile of the enriched uranium necessary to do so, U.S. intelligence officials believe. Iranian leaders are likely to shift toward producing a bomb if the U.S. military attacks a main uranium enrichment site, or if Israel kills Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the officials added. Julian E. Barnes reports for the New York Times.

Ali Shamkani, Khameini’s top aide declared dead by Israel last week, has proclaimed himself alive and “in stable condition,” Iranian state media reported today. Angus Watson reports for CNN.

Israeli jets have bombed a nuclear reactor under construction in central Iran to stop it being used for “nuclear weapons development,” the Israeli military said. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed the reactor was hit and that it contained no nuclear material. Iran’s foreign minister said the bombing was against the UN Charter and urged the UN Security Council to hold Israel to account for attacking a nuclear facility. David Gritten reports for BBC News; Eyad Kourdi and Alex Stambaugh report for CNN.

The British, French, and German foreign ministers will hold talks with their Iranian counterparts in Geneva today in a meeting being coordinated with the United States, in a bid to accelerate diplomatic efforts to end the Israel-Iran war. Iran’s nuclear programme will be discussed at the meeting, according to Iranian state media. BBC News reports; Ellen Francis reports for the Washington Post.

Russia is “extremely concerned” about the situation in the Middle East because the whole region “is now plunging into an abyss of instability and war,” a Kremlin spokesperson said today. A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson added, “We are literally centimeters away from a nuclear catastrophe.” Mary Ilyushina reports for the Washington Post."

lousubcap · June 20

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched 86 drones on Ukraine overnight, with the air defence unit shooting down 34, while 36 others were lost, in reference to the Ukrainian military using electronic warfare to redirect them, or they were drone simulators that did not carry warheads. It said drones hit eight locations.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defence systems had downed two drones en route to the Russian capital.

Russia expects to agree with Ukraine next week on a date for a third round of peace talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He said that Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who heads the Russian delegation, is in contact with his Ukrainian counterpart about the details of the possible talks.

Peskov also said he could not predict whether Putin would meet US President Donald Trump this year given how turbulent the world had become."

lousubcap · June 21

Saturday Middle East update:

"Against the backdrop of deadly exchanges, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in the Swiss capital, Geneva, for meeting with his French, German, British and European Union counterparts.

Before Israel launched its assault on Iran on last week, Tehran was engaged in diplomatic talks with the United States in an attempt to end the long-running dispute over its nuclear programme.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had planned to meet Araghchi in Oman on June 15 but the meeting was cancelled after Israel attacked.

After the meeting with the EU foreign ministers on Friday, Araghchi expressed “grave concern” about the failure of European leaders to condemn Israel’s attacks on Iran. “Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again – once the aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed,” he said.

In an appearance at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva earlier in the day, Araghchi said the Israeli attacks were a “betrayal” of diplomatic efforts. “We were supposed to meet with the Americans on 15 June to craft a very promising agreement for peaceful resolution of the issues fabricated over our peaceful nuclear programme,” said Araghchi. “It was a betrayal of diplomacy and unprecedented blow to the foundations of international law,” he said.

Ahead of the Iran-Europe talks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the only way to end the conflict is for Israel to stop its air attacks. “We have always pursued peace and stability,” he said in a statement cited in Iranian media on Friday.

Foad Izadi, professor of international relations at the University of Tehran, told Al Jazeera that it was clear that Araghchi was not prepared to hold any negotiations while Israeli strikes were continuing.

“When you negotiate, it’s give and take,” he said. “Iran cannot engage in that style of give and take when we have bombs falling” on Tehran and other parts of the country.

Still, Araghchi’s presence in Geneva also sends out a message “that they’re not closing the door to the possibility of diplomacy,” said Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, who is reporting from Tehran."

lousubcap · June 21

Saturday Russia-Ukraine update:

"At Russia’s flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin said he did not “rule out” his forces taking control of Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy as part of efforts to create a buffer zone along the border. The Sumy region is not one of the regions Moscow has formally annexed, although Russian forces have recently made inroads there for the first time in three years, with Putin claiming his troops had advanced up to 12km (7 miles) in the region.

In a string of hawkish remarks, Putin also appeared to repeat his denial of Ukrainian statehood. Ukraine said Putin’s comments showed “disdain” for the peace process.

The German military considers Russia to be an “existential risk” to the country and Europe, according to a Spiegel news magazine report that cites a new Bundeswehr strategy paper. Russia is verifiably preparing for a conflict with NATO, particularly by strengthening forces in western Russia “at the borders with NATO,” the report cites the strategy paper as saying. Germany can only counter this threat “with a consistent development of military and society-wide capabilities,” the document concludes.

Putin has reaffirmed Moscow’s opposition to the spread of weapons of mass destruction, including any potential acquisition by Iran. Putin told Sky News Arabia that Russia supports Iran’s right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, emphasising that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has found no evidence suggesting Tehran seeks to build nuclear weapons. Putin also stated that Russia is prepared to assist Iran in the development of its civilian nuclear programme."

Botch · June 21

Sh*t. CBS Evening News just said the B-2s are en-route across the Atlantic.
During the Gulf War they attacked Iraq, refueled in-air, and returned to Whiteman AFB (Knobnoster MO) as they needed special docks and couldn't be parked in the rain (VERY long flights).
I've been out of that world long enough that I don't know if we have suitable facilities for B-2s to land in Europe, but if not, we're bombing Iran in the next few hours.
Dammit.

lousubcap · June 21

There are several reasons why we should NOT get into this cluster phque right now. I'm no think tank guru or have any other pedigree besides common sense but the Isrealis have put quite a hurt on Iran's nuke program, likely setting it back a few years. Thus the aperture for sorting out a final solution has time on its side.
Yep-we could likely (up for debate) "finish it off" (and not easy-no troops on the ground!) but then we are sucked back into the Middle East quagmire that has been going on for millennia. Now is not the time to roll-in.
The Israelis can continue to degrade their facilities to extend the window for further diplomatic efforts.
FWIW-

Botch · June 22

Botch said:

Sh*t. CBS Evening News just said the B-2s are en-route across the Atlantic.
During the Gulf War they attacked Iraq, refueled in-air, and returned to Whiteman AFB (Knobnoster MO) as they needed special docks and couldn't be parked in the rain (VERY long flights).
I've been out of that world long enough that I don't know if we have suitable facilities for B-2s to land in Europe, but if not, we're bombing Iran in the next few hours.
Dammit.

Someday I'll learn not to quote early reports of news items.
A short time later I read that the B2's left WAFB west for Guam, and I assumed that, okay, we have docking stations for them there now.
Now I'm learning dpsh*t has already hit some sites in Iran already. Sigh.
Debating whether I should just watch cat videos tonight, turn on the news, go for a long walk, or **** the Sig again.

Botch · June 22

I screenshot this two days ago, didn’t post it then. Probably should have:

lousubcap · June 22

Sunday Middle East update;

"Iran and Israel have exchanged a barrage of missiles after the United States bombed key Iranian nuclear sites, dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Iran on Sunday launched two volleys of 27 missiles, targeting Israel’s main Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, research facilities, and command centres, an Iranian state news agency reported.

Air raid sirens were sounded across most of Israel, sending millions of people to safe rooms and bomb shelters as explosions and missile interceptions were seen above the commercial hub of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the port city of Haifa, and other parts of the country.

At least 20 people were wounded, according to Israeli emergency workers.

“This is certainly the first time that we have seen two volleys coming in such close succession. Usually, there are hours between each volley of missiles. This time, it was less than half an hour,” said Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, Jordan.

Videos from Tel Aviv and Haifa towards the north showed rescue teams combing through debris, apartments reduced to rubble, mangled cars along a street filled with debris, and medics evacuating injured people from a row of blown-out houses.

In a statement, the Israeli army said it was investigating why no air raid warnings were sounded in Haifa.

Israel also carried out another wave of bombings on “military targets” in western Iran. The Israeli military earlier said its strikes destroyed Iranian missile launchers and targeted soldiers.

The latest exchange of missiles between the Middle Eastern enemies followed the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, with President Donald Trump saying the attacks had “obliterated” the three facilities. A graphic shows the sites struck by US attacks in Iran

Trump said Iran’s future held “either peace or tragedy” and that there were many other Iranian targets that could be hit. “If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill,” he said.

Iran responded by saying it “reserved all options” to defend itself and warned of “everlasting consequences” if the US joined the war.

In a statement, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the US attacks on its nuclear facilities as a “gross and unprecedented violation” of international law.

“The world must not forget that it was the United States that, in the midst of a diplomatic process, betrayed diplomacy” by supporting Israel’s “aggressive action”, and is now waging “a dangerous war against Iran,” the ministry said.

It has become clear that the US “adheres to no rules or ethics, and in order to advance the aims of a genocidal and occupying regime, spares no lawlessness or crime”, it added."

OT subject but worth a main-stream read- OT News Feeds...

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David A. Graham

A One-Way Street

He said, more importantly, US President Donald Trump has publicly and explicitly confirmed he knew about the attacks, that they could not have happened without US weapons and equipment, and that more attacks are coming.

Air raid sirens were sounded across most of Israel, sending millions of people to safe rooms and bomb shelters as explosions and missile interceptions were seen above the commercial hub of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the port city of Haifa, and other parts of the country.

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