Specifically, Trump ordered a reduction in the scale of US military drills with South Korea, partly because he did not want friction with North Korea, and partly revealing that "I asked the president of South Korea if he would join us in the disarmament of Iran? He said: 'No, thanks!'"
Former US lawmaker claims: They are discussing the use of nuclear weapons against Iran, I am not speculating. I know it.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former US lawmaker and former Trump ally, claimed: "They are discussing the use of nuclear weapons against Iran in strategic meetings." "Yes, you read that right. This is true. I am not speculating, I know it."
Trump rethinks military exercises in Korea sending the wrong message and reduces the scale of drills after "No, thanks!"
US President Trump... rethought that joint military exercises in Korea send the wrong message and reduced the scale of the drills following the "No, thanks!" remark.
"Given my very good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, I am not happy that the United States agreed long ago to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea. These exercises are not only costly, with most of the expense borne as usual by the United States, but they also send a completely inappropriate and hostile message to a country that has not put us in danger and has behaved respectfully since I took office. Therefore, since it is now too late to cancel these exercises, I have instructed the US Secretary of War to significantly reduce the volume of the joint drills. Of course, this may be unrelated (!!!!), but I recently asked the President of South Korea if he would be willing to join us in the disarmament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and he told me 'No, thanks!'"
Axios: The US communicated directly with Iran's military leadership to obtain confirmation of negotiations
Axios claims the US has direct communication with the Iranian military establishment to secure confirmation of negotiations.
At the same time, citing informed regional sources, it reported that despite ongoing messaging between Washington and Tehran via mediators from Qatar and Pakistan, no tangible progress has been made in the talks. Fox News reported that the 60-day agreement between the United States and Iran has expired. Official statistics show that more than 6 million people have filed lawsuits for material and moral damages resulting from the war. Axios claims the US has direct contact with the Iranian military establishment to obtain confirmation of negotiations. According to Axios, during negotiations last May, the US bypassed official Iranian negotiators and contacted the Revolutionary Guards directly to secure approval for the deal. The US administration bypassed official Iranian negotiators during mid-May talks and contacted the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directly. According to Axios, the individual approached by the US to establish a secret communication channel was Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, who was trusted by both sides, the US and senior IRGC officials. Tulsi Gabbard, former director of national intelligence, contacted Barzani to reach out to the Revolutionary Guards, after the US administration believed that Iranian negotiators, the parliament speaker, and Iran's foreign minister were not authorized to conclude the deal.
Hill: Iran can build 200 plutonium-239 bombs with Russian help...
The American outlet Hill claimed that Iran has operated the Bushehr reactor in Iran for over 15 years. As with all reactors, plutonium-239 gets trapped and accumulates in the reactor's spent fuel as a byproduct of normal operation. This plutonium was not supposed to remain in Iran. More than 20 years ago, the Russians—who built the Bushehr reactor and supplied its fuel—promised to remove the spent fuel once it cooled and became safe for transport. Instead, the Iranians rejected the offer. Currently, about 210 tons of spent fuel containing more than 2 tons of plutonium are stored in a pool. This amount is sufficient to build more than 200 first-generation nuclear weapons. This plutonium poses a complex problem. It cannot be bombed, as doing so would create a radioactive cloud with continental-scale consequences.
Bloomberg: Arabs secretly transport oil through Hormuz
Bloomberg revealed that Middle Eastern oil producers are still transporting large quantities of crude oil from the Persian Gulf, a move that has helped curb oil prices and alleviate concerns about an inflationary surge driven by rising energy costs, even as the war in Iran continues. Oil is transported through the Strait of Hormuz secretly and unnoticed, and is then transferred to other tankers in the Gulf of Oman at full capacity, according to people familiar with the matter. This process has not stopped even despite recent attacks on vessels.
Ghalibaf (Iran): US and Israel failed in everything against Iran
Tehran's chief negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that the United States and Israel "failed to achieve" any of the objectives they set at the start of their war with Iran. "This was the biggest and most absolute failure," said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who argued that Iran emerged victorious by preventing those objectives from being met, stating: "I declare with all my heart that we won this war." He did not specify which goals he believed the US and Israel failed to achieve. Objectives previously outlined by the Trump administration included Iran's total surrender, regime change, ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and ending Tehran's support for proxy groups in the Middle East, such as Hezbollah.
Wall Street Journal: Iran awaits... new conflict with US
Iran believes that US and Israel ceasefire efforts are simply aimed at reducing market pressure and preparing for a new phase of military operations, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous officials and intelligence information. According to the report, Tehran believes the current negotiations may simply be an "interlude before conflict" and that the concluded memorandum "was likely an attempt by the US and Israel to reduce pressure on the global economy and buy time." As the report notes, Tehran's readiness to respond to a potential attack demonstrates "deep distrust, which will likely prevent the two parties from reaching a sustainable agreement for the short-term end of the conflict." The US and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate cessation of hostilities across all fronts, including Lebanon. The memorandum of understanding expires today, Monday, August 17, without any progress having been made in the negotiations.
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