Tag: perpetual war

Trump’s approach to Africa lauded by top Republican as recent airstrikes show ‘outside the box’ thinking

The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has lashed out at China, Russia and Iran for threatening U.S. national security interests in Africa in exclusive comments to Fox News Digital.

In a wide-ranging interview, Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, discussed the Trump administration’s approach to Africa, highlighting terrorism, war and concerns over trade on the continent. Risch emphasized the importance of Africa to the U.S. 

“The economic opportunities in Africa cannot be understated, and the United States needs to have a seat at the table regarding trade and investment in the region,” he said. “At the same time, there are serious national security challenges we need to address head on to include terrorism, widespread conflicts affecting regional stability, migration and trafficking.”

Russia, China and Iran have been criticized by Risch as being ‘malign actors’ in Africa, accused of military interventions, exploitative trade practices, and in Iran’s case, reported to be working on an agreement to extract refined “yellowcake” uranium for its controversial nuclear program.

“The malign actions of China and Russia, and even regional actors like Iran, are serious challenges to our national security interests in Africa,” Risch said. “Countering the influence of these aggressors is as much about the U.S. pursuing greater partnerships with African states as it is about responding to the challenges put forward by countries like Russia and China in Africa.”

Risch weighed in on the role of the U.S. military on the continent, saying it “is to protect the American people, first and foremost, and that goal should remain the same in Africa. We have serious security threats in Africa, and we must take them seriously. Remember, Osama bin Laden hid in Sudan, bombed our embassies there, and planned his 9/11 attack.”

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Tehran denies western media reports about ‘seeking mediation’ to end war

Iran has categorically denied requesting that regional countries pressure Washington for an end to Israel’s war against the country, as some recent reports in western media have said. 

Sources close to the Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed to The Cradle on 17 June that no such contacts have been made with any country. 

Lebanese journalist Radwan Mortada also reported on Tuesday that “Iran has not requested any mediation to halt the Israeli war against it.”

“All claims circulating among journalists or foreign reports about its mediation with Arab or foreign countries to halt the war are pure fabrication. All Iranian officials involved in this matter have categorically denied these claims,” Mortada said. 

“This systematic campaign aims to portray Iran as begging for a ceasefire, when in reality, Iran is escalating its attacks more violently by the day. Tehran has made it clear that Israel started the war, but it certainly won’t decide when it ends,” he added. 

On 16 June, Reutersreported that Iran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Oman to pressure US President Donald Trump to “use his influence” to get Israel to agree to a ceasefire.

The report, which cites two Iranian and three regional sources, also said “Iran is willing to be flexible in the nuclear talks if a ceasefire is reached.”

One of the sources told the outlet that Gulf states are “deeply concerned the conflict will spin out of control,” and have “all appealed to Washington to press Israel to agree to a ceasefire and to resume talks with Tehran towards a nuclear deal.”

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The regime change maniacs are back: Iran is in their sights, and they’ve learned nothing

In 2002, the Bush administration was met with scant resistance from the mainstream media or wider establishment as it drummed up the case for toppling Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq. But there were a handful of dissenters, above all Brent Scowcroft. The two-time former national-security adviser (under Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush) urged the nation to consider the law of unintended consequences — and to open its imagination to nightmare scenarios.

A similar imagination is desperately needed today, as hawks in Washington and Jerusalem gleefully fantasize about collapsing the Iranian regime. It’s a bewildering replay of the same overconfidence that gave birth to the Iraq catastrophe — with some of the same figures who pooh-poohed counsels of caution and restraint back then doing the same thing today.

An invasion of Iraq, Scowcroft argued early on, would distract Washington from the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, the actors behind 9/11. Drawing on his experience as the elder Bush’s adviser during the Gulf War, he warned that regime change would mean “occupation of an Arab land, hostile Arab land”. Not for months, but for years. In short, Scowcroft predicted everything that went wrong with Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The war’s advocates quickly dismissed his warnings. Reuel Marc Gerecht, the ex-CIA officer turned uber-hawk writing in 2002 in the now-defunct Weekly Standard, insisted that “these fears for the war on terrorism are unfounded”. While William Kristol, speaking to the New Yorker in 2005, “laughed” about Scowcroft’s emphasis on foreign-policy realism and Middle-East stability: “When things go bad, realists look good, until things look really bad.”

By the time Kristol made those remarks, optimism about regime change in Iraq had begun to curdle. An insurgency, incipient at the time, would grow to expand Iran’s influence in Iraq and give rise to what became the Islamic State. This new jihadist group would go on to carve a vast swath across Iraqi and Syrian territory, massacring and enslaving Iraq’s Christian and Yazidi communities, and prompting America to extend its presence in the region, where it remains still.

More than two decades on, all but a few unreconstructed war boosters consider the project a costly, colossal mistake. Contra Kristol et al, the realism of Scowcroft — his anticipation of potential nightmare scenarios — was on the money. Yet here we are, in 2025, poised to attempt the same in Iran: a country that is vaster, more populous, and significantly more complex than Iraq. And we’re doing it with even less planning and forethought.

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US Launches Another Airstrike in Somalia’s Puntland Region, Says ISIS Targeted

US Africa Command has announced that its forces launched another airstrike in Somalia’s Puntland region as the Trump administration continues its air war in the country at a record pace, with virtually no media coverage.

As usual, the command offered no details on the strikes, only claiming that it targeted the small ISIS affiliate to the southeast of the port city of Bossaso. “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” AFRICOM said.

Based on the count from AFRICOM, the strike marks the 39th time the US bombed Somalia this year. New America, which tracks the US air war, counted the attack as the 40th US strike this year, as it includes airstrikes that have been reported but not confirmed by AFRICOM.

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Germany’s Merz: Israel Is ‘Doing Dirty Work for Us’ In Iran

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has strongly backed Israel’s war on Iran and said on Tuesday that Israel was “doing dirty work” for the West by launching the assault.

“This is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us. We are also victims of this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world,” Merz said.

The German leader also said that Iran’s nuclear program must be destroyed and suggested that the US should do it since it has heavy bunker-busting bombs that the Israeli military doesn’t possess. “The Israeli army is obviously unable to accomplish that. It lacks the necessary weapons. But the Americans have them,” he said.

When Israel first launched its aggressive war against Iran on Friday, Germany’s Foreign Ministry released a statement condemning the Iranian counterattack. “We strongly condemn the indiscriminate Iranian attack on Israeli territory,” the ministry said.

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Israeli Official Says War With Iran Is ‘Premised’ on the Idea of the US Entering

An Israeli official has told CNN that Israel’s war assault on Iran is “premised” on the idea that the US will eventually join.

“The whole operation is premised on the fact that the US will join at some point,” the official said.

Two other Israeli officials told the news outlet that Israel is waiting to learn whether President Trump will help in attacks on Iran. Israel specifically wants the US to attack Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, which is buried deep underground and would require US-made bunker-busting bombs that Israel doesn’t have to inflict any significant damage.

There have been signs that Trump is prepared to launch attacks on Iran, as he has been threatening Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has been talking like the US is already directly involved. “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,” the president said on Truth Social.

The Israeli officials speaking to CNN said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping Trump reaches the decision to bomb Iran by himself, without feeling like he’s being pressured by Israel. If the US does start attacking Iran, the Iranian military is prepared to start hitting US bases, which could lead to heavy US casualties.

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Reps. Massie and Khanna Introduce Bipartisan War Powers Resolution To Prevent War With Iran

On Tuesday, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced a bipartisan War Powers Resolution in an effort to prevent President Trump from going to war with Iran without authorization from Congress.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced a similar War Powers Resolution in the Senate. Americans can contact their House Representative and Senators and urge them to join the efforts to prevent war with Iran.

“The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn’t attacked the United States,” Massie said in a statement on the bill.

“Congress has the sole power to declare war against Iran. The ongoing war between Israel and Iran is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution,” Massie added.

Khanna said that “no president should be able to bypass Congress’s constitutional authority over matters of war” and that the “American people do not want to be dragged into another disastrous conflict in the Middle East.” Polling shows that 60% of Americans oppose the US getting involved in the Israel-Iran war, and only 16% support the idea.

Fourteen other Democrats are original co-sponsors of the bill, including Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), Rep. Gregorio Casar (D-TX), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Ayanna Presley (D-MA), Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY).

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Trump Says He Knows Location of Iran’s Leader, Demands ‘Unconditional Surrender’

President Trump said on Tuesday that the US knows the location of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and that he wouldn’t be killed, at least for now.

“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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!”

In a follow-up post, Trump wrote, “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”

The president’s threats toward Khamenei come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for the Iranian leader’s assassination, claiming that killing him would “end the conflict.” Netanyahu was also a major proponent of taking out former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

The US appears poised to formally enter the Israel-Iran war by launching strikes on Iran, specifically the Fordow nuclear site, which is buried deep underground. According to Axios, Trump was holding a meeting of his national security team this afternoon where he could approve strikes.

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Israeli Forces Kill 59 Palestinians in Gaza Aid Massacre

Israeli tank fire killed at least 59 Palestinians in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, as they were trying to get food from aid trucks, Reuters reported on Tuesday, marking the deadliest aid massacre since the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operating in Gaza at the end of May.

While many Palestinians have been killed near GHF sites, the massacre in Khan Younis did not appear to be related to the GHF, as the crowd that was fired on was waiting for aid trucks to pass through, according to witnesses speaking to Reuters.

Medics said another 221 people were injured in the massacre, and Gaza’s Health Ministry published photos of victims being treated at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Footage from social media shows dozens of bodies strewn along a street in Khan Younis.

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Trump Shares Private Text From Mike Huckabee That Compared Iran Situation To Truman in 1945

President Trump on Tuesday shared a private text message from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee that compared the president’s decision related to Iran with President Truman’s situation in 1945, the year he dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan.

Huckabee, a Christian Zionist who believes God gave historic Palestine to the modern state of Israel — a view that’s rejected by the majority of Christian denominations — told the president that he believes God “spared” him for this moment.

“God spared you in Butler, PA to be the most consequential President in a century—maybe ever. The decisions on your shoulders I would not want to be made by anyone else. You have many voices speaking to you Sir, but there is only ONE voice that matters. HIS voice,” Huckabee wrote.

“I am your appointed servant in this land and am available for you but I do not try to get in your presence often because I trust your instincts. No President in my lifetime has been in a position like yours. Not since Truman in 1945. I don’t reach out to persuade you. Only to encourage you,” the US ambassador added.

Huckabee continued, “I believe you will hear from heaven and that voice is far more important than mine or ANYONE else’s. You sent me to Israel to be your eyes, ears and voice and to make sure our flag flies above our embassy. My job is to be the last one to leave. I will not abandon this post. Our flag will NOT come down! You did not seek this moment. This moment sought YOU!”

Since being appointed ambassador, Huckabee has approached the issue of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory through the lens of his radical religious views. He has said he believes the US is no longer pursuing a two-state solution and suggested a Palestinian state could be carved out of a “Muslim” country.

“Does it have to be in Judea and Samaria?” Huckabee said in an interview with Bloomberg last week, using the Biblical name for the West Bank.

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