Senator Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) and Representative Rob Wittman (R-Virginia-01) announced the SHIPYARD Act to provide $21 billion to invest in the Navy’s four public shipyards, including Norfolk Naval Shipyard. The plan, announced Wednesday, would also provide $2 billion for new construction of private shipyards, and $2 billion to repair the Navy’s existing private shipyards.
Read the full storyTag: Iran
Senator Blackburn Introduces Bill to Prevent Biden from Imposing Unilateral Nuclear Deal with Iran
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced Wednesday a bill to prevent President Joe Biden from circumventing the U.S. Senate to renegotiate the Iran Nuclear Deal.
The legislation, “Iran Nuclear Deal Advice and Consent Act,” would prevent federal funds from going to the deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It would require current and future administrations to submit any JCPOA successor agreement as a written treaty rather than an international agreement.
Read the full storyIran’s Supreme Leader Vows Revenge Over Slain Scientist
Iran’s supreme leader on Saturday demanded the “definitive punishment” of those behind the killing of a scientist who led Tehran’s disbanded military nuclear program, as the Islamic Republic blamed Israel for a slaying that has raised fears of reignited tensions across the Middle East.
After years of being in the shadows, the image of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh suddenly was to be seen everywhere in Iranian media, as his widow spoke on state television and officials publicly demanded revenge on Israel for the scientist’s slaying.
Read the full storyIran Scientist Linked to Military Nuclear Program Killed
An Iranian scientist named by the West as the leader of the Islamic Republic’s disbanded military nuclear program was killed Friday in an ambush on the outskirts of Tehran, authorities said.
Iran’s foreign minister alleged the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh bore “serious indications” of an Israeli role, but did not elaborate. Israel, long suspected of killing several Iranian nuclear scientists a decade ago, declined to immediately comment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once told the public to “remember that name” when talking about Fakhrizadeh.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Obama-Biden ‘Ostracize and Punish Israel’ Legacy Will Return if Democrats Win the White House in 2020
Joe Biden portrays himself as Israel’s ally and a friend of the Jewish people. Obama did the same when he was running for president and then he played bait and switch. It’s time voters wizen up because Biden vows to repeat the Obama-Biden playbook on Israel and the Middle East. It’s even worse: today’s Democrat party leadership has taken a major turn to the left. They are no friend of the Jewish people here or in Israel.
A quick history lesson is instructive: In 2008, Candidate Obama pledged Israel’s security was “sacrosanct” and “non-negotiable” with “secure recognized defensible borders,” where Jerusalem would “remain” Israel’s capital and “must remain undivided.” Fast forward, months later in 2009, then President Obama wasted no time abandoning his empty words. Embarking on their true agenda, Obama-Biden declared a “serious problem” existed precisely because there was no daylight between the United States and Israel. Obama-Biden was determined to change that and, off to the races, they didn’t look back.
Read the full storyUN Watchdog: Iran to Allow Access to Two Suspected Nuke Sites
Iran has agreed to allow inspectors in to two sites where the country is suspected of having stored or used undeclared nuclear material, the U.N. atomic watchdog agency said Wednesday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran was “voluntarily providing the IAEA with access to the two locations specified by the IAEA and facilitating the IAEA verification activities to resolve the issues.”
Read the full storyUS Says Iran Briefly Seizes Oil Tanker Near Strait of Hormuz
The Iranian navy boarded and briefly seized a Liberian-flagged oil tanker near the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between Tehran and the U.S., the American military said Thursday.
The U.S. military’s Central Command published a black-and-white video showing what appeared to be special forces fast-roping down from a helicopter onto the MT Wila, whose last position appeared to be off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates near the city of Khorfakkan.
Read the full storyIran Declines to Disclose Cause of Mysterious Nuke Site Fire
An online video and messages purportedly claiming responsibility for a fire that analysts say damaged a centrifuge assembly plant at Iran’s underground Natanz nuclear site deepened the mystery Friday around the incident — even as Tehran insisted it knew the cause but would not make it public due to “security reasons.”
The multiple, different claims by a self-described group called the “Cheetahs of the Homeland” included language used by several exiled Iranian opposition organizations. They also focused almost entirely on Iran’s nuclear program, viewed by Israel as a danger to its very existence.
Read the full storyUS Tries to Seize Iranian Gas Heading Toward Venezuela
U.S. federal prosecutors are seeking to seize four tankers sailing toward Venezuela with gasoline supplied by Iran, the latest attempt to disrupt ever-closer trade ties between the two heavily sanctioned anti-American allies.
The civil-forfeiture complaint filed late Wednesday in the District of Columbia federal court alleges that the sale was arranged by a businessman, Mahmoud Madanipour, with ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.
Read the full storyBill Hagerty Issues Statement After Iran Issues Arrest Warrant for Donald Trump
U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty this week released a statement after Iran issued an arrest warrant for U.S. President Donald Trump for taking out the top Iranian general and known terrorist Qasem Soleimani.
“Soleimani was a terrorist with the blood of Americans on his hands. Thanks to President Trump’s decisive leadership, the world is a much safer place because Soleimani is dead,” Hagerty said in the press release.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Establishment Media Is Ignoring What Just Happened In Iran, But We Won’t
While the establishment media have studiously ignored reporting the story, the social media accounts of Middle East and national security experts have been abuzz with questions and information on the huge explosion or explosions that recently rocked a site believed to house one of Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities – the facilities that Obama and the Iranians claimed do not exist.
Rick Moran writing for our friends at PJ Media reported the explosion happened in the Alborz mountains, just east of Tehran. Satellite photos show the massive extent of the blast. The area of the blast near Iran’s Khojir missile base was identified in 2017 as a nuclear research facility despite Iran’s pledge to reveal all its nuclear infrastructure in the nuclear deal with the West.
Read the full storyAmid US Tension, Iran Builds Fake Aircraft Carrier to Attack
As tensions remain high between Iran and the U.S., the Islamic Republic appears to have constructed a new mock-up of an aircraft carrier off its southern coast for potential live-fire drills.
The faux foe, seen in satellite photographs obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, resembles the Nimitz-class carriers that the U.S. Navy routinely sails into the Persian Gulf from the Strait of Hormuz, its narrow mouth where 20% of all the world’s oil passes through.
Read the full storyUN Agency: Iran Violating All Restrictions of Nuclear Deal
Iran has continued to increase its stockpiles of enriched uranium and remains in violation of its deal with world powers, the United Nations’ atomic watchdog said Friday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported the finding in a confidential document distributed to member countries and seen by The Associated Press.
Read the full storyBlackburn Leads Bill to Fight ‘Digital Authoritarianism’ in China, Russia
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a bill Friday that she says would help prevent authoritarian governments in Russia and China from restricting “Internet freedom.”
“Leading censors like China and Russia are not only employing more sophisticated means to control the lives of their citizens online; they are also exporting their censorship and surveillance tactics to illiberal regimes abroad,” Blackburn said in a press release.
Read the full storyTrump Vetoes Resolution Curbing His Ability to Attack Iran Without Congressional Approval
President Donald Trump vetoed a bipartisan congressional resolution Wednesday that would have curbed his ability to direct military action against Iran.
“This was a very insulting resolution, introduced by Democrats as part of a strategy to win an election on November 3 by dividing the Republican Party,” Trump said Wednesday as he signed the veto. “The few Republicans who voted for it played right into their hands. Congress should not have passed this resolution.”
Read the full storyRussia, China, Iran Acting in Tandem to Paint COVID-19 as an American Bioweapon, State Dept Report Suggests
China, Russia and Iran are acting in tandem to promote propaganda suggesting coronavirus is an American bioweapon and that the U.S. economy is buckling under the strain of lockdowns, a State Department report shows.
Read the full storyRussia Wages an Oil War Against Saudi Arabia and US Amid Coronavirus Concerns
Oil prices dropped Monday as Saudi Arabia and Russia haggle over whether to reduce crude production amid fears that coronavirus will hamper air travel and potentially wreck the global economy.
Prices fell into the $30s as the Saudis push for a cut in output to prop up prices, while Russia went the other way, and decided to infuse the market with hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil, according to The Washington Post. Moscow is worried that the U.S. will use shale oil to take advantage if Saudi Arabia ease off production.
Read the full storyDemocrat Sen. Chris Murphy Admits He Secretly Met With Iranian Foreign Minister
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) admitted Tuesday morning that he and several other Democrats did indeed hold a secret meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the Munich Security Conference last week, arguing that it would be dangerous NOT to meet clandestinely with Iranian officials.
Read the full storySen. Alexander Throws Lot in With Democrats to Try to Block President Trump’s War Powers to Respond to Attacks by Iran
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) threw his lot in with his Democrat colleagues Thursday to try to block President Donald Trump from using his war powers authority to handle attacks by Iran without begging for congressional approval first.
Read the full storyRep. Wenstrup Calls Out Democrats for Trying to Limit Trump’s War Authorization Powers
U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-02), an Iraqi War veteran, is calling Democrats out over the House’s passage of two measures to hamper President Donald Trump’s war powers toward Iran and Iraq.
Read the full storyDHS Started Preparing Against Iran Threats Months Ago, Acting Secretary Says
YUMA, Arizona — Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said the U.S. government was well prepared for any threats from Iran because it had prepared months in advance.
Read the full storyThirty Four US Troops Treated for Brain Injuries Following Iran Missile Attack
PENTAGON – The Pentagon said Friday that 34 U.S. troops had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries or concussions as a result of Iran’s missile attack on bases in Iraq earlier this month.
Read the full storyCommentary: The Benefits of Trump’s ‘Transactional’ Foreign Policy
The recent drone attack that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and a Shiite militia leader in Iraq led predictably to a retaliatory strike by Iran. Twenty or so ballistic missiles were launched at bases in Iraq where U.S. troops were housed. Fortunately, no one was killed.
Read the full storyAmash Says Trump’s Claim of Iran Planning ‘Imminent’ Attacks ‘Seems Totally Made Up’
Rep. Justin Amish (I-MI-03) said President Donald Trump’s claim that Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was planning “imminent” attacks on American assets “seems totally made up.”
Read the full storyProtests in Iran Shatter Image of a United Country
The outrage was aired first of all on social media forums — before spilling chaotically on to the streets with Saturday’s mass protests catching Iranian authorities off-guard and exposing how many Iranians hold the country’s embattled regime in disdain.
Read the full storyBabson Professor Fired for Joking That Iran Should Target Mall of America
A Babson College professor was fired last week after joking on social media that Iran should target the Mall of America in retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani.
Read the full storyIranian Military Apologizes for Shooting Down Ukraine-Bound Flight, Cites ‘Human Error’: Report
The Iranian military apologized Friday for shooting down a commercial airliner bound for Ukraine, and blamed “human error” for launching the missile that took down the airplane, according to Iranian state media.
Read the full storyCommentary: Listen to Trump, Not Democrats on Foreign Policy Matters
The predicted has happened in Iran and more quickly than had been expected. On the evening of the day on which the Iranian authorities managed to bungle the funeral of their late terrorist chief, Qasem Soleimani, at least 50 people were trampled to death in their grief, and the crisis over the supposed escalation of hostilities subsided. (At least, unlike during the funeral of the Iranian theocracy’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the coffin did not fly open, spilling the corpse on the mourners.)
Read the full storyUS Imposes New Sanctions on Iran
WASHINGTON – The U.S. placed more sanctions on Iran Friday in response to its missile attack on U.S. military troops in Iraq last week, and it threatened further action to weaken Iran’s economy if Tehran continues to carry out what it considers terrorist actions.
Read the full storyOmar Says She Feels ‘Stricken with PTSD’ Over Iran Tensions, Then Laughs and Jokes While Colleague Discusses Dead Soldiers
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) said she feels “ill” and “stricken with PTSD” in response to the conflict with Iran before she laughed and joked with her peers while a colleague discussed U.S. casualties in Iraq just moments later.
Read the full storyCommentary: Sorry Democrats, There Is a Trump Doctrine, And It’s a Good One
For the Democrats, the killing of Iranian terrorist General Qassem Soleimani offered a great opportunity to tout the risk of having Donald Trump as commander in chief, and they were, as usual, extremely disciplined in maintaining that narrative.
Read the full storyFive Top Iranian Officials You Should Know
Tensions between the United States and Iran seem to be deescalating again, but the countries clearly are still at loggerheads.
Read the full storyIran May Have Accidentally Shot Down Passenger Jet
WHITE HOUSE – U.S. President Donald Trump is publicly voicing suspicion that Iran may have accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner.
Read the full storyHagerty Writes Op-Ed Praising Israel
“The American people support the Jewish community, and we support Israel,” U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty wrote in an op-ed Thursday for The Times of Israel but also called for a two-state solution.
Read the full storyOhio Secretary of State Frank LaRose Notified Ohio’s County Board of Elections of a Potential Iranian Cyber Attack
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose notified all of Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections to be aware of potential Iranian cyber threats.
Read the full storyIraqi Consulate in Detroit Opened for ‘Condolences’ for Soleimani
The Iraqi Consulate General in Detroit held a memorial event for Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, the leader of a designated terrorist organization who was killed last week in a U.S. airstrike.
Read the full storyTrump De-Escalates: Says ‘Iran Appears to be Standing Down,’ U.S. ‘Ready to Embrace Peace’
President Trump made it abundantly clear in his address to the nation Wednesday morning that Iran’s free reign of terror throughout the Middle East was over, but the United States would not be retaliating militarily against the Islamic Republic following their missile strikes on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops.
Read the full storyIran Fires Missiles at Two Iraqi Air Bases Housing US Forces, Pentagon Says
PENTAGON – Iran has fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles into at least two Iraqi air bases that house U.S. troops, the Pentagon says.
Read the full storyCommentary: Americans Will Rally Around Trump on Iran
The Democrats have stumbled into yet another beartrap in their unanimous objection to President Trump’s order to kill the world’s leading terrorist, Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. The same misdirected solicitude that caused the Washington Post to describe ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, after he was driven to suicide by U.S. special operators, as an “austere cleric” has elevated Soleimani to the status of an Iranian General MacArthur.
Read the full storyTwitter Responds After Obama-Era State Dept Official Katie Stanton Demands Company Nix Trump’s Tweets on Iran
Twitter is refusing to pull down a President Donald Trump’s tweet threatening future strikes against Iran despite calls from an Obama-era official to do something about the president’s account.
Read the full storyPresident Trump Threatens Iranian Cultural Sites
President Donald Trump is threatening to hit Iranian cultural sites if Iran retaliates for last week’s assassination of its top general Qassem Soleimani.
Read the full storyDuped Again: Former CIA Spook Says People Are Sharing Babylon Bee’s Satirical Take on Democrats’ Reaction To Soleimani’s Death ‘Like It’s Legit’
A former CIA analyst and cyber disinformation researcher said people are sharing satirical content suggesting Democrats are calling for the American flag to be at half-mast for Gen. Qasem Soleimani “like it’s legit.”
Read the full storyPelosi: Slotkin to Lead Bid to Restrict Trump’s Power in Iran
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said on Monday that U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) will be leading the bid to restrict President Trump’s power in Iran, several days after an airstrike killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Read the full storyRep. Ilhan Omar Introduces War Powers Resolution in Response to Trump’s ‘Act of War’
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) introduced a War Powers Resolution Sunday to prevent the use of U.S. military force against Iran without congressional approval.
Read the full storyPompeo Staunchly Defends Drone Attack on Iranian General Soleimani
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday staunchly defended the drone attack that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, but refused to publicly offer any evidence supporting the American claim that he posed an imminent threat to U.S. forces and officials in the Mideast.
Read the full storyCommentary: War With Iran?
Does the U.S. armed forces’ killing of Qassem Soleimani, leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ foreign wing, and his subordinate, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, outside Baghdad’s airport increase or decrease the chances of war with Iran? Does it mean a continuation of our disastrous endless wars?
Read the full storyThe Battleground State Report: Trump’s Unpredictability Is a Game Changer Both Foreign and Domestic
During a live recording on Friday’s Battleground State Report with Michael Patrick Leahy and Doug Kellett – a one-hour radio show from Star News Digital Media in the early stages of national weekend syndication rollout – with Kellett out of the studio, Leahy welcomed Tennessee Star Report’s all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the show.
Read the full storySoleimani Was Planning ‘Imminent Attacks’ That Could Have Killed Hundreds of Americans, Top US Official Says
Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was planning “imminent attacks” that could have killed hundreds of Americans prior to being killed in an airstrike near Baghdad’s airport Friday, a senior U.S. official said.
Read the full storyIlhan Omar ‘Outraged’ That Trump ‘Assassinated’ the Head of a Terrorist Organization
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) said she was “outraged” with President Donald Trump for his decision to “assassinate” Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, a designated terrorist organization.
Read the full storyRashida Tlaib Attacks Trump as ‘Lawless President’ After Soleimani Strike
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) attacked President Donald Trump as a “lawless president” after he ordered an airstrike that took out Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, a designated terrorist organization.
Read the full story