This Week in the World Affairs Brief
TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL BARELY HOLDING UP
It’s been a wild week for the US-Iran deal. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) had only been signed a few hours when Iran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again due to Israel’s continued attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. The MOU clearly states that the United States and its allies (that includes Israel) would “declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” Israel almost immediately defied this first provision of the MOU, but they quickly declared another “ceasefire” with Hezbollah after president Trump demanded it. Israeli PM Netanyahu is not afraid to continue attacks whenever he can offer a justification for them even if it sabotages the Iran deal that He didn’t want from the beginning. Fortunately, both Trump and the leaders of Iran want to see this thing work, despite Israel’s obstinance, so traffic is still flowing through the Strait though at reduced rates and through a shallow channel closer to the Omani side of the Strait. That’s the only reason gas prices have not yet spiked upward again. Whether or not a deal works out in the long-term depends on the ongoing talks on the nuclear issues, and whether or not President Trump can stop insulting the Iranians continually and restore some semblance of diplomacy to the talks. To receive a free, one-time sample of the Brief, click on Request a Sample on the left.
Also:
- Trump’s Missteps with World Leaders
- Domestic Surveillance and Flock Cameras
- Cherubim - a Theo-Political Thriller Book by Philip Skousen
Iran Foreign Ministry contradicts Trump on Doha talks: "We will not hold any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days."
US-Iran talks may resume Tuesday in Doha, Trump declaring the plan in a Monday Truth Social, with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveling to Qatar, though Tehran denies technical negotiations are scheduled.
Qatar suspended most maritime activity as security deteriorates, while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted & slowed.
Recent US-Iran strikes have clouded diplomacy, despite reports both sides have paused military action.
Iran warned it could halt negotiations and said further US involvement in Hormuz would escalate tensions and delay the waterway's reopening.
"As for strikes against critical infrastructure in general, and energy infrastructure in particular, of course, these attacks on our infrastructure facilities create problems," Putin said in the new interview published by the Kremlin. "That's obvious."
"Right now we're observing a certain shortage, but it's not critical," he added. He also made wide-ranging public remarks at a major summit of the ruling 'United Russia' party.
While the IDF has yet to issue its official post-operation briefing, it took the unusual step of warning residents in northern Israel to expect a massive, earth-shaking blast.
The military had actually escorted journalists on a propaganda tour of the complex earlier this month to showcase the scale of the threat, amid the ongoing Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.
Earlier this morning, a 4.6-magnitude quake rattled Caracas.
Meanwhile...
The devastating earthquakes in Venezuela exposed exactly how the socialist government built housing for their people. Look at this video from La Guaira.
Out of the 14 million who used drugs via injections, almost 7 million had hepatitis C, 1.7 million were living with HIV, and 1.5 million had both....“While cannabis remains the most widely used drug, the global cocaine market has reached record levels,” the U.N. stated in the post. In the 10 years between 2014 and 2024, global production of cocaine has surged by more than 370 percent.
On the very day Congress received Jefferson’s draft, more than 6,500 Continental soldiers, militiamen, enslaved laborers, and warriors from the Pee Dee, Waccamaw, Cheraw, and Catawba tribes prepared to defend South Carolina in what history remembers as the Battle of Sullivan’s Island.
Security forces locked down Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone and carried out raids inside the government and embassy district that sits on the west bank of the Tigris River. It contains key Iraqi state institutions, including parliament and government offices, as well as foreign embassies, most notably the U.S. Embassy.
Iranian state media is also confirming the fresh 'retaliation' for limited US airstrikes over the last two days, triggered initially by the Iranians seeking to enforce 'control' of the Strait of Hormuz, by attacking no less than two foreign vessels in as many days.
Multiple Ukrainian FP-5 “Flamingo” Cruise Missiles slam into the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology’s “Titan-Barrikady” Defense Plant, which designs and produces parts for artillery and ballistic missile launchers, in the Southern Russian city of Volgograd
Mass protests broke out in Beirut on Friday into Saturday, with supporters of Hezbollah voicing their outrage at the Lebanese government having just signed a 'trilateral peace framework' with Israel and the United States, despite the IDF occupation of southern territory and sporadic Israeli bombings persisting.
Ukraine's asymmetric warfare against Russia's much-larger and better armed military machine is in a significantly better position than the status of a year or so ago. Russian forces still have the upper-hand on the front line in the east, but the pain clearly being inflicted on Russia's economy can't be ignored at this point.
U.S. President Donald Trump earlier on Friday called Iran’s attack a violation of a ceasefire reached by the two countries.
CENTCOM said U.S. aircraft struck missile and drone storage locations, as well as coastal radar sites inside Iran, as part of the retaliatory operation.
According to the data, 832,000 of the 3.3 million post-1950 refugees are Ukrainian nationals, or 25 per cent. Meanwhile, over one in five (22 per cent) hailed from Syria, meaning that the two countries account for nearly half of all displaced people living in Germany since 1950.
Other significant groups included 316,000 people from Afghanistan, 186,000 from Iraq, 146,000 from Turkey, 120,000 from Poland, and 117,000 from Iran.
“Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ended the military’s flu shot mandate, several branches reinstated flu vaccine requirements after an outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas sickened at least 222 recruits and hospitalized four. Mainstream outlets tied the outbreak, and the June 12 death of recruit Keon McDaniel, to the end of the mandate, but several physicians and researchers interviewed by The Defender said there is no clear evidence linking McDaniel’s death to the flu or showing that the policy change caused the outbreak.
A Danish physician who led Merck-sponsored Gardasil clinical trials and later ran a government clinic for injured patients concluded the HPV vaccine was the probable cause of POTS and chronic fatigue-like conditions in some recipients. In a report submitted as evidence in a lawsuit against Merck, Dr. Jesper Mehlsen said Merck ignored the safety warnings.
In another case, the Supreme Court gave Trump and future presidents greater flexibility in restricting asylum seekers’ attempts to cross the border.
Hawaii’s gun control policy also lost in court, as the justices said the law violated the Second Amendment. The decision continued the court’s emphasis on comparing gun control policies to historical laws in deciding these cases.
Finally, Monsanto won some legal protection against future lawsuits over its weedkiller and allegations that it caused cancer.
On Oct. 21, 2022, Adamiak was convicted on one count of receiving and possessing an unregistered firearm, one count of unlawful possession and transfer of a machine gun, and three counts of receiving and possessing a destructive device.
In Texas, a nurse practitioner was charged in a $906 million scheme for allegedly performing unnecessary allografts and billing Medicare more than $1 million per patient on average. The DOJ press release said that the suspect then used the proceeds from the fraud to buy luxury vehicles, real estate, high-priced jewelry as well as pay for the construction of a $4.6 million beach resort in the Philippines.
The refinery is located on the southern outskirts of the Russian capital and a major fuel supplier to the whole region. It was struck at least twice before this month - as dramatic and intense eyewitness videos captured - forcing operations to halt. Meanwhile via Newsquawk:
Russia has reportedly asked for 50k tonnes of gasoline from Kazakhstan to help ease domestic fuel shortages, according to sources.
The vice president said the talks produced progress on nuclear monitoring, the Strait of Hormuz, and a mechanism to manage tensions in Lebanon.
Conflicting Claims Remain: Washington and Tehran continue to dispute whether Iran agreed to extensive IAEA nuclear inspections and the terms of sanctions relief; also, Hormuz tolls remains an issue of contention.
$12 Billion Asset Release: Iran says $12 billion in frozen assets will be released initially, with total relief potentially reaching $50 billion if a final deal is reached.
Battle Over Fund Control: The US says released funds would be restricted to humanitarian purchases, while Iran insists it will decide how to use its own money.
Oil Relief and Hormuz: Temporary sanctions relief for Iranian oil exports has begun, and both sides say the Strait of Hormuz remains open to shipping.
Fragile Progress & a Russian Role? Iran is considering sending enriched uranium to Russia, but regional tensions and unresolved issues still threaten the talks.
The statement did not reference any particular AI firms, but recent industry discussion has focused on Anthropic’s Mythos 5 and Fable 5 frontier models.
a large fire is being reported at a thermal power plant in Kerch, which left the greatest impact in terms of the widespread regional blackout:
"The UK stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, and we will continue to provide the support it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression," she stated. "Project Brakestop shows what happens when we combine that commitment with the talent and ingenuity of British industry."
Starmer said he would remain prime minister until Labour selects a new leader later this summer
Unfreezing Assets divergence in official rhetoric: "It is not true that Iran's blocked funds will be used to buy grain, and it is not mentioned in any understanding,"
Nuclear Inspector divergence: Vance said Iran agreed to admit nuclear inspectors, but Iranian state media denied any such agreement was reached.
Oil Relief: The U.S. issued a 60-day license allowing Iranian oil production and sales as part of the emerging negotiation framework.
Talks Continue after top negotiators depart Switzerland: Both sides described the Switzerland talks as constructive, with technical negotiations set to continue over the next 60 days.
Hormuz Commitment: The U.S. says Iran agreed to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, easing market concerns, though major issues remain unresolved.
Democrats’ idiotic arguments against requiring ID to vote include claiming that black Americans are somehow mysteriously unable to get IDs. Aside from the obvious elitism and racial prejudice of such a claim, it is practically impossible to live in America and not have identification. They are required at doctor’s offices, airports, bars, liquor stores, car rentals, welfare programs, and many more places. But somehow expecting IDs at polling places is unreasonable?
A wave of relentless Sunday drone attacks out of Ukraine on Crimea has resulted in a regional cut off to civilian access to fuel, in another sign that UAV attacks on Russian territory are having serious effect.
After roping President Trump into breaking a core campaign promise, watching the United States expend resources and risk American lives to attack Iran, and then watching Trump take steps to end the war via MOU - Israelis are livid because the US didn't commit to full-on decimation to celebrate America's 250th, and say Iran came out ahead.
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