Iran Accuses US, Britain of ‘Fanning the Flames of War in the Persian Gulf’

As a second British warship entered the Persian Gulf at the weekend, the Iranian regime described as “hostile” and “provocative” proposals for Western naval vessels to escort commercial ships through the crucial waterway, where Iran recently seized a British oil tanker. Read

Detained Russian Opposition Leader Suffers Mysterious Ailment

Four days after one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foremost critics was arrested for calling for unsanctioned protests, Alexei Navalny was admitted to the hospital Sunday suffering from what his doctor suspects is contact with a toxic substance. Read

Attempt to Change Name of Budget Bill to ‘Kick the Can Down the Road’ Fails

Libertarian Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) made clear his dim view of the debt and spending deal reached by President Trump, Republican leaders and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) when he proposed changing the name of the budget bill to reflect what he said was its actual accomplishment. Read

Iran Warns Against Any Attempt to ‘Disrupt Order’ With Persian Gulf Patrols

Reacting to Western proposals to protect commercial shipping facing potential threats in the Persian Gulf, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has warned that the regime will confront any attempt to “disrupt order” in the crucial waterway. Read

Trump's Mideast Envoy Takes Aim at Cherished UN Concepts, Including 'International Consensus'

Challenging some revered pillars of multilateralism, President Trump’s special representative for Mideast peace negotiations told the U.N. Security Council this week it was time for put aside “stale slogans and talking points” in favor of new approaches to a longstanding conflict. Read

‘Squad’ Dominates Democrats’ Social Media Impact Contest

Less than three weeks after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) raised the hackles of “the squad” by referring dismissively to their social media following, the four freshmen Democratic congresswomen have swept their party’s annual honors for the fastest-growing online presence. Read

Rep. Omar Berates Questioner for Asking Her to Condemn Female Genital Mutilation

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) became agitated when asked at an event in D.C. this week if she and fellow Muslim congresswoman Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) would condemn female genital mutilation. Read

House Easily Passes Resolution Opposing Israel Boycott; Three of ‘The Squad’ Vote No

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday night passed by an overwhelming margin a resolution opposing the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, with three of the four Democratic freshmen known as “the squad” voting against the majority of their colleagues. Read

Trump on Iran’s Spy Claims: ‘It’s a Religious Country – or Religious Leaders – But They Lie a Lot’

President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday both dismissed as lies claims by the Iranian regime to have dismantled a CIA spy ring and rounded up 17 Iranian nationals, saying this was the latest in a series of untruths from Tehran. Read

Pompeo: Past US Administrations ‘Let the Doctrines of Global Elites Dictate Our Engagement’

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech Monday night previous administrations had made “foreign policy decisions that didn’t serve Americans well or put Americans first,” and had allowed “the doctrines of global elites dictate our engagement.” Read

UN Human Rights Chief Calls Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Tlaib, and Pressley ‘Fantastic’

The United Nations’ top human rights official has described the four Democratic House freshmen nicknamed “the squad” as “fantastic,” and implicitly condemned President Trump for his criticism of them. Read

Ecuador’s President: Assange Turned His Shelter at Our Mission Into a Spying Den

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange turned his shelter at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London into a “center for espionage,” Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno said at the weekend. Read

Iran Tanker Seizure: UK Politician Says Britain Did Not Take Up US Offer of Military Assets

A senior British Conservative Party lawmaker said Sunday he understood that the United States had offered the use of its assets to protect British shipping in the Persian Gulf, but the offer had not been taken up. Read

Trump: US Warship Has Destroyed an Iranian Drone in Strait of Hormuz

A U.S. Navy warship in the Strait of Hormuz destroyed an Iranian drone “threatening the safety of the ship and the ship’s crew,” President Trump said Thursday. Read

Pompeo: China Pressured Some Countries to Stay Away From the Religious Freedom Meeting

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday thanked countries that resisted pressure from China’s communist government and attended a major U.S. ministerial on religious freedom. And he warned that the U.S. had taken note of countries that caved in to Beijing. Read

25 Years Later, Prominent Iranians Wanted for Deadly Bombing Still Walk Free

Twenty five years ago on Thursday, a 21-year-old Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist detonated a 600-pound ammonium nitrate and fuel oil bomb at a Jewish community center building in Buenos Aires, killing 85 people and injuring hundreds more. Read

Trump Thanks the 137 Dems Who Voted to Kill Impeachment Resolution

President Trump on Wednesday thanked House Democrats who voted effectively to kill a resolution seeking to impeach him, describing the vote result as “a slaughter.” Read

‘Boot-Edge-Edge!’: Trump Mocks ‘Hot Young Star’ Buttigieg

President Trump took aim Wednesday night at several of the Democrats campaigning to unseat him, paying particular attention to Pete Buttigieg. While the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind. is viewed as a “hot young star,” Trump said, he could not see him dealing with the leaders of China, Russia or North Korea. Read

House Passes Resolution Condemning Trump’s ‘Racist Comments;’ Democrat Pushes For Impeachment

The Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, joined by four Republicans and an independent, voted Tuesday to condemn President Trump for comments about Democratic congresswomen which the resolution described as “racist.” Read

Cuban Regime Slammed for Preventing Pastors From Attending State Dep’t Religious Freedom Event

Cuba’s communist government has put to rest any doubts about its violations of religious freedom by preventing four Christian leaders from attending this week’s religious freedom ministerial at the State Department, a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said on Tuesday. Read

Risking Sanctions, Turkey Defies US Over Russian Missile Defense System

As Russian military cargo planes laden with components of a missile defense system continue to land at an airbase near the Turkish capital – in defiance of U.S. appeals – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday the S-400 system will be fully operational by next April. Read

UN Unhappy About US Restrictions on Iranian FM Zarif During His NYC Visit

The United Nations has raised concern with the U.S. government over the administration’s decision to restrict the movement of Iran’s high-profile foreign minister, who is attending an event at the world body in New York, to several city blocks. Read

China Thanks 37 Countries, Including Islamic States, for Praising Its Uighur Policies

A three-week session of the U.N. Human Rights Council ended on a jarring note on Friday when it was revealed that more than three dozen countries had signed a letter supporting China’s policies in Xinjiang. Read

US Suffers 10th Combat Fatality in Afghanistan This Year

As diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending America’s longest war edge ahead, a decorated U.S. Special Forces soldier was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday, as a result of “enemy small arms fire,” the Pentagon reported. The Taliban claimed responsibility. Read

Rep. Ilhan Omar Spars With USAID Official Over Family Planning Funding

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Thursday drew a link between access to family planning and education and employment for women. She then slapped down a USAID official when he pointed to work the agency does to advance education and employment for women. Read

Biden Concedes Iran Nuclear Deal Could be Stronger

Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden said in a foreign policy speech Thursday he would as president re-enter the Iran nuclear deal “if Tehran returns to compliance.” But he implicitly conceded that the Obama-era agreement could be better, saying he would work with allies “to strengthen and extend it.” Read

Pompeo Condemns Iran’s IRGC for Harassing British Tanker; IRGC Denies It Happened

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday denounced Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for its “attempt to harass” a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, even as the IRGC and Iran’s foreign minister denied that the incident ever occurred. Read

US Proposes Mideast Naval Patrols; World’s Biggest Shipping Association Endorses Move

Following attacks on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf – blamed on Iran – a U.S. proposal to bring together a coalition to patrol the region’s two most important energy chokepoints has won the support of the world’s biggest association of ship owners. Read

Royal Navy Foils Apparent Iranian Attempt to Seize British Tanker in the Gulf

A Royal Navy warship on Wednesday prevented Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel in small boats from stopping and boarding a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. and British officials. Read

Rivals to Become Britain’s Next PM Spar Over Trump’s Criticism of UK Ambassador and Theresa May

A transatlantic spat over the leaked views of the British ambassador in Washington spilled over into British politics on Tuesday, with the two men running to be the next prime minister tussling over how to confront the issue after President Trump said his administration will “no longer deal with” the ambassador. Read

Ad Feedback Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez Launch ‘Climate Emergency’ Resolution

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Tuesday joined Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) launching a legislative measure in both chambers to symbolically declare a “climate emergency.” Read

Qatar’s Emir, a Hamas Ally, Claims to be Working With US ‘To Eradicate Terrorism and its Financing’

The emir of Qatar said at a U.S. Treasury Department dinner attended by President Trump on Monday night that his country and the United States “are working together to eradicate terrorism and its financing, wherever it may take root.” Read

Trump Urged to Confront Qatar’s Emir Over Troubling Behavior

Ahead of President Trump’s meeting at the White House Tuesday with the emir of Qatar, conservatives and others are urging the president to raise concerns about the purported U.S. ally’s support for terrorist and radical groups, violation of trade agreements, and other troubling behavior. Read

Linda Sarsour’s Tweets About Jesus Echo Claims of Numerous Palestinian Officials

Controversial Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour ignited a kerfuffle on Twitter over the weekend by tweeting that Jesus was “a Palestinian.” Read

Iran Now Claims Seized Tanker Wasn’t Headed for Syria

The Iranian regime is now denying that an oil supertanker seized by authorities in the British territory of Gibraltar was bound for Syria – but won’t say where it was supposedly headed. Read

Iran Accuses UK, US of ‘Piracy’ After Seizure of Tanker Bound for Assad’s Syria

The Iranian regime is accusing Britain of an act of “piracy” after Royal Marines helped law enforcement officers in Gibraltar to seize a supertanker carrying Iranian crude oil to Syria in apparent violation of international sanctions against the Assad regime. Read

Trump at Fourth of July Celebration: ‘We Are One People … All Made by the Same Almighty God’

President Trump ended an Independence Day celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday evening with a call to unity, and a declaration that Americans “are all made by the same almighty God.” Read

PLO Fumes After US Officials Mark Jewish Heritage in Jerusalem With Excavation of Ancient Road

A long-running campaign by Palestinian leaders and their Islamic bloc allies to deny Jewish heritage in Jerusalem has been dealt a blow with the opening of an excavated ancient road used by Jewish pilgrims 2,000 years ago to ascend to the Temple. Read

Islamic Bloc Challenged Over Its Silence on Uighurs: ‘If They Truly Care About Muslims …’

The bloc of Islamic nations is an outspoken contingent at the U.N. Human Rights Council but was challenged there this week for its silence about the plight of at least one million minority Muslims in detention camps in China’s Xinjiang region. Read

As ‘Peace Talks’ Continue, Taliban Terrorists Kill Six, Injure Scores of Children

Scores of children were reported to be among the injured when the Taliban detonated a car bomb near government buildings in Kabul on Monday, killing at least six people. It is the latest violent attack to take place even as U.S. and Taliban representatives are holding direct talks aimed at ending the long conflict. Read

Pompeo: Iran Should Never Have Been Allowed to Enrich Uranium in the First Place

Reacting Monday to Iran exceeding the amount of low-enriched uranium permitted under the 2015 nuclear deal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo underscored a key criticism of the agreement – the fact that it allowed the regime in Tehran to continue enriching uranium in the first place. Read

With CAIR’s Backing, Rep. Ilhan Omar Targets FBI Terror Database

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and ten other House Democrats have written to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, requesting information about how information from the FBI-administered terrorist watchlist is shared with foreign governments – including governments with poor human rights records. Read

After Trump’s Historic DMZ Day, Pompeo Says Kim Wants to Get ‘Something Very Significant’ Done

After President Trump on Sunday became the first sitting U.S. president to step foot on North Korean soil, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was his impression from Trump’s historic encounter with Kim Jong Un that Kim “really wants to get something done, something very significant.” Read