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Trump orders South Korea drill cuts, says Seoul rejected Iran denuclearization request<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump<\/a> said Sunday he has ordered the Pentagon to \u201csubstantially reduce\u201d upcoming joint military drills with South Korea, arguing that they are expensive and hostile to North Korea given his relationship with Kim Jong Un<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea,\u201d Trump said in a post shared on Truth Social.<\/p>\n \u201cThese exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful,\u201d he added before stating that he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to substantially \u201creduce the Joint Military Exercises!\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also announced he had asked South Korea\u2019s president if the country would like to join the United States in the \u201cDenuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran,\u201d and said the response was: \u201cNo thanks!\u201d<\/p>\n 1 hour agoTrump hails new Saudi-Turkey-Pakistan defense pact as \u2018big, bold\u2019 step<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> on Sunday welcomed a new defense deal between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, calling it an important step toward regional security.<\/p>\n \u201cVery happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement,\u201d Trump said in a post shared on Truth Social.<\/p>\n \u201cIt shows how the Middle East<\/a> is coming together, and how Countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations to the Great Leadership of the three Nations mentioned. THIS IS A BIG, BOLD, AND IMPORTANT FIRST STEP \u2014 WOW!\u201d Trump added<\/p>\n 1 hour agoPence hails USS Abraham Lincoln crew after \u2018consequential\u2019 deployment<\/p>\n Former Vice President Mike Pence praised the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln on Sunday before offering thanks for what he called a \u201cjob well done\u201d after the aircraft strike carrier’s Middle East<\/a> deployment.<\/p>\n Pence also added comments by CENTCOM chief, Admiral Brad Cooper.<\/p>\n “The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is a strong team of high-achieving Americans standing tall with immense, justified pride in everything they accomplished\u2026History will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era,” Cooper had said.<\/p>\n 3 hours agoCENTCOM chief praises USS Abraham Lincoln crew after \u2018awe-inspiring\u2019 visit<\/p>\n U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Adm. Brad Cooper praised the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln on Sunday after visiting the aircraft carrier amid reports of concerns about mental health and conditions while stationed in the Middle East<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a statement<\/a> posted on X, Cooper also described his recent visit to the Lincoln as \u201cawe-inspiring\u201d and said he wished \u201cevery American could see the crew in action\u201d before citing \u201ccamaraderie, teamwork and resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n Cooper acknowledged that prolonged service at sea is \u201cuniquely challenging and tough,\u201d but said the Lincoln had the fewest mental health cases among the Navy\u2019s 11 active aircraft carriers.<\/p>\n He credited the ship\u2019s leadership, particularly senior enlisted leaders, with making mental health and crew resilience a priority.<\/p>\n 3 hours agoIran warns Trump he could find himself \u2018hiding in a food truck\u2019 amid Hormuz standoff<\/p>\n The head of Iran\u2019s<\/a> parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission urged President Donald Trump on Sunday to focus on his own safety rather than warn Terhan over the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cThe U.S. president ought to worry about his own security rather than his endless bluffing regarding the Strait of Hormuz, before he ends up hiding in a food truck,\u201d Ebrahim Azizi wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4 hours agoNetanyahu warns \u2018Don\u2019t let them win\u2019 as election ad features Mojtaba Khamenei, Mamdani, Erdogan<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared an image of a Likud election campaign billboard on Sunday that featured Iran\u2019s<\/a> Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem beneath the slogan, \u201cThey want Netanyahu to lose.\u201d <\/p>\n Netanyahu<\/a> posted a photo of the billboard on X with the message: \u201cDon\u2019t let them win.\u201d <\/p>\n Israel is scheduled to hold its next Knesset election on Oct. 27, with Netanyahu\u2019s ruling Likud party campaigning to remain in power<\/p>\n 5 hours agoIsrael’s Ben-Gvir calls for killing \u201830 to 40\u2019 people in Gaza nightly<\/p>\n Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir<\/a> called for killing \u201c30 to 40\u201d people in Gaza every night as he criticized Israel\u2019s recent reduction in strikes on the enclave.<\/p>\n Speaking on a podcast with former hostage Rom Braslavski<\/a>, Ben-Gvir said Israel should carry out broader targeted killings, extending beyond people who pose an immediate threat.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are people there who are not worthy of life,” he said. “They shouldn\u2019t live.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben-Gvir, who oversees Israel\u2019s police and prisons but does not control the military, also renewed his call for Palestinians to leave Gaza and for Israeli settlements to be reestablished there.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no secret, I disagree with the prime minister,” he said. \u201cI think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night. Not just those who pose an immediate threat \u2014 there are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn\u2019t live. They\u2019re not even people.\u201d<\/p>\n The remarks come as the Trump administration pushes a Gaza peace plan calling for an end to military operations, Hamas disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal.<\/p>\n \u201cI see all of Gaza as ours,\u201d Ben-Gvir in the interview. \u201cSettlements not just in Gush Katif but throughout Gaza, encouraging as much emigration as possible, sending them to their countries, and for the terrorists, no emigration, nothing, just to kill them one by one.\u201d<\/p>\n The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n 5 hours agoIsraeli strikes hit Gaza as Trump envoys push peace plan<\/p>\n Israel<\/a> carried out fresh airstrikes in Gaza on Sunday even as President Donald Trump\u2019s envoys met regional mediators in Cairo to advance a new peace plan.<\/p>\n The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists in Khan Younis and Nuseirat. <\/p>\n Palestinian medics said at least five people were wounded in one strike on a tent encampment, with one later dying from their injuries. <\/p>\n A separate strike on an apartment in Nuseirat wounded several others.<\/p>\n The renewed strikes come as Washington calls for an immediate halt to military operations under Trump\u2019s Gaza roadmap<\/a>, which envisions Hamas disarming and Israeli forces withdrawing from the enclave.<\/p>\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/p>\n 5 hours agoTrump envoys meet Gaza mediators as peace push intensifies<\/p>\n President Donald Trump\u2019s envoys<\/a> met Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Cairo on Sunday in a renewed push to advance the administration\u2019s Gaza peace plan.<\/p>\n Jared Kushner and Gaza envoy Nickolay Mladenov joined talks that also included Hamas officials in some sessions, according to a diplomatic source. <\/p>\n Kushner also met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi<\/a>.<\/p>\n The envoys are expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> on Monday as Washington presses both sides to move forward with a plan calling for an end to military operations, Hamas disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.<\/p>\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/p>\n Breaking News6 hours agoIran touts $30,000 bounty for killing or capturing US troops<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s military has announced a $30,000 reward for anyone who kills or captures a U.S. service member, with the bounty doubled if claimed by a woman, according to state media, Agence France-Presse reported Sunday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Army chief Amir Hatami<\/a> said the program was created after requests from Iranians seeking to financially support such actions. He did not specify where or when the attacks were expected to occur.<\/p>\n There is no known deployment of U.S. ground forces inside Iran beyond an April rescue mission for a downed American pilot, as fighting has remained concentrated in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and CENTCOM for comment Sunday morning.<\/p>\n 6 hours agoGOP Rep Don Bacon: Trump should \u2018say less,\u2019 prepare Americans for a longer Iran war<\/p>\n President Trump needs to level with Americans about the Iran war, arguing the administration set unrealistic expectations early on that the conflict would end quickly, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb.<\/a>, said Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is going to be a longer-term fight, and I think that he needed to set appropriate and honest expectations here,\u201d Bacon told CBS’s \u201cFace the Nation\u201d on Sunday.<\/p>\n The U.S. still holds the advantage over Iran, according to Bacon, but he urged Trump to stop publicly predicting an imminent deal and instead keep economic and military pressure on Tehran<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe president should say less, keep the pressure on: This blockade is crippling to Iran, and we need to keep that blockade ironclad,\u201d Bacon added.<\/p>\n Bacon also criticized Trump\u2019s response to concerns about the USS Abraham Lincoln<\/a>\u2019s prolonged deployment, saying the president should acknowledge the toll that long deployments take on service members and their families.<\/p>\n 6 hours agoIran war carrier shuffle sends dangerous signal to China, retired Navy captain warns<\/p>\n The prolonged Iran war is stretching the U.S. carrier fleet and forcing Washington to pull critical naval power away from the Pacific at a dangerous moment, retired Navy Capt. Brent Sadler<\/a> warned Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality is we are operating in a world where we need 15 carrier strike groups \u2013 we only have 11,” Sadler told \u201cThe Sunday Briefing<\/a>,\u201d after the replacing the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln with the USS George Washington highlighted a deeper shortage of available carriers.<\/p>\n “We need to build more ships. That’s the simple solution \u2013 it’s the core problem \u2013 to deal with an increasingly dangerous world. <\/p>\n “It’s going to take time, but the world isn’t going to wait for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Sadler also warned that moving the George Washington from the Pacific<\/a> to support the Iran mission could send the wrong message to Beijing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you take an aircraft carrier like the George Washington at the moment that the Chinese are at the peak of their most complex and aggressive military exercises in the Southern Theater Command in South China Sea, and you move it to a fight against Iran,” Sadler postulates, “it provides and sends a signal that we’re not going to be present.\u201d<\/p>\n Breaking News6 hours agoArab, Muslim nations condemn Israel\u2019s rejection of Trump Gaza plan<\/p>\n Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan jointly condemned Israel\u2019s rejection of President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> Gaza plan Sunday.<\/p>\n They warned the move could undermine efforts to end the war.<\/p>\n In a joint statement<\/a>, the countries said Israel\u2019s rejection threatens intensified U.S. diplomatic efforts and accused the Israeli government of obstructing peace efforts in Gaza and the broader Palestinian territories.<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> had rebuked the Hamas terrorist deal, saying: “It needs to be genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament.”<\/p>\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/p>\n “The Foreign Ministers of UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, T\u00fcrkiye, KSA, and Egypt condemn the declared Israeli rejection of the Road Map for completing the implementation of US President Trump\u2019s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, as endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803, and the Israeli rejection of Palestinian statehood.”<\/p>\n – Joint Statement by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, T\u00fcrkiye, KSA, and Egypt<\/p>\n 7 hours agoDem Sen Gallego: Trump team \u2018way over their head\u2019 in Iran war<\/p>\n Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.<\/a>, blasted the Trump administration\u2019s handling of the Iran war Sunday, arguing that problems aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln reflect a broader failure to plan for the conflict or explain how it will end.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a lot, a lot of fear that this administration and the Secretary of Defense are way over their head,\u201d Gallego told ABC\u2019s \u201cThis Week\u201d that he had recently seen messages and photos from a Lincoln crew member\u2019s spouse that he said contradicted claims that problems aboard the carrier had been resolved.<\/p>\n He also pushed back against calls for Congress to approve another $17 billion<\/a> for military operations without a clearer strategy.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is the end goal here?” he asked. “How are we going to get out of this quagmire? What is actually the mission?\u201d <\/p>\n Gallego warned that Congress should not keep funding<\/a> an open-ended conflict without answers, saying he does not want the U.S. pulled into \u201canother 20-year war.\u201d<\/p>\n 7 hours agoGov. Wes Moore blasts Trump over Iran war, parrots allegations on USS Lincoln conditions<\/p>\n Maryland Democrat Gov. Wes Moore<\/a> sharply criticized President Trump on Sunday over reported conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and the broader conduct of the Iran war.<\/p>\n \u201cThe response of the president of the United States<\/a> pisses me off,\u201d Moore, an Army veteran, told CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union\u201d that service members deserve missions that are \u201cexplainable,\u201d \u201cunderstandable\u201d and \u201cwinnable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, frankly, we\u2019re not seeing any of those things taking place with this war in Iran that he started.\u201d<\/p>\n 7 hours agoVictoria Coates: New Iran sanctions likely this week, with China in the crosshairs<\/p>\n The Trump administration is likely to unveil another round of sanctions on Iran this week, according to former deputy National Security Advisor Victoria Coates<\/a> on Sunday.<\/p>\n Coates predicted the measures could take aim at Tehran\u2019s economic ties with China.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re probably going to get more sanctions on Iran, coming this week,\u201d Coates told “Sunday Morning Futures<\/a>.” <\/p>\n \u201cThey probably are going to be China related.\u201d<\/p>\n The expected sanctions<\/a> could also feed into President Donald Trump\u2019s agenda with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their planned September meeting.<\/p>\n The comments come as Washington looks for additional ways to squeeze Iran economically while the war and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz continue.<\/p>\n 7 hours agoBab el-Mandeb Strait faces growing threat as Houthi attacks raise fears of a second Hormuz<\/p>\n Iran-backed Houthi attacks are turning the Bab el-Mandeb Strait<\/a> into another pressure point in the Iran war, threatening a critical shipping route linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.<\/p>\n The threat intensified after the Houthis attacked the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah, killing crew members and, according to Yemen\u2019s Coast Guard, striking again after rescuers arrived. <\/p>\n Tanker traffic through the strait has also fallen sharply since the Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n The waterway is not as vulnerable as the Strait of Hormuz because ships can reroute around Africa, but doing so adds time and cost. <\/p>\n With Hormuz already disrupted, escalating attacks near Bab el-Mandeb could put additional pressure on global energy and commercial shipping.<\/p>\n Read Fox News’ Efrat Lachter full report.<\/p>\n 8 hours agoIran truce 60-day deadline nears as Hormuz attacks, Hezbollah tensions flare<\/p>\n Monday will mark 60 days since the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding, with little apparent progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> or resolving Tehran\u2019s nuclear ambitions.<\/p>\n Iran continued attacks in the strait over the weekend, with a bulk carrier reporting a projectile strike Saturday after an Emirati oil vessel was targeted a day earlier. <\/p>\n President Donald Trump said Friday<\/a> the U.S. blockade effectively controls which ships can pass through the waterway.Tensions are also rising on Israel\u2019s northern front after Hezbollah wounded three Israeli soldiers in what Israel called a ceasefire violation, prompting new Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. <\/p>\n Initial reports indicated both Hezbollah operatives and civilians were killed, while Hezbollah has threatened a response.<\/p>\n Fox News’ Trey Yingst<\/a> contributed to this report.<\/p>\n 8 hours agoIsrael kills 2 Hezbollah commanders after ceasefire attack<\/p>\n The Israeli Defense Forces<\/a> said it killed two senior Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon after an attack that Israel says seriously wounded three of its soldiers and violated the ceasefire.<\/p>\n Israel said strikes killed Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, a battalion commander in Hezbollah\u2019s elite Radwan Force, and Abu Hassan Alaa, a senior commander in the group\u2019s \u201cBadder Unit.\u201d <\/p>\n The IDF said both men were involved in planning attacks against Israeli troops operating in the security zone.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s prime minister\u2019s office accused Hezbollah of operating from a military compound where civilians were present. <\/p>\n The IDF said Hassan\u2019s family members were harmed in one strike but were not targeted, accusing Hezbollah of using them<\/a> as human shields.<\/p>\n Fox News’ Yonat Friling contributed to this report.<\/p>\n Developing Story9 hours agoGulf markets rise despite stalled Iran talks, Hormuz disruption<\/p>\n Most Gulf stock markets climbed Sunday even as Iran peace talks remained stalled and oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> had yet to fully recover.<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia\u2019s benchmark index rose 0.9%, helped by gains in Al Rajhi Bank and Saudi Aramco. <\/p>\n The move came as Brent crude settled Friday at $88.52 a barrel, up 1.7%.<\/p>\n The gains suggest investors are looking past some of the immediate regional uncertainty, even as the Iran war continues to disrupt energy flows and keep fuel prices elevated.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump touted U.S. military strength<\/a> in the region during a Friday speech in New York.<\/p>\n Trump went so far as the U.S. is ostensibly declaring the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory.<\/a><\/p>\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/p>\n Breaking News9 hours agoSaudi Arabia issues all-clear after Jazan danger alert<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia\u2019s civil defense<\/a> said Sunday that a potential danger in the southern province of Jazan had passed after authorities briefly issued an alert for the area.<\/p>\n Officials did not immediately provide details on what triggered the warning. <\/p>\n Jazan sits along Saudi Arabia\u2019s southwestern border as regional tensions remain elevated during the Iran war.<\/p>\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/p>\n Breaking News11 hours agoIran moves to criminalize interviews with US, Israeli media<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s parliament<\/a> approved a bill Sunday that would further criminalize contact with media outlets Tehran considers hostile, including U.S. and Israeli news organizations.<\/p>\n The measure would make interviews or participation in discussions with designated outlets punishable by six months to two years in prison. <\/p>\n It would also tighten restrictions on contact with foreign institutions, sharing information with foreigners and some international scientific cooperation.<\/p>\n The bill still requires approval from Iran\u2019s Guardian Council before becoming law. It comes as Tehran intensifies restrictions on journalists<\/a> and alleged cooperation with foreign entities during the Iran war.<\/p>\n Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery was sentenced this month to 15 years under that law over allegations that included giving interviews to media deemed hostile and providing photographs to U.S. and Israel-linked organizations.<\/p>\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/p>\n 11 hours agoTrump looks to tighten the economic screws on Iran<\/p>\n President Donald Trump is signaling a new round of economic pressure on Iran, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent<\/a> promising measures as soon as next week that go beyond Washington\u2019s already expansive sanctions campaign.<\/p>\n The administration\u2019s options include:<\/p>\n \u2013 Hit Chinese \u201cteapot\u201d refiners that buy large volumes of Iranian crude.<\/p>\n \u2013 Sanction bigger Chinese banks that facilitate Iran-linked transactions \u2014 a step that could risk retaliation from Beijing.<\/p>\n \u2013 Expand the sanctions dragnet against oil shippers, currency exchanges and front companies helping Tehran evade restrictions.<\/p>\n \u2013 Push for a land blockade<\/a> with help from Iran\u2019s neighbors, though experts say it would be difficult to enforce.<\/p>\n \u2013 Use new secondary tariffs against countries doing business with Iran if Congress gives Trump additional authority.<\/p>\n The challenge: Many of those steps carry economic or diplomatic costs<\/a>, and years of sanctions have shown Tehran can often find new routes around U.S. pressure.<\/p>\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/p>\n 11 hours agoCENTCOM war commander visits USS Lincoln amid swap out<\/p>\n The top U.S. commander overseeing the Iran war visited the USS Abraham Lincoln<\/a> on Saturday as the aircraft carrier prepares to return home after an extended nine-month deployment marked by reports of deteriorating conditions aboard the ship.<\/p>\n CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper<\/a> praised the crew after the Lincoln spent more than 200 days in a combat zone and launched more than 10,000 sorties. <\/p>\n \u201cThe Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is a strong team of high-achieving Americans standing tall with immense, justified pride in everything they accomplished,\u201d Cooper said in a statement. \u201cHistory will record this deployment as one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era.\u201d<\/p>\n The visit comes as lawmakers raise concerns about fresh food shortages, plumbing problems and sailors\u2019 mental health after months without a port call. <\/p>\n The Pentagon has disputed reports that conditions aboard the carrier are unsafe.<\/p>\n 11 hours agoUS pulls last aircraft carrier from Pacific as Trump focuses on Iran, Western Hemisphere<\/p>\n The U.S. is moving its last aircraft carrier <\/a>in the western Pacific toward the Middle East as the Iran war puts growing strain on the Navy\u2019s fleet and crews.<\/p>\n The USS George Washington<\/a> is leaving the Pacific and is expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose deployment has been repeatedly extended to support operations against Iran. <\/p>\n The move will temporarily leave the region without a U.S. carrier as China steps up military activity around key American allies.<\/p>\n Analysts say the shift underscores the broader cost of the open-ended Iran conflict, which is stretching carrier deployments, raising concerns about sailor fatigue and potentially creating years of maintenance backlogs.<\/p>\n \u201cThe administration says that the Pacific is supposed to be the most important behind the Western Hemisphere,\u201d said Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. <\/p>\n Instead, the U.S. is “doing the exact opposite” of its previously expressed goal of pulling out of the Middle East, he added.<\/p>\n No one expects China to invade Taiwan because an American aircraft carrier has left the region, but the carrier’s absence gives the Chinese another opportunity to show its strength, according to Bryan Clark, a former Navy submariner who is a defense analyst at the Hudson Institute.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re using this as part of the narrative to demonstrate to the Philippines, to Japan, to Indonesia and others that the U.S. is not the big dog in the western Pacific anymore,\u201d Clark said. \u201cThey would just prefer that countries in the region decide that China is the bigger power and the U.S. is not able to guarantee their security anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Adm. Frank Bradley, head of the U.S. Special Operations Command<\/a>, has been trying to reassure regional allies of Washington\u2019s commitment. <\/p>\n He was in Manila on Thursday, telling his Filipino counterparts that U.S. special operations forces are ready to step up joint exercises to strengthen the countries’ alliance. He also is expected to travel to Japan.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have the ability to project force, the United States, anywhere on the globe,\u201d Bradley told The Associated Press. \u201cAnd when the threat in the region of the Middle East has been attended to, we will redeploy and reorient and be able to project that force wherever else it might be required.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI also feel very confident in the Armed Forces of the Philippines\u2019 ability to protect their sovereignty here and for us to remain close with them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n AP contributed to this report.<\/p>\n Breaking News12 hours agoIran executes man convicted of ramming police during January protests<\/p>\n Iran executed a man<\/a> Sunday who was convicted of deliberately driving into police officers during January\u2019s anti-government protests, according to the country\u2019s judiciary.<\/p>\n Shahram Sadeghi was accused of striking officers with a car in Karaj on Jan. 8, injuring seven, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. <\/p>\n An Iranian court sentenced him to death after authorities characterized the attack as an action carried out in support of Israel, the United States and other groups deemed hostile by Tehran<\/a>. <\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Supreme Court upheld the sentence, and the execution was carried out early Sunday.<\/p>\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/p>\n Breaking News12 hours agoIran accuses Qatar of blocking probe into missing pilots<\/p>\n Iran accused Qatar<\/a> on Sunday of delaying an investigation into the fate of Iranian pilots Tehran says are being held in the country \u2014 a claim Doha denies.<\/p>\n Mohammad Baqerzadeh, commander of Iran\u2019s Committee for the Search for Missing Persons, said an Iranian air force and fact-finding team has been waiting for months to enter Qatar, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency in Iran.<\/p>\n He accused Qatari officials of repeatedly delaying the probe and called on the International Committee of the Red Cross<\/a> to intervene.<\/p>\n Qatar denied on Saturday that it was holding Iranian pilots, saying they had violated Qatari airspace earlier this year and had failed to respond to attempts to contact them.<\/p>\n A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said on X that search and rescue teams later found the remains of one of the pilots and that it had contacted Iran to coordinate a handover.<\/p>\n Reuters contributed to this report.<\/p>\n 12 hours agoTrump officials tried to reach out to IRGC leadership because of Iran’s shaky command structure<\/p>\n The Trump administration reportedly opened a secret backchannel to Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that is terrorizing the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> after U.S. officials began questioning whether Tehran\u2019s formal negotiators actually had the authority to end the war.<\/p>\n Iraqi Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani served as the intermediary because of his unusually strong relationships in both Washington and Tehran, Axios reported Sunday<\/a>. <\/p>\n In mid-May, then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard asked Barzani to contact IRGC commander Gen. Ahmad Vahidi and determine whether the Guard supported the positions being taken by Iran\u2019s negotiating team.<\/p>\n Barzani ultimately spoke directly with Vahidi on May 14, Axios reported. <\/p>\n