JD Vance has sharply rebuked Israeli government critics of the US deal with Iran, saying the cabinet members should remember that two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected Israel \u201chave been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars\u201d.<\/p>\n
The US vice-president, asked about a report that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was fuming over the agreement, told reporters at the White House: \u201cIf I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left \u200cin the entire world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The US provides Israel about $4bn in military assistance a year.<\/p>\n
Iran, meanwhile, announced plans to introduce a system of maritime fees <\/a>in the strait of Hormuz in two months, after the 60-day period of negotiation that has been triggered by the signing of the memorandum of understanding.<\/p>\n Vance tells Iran deal critics in Israel: Trump is your only ally<\/p>\n Vance said while lashing out at Israeli critics of the US-Iran deal that Trump was Israel\u2019s only ally left in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cThe problem for Israel is not Donald J Trump, and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in,\u201d the US vice-president said.<\/p>\n He was defending the deal \u2060signed this week to end the war \u200bwith Iran<\/a> that critics in the US and Israel have denounced<\/a> for failing to curb Iran\u2019s missile program and providing no clear path to dismantling its nuclear facilities, while constraining Israel in its war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n Iran plans to impose fees on strait of Hormuz after 60 days<\/p>\n Tehran has said the Hormuz strait is under its control and that a European plan for a naval mission to escort ships though the waterway would not be welcome.<\/p>\n The warning came as Iran \u2013 claiming a historic victory over the US \u2013 announced plans to introduce fees for passing the vital energy route after the 60-day negotiating period with the US under their agreement.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Netanyahu reportedly said Israeli would maintain a \u201csecurity zone\u201d in southern Lebanon for as long as needed, while Trump said the \u200bUS expected \u201ca \u2060complete ceasefire on all fronts, including \u2060Lebanon, Hezbollah, \u200band Israel\u201d.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n Washington quietly shifts $352m in federal funds for White House ballroom<\/p>\n The Trump administration has quietly redirected $352m in federal funds designated for the Secret Service toward the president\u2019s controversial White House ballroom project, despite repeated promises by Trump that the construction would be financed by private donations.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n Fed\u2019s Cook faced $1.3m in legal and security fees after Trump bid to fire her<\/p>\n The Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook faced more than $1.3m in legal and security fees after coming under attack from the Trump administration, according to ethics disclosures filed on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The White House targeted Cook last summer as Trump ramped up his unprecedented campaign to push the Fed to cut interest rates.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n Trump team compares reflecting pool algae battle to Iran war<\/p>\n US federal government workers continue to take on the green hue that has swept across Washington\u2019s reflecting pool, an increasingly fiendish battle the Trump administration compared to its war with Iran.<\/p>\n After Trump ordered a $14.2m refurbishment to turn the monument to \u201cAmerican Flag blue\u201d in time for the country\u2019s 250th birthday celebrations, the administration encountered a formidable foe: algae.<\/p>\n Read the full story<\/a><\/p>\n What else happened today:<\/p>\n