Joe Kent claimed on Tuesday that he did not believe the Iranian regime had presented an &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; to the United States prior to President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision to attack — but he sang a very different tune in 2020, when he called for the elimination of Iran&#8217;s nuclear capabilities.
Kent announced that he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-kent-wasnt-involved-in-iran-war-planning-intel-official-says">leaving his post</a> as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, and claimed in his resignation letter he could not &#8220;in good conscience&#8221; support the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, at least in part because there was no &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; to the United States from the regime.
But in January of 2020, when a U.S. strike ordered by President Trump eliminated top Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Kent argued on social media that the president — to his way of thinking — had not gone far enough.
On January 7, four days after Soleimani was killed, Kent appeared to <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1214778671564611584">address</a> the threats coming from Iran promising retaliation for the strike on their general: &#8220;We remain in striking distance by choice for no clear benefit. We should crush their ballistic &amp; nuke capes and get out of Iraq, with sanctions to follow. Cut Iran off from funds and targets. Let them deal with proxies looking for $ &amp; their protesters. We don&#8217;t need IZ (Iraq) or IR (Iran).&#8221;
One day later, on January 8, Iran launched a dozen ballistic missiles at two targets in Iraq: Al Asad Airbase and another site near Irbil.
&#8220;Trump’s restraint shows that he wants a deal with Iran &amp; his red line is American loss of life &amp; IR nuke development. Our fundamental venerability remains — Troops in striking range of IR weapons &amp; proxies w/ no vital US mission,&#8221; Kent <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1214960125200330752">posted</a> on the 8th, adding, &#8220;I personally think we should have crushed their ballistic &amp; nuke capes, but Trump has a plan, he has definitely earned the confidence of any clear eyed observer.&#8221;
Even as recently as 2024, Kent&#8217;s posture toward Iran was far more in line with President Donald Trump&#8217;s current actions than with his own resignation letter that would come less than two years later.
On October 7, 2024 — one year after Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists crossed the border into Israel and slaughtered more than one thousand Israelis — Kent blamed former President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration for allowing Iran access to the kind of money that could fund such an operation.
&#8220;October 7th b/c happened Biden/Harris gave Iran access to over 100 billion,&#8221; Kent <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1843402393461182550">posted</a>. &#8220;Trump used diplomacy to build the Abraham accords, cut off Iran’s funding &amp; killed key terrorists. America &amp; our allies were safe &amp; there was less war. No more neocons, no appeasement, Trump ‘24.&#8221;
Just a few weeks earlier, he took a <a href="https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/1840425323743395853">similar tone</a>: &#8220;Iran’s goal in orchestrating 7 Oct was to break up the Abraham accords because the historic alliance isolated Iran’s terror regime. Trump used a balance of diplomacy, economic pressure &amp; targeted strikes to contain Iran. The embodiment of peace through strength. Israel’s dismantling of Hezbollah would have been much more challenging, if not impossible had Trump not taken out Iran’s terror mastermind Qasim Solemani.&#8221;
On March 17, 2026, however, Kent claimed in his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-intel-official-joe-kent-quits-over-iran-strikes-claims-israel-controls-trump">resignation letter</a> that Iran posed no &#8220;imminent threat&#8221; to the United States and that Trump was taking action against the regime because he was being pushed into it by Israel.
&#8220;Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,&#8221; he wrote.
&#8220;Who got to Joe Kent?&#8221; Steve Guest <a href="https://x.com/SteveGuest/status/2033947809758548390?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2033947809758548390%7Ctwgr%5E3399c8bcd88c7621f5a833b70157ac50cef0ca02%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitchy.com%2Fsamj%2F2026%2F03%2F17%2Fold-posts-come-back-to-haunt-joe-kent-n2426119">wondered</a>.

House Homeland 12/11/25

Joe Kent, Circa 2020: ‘I Personally Think [Trump] Should Have Crushed Their Ballistic & Nuke Capes’

Joe Kent, Circa 2020: 'I Personally Think [Trump] Should Have Crushed Their Ballistic & Nuke Capes'

ballistic missiles

Donald Trump

Iran

Military

Nuclear Weapons

Politics

Social Media

President Donald Trump said that destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities was worth the price of increasing oil prices. 
Trump made the comments after the price of global benchmark Brent crude oil <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oil-prices-jump-as-iran-celebrates-attacks-on-oil-tankers?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Oil+Prices+Jump+As+Iran+Celebrates+Attacks+On+Oil+Tankers">surpassed</a> $100 per barrel for the second time this week on Thursday morning. The president said increasing prices would generate more revenue for the United States. 
“The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is [stopping] an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World. I won’t ever let that happen!”
The Pentagon echoed the president&#8217;s statement and said the focus of the Iran operation is destroying its ability to develop nuclear weapons for the long term. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Iran was developing a conventional shield system to protect its nuclear capabilities. 
While the war continues, Trump said that he would release 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. He said Wednesday night that the reserve would be quickly refilled when possible. 
The Trump administration is also considering waiving the Jones Act, a federal law that requires goods transported between U.S. ports to be owned and operated by American citizens. The action could help lower the costs of shipping oil and other products. 
“In the interest of national defense, the White House is considering waiving the Jones Act for a limited period of time to ensure vital energy products and agricultural necessities are flowing freely to U.S. ports. This action has not been finalized,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/us-israel-iran-war-2026/card/white-house-considers-jones-act-waiver-to-speed-up-oil-food-shipments-NYw1QdN1qNujoWrisCAv?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqfKgrOffwj7nNj_oNixHtC_R9mwUZ6vswIucLIMk049Qy0Hr4AXWEKIkZfWPFs%3D&amp;gaa_ts=69b2ebd2&amp;gaa_sig=8zLfyEUY54kp6wetZ5-FX6LYoVNr_WuQ7U6TeJO-E7zBnsh0ew-KKU_IUuU2yq0M0cymSK-sUPj0_U7M6V-zSA%3D%3D">said</a>. 
Since the launch of the Iran operation, gas prices have risen significantly across the United States. The national average on Thursday was $3.59 per gallon compared to $2.94 one month ago, <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to AAA.
Trump has also floated using U.S. Navy ships to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, where roughly a fifth of the world’s oil flows. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday that it may happen soon, but said the military was focused on the Iran operation at the moment. 
“It’ll happen relatively soon, but it can’t happen now,” he <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/12/energy-secretary-wright-says-us-not-ready-to-escort-tankers-through-strait-of-hormuz-yet.html">told</a> CNBC. “We’re simply not ready. All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and the manufacturing industry that supplies their offensive capabilities.”
“I’ll be over at the Pentagon later today — that is what the military is working on,” he added. 
Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader of Iran, said in a message released Thursday that they would continue to make passage through the Strait of Hormuz difficult. “Certainly, the lever of closing the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used,” he said. 
Both Iraq and Oman closed oil terminals on Thursday after two oil tankers were struck by projectiles in the Persian Gulf. Iran took credit for one of the attacks, while Iraqi officials suspected Iran was to blame for the other tanker attack.

Trump Monitors Military Operations at White House

Trump Nukes Oil Price Critics, Puts Real Stakes In Perspective

Gas Prices

Strait of Hormuz

In an interview with Fox News&#8217;s Sean Hannity, Trump negotiator Steve Witkoff offered a chilling account of the failed talks that preceded the recent escalation with Iran, arguing that the regime was not seeking a deal but instead was intent on building an arsenal.
Witkoff described the scene where Iranian negotiators, emboldened by years of strategic ambiguity, attempted to strong-arm the United States. According to Witkoff, the regime’s arrogance was on full display from the jump:
<blockquote>So just to give you a little bit of a taste for how these three days&#8230; Negotiations went three separate times, Jared and I opened up with the Iranian negotiators, telling us they had the inalienable right to enrich all their nuclear fuel that they possessed. We, of course, responded that the president feels we have the inalienable right to stop you dead in your tracks. They then went on to say that beyond the inalienable right to enrich, that that was going to be their starting point. And Jared and I just sort of looked at ourselves, flummoxed, and said, well, we&#8217;re really in for it now.</blockquote>
Witkoff said the Trump administration even offered a good-faith alternative to prevent catastrophe: the U.S. would pay for civilian fuel if Iran agreed to cease all enrichment for ten years.
&#8220;We actually had that. And they rejected that,&#8221; Witkoff noted, &#8220;which told us at that very moment that they had no notion of doing anything other than retaining enrichment for the purpose of weaponizing.&#8221;
The most harrowing moment of the interview came when Witkoff laid out the sheer proximity of Iran to a nuclear breakout — a reality the Iranians bragged about during the talks. Witkoff outlined what he described as Iran&#8217;s breakout capacity.
According to Witkoff, Iran currently possesses roughly 10,000 kilograms of enriched material, including approximately 460 kilograms enriched to 60% purity and another 1,000 kilograms at 20%. He argued that the 60% stockpile could be further enriched to weapons-grade levels within days.
Witkoff said Iranian negotiators “said to us directly with no shame that they controlled 460 kilograms&#8221; enriched to 60%, and they were aware that such material could theoretically be converted into enough weapons-grade uranium for as many as 11 bombs.
&#8220;They were proud of it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs.&#8221;
As Hannity noted, it &#8220;defies all logic and reason&#8221; that the regime thought they could dictate terms to Donald Trump while sitting on a nuclear powder keg.
Despite the administration&#8217;s efforts to address the missile program and proxy destabilization, Witkoff concluded it was &#8220;impossible&#8221; to find a viable partner for peace. According to Witkoff, the negotiations revealed how close Tehran was to a potential nuclear breakout, and why the White House concluded diplomacy had run its course.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UxoVFhzMn4A?si=V2g7NN-yt9k5wyUE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Steve Witkoff

‘THEY WERE PROUD OF IT’: Witkoff Reveals Chilling Details Of Iranian Nuclear Arrogance

Global Politics

The United States has presented new seismic data to substantiate its allegations that China tested a nuclear device in 2020, violating an international agreement against such tests.
A seismic monitoring station in Kazakhstan registered a 2.75 magnitude seismic event on June 22, 2020, the date that Washington has said Beijing tested a nuclear device in northwest China. The reading may be minor, but it picked up on an event that happened over 450 miles away, according to Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Yeaw.
“There is very little possibility that it is anything other than an explosion, a singular explosion,” Yeaw said on Tuesday, according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/17/nx-s1-5716046/u-s-releases-new-details-on-alleged-secret-chinese-nuclear-test">NPR</a>. “It is quite consistent with what you would expect from a nuclear explosive test.”
Yeaw said that the event that was measured in Kazakhstan originated from Lop Nor, long recognized as one of China’s main nuclear test sites.
The revelation of the seismic data comes as the United States is pushing China to join in nuclear talks between Washington and Moscow. Earlier this month, an arms treaty that limited nuclear weapons <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nuclear-caps-gone-as-u-s-russia-treaty-expires">expired</a> between the United States and Russia.
President Donald Trump said last year that China and Russia have conducted secret nuclear weapon tests. Trump said that the United States would begin testing, too.
“Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it. You know, we’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it. We have to talk about it, because otherwise you people are going to report,” the president said during an interview with “60 Minutes.” “We’re going to test, because they test and others test.”
Days after the CBS interview, the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-announces-major-decision-on-nuclear-weapons">announced</a> that he had directed the Department of War to begin conducting nuclear tests.
“The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” the president said in a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115499324245510580">post</a>. “This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term. Because of other countries [sic] testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”
In a video message, Trump added, “Because of the tremendous destructive power, I hated to do it, having to do with nuclear weapons, but I really had no choice. Russia is second in line, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years.”

Donald Trump, Xi Jinping

Trump Admin Reveals Seismic Data To Confirm Secret Chinese Nuclear Tests

Communist China

Russia

United States

World

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Friday that any new U.S. nuclear treaty must reflect the rapid expansion of China&#8217;s nuclear arsenal. 
Rubio’s comments come a day after the New START Treaty, which limited deployed strategic nuclear weapons in the United States and Russia, officially expired. He argued that any replacement framework should address a new era beyond the Cold War model, one that recognized both Russia and China as nuclear peers. 
“A treaty requires at least two parties, and the choice before the United States was to bind itself unilaterally or to recognize that a new era requires a new approach. Not the same old START, but something new. A treaty that reflects that the United States could soon face not one, but two, nuclear peers in Russia and China,” he <a href="https://statedept.substack.com/p/the-next-era-of-nuclear-arms-control">wrote</a> on the State Department’s Substack page. 
Rubio said China&#8217;s nuclear stockpile has nearly tripled since 2020, growing from the low 200s to almost 600, with projections topping 1,000 warheads by 2030. 
“China’s rapid and opaque expansion of its nuclear arsenal since New START entered into force has rendered past models of arms control, based upon bilateral agreements between the United States and Russia, obsolete,” Rubio wrote. “An arms control arrangement that does not account for China’s build-up, which Russia is supporting, will undoubtedly leave the United States and our allies less safe.”
President Donald Trump has accused China of conducting secret nuclear tests. Under Secretary of State Thomas DiNanno <a href="https://x.com/UnderSecT/status/2019714341344362507">said</a> Friday on X that China had used a technique called &#8220;decoupling&#8221; to mask nuclear explosive tests by reducing the effectiveness of seismic monitoring, including one conducted on June 22, 2020.
Rubio also criticized Russia, noting that Moscow announced in 2023, amid its war with Ukraine, that it would stop recognizing the New START Treaty. Although Russia later said it would continue observing the treaty&#8217;s limits, the agreement capped deployed nuclear warheads at 1,550. 
“Russia and China should not expect the United States to stand still while they shirk their obligations and expand their nuclear forces. We will maintain a robust, credible, and modernized nuclear deterrent,” Rubio wrote. “But we will do so while pursuing all avenues to fulfill the President’s genuine desire for a world with fewer of these awful weapons.”
Ahead of New START’s expiration, President Donald Trump said he wanted a broader nuclear agreement that could include other countries like China. In a Truth Social <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116019511106186158">post</a> on Thursday, Trump criticized the Obama-era deal as poorly negotiated.
“Rather than extend ‘NEW START’ (A badly negotiated deal by the United States that, aside from everything else, is being grossly violated), we should have our Nuclear Experts work on a new, improved, and modernized Treaty that can last long into the future,” Trump wrote.

President Trump Meets With Visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban

Rubio Warns China’s ‘Rapid’ Nuclear Buildup Is Making U.S. ‘Less Safe’

China

Marco Rubio

State Department

An arms control treaty between the United States and Russia limiting deployed strategic nuclear warheads expired Thursday, marking the first time since 1972 that either country is no longer bound by formal caps on its nuclear forces. 
The New START Treaty, negotiated under former President Barack Obama and taking effect on February 5, 2011, expired on February 4 with no announced replacement. The expiration comes as President Donald Trump has directed the Departments of War and Energy to prepare for potential changes to nuclear weapons policy. 
“If it expires, it expires,” Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/us/politics/trump-interview-power-morality.html#:~:text=“If%20it%20expires%2C%20it%20expires%2C”%20he%20said.%20“We’ll%20do%20a%20better%20agreement%2C”%20he%20added%2C%20insisting%20that%20China%2C%20which%20has%20the%20fastest%2Dgrowing%20arsenal%20in%20the%20world%2C%20should%20be%20incorporated%20in%20any%20future%20agreement.">told</a> The New York Times in an interview last month. “We’ll do a better agreement.”
“You probably want to get a couple of other players involved also,” Trump added. 
New START capped Russia and the United States at 700 deployed strategic delivery systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), along with a limit of 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 800 deployed and non-deployed launchers.
“New START limits all Russian deployed intercontinental-range nuclear weapons, including every Russian nuclear warhead that is loaded onto an intercontinental-range ballistic missile that can reach the United States in approximately 30 minutes,” the State Department <a href="https://www.state.gov/new-start-treaty">said</a>. 
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that “Russian interests” would drive the next stage of relations with the United States. 
&#8220;What happens next depends on how events unfold,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/new-nuclear-age-beckons-clock-ticks-down-last-russia-us-arms-deal-2026-02-04/">said</a>. &#8220;In any case, the Russian Federation will maintain its responsible and attentive approach to the issue of strategic stability in the field of nuclear weapons and, of course, as always, will be guided first and foremost by its national interests.&#8221;
Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115460423936412555">said</a> in October that the United States would begin testing its nuclear weapons, arguing the move was necessary because Russia and China were conducting secret nuclear tests. China, meanwhile, is rapidly expanding its nuclear weapons stash and is projected to have more than 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.
“Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it. You know, we’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it. We have to talk about it, because otherwise you people are going to report,” Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sounds-alarm-china-and-russia-conducting-secret-nuke-tests?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Sounds+Alarm%3A+China+and+Russia+Conducting+Secret+Nuke+Tests">said</a>. “We’re going to test, because they test and others test.”
Trump administration officials later clarified that the planned tests would be &#8220;systems tests&#8221; and would not involve nuclear detonations. The United States has not detonated a nuclear weapon since 1992.
Russia <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-nuclear-rules-start-treaty-vladimir-putin-ukraine-missiles-rcna71805">suspended</a> participation in the New START Treaty in 2023 amid its war with Ukraine, but claimed it would continue to comply with the treaty&#8217;s limits. Since coming into office, Trump has pushed strongly for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. On Thursday, special envoy Steve Witkoff announced that the United States, Russia, and Ukraine had agreed to a 314-person prisoner swap.
&#8220;This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive. While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine,&#8221; Witkoff <a href="https://x.com/SEPeaceMissions/status/2019354305661137340">said</a>. &#8220;Discussions will continue, with additional progress anticipated in the coming weeks.&#8221;

U.S. President Trump And Russian  President Putin Meet On War In Ukraine At U.S. Air Base In Alaska

Nuclear Caps Gone As U.S.-Russia Treaty Expires

President Donald Trump warned Iran early Wednesday morning that it must agree to a nuclear weapons deal or risk an attack from the United States. 
Trump said on Truth Social that a “massive Armada” of American warships is moving toward Iran and is prepared to take action if Tehran doesn’t “come to the table.” The president made multiple references to the operation in Venezuela earlier this month that led to the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro. 
“A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela,” Trump wrote. “Like with Venezuela, it is, ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary. Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal &#8211; NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS &#8211; one that is good for all parties.”
Trump also pointed to the Air Force&#8217;s June bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities during “Operation Midnight Hammer,” warning that the “next attack” would be even more destructive if Iran failed to begin negotiations. 
“Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said. 
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees the Middle East, said Monday that it would conduct a multi-day readiness exercise “to demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse, and sustain combat airpower across” the region. 
Trump previously threatened to intervene in Iran after massive anti-government protests broke out across the country. 
“If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump posted on Truth Social on January 2. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Thousands of people have reportedly been killed in Iran during the weeks of protesting, with some estimates placing the death count as high as 30,000.

U.S. President Trump Attends World Economic Forum In Davos

‘Time Is Running Out’: Trump Warns Iran To Make Nuclear Deal Or Face Another U.S. Attack

Executive

The U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear program in June inflicted significant damage, creating critical bottlenecks across the country’s weapons-building supply chain that pushed Tehran’s nuclear ambitions into a period of uncertainty and disruption, according to post-strike assessments.
Before the attacks, Iran was widely viewed as a nuclear threshold state, only months away from being able to assemble a nuclear weapon if its leadership chose to do so. It reportedly possessed sufficient enriched uranium — once further refined to weapons grade — to fuel as many as 22 nuclear weapons within five months, with enough material for roughly half that number available within weeks. Iranian scientists were reportedly accelerating work on weaponization, laying the groundwork for a final political decision by the supreme leader.
The June strikes, <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/csis-satellite-imagery-analysis-reveals-possible-signs-renewed-nuclear-activity-iran">carried out</a> by the United States and Israel, targeted multiple layers of Iran’s nuclear enterprise. Analysts describe the damage in system-level terms: not only to individual facilities, but to the interconnected steps required to enrich fuel, fabricate weapon cores, and assemble a bomb. The attacks destroyed or severely damaged machinery, processing facilities, and stockpiles essential for producing highly enriched uranium. Iran’s route to weapons-grade plutonium was eliminated entirely.
Equally consequential was the blow to Iran’s weaponization effort. Israeli strikes crippled facilities linked to bomb design and fuel-core production, struck administrative centers overseeing the program, and killed more than a dozen nuclear scientists. Even damage to a single element of this complex system, experts say, can dramatically slow progress; taken together, the losses represent a major setback.
Yet the long-term impact remains uncertain. Iran has refused inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the only body capable of verifying what assets survived or could be recovered from underground sites. Tehran may attempt to rebuild, reconstituting capabilities over time.
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Complicating matters further, Iran formally declared in October that all obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action had expired, ending international oversight of its nuclear activities. Since the strikes, Iran’s program appears to have entered a new phase marked by secrecy, disarray, and internal anxiety.
Satellite imagery shows little activity at the bombed sites — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — where power systems were destroyed, and debris still blocks access. Still, concerns persist. Intelligence officials say Iran may retain a stockpile of 60% enriched uranium and could be seeking new underground enrichment sites, signaling that while the program has been battered, it has not necessarily been extinguished.
According to <a href="https://www.fdd.org/iran-strike-assessment/">FDD</a>, regarding Iran’s centrifuge manufacturing, TABA/TESA Karaj and Esfahan tunnel sites have been destroyed, but the Natanz Pickaxe Mountain site is under construction. As for the testing and development of centrifuges, the Tehran Nuclear Research Center and the Kalaye Electric site have been destroyed. Vis-à-vis uranium production and mining, the Saghan 11 &amp; 2 sites are still operational, but for uranium conversion, production of UF6, the Esfahan Uranium conversion facility was destroyed. As for uranium enrichment, the Natanz Pilot Fuel Enrichment plant was destroyed, and the Fordow Fuel Enrichment plant was deeply buried, so any intact highly enriched uranium would need to be excavated. Russia is still supplying enriched uranium fuel. Iran’s capacity for weaponizing uranium and plutonium has been severely degraded.

Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth Holds Pentagon Press Conference On Iran Strikes

U.S. Strikes On Iran Created Severe Bottlenecks To The Regime’s Nuclear Weapons Pipeline

Strikes Create Critical Bottlenecks In Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Pipeline

The Coast Guard said Thursday that it encountered a Russian military vessel just outside of American territorial waters near Hawaii last month. 
The incident took place on October 29, after the Coast Guard detected a Russian vessel 15 miles off the coast of Oahu. Territorial waters extend 12 miles out from the shore, meaning that the Russian ship was within three miles of U.S. territorial waters. 
In response to the ship, the Coast Guard said that it conducted “a safe and professional overflight and transiting” near the Russian vessel involving an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Barbers Point and the William Hart, a Coast Guard cutter. 
“The U.S. Coast Guard routinely monitors maritime activity around the Hawaiian Islands and throughout the Pacific to ensure the safety and security of U.S. waters,” said Captain Matthew Chong, the chief of response for the Coast Guard Oceania District. “Working in concert with partners and allies, our crews monitor and respond to foreign military vessel activity near our territorial waters to protect our maritime borders and defend our sovereign interests.”
The Russian vessel was an intelligence ship <a href="https://odin.tradoc.army.mil/WEG/Asset/Vishnya_Class_%28Project_864_Class%29_Russian_Intelligence_Collection_Ship">built</a> in 1986 for the Soviet Union and was equipped with close-in weapon systems and surface-to-air missile launchers.
The Coast Guard said that it was “monitoring the Russian vessel’s activities near U.S. territorial waters to provide maritime security for U.S. vessels operating in the area and to support U.S. homeland defense efforts.”
Tensions have been elevated between Russia and the United States in recent weeks after President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-sounds-alarm-china-and-russia-conducting-secret-nuke-tests">directed</a> the military to conduct new nuclear weapon tests. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that upcoming U.S. testing would involve systems checks, not nuclear detonations. 
Trump said last week that the reason for the move was because of secret tests by Russia and China, suggesting that they may be conducting tests underground. 
“Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it. You know, we’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it. We have to talk about it, because otherwise you people are going to report,” Trump said. “We’re going to test, because they test and others test.”
Russia has denied Trump&#8217;s allegations and <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/nuclear-warning-russia-us-vladimir-putin-marco-rubio-11041023">said</a> that it would “respond in kind” if the U.S. moved forward with nuclear testing.

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Coast Guard Spots Russian Spy Ship Just Miles From American Waters

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President Donald Trump said that the reason he directed the United States to conduct new nuclear weapons tests was that countries like China and Russia were secretly doing the same thing. 
Trump made the comments during a wide-ranging interview with CBS News correspondent Nora O’Donnell on “60 Minutes” that was broadcast on Sunday. Just before he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115460423936412555">posted</a> on Truth Social that he had directed the Department of War to start testing America’s nuclear weapons. 
“You have to see how they work,” Trump said of his directive. “The reason I&#8217;m saying testing is because Russia announced that they were going to be doing a test. If you notice, North Korea&#8217;s testing constantly. Other countries are testing. We&#8217;re the only country that doesn&#8217;t test, and I don&#8217;t want to be the only country that doesn&#8217;t test.”
When O’Donnell said that countries like China and Russia hadn’t done nuclear weapons testing, Trump countered that they were doing so secretly.
“Russia&#8217;s testing nuclear weapons,” Trump said. “And China&#8217;s testing them too. You just don&#8217;t know about it.”
“Russia&#8217;s testing, and China&#8217;s testing, but they don&#8217;t talk about it. You know, we&#8217;re an open society. We&#8217;re different. We talk about it. We have to talk about it, because otherwise you people are going to report,” Trump said. “We&#8217;re going to test, because they test and others test.”
Trump then suggested that Russia and China may be testing their nuclear weapons underground. 
On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-trump-nuclear-weapons-tests-60-minutes-beijing-response/">denied</a> that China was conducting nuclear weapons tests. She claimed that China has “upheld a self-defense nuclear strategy and abided by its commitment to suspend nuclear testing.”
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Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that upcoming U.S. testing would involve systems checks, not nuclear detonations.
“I think the tests we’re talking about right now are system tests,” he <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-nuclear-weapons-testing-explosions-wright-energy-a920fc10aff85243cb6895fad55b2839">said</a> during an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Briefing.” “These are not nuclear explosions. These are what we call noncritical explosions.”
Wright added that the tests would include looking at “all the other parts of a nuclear weapon to make sure they deliver the appropriate geometry and they set up the nuclear explosion.”
The last time the United States detonated a nuclear weapon was in 1992. In 1996, the United States, under President Bill Clinton, signed an international agreement not to test nuclear weapons, but the Senate voted against ratifying the treaty. The last publicly reported test of a nuclear weapon was by North Korea in 2017.

U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the White House

Trump Sounds Alarm: China and Russia Conducting Secret Nuke Tests

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Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Saturday took aim at Beijing over an increase in &#8220;destabilising actions&#8221; in the South China Sea and committed to support Southeast Asian countries with technology to help them respond jointly to Chinese threats.
On a second day in Kuala Lumpur packed with meetings that included multilateral talks with allies Australia, Japan and the Philippines, Hegseth proposed to ASEAN defence ministers the building of shared maritime domain awareness and said China had shown a lack of respect and threatened their territorial sovereignty.
&#8220;You live it on the threats we all face from China&#8217;s aggression and course of actions in the South China Sea and elsewhere,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;We need to develop our joint capabilities to respond, and this includes being able to monitor maritime conduct and develop the tools that allow us to respond quickly &#8230; ensuring that whoever is on the receiving end of aggression and provocation is then, therefore, by definition, not alone.&#8221;
&#8220;No one can innovate and scale like the United States of America, and we&#8217;re eager to share those capabilities with allies and partners,&#8221; Hegseth added.
Hegseth&#8217;s remarks came a day after the armed forces of Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and the U.S. held a drill in the South China Sea, a patrol that a Chinese military spokesperson said &#8220;seriously undermined peace and stability.&#8221;
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea via a line on its maps that overlaps with parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
China has deployed an armada of coast guard vessels hundreds of kilometers off its mainland that has repeatedly clashed with vessels of the Philippines and been accused of disrupting energy activities of Malaysia and Vietnam.
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Beijing denies acting aggressively and says its coast guard has operated professionally in defending Chinese territory from incursions.
On Friday, its Defense Minister Dong Jun said it was necessary for China and ASEAN to work together to &#8220;pool Eastern strength&#8221; and safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Hegseth&#8217;s visit to Southeast Asia came soon after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media that he had asked the U.S. military to &#8220;start testing our Nuclear Weapons,&#8221; after a halt for 33 years, a move that appeared to be a message to rival nuclear powers China and Russia.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump meant nuclear-explosive testing, which would be carried out by the National Nuclear Security Administration, or flight testing of nuclear-capable missiles.
Asked by reporters what kind of testing Trump was referring to, Hegseth said his department would comment later, adding: &#8220;We have very capable nuclear capabilities, and testing them is only prudent.&#8221;
In addressing the defense ministers&#8217; forum, Hegseth touted Washington&#8217;s peace credentials and said the U.S. was dedicated to building a military &#8220;unmatched in global power,&#8221; while stressing its commitment to allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.
He said U.S. dialogue with China was important and the opportunity to talk to his Chinese counterpart on Friday was of value, but warned Beijing&#8217;s actions must be watched closely.
&#8220;We seek peace. We do not seek conflict, but we must ensure that China is not seeking to dominate you or anybody else,&#8221; Hegseth told ASEAN counterparts.
(Reporting by Danial Azhar and Mandy Leong. Writing by Martin Petty. Editing by Mark Potter)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Testifies In Senate Hearing

Hegseth Says U.S. Ready To Share Tools To Help Allies Counter ‘Aggressive’ China

Pete Hegseth

President Donald Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after a dismal jobs report was revised down by 90%, alleging the numbers were &#8220;rigged.&#8221; The U.S. positions nuclear submarines in response to threats from a former Russian leader as Trump&#8217;s deadline for peace talks with Putin approaches. The controversy over a Sydney Sweeney ad escalates, highlighting a broader cultural shift away from DEI under the Trump administration. 
It’s Monday, August 4, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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<h2>Trump Ousts Labor Chief After Dismal Jobs Report</h2>
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Topline: President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday after the agency released a dismal jobs report and dramatically revised down its numbers from previous months. 
On Friday, the Labor Department released a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-fires-biden-appointed-labor-statistics-boss-after-major-revisions-to-jobs-reports">report</a> showing the U.S. economy added only 73,000 jobs in July, falling well short of the 100,000 projection. More alarmingly, the agency announced that its job numbers for May and June had been overestimated by 90%, revising the initial report of 291,000 jobs down to just 33,000. President Trump immediately responded with a statement declaring that &#8220;the jobs were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.” He then fired Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, accusing her of releasing similarly inaccurate reports before the 2024 election &#8220;in the hopes of getting &#8216;Kamala&#8217; elected.&#8221; 
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett defended the move, stating, &#8220;What we need is a fresh set of eyes at the BLS. Someone who can clean this thing up.” Democrats and other critics, like former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, called the president’s charge &#8220;preposterous,&#8221; arguing that it would be impossible for the head of the BLS to manipulate the data. 
Despite the sluggish job growth, the White House pointed to positive underlying trends in the labor market. Since President Trump took office, 100% of net job growth has been among American-born workers and has occurred in the private sector. Under the previous administration, 100% of net job growth was among foreign-born workers, while about 25% of all jobs created were in government. 
<h2>U.S. Positions Nuclear Subs After Russian Threats</h2>
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Topline: President Trump has ordered two U.S. nuclear submarines to be repositioned in response to inflammatory nuclear rhetoric from former Kremlin leader Dmitry Medvedev. 
Medvedev, who often serves as a provocateur for the Kremlin, recently made statements alluding to a last-ditch nuclear weapons response. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-dispatches-nuclear-submarines-after-highly-provacative-statements-from-russia">said</a> he ordered the submarines into position as a precaution, in case Medvedev’s &#8220;foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,&#8221; adding, &#8220;Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences.” 
While the specific submarines and their locations have not been disclosed, the U.S. Navy possesses 14 Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines. Each one can carry up to 20 Trident ballistic missiles armed with multiple nuclear warheads, capable of striking Moscow from thousands of miles away. The move is being seen as a signal from Trump that he will not tolerate threats from Russia, a harder line than the previous administration’s focus on de-escalation. 
This comes as Trump’s new August 8 deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to enter into peace talks with Ukraine is fast approaching. If Russia misses the deadline, the president has the authority to implement massive new sanctions and increase weapons shipments to Ukraine. 
<h2>‘Great Jeans’ Ad Highlights Anti-DEI Shift</h2>
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Topline: The ongoing controversy over an American Eagle ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney has become a cultural flashpoint, highlighting the Trump administration&#8217;s aggressive push to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. 
Since taking office, President Trump has signed executive orders terminating DEI mandates in the federal government and requiring federal contractors to comply with anti-discrimination laws. The administration has also put universities on notice that they will lose federal grants if they employ DEI in admissions or hiring. 
The American Eagle ad, which features the traditionally beautiful actress and a voiceover with a pun on &#8220;jeans&#8221; and &#8220;genes,&#8221; sparked a media firestorm. An MSNBC column claimed it signaled an &#8220;unbridled cultural shift toward Whiteness,&#8221; while other outlets accused the company of promoting eugenics and even &#8220;Nazi propaganda.&#8221; 
Vice President JD Vance weighed in on the &#8220;unhinged&#8221; reaction, saying it reveals Democrats&#8217; &#8220;hostility to basic American life.&#8221; American Eagle has not apologized for the ad, and its stock has risen about 15% since the campaign launched. In what appears to be a cancellation attempt against the actress, Buzzfeed recently published an article revealing that Sweeney <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/leftists-melt-down-after-report-that-sydney-sweeney-is-registered-republican">registered as a Republican</a> in 2024.

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Morning Brief: July Jobs Data, U.S. Repositions Nuclear Submarines, Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Great Jeans’

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