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Trump: Iran’s Military ‘Literally Obliterated’ — Officials ‘Want to Make a Deal’ as Leadership Remains Unclear

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President Donald Trump declared Monday that Iran’s military has been “literally obliterated” by the U.S.-led Operation Epic Fury campaign, while revealing that Iranian officials have been reaching out seeking a deal even as he questioned whether those making contact actually have the authority to negotiate on behalf of a regime whose leadership he says has been largely wiped out.

Speaking to reporters ahead of a meeting with the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, Trump said weeks of U.S. and Israeli strikes have shattered the Islamic Republic’s military capabilities.

“They have been literally obliterated,” Trump said. “The Air Force is gone. The Navy is gone. Many ships have been sunk. Their anti-aircraft is decimated, their radar is gone, and their leaders are gone.”

Trump said the campaign has struck more than 7,000 targets across Iran, crippling Tehran’s ability to project force across the region.

“We’ve achieved a 90 percent reduction in ballistic missile launches and a 95 percent reduction in drone attacks,” Trump said, adding that Iranian missiles are now “trickling in at very low levels because they don’t have too many missiles left.” (Read more from “Trump: Iran’s Military ‘Literally Obliterated’ — Officials ‘Want to Make a Deal’ as Leadership Remains Unclear” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Trump Demands Iran ‘Surrender,’ says he’s Hearing New Leader ‘not alive’

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President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran’s military has been “decimated,” claiming the U.S. has wiped out the country’s air defenses and severely weakened its forces.

Asked whether he was ready to officially declare victory against Iran, Trump said he was not declaring it over yet but argued the damage to Tehran’s military has been significant.

“There’s no reason to,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “I think I’d just say they’re decimated. … If we left right now, it would take them ten years and more to rebuild. But I’m still not declaring it over.”

Trump said U.S. operations have “taken out” Iran’s air force and air defense systems, leaving the country with “no air defense whatsoever,” and argued Iran’s missile and drone capabilities have also been sharply reduced.

Trump added that the U.S. and Israel have “similar objectives” regarding Iran and that the two countries’ militaries are “very well coordinated.” (Read more from “Trump Demands Iran ‘Surrender,’ says he’s Hearing New Leader ‘not alive’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Trump Touts ‘Tremendous Support’ for Iran War — but What do the Latest Polls Show?

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President Donald Trump highlighted the “tremendous support” for the war in Iran in a new interview — though recent polls are painting a more muddled picture.

In a sit-down conversation with Jake Paul released Friday, the influencer-turned-boxer pointed to what he saw as criticism from some of the U.S. public over Operation Epic Fury. . .

Trump replied: “We support gays, but they throw gays off the buildings, OK? We support this. I mean, the things they do — and they’re fighting. But I think I have tremendous support on this.” . . .

A poll out Thursday from The Washington Post, which surveyed 1,005 Americans, did record less opposition to the war than previous surveys — but the majority still want U.S. strikes to come to a halt rather than continue by a 42% to 34% margin.

According to the poll, 42% of respondents said they support the U.S. military campaign in Iran, while 40% stand against it. Another 17% said they are unsure. . .

A Quinnipiac University poll, released Monday, found that 53% of voters oppose U.S. military action against Iran, while 40% back it. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from the same day indicated that just 29% of Americans ​approve of the strikes, while 42% disapprove. (Read more from “Trump Touts ‘Tremendous Support’ for Iran War — but What do the Latest Polls Show?” HERE)

Trump Warns of ‘Very Bad’ Future if NATO Allies Refuse to Help Open Critical Strait of Hormuz

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President Trump on Sunday warned NATO faces a “very bad” future if the US allies fail to help reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz, as oil prices soar during the Iran war.

Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times that European nations and other global powers that rely on Gulf oil should join a US-led effort to secure the waterway — where roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply normally flows.

“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump told the British outlet, arguing that Europe and China are more heavily dependent on oil from the region than the US.

“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.”

The president also said he could delay his summit with China’s President Xi Jinping later this month as he presses Beijing to help unblock the Strait.

“I think China should help too because China gets 90 percent of its oil from the Straits [sic],” Trump told the Financial Times. (Read more from “Trump Warns of ‘Very Bad’ Future if NATO Allies Refuse to Help Open Critical Strait of Hormuz” HERE)

Dramatic Moment Bessent is Yanked from Interview for Urgent Talks in Situation Room: ‘President wants you right away’

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President Trump ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was in the middle of an interview, to the White House Situation Room as the administration deals with the financial fallout of the Iran war.

Bessent, 63, was speaking with Sky News’ Wilfred Frost of “The Master Investor Podcast” on Thursday inside the Treasury Department’s Cash Room when an aide suddenly interrupted roughly 13 minutes into the conversation.

“The president wants you right away,” the aide told Bessent from off-camera, according to a clip shared on X by the outlet.

A microphone was removed from Bessent’s jacket as he left the building at 10:22 a.m., according to the outlet’s timestamp. The top economic official returned nearly two hours later.

Bessent said he discussed a “plethora of things” during his meeting with Trump. (Read more from “Dramatic Moment Bessent is Yanked from Interview for Urgent Talks in Situation Room: ‘President wants you right away’” HERE)

Trump temporarily lifts sanctions on Russian oil ‘stranded at sea’

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The Trump administration temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil “stranded at sea” Thursday in an effort to contain skyrocketing energy prices due to Iranian threats against tanker ships.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the move as one of President Trump’s “decisive steps to promote stability in global energy markets” and keep oil prices low amid the “threat and instability posed by the terrorist Iranian regime.”

“To increase the global reach of existing supply, [Treasury] is providing a temporary authorization to permit countries to purchase Russian oil currently stranded at sea,” Bessent wrote on X.

The treasury secretary noted that the “narrowly tailored, short-term measure” will only apply to oil “already in transit.”

There are an estimated 124 million barrels of oil originating from Moscow at sea, which is enough for about five to six days of supply, according to CNBC. (Read more from “Trump temporarily lifts sanctions on Russian oil ‘stranded at sea’” HERE)

Beauty queen slams Trump as she’s FIRED by White House: ‘I stood by you for 20 years… now, I don’t even recognize you’

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A former Miss California has accused Donald Trump of betraying his most loyal supporters after being fired from a White House religious post over her comments on Israel.

Carrie Prejean Boller was sacked from the Justice Department’s Religious Liberty Commission after ‘hijacking’ a February 9 hearing examining the rise of anti-Semitism.

Prejean Boller engaged in tense exchanges with Jewish witnesses, including rabbis and students, who were giving evidence about abuse they had suffered after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas which left 1,200 dead.

The 38-year-old, who is married to former NFL quarterback Kyle Boller, published an open letter to Trump on Thursday, claiming that he was surrounded by ‘heretics’ who supported Israel over America.

She reminded the President that it was he who had defended her when, at 21 years old, she ignited a national firestorm at the Miss USA pageant by declaring that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Trump owned the pageant at the time and defended her right to free speech, letting her keep her crown.

You can hear her interview HERE.

‘I have not changed one bit since the day you stood beside me in 2009. That is why it is so shocking to now be removed from a Religious Liberty Commission for doing the very same thing you once defended,’ Prejean Boller wrote. (Read more from “Beauty queen slams Trump as she’s FIRED by White House: ‘I stood by you for 20 years… now, I don’t even recognize you’” HERE)

Trump Needs To Prepare Americans For What Comes Next In Iran

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It’s been nearly two weeks since the Trump administration launched a war against Iran, and President Trump is beginning to signal that he wants to wind it down. On Monday, he said “we’re way ahead of schedule,” and that the war would be over “very soon.” On Wednesday during a speech in Kentucky, Trump off-handedly declared “we’ve won,” and said it was all over “in the first hour.”

It’s understandable that Trump would be eyeing a quick end to the war, given spiking oil prices, growing public opposition to the war, and criticism from his MAGA base. But at this point it’s looking less and less like the president will simply be able to declare victory and walk away, however politically desirable that might be.

The main reason is that Iran, although badly wounded, is still fighting. This week it began targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes about 20 percent of the world’s oil supply. Two oil tankers were struck by Iran in Iraqi waters on Wednesday, setting them ablaze and killing one crew member. Videos of the burning oil tankers, reportedly struck by armed Iranian boats, circulated widely on social media. In addition, four other vessels were hit by Iranian projectiles in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday.

Since March 1, more than 20 ships have been attacked by Iran in the Persian Gulf. And it’s not just oil tankers or Western-flagged vessels. All types of ships have been hit, and not only in the Strait of Hormuz but across the Gulf. Marine traffic through the strait has now come to a standstill, with tanker crews unwilling to risk Iranian attack boats and missiles.

The Trump administration is clearly aware of the problem. This week, Trump ordered the release of 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Oil Reserve, the largest such release in its history. And earlier this month, he announced the United States Development Finance Corporation would offer political risk insurance and financial guarantees to maritime trade passing through the Gulf, adding that, “If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible.” (Read more from “Trump Needs To Prepare Americans For What Comes Next In Iran” HERE)

Trump Says US Must ‘Finish the Job’ in ‘Virtually Destroyed’ Iran: ‘Don’t Want to Leave Early’

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President Trump said Wednesday that the US must “finish the job” in Iran — warning that a “weak, pathetic” future president could allow Tehran to build nuclear bombs.

“We don’t want to leave early, do we? We got to finish the job, right?” Trump said during a rally in Kentucky.

“Some day… perhaps you’ll have a weak, pathetic person” as president, “like Barack Hussein Obama,” Trump said, noting his first-term decision to trash Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Under the Obama deal “they would have had nuclear weapons, and this world would, right now, be a different place,” he said.

The president did not say what specific goals he hopes to achieve in the remainder of the war or share a timeframe — after previously floating four weeks or less. (Read more from “Trump Says US Must ‘Finish the Job’ in ‘Virtually Destroyed’ Iran: ‘Don’t Want to Leave Early’” HERE)

Trump Asks Justices to Confirm His Power to End Amnesty for Haitian Migrants

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President Donald Trump’s deputies asked the Supreme Court to certify his authority to end a quasi-amnesty for thousands of Haitian migrants in the United States.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an “emergency request” for the Supreme Court to “lift a judge’s decision” preventing the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) amnesty for roughly 350,000 Haitian migrants, according to Reuters.

In the filing, the DOJ claimed that the “lower courts were ‘again attempting to block major executive-branch policy initiatives,” according to the outlet:

The Justice Department in its filing in the Haiti case said lower courts were “again attempting to block major executive-branch policy initiatives in ways that inflict specific harms to the national interest and foreign relations.”

As it did in the Syria case, the administration suggested that the Supreme Court take up and hear arguments on the underlying legal issue given that “stop-and-start litigation over TPS terminations has become endemic.”

“Unless the court resolves the merits of these challenges – issues that have now been ventilated in courts nationwide – this unsustainable cycle will repeat again and again, spawning more competing rulings and competing views of what to make of this court’s interim order,” the Justice Department wrote.

(Read more from “Trump Asks Justices to Confirm His Power to End Amnesty for Haitian Migrants” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr