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☆ How different a commander in chief will Trump be?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +27 min

On the face of it, there are sizable differences in foreign policy between Trump and President Joe Biden. In October, the Biden administration again helped to intercept a barrage of around 200 Iranian ballistic missiles, which also caused minimal damage to targets in Israel. Bringing US troops homeIn 2020, the Trump administration signed a US withdrawal agreement from Afghanistan with the Taliban. But after McMaster was pushed out of office in 2018, the Trump administration negotiated with the Taliban the withdrawal agreement of all US forces from Afghanistan. Nonetheless, the incoming Trump administration seems intent on resurrecting Schedule F, an executive order issued in the last months of the first Trump term.

Persons: sneezes, Trump, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, —, Biden, Trump’s, shored, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Andrew Harnik, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Ahmad Gharabli, Israel, Jared Kushner, Qasem Soleimani, Mike Huckabee, Israel — Huckabee, David Friedman, Reagan, JD Vance —, H.R, McMaster, Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, Haley, Pompeo, Elise Stefanik, Mike Waltz, Florida, George W, Bush, Pete Hegseth —, Lloyd Austin, Jim Mattis, Robert Gates, John Ratcliffe of, Tulsi Gabbard, Vladimir Putin, Basher al, Assad, Putin, Diego Fedele, Ukraine doesn’t, John Bolton, Mark Rutte, Tom Homan, Homan, ” Trump, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, “ It’s, Maura Healey, Stephen Miller, CBS’s, Camp David, It’s, Kim Jong Un Organizations: CNN, Trump, NATO, Ukraine, White, of, Biden, CIA, Liberation Army, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Obama, Getty, West Bank, Abraham Accords, Arkansas Gov, US Defense Intelligence Agency, ISIS, McMaster, UN, GOP, Republican, Special, House Armed Services Committee, Pentagon, Fox News, Senate, Republicans, US Civil, Policy, State Department, Department of Homeland Security, Policy Institute, Rep, House Intelligence, NATO Trump, US Congressional Research Service, Joint Assault Brigade, National Police, of Homeland, American Immigration Council, NBC News, US Bureau of Prisons, Massachusetts Gov, National Guard, Congress, Washington Post, H.R, North, America Locations: Paris, Russia, China, Beijing, South China, United Kingdom, Australia, Taiwan, Washington, United States, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Iranian, Syria, Israel, Yemen, Jerusalem, AFP, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, John Ratcliffe of Texas, Hawaii, Ukraine, Dnipro, Soviet, Toretsk, Crimea, Japan, NATO, “ Russia, Baltic, Western Europe, ”, Korean, North Korean

Iran sent a written message via Swiss diplomats in mid-October saying that it would not seek to kill Donald Trump, according to a U.S. official. Switzerland handles U.S. diplomatic interests in Tehran as Iran and the United States do not have official diplomatic relations. In July, the Biden administration obtained intelligence about an Iranian assassination plot against Trump, and the information led the Secret Service to ramp up security for his campaign. Last week, the Justice Department charged an Iranian man with plotting to assassinate Trump as a part of a murder-for-hire scheme. Officials have found no link between the shooter in that case and the Iranian plot.

Persons: Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Trump’s, Soleimani, Steven Cheung, ” Organizations: U.S, Trump, Street Journal, Iran’s United Nations, Service, Justice Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, The Justice Department, United Nations Locations: Iran, Switzerland, Tehran, United States, U.S, Baghdad, Butler, Pa, United, Fars

☆ Trump will shake the world up. Maybe that’s what it needs
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-09 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

To be clear: Trump does not inherit a world at peace, where America’s unquestioning role as a beacon of freedom and moral superiority has brought enduring calm. Yet Tehran now has experience of Trump as someone willing to be wildly incautious and unafraid of international norms. As President Joe Biden - who did all he could to avoid war with Iran - leaves power, Iran looks incredibly weak. But in the current moment we are at in the war, Ukraine is equally in need of time to regroup and rearm. Does Putin risk Trump taking greater personal offense if that same deal is later betrayed, and their entente exposed as a sham?

Persons: Donald Trump’s, George W, Bush, Pervez Musharraf, Trump, America’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Alex Brandon, Vladimir Putin, Biden, Qasem Soleimani, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Nina Liashonok, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Putin, bode Organizations: CNN, Biden, Trump, Israeli, ISIS, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, US, Ukraine, Residents, NATO, Putin Locations: America, Lago, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Baghdad, Tehran, China, Taiwan, Beijing, Moscow, Russia, Odesa, Europe

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice on Friday charged an Iranian man in a murder-for-hire plot to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump and two others in a plot to kill an American journalist critical of Tehran. The three who were charged are Farhad Shakeri of Iran; Carlisle Rivera of Brooklyn, New York; and Jonathan Loadholt, of Staten Island, New York. Around Oct. 7, the Iranian official tasked Shakeri with providing a plan within seven days to kill Trump, he told law enforcement in recorded interviews, the complaint says. Shakeri told FBI officials that he didn’t intend to propose a plan to assassinate Trump in the timeframe set by the IRGC, it says. Trump was also briefed by U.S. intelligence officials after the attempt in September about threats from Iran to kill him.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Donald Trump, Trump, ” Damian Williams, Qasem Soleimani, Farhad Shakeri, Carlisle Rivera, Jonathan Loadholt, Shakeri, surveil, Steven Cheung, ”, Rivera, Masih Alinejad, Alinejad, Loadholt, realDonaldTrump, Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, —, Biden Organizations: The Department, Justice, Southern, of, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, U.S, Trump, FBI, White, Prosecutors, NBC News, Fairfield University, Service, Emergency Economic Locations: American, Tehran, U.S, of New York, Iran, Brooklyn , New York, Staten Island , New York, New York City, Sri Lanka, United States, Afghan, New York State, Brooklyn, Loadholt, Staten Island, Republic, America, Florida, New York

☆ DOJ announces charges in Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Justice Department on Friday announced federal charges in a thwarted Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump before the presidential election. According to court documents, Iranian officials asked Farhad Shakeri, 51, in September to focus on surveilling and ultimately assassinating Trump. But IRGC officials told Shakeri on October 7 to focus only on Trump, court documents say, and that he had seven days to formulate an assassination plan. Shakeri would pay these criminal associates, like his two co-conspirators, to monitor the victims Iranian officials sought to assassinate, according to court documents. Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that all three men were specifically charged in the plot against Donald Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Farhad Shakeri, Trump, Shakeri –, –, Shakeri, Carlisle Rivera, Jonathan Loadholt, General Merrick Garland, Christopher Wray, ” Garland, “, Qasem, ”, Masih Alinejad, Alinejad, Rivera, Loadholt Organizations: CNN, The Justice Department, Justice Department, Prosecutors, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Trump, Justice, FBI Locations: Iran, Afghan, Tehran, New York, United States, US, New, American, Sri Lanka, New York City

☆ Justice Department brings charges in thwarted Iranian plot to assassinate Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Rebecca Shabad | Michael Kosnar | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Department of Justice on Friday charged an Iranian man and two New York residents in murder-for-hire plots targeting then-candidate Donald Trump and others. The department said the plot was part of Iran's efforts to exact revenge for the death of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani during the Trump administration. Around Oct. 7, the Iranian official tasked Shakeri with providing a plan within seven days to kill Trump, he told law enforcement in recorded interviews, the complaint says. Shakeri told FBI officials that he didn't intend to propose a plan to assassinate Trump in the timeframe set by the IRGC, it says. Trump communications director Steven Cheung said Friday that the president-elect is aware of the attempted assassination plot.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Damian Williams, Qasem Soleimani, Farhad Shakeri, Carlisle Rivera, Jonathan Loadholt, Shakeri, surveil, Steven Cheung, Rivera, Masih Alinejad Organizations: U.S, The, Justice, Southern, of, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, Trump, FBI, White, Prosecutors, NBC News Locations: Iranian, Tehran, Iran, New York, U.S, of New York, Brooklyn , New York, Staten Island , New York, New York City, Sri Lanka, United States, Afghan, New York State, Brooklyn, Loadholt, Staten Island, American

☆ Ukraine is forced to confront a brutal Trump reality that it hoped would never happen
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

There should be no enduring mystery about what a Trump presidency means for Ukraine. Trump may appoint a cabinet that mildly adjusts the pace or tone of his instincts, but in the end he wants out. Workers remove debris from an apartment building that was damaged during a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on October 29, 2024. Furthermore, Trump enters the White House at perhaps the most perilous time for Kyiv since the start of the war. Those tired of the Ukraine war – be they Kyiv ally or frontline soldier – should still not embrace the idea of a Trump-backed deal.

Persons: upsides, Trump, Donald Trump, ”, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden –, Chasiv Yar, Putin, Thomas Peter, Kim Jong, Qasem Soleimani, Biden, Zelensky, –, Kostiantyn Organizations: CNN, NATO, Trump, Pentagon, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Congress, Kyiv, Russian, European Union, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, United States, Europe, Russia, Moscow, Pokrovsk, Donetsk, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, Kyiv, Afghanistan, Singapore, Korean, Bankova, Syria, Ukrainian, Georgia, Moldova

Abu Dhabi and Jerusalem CNN —If his first term in the White House is any indication, President-elect Donald Trump is likely to keep the Middle East high on his agenda. But the Middle East has changed significantly since he left office in 2021, and all regional actors are keenly watching how the new president will navigate these shifts. Here’s how Trump’s election could affect key players in the Middle East:Israel and the PalestiniansEnding the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and integrating Israel in the Middle East are likely to be at the top of the president-elect’s Middle East agenda, analysts said. “When the war will be over, you’ll need a real restart in the Middle East,” and Trump will be the best person to bring about a “new Middle East,” Bismuth added. Nadav Shtrauchler, a political strategist who has worked closely with Netanyahu, said Trump’s election sends a message to Israel’s enemies in Iran.

Persons: Jerusalem CNN —, Donald Trump, Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Fatemeh Mohajerani, “ Netanyahu, ”, Mustafa Barghouti, Alon Pinkas, “, ” Pinkas, Joe Biden’s, Pinkas, ” Trump, Evan Vucci, Netanyahu, haven’t, Biden, Boaz, Trump’s, Nadav, Yoav Gallant, Harris, ” Shtrauchler, Qasem Soleimani, Ali Vaez, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Atta Kenare, – Israel, …, ” Vaez, –, “ Trump, Vaez, Jamal Khashoggi, Hasan Alhasan, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mandel Ngan, ” Alhasan, “ They’re, CNN’s Dana Karni, Irene Nasser, Eyad Kourdi Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Jewish, White House, America, Saudi, United Arab, Trump, Palestinian National Initiative, CNN, West Bank, Palm Beach Convention, Israel, Likud, Abraham Accords, Islamic, Iran Project, Crisis, Biden, Getty, US, Washington Post, Middle, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Saudi Arabia's Crown, White, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, –, Hamas Locations: Abu Dhabi, Jerusalem, Saudi, Iran, Israel, America, United Arab Emirates, UAE, East, Gaza, Lebanon, Israeli, Palm Beach, Florida, Syria, Tehran, Republic, United States, AFP, Saudi Arabia, Arab, Riyadh, Bahrain, Yemen, China, Washington, Beijing, decouple, Qatar

☆ Federal prosecutors charge Iranian Revolutionary Guards official in assassination plot on US soil
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-22 | by ( Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The charges made public Tuesday against the official, Ruhollah Bazghandi, are the first to accuse an Iranian government official by name in the alleged plot to kill journalist Masih Alinejad. Prosecutors allege they were enlisted to carry out the assassination of Alinejad in the United States. Bazghandi allegedly discussed the plot to murder Alinejad with a second defendant, Haj Taher. Taher, in turn, communicated about the plot defendants Hossein Sedighi and Mohammad Forouzan, prosecutors say, including about payment for the murder. Taher, Sedighi and Forouzan also have connections to the Iranian government, prosecutors allege.

Persons: Ruhollah Bazghandi, Masih Alinejad, Bazghandi, Alinejad, General Merrick Garland, ” Alinejad, Ali Khamenei’s IRGC, “, ”, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Christopher Wray, ” Wray, General ”, Qasem Soleimani, Javad, Haj Taher, Taher, Hossein Sedighi, Mohammad Forouzan, Sedighi, Forouzan, Rafat Amirov, Amirov, Polad, Zailat, CNN’s Kara Scannell Organizations: CNN, Federal, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Eastern, ”, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Treasury Department, Qods Force, Amirov Locations: New York, Iran, United States, Iran’s, American, Iranian, New York City, IRGC, Syria, ”, France

The terror attack has helped push the Middle East to the brink of a wider regional war. One year after the massacre, the Middle East has only plunged deeper into violence and is on the brink of a broader war. Globally, the immediate concern is that oil supplies will diminish significantly should conflict spill over to the rest of the Middle East. Everyone but Biden can see this," wrote Andrew Exum, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defense for Middle East policy, in The Atlantic last week. The global economy on edgeWhen the conflict began a year ago, there were fears that wider conflict in the Middle East could impact the global economy.

Persons: —, Israel, Chuck Frielich, Frielich, Yemen's Houthi, Mohammed Hamoud, barraged, Ammar Safarjalani, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Fuad Shukr, Hasan Nasrallah, Qasem Soleimani, JOSEPH EID, JALAA MAREY, Nasrallah, bode, Benjamin Netanyahu, Carmel Gat, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Biden, Andrew Exum, Brent, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, The Washington Institute for Near East, Getty Images Iran, Getty, Israel's, United Nations General Assembly, Citigroup, Iranian, US, Middle, Business, Bank of Israel, Reuters, IMF Locations: Israel, Iran, Gaza, Suez, Aden, Red, Palestine, Syria, Damascus, Xinhua, Tehran, Beirut, Haniyeh, Shukr, Lebanon, AFP, Hezbollah's, United States, Ukraine

☆ Who is Hashem Safieddine, rumored to be the next Hezbollah chief?
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hezbollah has lost contact with Safieddine since the strike, a Lebanese security source told CNN on Saturday. Just like Nasrallah, Safieddine is a staunch critic of Israel and the West, with deep alliances with the Iranian leadership. The executive council is one of five bodies that make up the Shura Council, which is the organization’s decision-making body. The executive council oversees political matters, as opposed to the Jihad Council which is the group’s military body, which Safieddine is a member of. The United States designated Hezbollah a foreign terrorist organization in 1997, and in 2017 designated Safieddine a foreign terrorist.

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, Safieddine, Nasrallah –, Nasrallah, Israel, Qasem Soleimani, Safieddine’s, Soleimani’s, Sayyid, ”, Prophet Mohammed, Nasrallah “, They’ve, ” Phillip Smyth, –, “, ” Saffiedine, Washington Organizations: CNN, Shura, Jihad, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Reuters, United Locations: Beirut, Iran, Baghdad, Lebanese, Deir Qanoun En, Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, United States

☆ Trump got it wrong on a past Iranian missile attack and again cast aside the US troop injuries as nothing more than headaches
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Trump recently got the details of a 2020 Iranian missile strike on US forces wrong. AdvertisementFollowing Iran's massive ballistic missile strike on Israel, former President Donald Trump found himself discussing the 2020 Iranian attack on US forces in Iraq. The attack, which was in response to the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, was the largest ballistic missile attack ever against US forces abroad. One service member who was affected by the Iranian attack told CBS News a few years ago that he was struggling with vision problems, memory loss, constant headaches, and hearing issues. Trump's comments about the 2020 strike came on the heels of Iran's massive missile strike on Israel, which involved over 180 ballistic missiles.

Persons: Trump, —, Donald Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Asad, Qassim Abdul, Zahra, I've, Amir Cohen, Tim Walz, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, Kamala Harris Organizations: Service, US, Trump, AP, Business, Vermont Army National Guard, Pentagon, CBS News, Minnesota Gov, National Guard, Democratic, Republican, Ohio Locations: Iranian, Israel, Iraq, Iran, Ain, Anbar, Afghanistan, Minnesota

☆ Killing of Nasrallah is a key prize for Israel, but it’s too early to write off Hezbollah
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In 2008, Israel killed Hezbollah’s military leader, Imad Mughniyeh, in Damascus, Syria, yet the group only gathered strength in the years that followed. Four years earlier, Israel killed a founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, in an airstrike. The US has its own history of killing terrorist leaders in the hope that it will cripple its foes. ISIS also carried out devastating terrorist attacks in the West, for instance, in Paris in 2015 that killed 130 people. The UN estimates there are about four hundred members of al Qaeda living in Afghanistan today.

Persons: CNN — , Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, don’t, Imad Mughniyeh, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, masterminds, Mohammed Deif, Abu Musab al, Zarqawi, al, ”, Barack Obama, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, Donald Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Soleimani, Trump, “ Soleimani, Osama bin Laden, bin Laden, Bin Laden’s, Laden, Ayman al, Zawahiri, didn’t, Nasrallah, it’s Organizations: CNN, US, ISIS, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, Hamas, United, Taliban, Hezbollah, CIA, US Navy, UN, Israel Locations: Beirut, Israel, Damascus, Syria, Gaza, al Qaeda, Iraq, Qaeda, Portugal, Paris, Syrian Kurdish, Mosul, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Baghdad, Yemen, United States, Pakistan’s, New America, Abbottabad, Iran

CNN —The US government is “intensely tracking” an ongoing threat by Iran against current and former US officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday. Law enforcement officials have been concerned about the persistent threat of Iran potentially attempting to assassinate former Trump officials and the former president himself, multiple sources familiar with the matter have previously told CNN. US officials have not detailed the threats against current officials, and Blinken on Wednesday did not reveal further information. Congress is considering additional money for the Secret Service as part of its effort to keep the government funded ahead of a September 30 deadline. An additional $231 million for the Secret Service is included in a continuing resolution the House could vote on as soon as Wednesday.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Donald Trump, NBC’s, ” Blinken, Trump, ”, ODNI, ” Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Kamala Harris, CNN’s Evan Perez, Zachary Cohen, Natasha Bertrand, Kylie Atwood, Kristen Holmes Organizations: CNN, Trump, National Intelligence, Military, Truth Social, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Baghdad International Airport, Service Locations: Iran, United States, U.S, Baghdad

☆ Iran steps up influence campaign aimed at US voters with fake news sites, Microsoft says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Iranian operatives have ramped up their attempts to influence and monitor the US presidential election by creating fake news outlets targeting liberal and conservative voters and by trying to hack an unnamed presidential campaign, Microsoft said in research published late Thursday. Microsoft said it notified the campaign of the hacking attempt, but declined to say publicly which campaign it was. CNN has requested comment from the Trump campaign. The Iranian, Russian and Chinese governments routinely deny allegations of election influence operations. As president, Trump ordered the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, and he withdrew from a multilateral deal aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Clint Watts, ”, Kamala Harris ’, Trump, Joe Biden’s, Russia “, China “, “, Qasem Soleimani Organizations: CNN, Iranian, Microsoft, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, CIA, FBI, National Intelligence, Russian, Ukraine, Service, Department Locations: MAGA, Iran, Savannah , Georgia, Russian, Ukrainian, Trump, Russia, U.S, China

☆ Pakistani national with ties to Iran charged in connection to a foiled assassination plot potentially targeting Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Evan Perez | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The plot revealed by US prosecutors on Tuesday adds to a growing list of detailed Iranian plans to allegedly kill Trump, according to national security officials. Although Merchant is a Pakistani national, prosecutors say he spent time in Iran and has family there. Once in the United States, Merchant allegedly contacted someone who he believed would assist him in the murder-for-hire plot. Merchant allegedly then told the confidential human source that the work was not a one-time opportunity and made a “finger gun” motion with his hand. Merchant planned to leave the country before the assassination, prosecutors say, but was arrested before he could go.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Asif Merchant, Merchant, Qasem, John Bolton, ”, General Merrick Garland, ” Merchant Organizations: CNN, The Justice, FBI, US, Service, Iranian, United Nations, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: New York City, Brooklyn , New York, United States, Pennsylvania, Butler , Pennsylvania, Iran, US, Pakistani, New York

☆ Iran has no good options after two deadly strikes on senior allies
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

ET) in Tehran, will dictate what comes next, as Iran looks to present a narrative that justifies and fashions its response. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is seen with Haniyeh -- hours before his assassination. There is no shortage of furious rherotic the day after the strikes, but there is no easy route for Iran. Iran has also tried an unprecedented direct all-out attack on Israel before, in April, after senior IRGC commanders were killed in an Israeli strike on Damascus. In short, the 300 drone and missiles fired - straight from Iran at Israel - just didn’t get through.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Israel, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Qasem Suleinami, rherotic, Ahmad Al, Ali Khamenei’s, “, Masoud Pezeshkian, group’s, Fuad Shukr Organizations: CNN, Revolutionary Guards, Iran's Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, Beirut, Lebanon, Golan, Quds, Damascus

☆ Iran using covert influence campaign to undermine Trump candidacy, US intelligence says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iran is using covert social media activity and related influence operations in an effort to undercut the candidacy of former President Donald Trump, a US intelligence official said Monday in an updated assessment of threats to the November election. Iran’s preference for a US presidential candidate has not changed since 2020, the ODNI official said. In the 2020 election campaign, Iran “carried out a multi-pronged covert influence campaign intended to undercut former President Trump’s reelection prospects,” according to a declassified US intelligence report. The Russian government regularly denies US allegations of election influence. China “probably does not plan to influence the outcome” of the US presidential election, but US intelligence is monitoring the possibility that China-linked propagandists and influence actors could “denigrate down-ballot candidates,” the updated assessment says.

Persons: Donald Trump, ODNI, Iran “, Trump’s, haven’t, Joe Biden, “, Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Thomas Matthew Crooks, of National Intelligence Avril Haines, ” ODNI, China “, Xi Jinping, Biden Organizations: CNN, National Intelligence, Trump, United Nations, Service, stoke, of National Intelligence, Russian Embassy Locations: Iran, Tehran, United States, Moscow, U.S, Iranian, Pennsylvania, Israel, Gaza, Russia, Russian, Washington ,, China

☆ Trump meeting with Netanyahu for first time since departing White House
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Alayna Treene | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, the first such meeting between the two men since Trump left the White House more than three years ago. Trump, who often claims he was the most pro-Israel president in modern history, once touted his close, personal relationship with Netanyahu. Netanyahu called Trump the greatest friend Israel has ever had and heralded him for “unequivocally” standing by Israel during Trump’s tenure as commander in chief. In posting that engagement with Abbas, Trump was trying to “strike a balance” going into the meeting, Bahbah said, adding that he hopes Trump will come out of the Netanyahu meeting calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. “At the table, the most important question is asking the prime minister what he needs to win.

Persons: Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Harris, ”, Abraham, Israel, Biden, “, ” Trump, Axios, Qasem Soleimani, Netanyahu “, —, Keith Kellogg, he’s, Bishara Bahbah, Mahmoud Abbas, Bibi Netanyahu, Abbas, Bahbah, Lee Zeldin, ” Zeldin, Viktor Orbán, David Cameron, Andrzej Duda, Taro Aso, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, The Trump Organizations: CNN, Israeli, White, Trump’s, Democratic, Trump, Hamas, Israel, Fox News, Abraham Accords, Biden, Republican, Jewish Republican, Hungarian, British, Japanese, Saudi Crown Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Middle East, North Africa, Trump, Gaza, Arizona, Mar, New York

☆ Reformist lawmaker Masoud Pezeshkian wins Iran’s presidential vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Michael Rios | James Legge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has won Iran’s presidential election, Iranian state news agency Press TV reported Saturday citing the country’s election headquarters, beating his hardline rival in a pivotal vote at a time of tensions at home and abroad. The first round saw the lowest voter turnout for a presidential election since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979. The lawmaker was the only reformist candidate vying for the top elected seat in the country after dozens of other candidates were barred from running. During the 2022 protests, Pezeshkian said in an interview with Iran’s IRINN TV: “It is our fault. Other factors may be more difficult to change, particularly Iran’s foreign policy.

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Israel, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir, ”, Mohammad Khatami, Mahsa, Amini, Iran’s, Sanam Vakil, Vakil, Israel “, Israel Katz, Qasem Soleimani, “, aren’t, Javad Zarif, Zarif, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Khamenei Organizations: CNN — Reformist, Press, Press TV, Foreign, Supreme, United Nations, North Africa, Chatham House, Israeli, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps ’, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps ’ Quds Force Locations: Jalili, Islamic Republic, Iran’s, Iran, Persian, East, London, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps ’ Quds

☆ Trump doesn’t rule out political violence if he loses, and other takeaways from his Time interview
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Steve Contorno | Kate Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump wouldn’t dismiss the potential for political violence from his supporters if he isn’t elected in November, suggesting it would depend on the outcome of the presidential race. “I don’t think we’re going to have that,” the presumptive GOP nominee told Time magazine. It always depends on the fairness of an election.”The remarks came in a wide-ranging interview with the magazine that published Tuesday. But pressed by the magazine in a later phone interview, Trump was less definitive about the future. Throughout his political career, Trump has regularly refused to accept the results of an election or commit to a conceding defeat.

Persons: Donald Trump wouldn’t, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Trump, they’ll, ” Trump, Texas Sen, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton, Trump baselessly, Ron DeSantis, “ Will, “, Joe Biden’s, “ Donald Trump’s, ” Biden, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Roe, didn’t, Netanyahu, – Trump, Netanyahu “, Soleimani –, Evan Gershkovich “, Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Jamal Khashoggi, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, bin Salman Organizations: CNN, Time, Israel, Capitol, Texas, Florida Gov, Republican, Trump, Sunshine, Hamas, Capitol Hill, “, Wall Street, Kremlin, Saudi, CIA, United Nations Locations: Lago, Florida, Washington, Iowa, Florida , Texas, Arizona, Israel, Russia, American

☆ Germany's Lufthansa suspends flights to and from Tehran amid Middle East crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Germany's Lufthansa said on Wednesday it suspended flights to and from Tehran from April 6 until probably April 11, "due to the current situation in the Middle East". "We are constantly monitoring the situation in the Middle East and are in close contact with the authorities. Later, Tehran said that the shooting-down of the Ukrainian was a "disastrous mistake" by forces who were on high alert. In retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, head of an elite overseas unit of the Guards, Iranian forces fired missiles at military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq on Jan. 3. More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in six months of Israeli bombardment of Gaza, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

Persons: Germany's, Iran's, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Israel Katz, Qasem Soleimani Organizations: Lufthansa, Frankfurt Airport, Germany's Lufthansa, Reuters, Bloomberg, Revolutionary Guards, Ukraine International Airlines, Tehran, Iranian Guards, Guards Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Tehran, United States, Iran, Iranian, Syria, Israel, Damascus, Washington, U.S, Baghdad, Ukrainian, Iraq, Gaza, Hamas

☆ Opinion: ISIS is making a comeback
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —If ISIS was indeed responsible for the attack Friday at a Moscow-area concert venue that killed at least 133 people, it would suggest that, unfortunately, the terror group is making something of a comeback. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack; a US official told CNN the US has no reason to doubt it. Through that attack, ISIS-K showed that the group, which is very anti-Shia, could target a hostile state like predominantly Shia Iran. In March alone, a Russian state news agency said the country had thwarted multiple ISIS-related incidents, including a plan to attack a synagogue in Moscow. As for capability, the ISIS-K attack in Iran earlier this year demonstrated that the group could carry out a large-scale attack outside of its home base in Afghanistan.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Biden, Qasem Soleimani, Vladimir Putin, ”, Bashar al Assad, Assad, Putin Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, ISIS, US, Kabul Airport, Democratic, US National Security Council, Government Locations: New America, Moscow, Iraq, Syria, United Kingdom, Europe, Paris, Orlando , Florida, Africa, Asia, Afghanistan, Kabul, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Iran, Russian, Russia, ”, Ukraine, Syrian

☆ Fact check: Trump makes false claims about Iraq, Iran and Nikki Haley in new Fox interview
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Remember I used to say: ‘Don’t do it, but if you do it, keep the oil.’”Facts First: Trump’s claim that he said “Don’t do it” is false; the claim was debunked eight years ago. In reality, Trump did not publicly express opposition to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq before it occurred. In his 2000 book, “The America We Deserve,” Trump argued a military strike on Iraq might be necessary; when radio host Howard Stern asked Trump in September 2002 whether he is “for invading Iraq,” Trump responded, “Yeah, I guess so. Trump claimed on Fox, as he has before, that Iran “called me” to let him know of its plan to deliberately miss. Trump has provided no substantiation for the claim that Iran called him to telegraph the strike and offer reassurance.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Mitch McConnell, Iraq Trump, “, Trump, ” Trump, Howard Stern, George W, Bush “, Qasem, Iran “, Asad, ”, Mark Milley, Haley, aren’t, That’s, We’ll, ” Haley, Olivia Perez, Cubas, … ” Mitch McConnell, McConnell, he’s, –, ” McConnell, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez Organizations: CNN, Republican, Fox News, Fox, Trump, Washington Post, Pentagon, ” CNN, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Post, New, Green, Green New, Deal, Democratic, US Customs Locations: Iraq, Here’s, Iran, Iranian, New Hampshire, New, Indiana, Great, “

☆ Opinion: The problem with the US bombing strikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Biden administration has also repeatedly said it doesn’t want to go to war with Iran. To tamp down the possibility of a wider regional war, the US needs to focus its efforts on addressing the underlying cause of this roiling conflict: the continued war in Gaza. Previous US strikes have failed to deter Iran and its proxies. It’s possible that US cyber-attacks in Iran could damage key elements of Iranian military command and control structures, but these kinds of attacks can take many weeks to prepare. This article has been updated to reflect the strikes on Houthi targets on Saturday.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Biden, Joe Biden, “, Houthis, Trump, Qasem Soleimani, Let’s, Sayf al, Carl von Clausewitz, Lloyd Austin Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, White House, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US, United, Adl, Prussian, Hamas, UNRWA Locations: New America, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Jordan, Iran, Gaza, Yemen, Baghdad, Iran’s, Afghanistan, Tehran, United Nations, East, Lebanon, Israel

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