
Trump calls LA unrest "foreign invasion"
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday escalated his rhetoric against ongoing protests in Los Angeles, describing the unrest as an attempted "foreign invasion" during a speech to troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
'We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy,' Trump declared, referring to the protests, which erupted in response to immigration raids across California.
'What you're witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order, and on national sovereignty,' he added. 'It's being carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags, aiming to continue a foreign invasion of our country.'
Trump's remarks mark one of his strongest condemnations yet of the demonstrations, framing the unrest as not just domestic disorder but a national security threat.

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Roya News
2 hours ago
- Roya News
US pulls staff from Middle East as fears of 'Israeli' strike on Iran rise
The United States has begun scaling back its diplomatic and military presence in parts of the Middle East amid growing concerns that 'Israel' may be preparing to launch a strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure. The State Department has authorized the departure of some embassy staff in Iraq, while the Pentagon approved the voluntary evacuation of military families stationed at US bases across the region. The precautionary steps are being taken as intelligence officials warn that 'Israel' could move forward with a unilateral strike, one that would not only undermine months of US-led diplomatic efforts, but could also trigger retaliatory attacks against American assets in the region. President Donald Trump, who had previously expressed optimism about reaching a deal with Tehran, appeared far less certain this week. 'I'm less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made,' he told the New York Post. The US government has instructed embassies within the potential range of Iranian reprisals, including those in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and North Africa, to activate emergency planning teams and report risk mitigation strategies back to Washington. This led Secretary of State Marco Rubio to green-light a partial drawdown of staff in Iraq. 'We are constantly assessing the appropriate personnel posture at all our embassies,' said a State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our mission in Iraq.' In parallel, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized military families to voluntarily depart from US bases across the region. A defense official confirmed that US Central Command is working closely with the State Department and regional allies to ensure readiness for any contingency. Speaking Wednesday at an event at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Trump addressed the rising tensions and acknowledged the relocations, 'It could be a dangerous place. ... We've given notice to move out; we'll see what happens.' Diplomatic sources in the region are increasingly alarmed. 'We are watching and worried,' one senior diplomat said. 'We think it's more serious than any other time in the past.' Iran, meanwhile, continues to insist that diplomacy is the only viable path forward. In a statement posted online, Iran's mission to the United Nations said, 'Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon, and US militarism only fuels instability. CENTCOM's legacy of fueling regional instability, through arming aggressors and enabling 'Israeli' crimes, strips it of any credibility to speak on peace or non-proliferation.' While a sixth round of direct nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran was tentatively scheduled for Sunday in Oman, officials familiar with the planning now say it is uncertain whether the talks will proceed. The discussions were expected to bring together US negotiator Steve Witkoff, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and technical teams from both sides. Trump has previously said he urged 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay any military action in favor of pursuing a diplomatic resolution. But on Wednesday, he acknowledged a growing sense of pessimism. 'They seem to be delaying, and I think that's a shame,' he said, reiterating his position that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon and hinting at possible military intervention if diplomacy fails. In a post on X, Araghchi suggested there may still be common ground. Trump's stance that Iran should not develop a nuclear weapon 'is actually in line with our own doctrine and could become the main foundation for a deal,' he wrote. 'It is clear that an agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program is within reach , and could be achieved rapidly.' However, prospects for compromise have narrowed. While Witkoff initially signaled openness to allowing Iran limited low-enriched uranium production for civilian use, the administration has since hardened its position. Meanwhile, at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Director General Rafael Grossi disclosed that Iran has significantly expanded its stockpile of material near weapons-grade levels. The agency also reiterated that Iran has failed to fully explain undeclared nuclear activity at three sites, a lingering issue that has long raised suspicions about Tehran's intentions. Under the 2015 nuclear accord, brokered during the Obama administration, Iran had agreed to limit uranium enrichment to levels suitable for peaceful purposes in exchange for sanction relief. That deal began to unravel after Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 and reimposed strict sanctions. Since then, Iran has resumed stockpiling highly enriched uranium, with the IAEA estimating its current holdings at around 900 pounds, dangerously close to weapons-grade. European parties to the deal, France, Britain, and Germany, have also grown increasingly frustrated and have threatened to reimpose their own sanctions using the agreement's 'snapback' mechanism. At the IAEA meeting, Iran's envoy Reza Najafi accused European states of failing to fulfill their original commitments, particularly in lifting sanctions. Araghchi responded online, writing that 'instead of displaying remorse or a desire to facilitate diplomacy,' European governments were 'promoting confrontation through the absurd demand that Iran must be punished for exercising its right' to respond to their noncompliance.


Roya News
2 hours ago
- Roya News
Trump threatens nationwide troop deployment as protests spread
US President Donald Trump has rapidly expanded the domestic deployment of US military forces, igniting controversy over his use of troops to confront unrest and immigration protests in California. What began as a surge of active-duty soldiers along the US–Mexico border has since morphed into a sweeping military operation across Los Angeles, where thousands of National Guard troops and even Marines have been mobilized in response to demonstrations against Trump's aggressive deportation policies. The decision to deploy federal troops, despite objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom, marks the first time in more than 50 years that a president has bypassed a governor's consent to mobilize the National Guard. The move has drawn sharp criticism from former military officials, legal scholars, and civil rights advocates who warn that the lines between national defense and political power are being dangerously blurred. 'This is exactly what the American people voted for,' Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declared in a social media post, calling the effort a defense of 'our people & our homeland.' But to many observers, the show of force in Los Angeles is about more than public safety. 'He's trying to break through by mobilizing the Guard in California. And while it's not illegal, it's not normal,' said retired Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, who noted that the level of violence did not appear to justify the scale of the response. 'He has a political objective to this. To set the conditions and see how far he could go.' Tensions escalated after Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests. When state leaders objected, citing adequate local resources, Trump doubled down, sending in Marines and expanding the Guard's mission to include direct support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during deportation raids. At one point, Trump even supported calls for Governor Newsom's arrest after his immigration adviser Tom Homan floated the idea publicly. 'I would do it if I were Tom,' the president said. Legal experts are alarmed by Trump's broad interpretation of executive power, especially his use of a rarely invoked statute, Section 12406 of Title 10, which permits federalization of the National Guard in cases of rebellion. California has filed a lawsuit accusing Trump of overstepping his authority. 'He's normalizing political involvement by troops and expanding executive power in ways we haven't seen,' warned Kori Schake, a former Defense Department official now at the American Enterprise Institute. 'What worries me most are the normalization of political involvement by troops, and novel and expansive interpretations of executive power.' The president's critics say the deployments reflect a deeper trend: Trump's increasing willingness to use the military for political ends. During a speech at Fort Bragg earlier this week, Trump prompted troops to boo members of the press and promised to 'liberate' Los Angeles, a framing more reminiscent of foreign combat zones than American cities. 'It's not that we haven't had presidents use the military domestically before,' said Stephen I. Vladeck, a Georgetown University law professor. 'It's that there's really no history of using those authorities for what really are partisan political purposes.' Trump, for his part, has made no secret of his intentions. 'President Trump promised to carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history, and left-wing riots will not deter him in that effort,' said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday. The president has also threatened similar military responses elsewhere. 'When they do it, if they do it, they're going to be met with equal or greater force than we met right here,' he told reporters this week, referring to potential protests in other states. He warned that anyone attempting to disrupt a military parade scheduled for Saturday in Washington would be 'met with very heavy force.' Trump has said he is considering invoking the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that grants the president broad authority to use military force in times of civil unrest. 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it,' he said Tuesday. He has also repeatedly labeled protesters as 'insurrectionists.' While the Insurrection Act has been used in the past, by presidents from Abraham Lincoln to George H.W. Bush, experts note that prior uses were based on clear and violent crises, such as civil war or deadly riots. Trump's critics argue that such a threshold has not been met. In 2020, Trump floated the idea of invoking the law during protests over the killing of George Floyd, a proposal ultimately rejected by then-Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper. Former aide Stephen Miller also suggested using the statute to turn back migrants at the border, an idea similarly dismissed. Now, in 2025, Trump appears to be following through on many of those earlier impulses. On his first day back in office, he declared a national emergency at the southern border and ordered the military to assist the Department of Homeland Security in asserting 'full operational control.' Since then, the number of active-duty troops along the border has more than tripled. In a striking move, the Pentagon has designated two strips of land along the southern border, one in New Mexico, another in Texas, as temporary military zones. Migrants who enter these areas can be detained by troops before being turned over to Border Patrol. Critics see a troubling pattern emerging, one in which the military, long kept apart from domestic politics, is being drawn ever deeper into the president's pursuit of order and control. 'This could be a precursor to what he wants to do elsewhere around the country,' General Honoré warned.

Ammon
3 hours ago
- Ammon
U.S. Marines to deploy on Los Angeles within two days
Ammon News - U.S. Marines will join National Guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles within two days, officials said on Wednesday, and would be authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration officers on raids or protesters who confront federal agents. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployments over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom, sparking a national debate about the use of the military on U.S. soil and animating protests that have spread from Los Angeles to other major cities, including New York, Atlanta and Chicago. Los Angeles on Wednesday endured a sixth day of protests that have been largely peaceful but occasionally punctuated by violence, mostly contained to a few blocks of the city's downtown area. The protests broke out last Friday in response to a series of immigration raids. Trump in turn called in the National Guard on Saturday, then summoned the Marines on Monday. "If I didn't act quickly on that, Los Angeles would be burning to the ground right now," said Trump at an event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. State and local leaders dispute that, saying Trump has only escalated tensions with an unnecessary and illegal deployment of federal troops, while Democrats nationally have condemned his action as authoritarian. Trump is carrying out a campaign promise to deport immigrants, employing forceful tactics consistent with the norm-breaking political style that got him elected twice. "President Trump promised to carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history and left-wing riots will not deter him in that effort," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Reuters