Iran nuclear program set back 2 years after US strikes: Pentagon
"We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department [of Defense] assess that," Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters.
"We believe that Iran's nuclear capability has been severely degraded, perhaps even their ambition to build a bomb," he added, though security experts have told Fox News Digital that Tehran is unlikely to be deterred in its ambition to build a nuclear weapon.
The announcement reflects a far more positive assessment regarding the success of the June 22 strikes that targeted the Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites than previous estimates regarding the extent to which Tehran's atomic capabilities had been degraded.
Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), over the weekend warned that Iran may be able to resume enriching uranium within a matter of months.
The comments also coincided with reports that Iran may have been able to move some of its stockpiles of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, or possibly centrifuges, after satellite images showed more than a dozen cargo trucks were spotted at the Fordow nuclear site prior to the U.S. strikes.
The U.S. has fervently denied that any intelligence suggests Iran was successful in moving its nuclear capabilities off site. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth became angry when asked about the possibility by reporters.
Fox News Digital has confirmed that Israel is continuing to monitor the security situation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi this week acknowledged that there was severe damage to the Fordow facility, though he also insisted that "the technology and knowhow is still there."
"No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged," Aragchi said during a CBS interview this week.
Though according to Parnell on Wednesday, "All of the intelligence that we've seen (has) led us to believe that Iran's – those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated."
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USA Today
35 minutes ago
- USA Today
President Trump says other US cities could be next as he deploys National Guard to DC
"We're not going to lose our cities over this," Trump said as he mentioned plans to potentially expand his crackdown on crime to New York, Chicago, Baltimore and other cities. "This will go further." WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump said he might expand his crackdown on crime in the nation's capital to other major U.S. cities as he announced plans to send 800 National Guard troops into Washington, D.C. Trump singled out New York City, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Chicago and Oakland, California during a Monday, Aug. 11, news conference as potential future targets in what would be a drastic escalation of federal presence on the streets of American cities. "We're not going to lose our cities over this. This will go further. We're starting very strongly with D.C., and we're going to clean it up real quick," Trump said. Trump did not elaborate on his plans for other cities. But one of the two executive actions he signed Aug. 11 directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to coordinate with governors of states and "authorize the orders of any additional members of the National Guard to active service, as he deems necessary and appropriate, to augment this mission." "We're going to take back our capital," Trump said. "And then we'll look at other cities also. But other cities are studying what we're doing." Trump warns cities to 'learn their lesson' Each of the cities that Trump mentioned are led by Democratic mayors in states with Democratic governors, who could be less likely to request the Trump administration's intervention than Republican governors who are political allies of the president. "Other cities are hopefully watching this.... And maybe they'll self-clean up," Trump said, adding they could be targeted if "they don't learn their lesson" and study his administration's moves in Washington. He said he plans to look at New York City next "and if we need to, we're going to do the same thing in Chicago." In a separate executive order, Trump invoked authority under Section 740 of the Home Rule Act to take control of Washington's police department. The move, authorized by federal law as part of the District of Columbia's unique status as a federal enclave, is not an option for Trump elsewhere. Secretary of Army Daniel Driscoll is set to lead the National Guard's operation in Washington. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon is also prepared to bring in additional National Guard units and other specialized units if needed. "They will be strong. They will be tough. And they will stand with their law enforcement partners," Hegseth said. "This is nothing new for DOD," he added, pointing to Trump's deployment of military troops at the United States-Mexico border to crack down on illegal immigration. Trump's authority to direct National Guard troops was challenged earlier this year after he tapped the California National Guard to quell protests over widespread deportations from increased immigration enforcement in the Los Angeles area. After Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom challenged Trump's control over the troops, a judge ruled in favor of Trump. Trump reeled off a list of recent violent crimes in Washington, D.C. to justify his actions. Yet, volent crimes so far in 2025 are down 26% compared to last year, and homicides are down 12%, according to statistics compiled by the Metropolitian Police Department. Similarly, homicides in New York City are down in 2025 compared to the same time last year. Mayors push back at Trump's threat An FBI report released Aug. 5 found violent crime in 2024 dropped by 4.5% in the United States compared to 2023, with murder and non-negligent manslaughter decreasing by nearly 15%. The U.S. Conference of Mayors, which represents about 1,400 mayors, responded to Trump's actions and threats by touting a "nationwide success story" of plummeting crime rates. "Ultimately, the best public safety outcomes are delivered by local police departments and local officials, who know the communities," Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, president of the mayors' conference, said in a statement. "America's mayors never see takeovers by other levels of government as a tactic that has any track record of producing results." Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, in response to Trump singling out his city, said "Baltimore is the safest it's been in over 50 years," adding that homicides are down about 28% in 2025. "We still have real work to do to build on this progress," Scott said in a statement, "but that work starts and ends here in Baltimore, with the local, state, and federal partners who have gotten us this far." Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman of USA TODAY Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
Politico
2 hours ago
- Politico
Mexico may have to accept US cartel operations
With help from John Sakellariadis and Nahal Toosi Subscribe here | Email Eric Mexico's president says U.S. military strikes against Mexican cartels would be an 'invasion' and that it's 'off the table,' but Mexico may not be able to stop the U.S. should it choose to strike the growing criminal groups. On Friday, The New York Times reported that President DONALD TRUMP directed the U.S. military to target foreign drug cartels and articulated a basis for direct operations against them, making good on a threat he made on the campaign trail. The U.S. could still go ahead and conduct targeted operations to arrest drug lords or airstrikes on suspected drug labs and cartel leaders even without Mexico's consent. After all, a lack of permission never stopped the U.S. from carrying out drone strikes in the Middle East throughout the global war on terror or even arresting Mexican cartel leaders on Mexican soil. And even before the Pentagon directive, the Trump administration had gradually laid the groundwork in other ways for additional efforts against the Mexican cartels. The administration has designated Mexican drug cartels foreign terrorist organizations, preemptively giving itself legal standing for military action. The administration also has considerable leverage over Mexico, which could get Mexican President CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM — who has so far managed to stay on Trump's good side — to rethink her current opposition. Mexico's economy is deeply tied to the United States, and pushback to Trump's plans could trigger tariffs or other reprisals from Washington. Those consequences might be more politically damaging for Sheinbaum than limited U.S. strikes and force Sheinbaum to at least acquiesce to the U.S. military actions. That said, without Mexico's support in the campaign, analysts and former officials say the U.S. would likely be lacking critical intelligence and logistical support in efforts to try and chase down cartels on their home turf. And it's not clear that a low-cost campaign with missile and drone strikes would have enough firepower to dislodge cartels that have sometimes outgunned and outwitted Mexico. There are also risks for Trump driving too hard against Sheinbaum. VANDA FELBAB-BROWN, a Brookings Institution analyst who focuses on transnational crime, warns that military strikes risk shattering the bilateral relationship without actually guaranteeing enough progress toward defeating the cartels. 'You can drop a bomb and have a big bang, but its effects are limited to nil' toward actually defeating the cartels, Felbab-Brown said. 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Take our survey here. The Inbox RUSSIAN TO FRIDAY: Ahead of Trump's meeting with Russian leader VLADIMIR PUTIN in Alaska on Friday, Trump will gather with European leaders on an emergency call to talk strategy. As our colleague Hans von der Burchard reports, the Wednesday call is being convened by German Chancellor FRIEDRICH MERZ and will focus on pressure options against Russia, questions about Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv and the sequencing of potential peace talks. That comes after emergency gatherings of European leaders and Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY over the weekend. Trump said today that the summit in Alaska will be a 'feel-out' meeting with Putin. But Vice President JD VANCE and other top administration officials have raised hopes about the meeting being a major step toward resolving the conflict. Vance said the goal is for Trump to convene a trilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin and end the war. 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It's unclear if Liu will be the last official targeted, or if this portends another culling of potentially disloyal senior officials in Beijing. There are also worries Liu's detention could further diminish diplomatic expertise in China's top ranks. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The State Department will release its annual human rights reports Tuesday at 10:45 a.m. by notifying Congress about the report, per a cable to diplomatic posts obtained by NatSec Daily. Loyal NatSec Daily readers will remember that there were internal concerns about how the Middle East section in particular was causing delays. IT'S MONDAY: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily! This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at ebazail@ and follow Eric on X @ebazaileimil. While you're at it, follow the rest of POLITICO's global security team on social media at: @dave_brown24, @HeidiVogt, @jessicameyers, @RosiePerper, @ @PhelimKine, @felschwartz, @connorobrienNH, @paulmcleary, @reporterjoe, @JackDetsch, @samuelskove, @magmill95, @johnnysaks130 and @delizanickel Keystrokes GOING TO PAPER: At least two federal district courts have revised their policies for handling sensitive documents, amid a widespread hack that may have allowed cartels to identify and target witnesses in court cases against them. The Eastern District of Washington and the Eastern District of Virginia will temporarily file all sealed case documents on paper, instead of uploading them to the federal judiciary's case filing system, according to orders dated Aug. 8 and July 29, respectively. The hack of that system, CM/ECF, which dates back at least a month, was first reported by POLITICO Wednesday. 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On the Hill CONGRESS' TECH TO-DO LIST: We're only two weeks into August recess, but Congress has a growing list of legislation to address the dangers and opportunities of artificial intelligence for when it returns next week, our colleagues write in today's edition of Morning Tech (first for POLITICO Pro subscribers!). Our friends at Morning Tech spoke to senators while they're away from Washington. Many of them, including senior Armed Services and Intelligence committee member Sen. MIKE ROUNDS (R-S.D.), want the Senate to tackle AI when they return to ensure the U.S. is equipped to invest in scientific research, data and computing. Rounds and Sen. MARTIN HEINRICH (D-N.M.) have pushed for Congress to take up the American Science Acceleration Project, or ASAP, when it returns. Unlike other AI bills before the Senate — which are facing some trickier paths to becoming law because they focus on climate impacts of AI technology — Rounds told our colleague Gabby Miller that the ASAP bill isn't in trouble. Rounds explained that it's been seen as lining up with the administration's AI strategy and 'there has not been any friction, no' as it has worked its way through the Hill. Transitions — Trump announced that he'll nominate State Department spokesperson TAMMY BRUCE to be deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations over the weekend. Long-time diplomats, including Biden administration U.N. Ambassador LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD, criticized the administration for picking a political appointee and bucking the tradition of picking a career diplomat with extensive experience to fill the role of deputy to the principal U.S. envoy to the multilateral forum. — DEAN BALL is joining the Foundation for American Innovation as a senior fellow. He previously was senior policy adviser for artificial intelligence and emerging technology in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. What to Read — Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein, POLITICO: What Trump can — and can't — do in his bid to take over law enforcement in DC — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review: Nvidia, AMD & Beijing: The Art of the (Bad) Deal — Hanna Arhirova, Associated Press: On the front lines in eastern Ukraine, peace feels far away Tomorrow Today — Henry L. Stimson Center, 9 a.m.: North Korean Foreign Policy in Focus: Emerging Scholar Perspectives — Aspen Institute, 9 p.m.: Book discussion on 'Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America.' Thanks to our editors, Heidi Vogt and Emily Lussier, who have no leverage over us.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Court upholds ruling requiring airline to compensate families of Flight PS752 victims
Ontario's highest court has upheld a ruling that found Ukraine International Airlines legally responsible to pay full compensation to families of victims who died in the downing of Flight PS752. On Jan. 8, 2020, the plane was shot down by two Iranian missiles just minutes after taking off from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board. Most of the passengers were bound for Canada, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents, while many others had connections to Canada. Last year, an Ontario court found that Ukraine International Airlines was negligent because it failed to conduct a proper risk assessment for the flight out of Tehran. The court found that decision meant the airline could not limit the amount of compensation it provided to families. The Court of Appeal for Ontario dismissed the airline's appeal in a decision released today. Joe Fiorante, a lawyer representing some of the families in the case, called the ruling "an important result" for those who lost loved ones in the incident. "The ruling of the Court of Appeal brings a small measure of justice for the families," Fiorante said in a press release. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2025. The Canadian Press
