Ukraine seeks air defense systems as Western backers meet without the Pentagon chief
BRUSSELS — Ukraine's president on Wednesday urged Western backers to speed up deliveries of air defense systems to counter Russian missile strikes and to help boost weapons production.
The emphasis should be on U.S.-made Patriot systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskky told a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
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42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US sanctions money laundering network aiding Iran as regime faces nuclear reprimand at IAEA
The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned some 35 individuals involved in laundering money for Iran on Friday as the administration seeks to make a deal with Iran over its nuclear weapons program. A State Department spokesperson said in a statement that,"This network has laundered billions of dollars through Iranian exchange houses and foreign front companies to sustain Tehran's campaigns of terror that undermine international peace and security and line the pockets of regime elites." Meanwhile, tensions with Iran continue, with the Associated Press reporting that Western powers are considering a resolution at the IAEA that would formally declare Tehran in non-compliance with its nuclear obligations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the move a "strategic mistake" and accused the U.K., France, and Germany of choosing "malign action" over diplomacy. "Mark my words as Europe ponders another major strategic mistake: Iran will react strongly against any violation of its rights," he wrote on X. Iran's Khamenei Rejects Us Zero Uranium Enrichment Demand As '100% Against' Its Interests The draft resolution, expected to be introduced next week, would mark the first time in two decades that Western nations bring such a motion against Iran at the IAEA. Read On The Fox News App As U.S. and Iranian negotiators engage in fragile talks, voices from within Iran reveal a grim paradox: while many citizens desperately seek relief from crushing economic hardship, they fear any deal may only tighten the Islamic Republic's grip on power. "Right now, people in Iran do not have any hope for anything," said a female journalist in Tehran, who spoke anonymously out of fear for her safety. "The economy is collapsing. We sometimes don't have electricity or water. The value of the rial is falling. Life is becoming unlivable." Like many Iranians, she believes an agreement could temporarily ease inflation and halt the country's economic freefall. But she—and many others—fear the unintended consequences. "If the regime reaches a deal, it could become more powerful and more confident in suppressing people. That's what frightens us the most," she said. Under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran has faced growing unrest at home, triggered by economic pain, political repression, and widespread mistrust. As negotiations proceed, Iranian citizens are watching closely—but not with optimism. White House Urges Iran To Accept Nuclear Deal As Iaea Reports Uranium Enrichment Spike "People in Iran are caught in a dilemma," said another Tehran resident, a man who also requested anonymity. "On one hand, they want the regime to fall. On the other, the economic burden is so heavy that any deal offering relief feels like a lifeline. But the truth is, even if a deal is signed, ordinary people won't benefit. We've seen this before." He pointed to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Obama-era nuclear agreement that promised economic benefits but, according to many Iranians, never delivered meaningful change for the public. "Only those connected to the regime gained anything," he said. "For the rest of us, life stayed the same." While Iranian leaders claim the nuclear program is peaceful, the U.S. and allies remain concerned about uranium enrichment levels nearing weapons-grade levels. Trump has demanded a full halt to enrichment, while Khamenei insists on retaining it. "I'm a journalist, and we work under extreme censorship," said the woman in Tehran. "We're not allowed to mention U.S. or Israeli military capabilities. We can't publish anything about the talks without approval." Trump Administration Open To Allowing Iran To Continue Some Uranium Enrichment: Report She described a system where state censors dictate what reporters can and cannot say—down to the vocabulary. "It's not just the content—it's the individual words. And that makes journalism almost impossible." In the interviews with Fox News Digital, Iranians expressed deep skepticism that Khamenei would abide by any agreement. "He lies," the journalist said bluntly. "What he says publicly is never what he actually does. He manipulates both the public and foreign governments. No one should trust a dictator like him." The man echoed the sentiment. "The regime's survival depends on its hostility toward the U.S. and Israel. If it truly committed to a deal, it would undermine its own ideological foundation. That's why no one believes it can last." Recent months have seen a resurgence of protest activity in Iran, including a growing nationwide strike by truck drivers demanding fair wages and lower fuel prices. Though largely ignored by international media, these strikes follow years of widespread protests—most notably the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody. That movement, along with economic demonstrations in 2019 and 2021, was met with violent crackdowns, mass arrests, and internet blackouts. The pattern has left Iranians wary that any sign of instability is met with brutal suppression. An Iranian student pointed to the truckers' strikes currently roiling parts of Iran as a sign of grassroots unrest. "These strikes are a direct message from the people," he said. "They've been largely ignored by the media, but they are powerful and legitimate. This is how change begins—if it's allowed to." The Associated Press contributed to this article source: US sanctions money laundering network aiding Iran as regime faces nuclear reprimand at IAEA
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
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Zelenskyy says Russian drivers 'didn't know' about role in audacious drone attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian truck drivers who transported what would become platforms for Ukraine's large-scale surprise drone attack on Russian warplanes a week ago did so unwittingly. In the attack, drones used to conduct the attack were hidden in "mobile houses" that had retractable roofs, which were loaded on the trucks and then opened remotely to conduct the operation, a source told ABC News. "They didn't know anything," Zelenskyy told Martha Raddatz in an exclusive interview airing Sunday on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." "They just did their job," he said. MORE: Zelenskyy rejects Trump's playground characterization of Ukraine war, calling Putin 'murderer' Zelenskyy said the drivers were unaware the mobile cottages and other containers they transported were clandestinely equipped with drones that would assault Russian airfields and damage billions of dollars of military hardware. Ukraine has said it damaged over 40 Russian bombers in the attacks, amounting to about a third of Russia's strategic bomber fleet. MORE: Aftermath of Ukraine drone strike on Russian airfields shown in satellite imagery The Ukrainian president also told Raddatz that the nation's secret services "used only our weapon[s]" and did not deploy equipment originating in an ally's arsenal. "I wanted very much to use only what we produce and to have the separation [be] very clear," Zelenskyy said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How the US could be vulnerable to the same kind of drone swarm attack Ukraine unleashed on Russia's bomber fleet
Ukraine's shock drone strike on Russia's strategic bomber fleet this week has generals and analysts taking a new look at threats to high-value United States aircraft at bases in the homeland and abroad – and the situation is worrisome. 'It's an eyebrow-raising moment,' Gen. David Allvin, the US Air Force chief of staff, said at a defense conference in Washington on Tuesday, adding that the US is vulnerable to similar attacks. 'There is no sanctuary even in the US homeland – particularly given that our bases back home are essentially completely unhardened,' Thomas Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), told CNN. By 'unhardened,' Shugart means there aren't enough shelters in which US warplanes can be parked that are tough enough to protect them from airstrikes, be it from drones or missiles. Ukrainian military officials said 41 Russian aircraft were hit in last Sunday's attacks, including strategic bombers and surveillance planes, with some destroyed and others damaged. Later analysis shows at least 12 planes destroyed or damaged, and reviews of satellite imagery were continuing. The Ukrainian operation used drones smuggled into Russian territory, hidden in wooden mobile houses atop trucks and driven close to four Russian air bases, according to Ukrainian sources. Once near the bases, the roofs of the mobile houses were remotely opened, and the drones deployed to launch their strikes. The Russian planes were sitting uncovered on the tarmac at the bases, much as US warplanes are at facilities at home and abroad. 'We are pretty vulnerable,' retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday. 'We've got a lot of high-value assets that are extraordinarily expensive,' McChrystal said. The Ukrainians said their attacks destroyed $7 billion worth of Russian aircraft. By comparison, a single US Air Force B-2 bomber costs $2 billion. And the US has only 20 of them. Shugart co-authored a report for the Hudson Institute in January highlighting the threat to US military installations from China in the event of any conflict between the superpowers. 'People's Liberation Army (PLA) strike forces of aircraft, ground-based missile launchers, surface and subsurface vessels, and special forces can attack US aircraft and their supporting systems at airfields globally, including in the continental United States,' Shugart and fellow author Timothy Walton wrote. War game simulations and analyses show 'the overwhelming majority of US aircraft losses would likely occur on the ground at airfields (and that the losses could be ruinous),' Shugart and Walton wrote. A report from Air and Space Forces magazine last year pointed out that Anderson Air Force Base on the Pacific island of Guam – perhaps the US' most important air facility in the Pacific – which has hosted rotations of those $2 billion B-2 bombers, as well as B-1 and B-52 bombers, has no hardened shelters. Allvin, the USAF chief of staff, admitted the problem on Tuesday. 'Right now, I don't think it's where we need to be,' Allvin told a conference of the CNAS. McChrystal said the US must look at how to protect its bases and the aircraft on them but also how it monitors the areas around those facilities. 'It widens the spectrum of the threats you've got to deal with,' McChrystal said. But all that costs money, and Allvin said that presents the US with a budget dilemma. Does it spend defense dollars on hardened shelters and ways to stop drones and missiles from attacking US bases, or does it use more resources on offensive weapons that take the fight to the enemy? 'If all we are doing is playing defense and can't shoot back, then that's not a good use of our money,' Allvin told the CNAS conference. 'We've always known that hardening our bases is something we needed to do,' Allvin said, but other items have been given budget priority. Hardened aircraft shelters aren't flashy and are unlikely to generate the headlines of other defense projects, including planes like the new B-21 bombers, each of which is expected to cost around $700 million. And US President Donald Trump said recently the Air Force will build a new stealth fighter, the F-47, with an initial cost of $300 million per aircraft. 'The F-47 is an amazing aircraft, but it's going to die on the ground if we don't protect it,' Allvin said. Meanwhile, a hardened shelter costs around $30 million, according to Shugart and Walton. Last month Trump revealed another form of air defense for the US mainland, the Golden Dome missile shield, expected to cost at least $175 billion. Despite the huge price tag, it's designed to counter long-range threats, like intercontinental ballistic missiles fired from a different hemisphere. In Russia's case, the vastness of its territory was seen as a strength in its war with Ukraine. One of the air bases hit in Ukraine's Operation 'Spiderweb' was closer to Tokyo than Kyiv. But now Russia's size is a weakness, writes David Kirichenko on the Ukraine Watch blog of the Atlantic Council. Every border crossing may be an infiltration point; every cargo container on every highway or rail line must be treated with suspicion. 'This is a logistical nightmare,' Kirichenko said. And there is a direct analogy to the United States. US Air Force bomber bases are usually well inland, but accessible to vehicles large and small. For instance, all 20 B-2 bombers are stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. It's about 600 miles from the nearest coastline, the Gulf of Mexico, but only about 25 miles south of Interstate 70, one of the main east-west traffic arteries in the US, with thousands of commercial vehicles passing by daily. Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, one of the homes of US B-1 bombers, sits just south of another major east-west commercial artery, Interstate 20. 'Think of all the containers and illegal entrants inside our borders,' said Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center. 'That connection will trigger alarm in some US circles,' he said. Meanwhile, in the Pacific, even better US offensive firepower, like Gen. Allvin would like to have, might not be enough in the event of a conflict with China. That's because the PLA has made a concerted effort to protect its aircraft during its massive military buildup under leader Xi Jinping, according to the Hudson Institute report. China has more than 650 hardened aircraft shelters at airfields within 1,150 miles of the Taiwan Strait, the report says. But Shugart and Walton argue the best move Washington could make would be to make Beijing build more – by improving US strike capabilities in Asia. 'In response the… PLA would likely continue to spend funds on additional costly passive and active defense measures and in turn would have less to devote to alternative investments, including strike and other power projection capabilities,' they said.
