Victor Davis Hanson: U.S-Ukraine Mineral Deal Can Still Be Salvaged, Zelensky Was 'Not Ready' to Announce 'Settled' Deal
Victor Davis Hanson, the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, joined The Guy Benson Show today to break down the shocking televised Oval Office meeting between Trump, Zelensky, and JD Vance, which spiraled into a shouting match and led to the cancellation of a minerals deal between Ukraine and the U.S. Hanson explained why the optics of the confrontation between the president, vice president, and Zelensky could be politically damaging for all parties involved. They also discussed Israel's war efforts, as reports indicate that the IDF is preparing to relaunch operations in Gaza within weeks following the return of the Bibas family's bodies from Hamas. Listen to the full interview below!
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Oil prices surge as much as 13% as Israel strikes Iran in major escalation
Oil prices surged around 7% early on Friday morning after Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, marking a significant escalation in the Middle East conflict. Brent crude futures (BZ=F) had jumped more than 13% in the aftermath of the Thursday night attack before paring gains. The international benchmark and its US counterpart, West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) were both changing hands at around $73 a barrel on Friday, as traders weighed the risks of escalation into war. Israel said it conducted what it called "preemptive and precise" strikes against Iran, citing fears over development of nuclear weapons in Tehran. "Over the past few months intelligence has shown that Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon," IDF Spokesperson BG Effie Defrin said in a video statement following the attack. "This morning the IDF began preemptive and precise strikes, targeting the Iranian nuclear program." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took "unilateral action," saying the US was not involved in the strikes and warned Iran against targeting US interests and personnel. Israel "struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment program," and its ballistic missile program, the country's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in a statement. He added that the operation "will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat." Iran is the third-largest oil producer within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), trailing only Saudi Arabia and Iraq, with output exceeding 3 million barrels per day. 'The most immediate risk is to Iranian exports, which could drop sharply from the current 1.6 to 1.8 million barrels per day if maximum pressure tactics escalate or broader disruptions occur,' Rebecca Babin, U.S. senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth, told Yahoo Finance Thursday night. 'There's also the possibility — though still uncertain — of direct supply losses if Israel targets Iranian oil infrastructure,' she added. Iran has launched 100 low-flying drones toward Israeli territory in retaliation, an Israeli military spokesman told Reuters. While the swarm is likely to take several hours to reach its target, it could just be paving the way for a missile bombardment later. It remains unclear whether the conflict could spill over into the broader region. 'We can probably expect a temporary slowdown in oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,' said Ed Hirs, senior fellow at the University of Houston, in an interview with Yahoo Finance. Tehran has repeatedly threatened to block the strait, a vital chokepoint through which as many as 20 million barrels of oil pass each day. On Wednesday afternoon, crude futures surged more than 4% after the U.S. ordered the evacuation of non-essential embassy personnel from Iraq, amid rising regional threats. Supply concerns also mounted this week after President Trump indicated during a podcast that he's increasingly doubtful Washington will reach a nuclear deal with Iran, as recent talks have stalled. "I don't know. I did think so, and I'm getting ... less confident about it," Trump said on the program 'Pod Force One' which aired on Wednesday. Ines Ferre is a Senior Business Reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X at @ines_ferre. Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Once again, Israel proves it has the most impressive military in the world
However bellicose the Mullahs in Tehran are this morning, they know they have been absolutely hammered by a superior military power. Operation Rising Lion was the second extraordinary military operation within a few days, which like Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web by Kyiv's secret service will have a strategic impact across the world. This operation has been years in the planning and, with the autocratic Iranian regime's frightening intransigence over nuclear weapons, amid warnings it has enough material to build 15 nuclear bombs 'within days', Israel had run out of patience. The IDF has likely been preparing this battlefield in detail for a decade. The level of intelligence required to take out key military and political leaders suggests that the Israeli security services have a huge network of spies on the ground, probably at the very heart of military and political command, to produce a comprehensive set of strategic targets. The precursor to this strike was the annihilation of the main Iranian proxy Hezbollah last year, when pagers and radios blew up in the pockets of operatives, an audacious attack which struck Iran's heart and soul. In the months previously, I was briefed about the complete domination of Syria and Lebanon by Hezbollah, which evaporated with their pagers, paving the way for the fall of the Bashar al-Assad. Israeli jets and missile destroyed part of Iran's air defence around many key military sites last year, which will have been pivotal to the apparent success of these latest attacks. The main nuclear development site at Natanz seems to have been comprehensively attacked and its many centrifuges likely destroyed. Without centrifuges you cannot enrich uranium, and without enriched uranium you cannot make nuclear weapons. But this wasn't just about enrichment and crushing the nuclear weapons programme. It was also an attack on senior military and political decision-makers. The intensity and complexity of these strikes is on a level not seen in living memory, and if Ukraine is given the wherewithal to replicate this, we might see a very different outcome in the fight with the Russians. The axis of evil in its entirety ought to be afraid. Israel does nothing in half measures and like them or not,when it comes to military operations against legitimate targets, they show the rest how it is done. This operation will be studied by military experts and historians for generations, as a way to achieve military success when you have no limits to the risks you are prepared to take and must care little for what others – even your purported allies – may say. The world holds its breath. Iran has few allies. Perhaps the silent majority in this evil regime may see this as an opportunity to remove the war like clergy from the helm for a more moderate leadership. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Timeline of tensions and hostilities between Israel and Iran
Israel and Iran opened a new chapter in their long history of conflict when Israel launched a major attack with strikes early Friday that set off explosions in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Israel said it targeted nuclear and military facilities. Iranian state media reported the leader of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and two top nuclear scientists were killed. Israel's attack comes as tensions have escalated over Iran's rapidly advancing nuclear program, which Israel sees as a threat to its existence. Here is a timeline of some significant events in the hostilities between the two countries: Iran's nuclear program is a primary target 2010 — The Stuxnet computer virus is discovered and widely believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creation. The virus disrupted and destroyed Iranian centrifuges. 2018 — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel obtained tens of thousands of pages of data showing Iran covered up its nuclear program before signing a deal with world powers in 2015. An ex-Mossad chief confirms the information was obtained by more than a dozen non-Israeli agents from safes in Tehran in 2018. 2020 — Alleged Israeli attacks against Iran's nuclear program are stepped up significantly after the disintegration of the 2015 nuclear deal meant to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons. July 2020 — A mysterious explosion tears apart a centrifuge production plant at Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. Iran blames the attack on Israel. November 2020 — A top Iranian military nuclear scientist , Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, is killed by a remote-controlled machine gun while traveling in a car outside Tehran. A top Iranian security official accuses Israel of using 'electronic devices' to remotely kill the scientist, who founded Iran's military nuclear program in the 2000s. April 11, 2021 — An attack targets Iran's underground nuclear facility in Natanz . Iran blames Israel, which does not claim responsibility, but Israeli media widely reports the government orchestrated a cyberattack that caused a blackout at the facility. April 16, 2021 — Iran begins enriching uranium up to 60%, its highest purity ever and a technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%. June 2022 — Iran accuses Israel of poisoning two nuclear scientists in different cities within three days of each other, though circumstances remained unclear. Mideast wars Oct. 7, 2023 — Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip storm into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage, beginning the most intense war between Israel and Hamas . Iran, which has armed Hamas, offers support to the militants. Feb. 14, 2024 — An Israeli sabotage attack causes multiple explosions on an Iranian natural gas pipeline running from Iran's western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province to cities on the Caspian Sea. April 1, 2024 — An Israeli airstrike demolishes Iran's Consulate in Damascus, Syria, killing 16 people including two Iranian generals. April 14, 2024 — Iran launches an unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel, firing over 300 missiles and attack drones in response to the Israeli airstrike in Damascus. Working with a U.S.-led international coalition, Israel intercepts much of the incoming fire. April 19, 2024 — A suspected Israeli strike hits an air defense system near an airport in Isfahan, Iran. July 31, 2024 — Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is assassinated by an apparent Israeli airstrike during a visit to Tehran. Israel had pledged to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the Oct. 7 attack. Sept. 27, 2024 — Israeli airstrike kills Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah . Formed by Iranian Revolutionary Guard members who went to Lebanon in 1982 to fight invading Israeli forces, Hezbollah was the first group that Iran backed and used as a way to export its brand of political Islam. Oct. 1, 2024 — Iran launches its second direct attack on Israel, though a U.S.-led coalition and Israel shoot down most of the missiles. Oct. 16, 2024 — Israel kills Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip. Oct. 26, 2024 — Israel openly attacks Iran for the first time, striking air defense systems and sites associated with its missile program. April 30, 2025 — Iran executes a man it said worked for Israel's Mossad foreign intelligence agency and played a role in the killing of Revolutionary Guard Col. Hassan Sayyad Khodaei in Tehran on May 22, 2022. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
