Latest news with #NationalTerrorismAdvisory
Time Magazine
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Vance Says U.S. 'Not at War With Iran' But Threats Mount
Vice President J.D. Vance has said that the United States is 'not at war with Iran,' despite U.S. strikes targeting three key Iranian nuclear sites overnight in what President Donald Trump called a "very successful attack." 'We're not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear program,' Vance said on Sunday during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press. He doubled down on his point in other interviews throughout the day. Vance's response comes after Iran issued a furious warning to the U.S. The Iranian ambassador to the U.N., Amir Saeid Iravani, called for an emergency U.N. meeting to ensure "that the perpetrator of such heinous crimes is held fully accountable and does not go unpunished." Read More: Iran Delivers Furious Warning, Speaks of 'Unprecedented Level of Danger and Chaos' After 'Heinous' U.S. Strikes When addressing the nation in a televised address on Saturday night, Trump—flanked by Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—warned Iran that if they were to retaliate, the U.S. would pursue other targets with "speed" and "precision." Now, with tensions seemingly at an all-time high, a National Terrorism Advisory published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Sunday has added to the mounting concern. The notice, titled 'Summary of the Threat to the United States,' stated that the Iran conflict is "causing a heightened threat environment." 'Low-level cyber attacks against U.S. networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against U.S. networks,' the advisory warned. 'Iran also has a long-standing commitment to target US Government officials it views as responsible for the death of an Iranian military commander killed in January 2020.' Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani was assassinated on Jan. 3, 2020 by a drone missile strike ordered by Trump during his first term as President. Soleimani's death threatened to heighten tensions between the U.S. and Iran back in 2020, and some Iranian officials have since called for Trump to be put on trial or face revenge from Tehran. The advisory went on to say that 'hacktivists and Iranian government-affiliated actors' often target 'poorly secured U.S. networks and Internet-connected devices for disruptive cyber attacks.' It added that U.S. law enforcement has 'disrupted multiple potentially lethal Iranian-backed plots in the United States since 2020. During this timeframe, the Iranian government has also unsuccessfully targeted critics of its regime who are based in the Homeland for lethal attack.' A final warning stated that the ongoing conflict could also 'motivate violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators seeking to attack targets perceived to be Jewish, pro-Israel, or linked to the U.S. government or military in the Homeland.' Read More: How U.S. Strikes May Have Inadvertently Helped the Iranian Regime Amid concerns of a threat to the U.S., how have U.S. lawmakers responded to the strikes on Iran? Some in Trump's inner circle have praised his decision to strike Iran. "Good. This was the right call. The regime deserves it. Well done,' said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee echoed Trump's words, saying that 'peace can only be achieved through strength.' But many other U.S. lawmakers—both Republicans and Democrats—have outwardly disagreed with Trump, with some even calling for Trump's impeachment, since Congress was reportedly not consulted about the decision. During a rally on his 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour over the weekend, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont called the strikes "grossly unconstitutional" as the crowd in Oklahoma chanted 'no more war.' 'All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The President does not have the right,' Sanders maintained. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a Democrat who has been on the tour with Sanders, argued that the strikes are 'absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.' House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer both condemned Trump's actions and called for Congress to be briefed. In a statement, Jeffries said that Trump 'failed to deliver' on his promise of peace in the Middle East. 'The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm's way,' he said. And the outrage has not just fallen on Democrats/ Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said the military action was 'not constitutional.' Trump responded with a lengthy post on Truth Social, stating that his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement 'doesn't want [Massie], doesn't know him, and doesn't respect him.' He said that Massie is 'disrespectful to [America's] great military, and all that they stand for, not even acknowledging their brilliance and bravery in yesterday's attack, which was a total and complete WIN.' Meanwhile, Massie replied to a post from Speaker Mike Johnson via social media, asking: 'Why didn't you call us back from vacation to vote on military action if there was a serious threat to our country?' As many world leaders remain 'gravely alarmed' over the strikes and the increasing instability in the Middle East and beyond, the U.S. awaits a potential response from Iran, something Trump maintains would be a 'terrible mistake.'
USA Today
17 hours ago
- Politics
- USA Today
What is Iran's next move? US bracing for response to nuke strikes: Live updates
Concerns swirled Monday over possible payback by Tehran against the U.S. or its allies after a strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities amid fears of an all-out Mideast conflict. The U.S. remained on "high alert" with its 40,000 troops in the region two days after President Donald Trump ordered the bombing of Fordow, a uranium enrichment facility deep inside a remote mountain in Iran, and facilities at Natanz and Isfahan. The Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin warning of a "heightened threat environment" in the U.S. The alert from the National Terrorism Advisory system said attacks from low-level cyber 'hacktivists' are likely, and larger attacks could follow if Iranian leaders issue a religious ruling 'calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland.' On Sunday, U.S. officials claimed an exhubertant victory with the pinpoint strikes, saying Iran's nuclear program had been decimated. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the bombings an "incredible and overwhelming success." Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine warned Iranian retaliation "would be an incredibly poor choice. We will defend ourselves. The safety of our service members and civilians remains our highest priority." Concerns also mounted over the possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil and gas route. The Iranian parliament backed a measure to close the strait, but the final decision was up to Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Iranian TV said. Will Iran strike back at the US? Iran − and its hard-line supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – are almost certainly going to strike back in response to historic U.S. military strikes on three of its suspected nuclear facilities. But if history is any guide, that response could happen at any time − and anywhere, and in any form, former U.S. intelligence officials and diplomatic experts say. 'Missiles, militias and acts of hostage-taking – that's their go-to' range of options, the Biden administration coordinator for the Middle East, Brett McGurk, said on CNN June 21. 'I suspect Iran will have to do something.' Read more here. −Josh Meyer Visual look at the strikes: See how Operation Midnight Hammer unfolded Operation Midnight Hammer used 'bunker busters' The U.S. used more than a dozen multimillion-dollar, 30,000-pound "bunker busters" to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities in the strike, known as Operation Midnight Hammer, marking the weapon's first operational use, according to the Pentagon. U.S. bomber planes dropped 14 of the massive bombs on three of Iran's nuclear facilities, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said. The bombs used in the strikes, called Massive Ordnance Penetrators, or MOPs, weigh 30,000 pounds each and cost millions to produce. MOPs, also known as the Guided Bomb Unit, or GBU-57, are GPS-guided weapons designed to burrow deep into underground targets, such as fortified tunnels or bunkers. The bombs are about 20 feet long and span 6 feet at their widest point. Read more here. − Cybele Mayes-Osterman What is the War Powers Act? Some lawmakers, including rigid conservatives and key progressives, are calling the U.S. strikes a breach of the Constitution,. "The President's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, posted on X. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, responded to Trump's social media assessment of the attack with the statement: "This is not Constitutional." The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action. The law also limits the deployment of armed forces beyond 90 days in the absence of a formal declaration of war. − Savannah Kuchar Why did the US strike Iran's nuke sites? Trump ordered the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, effectively joining a war that Israel started on June 13 when it began bombing Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure. Israel said it helped the U.S. coordinate and plan the strikes. Trump said all three sites were "totally obliterated." But an independent assessment has not yet been carried out. The International Atomic Energy Agency − the United Nation's nuclear watchdog − released a statement saying that so far it had not detected an increase in "off-site radiation levels," one of the feared consequences of the strikes. Vice President JD Vance insisted Sunday that the U.S. is not entering an open-ended conflict in the Middle East. 'We're not at war with Iran. We're at war with Iran's nuclear program.' Vance said on NBC.
