June 19th, 2026 | Weekly Issue
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Trump Says Iran 'Has To Have Some' Ballistic Missiles
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The president doubled down on the comments, telling reporters it would be 'unfair' to expect Iran to give up its missiles when other countries have them
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President Trump said on Wednesday that Iran has to be able to have "some" ballistic missiles when discussing future negotiations for the potential US-Iran deal.
The president told reporters that after the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding is signed, the US will work with its Gulf allies on "non-nuclear" issues, including ballistic missiles.
"I mean, they have to have some because other people have some, you gotta have some," the president said at the G7 summit in France.
Iran's ballistic missile program was frequently cited by senior US officials as one of the reasons why the US launched the war. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was standing alongside Trump at the G7 summit, told reporters in the first days of the bombing campaign that one purpose was to "destroy Iran's missile capability," something Trump also vowed to do when announcing the first wave of airstrikes.
"We're going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally, again, obliterated," Trump said on February 28 after the first wave of US-Israeli airstrikes.
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CENTCOM Announces End of US Blockade on Iran
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US officials have said the US could re-impose the blockade if it deems Iran hasn't fulfilled its commitments under the MoU
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US Central Command announced on Thursday that the US military was lifting its blockade of Iranian ports in line with the Memorandum of Understanding signed by President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to bring an end to the conflict between the two nations.
"Today, US forces lifted the blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, in accordance with the President's direction. American forces are not impeding the transit of vessels to or from Iranian ports. All US military blockade enforcement efforts have ceased," CENTCOM said.
The command said that US forces will remain in the area, as US officials have said the blockade can be re-imposed if it deems that Iran isn't fulfilling its commitments under the deal.
"Our great Naval Ships will remain in the general area to make sure that all aspects of the agreement are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and effect," CENTCOM said.
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Vance: Israeli Officials Need To Realize Trump Is the Only Head of State Still 'Sympathetic' to Israel
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The US vice president also called out Smotrich and Ben Gvir, saying they can't 'kill their way' out of every problem
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Vice President JD Vance said at a press briefing at the White House on Thursday that members of the Israeli government should realize that President Trump is the only head of state in the world who is still "sympathetic" to Israel.
The vice president made the comments when discussing Israeli officials who have been harshly critical of the Memorandum of Understanding President Trump signed with Iran on Wednesday.
"I guess my message to them would be twofold. Number one, Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time, and he happens to be the head of state of the world's superpower. If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world," Vance said.
Vance also pointed to the fact that Israel is extremely reliant on US military support. "The other thing that I would say is that over the last three months, two-thirds of the defensive weapons that have protected your homeland have been built by American hands and paid for by American tax dollars," he said.
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Report: Netanyahu Aims To Influence US-Iran Deal Through US Media Figures, Senators
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is aiming to influence the terms of the final US-Iran deal through pro-Israel "right-wing" media figures, CNN reported on Thursday, citing an Israeli official.
The only media figure mentioned by name in the report was Mark Levin, a long-time radio broadcaster and Fox News host, who is extremely pro-war and pro-Israel and has been harshly critical of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding to end the conflict.
Levin suggested in a post on X on Thursday that the US should pursue a different strategy to get through the midterm elections and then restart the war.
Time for a change in strategy. We should consider slow walking the enemy, building up our munitions, our oil reserves, get the price of gasoline down, get through the midterms, then knock them out," Levin said. "Instead of rushing to a deal, building up their oil industry, transferring billions to them, etc."
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Trump Suggests Syria Should 'Take Care' of Hezbollah in Lebanon
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The president praised Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's former al-Qaeda chief who now leads the country
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President Trump on Tuesday suggested that Syria, which is led by former al-Qaeda commander Ahmed al-Sharaa, should "take care" of Hezbollah in Lebanon rather than Israel.
The president said he was "not happy" with Israel's war in Lebanon, which has been supported by the US, due to the tactic of taking out entire apartment buildings, though his Pentagon employed similar tactics in Yemen and was responsible for major civilian casualties in Iran, most notably the bombing of the elementary school in Minab.
"Israel's fighting Hezbollah for too long, and too many people are being killed. You don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody because there's a lot of people in those apartment houses and they're not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you," the president told reporters during a meeting with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.
"I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah, because to be honest with you, I think they'd do a better job of doing it," Trump said. He went on to praise Sharaa, formerly known by his al-Qaeda nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, saying he "has pulled that country together very quickly, he's very capable, and he's very good for me. He's protected everything that I've asked for."
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Black Rain Falls on Moscow After Ukrainian Drone Attack Hits Oil Refinery
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Russia's foreign minister warned of a heavy response to the attack, which marked one of the largest on the Russian capital of the war
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Black oil-filled raindrops fell on parts of Moscow on Thursday after a major Ukrainian drone attack targeted the city and hit an oil refinery as the Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate.
Thick black smoke could be seen in the skies of Moscow following the attack, and at least 17 people were wounded by the drones, according to Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow Oblast.
According to the Russian news agency TASS, more than 190 Ukrainian drones were downed in the Moscow region, part of a swarm of 555 drones that were intercepted across Russia, one of the largest Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory of the war. At least one person was killed in Russia's southern Rostov region.
According to the BBC, the attack marked the third time this month that Ukrainian drones targeted the Kapotnya refinery in southeast Moscow, which was hit by a wave of drones on Thursday. Ukraine has continued to ramp up its attacks on Russian oil infrastructure as its NATO backers have escalated seizures of ships carrying Russian oil.
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