Senator Tom Cotton is the current chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and one of the strongest voices in full support of military strikes against Iran.
Good morning, and Happy Father’s Day to you.
SENATOR TOM COTTON (R-Arkansas): Thank you, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, I know you are staying on top of all these events.
When it comes to what President Trump has said publicly, he seems to be indicating not just that the U.S. had nothing to do with the attack on Iran, but he’s saying this is not America’s fight unless Iran hits the U.S.
Should it be such a bright line?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: Well, what the president said in his overnight post was a clear message to the ayatollahs, that, if you hit America in any way, whether our troops or our citizens or our ships, for instance, then you’re going to feel the full force and strength of the U.S. military in a way no one’s ever seen.
That’s a clear deterrent message, setting aside the threat that the nuclear program poses to Israel and to the United States, because, let’s remember, the Iranian regime has been terrorizing Americans. It’s killed thousands of Americans. It’s taken them hostage. It still chants “Death to America.” And it’s building missiles that can strike not just our troops or our friends in the region, but soon enough here in the United States as well.
And that’s why President Trump has been consistent for his 10 years in political life that we cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. We cannot allow them to have a path to a nuclear weapon with uranium enrichment. That’s the deal that he was trying to negotiate for the last two months.
But, as he said early last week, Iran was simply too stubborn. They weren’t willing to come to the table and negotiate. And I have to disagree with the reporter who said that Israel strikes in Iran ended those negotiations. It was Iran’s – Iran’s stubbornness that ended them.
President Trump was clear about that. And he is still clear that there is time, if they want to come back to negotiate an end to the uranium enrichment program, that he would accept that. But he’s given them chance after chance, as he said.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But, in terms of the line he’s drawing on military force, should the U.S. involvement be purely defensive and deterrent, or should the U.S. be willing to be engaged in these military operations?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: Well, I don’t think he’s drawn that line. He’s been very clear that all options remain on the table to defend our own people, to support Israel…
MARGARET BRENNAN: He hasn’t said that.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: But he – well, he said that for 10 years, and he said it for months leading up to this moment.
He said that Iran can make a deal and live happily without death, or there will be bombing. So, I think he’s appropriately kept all options on the table. He made clear in the early days of this conflict, on Thursday night and Friday morning, that we back Israel to the hilt. There’s almost 700,000 Americans in Israel at any time. So, of course, we’re going to protect Israel, and that we have the best military technology in the world.
And he said that he has proudly provided Israel with those weapons, both in his first term and in this term as well. So, we back Israel to the hilt all the way. But he’s appropriately keeping all options on the table.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But he’s emphasizing again and again, this isn’t us. This isn’t America. This isn’t an American operation.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: So, so far in this operation, we have not been involved in offensive strikes. We’ve been involved in other ways, through our provision of Israel with weapons over the years or our defense of Israel and its citizens and our citizens in Israel.
Now, he has said his objective remains the same, which is Iran’s nuclear disarmament. And he has said that that can happen still through a deal. I don’t think…
MARGARET BRENNAN: He prefers diplomacy.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: And he would like Iran to come back to the table, I think, now that Iran sees that Israel and America mean business…
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: … and surrender its enrichment capabilities voluntarily. If that doesn’t happen, though, I think these strikes are going to continue.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But to the point, if it’s really about destroying the nuclear program that Iran has, you know this very well, that there’s this underground facility at Fordow, very deep, under a mountain.
It’s long been assessed that only the U.S. has the capability with a bunker-buster bomb to take it out. Should the United States offer that kind of massive ordnance penetrator to Israel to finish the job?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: Well, I’m not going to speculate about the methods that the United States or Israel might use…
MARGARET BRENNAN: But should they?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: … to protect our own interests.
I will simply say this. It is, as you say, widely known that Israel does not have heavy bombers. It doesn’t have those 30,000-pound penetrating munitions. But, as we saw with Hezbollah last fall, as we saw in Iran on Thursday night, when the Mossad had infiltrated officers and agents and manufactured drones in Iran, Israel has more than a few tricks up their sleeve.
And I wouldn’t be surprised if Israel has other cards yet to play.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, when it comes to differences in intelligence assessments, the U.S. intelligence that was made public in March said at the time the U.S. does not assess Iran’s building a nuclear weapon and that the supreme leader has not reauthorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended back in 2003.
Was there more recent U.S. intel sharing or intel indicating that there was some kind of sprint for a bomb?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: Well…
MARGARET BRENNAN: Because that seems a very different assessment from what Israel’s claiming.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: Well, unfortunately, Iran enriched a lot of the uranium to near weapons-grade over the four years of the Biden administration. And they…
MARGARET BRENNAN: But that’s not weaponization. You know that.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: They are – they are close to having enough pure weapons-grade uranium for several weapons.
Now, that’s not the only step to having a weapon. You also have to have the weapon design. We’ve seen indications that Iran is once again exploring those weapon designs. And then, if you want to use a missile, obviously, you have to marry up the warhead to the missile. But Iran has other delivery methods as well, through terrorist proxies.
So I think that’s one of the reasons why both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu thought we – things that were coming to a head. A second reason is, Iran is rapidly producing ballistic missiles, both medium-range to target Israel and short-range to target our troops, and they add substantially to those stockpiles every single month.
And at a time when Iran is both continuing its work on its nuclear program and trying to rebuild its offensive missile capacity, that the window to actually stop Iran from entering that zone of immunity was rapidly closing.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right, but why Thursday night?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: Well, as President…
MARGARET BRENNAN: There seems to be a difference in this idea of a sprint.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: Well, as President Trump – well, as President Trump said on Friday morning, that he had given Iran 60 days to make a deal.
That was day 61.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And he scheduled talks on day 63. You know that.
I mean, this was a – this wasn’t really a hard deadline.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: He gave them 60 days. On day 61, the strikes began.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Day 63, Steve Witkoff wanted to meet with them.
But if this was a covert race to weaponize, though, it – it raises questions here, because it appears President Trump’s offer is to negotiate with the existing regime that is in place in Iran.
Do you support a deal with the existing regime in Iran to stay in place? Do you support his push for diplomacy?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: President Trump has always said his goal is to end Iran’s nuclear weapons program…
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: … which means the surrender of its uranium enrichment capability.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But this would be offering them a lifeline, wouldn’t it?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: Well, it would be protecting our interests and securing Israel’s interests as well in Iran not having a nuclear weapon.
We’ve seen what happens when they don’t have nuclear weapons. They’re deliberately targeting civilian areas in Israel. We’ve seen their campaign of terror against Americans over the decades. That’s why we can’t allow them to have a nuclear weapon.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: And presidents have said – for 20 years, presidents have said that. George Bush said it, didn’t act on it. Barack Obama and Joe Biden, frankly, aided and abetted Iran’s nuclear program. Only Donald Trump has drawn that line and is willing to enforce that line.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But he’s not enforcing that line. It is Israel that’s bombing. As you just said, the United States is not involved in these offensive operations.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: But, in – in Israel, we are helping – we’re help…
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you – but do you share the president’s assessment that the way to finish this is through negotiating with the existing regime that the Israelis have called for the Iranian people to rise up against?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: I think there’s multiple ways to eliminate Iran’s enrichment capability. They are today what they were Thursday morning, before these strikes started. As the president has said repeatedly, they can make a deal, or there’s going to be bombing.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to move to some domestic issues, but, very quickly, I know in the past, you have said that former officials who have a direct threat against them from Iran should continue to receive security. President Trump pulled it.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: I think we should…
MARGARET BRENNAN: Should they get it now?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: We should probably revisit the threat that all persons face – remember, President Trump faced assassination threats from Iran as well – in this moment of tension, to ensure that no one who worked for President Trump in the first term or works for him now could be the target of Iranian agents.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And that security detail was pulled by the president himself.
On immigration, the Trump administration has decided to pull back its policy a little bit. They are pausing raids on farms, hotels and restaurants. Arkansas has a lot of agricultural business in your state. Do you support this decision?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: I think we need to have robust worksite enforcement.
I don’t think ICE is going to show up at one or two restaurants where they have an illegal migrant working. Usually, it’s unscrupulous employers who have large numbers of illegal immigrants working in their worksites. And whatever worksite it is, whatever industry it is, ICE has to be able to go and enforce our immigration laws and remove illegal immigrants.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But the president has pulled back from that. That was the change in policy last week when it came to farms, in particular.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: I don’t – I don’t think we should – I don’t think we should pull back to any – on any kind of enforcement at all.
I think worksite enforcement in all industries needs to be able to move forward. And I think ICE agents on the front lines need the support of political leadership.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You would want more enforcement, including in manufacturing, including in construction, where it could impact the economy?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: We – we – we should – we should not – we should not declare any industry or any worksite that uses large numbers of illegal immigrants off-limits for enforcement of federal law.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I also want to ask you about the enforcement to date.
As you know, there has been outcry. We’ve seen protests across the country because of the enforcement policies. You wrote an op-ed supporting President Trump’s decision to send in federalized National Guard troops and active-duty Marines to California.
You referred to it as “the threat from the radical left, an overwhelming show of force to end the riots,” and talked about communities being terrorized.
Given the amount of tension in the country right now, is that really the language to use?
SENATOR TOM COTTON: Yes, when you see left-wing street militias who are throwing bricks and frozen water bottles at police officers and shooting them with fireworks.
And, unfortunately, you have mayors and governors in some places that won’t allow police to maintain order. The next step is to call in the National Guard. And if the governor won’t call on the National Guard, then the president has to federalize them.
We always hope that the local police are allowed to do their job and have sufficient numbers to do their job to maintain order and protect innocent life and property. But, if they can’t, or they’re not allowed to, the National Guard has to be on scene to restore civil order.
MARGARET BRENNAN: LAPD says they were handling when things turned violent yesterday. They fired rubber bullets, but they said they had it under control.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: The L.A. police chief said last weekend that his forces were overwhelmed, and they couldn’t manage the situation.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Cotton, thank you very much for your time today.
SENATOR TOM COTTON: Thank you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Face the Nation will be back in a minute, so stay with us.
Iranian leaders have continually described the USA as the Big Satan and Israel as the Little Satan. … Iran and the terrorists Iran sponsors advocated the destruction of all the Jews living in Israel. ‘From the river to the sea’ is a battle cry by militant Muslims for the death of the Jews. All this information has been available on the Internet for years.
The USA and Israel are engaged in a Just War in the Middle East >against the Iranians and their sponsored terrorists. … The standard for a Just War is on the Internet.
……. The current bombing of Iran and the death brought to Iranians is >not a ‘first strike’ event in the start of a Just War. … Iran and its sponsored Muslim terrorists have been attacking the USA, Israel and the other countries in the World for years.
A War Jihad is part of the Islamic belief systems. We are all in this war whether we choose the war or not. The war started >centuries ago. … The Great Donald J Trump is trying to mitigate the effects of this ongoing war and bring about some peace in the Middle East. [The decision some peace (without war) in the Middle East actually will be made by the Militant Islamists.]
Donald J Trump is opposed by people [1] wanting a war to make a bit more money and gain control over other people. He, Donald J Trump, is also opposed by Militant Muslims [2] believing in a Military Jihad to impose their beliefs on other people.
The West is pretty good at teaching the catch-up civilizations how to demonize their enemy. Or maybe it’s simply as old as dirt. Seems to me the term “barbarian” has a certain history.
The Islamists believe, their holy book, The Koran, comes directly from their God Allah.
…… Practicing Islamists also have the two books of guidance, the Hadith and Sunnah, which are the words and actions of the Prophet Muhammed.
Islamists do NOT follow the ‘teachings of the west’ as the Islamists want non-Islamists to convert to Islam.
…… As far as demonization of enemies, that seems to be a ‘tactic’ used to divide people through hatreds, since the very beginnings of the human race.
In Christianity, Love is the >essence of God. … God loves everyone, and we are obligated to love each other too [Love in a Godly manner].
…….. God does NOT send people to Hell. People send >themselves to Hell, by their thoughts, their words, what they do, and what they fail to do. There is also the final rejection of God and his Mercy.
Human life, and civilizations become more than the sum total of the modern gadgets possessed by everyone. … God provides everyone with the Natural Law as guidelines on how they should live their lives.
“For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul?” (The Goodbook) … Everyone in the world should listen to the Natural Law placed in their hearts, by God.
Did anyone hear the lust for war coming from M. Brennan?? Bright line? A nuclear detonation is assuredly a VERY BRIGHT light Margaret, unless you have your own special bunker (which I highly doubt). Most likely she will become a very crispy critter along with the rest of the deplorables if such a detonation occurs.
Senator Tom Cotton gets my medal of VALOR for the day for agreeing FACE OFF with the HARPIE M. Brennan.
Seems a simple setup for any crackpot to implicate Iran in a terror attack of domestic sort to escalate US military in the Middle East
Think I’ll just leave this here…
NFW!!!
This is one where we have to agree to disagree, Sundance. I recall the 444 days of “America held hostage.” Just about the only time when I felt ashamed to be an American. Then there was the Beirut barracks bombing. Later came Khobar Towers and a whole lot more I don’t recall now. I wish we were doing what Israel is doing ourselves. Those beardies in Teheran deserve whatever they get. The accounts need to be settled. I am not anti-war. I am anti-STUPID wars. This is not a stupid war.
Remember the 1950s when we overthrew the elected government of Iran and the CIA spent the next 20 years supporting death squads and tortures? Remember how we spent 8 years giving Iraq WMDs (the same ones we invaded over in 2003), Intel and other aid to kill Iranians? Remember how the NeoCons started supporting a Communist terrorist group in Iran that had murdered US military officers? Remember when Jesus said not to complain about the speck in someone else’s eye when you have a beam in your own?
Very different historical context.
In the event, it’s all irrelevant at this point. The issue is whether a regime that sponsors terrorism and hegemonist objectives in the ME should be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. It’s a security and real power decision – nothing more, nothing less. It’s reasonable to assume decision-makers weigh all the risks.
Where were you when Pakistan got their nukes? They fit all the descriptors you enumerated. Don’t think for a minute the decision makers weigh all the risks. They only weigh the ones that fit their narrative. Then – BOMBS AWAY! Another stupid war. By the way wasn’t Israel born out of the Bombing of the King David Hotel, by terrorists who later became Prime Ministers? This is not our war, Israel could stop most, if not all the so called Terrorism in the ME by allowing the Palestinians to have their own state, which was part and parcel of Israel being allowed to be a country by the UN.
Oh nonsense.
I’ve been there once or twice on high level staffs when decisions get pushed down. Are they political? Duh. That’s one major reason why there is civilian command and control in the first place. Since Viet Nam (really during that war) there are many military types who will attest that civilian leadership has OFTEN pursued less violent options (i.e., kinetic options more likely to succeed) in order to manage escalation, domestic and global opinion.
It’s never zero or one. The world is more complicated than that. That doesn’t rule out bad decision-makers, bad influencers, bad strategies, bad data, etc., etc. What it has not been is uniformly evil decisions since the conclusion of WWII – because intellectually lazy people can’t see the competing events or don’t know everything going on.
It’s not a game of certainty.
Palestinians do not want their own state. That’s a western idea. Palestinians was to eradicate Israel.
“The issue is whether a regime that sponsors terrorism and hegemonist objectives in the ME should be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.”
The same could be said about the CCP-PRC! Of course, they ALREADY have “the BOMB” – thanks to whomever made THAT possible.
The CCP-PRC and the Maoist Rebels working to crumble the little Kingdom of Nepal for many years now. Anywhere you see the term “Maoist Rebels” that would be the CCP-PRC!
The CCP-PRC “we will not seek hegemony” is BS – that phrase means that they will not seek to be the big bully of their neck of the woods, their little neighborhood in the world – but that is what they absolutely have been doing!
Their neighbors in the South China Sea constantly having to fight the big bully for their sovereignty while the big bully nibbles around everyone’s edges, claiming islands long held by the smaller nations.
Their rolling over Tibet way back in 1950 – did the world lift a finger? UN? Crickets. I thought the basic idea of the UN was that no long would Hitler-like aspirations be allowed to take root anywhere, such as when Hitler’s troops rolled into Czechoslovakia after agitating over the Sudatenland. They needed lebensraum, so they took it.
The constant agitation of the Kingdom of Nepal with Maoist Rebels and their bombs and destabilizing violence. The horrific shooting of the Royal Family supposedly by one of their own, the Crown Prince, who had purportedly shot himself in the back with a Glock pistol.
The incursion into India from the north – they didn’t win that one. They will continue to work at that, however. It seems always about a “historical pretext” why they need to go into a country and take off a big bite and ultimately take over the entire country.
Kashmir between Pakistan and India – who is it truly that has been agitating and roiling the waters there?
I could go on!
I would bet you a fat man against a hole in a donut that the CCP-PRC has many more operators around the world instigating terror and suffering. I know, “a fat man against a hole in a donut” is not an elegant, esoteric way of putting it but there it is.
Maybe you want to wallow in 1953. The Shah’s regime was probably the LEAST oppressive in the history of that unfortunate country. (And Mossadegh was an idiot, BTW.) How about the here-and-now? You want these beardies handing out nukes to the likes of Hamas and Hezbollah? GMAFB……
Israel has got this. Just let them finish the job and reinstall the crown prince.
I thought they just wanted to eradicate the threat of those nuclear weapons – maybe the people of Iran don’t want a Crown Prince, either!
A good portion of the population would like to be free of the radical Islamic fundamentalists. Perhaps you don’t remember what Iran (and Lebanon) were, 50 years ago, before Islamic rule
Margaret Brennan is a thoroughly ugly person.
She doesn’t want answers; she wants to bash Trump.
It’s a waste of time watching her.
If our enemies want to kill us, we have a choice between killing them or letting them kill us.“The situation between America and Iran is this: When you chant ‘Death to America!’ it is not just a slogan – it is a policy,” Ayatollah Khamenei explained in 2023.
https://bkdvk-zgpvh.campaign-view.com/ua/viewinbrowser?od=3z2bfeefc6e25f26cf812b76a5b8ac0e30e27282f9efb6946a6fa34a9221491b79&rd=11289f96a6f3c0014&sd=11289f96a6f3be2f9&n=11699e4bfdc33ec&mrd=11289f96a6f3be2e5&m=1
Iran (and other nations) have been chanting that for decades
until they actually attack the US
no troops of ours should be involved
No troops required,nobody is invading Iran,the nuke factory 300 ft underground needs to have its rock roof collapsed.Nobody needs to put a nuke factory 300 feet underground if it is for peaceful use to generate power, Iran has the lowest natural gas prices that they use for power generation.No chatting or agreements can stop a group that wants nukes.North Korea ”agreement”allowed them to have dozens of nukes.Anybody not on the target list of the mullahs has no skin in the game.
We should wait until they use nuclear weapons on us and then attack them?
What’s your preemptive launch criteria?
I can see doing so. But that also means living with the consequences.
Disagree completely – taking the broadest definition of troops.
The problem lies with political leadership.
SEALs, for example, do all kinds of interesting things, in non-warfare situations, that nevertheless serve American interests.
Responsibility lies ultimately with the people defining national security and derivatively national military priorities and strategies.
None of us sitting on the outside – NONE OF US – determine who leads the military and tasks it. We vote for representatives (e.g., PDJT, Senators, etc.) who we hope exercise wisdom in defining national priorities – while abiding by the law and adhering to the Constitution.
If you believe in isolationism, then say so plainly. There is an American historical tradition for that. It arrives with its own strengths and vulnerabilities when it comes to national security.
So many domestic protestors have said the same.
Do we kill all of them?
these warhawks are a$$holes
no American troops for Israel
This is all they require, the things they don’t have. A few of these could be used to drill down into the Iranian’s deeply buried uranium enrichment centrifuge facility.
BTW, if that facility was for truly peaceful use, why would they bury it so deeply? Same reason their missile storage facility was buried, but not nearly so deeply and which did, therefore, go all explody on day one of this war. HUGE white plumes of ignited solid rocket propellant were the result.
I re-read Revelation neither the US nor President Trump were mentioned.
(plot spoiler alert)
It seemed Israel had upset the entire world and God intervenes. (not the MIC)
Colonel William R. Higgins was captured by Hezbollah, the terrorist group acting as Iran’s hand in Lebanon, and tortured for months until his body was dumped near a mosque. Autopsy report found that he had been starved and had suffered multiple lethal injuries that could have caused his death. The skin on his face had been partially removed along with his tongue and he had also been castrated.https://www.frontpagemag.com/american-blood-iranian-hands-daniel-greenfield/
Margaret Brennan/CBS “News” is rooting for our enemies.
OR could just be a psyop to convince Iran to negotiate.
Armada Of USAF Tankers Just Deployed East Over Atlantic Spurring Speculation
The mysterious migration could signal a major contingency being put in place or even a change in U.S. policy on the Iran-Israel war.
Jun 16, 2025
https://www.twz.com/air/armada-of-usaf-tankers-just-deployed-east-over-atlantic-spurring-speculation
Over two dozen U.S. Air Force KC-135R and KC-46A tankers [for aerial refueling – W] from across the United States appeared on flight-tracking software yesterday evening, taking off from their bases and heading east over the Atlantic. It isn’t clear if they were ‘dragging’ any combat aircraft with them, but there wasn’t any obvious signs of that.
While tanker movements in this direction are far from abnormal, such a large, near-simultaneous migration of the jets was very peculiar, especially at a time of extreme crisis in the Middle East. The exact reason for the mass deployment is unclear, although many of the potential answers would indicate a change, or preparations for a potential change, in the current conflict between Israel and Iran.
The author’s guesses:
1) The U.S. has decided or is preparing for the possibility that it will provide Israel with aerial refueling support to dramatically accelerate its offensive air operations over Iran.
2) Joining the kinetic fight.
3) Preparing to deal with Iran attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz.
4) Providing a robust air bridge from the U.S. to the Middle East.
Wasn’t just tankers.
You are correct.
Apparently not taking anything with them:
E-3s.
my neighbors daughter is with the 185th refueling wing out of sioux city iowa and she told me at least 2 months ago that she was going to germany in mid june for 3-4 weeks.kinda makes ya wonder.was it just normal training or they knew this was coming.as it was around the time trump gave iran 60 days.and $#it was gonna hit the fan??
There are annual scheduled NATO exercises that take place in the summer.
The US has been helping Israel through US Aegis equipped war ships to intercept incoming rocket attacks from Iran to civilian areas.
Who cares what the MSM et al think? They created this mess with the “one screw turn” policy when their hands laid upon the the ship of state rudder.
They’re advocating now for actions that they themselves were completely unwilling to pursue when in power. Hmmmm.
Offense? Defense? Let PDJT decide how that balances out. These other voices have no real say in the matter – they played their hand.
From the globalist occupied country of France.
Paris Air Show blockades off Israeli booths, in move Israel calls ‘outrageous and unprecedented’
The Israeli government called the move an “outrageous and unprecedented decision” which “reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations.”
June 16, 2025
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/06/paris-air-show-blockades-off-israeli-booths/
PARIS AIR SHOW — Organizers for the Paris Air Show have erected barricades around the booths of Israeli defense firms, effectively shutting them off from the conference in a move the Israeli government called an “ugly and improper action.”
As visitors arrived for the first day of the conference, Europe’s largest such event, they found Israeli firms had their pavilions surrounded by large black walls.
According to a statement from the Israeli Ministry of Defense, “exhibition organizers acting on behalf of the French government ordered the removal of offensive weapons systems from Israeli defense industry pavilions.”
When Israeli firms rejected the request, “exhibition organizers responded by erecting a black wall that blocks the Israeli pavilions, a “unilateral action [which] was carried out in the middle of the night after Israeli defense officials and companies had already finished setting up their displays.”
Israel’s Strike On South Pars: Is Europe Facing A New Energy Crisis?
Jun 16, 2025
Israel’s recent military strike on Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the main artery of its energy sector has reshuffled the regional deck. For Europe, the attack could signal the onset of an energy policy disaster.
[snip]
The Euro and the Fiat Trap
For eurozone nations, a repeat of the 1970s oil crisis would be financially devastating. Crises of this kind drive mobile capital toward the U.S. dollar—the world’s dominant energy-trading currency. The U.S., with its largely energy-autarkic economy, would be shielded from much of the fallout.
Europe’s situation, by contrast, is precarious. The euro is a fiat currency backed by an issuer with little access to domestic energy resources. In the face of geopolitical shocks, it would likely suffer sharp devaluation as Europe scrambles to pay soaring import prices. Rising energy costs would act as a recession accelerator, fueling existing inflationary pressures and triggering capital flight toward more energy-secure jurisdictions. Europe is trapped. The political elimination of nuclear power in Germany and the embargo on Russian energy have only intensified the continent’s exposure.
Brussels appears paralyzed in the face of this geopolitical turbulence. The war between Israel and Iran underscores what has already become clear in the Ukraine conflict: the EU is losing geopolitical relevance at breakneck speed. It plays little to no role in either preventing or resolving the central conflicts of our era. Without a fundamental shift in strategy—and a renewed willingness to engage in pragmatic diplomacy—Europe lacks the tools to confront an impending energy shock. The EU must relearn the art of negotiation. Its influence in the world’s energy-dominant regions is rapidly evaporating.
The last paragraph brings a smile to my face. 😁
When do the Iranians become protected refugees?
Jeff Sachs is worth listening to:
You are better off listening to John Mearshimer.
Q: Do the Iranian people want to be free of their government?
Grok: Many Iranians have expressed a strong desire for greater freedom from their government’s oppressive policies, as evidenced by recurring waves of protests over the past several decades. The 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, sparked by the death of Mahsa Jina Amini in morality police custody, saw widespread demonstrations across Iran, with citizens chanting slogans like “death to the dictator” and demanding an end to theocratic rule. Polling data from 2023 by GAMAAN, cited in multiple sources, indicates that 81% of Iranians inside the country and 99% of those abroad reject the Islamic Republic, signaling significant discontent. Protests since 2017, including those in 2019 and 2022, have consistently highlighted demands for democracy, gender equality, and personal freedoms, often met with violent repression, including mass arrests and lethal force.
However, views are not monolithic. Some Iranians, particularly those aligned with the regime or benefiting from its structure, may support the government or fear the instability of regime change. The regime’s control over media and suppression of dissent also complicates open expression of anti-government sentiment. Despite this, the scale and persistence of protests, even under severe crackdowns, suggest a broad and growing desire for systemic change among many Iranians, particularly the youth and women, who seek a secular, democratic system.
So, no “deals.” Kinetically eliminate their government for them. Maybe let the dog catcher go. And that can be done without US boots on the ground.
War monger Cotton. Please primary him. I fully expect the mossad to somehow pull us into conflict. Probably with help from our CIA. Like bomb one of our Middle East targets and blame Iran.
The only country in the world with the courage to stand up to the mullahs of Iran is Israel. Many American and European leaders talk about Iran not having nuclear weapons, but none of them have the motivation that Israel has.
When Jews hear leaders of a country saying repeatedly that the Zionist entity is a cancer on the Middle East, that they will wipe Israel off the map, Jews believe them. They learned that lesson from Hitler and Stalin. Not believing them is a prescription for ending up dead.
It seems that in every generation there is another holocaust against the Jews. Why do some people hate the Jews and want them dead?
The Jews participated in the first successful slave revolt in the history of mankind. Thus Judaism symbolically represents freedom. Anyone who wants to enslave people, must first start with killing Jews, because Jews will stand up for others. So those who want to kill the Jews are not just bad for the Jews, they are bad for EVERYBODY. For example, Hitler didn’t just commit genocide against the Jews, he caused the enslavement of millions of people.
Israel would never have risen to the challenge of taking out Iran’s nuclear weapons had they not had good intelligence about nuclear weapons use and ballistic weapons use being imminent.
Iran having nuclear weapons and giving this technology to death cult terrorists like the Houthis and Hezbollah would be a risk to all of mankind.
Margaret Brennan does not understand this. You can tell this because her questions were not about this existential threat to Israel, America, and to all of mankind, but were focused on “gotcha” questions to make either Tom Cotton or Trump look bad. That was her entire goal: not to inform Americans but to propagandize against the Trump Administration. She is paid to package lies as if they are “news.”
He shot 3 politicians and one human being. Did the human survive?
If you’re not aware, the Jews have no love for Christians. They believe Jesus and Mary are derived from Hell.
The Jews hate Christians as much as they do the Muslims.
You better know who you are supporting if you support Israel.
This is just one of endless resources on the topic.
What Does The Talmud Say About Christians? | World Events and the Bible
This conversation may soon be moot, as it appears that Israel, with some help from Jordan and Saudi Arabia, have got this issue covered.
MARGARET BRENNAN: What a despicable woman. I would love to see her in a slapping contest with an 800 lbm gorilla. That would be great vicarious experience.
I’m not neocon, but I say rent Israel all the huge planes and bunker buster bombs needed to allow them to obliterate every underground nuclear site in Iran…
Every last one.
We don’t do it for them – they do it and they pay us for the arms to do it.
Timing on this truly is now – now that Iran is weakened and vulnerable – incapable of fighting back.
If it’s not done now, it’s only a matter of time before Iran reconstitutes their nuke program, obtains nukes and absolutely uses them.
This should answer a key concern being discussed here:
Bibi Netanyahu spoke in Israel (in Hebrew) some hours ago, and was asked directly by a reporter, “Since Israel can’t take out Fordo [the deep nuclear site in Iran buried in a mountain], is the US going to do it for Israel?”
Bibi answered: “President Trump and the USA are helping us, we are very grateful for this, we [Israel] ourselves are fighting this war, and we [Israel] have solutions to all of our objectives, including Fordo. What President Trump is doing is great, we appreciate him very much, and all we hope for is that President Trump continues to do exactly as he sees fit.”