Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears on Fox News to discuss the various goals and objectives of the U.S. military operation against Iran.  As part of the interview Secretary Rubio was asked about the strategic conflicts and hypocrisies now flowing from NATO member states.

The U.S. supports our NATO posture in Europe in part because it provides us with strategic military bases and operations that are considered vital to our national interests.  However, as outlined in the Iran conflict, when we need to use those strategic bases the NATO member states withdraw previous permissions.  France has blocked us from flying over their airspace, Spain and Italy have said the U.S. cannot use our military bases on their soil for operations. The U.K has refused to protect and/or escort their own energy assets.

The NATO membership is now a one-way street where they demand our military protection, but Europe blocks us from using our own military assets for our independent operations.

Europe, while hiding behind the NATO protection skirt of the U.S, is simultaneously telling the U.S. what we can and cannot do with our own military.  Secretary Rubio and President Trump are now confronting this very visible one-way benefit head on. WATCH (prompted).

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a complete outline of why the Trump administration finally took action against Iran.  Delivering the full explanation in under two minutes, Secretary Rubio directly and succinctly states why U.S. military action was needed, and what the ultimate end game is for that action.  WATCH:

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine (prompted) hold a press briefing from the Pentagon. Secretary Hegseth reveals that he took a covert trip to the middle east last weekend. Media Questions begin at 35:20 of the video.

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Al Jazeera is essentially the state run media outlet of Qatar.  Secretary of State Rubio sat down for a lengthy interview with Al Jazeera that will be shared throughout the Arab world.

“In an exclusive Al Jazeera interview, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that President Trump always prefers diplomacy, with messages and indirect talks ongoing between the US and figures inside Iran. Rubio demanded that Iran abandon all nuclear weapons ambitions, end its missile and drone programmes, and stop sponsoring terrorism across the region. He rejected Iran’s conditions for ending the war — including sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and financial compensation — calling the strait demand illegal and a dangerous global precedent. Rubio declared that the strait “will be open one way or another” after US military objectives are achieved, whether through Iranian compliance or an international coalition.”

“He outlined those objectives as the destruction of Iran’s air force (achieved), navy (largely achieved), missile launchers, and weapons factories — all to be completed in weeks, not months. Rubio expressed disappointment with NATO allies like Spain for denying basing rights and airspace, warning that the US would re-examine its NATO commitment. He confirmed the US would welcome regime change in Iran but insisted it was not the official objective of the current military operation. The interview also covered post-Maduro stabilisation in Venezuela and called for serious economic and political reforms in Cuba.” 

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As Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears for an interview on Good Morning America, President Trump released the following statement:

“The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran. Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet “touched.” This will be in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime’s 47 year “Reign of Terror.” Thank you for your attention to this matter.” ~ President DONALD J. TRUMP

Secretary Rubio responded in real time to questions about the objectives.  Rubio impressively underlined the objectives in Iran, reemphasizing the core intent of the military operation to remove the capacity of Iran to pose a threat to the stable alliances that have formed in the region.  WATCH:

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Senator Tom Cotton is the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), and in that position Cotton is an intelligence Gang of Eight member who receives regular updates and briefings at essentially the same level as the President.

Senator Cotton states that from everything he has seen and been briefed about, Operation Epic Fury continues to proceed on a timeline that he feels is confident to accomplish the task in weeks, not months.  WATCH:

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As the ongoing Operation Epic Fury military engagement continues, CENTCOM announces the arrival of 3.500 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit into forward position.

[SOURCE]

As negotiations with Iranian leadership are reported to be ongoing, it would appear that options are now present for President Trump to make a decision on the potential seizure of Kharg Island, a crucial oil export hub off Iran’s coast.

(Via Wall Street Journal) – The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give President Trump more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, Department of Defense officials with knowledge of the planning said.

The force, which would likely include infantry and armored vehicles, would be added to the roughly 5,000 Marines and the thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division who have already been ordered to the region.

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This is a rather remarkable and insightful short segment interview with the British Defense Secretary, who outlines how the great British Navy will defend their interests.

Once you realize what is said in this segment, you start to realize just how dependent NATO is on the protection provided by the United States.  WATCH:

[Full Interview Here]

…”Britain was forced to ‘borrow’ a German vessel for a NATO operation next month, led by the United Kingdom, after HMS Dragon was deployed to Middle East.”…

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Earlier today, President Trump continued the process of allowing media to participate in the first segment of the cabinet meetings.  President Trump begins with remarks on current events and then goes around the table for a discussion of action taking place in all executive cabinet agencies.

At 21:55 JD Vance delivers his statement.  At 23:57 Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers his statement. At 27:05 Emissary and Negotiator Steve Witkoff delivers his statement. At 32:10 Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his statement.  At 57:14 Secretary Scott Bessent delivers a statement. At 1:02:23 the media questions begin.

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With a heavy sigh and a great deal of resignation, while understanding how the prior open border issue compounded things, CTH had already mentally accepted that FISA (702) reauthorization was going to happen.

I don’t like it at all, but I understand it.

That said, I would prefer to see the FISA (702) reauthorization leveraged toward passage of the SAVE America Act, at least that way we get something out of it.

PRESIDENT TRUMP – “Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune have been working to pass a clean extension of FISA Section 702, a Law that was passed many years ago by Congress to collect Intelligence on Foreigners and Noncitizens.

When used properly, FISA is an effective tool to keep Americans safe. For these reasons, I have called for a clean 18-month extension, HOWEVER, the Critical and Common-Sense Reforms that were made in the last Reauthorization of FISA must remain intact to protect the American People from abuses.

Nobody understands this better than me, as I was a victim of the worst and most illegal abuse of FISA in our Nation’s History, by Radical Left Lunatics who lied to the FISA Court to spy on my 2016 Presidential Campaign in their attempt to RIG the Election in favor of Crooked Hillary Clinton.

That is why, since the first day of my already Historic Second Term, my Administration has worked tirelessly to ensure these Reforms are being aggressively executed at every level of the Executive Branch to keep Americans safe, while protecting their sacred Civil Liberties guaranteed by our Great Constitution.

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