Welcome back to Global Overview, where we feature reviews about Iran handle it Israel and Washingtonto review United States soldiers inside Europeand big Ukrainian drone attacks against Moscow.
‘epidemic depression’
Thursday began a 60-day deadline to discuss the future of Iran’s nuclear program, as well as other key issues, as outlined by A peace treaty between the United States and Iran. The memorandum of understanding, signed on Wednesday, has been completed to arouse joy from many foreign leaders, who are already celebrating the ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Welcome back to Global Overview, where we feature reviews about Iran handle it Israel and Washingtonto review United States soldiers inside Europeand big Ukrainian drone attacks against Moscow.
‘epidemic depression’
Thursday began a 60-day deadline to discuss the future of Iran’s nuclear program, as well as other key issues, as outlined by A peace treaty between the United States and Iran. The memorandum of understanding, signed on Wednesday, has been completed to arouse joy from many foreign leaders, who are already celebrating the ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, one key US ally appears to be concerned that the deal is giving Tehran too much.
Israeli officials and analysts have done just that be damned agreement on its failure to address Iran’s missile arsenal or curb its support for proxy groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. They have ignored the agreement by including a cease-fire in Lebanon, despite Israel not being part of the MOU, and allowing Iran hundreds of billions of dollars in frozen assets, sanctions relief, and reconstruction aid.
This is “catastrophic humiliation,” he wrote David Horovitz, editor of Times of Israeltogether Chuck FreilichIsrael’s former deputy national security adviser, calling the MOU “a victory for Iran over the US and Israel.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he warned Thursday that “the fight is not over, and more challenges lie ahead.” Although he expressed deep gratitude for the cooperation of the United States, he emphasized the need for a “resolute stance on our security interests,” including keeping Israeli forces stationed in southern Lebanon.
US Vice President JD Vance dismissal Israel’s concerns on Thursday and sharp rebuke directed at members of Netanyahu’s cabinet who have criticized the agreement and, in some cases, Trump himself. “President Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this time, and he happens to be the head of a superpower in the world,” Vance said at a White House press conference. “If I were in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I would not have attacked the only powerful ally that I have left anywhere in the world.”
Vance defended the deal’s most controversial points, including the lack of restrictions on Iran’s weapons arsenal. “You have to be balanced,” the vice president said, referring to Tehran’s right to defend itself. Vance also stressed that funding for Iran, including a $300 billion fund for reconstruction and economic development, will only be available if Tehran abides by the terms of the deal. “Words don’t matter. … We’re about validation,” Vance said.
Yet the Trump administration may have a hard time finding support at home. “I knew the plan would be humiliating for the United States, but I didn’t know it would be this humiliating,” said Sen. Chris MurphyDemocrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Well, we went to war with Iran for 100 days, and in turn, they still have their nuclear program, they still have their missiles, they still have their drones, they still support terrorism.”
Conflict is also growing among some Republicans. The MOU is the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” said Republican Senator Bill Cassidy he wrote on X. “Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not deterred, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz is working and will certainly enable it in the future.”
Still, some US lawmakers seem optimistic about the long-term effects of the plan. “President Trump chose the path of lasting peace — not another eternal war,” Republican Sen. Roger Marshall he said. “This deal keeps America safe and helps keep costs down at home.” Average price of gas in the United States has come down below $4 a gallon on Thursday for the first time in months.
Today’s Most Read
What we’re after
Welcome to the review. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth he announced review of US troops stationed in Europe during a speech at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday. Hegseth stressed that the review, which could last up to six months, is designed to “ensure that NATO moves rapidly and irreversibly towards a leading Europe, taking on the primary role of European defense.” However, some experts fear that the review is a smokescreen to allow the Trump administration to reduce the US military presence on the continent.
The Trump administration sentenced for a long time its NATO partners for failing to invest enough in their defense capabilities and relying on the United States to carry the security role. That criticism has increased in recent weeks, after Trump to accuse allies for not doing enough to help confront Iran, including not allowing US forces to use European military bases to carry out attacks.
Hegseth on Thursday threatened to withhold some US payments to the coalition if the “free-riding” partners do not meet their demands. defense spending commitments. His comments came a day after NATO chief Mark Rutte reduced the impact of the recent US decision to reduce the number of troops it would provide to allies in the event of an attack.
During Hegseth’s speech on Thursday, the defense minister also criticized the supposed “awakening” policies across Europe. “Instead of tanks and fighters and air defense, the focus has been on gender equality and climate change and defense intensity,” Hegseth said. “Europe’s borders were opened wide, welfare states were expanded, defense budgets were set, along with Europe’s faith in itself and its civilization.” Such judgment, which analysts say largely distorts European policy today, it does not bode well for the upcoming NATO summit in early July.
Focus on Moscow. Ukraine was launched A major drone strike hit Moscow on Thursday in what appears to be the country’s biggest attack on the Russian capital since the war began in February 2022. The strike hit a major Russian oil refinery less than 10 miles from the Kremlin, delaying or canceling more than 500 flights from Moscow’s four airports.
“Despite three layers of air defense systems deployed in Moscow, we can still reach them,” the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky he told reporters on Thursday. “We certainly don’t want Ukraine to burn because of the enemy. But if Ukraine is burning, your Moscow will be burning too.” Zelensky cited Thursday’s strike as retaliation for Russia’s recent attack on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an Eastern Orthodox monastery that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov he replied by announcing that retaliatory strikes against Ukraine would be launched “on a massive scale,” noting that he had been “convinced for a long time that words are not enough.”
The bomb came just two days after Zelensky he urged G-7 leaders, including Trump, increased their military support for Ukraine by providing Kyiv with more air defense weapons capable of countering Russian ballistic missiles. On Thursday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius sign the agreement and his Ukrainian counterpart, Mykhailo Fedorov, to jointly develop the air defense system.
Eyes on the prize. The northern English district of Makerfield held a special by-elections on Thursday that could cause problems for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. While the race focused on common local issues—such as school funding, littering, and the prevalence of potholes—the vote carried an extra layer of controversy, as one candidate hopes to use a potential win to challenge Starmer for the premiership.
Former Makerfield MP Josh Simons resigned on May 14 to allow Manchester Lord Mayor Andy Burnham to seek the seat, which would have made him eligible to run for prime minister. “Major changes are needed at the national level if everyday life is to be made affordable again,” Burnham said. he wrote on X at that time. As a popular Labor politician, Burnham is seen by many in the party as the best choice to replace Starmer and restore public confidence.
Call to Starmer get down have increased in recent weeks after the far-right Reform UK party swept local elections last month. Apart from Burnham, former Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also signaled his intention to challenge Starmer to Downing Street. Still, Starmer has denied claims of resignation.
Odds and Ends
Robin Hood lovers are in mourning this week after the experts he announced on Thursday that the ancient tree associated with the story appeared to be dead. Legend has it that a 13th-century bandit took refuge in a tree, known as the Major Oak, in Sherwood Forest in England to escape the sheriff of Nottingham. After the tree was made famous in the 1790 novel about oaks, fans of the story began flocking to Sherwood Forest to pay homage to the famous thief. According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Major Oak’s root system may have been starved by the footsteps of millions of visitors as well as heat waves and drought.
