a first ; USA/Iran

[link to news.sky.com]

Pentagon: 2 Navy boats in Iranian custody but #Iran tells US that crew will be returned "promptly"

[link to twitter.com (secure)]

Michael Dicaire ‏@Eire_QC 4m4 minutes ago
#BREAKING: Iran's revolutionnary guards arrest 10 foreign army troops in the #Persian Gulf after they crossed in territorial waters. #Iran

Michael Rusch ‏@weeddude 2m2 minutes ago
Pentagon spokesman tells @AP that the boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the US lost contact [link to hosted.ap.org] …

Josh Kraushaar ‏@HotlineJosh
on CNN, Earnest is now saying these new Iranian hostilities is exactly why the Obama WH pursued the nuclear deal w Iran.

Turkey, Russia converge on Syria and Iran crisis


[link to www.turkishpress.com]

Iran is hoping to join an international project that aims to harness the energy produced by nuclear fusion for the first time for peaceful purposes, the Associated Press reported on July 8.

Laban Coblentz, spokesman for the ITER project, told AP that a high-level Iranian delegation led by nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi and Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari visited St. Paul Lez Durance in southern France on June 30-July 1, where a fusion-harnessing device is being built.

Salehi told Iranian news media on July 6 that during the visit "we discussed possibilities of Iran's joining to ITER, and the other members welcomed a prospective Iran membership."

Thursday night's strike does not change the reality on the ground in Syria. It does not greatly impact Assad's military capabilities. It won't lead to any kind of regime change, at least not without a significantly broader U.S. military intervention. It probably also won't hurt America's (admittedly frosty) relationship with Russia in the long term. Sure, Russian officials blustered this morning. But behind the scenes, the country seemed willing to give the administration a pass, particularly because the U.S. made sure no Russians were hurt.

‘reformist’ Rouhani

Incumbent has won a landslide victory over 'conservative' Raisi, with a high turnout ensuring the country remains open to the world

The Trump administration said Monday that it has certified to Congress that Iran is still complying with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, but it also promised to impose new sanctions on the country over its ballistic missile program and other alleged misbehavior.

"The secretary of state and the president intend to emphasize that Iran remains one of the most dangerous threats to U.S. interests and to regional security," a senior administration official said on a conference call.

Trump says he's willing to meet with Iran's president

[link to www.nbcnews.com (secure)]

IRAN SENDS NEW WARNING TO U.S.: 'WHOEVER STARTS A WAR WITH US WILL NOT BE THE ONE WHO FINISHES IT'

[link to www.newsweek.com (secure)]

Tehran – Iran said Thursday it had asked the IMF for its first loan since the time of the Shah to combat a coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 429 lives and infected more than 10,000 people.

Russia and China also favor such a regional reconciliation.

Birth of a new geopolitical paradigm