Trump reveals Strait of Hormuz game-changer — and gives bad news to anyone hoping to transit for free



The Strait of Hormuz — the body of water between Iran and Oman linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman — is one of the world's key maritime choke points through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil customarily transits. It has largely been closed since the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran in late February.

After America's interim peace deal and ceasefire with Tehran was blown to smithereens last week, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. will "keep" the strait and formally serve as its guardian.

'We guarded it for nothing.'

U.S. Central Command announced late on Sunday that it had executed another series of offensive strikes against Iran, striking "Iranian military air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using U.S. fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones, and one-way attack sea drones for the first time."

CENTCOM stated that "the Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade. Iran does not control it."

Trump referred to the latest strikes in a phone interview with "Fox & Friends" on Monday, noting, "We had a deal — it was a done deal — and then they broke it. They always break it. We've had 10 deals with these people."

"So we're just going to hit them very hard, and we're going to keep the strait," continued the president. "And we'll probably run it. We'll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we’ll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that."

In April, Trump floated the idea of the U.S. unilaterally imposing tolls on vessels attempting to pass through the strait, stating, "Why shouldn't we? We're the winner."

RELATED: Trump says interim peace deal with Tehran is 'over' after Iranian strikes: 'They're scum'

Elif Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images

This suggestion ruffled some feathers at the time, especially since tolls on vessels transiting a natural strait would seem to run afoul of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea — ratified by the U.S., 170 other nations, and the European Union — which guarantees vessels the "right of transit passage" through straits used for international navigation; bars states bordering straits from hampering transit passage; and states that "no charge may be levied upon foreign ships by reason only of their passage through the territorial sea."

In his interview on Monday, Trump said, "When we do that, we're going to be reimbursed, because the other nations are very wealthy, they're on our side, and we can't be expected to do that for nothing, unlike we had for many years."

"We guarded the strait for 50 years — more — and we never got paid for it," added Trump.

"We guarded it for nothing, and now we're going to guard it and we're going to get paid for guarding it — a lot of money."

Trump later noted in a Truth Social post that "the U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,' but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World."

The BBC suggested that American allies will likely "balk" at the 20% duty.

A spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the unified command of the remaining Iranian Armed Forces, said in a statement on Monday, "We will under no circumstances allow the US to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz."

The spokesman said that Iran would respond forcefully to any attempt by the "aggressor and pirate US military" to obstruct or create insecurity for the passage of commercial ships outside the routes designated by Tehran, reported state media.

Mohammed Mokhber, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, reportedly said in a statement, "We defend it so that in the future, for the passage of our ships, we are not forced to pay tribute to the enemy!"

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Neocons love Trump only when he bombs



The day-to-day status of negotiations may be uncertain, but the Trump administration appears to be doing everything it can to reach a deal and end the conflict with Iran.

The war had solid support from Trump’s more Fox News-oriented voters, but it remained unpopular with much of the country. It cost Trump several high-profile supporters. It also earned him the favor of political operators who previously despised him. Several figures who had declared themselves “Never Trump” suddenly discovered a strange new respect for the president once they believed he was willing to launch another regime-change war in the Middle East.

Stop allying with neoconservatives. They will always betray you in the end.

Those fair-weather allies are now melting down over the prospect of peace between America and Iran.

In his farewell address, George Washington warned the fledgling republic that foreign entanglements were dangerous to freedom and independence. He encouraged commerce with all nations but cautioned against permanent alliances and favored nations. Washington understood that favoritism toward a foreign power would invite foreign influence and lead some citizens to mistake loyalty to an ally for loyalty to the United States.

No event has vindicated that warning more clearly than the war with Iran.

Trump immediately stood out in conservative politics by taking three positions that were popular with the base and dangerous to the establishment. He opposed open borders, unfettered trade, and endless regime-change wars.

Republican politicians, conservative pundits, and Washington think tanks loathed him for all three positions, but especially for the third. Endless conflict created job security and enormous income streams for permanent Washington. The war class did not appreciate a reality television star barging in and threatening the gravy train.

Many neoconservatives abandoned the GOP once they realized Trump was not going away. Others stayed because the war-hawk establishment had deep roots in the Republican Party. They realized they could gain more influence by pretending to convert to the MAGA movement and working from within to steer policy.

Several figures who swore they would never support Trump began presenting themselves as his greatest champions, hoping they could define what MAGA should become.

When the war with Iran began, these neoconservative champions viciously attacked anyone who pointed out that the conflict contradicted Trump’s previous foreign policy. They invented slurs to brand opponents as traitors to the president and insisted that total ideological conformity was the only acceptable position.

RELATED: The empire cannot drone-strike its way out of decline

ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images

The strategy worked for a time. It drove many anti-interventionists away from their previous support for Trump. That made it even more revealing when Trump moved to end the conflict and his new allies suddenly attacked him in blind rage.

America and Israel entered the conflict with very different goals. For the United States, the only real concern was preventing Iran from gaining the capacity to produce a nuclear weapon. It is unlikely an Iranian nuke could threaten the U.S. directly, but keeping hostile regimes from obtaining that capacity is a legitimate goal.

Israel saw Iran differently. For Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran was an existential threat that had to be taken off the table entirely. His goal was always to collapse the current Iranian regime, replace it, or let the country become a failed state.

As Marco Rubio indicated after the war began, Israel insisted on starting the fight knowing it would force the United States to join. The two allies were out of step from the beginning, so it is no surprise that Netanyahu has done everything possible to disrupt the peace process and achieve every military objective he can while still under the protection of American arms.

The reaction in Israel to Trump’s pursuit of peace has not been gratitude. The president’s popularity there has plummeted, and headlines accusing him of betraying Israel have appeared across the country’s newspapers. One Israeli media figure even suggested America deserved another 9/11-style terror attack so the public would be frightened back into fighting Iran.

Hardcore Israel supporters in America have reacted no better. Figures such as Ben Shapiro, who briefly departed the Never Trump camp to push for war, are now turning back against Trump. At times they try to hide their anger by blaming Vice President JD Vance for the peace deal, but no one is fooled.

Neocons pushed relentlessly for a conflict that had little to do with American interests. Once they got their war, they expected military escalation to force Trump into the wider regime-change conflict they desperately desired.

Very few presidents would have had the fortitude to exit the Iran war after realizing it was unwise. Trump did. The neoconservatives will never forgive him for that outrage.

It turns out all the rhetoric about loyalty to Trump was a farce. The neoconservatives always hated Trump and his voters, despite their change in tone after his second election. Many pundits who praised Trump’s decision to bomb Iran had tried to replace him with Ron DeSantis in the primary. The people who believed their rhetoric and followed their lead were foolish. They are notably silent now that the neoconservatives are losing their minds and turning on the president.

RELATED: A real nation knows who is in and who is out

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What should we learn from this unwise detour into foreign adventurism?

First, Americans have little interest in extended foreign conflicts. They elected Trump to address crises at home, not to fix the Middle East.

Second, Washington was right about entangling alliances. Israel is its own country with its own priorities. It cares about the United States to the extent that America helps advance those priorities. Entering a war with an ally that does not share your interests is foolish.

Third, neoconservatives are not domestic political allies. They have no loyalty to Trump or the MAGA base and will turn on both the moment either stops serving their purposes.

The lesson is not complicated, but it is expensive. Movements that cannot distinguish temporary agreement from real alliance eventually wake up serving someone else’s agenda in wars they never wanted to fight at all.

Stop allying with neoconservatives. They will always betray you in the end.

Senate RINOS Too Busy Scolding Trump To Pass Voter ID Bill

Four Republicans -- guess who? -- joined Democrats Tuesday in passing a resolution telling Trump to pull U.S. troops out of Iran War.

US brokers Israel-Hezbollah truce despite Israeli official's demand that 'all of Lebanon' burn



President Donald Trump signed the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding on Wednesday evening, immediately opening the Strait of Hormuz to the free flow of oil and setting the stage for a final peace deal with Tehran.

While the markets responded positively, there was a great deal of consternation both in the U.S. and in Israel about the terms of the deal, particularly the provisions requiring money for Iran's reconstruction and the "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."

'For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep.'

The fragile peace has been undermined by more than just criticism on the sidelines.

Disregarding the demands for a cessation of hostilities, Hezbollah and Israel engaged in a brutal exchange on Thursday and Friday that has claimed multiple lives and delayed the permanent peace talks. This bloodletting has, however, since been put on pause, owing to a truce reportedly brokered by the United States and regional actors.

The Israel Defense Forces announced late on Thursday that an explosive Hezbollah drone had detonated near Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, injuring four soldiers. Another terrorist drone reportedly detonated several minutes later, injuring another Israeli soldier.

RELATED: Exclusive: JD Vance minces no words with BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey about Israeli influence, Iran deal

Jalaa MAREY/AFP/Getty Images

The Hezbollah strikes turned deadly early Friday morning when a suspected anti-tank missile struck a tank belonging to the 401st Armored Brigade's 52nd Battalion in Lebanon's Kfar Tebnit area, killing all four crew members, reported the Times of Israel.

Israel, in turn, launched numerous strikes — over 150 by early Friday — against alleged terrorist targets in Southern and Eastern Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had instructed the IDF to "strike Hezbollah with full force" and reiterated that "Israel will remain in the security zone in Southern Lebanon for as long as required to protect the settlements in the north."

The Lebanese health ministry claimed that the Israeli strikes killed at least 47 people — at least 18 of whom were reportedly civilians — and wounded nearly 100 others since midnight.

That toll was evidently not nearly enough for Israel National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who stated, "For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep. All of Lebanon must burn!"

"With all due respect to the Americans, Israel must make it clear to the entire world that the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens are not forfeit. All of Lebanon must burn," continued Ben-Gvir, one of the most outspoken critics of Trump's deal with Iran. "In the Middle East, you don’t win with measured responses and restraint — you need to go berserk. To obliterate. To crush the terror.."

Three regional officials told the Associated Press that the U.S., Qatar, and Iran brokered a truce between Lebanon and Israel — a truce that a senior U.S. official told Reuters was set to begin Friday at 4 p.m. local time.

"Hezbollah and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire," said the American official on background. "We understand that after the exchange of fire ⁠earlier today, Israel and Hezbollah are ⁠now in a ceasefire."

A Hezbollah leader said in a statement to CNN that while the group's fighters will respect the ceasefire, the movement and actions of Israeli forces in Lebanon will receive "a suitable response."

The IDF said that it will continue its operations in Lebanon.

"These attacks by Hezbollah are violations of the ceasefire. They prove that Hezbollah’s goals remain the same: to remain on Israel’s borders and to plan and carry out attacks on our civilians," said an IDF spokesman. "This is not a reality we can accept, and this is exactly why the IDF continues to operate in Southern Lebanon."

Earlier this week, Trump bemoaned the loss of life in Lebanon — where the health authority reports that 3,980 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2 — saying that "the Lebanon piece is something we'll have to work on a little bit."

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'Too many people are being killed': Trump blasts Israel over Lebanon strikes as Iran peace deal hangs in the balance



President Donald Trump has been highly critical this week of Israel's conduct in Lebanon — especially after deadly Israeli airstrikes in Beirut over the weekend nearly blew up the U.S.-Iran peace deal.

"Too many people are being killed," Trump said at the G7 summit in France on Tuesday. "And you don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they're not all Hezbollah."

'The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon.'

Between March 2 and June 14, at least 3,783 people were killed and 11,699 were wounded during Israel's campaign against Hezbollah on Lebanese soil, according to Lebanon's health ministry. At least 28 Israeli soldiers have reportedly perished in the conflict, and four civilians were killed in Hezbollah attacks.

The Lebanese government estimated that by late April, over 21,000 Lebanese homes had been destroyed and over 40,000 housing units had been damaged.

After Israel launched new strikes in Southern Lebanon on Wednesday, Trump resumed his criticism, stating both that "the Lebanon piece is something we'll have to work on a little bit" and that Israel could "do a much better job on it."

Trump further marveled that there still is a Lebanon "with all they have been through" and emphasized that there must be an end to the war in the country.

RELATED: Inside the rift: Trump claims Netanyahu has 'no f**king judgment' after strike threatens Iran peace deal

Ronen Zvulun/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

After multiple outlets published what was alleged to have been a leaked draft of the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, a senior Trump administration official read in a briefing with reporters a transcript of the actual "Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran," which apparently states in the first of 14 points:

The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing this MOU, declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon and other provisions of this paragraph.

The deal also requires, among other things, that:

  • the U.S. and Iran respect one another's sovereignty and territorial integrity and refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs;
  • the U.S. and Iran commit to negotiating and securing a final deal within the next 60 days;
  • the U.S. remove its naval blockade within the next 30 days and remove its forces from the proximity of Iranian territory within 30 days of the final deal;
  • Iran make arrangements for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days "only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman, and vice versa";
  • the U.S. will work with regional partners "to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran";
  • the U.S. will take steps to terminate all types of sanctions against Iran;
  • Iran reaffirm that it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons, and the two parties will further discuss the matter of enrichment and related matters "based on a satisfactory framework being agreed upon in the final deal";
  • the U.S. Department of Treasury will, upon the signing of the MOU, issue waivers for the exportation of Iranian oil, petroleum products, and derivatives and all associated services until sanctions are fully terminated;
  • the U.S. will take steps to "make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MOU."

While President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have reportedly already signed the MOU digitally, a formal signing is scheduled to take place on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland.

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Inside the rift: Trump claims Netanyahu has 'no f**king judgment' after strike threatens Iran peace deal



President Donald Trump announced on Sunday evening the finalization of an agreement that will tentatively bring an end to America's 15-week war with Iran.

"The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!" Trump noted in a Truth Social post. "I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!"

'I couldn't believe it.'

In a subsequent post, the president said that this "Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region."

The memorandum of understanding was confirmed by Iranian officials as well as by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been acting as a mediator.

"Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon," Sharif posted to X a few minutes before Trump's Truth Social announcement. "The official signing ceremony will be on Friday, 19 June in Switzerland. We would like to thank the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran for their commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict."'

The news was welcomed by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun — who expressed hope that "these understandings being transformed into practical steps" may "put a definitive end to the cycle of violence" — and by other leaders around the globe.

Iran hawks, particularly in Israel, are not similarly keen over the prospect of ending the conflict in this fashion.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, for instance, rushed to condemn the deal, claiming it was "bad for Israel and for the entire free world. Period."

Smotrich noted further that Israel "will have to continue the campaign to topple the regime ourselves and in creative ways."

RELATED: Trump boxes Netanyahu's ears over Lebanon offensive, calls him 'f**king crazy': Report

Destroyed building in Nabatieh, Lebanon. Abbas FAKIH/AFP/Getty Images

Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, also advocated for keeping the conflict alive, stating:

We are not partners to this agreement that does not ensure our security, and it does not bind us in any way. We must not compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah, we must not withdraw from any territory that our fighters have captured and cleared of terror infrastructure, we must not return to a situation where thousands of terrorists sit on the fences of northern settlements, and certainly we must not remain silent for a moment in the face of fire directed at the State of Israel.

Alleged attacks on Hezbollah — such as those championed by Ben-Gvir — nearly blew up the peace deal over the weekend, just as escalations in Israel's offensive in Lebanon critically strained negotiations earlier this month.

Trump told Axios that the deadly Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday "shook it up. It delayed the signing by a few hours. It was supposed to be now. Now it is scheduled for a few hours from now."

The American president — who reportedly raced to save the deal as Iranians were threatening retaliation — said that he had been shocked to learn of the attack from his advisers.

"It is so bad — I couldn't believe it. An hour before we are supposed to sign the deal," said Trump.

Trump figured the attack — which took place after Hezbollah launched a drone attack on Northern Israel that reportedly caused neither injuries nor damage — was disproportionate. Weeks after calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "f**king crazy," Trump once again blasted the foreign leader.

"Why did Bibi have to do a f**king attack? I was so pissed off," said Trump. "I let him know. He has no f**king judgment. I let him know that."

Trump expressed frustration with Netanyahu in another interview on Sunday, telling the New York Times that the Israeli prime minister, whose criminal trial is ongoing, is "a very difficult guy."

"And to be honest with you," continued Trump, "he should be very thankful to us for doing this. Because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn’t be around for two hours."

Netanyahu's former communications adviser, Aviv Bushinsky, emphasized that the Israeli prime minister "needs Trump" and that "evangelicals and many members of the Republican Party" will prevent his relationship with Trump from falling apart.

While Netanyahu has yet to publicly address the deal, Israeli officials told Ynet News that Netanyahu made clear to Trump that Israel will not withdraw from Lebanon.

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‘Let The Oil Flow!’: Trump Announces Diplomatic Breakthrough With Iran

President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a breakthrough in diplomatic negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, marking the most significant development of the 68-day ceasefire of U.S. strikes against the regime. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” Trump posted. Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free […]

'Hit them again': US fires scores of Tomahawks into Iran after Apache helicopter shot down



Iran and the United States have riddled their fragile ceasefire with missiles in the 14th week of the war.

President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that the U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter downed while patrolling the Strait of Hormuz on Monday had been shot down by Iranian forces. While the uninjured pilots were rescued, the president stressed that "the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack."

'US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.'

Hours later, U.S. Central Command announced that it had begun launching "self-defense strikes," which it characterized as a "proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression."

Early Wednesday, Trump noted on Truth Social that "they’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!"

The president clarified later in the day that more American strikes were forthcoming.

"We hit them hard yesterday. We're going to hit them again hard today, in case you miss it, in case you don’t turn on your television set, and we’ll see what happens with the deal," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

On Wednesday evening, CENTCOM launched another series of "self-defense" strikes, stating afterward that it had targeted "Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran."

RELATED: US Apache helicopter crashes near Strait of Hormuz on 100th day of Iran war; Trump says end in sight

Ford Williams/U.S. Navy/Getty Images

Iranian media claimed, however, that among the structures damaged in the American strikes was a pair of water tanks in the south of the country with a combined capacity of 2.5 million liters — tanks said to have supplied water to tens of thousands of civilians. When asked by the New York Times about reports of damage to water facilities, CENTCOM declined to comment.

"U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy assets fired precision munitions on Iranian targets that posed a threat to U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters," CENTCOM said in a statement. "The strikes are in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression. U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready."

According to Trey Yingst, an Israel-based Fox News reporter, Trump said that the U.S. fired at least 49 Tomahawk missiles into Iran and executed bombings via fighter jets, hitting targets as close as 40 miles outside Tehran. Trump also reportedly said that if the Iranians don't sign the peace agreement, "we'll bomb the s**t out of them."

Iranian state media reported on Thursday that in retaliation for the American strikes, "18 important targets belonging to the U.S. military in the region were successfully hit during two operational waves following the recent aggression against Iranian territorial integrity."

The Iranians maintain that their attacks constitute self-defense "as recognized under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations."

According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the targets were located "at the Al-Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber air bases, as well as the Sheikh Isa air base."

Citing an unnamed military official, Jordanian state media reported that 20 missiles had been intercepted and neutralized by the country's air defense systems, adding there had been no human casualties or material damage.

Iranian drones and "hostile aerial targets" were reportedly intercepted over Bahrain and Kuwait.

While Iranian media also claimed that the Strait of Hormuz had been completely closed in response to the American strikes, CENTCOM stated on Wednesday evening that "commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait of Hormuz."

Trump emphasized on Wednesday that "the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran."

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US Apache helicopter crashes near Strait of Hormuz on 100th day of Iran war; Trump says end in sight



A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters on Monday as the war in Iran has now crested the 100-day mark.

According to U.S. Central Command, the two pilots were rescued at 7:33 p.m. ET — within approximately two hours of the crash — and are in "stable condition." CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Timothy Hawkins said that a U.S. Navy surface drone "found and rescued the crew from the water."

'I call all the shots.'

The rescue operation was led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division and aided by U.S. Air Force and Navy units, including U.S. 5th Fleet's Task Force 59.

After attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York City, President Donald Trump confirmed to reporters that "the pilots are fine" and said that nobody was injured in the crash. He would not specify what prompted the crash.

CENTCOM noted that an investigation into the cause of the crash is underway.

The Apache is hardly the first American aircraft lost during the conflict with Iran.

RELATED: Trump boxes Netanyahu's ears over Lebanon offensive, calls him 'f**king crazy': Report

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

According to a May 13 report from the Congressional Research Service, 42 fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft, including drones, have reportedly been lost or damaged during Operation Epic Fury. The lost or damaged aircraft include:

  • three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter aircraft shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait early in the conflict and the F-15E shot down during combat operations over Iran;
  • one F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft damaged by Iranian ground fire;
  • one A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft, which crashed after sustaining enemy fire over Iran; and
  • seven KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft, five of which were damaged on the ground at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia during an Iranian missile and drone attack, and two of which were involved in an accident over friendly airspace.

The aircrew of all of the lost or damaged aircrew mentioned above survived with the exception of the six service members killed in the March 12 Stratotanker crash.

In his remarks to the press on Monday evening, Trump said that a deal to end the war is imminent.

Late last month, negotiators representing the U.S. and Iran appeared poised to advance the cause of peace between their respective nations, extend the fragile ceasefire that first went into effect in April, and open the Strait of Hormuz again to trade.

The peace talks quickly began to unravel, however, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's June 1 announcement that Israel was going to ramp up attacks in Lebanon and conduct a new round of strikes in Beirut.

Iranian officials subsequently indicated that Tehran was backing out of the talks, citing Israel's offensive in Lebanon.

Trump responded to the apparent sabotage of his deal by boxing Netanyahu's ears, calling him "f**king crazy" and insisting upon greater restraint. The American president managed to salvage the talks in part by securing a tentative truce between Israel and Lebanon.

This truce would not, however, hold.

Late last week, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem characterized the ceasefire plan agreed by Israel and Lebanon as a "roadmap to annihilate part of the Lebanese people" and said that "as long as the occupation exists, the resistance will continue."

On Sunday, Israel attacked Beirut — an attack that Netanyahu's office said was "in response to Hezbollah's firing at Israeli territory." Iran responded by firing missiles at Israel. Israel, in turn, attacked "military and economic targets throughout Iran," Netanyahu said.

As things were cooling off, Trump told reporters on Monday that Iran and Israel are "going to just leave each other alone for another week or something. It's been going on for a long time — you could say about 3,000 years if you really want, but certainly it's been going on for 47 years."

"We're in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal that will not allow in any way, shape, or form nuclear weapons, et cetera, and the strait will open up right away," said Trump. "It'll open up immediately upon signing, which could be in two or three days."

Earlier in the day, Trump noted that the negotiations were proceeding, "subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way."

When asked by the Financial Times (U.K.) over the weekend whether Netanyahu would ultimately have to accept a deal with Iran, Trump said, "He won't have a choice."

The president emphasized, "I call the shots. I call all the shots. [Netanyahu] doesn't call the shots."

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Caught on video: Colombian tribes go to battle with 'stones and sticks' over historic dispute



A historic battle is taking place in Southwest Colombia involving two native tribes that date back hundreds of years.

The conflict has caught eyes around the world for its use of "traditional" weapons among the groups, which included people hurling stones before escalating to more deadly means.

'Differences should not be resolved through confrontations.'

While there is no consensus on the pre-Hispanic history of the Misak, the tribe of around 21,000 is in a dispute with the Nasa peoples, who also existed before Spanish arrivals and now are believed to have a population of around 240,000.

According to Colombian magazine Revista Sur, members of the Guambía Indigenous Reservation (Misak) and the Pitayó Reservation (Nasa) went to battle for several days over the ownership of an 800-hectare area in Silvia, Colombia, about 10 hours south of Medellin.

The Misaks reportedly believe the land should be theirs by ancestral right and have accused the Nasa of illegally occupying the land for three months.

Videos of the tribal warfare have surfaced online, with one pointing out the use of "traditional weapons" garnering millions of views.

Outlet El Pais also noted that the conflict escalated from what originally consisted of people "using stones and sticks."

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Soon, the clashes escalated to machetes, firearms, and even explosive devices, according to El Tiempo. Motorcycles and homes were also torched, with Colombian military eventually sent to calm the dispute.

However, AA has since reported six people are dead and more than 100 have been injured in the clash. The region has reportedly been plagued with illegal drug production and past territorial disputes, which have sometimes included forcible detainments of individuals by opposing groups.

Despite what the Misak have claimed, the National Land Authority has sided with the Nasa people, saying in March that the Authority knew there would be tension over the decision.

"There are no 'defeated towns' or 'winning towns,'" the ANT reportedly said. "There are valid colonial titles, formalized reservations, and an institutional duty of the ANT to find solutions that respect agrarian regulations."

RELATED: 4 Republicans vote with Democrats to rebuke Trump on Iran war

JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP/Getty Images

Although the ANT included in its ruling that any Misak who lived in the area could not be displaced or "dispossessed," 500 of the tribe members have been in the Colombian capital of Bogota since mid-May to complain about the government decision.

The Misak people are reportedly seeking guarantees about land they consider to be in their possession.

The Ombudsman's Office reportedly called for calm and said that "differences should not be resolved through confrontations."

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