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defense priorities
Trump Urged to Oppose Israeli Prep for 'Disastrous' Strike on Iran Nuclear Facilities
"Trump must take action to course-correct on negotiations aimed at preventing war and Iranian proliferation," the National Iranian American Council.
May 21, 2025
Tuesday night reporting on intelligence that Israel is preparing to possibly strike Iranian nuclear facilities, as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration pursues a diplomatic deal with Tehran, sparked calls for the United States to oppose any such attack.
CNNreported on Israel's preparation for a potential strike, citing multiple unnamed U.S. officials who are familiar with the latest intelligence but also "caution it's not clear that Israeli leaders have made a final decision, and that in fact, there is deep disagreement within the U.S. government about the likelihood that Israel will ultimately act."
In a signal of how seriously the international community is taking CNN's reporting, oil prices jumped on Wednesday. According toBarron's: "Brent crude, the global standard, was up 0.9% at $65.95 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 1% to $62.63 a barrel. Prices were paring their gains, after initially rising as much as 3%."
While the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. did not comment and CNN is awaiting a response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and the U.S. National Security Council, the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) weighed in with a Wednesday statement.
"This is not the first time that Israel is threatening to attack Iran—unilaterally and without justification, to disastrous consequence," said NIAC. "What is of critical importance is ascertaining why Israel's government is making this threat now. More likely than not, the radical Benjamin Netanyahu government sees an opportunity to press the Trump administration to take a hardline position in the Iran nuclear talks that will ensure their collapse and America's movement toward a preventable and disastrous war."
"It should also sharpen choices for the Trump administration," the group continued. "President Trump must take action to course-correct on negotiations aimed at preventing war and Iranian proliferation. The entrenching stalemate has largely been driven by far-reaching American demands that ignore strong alternatives that could weather Iran's own fierce domestic politics."
NIAC stressed that "there is a path to avoiding war, but it will require compromise and making sure that Israel is not leading America into a war that would have disastrous and generational consequences for the U.S. and Middle East as a whole."
Since October 2023, Israel's U.S.-backed assault on the Gaza Strip—the subject of an International Court of Justice genocide case—and American strikes on Yemen have escalated fears of the United States participating more directly in a regional war.
Despite Trump ditching a previous Iran nuclear deal during his first term, his second administration now claims it is aiming to work out a deal. However, whether the two sides can come to a new agreement remains to be seen.
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, toldABC News' "This Week" on Sunday that the president "wants to solve this conflict diplomatically and with dialogue, but "we have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability. We've delivered a proposal to the Iranians that we think addresses some of this without disrespecting them."
As CNNdetailed Tuesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he does not expect nuclear talks with the United States to "reach a conclusion" and calledthe U.S. demand that Iran not enrich uranium a "big mistake." Still, according to Witkoff, there may be another round of negotiations in Europe this week.
Michael Hall, communications manager at the D.C.-based think tank Defense Priorities, suggested that the U.S. government should negotiate directly with Tehran, pointing to contact with the Kremlin, which has included calls between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Witkoff's meeting with Russia's leader—who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"The U.S. should make clear we are committed to avoiding a war and will not assist in any strike on Iran," Hall said on social media Tuesday. "If Trump can send Witkoff to Moscow, he can send Witkoff to Tehran. If Trump can call Putin, he can call the ayatollah. A good chance to prove American commitment to diplomacy."
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Biden Reportedly Gives Ukraine OK to Strike Russia With US Weapons
One high-ranking Vatican official warned that the new policy "could lead to an escalation that no one will be able to control."
May 30, 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden has partially lifted his administration's ban on Ukrainian use of U.S.-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia, according to Thursday reporting—a policy critics have called a provocative escalation of the 27-month war.
Citing "people familiar with the move," Politicoreported that Biden has quietly given Kyiv the green light to carry out limited cross-border strikes near Kharkiv as Russian forces menace Ukraine's second-largest city.
"The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S. weapons for counter-fire purposes in Kharkiv so Ukraine can hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them," one American official told the outlet. The official said that Biden's prohibition on long-range attacks inside Russia "has not changed." They gave a similar statement to The Hill.
"The No. 1 priority for U.S.-Ukraine policy should be avoiding escalation to direct U.S. conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia."
Russian President Vladimir Putin—who ordered the invasion of his neighbor in February 2022—warned Tuesday that any attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russia using Western-supplied weapons "can lead to serious consequences."
Biden's reversal came amid divided opinion in his administration over whether to allow Ukraine to use U.S. arms to attack Russia. Secretary of State Antony Blinken favored the more aggressive policy, which is supported by major NATO allies including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Anti-war voices sounded the alarm over Biden's shift, with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin
saying, "I think this possibility should concern everyone who cares about the fate of our world."
"It could lead to an escalation that no one will be able to control," he added.
Defense Priorities, a Washington, D.C.-based foreign policy think tank, said on social media that "the No. 1 priority for U.S.-Ukraine policy should be avoiding escalation to direct U.S. conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia."
"When the U.S. should be exercising its diplomatic power, it is instead entrenching itself deeper into a war Kyiv is unlikely to win," the Koch brothers-funded organization added.
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