‘NO DELAYS, NO EXCUSES’: As Iran’s foreign minister attends an emergency meeting of Islamic ministers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, convened at Tehran’s request, the United States continues to work to avoid the kind of military action that could escalate into a regional war.
Taking questions from reporters in Annapolis, Maryland, after a daylong meeting with Australian counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there is still time to implement the ceasefire deal proposed by President Joe Biden, which would lower tensions and prevent the crisis from spinning out of control.
“We believe based on the work that’s been done, based on the very practical issues that are at stake, that there is no reason that this should not be concluded and concluded quickly,” Blinken said. “So this is really a time for all of the parties involved to close this out — no delays, no excuses, no reasons why we can’t do something, focus on getting to yes.”
“This is the decisive moment. The negotiations have reached their final stage, and we believe strongly that they should come across the finish line very, very soon,” Blinken said. “This ceasefire is profoundly in the interests of everyone. It’s in the interest of Israelis. It’s in the interest, of course, of the hostages, their families around the world, including in the United States. It’s manifestly in the interest of the Palestinian children, women, and men who are suffering every day.”
BLINKEN PITCHES CEASEFIRE DEAL AS OFF-RAMP FROM IRAN-ISRAEL CRISIS
SINWAR’S RISE: ‘IT REALLY IS ON HIM’: While some accuse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to prolong the campaign in Gaza to accomplish his stated goal of destroying Hamas, Blinken said the onus now falls squarely on Yahya Sinwar, the newly named political leader of Hamas after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, to take the deal on the table.
“The fact that it is really on him to decide whether to move forward with a ceasefire that manifestly will help so many Palestinians in desperate need, women, children, men who are caught in a crossfire of Hamas’s making in Gaza, whether we can put Gaza and the region more broadly onto a more peaceful and secure path,” Blinken said.
After a contentious phone call between Biden and Netanyahu, in which Biden reportedly accused Netanyahu of “BSing” him about support for the ceasefire deal, White House officials said after Israel’s success in eliminating Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, Netanyahu appears to have caved to U.S pressure to sign on to the plan.
“We have seen under this president what happens when you have diplomacy, when you talk to your partners and allies,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said yesterday. “We have to continue. We have to continue to have these conversations. The president’s going to do that, as you have seen the last two days.”
HAMAS CHOOSES YAHYA SINWAR AS NEW POLITICAL LEADER
‘WHEN IT COMES TO DEFENDING ISRAEL, WE ARE RESOLUTE’: Meanwhile, the Biden administration continues to signal to Iran that another major attack on Israel will be met with the full might of U.S. military forces now arrayed across the region.
“When it comes to defending Israel, we are resolute. We’ll remain resolute in making sure that we do everything possible to defend it against any attacks,” Blinken said.
“I’m not going to speculate on any Iranian actions going forward,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the same press conference. “What I’ve been focused on is making sure that we’re doing everything we can to put measures in place to protect our troops and also make sure that we’re in a good position to aid in the defense of Israel if called upon to do that.”
“We’ve adjusted our military posture to strengthen our force protection and to reinforce our ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel,” Austin said. “To maintain our carrier strike group presence in the Middle East, I have ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt later this month. I’ve also ordered more cruisers and destroyers capable of ballistic missile defense to the region, and I’ve ordered the deployment of another fighter squadron to the Middle East to reinforce our defensive air support capabilities there.”
WHITE HOUSE PRESSED ON RISING MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS
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HAPPENING TODAY: Vice President Kamala Harris hits the campaign trail today with rallies in two battleground states, Wisconsin and Michigan. Having named Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) her running mate, Harris has an event planned tonight in Detroit, following an afternoon appearance in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
TURNER: MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLAN ANOTHER SECRET SERVICE FAILURE: The announcement by the Justice Department yesterday that a Pakistani national with ties to Iran has been charged in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. politician or government official has prompted another rebuke from Rep. Mike Turner (OH-10), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Yesterday, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment against Asif Merchant, who was arrested in the U.S. after meetings with a “hit man” who was actually an undercover FBI agent. “This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today’s complaint allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
“The failure of the Secret Service in Butler, Pennsylvania, is even more outrageous in light of suspected Iranian-backed assassins targeting former Trump administration officials, including President Trump himself. That day, the threat of sniper attacks was even higher than normal,” said Turner.
“I was previously briefed concerning the Iranian threat and the circumstances of Mr. Merchant’s arrest and questioned then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on whether she had reviewed the intelligence concerning the Iranian threat. She confirmed to me that she read the intelligence and was aware of this Iranian murder-for-hire plot,” Turner said. “Director Cheatle acknowledged she knew the threat and still did not provide President Trump the protection he needed, almost costing him his life.”
PAKISTANI MAN WITH IRANIAN TIES CHARGED IN PLOT TO ASSASSINATE US OFFICIALS
AUSTIN: 9/11 CASES SHOULD GO FORWARD: While some military legal experts have suggested Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision to revoke the plea deals prosecutors reached with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two of his accomplices in the 9/11 terrorist attacks could run afoul of the ban on “unlawful command influence,” Austin defended his actions in his first public comments yesterday.
“I would just say that there’s not a day that goes by when I don’t think of 9/11 and the Americans that were murdered that day, also those who died trying to save lives and the troops and their families who gave so much for this country in the years following that,” Austin said. “I’m deeply mindful of my duty to all those whose lives were lost or changed forever on 9/11, and I fully understand that no measure of justice can ever make up for their loss.”
“So this wasn’t a decision that I took lightly, but I have long believed that the families of the victims, our service members, and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out in this case, and I’ll leave it at that,” he said.
J. Wells Dixon, a staff lawyer at the Center for Constitutional Rights, has suggested in interviews that Austin’s action could allow defense attorneys for the accused terrorists to request charges be dropped under the doctrine of unlawful command influence as outlined in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
IRANIAN MILITIA CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR ATTACK ON US TROOPS: The Iranian-backed militia al Thawriyyun claimed responsibility for the Monday rocket attack that injured at least five U.S. personnel at the al Asad Air Base in Iraq.
“In terms of who was behind the attack on al Asad, we’re sure that it was an Iranian-backed Shia militia group,” Austin said yesterday. “Specifically which group, we’re still investigating to determine that.”
“Make no mistake, the United States will not tolerate attacks on our personnel in the region,” Austin said. “And we remain ready to deploy on short notice to meet the evolving threats to our security, our partners, or our interests.”
SEVEN INJURED IN ATTACK ON US TROOPS IN IRAQ
UKRAINE MOUNTS CROSS-BORDER ATTACK INTO RUSSIA: While Russian forces have been making small but steady advances along the eastern front in Ukraine, a small contingent of Ukrainian troops and tanks made an incursion into Russian territory, in the area of Kursk.
“Russian Ministry of Defense and Federal Security Service claimed on August 6 that Russian border troops and FSB personnel repelled several raids by Ukrainian forces equipped with roughly a battalion’s worth of tanks and armored vehicles against Russian positions near Nikolayevo-Darino and Oleshnya, Kursk Oblast,” the Institute for the Study of War said in its daily assessment of the Ukraine war.
“The Russian MoD claimed that Russian forces destroyed 16 Ukrainian armored vehicles during the supposed raids,” the ISW said. “Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian military personnel and members of the all-Russian pro-Ukrainian Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) were involved in the raids, but ISW has not observed confirmation of these claims.”
CODEL DOWN UNDER: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is leading a small bipartisan congressional delegation to the Philippines and Australia. “As China continues its aggression in the Indo-Pacific, it is critical the United States strengthen our relationships in the region,” McCaul said in a statement. “I look forward to meeting with officials in both the Philippines and Australia to learn how America can best help our partners in the region, including deepening our economic ties and expanding both our military and diplomatic cooperation.”
The delegation includes Reps. Young Kim (R-CA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA).
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Blinken pitches ceasefire deal as off-ramp from Iran-Israel crisis
Washington Examiner: White House pressed on rising Middle East tensions
Washington Examiner: Hamas chooses Yahya Sinwar as new political leader
Washington Examiner: Pakistani man with Iranian ties charged in plot to assassinate US officials
Washington Examiner: Seven injured in attack on US troops in Iraq
Washington Examiner: Ultra-Orthodox protesters break into IDF base to protest draft
Washington Examiner: Tim Walz’s immigration record in Minnesota shows support for sanctuary policies
Washington Examiner: How the Navy’s Middle East deployments undermine China deterrence
Washington Examiner: More than a dozen charged over Jan. 6 since last month, DOJ announces
Military.com: Tim Walz, Who Spent Decades as an Enlisted Soldier, Brings Years of Work on Vets Issues to Dem Ticket
Washington Post: Most Americans oppose sending U.S. troops to defend Israel, poll finds
The War Zone: Aftermath of Ukrainian Attack on Russian Su-34 Fullback Base Emerges
AP: Weak spots in metal may have led to fatal Osprey crash off Japan, documents obtained by AP reveal
AP: Turkey to submit request to join genocide case against Israel in UN court
Soldier of Fortune: Putin and the Assassin: The Calculated Gamble of Hostage-Taking Still Works
National Security Journal: The Ukraine War Proves Russia’s Air Force Still Packs a Punch
National Security Journal: The M1 Abrams Tank Is No Rockstar in Ukraine War
Breaking Defense: ‘Space Fires’ to Enable ‘Space Superiority’ Are Top SPACECOM Priorities for FY27
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Weather Satellites Will Start Feeding Data to Warfighters This Fall
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Tries Out New Pylon on B-1, Transforming Bomber into ‘Hypersonic Testbed’
DefenseScoop: Report: Air Force CCA Program Still Faces Cost, Bureaucratic Hurdles Despite Positive Movement
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Austin: USAF Will Increase Bomber Deployments to Australia
Air Force Times: First Huey Replacement Helicopter Delivered to US Air Force
Defense News: Push for Self-Reliance Drives Defense Revenue Surge Among Top 100
SpaceNews: US Army Seeks to Expand Space Expertise Among Soldiers
Breaking Defense: Space Force Asks Industry to Critique Draft Civil Reserve Framework, Including ‘Incentives’
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Staff Sergeant Promotions Surge, Reversing 5-Year Slump
National Security Journal: Iran Is Upgrading America’s Old M60 Main Battle Tank
Wall Street Journal: Lindsey Graham: Opinion: Three Ways to Confront Iran
National Security Journal: Opinion: Washington Must Prevent a Saudi Nuclear Program
THE CALENDAR:
WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 7
8 a.m. Washington Convention Center — National Defense Industrial Association Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference and Exhibition,” with Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks; Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering; Arati Prabhakar, director, Office of Science and Technology Policy; Christopher Lawman, assistant secretary of defense for sustainment; Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly, director, Defense Logistics Agency; Lt. Gen. Heidi Hoyle, Army deputy chief of staff for logistics; Daniel Fri, Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff; William LaPlante, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; Nickolas Guertin, Assistant Navy Secretary for Research, Development and Acquisition; Andrew Hunter, assistant Air Force secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics; Frank Calvelli, assistant Air Force secretary for space acquisition and integration; and Young Bang, assistant Army Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology RSVP: Evamarie Socha, [email protected] https://www.ndiatechexpo.org/
10 a.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Brookings Institution discussion: “Navigating Global Challenges,” with Coast Guard Vice Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday https://www.brookings.edu/events/navigating-global-challenges
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW— Center for Strategic and International Studies International Security Program and U.S. Naval Institute in-person and virtual Maritime Security Dialogue: “Preserving the Free Flow of Commerce in the Red Sea and Beyond: An Update from 5th Fleet Commander,” with Vice Adm. George Wikoff, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, retired Rear Adm. Raymond Spicer, CEO and publisher, U.S. Naval Institute; and Seth Jones, CSIS senior vice president https://www.csis.org/events/preserving-free-flow-commerce-red-sea
10 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Future of the U.S.-Australia Alliance,” with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles https://www.csis.org/events/conversation-australian-deputy-prime-minister
11 a.m. — Washington Institute for Near East Policy virtual forum: “Mapping Iranian External Operations Worldwide,” with Hans-Georg Engelke, state secretary of the German Ministry of the Interior and Community; Magnus Ranstorp, strategic adviser at the Swedish Defense University’s Center for Societal Security; Norman Roule, nonresident senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program; and Matthew Levitt, director of the WINEP Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence https://washingtoninstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register
12 p.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “The Middle East on the Cusp of a Regional War,” with Amos Harel, Haaretz military correspondent https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2024/08/the-middle-east-on-the-cusp
THURSDAY | AUGUST 8
8 a.m. Washington Convention Center — National Defense Industrial Association Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference and Exhibition,” with David Honey, deputy undersecretary of defense for research and engineering; Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe; Undersecretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo; and former Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work deliver remarks on “Service Perspectives” https://www.ndiatechexpo.org/
10 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “Assad’s Return: Regional Changes, and Future Outlook,” with Sawsan Abou Zainedin, CEO of Madaniya; Maria Fantappie, head of the IAI Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa Program; Abdullah Baabood, CEIP nonresident senior scholar; Armenak Tokmajyan, CEIP nonresident scholar; and Sinan Ulgen, CEIP senior fellow https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2024/08/assads-return
1 p.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Over the Brink: Escalation Management in a Protracted U.S.-PRC (People’s Republic of China) Conflict,” with Austin Long, deputy director for strategic stability for the Joint Staff; Justin Anderson, senior policy fellow at the National Defense University’s Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction; Andrew Metrick, fellow at the CNAS Defense Program; and Stacie Pettyjohn, senior fellow and director of the CNAS Defense Program https://www.cnas.org/events/virtual-event-over-the-brink
3:30 p.m. — Wilson Center Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy, Wilson Center Indo-Pacific Program and Wilson Center’s History and Public Policy Program virtual discussion: “One Year Later: The Path Forward for US-ROK-Japan Trilateral Relations,” with Dayna Barnes, associate professor at the National Defense University; Sung-Yoon Lee, fellow and professor of Korean studies and assistant professor at Tufts University’s Fletcher School; Hayoun Ryou-Ellison, assistant professor of the National Defense University; and Kayla Irta, senior associate at the Hyundai-Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/one-year-later-path-forward
FRIDAY | AUGUST 9
8 a.m. Washington Convention Center — National Defense Industrial Association Emerging Technologies for Defense Conference and Exhibition,” with Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering; Maryna Bezrukova, director, Defense Procurement Agency; and Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Adm. Christopher Grady https://www.ndiatechexpo.org/