PLAYING DEFENSE: Trump is defending the agreement he's reportedly closing in on with Iran to end the nearly three-month war, arguing critics “know nothing about the potential deal” he’s negotiating.
“These people should go home and rest, they do nothing but create division and loss. In other words, they are losers! The deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal,” he said in a post on Truth Social on Monday.
U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said late Monday that U.S. forces fired “defensive strikes” in southern Iran, targeting boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a Centcom spokesperson, told The Hill that the strikes were intended to “protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”
The U.S. says the ceasefire that began in early April remains in place.
The exact details of the deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz remain uncertain, but CBS News’s Jennifer Jacobs reported Iran would agree in principle to dispose of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium in exchange for the U.S. lifting a blockade on Iran’s ports.
A U.S. official told The New York Times that the deal would not address Iran’s supply of missiles or stipulate a moratorium on Iran’s uranium enrichment, as those issues would be addressed in future negotiations.
Trump outlined options for the disposal of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile in a later Monday post, saying it should either be turned over to the U.S. or destroyed in place or at another location.
Critics of the reported deal quickly argued it doesn’t do enough to constrain Iran’s nuclear program.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said a rumored 60-day ceasefire would be a “disaster,” while Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said it could shift the balance of power in the region toward Iran.
Tehran also pushed back on Trump’s characterization of the deal, with its state-run media agency reporting that the agreement would allow Iran to manage the strait, which Trump didn’t mention.
▪ The Associated Press: What we know and don’t know about the deal.
▪ The Hill: Trump pushes for Abraham Accords expansion amid Iran talks.
BALLROOM BLITZ: Trump administration officials are stepping up their calls for the construction of a White House ballroom following the latest shooting incident outside the president’s house over the weekend.
An armed man was killed after exchanging gunfire with Secret Service agents Saturday. One bystander was struck and wounded, but no officers sustained any injuries.
Trump noted that the shooting took place almost a month after the incident at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. The alleged shooter has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president.
Trump thanked the Secret Service in a social media post and said the latest shooting “goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C.” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche argued in a federal court filing Sunday that the shooting underscores the need for the ballroom.
But the $1 billion in security funding for the project is facing a serious roadblock as it has been removed from the reconciliation bill that the GOP is trying to pass to fund immigration enforcement agencies. That means the initiative would have to receive support from 60 senators to advance in the upper chamber, a prospect with slim odds in the face of Democratic and some Republican opposition.
▪ NBC4: Bystander in serious but stable condition; wound not life-threatening.
▪ The Hill: Trump friction with senators may imperil his agenda.
'DANGEROUS BLUFF': Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is warning against a referendum that the province of Alberta plans to hold in October on whether to move forward with steps to leave the country, comparing it to the U.K. leaving the European Union.
Carney cited his own experience serving as the head of the Bank of England in 2016 when Brexit was approved.
“They’re still 10 years later trying to undo what people didn’t think they were voting for, but what they ended up having," he said.
Alberta will hold a vote on Oct. 19 on whether to stay in Canada or take steps under the constitution toward leaving. This vote will be nonbinding, but if it passes, it could lead to a binding referendum on seceding.
