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President Trump: Iran Deal To Be Released Soon + President Trump Announces Deployment of 5000 Troops to Poland + US Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Operating in SOUTHCOM AOR May 23, 2026

Show notes

For review:

1. The U.S deployed the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its accompanying strike group into Caribbean waters this week.

2. US President Donald Trump declared on Saturday that the US and Iran were finalizing a deal to end the war.

Iran has agreed to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of an agreement with the US to end the war, two US officials tell the New York Times.

3. The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday said it hit Hezbollah sites in the terror group’s strongholds in south and east Lebanon overnight following evacuation warnings.

4. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on May 22, that peace negotiations regarding Ukraine are currently suspended, though Washington remains ready to resume its mediating role if future discussions prove constructive.

5. Poland will receive its first batch of F-35 stealth fighter jets under a deal signed with the United States.

6. On Thursday, President Trump said in a Truth Social post he was "pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland."

It wasn't clear whether the troops would be based in the country permanently or on a rotational basis.

7. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is casting new doubt on NATO's relevance to the United States after key allies recoiled from backing Washington’s “Operation Epic Fury.”

8. A drone wingman built by General Atomics has resumed flying roughly one month after crashing in the California desert shortly after takeoff.

In a press release Thursday, the company said its YFQ-44A aircraft “returned to flight testing following a round of safety reviews and software enhancements.”

The drone is being developed for the Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) Program.

Secretary of State Rubio: Iran's Plan to Toll Ships in Strait "Unfeasible" + US Navy CNO: Escorting Ships in the Strait Exceeds Navy Capacity + Russia Launches Unannounced Three-Day Nuclear Exercise; 200 Missile Launchers; 140 Aircraft; 8 Nuclear Subs May 21, 2026

Show notes

For review:

1. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that there were “good signs” for a deal to end the war with Iran, but that an agreement would be “unfeasible” if Tehran pursues its plan to toll ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

2. WSJ Report: Israel has created a list of all Palestinians who took part in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and is working to kill or arrest each one.

3. The Navy doesn’t have the bandwidth to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Navy’s top officer- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle.

4. Russia launched its largest nuclear exercises in years on Tuesday, mobilizing nearly 65,000 troops, over 200 missile launchers, 140 aircraft, 73 surface vessels and 13 submarines, including eight strategic nuclear submarines, in a three-day drill that runs through Thursday.

The exercises involve the Strategic Missile Forces, the Northern and Pacific Fleets, Long-Range Aviation Command, and units from the Leningrad and Central Military Districts, according to the ministry statement. Live launches of ballistic and cruise missiles at ranges inside Russia are planned as part of the drills.

5. The remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper was the workhorse in the U.S. air campaign against Iran, Air Force leaders told Congress on May 20.

6. The carrier-based MQ-25A Stingray reached the milestone C authorization that the Pentagon requires for a program to enter the low-rate initial production stage of acquisition.

President Trump Postpones Attack on Iran + NATO Supreme Allied Commander: Expect Additional US Troop Withdrawals + Report: Cuba Has Acquired Hundreds of Military Drones May 19, 2026

Show notes

For review:

1. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez insisted Cuba "poses no threat" to the United States and doesn't have "aggressive plans or intentions against any country," after Axios reported that the island nation has hundreds of military drones and has been allegedly discussing plans to strike the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay and potentially Florida's Key West.

2. The Republic of Somaliland will open an embassy in Jerusalem, its first anywhere in the world, the state’s ambassador to Israel said Tuesday.

Currently, seven countries have embassies in Jerusalem — the US, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Fiji.

3. US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he had called off a major attack against Iran, which he claimed was slated to take place on Tuesday after Gulf allies assured him that a deal with Tehran was now possible thanks to the renewal of “serious negotiations.”

4. The US State Department has cleared potential military support deals worth a combined $428.2 million for India’s Apache rotary-wing aircraft and M777A2 155mm howitzers.

5. The Trump administration is planning to tell NATO allies this week that it will shrink the pool of military capabilities that the U.S. would have available to assist the alliance’s European nations in a major crisis.

6. NATO Supreme Allied Commander: Europe should “absolutely” expect additional United States troop withdrawals in the future as European NATO allies strengthen their capability to provide more of their own conventional defense.

US & Israel Preparing to Renew Attacks on Iran + IDF Confirms Top Hamas Chief Killed in Gaza City Airstrike + Cuba Publishes Online Family Guide to Survive Potential Enemy Attacks May 17, 2026

Show notes

For review:

1. Cuba has posted a “family guide” on provincial websites on how to survive “potential enemy attacks,” as the communist-run island reels from US pressure and energy shortages.

The release of the document– comes days after the head of the CIA visited Cuba, an extraordinary step in contact between Washington and Havana.

2. The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday confirmed killing Hamas military chief Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the terror group’s leader in Gaza, in a “precise strike” on Gaza City in the Strip’s north the previous day.

3. NYT Report: Israel built two covert bases in Iraq to aid in its wars with Iran.

4. President Trump told Axios in a phone call that "the clock is ticking" for Iran and warned that if the Iranian regime doesn't come with a better offer for a deal "they are going to get hit much harder."

5. NYT Report: Israel and the United States are carrying out their most intense preparations yet to renew attacks on Iran, possibly as soon as next week.

6. Iranian state television said on Saturday that European countries were in talks with Tehran over transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

7. The UK has down-selected a group of four competitors to develop drone wingman aircraft capable of teaming with British Army Apache attack helicopters.

8. Four Navy pilots are safe after their EA-18G Growlers crashed during the Gunfighter Skies air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Sunday. The crash is under investigation.

CIA Director Visits Cuba + Israel Targets Top Hamas Leader in Gaza Strike; Fate Unknown; Initial Indications - Dead + US CENTCOM Commander Appears Before Senate Armed Services Committee May 15, 2026

Show notes

For review:

1. CIA Director Ratcliffe met with counterparts from Cuba's Ministry of the Interior on Thursday during a high-level visit to the island nation amid "complex bilateral relations" between the long-time adversaries.

2. President Donald Trump says he has not yet decided whether a major sale of US arms to Taiwan can move forward following his three-day visit to China.

3. Israel said that it had targeted Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip and the head of the terror group’s military wing, in an airstrike in Gaza City on Friday.

A senior Israeli security official told reporters that were “initial indications” that Haddad was killed. The IDF has not yet officially commented on the strike.

4. US President Donald Trump counted “the military decimation of Iran” among his administration’s accomplishments in a social media post on Thursday, adding, “to be continued!”

The phrase, included in a lengthy Truth Social Post suggested he may resume the war against Iran after he returns from his trip to China on Friday.

5. US President Donald Trump said Friday that he would accept a 20-year suspension of the uranium enrichment at the heart of Iran’s rogue nuclear program if Tehran gave a “real” guarantee, in an apparent shift from his previous demand that Iran permanently halt its program and his pledge to ensure Iran can never attain nuclear weapons.

6. US CENTCOM CDR Admiral Brad Cooper appears at SASC Hearing.

Admiral Cooper:

- US has the military power to permanently reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

- Iran’s ability to threaten its neighbors and US interests has been dramatically reduced by US bombings, and Tehran’s defense industry has been set back by 90%.

- Iran was no longer able to transfer arms and other resources to its main allies in the region: Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza. “Those transfer paths and methods have been cut off.”

7. The United States on Friday announced a 45-day extension of a porous ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, even as the Iran-backed terror group continued to clash with IDF soldiers and launch missiles and drones into Israeli territory.

8. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party on Thursday began a three-day conference to elect its highest leadership body for the first time in 10 years.

President Trump Arrives in China + Israeli PM Visited UAE in March + Saudi Arabia Conducted Retaliation Strikes Against Iran + Russia to Deploy New Sarmat ICBM in late 2026; Reported Range of 35,000 km May 13, 2026

Show notes

For review:

1. US President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the Iran war, trade, and US arms sales to Taiwan.

2. If Iran does not accept US terms for a deal to end the war and address its nuclear program, the United States will “finish the job,” US President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday.

3. Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the US said on Monday the Islamic Republic is “ready to deliver a well-deserved response to any aggression,” as US President Donald Trump reportedly considered restarting the war after negotiations with Tehran reached a dead end.

4. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Wednesday that he made a secretive visit to the United Arab Emirates and met with its leader, President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, during the US-Israeli war with Iran earlier this year.

5. The heads of Israel’s two main intelligence agencies separately visited the United Arab Emirates in recent months, including during the war with Iran, according to Wednesday reports.

The reported visits are the latest reported signs of increased cooperation between the two countries during the war.

6. Saudi Arabia launched numerous, unpublicized strikes on Iran in retaliation for attacks carried out in the kingdom during the war, two Western officials briefed on the matter and two Iranian officials said.

7. Russia will deploy its new Sarmat strategic nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile at the end of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after his forces tested it on Tuesday, describing the missile as “the most powerful in the world.”

8. US Army has canceled the deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division — more than 4,000 soldiers and associated equipment — to Poland.

President Trump: Ceasefire With Iran "On Life Support" + Israeli PM: War "Not Over" + US Conducts Surveillance Flights Around Cuba May 11, 2026

Show notes

For review:

1. US military intelligence-gathering flights are surging off the coast of Cuba, a CNN analysis of publicly available aviation data shows.

Since February 4, the US Navy and Air Force have conducted at least 25 such flights using manned aircraft and drones, most of them near the country’s two biggest cities, Havana and Santiago de Cuba, and some coming within 40 miles of the coast, according to FlightRadar24.

2. US President Donald Trump on Monday said the ceasefire with Iran was “on life support,” a day after he rejected the proposal submitted by Iran over the weekend for a permanent truce.

3. The United Arab Emirates carried out military strikes on Iran, making it the only other country to join the United States and Israel in its war against the Islamic Republic, according to a report on Monday.

During the US-Israel war on Iran, Tehran launched sustained attacks on the UAE, firing some 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones, according to the Emirati defense ministry, making it the most targeted country in the region, including Israel.

4. The UK and France will on Tuesday host a multinational meeting of defense ministers on military plans to restore trade flows through the Strait of Hormuz, the British government said.

The announcement came hours after Iran warned London and Paris against sending warships to the region.

5. The EU has dismissed Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that the Kremlin-friendly former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder could serve as a European mediator in peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

6. A 10-ship Russian convoy transited Japan’s Tsushima Strait to enter the East China Sea over the weekend, according to Japan’s Joint Staff Office.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) spotted two Russian corvettes, a fleet oiler, a tugboat and six cargo ships around 5 p.m. Saturday sailing southwest 140 kilometers northeast of Tsushima.

7. Taiwan’s parliament has approved a proposed government boost to defense spending after a protracted standoff — although it pared back the proposed supplementary budget by a third, and limited spending to US defense systems.

8. United States, Philippine, Japanese and Canadian forces combined land, sea and air platforms to sink two decommissioned ships off the western Northern Luzon coast during Balikitan 2026 last week, according to a Defense Department release.

President Trump Announces Russia - Ukraine Ceasefire & Prisoner Exchange + Report: Russia Supplying Iran With Drone Parts Using Caspian Sea + France & UK Posture Warships for Strait of Hormuz Escort Mission May 09, 2026

Show notes

For review:

1. President Trump Announces Russia & Ukraine Ceasefire and Priosner Exchange.

The ceasefire will begin on Saturday and run through Monday, President Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This ceasefire will include a suspension of all kinetic activity, and also a prisoner swap of 1,000 prisoners from each country."

2. NYT Report: Russia is sending drone components to Iran via Caspian Sea shipping, US officials told the NYT in a report published Saturday, turning the world’s largest lake into a key conduit for both covert and overt trade.

3. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff met today in Miami with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, as Doha assists in efforts to mediate a permanent ceasefire deal between Washington and Iran, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

Qatar has been quietly operating as a go-between, while allowing Pakistan to play the main mediating role, the source says, confirming an earlier report.

4. Fresh “sporadic clashes” broke out Friday between Iranian and US naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media, marking the latest flare-up despite a monthlong ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

The fighting came as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington expected a response from Tehran on Friday to its latest proposal.

5. Iran’s foreign ministry issued an unusual warning on Wednesday to the “rulers of Abu Dhabi,” the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

It accused the tiny oil-rich state of conspiring with the United States and Israel against Iran, and threatened “dangerous consequences” unless the Emirates pulled away from those countries.

6. Israel reportedly set up a secret military base in the Iraqi desert in February in order to support its aerial campaign against Iran.

7. The UK will deploy one of its warships to the Middle East as part of planning for a European-led mission to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz once there’s a stable ceasefire.

France recently announced it had moved its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Red Sea in a move aimed at signaling that the coalition stood ready to secure the strait.

US CENTCOM Confirmed Self-Defense Strikes Against Iran in Strait of Hormuz + IDF Kills Hezbollah Radwan Force Commander in Beirut Strike + EU Council President Considers "Potential" Talks with Moscow May 07, 2026

Show notes

For review:

1. US Secretary of State Rubio announced new sanctions Thursday on Cuba's military-industrial enterprise, its leader and a state-owned natural resources company.

2. US President Donald Trump says three US Navy destroyers transited out of the Strait of Hormuz under fire, adding that the American destroyers were not damaged but “great damage was done to Iranian attackers.”

3. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that he had met with the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since his appointment in early March.

President Pezeshkian did not say when their meeting took place.

4. The US will host the third round of ambassador-level talks between representatives from Israel and Lebanon on May 14 and 15, a State Department official and an Israeli official confirmed to The Times of Israel on Wednesday.

Joining diplomats from each side will, for the first time, be military representatives, an Israeli official said, adding that the sides would discuss more concrete measures that can be taken to disarm Hezbollah.

5. Israel on Wednesday evening carried out its first airstrike in Beirut since before the ceasefire in Lebanon entered into effect last month, killing the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, who the military said had advanced plans to invade the Galilee.

6. The 23-year-old son of Hamas’s chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya succumbed Thursday to wounds sustained in an Israeli strike on Gaza City on Wednesday, a hospital and senior Hamas official said.

Reports of Azzam al-Hayya’s death came as Hamas leaders were in Cairo to discuss the future of the ceasefire agreement.

7. The United Arab Emirates transferred $100 million to the Board of Peace in recent days to fund a contract for the training of a new Palestinian police force for Gaza, a US official and a Middle Eastern diplomat told The Times of Israel this week.

8. Israel said Thursday that it was working to help counter rat infestations in Gaza, helping move hundreds of cartons of rat poison into the territory as the warmer weather sees a surge in pests spreading through the tents of displaced Palestinians.

9. European Council President Costa said on Thursday that he believed there was “potential” for the bloc to negotiate directly with Moscow, adding that it had the backing of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to do so.

President Trump: Operation Project Freedom Will Be Paused; Blockade Remains in Full Force & Effect + CENTCOM CDR: US Helicopters Sank Six Iranian Small Boats in Strait + US Army Typhon System (Tomahawk) Test Fired in Philippines Exercise May 05, 2026

Show notes

For review:

1. A high-level Trump administration official informed Iran on Sunday of the impending US operation to "guide" ships through the Strait of Hormuz and warned Tehran not to interfere, according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge.

2. US President Donald Trump says the US will be pausing the operation it launched just one day earlier to assist vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz due to progress made in talks toward a permanent ceasefire with Iran.

3. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned on Tuesday it would respond firmly to any ships that diverge from Iran’s approved route through the Strait of Hormuz, as Israeli television reported US President Donald Trump came close to ordering renewed strikes over the weekend before calling them off.

4. Iran fired over a dozen missiles and several drones at the United Arab Emirates on Monday, renewing attacks on the Gulf state for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took hold last month.

The UAE Defense Ministry said its air defenses had engaged 15 missiles and four drones fired by Iran.

5. The United Arab Emirates’ contracting authority has inked a deal with Brazilian firm Embraer to procure 10 C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft with an option to procure 10 more in the future.

With this deal, the UAE is the first country in the Middle East to be on contract with the C-390 aircraft.

6. Germany’s ambitions to close a long-range strike capability gap are facing a fresh setback after the Trump administration moved to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from German soil and effectively shelved a Biden-era plan to temporarily deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 missiles there.

7. The U.S. Army Pacific’s 1st Multi-Domain Task Force and the Philippine Army Artillery Regiment have test-fired a Tomahawk cruise missile from the Typhon Launcher in the central Philippines — and successfully hit a target around 600 kilometers away.

8. USMC Commandant Gen. Eric Smith told audience members in Washington on Thursday that the demand for ARG-MEUs has exceeded the 3.0 presence he previously called for.

Calls for ARG-MEUs are coming from the U.S. military’s Southern Command, European Command, U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command.

A 3.0 presence indicates a three-ship ARG-MEU deployed at all times: one out of the East Coast, one out of the West Coast and the 31st MEU delivering periodic deployments out of Okinawa, Japan.

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