INTERNACIONAL
Trump says Iran missiles ‘aren’t the problem’ after White House made them central to war rationale
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For months, senior Trump administration officials argued that Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal helped shield Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and was a key reason the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury attacks on the country.
Now, President Donald Trump is suggesting Iran having missiles may not be a problem at all.
«If other countries have them, it’s a little bit unfair for them not to have some. If Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and they all have some, I would say that in relative proportion, I think it’s okay,» Trump said at the G7 Wednesday. «Am I going to let Saudi Arabia have missiles, but [Iran] can’t have them? It doesn’t work that way.»
«Missiles aren’t the problem. They hurt a little location, but they don’t blow up the planet.»
«The Gulf nations will address the nonnuclear issues, as we’ll be talking about the ballistic missiles,» the president added. «And we’ll talk, also, about the terrorist proxies that they have that — we don’t want that to happen.»
A map displays the range of ballistic missiles fired from Iran, highlighting areas within reach. (Fox News)
ISRAELI OFFICIALS REPORTEDLY WARN IRAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILES COULD TRIGGER SOLO MILITARY ACTION AGAINST TEHRAN
Trump made the remarks while discussing whether Iran should be permitted to retain missile capabilities in a news conference at the G7 in Évian-les-Bains, France, just as details of the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran were being released.
The comments strike a much different tone than arguments repeatedly made by senior administration officials in recent months, who described Iran’s ballistic missile force as both a major threat to regional security and a protective shield for Tehran’s nuclear program.
«Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and we will not allow Iran to hide behind the immunity of a massive short-term ballistic missile inventory, or the ability to make them or launch them,» Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in a press conference on March 3. «What they are trying to do, and have been trying to do for a very long time, is build a conventional weapons capability as a shield to hide behind.»
TRUMP VOWS TO HIT IRAN ‘VERY HARD’ AFTER OBLITERATING NEARLY ’90 PERCENT’ OF REGIME MISSILES
Other senior officials repeatedly described degrading Iran’s missile capabilities as a central objective of Operation Epic Fury.
In remarks at the White House on March 2, Trump said, «Our objectives are clear. First, we’re destroying Iran’s missile capabilities … and their capacity to produce brand new ones.»
War Secretary Pete Hegseth later said March 4 the mission was «laser-focused» on obliterating Iran’s missiles and the facilities that produce them, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the same day one of the administration’s primary goals was to «destroy the regime’s deadly ballistic missiles and completely raze their missile industry to the ground.»
Heavy weapons, including ballistic missiles, air defense systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, are displayed during the 44th anniversary of the eight-year war with Iraq, known as Holy Defense Week, at Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 25, 2024. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Rubio repeatedly returned to the theme throughout the operation, arguing that degrading Iran’s missile force was necessary to prevent Iran from using conventional military power as cover for a future nuclear weapons program.
TRUMP SAYS US, ISRAEL SHATTERED IRANIAN MILITARY CAPABILITIES, PRESSES LEADERS TO SURRENDER: ‘CRY UNCLE’
«This is about very specific objectives,» Rubio told reporters on March 30. «The President laid them out on the first night of the operation… Here they are — you should write them down. Number one, the destruction of their air force. Number two, the destruction of their navy. Number three, the severe diminishing of their missile launching capability. And number four, the destruction of their factories so they can’t make more missiles and more drones to threaten us in the future. All of this so that they can never hide behind it to acquire a nuclear weapon. That was our objective from the beginning; that remains our objective now.»
Leavitt made similar comments the same day, saying the objectives of Operation Epic Fury included «destroying their ballistic missiles» and dismantling the infrastructure used to produce them while ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.
Trump’s remarks at the G7 also raised questions about the administration’s approach to Iran’s nuclear program, another issue that administration officials had previously described in far less flexible terms.
Trump’s comments also come as the administration pursues a memorandum of understanding with Iran that leaves unresolved one of the central disputes in the nuclear negotiations: the future of Tehran’s enrichment program.
Under the framework agreement unveiled this week, the United States and Iran agreed to spend 60 days negotiating the fate of Iran’s nearly 900-pound stockpile of near-weapons-grade 60% enriched uranium and any future enrichment activities. Administration officials said the minimum outcome under discussion would involve down-blending the material under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision, while acknowledging that key details of a final agreement remain unsettled.
Officials described Iran’s willingness to dilute its stockpile as a significant concession, but also acknowledged that the memorandum does not resolve whether Iran will ultimately be permitted to retain any enrichment capability.
TRUMP REAFFIRMS HARD LINE ON IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL: ‘WILL NOT ALLOW ANY ENRICHMENT OF URANIUM’
President Donald Trump arrives for a gala dinner at the Versailles Palace in Versailles, France. (Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump appeared to strike a more accommodating tone when discussing Iran’s access to nuclear power at the G7.
«It is a little hard, though, when you say that somebody wants it, other people have it, other, adjoining states have it. And you’re not letting them have it for purposes of electricity and things like that,» Trump said. «It’s always a little tough. You have to use a little common sense.»
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The administration had previously drawn a much harder line on Iran’s nuclear program. Special envoy Steve Witkoff said the United States could not allow Iran to retain «even 1 percent» enrichment capability, while White House officials repeatedly described the end of Iranian enrichment as a red line.
The White House referred back to Trump’s recent remarks on missiles when asked for additional comment. «
«We are going to let the President’s comments stand,» a State Department spokesperson said when asked for comment.
The Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment.
war with iran, iran, pete hegseth, national security, nuclear proliferation
INTERNACIONAL
Un asalto en altamar dejó a 27 pescadores ecuatorianos a la deriva: fueron hallados con vida tras horas de incertidumbre
Durante varias horas, 27 pescadores artesanales navegaron a la deriva frente a la costa ecuatoriana sin motores, sin equipos de comunicación y sin posibilidad de pedir ayuda. Lo que comenzó como una jornada habitual de pesca frente a Manabí terminó convirtiéndose en un operativo de búsqueda que movilizó a las autoridades marítimas y mantuvo en vilo a decenas de familias. El desenlace llegó cuando todos fueron encontrados con vida en la comuna La Entrada, en la provincia de Santa Elena, después de sobrevivir, según sus primeros testimonios, a un violento asalto en alta mar.
Los pescadores habían salido desde comunidades pesqueras del cantón Manta, principalmente de los sectores de Santa Rosa y Las Piñas, en la parroquia San Lorenzo, para cumplir una faena de pesca artesanal. Con el paso de las horas dejaron de comunicarse y no regresaron al puerto en el tiempo previsto, por lo que sus familiares alertaron a la Capitanía del Puerto sobre su desaparición.
La denuncia dio paso a un operativo de búsqueda en aguas del litoral ecuatoriano. Durante las primeras inspecciones fueron localizadas varias embarcaciones flotando sin sus motores fuera de borda, un hallazgo que llevó a las autoridades y a los propios pescadores de la zona a sospechar que la flotilla había sido víctima de un ataque de piratas del mar, una modalidad delictiva que ha ganado presencia en la costa del país.
Mientras avanzaba la búsqueda, la incertidumbre crecía entre las familias. La noticia cambió cuando comenzó a circular un video enviado desde Santa Elena en el que aparecían varios de los pescadores confirmando que estaban con vida. Poco después, las autoridades verificaron la información y confirmaron que los 27 hombres habían logrado llegar a la comuna La Entrada, ubicada en el límite entre Santa Elena y Manabí.
De acuerdo con las versiones preliminares entregadas por los sobrevivientes, la flotilla fue interceptada por hombres armados mientras realizaba labores de pesca. Los atacantes les habrían robado los motores fuera de borda, los equipos de comunicación, combustible y otras pertenencias de valor antes de abandonar las embarcaciones en mar abierto.
Sin los motores, los pescadores quedaron completamente expuestos a las corrientes marinas. Incapaces de maniobrar o de solicitar auxilio por radio, permanecieron durante horas desplazándose sin control hasta conseguir acercarse a la costa de Santa Elena, donde finalmente recibieron ayuda y pudieron contactar a sus familiares.
En las horas posteriores al hallazgo circularon versiones no confirmadas sobre la existencia de otros pescadores desaparecidos e incluso sobre un posible fallecimiento. Sin embargo, hasta el 10 de julio las autoridades únicamente habían confirmado que los 27 trabajadores del mar cuya desaparición había sido denunciada fueron encontrados con vida. Las investigaciones continúan para esclarecer los hechos y verificar la información que comenzó a difundirse durante la emergencia.
El caso volvió a poner de relieve la vulnerabilidad de la pesca artesanal frente al incremento de los ataques de delincuentes que operan en aguas ecuatorianas. En los últimos años, pescadores de Manabí, Santa Elena, Esmeraldas y otras provincias costeras han denunciado un aumento de los robos en altamar, principalmente dirigidos al hurto de motores fuera de borda, cuyo elevado valor en el mercado ilegal los convierte en uno de los principales objetivos de estas organizaciones.
Para los pescadores, la pérdida del motor no solo representa un golpe económico que puede impedirles volver a trabajar durante semanas o meses. También constituye un riesgo inmediato para la vida, ya que una embarcación inmovilizada queda a merced del viento, las corrientes y las condiciones del océano, especialmente cuando la tripulación pierde además los equipos de navegación y comunicación.
Las autoridades marítimas y los organismos de seguridad mantienen abiertas las investigaciones para identificar a los responsables del asalto denunciado por los sobrevivientes y establecer cómo operó el grupo que interceptó a la flotilla. Los testimonios de los pescadores serán incorporados a las diligencias para reconstruir la secuencia del ataque y determinar si este caso guarda relación con otros episodios similares registrados en la costa ecuatoriana durante los últimos meses.
Nature / Wildlife,Environment,South America / Central America,Government / Politics,Puerto Ayora
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Graham Platner’s political collapse did more than derail a scandal-plagued Senate campaign in Maine. It also completed Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s public transformation from a Bernie Sanders-backed progressive populist to one of the left’s most aggressive internal critics.
Fetterman was among the first prominent Democrats to call out Platner’s mounting controversies, even as many party leaders continued backing the scandal-plagued candidate until a former girlfriend publicly accused Platner of rape, an allegation he denies. The accusation prompted the remaining pillars of Democratic support to collapse.
By Wednesday night, Fetterman laid into his onetime political ally Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in an interview with Fox News’ Charles Hurt on «Jesse Watters Primetime.»
«The trash took itself out,» Fetterman said of Platner’s withdrawal, as Hurt asked who should be held most responsible for the Platner chaos.
KINGMAKER MAMDANI CALLS ON PLATNER TO ‘DROP OUT OF THE RACE’ AFTER RAPE ALLEGATION
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., center, watches Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., right, speak from a podium in front of Sen. Jeffrey Merkley, D-Ore., left. (Al Drago/Getty Images)
«Absolutely, Bernie Sanders needs to apologize to the voters of Maine and to everyone that donated to that train wreck of a campaign,» Fetterman said.
Sanders ultimately called on Platner to end his candidacy after the allegation surfaced, but Fetterman argued the Vermont progressive owed voters an apology for helping elevate him in the first place.
«More than anyone, he pushed ‘P. Hustle’ into the election. And now he keeps pushing these Communists and these kinds of awful, anti-American people.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Sanders, Fetterman and Platner’s campaign for comment.
JOHN FETTERMAN’S FALL FROM HERO TO HERETIC EXPOSES DEMOCRATS’ HARD LEFT TURN
Graham Platner, Democratic US Senate candidate for Maine, during a primary election night event at the Blue Hill YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, US, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Progressive Democrat Graham Platner won the party’s Senate primary in Maine after a bruising campaign which became as much about his accusations of past misbehavior as it was voters’ top concerns. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The comments cap a remarkable political evolution for Fetterman, who recently acknowledged he is more popular with some Republicans than his own party.
«For some strange [reason], I am more popular with Republicans, which is confusing because I vote in the 90-[percentile] Dem-line,» Fetterman told NewsNation in March, adding that he supports Israel and President Donald Trump’s «Operation: Epic Fury» against Iran.
Chris Borick, a professor at Lehigh University and former president of the Pennsylvania Political Science Association, called Fetterman’s change in relationship with Sanders and the Democrats’ progressive wing «dramatic.»
«As someone that follows Pennsylvania politics, I can’t find anything even close in comparison to the shifts that we’ve seen in Fetterman’s positions on an array of matters over a short period of time,» Borick said. «We’ve seen people switch parties, like Arlen Specter… but in terms of a quick departure on the most significant levels, Fetterman’s changes are without precedent in the state.»
Fetterman’s break with the left has not been limited to Sanders-world. In Pennsylvania, his increasingly independent posture has also put distance between him and parts of the state Democratic establishment, including breaking some partisan norms.
State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, who served in the Pennsylvania Senate while Fetterman was lieutenant governor and presided over the chamber, said the Democrat had «political differences» with him but was typically «gracious and respectful.»
He spoke of an interaction on the Harrisburg Senate floor when Fetterman learned Mastriano accrued a record number of ballot signatures to qualify to run for governor against then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
«Senator Fetterman came down from the rostrum, congratulated me, and said, ‘Doug, 30,000. That’s really impressive. Great job.’ It wasn’t something he had to do,» Mastriano told Fox News Digital.
«I can’t speak for Sen. Fetterman’s political evolution — that’s something only he can explain. But I do respect anyone who is willing to speak their mind, think independently, and put what they believe to be America’s interests first, even when doing so may not be popular within their own party,» said Mastriano, who said Fetterman appears to be «put[ting] Pennsylvania ahead of politics.»
Fetterman recently upstaged his home state’s Democratic standard-bearer, Gov. Josh Shapiro, by teaming up with Republican Sen. David McCormick to help secure a booth on the National Mall for the Great American State Fair after the governor’s office said there was too little time and too little vendor interest to assemble one.
Shapiro’s predecessor, Gov. Tom Wolf, with whom Fetterman served as lieutenant governor during Wolf’s second term, also appeared to have no love lost for his party’s new maverick.
«I have thoughts, but I don’t have to share them anymore,» Wolf, who has largely retired from public life, said in March of Fetterman’s job performance.
When the two were in office in Harrisburg, Fetterman was closely aligned with Sanders and rode a wave of progressive populism to the lieutenant governor’s office — which is a separate primary-ballot line from the governorship.
Sam Chen, a Pennsylvania political analyst and chief strategist at the Allentown-based Liddell Group, told Fox News Digital that Fetterman’s evolution from Sanders ally to critic is a significant one while questioning whether the Democratic Party’s political environment helped cause the break.
«Fetterman was really helped by Sanders — even in Fetterman’s first Senate run … and then against who we really thought was probably the frontrunner in Conor Lamb.»
«Sanders really helped put Fetterman on the map and helped get him over the top,» Chen said, calling the senator’s recent condemnation of Sanders his «biggest break» with the progressive wing.
However, Chen questioned whether Fetterman’s break with Sanders over Platner was less about policy than about judgment, character and candidate quality.
«I wonder if Fetterman would have had this position if Platner had all his policy views that he has now but there was no Totenkopf tattoo or allegations from women.»
During his 2018 lieutenant governor campaign, Fetterman touted Sanders’ endorsement as proof of his progressive bona fides, describing the Vermont senator as one of the few national politicians who had the «little guy’s» back. Fetterman was then still mayor of postindustrial Braddock, a working-class suburb outside Pittsburgh, but his populist profile was already drawing national attention.
Sanders in turn came to Pennsylvania to endorse Fetterman: «What John’s campaign is about … is that we are going to transform this country and create a government that works for all of us, not just wealthy campaign contributors,» he said, according to PBS’ Philadelphia affiliate.
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Sen. John Fetterman heads to a lunch meeting with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 15, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Since his election to the Senate, Pennsylvania Democratic groups, including the Monroe County Democratic Party in the Poconos, have branded him a «traitor,» while Punchbowl described his current political standing as «tenuous» and reported that no member of the Keystone State’s House delegation would confirm support for a 2028 reelection bid.
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«Squad» member Rep. Summer Lee, who represents Fetterman’s hometown and is more ideologically aligned with Sanders, told the outlet the increasingly isolated senator would run «at his own peril.»
Chen said Fetterman’s progressive «bona fides» remain, noting he still is reliably liberal on LGBTQ rights, marijuana and abortion — adding that as mayor or lieutenant governor, foreign policy positions were a nonfactor. Still, he argued, the fight over Platner shows how far Fetterman has moved from the progressive coalition that launched him into national politics.
john fetterman, bernie sanders, graham platner, elections, maine, democrats senate, socialism
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