INTERNACIONAL
UK defense shortfalls highlighted as Britain avoids Iran offensive role amid Trump criticism
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LONDON: The United Kingdom announced Tuesday it will be deploying military assets «as part of a future defensive mission to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.»
While the move can be seen as a positive step in repairing relations with the U.S., Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reluctance to join the U.S. in «Operation Epic Fury» against Iran has still ruffled feathers in Washington — most notably those of President Donald Trump.
Trump has dismissed Starmer as «no Churchill.» In a recent interview with Sky News, the president further complained about the lack of British alignment: «When we asked them for help, they were not there. When we needed them, they were not there… And they still aren’t there.»
TRUMP SLAMS STARMER AS ‘NOT WINSTON CHURCHILL’ FOR REFUSAL TO BACK IRAN STRIKES
British soldiers take part in the Swift Response 22 military exercise at the Krivolak Military Training Center in Negotino, North Macedonia, on May 12, 2022. The exercise involved approximately 4,600 soldiers from North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Greece, Italy, France, the UK and the US to demonstrate NATO forces’ ability to deploy globally and cooperate fully. (Robert Atanasovski/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump also took aim at the British Navy’s readiness in March, ridiculing the fleet during a White House meeting.
«We had the U.K. say that, ‘We’ll send’— this is three weeks ago — ‘we’ll send our aircraft carriers,’ which aren’t the best aircraft carriers, by the way,» Trump said, according to Sky News. «They’re toys compared to what we have.»
Two recent reports by a leading military expert and a parliamentary committee may, in part, explain why the U.K. didn’t join the war in an offensive measure.
In a report titled, «Iran War Delivers a Tough Lesson in Hard Power to the U.K.,» Matthew Savill, director of military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), wrote, «The outbreak of a new war in the Middle East has led to questions about the U.K.’s relevance in international affairs. Alongside debates about legality and politics, there are some hard truths about military power and the reality of the readiness of the U.K.’s armed forces.»
FILE: Soldiers in action as the British Army demonstrate the latest and future technology used on operations across the globe on Salisbury plain training area on October 29, 2019 in Salisbury, England. (Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)
While the report was written with the war still raging on, Savill stated, «Pressure is growing for the deployment of more U.K. forces to the region and direct involvement in strikes, but the government will need to answer difficult questions about prioritization and the effect that it might be trying to achieve. The consequence is that as much as intent and policy drive U.K. involvement, the practical realities will constrain what the U.K. can do.»
Savill added, «On the defensive side, the U.K. has not been idle… [U.K. assets] which also appear to have included some counter-drone units – have been involved in downing Iranian drones while defending Jordan and Iraq.»
UK DEPLOYING WARSHIP, HELICOPTERS TO CYPRUS AFTER DRONE STRIKE
President Donald Trump delivers remarks as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer applaud following the signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Oct. 13, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
Savill wrote that «The challenge for the U.K. is that in the past few years, the commitments and visible presence of U.K. Armed Forces in the region have been shrinking, as a result of the pressure on the military, and a conscious decision to prioritize elsewhere, most recently in the ‘NATO First’ approach of the Strategic Defense Review of 2025.»
While the Starmer government has committed to increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, experts warn that this investment may be too late to restore the U.K.’s ability to project power globally in the near term.
John Hemmings, director of the National Security Center at Henry Jackson, told Fox News, «The U.K.’s military capabilities have been systematically underfunded over the past 15 years, with the Spending Review and cuts starting in 2009 and 2010 under Prime Minister David Cameron. The Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR) at the time stated that the world was headed in a much more dangerous state, but the fiscal devastation of the 2008 Financial Crisis pushed the Government into a series of cuts that were intended to be short-term. Instead, the Cameron Government sent the U.K.’s armed services into a spiral of terminal decline that has lasted until this day,» he said.
TRUMP PRAISED FOR GETTING NATO ALLIES TO BOLSTER DEFENSE SPENDING: ‘REALLY STAGGERING’
The Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is moored in the Royal Navy Dockyard in Portsmouth, England, on Oct. 28, 2024. Britain announced on May 12, 2026 that it will deploy autonomous mine hunting equipment, counter drone systems, along with Typhoon jets and HMS Dragon as part of a future defensive mission to secure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Hemmings added, «Consider the Royal Navy, the U.K.’s premier service and source of great power reach; only 25 out of 63 commissioned vessels are actual fighting ships. This force size is impossible to service Britain’s overseas responsibilities and has seen cuts of 50% in only 30 years. In 1996, there were 22 frigates, 17 submarines, 15 destroyers, and 3 aircraft carriers. Today’s First Sea Lord must attempt to carry out the same duties with seven frigates, 10 submarines, six destroyers, two aircraft carriers. In addition, the U.K. underfunded new capabilities like domestic air and missile defenses and advanced command and control systems.»
A U.S. Navy ship launches Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles in support of Operation Epic Fury. (U.S. Central Command Public Affairs)
A second report released last month, by the House of Lords International Relations and Defense Committee titled: ‘Adjusting to new realities: rebalancing the U.K.-U.S. partnership,’ presents several key recommendations where it warned of the over-dependence on the U.S. «Although the U.K. has benefited from closely collaborating with the U.S. on defense, this has fostered a dependency culture leading to a decline in U.K. capabilities and loss of U.K. credibility in Washington. The Government should provide a clear and costed pathway to achieving the commitment to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.»
While the Ministry of Defense did not respond to several requests for comment over the state of forces, Fox News Digital recently reported that the U.K. government said it is reversing an attrition rate in the military, stating that total armed forces strength stood at 182,050 personnel as of Jan. 1, 2026, including 136,960 regular troops, an increase from the previous year.
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The government has also pledged what it calls the largest sustained rise in defense spending since the Cold War, with military spending set to reach 2.6% of GDP by 2027, backed by an additional £5 billion (approximately $6.6 billion) this financial year and £270 billion (nearly $360 billion) in defense investment over the course of the current parliament. Britain has also said it aims to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP by the end of the next parliament.
Analysts say while some in the Trump administration see the U.K.’s absence as a betrayal of the special relationship, others may say it is a tough lesson in the limitations of a mid-sized power that has tried to maintain a global footprint on a shrinking budget.
united kingdom, war with iran, nato, spending, military, donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Iran nuclear deal hinges on IAEA access to long-blocked atomic weapon sites, experts say
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Having crushed Iran’s nuclear capabilities during two wars in joint attacks with the Israelis, the latest and most significant chapter of whether there will be peace is whether the regime will allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to its nuclear weapons facilities.
Conflicting statements and reports from President Trump and Iran’s Foreign Ministry suggest the U.N.’s IAEA will face the same recalcitrant policy from Tehran it has experienced for two decades in blocking its inspectors from conducting robust verification of the clerical regime’s vast nuclear facilities, including underground compounds. The IAEA sticking point might be a deal-breaker for President Trump.
David Albright, who is widely viewed as one of the world’s leading experts on Iran’s nuclear weapons program, told Fox News Digital the «IAEA comes up short» in its efforts to secure information and verification about Iran’s nuclear weapons program because «Iran has not cooperated for twenty years.»
THE RACE AGAINST TIME TO DESTROY IRAN’S ILLICIT NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM HEATS UP AMID FRESH STRIKES
Unidentified International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors at the nuclear research center of Natanz on Jan. 20, 2014. (Kazem Ghane /IRNA/AFP via Getty Images)
Albright, a physicist and president of the Institute for Science and International Security said, «Iran loves to generate plans of action that can be extended» and the process becomes a «pointless exercise.»
For Iran experts like Albright, Iran’s skill in the art of procrastination has allowed it to stretch out talks over the decades while working to advance its work on a nuclear weapons device and a missile system to deliver it.
As a result, Albright said «it colors my view of the MOU [Memorandum of Understanding]» agreed to between the U.S. and Iran that codifies IAEA inspections of Iran’s atomic weapons program.
Albright sees the IAEA as a key test for the success of U.S.-Iran talks. «The way Iran treats the IAEA will tell us if the negotiations are meaningful,» adding that Tehran’s regime has treated the IAEA terribly in the past.
OBAMA-ERA INSPECTION FLAWS IN IRAN COULD PERSIST AS EXPERTS WARN OF NUCLEAR BLIND SPOTS
President Donald Trump (C) gestures as he addresses the media alongside United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (L), U.S. Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick (2L), U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2R) and U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent (R) during a closing press conference at the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France. (Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)
The website of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared in a statement that «Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, speaking to reporters, denied reports published by certain media outlets claiming that the Islamic Republic of Iran has invited the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its nuclear facilities.»
A headline in the Islamic Republic News Agency Wednesday stated, «No plan for access to Iran’s attacked nuclear facilities without final deal, says deputy FM.» The regime-controlled outlet noted that Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on his X account that no meeting was held with Grossi in Switzerland, despite the IAEA head requesting that Iran meet with him. «There is no plan for access to the facilities that were attacked or to the nuclear materials,» Gharibabadi wrote.
On Friday in Japan, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi told reporters, «This agreement expressly indicates that the nuclear part will be supervised, monitored, by the IAEA.» He added that «a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was subscribed by the two presidents, by President Donald Trump and President Pezeshkian from Iran, and this agreement expressly indicates that the nuclear part will be supervised, monitored, by the IAEA.»
He noted that «initial conversations» have started about inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites. «We hope to be there soon,» he said. It is unclear if Grossi’s team will examine all Iranian nuclear weapons facilities and suspected nuclear sites.
The IAEA declined to answer a detailed Fox News Digital press query on why previous IAEA oversight efforts failed; what would be different this time; whether inspectors can access meaningful sites or only symbolic locations; and would the IAEA focus on access to the Pickaxe Mountain facility versus sites already damaged or buried.
IRAN EXPANDS WEAPONIZATION CAPABILITIES CRITICAL FOR EMPLOYING NUCLEAR BOMB
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi meets with Iran’s then Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran, Iran, on May 6, 2024. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA)
Albright said Israel’s government has identified ten or more sites where Iran is suspected of being involved in nuclear weapons. The IAEA spokesman declined to comment on whether their inspectors will demand to visit those sites.
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital that «Iran should be made to come clean and allow inspections not only at declared nuclear sites — especially the ones damaged during Operation Midnight Hammer — but also at universities, military bases and other state organizations that have been used to engage in dual-use research which is applicable to the development of a nuclear weapon should there be a leadership decision to do so. Inspections on Iran’s nuclear weaponization program were not part of the original 2015 JCPOA, which was one of its weaknesses.»
The JCPOA, whose formal name is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was negotiated by former President Obama’s administration in 2015. Albright, a sharp critic of the JCPOA, said the Obama deal accepted that Iran did not cooperate and «swept it under the rug.» Albright warned that «It is really important that the U.S. [Trump administration] not do a JCPOA.»
TRUMP’S NEW IRAN DEAL FACES NUCLEAR BLIND SPOT OVER URANIUM STOCKPILE, EXPERTS WARN
Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018. He said at the time the JCPOA was a «horrible one-sided deal that should never ever have been made.»
Brodsky stressed that «Any new agreement should include more robust inspection powers. Iran’s denial of inspections at the damaged nuclear facilities since June 2025 violates its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.»
When asked about the IAEA’s impotence with respect to intrusive sanctions on Iran’s nuclear facilities, a White House spokeswoman referred Fox News Digital to Vice President JD Vance and Grossi’s comments.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks to members of the media after the U.S. and Iran held high-level talks aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict at the Lake Lucerne Summit, near Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 22, 2026. (Photo by Nathan Howard / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
«The Iranians have agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back into their country. That is a major milestone for the American people, and the first step in permanently denuclearize, easing or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran,» Vance said on Monday. He added, «And that’s exactly what we wanted to do. That’s exactly what we asked to happen.»
President Trump wrote on Truth Social: «Despite their protestations and false statements to the contrary, coupled with the drumbeat of the Fake News, which is doing everything possible to make the U.S. Victory as small and insignificant as possible, Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!). This will insure ‘Nuclear Honesty.’ If they did not agree to this, there would be no further negotiations! «
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The Islamic Republic’s spokesman to the U.N. did not respond to a Fox News Digital press query.
The U.S. State Department declined to comment.
war with iran, nuclear proliferation, united nations, iran, sanctions, donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
“Innovar es más fácil de lo que se piensa”: especialistas internacionales exponen claves empresariales en el International FACEM Day
La Universidad César Vallejo (UCV) organizó el International FACEM Day, un encuentro académico que convocó a especialistas internacionales, estudiantes, egresados y ejecutivos para analizar los principales desafíos del entorno empresarial, con énfasis en la geopolítica, la innovación y la inteligencia artificial.
El evento se desarrolló de manera presencial el 22 de junio en Trujillo, el 23 en Lima y el 24 en Piura, como parte de una iniciativa de la Facultad de Ciencias Empresariales orientada a vincular la formación académica con las dinámicas del mundo corporativo.
“La innovación es más fácil de lo que piensan”, señaló Alfons Cornella, fundador de Infonomia y del Institute of Next, durante su participación, al destacar que innovar no depende del tamaño de una empresa ni de grandes recursos, sino de la capacidad de observar el entorno y resolver problemas relevantes.
Durante la jornada, los especialistas coincidieron en que el contexto global está marcado por cambios estructurales que impactan directamente en la toma de decisiones empresariales. En ese sentido, Xavier Gimbert Rafols, decano de la Facultad de Ciencias Empresariales de la UCV, subrayó que la geopolítica se ha convertido en un factor determinante.
“La geopolítica te puede cambiar el rumbo absolutamente”, afirmó, al explicar que este elemento ha pasado a ser tan relevante como el mercado o la competencia dentro de la estrategia empresarial, debido a su carácter disruptivo e impredecible.
En la misma línea, Ángel Pascual-Ramseay, profesor de Geopolítica y Geoeconomía en Esade Business School y exasesor del presidente de España, advirtió que el mundo atraviesa un proceso de transformación hacia un nuevo equilibrio global. “Estamos entrando en un nuevo paradigma geopolítico”, indicó, al referirse a un escenario de multipolaridad y fragmentación que incrementa los riesgos y la complejidad económica.
Según explicó, este contexto puede generar impactos directos en la economía a través del uso de herramientas comerciales y financieras por parte de los Estados, así como afectar la globalización, que podría pasar de ser un motor de crecimiento a una fuente de vulnerabilidad.
En cuanto a la innovación, Cornella enfatizó que las soluciones más efectivas surgen de identificar problemas concretos y ofrecer respuestas más eficientes, más que de ideas complejas en apariencia.
Asimismo, destacó el rol de la curiosidad como elemento central en este proceso. “La curiosidad es lo que te mantiene vivo”, afirmó, al señalar que esta cualidad permite detectar oportunidades y adaptarse a un entorno en constante cambio, incluso en un contexto marcado por el avance de la inteligencia artificial.
Gimbert coincidió en que la innovación y la creatividad constituyen una vía clave de diferenciación en el ámbito empresarial, y remarcó que estas capacidades están al alcance de cualquier organización.
Los especialistas también destacaron la importancia de que estos conceptos sean incorporados desde la etapa formativa. Pascual-Ramseay sostuvo que es esencial que los jóvenes desarrollen pensamiento crítico, criterio propio y comprensión del contexto global, dado que enfrentarán un entorno más complejo e inestable.
En esa línea, señaló que la educación debe enfocarse en brindar herramientas para que los estudiantes construyan su propio análisis, más que en transmitir respuestas únicas.
Por su parte, Gimbert indicó que comprender estos factores desde el inicio permite a los estudiantes fortalecer su formación y tomar mejores decisiones en el futuro profesional, al tratarse de elementos transversales en la gestión empresarial.
El International FACEM Day integró aprendizaje intensivo, networking y experiencias académicas con un enfoque aplicado. La Facultad de Ciencias Empresariales de la UCV destacó que este tipo de iniciativas forman parte de una estrategia orientada a promover la internacionalización, el aprendizaje práctico y la conexión con la realidad empresarial.
Según lo informado, el evento registró una alta participación en los distintos campus y contó con la intervención de especialistas internacionales de primer nivel, lo que permitió enriquecer el debate y fortalecer la formación de los asistentes.
Los organizadores señalaron que este tipo de espacios busca no solo beneficiar a estudiantes y egresados, sino también aportar al desarrollo del entorno empresarial y a la sociedad en general.
INTERNACIONAL
Ex-Trump official John Bolton pleads guilty to 1 of 18 counts in classified docs indictment
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Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to only one count of an 18-count indictment, but he will not be sentenced until the fall.
During a hearing at the federal district court in Greenbelt, Maryland, Bolton pleaded guilty to the twelfth count, alleging he had unauthorized possession of a document related to national defense.
The count typically has a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars, but both sides agreed that five years will be the most prison time that can be imposed.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes addressed reporters outside the courthouse, emphasizing that this case demonstrated that «no one is above the law.» Hayes declined to take questions.
FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JOHN BOLTON TO PLEAD GUILTY TO RETAINING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION: SOURCES
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former National Security Advisor John Bolton arrives for a plea deal hearing at U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on June 26, 2026, in Greenbelt, Maryland. (Al Drago)
«The rules governing classified and national defense information apply equally to everyone, regardless of position, and regardless of how long you have served with the United States government,» Hayes began her brief remarks.
«The national defense information at issue in this case was classified at the highest classification levels,» Hayes added. «It contained human intelligence using sensitive sources and methods, and it discussed a covert action program. Mr. Bolton admitted he shared more than 1,000 pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the national security advisor.»
A prosecutor from the Department of Justice told Judge Theodore Chuang that Bolton also faces a fine of $2.25 million, half of which should be paid within 5 days, a required debrief with a U.S. intelligence committee, three years of supervised release and up to 100 hours of community service.
Bolton, who served as national security advisor from April 2018 to September 2019, agreed that he would not get an annuity or retirement from his federal service.
When the judge asked Bolton if he was pleading guilty after having heard the summary of facts in the case, the former Trump official said: «I am your honor, and I’m sorry for it.»
The sentencing was set for October 28. The government plans to dismiss the remaining counts at that hearing.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former National Security Advisor John Bolton walks through security as he arrives for a plea deal hearing at U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on June 26, 2026 in Greenbelt, Maryland. (Al Drago)
By pleading guilty, Bolton waived his right to appeal the sentence and conviction. Chuang said Bolton will be allowed to withdraw his guilty pleas before sentencing. That window will close once the sentencing phase concludes.
Authorities first raided Bolton’s home and office in August of last year. He was indicted in October, originally being charged with both transmission and retention of classified documents.
JOHN BOLTON INDICTED WITH IMPROPER HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS
According to the indictment, the documents Bolton illegally kept had intelligence about future attacks by an adversarial group in another country.
Then-National Security Advisor John R. Bolton listens as then-President Donald J. Trump meets with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House July 18, 2019, in Washington. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Prosecutors said the documents also contained information about a liaison partner sharing sensitive information with the U.S. intelligence community, as well as intelligence that a foreign adversary was planning a missile launch in the future.
Many of the documents were labeled «TOP SECRET,» according to prosecutors.
«From on or about April 9, 2018, through at least on or about August 22, 2025, BOLTON abused his position as National Security Advisor by sharing more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor,» the indictment read.
BOLTON MAY BE IN HOT WATER AS FBI INVESTIGATION EXPANDS BEYOND CONTROVERSIAL BOOK
FBI agents raid the Bethesda, Maryland, home of John Bolton on August 22, 2025. (Andrew Harnik)
«BOLTON also unlawfully retained documents, writings, and notes relating to the national defense, including information classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level, in his home in Montgomery County, Maryland,» it continued.
Bolton shared this information with two family members through his personal email account, according to prosecutors.
That email account, per court records, was hacked by someone believed to be associated with Iran after Bolton left office.
Since Bolton’s departure, him and Trump have been bitter enemies, with the two men frequently attacking each other over foreign policy disagreements.
Copies of the new book ‘The Room Where It Happened’ by John Bolton are displayed at Book Passage on June 23, 2020 in Corte Madera, California. (Justin Sullivan)
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At the time, Trump said he fired Bolton, but Bolton claimed he resigned of his own accord.
Bolton published a memoir in 2020 titled «The Room Where It Happened,» which characterized Trump as an erratic and irrational leader.
The Trump administration sued to block the book’s release, claiming it contained national security secrets that were classified. A federal judge allowed the book to hit shelves, and Bolton was never prosecuted for anything that was included in it.
donald trump, politics, federal courts, national security
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