EVACUATION CALL: The State Department is urging Americans to leave more than a dozen countries in the Middle East immediately as the conflict with Iran begins to spill over into other parts of the region.
Mora Namdar, the assistant secretary of State for consular affairs, said in a post on the social platform X that Americans should leave using available commercial transportation given "serious safety risks." She said those who need assistance can reach out to the State Department.
The countries are Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza are also included.
The fighting with Iran has quickly expanded to other countries as Tehran responds by attacking Israel and U.S. bases in various countries throughout the Middle East. Although the Iranian government said it is only attacking the U.S. and not these countries, the Gulf nations have expressed frustration at getting dragged into the conflict.
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was struck by multiple drones Monday. The Saudi Defense Ministry said it caused a limited fire and minor damage to the building.
The State Department has accordingly closed its embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the latter of which also faced an aerial attack Sunday.
The Hill's Laura Kelly reports Iranian-backed militias are carrying out strikes against U.S. forces and partners in the region. The militias include the Shiite group Saraya Awliya al-Dam in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The president hasn't provided a clear idea of how long the military operation against Iran will take. While he initially said it might only be a few days, Trump said at the White House on Monday that he believes operations could go on for "four to five weeks."
But he also said the operation could be ahead of schedule or take longer.
"We're already substantially ahead of our time projections, but whatever the time is, it's OK. Whatever it takes," Trump said.
The president told NewsNation's Kellie Meyer that the U.S. is "getting very close" to accomplishing the administration's objectives in Iran.
"I know a lot, and I will absolutely know when it's achieved. It's getting very close too. We're doing a lot of damage. We're setting them back a lot," he told Meyer.
▪ The Hill: Five questions for Trump amid Iran crisis.
▪ The Hill: The targets hit during Operation Epic Fury.
WAR POWERS VOTE: The Senate is set to vote Tuesday on a war powers resolution led by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to rein in Trump's authority over Iran. But it faces tough odds, as only one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), has come out in favor of it, while one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), has declared his opposition to it.
A vote is also expected on a war powers resolution in the House this week.
If the current math holds, both resolutions will fail, but the vote might be tighter than it would otherwise have been before Trump launched the attack, The Hill's Al Weaver reports.
Still, Trump would be able to veto the resolutions if they get to his desk, and Congress does not have the numbers to overcome any vetoes.
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth left the door open to placing boots on the ground in Iran, though Hegseth said the U.S. would not get pulled into an "endless" war, referring to the conflict in Iraq.
Vice President Vance also dismissed the idea that Trump would lead the U.S. into a multiyear conflict, telling Fox News's Jesse Waters that the president wouldn't go to war without a clearly defined objective.
CONSERVATIVE PUSHBACK: Trump dismissed criticism from some conservative figures of his Iran operations, arguing that he represents the MAGA movement and not them.
"I think that MAGA is Trump — MAGA's not the other two," Trump told journalist Rachael Bade on Monday night, referring to Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson. "MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe. And MAGA loves what I'm doing — every aspect of it."
Kelly and Carlson have both expressed opposition to the U.S.'s moves in recent days. Kelly said she has "serious doubts" about what the U.S. is doing, while Carlson called the military campaign "evil."
Conservative commentator Matt Walsh also criticized the administration for "confused" messaging about its objectives. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded with a lengthy X post outlining Trump's stated goals from his initial statement announcing the strikes.
Early polling data has shown low approval among the American public of the strikes, but Trump has brushed it off.
"I think that the polling is very good, but I don't care about polling. I have to do the right thing. I have to do the right thing. This should have been done a long time ago," he told the New York Post in an interview Monday.
VIEW ON ALLIES: Trump also doesn't seem deterred by multiple U.S. allies breaking with him on the Iran conflict.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he doesn't support joining air operations against Iran and wouldn't add to offensive operations unless there's a "viable thought-through plan."
Spain said it wouldn't allow the U.S. to use its bases for operations against Iran, declaring the attacks a violation of international law.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been one of the allies declaring his support for the operation.
Hegseth slammed U.S. allies that have shown hesitancy to back the campaign, saying they would prefer to "wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force."
The U.S. death toll rose to six military service members Monday. Trump said Sunday he believed additional casualties were likely.
▪ The Hill: Trump gambles on Iran regime change.
▪ The Hill: Lawmakers say Israeli plan to attack Iran dictated Trump's decision.
▪ The Hill: Oil, gasoline prices jump amid Iran strikes.
LAW FIRMS WIN: The Department of Justice (DOJ) abandoned its defense of executive orders from the president targeting some of the country's top law firms, handing them a major legal victory.
Court filings show the DOJ gave up its appeals of rulings from federal judges rejecting the executive orders targeting the law firms Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner & Block and Susman Godfrey. The orders sought to undermine the firms' business in limiting their government contracts and their employees' security clearances and access to government buildings.
The firms had argued they were the targets of political retribution over their ties to opponents of Trump.
ADVISORY LIFTED: Washington, D.C., officials have lifted a recreational advisory for the Potomac River, signaling cleanup efforts following a sewage leak have turned a corner.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced the D.C. Department of Health made the decision Monday, as consistent testing has shown bacteria levels in the water are within safe ranges for recreation.
The sewage overflow began in mid-January, leading to more than 240 million gallons of wastewater spilling into the river as of last month. That made it one of the largest wastewater spills in U.S. history.
Drinking water in the region was unaffected, as the spill occurred downstream from where water is taken from. But the spill caught national attention, and Trump approved a request from Bowser just more than a week ago to declare an emergency and send in federal disaster assistance.
Swimming in the Potomac remains allowed but only with a special permit, as is standard for the District, Bowser noted.
▪ The Washington Post: What to know as the advisory is lifted.
No comments:
Post a Comment