Trump has reviewed military plans for renewed large-scale strikes on Iran but is choosing to continue nuclear negotiations for now, according to U.S. officials.

He believes restarting the war could derail diplomacy and is willing to let talks continue beyond the Aug. 18 target date.

While the Pentagon has presented options for renewed attacks, Trump has so far favored limited retaliatory strikes over a broader military campaign, viewing a negotiated agreement as preferable to another full-scale conflict.

Source: WSJ

During the Iran conflict, Saudi Arabia initially refused to let the U.S. use its bases and airspace for Project Freedom, a Trump-ordered operation to keep the waterway open, forcing Washington to halt the mission.

The White House threatened to delay missile-defense interceptors unless Riyadh reversed its decision, and Saudi Arabia eventually relented.

The fallout has damaged one of Washington's closest Middle East partnerships. Saudi officials viewed recent U.S. diplomatic moves as snubs, while the U.S. is reportedly considering reducing its military presence in the kingdom and shifting resources toward allies such as Israel and Jordan.

Source: WSJ

JD Vance:

What I would hope that the Catholic leadership has learned from some of the things that me, Marco, and the president have said about immigration is, it's not just about the dignity of the immigrant.

It's also about the dignity of the native-born factory workers.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee:

I hear people say, "Is it possible that America and Israel will split apart and we'll no longer enjoy this extraordinary partnership?"

And I say, "No, no, no. You got to understand, we're not that stupid. I hope we're never going to be that stupid."

The truth is, it's like an incredible marriage between Israel and the United States.

And when people ask, "Are we going to break up?" I say, "Not a chance, because neither country can afford the alimony if we ever broke up."

And that's why we will be partners for as long as there is.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee:

One of the things I learned when I became Ambassador was that you have to check Trump's social media feed every day.

I don't know if you know this or not, but he's famous for firing people in the middle of the night on social media.

So, the first thing I do every morning is wake up, check his Twitter account, and find out if I've been fired.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee:

Without the Jewish people, there would never have been an America.

Our founders in America understood that.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee:

Israel does a lot of things for America, and I appreciate it. It is not a one-way street.

There are many things that we just take for granted in America. Americans are probably just arrogant enough to believe they invented all of it.

Whether it's facial recognition, computer chips, navigation systems, cherry tomatoes, or seedless watermelons, we benefit because of Israel.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee:

We think of 250 years in America as being an extraordinarily long time.

But the fact is, when I realize where I am here in Israel, and I realize you guys have been around for 3,800 years and still going, we feel kind of young as a nation.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee:

There's no such thing as replacement theology because to think that means that God would break His promise.

And if He breaks it to the Jew, He breaks it to me as a Christian.

I want a God who keeps His promise.

Xi Jinping:

We advocate for the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, providing Chinese wisdom, Chinese proposals, and Chinese strength for addressing major issues facing humanity.

The socialist China led by the Party is recognized as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order.

Xi Jinping:

The Party always stands on the right side of history and stands on the side of human progress, and with its tireless endeavor has profoundly changed the trajectory and dynamics of the world.

Today, the Party is leading the people in advancing Chinese modernization, creating a new form of human advancement and expanding the pathway of developing countries toward modernization.

Xi Jinping on Marxism:

105 years of unremitting efforts have demonstrated the strong vitality of Marxism.

The Party has adapted the basic tenets of Marxism to China's specific realities and to its fine traditional Chinese culture.

The Party has kept adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of our times and established Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, greatly enriching and developing Marxism.

Today, the vigor and vitality of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics has fully tested Marxism as a scientific truth and demonstrated its people-centered and practical nature, its open-ended nature, and its contemporary relevance.

Xi Jinping:

The Party has led the people in overcoming great hardships, successfully blazed and upheld the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, completed in just a few decades the process of industrialization that took developed countries several hundred years, and created the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.

Today, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is showing an unstoppable momentum and a bright prospect like never before.

Ukraine says it struck two Russian targets deep behind the front lines: an oil refinery in Ufa (over 1,300 km away) and a missile components facility in the Penza region (about 600 km away).

NATO's Rutte on Türkiye:

Türkiye is one of the strongest militaries in the alliance.

The Turkish military is extremely well-equipped, extremely well-trained.

Türkiye also has this added benefit of having a huge defense industrial base with 3,000 companies.

US Set to Skip USMCA Renewal

The US, Canada and Mexico hold USMCA's mandatory six-year review, with Washington expected not to extend the pact for another term of 16 years.

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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has finalized the first post-Assad transitional parliament by appointing 70 members.

The new parliament will hold its first session on July 6.

Source: AFP

The House rejected a Democratic war powers resolution that would have required Trump to remove U.S. troops from hostilities in Lebanon.

The measure, introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, failed with 22 Democrats opposing it and 2 Republicans supporting it.

House Democratic leaders argued there are currently no U.S. troops engaged in combat in Lebanon, making the resolution unnecessary.

Source: The Hill

Germany is pushing the US to let American weapons be manufactured in Germany, hoping to speed up European rearmament while giving Trump an economic incentive to stay committed to NATO.

Discussions include co-producing Tomahawk cruise missiles and advanced Patriot (PAC-3) missiles, with US officials reportedly more receptive than expected.

Berlin argues Germany's industrial base can help relieve US production bottlenecks and deliver weapons to Europe faster as it responds to Russia's threat.

Existing cooperation already includes Rheinmetall building F-35 fuselage sections and joint Patriot missile production.

However, any deal would require US approval to transfer sensitive military technology.

Source: FT

Strait of Hormuz Dispute Drives Major Rift in US-Saudi Relations

After Riyadh blocked airspace for a Washington-led maritime mission, the US is now considering reducing its military footprint in the kingdom amid widening diplomatic rifts.

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German AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla:

The German people do not want war—and certainly not against Russia.

We need a new European security order with Russia as a partner.