Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice:

People say the Iran threat wasn't imminent.

Do you really want to wait until it's imminent?

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice:

Whatever you think about the decision in Iraq, we did the diplomatic thing as carefully as you could possibly do it.

WATCH: Ukrainian FPV drone hit a Russian Mi-28N helicopter near Vyazovoye in Russia's Belgorod region.

The drone appears to have attacked from above and behind, but it's unclear whether it actually hit the helicopter or was destroyed by the main rotor.

Chinese Foreign Ministry:

The U.S.'s 60-plus years of blockade and illicit sanctions have brought profound suffering to the Cuban people.

The U.S. needs to stop its blockade, coercion, and pressure against Cuba at once.

China firmly supports Cuba in defending national sovereignty and standing against external interference.

Ukraine's drone campaign expands to the Black Sea, 20 tankers hit in the first night.

20 Russian shadow fleet vessels were hit in the Black Sea overnight on July 15.

17 oil tankers, 2 gas tankers, and 1 tugboat.

Total count since the operation began on July 6: 136.

Greek Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides:

Joining NATO is a goal; it is an aspiration. We simply want, when we formally express our interest, the results to be positive.

Until the political conditions are created for such a development, we are preparing at other stages. It's not only about submitting an application to join NATO.

You must be ready administratively, operationally, and in many other areas.

And we have already begun that preparation.

CENTCOM:

At 6 a.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching a wave of strikes against Iran.

The strikes are designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Greek Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos:

The Türkiye we have to face today has nothing to do with the Türkiye of 10 years ago.

What exists right now is a very different Türkiye.

I also don't see the national consensus that corresponds to the level of danger that exists.

I've been accused of fearmongering when I've said this before. It's not about fearmongering. It's about looking very simply at facts and data. I can refer to and present numbers.

That is not the purpose here — but they exist.

Israel reversed its ban on US tanker aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport after American pushback.

The restriction — imposed by Transport Minister Miri Regev — was lifted this morning.

The US is now working to relocate its 34 tanker aircraft to Israeli air force bases and other military facilities instead of Ben Gurion.

Source: KAN

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias:

The period from 1821 to 1922 constitutes an unspoken historical dialogue that, in reality, defines the Megali Idea—from its formulation by Ioannis Kolettis following the Greek Revolution to its "tragic end" in the Asia Minor Catastrophe and the execution of the Commander-in-Chief and the ministers.

US strikes hit a civilian maritime control tower in Chabahar, southern Iran.

Chabahar is strategically critical for Iran.

It's the country's only deep-water port
outside the Strait of Hormuz, giving Iran direct access to the Indian Ocean without passing through the Gulf.

It's also the hub of the India-backed Chabahar corridor connecting Iran to Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan entirely.

Hitting it signals a direct strike on Iran's ability to trade and operate outside the Hormuz chokepoint.

Zelensky:

Ukraine will produce 20 million drones annually.

We are currently producing 10 million.

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Anduril founder Palmer Luckey on nuclear and chemical weapons:

I would definitely build nuclear weapons. Fission weapons, fusion weapons. Nuclear weapons have been one of the most stabilizing forces in history.

Total war seems off the table between superpowers. That's incredible. It's never been like that in history.

Chemical weapons I would build, but in a very specific vertical.

Pepper spray is illegal for most non-military police units to use in the military. I think that's a huge mistake.

Right now at a checkpoint, you have one option — you shoot the guy and you kill him. There is no escalation of force between waving a flashlight at a guy and shooting him.

Anduril founder Palmer Luckey on facial recognition:

Facial recognition is actually another one I wouldn't build.

It's just still a very fraught technology. There's a lot of ways to spoof it, a lot of ways it can be wrong.

It is not a good tool to use when you're deciding who lives and who dies in a split-second decision.

Trump:

The men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done.

CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that haven’t been seen in decades.

The Open Border Policy of Sleepy Joe Biden allowed 25,000,000 people to pour into our Country, unchecked and unvetted.

Many were Criminals, and we have to get them out. In order to do this, we must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!

Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands. The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch. I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job.

Keep those Crime Stat Records coming! Remember, you are loved and respected in America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

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Anduril founder Palmer Luckey on Iran:

China had provided Iran with manufacturing equipment and expertise that caused a steep curve upwards in their ballistic missile production capacity.

If you allowed them to continue for even two years, they would build an arsenal so vast that we could never afford to take action.

They could build nuclear weapons with impunity.

This is like the North Korea scenario. We could not let Iran turn into North Korea on steroids.

Anduril founder Palmer Luckey on the future of warfare:

I think the next war-fighting domain, before it's the moon, is the subterranean domain.

The United States and the Soviet Union both believed during the Cold War that the crust of the earth would turn into a battle space.

With the power of autonomy, you can now build these things much more cheaply, much lower risk. You don't need manned systems.

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Bulk carrier LUNI — St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged, Turkish-owned (Lora Shipping) — has partially sunk off the Iranian coast near Bandar Abbas.

The vessel reportedly took on water, broke in half, and sank.

Conflicting reports on the cause: one version says it collided with another vessel, the other says it struck a drifting mine.