—❗️🇮🇶 NEW: Two unidentified explosions heard at Balad Airbase in Salah Al-Din Governorate, Iraq

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇮🇷/🇪🇺 Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi: 'Iran sees no reason for renewed talks with Europe. They ruined their last chance when they implemented SnapBack, and they don't truly decide matters anyway; the United States does.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

—❗️🇮🇷 NEW: Brigadier General Pilot Bahman Bahmard has been appointed as Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) by executive order of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇮🇷 Replacements within Iran's military high command in the past month:

1. Commander of the Air Defense Forces
2. Commander of the Army Ground Forces
3. Commander of the Air Force (IRIAF)
4. Head of the Military Intelligence Organization

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸/🇻🇪 NEW: According to Tucker Carlson, a member of Congress has told him that Congress was briefed yesterday that a war with Venezuela is coming and that it'll be announced tonight

President Trump is due to give an address from the Oval Office at 9 PM EST.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇮🇱/🇪🇬 NEW: Israel has officially approved a $35 Billion dollar gas deal with Egypt, the largest deal in its history

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇮🇱/🇪🇬 NEW: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi are expected to meet in the coming months, likely in Sharm El-Sheikh

@Middle_East_Spectator

—❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷 Iran's President, Masoud Pezeshkian: 'America wants to continue negotiations with Iran on the basis of humiliating conditions. I will not accept this.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸/🇻🇪 NEW: Movement of U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors taking off from Virginia along with at least 1 refueling tanker heading to the Caribbean.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸 NEW: President Trump is due to address the country in 35 minutes

While the White House has characterized the speech as being about the economy and his first year in office, multiple journalists, including Tucker Carlson have stated they were told by members of Congress that Trump will announce a war.

@Middle_East_Spectator

Speech has begun.

— 🇺🇸 Trump: 'Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess — and I’m fixing it.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸 Trump: 'We had the worst trade deals ever made and our country was laughed at all over the world. But they are not laughing anymore.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸 Trump: 'Do you remember when Joe Biden said that he needed Congress to pass legislation to help close the border? He was always blaming Congress and everyone else. As it turned out, we didn't need legislation. We just needed a new president.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸 Trump: 'I've settled 8 wars in 10 months, destroyed the Iran nuclear threat, and ended the war in Gaza, bringing for the first time in 3,000 years, peace in the Middle East.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸 Trump: 'Look at Minnesota where Somalians have taken over the economics of the state and have stolen billions and billions of dollars.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸 Trump: 'We are respected again like we have never been respected before.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇪🇺/✡️ President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen: 'Jewish history is European history. Jewish culture is European culture.'

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸/🇮🇱 NEW: Harvard officials have opened a 'secret disciplinary investigation' into at least two students for their roles in exposing the relationship between Israeli pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the school’s former Jewish-American president, Larry Summers, who stepped down in November

The students are facing potential disciplinary actions that could range from a private reprimand to being required to withdraw from the school.

@Middle_East_Spectator