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THEY’RE BACK! As of midnight Washington time, U.S. sanctions targeting Iran’s automotive sector, commercial aircraft purchases, trading of precious metals and use of U.S. dollars in international commerce — that had been eased as part of the 2015 nuclear deal — are back in effect. Along with his executive order announcing the action, President Trump released a statement repeating his long-standing criticism that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by six world powers and the European Union was fatally flawed. “The JCPOA, a horrible, one-sided deal, failed to achieve the fundamental objective of blocking all paths to an Iranian nuclear bomb, and it threw a lifeline of cash to a murderous dictatorship that has continued to spread bloodshed, violence, and chaos,” Trump said. The reimposition of sanctions comes at the end of a 90-day “wind-down” period the administration provided to companies and individuals doing business with Iran after exiting the nuclear deal in May. A second 180-day wind-down period ends Nov. 4, when another round of previously relaxed sanctions will be reimposed on oil sales and Iran’s energy sector. THE EU MOVES TO BLOCK: Of all the parties to the 2015 deal, only the U.S. believes it’s not working. The U.K., France and Germany, along with the European Union are trying to protect companies who still want to do business with Iran, without drawing the wrath of the U.S. “The European Union is fully committed to the continued, full and effective implementation of the JCPOA, as long as Iran also respects its nuclear-related commitments,” the EU said in announcing what it calls a “blocking statute,” which provides legal protection for EU countries who seek to continue normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran. “At the same time, the European Union is also committed to maintaining cooperation with the United States, who remains a key partner and ally,” a statement said. “This is not something that we’re particularly concerned by,” a senior White House official told reporters yesterday, noting as a practical matters, many European companies are already pulling back. “They have a deep appreciation for what’s going on in Iran to the fact that it’s very difficult and complicated to know who you’re doing business with in Iran. Are you doing business with the IRGC, the Quds Force.” In his statement yesterday, Trump warned, “Individuals or entities that fail to wind down activities with Iran risk severe consequences.” And he tweeted this morning, “Anyone doing business with Iran will NOT be doing business with the United States. I am asking for WORLD PEACE, nothing less!” IRAN FUMES: In a televised interview, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described the measures as “psychological warfare” designed to “sow division among Iranians,” and insisted that Iran will now simply rely on China and Russia to keep its oil and banking sectors viable. Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif railed against the suspension of commercial sales licences, which will scuttle a $20 billion dollar deal to buy 80 civilian jetliners from Boeing. “Trump Administration wants the world to believe it’s concerned about the Iranian people. Yet the very first sanctions it reimposed have canceled licenses for sales of 200+ passenger jets under absurd pretexts, endangering ordinary Iranians. US hypocrisy knows no bounds,” Zarif tweeted. Zarif, who was a key negotiator for Iran in the negotiations over the agreement, also threw in a dig at the United States as the only nation to use nuclear weapons in war. “Today in 1945, US became 1st & only country to ever use nukes. And on an urban center of all targets. 73 yrs later – w/ vastly expanded nuke arsenal it refuses to dismantle in defiance of NPT commitment – US militarism hasn’t faded. Neither has its utter disregard for human life,” he said in a separate tweet. RUSSIA CALLS HIROSHIMA ‘HORRIFIC’: Russia also chose to use the Monday anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 by criticizing the decision by President Harry Truman. “Today marks 73 years since the inhumane and horrific A-bombing of [Hiroshima] — not a military target but a city full of civilians incl[uding] women & children,” the Russian Embassy in South Africa tweeted. “6 August 1945 will forever remain a tragic date in human history. Such tragedy should never be ignored or forgotten.” Truman’s agonizing to bomb Hiroshima was designed to make a “spectacular” display of American power, in the hope it would force a Japanese surrender, and avoid a land invasion that could have resulted in massive losses of U.S. troops. It’s a decision that remains the subject of vigorous debate among military historians today. A DIFFERENT ANNIVERSARY: On Twitter, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo chose to mark a different date in history. “Today, on the 20th anniversary of the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in #Kenya and #Tanzania, we remember the victims of these terrorist attacks. We stand together with our African allies in the continuing fight against terrorism,” he tweeted this morning Good Tuesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and National Security Writer Travis J. Tritten (@travis_tritten). David Brown is out this week. Email us here for tips, suggestions, calendar items and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter @dailyondefense. |
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HAPPENING TODAY: At the Pentagon today, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis welcomes British Defense Minister Gavin Williamson with a ceremony on the steps of the River Entrance. 1:30 p.m. TRUMP ON ‘WORKING’ VACATION: While Trump is in Bedminster, N.J., on what is scheduled to be an 11-day working vacation at his golf club, so far the schedule is heavy on golf and lighter on work, although Bedminster is where Trump signed the Iran sanctions yesterday. LIGHT ATTACK RFP: The Air Force said Monday that it has given the two front-runners in the competition for its new light attack aircraft a peek at its draft version of a request for proposals. It is the next step after the service cut short its Light Attack experiment flyoff last month between the Sierra Nevada and Embraer A-29 and Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft AT-6B Wolverine after Navy test pilot Lt. Christopher Carey Short was killed in a crash. The final RFP is expected to be released in December, giving the two competitors a chance to formally submit for the contract. The Air Force could make a final decision between the two aircraft next summer. GPS DEVICE CRACKDOWN: It is hard to find a wired device or app these days that does not rely on geolocational data, but the Pentagon has just ordered many of its deployed troops to immediately stop using any of those GPS functions. A memo Monday imposed the new policy on all troops in operational areas such as Afghanistan after popular fitness apps such as Polar and Strava exposed sensitive information about troops and bases. “These geolocation capabilities can expose personal information, locations, routines, and numbers of department personnel, and potentially create unintended security consequences and increased risk to the joint force and mission,” Maj. Audricia Harris, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said in a statement. Strava drew public attention and triggered a Pentagon review in January with its global “heat map” showing the exercises routines and routes of troops at overseas bases. Last month, a joint investigation between Bellingcat and the Dutch journalism site De Correspondent found Polar was publishing “potentially disastrous” data that allowed users to track movements of troops on secretive sites, identify their homes and see their movements around the globe going back to 2014. The new policy will likely put an end to the sharing of fitness app data downrange. But combatant commanders will have some leeway in deciding what other devices might be exempt from the prohibition. “As we were developing it, we wanted to be very clear about giving commanders latitude, some type of space to make decisions on the ground,” said Col. Rob Manning, the director of press operations at the Pentagon. FIREFIGHTING ASSIST: As Trump was blaming California Monday for the severity of two raging wildfires, the Pentagon was preparing to send in reinforcements. Manning said it has approved a request for 200 active-duty soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to join the efforts to rein in the deadly fires, which are now nearly the worst in state history. The troops will come from the base’s 14th Engineer Brigade. “These soldiers will be outfitted with wildland fire personal protective equipment, or PPE, and all of the gear they will need to serve as wildland firefighters,” Manning said. They begin training on Thursday and will be deployed with veteran California firefighters on Monday.
SOUTH KOREA URGES COOPERATION: South Korea said it wants the U.S. and North Korea to compromise with each other more quickly in order to secure a deal to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. “We are asking North Korea to speed up its denuclearization process,” Kim Eui-kyeom, a spokesman for President Moon Jae-in, told reporters on Monday. “And to the U.S., we are asking that it show sincere efforts about corresponding measures that North Korea is demanding.” It remains unclear whether the two sides can come together amid ongoing negotiations. The Trump administration has vowed not to provide economic relief only to see the regime break its promises. But North Korea has renewed demands for the U.S. to offer concessions in the name of trust-building. “It is essential for both sides to take simultaneous actions and phased steps to do what is possible one after another,” North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said Saturday. “Only when the U.S. ensures that we feel comfortable with and come close to it, will we be able to open our minds to the U.S.” SYRIAN ASSASSINATED: One of Syria’s most important rocket scientists, bent on amassing an arsenal that could be launched against Israeli cities, was killed by a car bomb apparently planted by the Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, the New York Times reports. The paper quotes a senior official from a Middle Eastern intelligence agency as confirming It was at least the fourth attempted assassination by Israel in three years against an enemy weapons engineer on foreign soil. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: At his Ohio rally Saturday night, Trump was again talking up his proposed sixth branch of the military, the Space Force. “Space, very important,” he told the roaring crowd. “Look, so much is happening now in space. I mean, you have great defense. I’m not just talking about Mars and the Moon, I’m talking about tremendous defense capability, offensive capability. It’s in space, so we’re going to do the Space Force.” The next day the Washington Post printed a full page, suitable for framing, artist’s rendering of what a futuristic Space Force One might look like, along with a space-suited president doing an EVA. THE RUNDOWN Defense News: The US Navy’s top acquisition priority stumbles out of the gate CNN: US-led coalition admits airstrikes killed 77 civilians in Raqqa, Syria AP: Yemen war binds US, allies, al-Qaida Bloomberg: Iran’s Regional Clout as U.S. Sanctions Resume: Analysts React AFP: Iconic iron bridge reopens in Iraq’s Fallujah CNN: Rand Paul, in Moscow, invites Russian lawmakers to Washington Defense News: 5 questions with Lockheed’s missiles chief Air Force Times: As the Afghan air force’s strike assets grow, so too do civilian casualties Reuters: U.S. judge bars Trump policy restricting transgender troops Washington Post: Trump administration sees new Colombian president as an ally in drug war New York Times: Dozens of Dead Civilians, and Blame Pointing in Both Directions Navy Times: Navy sub head eyes great power competition Task and Purpose: Saudi Arabia Is Going Bonkers And Just Had To Delete This 9/11-Esque Tweet USNI News: New Commander of Submarine Forces Tells Sailors ‘Prepare for Battle’ Seattle Times: Opinion – Time to retire the Blue Angels |
CalendarTUESDAY | AUG. 7 10:30 a.m. 1030 15th St. NW. A Conversation with UK Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson. atlanticcouncil.org WEDNESDAY | AUG. 8 10:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. U.S. Arms Transfer Policy and Shaping the Way Ahead with Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs. csis.org 5:30 p.m. 800 17th St. NW. 2018 HORIZONS Scholarship Celebration. womenindefense.net FRIDAY | AUG. 10 8 a.m. 300 1st St. SE. Nuclear Deterrence, Missile Defense, and Space: Paths Forward with Gen. Paul Selva, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. mitchellaerospacepower.org TUESDAY | AUG. 14 7 a.m. 5701 Marinelli Rd. Global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Symposium and Exhibition. ndia.org 6 p.m. 529 14th St. NW. “Austin Tice: Children of Syria” photo exhibit. press.org
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ADVERTISEMENT: NDIA invites you to attend the Army Science and Technology Symposium and Showcase August twenty first through twenty third at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC. Register today at http://www.ndia.org/ArmyScience |
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