Iran would have no alternative but to acquire a nuclear weapon if attacked by the United States or its allies, an adviser to the country's supreme leader warned on Monday, following a threat by Donald Trump. The remarks by Ali Larijani to the state news broadcaster were among the clearest yet by a senior political figure indicating Tehran could pursue a bomb if threatened. "If you make a mistake on the nuclear issue, you will force Iran to move toward nuclear weapons because it must defend itself," Larijani told IRIB. "Iran does not want to take this path, but when you apply pressure, it finds a secondary justification and has no other choice. The people will push for it, arguing that it is necessary for the country’s security." Larijani has served as speaker of the parliament, national security chief, nuclear negotiator and head of the state broadcaster.  His standpoint openly represent Iran's ultimate decision-maker, Ali Khamenei. "We are not moving t...

PABRADE, LITHUANIA: Three American soldiers were declared dead on Monday after crews in Lithuania recovered the M88 Hercules tank recovery vehicle they were traveling in, which sank in a swamp last week. The bodies of the three soldiers were recovered after a massive six-day effort by U.S., Polish and Lithuanian armed forces and authorities to dig the M88 Hercules vehicle out of a peat bog at the expansive General Silvestras  Žukauskas training ground in the town of Pabradė. The soldiers were on a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle were reported missing early Tuesday, the Army said. The command in a statement said the identities of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division soldiers are being withheld pending family notifications. “We stand in grief with the families and loved ones of these extraordinary ‘Dogface Soldiers’ during this unimaginable time,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division commander. “But the search isn’t fin...

  Rapper Young Scooter has passed away on Friday night. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office said 39-year-old Kenneth Bailey was taken to the hospital and died after an incident in the 200 block of William Nye Drive SE in Atlanta. According to APD Lt. Andrew Smith, officers responded to a dispute with a weapon Friday. He said initial reports stated that shots were fired and that a female was dragged back inside the location.  "Once officers arrived they knocked on the door. A male opened the door and immediately shut the door on the officers," he said. APD then set up a perimeter at the scene, Smith added. "During the process of establishing the perimeter, two males fled out of the rear of the house," he said. "One male returned back into the house. The other male jumped two fences as he was fleeing. When officers located him on the other side of the fence, he appeared to have suffered an injury to his leg." Smith  said that police were not invo...

  The U.S. Justice Department has confiscated approximately $201,400 in cryptocurrency intended for Hamas, disrupting a terror financing operation. Investigators traced the funds to Hamas-controlled fundraising addresses, which have laundered over $1.5 million in virtual currency since October 2024. The action was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., Sue J. Bai head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda of the Albuquerque Field Office.  As claimed in court documents, a group chat claiming association with Hamas on an encrypted communications platform provided Hamas supporters, worldwide, with a changing set of at least 17 cryptocurrency addresses. Supporters were encouraged to donate money to those addresses.  Those funds were sent into an operational wallet and laundered through a series of virtual currency exchanges and transactions by leveraging suspected financiers and over-the-...

  A tourist submarine, Sindbad, sank off the coast of Hurghada, Egypt, during a trip to the Red Sea, leaving at least six people feared dead. Among the victims were four Russian citizens, as confirmed by the Russian embassy in Cairo. The submarine was carrying 44 passengers when it went down on Thursday. Rescue teams have saved 29 people so far, while four remain in critical condition and nine others sustained injuries. The Red Sea Security Directorate reported that the incident occurred near the marina of a well-known hotel. Authorities have deployed 21 ambulances to transport the injured to hospitals. In a new update, the Red Sea area governor says six tourists are dead and 39 others have been rescued. There are no tourists missing, Amr Hanafy adds in an update on Facebook.  The authorities are investigating the cause of the accident, he says. Hanafy praises the rescue teams involved in the incident, and says they will continue to coordinate with the relevant embassies and p...

  White House   press secretary   Karoline Leavitt    on Wednesday has criticized  the media, Democrats, and likely some   Republicans   in the House and Senate for trying to “sow chaos” in the White House with their response to the   Signal   text chain debacle. Leavitt was asked by a reporter if she would definitively say that no one would be fired after a journalist was accidentally added to a Signal thread with top U.S. officials discussing military plans. Leavitt said, "What I can say definitively is what I just spoke to the president about, and he continues to have confidence in his  national security team ." Meanwhile, CNN's Collins attempted to ask the press secretary a follow-up question, but was quickly cut off by Leavitt, who called on another reporter in the room.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a comprehensive executive actions to overhaul elections in the U.S., including requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and demanding that all ballots be received by Election Day. The order says the U.S. has failed “to enforce basic and necessary election protections” and calls on states to work with federal agencies to share voter lists and prosecute election crimes. It threatens to pull federal funding from states where election officials don’t comply. Trump has been constantly says elections are being rigged, even before the results are known, and has waged battles against certain voting methods since he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden and falsely blamed it on widespread fraud. President Trump has focused particularly on mail voting, arguing without evidence that it’s insecure and invites fraud even as he has shifted his position on the issue given its popularity with voters, including R...