Feb. 13 (UPI) —Amazon-owned Ring announced it is ending its partnership with Flock Safety, a company whose artificial intelligence-powered technology came into question after a Ring Super Bowl ad touting new surveillance features.
In a blog post published Thursday, Ring said the two companies “made the joint decision to cancel the planned integration” they initially announced in October.
“Following a comprehensive review, we determined the planned Flock Safety integration would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated,” the Ring post read.
Ring’s surveillance camera capabilities came under fire Sunday after the company aired a 30-second commercial highlighting its new Search Party feature.
The feature allows users to upload images of their missing pets to the Ring Neighbors app, which would then use AI to trawl footage in the cloud to find the missing pet. If a missing pet is spotted in the footage, the information would be sent to the owner of the camera that picked up the footage and give them the option to notify the missing pet’s owners.
Ring said the Search Party feature is automatically enabled on all outdoor cameras enrolled in a Ring subscription. But critics questioned whether the AI technology could be combined with Ring’s new facial recognition technology, Familiar Faces, and provide law enforcement surveillance on humans.
Of additional concern, Flock Safety’s technology allows customers to grant local and federal government agencies access to the data picked up by the cameras. Among the organizations that could have access to this data are Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Secret Service and the Navy.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., in November called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Flock Security for allowing government access to the data without “meaningful privacy protections.”
“At the urging of concerned constituents, I conducted further oversight and have determined that Flock cannot live up to its commitment to protect the privacy and security of Oregonians,” Wyden wrote in a letter to the FTC. “Abuse of Flock cameras is inevitable, and Flock has made it clear it takes no responsibility to prevent or detect that.”
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Ma., who has previously criticized Ring’s connections to law enforcement, posted his thoughts on the Super Bowl ad on X.
“This definitely isn’t about dogs — it’s about mass surveillance,” he wrote.
What this ad doesn’t show: Ring also rolled out facial recognition for humans. I wrote to them months ago about this. Their answer? They won’t ask for your consent.
Emma Daniels, a spokeswoman for Ring, told The Verge, that the Search Party feature works only with dogs and is “not capable of processing human biometrics.”
“These are not tools for mass surveillance,” she added. “We build the right guardrails, and we’re super transparent about them.”
In a January blog post, Flock Safety maintained that it doesn’t work directly with ICE or other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security. The company said every piece of data collected by its technology is owned by the customers.
“Decisions about whether, when, and how data is shared are made by the customer that owns the data, not by Flock,” the post read. “There is no hidden back-door access in Flock technology.
“If a local agency chooses not to collaborate with any federal entity, including ICE, Flock has no ability to override that decision.”
President Donald Trump speaks alongside Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Thursday. The Trump administration has announced the finalization of rules that revoke the EPA’s ability to regulate climate pollution by ending the endangerment finding that determined six greenhouse gases could be categorized as dangerous to human health. Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo
Luis Martinez was on his way to work on a frigid Minneapolis morning when federal agents suddenly boxed him in, forcing the SUV he was driving to a dead stop in the middle of the street.
Masked agents rapped on the window, demanding Martinez produce his ID. Then one held his cellphone inches from Martinez’s face and scanned his features, capturing the shape of his eyes, the curves of his lips, the exact quadrants of his cheeks.
All the while, the agent kept asking: Are you a U.S. citizen?
The encounter in a Minneapolis suburb this week captures the tactics on display in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, which it describes as the largest of its kind and one that has drawn national scrutiny after federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens this month.
Across Minnesota and other states where the Department of Homeland Security has surged personnel, officials say enforcement efforts are targeted and focused on serious offenders. But photographs, videos and internal documents paint a different picture, showing agents leaning heavily on biometric surveillance and vast, interconnected databases — highlighting how a sprawling digital surveillance apparatus has become central to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Civil liberties experts warn the expanding use of those systems risks sweeping up citizens and noncitizens alike, often with little transparency or meaningful oversight.
Over the past year, Homeland Security and other federal agencies have dramatically expanded their ability to collect, share and analyze people’s personal data, thanks to a web of agreements with local, state, federal and international agencies, plus contracts with technology companies and data brokers. The databases include immigration and travel records, facial images and information drawn from vehicle databases.
In Martinez’s case, the face scan didn’t find a match and it wasn’t until he produced his U.S. passport, which he said he carried for fear of such an encounter, that federal agents let him go.
“I had been telling people that here in Minnesota it’s like a paradise for everybody, all the cultures are free here,” he said. “But now people are running out of the state because of everything that is happening. It’s terrifying. It’s not safe anymore.”
Together with other government surveillance data and systems, federal authorities can now monitor American cities at a scale that would have been difficult to imagine just a few years ago, advocates say. Agents can identify people on the street through facial recognition, trace their movements through license-plate readers and, in some cases, use commercially available phone-location data to reconstruct daily routines and associations.
When asked by the Associated Press about its expanding use of surveillance tools, the Department of Homeland Security said it would not disclose law enforcement sensitive methods.
“Employing various forms of technology in support of investigations and law enforcement activities aids in the arrest of criminal gang members, child sex offenders, murderers, drug dealers, identity thieves and more, all while respecting civil liberties and privacy interests,” it said.
Dan Herman, a former Customs and Border Protection senior advisor in the Biden administration who now works at the Center for American Progress, said the government’s access to facial recognition, other personal data and surveillance systems poses a threat to people’s privacy rights and civil liberties without adequate checks.
“They have access to a tremendous amount of trade, travel, immigration and screening data. That’s a significant and valuable national security asset, but there’s a concern about the potential for abuse,” Herman said. “Everyone should be very concerned about the potential that this data could be weaponized for improper purposes.”
Facial recognition
On Wednesday, Homeland Security disclosed online that it has been using a facial recognition app, Mobile Fortify, that it said uses “trusted source photos” to compare scans of people’s faces that agents take to verify their identity. The app, which Customs and Border Protection said is made by the vendor NEC, uses facial comparison or fingerprint-matching systems.
The app was in operation for CBP and ICE before the immigration crackdown in the Los Angeles area in June, when website 404Media first reported its existence.
In interactions observed by reporters and videos posted online, federal agents are rarely seen asking for consent before holding their cellphones to people’s faces, and in some clips they continue scanning even after someone objects.
In two instances seen by an AP journalist near Columbia Heights, Minn., where immigration officials recently detained a 5-year-old boy and his father, masked agents held their phones a foot away from people’s faces to capture their biometric details.
The technology resembles facial recognition systems used at airports, but unlike airport screenings, where travelers are typically notified and can sometimes opt out, Martinez said he was given no choice.
According to a lawsuit filed against the department by the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago this month, Homeland Security has used Mobile Fortify in the field more than 100,000 times. The Department of Homeland Security told AP that Mobile Fortify supports “accurate identity and immigration-status verification during enforcement operations. It operates with a deliberately high-matching threshold,” and uses only some immigration data.
Without federal guidelines for the use of facial recognition tools, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights warned in a September 2024 report their deployment raises concerns about accuracy, oversight, transparency, discrimination and access to justice.
Body-camera footage
Last year, the Trump administration scaled back a program to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials body cameras, but administration officials said some agents tied to the fatal shooting of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti were wearing them and that footage is now being reviewed.
Gregory Bovino, who was the administration’s top Border Patrol official charged with the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis until Monday, began wearing a bodycam in response to a judge’s order late last year.
Body-camera video could help clarify events surrounding federal agents’ killing of Pretti, who was filming immigration agents with his cellphone when they shot him in the back.
Administration officials shifted their tone after independent video footage emerged raising serious questions about some Trump officials’ accusations that Pretti intended to harm agents.
Emerging technologies
Homeland Security and affiliated agencies are piloting and deploying more than 100 artificial intelligence systems, including some used in law enforcement activities, according to the department’s disclosure Wednesday.
Congress last year authorized U.S. Customs and Border Protection to get more than $2.7 billion to build out border surveillance systems and add in AI and other emerging technologies.
In recent weeks, Homeland Security requested more information from private industry on how technology companies and data providers can support their investigations and help identify people.
Meanwhile, longtime government contractor Palantir was paid $30 million to extend a contract to build a system designed to locate people flagged for deportation. On Wednesday, the Trump administration disclosed it’s using Palantir’s AI models to sift through immigration enforcement tips submitted to its tip line.
Homeland Security has also been exploring partnerships with license-plate reader companies like Flock Safety to expand their tracking capabilities.
Rachel Levinson-Waldman, who directs the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program, said more funding for government surveillance tools changes the landscape.
“We are developing these technologies for immigrant enforcement,” she said. “Are we also going to expand it or wield it against U.S. citizens who are engaging in entirely lawful or protest activity?”
Burke and Tau write for the Associated Press. AP freelance photojournalist Adam Gray contributed to this report from Minneapolis.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
As U.S. President Donald Trump is again touting a “massive armada” of ships heading to the Middle East amid growing tensions with Iran, more assets continue to pour into the region, including an electronic intelligence collection plane, which would be critical to addressing a range on contingencies, and another destroyer. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the Senate that U.S. forces are needed in case of a potential attack from Iran and that the administration does not know what will happen next if the government of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei falls.
You can catch up with our most recent coverage of events in the Middle East here.
“A massive Armada is heading to Iran,” Trump stated Wednesday morning in a post on his Truth Social platform, referring to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG). “It is moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”
It remains unclear what Trump meant by a larger fleet. A Navy spokesman confirmed to us Wednesday morning that the Lincoln and three Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer escorts are now in the CENTCOM region. That’s the same number of ships the Gerald R. Ford CSG deployed with to the Caribbean ahead of the Maduro capture.
All told, the Navy now has 10 warships in the CENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR). The Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black just joined that force, a Navy official told us.
A destroyer would provide picket defense against missiles and drones, as well as standoff call strike capabilities. This is something especially important in that part of the Middle East right now since the Houthi rebels of Yemen have threatened to attack U.S. and Israeli targets should Iran come under fire.
By comparison, there are 12 warships in the Caribbean, the official explained. That force, along with a number of destroyers and carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, includes the Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG)/22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) made up of three amphibious assault vessels, and a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser. In addition, the Ocean Trader, a special operations mothership, was also plying those waters. It’s also worth noting that CSGs deploy with at least one fast attack submarine that isn’t usually disclosed.
When we asked for more details about Trump’s claim, the White House referred us to the Truth Social post, and CENTCOM referred us to the White House.
The Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black joined a growing force of Navy warships in the U.S. Central Command region yesterday. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob Mattingly) Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Mattingly
While the Navy’s deployments are getting a lot of attention, a U.S. Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint electronic surveillance plane has flown to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, according to online flight trackers. The aircraft, callsign Olive48, arrived at Al Udeid on Wednesday morning Eastern time, according to FlightRadar24.
The U.S. Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint is now landing at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
I expect both the E-11A BACN and HC-130J Combat King II to leave Chania for Al Udeid later today.
The Rivet Joint departed from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and stopped at RAF Mildenhall before arriving at Al Udeid.
The RC-135 is one of America’s most capable intelligence-gathering assets. Each airliner-sized jet contains a large array of signals intelligence (SIGINT) systems that detect and intercept communications and other electronic emissions. The aircraft can also geolocate and categorize the emitters sending out those signals, from radios to radars. The RC-135s are often used to build a electronic order of battle of an adversary nation, locating their air defenses and command and control nodes, as well as intercepting communications as to how they respond to various stimuli or just during mundane operations. This information is critical to building an effective war plan and it needs to be updated just prior to launching an operation. It is also very important for defensive monitoring and understanding an enemy’s intentions and the status of its military at any given time.
Rivet Joint deployments happen around the globe regularly, including to the Middle East. In November, a U.S. official confirmed to us that one of these jets had been deployed to the U.S. Southern Command region “testing Venezuelan sensors and responses, and it is part of the pressure campaign to show U.S. capabilities in the Caribbean.” This matched our prior analysis as to their presence there. The information gathered would have played a key role in the effective capture of Maduro.
We’ve reached out to CENTCOM and the 55th Wing at Offutt, which operates the Rivet Joints, for comment.
An RC-135V/W Rivet Joint. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. William Rio Rosado) (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. William Rio Rosado)
There are also indications that other unique airborne capabilities may be headed to the Middle East.
Flight trackers are showing that an E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) jet is heading to Souda Air Base in Crete, a common route for deployments to the Middle East. While we have no confirmation of where this jet might go next, a move to the Middle East ahead of a potential conflict makes sense. E-11As are highly specialized communications gateway nodes designed to create an ‘active net’ over the battlespace and quickly transfer data sent using a variety of distinct waveforms between different aerial platforms and forces on the ground/surface. With these capabilities, the aircraft can also serve as valuable communications relay nodes. You can find out more about BACN and its history in this past War Zone feature. It’s also worth mentioning the BACNs spent many years exclusively deployed to the Middle East during the Global War on Terror.
🇺🇸 Strategic Signal
A U.S. Air Force E 11A BACN aircraft, callsign BLKWF01, was tracked over the western Mediterranean after crossing the Atlantic, reportedly heading toward Souda Air Base in Crete.
In addition, it appears six U.S. Navy E/A-18G Growlers electronic warfare jets have departed from their assignment to the Caribbean and are headed east across the Atlantic, potentially for deployment to the Middle East. Again we have no confirmation of why the jets are making this flight.
The EA-18Gs in the Middle East would be critical force multipliers. Such a deployment could be indicative of what one would see in the lead-up to a kinetic operation centered heavily on strikes on targets in inland areas, such as ones the U.S. and possibly Israel might carry out in Iran in the future. Growlers can provide electronic warfare support for standoff munitions and/or aircraft penetrating into enemy air defenses, among other battlefield effects.
#USAF United States Air Force – Middle East Activity (CORONET) 27 January 2026 – 2000z
Second update for the day. The main focus being CORONET East 037 involving E/A-18G’s, as well as HC-130’s and additional C-17 flights.
There are also signs that HC-130J Combat King II combat search and rescue (CSAR) planes are moving toward the Middle East, another indication that Trump could be considering airstrikes inside Iran. The aircraft would be needed for rapid rescues of any aircrews that are lost during military operations, specifically over contested territory. They can also support special operations aircraft with aerial refueling for non personnel recovery missions.
#USAF United States Air Force – Middle East Activity (CORONET) 27 January 2026 – 2000z
Second update for the day. The main focus being CORONET East 037 involving E/A-18G’s, as well as HC-130’s and additional C-17 flights.
As we have previously reported, at least a dozen additional F-15E Strike Eagle fighters were recently deployed to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Aerial refueling tankers have also trickled into the Middle East. Other tactical jets remain in the region, including A-10s. But despite the potential presence of the Growlers and the movements of the F-15Es, there has still been no mass influx of USAF tactical airpower into the Middle East. This is something we would likely see if the U.S. intends to execute a sustained campaign, even if limited in scope, against Iran. This points to a more limited operation, unless Israel steps in to provide its tactical fighter force in a joint operation. It’s also very possible that these assets will deploy in the coming days.
#USAF United States Air Force – Middle East Activity 26 January 2026 – 1045z
Traffic is primarily focused on bases housing air defence systems like THAAD from Fort Hood. As the weather conditions don’t appear to have improved, the level of traffic is still fairly low. I’ve… https://t.co/INuCDdgv5spic.twitter.com/PQ9fchMiMf
Amid the U.S. buildup, Rubio offered some insights about why this is happening.
“On the issue of our presence in the region, here’s the baseline I want to set for everybody,” Rubio said during his testimony to the Senate in a hearing on the situation in Venezuela. “The baseline is this: we have 30,000 to 40,000 American troops stationed across eight or nine facilities in that region. All are within the reach…of an array of thousands of Iranian one-way UAVs and Iranian short-range ballistic missiles that threaten our troop presence.”
“We have to have enough force and power in the region just on a baseline to defend against the possibility that at some point, as a result of something, the Iranian regime decides to strike at our troop presence in the region,” he added. “The president always reserves the preemptive defensive option. In essence, if we have indications that, in fact, they’re going to attack our troops in the region, to defend our personnel in the region.”
In addition, Rubio noted that “we also have security agreements, the defense of Israel plan, and others that require a force posture in the region to defend against that. And so I think it’s wise and prudent to have a force posture within the region that could respond and potentially, not necessarily what’s going to happen, but if necessary, preemptively, prevent the attack against thousands of American servicemen and other facilities in the region and our allies.”
Rubio says US forces are amassing in the region to potentially “preemptively prevent” Iran from attacking US forces already in the region. Pristine logic. Especially after Trump just announced he’s sending a “Massive Armada,” and threatened a “far worse” attack than last June pic.twitter.com/dbHMXuUhC9
The U.S. Secretary of State also noted that at least thousands of protesters have been killed by government forces during the unrest that began in Iran on Dec. 28. The uprising occurred due to rising prices and devalued currency that saw the rial crater now to basically nothing, as well as a devastating drought, and ongoing harsh treatment from the regime.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “thousands” have died in the Iran protests “for certain,” but couldn’t confirm the numbers.
“The protests may have ebbed, but they will spark up again in the future because this regime, unless they are willing to change and or leave, have no… pic.twitter.com/Tq7RIPm8WA
“That’s an open question,” Rubio responded to a question about who would lead Iran next. “No one knows what would take over. Obviously, their system is divided between the supreme leader and the IRGC that responds directly to him. And then you’ve got these quasi-elected individuals, the ones that wear the suits on television, who are part of their political branches, but ultimately have to run everything they do by the Supreme Leader. So I don’t think anyone can give you a simple answer as to what happens next in Iran if the Supreme Leader and the regime were to fall.”
In his Trump Social post on Wednesday, the president issued one of his most serious threats against Iran to date. The American leader, who began his recent round of warnings to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the wake of the regime’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters, is also pressuring Iran to end its nuclear weapons program.
“Hopefully Iran will quickly “Come to the Table” and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties,” Trump proclaimed. “Time is running out, it is truly of the essence! As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was “Operation Midnight Hammer,” a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again…”
The American president gave no specifics about the deal he was demanding, “but U.S. and European officials say that in talks, they have put three demands in front of the Iranians: a permanent end to all enrichment of uranium, limits on the range and number of their ballistic missiles, and an end to all support for proxy groups in the Middle East, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis operating in Yemen,” The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
“Notably absent from those demands — and from Mr. Trump’s post on Truth Social on Wednesday morning — was any reference to protecting the protesters who took to the streets in Iran in December, convulsing the country and creating the latest crisis for its government. Mr. Trump had promised, in past social media posts, to come to their aid, but has barely mentioned them in recent weeks.”
According to U.S. and European officials involved in the ongoing negotiations who spoke to the New York Times, three demands have been given to the Iranians to prevent potential military actions by the United States, these include:
Iran, for its part, said there are no direct negotiations underway.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he had not been in contact with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days or requested negotiations, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing Iranian media.
“There was no contact between me and Witkoff in recent days and no request for negotiations was made from us,” Araqchi told state media, adding that various intermediaries were “holding consultations” and “were in contact with Tehran.”
“Our stance is clear, ” he added. “Negotiations don’t go along with threats and talks can only take place when there are no longer menaces and excessive demands.”
“Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein says Iran has announced its readiness for dialogue with the United States, but it has yet to receive any response from Washington,” according to IRNA. “Speaking with Rudaw, a Kurdish digital news network based in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, the foreign minister said late on Tuesday that messages are exchanged between Iran and the US, but no meeting has been held yet.”
“The main problem is that there is no direct communication,” Hussein said, adding that messages are exchanged without holding a meeting, which complicates the situation. “If a decision is made to hold a meeting, Iraq would be able to play a role, but the U.S. has yet to decide if it would hold discussions.”
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (Iranian media)
Wary Israeli officials, who are preparing for an attack on or from Iran, are closely monitoring these unofficial talks, according to the Jerusalem Post.
“Israel is assessing reports that the United States and Iran are holding discreet contacts and that Washington has presented preconditions for possible negotiations on a new nuclear agreement,” the Post reported. “Israeli officials have expressed concern over the possibility of an agreement they view as unfavorable.”
Likely to participate in any strike against Iran, Israel was once again the target of Tehran’s wrath.
Ali Shamkhani, an advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, threatened strikes on Israel if the U.S .attacks Iran.
“The limited strike is an illusion,” he said, according to Israel National News. “Any military action by America, from any source and at any level, will be considered the beginning of war, and the response to it will be immediate, comprehensive, and unprecedented, targeting the aggressor, the heart of Tel Aviv, and everyone who supports the aggressor.”
IRAN THREATENS ISRAEL: Khamenei adviser says US military action will trigger Iranian attack on Tel Aviv (Ynet)
Should a conflict between the U.S. and Iran break out, two key regional allies have said they won’t be involved. Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said it would not allow the U.S. to use its facilities or airspace to attack Iran. That follows a similar statement made by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
🇸🇦📞🇮🇷 | HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by phone with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian. pic.twitter.com/sjcDjoHYCv
These public statements could be strictly aimed at internal audiences that might not favor involvement in an attack on another Muslim nation, especially involving Israel. They could also be to deter Iran from barraging their territory in retaliation to an attack. However, if Saudi Arabia and the UAE are serious about their reticence, it would affect U.S. basing in those countries, limiting Trump’s options to attack Iran. There are other bases in the region, like Al Udeid in Qatar, Muwaffaq Salti in Jordan, and Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, among others. Still, any reduction in facilities to store and launch aircraft makes any strike more challenging and potentially increases the risk to host countries from Iranian missiles and drones. Taking airspace over Saudi Arabia and the UAE out of the picture also reduces the vectors from which the U.S. can launch attacks from the Gulf region, limiting them to a narrower set of funnels. This is also why the carrier strike group is so important.
Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. (Google Earth)
Meanwhile, NATO ally Turkey urged Trump not to attack Iran.
“It’s wrong to attack on Iran, it’s wrong to start the war again. Iran is ready to negotiate on nuclear file again,” said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.”My advice to the American friends: close the files one by one with Iranians. Start with nuclear, close it, and not get it as a package. If you put them as a package, it will be very difficult for our Iranian friends to digest and to go through this. It might seem humiliating for them and difficult to explain to the leadership. If we can make things better tolerated, it would help.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan:
It’s wrong to attack on Iran, it’s wrong to start the war again. Iran is ready to negotiate on nuclear file again.
My advice to the American friends: close the files one by one with Iranians. Start with nuclear, close it, and not get it as… pic.twitter.com/TtGDV9l9uQ
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on the other hand, said the Iranian regime’s days are numbered.
German Chancellor Merz says Iranian regime’s “days are numbered” – “It may be weeks, but this regime has no legitimacy whatsoever to govern the country” pic.twitter.com/sK4M4us73R
Despite the Iranian regime’s crackdown, the protests appear to be ongoing. A new video emerged showing a large demonstration in Tehran, calling for the end of the regime.
BREAKING: Massive protests erupt in Tehran, over 100,000 Iranians flooding the streets, demanding the fall of the Islamic Republic. pic.twitter.com/I8Z60fNab6
As the pressure mounts against Khamenei, a video emerged purporting to show an inside view of his compound, something observers say they’ve never seen before.
This is really something: this new video purportedly shows some of the security protocols leading to the Office of #Iran’s regime’s Supreme Leader. It’s an unprecedented video—never before have I seen something like this surface. A sign of the times. pic.twitter.com/PLSdYGDjw1
So far, there are just harsh words being exchanged in the Middle East, not munitions. However, the warning lights are blinking hot that a conflict could soon break out, something we will continue to monitor closely.
Update: 9:46 PM Eastern –
Trump is now considering options that “include U.S. military airstrikes aimed at Iran’s leaders and the security officials believed to be responsible for the killings, as well as strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and government institutions,” CNN reported, citing sources. “Trump has not made a final decision on how to proceed, sources said, but he believes his military options have been expanded from earlier this month now that a US carrier strike group is in the region.”
“Options he is now considering include US military airstrikes aimed at Iran’s leaders and the security officials…as well as strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and government institutions.”
