US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Nassau County Police Academy Center for Training and Intelligence in Garden City, New York.
Day 171 | Trump welcomes defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan
US President Donald Trump said Sunday he was pleased by the recent signing of a defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan.
"Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
"It shows how the Middle East is coming together, and how Countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way," he wrote, calling it a "BIG, BOLD, IMPORTANT FIRST STEP."
The three-way agreement, signed Aug 7, comes amid a US-Iran war that has extended violence to the region, including Iran-backed Houthi attacks.
Pakistan's foreign ministry said the pact meant an attack on any member would be regarded as an attack on all, adding it was "intended to strengthen collective deterrence."
The agreement declared a "shared commitment to further strengthening their collective security and to promoting peace, security and stability in the region and beyond."
The three countries will also share a commitment to participating in efforts to resolve the conflict between Iran and the United States.
VIDEO - CENTCOM footage of F-35A refueling mid-air
CENTCOM footage of what it says is a US Air Force F-35A fighter jet being refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker while “patrolling regional waters over the Middle East”.
VIDEO - Aftermath of overnight Houthi attacks in Marib
Residents of Marib describe scenes of destruction after Houthi strikes hit residential areas of the city on August 15, shattering windows and damaging buildings and homes.
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims US discussing nuking Iran in meetings
Former US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene alleged on Sunday that American officials are discussing the use of nuclear weapons against Iran during strategy meetings, describing the talks as “pure evil” and urging the public to demand an immediate end to the war.
In a lengthy post on X, Greene wrote: “They are discussing using nuclear weapons on Iran in strategy meetings. Yes you read that correctly. It’s real. I’m not speculating, I know.”
She referenced the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed more than 200,000 people by year’s end and caused long-term radiation effects, arguing that humanity had vowed “never again.”
They are discussing using nuclear weapons on Iran in strategy meetings.
— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) August 16, 2026
Yes you read that correctly. It’s real. I’m not speculating, I know.
And it’s pure evil.
The last time a nuclear weapon was used was August 6th and 9th of 1945 on two cities in Japan, Hiroshima and…
Greene, a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s Iran policy, accused the government of considering lowering the nuclear threshold despite President Donald Trump’s repeated claims of victory in the war and US control of the Strait of Hormuz.
She said US intelligence had assessed Iran was not close to a nuclear weapon before strikes began, yet the United States proceeded with the bombing campaign.
Iran has since disrupted shipping through the vital waterway.
Trump has frequently stated Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon and claimed multiple victories, while Iranian forces have targeted shipping and regional assets.
CENTCOM chief hails USS Abraham Lincoln’s “resilience” after reports of crisis onboard
The commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), Adm. Brad Cooper, described his recent visit to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as “awe-inspiring,” praising the crew’s “camaraderie, teamwork and resilience” amid reports of mental health strains and difficult living conditions during one of the Navy’s longest modern deployments.
Cooper visited the ship on Saturday as part of a 10-day trip across the Middle East that included stops in Bahrain, Iraq, ‘Israel’, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The Lincoln, with roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard, has been at sea for more than 250 consecutive days without a port call after deploying from San Diego in November and later supporting the war and the naval blockade against Iran.
In a statement posted by CENTCOM, Cooper noted that “of the U.S. Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln currently has among the lowest number of cases related to mental health.”
He added that this “doesn’t mean that all is perfect,” acknowledging difficulties of the long sea duty.
“Find any of the nearly 4 million Navy veterans in America today and they will likely tell you that service at sea for long periods isn’t for everyone,” Cooper said.
“It is uniquely challenging and tough, and every single one of us, including me, reacts to stressors in different ways.”
He emphasized that “I’ve long believed that mental health is another aspect of individual health and requires our attention just like physical health and spiritual health.”
The comments come after family members and lawmakers raised alarms about supply shortages, plumbing and water issues, low morale, and reports of sailors attempting to jump overboard.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao have pushed back, calling some media accounts “completely misrepresented” or “dishonest,” while acknowledging a small number of mental health cases were treated with no loss of life.
The Navy has said it is sending additional resiliency counselors and social workers to the ship.
Officials have confirmed the Lincoln will return home soon as part of a planned rotation, with the USS George Washington set to replace it in the region.
Iran won the war militarily and politically, says chief negotiator Ghalibaf
Iran’s Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Sunday that Iran won its war against ‘Israel’ and the US both militarily and politically.
“I say with my whole heart that in this war, both in its military dimension and in its political dimension, we were victorious in the true sense of the word,” Ghalibaf said in statements cited by Iranian media.
“In my first interview during the Ramadan War, in the middle of the war, I pointed out that I don't mean that we destroyed the American army or the Zionist regime's army,” he said.
No. What I mean is that America and Israel, with specific and clear goals, with nine specific, officially declared, written, and repeatedly stated goals, attacked us.”
“But they did not achieve any of these nine goals at any level. This was the biggest total defeat for America and the Zionist regime,” he added.
‘Israel’ preparing for possible intense fighting with Hezbollah in coming days: report
The ‘Israeli’ military is preparing for the possibility of several days of intensified fighting in southern Lebanon amid ongoing tensions with Hezbollah, particularly around the strategically vital Ali Taher Ridge and Beaufort Castle areas, according to a report by Hebrew Channel 12.
‘Israeli’ forces from the 36th Division currently hold elevated positions above ground at the Ali Taher Ridge near Nabatieh, with Hebrew media claiming that dozens of Hezbollah fighters remain trapped in a vast underground tunnel complex below that the military describes as a key “nerve center” for the group’s Badr regional division.
The network, allegedly built over roughly two decades with Iranian assistance, includes command facilities and was designed to support operations against northern ‘Israel’.
Nearby Beaufort Castle, a historic Crusader fortress occupied by ‘Israel’ in late May, overlooks the sector and has seen extensive tunnel demolition, including the use of hundreds of tons of explosives in response to prior ceasefire violations.
Tensions escalated recently after a Hezbollah explosive drone struck an ‘Israeli’ engineering force in the Ali Taher area, seriously wounding an officer and two soldiers.
The ‘Israeli’ military responded with airstrikes and artillery, claiming it eliminated senior Hezbollah commanders, including a Badr Unit leader involved in attacks on ‘Israeli’ troops and a Radwan Force battalion commander.
This comes amid a shaky US-brokered arrangement under which ‘Israel’ maintains a “security zone” in southern Lebanon pending Hezbollah’s disarmament and Lebanese Army deployment.
Officials on both sides continue to trade accusations of violations, with the ridge remaining a flashpoint due to its commanding views over key terrain and routes.
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