TRUMP TO IRAN: ‘NO NUCLEAR AND STOP KILLING PROTESTERS’: As President Donald Trump’s “beautiful armada is floating beautifully toward Iran,” as he described it to an Iowa viewers this week, Trump is reportedly contemplating a significant strike towards Iran, given there was little progress in talks with Tehran. Speaking to reporters final night time at the pink carpet premiere of the documentary Melania, Trump mentioned he has been speaking to Iran’s leaders and plans to communicate with them once more. His message, he mentioned, is twofold.
“I told them two things. Number one, no nuclear. Number two, stop killing protesters. They’re killing them by the thousands,” Trump mentioned. “You know I stopped 837 hangings two weeks ago, but they’re going to have to do something.”
As the naval buildup continues, with the plane service USS Abraham Lincoln and its escort destroyers now in the Arabian Sea, Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned yesterday that the U.S. army is prepared to salute well and perform any orders from the president.
“They have all the options to make a deal. They should not pursue nuclear capabilities,” Hegseth mentioned at yesterday’s Cabinet session at the White House. “We will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department, just like we did this month [in Venezuela].”
MULLING OPTIONS: Multiple media reviews, citing unnamed U.S. officers, mentioned Trump has been introduced with an “expanded list of potential military options” which the New York Times famous consists of attainable raids by U.S. particular operations forces inside Iran.
The plans drawn up by the Pentagon embrace choices designed to additional degrade Iran’s nuclear and missile services or weaken Iran’s supreme chief, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in accordance to the Times report. “The options go beyond the proposals that Mr. Trump was considering two weeks ago as a means of following through on his promise to stop the killing of protesters by Iranian government security forces and affiliated militias,” the report mentioned.
Among the choices is what the Wall Street Journal referred to as “the big plan,” which might goal regime and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps services in a large-scale bombing marketing campaign. “Less-involved options include strikes on symbolic regime targets, allowing space for the bombings to ramp up if Iran doesn’t agree to end its nuclear work, or options such as cyberattacks on Iranian banks or tougher sanctions,” the Journal mentioned, citing U.S. officers.
In his Wednesday Truth Social submit, Trump warned Iran’s leaders, “The next attack will be far worse!” than final yr’s B-2 bombing of nuclear websites. “Don’t make that happen again.”
So far, there’s no indication Tehran is prepared to settle for any U.S. calls for, which embrace ending all efforts to enrich uranium and giving up the greater than 960 kilos of uranium already enriched to near-bomb-grade ranges. That could possibly be an issue contemplating a lot of Iran’s stockpile is believed to be beneath the rubble left by the B-2 strikes in June.
GETTING OUR SHIPS TOGETHER: Besides the plane service Lincoln, the U.S. has positioned at the least eight different warships in the area. “We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them,” Trump mentioned final night time.
Three destroyers, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., USS Spruance, and USS Michael Murphy, are in the Arabian Sea close to the mouth of the Gulf. Another U.S. destroyer, the USS Delbert D. Black, is in the Red Sea.
Two different destroyers, the USS McFaul and the USS Mitscher, had been close to the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, in accordance to Washington Post reporter Dan Lamothe.
A submit on Truth Social cited a protracted record of assault and help planes which were moved to the area in preparation for attainable army motion.
The U.S. has additionally moved at the least a dozen Air Force F-15E “Strike Eagle” assault planes to Jordan. “Satellite images show the jets are in the same spot at an air base in Jordan as they were in June 2025 during ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’” the New York Times reported.
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Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email right here with suggestions, recommendations, calendar gadgets, and anything. Sign up or learn present and again points at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an e-mail and we’ll add you to our record. And be certain to observe me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre.
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HAPPENING TODAY: President Trump’s public schedule lists two occasions which are closed to the press, together with an 11 a.m. session wherein he’s signing govt orders, one thing the place Trump normally likes to spar with reporters.
Trump answered a couple of questions from reporters on information of the day ultimately night time’s Kennedy Center premiere of the new Amazon documentary “Melania.” However, at the White House yesterday, he uncharacteristically took no questions throughout or after his Cabinet assembly, nor at a later announcement on battling drug dependancy.
Why the sudden decrease profile?
SCRAMBLE TO AVERT MIDNIGHT SHUTDOWN: Trump was busy yesterday hammering out an settlement with Senate Democrats to forestall a partial shutdown of the authorities at midnight tonight, and by days finish he signed a compromise that will go 5 of six appropriations payments — together with funding the Defense Department — whereas utilizing a two-week persevering with decision to maintain the Department of Homeland Security funded whereas new restrictions of ICE are debated.
“Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together to get the vast majority of the Government funded until September, while at the same time providing an extension to the Department of Homeland Security,” Trump mentioned in a Truth Social submit. “Hopefully, both Republicans and Democrats will give a very much needed Bipartisan ‘YES’ Vote.”
“We need a uniform code of conduct for ICE, and all federal agents, just like state and local law enforcement have,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who struck the deal with Trump, mentioned on the Senate flooring. “Masks must come off, and body cameras must stay on. Agents need to carry clear identification. The public deserves transparency, as it has always asked for with law enforcement.”
Schumer had hoped the Senate would give the compromise a fast vote final night time, however Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) put a maintain on the vote, expressing displeasure with House language repealing a brand new legislation that provides senators the means to sue the authorities for hundreds of thousands of {dollars} if their private or workplace information is accessed with out their information.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene right this moment. “Hopefully, people will be of the spirit to try and get this done,” mentioned Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).
PUTIN THE MERCIFUL? President Trump boasted at yesterday’s Cabinet assembly that it solely took a easy cellphone name for him to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a one-week bombing pause to give Ukrainian residents a break as they deal with brutal chilly, with temperatures plunging beneath zero.
“Because of the cold, extreme cold …, I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week … And he agreed to do that. And I have to tell you, it was very nice,” Trump mentioned. “A lot of people said, ‘Don’t waste the call, you’re not going to get that.’ And he did it and we’re very happy that they did it … and Ukraine, they didn’t believe it but they were very happy about it because they are struggling badly.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump for what he referred to as the “possibility” of offering safety “for Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine from Russian strike.”
Meanwhile in accordance the the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia fired 111 drones and one ballistic missile at Ukraine in a single day, injuring at the least three individuals. Ukraine’s General Staff mentioned on its Facebook web page, “The zagarbniki [invaders] carried out 41 aviation strikes on the territory of Ukraine, dropping 123 controlled aviation bombs,” and mentioned the cities and village hit included “Gavrilivka, Pokrovsk Dnipropetrovsk region; Upper Tersa, Barvinivka, Vozdvizhivka, Kushugum, Malokaterinivka of the Zaporizhia region.”
It seems that, in accordance to Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, Trump’s request got here days in the past and solely utilized to the Ukrainian capital. “President Trump did indeed personally appeal to President Putin with a request to refrain from carrying out strikes on Kyiv for one week, until February 1, in order to create favorable conditions for holding negotiations,” Peskov mentioned, in accordance to a submit on X.
TRUMP SAYS PUTIN AGREED TO PAUSE UKRAINE BOMBINGS FOR A WEEK AT HIS URGING
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Trump declares nationwide emergency over Cuba’s help for ‘malign actors’
Washington Examiner: Trump threatens Canada with 50% tariff in Gulfstream certification dispute
Washington Examiner: Trump says Putin agreed to pause Ukraine bombings for every week at his urging
Washington Examiner: UK and China set up ‘more sophisticated’ relationship that may stand ‘test of history’ as Starmer cozies up to Xi
Washington Examiner: US particular envoy to Greenland reveals key particulars on new deal
Washington Examiner: Four takeaways from first Trump Cabinet assembly of the yr
Washington Examiner: Trump places Noem in the doghouse at first Cabinet assembly of 2026
Washington Examiner: Trump says intel chief Gabbard at Georgia FBI raid to ‘keep the election safe’
Washington Examiner: RIP the ‘rules-based international order’
Washington Examiner: Opinion: In 2020, it was vilify and defund the police. In 2026, it’s vilify and defund ICE
Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan Opinion: Is the UAE actually an excellent ally?
Washington Post: Russia’s prime diplomat rejects key a part of deal to finish war with Ukraine
AP: Iranian protesters communicate of hope and defiance as crackdown sweeps the nation
Washington Post: A U.S. letter opposed Iraqis’ alternative of prime minister. They went forward anyway.
Financial Times: Trump officers met group pushing Alberta independence from Canada
Wall Street Journal: Ukraine Can No Longer Spare Its Youngest Soldiers from the Front Lines
The Hill: Lockheed Martin to Quadruple Production of THAAD Missile Interceptors for Pentagon
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Defense Primes ‘Committed to the Dividend’ however Pledge More Production
Reuters: Taiwan completes first undersea trial for domestically made submarine
Defense One: Lockheed CEO: Air Force RQ-170 Drones Used in Mission to Capture Maduro
Breaking Defense: Army Eyes More HADES Jets, however Program Isn’t ‘Full Steam Ahead’
Air & Space Forces Magazine: In Wake of Venezuela, Nonkinetic Effects ‘at the Forefront of Everything We Do’: Official
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Orders No-Notice Readiness Inspections to Hold Commanders to Account
Defense News: US Air Force Looking for Contractors to Train Foreign Pilots
DefenseScoop: US Africa Command Prioritizes Technology as ‘an Enabler of African-Led Security’
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Readiness Is ACC Commander’s Top Priority, But Not His Sole Focus
Federal News Network: Air Force Ends Hearings for SAP Appeals, Raising Due Process Questions
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Space Command Puts 2-Star in Charge of New Office to Oversee HQ Move
THE CALENDAR:
FRIDAY | JANUARY 30
9 a.m. — Atlantic Council Eurasia Center digital dialogue: “How Russia Winter Warfare Strategy Targets Ukrainian Civilians,” with Yulia Burmistenko, head of worldwide affairs at DTEK; Ivan Fedorov, head of the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration; and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council Eurasia Center
9:15 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies summit: “Exploring Global AI Policy Priorities Ahead of the India AI Impact Summit,” with French Ambassador to the U.S. Laurent Bill; Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Vinay Kwatra; Russ Headlee, senior bureau official in the State Department Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy; and Poornima Shenoy, U.S. consultant for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies digital seminar: “Reflections on Russia Nuclear Behavior: Doctrine vs. Reality,” with Mark Schneider, senior analyst, National Institute for Public Policy; and Stephen Blank, non-resident senior fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute
11 a.m. — Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction digital dialogue: “Assessing 80 Years of Diplomatic Efforts for Nuclear Disarmament: Marking the Legacy of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 1, 1946,” with UN Undersecretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu; Patricia Lewis, former director of the U.N. Institute for Disarmament Research; Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova, director of the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Nonproliferation Program; and Zia Mian, co-director of Princeton University Program on Science and Global Security
11 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies digital dialogue: “North Korea in 2026: Intentions, Realities, and Response,” with Patrick Cronin, Hudson Institute Asia-Pacific safety chair; and Sydney Seiler, CSIS Korea Chair
12:45 p.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs Sigur Center for Asian Studies dialogue: “Making Sense of Japan Defense Policy: Continuities, Changes, and Challenges,” with Ryo Kiridori, analysis fellow, National Institute for Defense Studies; and Kuniko Ashizawa, skilled lecturer, GWU Elliott School of International Affairs RSVP: [email protected]
TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 3
9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee listening to: “Strategic Competition in an Unconstrained, Post-New START Treaty Environment,” with testimony from retired Adm. Charles Richard, former commander, U.S. Strategic Command and incoming CEO of the Institute for Defense Analyses; Rose Gottemoeller, lecturer, Center for International Security and Cooperation and Hoover Institution analysis fellow at Stanford University; and Timothy Morrison, former deputy assistant to the president for nationwide safety affairs and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute
10 a.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee listening to: “Frontline Defenders: How the Coast Guard Deployable Specialized Forces Combat Narcoterrorists and other Maritime Threats on the High Seas”
2:30 p.m. 419 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism Subcommittee listening to: “Countering Terrorism in North Africa: Opportunities and Challenges,” with testimony from Robert Palladino, senior bureau official in the State Department Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs; and retired Army Lt. Col. Joel Borkert, deputy coordinator for applications and army coordination at the State Department Bureau of Counterterrorism
WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 4
10 a.m. — Foundation for Defense of Democracies digital dialogue: “Reimagining Mediterranean Security with Greek Minister for National Defense Nikos Dendias,” with FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer
2:30 p.m. 419 Dirksen — Senate Foreign Relations Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee listening to: “A Pathway to European Energy Security,” with testimony from Geoffrey Pyatt, senior managing director for vitality and demanding minerals, McLarty Associates and fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center.; and Dan Byers, vice chairman of coverage, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute, Washington, D.C.
TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 10
10 a.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Committee listening to: “Oversight of the Department of Homeland Security: ICE, CBP, and USCIS,” with testimony from Todd Lyons, senior official performing the duties of the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Rodney Scott, commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and Joseph Edlow, director, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 113 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee listening to: “Senior Enlisted Leaders on Servicemember and Family Quality of Life,” with testimony from Fleet Master Chief David Isom, senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer; Master Chief Petty Officer John Perryman; Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz; Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Wolfe; and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna
