TSA Absences Surge During Government Shutdown as ICE Agents Prepare Airport Deployment 
Ukraine-U.S. Peace Talks Resume in Florida Amid Ongoing Russia-Ukraine War 
Robert Mueller, Former FBI Director and Special Counsel, Dies at 81 
Palestinian Activist Leqaa Kordia Released from U.S. Immigration Detention After Judge's Order 
Trump Links DHS Funding to Voter ID Legislation 
Federal Reserve Crisis: DOJ Standoff Threatens Powell's Succession and Rate Stability 
Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Restrictive Press Access Policy 
Trump's Shifting War Goals Against Iran: A Timeline of Contradictions 
Trump Signals U.S. Nearing End of Military Goals in Iran War, Shifts Hormuz Responsibility to Regional Nations 
Brazil's Haddad Leaves Finance Ministry to Run for São Paulo Governor 
Australian PM Albanese Heckled at Sydney Mosque During Eid al-Fitr Prayers 
Ukraine-U.S. Peace Talks in Florida Target Ceasefire Framework and Defense Cooperation 
Trump Administration Quietly Approves $7 Billion in Unannounced Weapons Sales to UAE 
US-Iran War: Trump Eyes Military Exit as Markets React to Potential De-escalation 
Trump Signals End of U.S. Military Campaign Against Iran as Markets Rally 
Iran Threatens Gulf Infrastructure as U.S.-Israel War Enters Critical 48-Hour Window 
Cuba Rejects U.S. Demands to Remove President Diaz-Canel Amid Ongoing Negotiations 
The US and Iran are close to reaching an agreement to restore the 2015 nuclear deal after months of negotiations in Vienna. However, US President Joe Biden has expressed reluctance toward one of the outstanding issues between the two countries in order to reach the deal.
Biden has expressed reluctance regarding one of the outstanding issues between Tehran and Washington that may lead to an agreement from months of talks – to remove Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards from the foreign terrorist organization designation. Tehran is demanding that the designation be removed before a deal can be reached.
The US, under Biden’s immediate predecessor Donald Trump, withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018, imposing sanctions on Iran instead. Washington has included the IRGC as a foreign terrorist designation long before the Trump administration started its maximum pressure campaign on Iran.
Tehran claims the FTO designation to the IRGC is part of the pressure campaign. However, Washington has pushed back, saying that the FTO designation to the IRGC is not related to the nuclear program.
“If Iran wants sanctions lifting that goes beyond the JCPOA, they’ll need to address concerns of ours that go beyond the JCPOA,” said US State Department spokesperson Ned Price. Price added that Tehran must negotiate “in good faith” and reciprocity.
The US leader is keen to return to the deal, provided that Iran also adheres to the conditions of the deal. To note, Iran has insisted that its nuclear program would be used for peaceful purposes. The talks have since come to a standstill due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Biden is also tackling the ongoing concerns of inflation, which many Republicans have looked to blame the US leader for. Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney called on Biden to reduce the growing economic pressure by getting rid of his advisers that the lawmaker described as “woke.” Romney made the call for Biden in a piece for the Wall Street Journal.
“A new set of priorities requires a new set of principles,” wrote Romney. “President Biden needs to ditch his woke advisers and surround himself with people who want to get the economy working again.”
