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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, April 29, 2018. (Photo: Thomas Coex/AP)
Proving Eager to 'Get the War Started,' Pompeo Ramps Up Anti-Iran Rhetoric in Israel and Saudi Arabia
"Less than three years after Iran signed the Iran Deal and began dramatically cutting back its nuclear program, Israel, Saudi, and the U.S. are fast coordinating a military attack on Iran."
Apr 30, 2018
Wasting no time confirming fears that he would would bring his disdain for diplomacy and zeal for war to the world stage if confirmed as Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo used his first official visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend to escalate the Trump administration's anti-Iran rhetoric while ignoring the horrific atrocities currently being committed by America's key Middle East allies.
"Looks like Netanyahu, Bolton, Pompeo, Haley, and Trump can't wait to get the war started."
--Yousef Munayyer, U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights
Speaking alongside Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh on Sunday, Pompeo claimed Iran is "the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world" and said the Trump administration is "determined to make sure it never possesses a nuclear weapon."
"The Iran deal in its current form does not provide that assurance," Pompeo asserted, contradicting the testimony of international inspectors who say the agreement has been strong and effective. "We will continue to work with our European allies to fix that deal, but if a deal cannot be reached, the president has said that he will leave that deal."
While Pompeo may insist that he is determined to prevent Iran from obtaining nukes, foreign policy experts have noted that by attacking the nuclear accord, the Trump administration is actively working to undermine "the very agreement that prevents a nuclear-armed Iran" and dangerously heightening the possibility of war.
Piling on the belligerent rhetoric during a visit to Israel on Sunday, Pompeo--who embarked on his Middle East trip before even holding meetings with his diminished, and reportedly demoralized, staff at the State Department--said he is "deeply concerned about Iran's dangerous escalation of threats to Israel and the region, and Iran's ambition to dominate the Middle East remains. The United States is with Israel in this fight."
"You're an incredibly important partner [and] occupy a special place in my heart, too," Pompeo told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was reportedly "delighted" by what he heard from America's new Secretary of State.
\u201cLess than 3 years after Iran signed the #IranDeal and began dramatically cutting back its nuclear program, Israel, Saudi and the US are fast coordinating a military attack on Iran.\n\nThe only lesson this will teach Iran is to never trust a deal with the West again.\u201d— Trita Parsi (@Trita Parsi) 1525100493
Pompeo reportedly did not make plans to meet with Palestinian leaders during his Middle East trip, nor did he publicly mention the fact that Israeli military forces have massacred dozens of non-violent protestors and journalists in Gaza over the past several weeks.
Emboldened by the Trump administration's anti-Iran rhetoric, Netanyahu--who has been issuing hysterical and fact-free warnings about Iran's nuclear ambitious for over a decade--is planning to deliver a speech on Sunday to "expose new intelligence on the Iranian nuclear program."
\u201cAs Netanyahu tries to drag US into another war with his presser today, useful to remember what he said in 2002 about invading Iraq:\n\n"If you take out Saddam\u2019s Regime, I guarantee you, that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region."\n\nhttps://t.co/IosV9NfLhO\u201d— Trita Parsi (@Trita Parsi) 1525099767
"Looks like Netanyahu, Bolton, Pompeo, Haley and Trump can't wait to get the war started," Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, wrote in response to news of Netanyahu's planned speech.
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Wasting no time confirming fears that he would would bring his disdain for diplomacy and zeal for war to the world stage if confirmed as Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo used his first official visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend to escalate the Trump administration's anti-Iran rhetoric while ignoring the horrific atrocities currently being committed by America's key Middle East allies.
"Looks like Netanyahu, Bolton, Pompeo, Haley, and Trump can't wait to get the war started."
--Yousef Munayyer, U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights
Speaking alongside Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh on Sunday, Pompeo claimed Iran is "the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world" and said the Trump administration is "determined to make sure it never possesses a nuclear weapon."
"The Iran deal in its current form does not provide that assurance," Pompeo asserted, contradicting the testimony of international inspectors who say the agreement has been strong and effective. "We will continue to work with our European allies to fix that deal, but if a deal cannot be reached, the president has said that he will leave that deal."
While Pompeo may insist that he is determined to prevent Iran from obtaining nukes, foreign policy experts have noted that by attacking the nuclear accord, the Trump administration is actively working to undermine "the very agreement that prevents a nuclear-armed Iran" and dangerously heightening the possibility of war.
Piling on the belligerent rhetoric during a visit to Israel on Sunday, Pompeo--who embarked on his Middle East trip before even holding meetings with his diminished, and reportedly demoralized, staff at the State Department--said he is "deeply concerned about Iran's dangerous escalation of threats to Israel and the region, and Iran's ambition to dominate the Middle East remains. The United States is with Israel in this fight."
"You're an incredibly important partner [and] occupy a special place in my heart, too," Pompeo told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was reportedly "delighted" by what he heard from America's new Secretary of State.
\u201cLess than 3 years after Iran signed the #IranDeal and began dramatically cutting back its nuclear program, Israel, Saudi and the US are fast coordinating a military attack on Iran.\n\nThe only lesson this will teach Iran is to never trust a deal with the West again.\u201d— Trita Parsi (@Trita Parsi) 1525100493
Pompeo reportedly did not make plans to meet with Palestinian leaders during his Middle East trip, nor did he publicly mention the fact that Israeli military forces have massacred dozens of non-violent protestors and journalists in Gaza over the past several weeks.
Emboldened by the Trump administration's anti-Iran rhetoric, Netanyahu--who has been issuing hysterical and fact-free warnings about Iran's nuclear ambitious for over a decade--is planning to deliver a speech on Sunday to "expose new intelligence on the Iranian nuclear program."
\u201cAs Netanyahu tries to drag US into another war with his presser today, useful to remember what he said in 2002 about invading Iraq:\n\n"If you take out Saddam\u2019s Regime, I guarantee you, that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region."\n\nhttps://t.co/IosV9NfLhO\u201d— Trita Parsi (@Trita Parsi) 1525099767
"Looks like Netanyahu, Bolton, Pompeo, Haley and Trump can't wait to get the war started," Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, wrote in response to news of Netanyahu's planned speech.
Wasting no time confirming fears that he would would bring his disdain for diplomacy and zeal for war to the world stage if confirmed as Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo used his first official visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend to escalate the Trump administration's anti-Iran rhetoric while ignoring the horrific atrocities currently being committed by America's key Middle East allies.
"Looks like Netanyahu, Bolton, Pompeo, Haley, and Trump can't wait to get the war started."
--Yousef Munayyer, U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights
Speaking alongside Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh on Sunday, Pompeo claimed Iran is "the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world" and said the Trump administration is "determined to make sure it never possesses a nuclear weapon."
"The Iran deal in its current form does not provide that assurance," Pompeo asserted, contradicting the testimony of international inspectors who say the agreement has been strong and effective. "We will continue to work with our European allies to fix that deal, but if a deal cannot be reached, the president has said that he will leave that deal."
While Pompeo may insist that he is determined to prevent Iran from obtaining nukes, foreign policy experts have noted that by attacking the nuclear accord, the Trump administration is actively working to undermine "the very agreement that prevents a nuclear-armed Iran" and dangerously heightening the possibility of war.
Piling on the belligerent rhetoric during a visit to Israel on Sunday, Pompeo--who embarked on his Middle East trip before even holding meetings with his diminished, and reportedly demoralized, staff at the State Department--said he is "deeply concerned about Iran's dangerous escalation of threats to Israel and the region, and Iran's ambition to dominate the Middle East remains. The United States is with Israel in this fight."
"You're an incredibly important partner [and] occupy a special place in my heart, too," Pompeo told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was reportedly "delighted" by what he heard from America's new Secretary of State.
\u201cLess than 3 years after Iran signed the #IranDeal and began dramatically cutting back its nuclear program, Israel, Saudi and the US are fast coordinating a military attack on Iran.\n\nThe only lesson this will teach Iran is to never trust a deal with the West again.\u201d— Trita Parsi (@Trita Parsi) 1525100493
Pompeo reportedly did not make plans to meet with Palestinian leaders during his Middle East trip, nor did he publicly mention the fact that Israeli military forces have massacred dozens of non-violent protestors and journalists in Gaza over the past several weeks.
Emboldened by the Trump administration's anti-Iran rhetoric, Netanyahu--who has been issuing hysterical and fact-free warnings about Iran's nuclear ambitious for over a decade--is planning to deliver a speech on Sunday to "expose new intelligence on the Iranian nuclear program."
\u201cAs Netanyahu tries to drag US into another war with his presser today, useful to remember what he said in 2002 about invading Iraq:\n\n"If you take out Saddam\u2019s Regime, I guarantee you, that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region."\n\nhttps://t.co/IosV9NfLhO\u201d— Trita Parsi (@Trita Parsi) 1525099767
"Looks like Netanyahu, Bolton, Pompeo, Haley and Trump can't wait to get the war started," Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, wrote in response to news of Netanyahu's planned speech.
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LATEST NEWS
Rights Group Pushes Delaware AG to Revoke Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's Corporate Charter
A Center for Constitutional Rights lawyer called on Kathy Jennings to "use her power to stop this dangerous entity that is masquerading as a charitable organization while furthering death and violence in Gaza."
Aug 13, 2025
A leading U.S. legal advocacy group on Wednesday urged Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings to pursue revoking the corporate charter of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose aid distribution points in the embattled Palestinian enclave have been the sites of near-daily massacres in which thousands of Palestinians have reportedly been killed or wounded.
Last week, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) urgently requested a meeting with Jennings, a Democrat, whom the group asserted has a legal obligation to file suit in the state's Chancery Court to seek revocation of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) charter because the purported charity "is complicit in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide."
CCR said Wednesday that Jennings "has neither responded" to the group's request "nor publicly addressed the serious claims raised against the Delaware-registered entity."
"GHF woefully fails to adhere to fundamental humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence and has proven to be an opportunistic and obsequious entity masquerading as a humanitarian organization," CCR asserted. "Since the start of its operations in late May, at least 1,400 Palestinians have died seeking aid, with at least 859 killed at or near GHF sites, which it operates in close coordination with the Israeli government and U.S. private military contractors."
One of those contractors, former U.S. Army Green Beret Col. Anthony Aguilar, quit his job and blew the whistle on what he said he saw while working at GHF aid sites.
"What I saw on the sites, around the sites, to and from the sites, can be described as nothing but war crimes, crimes against humanity, violations of international law," Aguilar told Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman earlier this month. "This is not hyperbole. This is not platitudes or drama. This is the truth... The sites were designed to lure, bait aid, and kill."
Israel Defense Forces officers and soldiers have admitted to receiving orders to open fire on Palestinian aid-seekers with live bullets and artillery rounds, even when the civilians posed no security threat.
"It is against this backdrop that [President Donald] Trump's State Department approved a $30 million United States Agency for International Development grant for GHF," CCR noted. "In so doing, the State Department exempted it from the audit usually required for new USAID grantees."
"It also waived mandatory counterterrorism and anti-fraud safeguards and overrode vetting mechanisms, including 58 internal objections to GHF's application," the group added. "The Center for Constitutional Rights has submitted a [Freedom of Information Act] request seeking information on the administration's funding of GHF."
CCR continued:
The letter to Jennings opens a new front in the effort to hold GHF accountable. The Center for Constitutional Rights letter provides extensive evidence that, far from alleviating suffering in Gaza, GHF is contributing to the forced displacement, illegal killing, and genocide of Palestinians, while serving as a fig leaf for Israel's continued denial of access to food and water. Given this, Jennings has not only the authority, but the obligation to investigate GHF to determine if it abused its charter by engaging in unlawful activity. She may then file suit with the Court of Chancery, which has the authority to revoke GHF's charter.
CCR's August 5 letter notes that Jennings has previously exercised such authority. In 2019, she filed suit to dissolve shell companies affiliated with former Trump campaign officials Paul Manafort and Richard Gates after they pleaded guilty to money laundering and other crimes.
"Attorney General Jennings has the power to significantly change the course of history and save lives by taking action to dissolve GHF," said CCR attorney Adina Marx-Arpadi. "We call on her to use her power to stop this dangerous entity that is masquerading as a charitable organization while furthering death and violence in Gaza, and to do so without delay."
CCR's request follows a call earlier this month by a group of United Nations experts for the "immediate dismantling" of GHF, as well as "holding it and its executives accountable and allowing experienced and humanitarian actors from the U.N. and civil society alike to take back the reins of managing and distributing lifesaving aid."
As Deadline Looms, Advocates Call Plastics Treaty Draft 'Nothing Short of a Betrayal'
"The process has been completely captured by swarms of fossil fuel lobbyists and shamefully weaponized by low-ambition countries," said the CEO of the Environmental Justice Foundation.
Aug 13, 2025
Multiple nations, as well as climate and environmental activists, are expressing dismay at the current state of a potential treaty to curb global plastics pollution.
As The Associated Press reported on Wednesday, negotiators of the treaty are discussing a new draft that would contain no restrictions on plastic production or on the chemicals used in plastics. This draft would adopt the approach favored by many big oil-producing nations who have argued against limits on plastic production and have instead pushed for measures such as better design, recycling, and reuse.
This new draft drew the ire of several nations in Europe, Africa, and Latin America, who all said that it was too weak in addressing the real harms being done by plastic pollution.
"Let me be clear—this is not acceptable for future generations," said Erin Silsbe, the representative for Canada.
According to a report from Health Policy Watch, Panama delegate Juan Carlos Monterrey got a round of applause from several other delegates in the room when he angrily denounced the new draft.
"Our red lines, and the red lines of the majority of countries represented in this room, were not only expunged, they were spat on, and they were burned," he fumed.
Several advocacy organizations were even more scathing in their assessments.
Eirik Lindebjerg, the global plastics policy adviser for WWF, bluntly said that "this is not a treaty" but rather "a devastating blow to everyone here and all those around the world suffering day in and day out as a result of plastic pollution."
"It lacks the bare minimum of measures and accountability to actually be effective, with no binding global bans on harmful products and chemicals and no way for it to be strengthened over time," Lindebjerg continued. "What's more it does nothing to reflect the ambition and demands of the majority of people both within and outside the room. This is not what people came to Geneva for. After three years of negotiations, this is deeply concerning."
Steve Trent, the CEO and founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation, declared the new draft "nothing short of a betrayal" and encouraged delegates from around the world to roundly reject it.
"The process has been completely captured by swarms of fossil fuel lobbyists and shamefully weaponized by low-ambition countries," he said. "The failure now risks being total, with the text actively backsliding rather than improving."
According to the Center for International Environmental Law, at least 234 fossil fuel and chemical industry lobbyists registered for the talks in Switzerland, meaning they "outnumber the combined diplomatic delegations of all 27 European Union nations and the E.U."
Nicholas Mallos, vice president of Ocean Conservancy's ocean plastics program, similarly called the new draft "unacceptable" and singled out that the latest text scrubbed references to abandoned or discarded plastic fishing gear, commonly referred to as "ghost gear," which he described as "the deadliest form of plastic pollution to marine life."
"The science is clear: To reduce plastic pollution, we must make and use less plastic to begin with, so a treaty without reduction is a failed treaty," Mallos emphasized.
Sanders Bill Would Fight Trump Effort to 'Dismantle Social Security'
"On the 90th anniversary of Social Security, our job must be to reverse these disastrous cuts, expand Social Security, and make it easier, not harder, for Americans to receive the benefits they have earned and deserve."
Aug 13, 2025
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday introduced the Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act, legislation intended to thwart President Donald Trump's attacks on the agency that administers benefits for millions of seniors and other Americans.
In a statement introducing his bill, Sanders (I-Vt.) called out not only Trump but also Elon Musk, who is the richest person on Earth and led the president's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) until he left the administration in May.
"Since Trump has been in office, he has been working overtime with the wealthiest man in the world, Elon Musk, to dismantle Social Security and undermine the faith that the American people have in this vitally important program," Sanders said. "Thousands of Social Security staff have lost their jobs, seniors and people with disabilities are having a much harder time receiving the benefits they have earned, field offices have been shut down, and the 1-800 number is a mess."
"That is beyond unacceptable," the senator declared, just days before a key milestone for the law that led to the Social Security Administration (SSA). "On the 90th anniversary of Social Security, our job must be to reverse these disastrous cuts, expand Social Security, and make it easier, not harder, for Americans to receive the benefits they have earned and deserve. That's precisely what this legislation will do."
As Sanders' office summarized, the bill aims to defend Americans and their benefits by:
- Protecting and improving Americans' access to Social Security offices—prohibiting closures, relocations, and service reductions, reversing Trump's layoffs, and ensuring Americans can speak to real people to get their benefits;
- Increasing funding by $5 billion to improve customer service, modernize technology, and reduce backlogs;
- Restoring assistance for vulnerable and disabled people to access their benefits;
- Safeguarding Americans' data and stopping Trump's politicization of Social Security; and
- Removing DOGE's authority and calling for an independent investigation into DOGE's actions at SSA.
The bill is backed by 20 other members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and several organizations, including Social Security Works, Alliance for Retired Americans, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.
Sanders introduced the bill on the same day that he joined former Social Security Commissioner Martin O'Malley, U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and John Larson (D-Conn.), and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)—a co-sponsor of the new legislation—for a Protect Our Checks town hall, hosted by Unrig Our Economy, Social Security Works, and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
Late last month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent "openly bragged about plans to use a back door to privatize Social Security and hand the benefits of working families over to those folks on Wall Street," Wyden pointed out. "Trump's so-called promise to protect Social Security, in my view, is about as real as his promise to protect Medicaid—no substance, big consequences for American seniors and families walking on an economic tightrope."
The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Republicans passed and the president signed in July is expected to strip Medicaid and other key assistance, including food stamps, from millions of Americans in the next decade.
Wednesday's town hall also featured testimony from Social Security recipients, including Judith Brown, who explained that "at 37, I became disabled. It was devastating, because I was a young mother to two sons [that] are on the autism spectrum."
"When my sons needed additional medical support, I was able to get care for them because of their Social Security benefits. Without those benefits, we would have been homeless on the street," Brown continued. "Social Security has always been there for us over all these years. Right now, this administration is bent on stripping us of our benefits that we paid into during our working years... We cannot allow this to happen. Social Security must be protected and expanded. Our entire existence is on the line, and we must fight to protect Social Security."
Unrig Our Economy spokesperson Saryn Francis said that "Republican tariffs are driving up prices at the grocery store, their bills are raising the cost of healthcare and electricity, and they've even found time to hand out more tax breaks to billionaires, and now they want to mess with Social Security, and we are not going to let them take that away from us."
Francis noted that "this weekend, with over 50 events across the country, Americans are rallying in a massive effort to support Social Security and calling on congressional Republicans to stop threatening what hardworking people have earned and need to survive."
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