Iranian vessel removed mine from damaged oil tanker, US officials say - Fox News

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Iranian vessel removed unexploded mine from stricken oil tanker in Gulf of Oman, US officials say
An Iranian vessel removed an unexploded mine that had been attached to a Japanese-owned oil tanker that suffered serious damage after an explosion in the Gulf of Oman early Thursday, U.S. officials told Fox News, as the U.S. Navy released video purportedly showing the incident. The imagery came from the USS Bainbridge, a guided-missile destroyer that rescued 21 sailors from the stricken tanker.

At least one other mine attached to the tanker's hull detonated, causing the blast. It happened near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil shipments in the region. A U.S. official told Fox News an Iranian gunboat approached the Kokuka Courageous later in the day and removed the unexploded triangular-shaped limpet mine, the same type of mine used to damage four other tankers in the Gulf of Oman last month.

WH press secretary Sarah Sanders will leave office by the end of the month, Trump says
President Trump wrote Thursday on Twitter that White House press secretary Sarah Sanders will be leaving her position at the end of the month. "After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas," Trump wrote. "She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!"

The president has not yet named a replacement for Sanders. His announcement came moments before he made remarks at a White House event on its "Second Chance" program boosting the hiring of criminals who have served their sentences.

Julian Castro admits Hatch Act ‘mistake,’ calls for Kellyanne Conway’s termination, in Fox News Town Hall
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro told Fox News on Thursday night that White House adviser Kellyanne Conway should be fired for violating the Hatch Act -- the same federal law Castro himself was found to have violated in 2016. The 2020 White House contender's remarks came in a Fox News Town Hall in Tempe, Ariz., hosted by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.

A man identified as Sonny Webber, right, father of Brandon Webber who was reportedly shot by U.S. Marshals earlier in the evening, joins a standoff as protesters take to the streets of the Frayser community in anger against the shooting. (Associated Press)

Man killed by US Marshals Service was wanted in connection with Mississippi shooting
A 20-year-old black man whose Wednesday shooting death by a fugitive task force sparked a night of violence and unrest in a Memphis, Tenn., neighborhood, was wanted for a shooting in Mississippi, according to media reports. DeSoto County District Attorney John Champion said Brandon Webber was being sought on aggravated assault and armed robbery charges related to a shooting during a car theft in Hernando, Miss., on June 3. The victim was shot five times and survived, Champion said.

Toronto Raptors win first NBA championship in franchise history
The Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-110 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night in Oakland, Calif. The Warriors played without Kevin Durant, who injured his Achilles tendon in the last series. Golden State was 0-3 at home against Toronto this season, losing all three games by double digits. Game 6 was the final time the Warriors played at Oracle Arena, their home for 47 seasons. The team moves to the Chase Center in San Francisco next season.

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SOME PARTING WORDS

Hannity calls out the left’s selective outrage over Trump’s comments that he would listen to foreign entities with information on a political opponent while ignoring foreign election interference that was bought and paid for by Hillary Clinton and the DNC.

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Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this edition. Thank you for joining us! Enjoy your day and weekend! We'll see you in your inbox first thing on Monday morning.

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2019-06-14 08:45:46Z
52780314199816

US seizes on tanker attacks to up the stakes with Iran - CNN

What is the United States going to do about it?

Just over 12 hours after reports broke in slumbering Washington about the new crisis, Pompeo appeared in the State Department Briefing Room to significantly raise the stakes.

"It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today," Pompeo said.

He cited intelligence, weapons used, the required expertise and sophistication of the assault and previous attacks to conclude it was the latest assault by Iran on "freedom-loving nations."

Pompeo offered no evidence for his accusations. He did not allow questions so journalists could challenge his assertions. And his decision not to allow a few days to elapse for a full investigation left no doubt about US intentions.

He left the room after warning the "United States will defend its forces, interests, and stand with our partners and allies to safeguard global commerce and regional stability."

Later on Thursday night, US Central Command released a video that it claims shows a smaller Iranian boat sailing up next to the tanker to remove an unexploded mine. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker's hull. The US says that object is likely an unexploded mine.

Pompeo's approach will do nothing to quell anxiety that the United States and Iran are locked into an inexorable cycle of escalation that could trigger a disastrous war.

And after placing the prestige of the Trump administration on the line, he left open the question of Washington's next steps in dealing with a crisis that caused an immediate spike in oil prices and has few obvious off ramps.

US piling pressure on Iran

Thursday's drama in which two ships were left ablaze forcing their crews to abandon their posts, was not an isolated incident. It's a product of rising tensions that Trump administration critics see as the logical result of a hardline approach heralded when the President pulled out of the international nuclear deal concluded by the Obama White House.

Washington insists its new strategy of economic and political pressure on Iran is aimed at driving the Islamic Republic back to the negotiating table. But many US allies fear it is more likely to lead to a military confrontation.

Apart from Pompeo's swift warning to Iran over the attacks and the CENTCOM video, there has not yet been any independent international assessment that blames Iran or its proxies for the attacks -- though suspicion is hanging heavy on the Islamic Republic.

The Trump administration's documented record of perpetrating falsehoods means it inevitably faces a higher bar for its statements on an issue as critical as Iran. Memories are also still fresh of botched intelligence that led the US into war with Iraq.

There are no signs so far that Washington is preparing a military response to the tanker attacks. It is more likely to use them to bolster its case for Iranian malfeasance.

But it has the option to increase naval patrols in the area. Trump has already rushed an aircraft carrier strike force to the region and is deploying 1,500 troops and a Patriot missile system to meet Iran's perceived threat.

The US also called a UN Security Council meeting on the tanker strikes on Thursday but did not present any evidence to back up Pompeo's remarks.

Uncertainty about what is next is also being fueled by indications that Trump is not on the same page as senior members of his national security team on Iran.

The President, loath to get pulled into foreign misadventures, is seen as far less hawkish on the issue than Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton.

Shortly after Pompeo spelled out his stern-faced warning, which Trump tweeted out, the President was still holding out the hope of eventual talks with Iran.

"I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" Trump tweeted.

Iran will never be ready, if remarks carried by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's Twitter feed on Thursday are any indication.

"I don't consider Trump as a person deserving to exchange messages with; I have no response for him & will not answer him," Khamenei wrote.

Fog of war hangs over tanker attacks

The question of who is behind Thursday's attacks may not be quite as clear cut elsewhere as it is in Washington.

The fog of war in the region, with its bitter rivalries, opaque motivations and boiling tensions means that there are a number of conceivable explanations for the strike.

If Iran was involved, it might have been sending a pointed message to the US that it has the capacity to hold the world economy to ransom by attacking shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

One of the ships involved was a Japanese tanker, in an embarrassment to one of Trump's closest allies, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was in Tehran hoping to broker an easing of tensions.

One way of looking at the targeting of a Japanese tanker would be to conclude that someone wants to send Trump a message that his vows to protect US allies are empty.

But if Iran hoped to use Abe's visit to convince Japan to resume buying its oil despite US pressure it would not make much sense for the government to order an attack on a Japanese owned ship.

But decision making in Iran is not monolithic. Even if Iranian forces or proxies were to blame, the action may not have been ordered by political leaders in Tehran, who are locked in a constant power struggle with the ruling clerics.

And Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has in some cases the autonomy to act outside the auspices of the country's religious or political authorities.

The Middle East's thriving conspiracy theory industry also means there are alternative rationales for the attacks. Might an Iranian foe like Saudi Arabia, keen for a US-Iranian confrontation, not have an interest in staging such an attack to reflect badly on Tehran?

"Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers occurred while PM @AbeShinzo was meeting with Ayatollah @khamenei-ir for extensive and friendly talks," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted on Thursday.

"Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning."

The tanker attacks came a month after the previous peak in recent tensions, after four commercial ships were attacked in the Gulf, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked a Saudi pipeline and they US pulled non-essential staff from its embassy in Baghdad -- a potential target for pro-Iran militias in Iraq.

The fact that this attack was more sophisticated and expansive than the previous one is sobering. And will fuel concerns that the US and Iran are on track to recreate the proxy warfare in the Gulf of the 1980s that several times spilled out of control.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/14/politics/us-iran-tankers-diplomacy-warfare-pompeo/index.html

2019-06-14 08:44:00Z
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Christchurch Shooter Pleads Not Guilty To Charges In Mosque Massacre - NPR

Enlarge this image

Janna Zat, whose son Hussein Al-Umari was killed at Al Noor Mosque, speaks to the media in front of Christchurch High Court on Friday in Christchurch, New Zealand. Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images

The man accused of killing 51 people in mass shootings at two New Zealand mosques in March has pleaded not guilty to terrorism, murder and attempted murder.

Brenton Tarrant, who appeared via video link from a maximum security prison in Auckland, smirked but did not speak and showed little other emotion as his lawyer entered not guilty pleas on multiple counts.

Audible gasps could be heard in the courtroom as the not guilty pleas were entered.

The 28-year-old Australian man is accused in the March 15 shooting rampage at two mosques in Christchurch. A trial date of May 4 next year was set by Justice Cameron Mander at the High Court in Christchurch.

If found guilty, Tarrant could become the first person in New Zealand to receive a sentence of life without parole. Previously, the longest-ever sentence in the country was 30 years without parole for a triple murder.

In the courtroom, 80 survivors and family members of those killed viewed the proceedings. Sixty others watched by closed-circuit television in an overflow room.

Justice Mander said the court had reviewed reports on the defendant's mental health and that "No issues arise regarding the defendant's fitness to plead, to instruct council and to stand trial. Therefore, a fitness hearing is not required."

Outside the courtroom, a man reportedly speaking in support of white supremacy was escorted away by police, according to The Associated Press. A 33-year-old man was also arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after he "played Nazi music and [made] racist remarks outside the court," the New Zealand Herald reports.

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https://www.npr.org/2019/06/14/732615781/man-accused-in-new-zealand-mosque-shootings-that-killed-51-pleads-not-guilty

2019-06-14 07:28:00Z
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US seizes on tanker attacks to up the stakes with Iran - CNN

What is the United States going to do about it?

Just over 12 hours after reports broke in slumbering Washington about the new crisis, Pompeo appeared in the State Department Briefing Room to significantly raise the stakes.

"It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today," Pompeo said.

He cited intelligence, weapons used, the required expertise and sophistication of the assault and previous attacks to conclude it was the latest assault by Iran on "freedom-loving nations."

Pompeo offered no evidence for his accusations. He did not allow questions so journalists could challenge his assertions. And his decision not to allow a few days to elapse for a full investigation left no doubt about US intentions.

He left the room after warning the "United States will defend its forces, interests, and stand with our partners and allies to safeguard global commerce and regional stability."

Later on Thursday night, US Central Command released a video that it claims shows a smaller Iranian boat sailing up next to the tanker to remove an unexploded mine. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker's hull. The US says that object is likely an unexploded mine.

Pompeo's approach will do nothing to quell anxiety that the United States and Iran are locked into an inexorable cycle of escalation that could trigger a disastrous war.

And after placing the prestige of the Trump administration on the line, he left open the question of Washington's next steps in dealing with a crisis that caused an immediate spike in oil prices and has few obvious off ramps.

US piling pressure on Iran

Thursday's drama in which two ships were left ablaze forcing their crews to abandon their posts, was not an isolated incident. It's a product of rising tensions that Trump administration critics see as the logical result of a hardline approach heralded when the President pulled out of the international nuclear deal concluded by the Obama White House.

Washington insists its new strategy of economic and political pressure on Iran is aimed at driving the Islamic Republic back to the negotiating table. But many US allies fear it is more likely to lead to a military confrontation.

Apart from Pompeo's swift warning to Iran over the attacks and the CENTCOM video, there has not yet been any independent international assessment that blames Iran or its proxies for the attacks -- though suspicion is hanging heavy on the Islamic Republic.

The Trump administration's documented record of perpetrating falsehoods means it inevitably faces a higher bar for its statements on an issue as critical as Iran. Memories are also still fresh of botched intelligence that led the US into war with Iraq.

There are no signs so far that Washington is preparing a military response to the tanker attacks. It is more likely to use them to bolster its case for Iranian malfeasance.

But it has the option to increase naval patrols in the area. Trump has already rushed an aircraft carrier strike force to the region and is deploying 1,500 troops and a Patriot missile system to meet Iran's perceived threat.

The US also called a UN Security Council meeting on the tanker strikes on Thursday but did not present any evidence to back up Pompeo's remarks.

Uncertainty about what is next is also being fueled by indications that Trump is not on the same page as senior members of his national security team on Iran.

The President, loath to get pulled into foreign misadventures, is seen as far less hawkish on the issue than Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton.

Shortly after Pompeo spelled out his stern-faced warning, which Trump tweeted out, the President was still holding out the hope of eventual talks with Iran.

"I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!" Trump tweeted.

Iran will never be ready, if remarks carried by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's Twitter feed on Thursday are any indication.

"I don't consider Trump as a person deserving to exchange messages with; I have no response for him & will not answer him," Khamenei wrote.

Fog of war hangs over tanker attacks

The question of who is behind Thursday's attacks may not be quite as clear cut elsewhere as it is in Washington.

The fog of war in the region, with its bitter rivalries, opaque motivations and boiling tensions means that there are a number of conceivable explanations for the strike.

If Iran was involved, it might have been sending a pointed message to the US that it has the capacity to hold the world economy to ransom by attacking shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

One of the ships involved was a Japanese tanker, in an embarrassment to one of Trump's closest allies, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was in Tehran hoping to broker an easing of tensions.

One way of looking at the targeting of a Japanese tanker would be to conclude that someone wants to send Trump a message that his vows to protect US allies are empty.

But if Iran hoped to use Abe's visit to convince Japan to resume buying its oil despite US pressure it would not make much sense for the government to order an attack on a Japanese owned ship.

But decision making in Iran is not monolithic. Even if Iranian forces or proxies were to blame, the action may not have been ordered by political leaders in Tehran, who are locked in a constant power struggle with the ruling clerics.

And Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has in some cases the autonomy to act outside the auspices of the country's religious or political authorities.

The Middle East's thriving conspiracy theory industry also means there are alternative rationales for the attacks. Might an Iranian foe like Saudi Arabia, keen for a US-Iranian confrontation, not have an interest in staging such an attack to reflect badly on Tehran?

"Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers occurred while PM @AbeShinzo was meeting with Ayatollah @khamenei-ir for extensive and friendly talks," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted on Thursday.

"Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning."

The tanker attacks came a month after the previous peak in recent tensions, after four commercial ships were attacked in the Gulf, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked a Saudi pipeline and they US pulled non-essential staff from its embassy in Baghdad -- a potential target for pro-Iran militias in Iraq.

The fact that this attack was more sophisticated and expansive than the previous one is sobering. And will fuel concerns that the US and Iran are on track to recreate the proxy warfare in the Gulf of the 1980s that several times spilled out of control.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/14/politics/us-iran-tankers-diplomacy-warfare-pompeo/index.html

2019-06-14 06:50:00Z
52780314199816

US officials: US has imagery showing Iranian boat removing unexploded mine from Gulf tanker - CNN

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday blamed Iran for an attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, saying the assessment was based on intelligence. Later Thursday night, US Central Command released a video that is says shows Iranian sailors removing a mine from the ship.

In the video, a smaller boat is shown coming up to the side of the tanker. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker's hull. The US says that object is likely an unexploded mine.

The attack comes at a time of high tensions between the US and Iran, and could provide more fodder for Iran hawks within the administration, whose recent Iran saber-rattling has frustrated President Donald Trump. One of them, national security adviser John Bolton, announced last month that the Pentagon was deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response to a "number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" from Iran.

Earlier in the day, four US officials told CNN the US had the images.

One of the officials said a US military aircraft overhead recorded a full motion video of an Iranian boat moving alongside one of the stricken tankers and removing an unexploded limpet mine from its hull. The official said the imagery shows a person on board that small boat grabbing the unexploded mine.

The boat made the move even after the USS Bainbridge, as well as a US drone and P-8 aircraft, had been on the scene for four hours. US defense officials believe that the Iranians were seeking to recover evidence of their involvement in the attack.

The officials described the photos and video to CNN on the condition they not be identified discussing sensitive military information. It is not clear if the imagery will be publicly shown. CENTCOM later released the video to the public.

Another of the officials tells CNN that multiple Iranian small boats have entered the area where the USS Bainbridge continues to be on the scene, prompting US Central Command to issue a statement saying, "No interference with USS Bainbridge, or its mission, will be tolerated."

Earlier Thursday, the two tankers -- one carrying oil and the other transporting chemicals -- were apparently attacked in international waters near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. All crew members were evacuated and were safe, according to the owners of the two ships.

The vessels were hit "at or below the waterline, in close proximity to the engine room," said the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko).

"These appeared to be well-planned and coordinated" attacks, the association said..

Jonathan Cohen, acting US ambassador to the United Nations, said Thursday that he echoed Pompeo's comments in a private meeting of the UN Security Council, describing the attack as "another example of Iran's destabilizing activities in the region."

The Iranian mission to the UN rejected the US' claim.

Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for the Iranian mission, tweeted a statement saying Iran "categorically rejects the US unfounded claim" that Iran is behind the attacks and "condemns it in the strongest possible terms."

He added that Iran "expresses concern" over the "suspicious incidents." And he called it "ironic" that the US, which withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is now calling Iran to come back for negotiations and diplomacy.

Following the attack, Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said "suspicious doesn't begin to describe" this latest incident, noting that one of the tankers is Japanese owned and the attack took place as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Iran in an effort to calm tensions between Washington and Tehran.

"Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers occurred while PM was meeting with Ayatollah [Ali Khamenei] for extensive and friendly talks. Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," Zarif tweeted Thursday.

This story has been updated.

CNN's Devan Cole contributed to this report.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/13/politics/us-images-iranian-boat-removing-mine/index.html

2019-06-14 00:44:00Z
52780314199816

Telegram reports powerful cyberattack from China during Hong Kong protests - CNN

The attempted distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attack was aimed at flooding the app with so much traffic that it impaired normal service.

It originated from "IP addresses coming mostly from China," Telegram founder Pavel Durov said on Twitter.

The impact was felt way beyond China.

"We're currently experiencing a powerful DDoS attack, Telegram users in the Americas and some users from other countries may experience connection issues," the company said in a tweet.

The attack "coincided in time with protests in Hong Kong," where people were coordinating on Telegram groups, Durov said.

Hundreds of thousands of people have flooded the streets of Hong Kong this week, protesting against a controversial bill that would allow alleged criminals to be extradited to China.

They fear the bill will leave anyone in Hong Kong vulnerable to extradition by Chinese authorities for political reasons or business offenses, undermining the city's legal system.

The former British colony was returned to China in 1997, when Beijing agreed to guarantee its semi-autonomous legal system and certain democratic freedoms for the next 50 years under a policy known as "one country, two systems."

Hong Kong lawmakers were due to debate the extradition bill on Wednesday, but that debate was postponed after the latest round of protests resulted in violent clashes.

Many of the protesters have been using Telegram to coordinate their efforts. The messaging platform is designed to allow users to send messages protected by end-to-end encryption — the kind authorities can't intercept easily.

CNN teams on the ground were told that the Telegram groups where people can get information about the Hong Kong protests range in number from hundreds of members to tens of thousands.

Telegram, which says it has 200 million users worldwide, has been used in protests before, including anti-government demonstrations in Iran last year.

The Berlin-based app uses two layers of encryption, allows users to remain anonymous, and claims to be faster and more secure than other messaging services.

It has come under fire in the past for being the preferred app of terrorists. Russia banned it last year after the company refused to provide encryption keys to the FSB, a Russian security agency.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/13/tech/telegram-ddos-attack-hong-kong-china/index.html

2019-06-13 14:13:00Z
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Gulf of Oman tanker attacks: everything you need to know - Washington Examiner

The apparent attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday represents a dramatic escalation in regional and international tensions. Coming just one month and one day after an attack on four other oil tankers in the same area, oil prices have spiked upward in fear of what might happen next.

What's going on here? Blame Iran.

The United Arab Emirates and Saudis might want a United States showdown with Iran but they would not risk jeopardizing the U.S. relationship by conducting a false flag attack. Moreover, the damage to the two tankers in this latest incident is suggestive of a torpedo attack: video shows at least one of the tankers on fire with waterline damage amidships. Iran has an array of means for such an attack, including attack submarines of various sizes, disguised fishing and passenger boats, and military fast boats.

Regardless, this attack fits comfortably with the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps penchant for thinly deniable action. Suffering deep financial losses due to escalating U.S. sanctions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps wants to pressure the international community into restraining the Trump administration's maximum pressure strategy. Iran will hope that this attack is sufficiently calibrated to avoid clear evidence of its culpability and thus avoid U.S. retaliation. In that, it is designed as a halfway measure between doing nothing and inviting U.S. retaliation by overtly attempting to shut down the Strait of Hormuz.

But Iran's escalation should not be seen solely through the prism of this attack. Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has made veiled but apparent threats of Iranian resistance to the Trump administration's pressure. And an Iranian-enabled missile attack on Saudi Arabia this week illustrates that the Revolutionary Guards is escalating. This sits squarely within Iran's theocratic penchant for resistance against great odds (look up the Battle of Karbala).

The question is how the U.S. and its allies should respond.

The measure of this aggression will require some kind of significant response. Iran is now actively disrupting international oil markets and free passage of an arterial trade route. That cannot stand. But rightly neither is there much appetite in the U.S. or the region for a war.

I suspect what we will now see is a significantly increased naval presence by the U.S. and its allies to protect transit routes. Iranian forces and fishing vessels (due to the threat of disguised attacks) will likely be warned to keep distance from other vessels or face being sunk. We should expect them to test that warning, and for allied vessels to fire on them in response. Hopefully they will get the message and go back to port.

In terms of naval air-power, the U.S. currently has only an amphibious ready group in the area, so expect one of the carriers now in the Atlantic to be redeployed back to the Gulf.

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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/gulf-of-oman-tanker-attacks-everything-you-need-to-know

2019-06-13 13:48:00Z
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