Donald Trump has voiced impatience at the deadlock over peace talks with Iran, posting on social media: “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” According to Axios, the US president is due to meet his national security team tomorrow to discuss the next steps.
Trump also spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu before an Israeli security cabinet focused on Iran, Lebanon and Gaza, amid growing speculation in Israel that fighting with Iran could resume if there are no signs of compromise. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has blamed a fire near its nuclear power plant on a drone launched by Iran or one of its proxies, describing the incident as a “dangerous escalation”.
In other news, Trump went head-to-head with Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie, who faces a primary challenge from a Trump-endorsed candidate. Workers renovating the National Mall’s reflecting pool may be putting their safety at risk due to a rushed timeline, a trade union has warned. Elsewhere, Christian Cerna, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault after a protest, described his arrest by ICE officers as taking a “heavy toll”. Cate Blanchett lamented that the #MeToo movement “got killed very quickly” in Hollywood. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin exchanged “congratulatory letters” before Putin’s Beijing visit, and the World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern”.
