Oil prices fall more than 6% as Trump says Iran negotiations in final stages

After the Justice Department announced charges against an Iraqi militia leader for directing terror attacks inside the U.S., a national security expert warned of a "risky source" contributing to "jihad"-type terrorist activity inside America’s borders.

Iraqi national Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, a senior member of the Iran-backed Kata’ib Hizballah terror group, is accused of orchestrating nearly 20 terrorist attacks across Europe and plotting attacks on Jewish institutions. Authorities also said al-Saadi publicly threatened President Donald Trump and his family.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, said that vetting failures of supposed Iraqi and Afghan allies and an all-too-generous social welfare system have left the United States vulnerable to terrorism.

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"When you combine these factors of a prior open border, millions of deportable aliens inside the U.S., common believers for jihad, then that leads to real terror threats inside the U.S.," she said. "Al-Saadi calls on others to carry out jihad, and, unfortunately, there are many who are willing to do it."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Peter Pinedo.

This is an excerpt from an opinion article by author and former White House and Pentagon official Douglas MacKinnon.

In a discussion regarding the ongoing "war" with Iran, a former high-ranking U.S. military officer made a point which left me momentarily speechless. That point being: "The UAE and our other allies in the Middle East are better protected via U.S. air defense systems from Iran’s Shahed Drones than the state of Florida."

The reason Florida was brought up was because of Cuba. Much in the news lately as the Trump administration seeks to free the people of that communist nation from decades of totalitarian rule.

As those negotiations go on, the logical question regarding Cuba – which is less than 90 miles off the coast of Florida – becomes: "Has Iran – or any other terrorist organization or U.S. adversary – successfully placed any of its Shahed attack drones within that Communist Island nation?"

As was recently reported on this site in a piece headlined: "Pentagon jumps from $225M to $55B on drones as cheap attacks overwhelm US defenses," the United States and our Department of War might be on the wrong end of the "World War Drone" spectrum.

Former Trump envoy Morgan Ortagus warned Wednesday that Iran may be using ongoing nuclear negotiations to "buy time" as President Donald Trump pauses planned military strikes and extends a fragile ceasefire to allow more room for diplomacy.

Speaking with Fox News Digital after the Middle East Forum in Washington, Ortagus said Iran has long used drawn-out negotiations as a strategy to delay pressure while preserving leverage.

"It’s the tactic of the regime to stall, to draw negotiations, to buy time," Ortagus said of Iran. "I would encourage the president not to fall into the trap that the Iranians like to do … which is to drag things out to buy time."

Trump recently paused planned strikes and extended diplomatic talks with Iran following pressure from Gulf allies seeking more time for negotiations, even as the administration continues pressing Iran over its nuclear program and regional proxy network.

Ortagus, who served as State Department spokeswoman during Trump’s first term and later worked on Middle East negotiations during his second administration, argued the White House now has more leverage than previous administrations in dealing with Iran.

Critics of past Iran negotiations, including many Trump administration officials, have long argued Iran used diplomacy to prolong talks while continuing to advance aspects of its nuclear program. Trump withdrew from the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, in 2018, calling it a "disastrous" agreement that failed to permanently curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Morgan Phillips.

President Donald Trump said late Wednesday he is "in no hurry" to make a deal with Iran, adding he'd prefer "a few people killed" over "a lot."

Meanwhile, a new Fox News poll reveals 60% of voters oppose U.S. military action against Iran.