US, Iran kick off talks on Lebanon, nuclear issues; Vance says progress already made

US, Iran kick off talks on Lebanon, nuclear issues; Vance says progress already made

Jacob Magid

ToI Staff

The United States and Iran began talks in Switzerland on Sunday after signing a preliminary agreement to end their war, but with the conflict in Lebanon threatening to derail the deal.

American and Iranian representatives gathered alongside delegations from mediators Pakistan and Qatar at the luxury Swiss resort of Burgenstock, perched high above Lake Lucerne.

US Vice President JD Vance headed the American delegation opposite Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. They previously met at the only known face-to-face talks so far, more than two months ago.

“We already made progress in the last several hours and I expect we will make additional progress in the hours to come,” Vance said, standing in front of reporters for a brief press conference alongside the prime ministers of Pakistan and Qatar. Though Iran’s representatives were not standing alongside them, there were several Iranian officials present toward the back of the room.

Vance called the meeting “historic” due to the high level of face-to-face engagement between Tehran and Washington, and said that US President Donald Trump had asked American negotiators to turn over “a new leaf” to transform the relationship with Iran, adding that the technical talks in Switzerland would allow for both sides to sit together and work to resolve issues.

Referencing the US desire to see a truce in Lebanon as part of the deal inked last week with Iran, Vance said Trump remains committed to a “full regional ceasefire.”

He acknowledged that such truces can “be a little bit messy,” but claimed a lot of progress was made over the last two days to ensure a ceasefire in Lebanon. He stopped short of calling for Israel to pull out of southern Lebanon as Iran has demanded citing the US-Iran memorandum of understanding’s requirement that all military operations in Lebanon cease.

Israel had no part in negotiating the MOU, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has distanced himself from it. Still, the terms of the opening clause, permanently ending the war and ruling out any resumption, indicate that it is binding on the US, Iran “and their allies.” Israeli officials are bitterly opposed to the deal’s terms, which resolve none of the war’s key goals — notably, eliminating Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and creating the conditions for the fall of the regime.

While Vance expressed optimism that the fighting in Lebanon would soon end, Trump threatened to resume strikes on Iran if it could not stop Hezbollah from “causing trouble.”

In a Truth Social post shortly after Vance’s statements to reporters, Trump said: “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble.”

“If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!” he added.

The post notably appeared to place the blame for the recent flare-up in Lebanon on Hezbollah and made no mention of Israel. Trump repeatedly criticized Jerusalem in recent days for operating in Lebanon in ways that he has said were indiscriminate. Like Vance, he did not call for Israel to pull out of southern Lebanon.

The MOU that the US signed last week with Iran also states that the sides will “refrain from the threat or use of force against each other,” though Trump has repeatedly taken to threatening the Iranians in recent days.

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Russia sends chilling 'nuclear strikes' threat to NATO - 'Catastrophic consequences'

Russia sends chilling 'nuclear strikes' threat to NATO - 'Catastrophic consequences'

Astha Saxena

Will Stewart

The Kremlin threatened "nuclear strikes" if the West refuses to kowtow to Vladimir Putin’s demands over Ukraine. The warning from the dictator’s hardline foreign minister Sergei Lavrov came as Russia is being forced onto the back foot in the war, highlighted by a devastating attack this week on Moscow’s main oil refinery.

Claiming the Kremlin is under unprecedented threat from the West, Putin’s top diplomat alleged the current turmoil could spin out of control into a nuclear World War 3. Lavrov said: "This state of affairs poses serious threats to global security. A direct confrontation between NATO and Russiacould rapidly escalate into an exchange of nuclear strikes, with catastrophic consequences."

He lashed out at Europe, including Britain, for a "dream of expansion" into Putin’s backyard intending to "absorb Ukraine and Moldova, while pulling Armenia into its sphere of influence", as France offers nuclear protection to other Western states.

He added: "NATO has already expanded eastward, swallowing up Finland and Sweden.

"As for Ukraine, it is increasingly eyed as the 'striking fist' of a future European military force, independent of the United States and independent of NATO."

Lavrov also warned Putin would exact "massive" revenge for the humiliating destruction of Moscow Oil Refinery which left the city shrouded in apocalyptic smoke.

He said: "After yet another Kyiv terrorist attack….we will now conduct massive group strikes on a regular basis against targets whose condition directly affects Ukraine's combat readiness.

"This is the task set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief [Vladimir Putin]."

Dramatic pictures and videos on Thursday showed massive fires raging at the Moscow Oil Refinery, located about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Kremlin.

Menawhile, Sergei Karaganov, known as 'Professor Doomsday', alleged atomic weapons should be used against the West, not Ukraine. He said: "We might have to, God forbid, launch a nuclear strike against the West.

"I advocate this in order to prevent and end this terrible war that the West has imposed on us, which it is waging on Ukrainian territory, destroying millions of Ukrainians and tens of thousands of Russians.

"Besides all this, the overall international situation is developing in a direction where we are sliding toward a world war.

"We are already in it. It was precisely to restore fear of nuclear weapons that I called for the possibility of a nuclear strike - to restore fear of nuclear weapons and end this war the West is waging against us in Ukraine."

"It's That Bad": Virginia Residents Battling Constant Noise From Data Center Generators

"It's That Bad": Virginia Residents Battling Constant Noise From Data Center Generators

 TYLER DURDEN

For more than a year, residents living next to the Vantage Data Centers facility have endured what they describe as a constant, high-pitched whining or ringing sound coming from the site's massive backup generators - the facility's only source of electricity.

Unlike most data centers connected to the power grid, this facility runs entirely on its own on-site power plant. What residents were told would be temporary generator testing has become permanent operation.

Neighbor Hari Doue told News Nation that the community was initially assured the generators were only being tested for emergencies.

"We were told in the beginning that they test the generators to make sure they're working in case of an emergency. And then as the year and the months have gone on, they're just never turned off," Doue said. 

Another neighbor, Greg Pirio, has reached out to attorneys over the issue. He described the impact bluntly:

"You just hear this noise, it's just like, you just want to curse, you know, it's that bad."

Some residents have taken drastic steps to cope. One placed a mattress against their window to muffle the sound. Another installed plexiglass and began monitoring decibel levels with a sound meter. Concerns center on sleep disruption, stress, and falling property values.

Vantage Data Centers officials told NewsNation they continue to monitor noise levels and do not believe the sound exceeds Loudoun County's limits - which is 55 decibels in Residential and rural areas and 60 decibels in Mixed-use residential areas. Exceptions include generators operating during emergencies, at utility request, or during testing.

Virginia has the largest concentration of data centers in the United States - 287 operational and 398 prospective, according to Pew Research. Loudoun County has become ground zero for this boom, often called "Data Center Alley."

The economic upside is significant. Data centers generate almost half of Loudoun County's property tax revenues, funding schools and public services while helping keep residential tax rates lower.

However, the facilities consumed approximately 26% of Virginia's total electricity in 2023, contributing to higher energy costs for all residents.

Israel walks a fine line with US as Iran fuels Hezbollah escalation

Israel walks a fine line with US as Iran fuels Hezbollah escalation

Danny Zaken

Israel sent messages to the US over the weekend, both at the political and military levels, saying that IDF forces in southern Lebanon are committed to the ceasefire, and that all fire from Israel is in response to Hezbollah violations, operational fire intended, among other things, to evacuate casualties, and preemptive fire against rocket launchers.

After each of the incidents since Thursday night, contacts were held with the Americans at all levels, including between the Prime Minister's Office and the White House. In those talks, Israel presented its picture of the situation and Hezbollah's violations, for which diplomatic sources say Iran is responsible.

The sources say Iran was behind all the weekend attacks, including Hezbollah's overnight attack between Thursday and Friday, in which four Armored Corps soldiers were killed and others were wounded, as well as the fire on Saturday in which a soldier from the Commando Brigade was killed and others were wounded.

According to the sources, Israel had warned the Americans in advance that linking the memorandum of understanding to the situation in Lebanon would lead to an escalation of the confrontation with Hezbollah, and that Iran would initiate attacks to create the crisis and deepen the rift between Jerusalem and Washington.

According to one diplomat, who is not Israeli, Iran planned the crisis and the postponement of the signing in Switzerland on Friday in advance, after President Trump publicly signed the memorandum of understanding binding the United States. In doing so, Iran received the agreement's immediate benefits: the lifting of the US naval blockade, the removal of sanctions, and the sharp shift in US policy and discourse in favor of the agreement and against Israel. It is now trying to extract additional last-minute gains.

A political official said the messages sent to the Americans included a list of ceasefire violations by Hezbollah, alongside a clarification that Israel would respond with great force. However, Beirut has still not been attacked, and apparently will not be attacked, at least not intensively. Such an attack is precisely Iran's goal, knowing that the United States, as implied by President Trump's remarks this week and by direct messages, is strongly opposed to strikes on buildings in Beirut.

According to reports, claims and leaks initiated by the Iranians, the strike in Beirut at the beginning of the week nearly derailed the completion of the memorandum of understanding.

At the same time, Iran's political echelon is under heavy pressure, both from street demonstrations against the memorandum of understanding and from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

According to information reaching the US, opposition to the memorandum of understanding is fierce within the Revolutionary Guards and in other parts of the regime, including parliament. They will try to torpedo it, whether by creating difficulties in the Strait of Hormuz or by instructing Hezbollah to attack IDF soldiers.

Looking at it from the opposite perspective, an Israeli official said, Iran gave Israel the ability to stop the agreement by tying it to Lebanon. However, it is doubtful whether Israel will try to do so, given the current discourse of the administration in Washington.

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Choking Hezbollah: IDF eyes key assets in Lebanon despite ceasefire

The Four Jokers of the Apocalypse:

The Four Jokers of the Apocalypse: Carney, Starmer, Macron, and Merz

J.B. Shurk

The so-called “leaders” of Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany are the four jokers of the apocalypse — each doing his damndest to drag what’s left of those nations into Hell.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has given several speeches recently in which he reaffirms his commitment to fighting “climate change” by severely limiting Canadians’ meat and dairy consumption, clothing allowance, private ownership of vehicles, air travel, and other basic lifestyle choices.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who did nothing while Islamic rape gangs hunted young British girls — has rolled out a totalitarian system for online speech controls, mandatory digital identifications, and device-level scanning under the pretense that Big Brother must “protect the children” from “harmful” content.

French President Emmanuel Macron pretends that Christians are not under attack while churches and other sacred sites burn to the ground.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has decided that the only way to save the German economy from the self-inflicted and “severe strategic mistake” of shutting down its nuclear reactors is to juice Germany’s defense industry by investing in prolonged war with the Russian Federation.

Net-zero communism, online censorship, Christian persecution, and endless war — these are all pillars of the globalist, “progressive,” anti-Western apocalypse that Carney, Starmer, Macron, and Merz continue to unleash. 

The “Build Back Better”-“Green New Deal”-“Net-Zero”-“Great Reset”-“Climate Change” program will make it impossible for people to own anything. 

 “Protect the children” controls over the Internet will make it impossible for people to exchange information freely and anonymously.  

Continued attacks on Christians’ religious beliefs and their houses of worship will make it impossible for people to exercise their freedom of conscience without punishment.  

Using war to distract citizens from “green energy”-induced inflation, central bank currency destruction, and the totalitarian architecture of the West’s national security surveillance State will make it impossible for people to marry, have children, prosper, and live in peace.

Notice how the four jokers of the apocalypse govern by emergency.  When Carney talks about energy controls and economic regulation, he emphatically declares that man-made “climate change” is causing imminent destruction of the planet.  The “science” is not only “settled”; we’re all about to die!  A member of the British government said of Starmer’s social media spying: “Keir has been clear we need a game-changer to keep our children — and future generations — safe online.”  You hear that?  We must give up online privacy in order to keep the children safe!  

In Macron’s France, even circumspect suggestions that millions of unvetted Islamic migrants might have something to do with the inexplicable spate of church fires across the country are met with government “hate crime” charges and public denunciations of right-wing nationalists and racists!  

Poor Merz is so desperate to distract Germans suffering under the continent’s economically suicidal “green energy” policies that he’s substantially increased defense spending and taken steps toward mass conscription while warning that the Russians could invade Berlin at any time!

In other words, if “climate change” doesn’t kill us, “right-wing nationalists” will!  And if those “racist fascists” don’t get us, the Russians will!  And if we somehow manage to survive those villains, too, well, a free, open, and uncensored Internet will certainly murder our children in their sleep!  All very scary things.  No time to use our brains to consider whether the four jokers of the apocalypse might have ulterior motives for their globalist policies. 

Globalism is an evil ideology that generates endless “emergencies” in order to frighten and intimidate people into surrendering their rights and freedoms.  Carney, Starmer, Macron, and Merz sell fear in exchange for power.  They’re good at what they do.  Peddling the apocalypse ad nauseam isn’t easy.  Fear merchants must constantly be ready to produce a new “emergency” just as soon as the current “emergency” grows stale.  That’s how “global cooling” turned into “global warming” before becoming “climate change” which morphed into threats from “extreme weather.”  Every time the temperature changes — heck, every time there’s a little extra sun, snow, wind, or rain — Mark Carney and his fellow “climate change” conmen are ready to sell the apocalypse!

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