All posts tagged: General Dynamics Corp

Trump threatens tariffs of 50% on nations supplying weapons to Iran

Trump threatens tariffs of 50% on nations supplying weapons to Iran

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump looks on during a press conference about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty Images The U.S. will impose tariffs of 50% on “any and all” goods imported to the country from any nation “supplying military weapons to Iran”, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday. Trump said in a Truth Social post that any country found to be supplying Iran with weapons would be subject to the levy “immediately”, with no “exclusions or exemptions”. The president wrote: “A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately. There will be no exclusions or exemptions!” It came as Trump said the U.S. would “work closely” with Iranian authorities, following the ceasefire agreement announced on Tuesday and what Trump called “very productive regime change”. Trump said in a separate Truth Social post that “there will …

U.S. fighter jet downed in Iran

U.S. fighter jet downed in Iran

Published by Sam Flores

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle on 16 July 2020. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images The U.S. was searching for the crew of an American fighter jet Friday after it was downed in Iran, a U.S. official told MS NOW. It isn’t clear if the plane was shot down or went down for another reason, MS NOW said. The jet was an F-15, which has two crew members, and the whereabouts of the servicemembers was unknown, according to MS NOW. The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command didn’t immediately comment. The New York Times said Iran shot down the fighter jet, citing U.S. and Israeli officials and Iranian state media, though MS NOW said it hadn’t independently verified the reporting. It appeared to be the first known loss of a U.S. jet in the country since the war in Iran started in late February. The downing of the jet comes at a delicate time, when the U.S. has showed few signs of slowing its assault on Iran and reports of potential peace talks did …

Trump threatens Iran’s infrastructure as reports emerge of downed U.S. F-35

Trump threatens Iran’s infrastructure as reports emerge of downed U.S. F-35

Published by Sam Flores

Significant sections of the B1 Bridge are seen destroyed after an airstrike attributed to the United States and Israel targeted the site near Tehran, in Karaj, Iran, on April 03, 2026. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants, saying the “New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!” in a Truth Social post. Trump did not elaborate on what needed to be “done,” but said the U.S. “hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran.” Hours later, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reportedly claimed that a U.S. F-35 fighter jet was shot down over central Iran. Images of debris posted on Telegram included a photo that appeared to show the words “U.S. Air Forces in Europe” on what looked like a plane’s tail section. The U.S. Central Command, which oversees the region, and Iranian authorities did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication. Read more U.S.-Iran war news Trump’s latest threat …

Warner, Schiff probe potential insider trading in government

Warner, Schiff probe potential insider trading in government

Published by Sam Flores

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Nathan Posner | Anadolu | Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc | Getty Images Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., demanded answers on potential insider trading in government in a letter sent Thursday to the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Defense inspector general. The senators cited public reporting of “large positions in equities and equity-linked derivatives” being built up before major policy announcements, such as decisions related to the Iran war and President Donald Trump’s tariffs agenda. And they suggested those instances indicate “federal officials are disclosing material nonpublic information for financial gain.” “Recent reports of equity trading that occurred shortly before significant government policy announcements suggest that federal officials are disclosing material nonpublic information for financial gain,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter to SEC Chair Paul Atkins and Pentagon IG Platte Moring. “These actions undermine public interest and market integrity, and demand oversight by each of your respective authorities, as well as by Congress.” The letter …

Trump to address nation on Iran war Wednesday night, White House says

Trump to address nation on Iran war Wednesday night, White House says

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump speaks after he signed an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 31, 2026. Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he expected that U.S. military forces will leave Iran in “two or three weeks.” “We leave because there’s no reason for us to do this,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We’ll be ‌leaving very soon.” Hours later, the White House said that Trump will deliver an address “to the nation to provide an important update on Iran” at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday. The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Trump, in his comments Tuesday, brushed aside the idea of having to reach a negotiated settlement to end the war, raising the prospect that the United States could just declare victory and end hostilities. “Iran doesn’t have to make a deal,” Trump said. “It’s a new regime. They are much more accessible.” “No, they don’t have to make a deal with me when …

Pete Hegseth’s broker attempted to make defense investments before Iran war

Pete Hegseth’s broker attempted to make defense investments before Iran war

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 19, 2026. Evan Vucci | Reuters A broker for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sought to make a large investment in major defense companies in the lead up to the Iran war, according to the Financial Times. The Pentagon has dismissed the report. The Financial Times reported Tuesday that Hegseth’s broker at banking giant Morgan Stanley contacted BlackRock in February about making a multimillion-dollar investment in its iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF. The ETF, which has about $3.1 billion in assets, counts companies such as RTX Corp, — formerly known as Raytheon — Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman among its largest holdings, Blackrock data showed. The Defense Industrials Active ETF has lost 12.4% in the past one month, about the time when the Iran war started, according to LSEG data. The FT also said that the investment discussed by Hegseth’s broker …

Zelenskyy courts Saudi support as U.S. reportedly weighs redirecting Ukraine aid to Middle East

Zelenskyy courts Saudi support as U.S. reportedly weighs redirecting Ukraine aid to Middle East

Published by Sam Flores

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Munich, Germany on Feb. 15, 2025. Sean Gallup | Getty Images Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday kicked off a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia, seeking support for Kyiv as the U.S. reportedly weighs shifting military resources to the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran. Zelenskyy met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah to discuss the escalating military tensions in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader said he expected to hold “important meetings” during this trip, as Kyiv offered its air-defense expertise and drone technology to countries in the region reeling from the Iranian strikes. More than 200 Ukrainian experts have been dispatched to advise Middle East countries on how to intercept attacks that have wreaked havoc on energy infrastructure across the region. Zelenskyy is hoping to draw support from the Gulf nations in Kyiv’s war against Russia, which is now in its fifth year and Western military aid faces new uncertainty. Iran’s Shahed-136 ‘kamikaze’ drone has become a fixture of …

Could U.S. attack Iran’s Kharg Island as it sends more troops?

Could U.S. attack Iran’s Kharg Island as it sends more troops?

Published by Sam Flores

A satellite view of Qeshm Island in Hormozgan Province, Iran, within the Strait of Hormuz region on January 17, 2026. Gallo Images | Gallo Images | Getty Images The U.S. is preparing to send thousands more troops to the Middle East, prompting speculation about a ground attack on Iran amid conflicting accounts of peace talks. The Pentagon is reportedly preparing to send about 3,000 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, alongside two Marine Expeditionary Units, to assist military operations in Iran. Military experts said that the number of additional troops being deployed to the region appears to be consistent with plans for discrete and time-limited operations — rather than a sustained ground campaign. It puts two strategic Iranian islands in the spotlight and raises questions about a potential move to seize the Islamic Republic’s nuclear materials. “All announcements regarding troop deployments will come from the Department of War. As we have said, President Trump always has all military options at his disposal,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CNBC in …

DOD has no anti-corruption protocols for Trump children

DOD has no anti-corruption protocols for Trump children

Published by Sam Flores

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., talks with reporters after a Senate Armed Services Committee closed briefing on the Iran war, in the Capitol Visitor Center on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the Department of Defense has no plan to stop President Donald Trump’s family from profiting on lucrative defense contracts in a Tuesday letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, shared exclusively with CNBC. The letter comes after the Pentagon sent Warren a response to a January inquiry the Massachusetts Democrat sent to the department seeking answers about the agency’s contracting with the Trump children. CNBC has also reviewed the previously unreported Defense Department response, which Warren said failed to answer her questions about potential Trump family involvement in the agency’s contracting decisions. Read more CNBC politics coverage “It failed to provide answers to the vast majority of questions that we asked regarding DoD’s decision making process for the contracts and loan guarantees referenced in our January 22, 2026 letter,” Warren wrote of the Defense Department’s …

U.S. sent Iran 15-point plan to end war, report says

U.S. sent Iran 15-point plan to end war, report says

Published by Sam Flores

President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony for newly sworn in Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, March 24, 2026. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. and Iran are “in negotiations right now” and suggested Tehran is eager to make a peace deal, even as the Islamic Republic has denied it is in direct talks with Washington. Trump, speaking in the Oval Office, said he decided to back off from his recent threat to order strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure “based on the fact we’re negotiating.” “They’re talking to us, and they’re talking sense,” Trump said when asked to further explain his pivot. Later Tuesday, The New York Times, citing two unnamed officials, reported that the U.S. has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war. It was unclear how widely the plan — delivered through Pakistan — has been circulated among Iranian officials, the Times reported. It was also unclear if Israel, which is …