All posts tagged: national security

China’s Xi keeps Iranian president at arm’s length ahead of Trump summit

China’s Xi keeps Iranian president at arm’s length ahead of Trump summit

Published by Sam Flores

KAZAN, RUSSIA – OCTOBER 23: President of China Xi Jinping meets with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (not seen) within the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia on October 23, 2024. Iranian Presidency | Anadolu | Getty Images China’s President Xi Jinping gave his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian a brief, low-profile audience at a regional security summit, signaling Beijing’s calibrated approach toward Tehran just weeks ahead of Xi’s planned trip to Washington. The two leaders met for several minutes on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, according to Iranian state media. The gathering brought together leaders of the 10-member bloc, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The semi-official Mehr News Agency said that the Xi-Pezeshkian meeting focused on “bilateral ties in line with strengthening relations between Tehran and Beijing,” without offering further detail. That contrasted with Beijing’s approach of keeping the meeting out of public view. Chinese state media, including the Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, People’s Daily, gave extensive coverage to Xi’s encounters with other …

House Intelligence Committee warns of ‘Black Swan’ AI risks

House Intelligence Committee warns of ‘Black Swan’ AI risks

Published by Sam Flores

People walk by One World Trade, otherwise known as the Freedon Tower, which is located on the land where the Twin Towers once stood before they were destroyed in the attacks on September 11, 2001 on September 09, 2024 in New York City.  Spencer Platt | Getty Images The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence urged U.S. spy agencies to better prepare for “Black Swan” artificial intelligence risks, warning in a new report the technology could be leveraged by terrorists or adversaries to develop more dangerous weapons and plot more deadly attacks. “[T]he Committee believes the [intelligence community] and policymakers more broadly must carefully consider how to prevent AI tools from being leveraged for use by rogue actors, including terrorists,” the report said. It was written to assess U.S. efforts over the past quarter century to address intelligence failures that led to the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. “Preventing terrorist groups from developing access to equipment and expertise necessary to build and use weapons of mass destruction has been a significant point of emphasis for …

Trump defends data centers amid midterm election backlash

Trump defends data centers amid midterm election backlash

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 10, 2026. Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images President Donald Trump on Monday blasted communities that oppose new data centers as Republicans confront voter backlash over the projects ahead of November’s midterm elections. “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign,” the president said. “The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them. If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement. Actually, they can’t believe it is happening!” Trump’s post comes nearly a week after a memo issued by the National Republican Senatorial Committee warned, “If …

Trump administration weighs Yosemite land swap with private developer

Trump administration weighs Yosemite land swap with private developer

Published by Sam Flores

Yosemite National Park, California, on April 27, 2023. Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty Images The Trump administration is considering a land swap that could exchange a small piece of Yosemite National Park, or an interest in it, to a private developer seeking a new access road, the Interior Department and the company’s lawyer confirmed. The National Park Service has been in discussions with Nevada-based Kingsbarn Realty Capital about a land swap so that the developer can build an access road that’s “under a mile” to connect to Yosemite’s entrance, Lanny Davis, an attorney for Kingsbarn, said in a statement. Kingsbarn owns an 83-acre parcel historically known as Hazel Green Ranch near Yosemite’s western boundary. As part of the deal, Kingsbarn would purchase land of equal value elsewhere in California and hand it over to the park service, according to documents obtained by NOTUS, which first reported the move. A spokesperson for the Interior Department said in a statement that no final decision has been made. “Any land exchange or access proposal involving …

Treasury eyes sanctions on Banque Misr UAE for Iran ties

Treasury eyes sanctions on Banque Misr UAE for Iran ties

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference at the Cash Room of the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 24, 2026. Mehmet Eser | Anadolu | Getty Images The Treasury Department on Friday moved to sanction the United Arab Emirates branch of an Egyptian bank over its financial ties to Iran. Treasury intends to revoke the access of Banque Misr UAE to U.S. financial institutions, the department said in a statement. Banque Misr UAE processed about $1.8 billion over the past two years for some 100 companies that are potentially part of Iran’s shadow banking network, according to Treasury. The action comes four days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent launched “Operation Economic Outcast,” a sanctions campaign that aims to sever all of Iran’s economic ties around the world. Bessent said Monday that Treasury would make “a major announcement of a financial institution being sanctioned by the end of this week.” President Donald Trump has described the sanctions campaign against Iran as the economic equivalent of D-Day, the Western allies’ massive invasion …

Iran links Hormuz reopening to ending regional wars as Trump rejects return to June deal

Iran links Hormuz reopening to ending regional wars as Trump rejects return to June deal

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Navy sailors work on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington as it transits the Arabian Sea to support U.S. military operations in the war with Iran Aug. 20, 2026. U.S. Navy | Via Reuters Iran has set out its conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying that ​ending the wars in the Middle East was among them. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Lebanese media outlet Al Manar TV that any understanding on the strait with the U.S. will include an end to wars and military operations in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria. He added the conflict in the Gaza Strip has to end, while demanding that Israel withdraw from Lebanon and halt attacks on Syria. Rezaei said that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be separated from the broader regional conflict, adding that the U.S. must “prove its seriousness” in implementing the these commitments “before any new trust could be established.” However, a return to diplomacy does not seem imminent. The Wall Street Journal reported on …

UAE ‘spy sheikh’ takes 49% stake in Trump family crypto bank venture

UAE ‘spy sheikh’ takes 49% stake in Trump family crypto bank venture

Published by Sam Flores

United Arab Emirates national security advisor, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, meets with President Donald Trump at the White House, March 18, 2025. Courtesy: Donald J. Trump | Via Truth Social The powerful United Arab Emirates official known as the “spy sheikh” is behind the largest stake in the holding company for the Trump family’s planned crypto bank, further deepening his financial ties to President Donald Trump’s business empire, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security advisor and brother of its president, and his co-investors are behind StringZ Holding RSC, which owns a 49% stake in the bank’s holding company, WLTC Holdings, according to the Journal. An entity affiliated with Trump’s family owns an additional 38%. Tahnoon and other investors previously invested $500 million in the Trump-backed World Liberty Financial in January 2025, the month Trump began his second term as president, receiving a 49% stake in the cryptocurrency company. That deal directed $263 million to Trump family entities, according to Trump’s 2025 annual financial …

U.S. considers fresh round of tariffs on semiconductors, report says

U.S. considers fresh round of tariffs on semiconductors, report says

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks as U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick looks on before signing an executive order to limit mail-in voting in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2026 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly considering new tariffs on U.S. semiconductors, as tech giants race to beat China in the AI infrastructure buildout. The duties will be imposed on an expanded range of tech products made alongside chips, including laptops, data center servers, and gaming hardware, eight people familiar with the matter told Politico in a report published Thursday. The measures, which are still in the early phases and subject to significant changes over the next few months, will be introduced via a staggered roll-out period, according to the report. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC, but told Politico: “Reshoring semiconductor manufacturing is a top priority for President Trump, whose policies have already secured hundreds of billions of dollars of investments …

How Trump is redefining U.S.-South Korea ties

How Trump is redefining U.S.-South Korea ties

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to journalists aboard Air Force One en route to South Korea on October 29, 2025 in Japan. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images News | Getty Images President Donald Trump’s move last week to scale back annual military drills with South Korea came as Seoul finalizes hundreds of billions of dollars in investment commitments to Washington.  Trump’s frustration over U.S. military spending overseas and stalled implementation of Korea’s investments signal a shift in the allies’ relationship from one based on security to economics, experts said.  There are now doubts about whether investments will ensure U.S. commitments to Korea’s security that many in Seoul and Washington hoped, said Darcie Draudt‑Véjares,​ a​ fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She was referring to the $350 billion Korea promised to invest in the U.S. in exchange for lower “reciprocal” tariffs last year. “Looked at a different way, we could see a shift from a relationship centered around a military alliance to one centered around integrated industrial ecosystems,” Draudt‑Véjares said. That puts “economics rather …

Small UK power plant shut down after Iran-linked cyberattack: report

Small UK power plant shut down after Iran-linked cyberattack: report

Published by Sam Flores

Fiber optic cables feed into switches inside a communications room at an office in London, UK, on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images A small power plant in the U.K. was shut down for four days in July following a cyberattack carried out by hackers linked to Iran, The Telegraph newspaper reported Sunday. The paper said the incident happened around the time that U.S. authorities including the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned about malicious cyber actors targeting water facilities across at least seven states. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, FBI, Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies blamed Iran.. A U.K. government spokesperson declined to attribute blame for the reported power outage or identify the facility. “This story refers to an incident impacting a small-scale energy generator, and at no point was there a risk to the wider energy system,” the spokesperson told CNBC in a statement. “The U.K. has a highly resilient energy system. We work closely with the energy sector to protect infrastructure and …