CENTCOM launches task force to disrupt Iran’s weapons supply routes; U.S. to take part in peace talks between Russia, Ukraine; and NASA looking for the right stuff in new astronaut class.
1. The U.S. military is turning more attention to Iranian land borders and Caspian Sea shipping routes in an expanded effort to cut the flow of weapons supplies into the country, U.S. Central Command announced Saturday. CENTCOM’s Adm. Brad Cooper ordered the establishment of Task Force Iron Gate, a new initiative designed to disrupt the movement of advanced weapons, sanctioned material and illicit revenue through Iran. Cooper said the new task force would reinforce what he called an “ironclad blockade against Iran at sea.” The roughly 20-person team, based at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Fla., will work with other federal agencies to prevent Iran from transporting prohibited material through alternative routes, the command said. The effort comes as Iran seeks to rebuild military capabilities damaged by U.S. and Israeli attacks.
2. For the first time since February, Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators are scheduled to hold talks on ending the full-scale war that is nearing the five-year mark, with security guarantees topping the agenda. The two-day session starting Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, follows previous rounds of negotiations early this year that failed to produce any visible progress toward ending Europe’s most devastating conflict since World War II. The negotiations follow last month’s localized truce around the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in southern Ukraine that was brokered with the help of U.S. first lady Melania Trump and allowed the evacuation of some of its residents and the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian supplies. But even as Moscow and Kyiv touted the weeklong ceasefire as a positive model, fierce fighting has continued along the 1,200-kilometer (about 750-mile) front line. Both sides also have escalated their long-range attacks on each other with drones and missiles.
3. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet his counterparts from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies on Monday, with unresolved world crises on the agenda and questions about how President Donald Trump will approach foreign policy after his Republican Party’s massive losses in the midterm elections. Two days of talks among the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan in Paris coincide with major protests across Europe, including in the French capital. The Russia-Ukraine war, the Iran conflict, energy and artificial intelligence are among the main topics for discussion. Many U.S. allies will be eager to hear how Trump plans to proceed on each. The trip is Rubio’s first foreign venture since the midterm elections dealt Trump’s party severe losses and cost the GOP control of Congress, partly because of deeply unpopular policies like the Iran war.
4. Want to fly to the moon and help build a permanent lunar base? NASA is accepting applications for a new astronaut class that will help grow the Artemis program. Officials announced the news Saturday during a Kennedy Space Center air show promoting lunar exploration as well as advances in aviation and technology. NASA’s last call for new astronauts was two years ago. More than 8,000 applied, with 10 making the final cut in September 2025. With only 32 active astronauts, the space agency needs more recruits as it looks to expand humanity’s presence beyond low-Earth orbit as quickly as possible. April's lunar flyaround by the Artemis II crew kicked off the lunar campaign. “We have far more work than we have astronauts,” Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told The Associated Press on Saturday.
For 79-year-old Marine Corps veteran Robert Kiyosaki, the National Veterans Parade in the heart of Washington, D.C., represented nothing less than vindication for the public mistreatment that he and many of his fellow veterans faced when they returned home from the Vietnam War decades ago. Kiyosaki, who was tapped as grand marshal to lead Sunday’s parade in the nation’s capital, said the honorary role was overdue recognition and respect for Vietnam veterans like himself. Addressing a sparse but dedicated crowd ahead of Veterans Day, Kiyosaki, a former lieutenant, captured the gravity of the moment, stating: “This is the greatest honor of my life.” Sunday marked the fourth annual National Veterans Parade down Constitution Avenue, from the National Archives past the White House. The three-hour event included an opening ceremony with motivational speakers and singers. The parade featured active-duty military ceremonial and performing units, vintage military vehicles, and veterans service organizations aboard patriotic-themed floats.
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