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Dear A.,
Departing the United Arab Emirates on Air Force One this morning, President Trump
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confirmed the U.S. has presented Iran with a proposal for a nuclear deal.
"They have a proposal," Trump said. "But most importantly, they know they have to move quickly, or something bad is going to happen."
This reaffirms a
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report in Axios yesterday that U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff gave a written proposal to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who took it back to Tehran for consultations with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and other top officials.
On the offer, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an
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interview yesterday:
"[President Trump] says this offer won’t be around forever. And what he means by that is at some point decisions will have to be made about more maximum pressure and other options because Iran can never have a nuclear weapon...
"Our problem is with a clerical regime that is behind every problem in the region: Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, the militias that have conducted attacks out of Iraq and Syria. They all track back to the Iranian regime. All the instability in Syria tracks back to the Iranian regime. It’s a regime that every day and every Friday chants, 'Death to Israel, death to America.' We have to believe them when they say that.
"A regime like that can never have nuclear weapons, and the President has made clear they will not have a nuclear weapon. We hope it’s through the path of negotiation... But in the end the decision lies in the hands of one person, and that’s the supreme leader in Iran. And I hope he chooses the path of peace and prosperity, not a destructive path."
U.S. Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus offered a
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similar message :
"President Trump was very clear in his first administration and now in his second that Iran was never going to obtain a nuclear weapon...
"We're talking about dismantling of Iran's military facilities, of their nuclear weapons…
"President Trump is extending the hand of diplomacy. Hopefully, the Iranian regime takes them up on this offer, because there certainly is the credible threat of force behind the president's statements."
The United States must continue to impose maximum pressure on the Iranian regime coupled with a credible threat of military force to facilitate time-bound negotiations to verifiably and permanently dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.
Continue to
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follow AIPAC on social media for the latest updates.
Shabbat shalom,
Jake Braunstein
Director of Policy Communications
Israel carries out strikes on Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen
Following a series of Houthi ballistic missile attacks on Israel this week, the IDF today
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carried out strikes on Houthi-controlled infrastructure in Yemen.
The strikes targeted the Houthi-controlled Ras Isa, Hodeidah and Salif ports on the western coast of Yemen.
The IDF warned Yemeni civilians to evacuate these three ports earlier this week.
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U.S. moving to lift Syria sanctions, reports of Israel-Syria talks
President Trump announced this week that he was ordering the cessation of U.S. sanctions on Syria, the day before he met with the new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Qatar. The Treasury Department said Thursday that it was beginning the process of lifting sanctions on Syria.
American sanctions on Syria are a
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complex web of executive orders, emergency declarations and legislation. While the president has wide authority to unilaterally lift some sanctions, other sanctions have specific legal requirements that must be met prior to removal, including, for example, that the Syrian government has "ceased providing support for foreign terrorist organizations."
Congress must closely monitor the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria and ensure the new Syrian government is meeting the expectations laid out by the administration.
Meanwhile, a
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report yesterday said that Israel has been holding secret talks with Syrian officials, including on the possibility of Syria joining the Abraham Accords.
President Trump encouraged the Syrian president to join the Accords when they met earlier this week. "I told [Sharaa], I hope you’re going to join [the Abraham Accords] once you’re straightened out, and he said yes," Trump said. "But they have a lot of work to do."
Hostage negotiations continue as 20 believed to still be alive
Prime Minister Netanyahu
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said in a video message yesterday that 20 of the 58 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are believed to be alive.
The news comes as another round of hostage negotiations began in Qatar on Wednesday.
However,
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reports indicate there has been little progress.
The war in Gaza could end today if Hamas would release all the hostages, lay down its arms, and surrender.
The United States must continue to stand with Israel for as long as it takes to secure the release of the 58 hostages, including 4 Americans, still held in captivity.
Israeli Eurovision contestant advances to finals
Israeli Eurovision contestant Yuval Raphael
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advanced to the final stage of the competition following her performance last night.
Yuval survived the Nova Music Festival massacre after hiding in a bomb shelter for 8 hours. Of the 50 people in the bomb shelter, Yuval was one of only 11 to survive.
You can watch Yuval perform her song "New Day Will Rise"
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here .
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Since October 7, stickers have become a staple of Israeli society — a unique way the country is honoring the the lives lost. Matti Friedman takes AIPAC around Israel, showing us the beautiful stickers.
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77 years ago, the modern State of Israel was born. Thank you for working with AIPAC to ensure Congress continues to stand with our ally!
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58 hostages, including 4 Americans, are still being held captive in horrific conditions by genocidal Hamas terrorists in Gaza. #FreeThemAll 🎗️
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WSJ: The bogus warrants for Israeli leaders “shored up support for Khan among anti-Israel ICC nations that would likely back Khan if the [sexual assault] allegations [against him] ever became public."
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Support our work to keep Israel safe.
The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.
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