Pete Hegseth attacks NATO allies,

orders review of US forces in Europe

BRUSSELS — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe.

The review’s outcome will depend on how quickly European allies take responsibility for their own security.

Hegseth criticized NATO allies on Thursday for not providing access to bases for U.S. forces to launch attacks on Iran. He also accused Europe of prioritizing gender equity and climate change over defense.

The review could impact NATO’s collective security guarantee, but U.S. nuclear weapons will remain in Europe. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte noted a significant increase in European defense spending.

Vance delays trip to Switzerland

to lead US talks with Iran on nukes

WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance is delaying a trip to Switzerland to lead a new round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program — raising questions about what’s next for the tentative agreement to end the war.

The White House says the team lead by Vance had been ready to leave but was postponing, citing difficult logistics for negotiations. The announcement Thursday night followed a report from Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab satellite channel that is politically allied with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, that Iran was delaying sending its delegation to Switzerland over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon.

Strait of Hormuz reopens after 110 days, US ends its blockade of Iranian ports

Maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence said Thursday that major shipowners have begun moving vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

For the first time in 110 days, ships owned by major companies are transiting the strait after effectively being marooned there since February.

The strait is a critical passageway for the world’s oil and natural gas. Its closure has created a historic energy crisis.

Tankers controlled by major ship owners Grimaldi Group, Cosco, Knutsen and NYK have passed through the strait. Lloyd’s List estimated that 550 merchant ships will need to prepare to exit the Persian Gulf, including 160 tankers, 200 bulk carriers, 60 container ships and 10 vehicle carriers.

The United States on Thursday also ended its blockade of Iranian ports.

Some GOP senators and Trump allies

give harsh reviews of pact to end war

WASHINGTON — Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are voicing strong reservations — and some outright condemnation — of the Trump administration’s agreement to end the fighting in Iran. The lifting of economic sanctions on Iran’s sale of oil and the plan for a $300 billion fund to rebuild Iran were met with criticism from Republican leaders and conservative influencers, including some close supporters of President Donald Trump. The president called his critics “fools.”

Supreme Court sides with a Texas man who says it’s not a crime for marijuana users to have guns

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has ruled against a broad federal ban on gun ownership by marijuana users. The decision Thursday is the latest in a line of firearm cases from a court that has expanded gun rights. The justices decided unanimously in favor of a Texas man who argued that a law barring guns from anyone who regularly uses illegal drugs violates the Second Amendment. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that his opinion narrowly limits the government’s power to take guns away from drug users who aren’t considered dangerous. The Trump administration had defended the law, but Gorsuch wrote that its core argument “fails under every measure.”

The Associated Press