US_ Petraeus to Newsmax: Iran Still Wants Nukes (Jim Thomas - NEWSMAX)

NEWSMAX

Petraeus to Newsmax: Iran Still Wants Nukes

VIDEO

By Jim Thomas | Tuesday, 21 April 2026 05:40 PM EDT

Iran still wants a nuclear device and may want one even more now as a deterrent against further conflict, retired Army Gen. David Petraeus told Newsmax on Tuesday, warning that the United States must match Tehran's brinkmanship and be prepared to return to fighting if negotiations fail.

Petraeus, a former CIA director and former U.S. Central Command commander, made the comments on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren" hours before President Donald Trump announced he was extending the two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire indefinitely until Tehran submits a peace proposal.

Trump said on Truth Social that he was acting at Pakistan's request and cited Iran's "seriously fractured" government, while directing the U.S. military to continue its blockade of Iranian ports.

Asked what he would do if he were president, Petraeus described the standoff as "a bit of a test of wills" and pointed to visible splits in the Iranian government.

He noted that Iran's foreign minister recently said the Strait of Hormuz was open to traffic, only for the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to countermand that statement, declaring it closed.

...

READ MORE: https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/david-petraeus-iran-ceasefire/2026/04/21/id/1253724/

____________

"We know that they're very good at brinksmanship, and I think that we're going to have to show that we are good at brinksmanship as well," Petraeus said.Both sides want a negotiated end, he added, but Washington should avoid appearing "too eager."

---

... Petraeus put the stockpile at roughly 1,000 pounds, describing it as "one turn of the process below weapons grade." IAEA figures reported before the June 2025 strikes placed the stockpile at 440.9 kilograms, or about 972 pounds, at sites including the heavily damaged Esfahan complex.

He said Iran's intent to weaponize uranium was confirmed when Israel seized its nuclear research archive from a Tehran warehouse and exposed what he called years of lies about its program. The current stockpile, he argued, goes far beyond any civilian need for medical isotopes or power generation.

"Well, the fact is they want to have a nuclear device," he said.

____________


***

Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc.
Kính Chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị.

conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
22042026
__________________________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là ĐỒNG LÕA với TỘI ÁC

WORLD_ Pacific commander says victory over Iran needed to deter Chinese attack on Taiwan (Bill Gertz - THE WASHINGTON TIMES)

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Pacific commander says victory over Iran needed to deter Chinese attack on Taiwan

Paparo urges speeding up arms production to counter China's rapid military buildup

Adm. Samuel Paparo, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Commander, gestures during a press conference on the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board meeting held at the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio, northern Philippines on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) **FILE** more >

By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times - Tuesday, April 21, 2026


A U.S. victory in the war with Iran will help deter a Chinese military assault on Taiwan, the commander of the Indo-Pacific Command told Congress on Tuesday.

Adm. Sam Paparo, head of the Hawaii-based command in charge of military forces in the Asia-Pacific region, also revealed that China rapidly expanded both conventional and nuclear forces in the past two years. He urged the Pentagon and defense contractors to speed the development and deployment of the arms needed to deter Beijing.

“There’s no substitute for prevailing on the battlefield,” Adm. Paparo told the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing on the need to win the Iran war.

...

READ MORE: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/apr/21/pacific-commander-says-victory-iran-needed-deter-chinese-attack/

***

Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc.
Kính Chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị.

conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
22042026
__________________________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là ĐỒNG LÕA với TỘI ÁC

US_ Trump Calls On Iran to Stop Execution of 8 Women Amid Negotiations (Jack Phillips - THE EPOCH TIMES)

THE EPOCH TIMES

Trump Calls On Iran to Stop Execution of 8 Women Amid Negotiations

‘I would greatly appreciate the release of these women,’ the president says.

President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on March 31, 2026. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter 
4/21/2026|Updated: 4/21/2026


President Donald Trump on April 21 called for the Iranian regime to release eight women who are allegedly set to be executed as negotiations between Tehran and Washington were scheduled for the same day.

“To the Iranian leaders, who will soon be in negotiations with my representatives: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women. I am sure that they will respect the fact that you did so,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump wrote that if Iran does “no harm” to the women, it “would be a great start to our negotiations.”

...

READ MORE: https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-calls-on-iran-to-stop-execution-of-8-women-amid-negotiations-6014946?ea_src=frontpage&ea_med=section-1

***

Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc.
Kính Chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị.

conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
22042026
__________________________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là ĐỒNG LÕA với TỘI ÁC

OPINION_ Iran Thought It Was Untouchable... Then Trump Changed the Rules (Victor Davis Hanson - THE EPOCH TIMES)

THE EPOCH TIMES

Iran Thought It Was Untouchable... Then Trump Changed the Rules

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) conducts U.S. blockade operations related to the Strait of Hormuz in the Arabian Sea on April 16, 2026. U.S. Navy via Getty Images

Victor Davis Hanson
4/21/2026|Updated: 4/21/2026

This is a lightly edited transcript of an April 20th segment of the Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words podcast.

We’re now beginning the seventh week of military operations against Iran. There’s a lull now during a negotiation, but the war continues.

If you look at Iran, it’s a very strange situation because its command and control have been decapitated. Its military has been, I guess you’d call it, inert. There is no air force. There are only PT boats left of its navy. Its army is of no use, since this is an air war. Its nuclear, military, industrial complex has been bombed to smithereens. It’s probably lost half a trillion dollars in a half-century-long investment in military hardware and military industries, at the expense of a very restive population.

...

READ MORE: https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/iran-thought-it-was-untouchable-then-trump-changed-the-rules-6014999?ea_src=frontpage&ea_med=section-1

***

Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc.
Kính Chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị.

conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
22042026
__________________________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là ĐỒNG LÕA với TỘI ÁC

OPINION_ Epic Fury just sent China’s Xi Jinping an unmistakable message (Zineb Riboua - NEW YORK POST)

NEW YORK POST

Epic Fury just sent China’s Xi Jinping an unmistakable message

By Zineb Riboua
Published April 20, 2026, 5:39 p.m. ET

VIDEO

On Monday, China’s Xi Jinping let the mask slip.

After weeks remaining largely absent from the diplomatic picture as the US conducted Operation Epic Fury against Iran, Xi called Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman to publicly urge a peaceful reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The pressure on Beijing is showing.

At least five Iranian-linked tankers heading from the Gulf of Oman to Malaysia have changed course after the US Navy warned that ships carrying Iranian oil would be intercepted anywhere in the world.

And now, every concession the IRGC withholds costs it more than the one before.

Operation Epic Fury destroyed the military capacity Iran has used to threaten to close the strait, and dismantled the architecture the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps built to survive the decapitation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

What remains is a rump regime without the arsenal, command or finances that lent its threats weight.

President Trump should read this as the strongest card he holds against Beijing.

...

READ MORE: https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/opinion/operation-epic-fury-just-sent-chinas-xi-jinping-an-unmistakable-message/

***

Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc.
Kính Chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị.

conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
22042026
__________________________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là ĐỒNG LÕA với TỘI ÁC

OPINION_ Pope Needs to Read Scripture, Listen to the Byrds, and Back Trump (Michael Dorstewitz - NEWSMAX)

NEWSMAX

OPINION

Pope Needs to Read Scripture, Listen to the Byrds, and Back Trump

Pope Leo XIV speaks to residents as he visits the Nursing Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor in Saurimo on the eighth day of an 11-day apostolic journey to Africa, on April 20, 2026. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images)

By Michael Dorstewitz
Monday, 20 April 2026 10:33 AM EDT
Current | Bio | Archive


A war of words escalated between Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump early this month when the president promised that "a whole civilization will die" if Iran didn't make a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a statement the pope found "truly unacceptable."

This set off an intense verbal feud between the two leaders.

However, the pontiff appeared to have enough by Saturday when he said it was "not in my interest at all" to debate the president about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel’s message of peace.

Truth be told, we all want peace, but while he reviews Gospel passages, he may want to check out Matthew 24:6-8, which states that wars are all a part of life on Earth.

"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom," it says, and it's not just war.

"There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains," the passage adds.

And sometimes we have to endure the bad in order to achieve the good.

Leo may also want to thumb back to the Old Testament and check out Ecclesiastes, which says there’s a time for everything on Earth — both good and bad.

According to Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 8, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Verse 8 says there will be "A time for war and a time for peace."

Being American by birth, the pontiff may get a kick out of hearing this passage sung by the folk-rock group, the Byrds. The song is named "Turn! Turn! Turn!"

Pope Leo was only 10 years old when the Byrds came out with it, but he may still remember it.

Eric Lyman observed in a Just The News article over the weekend that today's spat between the Vatican and a world leader is nothing new.

He noted Napoleon's clash with Pope Pius VII more than 200 years ago, and the uneasy alliance that another Pope Pius — Pius XII — had with Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini during WWII.

Lyman also mentioned British King Henry VIII's 16th century break with Pope Clement VII, but there was one in particular that was also picked up by conservative commentator Scott Jennings:

That was the rift between Pope John Paul II and Eastern Europe's communist regimes. Polish by birth, this was personal to John Paul, and the pontiff had an equally strong ally in then-President Ronald Reagan.

Jennings told a CNN panel last week that this could be a real John Paul II - Ronald Reagan moment, who worked together to crush the Soviet Union.

"There's diplomacy going on right now, and there is a real chance because of what Trump has done and the situation we find ourselves in, for the world to bring pressure, economic pressure and diplomatic pressure, just like what was done in the '80s to bear against this terrorist regime, just the way it was brought to bear against the Soviets in the 1980s," Jennings said.

"And so I get the feeling sometimes the pope might be feeling a little adversarial, at least in some of his comments toward President Trump. But in this moment where you have, there’s no bombs falling right now. There's a blockade, there’s some restraint going on, and there’s talks going on."

Jennings concluded, "This, to me, is a moment where you could have a partnership for peace in a way that brings this terrorist regime that, by the way, has been at war with the West for nearly 50 years, to its knees."

Iran historically is an evil regime, even discounting its nuclear weapon ambitions and its state sponsorship of terrorism throughout the Mideast and beyond.

More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by Iran's security goons during the Jan. 8-9 crackdown on nationwide protests, making it the deadliest two-day protest massacre in history, according to documents reviewed by Iran International's Editorial Board.

But that would require President Trump and Pope Leo to call a truce and start working together to crush an unholy Islamic regime run by ruthless leaders.

If they can do it, they would both come out of it as heroes in the free world, and Leo would likely be hailed by people of all faiths — except Islam.

It could even make them co-recipients of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

But above all, it would give the pontiff an amazing legacy early into his papacy, one that would assure his place in history.

...

READ MORE: https://www.newsmax.com/michaeldorstewitz/pontiff-scripture-trump/2026/04/20/id/1253487/

***

Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc.
Kính Chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị.

conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
22042026
__________________________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là ĐỒNG LÕA với TỘI ÁC

IN-DEPTH_ Dangerous Games: Kids Still Dying From Challenges on Social Media, Despite Bans (Beige Luciano-Adams - THE EPOCH TIMES)

THE EPOCH TIMES

Dangerous Games: Kids Still Dying From Challenges on Social Media, Despite Bans

Parents who lost children to viral ‘choking games’ hope social media companies will be held accountable, as the debate over safety versus free speech continues.

(Left) Joann Bogard holds a photo of her son, Mason, in Washington on Jan. 31, 2024. (Middle) Judy Rogg holds a photo of her son, Erik, in Los Angeles on April 15, 2026. (Right) Annie McGrath holds a photo of her son, Griffin, in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2026. Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Accountable Tech, John Fredricks/The Epoch Times, Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images

By Beige Luciano-Adams | April 20, 2026 Updated:April 20, 2026

READ MORE: https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/dangerous-games-kids-still-dying-from-challenges-on-social-media-despite-bans-6012200?ea_src=frontpage&ea_med=section-1

***

Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc.
Kính Chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị.

conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
21042026
__________________________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là ĐỒNG LÕA với TỘI ÁC

WORLD_ Chinese fentanyl exports, lock on rare earths to top Trump’s agenda at summit with Xi (Bill Gertz - THE WASHINGTON TIMES)

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Chinese fentanyl exports, lock on rare earths to top Trump’s agenda at summit with Xi

Beijing faulted for limited progress in reducing narcotics flow

President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, shake hands after their U.S.-China summit talk at Gimhae International Airport Jinping in Busan, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) more >

By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times - Monday, April 20, 2026


President Trump will press China on its export of deadly fentanyl and related chemicals during a meeting next month with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, according to a senior Trump administration trade official.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who is leading preparations for the Beijing summit, also told Congress that the president will discuss obtaining greater access to rare earth minerals largely controlled globally by China when the two leaders meet.

Mr. Greer disclosed some details of the planned summit set for mid-May during testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday.

...

READ MORE: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/apr/20/chinese-fentanyl-exports-lock-rare-earths-top-trumps-agenda-summit-xi/

***

Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc.
Kính Chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị.

conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
21042026
__________________________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là ĐỒNG LÕA với TỘI ÁC

OPINION_ Trump's Brilliant Blockade Chess Move Isn't Only About Iran (Nick Arama - REDSTATE)

RedState

Trump's Brilliant Blockade Chess Move Isn't Only About Iran

By Nick Arama | 6:15 PM on April 19, 2026

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci


We've been reporting on the chokehold that President Donald Trump has on the Iranian regime, with Operation Epic Fury and his blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

It is considerable. From decimating its military to putting Iran in an economic vise with the blockade on ships going in and out of its ports. The U.S. is also reportedly considering seizing Iranian ships elsewhere in the world. They appeared to be talking about ships that are violating sanctions. On top of that, there's "Operation Economic Fury," going after the assets of the Iranian regime in Gulf state banks.

READ MORE: Report: Trump Planning to Drop Another Hammer on Iran and Their Ships

Don't Trust *And* Verify: US Amb. Waltz Says Iran Can Be Assured of 1 Thing Ahead of Any Nukes Agreement 

That is a prodigious squeeze play. Now, given the time, the U.S. could just sit and blockade them into submission because the regime is losing $435 million a day, something that they cannot sustain. That could itself topple the regime.

But there's someone else Trump has put a hold on in this, and it's been fascinating to watch this all play out from the Panama Canal and Venezuela to now: that's China. They're over the barrel too, because of the blockade on Iran.

...

READ MORE: https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2026/04/19/trump-also-has-a-chokehold-on-china-n2201453

***

Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc.
Kính Chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị.

conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
21042026
__________________________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là ĐỒNG LÕA với TỘI ÁC

US_ New Report About Iran and Highly Enriched Uranium Deals Huge Blow to the Anti-Trump Narrative ( Nick Arama - REDSTATE)

RedState

New Report About Iran and Highly Enriched Uranium Deals Huge Blow to the Anti-Trump Narrative

By Nick Arama | 2:40 PM on April 20, 2026

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana


We heard a lot from the Democrats and media when the Trump administration launched Operation Epic Fury, arguing that there was no real threat.

Now, there's a story from "60 Minutes" that actually points to how real the threat was because of the concern about the highly enriched uranium (HEU).

...

READ MORE: https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2026/04/20/60-minutes-story-about-highly-enriched-uranium-n2201481

***

Chân thành cám ơn Quý Anh Chị ghé thăm "conbenho Nguyễn Hoài Trang Blog"
Xin được lắng nghe ý kiến chia sẻ của Quý Anh Chị trực tiếp tại Diễn Đàn Paltalk: 1Latdo Tapdoan Vietgian CSVN Phanquoc Bannuoc.
Kính Chúc Sức Khỏe Quý Anh Chị.

conbenho
Tiểu Muội quantu
Nguyễn Hoài Trang
21042026
__________________________
Cộng sản Việt Nam là TỘI ÁC
Bao che, dung dưỡng TỘI ÁC là ĐỒNG LÕA với TỘI ÁC