Iran still has the capabilities to enrich uranium — despite U.S. and Israeli strikes — and could restart its nuclear program if it wanted to, Tehran’s foreign minister claimed. 

While the U.S. struck three key Iranian nuclear sites, Israel destroyed much of its air defenses, took out top military commanders and killed at least 13 nuclear scientists and more than 1,000 people, according to figures put out by Tehran. Israel claims it killed 30 senior security officials and 11 top nuclear scientists. 

‘Buildings can be rebuilt. Machines can be replaced, because the technology is there. We have plenty of scientists and technicians who used to work in our facilities,’ Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a recent interview with the Financial Times. 

‘But when and how we restart our enrichment depends on the circumstances.’

Washington maintains that it inflicted significant damage to Iran’s two main uranium enrichment sites, Fordow and Natanz, and fired missiles that rendered the Isfahan facility essentially inoperable, setting Iran’s nuclear program back ‘years.’ 

Now, the world is watching to see whether Iran and the West will be able to come to a deal that ensures Iran does not work towards a nuclear weapon in exchange for sanctions relief. 

Araghchi said the U.S. must offer funds to Iran to compensate for last month’s strikes in order to move forward with negotiations. 

‘They should explain why they attacked us in the middle of . . . negotiations, and they have to ensure that they are not going to repeat that [during future talks],’ Araghchi said. ‘They have to compensate [Iran for] the damage that they have done.’

Araghchi claimed the so-called 12-Day War ‘proved there is no military solution for Iran’s nuclear program.’

Araghchi also said the strikes had prompted calls from within the regime to weaponize Iran’s nuclear program but claimed Iran would continue to abide by a two-decade-old fatwa banning the production of nuclear weapons. 

‘Anti-negotiation feelings are very high,’ Araghchi said. ‘People are telling me, ‘Don’t waste your time anymore, don’t be cheated by them . . . if they come to negotiations it’s only a cover-up for their other intentions.’’

The minister repeated Iran’s insistence that it would not give up its ability to enrich uranium for civil purposes — a sticking point for Washington. ‘With zero enrichment, we don’t have a thing.’ 

The White House could not immediately be reached for comment on Araghchi’s remarks. 

Israeli officials have admitted that some of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium did survive the attacks.  

European powers have threatenaed to trigger ‘snapback’ United Nations sanctions against Iran if there isn’t a breakthrough in nuclear talks.

Any of the current members of the 2015 nuclear deal, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — France, the UK, Germany, China, and Russia –  can invoke the snapback mechanism if they determine Iran hasn’t held up its end of the deal. The U.S. can’t trigger the sanctions because it pulled out of the deal and enacted unilateral ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions under Trump’s first administration. 

The U.S. heaped more pressure onto Tehran this week with new sanctions on the nation’s oil network and military drone enterprise. 

European diplomats have been meeting with Iran to relay how it could avoid snapback sanctions, including resuming cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor its compliance with nuclear limits. 

Araghchi said Iran would stop negotiating with Europe if they were to trigger the sanctions. ‘If they do snap back, that means that this is the end of the road for them.’  

Senate Republicans are still trying to hash out a deal with their Democratic counterparts to push through a package of President Donald Trump’s nominees as their scheduled departure from Washington has come and gone.

Republicans are under pressure from the White House, and their own members, to find a path forward, but Senate Democrats have largely dug their heels into the dirt in opposition in a bid to slow down the confirmation process. Lawmakers are still in town hammering toward a deal, while growing frustrations and weariness simmer in the upper chamber. 

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., appeared more upbeat about the state of affairs, despite rumblings that negotiations were faltering.

‘Democrats aren’t negotiating with us, we’re negotiating among ourselves,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘I think we found, I think we may have found a landing spot.’

Underscoring negotiations with Senate Democrats are threats of rule changes to the confirmation process, which could speed things up but drive a partisan wedge even deeper between the aisles.

Trump had initially called on Senate Republicans to consider canceling their August recess to ram through as many of his nominees as possible. But late Thursday night, he took a more stern tone.

‘The Senate must stay in Session, taking no recess, until the entire Executive Calendar is CLEAR!!! We have to save our Country from the Lunatic Left,’ Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social. ‘Republicans, for the health and safety of the USA, DO YOUR JOB, and confirm All Nominees. They should NOT BE FORCED TO WAIT. Thank you for your attention to this matter!’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has been locked in negotiations with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., throughout the week to hammer out a deal that would allow lawmakers to vote on a tranche of nominees quickly.

He told reporters Friday evening that he didn’t have a ‘report that adds any certainty to the question of schedule at the moment.’

‘It’s still in flux,’ he said.

Senate Republicans have moved at a rapid pace to add more and more nominees to the calendar, and so far have placed nearly 160 onto the schedule. Should a deal not be reached, and the GOP adheres to Trump’s demands, leaving Washington to return to their home states until early September may be out of the question.

While most Republicans are on board with trying to ram through Trump’s picks, the desire to leave Capitol Hill after a blistering seven-month stretch — where lawmakers have already confirmed over 120 of the president’s nominees — is palpable.

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said that the idea that lawmakers would leave town in the next few days ‘seems to have disappeared.’

‘Grumpiness is here already, as you can hear from my tone, but we’re still here. We know the factor of weariness and other commitments outside of Washington, D.C., they work, but there is still a whole set of … nominations that need to be completed,’ he said.  

A bright spot for Republicans is that the resistance to advancing nominees and confirming them is not across the board among Senate Democrats.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told Fox News Digital that he has plans for recess, but he’s ready to cancel those if need be.

‘My hope is that we’ll move a number of nominees through and get out fairly soon,’ he said. ‘But I’m not the one doing the negotiating.’

President Donald Trump unveiled plans Friday to reposition two nuclear submarines as he and Russia’s former president sparred over Trump’s increased pressure on Moscow to end the war with Ukraine. 

After Trump announced a new deadline for Russia to end the conflict with Ukraine in early August, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that the announcement is an additional ‘step towards war.’ 

‘Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,’ Trump said in a post on Truth Social Friday. 

The announcement comes just weeks after Trump praised the contributions of a guided-missile submarine involved in the strikes against Iran, which launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at key Iranian targets, officials said. 

‘By the way, if anyone thinks our ‘hardware’ was great over the weekend, far and away the strongest and best equipment we have, 20 years advanced over the pack, is our Nuclear Submarines,’ Trump said June 23 in a Truth Social post. ‘They are the most powerful and lethal weapons ever built, and just launched the 30 Tomahawks — All 30 hit their mark perfectly. So, in addition to our Great Fighter Pilots, thank you to the Captain and Crew!’

The mission, which targeted Iranian nuclear facilities Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, also involved more than 125 U.S. aircraft, including B-2 stealth bombers, according to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. 

Caine did not disclose the name of the submarine that was involved in the Iran strikes. However, he said that a ‘guided-missile submarine’ was involved. 

Four of the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class submarines were converted into guided-missile submarines to accommodate conventional land attacks, as well as Special Operations Forces platforms. These submarines are the Ohio, Florida, Michigan and Georgia, according to the U.S. Navy. 

All U.S. Navy submarines are nuclear-powered, andTrump did not disclose additional details surrounding the submarines that would be repositioned amid increased tension with Russia. It is incredibly rare for defense officials to comment or reveal the locations of submarines, given the highly classified nature of their deployments and movements.  

Trump initially announced on July 14 that he would sign off on ‘severe tariffs’ against Russia if Moscow were to fail to agree to a peace deal within 50 days. However, Trump said Monday that waiting that period of time was pointless as negotiations have continued to drag on for months. 

‘I’m going to make a new deadline, of about 10 — 10 or 12 days from today,’ Trump told reporters in Scotland Monday. ‘There’s no reason for waiting. It was 50 days. I wanted to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made.’

In response, Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, accused Trump of playing the ‘ultimatum game.’ 

‘Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10 … He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,’ Medvedev said in a post on X on Monday.

Trump’s new deadline comes amid heightened frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid stalled progress toward peace between Russia and Ukraine, and just days after Russia launched more than 300 drones, four cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles into Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Speaking with reporters on Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump expressed that he is hopeful that former presidential opponent Hillary Clinton will finally be investigated for election fraud. 

Shortly before departing for New Jersey, Trump was asked by a reporter, ‘Will Hillary Clinton finally be investigated for election fraud?’

Trump answered, ‘I hope so, I hope so. I don’t know whether or not that’ll happen, but I hope so.’ 

During his brief exchange with reporters outside the White House, Trump also repeatedly criticized Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, whom he recently removed. The president connected his recent decision to fire McEntarfer, whom he accused of falsifying jobs report numbers, to efforts to sway previous elections against him. 

‘You have to have honest reports and when you look at those numbers or when you look at just before the election and then after the election, they corrected it by 8 or 900,000 jobs,’ he said. 

‘Why should anybody trust numbers? You go back to election day. Look what happened two or three days before with massive, wonderful jobs numbers, trying to get him elected or her elected, trying to get whoever the hell was running because you go back and they came out with numbers that were very favorable to Kamala,’ he went on. ‘And then on the 15th of November or thereabouts, they added 8 or 900,000 overstatement reduction right after the election.’ 

Addressing a reporter directly, Trump added, ‘It didn’t work, because, you know who won, John? I won.’ 

Trump’s comments regarding Clinton hearken back all the way to his first presidential campaign during which he warned that if he were president he would get his attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate her behavior. In one of the 2016 debates, Trump famously quipped to Clinton that if he were president: ‘you’d be in jail.’

As president, however, Trump has not moved to prosecute Clinton, who served as former President Barack Obama’s secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. 

This July, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released evidence that she said suggests the Obama administration promoted a ‘contrived narrative’ that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.  

‘There is irrefutable evidence that details how President Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew was false,’ Gabbard said. ‘They knew it would promote this contrived narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help President Trump win, selling it to the American people as though it were true. It wasn’t.’ 

‘We have referred and will continue to refer all of these documents to the Department of Justice and the FBI, to investigate the criminal implications of this for the evidence,’ Gabbard said. ‘The evidence that we have found, and that we have released, directly point to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment. There are multiple pieces of evidence and intelligence that confirm that fact.’

In a July interview, Trump described the Russiagate allegations against Obama and members of his administration as ‘serious treason.’ 

‘What they’ve done is so bad for this country. And it really started right at the 2016 election,’ Trump claimed of Gabbard’s findings. ‘And there’s a difference when you know it — and when you know it, and it’s all written down for you. I mean, it’s all there. It’s right there. The orders, the memos, the whole thing. It’s right there.’

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump issued a full-throated endorsement of Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters for the role of Republican National Committee chair after pre-endorsing him for the role last week.

‘He will be a wonderful Chairman!’ the president declared in a lengthy Truth Social post.

Gruters is currently listed as the RNC’s treasurer.

The president endorsed RNC national committeewoman from New York Jennifer Saul-Rich to take on the Treasurer post.

‘She will be a FANTASTIC Treasurer!’ he declared in the post on Friday.

Current RNC Chairman Michael Whatley announced that he is running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina. Trump has endorsed his campaign.

‘Michael Whatley has my Complete and Total Endorsement – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!’ the president said in a Friday post on Truth Social.

Last week, Trump pre-endorsed Whatley and noted that he would back Gruters to helm the RNC.

‘Fortunately, I have somebody who will do a wonderful job as the Chairman of the RNC. His name is, Joe Gruters, and he will have my Complete and Total Endorsement,’ Trump noted in the post last week. ‘So, should Michael Whatley run for the Senate, please let this notification represent my Complete and Total Endorsement. HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!’

Since GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced earlier this year that he will not seek re-election, the Senate contest will be an open race.

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is also running for the Senate seat.

President Donald Trump announced Friday that he has ‘ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions’ following ‘highly provocative statements’ made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. 

Medvedev said earlier this week that Trump’s new deadline for Russia to end the conflict with Ukraine is an additional ‘step towards war.’

‘Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,’ Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 

‘Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances,’ he added. 

There was no immediate response to Trump’s comments from Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, cautioned that Trump’s announcement Monday that Russia must end the conflict with Ukraine in 10 to 12 days would not end well for the U.S.  

‘Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,’ Medvedev said in a post on X on Monday. ‘Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!’ 

While Trump announced on July 14 that he would sign off on ‘severe tariffs’ against Russia if Moscow failed to agree to a peace deal within 50 days, Trump said Monday that waiting that period of time was futile amid stalled negotiations.  

‘I’m going to make a new deadline, of about 10 — 10 or 12 days from today,’ Trump told reporters from Scotland. ‘There’s no reason for waiting. It was 50 days. I wanted to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made.’ 

Trump’s remarks come as his frustration with Putin has grown in recent weeks amid no progress toward peace between Russia and Ukraine, and just a day after Russia launched more than 300 drones, four cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles into Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force. 

Trump also wrote on Truth Social Friday that ‘I have just been informed that almost 20,000 Russian soldiers died this month in the ridiculous War with Ukraine. 

‘Russia has lost 112,500 soldiers since the beginning of the year. That is a lot of unnecessary DEATH! Ukraine, however, has also suffered greatly. They have lost approximately 8,000 soldiers since January 1, 2025, and that number does not include their missing,’ the president added. ‘Ukraine has also lost civilians, but in smaller numbers, as Russian rockets crash into Kyiv, and other Ukrainian locales. This is a War that should have never happened — This is Biden’s War, not ‘TRUMP’s.’ I’m just here to see if I can stop it!’ 

Fox News’ Diana Stancy contributed to this report. 

As President Donald Trump has faced an onslaught of legal bids to block his agenda during his second term in office, Trump-nominated Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh spoke at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit judicial conference on Thursday, according to reports.

‘Executive branches of both parties over the last 20 years have been increasingly trying to issue executive orders and regulations that achieve the policy objectives of the president in power,’ Kavanaugh said, according to the New York Times.

‘And I think presidents, whether it’s President Obama – I think the phrase was ‘pen and phone’ – or President Biden or President Trump, have really done more of that, and those get challenged pretty quickly in court,’ he said, according to CNN.

Unlike regular Supreme Court rulings that fully explain the rationale behind the decision, decisions on the high court’s emergency docket may go unexplained.

‘We’ve been doing certainly more written opinions on the interim orders docket than we’ve done in the past,’ Kavanaugh said, according to CNN.

Though he noted that issuing written opinions may pose the ‘risk’ of ‘lock-in effect’ in which that opinion does not ‘reflect the final view,’ reports indicate.

Kavanaugh described the court’s ‘collegiality’ as ‘very strong,’ noting that the nine members on the bench ‘look out for each other’ and consider one another ‘patriots’ and ‘good people,’ according to reports.

Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court during his first term in office. 

He also nominated Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, meaning he chose one third of the current justices.