A message posted Tuesday on Vice President JD Vance’s X account recognizing the Armenian genocide was later removed, prompting clarification from the White House that there has been no shift in U.S. policy following his participation in a wreath-laying ceremony in Armenia.
The now-deleted post said that Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, took part in the ceremony to commemorate the victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide. The wording stood in contrast to current Trump administration policy regarding the terminology used to describe the events.
For decades, Armenians have pressed governments around the world to formally recognize the mass killings carried out between 1915 and 1917 under the Ottoman Empire as genocide, maintaining that approximately 1.5 million Armenians were killed.
Turkey, which succeeded the Ottoman Empire, has consistently denied that the killings, arrests and forced deportations of Armenians during that period constitute genocide.
Successive U.S. administrations have generally refrained from officially labeling the events as “genocide,” citing the potential diplomatic fallout with Turkey, a strategic ally in the region. In 2021, President Joe Biden formally referred to the Ottoman Empire’s actions against Armenians as “genocide,” drawing sharp condemnation from Ankara.
A spokesperson for Vance said the post published Tuesday was the work of staff members who were not traveling as part of the official delegation.
The White House later issued a statement underscoring that there has been no change in longstanding policy, pointing to an earlier Armenian Remembrance Day message. Vance’s X account subsequently shared a revised, more measured post that included an image of the handwritten note he left in the guest book at the ceremony: “In solemn remembrance of the lives lost, we honor the resilience and enduring spirit of the Armenian people.”
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President Donald Trump is weighing the possibility of dispatching an additional U.S. aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East as renewed negotiations with Iran get underway, underscoring that Washington is maintaining a credible military option alongside diplomacy.
Speaking with Axios in an interview on Tuesday, Trump said the potential move would be part of a wider pressure campaign against Tehran as talks resume following last year’s short but fierce conflict.
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump told Axios.
Negotiators from the United States and Iran reconvened in Oman last Friday, marking their first direct discussions since the 12-day war in June. The talks are taking place even as the Trump administration continues to reinforce U.S. military assets across the region. Trump said he anticipates another round of discussions next week.
“We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,” Trump said, noting that he is “thinking” about ordering a second carrier strike group to the area.
A U.S. official confirmed to Axios that internal conversations have already taken place regarding the possible deployment of another carrier.
At present, the United States has the USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying strike group stationed in the region, outfitted with fighter aircraft, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and support vessels. During much of the Gaza war, the U.S. maintained two carrier strike groups operating in the Middle East simultaneously.
Even with the heightened military posture, Trump suggested that negotiations have a real chance of succeeding, saying Iran “wants to make a deal very badly” and is engaging more seriously because of sustained U.S. pressure.
“Last time they didn’t believe I would do it,” Trump said, referencing U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June. “They overplayed their hand.”
“This time the talks are very different,” he added.
Iranian officials have publicly stated that the discussions should be limited to the nuclear file and have insisted that Tehran will not relinquish its ability to enrich uranium. That position has raised doubts among U.S. and Israeli critics who question whether a far-reaching agreement can be achieved.
Trump said it should be obvious that any deal must confront Iran’s nuclear program, adding that he sees room for talks to also address Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities.
“We can make a great deal with Iran,” he said.
The renewed negotiations are unfolding as Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu prepares for a visit to Washington on Wednesday. Trump told Axios that Netanyahu “also wants a deal.”
“He wants a good deal,” Trump said.
Ahead of his trip, Netanyahu said he intends to convey Israel’s perspective on what he described as the “essential principles” guiding the negotiations.
At the same time, senior Iranian figure Ali Larijani has been holding meetings with regional intermediaries in Oman and Qatar. U.S. officials believe those discussions are designed to influence the shape and direction of the next phase of talks, according to Axios.
{Matzav.com}The Biala Rebbe of the United States, who is currently in Eretz Yisroel to mark the yahrtzeit of his grandfather, the Chelkas Yehoshua of Biala zt”l, paid a special visit to the home of the Yenuka in Rishon LeZion.
During the visit, the Biala Rebbe presented the Yenuka with the sefer Noam Elimelech, which includes the awe-inspiring tefillah of the Rebbe Rav Elimelech of Lizhensk.
The Rebbe outlined the lineage of righteous figures in his dynasty, tracing it back to the Yehudi HaKadosh of Peshischa and earlier tzaddikim. In the course of the meeting, the Yenuka recounted the extraordinary episode involving the Yehudi HaKadosh, who was saved when a Russian soldier fired at him and, in a miraculous moment, he caught the lead bullet and stopped it.
The Biala Rebbe added that a similar miracle occurred with his illustrious grandfather, the Chelkas Yehoshua of Biala. After being taken to Siberia during the war and immersing himself in icy waters, a Russian soldier fired at him as well. In a strikingly similar event, he caught the bullet with his hand and was miraculously spared.
{Matzav.com}