Flying under the media radar, the Heritage Foundation—a think tank widely viewed as the intellectual engine behind the Trump administration’s foreign policy agenda—has published a brief that appears to map out the president’s prospective approach to Iran.

The six-page document advocates ending nuclear negotiations and pursuing joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Though thinly veiled as a policy analysis, the brief reads more like a soft launch for a war strategy.

Heritage has long played a predictive role in Trump-era foreign policy. Its reports and recommendations often find their way into official doctrine, especially on issues involving Israel and Iran. That’s what makes this document, titled “Eradicating Iran’s Nuclear Program,” so significant: it not only outlines what Washington should do, but when and how it should do it.

It opens with a glaring historical error, stating that “The Islamic Republic of Iran has had a nuclear program since the 1950s, with a military dimension beginning in the late 1980s.” Iran was a monarchy until 1979, when a grassroots revolution brought about a change in leadership.

More troubling, however, are its prescriptions. The authors endorse the Trump administration’s current posture, insisting the U.S. uphold the red line set by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff: that Iran will not be allowed to retain even “1% of an enrichment capability.” Tehran has dismissed this demand as a non-starter.

Poster Comment:

Philippines open to more agreements with China to keep peace in South China Sea The Philippines is open to any additional agreements with Beijing that can help maintain peace in the South China Sea, its top diplomat Enrique Manalo said, amid unabated confrontations between them over disputed features.

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/philippines-open-to-more-agreements- with-china-to-keep-peace-in-south-china-sea