President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. would hold talks with Iran next week to discuss a potential nuclear deal. Iran has yet to confirm the talks, but, if they take place, they would be the first in more than a month. However, Trump also downplayed the importance of reaching a deal with Tehran. 鈥淲e may sign an agreement,鈥 he said. 鈥淭o me, I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 that necessary.鈥 The reduced urgency to resume negotiations came as CIA Director John Ratcliffe said that his agency had obtained 鈥渃redible evidence鈥 that the U.S. strikes on three sites in Iran had 鈥渟everely damaged鈥 the country鈥檚 nuclear program. Israel reported similar findings, saying that its intelligence services believe that the nuclear program has been set back 鈥渕any years,鈥 contradicting a leaked preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency report stating that the U.S. operation set the program back just months. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the FBI was conducting a probe into how the intelligence assessment became public.
Trump announced Wednesday that he would consider sending Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, while still noting that the systems are in short supply. During a NATO summit in The Hague, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for nearly an hour鈥攁 reunion that Zelensky described as 鈥渓ong and substantive.鈥 The Ukrainian president said he reiterated his willingness to buy more U.S. weapons while also raising other possible ventures, including joint U.S.-Ukraine drone production. Despite the two leaders鈥 tumultuous relationship, Trump struck a softer tone toward Zelensky, saying that he 鈥渃ouldn鈥檛 have been nicer.鈥
Iranian authorities on Wednesday executed three people accused of spying for the Mossad, Israel鈥檚 intelligence agency, and detained hundreds of others for alleged espionage. The arrests stoked fear of a broader crackdown by the Islamic Republic in the aftermath of Iran鈥檚 war with Israel. Iranian media reported that more than 700 鈥淚sraeli mercenaries鈥 had been arrested in less than two weeks. The executions came on the same day that the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces confirmed that Israeli 鈥済round commando units鈥 operated deep inside Iran and granted Israel 鈥渙perational freedom of action鈥 during the conflict between the two countries.
Anti-government protests left 16 people dead and hundreds injured in Kenya on Wednesday as demonstrators clashed with police. Protesters cited government corruption and police brutality as the motivation for the demonstrations against President William Ruto鈥檚 government. This round of protests was timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of demonstrations against a tax bill, which ended with protesters storming the parliament and the deaths of more than 60 people.
The National Institutes of Health on Tuesday ordered the pause of additional medical research grant cancellations. The move鈥攁nnounced in an internal memo sent to staff on Tuesday鈥攃ame after a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled last week that some of the cancellations targeting grants over their purported support for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs were 鈥渧oid and illegal,鈥 arguing that the Trump administration had engaged in discrimination. It is not yet clear how long the pause will last.
New members of a vaccine advisory panel chosen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday announced plans to review the federal childhood vaccination schedule. The panel鈥檚 chair announced that the group would be evaluating the 鈥渃umulative effects鈥 of the current childhood vaccine schedule, the hepatitis B vaccine, and the combination measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox vaccine. The move comes after Kennedy fired all 17 members of the panel and replaced them with his own selections, choosing two members critical of vaccines to chair the group.