IAEA confirms its inspectors will visit Iranian nuclear sites

IAEA: INSPECTIONS ‘GOING TO HAPPEN’: A day after a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry insisted “Iran has no plans to allow IAEA inspectors to enter nuclear sites that were damaged during the war,” Rafael Grossi, director general of International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that inspections were “going to happen.”“I can understand political statements, they are part of the reality, but the fundamental thing I would like to remind you and draw your attention to is that there has been a memorandum of understanding, signed by both presidents,” Grossi told journalists at a news conference at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. “Whether this happens the day after tomorrow or in one week or in 10 days, it’s important, but not essential. This is going to happen.”Yesterday, President Donald Trump threatened to scuttle the ongoing negotiations, if it turned out that Iran, indeed, was refusing the inspections by the U.N. nuclear watchdog. “They’re wrong. They know they’re wrong because they told us inside that we have it down 100% inspections,” Trump told reporters in Reading, Pennsylvania. “And if they were right, I’d cancel the meetings right now.”

IRANIAN LEADERS PROJECT NEWFOUND CONFIDENCE WITH INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL SPREERUBIO: ‘DON’T KNOW WHY THEY HAVE TO SAY THE THINGS THEY SAY’: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters in the United Arab Emirates, first stop on his three-nation tour aimed at reassuring Gulf allies, said, “We know what they agreed to. I don’t know why they have to say the things they say.”“Whatever their internal or domestic politics is, I guess they’ll navigate it,” Rubio said. “But we know what they agreed to do, and now they’ll either do it or they won’t. And if they do, the process moves forward. And if they don’t, the President will have some decisions to make.”In a Truth Social post yesterday morning Trump said, “Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!). This will insure ‘Nuclear Honesty.’ If they did not agree to this, there would be no further negotiations!”“Based on this and other major concessions being made by Iran, I have agreed to allow the Hormuz Strait to remain OPEN, with no further Naval Blockade. However, all ships are remaining in place should it be necessary to reinstitute the Blockade, which seems, at this point, highly unlikely,” Trump added.In remarks at the Mack Truck plant in Macungie, Pennsylvania, Trump boasted that oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz at record levels. “It’s called an oil gusher.”‘Yesterday, 19 million barrels of oil flowed out of the Strait of Hormuz, a very beautiful place,” Trump said. “That’s the most oil in the history of the Strait … You’ve never seen anything like that.”“And most importantly, … this is why I did it, Trump said. “I did it for this reason, 99% for this: Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. And they’ve agreed to that.”TRUMP BLASTS OIL COMPANIES FOR NOT LOWERING PRICES TO CONSUMERS, ACCUSES THEM OF PRICE GOUGINGTRUMP BLASTS “POORLY TIMED AND MEANINGLESS’ WAR POWERS VOTE”: After ten tries, the Senate finally got the Republican votes it needed to rebuke President Trump with a war powers resolution that rebukes Trump’s failure to seek approval from Congress before launching his war against Iran.Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, joined Democrats to approve the largely symbolic measure 50-48, after it also squeaked through the House. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the lone Democrat to oppose the resolution.“Four Republican Losers voted with the Dumocrats,” Trump posted on Truth Social this morning. “These Senators have just made my job more difficult.”Trump accused the Senate of giving “aid and comfort [sic] the Enemy,” just as he has “Iran on the ropes, ready to go down for the fall, willing to give us practically anything.”“And the U.S. Senate decides to have a poorly timed and meaningless War Powers Act Vote, telling the Number One Sponser (sic) of Terror in the World that the United States doesn’t like what I am doing to them, and I must stop.”“But I will get it done, one way or the other,” Trump said, “because I always get it done!”SENATE REBUKES TRUMP ON IRAN WAR WITH SYMBOLIC RESOLUTIONGood Wednesday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSEHAPPENING TODAY: TRUMP TO THE HILL: President Trump is making a rare trip to the Capitol to sign the “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act,” and meet with Republican senators, including some who have been sharply critical of the way the war with Iran has ended, especially the $300 billion fund to help Iran rebuild. “I believe President Trump is getting very poor advice on Iran,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said last week on his podcast.Also on the president’s schedule for today is a 3:30 p.m. meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who hopes to do some fence-mending after Trump excoriated NATO allies who refused basing rights during the major combat operations part of the war. “They weren’t there for us,” Trump said. “This is small potatoes. They say, no, we’d rather not help. Stupid thing to say because we can say that to them if we want. And we might.”“I know there is disappointment,” Rutte said on Fox News last night. “But let’s also see, these are isolated cases.” “Country after country, ally after ally after ally have made their bases as available for Epic Fury. It means thousands, between 4,000 and 5,000 sorties. So planes talking off from European bases to support Epic Fury,” Rutte said. “So there’s more to this than the isolated cases. And sometimes that gets a bit lost now, I think, in the discussion.”Rutte’s Oval Office meeting comes after War Secretary Pete Hegseth berated NATO allies at last week’s meeting of defense ministers. “The United States has defended Europe for generations, and the President all he said was that our jets would need to take off from bases in Europe or our ships from ports to strike targets in the Middle East, Iranian targets that threaten European interests even more directly than they threaten us, but too many of our allies said no, or tried to drown us in arcane legal debates, or criticized us publicly for doing what they aren’t prepared or able to do themselves,” Hegseth said.“It was shameful.”OPINION: TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL IS SHAPING UP TO BE WORSE THAN OBAMA’SHEGSETH: ‘GOLDEN DOME IS REAL, POWERFUL, AND ON TRACK’: In a post on X last night, Hegseth said President Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative scored an early success in a test of a directed energy weapon.“President Trump is making President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) vision a reality,” Hegseth said. “Golden Dome is real, powerful, and on track.”Hegseth called the test of the Dynamic Defense Autonomous Defeat (DDAD) system a “milestone,” and said he was “honored to witness it firsthand.”“I watched our elite warfighters integrate with next-generation technology to stop incoming drones and cruise missiles dead in their tracks,” Hegseth said, employing “cutting-edge directed energy.”ARMY COMMANDER FOR AFRICA AND EUROPE RESIGNS IN LATEST HIGH-PROFILE PENTAGON EXITTHE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: Senate rebukes Trump on Iran war with symbolic resolutionWashington Examiner: Trump blasts oil companies for not lowering prices to consumers, accuses them of price gougingWashington Examiner: Army commander for Africa and Europe resigns in latest high-profile Pentagon exitWashington Examiner: Iranian leaders project newfound confidence with international travel spreeWashington Examiner: Pro-Cuba activists in US plan trip to honor Castro regime as Trump ramps up pressureWashington Examiner: ICE may deport illegal immigrants without judge approval, appeals court rulesWashington Examiner: Biden-appointed judge ripped after blocking ICE arrests at immigration courtsWashington Examiner: Clarence Thomas hands DHS win on denying criminal immigrants US entryWashington Examiner: Fencing installed around Reflecting Pool as Trump alleges vandalismWashington Examiner: Opinion: Trump’s Iran deal is shaping up to be worse than Obama’sWashington Examiner: Opinion: Russia’s deep Crimea crisis will only get worseWashington Examiner: Opinion: What will presumptive new prime minister Andy Burnham mean for the special relationship?Wall Street Journal: Russia Pressures Belarus in Bid to Open New Front in Ukraine WarCNN: Downed US Pilot Reported Seeing Iranian Drones Swarm in ‘Jellyfish’ FormationABC News: Military Services Again Requiring Recruits to Get Flu Shots as Air Force Outbreak GrowsNew York Post: Pete Hegseth: ‘We Must Spend Big on Defense to Save America’s Economic Might”The Atlantic: Another Top General Is Out at the PentagonCBS News: Trump expected to meet with defense contractors Wednesday amid Iran peace talksDefense Scoop: Watchdog Review Sheds New Light on DOGE’s Downsizing Impacts at DODBreaking Defense: How L3Harris Transformed a Qatari 747 into a New Air Force One Plane Before July 4Air & Space Forces Magazine: Pentagon Finds $1.55B for E-7 Wedgetail, Mostly in Classified BudgetBreaking Defense: ‘High Risk’ Sustainment: How Boeing and the Air Force Battled over T-7 Data RightsThe War Zone: Air Force’s Fightertown Alaska Plan Takes ShapeTask & Purpose: A Third of Military Families Report $500 or Less in Emergency SavingsAir & Space Forces Magazine: Space RCO Head Moves to Air Force Nuclear Weapons CenterAir & Space Forces Magazine: Flights Resume at Edwards Week After B-52 CrashAir & Space Forces Magazine: White House Taps 20 Air Force One-Stars for PromotionTHE CALENDAR: WEDNESDAY | JUNE 248:55 a.m. 900 S. Orme St., Arlington, Virginia — Institute for Defense and Government Advancement Next Generation Unmanned Aircraft Systems conference: “Advancing Drone Dominance Efforts Across the U.S. Military,” with Brig. Gen. Tamara Campbell, commander, Marine Corps Systems Command, delivers remarks on “U.S. Marine Corps System Command Drone Acquisition Initiatives” https://www.idga.org/events-next-generation-uas/agenda-mc10 a.m. 1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Cato Institute conference “Nuclear Proliferation in U.S. Grand Strategy” https://www.cato.org/events/nuclear-proliferation-us-grand-strategy11 a.m. 2359 Rayburn — House Appropriations Committee markup of the FY2027 Defense bill. http://appropriations.house.gov11 a.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: “Assessing the Latest Iran Deal and What It Means for U.S. Interests, with Kirsten Fontenrose, nonresident senior fellow, Atlantic Council; Damian Murphy, senior vice president for national security and international policy at American Progress; and Brian Katulis, MEI senior fellow https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register3 p.m. 1701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW —​​ Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “China AI Capabilities and the Risks to U.S. National Security, with Saif Khan, fellow for the Institute for Progress; Emily Weinstein, director, technology and innovation for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission; Ashley Gold, senior technology policy reporter for Axios; and Daniel Remier, CNAS senior fellow https://events.cnas.org/chinaaicapabilitiesvirtualTHURSDAY | JUNE 25 7 a.m. — Association of the U.S. Army daylong “Hot Topic” on Army acquisition and contracting: “Accelerating Solutions for Today Fight,” with Maj. Gen. Douglas Lowrey, commanding general of U.S. Army Contracting Command https://www.ausa.org/events/hot-topic/army-acquisition-and-contracting7:45 a.m. 300 First St. SE — National Institute for Deterrence Studies seminar on Columbia-class and Ohio-class submarine program, with Rear Adm. Todd Weeks, Navy program executive officer for strategic submarines https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/rear-admiral-todd-weeks-live-at-the-capitol-hill-club/9:30 a.m. G-50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Jules Hurst III to be Defense undersecretary (comptroller); Richard O’Malley to be deputy Defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment; Roger Mason to be director, National Reconnaissance Office; and Erich Hernandez-Baquero to be assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration http://www.armed-services.senate.gov10 a.m. 2358-C Rayburn — House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing: “Oversight Hearing – Department of Homeland Security,” with testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin; and Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Troy Edgar http://appropriations.house.gov11 a.m. 1333 H St. NW — Center for American Progress book discussion: Lethal Autonomy: The Future of Warfare Whether We Like It or Not, with author Frank Kendall, former Air Force secretary https://www.americanprogress.org/events/lethal-autonomy1:30 p.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW — Hudson Institute discussion: “Navigating Competition in the Central Arctic Ocean, with Scott Highleyman, Ocean Conservancy senior adviser; Bryan Clark, director, Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology; and Michael Roberts, senior fellow, Hudson Center for Defense Concepts and Technology https://www.hudson.org/events/navigating-competition-central-arctic-ocean2 p.m. G-50 Dirksen — Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe briefing: “Russia Tech Authoritarianism on the Occupied Territories of Ukraine, with Iryna Adam, research associate, Atlantic Council Digital Forensic Research Lab; Maksym Beznosiuk, analyst at the Jamestown Foundation and GLOBSEC associate fellow; and Steven Feldstein, senior fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace https://www.youtube.com/live/R0h33K7rw7QFRIDAY | JUNE 26 12:30 p.m. 1400 L St. NW— Atlantic Council Indo-Pacific Security Initiative virtual discussion: “Frontlines of the South China Sea,” a fireside chat with Philippine Coast Guard Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/frontlines-of-the-south-china-sea-fireside-chat