Donald Trump yesterday suggested he is ready to send “a hell of a lot” of troops to confront Iran in the Middle East amid warnings that the two countries are stumbling towards a war. The comments come amid mounting diplomatic and military tensions in the Persian Gulf after Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels attacked an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia and an unidentified attacker attempted to sabotage tankers. Mr Trump said reports that the Pentagon has already drawn up plans to deploy 120,000 soldiers to the region in preparation for conflict were “fake news.” But he added: “Now, would I do that? Absolutely. But we have not planned for that,” he said. “Hopefully we’re not going to have to plan for that. And if we did that, we’d send a hell of a lot more troops than that,” he said. A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron refuels during a mission over the middle east Credit: HANDOUT/Reuters Tensions between Washington and Iran have spiralled since last week, when the US accused Iran of preparing to attack US interests in the Middle East and said it was sending an aircraft carrier and a task force of B-52 bombers to the region in response. Iran then said it would resume enriching high-grade uranium needed for a nuclear weapon unless the world finds a way to ease the impact of US sanctions that have devastated its economy. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Pentagon officials had drawn up a plan to send up to 120,000 troops to the Middle East to counter military attacks.  Iran’s president earlier said he would not bow to US pressure and warned that Iran is “too great to be intimidated by anyone.” The Norwegian-flagged MV Andrea Victory was attacked on 12 May 2019 outside Fujairah port, United Arab Emirates Credit:  ALI HAIDER/EPA-EFE/REX “God willing we will pass this difficult period with glory and our heads held high, and defeat the enemy,” Hassan Rouhani said at a meeting with Sunni clerics. On Monday four ships were damaged by “sabotage attacks” near the mouth of the Persian Gulf. The United States and its allies have refrained from publicly blaming Iran for the incident, but officials in Washington have briefed reporters that national security agencies believe Iran or Iranian proxies were responsible. Iran has denied all such claims. On Tuesday Khalid al-Falih, the Saudi energy minister, said state owned oil firm Aramco had “temporarily shut down” the East-West pipeline after two pumping stations were targeted. Oil production and exports were not interrupted. Mohammed Abdusalam, a spokesman for the Houthi rebels, wrote on Twitter that the attacks were “a response to the aggressors continuing to commit genocide” against the Yemeni people. The US has pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” including trying to prevent third countries buying Iranian oil since Mr Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from a 2015 deal designed to curtail Iran’s nuclear program in May 2018. Iran has said it cannot remain bound by a one-sided agreement and has given the other signatories - the UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union - sixty days to find a way to allow it to continue to sell oil and receive the revenues from such sales.  The Trump administration's policy has caused a rift between the United States and European signatories to the agreement, including Britain. Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, has warned that the US and Iran could stumble into armed conflict. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, on Tuesday said US officials “fundamentally do not seek a war with Iran” but said there was an increased risk of attack from Iranian allies across the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) Credit:  ALEXANDER NEMENOV/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX Speaking at a press conference with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, he said:  "we’ve made clear to the Iranian that if US interests are attacked we will respond in an appropriate fashion." But a senior British general on Tuesday claimed there was little reason to believe Iran posed a greater threat in key areas of the Middle East. “No, there’s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria,” Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika told reporters at the Pentagon in a video conference from coalition headquarters in Baghdad. “We’re aware of their presence, clearly, and we monitor them, along with a whole range of others because that’s the environment we’re in.” Mr Pompeo was speaking after a meeting with Mr Lavrov and Vladimir Putin. He admitted there were major differences between Russia and the United States over Iran, Venezuela, and Ukraine.   Mr Lavrov said Russia supported a "diplomatic solution" to the confrontation and that he believed the US was ready to seek one.  Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, described the threat to renew uranium enrichment and heavy water production as an attempt to "save" the 2015 nuclear deal by signalling that immediate action is needed to preserve it.  He said Iran did not want a war but warned an armed conflict would be “devastating” for both the United States and the region. “If people in the White House or the region want to drag the US into a conflict they should take this very seriously,” he said. “We are fully prepared for any eventuality.”

China's announcement that it's raising a tariffs on US imports to up to 25% poses a further threat to farmers, manufacturers and other businesses

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A man who reportedly told investigators that he went to the Mall of America "looking for someone to kill" pleaded guilty Tuesday to throwing a 5-year-old boy from a third-floor balcony and faces 19 years in prison.

Evangelical leader Pat Robertson has declared Alabama’s new abortion ban, which prevents the procedure outright in nearly all cases, “an extreme law”.“I think Alabama has gone too far, they’ve passed a law that would give a 99-year prison sentence to those who commit abortions,” Mr Robertson said during an episode of his long-running Christian television show, The 700 Club. “There’s no exception for rape or incest,” he continued. “It’s an extreme law and they want to challenge Roe v Wade, but my humble view is that this is not the case we want to bring to the Supreme Court because I think this one’ll lose.”Though the evangelical maintained his support for ending Roe v Wade, he still told CBS viewers that he thought Alabama’s specific law was “ill-considered”.Alabama’s new rule, which was signed into law by governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday afternoon, is now the strictest anti-abortion law in the country. With almost no exception, the law declares abortion a Class A felony, and attempted abortion a Class C felony.It will take effect in six months, meaning that abortion remains legal in Alabama for now. Its creators have said it is a direct challenge of Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that protects American abortion rights, and the ACLU of Alabama has already vowed to challenge it. It's the latest in a series of dedicated laws enacted by Republican legislatures attempting to reach the Supreme Court, including a bill in neighbouring Georgia that criminalizes abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Mr Robertson is considered a foundational member of the current Evangelical movement, which has been working against abortion rights for decades. A former Southern Baptist minister, he rose to fame after establishing the conservative Christian Broadcasting Network in the 1960s. He currently serves as chairman for CBN, and has been arguably its most famous personality since its inception.Though he finds Alabama’s law extreme, Mr Robertson’s commitment to the cause of stripping women of access to abortion does not appear to be waning. “God bless them,” he said of the Alabama legislators, despite what he considers mistakes. “They’re trying to do something.”

Former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein escalated his war of words with former FBI director James Comey Monday, calling Comey a “partisan pundit” in remarks to the Greater Baltimore Committee.“I do not blame the former director for being angry. I would be too if I were in his shoes,” Rosenstein said, referencing the unceremonious manner in which Comey was fired. "But now the former director seems to be acting as a partisan pundit, selling books and earning speaking fees while speculating about the strength of my character and the fate of my immortal soul. I kid you not."Comey, whose memoir has pulled in over $2 million since his firing two years ago, said last week on CNN that Rosenstein is someone “of accomplishment but not real sterling character, strong character.” He had previously, in a New York Times op-ed, written that Attorney General William Barr and others working in the Trump administration do not possess the “inner strength” to oppose Trump, who "eats your soul in small bites."Rosenstein wrote in a memo at the time of Comey's firing that the move was “reasonable under the circumstances,” but the former deputy attorney general stressed that Trump did not coach him on the reasons he cited justifying the firing.“On the contrary, I admired him personally,” Rosenstein said of Comey, before arguing that the former FBI director had crossed "bright lines that should never be crossed."Rosenstein officially left the Justice Department last week, after having delayed his departure until Special Counsel Robert Mueller's final report was released."The clearest mistake was the director’s decision to hold a press conference about an open case, reveal his recommendation and discuss details about the investigation, without the consent of the prosecutors and the attorney general," Rosenstein said, referring to Comey's July 5, 2016 news conference announcing that the FBI had recommended no criminal charges arising from the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. "Then, he chose to send a letter to the Congress on the eve of the election stating that one of the candidates was under criminal investigation, expecting it to be released immediately to the public," he continued, referencing Comey's October 28, 2016 announcement to Congress that the investigation had been reopened."Those actions were not within the range of reasonable decisions," Rosenstein said, but added, “I would be the last one to condemn anyone for a judgment call. These jobs are difficult. They involve choices that invite criticism.”"My soul and character are pretty much the same today as they were two years ago," he concluded. "I think I made the right calls on the things that mattered."