President Trump’s statement on Saudi Arabia is one of the most forthright explanations of foreign policy by a US President, ever. No obfuscation; no convoluted parseltongue; just plainly spoken brutal honesty.  The Saudis may do bad things but they are better than their enemies, and our alliance with them is in our national interest.  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers a similar statement in his media press briefing today.
Secretary Pompeo remarks about Saudi Arabia begin at 04:05 of video below:

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President Trump, not necessarily the White House – but rather, President Trump, releases an absolutely pitch-perfect statement that encapsulates the myriad of interests that have sought to exploit, manipulate, leverage and utilize the murder of Jamal Kashoggi.
This entirely accurate and brutally honest statement by President Trump will drive the left-wing media, specifically WaPo, NYT and CNN, absolutely bananas:

The world is a very dangerous place!

The country of Iran, as an example, is responsible for a bloody proxy war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen, trying to destabilize Iraq’s fragile attempt at democracy, supporting the terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, propping up dictator Bashar Assad in Syria (who has killed millions of his own citizens), and much more. Likewise, the Iranians have killed many Americans and other innocent people throughout the Middle East. Iran states openly, and with great force, “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” Iran is considered “the world’s leading sponsor of terror.”

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President Donald Trump meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for a bilateral discussion during the U.N. General Assembly meeting.
President el-Sisi was one of the key Arab leaders who stood in support of President Trump prior to the historic U.S-Saudi Summit in 2017. CTH readers will likely have followed the importance of el-Sisi in achieving regional stability and the elimination of extremism throughout the mid-east.

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We switch from domestic to foreign affairs starting with an interview with National Security Adviser John Bolton who discusses the upcoming speech by President Donald Trump to the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA).

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Part two of the interview below.
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To honor the memory of those lost on September 11th/12th 2012:

The Benghazi Brief

The “Benghazi Brief” remains the most controversial research report we have ever produced. The brief contains over two years of research and hundreds of very specific factual citations supporting it. Four years after it was originally written, and not a single aspect outlined within the brief has ever been identified as inaccurate.
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The Trump Doctrine is easiest to describe as: deploying economic leverage to achieve national security interests.  The Trump Doctrine is unique and stunningly effective.

Many of the geopolitical decisions have multiple facets which connect like small gears on a much larger machine.  One of those small dual-purpose gears is the Doctrine as it is applied to Pakistan.  The downstream moves impact China, our #1 geopolitical and economic adversary, then Russia, and also support new alliances with India and the broader Middle-east.

Toward China = ♦Squeeze #3. In 2017 Trump and Secretary Tillerson, now Secretary Pompeo, put Pakistan on notice they need to get involved in bringing their enabled tribal “extremists” (Taliban) to the table in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s primary investor and economic partner is China. The U.S. removed $900 million in financial support to pressure Pakistan toward a political solution in Afghanistan, China has to fill void.  [NOTE: Last month the World Bank began discussions about a financial bailout for Pakistan.]  Again, more one-way bleed for China. {Go Deep}

When President Trump removed the $900 million in aid to Pakistan, he empowered the Pentagon via Defense Secretary James Mattis, with an option to give $300 million to Pakistan if Mattis felt positive steps were being taken to change behavior.  Today the Pentagon announces no change in behavior is noted:
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Today the White House ends the initial 90-day period for the JCPOA withdrawal, and reveals the structure of the reinstatement of U.S. sanctions against Iran.
White House: REIMPOSING TOUGH SANCTIONS: President Donald J. Trump’s Administration is taking action to reimpose sanctions lifted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

♦President Trump made clear when he ended United States participation in the JCPOA that his Administration would be reimposing tough sanctions on the Iranian regime.
♦In connection with the withdrawal from the JCPOA, the Administration laid out two wind-down periods of 90 days and 180 days for business activities in or involving Iran.
♦Consistent with President Trump’s decision, the Administration will be reimposing specified sanctions after August 6, the final day of the 90-day wind-down period.
On August 7, sanctions will be reimposed on:
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Against the backdrop of U.S. withdrawing from the ill-fated Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA); and against the backdrop of looming U.S. sanctions therein; there has been an ongoing geopolitical simmering/positioning between allies and adversaries surrounding the current and future disposition of Iran.
Recently China, likely responding to economic trade leverage from the U.S., made a deal with Saudi Arabia for petroleum purchases weakening their alliance with Iran.  At the same time Turkey, a tenuous NATO ally, began positioning in advance of U.S. sanctions and removing Iran oil purchases.  Collectively, and with President Trump putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin via Syria and Iranian influence, this has led to Iran feeling an economic squeeze similar to the previous Trump Doctrine leverage as witnessed in N-Korea.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is feeling the heat.  On Sunday he said “war with Iran is the mother of all wars.” That led to the tweet reply from President Donald Trump:

This follows on the immediate heels of a speech given by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in Simi Valley, CA.
There is a clearly coordinated and unified message:
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Fox News host Tucker Carlson sat down for an interview with President Donald Trump following a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, with Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The interview aired in two parts:
Part 1 – President Trump discusses ‘very bad people‘ former CIA director John Brennan, FBI lovebirds Peter Strzok and Lisa Page being ‘exposed,’ the bipartisan call for conflict with Russia in Washington, NATO, Democrats and open borders.

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Part 2 (below) – President Trump discusses the new Mueller indictment, former President Obama ignoring DNC hacking, political bias in FBI, DOJ, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s political troubles, European migration and Democrat obstruction.
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Fox News Sean Hannity sits down with the president shortly after the meeting in Helsinki, Finland, between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin…
The interview is in two segments. Here is part I

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Part II below:
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