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Iran's Revolutionary Guard has shot down a US drone to send a “clear message” to the Trump administration after US secretary of state Mike Pompeo blamed the regime for an attack on two foreign oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz last week — leading to Donald Trump saying that someone had made a "big mistake".
Donald Trump's comment came as the US was warned by Russian president Vladimir Putin that any war between the two nations would be a “disaster”. The Pentagon has meanwhile called the downing of the drone an “unprovoked attack” by Tehran in international airspace, although Iran says the drone crossed its border.
On Capitol Hill, the Senate voted on legislation to block the Trump administration from selling US-made weapons to Saudi Arabia and its Gulf nation allies. This follows a decision by the UK government to halt approvals for the sale of weapons that could be used in the conflict in Yemen after its processes were ruled unlawful by the Court of Appeal.
Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam
Mark Morgan, acting director of Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) squad, says his agents will have no remorse about deporting whole families as part of the aggressive purge of "illegal aliens" the president trailed on Monday.
"It’s straightforward: if you’re here illegally, then you should be removed and in this case, that includes families," Morgan said during a press call on Wednesday, adding that the families have had due process.
"To uphold the rule of law... the men and women of ICE must follow through and enforce judicial orders against those who have had their due process and have been ordered removed by a federal immigration judge," he continued.
"We should not exempt a certain demographic from the rule of law. If you’re here illegally there should be consequences applied."
Morgan said ICE will continue to pursue people who have committed violent offenses but added “just because that demographic is a priority does not mean we should exempt all other categories.”
Here he is joining in the attack on AOC.
Whether ICE really has the capacity to realise the president's threat is another matter, given that it is already overwhelmed, lacking staff, funding and detention space.
Between 2009 and 2012, the Obama administration deported 1.6m immigrants. About 2m were deported during the eight years of the George W Bush administration.
An effort to rapidly deport more than a million as Trump demands is “a fantasy,” said John Sandweg, a former ICE head under Obama.
“ICE is always working at 100 per cent of its capacity. The president wants to create this illusion that he’s let go of the reins that other administrations were holding but that’s just not true.”
Since choosing to decide he was "exonerated" by the Mueller report when it explicitly says he wasn't, Trump has resumed his attack on defeated 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton with a vengeance.
Democrats have raised concerns about the White Houses's response to Iran, fearing that Mr Trump will respond militarily without authorisation from Congress.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who sits on both the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees has dismissed these concerns, saying Mr Trump can do so if he is protecting the national interest.
The US special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook - who is now heading for the Gulf to discuss Iran policy with allies - told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday that questions about the authorisation for military action would be better answered by a lawyer. But he added, “If the use of military force is necessary to defend US national security interests, we will do everything that we are required to do with respect to congressional war powers and we will comply with the law.”
Here are the thoughts of our International Correspondent Borzou Daragahi on that appearance by Mr Hook. He was not impressed.
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