US deploys thousands of troops to Persian Gulf to deter Iran ship seizures – National & International News – TUE 8Aug2023

US deploys thousands of troops to Persian Gulf to deter Iran.

Supreme Court reinstates Biden ghost gun restrictions.

Sudan: Months of fighting has displaced 4 million people.

NATIONAL NEWS

US deploys thousands of troops to Persian Gulf to deter Iran

Over 3000 US Marines and sailors are deploying to the Middle East in an effort to deter attempts by the Iranian navy to detain civilian merchant ships including oil tankers. In the last two years, Iranian naval ships have seized over 20 civilian ships (including two in May) near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic choke point at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

Some of these troops will be posted on these civilian ships to deter capture attempts by Iran. Iran’s seizure of oil ships is in part retaliation for the US seizing ships carrying Iranian oil at sea. The US has been enforcing an embargo on Iranian oil since the collapse of the Iran nuclear agreement. Despite the risks, many countries are still accessing cheap Iranian oil through back channels. The regime has continued clandestine deliveries of oil using unmarked ships.

Deploying troops to the Gulf is a high-risk strategy which the administration hopes will force Iran to back down. The move not only risks direct military confrontation between the US and Iran, but also makes it more likely that US troops could be captured by a government that is increasingly hostile to the West.

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Supreme Court reinstates Biden ghost gun restrictions pending appeal

The Supreme Court will allow Biden administration rules targeting “ghost guns” to remain in effect while the administration appeals in a case challenging their validity. Ghost guns are guns that are privately manufactured and assembled by individuals. These guns lack the usual serial numbers that law enforcement uses to keep track of individual guns, making them difficult to trace.

Biden  announced a plan last year to crack down on the sale and distribution of ghost guns through the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Several gun rights lobby groups have filed challenges to the restrictions in various states. In June, a federal judge in Texas ruled that the restrictions exceeded the ATF’s authority and blocked the government from enforcing them. In a 5-4 emergency ruling, the Supreme Court allowed the restrictions to remain in place pending the administration’s appeal in the case.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Sudan: Months of fighting has displaced 4 million people

Since an armed conflict between two rival Sudanese generals broke out in April, fighting, shelling and a breakdown in basic services has displaced over 4 million people. This includes nearly 900,000 who have fled to relative safety in neighboring countries. The clash is between Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, who commands the Sudanese military, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of a major paramilitary group. The two sides failed to come to a power-sharing agreement during what was supposed to be a transitional period back to an elected democracy in the country. 

Intense fighting and shelling in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere has been periodically interrupted by brief ceasefires lasting only a few days. These ceasefires were negotiated in conjunction with international partners who are trying, with no success thus far, to mediate an end to the conflict.

The fighting continues unabated in Sudan as another conflict is brewing in West Africa. Nearly two weeks after ousting Niger’s elected leader, the military junta which seized power is in a standoff with its neighbors.

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