Good Evening,
It's Tuesday, June 17th. |
Trump Considers Options
President Trump is considering a range of options, including a potential U.S. strike against Iran, as he meets with top advisers in the Situation Room on Tuesday, administration officials said. He earlier called on Iran to surrender without conditions to bring an end to its dayslong conflict with Israel, saying the U.S. knew the location of the country’s leader but was choosing not to take any action, as the WSJ reports. |
Iran Asks its People to Delete WhatsApp
Iranian state television on Tuesday afternoon urged the country’s public to remove the messaging platform WhatsApp from their smartphones, alleging the app—without offering specific evidence—gathered user information to send to Israel, as the AP reports. |
North Korea Will Send 5,000 Workers to Russia
North Korea is sending thousands of construction workers to help rebuild a war-torn Russian border region, a Russian official said Tuesday, as the Kremlin boasted of new steps in the deepening partnership between the two countries, as the NYT reports. |
Executive Education
Looking for the tools to navigate times of uncertainty and significant change with minimum disruption? The CSIS Global Strategy Lab combines virtual and in-person experiences to deliver the strategic insight, global perspective, and communication tools required to drive success in times of change. Register by August 29 to join a community of seasoned leaders from across the private sector, government, and nonprofits. |
Audio Briefs
CSIS now offers audio versions of our latest analysis. Listen to the latest Critical Questions by CSIS's Kristi Govella, "Understanding Trump’s Decision to Approve the Nippon Steel Deal." |
In That Number
700%
Radware, a U.S.-based cybersecurity firm, estimated there's been a 700% increase in Iranian cyberattacks against Israeli targets since Israel launched its initial missile strike on Tehran on June 12.
Source: Axios |
Critical Quote
“We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff.’ Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA.”
—President Donald Trump |
iDeas Lab
New CSIS analysis unpacks recent tensions around Scarborough Shoal by examining automatic identification system (AIS) tracking data of Chinese and Philippine law enforcement vessels from August 2024 to May 2025. Read the full analysis here.
The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.![]() ![]() ![]() |
Optics
(Photo credit: Suzanne Plunkett/AFP/Getty Images.) French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pose for a family photo during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada on June 16, 2025. |
Recommended Reading
“Too Soon to Rule Out Middle East Energy Disruption” by CSIS's Clayton Seigle. |
This Town Tomorrow
Beginning at 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Korea Chair hosts a conference on the future of United States-Japan-Korea trilateral relations.
At 11:00 a.m., CSIS welcomes Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) for a conversation with Dr. John Hamre on trilateral cooperation between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan.
Then, at 2:30 p.m., Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) joins Victor Cha for key remarks. |
Video
Yesterday, the CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Global Health Security hosted a summit, in partnership with Cencora, to examine the current state of U.S. generic medicine supply chains, discuss options to reduce the risk of disruption, and advance a strategy in the near- to medium-term to achieve greater market resilience and stability. Watch the full video here. |
Podcasts
CSIS's Tom Karako, Director of the Missile Defense Project and Senior Fellow in the Defense and Security Department, joins the podcast to discuss the Israel-Iran conflict—who's winning, who's losing, whether the United States will get involved, and what we should be looking for next.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. |
Smiles
If you read this space, you will know that I love the music of New Orleans. Here’s one of my favorite New Orleans bands, The Revivalists, performing for the Red Rock’s series “Trail Mix Sessions.” |
| I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz |
