//The Wire//2300Z June 18, 2025//
//ROUTINE//
//BLUF: ESCALATIONS CONTINUE IN MIDDLE EAST. CONCERNS GROWING REGARDING SALE OF PUBLIC LANDS IN AMERICAN WEST.//

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-International Events-

Middle East: The war continues as before, with both Israeli and Iranian missile strikes taking place overnight. Both nations have also cracked down on internet use throughout their respective populations, due to operational security risks pertaining to how effective strikes actually were.

The United States has begun the large-scale evacuation of citizens from Israel, which is being carried out via commercial cruise ships, as Ben-Gurion Airport was closed to all commercial flights last Friday, until further notice. At the moment Israeli citizens are not permitted to leave the country, as the Transportation Minister has enacted the wartime policy forbidding citizens from departing.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C. - Diplomatic efforts continue as before, with varying statements being made by the White House regarding the situation in the Middle East. Earlier yesterday afternoon, journalists in the press corps stated that they were told that President Trump would address the nation, however a short time after this announcement the speech was canceled and the White House called a lid for the day. This afternoon the White House stated that President Trump has not yet made the decision to strike Iran or not, though multiple Situation Room meetings have occurred throughout the past few days.

Western USA: Concern is growing regarding the potential sale of public lands throughout the region. Over the past few days, information has leaked pertaining to the recent reconciliation bill in the Senate. Though this verbiage is still being considered, the latest draft of the amendment to the "Big Beautiful Bill" allegedly allows the sale of roughly 3 million acres of public lands.

AC: This sale is not yet set in stone, and details are very vague regarding what the impact of this potential sale might actually be. All of these concerns can be eliminated simply by the swipe of a pen, however going off of the information that is available right now, concerns are mounting.

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Analyst Comments: More strategically, the large-scale deployment of military assets continues as before. Some airfields are being packed with airframes, while other bases (which are within range of Iranian missiles) are being emptied out to protect assets from retaliatory strikes.

Overnight, CNN reported that the USS GERALD FORD (CVN-78) has been ordered to deploy to the Mediterranean Sea, to supplement the two Carrier Strike Groups already in the CENTCOM theater. The FORD has not departed port yet, and this deployment may not necessarily be a rapid and unplanned endeavor; the FORD was scheduled to undertake a routine deployment this summer anyway. However, three CSG's in CENTCOM is not particularly a sign indicating peace.

Analyst: S2A1
Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground
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