Tyler Stapleton

Foreign policy professional, Senior Director of Government Relations at FDD Action, Buffalo Bills fan, and Middle East specialist. Former Hill staffer.

[Tyler Stapleton @Ty_D_Stapleton]

Says the guy sending F-16’s to an island that Turkey has militarily occupied for decades while stealing the property of those that lived in the north.

[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan @RTErdogan]

Akdeniz’de, özellikle Kıbrıs Adası’nda bir fitne ateşinin yakılmak istendiğini görüyoruz; bu gelişmeleri yakından takip ediyoruz.

Çok açık söylüyorum:

Eğer Doğu Akdeniz’de Türkiye’nin ve Kıbrıs Türkü’nün hak ve hukukuna kastedilirse cevabımız çok net olur, çok da sert olur.

[Briana Reilly @briana_reilly]

New: Secretary Hegseth told top Hill defense hawks today that DOD would be requesting a supplemental to backfill spending tied to U.S. operations in Iran and Venezuela, HASC Chair Mike Rogers said.

Rogers and SASC Chair Wicker were on the call w Hegseth.

[Tyler Stapleton @Ty_D_Stapleton]

CENTCOM will need to walk a fine line with Congress to provide additional resources for sustainment operations while also stating administration policy that the U.S. is not engaged in active hostilities with Iran. The resourcing request and the current administration posture are incongruous.

[U.S. Central Command @CENTCOM]

Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, briefed the Defense subcommittee for the House Appropriations Committee today in Washington, D.C., on U.S. military operational priorities in the Middle East. Cooper will also brief the committee in the Senate tomorrow. These sessions follow public briefings to the Armed Services Committees last month.

[The Vandenberg Coalition @VandenbergCo]

"I've got 616 data points unclassified across five categories of security cooperation to tell you that China, Russia, Iran, North Korea appreciate the values of partners and we should too." @Brad_L_Bowman of @FDD from our Future of NATO event

[Tyler Stapleton @Ty_D_Stapleton]

Noting the continued close relationship between Iran and Oman. Oman is not a neutral party and is continuing to work diligently to normalize Iran on the international stage.

[Treasury Department @USTreasury]

Today, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is designating a network of individuals, entities, and vessels responsible for shipping hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian-origin liquid petroleum gas⸺intentionally disguised as Omani LPG⸺to end users in South and East Asia.

[Rep Josh Gottheimer @RepJoshG]

No foreign government should be influencing what our kids are taught in American classrooms.

We need transparency, accountability, and strong safeguards against foreign interference in our education system. American students should be learning facts, not Qatari-funded narratives.

https://t.co/5puHhPcrnp

[Hussain Abdul-Hussain @hahussain]

Thank you, Congressman Schneider!

As someone who spent the first 30 years of my life in Lebanon and know the country intimately, I vouch for every word Schneider says in this video.

The fight is for the independence and free will of the Lebanese people and their elected government, independence from Iran (and its negotiations track with America), as well as from Saudi Arabi, Turkey, France, and the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah.

Lebanon has no outstanding issue with Israel. Once Hezbollah is disarmed, the two nations will sign peace, a treaty that will serve the national interests of both countries.

Next: Lebanon will ask the UN to resettle 180,000 Palestinians out of Lebanon and will take the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) to the ICC and ICJ, demanding reparations for the PLO's wars in Lebanon.

[Jonathan Schanzer @JSchanzer]

Mapping Qatar’s $400 Billion Footprint in the United States.

Here is @FDD’s new report authored by the dogged and talented @NatalieEcanow with a foreword from yours truly. https://t.co/mTeBZ9smnm

[Tyler Stapleton @Ty_D_Stapleton]

Qatar’s Influence-Buying in America Is Even Worse Than We Thought - 👀 https://t.co/UKS4DrAOu6

[Tyler Stapleton @Ty_D_Stapleton]

CENTCOM providing timely responses to IRGC propaganda. Working hard to win the information war.

[U.S. Central Command @CENTCOM]

🚫 CLAIM: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims they struck U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and a U.S. air base in the region with missiles and drones today. FALSE.

✅ TRUTH: All Iranian attacks on American forces failed. U.S. forces remain vigilant and ready to defend against unwarranted Iranian aggression.

[Senate Foreign Relations Committee @SFRCdems]

WATCH: @SenatorShaheen presses @SecRubio on providing sanctions relief on Russian oil:

"President Trump gave Russia a lifeline by allowing it to sell oil globally...they decided to remove the stigma on that oil and give an extra windfall of cash to Putin."

[Boris Zilberman @rolltidebmz]

We are just destined to repeat history in Lebanon aren’t we

[Tyler Stapleton @Ty_D_Stapleton]

The issue for the White House in front loading the agreement without addressing the nuclear issue will surround the triggering of INARA after the mid term elections. This will be a much more difficult prospect. Republicans will likely oppose the waiving of sanctions and Democrats (likely to have control of at least one chamber) will not want to play ball with an Administration led phased agreement.

[Miad Maleki @miadmaleki]

The way this MOU is being structured makes it plausible to argue it doesn’t trigger congressional review under INARA. It’s framed as a ceasefire / de‑escalation instrument with a short runway to a later, more detailed nuclear deal, not a full “agreement relating to Iran’s nuclear program” with likely a sanctions-relief package that clearly fits INARA’s definition.

And because the administration, for now, doesn’t seem to be issuing new oil waivers or broad statutory sanctions waivers, relying instead on existing authorities and, potentially, OFAC general licenses or other narrow tools, you don’t yet have the classic INARA scenario where a president is actively “waiving, suspending, or reducing” statutory Iran sanctions in exchange for nuclear concessions.

In that sense, the MOU can be sold as a military and humanitarian arrangement that defers both the nuclear file and meaningful sanctions relief to a future negotiation, which is exactly the gray zone a White House would use to argue that INARA review isn’t triggered yet, even if Congress and outside experts will (rightly) see it as front‑loading the political reality of a later nuclear deal.

[Miad Maleki @miadmaleki]

The way this MOU is being structured makes it plausible to argue it doesn’t trigger congressional review under INARA. It’s framed as a ceasefire / de‑escalation instrument with a short runway to a later, more detailed nuclear deal, not a full “agreement relating to Iran’s nuclear program” with likely a sanctions-relief package that clearly fits INARA’s definition.

And because the administration, for now, doesn’t seem to be issuing new oil waivers or broad statutory sanctions waivers, relying instead on existing authorities and, potentially, OFAC general licenses or other narrow tools, you don’t yet have the classic INARA scenario where a president is actively “waiving, suspending, or reducing” statutory Iran sanctions in exchange for nuclear concessions.

In that sense, the MOU can be sold as a military and humanitarian arrangement that defers both the nuclear file and meaningful sanctions relief to a future negotiation, which is exactly the gray zone a White House would use to argue that INARA review isn’t triggered yet, even if Congress and outside experts will (rightly) see it as front‑loading the political reality of a later nuclear deal.

[Tyler Stapleton @Ty_D_Stapleton]

The Treasury Department has provided additional guidance on the sanctions risk of paying Iran fees for transit of the Strait of Hormuz.

"Payments to and guarantees from the Government of Iran or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), directly or indirectly, for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz would not be authorized for U.S. persons, including U.S. financial institutions, or for U.S.-owned or -controlled foreign entities. Regardless of whether a payment is made, U.S. persons are prohibited from receiving services from the Government of Iran, including services related to a guarantee of safe passage."
https://t.co/2JjGjmllw3

[Tyler Stapleton @Ty_D_Stapleton]

The Treasury Department is sanctioning Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority. The action is being taken under Executive Order 13224 terrorism designations. This would bar firms and financial institutions from processing any payments, fees, or tolls the Iranian Strait Authority would try to collect from commercial shipping entities.

https://t.co/Y5STnHOi0B

[Tyler Stapleton @Ty_D_Stapleton]

Iran appears to be testing U.S. responses to a variety of kinetic activities. Iran has also been testing reactions to missile and drone defenses of neighboring countries. Expect more of the same as the regime in Tehran attempts to build leverage in talks with the U.S.

[Dan Lamothe @DanLamothe]

Can confirm this.

A U.S. official says that U.S. forces today shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz and also struck an Iranian launch site in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

The official described the action as "measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire." It follows similar U.S. strikes that occurred on Monday, during a ceasefire that has looked shaky.

[Tyler Stapleton @Ty_D_Stapleton]

The House and Senate will likely be marking up the bill without certainty on negotiations with Iran. Major resourcing questions may have to be addressed after the committee process.

[Connor O'Brien @connorobrienNH]

BREAKING: The House Armed Services Committee has released its draft of the FY27 NDAA. The defense bill is set to be marked up on June 4 when Congress returns.

Chairman's mark and seven subcommittee marks are posted here: https://t.co/xHbb6CZX5f

[Treasury Department @USTreasury]

Today, as a part of Economic Fury, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated a prominent Iranian foreign currency exchange house and associated front companies that oversee hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks. Collectively, Iranian exchange houses facilitate billions of dollars in foreign currency transactions each year, enabling the regime and its armed forces to evade sanctions, access the international financial system, and move funds derived from oil and petrochemical sales.

[Treasury Department @USTreasury]

Today, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is taking action against four individuals associated with the pro-Hamas flotilla organized by the U.S.-designated Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad that is attempting to access Gaza in support of Hamas. OFAC is also taking action against key actors operating within Hamas-aligned Muslim Brotherhood networks. Hamas relies on a diverse web of international partners to expand its malign political influence, facilitate violent terrorist activity, and undermine international efforts to achieve lasting peace in Gaza.