U.S. Adds Warship as EU Blacklists Iran’s IRGC, New York Unveils Antisemitism Measures

Overview

• The Navy sent the USS Delbert D. Black to the Middle East, bringing six destroyers plus an aircraft carrier to the region, according to Reuters.
• Sen. Marco Rubio told a Senate panel the buildup is primarily defensive and said the president retains a preemptive defensive option if U.S. forces face imminent threat, noting 30,000–40,000 troops are within range of Iranian drones and missiles.
• The European Union voted unanimously to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, following shifts by key members.
• In New York City, Council Speaker Julie Menin launched a council task force to counter antisemitism and introduced a bill to bar protests within 100 feet of houses of worship, a proposal experts say could face First Amendment challenges.
• The NYPD charged the suspect in the car attack at Chabad Lubavitch headquarters with multiple counts upgraded as hate crimes, and prosecutors proceeded in a separate federal trial of a man accused of attempting to assassinate Joe Biden over anti-Israel animus.