July 05, 2026

Good morning! Today is Sunday, July 5th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. Two bills moving through Congress this summer would deepen the U.S.–Israel military bond, with Section 219 of the NDAA fusing the two countries' defense industries and a separate $3.3 billion transfer facing a Massie-led revolt that has House Democrats scrambling. In Tehran, up to thirty million mourners are expected at the funeral of Ayatollah Khamenei, assassinated in February, as Iran War negotiations enter their seventeenth day and Tehran warns foreign vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to follow its designated routes or face forceful response. Tensions flare between Israel and Turkey, with President Erdoğan calling the Israeli cabinet war-addicted while Israeli ministers increasingly cast Ankara as a greater threat than Iran. and now for the details. We begin on Capitol Hill, where two pieces of legislation moving through Congress this summer could reshape the financial and military relationship between the United States and Israel. The first is the National Defense Authorization Act for 2027. Tucked inside is a provision, now numbered Section 219, that would direct the Pentagon to identify Israeli-origin technologies for integration into U.S. weapons systems and to build American-based co-production partnerships with Israeli industry. The second is a separate appropriations bill containing three-point-three billion dollars in annual funding for Israel, tied to a ten-year, thirty-eight billion dollar memorandum of understanding. Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, joined by Congressman Ro Khanna of California, has introduced amendments targeting both tracks. The House Rules Committee this week rejected their bipartisan amendment to strip Section 219 from the NDAA. As Harrison Berger reports for The American Conservative, analysts at the Quincy Institute call Section 219 unprecedented. Annelle Sheline told TAC that no other foreign country has an executive agent inside the Pentagon to merge its military industrial base with America's. She warns the provision would shift Israeli weapons funding out of congressional view and into the Pentagon's procurement system, insulating it from a public that, by polling, has grown deeply skeptical of financing Israel's wars. Berger notes the national security concerns are twofold. Foreign components in American systems raise the risk of compromised supply chains, a danger underscored by Israel's 2024 pager operation in Lebanon. And by fusing the two countries' defense industries, Washington would surrender the leverage it currently holds over Israeli conduct in the region. Berger reports that Massie's amendment on the three-point-three billion dollar transfer has provoked what Punchbowl News describes as alarm inside the House Democratic caucus, with members seeking guidance on how to vote as their base turns against Israel funding. Sheline warns that if Section 219 becomes law, Congress may not get another meaningful vote on the matter. Turning overseas, the funeral of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei opened Saturday in Tehran, with up to thirty million mourners expected to pay their respects. Khamenei was assassinated by the United States and Israel on February 28th. Senior officials from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Russia, and China are reported to be attending. Talks to end the Iran War have now entered their seventeenth day, with the next round scheduled for July 11th in Pakistan, according to Al Arabiya. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned Saturday against what he called extra-regional powers operating in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's central military command has declared that all vessels transiting the strait must follow routes designated by Tehran or face what it called an immediate and forceful response. Energy market observers say traffic is already shifting away from the Omani side of the strait toward the Iranian route. That warning came a day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced their governments stand ready to deploy a multinational military mission to support freedom of navigation there. As Harrison Berger reports for TAC, the Financial Times found many mourners at Khamenei's funeral voicing frustration with their government's pursuit of a negotiated settlement. Speaking at Mount Rushmore on the eve of the nation's 250th anniversary, President Trump said, quote, we beat Venezuela in one day and we knocked the hell out of Iran, and that they are, quote, dying to settle. Berger also notes rising tensions between Israel and Turkey. President Erdoğan, appearing with Pakistan's prime minister, described the Israeli cabinet as war-addicted and tied to the continuation of regional conflicts. Several Israeli ministers have in recent weeks labeled Turkey a greater concern than Iran, with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declaring that Turkey is the new Iran. Thos