Greenland to Iran: Trump’s Arctic Push, China’s Warning & Iran Flashpoint| World News, Jan 19

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As global fault lines harden, a single island in the Arctic is triggering a cascade of geopolitical pressure points. From Donald Trump’s aggressive push on Greenland and tariff threats against Europe, to rising Arctic anxieties involving Canada, China’s warning shots, and a growing U.S. military build-up around Iran …power politics is accelerating across regions.    In this edition of World News, Pankaj Mishra tracks how Washington is simultaneously leveraging economic pressure, territorial ambition, and military force…from the Arctic ice to the Middle Eastern skies.      #WorldNews  #GlobalGeopolitics  #ArcticAnxiety  #GreenlandPressure  #TrumpDoctrine  #ChinaUS  #CanadaArctic  #MiddleEastBuildup  #IranCrisis  #PowerPolitics  ~HT.178~

Transcript

00:00Good evening, this is world news. A single island in the Arctic is reshaping global power

00:08equations. China has issued a warning. Europe is under economic pressure. Canada is suddenly

00:14in focus and Iran remains the central flashpoint as US military assets move closer, faster and

00:22in large numbers. We begin in the Arctic where geopolitics has turned icy and expensive too.

00:29As President Trump pushes for Greenland, he is now turning his attention to Canada.

00:34According to senior officials, Trump has privately raised concerns about Canada's ability to defend

00:40its Arctic territory, warning of vulnerabilities to Russia and China. Those concerns are now

00:45driving talks of a broader Arctic security strategy.

00:59The Arctic is heating up and Canada is stepping onto the ice. As US President Donald Trump escalates

01:16threats over Greenland, Ottawa is preparing to send troops north, signaling a rare and risky

01:24showdown between allies. Canadian officials confirm plans are underway to deploy a small contingent

01:31of soldiers to Greenland for NATO exercises. The move awaits final approval from Prime Minister Mark

01:39Carney, but sources say the decision is imminent. The deployment would place Canadian forces alongside

01:47European allies already reinforcing the island amid rising tensions. Those exercises are meant to signal

01:55unity and resistance. Denmark, Germany, France, Britain and Nordic allies have all sent personnel.

02:04Now Canada could join them, a step that risks provoking Trump, who has threatened tariffs against countries

02:11backing Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty. For Greenland and for the Kingdom of Denmark,

02:19we are NATO partners with Denmark and so our full partnership stance, our obligations on Article 5,

02:27Article 2 of NATO stand and we stand fuller square behind those. I will say that I had discussions with

02:35President Xi about the situation in Greenland, about our sovereignty in the Arctic, about the sovereignty of

02:44the people of Greenland and the people of Denmark and I found much alignment of views in that regard.

02:51Canada already has assets in Greenland. Three CF-18 fighter jets and a Cormorant helicopter

03:01participating in NORAD drills with the United States. Adding ground troops would deepen Canada's footprint

03:08and underscore Ottawa's commitment to Arctic security within NATO. Trump argues Greenland is vital to US

03:16national security and critical minerals and claims Denmark cannot defend it from Russia or China. European

03:24leaders reject that premise, warning that coercion would fracture NATO and destabilize

03:30the Arctic. In response, EU envoys are weighing retaliatory tariffs. In Washington, lawmakers from

03:39both parties have criticized Trump's push to acquire Greenland and punish allies who resist. The dispute has

03:46become a flashpoint in transatlantic relations. Prime Minister Carney has drawn a firm line. Greenland's future

03:54belongs to Greenland and Denmark alone. He says Canada supports sovereignty everywhere and believes Arctic

04:02security is best achieved collectively through NATO, not unilateral pressure. Canada is also boosting its

04:11own Arctic posture, investing in infrastructure and readiness while urging de-escalation. But with troops

04:18potentially heading north and tempers flaring in Washington, the risk of a broader rift is real.

04:25This is not just about an island. It's about alliance lines, sovereignty and the balance of power in a

04:32rapidly changing Arctic. Canada's move could steady NATO or test it like never before.

04:41This did not begin with a trade war. It began with an island. US President Donald Trump has escalated his push

04:48to acquire Greenland, this time using tariffs as leverage, a sweeping new threat aimed squarely at

04:54European allies, unless Denmark agrees to negotiate. China has now reacted, warning Washington against

05:01destabilizing the region. Here's the first look.

05:04On Greenland, Beijing is firing back hard. As President Donald Trump ramps up threats to take control of

05:30Greenland, China is now publicly rejecting what it calls a manufactured excuse. Beijing says the so-called

05:38China threat is being used to justify American self-interest in the Arctic. China's foreign ministry urged the

05:46United States to stop using China as a justification for aggressive moves in Greenland. Officials warned

05:52Washington against turning Arctic security into a geopolitical power grab. Trump has repeatedly argued

05:59Greenland faces threats from Russia and China and says that's why the island must come under US control.

06:06He now wants leverage, threatening tariffs to force Denmark and Europe to negotiate.

06:11But we need that because if you take a look outside of Greenland right now, there are Russian destroyers,

06:18there are Chinese destroyers and bigger, there are Russian submarines all over the place. We're not going to

06:24have Russia or China occupy Greenland and that's what they're going to do if we don't. So we're going to

06:30be doing something with Greenland either the nice way or the more difficult way.

06:34In posts on Truth Social, Trump warned of 10 percent tariffs starting February 1st,

06:402026, rising to 25 percent by June, unless Europe agrees to what he calls the complete and total purchase of

06:49Greenland. European Union and NATO leaders have united behind Denmark, warning that economic coercion

06:56could damage transatlantic trust. They insist Greenland's future must be decided by Greenlanders,

07:02not tariffs. The dispute has exposed strains within NATO itself. Some US lawmakers and even European

07:10populist allies are distancing themselves from Trump's tactics, warning of lasting damage to allied unity.

07:17Emergency meetings are underway in Brussels, with EU officials discussing possible retaliatory trade

07:23measures if tariffs proceed. China, meanwhile, is watching closely, rejecting blame while benefiting

07:30from Western division. For now, Greenland remains the fault line. China says it won't be used as an excuse,

07:37Europe says sovereignty is non-negotiable, and the United States is testing how far pressure can go

07:44before alliances begin to fracture. From the Arctic to the South China Sea and now the Middle East,

07:51the Pentagon has confirmed the redeployment of a US carrier strike group from the Indo-Pacific to the

07:57CENTCOM region as tensions with Iran intensify amid widespread unrest inside the country. As the center

08:04of this movement, the USS Abraham Lincoln, moving swiftly to its target.

08:19The U.S. military is on the move. Heavy transport aircraft are crossing continents. Aircraft carriers are

08:44shifting theaters. And the Middle East is once again at the center of rising global tension,

08:50with Iran firmly in the spotlight. In the latest development, two additional U.S. Air Force C-17

08:59Globemasters have arrived in the Middle East. These massive aircraft are built for rapid power

09:06projection, carrying troops, armored vehicles, missile systems, and heavy equipment, not civilians.

09:13Flight tracking shows C-17s moving from U.S. bases through Europe, including Germany and the UK,

09:21before heading to Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and other forward bases. Some routes point toward Diego

09:29Garcia, a key hub for long-range strike operations. Additionally, Israeli fighter jets were also spotted

09:37flying north over Tel Aviv due to U.S. sending more warplanes to Middle East. These flights are backed by

09:45C-5 Galaxy super-heavy transports and aerial refueling tankers like the KC-135 and KC-46, essential for

09:56sustained combat operations. Analysts say the scale and coordination suggest far more than routine

10:04logistics. At sea, the Pentagon has shifted major naval power. USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George

10:13Washington are now operating under U.S. Central Command. Each carrier functions as a floating air

10:20base, capable of launching non-stop strike missions. Meanwhile, some personnel at Al-Aldaba Air Base in

10:28Qatar were advised to temporarily relocate, a move often tied to fears of retaliation, missile threats,

10:36or rapid escalation. All this unfolds as Iran faces massive internal unrest. Protests fueled by economic

10:46collapse have turned openly anti-regime. Washington insists these deployments do not confirm imminent

10:53strikes, but they do ensure maximum military flexibility. The message is unmistakable. This is not

11:02business as usual. Whether meant as deterrence, evacuation readiness, or preparation for rapid escalation,

11:09the U.S. is clearly positioning for every scenario. The question now, is this a warning or the final

11:17stage before conflict? An unrest continues inside Iran. The United States is reinforcing its military

11:26footprint across the region. Fighter jets have now arrived in Jordan. Patriot missile systems are

11:32being positioned. Naval forces are converging. Military analysts say this is no longer about limited

11:38deterrence, but readiness for large-scale operations. The Middle East is once again on the edge. U.S. warplanes

11:46are moving. Aircraft carriers are repositioning. And rhetoric between Washington and Tehran has reached its most

11:54dangerous pitch in years. New military deployments combined with direct warnings from Iran are fueling

12:01fears that a direct U.S.-Iran confrontation could erupt with little notice. At the center of the storm,

12:08Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and a growing belief in Tehran that he may be personally

12:16targeted. U.S. forces are visibly reinforcing the region. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln

12:23and its strike group are moving toward the U.S. Central Command Zone, accompanied by destroyers USS

12:30Spruance and USS Michael Murphy. Military officials say the carrier group could enter the Middle East

12:36theater within days. At the same time, at least 12 U.S. F-15 fighter jets supported by aerial refueling

12:44aircraft have arrived in Jordan, a move analysts say dramatically increases U.S. strike capability.

12:52The F-15, unlike the stealth-focused F-35, can carry up to 23,000 pounds of munitions,

12:59making it a key platform for high-intensity conflict scenarios. President Donald Trump has added fuel to

13:06the fire, with blunt and deeply personal remarks aimed at Iran's leadership. Trump has openly called for

13:13the end of Ayatollah Khamenei's decades-long rule, saying Iran needs new leadership. He has repeatedly

13:20voiced support for Iranian protesters, telling them to take over institutions, and claiming that American

13:27help was on the way. Though Trump later said executions in Iran had paused, his tone toward Tehran has remained

13:34confrontational, describing Iran's leadership as brutal, illegitimate, and reliant on mass violence

13:41to survive. Tehran has responded with its strongest warning yet. Iranian President Massoud Pazeshkian declared

13:49that any attack on Ayatollah Khamenei would be treated as an act of war. In a public statement,

13:55Pazeshkian said striking Iran's supreme leader would amount to a declaration of war against the

14:01Iranian nation itself, not just the regime. Iranian officials have accused Washington of

14:08orchestrating unrest, imposing economic warfare through sanctions, and attempting to destabilize

14:14the country from within. The message from Tehran is clear. Crossing this line would trigger full-scale

14:20confrontation. All of this is unfolding against the backdrop of Iran's most severe internal crisis

14:27in decades. Protests erupted in late December over economic collapse, hyperinflation, and a crashing

14:34currency, then rapidly escalated into nationwide calls for regime change. Iranian authorities responded

14:41with mass arrests, live fire, and near-total Internet blackouts. Human rights groups claim thousands

14:47have been killed, figures the Iranian government disputes, while acknowledging significant casualties.

14:54The unrest has now quieted on the streets, but anger simmers beneath the surface,

14:59and both sides appear to be calculating their next move. Despite the dramatic military movements,

15:05officials stress that deployment does not equal decision. But history shows that wars often begin not

15:12with announcements, but with positioning. Right now, the U.S. is building maximum leverage,

15:17Iran is drawing its red lines, and miscalculation on either side could ignite a conflict far larger

15:24than either intends. The question is no longer whether tensions are rising, but whether diplomacy can still

15:31outrun the momentum of war. So, jets in the air, carriers at sea, missile defenses activated.

15:39From Greenland to the Gulf, this is a White House reshaping pressure points, economic, territorial,

15:45and military all at once. That's World News tonight. We'll continue tracking every

15:51development as it happens. Good night.

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