The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog warned this week the window to ‘maneuver’ a diplomatic solution to halt Iran’s nuclear development was beginning to ‘shrink.’ 

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, issued an urgent message in an interview with AFP at the COP29 climate summit in Baku.

‘The Iranian administration must understand that the international situation is becoming increasingly tense and that the margins to maneuver are beginning to shrink,’ he said.

‘It is imperative to find ways to reach diplomatic solutions.’ 

The warning came ahead of Grossi’s trip to Tehran this week for ‘high-level’ meetings with Iranian government officials, where he was set to hold ‘technical discussions’ relating to Tehran’s agreement under a March 2023 Joint Statement to adhere to IAEA safeguard parameters.

Grossi landed in Tehran Wednesday, and state media showed the IAEA chief meeting with the spokesperson for Iran’s state atomic energy agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, upon his arrival.

In the lead-up to the meeting, Grossi said in a statement Sunday, ‘It is essential that we make substantive progress in the implementation of the Joint Statement agreed with Iran in March 2023. My visit to Tehran will be very important in that regard.’

The IAEA is further permitted to inspect all nuclear sites as a part of its safeguard duties, but Grossi told AFP, ‘We need to see more.’

‘Given the size, depth and ambition of Iran’s program, we need to find ways of giving the agency more visibility,’ he added.

Concerns over Iran’s nuclear program have remained heightened since the U.S. pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran Nuclear Agreement, in May 2018, despite IAEA assurances that Iran was not in violation of its nuclear agreements. 

Grossi is expected to push Iran for increased access to its nuclear sites and for an explanation regarding the traces of uranium that have been found at undeclared sites, Reuters reported Wednesday. 

The IAEA director general has been sounding the alarm for months that Iran’s nuclear program has essentially run unchecked since Tehran stopped adhering to its commitments under the JCPOA, and it has since increased its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium metals to 60% purity levels, just shy of the steps needed to reach weapons-grade uranium enriched to 90% purity.

Grossi’s trip comes at a pivotal time for geopolitical relations with President-elect Trump returning to the Oval Office come January, where he is expected to take a hardline approach when it comes to Tehran.

During his first term, President Trump maintained that the agreement was a ‘terrible deal’ cemented under the Obama administration by Secretary of State John Kerry and signed by Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the deal.

After the U.S. withdrawal, Tehran claimed the agreement had been voided and said it was no longer bound under the international nuclear agreement.

Despite the withdrawal by the U.S., the other international co-signatories, including Russia, urged Tehran to continue to adhere to the JCPOA, though, by 2022, Moscow dropped its diplomatic encouragement as tensions with the West escalated over its invasion of Ukraine. 

Grossi told AFP the deal now sits as ‘an empty shell.’

According to Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert and senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the best way to stop Iran from pursuing its nuclear ambitions is to move past the Biden administration’s ambitions to restore a nuclear deal and to rely on Cold War-era tactics of nuclear deterrence. 

‘The irreversible and knowledge-based nuclear gains Tehran has made under Biden’s policy of maximum deference are what actually have shut the window for anything meaningful, even if only transactional with Tehran,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘The incoming Trump administration will be faced with an increasingly risk-tolerant Islamic Republic that is either on the nuclear threshold and keen to exploit this status or one that will have weaponized. 

‘Deterring and confronting such a regime will require pushing past Washington’s obsession with a deal and embracing other tools of national power.’

But the IAEA chief said he isn’t worried by the prospect of another Trump presidency despite the tense geopolitical framework he now operates under with the West’s unification against Russia and Iran amid the war in Ukraine and Israel’s fight against Tehran-backed proxies.

‘I already worked with the first Trump administration, and we worked well together,’ he said.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., resigned from the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced.

Gaetz gave House GOP leaders his resignation notice on the same day President-elect Donald Trump tapped him to be his attorney general, Johnson said.

‘I think out of deference to us, he issued his resignation letter effective immediately,’ Johnson said. ‘That caught us by surprise a little bit. But I asked him what the reasoning was, and he said, well, you can’t have too many absences.’

The speaker pointed out that Florida state law gave the governor ‘about an eight-week period’ to fill a House vacancy and that by doing so, ‘we may be able to fill that seat as early as Jan. 3.’

Johnson said he’s already in contact with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on the matter.

Speaking with reporters after internal House GOP leadership elections, Johnson said Trump had informed him about his decision to tap Gaetz for the Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier on Wednesday morning.

He’s the third House Republican Trump has tapped for his new administration, after picking Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., for National Security Adviser (NSA).

Trump’s two earlier selections prompted concerns about thinning out an already-meager likely majority for the House GOP in the 119th Congress.

But Gaetz resigning early likely alleviates some of those concerns.

However, out of the three House members chosen, Gaetz likely faces the highest hurdle to get the job.

The NSA role is not Senate confirmed, and Stefanik’s appointment already received bipartisan praise.

But multiple Republican senators have already signaled they have some heartburn over Gaetz, an outspoken bomb-thrower who was previously under a yearlong DOJ investigation stemming from accusations he had a sexual relationship with a minor. The DOJ ultimately did not press charges.

‘He will never get confirmed,’ a Republican senator, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital. 

One Senate Republican source simply said, ‘Ain’t gonna happen,’ about the prospect of Gaetz’s confirmation. 

The announcement came during House Republicans’ leadership elections. One lawmaker told Fox News Digital there were ‘audible gasps’ in the room when the news broke.

When nominating him, however, Trump lauded Gaetz as ‘a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney’ who ‘will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.’

House GOP leaders including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., similarly praised the appointment.

Fox News Digital reached out to Gaetz to confirm his resignation.

Special counsel Jack Smith is asking an appeals court to halt his appeal against President-elect Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified and top-secret documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Smith did the same in the D.C. election interference case last week.

The news comes after Fox News confirmed that Smith will be stepping down before Trump takes office.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

House Republicans have reached an agreement on raising the motion to vacate threshold.

Currently, House GOP Conference rules dictate that just one lawmaker is needed to call for a motion to vacate the chair, which would trigger a chamber-wide vote on removing the speaker.

But the deal, brokered during a meeting hosted by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and involving lawmakers from the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and the pragmatic Main Street Caucus, would raise the one-person threshold to nine.

In exchange, Main Street Caucus members agreed to withdraw several proposed changes to House GOP rules that would have punished Republicans who vote against the will of the majority.

The one-person threshold was part of a deal that ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., struck with conservatives in January 2022 in order to win the gavel.

That eventually came back to haunt him when Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., triggered the vote that ultimately led to his ouster by all House Democrats and eight Republicans in October 2023.

It’s also been a threat over Johnson’s head since he took over for McCarthy.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., notably triggered a vote to oust Johnson using the same rule in March. Enough House Democrats helped Republicans block the House-wide vote, however, by voting to ‘table’ it indefinitely.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., and Main Street Caucus Chairman Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., confirmed the deal in brief comments to reporters on Wednesday evening.

‘ This started because Dr. Harris reached out this morning. He said, ‘Listen, we’ve got to cut a deal. We need to come together.’ Unity is important,’ Johnson said.

‘We spent more than an hour together. We made good progress. We understood that we had an opportunity to set the motion to vacate at a higher number…the motion to vacate will be set at nine, and in return for getting rid of some amendments that probably would have divided this conference.’

 The Main Street Caucus chair said Harris ‘did a good job of explaining to mainstream leadership why those amendments would have divided the Republican conference.’

Moderate and rank-and-file Republicans have been pushing to raise the threshold since late last year, arguing it would just continue to fuel chaos within the House GOP.

But GOP hardliners insisted it empowered members who were not in House Republican leadership.

A fifth person who spoke with Fox News Digital stressed the deal was tentative, categorizing it as a ‘proposed’ deal and adding, ‘It isn’t over until it is.’

House Republicans are expected to vote on proposed changes to their conference rules on Thursday.

The news comes just after Johnson won a unanimous vote by House Republicans to be their speaker again, two more sources told Fox News Digital.

Conservative critics of Johnson’s handling of foreign aid and government spending had threatened to delay his victory by forcing a secret ballot vote rather than awarding him unanimous consent.

But they appeared to back off from that threat after the meeting, which delayed leadership elections by roughly an hour and a half.

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.

Just a week after former President Trump won back the presidency, the new administration is quickly forming, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is asking ordinary Americans to make suggestions about what policies and people should be put in place.

To facilitate this, close Kennedy allies launched a website called ‘Policies for the People’ that allows people to nominate, suggest and vote for the leaders and policies they want to see coming from the Trump White House.

Amaryllis Fox, who served as campaign director for Kennedy’s 2024 presidential run, posted on X that ‘President Trump and RFK want your policy proposals,’ adding that ‘the MAGA x MAHA [Make America Healthy Again] transition team belongs to YOU.’

The website says that the suggestions will help fill the over 4,000 appointments across the entire executive branch.

‘President Trump has asked Bobby [Kennedy] to help ‘drain the swamp’ by giving him an influential leadership role on his transition team,’ a post on the website says. ‘But Bobby cannot do this alone, so he is now turning to the wisdom and expertise of his supporters – and the larger community.’

‘Unlike the backroom deals of past presidents, the MAGA/MAHA [Make America Healthy Again] transition team will draw directly from the input of we, the people,’ another part of the website says.

There are a dozen categories on the website ranging from ‘America’s health’ to education, the economy and the environment. Anyone can register on the site and suggest a policy or person for an executive branch role. Nominees who receive more votes from users are pushed to the top of the suggested list.

So far, over 70,500 people have registered on the site and there have been nearly 10,500 policy suggestions. Nominee suggestions for the new administration range from the Department of Defense to national intelligence to health.

Mark Gorton, a New York-based executive and Kennedy ally, is one of the driving forces behind the website. He explained to Fox News Digital that the intention of the Policies for the People platform is to create a way for Americans to become more involved with the political decision-making process beyond just voting.

Gorton believes that the platform has the potential to help not only the Trump administration, but could also be used by state and local governments to better understand the concerns of their citizens.

‘Previously, we had a system where most of the interaction with government came from lobbyists and most of the bills in Congress, large parts of them or all of them, are written by lobbyists,’ he said. ‘So, the idea is that this would be a crowdsource tool for people in government so that they don’t just have to rely on the lobbyists.’

While the Policies for the People platform includes many policy categories, Gorton said that, like Kennedy, his focus is primarily on health policy. He chaired the ‘American Values’ political action committee that supported Kennedy’s presidential run until Kennedy dropped out to endorse Trump in August. He shares many of the same concerns as Kennedy about corruption within government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which he believes have significant conflicts of interest with the companies they are supposed to regulate.

‘We tell people, ‘If you vote, you’ve done your job.’ I think in a world that, you know, with a much healthier democracy, you have a more active, engaged citizenry who is not just voting, but is also involved in, you know, oversight in very targeted ways,’ he said. ‘You can have systems that are different and that aren’t riddled with conflicts of interest and really insiders versus outsiders.’

While Gorton said that ‘taking back control of the health regulatory agencies and making them work for the American people’ is a good slogan, he believes that the Policies for the People platform can help to actually accomplish that goal.

‘It’s one thing to say a high-level slogan like that. It’s another thing to go piece by piece into the guts of each of these agencies and, you know, go through the minutia of what it takes to fix the system. And that’s exactly where this large, crowdsourced pool of energy can help with that,’ he said.

The Policies for the People platform is also receiving approval from long-time health advisers in Republican circles. Avik Roy, a seasoned Republican health policy adviser, told Fox News Digital that he thinks the Policies for the People platform is a ‘terrific idea.’

‘Oftentimes these transitions can be very insider affairs,’ he explained. ‘So, the more you can democratize that and make it easy for highly qualified people who are not plugged into Washington already, I think that’s terrific.’

When it comes to health in the U.S., Roy said that his biggest concern is FDA regulation making innovation much more difficult and, by extension, much more expensive for Americans to get treatments and medicine.

But to Dr. Charles Fagenholz, a holistic health practitioner who has been nominated on the platform for a health advisory role, the problem goes even deeper. Fagenholz, who runs a popular online health forum called ‘In The Trenches,’ is one of the top nominees on the site. He told Fox News Digital that he believes the changes being discussed by Trump and Kennedy are seriously needed and will have a massive impact on American health and on ending things like chronic disease as well as ADHD and learning deficit disorders among children.   

‘We’re the most advanced medical society ever in the history of this planet, and we’re the sickest country. That is obscene,’ he said.

Though Fagenholz believes there is much that people can do on an individual level to improve their health, such as buying organic groceries, drinking spring water and exercising, he said that ‘we do need a massive change at the government level.’

He agrees with Kennedy that there is massive corruption within government agencies, such as the FDA, and believes that the No. 1 issue affecting Americans’ health is the American food supply, which he said is full of harmful chemicals and pesticides.

‘The foods that people are eating are toxic, and these administrations or three-letter agencies, as you call them, are a big reason why they’re so toxic,’ Fagenholz said. ‘Taking something like high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners and dyes, things like that, out of our food and make food real again is probably going to be the biggest bang for our buck as a country in health.’

If asked, Fagenholz said that he would be happy to advise the new administration on health policy. The way he sees it is that ‘we have four years to get as much done as possible, and so that’s full steam ahead.’ 

House Republicans have chosen a fellow member to replace GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., in their party’s leadership ranks.

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., was elected House GOP Conference Chair on Wednesday evening, the No. 4 leadership position for Republicans in the chamber.

She was the favorite to win the internal race against Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla.

McClain is already a lower-level member of leadership, serving as House Republicans’ conference secretary in the 118th Congress.

Cammack’s bid was bolstered by an endorsement from ally Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and groups like the Log Cabin Republicans and the national Young Republicans organization.

Meanwhile, McClain had support from a wide range of the Republican Conference, from House Freedom Caucus members to rank-and-file national security hawks.

Stefanik was originally intending to run for the job again before accepting President-elect Trump’s nomination to serve as his ambassador to the United Nations.

The conference chair is in charge of overseeing and executing messaging strategy within the House GOP.

It comes as the House GOP unanimously backed Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for his job again, two sources in the room told Fox News Digital.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., were also elected unanimously to return to their roles, sources said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was selected to lead the GOP conference again during a closed-door vote on Wednesday.

The vote was unanimous, two sources in the room told Fox News Digital, despite conservatives threatening to protest Johnson getting full support.

The internal election was delayed by roughly an hour and a half as Johnson met with his GOP critics to ‘hash it out,’ two other sources told Fox News.

It comes after President-elect Donald Trump addressed House Republicans earlier in the day and said he was ‘100%’ behind Johnson, multiple sources in the room told Fox News Digital.

It’s been a meteoric rise for the Louisiana Republican, who was a relatively little-known lawmaker when he was elected to succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., after he was ousted by all House Democrats and eight fellow Republicans.

Johnson has endured much of the same chaos as McCarthy while presiding over a razor-thin House majority, with GOP rebels weaponizing the small margin in efforts to force the conference to pass more conservative policy.

But Johnson did not face any significant challengers on Wednesday, nor was he expected to with House Republicans on track to hold onto the chamber majority in the 119th Congress.

It could be a different story in January, when he will need a majority of the entire House chamber to be elected speaker.

McCarthy infamously had to endure 15 rounds of House votes and was forced to make concessions to a small group of holdouts in exchange for their support.

With Johnson projected to win just a slim single-digit majority again, he can afford little opposition – or risk paralyzing the House under a new Trump administration.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., ran uncontested for their current roles and are expected to win.

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to serve as his Secretary of State. 

‘It is my Great Honor to announce that Senator Marco Rubio, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The United States Secretary of State. Marco is a Highly Respected Leader, and a very powerful Voice for Freedom,’ Trump said in a statement. ‘He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries.’

In a statement, Rubio, 53, said he was ‘honored’ by the trust Trump ‘has placed in me.’

‘As Secretary of State, I will work every day to carry out his foreign policy agenda,’ Rubio wrote on X. ‘Under the leadership of President Trump we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else.’

‘I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate so the President has his national security and foreign policy team in place when he takes office on January 20,’ he added. 

The son of Cuban exiles, the three-term senator is known on Capitol Hill as a foreign policy hawk who favors maintaining U.S. alliances overseas, including NATO. 

For example, he voted against the $95 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine and has urged the eastern European nation to negotiate an end to its war with Russia.

However, Rubio, who sits on both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee, has taken similar positions to Trump on international conflicts, including Israel’s war with Hamas. He has also publicly supported Israel’s right to defend itself. 

In his announcement, Trump described Rubio as ‘a strong Advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never back down to our adversaries.’

‘I look forward to working with Marco to Make America, and the World, Safe and Great Again!’ he said. 

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Rubio called the role a ‘tremendous responsibility.’

‘And the job of the Secretary of State is to execute on foreign policy set by the elected President of the United States, and I hope to have the opportunity to do it if my current colleagues here in the U.S. Senate confirm me,’ he said. 

He was Trump’s rival during his 2016 campaign, where both men sparred during televised debates. Trump sometimes belittled him, sometimes calling him ‘little Marco.’ 

Rubio was previously being considered as a possible running mate by the former president until Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance was selected. 

President-elect Donald Trump has announced more than a dozen Cabinet picks just a week after he was declared victorious in his race against Vice President Kamala Harris, reflecting his commitment to putting ‘America first,’ the campaign told Fox News Digital. 

‘The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail — and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again,’ Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s speedy roll-out of Cabinet picks. 

Trump sailed to victory last week after securing electoral votes from toss-up states such as Pennsylvania and Georgia. All in, he earned 312 electoral votes — sweeping all seven of the battleground states — and won the popular vote. 

‘America first’ and ‘Make America Great Again’ were hallmarks of Trump’s campaign, including during his historic rally at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan last month.

‘We stand on the verge of the four greatest years in the history of the U.S.A. With your help from now until Election Day, we will restore America’s promise. We will put America first, and we will take back the nation that we all love,’ he said at MSG. ‘We bleed the same blood. We share the same home, and we salute the same great American flag. We are one people, one family and one glorious nation under God. We will never give in. We will never give up. We will never ever back down, and we will never, ever, ever surrender. Together, we will fight, fight, fight, and we will win, win, win.’

Shortly after his win at the ballot box, Trump began rolling out his picks for his Cabinet. As of Wednesday afternoon, Trump has announced 17 names for his administration, including Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, longtime ally Dan Scavino as his deputy chief of staff and Fox News co-host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense.

Trump has announced the picks via emails to the media and supporters, coming at a faster pace than in 2016, when he was elected to his first term in the Oval Office, Fox News Digital found earlier this week.  

Trump announced on Nov. 11, for example, that New York Rep. Elise Stefanik will serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. During the 2016 transition cycle, Trump announced then-Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina would fill that same role on Nov. 23. Haley went on to run unsuccessfully in 2024 for the GOP presidential nomination.

He also tapped Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to serve as his national security adviser, announcing that pick on Tuesday, about three days ahead of his announcement for the same role in 2016, when he chose former Army Gen. Mike Flynn for the position about 10 days after Election Day. 

Trump also announced he chose former New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a pick Trump didn’t make until Dec. 7, 2016, when he tapped Scott Pruitt to serve in the role.

Trump’s first pick for his administration, Susie Wiles for chief of staff, was announced the day after the election, while his 2016 announcement of Reince Priebus as chief of staff was made five days after the election. 

‘Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,’ Trump said after the selection of Wiles.

Trump briefly traveled to Washington, D.C., Wednesday, where he met with congressional Republicans and then went to the White House for a meeting with President Biden before heading back home to Florida.

‘I look forward… to having a smooth transition. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, what you need,’ Biden said during a short portion of the meeting when reporters were granted access to the Oval Office. 

Trump added that ‘politics is tough, and in many cases it’s not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today.’

‘I appreciate very much the transition that’s so smooth. It will be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that,’ Trump continued.

Trump was joined by high-profile officials on his transition team and upcoming administration, including Wiles and tech billionaire Elon Musk. 

Musk endorsed Trump over the summer and soon began campaigning for him, most notably in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania. Trump announced on Tuesday evening that Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new task force he is calling the Department of Government Efficiency. 

‘I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (‘DOGE’). Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,’ Trump said in his announcement. 

‘It will become, potentially, ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time. Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of ‘DOGE’ for a very long time. To drive this kind of drastic change, the Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before,’ the announcement continued. 

Trump is expected to continue quickly announcing his Cabinet picks as he continues establishing his administration ahead of Jan. 20. Trump had pledged throughout the campaign to ‘make America great again’ for voters of all political stripes, putting emphasis on gutting some federal agencies and even dismantling them altogether, such as the Department of Education. 

Fox News’ Michael Lee, Brooke Singman and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.