Senior National Security reporter, covering the Pentagon for @CNN. Signal username: zcohen12.87 Proud husband of @ValentineNews_
Washington, DC
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Satellite imagery & intel support provided by Chinese groups has helped Iran dramatically improve its targeting capabilities over the past several months, per a series of recent US intelligence assessments described to CNN by four sources.
Story w/ @KatieBoLillis, @kylieatwood & @halbritz cnn.com/2026/09/25/politics/…
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Zachary Cohen retweeted
Amazing story by terrific colleagues @rebeccaballhaus @DanaMattioli and co. Read until the end. wsj.com/articles/kimberly-gu…
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A data breach at the Pentagon’s vast HR system has exposed Social Security numbers and other personal information of current & former military personnel, raising counterintelligence concerns among national security experts.
cnn.com/2026/09/25/politics/…
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Zachary Cohen retweeted
Finally feeding X with some newsss. Say hello to SPUR, everyone!! The new growth and product playground for media founders.
Say hello@spur.partners 👀
SCOOP: @ValentineNews_ (who is responsible for bringing in some of the newsletter platform’s highest-grossing publications) is leaving @Substack to start… a Substack growth agency with @tedescau
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Zachary Cohen retweeted
The data has allowed Iran to use otherwise unsophisticated heatseeking drones that cannot be maneuvered in midair to threaten ships by helping time launches, two sources said.
Satellite imagery & intel support provided by Chinese groups has helped Iran dramatically improve its targeting capabilities over the past several months, per a series of recent US intelligence assessments described to CNN by four sources.
Story w/ @KatieBoLillis, @kylieatwood & @halbritz cnn.com/2026/09/25/politics/…
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Satellite imagery & intel support provided by Chinese groups has helped Iran dramatically improve its targeting capabilities over the past several months, per a series of recent US intelligence assessments described to CNN by four sources.
Story w/ @KatieBoLillis, @kylieatwood & @halbritz cnn.com/2026/09/25/politics/…
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“There’s a reason that their targeting has improved, and it is due to some assistance,” one of the sources said about Iran.
“Getting reps on the battlefield helps, but getting a helping hand helps a lot too.”
Satellite imagery & intel support provided by Chinese groups has helped Iran dramatically improve its targeting capabilities over the past several months, per a series of recent US intelligence assessments described to CNN by four sources.
Story w/ @KatieBoLillis, @kylieatwood & @halbritz cnn.com/2026/09/25/politics/…
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Zachary Cohen retweeted
This is news: “President Trump stressed that he had made his final decision: Ukraine will receive licenses to produce Patriot missiles.”
President Trump and I had a meeting where we discussed general matters. After that, our negotiating teams held a separate, long meeting. The agreement is as follows: we will brief the European side and discuss these details with them; the Americans will speak with the Russians; and in ten days, we will come back with views and results in some shape or form.
As for a trilateral Ukraine-U.S.-Russia meeting, the American side proposed preparing it and meeting at the technical level. We are waiting for the United States to propose a date. The United States proposed the United Arab Emirates as the venue for such a meeting.
There are concrete agreements regarding Patriot licenses. At our meeting, President Trump stressed that he had made his final decision: Ukraine will receive licenses to produce Patriot missiles.
From answers to journalists’ questions. (1/3)
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Satellite imagery and intelligence support provided by Chinese groups has helped Iran threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz and launch precision strikes on US military bases in the Middle East, part of a dramatic improvement in Iranian targeting capabilities over the past several months, according to a series of recent American intelligence assessments described to CNN by four sources. cnn.it/4AC9yH6
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Zachary Cohen retweeted
The White House has proven reluctant to more seriously confront Beijing over its support for Iran, which has continued launching attacks on U.S. forces and oil infrastructure in the Middle East.
Read our story on the elephant in the room at today's Trump/Xi summit (with @RoryWSJ @JonathanEmont @summer_said)
wsj.com/politics/china-iran-…
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Zachary Cohen retweeted
New: Iran presented new proposal to re-open Strait of Hormuz and restart negotiations toward a “final deal," that is per FM Araghchi, @jmhansler reports. Unclear if a final deal in Iran's eyes includes a nuclear deal. cnn.com/2026/09/24/world/liv…
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Pretty sure “everybody” is obsessing over both the price of gas AND the fact that the same threat Gorka is referring to here, still exists.
Deputy Assistant to the President Sebastian Gorka: "Everybody is obsessing with the price of gas -- this is much bigger than the price of gas. Think about what would happen to the price of gasoline if those missiles were nuclear tipped. The idea that you're experiencing problems would be absolutely incomparable."
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New: 8 Navy personnel assigned to USS Abraham Lincoln strike group attempted suicide during a period when ships were engaged in combat ops against Iran & the carrier set a modern record for its time at sea, per letter from service’s acting secretary, obtained by CNN.
cnn.com/2026/09/23/politics/…
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Zachary Cohen retweeted
New: Eight US Navy personnel assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during a period that included when the ships undertook combat operations against Iran and the carrier set a modern record for its time at sea, according to a letter from the service’s acting secretary, which was obtained by CNN.
cnn.com/2026/09/23/politics/…
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The FBI is investigating an apparent breach of its networks after a prolific cybercriminal group claimed on Tuesday to have stolen thousands of FBI agents’ personal data, two sources familiar with the matter tell @snlyngaas & @evanperez.
cnn.com/2026/09/22/politics/…
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Zachary Cohen retweeted
This remarkable image was made by @actionshotabby, a photo student at Ole Miss who deserves a lot more credit.
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Zachary Cohen retweeted
>>
I met with Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
We addressed diplomatic prospects for ending the US-Iran war and fully re-opening the Strait of Hormuz. There were no tolls or fees for passage before the war, and there should be none after the war.
Navigation must be free and unimpeded, both in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
I also raised domestic repression inside Iran, including the sharp rise in executions and death sentences.
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Zachary Cohen retweeted
Trump says US and Iranian officials met today for 3 hours, calling it productive and saying they’ll meet again in the near future, their first meeting since June. Earlier Trump warned that he had a decision to make over where or not to annihilate Iran, or to make a deal.
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Zachary Cohen retweeted
Australia’s defense minister said Tuesday that F-35 fighter jet parts had been mistakenly diverted to Hong Kong, following reports US lawmakers were investigating the mishap.
cnn.com/2026/09/22/australia…
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