Welcome to The National Today newsletter, which takes a closer look at some of the day's most notable stories. Sign up here and we'll deliver it directly to your inbox Monday to Friday. TODAY: Donald Trump's apparent willingness to meet with Iran's leadership to iron out their differences is being met with resistance in Tehran. Meanwhile, the Iranian economy is in dire straits. A controversy in the U.S. over the right to 3D print guns can't stop the runaway growth of so-called additive manufacturing. Yemen's three-year-long civil war has already created the worst cholera outbreak in human history. And it looks to be getting worse. Missed The National last night? Watch it here Iran so far away — on U.S. talks ​Iran's leaders are letting it be known that they have little interest in making nice with the United States. Donald Trump's surprise offer to sit down with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani with "no preconditions" was firmly rejected by a number of high-ranking officials in Tehran today. "Negotiation is not an appropriate option given Trump's humiliation of Iran," Ali Motahhari, the deputy speaker of Iran's parliament, told the Fars News Agency, referring to the U.S. president's May decision to pull out the international nuclear deal. "Talks under such circumstances means ignominy, disdain and humiliation," Motahhari added. Meanwhile, Iran's interior minister suggested that America can't be trusted to keep its word. "The United States is not trustworthy. How can we trust this country when it withdraws unilaterally from the nuclear deal?" asked Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli. Rouhani himself called the U.S. pullout "illegal" during a meeting with the U.K.'s ambassador, saying that it is up to Europe to fix the damage to Iran's relationship with the West. Trump's decision to reimpose sanctions, starting next week, is having a dramatic effect on Iran's economy, however. Today, the rial traded at a new low of 119,000 to the U.S. dollar, almost three times lower than where it was at the beginning of 2018, and lost 18 per cent of its value in just the past two days. And there are fears that Iran might react to the increasing pressure by closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which tankers carry 18.5 million barrels a day of oil. "The [U.S.] sanctions against Iran affect the functions of the Strait of Hormuz," the head of the Iranian navy, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, told reporters today. "The Strait of Hormuz remaining open hinges on Iran's interests and the international community should live up to its obligations towards the Islamic Republic." Shopkeepers in Tehran recently closed their stalls in anger over Iran's troubled economy. (Iranian Labor News Agency via AP) Some countries, like India, have cut their Iranian oil purchases ahead of the sanctions. But China, which imports nearly 720,000 barrels a day from Iran — about 20 per cent of the country's output — is not expected to follow Trump's orders. World oil prices have been on a downward slide this month as the market tries to gauge the likelihood of Iranian sanctions and the effect of OPEC's vow to make up any shortfall. The wildcard remains what E.U. leaders will do as they try to keep Iran in the 2015 nuclear framework, and protect European businesses from the fallout of U.S. sanctions. This week, a group of 10 Republican senators, including Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, sent a joint letter to the ambassadors of Germany, France and the U.K. warning of congressional action if their countries seek "to evade or undermine American statutes." A report in today's issue of the Tehran Times, the Islamic Republic's official English newspaper calls the letter "snobbish." 3D printing: guns today, full-size humans tomorrow Allowing people to 3D print functioning AR-15 assault rifles is generally considered a bad idea. But that is where America is at this morning, after the Trump administration struck a legal bargain that permitted a Texas designer to publish downloadable blueprints for the untraceable and hard-to-detect plastic weapons. Cody Wilson, the founder of Defense Distributed, shows a plastic handgun made on a 3D printer at his home in Austin, Tex. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP) Eight states are now suing the U.S. government to stop the deal — which was supposed to go into effect tomorrow — and the president himself seems to be questioning its wisdom, tweeting this morning that "it doesn't make much sense." However, the blueprints are already available and more than 1,000 people have downloaded them today. But that pales to the one million who obtained printing instructions for other plastic guns before the U.S. State Department ordered designer Cody Wilson to take them down in 2013 because they violated export controls. The NRA has been unusually quiet on the issue, but other U.S. gun advocates argue that it all falls under the Second Amendment guarantee of the right to bear (plastic) arms, and point out that the cost of a decent 3D printer — $3,500 and up — is far more than the price of a traditional, metal AR-15, which can be had for as low as US $550. The reality, however, is that 3D printing is here to stay — and getting cheaper and more accessible by the day. The additive manufacturing industry, as it is formally known, is now worth $7.3 billion US a year, a 21 per cent increase from 2017, and by some estimates will grow to be worth $33 billion by 2023. More than 135 companies around the world now produce industrial 3D printing systems, and over 500,000 home desktop plastic printers have been sold over the past two years. The variety of things that can now be printed, instead of fabricated by traditional means, is stunning. Everything from airplane parts to bionic prosthetics for children to high-fashion knitwear, as well as the odd chicken foot or tail for a luckless alligator. Just today, there's a new study on how 3D printing on microlattice structures for the insides of lithium-ion batteries promises to vastly improve their charging rates and storage capacity. Trump has apparently spoken to the NRA about the wisdom of allowing 3D printed guns. (Susan Walsh/Associated Press) Earlier this week, NASA handed out a bunch of money to fund promising prototypes for Mars bases, which are to be 3D-printed on the red planet's surface from locally available materials. One of the principal hurdles to big dreams of printed cars, aircraft and homes — the relatively small size of the machines — is also being tackled. This week, a South African company unveiled plans for the world's largest additive manufacturing machine, big enough to print a full-sized human. The printer, which will use titanium powder to make aircraft parts and other industrial items as big as 2m x 60cm x 60cm should be ready in two years. Although it won't come cheap. Filling its reservoir with titanium dust will cost $750,000. Like this newsletter? Sign up and have it delivered by email. You may also like our early-morning newsletter, the Morning Brief — start the day with the news you need in one quick and concise read. Sign up here. Fearing a cholera catastrophe in Yemen ​When Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen launched their offensive on the port city of Hodeidah in mid-June, they predicted victory within seven days. Yemeni pro-government forces are seen firing a heavy machine gun near Hodeida airport in June. (AFP/Getty Images) A month and a half later, the fighting continues, and now the UN is warning that the 600,000 civilians who remain trapped in the city are on the cusp of a humanitarian disaster. Over the past few days, Saudi airstrikes have targeted hospitals and the city's water supply, raising fears that a cholera outbreak may dramatically worsen. "Cholera is already present in neighborhoods across the city and governorate. Damage to sanitation, water and health facilities jeopardizes everything we are trying to do," Lise Grande, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, warned this past weekend. "We could be one airstrike away from an unstoppable epidemic." Yemen's three-year-long civil war has already created the worst cholera outbreak in human history, with more than 1.1 million suspected cases and at least 2,300 deaths.<doc-sep>Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has discussed conditions that Iran must fulfill before President Donald Trump will meet with the Middle Eastern nation, contradicting the president's earlier statements. During a press conference at the White House on Monday, Trump told reporters: "If [the Iranians] want to meet, we'll meet." He explained that he believes in meetings—especially when the stakes are high—adding that "no preconditions" would be asked. But hours later, Pompeo spoke to CNBC's Closing Bell, laying out reforms Iran must make before Trump would meet with its leaders. "If the Iranians demonstrate a commitment to make fundamental changes in how they treat their own people, reduce their malign behavior, can agree that it's worthwhile to enter into a nuclear agreement that actually prevents proliferation," the secretary explained, "then the president said he's prepared to sit down and have the conversation with them." Pompeo also voiced his support for a summit between Tehran and Washington, saying Trump "wants to meet with folks to solve problems." For its part, Iranian leaders dismissed the possibility of any such meeting taking place without the U.S. changing its stance on the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. Hamid Aboutalebi, an adviser for Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, said that Tehran would not meet with the U.S. until it shows "respect for the great nation of Iran," returns to the nuclear agreement and reduces hostilities, The Guardian reported. Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli also dismissed the possibility of a meeting, saying Tehran does not trust Washington. "How can we trust this country when it withdraws unilaterally from the nuclear deal?" he said, according to Reuters. Tensions have been at a high between the U.S. and Iran following Trump's May decision to withdraw from the nuclear agreement. Washington aims to implement new and harsher sanctions against Tehran, despite opposition from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China. COLOR US UNIMPRESSED: The world heard even harsher bluster a few months ago. And Iranians have heard them —albeit more civilized ones—for 40 yrs. We’ve been around for millennia & seen fall of empires, incl our own, which lasted more than the life of some countries. BE CAUTIOUS! — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 23, 2018 Last week, a war of words erupted between Iran and the U.S., with Rouhani warning that "war with Iran is the mother of all wars." Trump responded with an all-caps tweet, telling Rouhani to never threaten the U.S. again or "SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE." Pompeo added his voice to the fray as well, referring to Iran's leaders as a "mafia" that disregard the interests of their own people to shore up wealth and ensure their own personal agendas. The secretary of state's counterpart in Tehran, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, replied to U.S. criticism, brushing it aside by saying: "We've been around for millennia and [have] seen [the] fall of empires." Analysts have suggested that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has insisted on a hard-line policy of no engagement with the Trump administration following its withdrawal from the nuclear agreement. Previous reports have also alleged that the White House has asked for numerous meetings with Iran's president, all of which have been rebuffed.<doc-sep>Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday expressed his support for President Donald Trump holding talks with Iran, listing specific conditions for such discussions to occur, just hours after the president said he would not require preconditions to sit down with Iranian leaders. "No preconditions. They want to meet? I'll meet," Trump said at a joint press conference with Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Trump stating he has no preconditions for talks with Iran seems to put him at odds with Pompeo and potentially other top advisers. In a speech back in May, Pompeo listed 12 specific conditions that would need to be met for the US to hold talks with Iran after Trump's controversial decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday expressed his support for President Donald Trump holding talks with Iran, listing specific conditions for such discussions to occur, just hours after the president said he would not require preconditions to sit down with Iranian leaders. "We've said this before. [Trump] wants to meet with folks to solve problems," Pompeo told CNBC's "Closing Bell" in an interview that reportedly came about two hours after Trump's comments. "If the Iranians demonstrate a commitment to make fundamental changes in how they treat their own people, reduce their malign behavior, can agree that it's worthwhile to enter into a nuclear agreement that actually prevents proliferation, then the president said he's prepared to sit down and have the conversation with them," Pompeo added. During a joint press conference earlier in the day with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who is visiting Washington, DC, Trump said he'd meet with "anybody" when discussing the prospect of holding talks with Iran. "No preconditions. They want to meet? I'll meet," Trump added. In a speech back in May, Pompeo listed 12 specific conditions that would need to be met for the US to hold talks with Iran after Trump's controversial decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. The Iranian government swiftly dismissed them as unacceptable. More recently, Trump and Iranian leaders have engaged in a heated war of words. After Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said a conflict between the US and Iran would be the "mother of all wars," Trump last Sunday sent an all-caps tweet warning the Iranian leader not to threaten the US anymore. Trump softened his tone in a speech last Tuesday in which he said he was ready for talks with Iran, which he reiterated during Monday's press conference. But stating he has no preconditions for talks with Iran seemingly puts Trump at odds with some of his top advisers and potentially other Republicans. Former President Barack Obama was heavily criticized by conservatives when he said he'd hold talks with Iran without prior conditions or stipulations.<doc-sep>
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday that he is on board with President Donald Trump's earlier declaration that he would sit down and talk with Iranian leaders. The interview, appearing on CNBC's "Closing Bell" on Monday, came two hours after Trump said during a press conference with Italy's prime minister that he would meet with Iran's leaders, without pre-conditions, "anytime they want." The secretary of State offered a more qualified take on the potential for top-level meetings with Iran, listing several pre-conditions. "We've said this before," Pompeo said. The "president wants to meet with folks to solve problems. If the Iranians demonstrate a commitment to make fundamental changes in how they treat their own people, reduce their malign behavior, can agree that it's worthwhile to enter into a nuclear agreement that actually prevents proliferation, then the president said he's prepared to sit down and have the conversation with them." U.S.-Iran tensions have intensified of late, after Trump tore up an Obama-era nuclear deal with the Middle Eastern nation and as the administration prepares to fully re-impose sanctions on the regime. It is far from certain Iran would agree to the terms outlined by Pompeo on Monday. In his first major foreign policy speech as secretary of State two months ago, Pompeo issued a list of 12 demands that would require Iran to essentially reverse several pillars of its long-standing foreign policy. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the demands "not acceptable." The Trump administration wants to tie a new nuclear agreement to limits on Iran's ballistic missile program and its role in regional conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and elsewhere. It also wants to make permanent key aspects of the original accord that expire 10 to 15 years from the start of the deal. Iran has rejected those conditions. Earlier this month, Rouhani's chief of staff claimed that Iran rejected eight requests by the Trump administration to hold meetings between the nations' leaders on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting last year. Asked about the claim, Pompeo said he would not speak about private conversations that may or may not have taken place. The first of two deadlines for foreign countries to wind down business ties with Iran arrives in just one week. The Trump administration is also pushing oil buyers to stopping importing supplies from Iran, the world's fifth biggest crude producer, by the second deadline at the start of November. Iran has recently threatened to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, the world's busiest sea lane for oil exports, if the United States goes through with the oil sanctions. Iran's Houthi rebel allies in Yemen forced Saudi Arabia to suspend oil shipments through a nearby strait in the Red Sea last week after they attacked a pair of Saudi tankers. The secretary of State spoke with CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera hours after he announced $113 million in new Trump administration investments in Asia.