US Busy with Iran War - China Tightens Grip on Congo Minerals

DR Congo & China have deepened mining ties with a new deal despite U.S. push on a rival pact, with Congo holding major cobalt reserves amid intensifying global competition for critical minerals.

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Iran managed to damage the oil refinery in Haifa, Israel.

BREAKING: Spain closed its airspace to aircraft involved in Iran War and barred use of its Rota and Morón air bases for related combat or refueling flights.

The move led Washington to drop plans to deploy B-52 and B-1 bombers to Morón after consulting Madrid.

Source: El País

NEW: Zelensky says Ukraine will reciprocate if Russia stops striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

He also says Kyiv has received signals from allies about scaling back strikes on Russia’s oil sector.

Zelensky responds to German Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger:

If every Ukrainian housewife can produce drones, then any of them could become CEO of Rheinmetall.

Hartmut Ebbing, former German FDP member of Parliament and longtime pro-Israel advocate, served as treasurer of the Deutsch-Israelische Gesellschaft (DIG), was caught with child sexual abuse videos.

In 2025, he was convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material and received a 10-month suspended sentence.

Parts of the proceedings were held non-public at his request, citing potential damage to DIG and pro-Israel work.

In March 2026, a regional court convicted him of child sexual abuse involving his partner’s young son, sentencing him to 2 years and 10 months in prison (not suspended).

He resigned from DIG only after the 2026 charges became public.

Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin delivered 100,000 tons of crude oil to Cuba despite the ongoing U.S. blockade.

The U.S. Coast Guard did not attempt to stop it.

The tanker was reportedly escorted to the Atlantic by the Russian Navy corvette Soobrazitelny.

Kremlin says Russia considers it a duty to help Cuba and will continue supplying oil to the island.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei:

The U.S. proposals conveyed to Tehran were “excessive and unreasonable.”

Iran is not involved in Pakistan-led meetings.

19-year-old IDF soldier Liran Ben Zion was killed in southern Lebanon.

Kill marks on an Iranian Shahed-136 drone:

— E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft

— AN/TPY-2 radar linked to THAAD

— AN/MPQ-65 Patriot radar

Egyptian President el-Sisi to Trump:

Nobody can stop the war, but you.

U.S.–Israeli plan to back a Kurdish ground invasion of Iran early in the war collapsed after leaks, regional backlash, and doubts about success.

According to Channel 12, Israel — including the Mossad — had long developed a plan to support tens of thousands of Kurdish fighters crossing from Iraqi Kurdistan into northwest Iran under heavy U.S.–Israeli air cover, aiming to trigger a broader anti-regime uprising.

But after media leaks exposed the plan, Iran reinforced its defenses, pressured Baghdad, and ramped up activity in the region.

Turkish President Erdogan warned against Kurdish gains, Gulf states cautioned about destabilization, and Kurdish factions demanded political guarantees, doubting Washington’s reliability.

Facing lost surprise and mounting risks, Trump reportedly deemed the operation too dangerous and scrapped it.

The idea is now said to be off the table.

Source: N12, ToI

Iran War Pushes Egypt into Crisis Mode as it Slows Down State Projects

Egypt is scrambling to contain a deepening economic shock as fuel costs surge to crisis levels amid Iran war, forcing the government to slash energy use, slow major state projects & impose sweeping nationwide restrictions to prevent further strain on its fragile economy.

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Despite the war and sanctions, Iran has nearly doubled its oil revenues, exporting about 2.4–2.8 million barrels per day at much higher prices.

China is buying over 90% of exports.

A 23-year-old man from Israel's Eilat has been indicted for allegedly working with Iranian intelligence and filming sensitive sites, including Ovda Airbase where he was employed.

Prosecutors say he was recruited via Telegram while looking for work, carried out filming missions (including inside the base and nearby routes), and was paid a few hundred dollars through PayPal and digital wallets.

Even after suspecting the contact was Iranian, he allegedly continued cooperating.

Source: N12

Moment of Iranian attack on oil refineries in Haifa, Israel today.

Confusion in DR Congo - Gov't Claims M23 Withdrawal, Rebels Deny

DR Congo faces confusion as reports suggest M23 withdrawal from North Kivu while rebels deny it, raising uncertainty over US-brokered peace efforts & stability in the region.

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Trump:

The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran.

Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet “touched.”

This will be in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime’s 47 year “Reign of Terror.”

Two Chinese-owned cargo ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday—the first major container vessels to do so since the conflict began, according to MarineTraffic.

The ships, bound for Malaysia, crossed after earlier delays, potentially signaling easing conditions after Iran restricted the key oil and gas route.

Source: NYT

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin.