BIG: U.S. official says the rules of engagement for U.S. forces in the region have been changed, and they were authorized to strike immediate threats against ships that cross the strait, like IRGC fast boats or Iranian missile positions.

Source: Barak Ravid

Armenia's PM Pashinyan:

Now we have peace with Azerbaijan.

It is already two years that we have had no casualties… unprecedented since our independence.

This is the first time when the President of Azerbaijan is participating in an event taking place in Armenia… but online...

Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to visit Azerbaijan in 2028.

French President Macron:

We will probably experience the cost of our dependencies vis-à-vis China. No doubt.

One major risk is an acceleration of confrontation between China and the U.S.

French President Macron:

Europe decided to wake up and not depend on any big power.

WATCH: Hezbollah FPV drones hit 2 Israeli Namer APCs, a Merkava Mk.4M tank, and an M113 at IDF staging areas in Lebanon.

Some Israeli units have started camouflaging vehicles, but mostly in a basic/limited way and not consistently.

Dr. Andreas Krieg | Gulf Security Expert | Institute of Middle Eastern Studies:
 

The UAE is trying to regain control over its destiny - reviewing every relationship & assessing the utility of every multilateral membership to its own security.
 
Abu Dhabi is a Machiavellian actor built purely around national interests - specifically Abu Dhabi's interests, not just the UAE's.
 
Since 2020, there's been immense tension with Saudi Arabia in OPEC over oil quotas. Abu Dhabi hasn't complied with quotas for a long time. This move was coming & many analysts predicted it.
 
The deeper issue isn't OPEC - it's a geopolitical redefinition of Abu Dhabi's destiny. That could lead to reconsidering ties with the Arab League & the Organization of Islamic Cooperation too.

FULL INTERVIEW

NEW: CENTCOM says two U.S.-flagged merchant vessels have safely transited Strait of Hormuz and are on their way.

Mohammed Abdulmagied Seddiqi, CEO of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons (the UAE's leading luxury watch and fine jewelry retailer):

People told us this country was safer than many in Europe during the crisis.

Germany's Chancellor Merz:

Jewish life in Germany is more threatened than it has been in a long time.

We are seeing a sharp rise in criminal offenses, assaults, and anti-Semitic graffiti.

We stand fully and without any restriction behind the Jewish women and men living in Germany.

Germany's Chancellor Merz:

Jewish life belongs to Germany.

Anyone who attacks Jewish life in Germany attacks our society and our democracy.

Germany has a historic obligation to protect this life.

Dr. Andreas Krieg | Gulf Security Expert | Institute of Middle Eastern Studies:
 

The UAE is a federation of 7 emirates - but under Mohammed bin Zayed, it has become increasingly Abu Dhabi-centric.
 
Foreign policy, security & statecraft are all determined by the al-Nahyan. Everyone else falls in line.
 
Abu Dhabi's strategic culture is Machiavellian, zero-sum & deterministic - rooted in Bedouin inland heritage, less commercially minded than the coastal emirates like Dubai.
 
This culture is now conflated with UAE strategy as a whole, but it isn't. There is internal friction.
 
Dubai's mercantile culture favors engagement & multilateral solutions over confrontation.
 
On Iran, Abu Dhabi is pushing deterrence & force - even with Israel if necessary. That is not in Dubai's interest. But Abu Dhabi dictates the terms.

FULL INTERVIEW

Dr. Andreas Krieg | Gulf Security Expert | Institute of Middle Eastern Studies:
 

Only 10% of the UAE population are locals. You can't build a military or staff a civil service with that. So Abu Dhabi's model is to delegate - buy mercenaries & use interlocutors to project power.
 
The approach resembles England in the 1600s - building commercial networks & using locals to project influence.
 
But this isn't just a commercial project. It's about strategic depth & making Abu Dhabi indispensable in the region's key crises & conflicts.
 
UAE, a small state by all metrics, with the ambition of a middle power, generates influence through networks.
 
The network model started in Libya in 2014. It worked in Yemen, Somaliland & Sudan.
 
Militias are the tip of the iceberg. The underbelly is commodity traders, financiers, bankers, PR companies, information networks & bots pushing Emirati narratives.
 
It's a sophisticated & resilient network - remove one node & it doesn't collapse.

FULL INTERVIEW

BREAKING: UAE residents told to seek shelter amid potential missile threat.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich boasts:

The Israeli stock market, in its main indices, has risen by more than 100% since before the war.

There is no country like this in the world. We even outperformed the American markets.

In fact, Israel is now able to raise debt more cheaply than the United States government in its own market.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich boasts:

We finished the past year with exits worth 80 billion dollars — something that has never happened before.

And all this while we are in the middle of a two-and-a-half-year war.

Do you want to compare this to what happened to other countries during war? Look at the Ukrainian currency...

Bessent:

Iranians are trying to cut off international freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and the US is opening that up.

We are saying the Iranians do not have control of the strait. We have absolute control of the strait.

Their economy is in freefall, and everyone says they have the high tolerance for pain.

Well, their soldiers will not have a high tolerance for not getting paid.

UPDATE: UAE officials say it’s safe to go back to normal.

NEW: Iranian IRGC attack hit a South Korean-linked ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: Yonhap

Bessent:

I think the Iranians are starting to believe their own propaganda.

Their leadership is hunkered down in bunkers. I don’t think they know what’s going on.

Bessent:

Attacks from Iran have closed the Strait, and we are reopening it.

I would urge the Chinese to join us in supporting this international operation.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich:

My son keeps asking me not to finish the job, so that there will still be something left for him to do in Lebanon.

And I tell him: don’t worry — there will be enough for everyone.