US strikes on Iran continued for a 13th straight night, hitting reported missile sites in Yazd, weapons depots in Ahvaz, and multiple locations across southern and western Iran.

In response, Iran launched several missiles this morning toward Jordan, Bahrain, and the Erbil region of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The US has introduced new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 major trading partners, including the UK, EU, China, Canada, Japan, and India, covering 99.4% of US imports.

Trump praises Laura Loomer's interview with Zelensky.

Ukraine's Navy has, for the first time, been certified by NATO to command multinational mine countermeasure forces after passing the Alliance's NEL-2 operational evaluation during the Sea Breeze 2026 exercise.

The certification confirms Ukraine can lead NATO-standard mine-clearing operations and coordinate multinational naval units, marking a major milestone in its military integration with the Alliance.

Source: RBC-Ukraine

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:

Seizing another nation's assets to pay for unrelated future claims is an incendiary precedent.

Those who celebrate or profit from such funds should remember: once governments normalize confiscation, no one's assets are safe. Ensuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful.

Canada's Carney:

I'm going to take this opportunity to thank President Scheinbaum and the Mexican people for sending 200 firefighters to help us with our fires here. That's what friends do when you have crisis and fires.

Canada's Carney:

As everyone knows, on Monday the U.S. administration announced its intention to impose the latest in a series of unilateral and unwarranted trade actions.

We are intensifying our negotiations with the United States in pursuit of a comprehensive agreement that addresses all tariff-related sectors.

In all circumstances, irrespective of the outcome of those negotiations, Canada will do whatever it takes to build our strength at home and to support Canadian families, workers, our farmers, our businesses.

We're ready.

Q: Last year you made the decision to remove many counter-tariff measures. What kinds of trade retaliation measures are you willing to consider now, if any?

Is everything on the table if there's no agreement before August 19th?

Canada's Carney: Everything's on the table if there's no agreement, depending on the outcome of the negotiations.

Q: Let's say you get this deal with the President of the United States. You're going to have to convince a lot of Canadians, skeptical of the trustworthiness of the President, that this time he means it.

How will you explain that the President can be trusted when he signs a document with your name on it?

Canada's Carney: First I have to be convinced, we have to be convinced, the team has to be convinced, the premiers have to be convinced that an agreement is worth the paper it's written on.

We will know when we see it.

Romanian President Nicușor Dan:

This morning, around 11:00 a.m., a Romanian pilot in an F-16 aircraft shot down a drone that had entered our country's airspace.

The area was uninhabited, so the pilot was able to fire without any risk involved. Currently, teams from institutions with relevant responsibilities are investigating the area to provide all the details about the incident.

IRGC:

We warn the general public of the countries where U.S. military personnel are stationed to immediately move away from areas within a 500-meter radius of locations where U.S. military personnel are stationed, both openly and covertly, in order to ensure their safety.

India's government has asked until Saturday afternoon to respond to protesters' demand that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign over exam paper leaks.

Protesters also want charges against demonstrators dropped and compensation for families of students who reportedly died by suicide after the leaks.

If the resignation demand is rejected, organizers say they will escalate nationwide protests.

Source: Reuters

Four Palestinians and one Israeli were killed in a violent clash near the West Bank village of Tell.

Palestinians say Israeli "settlers", backed by soldiers, attacked the village, while Israel claims troops responded after Israeli hikers were attacked.

Source: The Guardian

Trump's Jan. 6 Personal Messages Sought by BBC

The BBC has asked the US government for evidence from the Jan 6 investigation, including Trump's messages with advisers that day, in connection with Trump's $10 billion defamation suit.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha:

Russia’s escalating terror against civilian cargo vessels in the Black Sea carries a serious risk to global food security.

If Moscow does not stop its strikes, the resulting shock to food prices will hit the most vulnerable, especially in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

We need global solidarity and strong voices of countries in these regions to address Putin and demand an immediate end to attacks on freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.

Russia is doing to the Black Sea and food security what Iran has done to the Strait of Hormuz and energy security.

Do not stay silent! Act now to stop Russian terror, the weaponization of food, and the use of hunger as a tool of war.

EU's Kaja Kallas on Trump's tariffs:

The argumentation behind that is it's forced labor. I mean, sorry, but you can't say that for the European Union.

If you compare our labor laws to the ones of the United States—I mean, we have paid vacations, we have very good labor conditions for our employees.

So it's not really grounded.

EU's Kaja Kallas:

We had a deal with America, and we have kept to that deal, our side of the deal.

I mean, the negotiations were not easy. It is important for our companies that there is predictability.

That's why the companies were saying, "Get to a result, get to a negotiated deal," because predictability is better than not having the view of what is coming.

UAE Nears Completion of Secret Military Base in Somaliland

The Emirates is finalizing a massive 10-month expansion of a clandestine military base at Berbera Airport, equipped with air defense systems, underground bunkers, and drone hangars.

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Satellite images reveal a previously unknown Chinese nuclear attack submarine with an ultra-low-profile sail, a design aimed at improving underwater stealth.

Its size and features suggest it's comparable to the U.S. Virginia-class, while its construction at a new shipyard indicates China may be expanding nuclear submarine production more rapidly than expected.

Source: SCMP

Gulf Nations Eye Massive Debt Surge to Fund Strait of Hormuz Alternatives

Persian Gulf oil exporters are seeking record debt financing to construct costly transit alternatives around the Strait of Hormuz, as regional conflict drags on.

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The head of news at BILD, Germany's best-selling newspaper, posted this.