The UKMTO reported two casualties in a tanker security incident in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

Saudi Arabia later confirmed that two Filipino sailors were killed aboard its oil tanker SIDR in the same incident.

Marco Rubio on Cuba:

Cuba is a failed state right now. And it's not because of us.

People say it's because of us. It's not.

Marco Rubio on Cuba:

Maduro was literally stealing the oil of the people of Venezuela and giving it for free to Cuba.

Cuba would take that oil and they weren’t using it to benefit the Cuban people.

They were selling the majority of that oil for cash and that cash was going into their pockets. That’s no longer happening.

NEW: A senior Israeli official says Israel’s attempt to reach a security agreement with Syria has failed, partly over disagreements about Israel withdrawing from the buffer zone.

Communication with Damascus remains open.

Source: Walla

Marco Rubio on Iran:

They keep shooting at things and they keep shooting at ships.

So we will continue to target those things that pose an imminent threat to our forces and to global shipping in the straits.

The straits will remain open and they will not be under Iranian control.

U.S. officials say Chinese state-owned shipping firm COSCO uses concealed equipment on its ships to intercept military communications and track vessels and aircraft near coastlines.

They say the intelligence helps Beijing with military reconnaissance, early warning and territorial disputes.

China rejected the allegations as “totally baseless.”

Source: Reuters

Marco Rubio on Iran:

Their economy is a disaster. It was a disaster before all of this, right?

Every penny they get, they don’t spend it on the Iranian people. They don’t spend that money on their country.

They use that money to fund Hezbollah and Hamas and terrorist organizations and militias in Iraq to threaten us and threaten the world.

If they spent a fraction, just half the money that they’re spending on these militias, or they spent it on their own people, the Iranian people would be better off.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei renewed his country’s claim to the Falkland Islands, calling them “sacred” and vowing to defend Argentina’s interests “with tooth and nail, no matter who it bothers.”

The UK responded that its sovereignty over the Falklands is “unwavering” and that the islanders’ right to remain British must be respected.

Milei is expected to make a major national announcement on the Falklands on Thursday.

NEW: Dutch central bank moved 86 tonnes of gold from North America to London, citing “crisis preparedness” amid global political instability.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Gaza:

If you look at the picture, particularly of the Hamas leaders, you don't see people who are starving.

You see people who need a good dose of Ozempic.

BIG: Germany approved €799 million in arms-export licenses to Israel in the first half of 2026, roughly four times the entire 2025 total.

Die Linke criticized the approvals as “limitless double standards.”

A Croatian court gave a 43-year-old Bosnian man a suspended 15-day prison sentence for social-media posts glorifying convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić.

The man posted photos, songs and messages thanking Mladić for “freedom” and saying “he will never be forgotten.”

The U.S. Army has awarded $192 million to Palantir and Anduril to produce eight AI-powered TITAN tactical intelligence vehicles.

TITAN uses AI and machine learning to combine data from satellites, drones, aircraft and ground sensors, identify and locate potential targets, and provide faster targeting recommendations to troops.

Four advanced and four basic variants will be delivered over the next 18 months.

Source: Axios

NEW: Iran’s rial hit a record low, with the dollar exceeding 2.2 million rials (220,000 tomans) on the open market.

The rial has lost roughly 60% of its value since March.

Iran’s central bank says it has sufficient reserves and could inject up to $2 billion to stabilize the currency, but the collapse is already pushing up food, medicine and import costs.

Polish authorities say a fire at a WB Electronics drone-component facility was deliberate sabotage.

The plant produces components for FlyEye and Warmate drones used by Poland and Ukraine.

“There is no doubt that it was deliberate arson, an act of sabotage.” — PM Donald Tusk

Investigators are examining possible involvement of a foreign intelligence service, while reports say CCTV captured a masked intruder entering the facility.

Damage is estimated at at least $4 million, with no injuries.

No suspect has been charged and any Russian involvement remains under investigation.