Background and Summary:

🔥 Iranian authorities report severe damage to Tehran's Motahari Hospital from strikes, showing shattered glass, charred rooms, broken beds, and ruined equipment, with the facility now evacuated.

🏥 Gandhi Hospital in Tehran was also hit by Israeli strikes, causing significant damage and leading to patient evacuations amid the ongoing conflict.

🌍 Iran appeals to the international community, claiming civilian sites like hospitals, schools, and homes have been targeted, while the World Health Organization assesses the extent of damage.

⚠️ The strikes are part of a US-Israel military campaign against Iran, with over 1,000 targets hit, including IRGC headquarters, amid reports of explosions across Tehran. This campaign follows Operation Epic Fury, a joint US operation launched by President Trump.

Background and Summary:

🚨 China has instructed its top refiners to suspend exports of diesel and gasoline, prioritizing domestic fuel supply amid global market tensions.

📊 The government issued the first 2026 fuel export quotas totaling 19 million tons for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, steady from last year, with state giants Sinopec and CNPC receiving over 70% at 13.76 million tons.

⛽ An additional 8 million tons of quotas were allocated for low-sulfur marine fuel, reflecting efforts to balance local demand and international shipping needs.

🌍 This halt follows a 3.2% drop in China's 2025 refined fuel exports through November, driven by weaker margins and focus on home consumption. This comes as China pressures Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, a critical energy chokepoint, amidst escalating US-Iran conflict.

Background and Summary:

🚫 Russia has implemented an electronic summons registry that automatically bans men from leaving the country if they miss military enlistment appointments.

📱 Summons are delivered digitally via the Gosuslugi portal, with travel restrictions activating immediately upon issuance and legally served after seven days, even if unread.

⚠️ Further penalties after 20-27 days of non-compliance include bans on driving, vehicle registration, property deals, and business registrations, as seen in cases like Kaliningrad.

🌍 These measures, rolled out nationwide by late 2025, support year-round conscription starting January 2026 to enforce compliance amid ongoing military needs.

Background and Summary:

Background and Summary:

🚀 US and allied missile stockpiles, including Tomahawk cruise missiles and interceptors like THAAD and SM-3, are under heavy strain from ongoing strikes in the Iran war.

⚠️ Experts warn that current production rates of 90-100 Tomahawks per year cannot match consumption, with 400 already fired—10% of inventory—in just days, risking depletion if conflict lasts weeks.

🛡️ High demand for defensive missiles like Patriot and SM-6 diverts supplies from other regions, creating vulnerabilities in the Indo-Pacific amid threats from China and North Korea.

🇺🇸 White House insists stockpiles are sufficient for Operation Epic Fury and 'much further,' with President Trump claiming a 'virtually unlimited supply,' though defense officials urge faster production.

Background and Summary:

🚀 Missiles and drones from Iran struck near Nakhchivan International Airport in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave, about 10 km from the Iran border, causing a fire and black smoke visible in video footage.

🛩️ Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry directly accused Iran of a drone attack, reporting one drone near the airport and another near a school, with two civilians injured.

🔥 The incident occurs amid an escalating US-Israel-Iran war now in its sixth day, with Iran launching retaliatory strikes across the region, though Iran has not confirmed targeting Azerbaijan. This follows US strikes on Iran and Operation Epic Fury.

📢 Azerbaijan is demanding urgent explanations from Iran, as official statements are expected soon.

Background and Summary:

📰 On February 28, 2026, a girls' elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, was struck by a missile during school hours, killing 165-180 people, mostly young girls aged 7-12.

🔍 The attack occurred on the first day of US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran; Iran blamed Israel, but neither the US nor Israel has claimed responsibility, amid ongoing investigations.

🌐 The UN condemned the 'horrific' strike on civilians, urging the attacking forces to conduct a prompt, impartial probe and ensure accountability. This call for investigation echoes previous UN actions, such as the UN calling for an investigation into a deadly strike on a school in Iran.

❌ Disinformation spread online claiming Iran bombed its own school, but investigations debunked these as false, linked to pro-monarchy channels.

Background and Summary:

🛩️ Ukraine's F-16 jets faced a critical shortage of US-made air-to-air missiles from late November to mid-December 2025, leaving air defenses vulnerable to Russian strikes.

⚠️ The shortage affected F-16 operations and ground systems like NASAMS, as partners reported no available stocks, though the exact cause remains unclear. This comes as US and allied missile stockpiles were reported as 'bare' amid escalating global conflicts.

📦 Supplies were restored in December with AIM-9 missiles from unnamed partners, just before a major Russian attack, avoiding the period's largest assaults.

🛡️ F-16s, donated by European allies since 2024, mainly intercept cruise missiles due to limited precision bombs, highlighting Ukraine's reliance on Western aid.

Background and Summary:

New Summary: 🚁 Ukrainian drone expertise is now being sought by US officials to help Middle East allies counter Iranian Shahed drones, marking a significant shift as the Trump administration confronts challenges it initially underestimated in operations against Iran.

🎯 US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and military leaders were surprised by how effective Iranian Shahed drones proved to be, despite four years of observing Russia's extensive use of these same low-flying, slow-moving drones against Ukraine, which had already demonstrated their ability to evade traditional air defenses.

💡 Ukraine's experience fighting affordable mass drone attacks has become a valuable lesson for US operations in the Middle East, with the US now adopting Ukraine's proven strategy of mixing low-cost one-way drones with premium weapons to achieve outsized operational and economic effects against Iranian targets.

🛡️ US air defense systems have proven inadequate against Shahed-type drones, with officials warning Congress that existing defenses cannot reliably intercept every drone, leading to embassy closures in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait following successful Iranian drone strikes.

🤝 Ukrainian unmanned systems experts are now being deployed to assist US partners in the Gulf region, demonstrating how lessons from Ukraine's four-year drone warfare experience are directly translating into operational solutions for Middle East conflicts.

Background and Summary:

📰 Trump claims U.S. strikes have wiped out much of Iran's leadership succession plans after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, creating uncertainty over the next leader.

⚡ He suggests the U.S. should help pick Iran's next supreme leader, preferring someone popular inside Iran over exile Reza Pahlavi, amid reports of an Israeli strike impacting top figures. This follows Israeli strikes targeting Iran's leadership compound.

🤝 Trump notes Iran's 'new leadership' wants to negotiate, though no formal successor has been named and Iran's Assembly of Experts is set to meet soon to decide. This comes as Iranian Intelligence Proposes Talks With CIA.

🌍 This follows U.S. military action called Operation Epic Fury, with officials stressing it's not a full regime change but has disrupted Iran's power structure.

Background and Summary:

🚨 Arab states like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and others are rapidly depleting their stocks of air defense interceptors due to ongoing Iranian drone and missile attacks.

💥 Iran has targeted Gulf nations hosting U.S. bases with cheap drones and missiles, while costly interceptors—often $4 million each—run low, creating a 'war of attrition' where defenders may exhaust supplies first. This situation echoes concerns about US and allied missile stockpiles being depleted.

🇺🇸 The U.S. is reportedly delaying Gulf states' requests to replenish interceptors, amid concerns that even Pentagon stocks, including THAAD missiles, could last only weeks at current rates. This comes as US air defenses may struggle to intercept Iran's one-way drones.

⚠️ Attacks have hit oil facilities, tankers, and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, driving up global energy prices and halting production in key areas. The ongoing conflict also raises concerns about Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Background and Summary:

🛡️ Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed confidence in countering a potential U.S. ground invasion, citing advanced missile capabilities proven in past conflicts like the 12-day war.

💥 Amid ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran since late February 2026, Araghchi described U.S. actions as a 'war of choice' for Israel and warned that U.S. bases in the region would be legitimate targets in self-defense. This comes as US strikes on Iran ‘outside international law,’ says Macron and White House denies Rubio said that Israel dragged Trump into war with Iran.

🎯 President Trump stated U.S. goals include destroying Iran's missiles, navy, and nuclear program to force regime change without a ground invasion, while Iran vows retaliation against regional U.S. assets. This echoes earlier statements where Trump Says He Would Deploy Troops to Iran "If Necessary" and Donald Trump: Iran's military 'gone,' 'too late' for talks.

⚠️ Iranian officials, including Ali Larijani, warned a U.S. ground invasion would result in thousands of American casualties, as tensions escalate with continued strikes and leadership transitions in Iran. The Mojtaba Khamenei survives strikes on Iran, poised to become their next Supreme Leader and IDF 'flattens' building where Iran's Assembly of Experts was picking Khamenei's successor highlight the volatile leadership situation.