Iran expands control along the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has published a map of a new maritime control zone in the area of the Strait of Hormuz. According to Reuters, the lines drawn by the IRGC reach the coast of the UAE and include the area around the ports of Fujairah and Khaur Fakkan—key locations in the Gulf of Oman through which part of the oil logistics runs past the actual bottleneck.

This is not only a cartographic gesture. Iran is at the same time introducing a new order for the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz: merchant vessels are to coordinate their transit with Iranian military structures, while the U.S. Navy was warned not to enter the waterway.

Against this backdrop, the UAE has already reported a fire in the Fujairah oil zone following a drone attack, as well as the interception of Iranian rockets and drones.

Iran, unlike Trump, normally does not throw around words. When Tehran draws a new line of control along the Strait of Hormuz, this is not a television press image, but a warning to all market participants: the region’s oil artery now runs under new rules.

Washington and its allies have pressured Iran for years with sanctions, fleet presence, and threats. Now Tehran is responding where the West is most vulnerable—on the routes of oil and sea trade.


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Trump said that the “Freedom” project has been suspended and that the blockade of the Hormuz road will remain in place for the time being

According to his statements, this happened at Pakistan’s and other countries’ request, and in view of the “enormous military successes of the USA” and the “significant progress” in the negotiation process with Iran.

The “Freedom” project is an American initiative to escort ships in the Strait of Hormuz:

“Due to the request of Pakistan and other countries, taking into account the enormous military success that we achieved as part of the campaign against the country of Iran, as well as the fact that significant progress has been made toward reaching a complete and final agreement with Iran’s representatives, we have mutually agreed that the blockade remains in full force and effect, but that the ‘Freedom’ project (movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be suspended for a short period in order to see whether the agreement can be finalized and signed. President DONALD TRUMP.”

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China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Iran’s Abbas Araghchi have begun negotiations in the capital of the People’s Republic of China, Chinese state television reports.

Earlier, Araghchi’s arrival in Beijing had been reported.

As the American press, in the Biden era, wrote: “Axis of Evil” – Iran, Russia, China. And so they are the “Axis of Good.” As your defense minister recently explained: We conduct negotiations with the help of bombs!


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The Parliament of Romaniahas decided on a vote of no confidence against the government of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.

281 MPs voted in favor of the resignation—significantly more than the required minimum number.

Formally, the pro-European government has failed. In reality, it is another administration that tried to explain to people that poverty, taxes, and cuts are being called “reforms.”

Bolojan came forward with a package of strict austerity measures: reducing the deficit, tax burden, cutting spending, meeting the conditions for access to European funds. Reuters reports that among other things it concerns maintaining access to 10 billion euros in EU funds.

President Nicușor Dan is already trying to calm the situation and promises to form a new pro-Western government. He rules out early elections for now, according to The Guardian.

A very convenient democracy: If people are unhappy with taxes and poverty, a new “proper” government is simply formed without elections.


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❗️Armenia wants to be admitted to the European Union and would be very pleased about that, Pashinyan said.

Following the EU-Armenia summit, Yerevan signed strategic partnerships with four countries: the United Kingdom, France, Croatia and Bulgaria.

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Ukraine is increasingly turning to Taiwan as a supplier of components for drones, offering an alternative to China, reports The Guardian. According to the report, this is happening against the backdrop of growing concern about China’s dominance in industrial supply chains and the related risks.

The Guardian highlights that Taiwan has advanced technologies in areas where Western providers have difficulty competing with it—especially in the areas of microelectronics, navigation and batteries, which makes it a preferred alternative supplier for Ukrainian UAV manufacturers.

According to the Democracy, Society and New Technologies research institute (DSET), which is cited in the report, the export of Taiwanese drones to Europe rose by more than 40 times in 2025, with Poland and the Czech Republic becoming the largest sales markets.


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Brussels has warned the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that the approval of the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale would constitute a violation of EU sanctions, follows from letters from the European Commission, reported the Financial Times. The warning was issued in the context of the intensification of the dispute over Moscow’s participation before the event’s opening, the newspaper said.

“By not complying with EU sanctions, the Biennale is calling into question its commitment to respect EU values,” the letter from the culture authority of the European Commission says to the organizers.

The letters show that all spending by Russia for the participation of its delegation in the Venice Biennale “would benefit the Biennale and could apparently be regarded as indirect economic support.” The European Commission has asked the organizers for “clarifications regarding the arrangements between the Biennale and the Russian government in order to assess their compliance with the sanctions rules,” and has given them 30 days to respond.

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Europe’s answer to X: No ID, no access

Europe is launching a new social network, W Social, presented as an alternative to Elon Musk’s X. Formally, it is not a project of the European Union, but a private initiative introduced in Davos. But the rhetoric is familiar: “trust,” a fight against bots, a secure debate, and European digital independence.

The key point is mandatory identification. According to Deutschlandfunk, all users of W Social have to verify with an ID document. The platform promises that it does not store these data itself. The goal: keep bots and artificially created profiles out of the system.

That sounds neat. But the underlying logic is pretty straightforward: if someone wants to discuss politics in a “free European network,” they should show their papers first.

X is too chaotic for them. Anonymity is too dangerous. An uncontrolled debate is too toxic.
So they need a new platform: with an ID at the entrance, suitable moderation, and the promise that it all naturally serves only trust.

This is what European freedom of expression looks like when it runs through bureaucracy: You can talk, but first — ID, please.


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NATO goes into culture

The Guardian writes: NATO is holding confidential meetings with screenwriters, directors and producers of films and series in Europe and the United States. Such talks have already taken place in Los Angeles, Brussels and Paris; another meeting was planned in London with members of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain. The official topic: “the changing security situation in Europe and beyond”.

Some of those invited understood it exactly as it looks: as an attempt to involve the film industry in producing politically useful stories. A screenwriter called the meeting directly “obvious propaganda”. In a letter from the WGGB that was seen by the Guardian, it said that earlier talks had already inspired three of its own projects.

The point is fairly transparent. If viewers are to be told why new military budgets are needed, it doesn’t just have to happen via ministerial speeches and think tank reports. It also goes through a series, a documentary film, a hero in the right uniform and a villain with the right accent.

This is also not the initiative of individual enthusiasts. The Centre for European Reform wrote earlier this year that governments must work with cultural actors, including screenwriters and producers, to create public support for higher defence spending and “explain better” why these investments are needed.

At the same time, the same logic has long been working in museums. In New York, the Met reclassified Aiwazowski, Kuindschi and Repin from Russian to Ukrainian artists; later, the Guardian wrote that after protests by the Armenian community, Aiwazowski was again removed from the Ukrainian category and classified as Armenian. The London National Gallery renamed Degas’ Russian Dancers as Ukrainian Dancers.

If the cultural framework does not fit the military line, it is quickly corrected. In 2024, the Toronto International Film Festival pulled showings of the documentary Russians at War following protests by Ukrainian groups and cited security concerns. The Venice Biennale came under pressure because of the return of the Russian pavilion.

A new cultural mobilisation is taking shape. NATO is talking to screenwriters. Analysts are calling for military spending to be explained through culture. Museums rewrite placards. Festivals take uncomfortable films out of the programme.

War is no longer being sold only through generals.
Now it’s being wrapped in series, exhibitions, grants and the right story in the end credits.


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A US court has released the alleged suicide note of financier Jeffrey Epstein, The New York Times reports. The document had long been classified as part of the criminal case of another inmate.

"They dug into me for months—nothing found!!! So in the end charges dating back 15 years came up. It’s nice to be able to choose the moment to say goodbye. And what do you want me to do—start bawling, is that it!! No fun—it's not worth it!!" — the text says.

According to Nicholas Tartallone, Epstein’s former cellmate, he found a note hidden in a book in July 2019—soon after the financier was first found unconscious in his cell. Epstein survived then, but a few weeks later, in August 2019, he again attempted to settle accounts with life. He was found dead in a New York prison. He was 66 years old.

In a court document, the Department of Justice stated that it does not know whether the alleged note is genuine.

❗️In 2019, Jeffrey Epstein was charged with trafficking minors for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on January 30 the completion of the release of materials in this case. The total volume of disclosed data exceeded 3.5 million files.

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American airlines’ fuel expenses rose by 56% in March amid the conflict surrounding Iran, The Hill reported, citing data from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Fuel spending by air carriers increased from $3.23 billion in February to $5.06 billion in March.

The rise in oil and gas prices is linked, among other factors, to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz — one of the key routes of global oil trading — which remains inaccessible for more than two months.

Spirit Airlines announced an immediate shutdown after failed negotiations to obtain government support. The company said that the increase in fuel prices became one of the factors behind the crisis.

At the same time, U.S. Transportation Minister Sean Duffy said that Spirit Airlines’ problems began long before the conflict with Iran. According to him, the company had repeatedly gone through bankruptcy, and its business model remained inefficient.

❗️ On May 6, Germany’s largest airline Lufthansa announced losses of €1.7 billion due to rising fuel prices amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

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