Approval of Iran war hits record low– www.washingtontimes.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Americans’ support for the war with Iran has fallen to the lowest level since the conflict began, helping keep President Trump’s approval rating at a record low.
Support for U.S. military action against Tehran dipped to 31%, down 3 points from earlier this month and down 6 points since the start of the war, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week.
This drop is attributable to fewer self-identified Republicans supporting the war. Roughly 69% of Republicans backed the Trump administration’s actions against Iran, compared with 77% in March, just after the U.S. and Israel first launched strikes on Iran.
The war’s unpopularity mirrors Mr. Trump’s approval numbers.
Another Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed Aug. 17 put Trump’s approval at 33% and disapproval at 64%, the lowest of his second term and tied with the low point of his first term.
The poll also found 80% of Americans, including 71% of Republicans and 87% of Democrats, believed the Iran conflict would drag on for an extended period.
‘Not an isolated incident’: Russian drones stalk Ukraine’s civilians in ‘human safaris’– www.france24.com News Source
EXCERPT:
First, he freezes, caught off guard. Then the young Ukrainian cyclist begins to backpedal awkwardly, his eyes never leaving the Russian drone that hovers ahead of him. It moves closer, and he swings his leg over the bike and tries to run. He doesn’t make it.
Even though the footage, posted Friday on the official Telegram account of the 3rd Army Corps of the Russian armed forces, cuts off before the moment of impact, the video’s description leaves no doubt of the outcome. The Russian soldiers congratulate themselves on having taken out an “enemy combatant” in the Ukrainian district of Kramatorsk, not far from the front line in the northern Donetsk region.
Two years of ‘human safaris’
But the cyclist was visibly unarmed, wearing civilian clothes and looked like any other young man riding his bike down a country road. Independent Russian media outlet Astra quickly accused the Russian military of trying to pass off an unarmed cyclist as a Ukrainian combatant.
The video spread swiftly across social media as influential accounts, including prominent Kremlin critic and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, reposted the footage to denounce the Russian military’s apparent cruelty.
Nigeria’s president orders rescue operation after mass kidnapping at mosque– www.france24.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered the military and other security agencies on Tuesday to launch an immediate rescue operation after scores of people were kidnapped by gunmen in north-central Niger State last week.
An armed group posted a video on Facebook and WhatsApp showing what residents said were about 600 women, children and older people abducted during an attack on a mosque in the state.
Reuters could not independently verify the figure, but if confirmed it would rank among Nigeria‘s largest and most audacious mass kidnappings in recent years.
An official from Borgu district, where the attack happened, said 30 people had been killed during the attack and were buried on Sunday.
The official, who declined to be identified because she was not authorised to speak to the media, said villagers from the communities of Dakera, Gidan-Zana and Sabon Gida were affected.
Mideast live: Oil tanker struck by projectile in Strait of Hormuz off Oman– www.france24.com News Source EXCERPT:
German GDP growth revised upwards, defying Iran war turmoil
German growth rose faster than previously thought in the second quarter thanks to strong exports, official data showed, as Europe’s biggest economy defied the turmoil unleashed by the Iran war.
Gross domestic product grew 0.3 percent from April to June compared with the first three months of the year, according to revised data from the statistics office Destatis. A first estimate in July had put growth at 0.2 percent.
What could new US sanctions on Iran entail?
The US says it is preparing to announce new sanctions on Iran. It’s been billed an “economic D-day” and is expected to add further pressure on the country’s economy that’s already been battered from previous sanctions and a US naval blockade.
The renewed economic pressure would not be the first time the US has used economic tools at its disposal to corner Iran.
US sanctions oil trader Wellbred over Iran links
The US imposed sanctions on Singapore-based Wellbred Capital and its trading firms in the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland, citing links with Iran, as it steps up measures to target Tehran’s global financial links.
The company had ties to Iranian oil shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said on its website on Monday.
“Shamkhani built Wellbred as a company outside the network’s Iranian business, though Shamkhani is ultimately responsible for Wellbred’s operations,” it added in a statement outlining the measures targeting nearly 60 companies, individuals and ships.
Six months of war: 20 dead in 68 incidents near Hormuz, IMO says
The Strait of Hormuz has been the main focus of the six-month war between Iran and the US and Israel, with many commercial vessels targeted in the vital conduit for oil and gas shipments.
In total, 68 incidents have been confirmed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in the Gulf and neighbouring bodies of water, the equivalent of one every 2.6 days.
Across all incidents, at least 20 seafarers or port workers were reported killed, 35 wounded and one missing, the UN maritime agency said.
About half of the incidents have involved tankers, 20 percent container ships and 15 percent bulk carriers.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) classified 47 of the incidents as attacks.
Liberia-flagged vessels have been most affected, being involved in 13 incidents, followed by 10 vessels each from Panama and the Marshall Islands.
Iran-flagged vessels were reported as being involved in four incidents.
Pakistan says army chief held talks with Iran focussed on preventing further escalation of Middle East conflict
Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir held discussions with Iran that were focussed on measures including the prevention of a further escalation of the conflict and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the Pakistani military said in a statement on Tuesday.
Munir discussed regional peace and ways to reach a negotiated settlement to disputes, the statement added.
Commodity vessel transits through Strait of Hormuz fall to three-month low, data shows
Only one commodity vessel transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the lowest number since May 7, preliminary shipping data showed on Tuesday.
One very large gas carrier entered the strait from the Gulf of Oman on Monday, initial data from shiptracker Kpler showed at 0251 GMT, compared with six vessels of all types on Sunday. The figures could change as some ships had switched off transponders on their way through.
Oil tanker struck by projectile off Oman
An oil tanker was struck and disabled by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, causing damage but no casualties, a British maritime agency said early Tuesday.
“The Master of an oil tanker reports the vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile causing damage to the engine room and disabling the vessel,” with the crew reported as safe, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.
The incident occurred nine nautical miles (16.7 kilometres) northeast of Ash Shishah in Oman, it said.
The online statement did not specify the vessel’s nationality or direction of travel.
Oil prices steady as investors weigh impact of expanded US sanctions against Iran
Oil prices steadied on Tuesday, after falling more than 2% in the previous session, as investors assessed the impact of harsher US secondary sanctions against Iran.
Brent crude futures were down 9 cents, or 0.1%, at $92.16 by 0104 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was up 1 cent at $85.02 a barrel.
Both contracts fell more than 2% on Monday with US crude oil falling to a one-week low on profit taking after prices rallied over the previous two weeks.
China’s New Missile Can Target Planes Flying Near US: Report– www.ndtv.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Beijing:
China has developed hypersonic glide vehicles that can launch air-to-air weapons targeting high-value targets such as command-and-control aircraft thousands of miles away, Bloomberg reported, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The new addition to Beijing’s arsenal comes at a time when the US is struggling with supplies of crucial air defence missiles and long-range strike weapons following the six months of war with Iran.
It can be a threat to aircraft such as aerial refueling tankers, airborne early-warning and control jets and flying command posts, including the US Air Force’s E-4B Nightwatch.
The Chinese military has also added air-to-air capabilities to some hypersonic cruise missiles and built anti-ship capabilities into several types of missiles, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.
China is the only country publicly known to operate and develop hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) capable of launching air-to-air missiles. The developments mark a significant expansion of the country’s efforts to use its growing missile arsenal — largest in the world at more than 3,150 ballistic weapons — for a wide range of military missions, sources said.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe took trip to Moscow aboard C-17– www.washingtonexaminer.com News Source
EXCERPT:
CIA Director John Ratcliffe secretly visited Moscow aboard a not-so-secret C-17 Globemaster to engage in high-level discussions with Russian officials.
His visit was reported by CBS News and was cited by Russian state media, including TASS. U.S. and Russian officials both declined to comment or claimed ignorance. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he wasn’t aware of any visit or meetings. If confirmed, it would be Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia.
The use of the U.S.’s largest aircraft to visit Moscow stirred widespread speculation. The flight was viewed by both air traffic monitors and filmed by locals. In one of the most widely circulated videos on social media, a local was heard joking, “We are under attack!”
The flight remained a mystery for several hours. A convoy of vehicles with U.S. diplomatic plates was recorded in the streets of Moscow shortly after.
Ratcliffe’s visit was soon confirmed by other outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Axios, and several Ukrainian outlets. The last known trip by a CIA director to Russia was by former President Joe Biden’s CIA Director William Burns, who visited in November 2021 to warn against an invasion of Ukraine.
Donald Trump has vowed to unleash an ‘economic D-Day’ on Iran Credit: ReutersSevere sanctions and months of bombing have plunged the regime into an economic crisis Credit: AP
Washington has now upped the ante with a new plan to slap severe sanctions on any country maintaining economic ties with the regime.
Iran has meanwhile vowed it will retaliate against any country participating in the US-led isolation campaign.
Netanyahu claims ‘Iran tried to murder one of my sons’ — RT World News– www.rt.com News Source EXCERPT:
The Israeli leader offered no evidence or specifics as his coalition trails in polls ahead of October’s election
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Iran attempted to assassinate one of his sons, making the explosive allegation without saying which of his children was allegedly targeted, when the supposed plot took place or how close it came to being carried out.
The bombshell came almost in passing during a telephone interview with Israel’s Channel 14 on Monday about security arrangements for Netanyahu’s political rival Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief who is challenging him ahead of the October 27 general election.
“This is an unbelievable case. Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to murder him, tried to murder one of my sons,” Netanyahu said, arguing that round-the-clock protection for Eisenkot was “not a luxury” and warning that without it, the Iranians “will succeed.”
Netanyahu has two sons, Yair and Avner. He did not identify which one he was referring to, nor did he say where or how Iran allegedly planned to attack him.
Israeli media have separately reported that Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, and both sons were granted expanded state protection in July. Channel 12 reported that the alleged Iranian plot had been known to Israel’s security establishment for several months but had been subject to a military gag order.
The claim comes as Netanyahu faces a difficult reelection campaign. Successive surveys have put his governing bloc short of the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority, while polls have shown Eisenkot competing closely with or overtaking Netanyahu and his Likud party. Reuters reported in July that surveys were pointing to a defeat for Netanyahu’s coalition, although the fragmented opposition also lacks a straightforward path to forming a government.
US President Donald Trump also claimed that Tehran had repeatedly tried to kill him – even before the initial salvo of US-Israeli strikes on February 28 killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“I got him before he got me,” Trump boasted in an interview with ABC News shortly after the strike that also killed Khamenei’s daughter Boshra and 14-month-old granddaughter Zahra, as well as a son-in-law and daughter-in-law.
During the NATO summit in Türkiye in July, Trump was secretly removed from Air Force One and transferred inside a catering truck to another military aircraft after Israel relayed intelligence about another alleged Iranian assassination threat. The extraordinary operation was concealed even from some members of his traveling party.
US intelligence reportedly assessed the Israeli-supplied information with “low confidence,” while Tehran has denied broader accusations that it sought to assassinate Trump or other American officials.
Trump Announces New Development in Strait of Hormuz– townhall.com News Source
EXCERPT:
President Donald Trump says that there are no more mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as he warns that any “new mines” will result in a military response.
Both the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran have said they are in charge of the strait, which has global significance for cargo transportation, but the U.S. currently has the upper hand by a wide margin, according to CNN.
The comments come as the president said earlier this month that there no longer talks occurring between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic, as the war now shifts to an economic focus.
Trump says all mines have been removed or have been detonated in the Strait of Hormuz.
He says Iran has been notified that “any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed.” pic.twitter.com/xrtHYUN3WA
Iran faces ‘greatest financial offensive ever’, says US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent– www.bbc.co.uk News Source
EXCERPT:
The US announced a host of sanctions against Iran and threatened its supporters in what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said was “the single greatest financial offensive ever”.
Labelling it an “economic D-Day” for Iran, Bessent said the US would sever all economic ties with the country and added that any nation financially partnering with Iran would also be isolated.
However, the latest threat to the Iranian regime follows several U-turns and extended deadlines from the White House in its efforts to end the conflict.
The war has led to hikes in global oil prices, and in response to the latest threat Iran warned it would shut down all oil exports from the region if the war continued.
The Iranian regime has also issued a fresh warning to shipping to not pass through the Strait of Hormuz without its permission, according to Reuters.
One fifth of the world’s oil and gas usually passes through strait, a narrow waterway south of Iran, but the flow has been effectively blocked by the country since the conflict began at the end of February, leading to higher oil prices globally.
South Korea says US cancels joint marine drill over Iran war– www.channelnewsasia.com News Source
EXCERPT:
SEOUL: South Korea said on Monday (Aug 24) that the United States had cancelled a large joint amphibious landing exercise scheduled for next month due to constraints on force availability caused by the war with Iran.
The biennial Ssangyong drills involve marine forces from South Korea and the US and are designed to strengthen combined operations, typically involving warships, aircraft and ground forces rehearsing amphibious landings.
The cancellation follows US President Donald Trump’s order last week to scale down the separate annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, cutting the joint drills from 11 days to five.
Trump at the time cited their high cost and said they sent an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea, while highlighting his relationship with its leader, Kim Jong Un.
“The US Marine Corps formally notified our forces in June that its ability to deploy forces during this year’s Ssangyong exercise would be constrained due to the situation in the Middle East,” Han Seung-jeon, a spokesman for the South Korean Marine Corps, told reporters at a news briefing.
Seoul and Washington were continuing consultations on resuming the amphibious exercise, he said, without giving details.
Sudanese medical group accuses rebel group of killing 27 people– abcnews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Ethnic clashes in southern Sudan have killed 27 people, including four children, a local medical group said
CAIRO — Four children were among at least 27 people killed in the latest ethnic clashes in southern Sudan, a local medical group said on Tuesday.
The killings were carried out by the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-N) in Qardud and Abu Hamama, areas inhabited by the Otoro tribe in South Kordofan, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, which monitors casualty numbers in the war-torn East African country.
Earlier this year, intense fighting erupted between forces linked to SPLM-N and the Otoro tribe, which is a minority group in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan.
The ethnic standoff, first instigated by land disputes, adds another layer to the country’s ongoing civil war which broke out in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The attacks have forced many people to flee toward Abu Hitan, a nearby village and Kadugli, the largest town in South Kordofan, said the doctors.
The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement on Facebook that it stressed “that targeting unarmed civilians, including women and children, on ethnic grounds constitutes an explicit violation of international humanitarian law.”
Japanese lawmakers travel to Beijing, seeking to mend ties after fallout– abcnews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
TOKYO — A cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers, including one from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s governing party, headed to Beijing on Monday to meet with Chinese officials for the first time since ties between the two Asian rivals deteriorated after Takaichi’s comment on Taiwan angered China.
The group, which includes Gaku Hashimoto, a lawmaker of Takaichi’s governing Liberal Democratic Party and a former health and welfare vice minister, and a lawmaker each from two opposition parties Komeito and the Centrist Reform Alliance, is to meet with Chinese Communist Party officials during their visit through Thursday.
“Communication has been severed in all areas and we are beginning to see their impact in many areas,” Shinichi Isa, a top spokesperson for the CRA party, told reporters before leaving Tokyo’s Haneda airport. “I hope we can somehow find a clue to restart a dialogue.”
Isa, who has served as a diplomat at the Japanese Embassy in China, wrote on X earlier this month that bilateral ties have sunk to their worst since the 1972 normalization of relations. He wrote that officials had always remained in communication even during previous lows: “Now all channels between officials and ministries have been cut off.”
The situation is not in the national interest of either side, Isa said at the time, and the Chinese side accepted a request from Japanese lawmakers for a “window for dialogue.”
Iran’s rial currency hits new record low as US prepares to announce more sanctions– abcnews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s currency hit a record low Monday as Washington prepared to announce new sanctions it said would add further pressure on an economy already battered by previous sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade.
The rial dropped to 2.02 million to the U.S. dollar as trading opened on currency markets. Iran’s official Central Bank rate stood at around 1.5 million rial to the dollar, but the market rate is what most Iranians pay.
The currency had already been under pressure before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, as Iran faced double-digit inflation and negative growth, but has repeatedly hit new lows as nearly six months of war have taken an even greater toll.
Iranians find daily staples increasingly unaffordable. Since the war began, rice is up some 60% and prices of beef are more than 150% higher. The International Monetary Fund forecasts that GDP will contract more than 5%.
Still, economic pressure has not yet translated into political pressure. Iran retains a key strategic advantage: Its attacks and threats on ships in the Strait of Hormuz have brought traffic in the vital waterway to a near halt, damaging the world economy and heaping pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of congressional elections.
Trump floats rename of Lake Ontario to Lake America amid trade dispute | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com News Source
EXCERPT:
“The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to be doing much business with Ontario any longer.”
President Donald Trump is pitching a new name for one of the Great Lakes as tensions with Canada continue to escalate, suggesting Lake Ontario could become “Lake America.”
Trump made the proposal Tuesday morning on Truth Social, tying the name change directly to the current trainwreck of a trade relationship between Washington and Ontario.
“The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to be doing much business with Ontario any longer,” Trump wrote.
He later shared a graphic displaying “Lake America” across the body of water.
The UAE Just Delivered a Crushing Blow to Iran’s Economy– townhall.com News Source
EXCERPT:
The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions with Iran after accusing Tehran of firing two ballistic missiles toward the Gulf state, an incident that triggered nationwide shelter warnings for the first time in weeks.
The decision could deal a severe blow to Iran’s already strained economy.
The UAE has suspended all trade and financial activity with Iran after accusing it of firing two ballistic missiles pic.twitter.com/6YA5lkwQ8f
The UAE’s total trade and financial cutoff of Iran, if enforced, may be the most consequential economic action of this war for Iran. This could be even more significant than the embargo being put on by the United States.
New Zealand becomes latest country to propose social media ban for children– www.independent.co.uk News Source
EXCERPT:
New Zealand was set to introduce legislation proposing a ban on social media for children under the age of 16, prime minister Christopher Luxon announced on Monday.
Under the plan, tech firms face penalties of up to 10 per cent of their global revenues if they fail to comply.
The proposed law would mandate that platforms implement reasonable age-verification measures, utilising digital identity documents, facial technology, and existing account data.
Scores of people kidnapped from a mosque as armed groups attacked multiple villages in Nigeria– abcnews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
A number of people were kidnapped from a mosque in a spree of abductions at several villages in Nigeria ‘s north-central Niger state, police said Saturday.
The assailants attacked a mosque in Kpenya village after attacks in a string of villages in the remote Borgu Local Government Area of Niger state Friday, police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said.
Such attacks are common in Nigeria, where multiple armed groups operate, killing and kidnapping people for ransom. The groups sometimes clash in competition with each other. No group has claimed responsibility for the Friday attacks.
Abiodun did not provide figures but said no lives were lost in the Friday attacks, and said the military was deployed to the area. Residents said scores of people were abducted, with some estimating between 60 and 80 people were kidnapped. A search for survivors was underway Saturday.
Borgu area council chairman Abdullahi Mohammed Nasir said at least 60 people were kidnapped and an unspecified number of people sustained gunshot injuries while trying to escape the gunmen.
“People were abducted while praying at a Juma’at mosque on Friday,” Nasir said. “That was when the bad people came and surrounded the mosque and took them away.”
Zubairu Umar Talba, a youth leader in the Dekara area in Borgu, told The Associated Press that his 85-year-old father was among those who were taken. “Nobody can tell you the exact number of people abducted because, so far, about 80 of our people have been abducted and many have fled the area,” he said.
Putin Wants to Draft 300K New Troops, Zelensky Says– www.themoscowtimes.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Ukraine thinks Russia is planning to draft an additional 300,000 troops for its war effort after Russian parliamentary elections in mid-September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Moscow’s forces are pressing ahead with an effort to capture the rest of eastern Ukraine’s industrialized Donbas region, where its troops have ground forward at what Kyiv says is a great cost.
In comments to reporters released on Sunday, Zelensky said Russia could draft more troops in 2027 to reach an overall goal of 500,000, part of what he described as a “peripheral mobilization” targeting Russia’s far-flung regions.
“We believe it will not take place in the central cities,” he said. “But I don’t think they will be able to hide it very well.”
Parliamentary elections in Russia are set for Sept. 18-20.
As fighting rages around the strategic city of Kostiantynivka, Zelensky said Russia was losing a “maximum” amount of troops in its bid to advance into Ukraine’s so-called fortress belt of eastern cities.
He also hailed recent gains by Kyiv’s troops in southeastern Ukraine, adding that the amount of territory occupied by Russia and liberated by Ukrainian forces in 2026 would be equal.
White House ballroom will cost nearly $400m as Supreme Court allows work to continue– www.euronews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
US President Donald Trump announced that a new White House ballroom will cost nearly $400 million, funded entirely by private donors and corporations.
“We’re spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the ballroom, and it’s all from people like me and great companies that are putting it up. It’s going to be close to $400 million, and it’s all paid for by patriots and patriotic companies, big companies. I’ll name the companies probably over the next couple of weeks, but I want to ask if they mind. But and really, most of them have said you could use my name gladly. So that’s all money. No, no taxpayer money for the ballroom at all,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has cleared the way for construction to continue for the time being.
The temporary order was issued just hours before lower-court rulings were set to halt above-ground work on the project due to a lack of congressional approval.
Trump thanked the high court and the chief justice during his remarks later Friday during a political appearance in South Carolina.
“When they say proceed, I think that’s a good thing. That’s a good thing,” Trump said.
India expects to boost ties with Moscow during top diplomat’s visit — source – World– tass.com News Source EXCERPT:
NEW DELHI, August 22. /TASS/. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is expected to discuss all aspects of bilateral agenda during his visit to Russia in order to boost cooperation between the two nations, a source in the Indian government has told TASS.
“Jaishankar’s visit is of great importance, because it is about the regular dialogue that we maintain with Russia,” the source said. “We would like to discuss all aspects of the bilateral agenda in order to further strengthen our partnership.”
Speaking about Jaishankar’s planned meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the government source said that along with bilateral issues, the top diplomats will also “discuss geopolitical, international and regional topics.”
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced on Saturday that Jaishankar will visit Russia on August 23-24, at the invitation of First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov. He will co-chair the 27th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC). During the visit, Jaishankar will also meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and “exchange perspectives on regional and global issues,” the ministry said.
Iran official says support for new sanctions would be ‘act of war’– abcnews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
The new head of Iran’s top security body warned Sunday that Tehran will see any country’s support for new U.S. economic measures against the Islamic Republic as an “act of war,” while Iran’s president defended a memorandum of understanding with the United States as the best way out of the stalled conflict.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday is expected to announce the new measures after the U.S. vowed to impose an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation on a country that has lived for decades under sanctions. Also Monday, Pakistan’s army chief is expected to visit Iran as mediators try to revive talks.
Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East on Sunday. Full coverage can be found here.
The hard-line leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, issued his latest warning on X, with the comments quickly shared by Iranian state media.
It came a day after Rezaei’s most extensive public comments since being named to the post this month.
“If (Trump) wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner,” he had told the state broadcaster in an interview that aired late Saturday. He said Iran would target other oil-shipping routes from the Persian Gulf — alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz.
“Patently Unlawful”: US Judge Strikes Team Trump’s Policy Suspending Immigrant Visa For 75 Nations– www.ndtv.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Washington:
A US judge on Friday struck down a Trump administration policy suspending the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, saying that the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan said the policy that the State Department announced in January was “patently unlawful” and ran afoul of federal immigration law, which explicitly stripped the secretary of state of authority over consular officers’ processing of immigrant visas.
“The Policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme,” she wrote.
The State Department’s suspension that also took effect in January impacted applicants from Latin American countries including Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay; Balkan nations such as Bosnia and Albania; South Asian countries Pakistan and Bangladesh; and those from many nations in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.
The State Department said applicants from those countries were “at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state and federal government resources in the United States.” The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.
Dozens of co-ordinated arson attacks hit southern Thailand– www.bbc.co.uk News Source EXCERPT:
More than 50 co-ordinated arson and incendiary attacks “aimed at creating unrest” have been carried out across Thailand’s insurgency-hit south, the Thai military has said.
At least two people were injured, with a local government office building, a convenience store, and a stolen vehicle among the targets set on fire.
The incidents took place across the country’s southern border provinces between 20:00 local time (13:00 GMT) and midnight on Saturday, the military’s Internal Security Operations Command said in a statement.
Most were reported in Narathiwat province, with others occurring in neighbouring Yala and Pattani.
According to the Bangkok Post, two women were injured when a bomb exploded in Muang district in Narathiwat province.
Telecommunication towers were set on fire in several locations, and security officials warned residents not to touch suspicious objects.
Authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the Narathiwat province that was lifted on Sunday morning. No further attacks had been reported on Sunday.
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