85 strikes and a funeral
Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, NATO, France, and the UK.
Hello,
Here are the five things you need to know today:
IRAN. The war may be back from the dead.
SAUDI ARABIA. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. The rivalry heats up.
NATO. Tough conversations play out in Ankara.
FRANCE. An ankle bracelet won’t stop Le Pen’s run.
BRITAIN. Farage quits his seat to make a scene.
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IRAN. Mourning after
The war may be back from the dead.
Tehran said it had hit 85 US military targets in Kuwait and Bahrain in response to strikes on Bandar Abbas, Kharg Island and IRGC sites. Ali Khamenei’s funeral procession crossed into Iraq’s holy city of Najaf. The US rescinded an oil waiver.
INTELLIGENCE. The US described its strikes, in retaliation for Iran hitting several ships attempting to cross the Strait, as “four to five times bigger” than its strikes late last month. Iran’s response, while not confirmed in terms of damage by the Pentagon, appears much bigger as well, raising the potential for a genuine break in the ceasefire. And while neither likely wants war, the atmospherics – Iran holding a funeral, Trump attending NATO – could make it irresistible.
FOR BUSINESS. Both sides blame the other for breaking the terms of an MoU whose brevity has left ample scope for differing interpretation. The US is stuck between needing to get Iran back to the table and deterring further bad behaviour. Iran is stuck between needing to deter the US from full-scale war (which will be encouraged by some in Israel, which Pete Hegseth visits today for the first time), while not seeming weak amid ongoing nuclear negotiations.
SAUDI ARABIA. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. Sheikh it till you make it
The rivalry heats up.
Bank transfers between Saudi Arabia and the UAE were facing unusual delays, Bloomberg reported. Le Monde said the UAE was building an Israeli base in Somaliland. Mogadishu rejected claims it faced collapse after the US ended funding.
INTELLIGENCE. Riyadh, the main backer of Mogadishu alongside Ankara, put out