Cyber experts say influence operations in ‘asymmetric’ campaign to intensify moral pressure on US and IsraelIran has radically overhauled its social media strategy in an all-out information war launched by the country’s Islamic rulers in response to US and Israeli military attacks.Cyber experts say Iranian foreign influence operations have gone into overdrive as part of an “asymmetric” campaign designed to complement its military retaliation and intensify moral pressure on the US and Israel into curtailing their war efforts. Continue reading...
Exclusive: War has led to 5m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in two weeks and is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combinedThe US-Israel war on Iran is a disaster for the climate, according to an analysis that finds it is draining the global carbon budget faster than 84 countries combined.As warplanes, drones and missiles kill thousands of people, level infrastructure and turn the Middle East into a gigantic environmental sacrifice zone, the first analysis of the climate cost has found the conflict led to 5m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in its first 14 days. Continue reading...
Move to allow shipments already at sea comes amid a supply crisis and after US president says he does not ‘want to do a ceasefire’; IDF says it is attacking regime targets in Tehran after missiles fired at Israel from IranUS to send three more warships and thousands more troops, reports sayHow the Iran war has sent shocks rippling across the globeHello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and its repercussions for the Middle East, the world and the global economy.President Donald Trump said on Friday he was considering “winding down” military operations against Iran, as the US temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil shipments to stem a global supply crisis.Iran is willing to help Japanese ships sail a vital route for global fuel supplies, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Kyodo News in an interview published on Saturday. Japan depends on crude oil imports from the Middle East, most of which transits the strait of Hormuz.Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia but neither of them hit the joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, the Wall Street Journal and CNN reported, citing multiple US officials. The WSJ said one of the missiles failed in flight, and a US warship fired an SM-3 interceptor at the other. Neither outlet confirmed when Iran launched the missiles.One person was killed and two others wounded after an Israeli airstrike hit a house in a town in southern Lebanon early on Saturday, state media said.Trump continued to make his disappointment with the British government known, saying the UK “should have acted a lot faster” in allowing the US military to use its bases in the Middle East.Earlier, Downing Street approved US use of its bases “for the collective self-defence of the region”, including “defensive operations” degrading Iranian missile sites targeting ships in the strait of Hormuz. Britain had previously only allowed US forces to use its bases for operations to prevent Iran firing missiles that put British interests or lives at risk.Araghchi said UK prime minister Keir Starmer “is putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran”. Continue reading...
Markets seem particularly attuned to increasing oil prices, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq down 1.5% and 2% respectivelyUS stock markets dropped again on Friday, capping off a fourth week of market turbulence as investors worried about the US-Israel war on Iran and its widespread impact on global oil prices.The Dow lost over 400 points on Friday, with the S&P 500 slipping 1.5% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq down 2%. Continue reading...
VAT tax on fuels will reportedly drop from 21% to 10%, as Ursula von der Leyen suggests EU may move to help states with rising energy costsSpain is set to put forward a number of emergency tax cuts this morning to counter the economic impact of the Iran war.The measures – set to be presented at a press conference 11am local time – are expected to include lowering VAT tax on fuels to 10% from 21%, according to early media reports, alongside other changes, including to the hydrocarbon and electricity duties, intended to help with growing energy prices. Continue reading...
• The Pentagon is requesting more than $200 billion in additional funding from Congress to sustain the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, which has been ongoing for approximately three weeks with thousands of strikes.
• The funding request aims to urgently increase production of weapons that have been heavily expended during the intensive air campaign, according to the Washington Post.
• Lawmakers from both parties are demanding detailed justification before approving the massive expenditure, with some questioning why the administration is requesting such funds if the conflict is expected to end soon.
Joe Kent resigned as national counter-terrorism center director, saying Iran posed no imminent threat to the USSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxJoe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center and a far-right political figure and supporter of Donald Trump, resigned from his position on Tuesday in protest of the war in Iran.“I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Kent wrote in a resignation letter posted to X. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” Continue reading...
