Afghanistan
(Ray Furlong – RFE/RL) A visit to Afghanistan by a former US special envoy that included meetings with senior Taliban officials and a major oil and gas deal has touched a raw nerve on the eve of the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Zalmay Khalilzad, US special envoy to Afghanistan 2018-21, was in Kabul on September 7 for the signing of an agreement between a Saudi energy group and the Taliban authorities that could lead to billions of dollars of investment. During his visit, he also met with the Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi. The United States does not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, and Washington has distanced itself from Khalilzad’s trip. “Khalilzad is not a US government employee. As such, he does not represent the United States government,” a State Department spokesman told RFE/RL. – Washington Distances Itself From Former Envoy Khalilzad’s Taliban Meetings Ahead Of 9/11 Anniversary
(UN News) Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the plight of Afghans has only deteriorated, with millions impoverished while authorities violate basic human rights daily. “Today, the plight of many in Afghanistan is going from bad to worse,” stressed the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk. “Yet, it seems the world has forgotten and abandoned the people of Afghanistan to a plight deepening by the day,” he told journalists in Geneva. “The silence is deafening.” – Plight of Afghans going ‘from bad to worse’, but the world is looking away: Türk | UN News
Algeria – UAE
(Al Arabiya) Algeria on Thursday severed diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates after what it described as the “exhaustion of all means to preserve bilateral ties,” Algerian state media said. It attributed the decision to “increasingly provocative or hostile actions” by the UAE. It added that Algeria has spared no effort “to alert the Emirati side and warn it of the dire consequences that could result from its regrettable and unjustified behavior.” – Algeria cuts diplomatic ties with the UAE
Azerbaijan – Kyrgyzstan
(Vusal Guliyev – The Jamestown Foundation) Baku and Bishkek elevated their relationship to an alliance at the end of July during a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan. Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan’s strengthening relations are occurring alongside increased engagement between Azerbaijan and Central Asia as a whole through growing engagement in organizations such as the Organization of Turkic States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Central Asia–Azerbaijan framework. High-level political engagement between Baku and Bishkek has intensified considerably in recent years, especially since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, prompting Eurasian countries, Europe, and the People’s Republic of China to seek alternative transport routes. – Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan Elevate Relations to Alliance – Jamestown
Climate Action
(UN News) When the creek beside Taudibura Garo’s school in Papua New Guinea floods, the water doesn’t stop at the gate. It rises through the pit toilets – making the school unsafe – sending the 16-year-old and her classmates home without being able to finish. She is one of an estimated 171 million students worldwide whose schooling was disrupted by climate hazards in 2025, according to a new UNICEF report released Wednesday: that’s roughly one in ten students, from pre-school through to the end of high school. Storms were the most common cause of disruptions – affecting 109 million students – followed by floods and heatwaves. They led to suspended classes, damaged schools, a shift to remote learning, shortened instructional time, reduced school attendance and increased risk of dropping out for millions. Taudibura and her classmates in Papua New Guinea face even more extreme weather this year. The stronger-than-ever El Niño climate pattern is expected to increase the risk of extreme weather in the coming months. “Usually, the water comes up to our knees and floods the pit toilets, then it becomes unhealthy for us to stay at school, and we miss the lessons we are supposed to learn,” she explained. – ‘The water comes up to our knees’: Climate hazards shut millions of children out of school in 2025 | UN News
(UN News) Nepal’s call for financial compensation following recent deadly floods underlines the need to help countries that contribute the least to climate change – but are increasingly grappling with its most lethal consequences, the top UN official in the country said on Wednesday. Key points: 1,367 people confirmed dead following the 26 August floods; 5,132 people are still missing, including 587 foreign nationals, as search and rescue missions continue; 13,646 people have been rescued. “The devastation Nepal has experienced is an extraordinary, stark illustration of the losses and damages that climate-vulnerable countries are increasingly facing,” UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal, Lila Pieters Yahia, told reporters by video link at UN Headquarters. Nepal has contributed very little to global greenhouse gas emissions and yet is experiencing profound human and economic consequences from a changing climate, she explained from Kathmandu. Triggered by a melting glacier, the 26 August floods affected about 84,270 Nepalis and resulted in vast destruction and damage to critical roads, schools, power grids and water systems across the Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading regions of northern Nepal. – Flood-ravaged Nepal calls for climate justice | UN News
Copper
(John Towfighi – CNN) Tightening global copper supply, robust demand from the AI boom and uncertainty over tariffs are all whipping up a frenzy for the red metal. It’s sending prices soaring to their highest levels ever. Copper futures traded in New York settled at $6.89 per pound on Wednesday, their highest level on record. In London, copper futures – measured by the metric ton – are also at record highs. Known for being highly conductive, copper has wide applications across electronics, housing and autos. The red metal is a critical part of industry and construction, and its ascent to record highs could send higher prices rippling through to businesses. Copper prices fell 5% on Thursday, pulling back from record highs, but analysts say fundamentals are in place for higher prices. Copper prices are up more than 15% this year, outpacing gold, silver, bitcoin and the S&P 500. Over the past 12 months, copper prices are up 40%. – The AI boom and tariff uncertainty are pushing copper prices to record highs | CNN Business
Europe
(The Soufan Center) Twenty-five years after the 9/11 attacks, the terrorist threat in Europe has evolved, with tactics, structures, and narratives that continue to change. Today’s threat is defined by digital exploitation, decentralized initiative, and violent extremists’ ability to learn and adapt quickly, complicating both detection and prevention. Large-scale terrorist operations are unlikely as Europe faces a fragmented terrorist ecosystem in which jihadist propaganda, encrypted communication, converging ideologies, youth subcultures, and low-threshold, single-actor attack methods converge. In 2026, jihadism remains the most consequential terrorist threat in the European Union and the United Kingdom, yet far-right, far-left, anarchist, separatist, nihilistic, and conspiracy-driven extremism has gained ground. – 25 Years After 9/11: Europe’s Convergent Terrorist Threat Matrix – The Soufan Center
Europe – Canada
(Gabriel Gavin, Gerardo Fortuna – Politico) The EU’s plans for a deeper partnership with Canada, aimed at helping the country withstand a trade war with the U.S., have won the support of governments across the political spectrum — including those usually cautious about angering Donald Trump’s administration. Ambassadors representing the bloc’s 27 governments met in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the move, just hours after the White House banned Canadian exports of dairy, alcohol and motorbikes in an escalating tariff feud. The EU’s idea would see ties strengthened in areas like technology, trade and critical raw materials, according to two people in the meeting who were granted anonymity by POLITICO because the talks were confidential. Despite the risk of the EU being seen to side against Washington, no capital raised objections, they said. The European Commission and the European Council jointly presented preparations for a landmark summit with Canada on Oct. 29-30, committing to explore new areas where they will step up their partnership. That includes sectors like technology, research and innovation, as well as mining for valuable rare metals and breaking down trade barriers, those involved said. “There’s very strong support for [Commission President] von der Leyen making that outreach and for closer cooperation,” said a third diplomat with knowledge of the preparations. That’s despite a handful of countries, including Giorgia Meloni’s Italy, Andrej Babiš’s Czech Republic and Robert Fico’s Slovakia, traditionally seeking close ties with the Trump camp and trying to avoid outright provocations. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will address the European Parliament next week on a trip first reported by POLITICO, as part of a public campaign to pivot away from dependency on the U.S. and form a club of like-minded, pro-free trade democracies. The visit is designed “to clearly signal the intention and ambition on both sides to upgrade our partnership,” a senior EU official said. – Even Trump-friendly EU countries back Brussels’ pact with Canada – POLITICO
Germany – Ukraine
(Chris Lunday, Victor Jack – Politico) German officials must do more to convince voters of continued support for Ukraine and the country’s commitments to NATO, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Thursday. NATO is undergoing a “political stress test” both from the external threat posed by Russia and from skepticism at home that had become “visible and tangible” in recent state elections, he said at the conference of German ambassadors in Berlin. He made a similar appeal over Ukraine, saying Germany would continue to stand by Kyiv and arguing that its support was not only for Ukraine but “for the benefit of our security in Europe.” – German foreign minister urges voters to back Ukraine, NATO as far right surges – POLITICO
Global Education
(UN News) While September traditionally marks the start of the school year across the northern hemisphere, a staggering 93 million children are not in class at all amid an unprecedented number of attacks on learning, education experts warned on Wednesday. According to global fund Education Cannot Wait, insecurity and other factors mean that a total of 258 million children across 87 countries face severe learning disruption. Marking the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the fund cited a backdrop of “increasing conflict, decreasing restraint and eroding global norms” in several regions. – Record number of attacks on education, global fund warns | UN News
Iran
(Kian Sharifi – RFE/RL) Iran’s parliament is trying to turn fears of foreign infiltration into law. But as lawmakers work through the legislation, the debate is exposing an increasingly awkward question for the Islamic republic: How far should the state go in policing Iranians’ contact with the outside world? At the center of that debate is Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who, at least publicly, is doing a balancing act. He has defended the need for tougher measures against foreign infiltration while warning that the current draft of the legislation goes too far. “No patriot opposes countering foreign infiltration,” Qalibaf said during a recent parliamentary session. But, he added, lawmakers needed to ensure that people’s “rights, their lives, and their trade” were not affected. He said security agencies may need to be able to vet Iranians’ contacts with foreigners but that they cannot demand permission at every stage. “They say they want to be certain, to have permission sought from them at every stage,” the conservative speaker said. “That’s not possible, because then we’d have to lock the country down.” – ‘Infiltration’ Bill Exposes Iran’s Internal Divisions Over Wartime Security Crackdown
Iran – Russia
(RFE/RL – Systema) In 2000, Iranian Ali Mohammad Amouei finished his studies at the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), a leading Russian technical university focused on aerospace and rocket engineering. His expertise is in gas turbine engines — the kind used to power airliners and fighter jets, but also cruise missiles and drones. Back in Iran, Amouei began climbing the ranks of the aviation industry, according to his LinkedIn page. By 2017, he had become a senior executive at Farsco, a company whose owners include Mahan Air, an airline the United States had already sanctioned over ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). In 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on Farsco itself, accusing it of illegally acquiring American-made helicopters. Mohammad Hosseinpour Khanmiri returned to Iran in 2022 after several years in Russia, where he had started studying at St. Petersburg State University in 2015. He and his adviser there, senior researcher Roman Bogdanov, developed a method for measuring uranium and thorium isotope ratios in natural mineral samples, a collaboration that was part of a broader partnership dating back to the early 1990s, when Russia began helping Iran build its nuclear power program and its sole nuclear power plant, Bushehr. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meeting in Tehran in 2022. Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli air strike on February 28. At home, Khanmiri used the method on ore from Saghand, Iran’s main uranium deposit. Online references indicate he now works at Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization or an affiliated nuclear research institute that has been hit with Western sanctions. The educational and professional arcs of Amouei and Khanmiri are hardly one-of-a-kind: For decades, Russia has been training Iranian specialists and helping launch their scientific careers in fields that have practical applications in the defense industry and nuclear activities, creating a kind of dual-use pipeline between the countries. An analysis by RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit, Systema , of published research over the past 10 years shows that Russia and Iran have continued to cooperate in areas of particular relevance to Iran’s defense industry. These now include not only traditional fields such as missile propulsion and uranium enrichment, but also technologies used in both Russia’s war against Ukraine and the US-Israeli war with Iran, such as electronic warfare, GPS spoofing to mislead navigation systems, and artificial intelligence for drones. “This has been a longstanding goal of the Iranians, to be able to have access to this information or any type of information,” in the nuclear field but also “in other sensitive areas like AI, anything concerning aerospace,” Nicole Grajewski, an expert at the Paris university Sciences Po and the author of a 2024 book on Russia-Iran relations. “None of the Iranian research endeavors, especially with their PhD students that go abroad, are entirely apolitical,” Grajewski told RFE/RL by phone. “Most of the time, they have some sort of connection to the government or some kind of ulterior motives”. The same goes for some Russian technical research institutes, she said, but added: “In general, Iran has been the country seeking more cooperation from Russia, as opposed to Russia going to Iran.” – From Russia With Expertise: Iranian Students Return Home With Potentially Deadly Knowledge Of Drones, AI, And More
Israel – Gaza
(AFP) An Israeli strike in Gaza on Thursday killed a family of four including two children, Palestinian hospital and security sources said. “The bodies of four members of the Ahmad family were recovered in pieces after an Israeli strike hit a house in the Beit Lahia Project area in the northern Gaza Strip,” an official at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City said, identifying the children as aged 12 and eight. The Israeli military, contacted by AFP, said it was checking. – Israeli strike in Gaza kills family of four: Hospital, Palestinian security officials
Libya
(UN News) The UN Security Council has welcomed a breakthrough agreement between Libya’s rival political blocs, calling it “an important step” towards the country’s first national elections in over a decade – while pressing all sides to move quickly from paper to practice. Key points: Libya’s rival political camps have agreed on new rules for running the elections commission and holding a vote within two years; the UN Security Council welcomed the deal and is urging all sides to follow through quickly; the UN’s top official in Libya says trust – among politicians and ordinary Libyans alike – is still fragile; online hate speech and harassment are pushing Libyan women out of political life, she warns, and stronger legal protections are needed. In a statement issued Tuesday, council members praised the 30 August agreement reached by Libyan parties in what has become known as the “Smaller Convening”, a negotiating track brokered by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). The deal reconstitutes the board of Libya’s High National Elections Commission and amends the legal framework for parliamentary and presidential elections, to be held within two years under a single, unified government. – UN hails Libya election deal as Security Council urges Libyans to seize the moment | UN News
Russia
(Pavel K. Baev – The Jamestown Foundation) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s tour of Russia’s Siberian and Far Eastern regions between late July and early September exposed the disconnect between Kremlin messaging and Russia’s economic realities. His rhetoric emphasized development and prosperity while food and fuel prices rose, fish production declined, and the gasoline crisis continued. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and Eastern Economic Forum did not bring significant gains in Russian economic cooperation with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Power of Siberia-2 pipeline deal remained unsigned and a large fire at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex underscored the risk of investment in Russian projects for PRC companies. Economic deterioration and Ukrainian strikes are weakening Moscow’s negotiating position, and Putin is increasingly isolated from domestic economic realities and international pressure to end his war against Ukraine. – Putin’s Eastern Voyage Highlights Russia’s Setbacks – Jamestown
Russia – Egypt
(Dario Cristiani – The Jamestown Foundation) On July 15, Cairo and Moscow announced the selection of an industrial developer for the Russian Industrial Zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, with operations expected to begin in 2030. The Rosatom-built El-Dabaa nuclear plant, the other bilateral flagship project, is expected to start producing energy in 2028 and reach full capacity by 2030. Russia is filling sector-specific gaps in investment in Egypt with long-term physical assets that Western actors are unwilling or unable to provide. Egypt, however, continues to balance its Russian ties against its partnerships with the European Union and the United States. Talks on a free trade agreement between the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union and Egypt paused in 2025. If this agreement is revived, it would be a sign of deeper political alignment beyond Egypt’s diverse financial interests. – Russia Quietly Anchors Its Economic Presence in Egypt – Jamestown
Russia – Ukraine
(Daria Zakharova – Politico) Russia’s recruitment of foreign nationals to fight in its war against Ukraine amounts to “human trafficking,” according to a report published Thursday by Amnesty International. The human rights organization says Moscow has used “deceptive, coercive and exploitative practices” to recruit citizens from low-income countries such as Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone or Somalia. The tactics include “hollow promises of civilian or non-combat roles,” Amnesty’s Secretary-General Agnès Callamard said. Amnesty’s report draws from testimonies and interviews of foreign citizens detained in Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camps. Some of them told the NGO that Russian authorities coerced them into joining the force when their residence permit in Russia was about to expire. – Russia ‘trafficking’ foreigners to Ukraine’s front line, Amnesty says – POLITICO
(Caitlin Danaher, Todd Symons – CNN) A Russian drone entering Moldova’s airspace delayed the departure of a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Norway on Tuesday, a Moldovan official said. The eastern European country, which borders Ukraine, closed its airspace after detecting an incursion of a jet-propelled drone, officials said. Zelensky’s aircraft was waiting at Chișinău International Airport in the Moldovan capital and was cleared for take-off once it had been established the drone had come down. It exploded some 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the airport, the Associated Press reported. Moldova’s ambassador to the United States, Vladislav Kulminski, told CNN’s Jim Sciutto the incident was likely “not an accident.” – Russian drone incursion delayed Zelensky’s departure from Moldova | CNN
Spain
(Aitor Hernández-Morales – Politico) Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez might have hoped declassifying official files on this summer’s mass migrant surge into Ceuta would vindicate his government’s handling of the crisis. Instead, the documents are threatening to make a political mess even messier, in what one of Sánchez’s parliamentary allies described as an “own goal”. According to papers published by the prime minister’s office on Wednesday, Spanish intelligence agencies and security forces issued numerous warnings that a mass incursion could happen — days before 72,000 migrants surged into one of Spain’s North African territories on July 30. – Sánchez’s release of declassified Ceuta files turns into ‘own goal’ – POLITICO
Türkiye – Georgia
(Beka Chedia – The Jamestown Foundation) On July 30, Nauru revoked its 2009 recognition of the independence of Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), a reversal Georgian Dream claimed as its own diplomatic win. Syria and Venezuela, despite regime changes, have kept their recognitions in place, exposing Tbilisi’s limited leverage. Russia’s grip on the occupied territories is loosening as fuel shortages, Ukrainian drone alerts, and Sukhumi’s largely rhetorical military threats signal a weakening patron. Türkiye is emerging as a potential alternative source of engagement for Abkhazia, as diaspora groups and opposition lawmakers push de-isolation measures, creating a new challenge for Georgia as Russia’s regional influence continues to decline. – Türkiye Emerging as Alternative Source of Support for Georgian Breakaway Regions – Jamestown
Ukraine
(Alex Raufoglu – RFE/RL) Researchers at Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab working to track Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Russia and Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine could see their positions eliminated by December unless new funding is secured, the lab’s executive director told RFE/RL. The warning comes as the US State Department moves to restructure a $25 million program that the Yale lab was among the organizations competing for. The funding, announced in March, is intended to support the identification, return, rehabilitation, and reintegration of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred or otherwise held away from their families and communities. Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Yale lab, said researchers on its Ukraine team are scheduled to be terminated around Christmas unless new funding is found. “We’re running out of the last of the donations we’ve received,” Raymond told RFE/RL. The lab is preparing what Raymond described as a high-confidence verification of its estimate of approximately 35,000 Ukrainian children taken from their homes. The report is expected in October and could be the lab’s last if funding is not secured. More than four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Raymond said, the thrust of Moscow’s activities is changing. “It’s less about taking them and more about indoctrinating them in place,” he said. The Yale lab has documented a network of at least 210 facilities in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory where Ukrainian children have been taken. Researchers have found evidence of reeducation at many of those facilities and militarization at others. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his children’s rights commissioner in 2023, accusing them of the war crime of unlawful transfer and deportation of children from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine to Russia. The lab’s March research found with high confidence that Russian state oil and gas giants Rosneft and Gazprom, their subsidiaries, and affiliated trade unions helped facilitate the transportation and/or reeducation of more than 2,100 Ukrainian children from occupied parts of Ukraine between 2022 and 2025. Ukraine says that up to 20,000 children have been forcibly taken by Russia and that around 2,000 of them have been returned. The research is intended not only to locate children but to preserve evidence that can connect individual children to facilities, organizations, officials, and transportation networks. That information could become important in efforts to secure their return as well as in potential future legal proceedings. – Yale Tracking Of Ukrainian Children Taken By Russia At Risk As US Reshapes $25M Program
US
(Andrew Solender, Maria Curi – Axios) A Republican-led Senate subcommittee that oversees disaster management is investigating OpenAI’s handling of the Hugging Face breach in July, Axios has learned. The investigation comes amid rapidly escalating concern on Capitol Hill about the existential dangers posed by AI following public warnings by several Anthropic and OpenAI researchers. “As you may know, in the public domain, more AI experts are warning about the existential risks of AI,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wrote in a letter to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman first obtained by Axios. He added: “Just this week, three Anthropic researchers expressed publicly that there is a greater than 10% chance that AI could kill all human beings within the next decade”. Hawley, the chair of the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs subcommittee on Disaster Management, wrote that he is launching the probe in response to findings from OpenAI’s recently released internal investigation. – Scoop: OpenAI faces Senate investigation into Hugging Face breach
War in Iran – Middle East – Gulf
(Reuters) A German branch of the Iranian state-owned lender Bank Sepah has been declared insolvent in the wake of sanctions, Germany’s financial regulator BaFin said on Thursday. The bank is one of Iran’s largest public banks, with historical links to the military. “The institution is no longer able to repay its customers’ deposits,” said the regulator. – German branch of Iran’s Bank Sepah insolvent after EU sanctions
(Reuters) Iran has used a barter-like arrangement to bypass sanctions on its oil sales and buy billions of dollars’ worth of goods from China, including military gear, two senior Iranian sources and three other people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The secretive trade mechanism, in which Iranian oil is exchanged for credits for Chinese imports, has provided a financial lifeline for Tehran in recent years as the United States stepped up economic and military pressure over its nuclear program, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. It has also helped China, the world’s biggest crude importer, retain access to discounted Iranian oil while shielding banks and companies that export to Iran from international scrutiny or penalties, they said. The US has imposed sanctions on some smaller Chinese entities that buy or facilitate shipments of Iranian oil but has stopped short of the most punishing measures that could have repercussions on the global economy. – How a billion-dollar sanctions dodge kept Chinese goods flowing to Iran
(Reuters) Iran’s capture of a US military underwater drone gives Tehran an opportunity to study and potentially reverse engineer the vessel, delivering a setback for the Pentagon and drone maker Anduril. The US military and Anduril have downplayed the significance of the drone falling into Iranian hands. The vessel, a Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle designed for long-range surveillance and other undersea missions, is among a new generation of military drones intended to operate for days with little human intervention. Washington has previously treated the loss of advanced drones to Iran as a serious matter. – Iran likely to reverse-engineer captured US underwater drone
(Reuters) Top White House advisers, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have privately warned President Donald Trump that the conflict with Iran could extend through the remainder of his presidency, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing US officials. The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The advisers told Trump in private discussions in the Oval Office and the Situation Room that Tehran could continue to resist US pressure, potentially prolonging the conflict beyond Inauguration Day in January 2029, the Journal added. – Trump advisers warn Iran conflict may last through end of his term: Report
(Reuters) President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States may hit Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, urging Tehran to be cautious. “We notice there’s a little activity at Pickaxe. I would advise Iran not to get cute because we will have to hit them very hard,” Trump said in a speech at the midterm Republican convention. Pickaxe Mountain, located near Iran’s heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is a fortified site with two deeply buried tunnel complexes. – Trump says activity seen at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, urges Tehran ‘not to get cute’
Yemen
(Al Arabiya) Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Vice President Lt. Gen. Tareq Saleh has ordered armed forces on the western coast to reorganize their ranks following the latest developments on the battlefield fronts where they are fighting the Iran-backed Houthis. Military media quoted Saleh as saying that forces taking part in the fighting on the western coast, along with units from the Taiz axis in the west of the governorate, suffered casualties in recent days amid clashes with the Houthis. – Yemeni forces regroup on western coast as fighting with Houthis escalates
(Nic Robertson – CNN) Stepping on to the Yemeni island of Perim is to relive history. Its barren sand and rock moonscape feels for all the world like the land that time forgot. Its location, however, has put it at the heart of a very modern conflict. For Perim Island sits in the Strait of Bab al-Mandab, a geopolitical pinch-point that’s taken on an outsized importance since US President Donald Trump’s war with Iran effectively shuttered the Strait of Hormuz. To help keep global energy supplies flowing, and prices down, Saudi Arabia diverted its oil exports from Hormuz to the Red Sea. But now Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Iran’s most powerful regional proxy, have begun an offensive that could land them control of Perim – and with it the ability to prevent ships passing through this narrow gateway from the Red Sea. Regional sources told CNN Thursday that the Houthis were making major push to capture the town of Mocha, a crucial coastal location some 50 miles to the north of Perim. On a recent day, an honor guard of Yemeni troops, patiently shuffling in the scorching sun, watched while a weathered officer’s outstretched hand helped arrivals to Perim off an aging gunboat. A CNN crew was among them, granted exclusive access to this dusty outpost. – This small island off Yemen is now a strategic prize in the widening Iran war | CNN
