Iran War
(The Associated Press/Al Arabiya) Canada was not consulted over the US-Israeli strikes on Iran that sparked the war in the Middle East and has no intention of participating in any offensive military operation, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Tuesday. In a brief telephone interview with The Associated Press ahead of talks in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Anand stressed Canada’s priority was the de-escalation of the conflict and the protection of civilians. – Canada was not consulted on Iran war and won’t join offensive action, FM says
(The Associated Press/Al Arabiya) Twice on Monday, President Donald Trump said he’d wrangled a confession of sorts from an Oval Office predecessor who he said had expressed regret in a private conversation about not attacking Iran the way Trump has been doing for more than two weeks. But there’s just a little problem: Representatives for the four living former presidents — three Democrats and one Republican — said none have been in touch with Trump recently. Trump declined to name the former president when reporters asked who it was, saying he didn’t want to “embarrass him.” – Trump says an ex-president had Iran confession. Aides deny recent contact
(Global Times) The military conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran has entered its third week, with the situation remaining complex and tense. Without authorization from the UN Security Council, the US and Israel launched attacks and killed Iran’s supreme leader, deliberately provoking a war against Iran. China is not a party to this conflict. However, some Western narratives have seized the opportunity to fabricate claims aimed at discrediting China. These narratives broadly fall into three categories: the so-called “China failure” narrative, the “China responsibility” narrative, and the “China winner” narrative. Such absurd claims are driven by ulterior motives and thinly veiled political self-interest. – Narratives seeking to smear China by exploiting the US-Israel-Iran conflict should stop: Global Times editorial – Global Times
(Emily Peck – Axios) Countries across South Asia are imposing emergency measures like rationing energy, closing universities, cutting short workweeks and even changing the way crematoriums work to deal with the fallout from the Iran war. Yes, the war is raising gas prices for Americans and causing a political headache for President Donald Trump — but it’s also creating a deeper crisis abroad that governments and businesses are scrambling to manage. It’s the latest global economic shock in a turbulent decade. The 2020s have seen a pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting inflation, and, more recently, Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, which rocked markets and panicked some countries. The laws of supply and demand make the math fairly straightforward here: 20% of the world’s oil and other energy products go through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran has effectively shuttered traffic. – Iran war: How the conflict triggers global economic consequences
Afghanistan/Pakistan
(Shen Sheng – Global Time) Amid turmoil in the Middle East, including a Hormuz blockage that drives up global oil prices, China is taking concrete actions to help neighboring countries to secure peace, stability, and development. On Monday local time, the United Nation Security Council adopted a China-penned resolution extending the mandate of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for three months. Meanwhile, Yue Xiaoyong, China’s Special Envoy for Afghan Affairs, traveled between Afghanistan and Pakistan to conduct shuttle diplomacy, urging both sides to exercise restraint and to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, earning appreciation from both countries. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday also called for Afghanistan and Pakistan to engage in face-to-face talks at the earliest date, and achieve a ceasefire. – China calls for Afghanistan-Pakistan ceasefire, ‘serving as stabilizing anchor for regional security in turbulent world’ – Global Times
China/Vietnam
(Li Yu and Wang Qi – Global Times) As an important force for peace, stability and justice in the world, China is willing to work with Vietnam and other countries to strengthen coordination within multilateral mechanisms such as APEC, ASEAN and the Lancang Mekong Cooperation, to spare no effort in safeguarding Asia’s common home, to jointly advance the construction of an Asia Pacific community, and to set an example in promoting a community with a shared future for mankind, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told media on Tuesday, after attending the first ministerial meeting of the China-Vietnam “3+3” strategic dialogue on diplomacy, defense and public security in Hanoi, according to a readout released by Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. – Ministerial meeting of China-Vietnam ‘3+3’ strategic dialogue held, lifting strategic communication, coordination – Global Times
Europe
(Global Times) At a time of renewed geopolitical instability and disruptions to global energy supplies, the energy transition in the EU has once again come into sharp focus. Speaking at the 2026 Green Growth Summit in Brussels on Monday, Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), issued a clear call to European governments. The volatility of global energy supplies has underscored the strategic value of renewable energy, he said, noting that “renewable energy allows countries to insulate themselves from global turmoil and to side-step might-is-right politics.”. His remarks served as a sobering reminder of the urgency facing Europe’s energy transition. – GT Voice: EU energy transition is urgent; protectionism isn’t the solution – Global Times
Netherlands
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) The Netherlands is investigating whether Iran was involved in the attack on a Rotterdam synagogue on Friday, Justice Minister David van Weel has said, adding that the suspects apprehended for the attack had most likely been recruited. “The possibility that Iran is involved in this attack is… being explicitly investigated”, Van Weel told parliament on Tuesday, though he did not cite a conclusive link between Iran and the attack ahead of the investigation’s conclusions. – Netherlands probing if Rotterdam synagogue attack has Iran link, minister says
US
(Courtenay Brown, Neil Irwin – Axios) The price of diesel fuel has surged above $5 a gallon in the U.S., the highest in four years, creating new inflationary pressure on anything Americans buy that relies on truck transport — which is to say, pretty much everything. Driving the news: The average retail price of a gallon of diesel was $5.04 Tuesday, AAA says, up from $3.65 a month ago. That amounts to a 38% one-month rise in the price of diesel, surpassing even the 30% rise in the price of regular unleaded gasoline over that span. The Iran war has choked off supplies of crude oil and other commodities from the Persian Gulf, driving up global prices. – What $5 diesel fuel means for the U.S. economy
(Courtenay Brown, Neil Irwin – Axios) The Federal Reserve will almost certainly hold rates steady, but fresh economic projections and other communications due out Wednesday afternoon will show how the central bank is absorbing two uncomfortable realities at once. The energy shock from the Iran war adds a new factor to the Fed’s complicated calculus. Inflation is running hotter than expected, even before the war’s impact materializes in the data. Labor market data has been grim, and it’s unclear how a sustained oil shock could weigh more heavily on the economy. Whatever the projections show will set the table for Fed chair Jerome Powell’s successor, Kevin Warsh. – New economic projections signal a tricky Federal Reserve path
(Dave Lawler – Axios) Joe Kent, who led the National Counterterrorism Center and was a top aide to intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard, became the first senior Trump administration official to resign over the war in Iran. Kent’s stinging rebuke — that Trump launched the war under pressure from Israel despite Iran posing “no imminent threat” to the U.S. — underscores the discomfort many in the “America First” camp feel about the war. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. 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.” – Top Trump intel official resigns over Iran war: “No imminent threat”
(Sara Fischer – Axios) The Trump administration is ramping up its attacks on the press as it struggles to control its messaging about the war in Iran. History suggests that when press freedoms are targeted during times of war, they’re rarely reinstated. Over the past few weeks, the administration has threatened news outlets with regulatory retaliation and blocked access over their coverage of the war with Iran. FCC chair Brendan Carr on Saturday threatened to revoke broadcast licenses if war coverage did not “operate in the public interest.”. His comments came shortly after the president criticized the press on Truth Social for its coverage, alleging the media “actually want us to lose the War.” – Trump ramps up press pressure over Iran war coverage
US/China
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was postponing a highly anticipated trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the war with Iran upends US foreign policy and delays an effort to ease tensions between the world’s two biggest economies. “We are resetting the meeting … We’re working with China. They were fine with it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. – Trump says his meeting with China’s Xi will take place in five or six weeks
Cyber (In)Security and Surveillance
(Suzanne Smalley – The Record) The top Energy Department official for cybersecurity on Tuesday said the agency is for the first time planning to release a strategic plan to lay out how the department intends to better protect the energy grid. Alex Fitzsimmons, the acting director of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), said the plan is meant to supplement the recently-published national cyber strategy and will focus on how the agency will strengthen the “security resilience” of the energy sector. The importance of partnerships with the private sector and how to bolster them will be at the heart of the strategic plan, Fitzsimmons said. – Energy Department set to release its first-ever cyber strategy | The Record from Recorded Future News
(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine) A method that could enable code execution through manipulated installation links in an AI development environment has been identified by security researchers. The technique, dubbed CursorJack by Proofpoint Threat Research, centres on the abuse of Model Context Protocol (MCP) deeplinks within the Cursor Integrated Development Environment (IDE), potentially allowing attackers to install malicious components or execute arbitrary commands under certain conditions. The findings, based on controlled testing as of January 19, 2026, show that exploitation is not automatic. Instead, it depends on user interaction and system configuration. A single click on a crafted link, followed by approval of an installation prompt, may be sufficient to trigger the behaviour in some environments. – CursorJack’ Attack Path Exposes Code Execution Risk in AI Development – Infosecurity Magazine
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) Over half (54%) of UK companies were hit by nation state attacks last year as IT leaders grew increasingly fearful of AI-powered threats, according to a new report from Armis. The security vendor’s 2026 Armis Cyberwarfare Report was based on interviews with 1900 global IT decision-makers (ITDMs), including 500 from the UK, alongside proprietary data from Armis Labs. It revealed an increase in the number of UK ITDMs reporting state-sponsored attacks, up from 47% in last year’s report. – Surge in Nation State Attacks on UK Firms Amid Cyber Warfare Fears – Infosecurity Magazine
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) APIs now represent the “dominant” attack surface for global organizations, with 87% registering a related security incident last year, according to Akamai. Now in its 12th year, the security vendor’s latest State of the Internet (SOTI) report was produced from analysis of its own data. The average number of API attacks per organization in 2025 was 258, up 113% from 121 in 2024, it found. Some 61% of API attacks last year involved unauthorized workflows and abnormal activity, up from 30% in 2024. Akamai said this indicates a shift from traditional web-based to behavior-based attacks. – Average Number of Daily API Attacks Up 113% Annually – Infosecurity Magazine
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) One year after its creation, the UK’s Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC) is looking to expand to the US. The UK-based nonprofit was established by a team of experts in February 2025 to assess the economic and financial impact of major cyber incidents occurring in the UK. The Centre’s approach mirrors the methodologies used for physical events, such as the Richter scale for earthquakes and the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale for hurricanes. The CMC’s own scale (categories 0 to 5) categorizes cyber incidents based on how many people were affected and the overall financial impact. – UK Cyber Monitoring Centre Sets Its Sights on US Expansion – Infosecurity Magazine
(Dominique Adam – Infosecurity Magazine) Remote and hybrid work have changed how and where users authenticate. Devices aren’t always connected to the corporate network and VPN use is often inconsistent. Crucially, not every password reset happens while a machine has line-of-sight to a domain controller. Identity drift occurs in this gap, when a user’s credentials aren’t fully aligned across every system that can authenticate them. Understanding how these credentials persist is critical to closing gaps that attackers are quick to exploit. – Identity Drift: The Hidden Risk in Hybrid Active Directory Environment – Infosecurity Magazine
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) A suspected China-linked espionage campaign, tracked as CL-STA-1087, has targeted Southeast Asian military organizations since at least 2020, using AppleChris and MemFun malware. “The activity demonstrated strategic operational patience and a focus on highly targeted intelligence collection, rather than bulk data theft. The attackers behind this cluster actively searched for and collected highly specific files concerning military capabilities, organizational structures and collaborative efforts with Western armed forces.” reads the report published by Palo Alto Networks. “The objective-oriented tool set used in the malicious activity includes several newly discovered assets: the AppleChris and MemFun backdoors, and a custom Getpass credential harvester.” – CL-STA-1087 targets military capabilities since 2020
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) ClickFix is a growing social engineering technique that tricks users into manually executing malicious commands, bypassing traditional protections. Once mainly targeting Windows, it is now increasingly affecting macOS, with recent campaigns deploying infostealers like AMOS and MacSync. Researchers note the evolving tactics, likely driven by both defensive measures and broader tech trends. Sophos researchers analyzed three ClickFix campaigns targeting macOS users with the MacSync infostealer. In November 2025, attackers relied on relatively “classic” ClickFix techniques. Victims searching for ChatGPT-related tools were lured via malicious Google-sponsored links leading to fake OpenAI/ChatGPT pages. These pages instructed users to copy and execute obfuscated Terminal commands, which ultimately downloaded and ran the MacSync infostealer. The approach was straightforward but effective, relying heavily on user trust and deception. – From Windows to macOS: ClickFix attacks shift tactics with ChatGPT-based lures
(Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs) A recent cyberattack on medical technology giant Stryker targeted its internal Microsoft environment and remotely wiped tens of thousands of employee devices without using malware. The company confirmed that its medical devices were not affected and remain safe to use. However, electronic ordering systems are still offline, forcing customers to place orders manually through sales representatives. Last week, Pro-Palestinian hacktivist group Handala claimed responsibility for a disruptive cyberattack against medical technology firm Stryker. The group claimed it wiped more than 200,000 servers, mobile devices, and other systems, forcing the company to shut down offices across 79 countries. The hacktivists also claimed they exfiltrated about 50TB of corporate data from the company’s infrastructure. – Attack on Stryker ’s Microsoft environment wiped employee devices without malware
Technological Revolution
(Amy Harder – Axios) Nvidia’s chips are improving at such a staggering pace that it defies any historical comparison. Without these gains — which are drawing increased attention as AI transforms society — physics would slam the brakes on the data center boom. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Monday he expects the company to reap “at least” $1 trillion in revenue for its newest chips through 2027. It posted record sales and earnings last month, fueled by skyrocketing orders from Big Tech data center companies. Nvidia has historically dominated the market. But its cumulative share has dropped from 100% in the first quarter of 2022 to 65% in the fourth quarter of last year, according to the research and consultancy firm SemiAnalysis. – Nvidia’s race to outpace physics
