Houthis capture more Yemeni Red Sea islands, tightening grip on Bab el-Mandeb– www.euronews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthis captured more islands in the southern Red Sea, government and Houthi officials said Monday, strengthening their control of a major maritime shipping route.
The capture of the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish is the latest in the group’s swift advance around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key passage for oil shipments that has become even more crucial during the Iran war as the Strait of Hormuz remains under US and Iranian blockades.
Like Hormuz, located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula — is a chokepoint that connects the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea, making it a key waterway for cargo traffic to the Mediterranean Sea.
For more than a month, the Houthis have been striking Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping in the Red Sea, stepping up pressure on global oil prices and boosting Iran’s leverage in its war with the US.
The Houthis have successfully seized the seaport of Mokha, a pro-government Yemeni port. The attack was sudden. It captured the entire city off-guard as residents quickly moved to evacuate it. The Saudis have responded by hitting Mokha’s now captured airport.
Yemen’s Houthis seize strategic Red Sea port of Mokha– www.bbc.co.uk News Source
EXCERPT:
Mokha residents said Houthi fighters moved into the city after fierce clashes with pro-government forces on Wednesday night, prompting many families to flee their homes.
“The takeover came without warning. Panic spread throughout the area, forcing people to flee amid distressing scenes of injured people lying in the streets with no-one there to help them,” one man told BBC Arabic’s Middle East Lifeline programme.
Another man said that Houthi fighters were patrolling the streets of Mokha on Thursday, while government offices and shops were closed.
“At the moment, we don’t know what Ansar Allah will do,” he added, using the group’s formal name. “Everyone is afraid for their safety.”
Many displaced families are heading east towards the city of Aden, where Yemen’s internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council and government are based.
“We fled with our children and kept running. We have no bedding, no home, nothing with us. Everything was destroyed within an hour. They didn’t even give us a chance or warn us beforehand,” one woman told BBC Arabic.
Pakistan Warns Iran to Keep the Houthis Away from Saudi Arabia– www.breitbart.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Pakistan delivered a warning to Iran on Wednesday that if Tehran’s terrorist proxies in Yemen, the Houthis, continue attacking cities and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan may be obliged to intervene under its defense pact with the Saudis.
Pakistan gave notice to Iran the day after Houthi insurgents launched drone and missile attacks against four cities in Saudi Arabia, damaging oil infrastructure and wounding dozens of civilians.
Saudi forces, working with the internationally-recognized government of Yemen, responded with airstrikes and ground action against the Houthis, who captured Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa and much other territory in 2014.
In a television interview on Wednesday, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said that further Houthi attacks could trigger the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, a pact Pakistan signed with Saudi Arabia and Turkey in August. The pact includes a mutual defense commitment similar to NATO Article V.
“An aggression on one country will be considered an aggression on all three countries,” Asif said. “There is no ambiguity or doubt. Unprovoked aggression or spillover into Saudi Arabia will definitely make this agreement operational.”
A senior diplomatic source told Reuters the Pakistani government conveyed this message to Tehran privately within the past 24 hours, and advised the Iranians to pull the Houthis back from attacking Saudi Arabia. The response from Tehran was reportedly: “Iran does not control the Houthis.”
Oil prices jumped to their highest levels since May amid renewed fighting in the Persian Gulf and investor concerns that the war in Iran will persist longer than previously thought.
Brent crude futures crossed above $107 a barrel and WTI futures neared $102. The possibility of a near-term contraction in oil supplies and a protracted war has been pushing up energy prices for several weeks, with the climb accelerating this week.
Yields on bonds issued by the U.S. government climbed to new multiyear highs. The yield on 10-year U.S. Treasuries climbed 0.082 percent to 4.922 percent. That matched the post-pandemic highs hit amid raging inflation and Federal Reserve interest rate increases aimed at restoring price stability.
Shorter-term Treasury yields also rose, reflecting increased expectations for rate increases from the Fed. The yield on the 2-year Treasury rose sharply, climbing 0.114 percent to 4.541 percent.
Yields on government bonds around the world climbed. Yields on government bonds issued by Germany, the U.K., France, and Japan were higher.
Bond yield rise when bond prices fall. A rising yield reflects investors requiring higher returns for holding government securities. This can be due to rising inflation expectations, rising competition from other securities when investors expect faster growth and higher returns on stocks or corporate bonds, or a more aggressive monetary policy.
The major stock indexes in the U.S. were all down by around six-tenths of a percentage point on Thursday morning. Nine of the eleven sectors of the S&P 500 declined, with consumer staples the only one to rise. The tech heavy communications services sector was flat.
After the UK made moves to sanction Israel over its occupation of “Palestinian” territories, Israel has countered by supporting Argentina’s claims on the Falkland Islands. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel ’s minister for national security, posted on X, “It’s time for the State of Israel to publicly recognize that the Malvinas Islands are Argentine territory under occupation, which the British violently steal from the Argentine people. The British are not content with merely occupying the territory; they also carry out oil drilling there and steal the money from the Argentine people. I call upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands and to impose sanctions on Great Britain as long as the occupation continues.”
Israeli minister demands UK ‘end occupation of Falklands’ and hand islands back to Argentina– www.mirror.co.uk News Source
EXCERPT:
Israel’s Minister of National Security and leader of Otzma Yehudit, Itamar Ben Gvir(Image: Getty Images)
A member of the Israeli government has claimed the Falkland Islands are ‘Argentine territory under occupation’ and called for ‘sanctions’ against the UK.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel ’s minister for national security, issued a statement late on Monday evening (September 7), just hours after it became public knowledge the UK government is due to announce new sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, is expected to outline new trade restrictions on goods coming out of the illegal settlements in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory, on Tuesday (September 8).
As soon as rumours emerged of Andy Burnham ’s ‘reset’ of relations, Israeli officials threatened to ‘act against Britain’. Itamar Ben-Gvir has now publicly called for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognise the Atlantic archipelago as Argentinian.
Somaliland’s President Seeks Israeli Military Presence as Regional Threats Grow– legalinsurrection.com News Source
EXCERPT:
The East African nation of Somaliland has sought Israeli military presence amid growing regional threats. “We will cooperate with any friendly country, and we need security partners, including Israel,” Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Abdullahi said recently. “If Israel is present, it will provide deterrence.”
The statement comes as Iranian-backed Houthis reportedly seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, tightening their hold over the Strait of Bab al-Mandab. According to Reuters on Thursday, the Iranian proxy terror militia has “reached the Red Sea islands of Hanish after capturing the coastal city of Mocha, … in a dramatic strategic shift that could threaten the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.”
WHAT HAPPENED IN YEMEN OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS?
On Wednesday, Saudi-backed Yemeni forces announced they had made significant achievements on the ground in the north and central desert areas and appeared to have broken through Houthi lines.
Iran War Updates: Oil hits $100 per barrel as Tehran fires missiles in retaliation for U.S. blowing up tankers– www.cbsnews.com News Source EXCERPT:
Iran says “prohibited zone” near Hormuz to cover parts of Gulf of Oman and beyond
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday that a new “prohibited zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz would cover parts of the Gulf of Oman and beyond, adding they would announce the exact coordinates later.
“It approximately starts from the direction of Chabahar, covering part of the Sea of Oman and another part of the Arabian Sea,” IRGC Spokesman Hossein Mohebi told state television. “If a vessel enters that area without coordination, it will be subject to our sanctions.”
On Monday, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Tehran was planning to announce a maritime “exclusion zone” outside the strait where it intends to stop vessels attempting to transit the waterway without Iranian permission.
CBS/AFP
Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of striking Yemeni prison, killing inmates and visitors
The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia on Wednesday of carrying out an airstrike on a Yemeni prison, killing inmates as well as women and children who were visiting.
In a statement on X, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the alleged strike on the prison in Al-Hazm, the capital of Yemen’s Al-Jawf province, took place on Monday and killed “a large number of prison inmates, along with a number of visitors including children and women.”
“The attempts by the Saudi enemy to evade responsibility for its crimes and aggression against our country will not exempt it from the consequences and repercussions of this aggression and criminality, no matter how much it tries to cover it up,” he added.
The Saudis have not responded to the Houthi claims.
The Houthis on Wednesday also accused Saudi Arabia of launching more than 30 strikes on several regions of Yemen, a day after Saudi authorities reported Houthi attacks had injured 73 people early on Tuesday, and temporarily shut several oil facilities.
Fighting in Yemen reignited last week, when the Houthis launched a major campaign to seize territory near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.
Iran condemns U.S. strike on oil tankers
Iran’s foreign ministry on Wednesday strongly condemned U.S. strikes on its oil tankers, describing the attacks the previous day as a threat to regional security.
“The aggressive actions by the United States against Iranian commercial vessels not only increase the dangers of tensions in the region but are also considered an overt threat to regional and international peace and security,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that Iranian forces had targeted U.S. military facilities in the region in “self-defense”.
U.S. Central Command said it disabled five Iranian tankers on Tuesday with strikes launched in response to unsuccessful Iranian missile attacks targeting a U.S. warship in recent days.
Several vessels in Gulf damaged, British maritime agency reports
Several vessels in the Persian Gulf region were on fire Wednesday, a U.K. Navy agency reported, after Iran said it had attacked more than a dozen ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz without its permission.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO) said “several merchant vessels in the Northern Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman” were hit by “disabling fire as part of ongoing military activity in the region.”
The center did not name the ships in question, but the U.S. said Tuesday night it had destroyed 5 Iranian oil tankers in the gulf.
It also said a vessel 24 nautical miles northwest of Port Rashid, in the UAE, was listing, potentially due to an attack.
“The Master of a tanker has reported sighting a vessel listing while at anchor, possibly indicating water ingress following an attack from an unknown projectile,” it said.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it had attacked two U.S. warships, eight oil tankers and 10 “non-compliant vessels” trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. military’s Central Command quickly denied that any American ships had been struck.
U.S. military denies Iran’s claim to have damaged U.S. warships with missile attack
The U.S. military’s Central Command denied on Wednesday Iran’s claim to have inflicted “heavy damage” on U.S. warships.
“No U.S. Navy warship has been struck; all IRGC attempted attacks failed,” CENTCOM said in a post on social media.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed earlier that its naval forces had targeted two U.S. warships, along with eight other vessels, and “inflicted heavy damage on them.”
CENTCOM dismissed the claim as “completely FALSE” and said U.S. forces had destroyed 10 Iranian tankers “just in the last week.”
Oil prices could hit $120, analysis finds, as Americans absorb $100 billion fuel hit
An analysis by Goldman Sachs has forecast that heightened attacks in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea could push global oil prices above $120 a barrel, which would add to the surging fuel costs Americans have faced during the Iran war.
The investment bank’s forecast implies a roughly 20% increase in the cost of Brent crude, the international benchmark, which is trading at nearly $100 a barrel. Oil prices have spiked in recent weeks as the Middle East conflict drags on, with U.S. military forces striking three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday and the Houthi rebels attacking Saudi oil facilities.
Iranian forces say they targeted American warships again
Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday that it had targeted two U.S. warships and eight other vessels in retaliation for U.S. strikes on five Iranian oil tankers the previous day.
The IRGC said its naval forces had targeted the vessels in the Persian Gulf region, claiming to have “inflicted heavy damage on them.”
There was no immediate response from the U.S. military, which said Tuesday that it had warned the crews of the five Iranian tankers to abandon ship “before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable.”
The new attacks claimed by the IRGC are the latest in a series of flare-ups in fighting between the U.S. and Iran since a ceasefire agreed to by both sides in June fell apart over disagreements regarding control over ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil hits $100 per barrel for first time since July amid fighting flare-up
The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, hit $100 per barrel Wednesday morning, the highest it’s been since late July.
The increase is a continuation of an upward trend seen since August and follows a flare-up in fighting between the U.S. and Iran.
The U.S. announced late Tuesday it had struck 5 Iranian oil tankers in response to an attempted attack on its warships in the region. Iran retaliated by targeting a military base in Jordan that hosts U.S. forces. The Jordanian military said it intercepted 18 Iranian missiles and reported no casualties.
Protesters urge South Korea to not join U.S. war with Iran
Dozens of South Koreans urged their government on Wednesday not to deploy troops to the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The protesters across from the U.S. embassy compound in Seoul waved signs saying “Do not join a war of aggression” as the country’s leaders weigh a “contribution” to the waterway’s security.
“We cannot send our young people into a sea of death!” chanted the protesters on the steps outside Seoul’s Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
The protest came a day after South Korean defence authorities said they had sent a fact-finding mission to assess the situation in Hormuz, while stressing that no decision had been made on any deployment.
South Korea said Friday it was considering “contributions” to U.S. security efforts along the strait provided that its own military readiness was not compromised.
Iran has warned that any South Korean deployment would be “regarded as direct support for the party responsible for that aggression and will have serious consequences.”
Iran-backed Houthi group reports over 30 strikes across Yemen
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis reported more than 30 Saudi strikes on several regions on Wednesday, a day after the rebels launched major attacks on their neighbor, injuring dozens of people.
There has been no official comment from Saudi Arabia about the Houthi report.
Saudi authorities previously said that Houthi attacks caused temporary shutdowns at oil sites and injured 73 people early Tuesday. The rebels reported Saudi airstrikes following the attacks.
Deadly fighting reignited in Yemen last week, when the Houthis launched a major campaign to seize territory near the Bab al-Mandab strait.
The strait has become an increasingly important route for Saudi oil since Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, choking Gulf exports.
CBS/AFP
Price of oil trades at $99 per barrel again as open hostilities resume
The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, was trading at over $99 early Wednesday, in a continuation of the upward trend seen since August.
Meanwhile, the benchmark U.S. crude rose 1.2% to $94.17 a barrel.
Before the war began in February, a fifth of the world’s oil flowed through the Strait of Hormuz but since then, traffic has plummeted, with only small periods of temporary and limited recovery.
Iran launches missiles at U.S. targets in Jordan, state media says
Iran has launched missiles toward U.S. targets in Jordan, Iranian state-run media said, following the latest American strikes.
It’s the latest tit-for-tat retaliation after the U.S. military said it destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers following two attacks on a U.S. warship by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard over the past two days.
U.S. Central Command, when asked about the strikes on the Jordanian air base, said it had no information to offer.
Jordan’s military said its air defense systems intercepted 18 ballistic missiles launched toward its territory and two others fell in places where people do not live. It says it had no reports of casualties.
Jordan is a staunch U.S. ally that hosts American forces, making the kingdom’s military bases a target of repeated Iranian strikes.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy also warned crews of oil tankers near ports in Kuwait and Bahrain to immediately leave their vessels, saying the ships could be targeted in retaliation for the U.S. attacks on Iranian tankers.
CENTCOM confirms it struck five Iranian oil tankers
The U.S. military’s Central Command confirmed Tuesday it “destroyed” five oil tankers associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In a statement accompanied by video footage of the operation, CENTCOM said the strikes were in response to a set of unsuccessful Iranian missile attacks against a U.S. warship in recent days.
Four of the tankers were struck in the Gulf of Oman, according to CENTCOM, and a fifth was hit near Kharg Island, an island in the Persian Gulf that serves as Iran’s primary terminal for crude oil exports. It alleged the ships were part of Iran’s shadow fleet, a network of tankers used by Iran to export oil and generate revenue for the regime.
“American forces directed the crews to abandon ship before the vessels were struck and rendered inoperable,” CENTCOM said.
CBS News had reported on a U.S. attack against Iranian tankers earlier Tuesday.
CENTCOM also struck three Iranian oil tankers last weekend in retaliation for an earlier attempted Iranian attack against U.S. Navy ships.
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia ignite fires at oil facilities and wound 73 people, officials say– abcnews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
CAIRO — A wave of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia Tuesday wounded more than 70 people and ignited fires at several oil facilities and utilities in the kingdom’s southern region, authorities said, a major escalation in the renewed conflict between an important U.S. ally and the Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen.
The attacks come after weeks of escalating clashes between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen, which shattered a four-year truce in the country’s civil war.
The flare-up delivered a new jolt to a region already destabilized by nearly three years of wars and brings more uncertainty for the global economy. The fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis threatens to squeeze shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a critical route of the Arabian Peninsula for oil and global trade. It also comes at a time when the Iran war has nearly halted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that moved about one-fifth of the world’s oil before the war.
Fighting has raged on multiple fronts including Yemen’s west coast, with government forces saying they have made territorial gains in the provinces of Hodeida, Taiz and Baydah. The Houthis have also launched attacks on Saudi oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.
The attacks early Tuesday hit “civilian and economic facilities” in the Saudi cities of Abha, Jazan, Najran and Khamis Mushait, said Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
Al-Malki said the attacks wounded 73 people, including women and children. He didn’t provide further details.
U.S. House passes bill to withhold federal aid from colleges that boycott Israel– www.thecollegefix.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Congressman warns the bill could violate free speech
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday to withhold federal aid from colleges and universities that boycott Israel.
The Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026 states that federally-funded institutions “will not engage in a nonexpressive commercial boycott of a major strategic partner of the United States.”
In addition, students cannot be “unreasonably obstructed from participating in academic programs in Israel,” the bill states.
The Republican-controlled chamber approved the measure by a 237–169 vote, with 33 Democrats supporting it and two Republicans opposing it, according to Inside Higher Ed.
The legislation will now head to the U.S. Senate.
Congressman Josh Gottheimer, who sponsored the bill, said, “No student, no professor should be shut out of research, study abroad opportunities, or academic partnerships, or feel unwelcome in the classroom because of where they’re from or what religion they practice.”
PM Benjamin Netanyahu Puts Political Survival Above Israel’s Security, Says Top Rival Gadi Eisenkot, Israeli politics– www.ndtv.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Gadi Eisenkot, the main challenger to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accused the sitting premier of looking merely after his own political survival and not the country’s security, at a rally in central Israel on Monday.
Unveiling the candidates of the Yashar party for the October 27 election, the former military commander said nothing about how he would handle the Palestinian question or the wars against Iran and Lebanon launched by Netanyahu, but accused him of ducking responsibility in the nearly three years since the massive Hamas attack.
A relative newcomer to politics, his party Yashar (Hebrew for “Upright”), founded a year ago, has surged in the polls in recent months, with many voters seeing him as a viable candidate to replace Netanyahu, thanks to his military background.
At Monday’s rally in a hall in the central Israeli city of Rosh Haayin, Eisenkot vowed to put an end to the divisions that have plagued the country since October 7, 2023 over Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza, where dozens of Israeli hostages were held, and on other fronts.
“In the face of the great rift that opened on October 7, and in the face of the immense challenges before the State of Israel, I believe we need a leadership that knows how to rise to the magnitude of the hour, that knows how to unite and bring unity around what we share, and to fundamentally restore the principles of stateliness and Zionism,” Eisenkot said.
Eisenkot also touched on other hot-button issue in the upcoming election, such as the exemptions and benefits granted to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men.
Live Updates: Iran says it will expand control in Strait of Hormuz as oil and gas prices continue to climb – CBS News– news.google.com News Source EXCERPT:
Houthis launch attack on Saudi Arabia airbase where fighter fleet is located– www.mirror.co.uk News Source
EXCERPT:
A video shows smoke and balls of fire rising from trucks at a camp of the Saudi-backed government forces
The Houthis militant group have reportedly fired ballistic missiles and drones on Saudi Arabian oil facilities and an air base.
A drone was shot down in the overnight attack over Khamis Mushait at such a low altitude that the interception shattered windows, according to reports.
Iran-Backed Proxy Group Launches Ground Offensive Aimed At Further Disrupting Global Shipping– trendingpoliticsnews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Yemen’s Houthi militants — an Iran-backed group that has controlled large swaths of the country’s northwest for more than a decade — have launched a renewed offensive aimed at taking control of a vital Red Sea port.
Yemen has been divided by civil war since 2014, when Houthi forces from the country’s north seized the capital city of Sanaa. The Houthis, a Zaydi Shia movement that formed in the 1990s, now administer most of what was historically North Yemen. This includes Sanaa, the densely populated highlands, and the Red Sea port of Hodeidah.
This accounts for the majority of Yemen’s population.
The internationally recognized government, supported by Saudi Arabia and based mainly in the south, holds Aden, much of the east and south, and the oil-producing area around Marib. Taiz, one of Yemen’s largest cities, remains split. Front lines changed little after a 2022 nationwide truce until fighting intensified in 2026.
The Houthis’ current holdings give them a long coastline on the Red Sea and positions from which they can reach the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrow passage connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Earlier this month, the Houthis opened a ground offensive in western Taiz governorate. The operation targeted roads linking the city of Taiz to the government-held port of Mokha and sought to move closer to high ground overlooking approaches to Bab al-Mandab.
Clashes have been the heaviest in years, with more than 300 combatants and some civilians reported killed. Government forces later recaptured parts of Hays district in Hodeidah province and some heights west of Taiz, while Houthi units cut the Taiz–Mokha road at least temporarily.
Oil hits $100 for first time since July as chaos continues in Strait of Hormuz– www.independent.co.uk News Source EXCERPT:
The price of oil crossed the $100 a barrel mark for the first time since July as continued chaos in the Middle East spooked the market.
As the market opened on Wednesday, the price for Brent Crude – the benchmark for oil across the world – hit $100.19 at around 8.15am. It later dropped slightly to $99 shortly after.
The Middle East conflict escalated this week after Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen launched strikes on several Saudi cities, drawing a key US ally further into the war.
Meanwhile, the US military has said it’s destroyed five Iranian tankers carrying crude following attempts to strike a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles.
Iran claimed to have attacked two American vessels and eight oil tankers in the Gulf. Shipping crews near Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports were warned to abandon their vesels.
The latest attacks threaten to deepen disruptions to Middle East oil supplies, already strained by strikes on regional energy infrastructure and key shipping lanes.
Brent crude prices were last this high in late July.
FLORIDA WARNS UK: Boycott Israel, Florida Will Boycott the UK– gellerreport.com News Source EXCERPT:
Britain’s threatened sanctions against Judea and Samaria will not come without a punishing price. Under Florida law, any company participating in a boycott of Israel can be stripped of state and local contracts, hit with civil penalties of at least $2 million and barred from bidding on public business for three years. As Rep. Randy Fine warns, British companies forced into London’s anti-Israel crusade could find themselves effectively shut out of one of Britain’s largest American trading partners—costing them billions. Florida’s law helped break Airbnb’s 2019 boycott of Jewish communities, and its message remains unmistakable: If Britain chooses to wage economic war on Israel, Florida can wage economic war on Britain. Boycott Israel—and Florida will boycott you.
Britain has formally announced the policy, not merely floated it. The UK will prohibit imports of goods from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and bar British companies from supplying financing, construction, infrastructure, real-estate and advertising services there. The measures are expected to take effect within six to nine months. France and Canada announced similar action, while several European governments pledged support.
Florida’s law is unusually broad because its definition of boycotting Israel expressly covers discrimination against businesses operating in “Israeli-controlled territories”—meaning Britain cannot evade it by claiming it is boycotting only Judea and Samaria, rather than Israel itself. Florida can terminate public contracts of any amount with participating entities, refuse future contracts and divest state investments after the statutory review process.
Britain’s boycott is not merely symbolic foreign-policy theater. By ordering British companies to discriminate against Jews doing business in Judea and Samaria, London is placing those companies on a collision course with Florida law—and potentially forcing them to choose between obeying Britain and retaining access to Florida’s lucrative public market. Britain wanted to punish Israel. It may instead punish its own companies, workers and economy.
As the British government considers forcing British companies to boycott portions of Israel, it should be aware that a Florida law that I passed as a member of the Legislature would ban any British company forced to comply from doing business with any state or local government in…
As the British government considers forcing British companies to boycott portions of Israel, it should be aware that a Florida law that I passed as a member of the Legislature would ban any British company forced to comply from doing business with any state or local government in Florida.
It would also end any British business participating in that boycott from doing any business in Florida if it needed any official interaction with state or local government to operate (permits, tax collection).
Florida is one of Britain’s largest trading partners. They should understand that their vanity project in support of Muslim terror could cost them billions of dollars.
And for those who doubt the power of this policy, it was this same law that broke Airbnb’s misguided effort to boycott portions of Israel in 2019. They realized that this law would have bankrupted their company.
Florida has made it clear. Any company — or nation — that boycotts Israel is boycotted by Florida.
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Trump threatens to ‘hit Iran hard’ as strikes resume after month-long lull– www.france24.com News Source
EXCERPT:
US President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to hit Iran “hard” after the two foes traded fire for the first time in weeks, as his Treasury secretary vowed to keep up a pressure campaign aimed at hobbling Tehran’s economy.
After six months of war, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran keeping the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed and the US persisting with a naval counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
On Sunday, the United States carried out strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran quickly retaliating by attacking US military targets in the Middle East.
The exchange raised fears of a return to major hostilities, with the US president vowing to respond.
“We’re going to hit them hard,” Trump said, according to a Fox News reporter who spoke to him briefly. “There will be a response.”
Breaking: US Forces Decimate Iranian Launchers, Stop IRGC’s Attempted Retaking of Hormuz– www.westernjournal.com News Source
EXCERPT:
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Military action returned to the Persian Gulf Sunday as American forces attacked Iranian rocket launchers.
“I can confirm that earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into Strait of Hormuz,” a U.S. official said, according to Reuters.
The attack was the first from the United States since late July.
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Last week, U.S. Central Command cleared mines from the strait’s international shipping routes, according to Fox News.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed the U.S. strike killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers and civilians and said in a statement that the “terrorist enemy’s aggression on Larak Island will be met with punishment for the aggressor.”
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“The American-Zionist adversary, once more acting out of frustration over its domestic challenges and waning influence in the region, aims to resurrect its malevolent presence and sway public perception,” the statement read.
The Guardian reported that what appeared to be a retaliatory strike on U.S. forces in Jordan failed, with all missiles intercepted.
Tehran urges return to June deal, Trump vows to hit Iran ‘hard’– www.cnbc.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Oil prices extended gains Tuesday as traders mulled the threat of escalation, following the resumption of U.S.-Iran military strikes and more turmoil in the Strait of Hormuz.
A tanker was struck by three unknown projectiles while transiting Hormuz on Monday, according to an incident report from the the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre.
Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, were up 1.6% to $91.90 a barrel by 8:19 a.m. ET. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures added 2% to $87.48 per barrel.
The tanker was sailing in the southern shipping lane close to the Omani coast, the UKMTO said, adding that no casualties were reported.
Iran launched an attack on two American bases in Jordan on Monday in retaliation for the U.S. strike on its Larak Island. American forces targeted two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, reportedly killing three, saying that Tehran intended to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Hormuz Strait.
Bond market in open revolt as Trump declines Iranian peace deal and oil hits $92 a barrel– fortune.com News Source
EXCERPT:
President Trump’s plan for the U.S. to own majority control of Venezuelan oilfields harks back to a century-old era of colonialism and backroom dealmaking with Venezuelan oilmen and politicians, energy and geopolitical analysts told Fortune’s Jordan Blum.
“If the U.S. scheme in Venezuela sounds colonial, that’s because it is,” said Gregory Brew, senior analyst with the Eurasia Group. “This is the Trump administration trying to increase U.S. revenue from Venezuelan oil production. It’s extremely unusual. It’s probably unprecedented in the history of the international oil industry.”
Under the deal, the U.S. would control more than 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves in Venezuela.
The agreement would give the U.S. Department of Defense a 55% stake in the private Venezuelan oil producer North American Blue Energy Partners. NABEP is controlled by the Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt López and his family. López has fostered close relationships with both the Trump and Rodríguez administrations.
“From a certain angle, this looks like an insider deal to profit businessmen who are close to Delcy and who are also close to Trump and his inner circle,” Brew told Fortune.
California lawmakers pass bill allowing people to identify their Jewish ancestry on state forms– abcnews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California would allow Jews to voluntarily identify their Jewish heritage on state forms under a bill the state Assembly passed Monday.
The bill, which needs a final vote in the Legislature to head to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, would require state agencies that collect demographic information to add “Jewish” as an option for ethnicity or ancestry. The goal is to give state officials and researchers better data on Jewish Californians, including their unemployment rates and representation in schools.
The data would enable lawmakers to create policies that address the needs of Jews in the state, said David Bocarsly, CEO of Jewish California, an advocacy group.
“It’s about inclusion as a community,” Bocarsly said, noting the Legislature has passed laws in recent years to collect more inclusive demographic data on Middle Eastern, North African and LGBTQ+ communities.
Some opponents of the bill are worried about the idea of the state collecting such data given the traumatic history of the Nazi government keeping records of Jews during the Holocaust. The proposal would bar agencies from disclosing “personal identifying information,” and bill author Henry Stern, a Democratic state senator who is Jewish, said California already has robust privacy protections that should assuage those concerns.
Sydney Levy of Jewish Voice for Peace, a progressive anti-Zionist group, wasn’t convinced by that argument.
Watch: Trump Posts A.I. Video of Iran’s Kharg Island ‘Blown to Smithereens’– www.breitbart.com News Source
EXCERPT:
President Donald Trump on Sunday posted a ten-second A.I.-generated video of Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal being “blown to smithereens,” as he put it, shortly after the first U.S. airstrikes against Iran in a month. None of the actual strikes was confirmed to have targeted Kharg Island.
Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-run National Iranian Oil Company, said on Monday that Trump’s tweet was “laughable,” and “conditions in Kharg are calm and appropriate.”
Bovard claimed the Kharg Island oil facility remains operational, workers are repairing damage from previous strikes, and the facilities are being modernized. About 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports normally pass through Kharg Island.
U.S. warplanes struck Iranian forces on Sunday as they were preparing to deploy more mines into the Strait of Hormuz, following the surprising revelation by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday that most of the mines previously deployed by Iran had been quietly disarmed and cleared by American personnel.
The targets for Sunday’s airstrikes include two Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island, which is located off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Larak Island is hundreds of miles from Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil loading terminal in the Persian Gulf.
Here’s the Iran Question That Caused Trump to Blow Up at This Reporter Today– townhall.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Can we please end this silly game? Someone today asked if President Trump nuking Iran was still on the table? It’s like the annoying hover parent who doesn’t listen; like this journalist doesn’t need a pen and pad — she needs a frying pan to the back of her head. If we were going to launch nuclear strikes against Iran, which was never a serious discussion, it would’ve been done already.
A 12-year-old playing any basic real-time strategy game would know that. Like, what are we even doing here?
“What a stupid question.”
President Trump fires back at a reporter who asked whether he has ruled out using a nuclear weapon against Iran.
“They’re totally defeated militarily. So now I defeat them, and now I should use a nuclear weapon on top of them? What a stupid question.” pic.twitter.com/4yDEgX7cOe
Iran War Updates: Trump says U.S. “achieving a very big victory,” war “will continue for as long as necessary”– www.cbsnews.com News Source
EXCERPT:
Long lines formed at gas stations in Tehran Tuesday after the United States announced fresh sanctions aimed at pressuring Iran into submission.
Washington has turned to pulling economic levers six months into a war on Iran that has ground to a stalemate militarily, with peace talks stalled and most traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz blocked.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday laid out plans for the “economic asphyxiation” of Iran, saying the “objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains this tyrannical regime.”
Though Iran’s leaders have shrugged off the tough talk, having already endured sanctions for decades, some residents of the capital feared that they would feel the pinch.
“Naturally, sanctions affect people’s lives,” realtor Mehdi Yazdian, 55, who urged the authorities to control prices, told the AFP news agency. “People are being hurt, both those who are financially well-off and those who are financially weak.”
“Yes, these sanctions are having an effect,” he said. “But naturally, our people are resilient. These sanctions have been in place for 47 years.”
The Strait of Hormuz appears to be mostly opened, but not fully safe. The Trump administration has ended all negotiations with Iran, demanding total surrender. The U.S. has switched to economic warfare against Iran, of a scale never seen before. They’ve warned their allies that any refusal to go along with the U.S. plan will result in them being removed from the U.S. dollar system.
DOJ Moves to Confiscate Iran Oil As Legal War Prize – RedState– redstate.com News Source
EXCERPT:
During the Revolutionary War and before, war at sea was fought with some very different presumptions. The crews of warships were often as not paid in part by prize money, money earned from the ships and cargoes they captured. This process was handled by something called a maritime prize court. These courts would adjudicate the legality of any ship and cargo seizures under existing maritime law; they could also order the sale of ships and cargoes, with the proceeds going to the ship’s company.
The recipients of prize money weren’t always regular navy forces, either. Governments, including the newly formed United States government, would, in those times, issue something called a letter of marque, authorizing privately owned warships to hunt enemy ships on the high seas; these ships and their companies were called privateers. And, yes, the unfortunate side effect of that was that some of the privateers, when the war they were authorized to help fight ended, turned to piracy.
Now, though, the Department of Justice may be reactivating the maritime prize courts, something the United States has not done since our Civil War.
The Justice Department is preparing to activate a long-dormant maritime war court to streamline military capture of Iranian oil tankers as US prizes, according to three people familiar with the plans.
Reviving prize courts, which is expected to face legal challenges, is intended to strengthen the blockade of Iran and offset the cost of the conflict.
Aaron Reitz, the Houston-based US attorney whose office is partnering with department headquarters on the initiative, confirmed DOJ is “now reviving” prize courts, which he described as an “ancient body of maritime law.”
The unfinalized plans, if adopted, would offer a faster path for federal prosecutors to claim oil and other cargo taken from enemy or neutral vessels as US property. The seized goods would then be sold with proceeds transferred to the treasury.
Trump Bombshell: More Than 100 UN Terror Employees Referred for Taking Part in Hamas’ October 7 Atrocities– gellerreport.com News Source
EXCERPT:
President Trump dropped this bombshell: A report from USAID confirms that over 100 United Nations ‘ UNRWA employees have been referred for participating in October 7th Hamas atrocities.
The UN is an arm of the global jihad.
🚨 WOW! President Trump dropped this bombshell: A report from USAID confirms that over 100 United Nations pro-Palestine employees have been referred for participating in October 7th Hamas atrocities
USAID report finds more than 100 UNRWA employees participated in Hamas atrocities on Oct. 7
The agency referred a former United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees school teacher and Hamas operative for debarment for allegedly receiving and holding civilian hostages beginning on October 7, 2023.
The United States’ Agency for International Development’s Inspector General’s office announced Wednesday that it has referred more than 100 current or former employees of a United Nations relief agency to the State Department over their participation in the October 7 terror attacks in Israel.
The referrals include three people they suggested be debarred by the department, including a former United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees school teacher and Hamas operative who allegedly received and held civilian hostages beginning on October 7, 2023.
The agency did not give a full number of employees it referred, but said its investigation has resulted in one total debarment so far, after the individual was found to have coordinated communications with other suspected Hamas members during the terror attacks while serving as an UNRWA school principal.
Iranians ‘shopping with a smile’ despite US sanctions – RT reports from Tehran (VIDEO) — RT World News– www.rt.com News Source EXCERPT:
Shops are cutting prices and offering installment payments as household budgets shrink, RT reports from the ground in Tehran
Iranian businesses are increasingly turning to discounts and installment payments to keep customers shopping, as sanctions and the economic fallout from the US-Israeli war squeeze household budgets, RT’s Salman Khujuri reports.
The trend comes nearly six months after the US and Israel launched the war against Iran in late February. Large-scale fighting has subsided under a series of temporary agreements, but efforts to reach a lasting settlement have stalled as Washington ramps up economic pressure on Tehran.
Businesses in the Iranian capital are adapting to soaring prices and falling purchasing power, with some allowing customers to spread purchases over several payments.
Bobak Shirpour, who runs a large clothing retail business in Tehran, told RT on Thursday that worsening economic conditions after the war and years of sanctions prompted his company to seek suppliers offering better prices and quality. With many larger families unable to pay in cash, the retailer also introduced discounts and installment plans.
“People have welcomed it, they come in with a smile and leave with a smile,” Shirpour said, adding that despite the narrower profit margins, business remains steady.
Shoppers interviewed by RT said installment plans have become increasingly useful as household budgets come under pressure. “They allow people to buy things they can’t afford to pay for in cash and pay in four installments instead. It gives people some peace of mind and helps them meet some of their basic needs despite these difficult circumstances,” one customer said.
Iranian households have been cutting spending on food and other essentials as inflation and the falling rial erode purchasing power, according to recent media reports. Installment shopping has also expanded to Iranian companies offering deferred-payment services as consumers struggle with the rising cost of living, the Financial Times reported earlier this month.
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