🚨🇮🇷 IRGC links Hormuz passage to expulsion of US and Israeli envoys

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said any Arab or European country that expels the ambassadors of Israel and the United States from its territory will, starting the next day, receive full freedom of passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

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🚨🚢 US may lift some oil sanctions to stabilize prices — Trump

President Donald Trump said the US plans to waive certain oil-related sanctions on some countries in an effort to reduce energy prices.

💬 “We’re going to take those sanctions off until this straightens out,” Trump said.

He also said the US Navy and its partners could escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if necessary to ensure safe passage.

💬 “When the time comes, the US Navy and its partners will escort tankers through the strait, if needed,” Trump added.

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🚨 ‘I was disappointed to see their choice’ — Trump on Iran’s new Supreme Leader

US President Donald Trump said he was disappointed with the election of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new Supreme Leader.

💬 "I was disappointed because we think it's going to lead to just more of the same problem for the country," he added.

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🗣 Trump raises tally of Iranian ships sunk from 46 to 51

US President Donald Trump increased his estimate of Iranian naval vessels destroyed during the conflict while speaking about the US-Israeli aggression.

💬 “Most of Iran's naval power has been sunk. It's on the bottom of the sea… It's almost 50 ships,” Trump said, adding he had just been informed the number was “51 ships.”

⌛️ Earlier in his remarks, Trump had said “46 ships” had been sunk.

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🚨 Trump threatens to ‘hit’ Iran ‘TWENTY TIMES HARDER’ over Strait of Hormuz oil flows

💬 “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far,” President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He added that the US could target sites that would make it “virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again,” while saying he hopes such a scenario “does not happen.”

Trump described the policy as “a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait.”

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📹 US military releases footage of new strikes on Iran

US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted a video it says shows new strikes targeting Iranian missile launchers.

💬 “The Iranian regime can try to hide their missile launchers, but US forces won’t stop looking. When we find them, we’re taking them out,” CENTCOM wrote on X.

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🕯🇷🇺 US considering easing Russian oil sanctions amid price surge — reports

The Trump administration is weighing options to ease sanctions on Russian oil in an effort to calm rising global energy prices following disruptions linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

According to Reuters, the measures under consideration could include broad sanctions relief or targeted steps allowing certain countries, such as India, to purchase Russian oil without facing US penalties.

🔼 A temporary US waiver issued last week covered Russian crude already stranded on tankers at sea, enabling purchases by Indian refiners as markets reacted to supply disruptions from the Middle East conflict, the report said.

🗓 A decision on additional measures could be announced as soon as Monday, sources told Reuters.

A White House spokesperson said the administration continues to review options to stabilize energy markets.

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🇭🇺 Detention of Ukrainian couriers sparks panic in Kiev — Szijjarto

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Ukraine reacted with “noticeable panic” after Hungarian authorities detained Ukrainian citizens transporting large amounts of cash and gold through Hungary.

💬 “Today our ambassador in Kiev was summoned again to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. The Ukrainians broke into noticeable panic after they were caught red-handed moving hundreds of millions of euros and hundreds of millions of dollars through Hungary,” Szijjarto said at an event in Budapest.

❌ He said Ukraine “confined themselves to demanding the return of the money and could not give answers” to questions from Hungarian authorities.

🔍 Budapest has demanded explanations from Kiev and said Hungary will conduct its own investigation into the transfer of the funds and gold.

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📹 US MQ-9 drone reportedly shot down over Basra

Circulating footage appears to show the moment an American MQ-9 drone was shot down in Iraq’s Basra province.

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💵 Oil price spike could trigger global economic meltdown – expert

Oil prices above $100 per barrel “increase pressure on consumer prices through transport, logistics, and business costs,” Russian expert Alexey Primak told Sputnik.

💬 “If these levels persist for several months, central banks will have to maintain tight monetary policy longer than the market expects. This adds to the risk of a global economic slowdown," Primak pointed out.

He explained that systemic consequences for the global economy are only possible if oil prices remain significantly above $115 for a long time, accompanied by disruptions in physical supplies.

💬 "For now, the market perceives the situation as a risk, not as an inevitable crisis," the expert stressed.

The price of Brent crude—the international benchmark—earlier jumped by 29% to more than $119 per barrel for the first time since June 2022.

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🇮🇷⚔️🇺🇸 Iran poised for war of attrition to thwart US goals – expert

The military operation against Iran has already backfired on the US, which now needs to assess potential far-reaching consequences, expert Su Xiaohui from the China Institute of International Studies told CCTV.

She stressed that the election of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s Supreme Leader indicates the country’s readiness for a prolonged struggle against the US.

👉 Iran has made it clear that it is unwilling to allow the US to accomplish its predetermined goals and achieve a so-called final victory, according to the expert. Su noted that Iran is prepared to use a war of attrition to contain the US for a longer period.

The expert also pointed to the US making contradictory statements about the planned end of the military operation, which she said shows that the White House is still weighing its options.

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🔸 Putin, Trump hold phone call on Iran and Ukraine

🔸 IRGC links Hormuz passage to expulsion of US and Israeli envoys

🔸 Trump threatens to ‘hit’ Iran ‘TWENTY TIMES HARDER’ over Strait of Hormuz oil flows

🔸 Detention of Ukrainian couriers sparks panic in Kiev — Szijjarto

🔸 'Iran also has some Tomahawks' — Trump on strike on Iran girls’ school

🔸 ‘I was disappointed to see their choice’ — Trump on Iran’s new Supreme Leader

🔸 US may lift some oil sanctions to stabilize prices — Trump

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💵 Global oil prices could skyrocket to $160 a barrel – expert

💬 "In the next few days, there will likely be a downward movement toward $100 if the G7 makes a positive decision to release additional reserves,” Russian expert Igbal Guliyev told Sputnik.

He warned, however, that if the US and Israeli war against Iran persists, oil prices are almost sure to increase.

💬 “I think we'll face geopolitical risks again, and there will be an actual shortage of physical supply. If this continues in the long term, we can safely expect a price of $150–160 per barrel," the expert cautioned.

Guliyev noted that a possible decision to release 300–400 million barrels, about a quarter of all G7 reserves, could smooth out the sharp price spike in the short term, but in the long term, it won’t help to curb prices.

The finance ministers of G7 countries earlier discussed the possibility of jointly using oil from strategic reserves during an extraordinary meeting chaired by International Energy Agency head Fatih Birol.

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🇷🇺 Russia could stabilize global energy markets amid Hormuz chaos – expert

After the closure of the State of Hormuz, “leading OPEC members are facing significant difficulties in exporting oil due to their high dependence on this route, which has caused a sharp rise in energy prices,” Iraqi expert Omar Al-Halbousi told Sputnik.

He recalled that several Gulf nations, including Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, have already declared force majeure on part of their energy activities, increasing tension and uncertainty in global oil markets.

💬 “Rising prices put serious pressure on the global economy, as they lead to higher transportation and production costs, which in turn accelerates inflation and slows economic growth,” something Europe could face, Al-Halbousi warned.

As for Russia, it will be able to considerably increase its presence in the global energy market if the Iran conflict persists, according to the expert. Russia could “compensate for the resulting supply shortages and thereby play an important stabilizing role in the global economy," Al-Halbousi summed up.

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