🇮🇷 The Iranian Space Research Center is planning to hold a public tender for the construction of its first space navigation satellite, the country's space agency said on Thursday.

"As a means of supporting the private sector, the Iranian Space Research Center is planning to hold a public tender for the development, construction and launch into orbit of Research Satellite-1. [The satellite] will be used for research purposes in the field of space navigation," the Iranian government quoted the agency's statement as saying on Telegram.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Despite the first batch of cluster munitions not yielding positive results in Ukraine's stalled counteroffensive efforts, the US has approved an order for yet another delivery of the controversial munitions.

Recent reports suggest cluster munitions were used in the Ukrainian conflict, with the US citing drone footage from Urozhaynoye in August as evidence of their effectiveness. However, despite heavy attacks with the munitions, the Ukrainian army failed to capture the village over a 72-day period, raising questions about their overall impact on the conflict.

So are cluster munitions really effective?

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💸 While the United States might be aiming to undermine Russian prestige by seizing its assets abroad and transferring them to Ukraine, it is in fact harming its own reputation by engaging in lawless behavior that violates the sanctity of private property underpinning the capitalist system, Christopher C. Black, an international criminal lawyer with 20 years of experience in war crimes and international relations told Sputnik.

Check out his full interview

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺🇧🇩 Moscow and Dhaka are discussing practical aspects of establishing regular large-scale supplies of liquefied natural gas and oil to Bangladesh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

"There are good prospects for traditionally good relations in the gas sector. Gazprom International has participated in drilling more than 20 wells and is ready to continue this work. The relevant agencies are discussing practical aspects of establishing regular large-scale supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and oil to Bangladesh," Lavrov stated at a joint press conference with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abdul Momen.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Elon Musk has denied reports that in 2022 he intentionally shuttered Starlink satellites along the coast of Crimea to thwart an attack by Ukrainian forces, explaining that the system was simply not activated at the time.

He also noted an “emergency request” had been made by government authorities, but that it was not complied with as it would have amounted to an escalation in the conflict.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ US would like to see Zelensky at G20 in India to continue working with world leaders on Ukraine's ideas for conflict resolution - White House

US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles, HIMARS rocket artillery, JDAM guided glide bombs and Patriot air defense systems have all failed to grant victory to the Kiev regime. Brian Berletic, an ex-US Marine and independent geopolitical researcher and writer, said the failure of the UK's front-line tank was predictable.

Read his full interview

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Saturday will see the start of NATO’s major naval drills in the Baltic Sea that are expected to involve some 30 ships and over 3,000 service members.

As many as 14 NATO countries are due to take part in the Northern Coast 23 naval exercises that will be held on September 9-23 off Estonia and Latvia, as well as in the eastern and central areas of the Baltic Sea near the Russian border.

What’s the goal of these maneuvers and what signs do the drills send to Russia?

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🛢 The G7 appears to be abandoning its below-market price cap on Russian oil exports, with expert David Tawil, founder of ProChain Capital, suggesting that the policy was never more than empty rhetoric. This move has exposed the G7's attempts to penalize Russia as ineffective and has raised doubts about the group's credibility.

Russia and Saudi Arabia recently extended their crude oil production cuts, causing the price of Urals crude to exceed $70 per barrel, well above the G7's $60 price cap for Russian exports. This extension was driven by an economic slowdown in China, as noted by David Tawil.

Read the full article

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇺🇸 The Biden administration's military supplying of Ukraine has won it the unlikely support of US-based neo-Nazi groups. But independent journalist Rachel Blevins said state security agencies have been in league with such extremists for almost a decade.

The US Congress is breaking laws it made itself by voting to arm the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev, a political correspondent has said.

Check out his full interview

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇺🇸 Developing hypersonic technology presents significant challenges due to its specialized nature and the need to overcome physics-related obstacles that disrupt conventional missile usage. As a result, the US military has faced difficulties in catching up to countries like Russia and China, which have already made advancements in this field, experts told Sputnik.

In recent reports, it was revealed that the Pentagon had postponed the testing of its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) due to "pre-flight checks." The test, initially scheduled to occur in Florida, involved firing the weapon eastward into the Atlantic Ocean, but it was delayed for unspecified reasons.

Read the full analysis

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ The Russian Embassy in Washington blasted the Biden administration's statements about the illegitimacy of elections in new Russian regions as interference in the country's affairs

🇺🇸🇨🇳 US supply chains for minerals critical to national security remain vulnerable, and reliant on China and other foreign sources, due to the Biden administration's lack of support for domestic mining initiatives, Congressman Paul Gosar told Sputnik.

The United States is over 50% import reliant on 43 of 50 minerals deemed critical to security, 11 of which China is the primary import source, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Chinese export controls on gallium and germanium, metals the US needs to make semiconductors and renewable energy technologies, went into effect on August 1.

The measures, showcasing China's critical mineral dominance, were imposed in retaliation to Biden administration restrictions on Chinese technology.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt