⚔️US ‘seriously considering’ Iran’s indirect nuclear talks proposal as Trump threatens bombing – report

The Trump administration considers direct talks like those proposed by the president in his letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to have ‘a higher chance of success’, but ‘isn’t ruling out’ okaying the Iranian proposal of having Oman serve as mediator for indirect negotiations, US officials informed on the deliberations said.

“After the exchange of letters we are now exploring next steps in order to begin conversations and trust building with the Iranians,” an official told Axios.

Trump threatened to bomb Iran in a manner “the likes of which they have never seen before” last week, with Khamenei warning Monday that any aggression will be met with a “heavy blow in return.”

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❗️Ukrainian forces have struck the Svatovo gas distribution station in the Lugansk People’s Republic using drones, LuganskGaz says.

Ukraine has been repeatedly violating the moratorium on energy strikes which was agreed upon earlier this month.

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🪖Greece DIALS UP Defense, rolls out multi-billion plan for military REVAMP

NATO member Greece is aggressively ramping up its militarization efforts, with arms spending already nearing 3% of its GDP – almost double the EU average.

The country’s ambitious $26.99 billion defense upgrade, set to stretch until 2036, will fund new submarines, cutting-edge drones, a communications satellite and the "Achilles Shield" – a state-of-the-art anti-aircraft and anti-drone system, according to sources quoted by Reuters.

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❗️Kirill Dmitriev, Special Envoy of the Russian President for investment and economic cooperation will meet with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, today at the White House, a CBS News journalist reports, citing sources.

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🔥Russian operators adjust UAVs IN SECONDS to combat Ukrainian FPV drones

In a remarkable display of adaptability, operators of the Russian armed forces from the 40th Separate Guards Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet have shown their ability to quickly reconfigure unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to counter threats from Ukrainian Armed Forces’ first-person view (FPV) drones.

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Chagos Islands: Indian Ocean archipelago at the center of a SUPERPOWER COMPETITION for maritime supremacy

The US has signed off on Britain’s transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius, pending agreement on the terms of a 99-year lease on the Diego Garcia UK-US military base.

The Chagos Archipelago, split from Mauritius in 1965 and turned into a UK overseas territory, symbolizes British imperialism in the modern era, with 2,300-3,500 locals expelled to make way for the Diego Garcia base.

Strategic significance

🔸 The islands are situated smack dab in the middle of the Indian Ocean, giving their owner unobstructed access to Africa and the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific and Australasia, and four of nine of the world’s maritime chokepoints.

🔸 The US has spent up to $10B building and upgrading Diego Garcia since the 1970s, with its deep-water harbor facilities able to station, refuel, and resupply warships of any size, including carriers, and its 3,600+ meter-long primary runway accommodating all aircraft types, including strategic bombers.

🔸 Diego Garcia was used in the 1991 and 2003 Iraq wars, Somalia, the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and the 2011 bombing of Libya.

🔸 It’s also a satellite, electronic and over-the-horizon radar reconnaissance stronghold, communicating with US SSBNs in the Indian Ocean.

Indispensable tool of empire

🔹 The Chagos Islands allow the US to monitor and wage operations against China, adversaries in the Middle East, rising nations in Africa and Asia, and India, whose warm ties with Washington aren’t a historical guarantee.

🔹 The UNGA adopted a resolution in 2019 demanding Britain’s unconditional withdrawal from the islands, with Russia, China, India and 113 others in favor and only six (Australia, Hungary, Israel, Maldives, UK and US) opposed.

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Markets JITTERY as Trump’s 'Liberation Day' tariffs loom

European stocks took a nosedive today, with Bayer of Germany leading the decline, dropping 4.7%, followed closely by France’s Sanofi, which fell 3.3%. The Stoxx 600 healthcare index suffered a significant setback, plummeting 2.5% to its lowest level since December.

In broader market movements, London's FTSE 100 slipped 48 points (0.55%) to settle at 8,587. Meanwhile, Germany's DAX fell 1%, and France's CAC experienced a modest decline of 0.

In contrast, gold, often viewed as a safe haven in turbulent times, traded 0.2% higher at $3,116.2 an ounce after reaching a record high of $3,148.8 an ounce on Tuesday.

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