🇮🇱 ‘Ulterior motives’: Israel’s aggression isn’t about Iran’s nuclear program, but reformatting the region

💬 “In the international relations perspective…Iran’s allies in the region throughout the Middle East – Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen, and so on – they’ve been playing a role in the confrontation with Israel,” Lebanese American University assistant professor Joseph Helou told Sputnik, commenting on the potential “ulterior motives” behind Israel’s trumped up ‘Iranian nuclear weapons’ justifications.

💬 “The construction of a narrative around Iran’s possession of weapon-grade nuclear material can become a powerful tool in international relations for states such as Israel to use for an attack,” Helou said, commenting on the months of Iran-US negotiations which preceded the aggression.

As the conflict escalates and threatens to pull in other countries, it moves away from the nuclear issue entirely and toward “power politics” and reformatting the Middle East region to determine “how big or how strong a role” countries “are going to play” in the future, the academic said.

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🚨 Trump says he spoke to Putin

Donald Trump says he spoke to President Putin yesterday, emphasizing the need for mediation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict first.

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🚨TRUMP SAYS GIVING IRAN 'THE ULTIMATE ULTIMATUM'

He added his patience with Iran has already ran out.

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🇳🇵Nepal’s Binod Chaudhary: SPIEF is where business meets global power

🔊SPIEF is a great place to find business opportunities, Binod Chaudhary, Nepalese billionaire businessman, Chairman of Chaudhary Group told the Valdai Club session at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.

His other statements:

🟠 It is crucial to promote the agenda of digital sovereignty globally, as well as economic diversification.

🟠 Institutional interstate cooperation should be developed and collaboration niches need to be defined. That is where the private sector plays a key role.

🟠 We are living in a pivotal moment, but even now, agreements are being made and partnerships are being formed.

🟠 States are guided by geopolitical interests, while private businesses are driven by common sense.

🟠 The state must ensure the well-being and sustainable existence of its citizens.

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US COMPANIES SHOW NEW WILLINGNESS TO INTERACT WITH RUSSIA 🇺🇸🤝🇷🇺

After dialogue between Presidents Putin and Trump, US companies are showing more openness to engaging with Russia, says RDIF’s Kirill Dmitriev.

"We see much greater willingness from US investors," he added.

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🚨 Trump’s support would evaporate if he goes ahead with Iran strikes - Larry Johnson

The president is vacillating on whether or not to move forward with the attack because he knows it would tank his ratings, including among Republicans, 53% of whom are against it, the retired CIA officer says.

💬 “I think the political realities are starting to catch up to Trump, which is why he’s now backing away from that,” Johnson said, pointing out that conservative voices sounding the alarm bell include some of Trump’s key pre-election supporters, including Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Dave Smith.

💬 It’s an “extremely dangerous, extremely volatile situation,” and one that has “nothing to do with nuclear weapons,” Johnson stressed. Instead, it’s about “regime change” – an attempt “to install a government that’s going to be a lackey of the West and that will not cooperate or be friendly with Russia.”

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⚡️ NEW MISSILE STRIKE WAVE FROM IRAN TOWARDS ISRAEL

Iranian media reports another wave of missile launches aimed at Israel.

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📹FIRST FOOTAGE OF IRANIAN MISSILE HEADING TOWARDS ISRAEL

Iranian media reports the launch of a new type of missile aimed at Israel.

Videos of the missile spotted in Iranian skies are making rounds online.

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MEET VOLODYA, THE DIOR-WEARING ROBOT MAKING WAVES AT SPIEF 🤖💼

At SPIEF 2025, Volodya (short for Vladimir) is making a stylish entrance with a Dior handbag, greeting guests with all the charm of a fashion icon.

Why the name? It’s a nod to the beloved Vladimir — and yes, robots can have swag too!

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🌍🌍🌍 Putin congratulates BRICS Bank Chief Dilma Rousseff on re-election

During a meeting at SPIEF 2025, President Putin congratulated Brazilian Dilma Rousseff on her re-election as president of the New Development Bank, highlighting the high regard BRICS members have for her leadership.

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🚨IRAN LAUNCHES SEJJIL MISSILES AGAINST ISRAEL FOR THE FIRST TIME - REPORT

Iran has just used its Sejjil missiles with a 2,000 km range in an attack on Israel, Tasnim reports, citing the IRGC.

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💻 CYBER DEFENSE AGAINST GAS INFRASTRUCTURE ATTACKS SHOWCASED AT SPIEF

Dmitry Ushakov, Business Development Director at Standoff, Positive Technologies, revealed at SPIEF how their digital mock-ups simulate hacker attacks on critical infrastructure like gas transmission networks.

The models train defenders to identify vulnerabilities, map potential attack scenarios, and prepare them for real-world cyber battles to protect essential systems from disruption. With increasing threats, training teams to detect sophisticated cyberattacks is more vital than ever.

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🗣Futurist predicts a decentralized AI future at SPIEF

Sci-fi writer and futurist Chen Qiufan predicts a shift to decentralized AI with open-source models like DiffSeq leading the charge. No longer dominated by giants like Meta or OpenAI, every country and company will tailor AI to their needs.

The future of AI isn't uniform — it's diverse across borders. From China to the US, the AI we see will reflect local realities, even in the battle over deepfake narratives, he believes.

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🔸 IRAN LAUNCHES SEJJIL MISSILES AGAINST ISRAEL FOR THE FIRST TIME - REPORT

🔸 ‘Ulterior motives’: Israel’s aggression isn’t about Iran’s nuclear program, but reformatting the region

🔸 No evidence? No problem: Trump’s desire to be ‘on winning side’ blinds him to truth about Iran’s nuclear program

🔸 SPIEF 2025: SPUTNIK WELCOMES YOU TO THE ST.PETERSBURG INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM

🔸 Trump’s support would evaporate if he goes ahead with Iran strikes - Larry Johnson

🔸 From 'hero' to zero? Zelensky's G7 groveling fails to move needle

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