🇺🇸🇮🇷 US not ready for large-scale military operation against Iran – expert

💬 “I strongly doubt that the US is ready at this point for a large-scale operation against Iran. Such an action would require a completely different level of military engagement than Venezuela, with far greater uncertainty,” Andrey Kortunov, an expert at the Valdai Discussion Club, told Sputnik.

📍 He stressed that developments in Iran will be driven primarily by internal factors, rather than pressure from the US, Israel, or other external actors.

Kortunov added that a ground operation would amount to a major war, which the current US administration would prefer to avoid, opting instead for lower-risk military options. At the same time, he did not rule out additional sanctions or diplomatic pressure.

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🇬🇱🇪🇺 Greenland gambit could result in creation of EuroNATO - analyst

📍 If Washington moves ahead with plans to seize Greenland, it will give rise to a new European alliance, operating “without the US…where the role of American tactical nukes and nuclear umbrella will be played by the UK, France and perhaps Germany instead of the Americans,” says analyst Igor Korotchenko.

💬 “NATO will remain, but it will be transformed into [an alliance] of the European Union plus the UK. Some countries, like Slovakia or Hungary, might not want to participate in this new, updated NATO,” the analyst and National Defense magazine editor-in-chief told Sputnik.

🟠 The current US administration thinks in “different categories” than its Atlanticist predecessors, with Europe clearly not carrying “the same strategic value” in its thinking.

🟠 Specifically, the US is “no longer interested in NATO because it doesn’t fulfill the goals” it’s interested in – mainly, “eliminating China as a potential competitor, first and foremost in the economic sphere, because the economy is key in terms of military potential.”

🟠 The Greenland gambit is therefore part of a global strategy – which also includes trying to push China out of Latin America and deprive it of Iranian oil resources.

💬 “This is a new state of the world order, or rather, its destruction. This is an attempt by the US to maintain its dominance by securing zones of influence that are extremely important to the US itself,” Korotchenko summed up.

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🤔 Why America’s oil giants aren’t eager to invest in Venezuela in wake of Maduro’s abduction

The significant capital investment required ($100B) and the need to wait up to 15 years to make a profit are the biggest factors hindering oil majors like Exxon, ConocoPhillips and Chevron from returning to the Venezuelan market, says international oil economist Dr. Mamdouh G. Salameh.

💬 “US oil majors will have to wait a very long time before benefiting from Venezuela’s oil largesse…Moreover, they feel embarrassed to be complicit” in this form of “daylight thievery with legal implications for them,” the expert told Sputnik.

In fact, the companies would probably be happy enough dealing with the existing “sovereign and national [government] in the country openly,” free of Washington’s threats of regime change.

Efforts by the White House to ban third parties from engaging with Venezuelan oil revenues constitutes not “only a total imposition of control over Venezuela’s oil but a daylight robbery,” Salameh stressed.

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🇭🇺 Extreme frost forces Western Europe to its knees – Szijjarto

🟠 While the recent extreme winter weather rode roughshod over “a significant part of Western Europe,” Hungary remained functional, Hungarian Foreign Minister Pеter Szijjarto said.

🟠 He added that France and the UK essentially announced they were going to war with Russia.

💬 "Because the announcement formulated in such tricky and diplomatic language, that they are sending soldiers to Ukraine, means nothing more than that they are practically starting the war," the Hungarian FM stressed.

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🇷🇺🇮🇷 Shoigu condemns external interference in Iran in call with Larijani

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu condemned the latest foreign attempt to overthrow the Iranian government in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani.

Key points:

🟠Shoigu strongly condemned external interference in Iranian domestic affairs

🟠The two agreed to stay in close contact and coordinate on security issues

🟠Shoigu confirmed Moscow's readiness to deepen bilateral cooperation under the Russia–Iran Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, signed in January 2025

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⚖️ ICC politicized under pressure from major powers – expert

🟠 The International Criminal Court is facing a legitimacy crisis caused not by its legal system, but by pressure from powerful states and the refusal of strong countries to comply with its rulings, Jordanian international law expert Ghaza’a al-Madzhali told Sputnik.

🟠 The issue of compliance with the decisions of the International Criminal Court often conflicts with the issue of sovereignty—the sovereignty of states and their right to decide what they want to accept or reject in terms of international legitimacy, he said.

🟠 He links the current crisis directly to pressure from the US and Israel following ICC decisions related to Gaza and Israeli leaders, calling sanctions against ICC judges and prosecutors a clear abuse of power under international law.

💬 “The crimes committed by Israel in Gaza and even in the West Bank constitute clear war crimes and acts of genocide,” al-Madzhali said, adding that Washington’s response reflects double standards rather than legal objections.

📍 The expert argues that the ICC’s legitimacy crisis also stems from a unipolar world order in which the US places its interests above international law, with European states—especially Germany and the UK—often following Washington’s lead.

💬 “The problem is not the court, but enforcement,” he stressed, calling for UN and ICC reform and for ICC rulings to be binding on all countries without pressure or exceptions.

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🇺🇸🇬🇱 US move on Greenland could end NATO, analyst warns

🗣 A force-based scenario involving Greenland would raise a critical question: How would other NATO members—especially the UK, Germany, and France—respond? Such a situation could lead to “NATO forces effectively facing NATO forces,” Turkish analyst Ibrahim Korkmaz told Sputnik.

💬 “The US effectively leads NATO. Any conflict over territory linked to a NATO member would look like an internal clash and would, in essence, put an end to the alliance. NATO would become a meaningless organization,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly criticized European allies for insufficient defense spending and has demanded that NATO members raise military expenditures to 5% of GDP. At the same time, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has said the US does not currently plan to reduce its military presence in Europe.

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🔸 Why America’s oil giants aren’t eager to invest in Venezuela in wake of Maduro’s abduction

🔸 ‘Unsinkable US aircraft carrier’ in Arctic: the strategic logic behind US interest in Greenland

🔸 Large-scale public marches take place across Iran against disorder

🔸 Oreshnik strike cripples Ukraine’s aviation repair hub – Russia’s MoD

🔸 Ukrainian military’s atrocities against civilians EXPOSED

🔸 British spies back schism in Orthodox church – Russian SVR

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🇺🇸🇷🇺 Trump remains focused on talks with Russia in line with new security doctrine — ex-Pentagon officer

🗣 There are clear indications that US President Donald Trump remains committed to mediating a peace deal with Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine, but the challenge lies with his hawkish senior cabinet advisers, EMP Task Force scholar and former Pentagon officer David Pyne tells Sputnik.

💬 They "keep telling him that no peace deal can be agreed to without Ukraine’s approval and that is simply not the case," Pyne says.

🟠 Similar dynamics were playing out in the Venezuela operation, which run counter to the US president’s goal of achieving a just and lasting peace, as outlined in his 2025 National Security Strategy, according to the pundit.

🟠 While Trump’s focus on the Western Hemisphere aligns with a broader sphere-of-influence approach, assertive military actions are counterproductive, Pyne argues.

🟠 Earlier, Trump didn't rule out in an interview with Fox News that the US operation in Venezuela may have been influenced by personal political motives and linked to the position of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a descendant of Cuban immigrants. Cuba and Venezuela have long been closely linked by political, economic, and strategic ties.

🟠 The former Pentagon officer has repeatedly emphasized the importance of “Yalta 2.0”—a term describing a new, stable world order based on a balance of interests and spheres of influence. Pyne believes that the overall global trend is moving in this direction.

🟠 Following the seizure of an oil tanker Marinera, the US released two Russian citizens from the crew at Russia's request. "We welcome this decision and express our gratitude to the US leadership," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated, commenting on the matter.

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📑 Bill introduced in Congress to annex Greenland as 51st state

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) has submitted the "Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act," authorizing President Trump to find "the means necessary" to annex Greenland.

"Our adversaries are trying to establish a foothold in the Arctic, and we can’t let that happen," Fine wrote on X, justifying the bill.

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🇺🇸🇨🇺 US threats against Cuba are proof that US has lost soft power war with China - expert

📍 The current US administration “really wants to signal to American public opinion that [it] is almighty in Latin America, and there’s nothing better than displaying power over Cuba, a true Achilles heel of American foreign policy and…against US hegemonic pretensions since the Cold War,” economics and international affairs expert Dr. Vinicius Vieira told Sputnik.

💬 “It’s not enough to kidnap and submit another head of state like Maduro to trial to make the Republican base understand that the US is back to this type of hegemonic approach against its so-called backyard,” the academic noted.

But such behavior carries “huge” risks of backfiring, Viera says.

🗣 “Stronger nations in the region, particularly Brazil, may seek some type of hedging through establishing linkages with the BRICS. Mexico may do the same, along with Colombia.” These countries’ leaders “have a sense of sovereignty and nationalism” and jump at every chance they can to escape neoliberalism.

🟠 Not to mention the so-called unintended consequences of US interventions in the region – mass migration and poverty.

🟠 Washington’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric in Latin America is a signal, according to Vieira. “They felt threatened as they cannot compete in the development of other resources of political loyalty or support like development aid,” leading to “resorting to this type of hard power approach” instead.

🟠 It “reflects a strategic failure because they are not able to compete with China with regards to provision of development needs,” the academic, who recently cowrote a paper on this subject, explained.

💬 “So the solution is to resort to old hard balancing tactics, such as interventions,” which prove costly to US taxpayers, for Latin Americans, and for global stability, Vieira summed up.

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🚨 Why the West is rattled by Russia’s Oreshnik missile

🟠 “The reason for serious concern in the West” regarding Russia’s Oreshnik missile system lies in “its enormous destructive power,” military expert Akram Sariwi told Sputnik, commenting on the Russian MoD’s announcement of a crippling conventionally-armed Oreshnik strike on a major aviation repair hub in Lvov, western Ukraine.

🟠 “According to some reports, the missile is capable of carrying a warhead equivalent to 900 kilotons of TNT, which is 60 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima,” the senior Lebanese military officer and WMD specialist explained.

🟠 “Combined with its ultra-high speed and the ability to strike targets anywhere in Europe within minutes, this makes the Oreshnik a unique and exceptionally dangerous weapon against which any air defense system is useless,” Sariwi stressed.

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✍️ Trump orders 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran

The president announced a "final and conclusive" tariff of 25% on all trade with the US for any nation that conducts business with Iran.

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🚨 US urges citizens in Iran to 'leave immediately'

The US Virtual Embassy Iran has called on American citizens to urgently depart the country by land to Armenia or Türkiye.

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🎤 Russia’s UN envoy warns Ukraine: 'No hostile action will go unanswered'

Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, stated Moscow will resolve issues "by military means until Zelensky comes to his senses."

Other statements:

◼️ The terms of negotiations for Zelensky will only get worse with each passing day.

◼️ Ukraine is deliberately targeting civilian objects and civilians in Russia.

◼️ The Ukrainian strike in Khorly, Kherson region, was "particularly cynical."

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🔥 Ukrainian court denied Gonzalo Lira hospitalization before his death in custody — records reveal

Despite being severely ill with bilateral pneumonia, US journalist Gonzalo Lira was forced to attend his final hearing via video link from detention, where a prison doctor testified he did "not require hospitalization."

The judge ruled to keep him jailed, and Lira died less than three weeks later.

January 12 marked the 2-year anniversary of the journalist's death. He was detained by Ukraine’s SBU for criticizing the West and the Ukrainian authorities in his reporting.

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🇬🇱 Greenland PM affirms defense development 'in close cooperation with NATO' — not through annexation

"The Greenlandic government will work to ensure that defense development in and around Greenland occurs in close cooperation with NATO. In dialogue with our allies, including the United States. And in cooperation with Denmark," Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said.

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✍️ Ukraine confirms transfer of major lithium deposit to Trump‑linked US investors

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced the Dobra lithium deposit in Kirovograd has been awarded to a US-led consortium including TechMet and The Rock Holdings — firms tied to Trump allies, notably billionaire Ronald Lauder.

The deal, first reported by the NYT, requires minimum investment of $179 million.

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🗣 Iranian FM: 350 mosques, 180 ambulances, buses targeted in unrest

Foreign Minister Araghchi said that protesters destroyed public infrastructure and "strangely targeted mosques," adding that 350 mosques were set on fire.

"No Iranian could dare to set fire to a place of worship," he added.

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🔊 German FM doubts US seriousness on Greenland military action

Johann Wadephul stated he has "no indication" that US military action against Greenland is being seriously considered.

"NATO is only now making more concrete plans, which will then be discussed with US partners," he told reporters following talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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❌ West's short-sighted Ukraine policy could leave EU without weapons – expert

European states didn’t plan to fight for Ukraine, but instead relied on supplying weapons and ammunition to the Zelensky regime, Turkish foreign policy expert Inanc Sancak told Sputnik.

He said that Russia is effectively destroying the EU weapons sent to the Ukrainian front, while Europe's own stockpiles are dwindling.

Russia will most likely achieve its goals in Ukraine in the near future, whereas Europe will be left without weapons. Against this backdrop, it is now clear why the US is threatening a weakened Europe, the expert summed up.

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