🇺🇸🇨🇳⚡- The Pentagon is deploying officials responsible for the adoption of new commercial technologies by the US military to dozens of allied countries, including Taiwan and Japan, to combat China's military build-up in the Indo-Pacific region, the Financial Times reports.

The move includes deploying Pentagon representatives to Taiwan to speed-up collaboration on military drones.

🇺🇸🇱🇧⚡- US Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack has cancelled his visit to southern Lebanon after protests broke out in the region.

🇩🇪⚡- German defense company Rheinmetall is opening the largest artillery ammunition factory in Europe, in Unterluss, Lower Saxony, Germany.

At full capacity, by 2027, the plant will be able to produce an incredible 350,000 shells per year.

🇳🇪🇷🇺⚡- Russia and Niger have begun talks on the possible construction of a nuclear power plant in the Sahel nation.

In April, IRIS and IMPACT both stated there is fierce competition between Russia and China over Niger's nuclear energy capabilities.

🇺🇸🇨🇳⚡- Beijing called Trump's calls to include China in nuclear disarmament talks 'unreasonable and unrealistic'.

"The nuclear forces of China and the United States are at completely different levels, and the nuclear policies and strategic security conditions of both countries are completely different. Asking Beijing to join trilateral nuclear disarmament talks between China, the US, and Russia is unreasonable and unrealistic," - Guo Jiakun, China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman.

🇩🇿🇲🇷🇲🇦⚡- Polisario Front furious at the Mauritanian government after its military chief met with their Moroccan counterpart who displayed a map with disputed Western Sahara as Moroccon territory.

Note, historically the Tiris Zemmour region of Mauritania has been used by Polisario to launch sabotage activities in Western Sahara, similarly to the Tindouf region of Algeria, and other Tuareg dominated areas of the Sahel.

🇳🇪🇲🇦⚡- BREAKING: Niger suspends cooperation with Moroccan intelligence, accusing Rabat of working with the French intelligence - French Think Tank Africa Inside reports.

🇷🇺🇺🇦🇲🇷⚡- Mauritania have denied claims of "aiding armed groups" in the region after Wagner accused the nation of facilitating Ukrainian weapon transfers to Tuareg separatists in Mali.

Although in the past, JNIM have used Mauritanian territory to launch attacks in the Nara direction.

🇨🇳🇷🇺⚡- Russian and Chinese submarines hold joint patrols in the disputed waters of the South China Sea for the first time ever, as tensions rise in the region.

🇺🇸🇷🇺🇳🇴⚡- BREAKING: A large-scale search is underway in the Norwegian Sea for a Russian submarine, which is believed to have "threatened" the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.

Norwegian outlet Dagbladet says US, British and Norwegian jets are conducting joint-search operations for the Russian submarine, which has been ongoing since Sunday.

🇷🇺🇪🇺⚡- "Europe is restoring bogs on its eastern borders to stop Russian tanks. Bogs are a natural obstacle that gets stuck in tanks and heavy equipment. The same thing happened near Kiev in 2022, stopping Russian advances," - Politico.

🇸🇾🇮🇱⚡- An Israeli drone strike against the Damascus - As Suwaida road, southern Syria.

🇸🇾🇮🇱⚡- An Israeli military incursion into the al-Qunaitra countryside, southern Syria.

A convoy is reportedly travelling eastwards on Route 119, south of the Great Nasiriyah Dam (at 32.9341745, 35.9315180).

The IDF convoy is likely heading to an old Russian military observation post with its own trench system, at 32.9249099, 35.9499582, which has been visited by Israel several times over the past few months.

🇸🇾🇮🇱⚡- A second Israeli military incursion into the al-Qunaitra countryside.

Israeli reinforcements are moving towards Bait Jin, at 33.3178207, 35.8779929, where just two days ago the IDF opened fire on locals.

🇮🇷🇺🇳⚡- BREAKING: The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have confirmed that the first team of IAEA inspectors have arrived in Iran. The team will monitor the fuel replacement for the Russian-operated Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, southern Iran. According to Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi the decision to allow entry was granted by the country's Supreme National Security Council.

Araghchi also states that full cooperation with the IAEA has not yet been established, nor approved, but "negotiations on this matter are ongoing".

🇬🇧🇪🇺🇮🇷⚡- BREAKING: The E3 (Britain, France and Germany) will activate the snapback mechanism as soon as tomorrow!

Reuters, citing the E3, says Tehran has "violated" the JCPOA 2015 nuclear deal.

🇸🇩⚡- Sudan holds its first government meeting in Khartoum, after capturing it from the Rapid Support Forces in late March.

🇬🇧🇪🇺🇮🇷⚡- Conflicting reports:

Contrary to the Reuters post, the German Foreign Ministry has stated the E3 "remain prepared to trigger the UN snapback mechanism against Iran". The Ministry states that the E3 "prefer a diplomatic resolution," but the alternative "remains on the table".

🇬🇧🇪🇺🇮🇷⚡- "European leaders are nearing a decision on starting the snapback process against Iran. It would take a diplomatic miracle to prevent that from happening.

Triggering the snapback process would not mean the end of diplomacy. the E3 leaders remain open to engaging with Iran in the weeks until the UN sanctions will come into effect.

E3 leaders think that Iran have been for years in clear violation of its obligations under the JCPOA, with no concrete steps taken to remedy that situation," - Barak Ravid of Axios.

🇺🇸⚡️- BREAKING: Mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Current reports suggest 14 casualties- unknown how many of those are injuries or fatalities.