The purge in Washington does not pause the war. Strikes continue, Hormuz remains closed, and Brent crude is still dancing around $109 a barrel. For India, the command chaos in the Pentagon is another layer of uncertainty piled on five weeks of conflict that was already straining every buffer Delhi has.
On Saturday, it was reported that a drone strike had targeted the Fujairah Port in the UAE, triggering a fire.
US President Trump has issued emergency declarations for 10 states as authorities continue to prepare for frigid cold which will sweep across the eastern two-thirds of the country.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are actively pushing Trump to take the war to its bitter finish and 'erase' Iran's presence in the geopolitics of the region. Simply put, the two most powerful Sunni Arab oligarchies are on the same page as Israel. Such interference increases the risk of a breakdown in dialogue between the US and Iran, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The 'rescue' operation occurred within kilometres of Iran's underground tunnel complex at Isfahan, assessed by the IAEA and US intelligence as holding a substantial portion of the country's 60 per cent enriched uranium stockpile. Retired senior US military officers have highlighted that the mission's footprint -- hundreds of special operators, multiple heavy-lift aircraft deep inside Iran -- appears outsized for recovering a single airman. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
Israel has for more than two decades and several US presidencies worked to draw the United States into a full-scale war with Iran. Having finally achieved that, the last thing it wants is Trump declaring victory and going home, as he is prone to do. Ali Larijani was the figure most capable of handing Trump a negotiated exit with something to show for it. Without Larijani, the road to an exit gets considerably narrower. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
This weekend, Donald Trump has begun to say the quiet part out loud -- that he wants to take control of Iran's oil, a formulation more in line with his robber-baron style of international relations.
Delcy Rodriguez has officially taken office as Venezuela's acting president, just hours after Nicolas Maduro was captured by the United States, the CNN reported.
'I will always and forever remember your sweet gentle soul.'
Trump said CNN, along with The New York Times, teamed up to "demean one of the most successful military strikes in history" and termed it "fake news."
The US embassy in Saudi Arabia and the US consulate in Dubai were reportedly targeted by suspected Iranian drone attacks amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence has announced that the air force and air defence forces have successfully intercepted a significant number of aerial threats following a large-scale Iranian attack that commenced on February 28.
The Venezuelan government on Monday published a decree declaring a State of External Commotion, granting sweeping powers to the presidency and instructing security forces to detain 'any person involved in the promotion or support' of a United States attack against the South American country, CNN reported.
The United States has encouraged India to purchase Russian oil already at sea to mitigate supply shortages and price increases amid the West Asia conflict, according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright. This move is described as a short-term effort to stabilise the market without altering Washington's policy towards Russia.
Expanding the scope of hostilities, Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was also targeted by missile strikes launched by Iran, according to a report by the Iranian state broadcaster, Press TV.
The United States carried out a covert drone strike on a port facility along Venezuela's coastline earlier this month, in what is believed to be the first known American attack on a target inside Venezuelan territory, CNN reported.
The US has temporarily permitted India to accept Russian oil already on ships to ensure energy supplies amid the conflict with Iran. This short-term measure is not expected to significantly benefit Russia financially.
As days turn into weeks and America loses more planes, as the destruction of trillions of dollars worth military assets piles up, and dead bodies of soldiers return in ever greater numbers in coffins, Trump will have to answer some very difficult questions to save his presidency, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
'Despite the large number of missiles and drones we have already launched, we still possess reserves and missile cities whose doors have not yet been opened,' says Iran's Consul-General Saeid Reza Mosayeb Motlagh.
The individual was observed by the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can, the Secret Service said.
United States Vice President J D Vance on Wednesday described the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent as 'a tragedy of her own making', while expressing strong support for ICE officers and asserting that attacks against them would not deter the administration from enforcing the law.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that progress has been made in the Geneva talks with Iranian authorities, but the two nations stand 'far apart' on certain issues.
When everyone has footage and no one can verify it, the loudest voice wins, notes Prem Panicker who begins a daily blog on the War in the Middle East.
The White House said on Tuesday that it is considering 'a range of options' to acquire Greenland, and that the use of military is not off the table, CNN reported, citing Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday.
Trump further reiterated his claim that he ended 'eight wars in 10 months', and said the Russia-Ukraine conflict was the toughest of all.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed in a US-Israeli attack, sparking celebrations in Iran and raising questions about the future of the regime.
Maduro raised questions over the legality of his arrest during his first appearance before a US federal court in New York, claiming he was detained at his residence in Caracas, Venezuela, CNN reported.
Mexico is facing widespread violence and travel advisories after the death of drug lord 'El Mencho,' the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, during a military operation.
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, along with partner forces, conducted large-scale strikes against multiple ISIS targets across Syria as a part of Operation Hawkeye Strike.
Fight on toward goals that keep receding, or exit with most objectives unmet. Trump is agitated, his poll numbers falling below the Plimsoll line, his base fractured between those who back the war and those who remember that he campaigned on ending them.
Israel and the United States had a plan. Iran punched back. And now the Gulf is reeling, the world is beginning to feel the pain and, as on date, no one in Washington or Tel Aviv appears willing to admit that the punch has landed, notes Prem Panicker, continuing his must-read blog on the war in the Middle East.
The Venezuelan President and his wife Cilia Flores were earlier captured from Caracas after US President Donald Trump unilaterally sanctioned a military operation on Venezuelan soil.
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Thursday stated that around 40 people have died and 100 others have been injured in a non-arson fire at the 'Le Constellation' bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, citing information provided by the Valais Cantonal Police.
Anti-government protests in Iran have continued for the fourteenth consecutive day on Saturday, with authorities tightening security measures as demonstrations spread across multiple cities.
Citing San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, CNN said that the mass shooting took place at a family gathering took place at Stockton, in California's Central Valley, on Sunday evening, with the suspect at large.
The United States Department of Justice released a batch of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking investigation, including photos and records showing Bill Clinton, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Michael Jackson in social settings with Epstein, CNN reported.
Two top executives at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) resigned on Sunday amid an escalating scandal over impartiality and bias, as reported by CNN.
This comes as people in Iran continue to protest against rising prices and economic hardship pouring into the streets across several provinces in Iran, with some protests escalating into fatal confrontations with security forces, CNN reported.
Zelenskyy also stated that documents being drafted with Washington, DC to end the war were close to completion.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are set to appear before a federal judge on Monday, after United States authorities confirmed that the case will be heard in the Southern District of New York on Sunday, CBS News reported.
