Asia
South Korea Test-Flies First Domestically Built Hypersonic Missile
Seoul’s first homegrown hypersonic weapon reportedly struck a sea target at Mach 5 or faster, but the test’s speed and range remain undisclosed, and the details have so…
Tanker Charter Costs Now Exceed a SpaceX Launch, Haaretz Reports
One Gulf-to-China voyage was reportedly chartered for $76 million, ten times its pre-war price. The number is real enough to move markets, but the comparison behind it is…
China’s Hefei Project Headed for 2030 Power Target Is Fusion, Not Fission
Israeli defense channels say the ‘super-thermal’ machine in Hefei could feed electricity to the grid by 2030, yet the reactor in question is not what most readers would…
Lai Ching-te Vows Taiwan Will Not Give Up Freedom as Washington Pairs Welcome With Warning
Washington praised Taiwan’s National Day message while a $14 billion arms package sits unsigned, and Beijing’s answer to the speech may be the least surprising part of the…
Sisi Ties Middle East Security to Settling the Palestinian Question
Egypt’s president made the case from Kuala Lumpur, not Cairo, while Israel’s Gaza buffer line and a push to dismantle the Palestinian Authority are reshaping what a settlement…
Hun Manet Invites Former Opposition Lawmaker to Present Border Evidence in Cambodia
Cambodia’s prime minister is offering to cover travel, lodging and security for a critic who says Thai-placed markers cost Cambodia land. The catch is that he has to…
Chinese Maker of Smart Adult Toys Allegedly Shipped Dual-Use Chips and Motors to Russia
Its consumer product line may have made the shipments easy to miss. How a maker of intimate gadgets ended up in Russia’s defense supply chain points to a…
Iran-China Chamber Puts Gulf Freight at $41 a Barrel as Brent Closes Near $104
Tehran and Beijing’s business lobby says the $50 oil forecast for 2026 is gone. The figure it cites is not the one that matters most, and the gap…
Taliban Official Signals Closer Iran Alignment as Afghan Government Deepens Financial Ties
Ahmad Jan Balal’s public embrace of Iran’s anti-U.S. stance reveals how Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is becoming a sanctions enforcement blind spot – and what that means for tracking Iranian…
- By Ava Isley
U.S. Pursues Pakistan and Turkey to Seal Iran’s Land Borders
Treasury Department reportedly negotiating closure of overland routes as Washington escalates economic pressure. The move would isolate Tehran’s most vulnerable supply corridors.