⚓ BAB AL-MANDEB — A ship kill with four dead, one day after a US helicopter did the same. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Two ships struck in two straits in 24 hours — one by US forces, one by Houthis. The Mecca Pact's collective defense clause is now under simultaneous pressure at both chokepoints. Riyadh, Ankara, and Islamabad must respond or the pact reads as decorative on day one of its real test.
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⚡ TEHRAN — Iran's grid is cracking while its navy fights in Hormuz. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Tehran's own minister admitting unavoidable blackouts means military strikes have found the domestic pressure point. IRGC cannot simultaneously defend every transformer and every tanker. Power cuts historically destabilize Iranian governments faster than sanctions.
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🛢️ OPEC+ — Holding output steady when three Iranian tankers just sank is a choice. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: With Brent at $96 and US SPR at 1983 lows, OPEC+ freezing output means the cartel is letting the war do the price work for them. Saudi Arabia — simultaneously receiving US JDAMs and mediating for
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📢 IRGC — Washington's blockade threat may cost more than Tehran's. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: IRGC's backfire warning targets Beijing and New Delhi, not Washington — both absorb Iranian crude and fear losing access more than the US fears $100 oil. With SPR at 1983 lows and Brent up
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🏫 WEST BANK — Schools on day one; Huckabee's safety demand was 24 hours ago. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: IDF entering schools the morning after Washington publicly demanded West Bank safety guarantees exposes the fracture in real time. Brussels already has hospital strikes and Zeitoun recovery in the legal file. School raids