Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
Writing on social media, President Trump wrote about his recent meeting with Xi Jinping and the ongoing war with Iran.
Trump stated that he was told by Xi that China would not provide weaponry to Iran.
B-1B Lancer. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
A B-1B Lancer with a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) flies in the skies above Edwards Air Force Base, California, Nov. 20. The flight was a demonstration of the B-1B’s external weapons carriage capabilities.
Trump Has a Problem: He Warned Oil Reserves Could Run Out in Four Weeks. Then He Restarted the Iran War – President Donald Trump explained at the Group of Seven summit in France on June 17 why he had signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran. If the fighting continued and the Strait of Hormuz stayed restricted, he said the world could “run out of reserves in about four weeks.” The remark came at the G7 meeting, several weeks before NATO leaders met in Ankara.
The naval blockade of Iranian ports currently in force is the second one.
The first ran from mid-April to 18 June, was suspended as part of the memorandum of understanding signed days earlier, and was reinstated on 14 July after Iranian attacks on shipping collapsed the agreement’s confidence-building measures. CENTCOM disabled a tanker with Hellfire missiles a day into the new blockade.
(March 31, 2006) – The guided missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN 728) conducts sea trials off the coast of Virginia.
The Ukraine War appears to be entering an entirely new and unpredictable round of escalation (at the same moment that the Iran War is).
On top of Ukraine striking critical Russian energy infrastructure, Romania’s interception of an unidentified drone entering its airspace underscores the growing regional security challenges that concern policymakers and analysts alike.
A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon taxis to be disarmed after returning from a flight during Combat Archer UK at RAF Lakenheath, England, April 15, 2025.
Ukraine Has Taken Roughly a Third of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Out of the Fight: Ukraine’s campaign against Russian maritime power widened again in July 2026 as long-range drone units struck vessels and port infrastructure across the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Reuters observed one Ukrainian unit launching FP-1 and FP-2 drones and reported that Kyiv’s forces claimed more than 180 maritime targets in three weeks. Those recent totals remain unverified, but the accumulated damage to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is well established.
Yemen Edges Toward Renewed Civil War As Trump Pushes Iran: The years-long de-escalation that has largely kept Yemen’s civil war contained since 2022 is now showing signs of breaking down, as Yemeni officials and Western diplomats warn that recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have pushed the country back to the brink of conflict. It comes as U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Washington would hold Iran directly responsible for future Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and before American forces launched yet another night of strikes against Iranian military targets.
Army Lt. Gen. Kevin Admiral is the Pentagon’s pick to replace Gen. Christopher Donahue as the top Army officer for Europe and Africa, officials said in statement Thursday.
Donahue, who drew national attention as the “last soldier out of Afghanistan” in 2021, informed the Army he was stepping down as the head of Army Europe and Africa last month. Admiral currently serves as the head of the III Armored Corps and Fort Hood in Texas.
Admiral was nominated Thursday by President Donald Trump for the position, the Pentagon said in a release. He must still be confirmed by the Senate.
The war between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran has reached a fulcrum point. Multiple analysts now argue that Washington’s remaining options in going forward with the war all carry severe risks.
As the war continues, Iran maintains pressure on global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Now, policymakers are debating whether escalation or renewed diplomacy is the best path forward.
F-22 Raptor Firing Flares. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Maj. Paul Lopez, F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team commander, performs during the Chicago Air and Water Show, Aug. 17, 2019.
The Iran-backed Houthi militia said on Monday that they were launching a maritime embargo of Saudi oil shipments and have since fired on multiple tankers that have tried to test that blockade, while still others have switched their courses to avoid such a confrontation. This followed what the Houthis called an attack by the Saudis on an airport in Yemen.
Some have interpreted this as a full-on closure of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea. But now the Houthis say that this is not the case.
A U.S. Airman and two U.S.
Welcome to The Adversarial. Every other week, we’ll provide you with expert analysis on America’s greatest challengers: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and jihadists. Read more below.***IranThe U.S.-Iranian ceasefire agreed in April began deteriorating — and the Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 17 — ramping up to a near-constant exchange of hostilities in early July. On July 10, Trump declared that the ceasefire was over. The United States resumed its naval blockade and has been striking Iranian soil on a daily basis.