John Hayward

Several media outlets in the U.S. and Israel have reported that the U.S. has asked the Iranian Kurds to join the fight against the regime in Tehran, potentially neutralizing security forces in western Iran and paving the way for another popular uprising.

Pakistani officials said on Tuesday they repelled an attack from Afghanistan, killing 67 Afghan fighters in heavy fighting along the border, with only one Pakistani casualty.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is threatening to “burn” any oil tanker that attempts to sail through the Strait of Hormuz.

China is pleading with Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for oil shipments, but the terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) insisted on Monday that any ship attempting to pass through the strategically vital strait will be “set ablaze.”

Pakistan imposed a three-day curfew on Monday morning following violent protests against the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, including an attack on U.S. consulates and the embassy in Islamabad.

The Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah launched missiles and drones at Israel on Sunday night, ostensibly in revenge for the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani – seemingly the de facto leader of Iran following the liquidation of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Operation Epic Fury – insisted on social media that he will never negotiate with the United States, but there were reports on Sunday that Larijani has quietly reached out through intermediaries in Oman to resume nuclear talks.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Saturday the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz was closed to all shipping traffic.

The Chinese Defense Ministry on Saturday denounced the United States as a “war addict” for launching strikes on Iran, while more temperate Chinese government organs called for an immediate cease-fire.

Canadian PM Mark Carney and Australian PM Anthony Albanese issued statements Saturday supporting U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran.

Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning strongly condemned Iranian missile attacks against U.S. bases hosted by their Gulf allies, and threatened to take actions if Iran continues violating their sovereignty.

The United States will assume the rotating precedency of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) on Monday, and first lady Melania Trump is scheduled to become the first sitting first lady to preside over a council meeting.

China’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress, abruptly dismissed 19 of its deputies Thursday afternoon without explanation, including nine military officers. The move came after dictator Xi Jinping purged a series of high-ranking People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leaders, and only a week before the annual meeting of the Chinese legislature in Beijing.

Pakistani Defense Minister Kahwaja Asif declared “open war” on Afghanistan on Friday, promising “there will be chaos and a reckoning” after the Taliban junta launched drone strikes against targets in Pakistan.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed on Thursday that an “understanding” was reached on “most elements of a potential agreement with the U.S.” during talks in Geneva, Switzerland, but no major breakthroughs were announced.

OpenAI showed how a lone Chinese official accidentally exposed a worldwide network for intimidating dissidents by using ChatGPT.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that the Cuban coast guard “acted correctly” when it allegedly opened fire on a speedboat from Florida on Wednesday afternoon, claiming to kill four people aboard and wounding the other six.

The United States and Iran began the third round of their current cycle of indirect nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday, under the looming threat of U.S. military action and Iran’s belligerent threats to respond with attacks across the Middle East.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a two-day visit to Israel on Wednesday in what both governments billed as an opportunity to build closer relations by making common cause against terrorism – and which some observers viewed as a ticking clock on potential American action against Iran, since a strike would not be likely until Modi leaves Israel.

President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address made no mention of China, except for a little teasing about Chinese military hardware.

Zimbabwe’s Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Polite Kambamura, announced on Wednesday that all exports of raw minerals and lithium concentrates would be banned until further notice due to unspecified “continued malpractices” in the mining industry.

The Cuban Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday that a Cuban Coast Guard vessel fired on a U.S.-registered speedboat, killing four men aboard and wounding six other passengers.

During his 2026 State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump discussed the incredible raid that brought narco-terrorist dictator Hugo Chavez to justice — and he hosted a surprise reunion between a political prisoner of the Chavez regime and his niece.

An unidentified individual detonated an explosive device near a railway station in Moscow early Tuesday morning, killing himself and a police officer. Two other people were injured in the explosion.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) held military drills on Tuesday, reportedly including tests for new weapons, even as top military official Ali Larijani was preparing to deliver Iran’s latest response in negotiations with the United States, and President Donald Trump was preparing to deliver his State of the Union (SOTU) address.

U.S. representatives told the U.N.’s Conference on Disarmament that China has conducted secret nuclear weapons tests.

Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros and Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela were visiting their country’s South China Sea outpost on Thitu Island on Saturday when their phones displayed a roaming message that said “Welcome to CHINA.”

Brazil and India finalized a deal on critical minerals and rare earths on Saturday, followed by an agreement between Brazil and South Korea on Monday to increase their cooperation on minerals, technology, cultural exchange, and trade.

A fresh round of protests broke out in Iran on Saturday as student demonstrators clashed with the regime’s thuggish Basij militia.

A senior Iranian official said concessions on uranium enrichment could be offered, but only if the U.S. meets Iran’s demands on sanctions.

A report issued by Kenyan intelligence on Wednesday found that over a thousand Kenyans were recruited with false promises of good jobs in Russia, but then sent to fight on the bloody battlefields of Ukraine.

India on Friday joined the Pax Silica framework, a U.S.-led effort to create a secure supply chain for critical technologies that would be immune to meddling from China. India’s membership had been in doubt due to trade tensions with the United States under President Donald Trump.

Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on Friday delivered her first speech to parliament since her party’s landslide victory in snap elections. She promised to stand firm against growing Chinese “coercion” and craft a new national defense strategy to address the “most severe and complex security environment since World War 2.”

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Thursday that Thai forces are holding disputed territory by force, and even occupying Cambodian land beyond the disputed area, putting intense strain on the ceasefire agreement brokered by President Donald Trump.