DUBAI - The US military attacked Iran early Wednesday after it said Tehran struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, part of an American effort that also revoked the Islamic Republic’s ability to openly sell crude oil in the world market. Iran immediately warned Washington it would “take whatever measures it deems necessary,” raising the risks that an interim agreement in the war halting fighting could break down, putting the wider Middle East again at risk of a wider conflict. Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, sounded its missile alert sirens Wednesday morning after the American attack on Iran. The attacks on shipping and the resulting strikes on Iran came during the days-long funeral for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed February 28 in the war’s first moments at age 86. The funeral, which ends Thursday, had been thought to be a period of lower tensions — though mourners have repeatedly called for the killings of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

MIDDLE EAST - Does the massive wave of US airstrikes in Iran mean that the next chapter of World War III has begun? Large explosions are being reported all over Iran. Does this mean that the “Memorandum of Understanding” is doomed? Iran made a very foolish move when it decided to start attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz again. It was inevitable that the US would respond militarily, and this time the Trump administration is not messing around. Apparently this wave of airstrikes is far larger than the waves of airstrikes that we witnessed near the end of last month. Of course the Iranians are going to strike back. That goes without saying. But when fighting has flared up in the past, a way has always been found to settle things back down. Will that be true this time, or has the next chapter of World War III started? According to US Central Command, the goal of the latest US airstrikes is to “impose heavy costs” on Iran for attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz… It has been said that “war is hell”, and if we keep going down this road the entire world will soon understand this very clearly.

UK - Britain can no longer rely on the US, Andy Burnham’s most senior economic aide has claimed. Lord O’Neill of Gatley, who is one of several economists advising the prime minister-in-waiting, said Donald Trump’s second term was a “wake-up call” for the UK. Mr Trump’s first public comments about Mr Burnham last month did not bode particularly well for the prospect of the special relationship improving any time soon. Asked whether he wanted to be the first world leader to meet the MP for Makerfield when he likely takes over from Sir Keir later this month, the US president added: “No, but I think we’re probably of a different persuasion.” Mr Trump continued: “I don’t know anything. I see that he was, I guess, the mayor of a town. I hear he’s extremely liberal. So that means he probably won’t open up the North Sea. The amazing thing is they buy their oil from Norway, which gets the oil from the North Sea. Think of it, and they pay a big premium. Norway’s got now $2 trillion in the bank, and the UK is dying.”

CUBA - Cuba was plunged into another nationwide blackout on Monday, marking the country’s third major power outage of the year. The impoverished island was already struggling to keep the lights on before Donald Trump imposed an oil blockade in January, which has depleted the dwindling supply of fuel for Cuba’s power plants. “There has been a total disconnection from the national electricity generation system,” the UNE power utility, Cuba’s state-owned energy company, wrote on X, adding that it was “investigating the causes”. Power outages have been a feature of life on the communist-run island for years, where the electricity-generation system, composed mainly of ageing Soviet-era plants, is in shambles. The island’s fragile economy is being pushed to the brink of collapse. Mr Trump is pushing for regime change in Cuba, where Raúl Castro’s communists have been ‌in charge since his late ⁠brother Fidel Castro led a revolution in 1959.

USA - About 57% of polled Americans also believe economy is worsening in grim portrait of cost of living crisis, according to Harris survey for the Guardian. The survey, conducted by Harris Poll, paints a bleak picture of how people feel about the US economy amid the war in Iran and ahead of the key midterm elections this fall. Despite stable employment and record-high stock markets, more Americans believe the overall economy is getting worse (57%) than in February (46%), when the poll was last conducted and before the war in the Middle East sent gas prices soaring. Fewer people today also believe the economy is getting better (16%, compared with 28% in February) and more say their financial security has gotten worse. Meanwhile, the rising cost of everyday expenses is just the tip of the iceberg for Americans who have debt. About half of those polled said they are struggling to afford their debt, including student loan debt, which has been subject to stricter payment plans under the Trump administration.

LITHUANIA - Lithuanian lawmakers have introduced a constitutional amendment to scrap the country’s ban on hosting nuclear weapons. The proposal, backed by 51 of the Seimas’ 141 members – enough for it to be formally registered – would repeal Article 137 of the constitution, which prohibits weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases on Lithuanian territory. Vilnius says the move is needed to counter an alleged Russian threat, a notion Moscow has repeatedly denied. The bill follows President Gitanas Nauseda’s call to scrap what he described as an “outdated” restriction. Speaking after a meeting with parliamentary faction leaders on Thursday, he argued that Lithuania should not impose restrictions on itself “if new circumstances arise in the future.” “Opinions were practically unanimous. Almost all parliamentary faction leaders expressed the view that Article 137 has become obsolete and should not merely be amended but removed,” Nauseda told reporters.

VATICAN - Images of Pope Leo XIV welcoming African migrants to Europe has sparked outrage, as some accuse the Pontiff of encouraging the weakening of western nations while maintaining Vatican City as an impenetrable fortress that threatens illegal migrants with huge fines and lengthy prison sentences. In a widely viewed video posted by EWTN, the Pope can be seen greeting a large group of migrants who had just made their way by boat to the Sicilian Island of Lampedusa. He also prayed at a cemetery there for migrants who died making the perilous journey. The viral video has been seen over 1.1 million times while triggering nearly 2,000 mostly negative comments because of the Vatican’s longstanding hypocrisy on migration and open borders.

GERMANY - The Apex drone by Porsche-backed Quantum Systems will be certified as the world's fastest electric flying object. Intended for use in interceptors, the technology will undergo payload speed tests for two more records in a German-Ukrainian collaboration, too. During field testing on June 26, Germany's Quantum Systems N3XT team clocked its Apex Recordhunter drone at 699 km/h (434 mph) in level flight. This world best for a battery-powered aircraft now awaits FAI certification along with two more records pending from the company’s Ukrainian arm. The company's Ukrainian partner, WIY Drones, is chasing its own records that add battlefield value in addition to speed. WIY is expected to certify the fastest FPV interceptor carrying a 0.5 kg payload, called Strila, as well as the fastest anti-aircraft-class interceptor Spys drone in the next few weeks, too.

USA - Did you know that the number of Americans that are out of work right now is far higher than it was at any point during the Great Recession? A whopping 111 million Americans do not have a job, and we are spending more than a trillion dollars a year on the social safety net that supports them. Of course we cannot afford to do this, because the national debt has already reached 39 trillion dollars and it is growing at an astounding rate. If we do not fix our economy, disaster is inevitable. The bureaucrats in Washington keep telling us that the unemployment rate is low even though there are vast numbers of adults all around us that are not working. The way that they are able to do this is by dumping almost everyone that is not working into a category known as “not in labor force”.This allows them to keep the official rate of unemployment suppressed even as the labor force participation rate hits an insanely low level…

MIDDLE EAST - Hamas announced Monday that it has dissolved its government in Gaza as it prepares to transfer power to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, which was established under a US-brokered ceasefire deal. The militant group did not state whether it actually intends to disarm itself, which was also required under the ceasefire, but described the decision as evidence of its commitment to rebuilding Gaza after years of war, according to the Associated Press. President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" plan that was presented to the group in March requires Hamas to destroy its vast tunnel network in Gaza and lay down its arms. "We have taken note of the announcement today regarding the dissolution of the 'Emergency Committee' in Gaza," the Board of Peace said in an X post on Monday. "Ultimately, our assessment will be guided by actions, not promises, to meet the critical needs of the people of Gaza."