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Russia launched its largest drone assault of the war on Ukraine, firing 948 drones in a single day, killing at least eight people and damaging a Unesco-listed monastery and a maternity hospital.

This comes as the Iran war enters its 26th day, with Israel announcing plans to retain control of southern Lebanon indefinitely, Britain organising a 30-nation coalition to sweep mines from the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump submitting a 15-point ceasefire proposal to Tehran via Pakistani intermediaries — though Iran continues to deny direct negotiations are underway.

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1️⃣ 🇷🇺🇺🇦 Russia launches record drone assault on Ukraine: Moscow fired 948 drones across Ukraine in a single 24-hour period, marking the largest aerial bombardment since the war began, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens. A 16th-century Unesco-listed monastery in Lviv was damaged, a maternity hospital was struck in Ivano-Frankivsk, and Zelensky said the scale of the attack makes clear Russia has no intention of ending the war.

2️⃣ 🇲🇩🇰🇵 Moldova declares energy emergency: Moldova activated a 60-day energy emergency after Russian strikes in Ukraine severed a key power line to Europe, with repairs expected to take up to a week.

3️⃣ 🇺🇸🇪🇺 US warns EU over trade deal vote: The US Ambassador to the EU cautioned that rejecting a pending trade agreement ahead of a Thursday parliamentary vote would amount to “economic malpractice.” The deal, struck last summer, tripled tariffs on European goods while zeroing out duties on US industrial products, and has drawn criticism as overly favorable to Washington, though most parliamentary groups are expected to approve it.

4️⃣ 🇨🇺 Aid flotilla reaches Cuba amid US energy blockade: A convoy from Mexico docked in Havana carrying food, medicine, and supplies as Cuba faces a near-total US petroleum embargo now entering its third month. Organizers called the delivery a symbolic gesture, with Cuba’s government disclosing it produces only around 40% of the fuel it needs.

5️⃣ 🇩🇰 Denmark heads for coalition talks after inconclusive election: PM Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democrats remained the largest party with 21.9% of the vote but suffered significant losses, as cost-of-living concerns overshadowed her handling of the Greenland crisis and Ukraine war. With neither the left nor right bloc securing enough seats to govern, weeks of coalition negotiations lie ahead, with the centrist Moderates party likely to play kingmaker.

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Major Story

🇮🇷 Iran War Update: Day 26

Military

1️⃣ 🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iran dares US troops to advance as Pentagon prepares major deployment: A senior Iranian military official representing Supreme Leader Khamenei issued a direct challenge to American forces, stating Iran has spent over two decades preparing asymmetric warfare strategies for a potential ground confrontation. The provocation comes as the Pentagon is expected to deploy a 3,000-strong brigade combat team from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, adding to thousands of Marines and sailors already being sent to the region.

2️⃣ 🇮🇱🇱🇧🇮🇷 Israel moves to seize southern Lebanon as strikes on Iran continue: Defense Minister Katz announced Israel intends to retain control of all territory south of the Litani River indefinitely, with Hezbollah calling the move an existential threat to the Lebanese state. Lebanon separately expelled Iran's ambassador in an unprecedented break from decades of Iranian influence. Netanyahu meanwhile vowed to press ahead with strikes on Tehran despite Trump's diplomatic overtures, as Iranian missiles continued to hit Tel Aviv.

3️⃣ 🇬🇧🚢 UK to lead 30-nation coalition to sweep Hormuz mines: Britain is organizing a summit of around 30 countries, including France, Germany, and the UAE, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with London planning to deploy either a Royal Navy minesweeper or a civilian vessel equipped with mine-sweeping drones. Iran has warned the strait will remain closed until the US and Israel end the war and pay reparations, while Indian, Chinese, and Pakistani vessels have reportedly been transiting safely using an unidentified signal that identifies them as cleared for passage.

4️⃣ 🇮🇷🇬🇧🇺🇸 NATO unable to confirm Iran attacked Diego Garcia: NATO Secretary General Rutte said the alliance "cannot confirm" claims by Israel and Britain that Iran fired ballistic missiles at the UK-US base on Diego Garcia last week, with Iran denying any involvement. 

Diplomacy

1️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump submits 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran via Pakistani intermediaries: The proposal was delivered to Iranian officials through Pakistan, which has offered to host direct negotiations, with talks potentially beginning as early as next week — though Iran continues to deny any direct negotiations are underway. 

2️⃣ 🇵🇰🇺🇸🇮🇷 Pakistan offers to host US-Iran peace talks as diplomatic signals remain mixed: Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif offered to facilitate direct talks between Washington and Tehran, with Trump resharing the post, as Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey are reportedly already acting as intermediaries between US envoy Witkoff and Iran's foreign minister. 

3️⃣ 🇮🇱🇺🇸🇮🇷 Netanyahu and Vance discussed Iran deal framework: The Times of Israel reports, citing an unnamed source, that Netanyahu and US Vice President Vance held a phone call to discuss efforts to revive US-Iran negotiations and the components of a potential deal.

Economic & Oil

1️⃣ 🛢️ Oil drops 5% on mixed signals over US-Iran talks: Crude prices fell sharply after Trump claimed Washington and Tehran were actively negotiating, though Iran denied any direct talks, leaving markets to interpret conflicting signals. Goldman Sachs noted oil is effectively trading on a geopolitical risk premium, with the current supply disruption representing the largest shock in decades as a share of global output.

2️⃣ 🇶🇦⚡ QatarEnergy declares force majeure amid war-driven energy disruption: QatarEnergy invoked force majeure on long-term LNG contracts with customers in Italy, Belgium, South Korea, and China after Iranian attacks on its Ras Laffan facility wiped out roughly 17% of the country's LNG export capacity, with repairs expected to sideline 12.8 million tonnes of annual production for three to five years. Kuwait and Bahrain have also recently invoked force majeure, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on regional energy infrastructure continue to drive global energy prices higher.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇭🇺🇷🇺 EU demands answers from Hungary over Russia leak allegations: The EU called on Hungary to clarify reports that Foreign Minister Szijjarto had been regularly relaying confidential EU meeting discussions to Russian counterpart Lavrov. Szijjarto denied the claims, while Orban launched an investigation into the alleged wiretapping of his foreign minister, as Germany labeled the allegations “very serious.”

2️⃣ 🇯🇵🇨🇳 Japan downgrades China relationship status: Tokyo is set to strip China of its “one of its most important” bilateral label in its annual diplomatic report, replacing it with more measured language amid escalating friction over rare earth export controls, military radar lock-ons, and Taiwan pressure. Relations soured sharply after PM Takaichi’s November remarks on Taiwan prompted Beijing to reimpose seafood import restrictions and curb critical mineral exports.

3️⃣ 🇻🇳🇷🇺 Vietnam and Russia ink nuclear power deal: The two countries signed an intergovernmental agreement in Moscow to build the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant, equipped with two Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors. The project revives a plan shelved in 2016, with Hanoi targeting completion of two nuclear plants in Ninh Thuan province by 2030.

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