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Russian President Putin said Moscow is ready to resume energy supplies to Europe, Slovakia's Prime Minister Fico warned his country could veto the EU's €90 billion loan to Ukraine, and European Commission President von der Leyen told ambassadors Europe can no longer be "a custodian for the old-world order."

This comes as President Trump said Iran was preparing to attack the US and Middle East "within a week," while the IRGC announced a blockade on oil exports to “aggressors” and NATO intercepted a second Iranian ballistic missile in Turkish airspace.

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Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇷🇺🇪🇺 Putin offers Europe oil and gas amid Iran crisis: Russian President Putin said Moscow is ready to resume energy supplies to Europe as the war in Iran pushed oil prices past $100 a barrel. European countries have sharply reduced Russian energy imports since 2022, though Putin said he is open to long-term cooperation if buyers return free from political pressure.

2️⃣ 🇸🇰🇪🇺 Slovakia threatens to block EU's Ukraine loan: Prime Minister Fico warned Slovakia could veto the EU's €90 billion loan package to Ukraine if Hungary's Orbán loses April's election and Kyiv does not restore oil flows through the damaged Druzhba pipeline. Fico condemned US-Israeli strikes in Iran as "cowboy style" behaviour that risks global conflict and higher energy prices.

3️⃣ 🇪🇺 Von der Leyen calls for "interest-driven" EU foreign policy: The European Commission president told EU ambassadors that Europe can no longer be "a custodian for the old-world order" and must reassess whether its consensus-based institutions are helping or hindering its geopolitical credibility. Von der Leyen also announced humanitarian aid for 130,000 people in Lebanon and signalled openness to expanding EU maritime defence operations.

4️⃣ 🇺🇸🇦🇮 Anthropic sues US government over supply chain label: AI firm Anthropic filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration and 16 government agencies after being designated a "supply chain risk" for refusing to remove usage restrictions from its defense contracts. The company argues the designation is unconstitutional retaliation for its protected speech.

5️⃣ 🇺🇸🇨🇺 Trump floats "friendly takeover" of Cuba: President Trump said Cuba is in "deep trouble" and that Secretary of State Rubio is handling the situation, which "may or may not be a friendly takeover." Cuba has denied high-level talks with Washington but has not addressed reports of informal discussions with Raul Castro's grandson.

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Major Story

Military

▪️ Trump threatened to strike Iran "twenty times harder" if Tehran blocks Hormuz oil shipments — framing it as a "gift" to oil-dependent nations like China — while describing the conflict as a "short-term excursion" nearing completion, a shift from earlier suggestions it could last several weeks. 

▪️ He claimed Iran was preparing to attack the US and Middle East "within a week" with more missiles than previously known, and would have used a nuclear weapon against Israel if it had one. 

▪️ On deploying troops to secure Iran's highly enriched uranium in Isfahan he said he is "nowhere near" a decision, while separately telling CBS the administration is "thinking about taking over" Hormuz — a claim at odds with the effective halt in commercial shipping since the war began. 

▪️ The IRGC rejected Trump's characterisation outright, with spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini calling his claims fabricated achievements after US defeats, asserting Iran will determine when the conflict ends, announcing a blockade on oil exports to aggressors and their partners, and claiming US ammunition is depleting and Gulf military infrastructure destroyed.

▪️ Ukraine deployed interceptor drones and operators to protect U.S. bases in Jordan last week, with President Zelenskyy saying Kyiv has received requests for help from 11 countries amid the Iran conflict. 

▪️ NATO intercepted a second Iranian ballistic missile in Turkish airspace within a week, with Ankara summoning Iran's ambassador for a formal rebuke over the incident near the Syrian border.

▪️ RAF Typhoon jets shot down two drones, one over Jordan and another heading toward Bahrain, as the UK announced it would deploy warship HMS Dragon to the Eastern Mediterranean within days. 

▪️ The Syrian army reported that Hezbollah fired artillery shells at its positions near Saraghaya, west of Damascus, according to state media. 

Diplomacy

▪️ Iranian politicians and institutions pledged loyalty to new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, whose father Ali Khamenei and other family members died in U.S.-Israeli strikes, according to state media. 

▪️ Trump expressed disappointment with Iran's selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, saying he will "lead to just more of the same problem for the country" and suggesting the appointment may not last. He reiterated his preference for a leader emerging from within Iran rather than exile, and said he has "no message" for the new supreme leader.

▪️ Qatar's prime minister condemned Iran's strikes on Gulf states as a "dangerous miscalculation" that has "destroyed everything," expressing a "big sense of betrayal" over attacks that began just an hour after the war started despite Qatar's neutrality. 

▪️ The UAE declared it will not participate in attacks against Iran or allow strikes from its territory, with its UN ambassador stating the country is being targeted "in a very unwarranted manner" in the conflict. Ambassador Jamal Al Musharakh emphasized the UAE had communicated this position clearly before the current regional hostilities began.

▪️ EU leaders hosted video talks with officials from 13 Middle Eastern countries to discuss support for nations affected by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and pathways to ending the conflict. 

▪️ Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced that Arab and European countries expelling U.S. and Israeli ambassadors would receive unrestricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz starting Tuesday. 

Economy & Oil

▪️ Oil prices swung wildly on Monday, with Brent surging to an intraday high of $119.50 — the first time above $100 since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine — before paring gains to settle at $98.96 after Trump signalled the war would end "very soon". 

▪️ The Trump administration is reportedly scrambling to address surging oil prices that caught officials off guard, with gas prices jumping 51 cents per gallon over the past week as Strait of Hormuz shipping remains frozen, CNN reports.

▪️ G7 finance ministers said they are prepared to release strategic oil reserves if needed to support global energy supply, though France indicated the group is "not there yet" on organizing a release.

▪️ President Trump indicated the U.S. may lift oil sanctions on some countries to ease prices amid economic strain from the conflict with Iran, reiterating threats of overwhelming force if Tehran disrupts global energy supplies. 

▪️ Bahrain's state-owned Bapco Energies declared force majeure on its operations after Iran attacked the country's only oil refinery, releasing the company from contractual obligations. 

▪️ An Iranian drone attack damaged a water desalination plant in Bahrain on Sunday, with Bahrain's Interior Ministry saying the strike injured three people and "randomly bombs civilian targets." Iran's foreign minister said the U.S. set a precedent for such attacks by striking a desalination plant on Iran's Qeshm Island, affecting water supply to 30 villages.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇰🇵 Kim Yo Jong warns of "terrible consequences" over US-South Korea drills: North Korea's Kim Yo Jong criticised Washington and Seoul for proceeding with joint military exercises amid global instability, warning that any challenge to the North's safety would bring severe retaliation. She condemned "reckless acts of outrageous international rogues" without directly naming the Iran conflict.

2️⃣ 🇧🇪🇪🇺 European countries on alert after blast near Belgian synagogue: An explosion near a synagogue in Liege, Belgium, described by the interior minister as "a despicable antisemitic act," has prompted several European countries to tighten security. The incident comes as tensions rise across Europe amid the war in the Middle East.

3️⃣ 🇬🇭🇱🇧 Ghana calls for Commonwealth condemnation after UN peacekeeper attack: Foreign Minister Ablakwa urged Commonwealth nations to condemn Friday's missile strike on Ghanaian UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, which injured four soldiers. All injured troops are now stable, with the most critically wounded having undergone successful surgery.

4️⃣ 🇲🇽🇺🇸 Sheinbaum hits back at Trump over cartel violence: Mexico's president called on the US to stop illegal arms trafficking after Trump labelled Mexico the "epicentre of cartel violence" at a summit with Latin American leaders. Sheinbaum noted that 75% of guns used by cartels come from the United States.

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