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The Trump administration vowed a whole-of-government campaign to systematically disable the International Criminal Court, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing the tribunal of waging war on the US through international law.

This comes as the US struck Iran for a third consecutive night while announcing a blockade and transit fee for the Strait of Hormuz, and as reports revealed Israel courted former Iranian president Ahmadinejad for a post-regime role.

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1️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇷 US strikes Iran for third night, orders Hormuz blockade: The US military launched a third consecutive night of strikes hours after President Trump said Washington would reinstate a maritime blockade on Iran and, in an apparent policy reversal, charge a 20% tariff on cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE said Iranian cruise missiles hit two of its tankers in Omani waters, killing one Indian crew member, as Brent crude rose 7.8% to $81.92 a barrel.

2️⃣ 🇮🇱🇮🇷 Israel courted Ahmadinejad for post-regime role, reports claim: Israel tried to recruit former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lead a post-Islamic Republic government, with then Mossad chief David Barnea travelling to Budapest to meet him, according to reporting by the New York Times and Haaretz. The former president is now believed to be in IRGC custody, Iranian officials told the New York Times, after leaving a Mossad safe house in Tehran.

3️⃣ 🇾🇪 Yemen's government strikes Sanaa airport: Government forces bombed the airport runway to prevent an Iranian plane from landing, prompting the Houthis to fire ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia's Abha airport and warn airlines against using Saudi airspace. The UN envoy urged all sides to step back from the brink, as the escalation threatens a UN-backed ceasefire that had largely frozen the conflict.

4️⃣ 🇦🇪 DP World plans port to bypass Strait of Hormuz: The Dubai-based operator is in talks to build a new multipurpose port and container terminal on the UAE's east coast at Fujairah, reducing dependence on its flagship Jebel Ali hub inside the strait, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the report.

5️⃣ 🇺🇦 Kyiv attacked hours after air defence coalition launched: Russia launched a new ballistic missile attack on the capital, with Mayor Klitschko reporting fires in the Holosiivskyi district, hours after Ukraine and nine European countries announced the Freyja anti-ballistic missile initiative in Paris. President Macron also announced Ukraine has ordered 16 Rafale fighter jets and secured a licence to produce French missiles, including SCALP cruise missiles.

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Major Story

🇺🇸 US vows to disable the ICC

The Trump administration escalated its campaign against the International Criminal Court, with the State Department vowing a "whole-of-government response to systematically disable" the tribunal's ability to operate.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the court of "waging a war against our country, not with bullets or missiles, but with statutes, compacts, and the force of so-called international law," in a video statement accompanied by a Wall Street Journal op-ed.

The announcement listed few concrete steps but flagged actions under consideration, including increased sanctions and travel bans on ICC personnel and pressure on US military partners to reject the court's authority over American officials.

Washington has already sanctioned ICC officials and rights groups that provided evidence to the court, though international law professor William Schabas called the timing "perplexing," noting the ICC has taken no action against the US or its allies since President Trump took office.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇺🇦🇪🇺 Ten nations form ballistic missile defence coalition: Ukraine and nine allies including France, Germany and the UK pledged to build a shared ballistic missile defence capability for Europe drawing on Kyiv's wartime experience, with President Zelenskyy saying a mass-produced, low-cost system could be developed within 12 months. Ukraine's drone forces said they struck 105 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov in eight days, while President Putin vowed strikes "several times more powerful" in response.

2️⃣ 🇪🇺🇬🇧 EU and UK sanction Russian spies and hackers: The EU blacklisted nine people and four entities and Britain 24 over a yearslong cyberespionage campaign targeting governments and critical infrastructure such as heating and power plants since 2010. The measures focus on the FSB's 16th Center and the GRU-linked company Impuls, with Germany summoning Russia's ambassador and France planning to do the same.

3️⃣ 🇪🇺🇧🇬 Bulgaria vetoes EU sanctions on Patriarch Kirill: The head of Russia's Orthodox Church and Lukoil founder Vagit Alekperov were removed from the draft sanctions package after Bulgaria's opposition on religious and economic grounds, several diplomats confirmed to Euronews. Kirill has been accused of justifying the war in Ukraine, with his church describing the invasion as a "Holy War," and a first attempt to sanction him in 2022 was blocked by Hungary.

4️⃣ 🇭🇺 Hungary's parliament votes to remove president: Prime Minister Péter Magyar's Tisza party used its two-thirds majority to pass a constitutional amendment ending the terms of President Tamás Sulyok and Constitutional Court head Péter Polt, both widely seen as loyalists of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Sulyok has five days to sign the amendment or refer it to the Constitutional Court, with Fidesz deputies walking out and accusing Tisza of building a tyranny.

5️⃣ 🇪🇺🇵🇸 EU unveils $1bn fund for Gaza recovery: The European Commission launched the "Team Gaza Initiative" with more than a dozen countries and institutions to support water, sanitation, health infrastructure and debris removal, though the sum falls far short of the $71bn the EU and UN estimate is needed over the next decade. Commissioner Hadja Lahbib called the situation "unbearable," noting shelling continues nine months after the ceasefire.

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