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The US signed a landmark nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia that could let the kingdom enrich uranium, alarming Israel and critics who warn it could trigger a Middle East arms race.

Meanwhile, the US struck Iran for a 12th night, with Yemen's Houthis opening a new front by bombing Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.

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Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇷 US deploys B-1 bomber as strikes on Iran hit a 12th night: The US used a B-1 long-range bomber to strike Iran's Revolutionary Guard for the first time since fighting resumed 12 days ago, in what officials called a significant escalation of the campaign to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. US officials said Trump is still weighing a return to major combat operations within days, even as Qatari mediators keep working to revive a deal to stop the fighting.

2️⃣ 🇾🇪🇸🇦 Houthis bomb Saudi tankers, threatening a new Red Sea front: Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea after declaring a blockade on Saudi Arabia, with Saudi media confirming one vessel was ablaze, in a move US officials warned could significantly widen the war. Iran separately said it stopped three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and claimed the waterway was closed, as oil pushed above $95 a barrel.

3️⃣ 🇮🇷🇺🇸 Trump threatens Iran's bridges and power plants over ship attacks: President Donald Trump warned the US would "bomb and destroy" an Iranian bridge or power plant, including in Tehran, every time Iran fires at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, a sharp escalation in threats against civilian infrastructure. An IRGC commander responded that if Iran's power stations are hit, the countries hosting US troops would face certain blackouts.

4️⃣ 🇺🇸🇷🇺 Rubio and Lavrov meet on Ukraine as US floats 'new ideas': US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Manila, their first meeting since September 2025, and said "new ideas" would be needed to end the war in Ukraine as existing proposals were unacceptable to Kyiv. Russia said Lavrov warned the US against "unacceptable" arms deliveries to Ukraine, while Rubio said Washington remained willing to help end what President Donald Trump considers "a stupid war."

5️⃣ 🇪🇺🇷🇺 EU adopts 21st sanctions package against Russia: EU ambassadors finally signed off the bloc's 21st sanctions package against Russia after weeks of deadlock, adding 32 more banks to a transaction ban, targeting crypto firms and oil traders, and for the first time hitting vessels aiding Russia's shadow fleet. To secure the deal the EU froze the Russian oil price cap for a year and granted Greece a one-year LNG-transport carve-out, while a plan to bar Russian ex-combatants was delayed.

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Major Story

🇺🇸🇸🇦 US signs landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia

The US signed a landmark civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia that could pave the way for the kingdom to enrich uranium, a move critics warn could trigger a Middle East arms race.

The timing is striking, coming as the US wages war on Iran partly to stop Tehran enriching uranium, and nonproliferation experts warned it could pressure Iran to weaponise.

The deal, signed by energy secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart, is expected to lack the enhanced IAEA monitoring that Iran was subjected to under the 2015 deal, and heads to Congress for review.

Senior Israeli figures raised alarm, with former prime minister Naftali Bennett calling it a "serious strategic failure" and former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman warning it would end in "a crazy arms race."

Saudi Arabia has long said it would seek a nuclear weapon if Iran obtained one, and had warned it could turn to China or Russia if Washington did not provide the technology.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇳🇮 Nicaragua moves to abolish elections under Ortega: Nicaragua's Ortega-controlled congress said it would carry out President Daniel Ortega's plan to abolish elections, following his weekend declaration that "there won't be anymore elections," cementing his nearly two-decade rule alongside co-president Rosario Murillo. The UN human rights chief Volker Türk condemned the move and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it laid bare the "authoritarian nature" of the "Murillo-Ortega dictatorship."

2️⃣ 🇷🇺 Russia passes 'civic death' law targeting exiled critics: Russia's State Duma passed legislation cutting exiled anti-war Russians off from online banking, property transactions and consular services, targeting those convicted in absentia of "discrediting" the military or labelled "foreign agents." Rights advocates warned the measures effectively render Kremlin critics abroad stateless, with one Duma deputy predicting the "wallet" would deter dissent. The bill now goes to the upper house and President Vladimir Putin.

3️⃣ 🇷🇺🇦🇴 Angola jails two Russians for terrorism and spying: A court in Luanda convicted two Russians, political consultant Igor Ratchin and translator Lev Lakshtanov, of terrorism and espionage, sentencing them to 11 and eight years over an alleged influence operation to stir anti-government protests and interfere in next year's election. Prosecutors linked the pair to Africa Politology, described as a Russian political network that emerged from the defunct Wagner group, though the men denied any ties to Wagner or the Russian state.

4️⃣ 🇬🇷🇮🇱 Greece set to approve $4bn Israeli air-defence deal: Greece's security council is expected to approve the purchase of a multi-layer Israeli air-defence system worth up to $4bn, along with drones from Israel and the US, according to sources cited by Reuters. The planned "Achilles Shield," built around radars and missiles from Israel's Rafael and IAI, would replace Greece's ageing US Patriot and Russian S-300 systems.

5️⃣ 🇬🇧 UK chancellor weighs war bonds to boost defence spending: New UK Chancellor John Healey is reviving a bid to join Canada's Global Defence Bank to raise bonds for military spending, a plan blocked by his predecessor Rachel Reeves, as he searches for an extra £18bn for defence. The idea won conditional backing from two former Conservative defence secretaries, though some economists were sceptical the UK would gain much, while new defence secretary Wes Streeting stressed spending "every penny wisely."

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