Three tankers reportedly reached the Islamic Republic via Pakistani waters as leaked US intel claimed Tehran could withstand the blockade for months
Three Iranian oil tankers have bypassed what US President Donald Trump has called a naval “wall of steel” in the Strait of Hormuz and reached Iranian ports through Pakistani waters over the past two days, Tehran’s IRNA state news agency reported on Friday, citing maritime tracking data.
Washington imposed a naval blockade on Iran last month to choke off the country’s oil trade and pressure Tehran into agreeing to a deal on its nuclear program.
Iran operates ports outside the Strait of Hormuz choke point, including Chabahar and Jask near the Pakistani border, allowing ships to reach Iranian territory via the Gulf of Oman without entering the narrow transit corridor where US naval patrols are concentrated.
According to IRNA, the empty vessels belonging to Iranian state-owned oil firm, NIOC, transited through Pakistan’s exclusive economic zone before arriving at Iranian ports. Citing the TankerTrackers platform, the agency said the tankers’ combined capacity is about 5 million barrels of crude oil.
According to the Washington Post, a confidential US intelligence assessment concluded Iran can survive the blockade for at least three to four months before facing more severe economic hardship. While the blockade has severely disrupted the country’s crude exports, Tehran has reportedly been using tankers as floating storage, while reducing output in order to preserve infrastructure.
Iran’s economic situation is “nowhere near as dire as some have claimed,” one source told the WaPo.
Analysts estimate that Iran currently has access to about 65-75 million barrels of floating storage capacity, equivalent to roughly 36-42 days of its prewar crude exports.
Pakistan has also opened multiple overland transit routes connecting its ports and border crossings to Iran, allowing trade flows to continue.
While Trump has repeatedly defended the blockade’s effectiveness, claiming earlier this week that Iran’s economy was “crashing” and describing the measure as “a wall of steel” through which “nobody goes through,” officials in Tehran have insisted the country can withstand prolonged economic pressure and continue operating despite the blockade.
Nigeria’s oil, pumped from its own soil, is systematically routed away from its own shores
For Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and one of its most densely populated nations, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz in early 2026 exposed fault lines that politicians and technocrats have long preferred to ignore. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most consequential waterways on earth. Roughly 21 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, it channels nearly 20% of the world’s oil trade, functioning as the jugular vein of the global hydrocarbon economy. When that artery constricted in March 2026, Brent crude prices surged past $114 per barrel, the highest since 2022 – in a matter of days.
Beyond crude oil, the closure disrupted the flow of petrochemicals and fertilizers, commodities for which the Gulf region is among the world’s foremost exporters. As UNCTAD observed, the disruption deepened global economic strain across trade, prices, and finance, threatening the food security of import-dependent nations from sub-Saharan Africa to South Asia. Nigeria was firmly in that cross-hair.
Why can’t Nigeria refine its own oil?
There is a bitter irony at the heart of Nigeria’s energy story. A nation that sits atop some of the world’s richest hydrocarbon deposits has, for decades, been unable to refine sufficient fuel for its own population. Nigerians have paid the price of this structural contradiction through repeated fuel scarcity, suffocating queues at filling stations, and an economy perpetually held hostage by the price of imported refined petroleum products. The Hormuz crisis just stripped away whatever thin insulation of normalcy had accumulated over the years.
The commissioning of the Dangote Refinery in 2024 was greeted with optimism. With an initial capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) and an ambition to expand to 1.4 million bpd, it was positioned as the transformative answer to Nigeria’s chronic refining deficit and a statement of industrial sovereignty.
Yet the promise has been undermined by a fundamental contradiction: Nigeria’s oil, extracted from its own land, is systematically routed away from its own shores. International oil companies (IOCs) operating in the country have demonstrated a persistent preference for exporting crude to global spot markets rather than supplying domestic refineries. The result has been a structural feedstock crisis; the Dangote Refinery has been compelled to import crude from the US and other African countries, a situation of almost surreal policy failure.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company’s (NNPC) reliance on partial payments in naira and dollars to supply the refinery has further undermined pricing stability and deterred consistent local supply. Aliko Dangote, the president of the Dangote Group, has publicly lamented the unwillingness of IOCs to sell crude directly to the refinery, describing the situation as a structural impediment to domestic energy security.
When the Hormuz crisis pushed global crude prices above $114 per barrel, these vulnerabilities crystallized into a full-blown crisis.
The volatility in petrol prices through the first quarter of 2026 was jarring for ordinary Nigerians. Prices surged from ₦870 ($0.65) to ₦1,300 ($0.97) per litre in March 2026, mirroring the spike in international crude markets.
Although Dangote subsequently reduced pump prices to ₦1,200 ($0.90) per litre as crude prices moderated, the episode showed the exposure of Nigerian consumers to the full volatility of international market dynamics. For a population where the majority of livelihoods depend on informal transportation and small-scale trade, a 50% spike in fuel costs within weeks is a catastrophe.
When the crude is pledged abroad
Perhaps the most consequential and least discussed dimension of Nigeria’s energy vulnerability lies in its forward sales contracts (FSCs). For context, forward sales contracts on crude oil are structured finance agreements where NNPC Limited receives significant upfront cash funding from lenders, often via a Special Purpose Vehicle, in exchange for pledging specific volumes of future crude oil production as repayment.
These instruments, originally designed to provide liquidity and budget predictability for the federal government, have over time metastasized into a structural trap. By locking Nigeria into selling crude at pre-agreed prices over extended periods, FSCs have stripped the country of its ability to benefit from price surges during exactly the kind of global crisis that the Hormuz closure represents.
Instead of capitalizing on $114 per barrel crude, Nigeria was contractually bound to honour agreements struck at far lower valuations. By 2025, FSC obligations had ballooned to ₦8.07 trillion ($6 billion), effectively diverting crude away from domestic refiners and compounding supply shortages.
The paradox is acute: Nigeria cannot feed its own refinery because its crude is pledged, at discounted prices, to foreign competitors.
A nation that cannot direct its primary natural resource toward its own strategic priorities is, in a meaningful sense, still operating under the terms of resource dependency rather than resource ownership.
The downstream consequences of the energy crisis have been deeply disruptive. Inflation has soared above 30%, driven primarily by the cascading effects of rising transportation costs on food prices, consumer goods, and industrial inputs. Fertilizer shortages, linked to disruptions in Middle East supply chains, have driven up farm input costs, placing food production under stress at a moment when Nigeria can least afford agricultural disruption. The country’s smallholder farmers, who account for the bulk of domestic food production, face a brutal double bind of higher input costs and weakened consumer purchasing power.
Shortages in petrochemicals have disrupted industries ranging from plastics to textiles and manufacturing, compounding the recessionary pressures already bearing down on the Nigerian economy. The human arithmetic of these disruptions is not captured in any single GDP figure, it is written in the rising cost of school runs, the shuttered businesses of small traders, and the agricultural communities that face planting seasons without affordable fertilizers.
What can be done?
None of this is irreversible. But reversing it demands intellectual honesty about the structural origins of the crisis and the political will to pursue substantive reform rather than palliative measures.
First and most urgently, Nigeria should enact binding legislation or executive mandates that guarantee a minimum percentage of domestic crude production to local refineries, denominated in naira to reduce foreign exchange exposure. The Dangote Refinery, whatever its scale and ambition, cannot fulfil its strategic purpose if it is perpetually starved of supplies. IOCs operating in Nigeria should be made to understand that access to Nigerian acreage carries obligations to Nigerian supply chains.
Second, the Forward Sales Contract framework requires fundamental reform. FSC obligations should be capped as a proportion of total crude production, and a strategic crude reserve mechanism should be established to insulate domestic refiners from the volatility of global spot markets during crisis periods.
Third, Nigeria should accelerate its energy diversification strategy. The country’s gas reserves, which is among the largest on the African continent, remain dramatically underutilized for domestic power generation and industrial raw material. A decisive pivot toward gas-to-power infrastructure, combined with scaled investment in solar energy, can reduce the structural dependence on liquid fuels that makes Nigeria so acutely vulnerable to external price shocks.
Fourth, agricultural resilience demands immediate policy support. Fertilizer subsidies and farm input programs should be designed to function as shock absorbers during supply disruptions of precisely the kind witnessed in 2026. Food security and energy security are not separate policy domains, rather, they are, in the modern era of petrochemical-dependent agriculture, inseparable.
Finally, Nigeria should exercise its considerable continental weight to spearhead regional cooperation on alternative petrochemical supply chains. African nations cannot continue to be passive recipients of supply disruptions originating in geopolitical theaters thousands of kilometers away.
Nigeria’s energy crisis amid the Hormuz conflict is the accumulated cost of structural contradictions and a resource governance framework that has consistently prioritized short-term liquidity over long-term sovereignty. The Dangote Refinery stands as a monument to what Nigeria’s industrial ambition can achieve, and, simultaneously, as an indictment of the policy environment that continues to frustrate it.
The Middle East will remain volatile. Geopolitical shocks will reoccur. The only durable protection against their consequences is the construction of genuine energy resilience – built on domestic refining capacity, reformed contract frameworks, diversified supply chains, and an agricultural sector capable of withstanding external shocks. Nigeria has the resources. The question, as it has always been, is whether it has the will.
The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters launched the case against Cyril Ramaphosa in 2022, seeking his removal from office over the “Phala Phala” scandal
South Africa’s Constitutional Court has ordered a review of the National Assembly’s 2022 decision to block impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over alleged financial misconduct.
The ruling on Friday directs lawmakers to reconsider whether the National Assembly acted constitutionally in rejecting a parliamentary inquiry panel’s report.
The case stems from the so-called Phala Phala scandal, a 2020 burglary at Ramaphosa’s private game farm in Limpopo, where Ramaphosa claims that roughly $580,000 in foreign currency hidden in a couch was stolen. However, former spy boss Arthur Fraser alleged that the sum was in fact $4 million.
A Section 89 parliamentary panel concluded there was prima facie evidence suggesting the president may have a case to answer, including questions over his reporting and handling of the incident. In December 2022, the National Assembly voted against adopting the panel’s report, effectively halting the impeachment process.
Opposition parties including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) challenged the Assembly’s decision in the Constitutional Court, arguing lawmakers had failed to act on the panel’s findings. The apex court ruled that the vote to quash potential proceedings was inconsistent with constitutional requirements and must be set aside. However, it did not rule on the substance of the allegations and the order does not automatically remove Ramaphosa from office.
Ramaphosa has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and state institutions, including the public protector, have not filed criminal charges. His legal team previously argued that the National Assembly acted within its powers.
The ruling comes amid a complex political landscape, with Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) governing in coalition alongside the Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s second-largest party. The DA has welcomed the court’s order, saying it will “participate fully and constructively” in the Phala Phala impeachment committee.
“Those who hold the highest offices in the land must be held to the highest standards of honesty, transparency and accountability,” DA federal leader Geordin Hill-Lewis said in a statement.
EFF leader Julius Malema has also described the judgement as a win for South Africa’s constitution.
“It is very unfortunate for those other judges who wanted to defend an individual and then use the majority to suppress irrationality,” Malema told reporters. Malema was recently sentenced to five years in prison on firearms charges but remains free pending appeal.
No South African president has ever been successfully impeached or removed from office under the 1996 Constitution, although attempts were made against former President Jacob Zuma.
In a statement on Friday, the South African Presidency said, “Ramaphosa respects the Constitutional Court’s judgment and reaffirms his commitment to the Constitution, the independence of the judiciary, and the rule of law.”
The activities of armed groups and the broader dynamics of the conflict are hindering the resolution of Abyei’s status, Anna Evstigneeva has told the Security Council
Actions by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are undermining efforts to resolve a long-running dispute over Abyei region on the border with South Sudan, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN, Anna Evstigneeva, has said.
Addressing the UN Security Council on Thursday, Evstigneeva said the process remains a hostage to conflicts on both sides of the frontier. She noted ongoing military activity in northern South Sudan and the presence of “destabilizing elements,” including RSF units, which continue to worsen the security situation.
On Sudan’s side, Evstigneeva stressed that the situation in Abyei cannot be separated from the fighting in Kordofan and Darfur regions. She underlined that there are no Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the disputed area, arguing that non-state armed groups are the main obstacle to launching a structured political dialogue and also pose risks to UN personnel.
“It is the actions of elements opposing Khartoum that are the main obstacle to the start of a comprehensive settlement process,” the representative said.
The comments come as Sudan remains in the grip of civil war.
Neighboring South Sudan has faced years of instability since gaining independence from Sudan.
Despite the tensions, Russia said Sudan has signaled readiness to restart joint political and security talks, including in a letter to the UN Secretary-General. Khartoum has also expressed openness to forming joint police units with South Sudan.
Russia described the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) as a key stabilizing factor that continues to fulfil its mandate of preventing intercommunal violence.
Evstigneeva warned that without a final agreement on Abyei’s status, any discussion of downsizing UN operations would be premature, adding that “pressure on the parties could have a negative impact on both the security situation and the UN’s activities there.”
In March, the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) pulled its peacekeepers and national monitors from the Tishwin and Abu Qussa/Wunkur sites along the Sudan-South Sudan border, relocating them to safer positions within the broader Abyei operational area. The withdrawal followed worsening security conditions on the disputed frontier and affected posts.
Abyei has been considered a disputed territory since 2011, when South Sudan gained independence.
The final units are likely to arrive by the end of 2026, the deputy chief of air staff has said
India has confirmed the dispatch of a fourth set of S-400 missiles from Russia as part of a $5.43 billion deal.
The deputy chief of air staff, Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, said on Thursday the next set of S-400 Triumf air defense systems meant for the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been sent, and that “we should be having [it] with us within a month,” Bharti said.
The fifth and final units are due by the end of 2026, he added.
🚨🇷🇺🇮🇳 BREAKING: Russia to deliver next S-400 batch to India next month
Final units due by end of 2026, says Indian Air Marshal.
India signed a pact in 2018 to procure five S-400 systems, one of Russia’s most advanced anti-aircraft weapons.
IAF officials completed the pre-dispatch inspection of the inbound S-400 system by April 18, Hindustan Times (HT) reported.
The agreement to purchase the advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile systems was reached despite the threat of sanctions from the US.
New Delhi has already approved the purchase of five more S-400 systems, which have a target range of 400 km.
The S-400 played a major role during Operation Sindoor, a military standoff with Pakistan in May year, according to Indian officials. The system was praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he traveled to one of the military bases following the ceasefire.
Pakistan reportedly moved all its functioning fighters and aerial platforms to its Quetta and Peshawar bases to avoid Indian missiles during Operation Sindoor, Hindustan Times reported.
The inbound units will be deployed along the South Asian country’s Western border with Pakistan, The Print reported in April.
The fifth S-400 system is likely to be deployed in the middle-sector with China, the HT report said.
New Delhi is also looking to establish a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility for the S-400 by the private sector.
The Indian military on Thursday released a documentary showcasing rare footage and images of Operation Sindoor – including war-room planning, precision strikes, and fighter jet deployments.
Defense expert Air Marshal Anil Chopra in his column for RT argued that the S-400 served as India’s “shield” in Operation Sindoor, while BrahMos missiles – developed as part of an India-Russia joint venture – were its “most feared sword.”
Approximately 60% of India’s current military inventory traces its lineage to Russian or Soviet-origin design.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has endorsed Brussels’ push to sideline opposition to key foreign policy decisions
Germany and about a dozen other countries support making it harder for dissenting member states to block EU foreign policy decisions, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, the diplomat outlined Berlin’s vision for reforming the European Union. The six-point plan he presented closely mirrors proposals made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Von der Leyen, a fellow member of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union, has argued that the EU should “use the momentum” for institutional changes after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – a prominent defender of national sovereignty within the bloc – lost power in the recent election.
Wadephul endorsed calls to abolish veto powers on foreign policy matters, arguing that consensus rules create paralysis. He specifically referenced Hungary’s blocking of aid for Ukraine after Kiev cut off the transit of Russian oil supplies destined for Hungarian consumers.
Countries unwilling to support Brussels’ policies should be permitted to “stay on the sidelines for a time without preventing those who want to move forward,” the minister said. According to Wadephul, 12 EU member states and Germany want to transition to qualified majority voting on foreign policy issues.
Tiered enlargement and punitive mechanisms
Among Wadephul’s other ideas was abandoning the principle that every member state should automatically receive its own European commissioner – a system he described as unfeasible in an EU that could eventually expand to 35 members.
He also advocated a phased approach to enlargement, arguing that countries which have waited decades for accession are “owed” at least partial integration.
The German foreign minister further called for broader use of financial sanctions against member states accused of violating so-called ‘rule of law’ standards. Under von der Leyen’s leadership, Brussels froze funds earmarked for both Hungary and Poland during disputes over their governance. Wadephul additionally argued that the bloc requires a more coherent and centralized foreign policy posture.
During a panel discussion following his speech, however, the minister stopped short of saying whether Germany itself would be willing to give up its own commissioner quota in an enlarged EU. He also avoided taking sides in the ongoing institutional rivalry between von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas over who should serve as the bloc’s main international representative.
Competition between the European Commission president and the head of the European External Action Service for influence over the portfolio has been widely reported in recent years.
Tensions fueled by Brussels’ policies
Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is due to leave office on Saturday, has repeatedly accused Brussels of being dominated by German political interests and of imposing Western European priorities on eastern member states.
EU foreign policy decisions have produced direct domestic consequences across the bloc on multiple occasions. Brussels’ support for Ukraine against Russia, for example, led the EU to scrap quotas on Ukrainian agricultural imports, triggering mass protests by farmers in Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia in 2023-2024 over what they considered unfair competition.
The bloc’s decision to phase out cheap Russian energy supplies in an effort to pressure Moscow has likewise become a defining – self-defeating, according to Moscow – pillar of EU policy.
Migration policy remains another major source of division. EU redistribution rules for asylum seekers from Africa and Asia have generated fierce resistance from eastern member states. Germany under former Chancellor Angela Merkel championed an open-door migration policy during the 2015 migrant crisis.
Bets based on alleged leaks by US officials to their “friends” are part of a pattern, a California professor has told RT
A reported $125 million pocketed by an oil trader from a perfectly timed Iran-linked bet is “only the tip of the iceberg” in what appears to be a pattern of insider trading tied to key developments during the Iran war, Professor Jack Rasmus has told RT.
Roughly 10,000 contracts worth an estimated $920 million were reportedly opened on Wednesday, less than an hour before media reports said Washington and Tehran were nearing an agreement, triggering a more than 12% drop in oil prices and an estimated nine-figure profit.
Similar suspiciously well-timed bets have repeatedly coincided with major developments during the war and public statements by US President Donald Trump, including on April 7, when oil prices plunged after he announced a temporary ceasefire, the professor from Saint Mary’s College of California told RT on Friday.
Trades are placed “within minutes” of Trump’s announcements about Iran, he said, calling the pattern “pretty constant [...] There’s no other explanation” other than inside information. “Somebody in the government is telling their friends.”
“Every time Trump says something that sounds tough the price of oil goes up,” Rasmus said, adding that traders then made bets that generated an estimated $7 billion in March and April alone in what he described as a “very well organized” operation.
According to the economist, commodity exchanges including Chicago Mercantile Exchange and ICE “know who this is” but will not announce findings because “some people in the government got their hands in this pie.” He described the Trump administration as “a big grift” and “a historical grifting” extending beyond oil into crypto and other “shady deals.”
Washington’s rhetoric and mixed signals are turning the Iran conflict into a wider test of US power – and of global trust in American leadership
Peace does not seem to be on the horizon in the Middle East, though genuine de-escalation and a credible movement towards peace is sorely needed in the interest of all the parties to the conflict, and the rest of the world, which is suffering from the consequences of this war.
Donald Trump’s war decisions announced off the cuff in press conferences and in his nocturnal Truth Social posts are a highly disconcerting way to deal with a major regional war with grave global consequences. This also suggests the absence of any serious institutional process in decision making in the administration.
The vocabulary used by Trump himself and even more so by his senior cabinet appointees such as the treasury secretary have reached a level of coarseness that is bewildering. These statements may be meant to appeal to the Republican political base, but they have a global echo through social media and seriously tarnish the reputation of the US as a responsible democracy.
The Trump administration does not seem to care how it is seen by the rest of the world – including its allies and partners. It seems to believe that the opinion of others does not matter for an America that is all-powerful and one that holds all the cards. The sense of impunity is staggering.
Washington’s rhetoric – often laced with contempt, insults, and humiliations – will not be easily forgotten by policymakers and publics on the receiving end. These affronts will inevitably be factored into how foreign capitals assess their bilateral ties with the US and the degree of caution with which they approach them.
When, in the world’s most powerful country, there is an excessive fascination with military power at the very top, the global implications of such decisions can pose serious risks to international peace and security.
It is in Trump’s hands to wind down the war. If Iran’s nuclear sites have been obliterated, its navy sunk, its missile capacities depleted, its infrastructure heavily destroyed by bombing thousands of targets, why not find a way to seriously negotiate peace through a realistic give-and-take? If Trump wants 100% satisfaction on his demands, it is no longer negotiation, it is imposing his will. To achieve this Iran has to accept defeat and effectively surrender.
The reality seems to be that Iran will not yield on issues it considers fundamental to its national interest and Trump cannot yield on his key demands. Iran’s 14-point proposal, which apparently includes reparations, lifting of sanctions, and control over the Strait of Hormuz, would not only be unacceptable to the US, it would require prolonged negotiations and phased steps, which means sustained levels of trust, which today is absent. Iran’s proposal seems to have prioritized the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and left the nuclear issue to be negotiated later.
For Trump, the nuclear issue is central to any negotiated solution, as denying Iran a nuclear capability is the reason for his going to war in the first place. Trump has to show that he has won the war decisively.
This conflict has become a test of US power in a world which has already seen shifts in power away from the West. Make America Great Again is incompatible with an inability to win the war in the Middle East, as it detracts from America’s greatness ambitions, even if the MAGA base was originally against US military interventions abroad.
America’s discomfiture in the Middle East has implications for its power equations with China and Russia, as well as its security role in the region. Japan and South Korea will have to re-assess the reliability of their own security alliance with Washington. In Southeast Asia and elsewhere too, questions will be asked about the US security role in the region. A question mark has been raised about the cost-benefit ratio of relying on advanced US weaponry to combat the new methods of warfare that rely on drones and other forms of unmanned systems.
The lack of a clear war strategy in Washington is obvious. The US masses aircraft carriers and marines regionally, but it hesitates to put troops on the ground. It bombs Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, but hesitates to destroy Iran’s energy infrastructure for fear that Tehran may retaliate against the energy infrastructure of the Gulf states. The US claims that it doesn’t need the Strait of Hormuz and then advises the affected countries to prize it open. Trump thereafter seeks the cooperation of NATO countries to support his intervention, and subsequently says that he does not need NATO. He then chides the bloc for lack of support. He protests against Iran’s blockade of the strait as illegal and unacceptable, but then he himself orders a US blockade of the strait.
The US claims that its blockade of Hormuz does not violate any ceasefire, but the blockade is itself an act of war. Trump threatened to use force to open the strait, but then reversed his decision reportedly after Saudi Arabia refused to let the US use its bases on its soil and its airspace to carry out the operation.
All this suggests that the US is aware that it has no good options available. Threatening to wipe Iran off the face of the earth indicates frustration, not a viable strategy.
Meanwhile, the price of oil continues to rise. It is not only doing damage to energy-dependent countries: the secondary and tertiary effects are damaging the global economy as a whole, be it manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, aviation, travel, tourism, etc.
Iran has threatened to retaliate, and indeed launched a drone attack against the UAE at its Fujairah port oil storage earlier this week, which resulted in injuries to three Indian nationals. India has condemned the attack and reiterated its call for dialogue and diplomacy.
India is deeply affected by this war, but has few cards to play to stop it. In theory, New Delhi has friendly relations with all countries involved: the US, Israel, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. The Indian prime minister and external affairs minister have been in contact with the leaders of these countries. Our national security adviser has traveled very recently to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The problem is that when you have friendly ties with all the protagonists and have interests in all of them, it becomes very difficult to take sides. India can only appeal but not get directly involved in the conflict by offering good offices, etc. unless the warring sides request an active Indian role to that effect.
It is easy to advocate, as some observers do, that India must be more pro-active diplomatically on the ground. But even as the current BRICS chair – with both Iran and the UAE in the grouping, alongside heavyweights like Russia and China – India is unable to forge a consensus because Tehran and Abu Dhabi hold to unyielding positions.
It is understood that both Russia and China could not help to build some common ground between the two antagonists. If one puts Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into the mix, one can imagine how difficult it would be for a country such as India to help forge a consensus and effectively move towards de-escalation and an end to the conflict.
The UK is calling the shots in Ukraine, the veteran journalist said as Moscow has reported over 1,300 violations of the Victory Day ceasefire
Decisions in Kiev are apparently being made by British intelligence agencies with little to no regard for the lives of Ukrainians, US veteran journalist Garland Nixon has told RT. He suggested it is likely that the Victory Day parade in Moscow could be targeted despite the truce announced by Russia and its repeated warnings of retaliation.
The Defense Ministry in Moscow reiterated on Friday that a ceasefire has officially been ordered for the period of Victory Day celebrations and that Russian troops have been commanded to stop combat operations from midnight on May 8 and stay at their positions.
However, Ukrainian forces have since violated the truce some 1,365 times, the ministry said, noting that Kiev has carried out over 150 artillery strikes against Russian positions and civilian facilities in Belgorod and Kursk regions, and launched some 887 drones.
Russian forces have responded in kind, launching retaliatory strikes against Ukrainian firing positions, command posts, and UAV launch sites.
Moscow has also warned that it would carry out large-scale strikes on Kiev if Ukrainian forces try to target the Victory Day parade in the Russian capital on Saturday. Vladimir Zelensky previously issued veiled threats against any foreign officials planning to take part in the parade.
Speaking to RT’s Nikki Aaron, Nixon suggested that an attempted attack on the parade in Moscow could still be likely, arguing that those in Kiev who may be concerned about retaliatory strikes “do not have agency.”
“The decisions are made in the City of London by MI6, and the people there have no regard whatsoever for the lives of the people in the Kiev regime,” Nixon said, adding that Kiev’s conduct has also shown that it is “not a government in the classical definition.”
“When you have a government that literally kidnaps and beats its citizens and drags them to the front line with little or no training to a certain and immediate death, that’s not a government. That is a terrorist operation,” he said.
The European Commission’s attempt at narrative warfare online was deemed Orwellian and clueless
The European Commission has faced ridicule after using a popular internet meme to portray critics of the EU as conspiracy theorists.
On Thursday, the bloc’s executive branch posted a variation of the well-known ‘Peter Parker glasses’ four-panel meme on social media. The format, taken from the Tobey Maguire-era ‘Spiderman’ films, typically shows the main character realizing that reality looks very different depending on whether he is wearing glasses.
In the commission’s version, Paris is depicted as beautiful and safe – unless it is viewed through the supposedly distorted perspective of conspiracy theorists.
“The battle of narratives is going strong,” the accompanying message declared. “Let’s live our own story! Protect what matters – our democracy.” Another message warned ominously that “everyone wants to control the narrative to dominate.”
The battle of narratives is going strong.
Our countries are a recurring target.
It is time to act to tell the stories that make us strong. Let’s live our own story!
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) May 7, 2026
Brussels noted that the meme had been inspired by material produced by the French Foreign Ministry. Unlike the commission’s more sanitized adaptation, the French version made its intended targets explicit. In that variation, Peter Parker puts on a MAGA cap and a stereotypical Russian fur hat before seeing a warped image of the Eiffel Tower.
Online reaction to the commission’s post was overwhelmingly negative, with critics describing the messaging as both Orwellian and embarrassingly inept. “The EU neither understands the meme’s pattern, nor the problems of its citizens,” one response stated.
Within the meme template, the glasses traditionally reveal reality more clearly rather than distort it – much like the special sunglasses in John Carpenter’s 1988 cult film ‘They Live’, which famously satirized propaganda and hidden systems of control.
The backlash comes amid growing criticism of Brussels over its increasingly aggressive approach to regulating online speech under the banner of combating foreign disinformation and manipulation. EU institutions have been accused of suppressing dissenting voices and reinforcing establishment narratives, including during several recent elections.
— Prof. Elon_Lab-zertifizierte Desinformation ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Elon49943563) May 7, 2026
In 2024, Brussels infamously supported the annulment of the Romanian presidential election first round over baseless allegations of Russian interference. The case was cited by US Vice President J.D. Vance as an example of anti-democratic trends in the EU. Just this week, the pro-EU government of Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan was toppled in a crushing 281-4 no-confidence vote.
Royal symbolism, protest crackdowns and legal double standards point to the UK’s deep national unraveling
In 2026, the British monarch issued a public message marking Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, while Easter, unlike in all previous years, was no longer accompanied by a special royal address. Only a brief greeting on behalf of the royal family was published for the Christian holiday.
This pattern in the king’s addresses to his subjects reflects not only the increased demographic and political weight of the Muslim community, but also a clear setting of priorities.
The British monarch’s refusal to deliver the traditional Easter address continues a policy that can hardly be described as anything other than anti-Christian and anti-national. When, in Southport, the son of migrants from Rwanda carried out the stabbing of little girls at a children’s club, all those who came out in protest – including the parents of the murdered children – were labeled ultra-right-wing extremists. As part of the “total retribution” announced by the prime minister, 1,280 protesters were arrested, and to make room for them in the autumn of 2024, the government released around 2,000 criminals from prison early.
In the spring of 2025, the government gave a final answer to those Britons who dared to say: “We want our country back.” The Sentencing Council recommended that magistrates and judges take the ethnic and religious background of an offender into account when issuing verdicts, thereby enshrining privileges for ethnic and religious minorities instead of the principle of equality before the law.
What we are seeing is a deliberate dismantling of the nation-state and the British nation through the replacement of the island’s population. The House of Windsor is no bulwark of British tradition, but a crowned representative of the globalist oligarchy, systematically and consistently implementing a strategy of transhumanism – the divergence between the capitalist elite and the mass of service populations, mixed together in megacities, stripped of historical memory and religious roots, and having voluntarily renounced the reproduction of a now superfluous humanity through a child-free lifestyle.
The logical result of such a strategy is the final transformation of Britain from an icon of capitalist progress into an epicenter of growing social dysfunction. You can see this by examining RT’s global survey – the Social Well-Being Index (SWI). While the West compares who has more money and greater opportunities for consumption, we measure what truly matters for the survival and flourishing of nations: the ability to produce life (birth rates); the preservation of life (infant mortality, longevity, homicide mortality); and the minimization of oppression (the level of inequality between rich and poor, and children’s education). As a result, the great Western powers did not even make the top 20 in the SWI rankings. France is in 29th place, Germany 41st, the US 48th, and the UK 53rd.
The ‘Garden of Memory’ initiative with tree plantings, ‘Immortal Regiment’ marches, and cultural events have been held across several African states
Countries across Africa are commemorating the 81st anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, with events bringing together diplomats, local residents, students, and Russian compatriots, as Russia prepares to mark Victory Day on May 9.
The Russian Embassy in Guinea joined the international ‘Garden of Memory’ campaign, planting Geiger trees and Mussaenda shrubs on the grounds of the diplomatic mission in Conakry on Tuesday. School students and embassy staff took part in the ceremony dedicated to Soviet soldiers killed during the war.
Russian Ambassador to Guinea Aleksey Popov said the memorial alley was intended to become a lasting tradition and part of broader efforts to preserve the memory of “the feat of past generations.”
Launched in 2020 on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ‘Garden of Memory’ initiative aims to plant 27 million trees – one for each Soviet citizen who died during World War II.
In Mozambique, diplomats, students from the embassy school, and members of the Russian diaspora planted mango tree saplings as part of the campaign.
Mauritania joined the initiative for the first time this year. Russian citizens living in Nouakchott planted trees on the territory of the Russian Embassy.
Rossotrudnichestvo said the campaign has particular relevance in Mauritania, where desertification remains a major challenge. “Greening helps combat desertification, stabilizes sand, and improves the region’s microclimate,” the agency noted.
Egypt also joined the ‘Garden of Memory’ initiative this year.
Victory Day commemorations were also held elsewhere on the continent. In Tanzania, the Russian House in Dar es Salaam organized an ‘Immortal Regiment’ march ahead of May 9 celebrations. Similar processions took place in Tunisia.
The ‘Immortal Regiment’ movement began in the Russian city of Tomsk in 2012 and has since spread nationally and abroad.
Meanwhile in South Africa, the Russian Embassy hosted a Soviet film evening on Wednesday at Pretoria’s Fairtree Atterbury theater for ANC veterans. Guests watched the classic war drama ‘Officers’ and visited several photo exhibitions dedicated to World War II.
The freed victims, five boys, two girls, and two women, are the last group from dozens kidnapped in Lokoja last month, officials have said
Nigerian troops have rescued seven children and two women more than a week after gunmen kidnapped them from an orphanage in the capital of Kogi State, the West African nation’s army said on Thursday.
Gunmen attacked the unregistered Daarul-Kitab Islamic Orphanage in a remote area of Lokoja on April 26, abducting 23 children and several adults. According to security officials, 15 of the children were freed shortly after the raid.
On Wednesday, troops under Operation Tiger Paw II intercepted and rescued the remaining group during a search in the Agbaja forest in Lokoja Local Government Area, Nigerian Army spokesman Hassan Abdullahi said in a statement.
“The rescued victims comprised five boys, two girls, and two adult females, believed to be the wives of the proprietor of the orphanage,” Abdullahi stated. They were evacuated to a military medical facility for immediate treatment and first aid, he added, noting that “all victims are reported to be in stable condition.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the Lokoja raid.
Nigeria’s northern and Middle Belt regions have long been plagued by kidnappings, banditry, and communal violence, with armed gangs frequently targeting travelers, villages, and schools. Abduction incidents drew global attention in 2014 when Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State.
More than a dozen worshippers were kidnapped in an attack on a church in Kogi State in December. In early January, armed groups raided Kasuwan-Daji village in Niger State, reportedly killing at least 30 people and abducting an unspecified number. In November, gunmen abducted more than 300 students and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State. Fifty of the St. Mary’s students escaped shortly after the assault, and authorities announced the release of the remaining hostages weeks later.
The surge in violence in Africa’s most populous country comes despite security measures that Abuja has implemented, including the deployment of thousands of military and police personnel and intensified operations targeting organized criminal and militant groups. On Thursday, the army announced “coordinated successes” in its campaigns and pledged to continue “aggressive operations against terrorists and their collaborators.”
TROOPS OF 12 BRIGADE RESCUE KIDNAPPED VICTIMS, FOIL TERRORIST LOGISTICS MOVEMENT IN KOGI STATE
Troops of 12 Brigade Nigerian Army have recorded significant operational successes in Kogi State, rescuing kidnapped victims and foiling a terrorist logistics movement in separate but… pic.twitter.com/JIuhPDZC0X
The locally developed ‘TARA’ can convert unguided warheads into high-precision munitions
India has conducted the maiden flight of its locally developed glide weapon system.
The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force successfully conducted the maiden flight-trial off the coast of Odisha on Thursday.
The Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) extension kit is equipped to convert unguided warheads into high-precision guided weapons, an official release said.
Maiden flight-trial of Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation (TARA) weapon was successfully conducted off the coast of Odisha on May 07, 2026.
TARA, the modular range extension kit, is India’s first indigenous glide weapon system to convert unguided warheads into precision guided… pic.twitter.com/Ofx8mrGGgY
The TARA kit, developed by Research Center Imarat in Hyderabad, along with other DRDO laboratories, is equipped to enhance the lethality and accuracy of a low-cost weapon to strike ground-based targets.
The DRDO said the production of the kits for the Indian Armed Forces has already started.
Such kits are attached to a standard unguided bomb to direct the weapon to its target. The kits enable strikes from afar, minimizing the risk for aircraft carriers.
Russia, the US, China, Pakistan, Israel, and France are some of the countries that have similar kits in their arsenals.
The Israeli Air Force has been actively using SPICE (smart, precise-impact, and cost-effective) kits, which convert an air-dropped unguided warhead into a precision-guided bomb, AP reported.
In December, India’s Defense Acquisition Council, chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, approved a procurement of defense equipment worth $8.7 billion, which includes a deal for SPICE kits, Indian media reported.
RT reported earlier that Russian forces may have tested an upgraded glide bomb capable of striking targets up to 150 km away in May last year. Russia has reportedly been developing an advanced glide bomb kit known as the UMPB D-30SN.
Events honoring the Soviet role in defeating the Third Reich are being overshadowed by bans on Soviet and Russian symbols in parts of Europe
Countries around the world are marking the 81st anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on May 8 and 9, paying tribute to the millions who gave their lives to defeat the Third Reich.
The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the war, losing an estimated 27 million people in what is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. Victory Day remains one of the country’s most important national holidays.
In Russia, Victory Day is celebrated on May 9 because Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender was signed late on May 8 in Berlin – making it after midnight in Moscow. The annual military parade is set to take place in Red Square on Friday.
Commemorations in several Western European countries, including Germany, have been overshadowed by restrictions on Soviet and Russian symbols such as flags and St. George ribbons, introduced after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. Moscow has condemned the bans as an attempt to erase the memory of the role of the USSR in defeating Nazism.
Despite the restrictions, people across Europe are continuing to lay flowers at Soviet war memorials and take part in ‘Immortal Regiment’ marches, carrying portraits of relatives who fought the Nazis during the deadliest conflict in human history.
Russia’s Defense Ministry earlier announced a two-day ceasefire for May 8-9 to coincide with the Victory Day commemorations and urged Ukraine to observe it as well. The ministry said on Friday that more than 260 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted over Russian territory overnight.
The day isn’t just a celebration of military triumph – it is a celebration of victory over death
WWII Victory Day, celebrated in Russia on May 9, has become a special holiday. The war was both the greatest trial and the greatest triumph in Russia’s modern history. However, the celebrations acquired their current shape and form not so long ago, and some important traditions were established quite recently.
How it all started
The Act of Unconditional Surrender of the German Third Reich was signed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel on May 8, 1945, at 22:43 Central European Time. In Moscow, it was already the early hours of May 9th. That very morning, Russians found out that the war, which had claimed 27 million Soviet lives, was finally over and the enemy had surrendered.
The first celebration of victory in WWII – or the Great Patriotic War, as it is known in Russia – took place that very day. Army reports instantly dropped their official tone and described how the residents of Prague pulled the troops off their armored vehicles to dance and drink together. In the provinces, people ran out on the streets and congratulated each other. Indeed, some fanatical Nazis continued to put up resistance, Europe was full of mines, and reports stated that there were many losses throughout the month of May. But the big war was over, and to the sound of fireworks, people returned home.
No one doubted that victory in WWII was an incredibly important event. However, people were grieving the deaths of their relatives and friends, and their pain was great. May 9 was immediately designated a national holiday. However, lavish celebrations seemed out of place as the country was in ruins, and mentally and physically crippled soldiers, concentration camp prisoners, ‘ostarbeiters’ and refugees returned home.
In Western Ukraine and the Baltic States, battles against nationalist partisans continued. In those years, the Victory Day Parade was held only once, in the summer of 1945. During this grand spectacle, Wehrmacht and SS banners seized in Germany were thrown in front of the Kremlin. But in the following years, the celebrations became more modest. Every year on May 9th there was a fireworks display, but otherwise, from 1947 it was a regular workday (even though a festive one), and veterans usually celebrated it with friends.
Things changed in 1965. By that time, 20 years had passed since the end of the war. New Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, himself a WWII veteran, decided to once again make May 9 a day off. From then on, military parades were held on Victory Day jubilees, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial was opened by the Kremlin wall, and the tradition of laying wreaths at the memorials was established. In short, the holiday acquired a grand scale and became quite solemn after the nation’s pain had somewhat subsided.
The country is gone, but the memory remains
The annual large-scale celebration of Victory Day, with parades held across the country and a military parade on Moscow’s Red Square, is a fairly new tradition. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, an obvious question arose – what should be done with the country’s communist legacy and symbology? For example, the Day of the 1917 Revolution was observed on November 7. It was replaced by another holiday, associated with Russian national heroes Minin and Pozharsky, who lived in the 17th century. But no one ever considered revising May 9th as Victory Day.
However, the authorities wanted to separate the holiday from socialist ideology. In the Soviet Union, ideology and victory were inseparable. But in the 90s, a new era had dawned. The USSR had collapsed. Moreover, many war heroes fell prey to new conflicts. For example, Vladimir Bochkovsky, a hero of the battles in Ukraine and Germany, became a citizen of the unrecognized Republic of Transnistria, which started a bloody uprising against the former Soviet Republic of Moldova. Meliton Kantaria – the standard-bearer who had hoisted the Soviet flag over the Reichstag – was forced to flee from Abkhazia when an ethnic conflict broke out between the Abkhazians and Georgians, even though by that time, he was a very old man. At that time, a question arose – what does Victory Day mean for the new republics?
Opinions differed. In the Baltic states, national elites believed that in the 40s their countries had been held hostage by two totalitarian regimes. Moreover, unofficially, the Nazis were preferred over the communists – for example, in Latvia, the memorial day of the Latvian SS Legion was officially celebrated for some time.
In many other former USSR republics, Victory Day is celebrated in one way or another.
In Russia, Victory Day has remained one of the most important national holidays, and a key moment in Russian history. However, the holiday has lost some of its political meaning. For example, Lenin’s Mausoleum is draped on May 9 in order to avoid ideological ties, and a new symbol has been added to the celebrations – the black and orange St. George ribbon, which resembles both the ribbon of the Order of St. George (the highest military decoration in Imperial Russia) and the ribbon of the Order of Glory – a WWII soldier’s award.
Russian communists and leftists didn’t like the fact that the Soviet symbols were replaced. However, for the majority of Russian people, other aspects turned out to be more important. WWII impacted almost every family in Russia, and most people consider the Soviet era as simply one period in the country’s history. Therefore, national motives are considered more important than Soviet symbology.
However, an even more pressing question was how Victory Day would look and what it would mean following the death of most war veterans. WWII was mainly won by people who were born in the 1900s-1920s. The last generation which really participated in the war was born in 1926. By 2010, these veterans were already 85 years old. And today, most Russians do not personally know anyone who fought in WWII.
The answer to the question “What to do next?” was eventually found – and it was offered not by the state, but by the people themselves.
An old holiday celebrated in a new way
In 2012, three journalists from the provincial city of Tomsk organized a street march. The descendants of veterans marched through the city, bearing photos of their deceased relatives who had fought in WWII. This event was dubbed the ‘Immortal Regiment’. That year, 6,000 people participated in the march on May 9. And while for these people, the war was no longer a part of their own lives, it remained a part of family history. After all, nearly everyone had a grandfather or grandmother who fought, and if the word “great-grandfather” sounded abstract to many, “my grandmother’s father” felt much more personal.
The idea of marching with the photographs of their heroic ancestors appealed to people all over Russia, and the very next year, Immortal Regiment events were held in almost all the major cities of Russia. The march instantly became a Victory Day tradition and the event gained official status. An online offshoot of the Immortal Regiment also appeared – a platform where anyone can publish information about their ancestors who fought in WWII. The number of such records on the website is approaching one million. Thus, May 9th acquired a new meaning – it became not only a veterans’ holiday or a celebration of military triumph, but also a memorial march which allowed people to honor their personal family history.
Each country has its own memorable dates. For example, July 4th brings Americans together, but for the rest of the world, it is just like any other day. For China, October 1st – the Day of the Formation of the People’s Republic of China – is one of the main dates in its history.
For Russia, May 9th is a date that is permanently ingrained in the country’s history and culture. During WWII, the people of our country, along with those of other USSR republics, survived a meat grinder that lasted four years. They did not allow themselves to be broken, but defeated the enemy – and then proceeded to rebuild their country from the ruins. Russia lost a lot of people in WWII, and victory came at an unthinkable price. But it was unconditional.
That is why for Russians, May 9th isn’t just a celebration of military triumph – it is a celebration of victory over death.
Washington and Tehran have exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing each other of “unprovoked” violations
The US military has launched a wave of strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran accused Washington of violating the ceasefire and retaliated against American warships in the area.
US President Donald Trump downplayed the latest strikes as “just a love tap,” after Tehran “trifled” with Washington, while warning that the US would strike Iran “a lot harder, and a lot more violently” unless Tehran signs a deal “fast.”
“I’ll let you know when there’s no ceasefire… You’re just going to have to look at one big glow coming out of Iran,” the US leader stated.
US Central Command claimed it targeted Iranian launch sites, command-and-control locations, and surveillance nodes in “self-defense.”
The US Department of War accused Iran of an “unprovoked” missile, drone, and small-boat attack on the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason – all of which are involved in imposing the blockade of Iranian ports.
Tehran, however, accused Washington of violating the ceasefire first by attacking an oil tanker inside Iranian territorial waters and coordinating with “some regional countries” to strike civilian areas along the coasts of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island.
The IRGC Navy claimed that three US warships fled the strategic waterway after suffering “significant damage.” Both CENTCOM and Trump, however, insisted that no US assets were hit.
Here are the latest developments:
Ahead of the latest escalation, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reportedly lifted restrictions on US military access to bases and airspace, which had previously forced Trump to halt his much-hyped Project Freedom military escort operation in Hormuz.
The US Department of War did not specify which areas of Iran were hit, but a senior American official told Fox News that US forces struck the port in Qeshm, Iran and Bandar Abbas, as well as the Bandar Kargan naval checkpoint in Minab.
RT’s crew filmed flashes in the sky over Tehran after Iranian media reported that air defenses had also been activated in western Tehran to counter “hostile targets.”
This live coverage has now ended. Read the key developments below as they happened.
The move is reportedly being considered with an eye toward refilling emergency reserves further depleted amid the war on Iran
The administration of US President Donald Trump is considering extracting oil from beneath military bases to refill the depleted Strategic Petroleum Reserve, according to Bloomberg.
Created in the mid-1970s, the SPR is an emergency stockpile meant to alleviate oil price spikes in times of supply disruptions.
Global oil prices have soared above $100 a barrel in the wake of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran that began in late February, as Tehran has closed the Strait of Hormuz to “enemy ships.” Before the war broke out, the strategically important waterway accounted for roughly 20% of global crude trade. While Trump has downplayed the impact of the Strait of Hormuz blockade on the US economy, gasoline prices topped $4.50 a gallon this week on average for the first time since 2022.
On Thursday, Bloomberg, citing an anonymous source, claimed that the Trump administration is looking into “innovative” ways to replenish the national emergency reserves, including the use of Department of Defense sites.
Speaking at a forum hosted by the Wall Street Journal in mid-April, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that “we are going to do pragmatic things [regarding] energy resources” on federally owned lands.
“We have military bases or facilities that are in the middle of oil fields, but there’s no development under those resources. That’s crazy. It’s right there,” he said.
“We need creative ways to fill the strategic petroleum reserve all the way up,” Wright added.
According to Bloomberg, drilling under military bases is unlikely to have any immediate impact on energy prices, but it could allow the US government to directly own the extracted oil instead of purchasing crude from private producers to replenish reserves.
It was not immediately clear which sites were under consideration, Bloomberg noted, adding that last September, the Trump administration sold drilling rights for oil and gas beneath nearly 2,000 acres at Louisiana’s Barksdale Air Force Base, which hosts B-52 strategic bombers.
In March, Trump authorized the Department of Energy to release 172 million barrels from the SPR throughout this year and into 2027, in a bid to mitigate soaring energy prices.
Under the scheme, crude is being loaned to energy companies, which are to return the “borrowed oil to the DOE with additional barrels as a premium” at a later date.
The administration of ex-President Joe Biden, too, tapped into the SPR following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 when oil prices skyrocketed.
According to DOE estimates, the national emergency reserves currently hold approximately 415 million barrels, the lowest level since the mid-1980s.
Berlin has been expanding the Bundeswehr ranks as part of EU’s continued militarization
Germany is considering imposing fines on young men who fail to complete mandatory military questionnaires as part of a new army recruitment drive, according to a report by Der Spiegel.
Berlin has been seeking to rapidly expand the Bundeswehr as part of a broader EU military buildup, aiming to increase the number of active troops from the current 186,000 to over 260,000 by the mid-2030s. German officials have repeatedly cited an alleged Russian threat to justify the plans, something that Moscow has dismissed as “nonsense.”
Around 10,000 men who failed to complete the government’s online survey despite receiving reminder notices are now reportedly facing penalties of €250 ($294), the outlet wrote on Thursday. Officials previously warned that fines of up to €1,000 could be imposed.
The questionnaire, which asks recipients about their physical fitness, health condition and willingness to serve, was introduced earlier this year as part of a new voluntary military service program promoted by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. Under the Military Service Modernization Act, all 18-year-old German men are required to register for potential service by completing the form and undergoing a medical checkup.
The legislation also stipulates that recruits could potentially be called up via lottery should the armed forces face manpower shortages. In March, several thousand high school students took to the streets of Berlin to protest measures that could pave the way for the return of compulsory military service.
Germany abolished conscription in 2011. However, senior officials, including Pistorius, have recently suggested it could be reinstated. Last year, Pistorius claimed that Russia could attack a NATO member “as early as 2028,” insisting on the need for a costly military buildup. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has similarly stated that he aimed to turn the country’s military into the strongest conventional armed force in the EU.
Moscow has consistently denied harboring aggressive intentions towards its Western neighbors. Commenting on Germany’s continued military buildup, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that it could lead to another tragedy on a global scale, referring to World War II.
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