Daily Chronicles

Daily Chronicles features issues, small or large, with the potential to change our world.

Evolving Strategy of Empire.

Blessings and humble thanks for the donations.  There are new donations coming in and my appreciation is wild big!  

DONATE!

🙏

Aug 30

💥 During the night, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued to deliver group strikes against Ukrainian defence industry enterprises used in the interests of the AFU.

▫️ Strike UAVs hit a cement plant, whose warehouses were used to store explosives for the benefit of the Smart Ammunition LLC in Kiev. This company produces drones and UAV ammunition.

❗️ In accordance with the received instructions, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation began preparing to launch massive strikes against Ukrainian energy facilities as a response to the continuing attacks of the Kiev regime against the Russian civil infrastructure and fuel and energy facilities.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

It is China’s turn for a serenade.

Thank You China for Not Leaving Us—Just Like Mexico Stood by Team Melli When the US Said No | LEGO

Aug 29

All that is happening, is preparion for SCO, for the G20 and much rhetoric.

The Iranian leaders now say and publish this, one, two or three times per day.

And this …

And if you believe this man’s chatter, we are in the new business of selling bridges – never seen before pricing – the best ever.

Zelensky claims he had no idea Kiev ammo dump was right next to homes: ‘definitely shouldn’t have been there’  Insists investigation already underway

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Russia calls SA’s exclusion from #G20 Summit an egregious violation. Ambassador-at-Large #Berdyev stressed that G20 is a collegial format that cannot be usurped by anyone. Russia is working with partners to ensure #Pretoria takes its rightful place at negotiating table ASAP

Aug 28

Oh Boy! Shivers! Shakes! Tears! … Turn up the volume! Oh, the humanity!

May the next chapter be written in quieter ink!

🔹🔹🔹🔹

The most important issue in our world currently is economics, finance and how countries will maintain while the Strait of Hormuz is closed.  (Of course there are the wars and the horrific carnage from the Israelis in the Occupied Territories, Lebanon and also Syria).

🔹🔹🔹🔹

(Bessent must be feverish):  The US has guided 130 millions barrels out over the past 14 days, he says.  It is astounding that these people do not understand how many OSINT watchers have full view of the Strait of Hormuz.  Yes, some oil moves and a large part is still Iranian oil.  There is a patch in the ocean where oil is transferred from smaller vessels to larger.  Saudi Arabia gets a little bit through, using other corridors but Yemen has them literally castrated.  CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper (must have been under the influence) made comments to the effect that the US military has cleared out 100% of all Iranian-laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Prof Marandi: Trump, Hegseth, and Bessent can pretend that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that Iran is collapsing, but that won’t change the facts on the ground. Iran is closely monitoring the Japanese yen, the US bond market, and other key economic indicators.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

South Korea backs Trump push for talks with North Korea — Reuters

Seoul says talks must lead to denuclearization while maintaining strong security

(We will repeat President Putin’s comment: ‘The DPRK will eat grass before they give up their nuclear weapons)’.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

The G20 Finance Minister’s Meeting is scheduled for August 31 to September 1, 2026, in Asheville, North Carolina

The SCO Summit is scheduled for August 31 to September 1, 2026. in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Bear these dates in mind when reading the next piece.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Sputnik

US doubles down on failed policy of arm-twisting Iran economically 

When G20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs gather in North Carolina next week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent plans to push a broad agenda: stronger growth, more resilient supply chains, lower global imbalances and action on mounting sovereign debt.

👉 However, behind the official narrative lies a political demand – the US wants the G20 to help squeeze Iran, Reuters cites a senior Treasury official as saying.

Bessent will reportedly deliver a “strong statement” to G20 officials, warning that countries maintaining business ties with Iran could face secondary US sanctions.

🔊 In every bilateral meeting with his G20 counterparts, Bessent would allegedly be maintaining that “they must adhere to the US sanctions campaign against Iran if they want to continue to do business in the dollar-based, Western financial system.”

What the Treasury official describes as “a critical aspect right now of our economic campaign against Iran” is in fact an admission of strategic bankruptcy.

We can now use FM Lavrov’s words:  ” … the end has already come”.  It of course is not the proverbial “end of history” but the end of the world’s interaction with the collective West.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

From The Islander:
Massive strikes from the Russian Defense Forces last night. The past 24 hours were characterized by a prolonged combined attack on enemy rear areas. Hypermarkets “Epicenter” in Ukraine are only operating in the western part of the country. In Kyiv, there are long queues at the train station for those leaving the city. At night, FABs (high-explosive bombs) with UMPK (unified gliding module kit) struck infrastructure facilities in Sumy, as well as Kiev, Brovary, Boryspil, Odessa, and Lutsk.

It was a particularly bad idea to drone strike various Wildberry warehouses. Nearly 90% of Ukrainian retail chain warehouses destroyed by Russian strikes

From the Russian MoD
❗️ Last night, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued to deliver group strikes against Ukrainian defence industry enterprises, logistics centres as well as ports used to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

💥 As a result, the following targets were neutralised by unmanned aerial vehicles:

📍 in Kiev region, a warehouse facility (Stellar Jet LLC) used to store manufactured Flamingo long-range cruise missiles and fuel for rocket boosters;

📍 in the port of Odessa, six depots with military equipment intended to be supplied to the AFU.

Aug 27

The Ratcliffe visit is having its turn at turning into a circus.

Ratcliffe told Bortnikov that Russia had gained only about 1% of Ukraine’s territory in 18 months, that the life expectancy of a Russian soldier on the front lines is less than 35 minutes, and that Ukraine’s “mastery” of drone technology is imposing unsustainable costs.

He made… https://t.co/Q619lokQUb

— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 27, 2026

Ratcliffe told Bortnikov that Russia had gained only about 1% of Ukraine’s territory in 18 months, that the life expectancy of a Russian soldier on the front lines is less than 35 minutes, and that Ukraine’s “mastery” of drone technology is imposing unsustainable costs. He made no threats about consequences if Putin refuses to negotiate. Before the trip, Ratcliffe assured Ukrainian counterparts he would explore Russian positions, not make concessions on their behalf. The visit contradicts Trump’s own characterization of the trip as “standard business” with “no message.” The NYT reports it was a deliberate effort to bypass normal diplomatic channels, with officials hoping Putin, a former intelligence officer himself, would find a CIA director’s assessment more credible than messages from envoys Witkoff and Kushner, whom Ukrainians view as too close to Moscow.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Russia says it’s working with like-minded countries to counter Washington’s recent secondary sanctions on Tehran.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

The mocking today is fierce. Look at that questionmark after the word man.

Instead of funneling billions to its terrorist proxy, Israel, and 750 bases, this failing empire could spend that cash on its own people, but nah, that’d make too much sense for this regime.

Scotty, man [?], your credibility is on the line. Do something.https://t.co/zz1x0VWKyQ https://t.co/FQf6k8aova

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) August 27, 2026

🔹🔹🔹🔹

So far on this day – this Daily does not Hang Together.  But we are also not Hanging Apart 😀.  It is a great world of details and in the main the trajectories of what we already know, continue.  We just have to keep our cool in terms of crazy.  To filter the detail in terms of Sovereignista’s mission:  issues, small or large, with the potential to change our world , is exceedingly difficult as it is a maddening stage both in terms of friends, enemies, states and countries.  We’re losing and gaining daily!  We lose or win every six hours., but there is the relentless trajectory, if we look carefully.    I look at everything as a proverbial and possible assassination Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie.  I don’t want war – I don’t want world war, but i see the trajectory and I see how war has changed.

We still do not know why Ratcliffe went to Moscow.  If you put all the reasonable possible and professed reasons together and proceed with a process of eliminating the less important, you end up with a list of ‘possibles ‘and it cannot be otherwise.  So, I did that, I listed, ranked and eliminated.  These are the reasons that I came up with.    (Get ready Bollywood!)

1)The US have burnt through its goodwill with Russia’s leadership and Kushner and Witkoff will be welcomed in a very cold and chilly fashion, should they show their faces.  So around Ukraine, there may be a few objectives:  The US must know that the Ukraine has been thoroughly trounced and besides one or two strongly defended areas left, it is a mop-up operation, depending what Russia decides for future (there are no interceptors left – Ukraine cannot defend itself and can only throw drones at civilian targets in Russia of which about 6 out of 800 hit something – economically this warfare does not work.  All it does is to enrage Russia more and more.  Ukraine again has no more money and if this stock of drones disappear or the remaining stocks and supply and logistics routes are annihilated by Russia, this war is over.  It could be weeks, it could even be days, it could be a month or two.   (I personally do not call a war over until the sounds of the last shots stop reverberating! but I’m from Africa, where they do not stop shooting and wars last 20 years).   Russia may decide London for example, needs a quick mop-up as well and the US wants a say in those decisions because they are after their piece of plunder as the war comes to an end.  Ratcliffe for novel and story writers – pure 007, a very expensive suit cut just gorgeously, shoes perfect and the physical sense one of great big buddies::  “Not to worry about all the ISR and weapons and participation in the war .. that was only business and let’s us two old spooks look one another in the eye and shake hands – we know what the world is about – style”.   Last Chance Saloon!  Who will write this script?

2)They may also be begging for the life of NATO but the life of NATO is already hanging in the balance,  or …

3)Dark horse territory … A cowboy hip swagger:  What Ya Got in terms of a little crude buddies?  – Our tanks are running somewhat low … and while we are about it, perhaps some Helium and How About some DAP (fertilizer).  We are really short  Share and share alike no?  And soon the Strait of Hormuz will be open and we won’t need a ‘facility’ any longer.”  Something like that – the story, novel and script writers can start writing Wag the Dog style.

It is all theater now.

The US did not threaten, they begged.  That is a certainty in my view.

Whatever I find certain,  Russia responded anyway:  Russia launches massive overnight strike on Ukraine’s defense industry – MoD

The Russian military carried out a massive overnight strike on Ukraine’s defense industry facilities, the Defense Ministry said.  Also hit:

🔸 Metallurgical and oil refining facilities, as well as logistics centers in Kiev, Borispol, Zaporozhye, Kremenchug, Krivoy Rog, and Ilyichovka
🔸 Port infrastructure facilities in Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Reni used by the Ukrainian army
🔸 Energy facilities supplying power to ports in the Odessa region

We always post the summaries.  For once, let’s look at some detail and all I am saying above, makes perfect sense and we can all hang together!

💥 As a result of the massive strike, the following targets were hit:

📍 in Kiev and Kiev region:

▫️ a drone manufacturing workshop used, among other things, to produce Hornet loitering munitions;

▫️ the Kiev Transport and Logistics Centre (Sun Park Office and Storage Facility). It is the largest centre of storage and distribution of strike FPV drones as well as UAV ground control stations and components for them;

▫️ a transport and logistics centre in Borispol (Aleksandrovskiy Office and Logistics Facility), which is the largest dual-use storage centre where long- and medium-range UAV components are stored;

📍 in Zaporozhye and Krivoy Rog:

▫️ steel mills, which are one of the main suppliers of metallurgical goods for military production.

📍 in Kremenchug of Poltava region:

▫️ an oil refinery delivering POLs to the AFU as well as employed for oil transfer provided by foreign states.

📍 In Odessa region, the following targets are engaged:

▫️ in Ilyichevka of Odessa region, a drone manufacturing workshop and a saltpeter workshop to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

▫️ in ports of Odessa and Chernomorsk, 24 depots with military equipment intended to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine;

▫️ in the port of Reni, infrastructure facilities used for unloading military cargo and POLs.

🔥 Moreover, energy facilities that supporting the ports of Ukraine and transport infrastructure facilities used for military purposes have been hit in Odessa region.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Here is such a good example of Sovereignty threatening Primacy :  The problem is not ‘nuclear’ as Trump and Bloody Netanyahu says, the problem is that Iran does not buy uranium from the US and they remain independent and sovereign.

US Energy Sec — US has ‘NO PROBLEM AT ALL’ with Iran owning ‘COMMERCIAL NUCLEAR POWER’

He says Washington can supply ENRICHED URANIUM fuel — ‘just as we’re doing with Saudi Arabia’

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Some good news:  Russia laughs off Western pressure, stays among world’s top four economies – expert

Despite relentless Western sanctions aimed at crippling its economy, Russia has successfully secured its position among the world’s top four economies for the second consecutive year—a testament to its resilience, according to Vito Petrocelli, president of the Italy-BRICS Institute and former Italian senator.

💬 “I believe the credit goes to the president’s economic, social, and infrastructure policies, the resilience of Russia’s industrial apparatus, and, above all, to Putin’s bold decisions,” the former Italian Senate member emphasized.

He highlighted the substantial representation of BRICS members in the upper echelons of the global GDP ranking, with China in first place, India in third, Indonesia in seventh, and Brazil in eighth.  This is the BRICS accomplishment – the financial and economic new order.  They have done some smaller issues and these must be done and they are very dozy in reality, but the economic trajectory is real!  This no longer can be stopped or reversed although there are still very huge problems.  (I’m not sure which ‘global GDP ranking was used here for that statement or whether it was expressed with PPP values).

🔹🔹🔹🔹

D-Day Sanctions : Sanctioning the non-existent – but counting them to look good on paper.  60 sanctions look good domestically if you don’t tell that 50 are repeated, and you cannot find 10 that you have just sanctioned.  America is haphazardly re-sanctioning things that have already been sanctioned many times and at the same time building “coalitions” in the vacuum.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Qatar’s LNG exports have fallen by 98%.

According to a Reuters report, Qatar’s LNG exports have plunged sharply due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with the decline reaching around 99%.  Qatar has so far lost approximately $24 billion in gas sales revenue.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Our Piracy is Legal – US looks to revive “prize courts” to seize Iranian oil tankers — reports

The US Justice Department is preparing to revive long-dormant maritime “prize courts” to speed up the military capture of Iranian oil tankers and cargo as US property, Bloomberg reported.

📈 The plan would allow the US to seize oil and other cargo from enemy or even neutral vessels, sell it, and transfer the proceeds to the US Treasury.

💬 Aaron Reitz, a US attorney involved in the initiative, confirmed that the Justice Department is “now reviving” what he called an “ancient body of maritime law.”

The move is expected to face legal challenges, as prize courts have gone largely unused since the Spanish-American War of 1898 and have been dormant since World War II.

The plan comes as US forces have already illegally intercepted and seized multiple Iranian-owned or Iran-linked ships since imposing an unlawful blockade in April.

Aug 26

❓ Mission Accomplished

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Russia is demolishing Ukraine.  This again is only the ✈️  Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack drones, missile troops, and artillery of the Russian groups of forces and not the front line activities. So, what burnt over the past 12 hours – logistics centres, fuel and power facilities, transport and port infrastructure of Ukraine, ammunition and military hardware depots, assembly workshops, storage areas of unmanned aerial vehicles and their components, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries in 141 areas.  On the Air defense side,  systems shot down 12 guided aerial bombs, one U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectile, three Flamingo long-range cruise missiles, and 798 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Xi Jinping will attend the SCO summit, combine that with a state visit and then visit Egypt.

The SCO Summit 2026 will be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from August 31 to September 1, marking the organization’s 25th anniversary.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Ratcliffe’s unannounced visit to Moscow.

It is now 11 a.m. Moscow Time – next day after the visit. The netscape, chattersphere and commentariat  has exploded with rumors of what Ratcliffe did in Moscow. These are rumors and the games of people that are looking for their own relevance.  Get those clicks while it is hot!

We don’t know. Peskov does not know. In this case, anything told to you by ‘secret sources’, or with the title of ‘bombshell’, or the US flag disappeared from the US embassy is nonsense. (Well it did disappear as flags go up and down according to the time of day, morning and evening but this one – that US flag was removed on building on 21 Novinsky Boulevard, but the US Embassy building is on Donetsk People’s Republic Square.

Sure, read the nonsense mongers but please understand when you read nonsense. Sure, post it for all of us to see. Use this code:  “I’m with Peskov”.  (Of course I am joking with the code business).

We will know but give it time.  Let’s look at some of the rumors:

• Ratcliffe warned Russia that they have to help open the Strait of Hormuz or else! They will be sanctioned and coercive measures will be applied like nobody else has ever been sanctioned before.
  Russia warned Iran immediately and told Iran that the threats are of no account.
• Russia is planning a new operation into Ukraine and Rattcliffe told them not to do it. Also, to end the war post haste or else!
• Putin cleared his schedule to speak with Ratcliffe. Putin did not speak with Ratcliffe.
• Russia is going to send the US embassy home and Ratcliffe asked them not to do it.
• The fact that the Pope’s envoy and Ratcliffe is in Moscow at the same time – choose your reason but it is meaningless.
• Ratcliffe came to collect bodies of American soldiers.
• The US may have received intelligence about a possible Russian strike against a NATO target.

And the beat goes on.  Every single one of these comes from American influencers.  I’m beginning to believe that there has been a major replacement and all of these are now finding fame everywhere else in the world, except in their own country.

“I don’t know shit and heard nothing. F off.” (c) Thus concluded Peskov his statement to media.  (Of course this is a joke).

Latest:

And nobody is leaving Peskov alone:  More latest:  🇷🇺🇺🇸 Vladimir Putin has been informed about the results of the contacts with CIA Director, Dmitry Peskov told journalists.  Other statements from the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation:

➡️It is premature to talk about any impact of the CIA Director’s contacts with Russian intelligence agencies on resolving the crisis in relations between Russia and the United States.

➡️ There were no contacts between Putin and the CIA Director, Peskov said.

I repeat once again, he had no contacts with the Kremlin. I cannot yet provide you with any further details regarding potential future contacts.

Yeah, now go and see the ones that are reporting that he saw Putin.  Read it and weep for these desperate attempts at relevance.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Life cannot go on without a bit of market manipulation.  The price of Brent dropped to $86 per barrel after the Trump’s mythical ‘victory’ in the demining of the Strait of Hormuz.

Aug 25

Pakistan formally requested a $10 billion currency stabilisation facility from the U.S. Treasury, the largest such ask in the country’s history.  The request follows Pakistan’s elevated role mediating the U.S.-Iran conflict, which has strengthened ties with the Trump administration.  Pakistan currently owes roughly $12.3 billion in short-term bilateral debt requiring constant rollovers from Saudi Arabia, China, and Kuwait.

This is from The Islander News – Gerry Nolan

I chased this down and it is almost certainly first posted in Bloomberg but is in other media as well, such as Investing.com.  If it is true, what do you think the US will ‘charge’ for a cool 10 billion buckaroos?  Surely they will demand that Pakistan cuts all relationships with Iran.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

🔹🔹🔹🔹

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Key points from Dmitry Peskov‘s statements:

➡️Stubb’s support for strikes on Wildberries warehouses is surprising, since he recently spoke about the need to build dialogue with Russia;

➡️Statements from Stubb and British prime ministers show that the aggressive line toward Russia persists, and Moscow must take countermeasures;

➡️Moscow has repeatedly stated that the deployment of NATO military contingents on Ukrainian territory is unacceptable for Russia;

➡️Russia doesn’t merely expect to win the SMO — it is certain of victory;

➡️Russia continues the SMO given the absence of peaceful means of settlement;

➡️Peskov expressed confidence that the Ukrainian question will be raised at Lavrov’s meeting with the Vatican’s head of diplomacy.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Turkish President Erdogan:  If everyone has an agenda, rest assured that we too have an agenda, a plan.  Most importantly, Allah, the Lord of all worlds, also has a plan.  And in the end, that plan will prevail.

The merchants of blood will lose. Those who seek to plunge our region into instability, the perpetrators of genocide, will lose.  The side of humanity will prevail. Brotherhood will prevail. Peace and stability will prevail.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Chinese commercial space company GalaxySpace on Tuesday completed the development, launch, and on-orbit delivery of a complete satellite for Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA). It marks the first time that a Chinese commercial space company has done so for a Southeast Asian country, demonstrating that Chinese private firms are now capable of providing overseas customers with integrated solutions covering satellite delivery, operations, and professional training, industry insiders said.  This is a Belt and Road initiative.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

At one stage in the current US administration JD Vance was held out as possibly one with some sense.  That is fast disappearing with comments such as this:  US Vice President JD Vance says Canada would be vulnerable to foreign invasion without Washington’s protection, as the two countries are locked in trade tensions.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

❗️ The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to launch strikes against the Ukraine port infrastructure and vessels, used in the interests of the AFU.

Last night, in the port of Yuzhny, strike drones hit a dry cargo ship that had been delivering military cargo intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as port infrastructure facilities used for unloading military cargo.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

China’s gold network could give the yuan a new edge – Sputnik

Chinese authorities have already opened the country’s first offshore gold delivery vault in Hong Kong, while Singapore, Dubai, Riyadh, Kuala Lumpur and Moscow are reportedly being considered for future facilities, South China Morning Post reports.

By connecting yuan-denominated gold contracts with physical delivery, China could make the currency more practically convertible into an asset that can be traded almost anywhere.

👉 Meanwhile, China has been buying gold for 21 consecutive months, with official holdings reaching 76.08 million ounces by the end of July.

China is also expanding control over the supply side. Gold was classified as a “strategic mineral” in 2025, while Chinese miners are stepping up overseas acquisitions, including in Ghana and Kazakhstan.

If the network expands, China could gradually connect its currency, gold reserves, mining companies and global trading hubs into a single ecosystem — giving the yuan a new route into international finance.

Aug 24

Ghalibaf with a short X post on Operation Economic Outcast – Americans know that no one buys their bombast; the United States is not in an economic position to further restrict its relations with other countries. Iran’s trading partners, both in the media and through messages sent to us, have made it clear that they don’t take these statements into account anywhere.

“They cannot cut off our financial lifelines,” Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Seyed Ali Madanizadeh said in another X post, adding that Tehran has been “planning for some time to counter the sanctions.”

This announcement fell flat.  Oil did not spike, in fact it is a little lower.  What became clear is that it is a big myth that the world needs dollars. The reality is the US needs the world to desperately utilise dollars.  Iran is not in a dollar economy so its lifeline does not depend on dollars.  Bessent grabbed onto the wrong lifeline.  The so-called strength of the world’s reserve currency does not scare anyone.  Sorry Bessent.

Even Guterres, in an interview with the Financial Times and on the eve of his retirement said:  “The war with Iran showed the limits of the power of the superpowers.”

🔹 The Secretary General of the United Nations, referring to the Iran-Ukraine war, said that recent developments have shown that great powers can no longer impose their will and power on other countries in any situation and must accept the limitations of their power.

Aug 24

Welcome to a HOT Monday.

Look at this utter propaganda posted on Trump’s Truth Social.

Iran Parliament Speaker: ‘We Are Hungry, We Cannot Survive’  – https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/iran-bagher-qalibaf-hungry/2026/08/23/id/1267062/

Is Trump going to TACO because ‘Iran is Hungry’?

Iran’s Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf responded in double quick time : MAKE AMERICA HUNGRY AGAIN! You can’t cover up defeats with false claims.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Today is Trump and Bessent’s D-Day. We will as promised by these two see the details in a presentation today. Bessent announced: “At dawn begins an economic D-Day — the single greatest financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary,” Bessent said. He is set to announce the sanctions during a conference starting at 14:00 ET (18:00 GMT) on Monday. Bessent said any country still allying itself with Iran will become a “global pariah.” So, to use street talk, Bessent slammed it on the table but nobody is impressed. China formally stated that they are not impressed and people should really become realistic.

(It is remarkable that the D-Day arrives the day after Canada told the US to stick their list of demands where it fits. The list of demands looks exactly like post-war demands after a capitulation. Trump did say that Canada wants to act like a US State but they don’t want to be a US State. So far it seems as if Canada has not put up the white flag and the commentary in the social media is who is the biggest fool, Bessent or Oily Pete Hegseth.)

Iran is setting up to hand out pain and apply costs.

⚓️ IRAN TIGHTENS ITS GRIP ON THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ – Non‑Compliant Vessels Face Seizure

Tehran is turning its wartime leverage into a permanent legal regime. The new rules are immediate and binding.

🔴 What the Iranian Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) announced:

📜 Vessels violating Hormuz protocols will face fines, detention, or confiscation.

🛑 Cargo owners are now required to check the “Non‑Compliant Vessels” list before chartering ships to or from the Gulf.

⛓️ Any vessel cooperating with a listed ship (even via ship‑to‑ship transfers) will also be added to the list.

✅ The measures take effect immediately, tightening Iran’s control over all commercial traffic.

Elijah Magnier

Washington may now reconsider, delay or abandon the proposed additional sanctions against Iran.

Tehran has warned that, if the measures are imposed, it could target Gulf oil exports that bypass the Strait of Hormuz—principally Saudi and Emirati shipments through the Red Sea and Fujairah (without mentioning these countries). Iran has also announced a stricter enforcement regime for vessels transiting Hormuz.

Ships found violating Iranian transit regulations may face penalties during subsequent passages, including fines, detention or confiscation. Vessels conducting ship-to-ship transfers with blacklisted ships will also be subject to sanctions. Any ship seeking removal from Iran’s blacklist must submit a formal request and provide an explanation to the Iranian authorities.

Iran is therefore signalling that further American sanctions will not remain a unilateral economic measure. Tehran intends to impose costs on maritime traffic through Hormuz and, potentially, on the alternative export routes designed to circumvent it.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

There is a stream of leaders and others heading to Tehran.  Oman, Pakistan (Munir) again and others.  Pakistan continually says that they may have the power to find some kind of negotiation.  Let me immediately swim against the stream.  Commentators say that Trump (as the depiction clown of collective West) is looking for an off ramp.  What nonsense!   They are looking for any ramp that can take them to taking the oil and maintaining the exorbitant dollar privilege.  If they can reason that nukes will be less damaging to themselves than to the other side, they will use them.  At the moment, a 50/50 calculus may do it for them.  They will abuse their own to reach the real objective and that goes for the whole world – it is planetary primacy, not negotiations to ‘reach a deal’.     

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Some are keen to know what the real story is in terms of the invitation from the members of the Mecca Agreement to Iran, to join. Yes, there was an invitation, but seemingly not very formal. This is worth reading and thanks for our commentator JB: https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/mecca-agreement-muslim-nato-or-yet-another-baghdad-pact.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Guyana’s UN Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights and one of the Security Council’s sharpest critics of the Israeli war on Gaza, took the lead in the race to become the next UN secretary-general, topping the council’s second informal straw poll with eight “encourage” votes.

She overtook Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, who had led the first round in July but slipped to a tie for second alongside IAEA chief Rafael Grossi of Argentina.

As Guyana’s envoy, Rodrigues-Birkett has repeatedly condemned the Israeli war on Gaza, previously telling the council that Israeli strikes reflected “a complete disregard for the humanitarian principle of proportionality” and amounted to “the senseless massacre of the Palestinian people.”

The winner will succeed António Guterres, whose second and final term ends on December 31.

Al Mayadeen

So, we have to look out for the dark horse or more than one in this lineup.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Israel is cruel and blood thirsty as we have not seen before. The bitter carnage, killings and murder continues. Israel will not stop unless militarily forced to stop.

An International Protection Presence in West Bank/east Jerusalem and Gaza is absolutely URGENT.

Third states have an obligation, per the ICJ, to act to end Israel’s unlawful occupation.

Will #UNSG‘s good offices and #UNGA (#Uniting4Peace) help overcome the #UNSC paralysis? https://t.co/5uYq8kD1YO

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) August 24, 2026

If this is the start of the conversation it is a good thing:

Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chas Freeman:

Israel has no strategy for survival in the long term. It assumes that it can always live by pointing a gun at everyone else, and this is not a survival strategy by any standard.

So there are grave doubts in Israel about its longevity as a state.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

China is busy with humanoid robot games. It is fascinating and besides the fact that humanoid robots can be good for humanity, and of course you know that the bottom line is to build a robot military, these humanoid robots sure are very ugly. These ones though are too cute.

🔹🔹🔹🔹

Russian MoD❗️ Last night, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued to launch group strikes by air-based high-precision weapons and drones at the ports of Ukraine and vessels engaged in delivering cargo to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

📍 The following targets were eliminated in the port of Yuzhny, Odessa region:

▪️ a tanker delivering petrol, oil, and lubricants to the AFU;

▪️ five tanks with fuel for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of a POL depot;

▪️ 10 depots with military equipment on the territory of a logistics terminal;

▪️ port infrastructure facilities used for unloading and storing military cargo.

💥 In addition, the PS-330 Adzhalik electrical substation (28 km north-west of Odessa), which enabled the functioning of the port of Yuzhny, was hit.

Ukraine is beginning to legislate to conscript women to the military. Europe and the UK are reducing financial and other support for Ukrainians who have escaped the war, wanting to force them back for the meat grinder, and Ukraine is unable to field missile defense. Numbers are that just on 50% of Ukrainian military are conscripts mainly from Latin America. In addition, Ukrainian soldiers are active in the Sahel region in Africa.  That is our new and improved ISIS.

🔹🔹🔹🔹