Iran threatens Red Sea closure as war with US expands to Gulf allies

Iran warned it would close the Red Sea via Houthi proxies if the US strikes its power grid, threatening a second global energy chokepoint. President Trump used a primetime address to allege Chinese election interference, while the UK committed €300 million for Ukrainian fighter jets. Separately, Manila formally protested a racist Chinese state media video depicting Filipinos as monkeys.

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Iran threatens Red Sea closure and strikes US allies in Kuwait, Oman, Syria. Iran warned it will order Houthi allies to close the Red Sea oil route if the US hits its power network, threatening a simultaneous blockade of two global energy chokepoints. The IRGC claimed retaliatory strikes on US positions in Syria, Kuwait, and Oman as Washington launched its sixth straight night of attacks. 1 2 3 4

Trump alleges China hacked elections as Xi promotes AI openness. President Donald Trump used a primetime address to release 'declassified' documents alleging Chinese interference in US elections ahead of the midterms. Hours earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a landmark keynote at the World AI Conference, championing open-source AI development. 5 6

UK funds Gripen jets for Ukraine as Kyiv strikes 12 Russian shadow fleet vessels. Prime Minister Keir Starmer committed €300 million to deliver Swedish Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, bolstering its air defenses and supporting 5,000 UK jobs. On the battlefield, Ukrainian drones struck 12 Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Black Sea as part of a campaign to disrupt sanctioned oil exports. 7 8

Philippines demands takedown of racist Chinese AI monkey video. Manila issued a formal protest over an AI-generated video from state-controlled China Daily that depicts Filipinos as a monkey, calling it dehumanizing and racist. The video, referencing the 2016 South China Sea arbitration award, has further inflamed territorial tensions between the two countries. 9 10 11

US tariffs shake up Brazil presidential race as candidates trade blame. The Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs on thousands of Brazilian imports, injecting the trade war into Latin America's largest electoral contest. President Lula da Silva and challenger Flavio Bolsonaro traded accusations over who orchestrated the levies, which exempted beef and coffee. 12 13

Musk endorses Le Pen for presidency, sparking French interference fears. Billionaire Elon Musk called French far-right leader Marine Le Pen 'France's last hope' on his platform X, triggering accusations of foreign election interference. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot criticized the open endorsement, citing Musk's control over the X algorithm and global influence. 14