The Babylon Times

📜 CENTCOM BRAGS ABOUT U.S. FORCES BLOCKING 70+ IRANIAN OIL TANKERS WORTH $13 BILLION U.S. Central Command reports American forces blocking over 70 commercial tankers from entering or leaving Iranian ports. The ships hold capacity for more than 166 million barrels of Iranian oil, valued at over $13 billion. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 WHATSAPP FOUNDER JAN KOUM DUMPS $200 MILLION INTO ISRAELI HOSPITAL Israeli rag Yedioth Ahronoth spills that Jan Koum, WhatsApp's founder, shoveled $200 million to an Israeli hospital. Because nothing says priorities like bankrolling the occupation's medics. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 MELONI PRAISES POLAND'S STEADY UKRAINE HANDOUTS Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni declared that Poland has reliably dished out support and solidarity to Ukraine over the past four years. She insisted on giving Poland special thanks for its unwavering backing in this mess. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 MARCO RUBIO SAYS TRUMP WILL KEEP BLABBING FREELY ON US POLICY WHILE BIDEN "ACTS IN BEST INTEREST" Marco Rubio stated former President Trump will always speak freely about his views on U.S. policy, while the president acts in the best interest of the United States. Rubio added the U.S. can maintain a productive relationship with the Church alongside this approach. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 US ECONOMIST JEFF CAREY PREDICTS EUROPEAN FUEL RUNOUT BY MAY AND US STOCKS GONE BY JULY 4 American economist Jeff Carey casually drops that Europe's fuel reserves will dry up around May, while the US might hit empty by July 4—or even sooner. He doubles down, saying stockpiles in both spots are set to vanish in coming weeks without some miracle intervention. No causes or data offered, naturally. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRAN WARNS UN AGAINST TOLERATING US REBELLION AND LAWLESSNESS Iran's Foreign Ministry confirms Tehran's armed forces are dead set on defending Iranian territory's unity, independence, and sovereignty from any aggression. The ministry warns of serious consequences should the UN put up with what it dubs rebellion and lawlessness from the US governing body. @TheBabylonTimes

UPDATE:📜 MARCO RUBIO DEFENDS TRUMP'S FREE SPEECH ON U.S. POLICY WHILE JABBING NATO ALLIES Marco Rubio's out there shielding President Trump's right to blurt whatever on U.S. policy, insisting Trump always speaks his mind while acting in America's "best interest." Rubio claims this keeps things productive with the Church. He then gripes that some NATO members aren't playing host to U.S. force projection in Europe anymore, calling it a "problem" needing a look. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 US SENATOR RUBIO ADMITS NATO KEEPS FORCES IN EUROPE FOR GLOBAL POWER PROJECTION US Senator Marco Rubio let slip that a main reason for America's NATO obsession is stationing troops in Europe, ready to hurl at whatever global mess they fancy next. He whined that this handy setup's now hamstrung by certain NATO partners, dubbing it a "problem" begging for a poke. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRAN FM SLAMS CIA CLAIM OF 75% MISSILE STOCK AS LOWBALL—REVEALS TRUE 120% CAPACITY Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi calls out a CIA assessment for lowballing Iran's missile inventory and launchers at 75% of February 28 levels. The accurate figure, he says, is 120%. This follows US strikes that damaged Iranian nuclear facilities and halted uranium enrichment, plus Iran's firing of two ballistic missiles and three drones at the UAE, injuring three people. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRAN FIRES FIVE BALLISTIC MISSILES AND 35 DRONES AT UAE, INTERCEPTED MOSTLY BUT DEBRIS KILLS ONE AND SPARKS OIL PORT FIRE UAE authorities claim Iran launched five ballistic missiles and 35 drones at the country. Air defenses intercepted most. Debris from the barrage killed at least one person on a farm in Fujairah and ignited a large fire at the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone oil port. Three Indian nationals took moderate injuries in the mess. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRAN FM CALLS OUT US DIPLOMACY AS RECKLESS MILITARY ADVENTURISM AMID UAE EXPLOSIONS Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says every time a diplomatic solution appears, the US picks reckless military adventurism. He wonders if it's crude pressure or deception trapping the president in a quagmire. Either way, Iranians never bow to pressure. This as explosions rattle the UAE, where Emirati air defenses intercept two ballistic missiles and three drones. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 PUTIN READY TO TALK WITH EU AND ZELENSKYY BUT KYIV LACKS POLITICAL WILL Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced Friday that President Vladimir Putin stands open to negotiations with anyone, including the European Union. Peskov made clear Russia didn't kick off the EU relations freeze and won't beg for chats, but will push dialogue as far as Europe dares. Putin has repeatedly offered talks, even a sit-down with Zelenskyy—strictly to rubber-stamp prior deals after real prep work, given Kyiv's glaring shortage of political spine. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 US WAR REGIME DELIVERS POVERTY CRISIS TO ARAB POPULATIONS A New Arab report lays out how the US war in the region has generously bestowed a "poverty crisis" on Arab populations. UN reports warn that if this keeps up, Arab economies face losses from $120 billion to $194 billion, with double-digit inflation shoving millions into poverty. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 LAVROV WARNS EUROPE PLOTTING HITLER-STYLE REPEAT ATTACK ON RUSSIA Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dropped the truth bomb: plenty of Europeans are openly itching for a redo of Adolf Hitler's playbook, gearing up for round two against Russia. He laid it out during a public appearance, spotlighting the swelling anti-Russia bile across the continent. No examples or proof spelled out, naturally. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 US SENATOR RUBIO MEETS ITALIAN PM MELONI Marco Rubio, the US senator, sits down with Italy's Giorgia Meloni, prime minister. Just another day of Western politicos rubbing elbows, apparently oblivious to the occupation grinding on elsewhere. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRANIAN NAVY SEIZES OIL TANKER OCEAN KOI FOR SABOTAGING OIL EXPORTS Iranian Navy forces grabbed the oil tanker Ocean Koi in a special operation. They detained it for breaching regulations and damaging Iranian interests—specifically by trying to disrupt the country's oil exports and the economic perks for its people. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 HEZBOLLAH DRONE ATTACKS SERIOUSLY WOUND IDF SOLDIER AND INJURE TWO OTHERS Hezbollah slammed IDF troops with two separate explosive drone strikes. One hit inside Israeli territory, the other during their operational romp in southern Lebanon. One soldier took serious wounds, two others moderate injuries. All got evacuated for medical treatment. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRANIAN TANKERS SLIP PAST U.S. NAVAL BLOCKADE LIKE IT'S OPTIONAL It's the latest in a string of cheeky successes, with one tanker hitting Iranian waters three weeks back and another making the Far East five days ago, blockade be damned. Iran's still shuffling some tankers through the Strait, but the U.S.-imposed slowdown has trimmed it to one or two a day from the prior two or three. U.S. Central Command bragged on May 6 about disrupting one empty Iranian-flagged tanker bound for an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 AOC DECLARES BILLION-DOLLAR FORTUNES CAN'T BE EARNED LEGITIMATELY Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez laid it out plain: piling up a billion bucks isn't some honest grind. She says those fortunes come from cornering market power, snapping rules, dodging labor laws, or stiffing workers on their due pay. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRANIAN LAWMAKER MOCKS US NAVY'S PATHETIC FLEET IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ Ibrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for Iran's Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, laid it out plain:

"We have said it before and we repeat: you will not be able to cross the Strait of Hormuz with some frigates and destroyers, nor with your entire naval forces."

@TheBabylonTimes