The Babylon Times

📜 ISRAELI INVESTORS SNAG 70% OF CYPRUS VILLAGE TROZENA, LOCK IT DOWN WITH PRIVATE GOONS Israeli investors snapped up around 70% of Trozena in southern Cyprus, taking hold of most of the land and plenty of buildings. Hired private security firms now bar access to chunks of the village, shooing away visitors from select spots. Cypriot authorities insist the place is still under state control and folks can enter. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 US DEMANDS IRAQ'S NEXT PM ALI AL-ZAIDI PURGE PRO-IRAN ARMED GROUPS FROM STATE TO GET BACK ITS CASH AND AID The United States insists Iraq's incoming prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, must cleanly sever the state from pro-Iran armed groups before Washington coughs up financial transfers and security aid. A senior U.S. official laid it out Tuesday: boot militia members from state institutions, slash their government funding and salaries, and draw a hard line between the state and these groups. Source: CBS News. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRAN SEIZES TRAITORS' PROPERTIES TO REBUILD WAR-DAMAGED AREAS Iran's judiciary grabbed assets from 40 homeland traitors and enemy-collaborator bigwigs in a network. The loot now funds reconstruction of war-torn zones. This ramps up recent orders to speed through cases against those cozying up to adversaries, complete with hasty asset grabs. @TheBabylonTimes

UPDATE:📜 TRUMP SUSPENDS FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION FARCE IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ TO CHAT UP IRAN Trump's pausing the so-called Freedom of Navigation ops through the Strait of Hormuz, just a short-term thing to sniff out a deal with Iran. Comes right after the French ship CMA CGM San Antonio—US-backed in its Strait crossing—got its transmission and reception gear neatly disabled. A British maritime outfit hid the spot to dodge admitting the US-pushed route's a deathtrap. @TheBabylonTimes

UPDATE:📜 FRENCH SHIP CMA CGM SAN ANTONIO TARGETED AFTER US-BACKED STUNT IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ French vessel CMA CGM San Antonio got hit while trying to muscle through the Strait of Hormuz, courtesy of US muscle. Attack knocked out its transmission and reception gear. Britain's Maritime Navigation Organization buried the location to dodge admitting the US-pushed route was a deathtrap. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 FRENCH-OWNED CARGO SHIP CGM SAN ANTONIO STRUCK BY SUSPECTED CRUISE MISSILE NEAR DUBAI A French-owned cargo ship, the CGM San Antonio, took a suspected land-attack cruise missile hit late Tuesday in the Gulf near Dubai. Several Filipino crew members injured. U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre noted a cargo vessel smacked by an unknown projectile. Two U.S. officials confirmed the details to CBS News. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 NETANYAHU OFFERS SOLIDARITY TO UAE'S SECURITY MEASURES IN RARE CALL UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a rare phone call this week. Netanyahu expressed solidarity with and support for the UAE's security measures, as if the occupation's stamp of approval makes it all legit. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

UPDATE:📜 IRANIAN FM ARRIVES IN BEIJING AMID REGIONAL TENSIONS INCLUDING STRAIT OF HORMUZ INCIDENTS Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi touched down in Beijing, China's capital. Photos capture his airport arrival and city entry. The trip unfolds against ongoing regional tensions, with recent Strait of Hormuz flare-ups in the mix. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRAN AMBASSADOR MOCKS TRUMP'S BACKDOWN FROM HORMUZ "OPERATION FREEDOM" Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri, took a jab at Donald Trump's retreat from "Operation Freedom" in the Strait of Hormuz.

"He who repeats a tried and failed experiment will end up regretting it."

This lands as ships keep getting hit there, like the CMA CGM-owned San Antonio targeted yesterday while passing through. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 CMA CGM SHIP SAN ANTONIO HIT BY PROJECTILE IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ Shipping giant CMA CGM confirms its vessel San Antonio got targeted yesterday cruising through the Strait of Hormuz. UKMTO chimes in with a report of a cargo ship nailed by some unidentified projectile right around then, during transit. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 FUJAIRAH PORT EMPTY OF OIL TANKERS AS UAE EXPORTS SET TO DROP AGAIN Fujairah port in the UAE sits barren, not a single oil tanker in sight. UAE crude oil exports are poised to slump once more next month, courtesy of this glaring void. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 JONATHAN POLLARD PLANS ISRAELI PARLIAMENT RUN ON PLATFORM OF FORCIBLY REMOVING PALESTINIANS FROM GAZA Jonathan Pollard, the ex-US intel analyst who spied for Israel before getting sprung, popped up on TV to declare his bid for a Knesset seat. His big idea: boot Palestinians out of Gaza by force so Israel can annex and settle the place. He pins his political itch on the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, slamming Israel's leaders for leaving citizens exposed. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

UPDATE:📜 CHINA KEEPS FEEDING IRAN AND RUSSIA'S DRONE HABIT DESPITE US SANCTIONS China's still shipping dual-use parts for Iran's and Russia's drone programs, sanctions be damned. Small outfits openly export drone engines, batteries, fiber-optic cables, and chips, dodging restrictions like pros. Take Xiamen Victory Technology hawking German-designed L550 engines tied to Iran's Shahed-136 attack drones in recent dust-ups. WSJ @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRANIAN FM MEETS CHINESE COUNTERPART AMID DUAL-USE DRONE PARTS FLOW TO IRAN AND RUSSIA Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi huddled with China's Wang Yi in China, chatting bilateral ties while Chinese outfits like Xiamen Victory Technology keep shipping drone engines, batteries, fiber-optic cables, and chips to Iran and Russia. These "commercial" goodies power Iran's Shahed-136s in recent dust-ups and dodge those pesky U.S. sanctions with ease. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 TRUMP PAUSES PROJECT FREEDOM ESCORTS THROUGH STRAIT OF HORMUZ FOR IRAN TALKS President Trump temporarily paused "Project Freedom," the U.S. military operation escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz. He did so to give ongoing negotiations with Iran more breathing room. The broader U.S. blockade strangling Iran stays firmly in place. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 EXPLOSION ROCKS QESHM ISLAND IN IRAN AMID ISRAELI STRIKE REPORTS Reports note the sound of an explosion near Qeshm Island in southern Iran. The island sits in the Strait of Hormuz, packed with civilians and key infrastructure. Unverified sources, Al Jazeera among them, tie it to Israeli attacks on Iranian turf. No word yet on casualties or damage. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRANIAN ADVISOR WARNS US FORCES: NO NORMANDY PICNIC, JUST TABAS AND ISFAHAN REPLAY Brigadier General Mohsen Rezaei, Iranian military advisor to the Leader, says Iran's armed forces are fully prepared and on high alert. He warns any US forces entering the country won't get a Normandy or Sicily walkover, but a taste of the Tabas and Isfahan incidents—urging them to ditch the illusions. This amid reports of an earthquake along the Iran-Iraq border strip. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRAN SLAMS UAE FOR COLLUDING WITH US AGGRESSORS HOSTING THEIR BASES Iran's Foreign Ministry called out UAE bosses in Abu Dhabi for sabotaging moves alongside warring parties against the Islamic Republic, like keeping US military bases and gear on their soil. The statement flags serious fallout for regional peace. Past two days, as US forces ramp up illegal provocations—including navy ships posing as aid—Abu Dhabi cozied up to the aggressor, ditching neighborly vibes and UN Charter rules, all to poke at Iran's security. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 GERMAN CHANCELLOR MERZ DEMANDS IRAN END NUCLEAR PROGRAM AND STRIKES ON ISRAEL Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz insists Iran must immediately join negotiations, quit delaying, and stop holding the region hostage. He calls for a complete, permanent shutdown of Iran's military nuclear program, plus no more strikes on Israel and its partners. This as Iran rolls out new Strait of Hormuz rules: ships notify authorities, follow electronic navigation, get permits from a fresh government body. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

UPDATE:📜 IRAN LAUNCHES SHIP SNITCH SYSTEM FOR HORMUZ STRAIT Iran's state TV announced a shiny new regulatory setup for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Ships must now tip off Iranian authorities before entering, snag an electronic message spelling out the navigation rules, and meekly accept them for a transit permit. Permits come courtesy of a fresh government body, because why not. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum