The Babylon Times

📜 LULA SAYS TRUMP THINKS WAR WITH IRAN IS OVER DESPITE US AGGRESSION AND IRGC STRIKES Brazilian President Lula reports US President Trump reckons the war with Iran is already wrapped up—reality begs to differ. Lula's done bickering with Trump over his rosy conflict views. This comes after US forces hit an Iranian oil tanker near Jask port, with IRGC Navy firing back at US warships in the Strait of Hormuz. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

UPDATE:📜 US TARGETS IRANIAN TANKER AND STRIKES CIVILIAN COASTS AS IRAN HAMMERS US VESSELS WITH MISSILES US forces hit an Iranian oil tanker leaving Jask waters for the Strait of Hormuz, plus another ship nearing Fujairah in the UAE, while bombing civilian zones along Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island coasts—in cahoots with regional pals. Iran's military fired back at US ships east of the strait and south of Chabahar, landing serious damage via ballistic missiles, anti-ship cruises, and drones in a big joint push. Iranian media says no civilian casualties in Hormozgan so far. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRGC NAVY HITS BACK AT US WARSHIPS AFTER ATTACK ON IRANIAN TANKER NEAR JASK IRGC Navy says US military struck an Iranian oil tanker near Jask port, with US warships closing in on the Strait of Hormuz. In response, they unleashed a large-scale operation on US destroyers—anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles, plus kamikaze drones packing high-explosive warheads. IRGC intel reports significant damage to the vessels, sending three American warships scurrying out of the Strait area. @TheBabylonTimes

UPDATE:📜 IRAN WARNS UAE: TREATED LIKE KURDISTAN, READY FOR ATTACKS ANYTIME This follows US forces hitting an Iranian oil tanker from Jask waters toward the Strait of Hormuz, plus another vessel near UAE's Fujairah port, with airstrikes on civilian zones along Khmir and Sirik coasts and Qeshm Island, courtesy of regional collaborators. Iran's forces hit back, slamming US ships east of the strait and south of Chabahar, dealing serious damage. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 FBI BOSS KASH PATEL POLYGRAPHS DOZEN-PLUS STAFF TO SNAG LEAKS FBI Director Kash Patel ordered polygraph tests for more than two dozen current and former FBI staffers, including his security detail and IT folks, all to hunt down internal leaks. This comes as Patel grows increasingly isolated from senior FBI leadership amid controversies over his conduct and management. Word from MS NOW. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 LULA GUSHES OVER TRUMP BROMANCE AS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT Brazilian President Lula calls his tie with US President Trump immediate and positive, straight-up "love at first sight" with strong chemistry. He hopes the dynamic keeps rolling. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRAN'S REVOLUTIONARY GUARD UNLEASHES MISSILE BARRAGE ON ATTACK SOURCES AFTER US WARSHIPS HIT Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps fires ongoing missile volleys at the origins of recent aggression. This comes after American warships took hits from missiles and suicide drones near the Strait of Hormuz and in the Gulf of Oman, plus a cruise missile smack on one off Abu Dhabi. The back-and-forth trashes civilian infrastructure across Gulf states—ports, airports, you name it. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 LULA SHARES SNAPS FROM CHUMMY WHITE HOUSE CHAT WITH TRUMP AMID US-IRAN NAVAL SHOWDOWN Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva dropped new photos from his White House sit-down with U.S. President Donald Trump. The pics capture their discussions while U.S. stirs naval tensions with Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and Sea of Oman. Agenda and outcomes? Zilch disclosed. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 CRUISE MISSILE TARGETS US WARSHIP OFF ABU DHABI AS EXPLOSIONS ROCK CITY AND BARRAGES HIT MORE VESSELS Urgent reports confirm a cruise missile—Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis model—launched at a US warship parked off Abu Dhabi. Explosions rattle the city while repeated missile and suicide drone barrages slam three US warships near the Strait of Hormuz, plus American vessels in the Gulf of Oman. Video captures the missile streaking skyward in a smoke trail straight for the silhouetted US warship on the horizon over darkening waters. @TheBabylonTimes

UPDATE:📜 ROCKET AND DRONE BARRAGES HIT U.S. WARSHIPS IN SEA OF OMAN Rocket and drone barrages zeroed in on U.S. warships and vessels lurking in the Sea of Oman. This comes right after three U.S. Navy ships took missile and suicide drone fire near the Strait of Hormuz, sending them scurrying back. Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps strikes target sources of recent U.S. assaults on ports in Qeshm and Bandar Abbas. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRAN DUMPS UAE AS NEIGHBOR, CALLS IT ENEMY BASE AFTER SUSPECTED FLAGLESS ATTACK Iran's parliamentary National Security Commission member Ali Khodarian declares the Islamic Republic now sees the United Arab Emirates as a hostile enemy base, not a neighbor. He suspects Emirati aircraft ditched their flags and struck Iranian soil directly. This follows air defense clashes over Tehran, huge blasts in Bandar Abbas, and intercepts of hostile targets near Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 US STRIKES IRANIAN PORT OF BANDAR ABBAS AND QESHM ISLAND AS IRAN FIRES BACK A massive explosion rocks Bandar Abbas, Iran's key southern port city. Fox News, quoting a senior US official, pins it on US armed forces hitting Bandar Abbas and nearby Qeshm island. Iranian air defenses kick in, slamming hostile targets, with fresh blasts lighting up the port. MP Ali Khodarian from the parliamentary security committee declares the UAE no longer a neighbor but an enemy base, after suspicions UAE planes struck Iranian soil. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 US MILITARY STRIKES IRAN'S QESHM PORT AND BANDAR ABBAS AIR BASE A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News the military's strikes on Iran's Qeshm port, hitting the Bahman pier and a ship-making facility on Qeshm Island, plus an air force base in Bandar Abbas. Iranian media reported explosions there. Officials noted the sites sit in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed earlier in March. Foreign Minister said a desalination plant on Qeshm got hit, cutting water to 30 villages—U.S. and Israel deny it. Air defenses activated in western Tehran. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRANIAN PARLIAMENT SECURITY CHIEF WARNS REPEAT MISTAKES WILL DRAW STRONGER RESPONSE IN PERSIAN GULF Ibrahim Azizi, head of Iran's National Security Committee in Parliament, laid it out plain:

"You will not get a different answer if you repeat the same mistake over and over; you will only get a stronger answer. Respect Iran's new maritime order."

#PersianGulf. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 RUBIO OKS $25.8 BILLION U.S. WEAPONS DUMP TO BAHRAIN, ISRAEL, KUWAIT, QATAR, UAE Secretary of State Marco Rubio greenlit an emergency arms sale ballooning to $25.8 billion for Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—more than tripling the earlier $8.6 billion whisper. The haul brims with Patriot missile interceptors, though U.S. production bottlenecks mean deliveries could drag on for years. Bloomberg spilled the beans. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

UPDATE:📜 HUNGARIAN TISZA PARTY JUSTICE MINISTER NOMINEE BAILS AFTER ONE WEEK OVER NEPOTISM WHINES Márton Melléthei-Barna, brother-in-law to Péter Magyar and a founding legal bigwig in Hungary's Tisza Party, yanked his Justice Minister nomination after just seven days. He cited dodging "the slightest shadow" on the democratic transition, thanks to opposition gripes about family ties smelling like nepotism. Magyar promises a fresh pick tomorrow, with the new government's oath around May 9. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

The first case of hantavirus has been recorded in Israel in a patient who arrived from Eastern Europe — The Jerusalem Post We're all keeping our fingers crossed for the Hantavirus. Follow Us | Discussion | Boost the Channel ✍🏼 CITIZEN JOURNALISM From @Resistancetoast Forwarded via Marduk by @MasR1980 @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

ats from “authoritarian regimes.” Beijing responded forcefully on 6 May, with China’s Embassy in Israel condemning the visit and accusing MK Boaz Toporovsky, “together with several other MKs,” of having “seriously violated the one-China principle and undermined the political foundation of China-Israel relations.” Reaffirming its position, the embassy declared that “There is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory,” emphasizing that the one-China principle “is a prevailing international consensus and a basic norm governing international relations.” China also pointed to the original China-Israel Joint Communiqué, underscoring that Israel officially recognizes Beijing as “the sole legal government representing the whole of China.” The embassy further accused the delegation of “colluding with ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces” and “provoking confrontation across the Taiwan Strait,” calling their conduct “despicable.” In its strongest warning, Beijing cautioned the lawmakers “not to underestimate the firm resolve of the Chinese government and the Chinese people in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” while stressing “not to believe that one can cross red lines on the Taiwan question without paying any price.” ✍🏼 CITIZEN JOURNALISM From @Resistancetoast Forwarded via Marduk by @MasR1980 @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

China issues fierce rebuke after Israeli lawmakers visit Taiwan, warns against crossing “red lines” over ‘one-China principle’ Tensions flared between Beijing and Tel Aviv after a group of Israeli Knesset members traveled to Taiwan and met with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, triggering a sharp diplomatic backlash from China. The Israeli delegation — including Mickey Levy, Boaz Toporovsky, Ron Katz, and Yonatan Mishraki — reportedly engaged in high-level meetings centered on cooperation in advanced technology, artificial intelligence, and national resilience. President Lai publicly praised the meeting on X, saying he was pleased to host the delegation led by former Knesset speaker Mickey Levy to discuss collaboration “in artificial intelligence, social resilience and other fields.” Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Chih-chung also welcomed the visit, describing it as “meaningful support” for Taiwan amid rising geopolitical pressures in West Asia, while asserting that both sides confront comparable thre

📜 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