The Babylon Times

📜 TÜRKIYE UNVEILS NEW HIGH-THRUST TURBOFAN ENGINE AT SAHA 2026 IN ISTANBUL Türkiye rolled out its latest high-thrust turbofan engine at the SAHA 2026 event in Istanbul. Cooked up by the Turkish Ministry of Defense's R&D center, the beast pumps out 42,000 pounds of thrust, spans about 465 inches in diameter, and gulps 330 pounds of air per second. Nice flex for Turkey's homegrown aerospace game. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRANIAN EMBASSY IN JORDAN MOCKS TRUMP IN VIDEO Iran's embassy in Jordan delivers its signature sarcasm at former US President Donald Trump via a circulating online video. Embassy staff or reps dish out a satirical message in classic Iranian diplomatic social media fashion. Specific content and context remain unverified. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 ISRAELI OCCUPATION MAXES OUT ALERT AT BEN GURION AIRPORT AMID TENSIONS Israeli occupation authorities crank the alert to maximum at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. Officials gear up for snap closure of airspace, aircraft evacuations, and flights rerouted abroad. Airport soldiers on for now. Comes after Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir bumps military alert to top level. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 TÜRKİYE UNVEILS FIRST INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE YILDIRIMHAN Türkiye rolled out its inaugural ICBM, Yıldırımhan, at the SAHA 2026 expo in Istanbul. The Ministry of Defense R&D center introduced the beast with a 6,000 km range, Mach 9-25 speeds, four engines, and nitrogen tetroxide fuel. Another notch in the belt for homegrown defense muscle. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 PETE HEGSETH CLAIMS US "RED, WHITE, AND BLUE DOME" OVER STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS GIFT TO WORLD Pete Hegseth says the United States has slapped a mighty "red, white, and blue dome" over the Strait of Hormuz, handing it straight to the world. This comes right after his take painting Iran as the big bad trying to boss the strait around, all under President Trump's orders. Hegseth insists Iran doesn't actually control the strait, claims be damned. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 ROMANIA'S PARLIAMENT AXES PRO-EU PM ILIE BOLOJAN IN NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE Romania's parliament ousted Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan via no-confidence vote, toppling his pro-EU minority government. Social Democrats and far-right parties backed the move. President Nicușor Dan now consults parties for a new government, with the usual hand-wringing over instability, EU cash, and the national currency. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 SENATOR GRAHAM THREATENS KURDS OVER ALLEGED WEAPON THEFT AFTER CLAIMING UNARMED US BOOTS IN IRAN Senator Lindsey Graham warns that if evidence shows Kurds stealing weapons, they'll regret it. This comes right after his gem about the U.S. having millions of boots on the ground in Iran, sans weapons. All part of the chit-chat on regional security, U.S. support, and handing out arms. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 SENATOR GRAHAM CLAIMS US HAS MILLIONS OF TROOPS ON IRANIAN SOIL MINUS WEAPONS Senator Lindsey Graham casually dropped that the US has millions of troops deployed on the ground in Iran, just without weapons for now. This gem comes right after Pete Hegseth bragged about a "red, white, and blue dome" dominating the Strait of Hormuz, pinning Iran as the big bad aggressor in the tensions. Graham's line highlights the empire's deepening regional meddling. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 PETE HEGSETH CLAIMS IRAN IS TRYING TO SUBJUGATE THE WORLD Pete Hegseth, in his infinite wisdom, stated that Iran is trying to subjugate the world. Because apparently, that's the go-to line when grasping at straws. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 PETE HEGSETH SAYS TRUMP CALLS IRAN SHOTS WITH ONE HAND ON THE WHEEL Pete Hegseth claims President Trump personally steers U.S. policy on Iran, keeping just one hand on the wheel. This comes after Hegseth's spin framing Iran as the big bad aggressor eyeing control of the Strait of Hormuz. He also smirked that Iran's "dominance" boasts there fell flat, leaving them embarrassed. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 US EMBASSY ORDERS AMERICANS TO FLEE IRAQ OVER IMMINENT IRANIAN MISSILE AND DRONE THREAT The US Embassy in Baghdad bumped its Iraq travel advisory to Level 4—maximum panic—and told all American citizens to scram immediately. Reason: looming Iranian attack with missiles and drones. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 ISRAELI PARATROOPERS DRILL WWII TACTICS FOR SEIZING KEY TERRAIN General Caine boasts that Israeli paratroopers stay perpetually primed to drop from Air Force planes straight into ground fights, ready to grab vital terrain on a whim. They're just dusting off the old playbook from their Sicily and Normandy jaunts in World War II. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 PETE HEGSETH INSISTS CEASEFIRE HOLDS AS ISRAELI AGGRESSION ROLLS ON SEPARATELY Pete Hegseth claims the ceasefire is still in effect and not over. He calls recent actions a separate project. The ceasefire supposedly holds for now, but they'll be watching it very closely. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 TURKISH ROKETSAN UNVEILS NEŞTER GLIDING MUNITION AT SAHA 2026 EXPO ROKETSAN, the Turkish defense outfit, showed off its Neşter smart gliding munition at the SAHA 2026 expo in Istanbul. It's a MAM-L variant with a proximity sensor and warhead packing deployable cutting blades that spring into action right before impact. Targets get neutralized by precise kinetic action—no explosives needed. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 UAE LOCKS DOWN FLIGHTS TO PATHETIC APPROVED ROUTES AMID IRAN WAR CHAOS This after multiple flights bound for UAE got rerouted to Muscat International Airport in Oman. Middle East aviation's a mess from the war with Iran. Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi airports sit closed or crippled, with Dubai International—hooking up 291 destinations—canning up to 82% of flights and stranding hundreds of thousands of travelers in the conflict's first week. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 EGYPTIANS BACK IRAN AGAINST ISRAEL'S LATEST AGGRESSION Egyptians are openly cheering Iran on in its standoff with Israel, flooding social media with chatter and public gripes. Queries like "Why do Egyptians support Iran in its current war?" pop up everywhere, spotlighting shared fury over Israeli military moves. No hard numbers confirm how deep this runs across Egypt's population. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRAN'S JUDICIARY HEAD DECLARES END OF INTERIM REGIME IN GULF WATERS Iran's judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Eje'i announced the interim regime in Gulf waters is kaput. He insists legal backing for the "new regime's" sovereignty there is non-negotiable duty. Any security disruption in the Strait of Hormuz gets a firm smackdown from Iran's forces, with full legal cover for guarding those waters. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 MACRON WARNS AGAINST ESCALATION AS ISRAEL AND US COORDINATE STRAIT OF HORMUZ STRIKE PLANS French President Emmanuel Macron stated any escalation or unilateral military strike against tankers, container ships, or third countries would be a mistake. This follows reports of Israel coordinating with the U.S. on potential actions in the Strait of Hormuz, where tensions threaten the Iran ceasefire. Israeli sources detail plans for a short, targeted campaign possibly hitting Iran’s energy infrastructure and senior officials to pressure Tehran in stalled talks, with the final call on U.S. President Trump. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 US AIR FORCE KC-46A TANKER SQUAWKS EMERGENCY 7700 OVER PERSIAN GULF EN ROUTE TO TEL AVIV A US Air Force KC-46A tanker, playing the role of a KC-135R over the Persian Gulf, hit emergency transponder code 7700 minutes ago while heading back to Tel Aviv through Saudi airspace. An OSINT account on X chimed in:

"I wouldn't be surprised if these two aircraft collided in flight."

@TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRAN DENIES REGIONAL ENMITY, CALLS OUT SUPPORTERS AS COMPLICIT IN AMERICAN AGGRESSION Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson insists the country harbors no enmity toward any regional state. He clarifies Iran targeted them anyway. Per international law, he adds, supporters of this aggression are complicit in the American variety. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum