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🚨 Israeli forces kill another journalist
The IDF released video footage showing an attack on a car with a Palestinian journalist, Muhammad Samir Muhammad Washah.
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🇷🇺🔥 Russian combat laser destroys drone at 1.5 km distance in tests
The working distance of the Posokh laser system developed by LazerBuzz company has been increased by 0.5 km, its developers state, with a fixed-wing FPV UAV successfully destroyed during a mock attack.
👉 The Posokh system is a Russian laser weapon designed to combat aerial targets to protect industrial and critical infrastructure facilities.
It has an integrated radar system and can destroy targets in less than 0.5 seconds, including in automatic mode.
The system operates by physically impacting the UAV based on focused ytterbium laser radiation technology, with the ray power reaching 80kW.
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◻️ Vance claims Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire
◻️ Iranian MFA slams US over ceasefire backtracking
◻️ Iran reroutes ships in Hormuz over mine risks
◻️ Trump questions NATO reliability after talks with Rutte
◻️ EU wants to become a full-fledged nuclear power
◻️ Iran’s yuan-friendly Hormuz fees flip the script on dollar clout
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🗣🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump doubles down on Iran threats: REAL AGREEMENT or shootin’ starts
In a Truth Social post swinging between promises of “no nukes” and “the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN,” Donald Trump drops a teaser of what is to come if the ceasefire with Iran doesn’t harden into a “REAL AGREEMENT.”
The US military (currently “Loading Up and Resting”) is ready to spring into action, he says.
If a deal isn’t reached, then “the Shootin’ Starts,’ bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before.”
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🧑🏻🔬🇨🇳 China just smashed the world record in Antarctica
Chinese scientists successfully drilled 3,413 meters through ice into the Qilin subglacial lake that had been completely isolated for 3M years:
🟠 That’s over 870 meters deeper than the previous world record.
🟠 China used advanced hot-water drilling technology (water heated to 90°C under pressure) — proving it far superior to traditional mechanical methods.
🟠 This is a major demonstration of China's tech prowess and the resilience of its researchers in one of the harshest environments on Earth.
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🇮🇷💵 Iran’s yuan-friendly Hormuz fees flip the script on dollar clout
🔊 Iran’s de facto control of the Strait of Hormuz is giving it a powerful lever to blunt the US’ “maximum pressure” campaign against it, global energy expert Dr Mamdouh G. Salameh tells Sputnik.
While the Hormuz toll system pulls in China’s yuan and stablecoins - chipping away at petrodollar dominance - the US strategy against Iran had already “failed miserably” long before, he notes.
👉 Iran sidestepped US sanctions, exporting roughly 1.5–1.7 million barrels per day—about 90% to China—paid largely in yuan or barter deals, with proceeds convertible into gold via Shanghai Gold Exchange.
💬 Iran’s approach aligns with a broader BRICS push toward settling trade in national currencies rather than the dollar, Dr. Salameh points out.
The BRICS states are “leading the accelerating global de-dollarization drive,” with 90% of trade between China, Russia and India carried out in their national currencies.
It could be argued that the US has targeted Iran’s IT and energy infrastructure to curb crude exports—especially to China—and disrupt alternative payment systems.
But that view overlooks basic energy dynamics, says the expert.
💰 While Trump has pushed for Brent at $40–$60, any strike on Iran’s energy infrastructure is fraught with retaliation in the Gulf, tightening supply and potentially sending Brent toward $150–$200.
💬 “And who would be the biggest loser in the world? No other than the US,” says the expert.
🚨🪖 IRGC shows wave 100 of Operation True Promise 4
The strikes hit 25 strategic positions of Iran’s enemies, the IRGC noted.
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🇪🇺☢️ EU wants to become a full-fledged nuclear power
Europe is indeed attempting to establish its own military and nuclear command that would be independent of the United States’ whims, Egyptian military analyst Mukhtar Gabashi tells Sputnik:
🔸 The idea of establishing an independent European military command, including a nuclear component, gained practical traction in the wake of the United States’ humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021
🔸 The US–Israeli war against Iran has further contributed to Europe’s pursuit of military independence: while Trump kept mocking European leaders and declared NATO a ‘paper tiger’, EU states refused to be dragged into the Persian Gulf quagmire
🔸 Reliance on one’s own capabilities in the military sphere is becoming a key driving force in both NATO and EU politics
🔸 As tensions between the US and Iran seem to be easing, the world may now face a new iteration of a nuclear arms race, with countries that already possess nuclear weapons — such as Britain and France — being the most likely participants
🔸 The United States’ war against Iran has created a new global reality in which the US is no longer the undisputed world leader and countries are increasingly pursuing independence and self-reliance
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🇮🇷 Iranian MFA slams US over ceasefire backtracking
💬 “If this isn’t yet another case of the U.S. early reneging, then what is it?!” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei wrote on X.
🕊🇮🇷 Iranians commemorate the 40th day since the death of their former Supreme Leader
Thousands of Iranians have flooded the streets to honor the memory of Ali Khamenei, the country's Supreme Leader, who was killed at the start of the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran.
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▫️ How Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir brokered the US-Iran ceasefire
▫️ Could the EU build its own nuclear weapons?
▫️ Pakistan’s backchannel breakthrough: Shehbaz Sharif's race against the clock
▫️ Pakistan's shuttle diplomacy: Ishaq Dar's role in the US-Iran ceasefire
▫️ Swinging between threats and talks is what US democracy looks like - Zakharova
▫️ Digital Dugin Edition: Iran war will change the world forever
▫️ Israel ramps up bombing of densely populated areas in Lebanon
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🇵🇰🪖 How Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir brokered the US-Iran ceasefire
The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire just hours before Trump's deadline to strike Iranian power plants and bridges — an attack he warned would wipe out "a whole civilization.”
👉 A key figure behind the scenes: Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir.
He brought three assets to the table:
🔸 First, intelligence credentials. Munir ran both Military Intelligence and the ISI, Pakistan's premier intelligence agencies. He understands backchannel leverage.
🔸 Second, direct relationships with Tehran. He met personally with Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who publicly called Pakistan a "brotherly neighbor" — language Iran reserves for trusted partners, not mere intermediaries.
🔸 Third, personal access to Trump. The US President has repeatedly called Munir his "favorite field marshal.” That direct line allowed Munir to make a single, urgent ask: halt the strikes.
In the 72 hours before the ceasefire, Munir held backchannel talks with US Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to numerous media reports.
Trump later confirmed on Truth Social that he suspended the bombings "based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan."
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🚨🇵🇰 Pakistan’s backchannel breakthrough: Shehbaz Sharif's race against the clock
Just hours before Donald Trump's deadline to strike Iranian power plants and bridges, the US and Iran unexpectedly announced a two-week ceasefire.
One of the architects behind the deal? Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif.
👉 Sharif leveraged Pakistan's longstanding relationship with the US. On April 7, he publicly urged Trump on X to extend the deadline by two weeks. Behind the scenes, he spoke directly with Trump and coordinated with VP JD Vance.
Trump later cited his conversations with Sharif and Pakistan’s Field Marshal Munir as the reason for suspending strikes.
📞 At the same time, Sharif held multiple phone calls with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
🎤 Some media reports have credited Sharif with proposing a two-week pause that includes safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and follow-up talks in Islamabad.
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🇵🇰🤝 Pakistan's unprecedented moment as a US-Iran mediator - expert analysis
👉 What enabled Pakistan to step into a successful mediation role between the US and Iran—and how durable could that success prove to be? Dr. Zahid Shahab Ahmed, Research Fellow at Deakin University, shared his insights with Sputnik.
Why Pakistan?
Pakistan's standing has risen recently, Dr. Ahmed notes. Trump has called its leadership "very strong" and its armed forces chief his "favorite field marshal." Pakistan also has strong ties with Iran – it hosts the world's second-largest Shia community and shares a long border. Its status as a Muslim nuclear power drives it to foster peace among Muslim countries.
💬 "Pakistan, I think it's unprecedented how Pakistan is enjoying very good relationship with not just the GCC countries, with Iran, but also with the US, with Russia, with China," Dr. Ahmed says.
💬 "The overall cost whether costs, infrastructure costs for all the stakeholders have increased a lot, and I think that will force them to reach an agreement," Dr. Ahmed suggests.
🗣 Digital Dugin Edition: Iran war will change the world forever
Iran will never surrender — they live by the spirit of Karbala: earthly defeat for spiritual victory.
Meanwhile, the White House is run by hardline Protestant fundamentalists whose main enemies are Iran, Muslims and Russia.
Who will prevail? 👆
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📹LIVE NOW: Lavrov takes part in International Youth Festival
👉Watch live in our Telegram
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🇺🇸💣 US supercharges Tomahawk orders amid Iran war drain
The US Navy has requested $3 billion to procure 785 Tomahawk cruise missiles for fiscal year 2027, a review of Pentagon budget documents shows.
By comparison, only 55 missiles are being purchased in the current fiscal year, which ends on September 30.
🔶 In just 4 weeks of war with Iran, the US expended more than 850 Tomahawk missiles.
🔶 The Navy has requested $1.5 billion to upgrade existing missiles — a 217% increase over the 2026 fiscal year.
🔶 The overall target inventory for Tomahawk missiles has been set at 3,992 units.
The buildup in strike capabilities is also extending to the US Army, which has requested $2.7 billion for its Mid-Range Capability (MRC) ground-based launcher program, capable of firing Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles.
This represents a 33-fold increase compared to this year’s funding of $82 million, which covered the procurement of just 13 missiles.
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🇷🇺🤖 Russian scientists create first AI for generating high-level research papers
Russia has developed its first AI system capable of conducting scientific research and generating articles - with its work already accepted at a top-tier A* international IT conference.
🔸 The system was developed by Russian scientists from the AIRI Institute, Innopolis University, and ITMO University
🔸 AI independently analyzes literature, runs cloud experiments, and formats publications
🔸 90% of the work is done by the system - humans only verify data
In the future, specialized AI researchers could reduce the burden on peer review - filtering out weak or AI-generated texts before they ever reach human reviewers, its creators say.
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🚨 It's high time for the Global South to demand colonial reparations
The West has made billions by seizing and profiting from frozen assets of Russia, Iran, Iraq, Libya and others — unwittingly creating the perfect precedent for massive reparations claims against itself.
🗣 Ex-UN expert Alfred de Zayas explains exactly how it can be done:
🟠 Create an intergovernmental tribunal to hold the collective West accountable for slavery, imperialism, colonialism, and neo-colonialism.
🟠 Establish mechanisms to calculate full reparations, including material damage, moral harm, and lost profits — with top economists like Jeffrey Sachs, Paul Krugman, and Thomas Piketty potentially involved.
🟠 If responsible countries refuse to pay — freeze or confiscate their assets up to the amount owed.
Good lawyers can make this fully compatible with the UN Charter and international law, De Zayas believes.
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🇰🇵🇷🇺 North Korea tests advanced weapon systems — reports
The DPRK’s Academy of Defence Science and Missile Administration conducted a series of tests of key weapon systems on April 6–8, KCNA reported.
The tests included electromagnetic weapons, carbon fiber bombs, and tactical missile warheads, as well as verification of a mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system.
💬 The Hwasongpho-11 Ka tactical ballistic missile, equipped with a cluster warhead, can “reduce to ashes any target covering an area of 6.5~7 hectares with the highest-density power,” the report said.
🪖 The agency stressed that the tests are part of regular efforts to continuously develop and upgrade the DPRK’s armed forces and strengthen national defense.
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🇮🇷🚢 Iran reroutes ships in Hormuz over mine risks
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announced the adoption of alternative maritime routes through the Strait of Hormuz, citing a “war situation” in the Gulf and potential risks, including naval mines along the main passage.
According to the IRGC Navy, the move is aimed at ensuring maritime safety and preventing threats to passing vessels, with coordination underway to maintain secure navigation in the strategic waterway.
🗺 Two routes have been designated: an inbound corridor from the Sea of Oman via Larak Island into the Gulf, and an outbound route passing south of the island toward the Sea of Oman.
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🗣 Trump questions NATO reliability after talks with Rutte
💬 “NATO wasn’t there when we needed them, and they won’t be there if we need them again,” US President Donald Trump wrote following his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
🚨🇮🇷 Iran war ceasefire ‘political disaster’ — Israeli opposition leader
Israel failed politically and strategically, and didn’t achieve its war goals regarding Iran, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X.
💬 "It will take us years to repair the political and strategic damage that Netanyahu caused due to arrogance, negligence, and a lack of strategic planning," Lapid added.
🚨🤝 Two-week truce is a unique chance to de-escalate the Persian Gulf crisis
🔊 The US–Israeli war against Iran has become a serious challenge not just for its participants but for all Gulf states, Abderrezzaq Gherraf, senior researcher at the Gulf Research Center, tells Sputnik:
The scale of the problems caused by this war has long eclipsed the goals originally declared by the US and Israel. Ordinary people across the globe and the global economy have paid a heavy price.
👉 Though the ceasefire, brokered with the help of Pakistan, is merely a stopgap measure, it provides an opportunity for the US and Iran to work things out through negotiations.
The very fact that the US and Iran are set to negotiate directly, instead of through intermediaries as before, is a major success. There is hope that these talks will finally help put an end to the war.
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🚨 Vance claims Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire
💬 “I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn’t. We never made that promise,” US Vice President JD Vance told reporters.
🇮🇱🪖 Third countries, Israel, can break Iran-US truce with targeted attacks
💬 "It is possible that this fragile truce will be broken. There may be attacks not even by the US, but by, for example, Israel or third countries... But in the end, the parties have no choice but to negotiate," a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and political scientist Konstantin Blokhin says.
🚨☢️ Could the EU build its own nuclear weapons?
The EU has quietly begun exploring its own nuclear weapons capability under the pretext of deterring a supposed Russian threat, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) press release states.
🔊 "A doctrine of pan-European nuclear deterrence is all that the EU Commission can think of doing, given that the Cold War solution of nuclear deterrence has been withdrawn by the US and NATO is basically now a toothless talking shop," physical chemist Dr. Chris Busby tells Sputnik.
🇵🇰 Pakistan's shuttle diplomacy: Ishaq Dar's role in the US-Iran ceasefire
A two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran marks a diplomatic success for Pakistan. The parties now face negotiations for lasting peace, beginning April 10 in Islamabad.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar helped spearhead this shuttle diplomacy. Here’s how:
1️⃣ Dar maintained open lines with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
2️⃣ Dar worked with Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt, and Qatar, and consulted China, resulting in a joint five-point initiative to restore peace. This backing gave Pakistan's mediation additional weight.
3️⃣ A four-time finance minister, Dar has experience in high-stakes negotiations. Both the US and Iran trusted him to convey their red lines accurately — no small feat in a conflict riddled with mistrust.
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🚨🇷🇺 Swinging between threats and talks is what US democracy looks like - Zakharova
US inconsistency toward Iran reflects the nature of American democracy, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in response to a question from Sputnik.
🗣 "Such is this peculiar democracy in its Western interpretation," Zakharova said. "This is American democracy—their democracy, which they value so highly."
Before shifting to negotiations, the US administration issued a series of ultimatums—at times demanding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, at others threatening to destroy Iran's civilian infrastructure.
💬 "One can only hope this will truly mark a new stage—a negotiating, political, and diplomatic phase of settlement that should lead to long-term, positive results," Zakharova said.
🚨🇮🇱 Israel ramps up bombing of densely populated areas in Lebanon
📅 On April 8, following a series of Israeli drone attacks across multiple points in southern Lebanon, the situation unexpectedly escalated, reports Sputnik correspondent Abdul Qadir al-Bay.
Israeli aircraft carried out 135 strikes targeting Beirut, the Mount Lebanon region, Saida, and southern Lebanon. The attacks also affected the Bekaa Valley.
The strikes hit densely populated areas that had not been previously evacuated. The death toll currently exceeds 100, according to the Ministry of Health.
👉 The escalation comes after reports of a ceasefire agreement reached between Iran and the US.
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