China To Arm Iran With Hundreds Of MANPADS Despite Trump Warnings: Report

President Trump has repeatedly said that China's President Xi Jinping has directly assured him that Beijing will not supply Iran with weaponry or military support.

But this week these 'assurances' have been called into question by an Reuters investigation. "Iran is expected to receive within weeks a first shipment out of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers, three sources familiar with the deal told ​Reuters, as it rebuilds its defenses amid war with the United States," the fresh report says.

via Asia Times/X

"The purchase, valued at $60-70 million, is one of Tehran's largest-known efforts to strengthen its short-range air ‌defences since the outbreak of its war with the U.S. and Israel, which exposed gaps in Iran's ability to protect military sites and strategic infrastructure," it adds.

The fresh report cites three anonymous sources and did not receive comment from the Iranian side. Some of the assertions of the Reuters report are surprisingly specific, such as in the following:

The contract covers the purchase of between 300 and 400 man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), including Chinese-made QW-12 and FN-16 missiles, the sources said.

The deal was signed with Zhongqing Baoshang International Investment, a Hong Kong-based company that the sources said was acting as an intermediary between the Iranian ​side and the Chinese supplier.

The reporting even explores options being considered for delivery of the weapons, at a moment Iran is urgently seeking to replenish its air defense supplies after months of grinding tit-for-tat conflict with the US military.

"Two Western intelligence sources and an Iranian official said Tehran had also explored the use of overland routes to move Chinese military supplies and dual-use components ⁠more discreetly and ​reduce the risk of disruption," Reuters continues.

MANPADS could prove especially dangerous for US helicopters and other low flying aircraft, and for Iran can serve as layer of short-range protection.

The opening days of Operation Epic Fury saw much of Iran's anti-air units get taken out, especially across the Western part of the country, giving US-Israeli jets air superiority. However, at times the Iranians have claimed to shoot down some aircraft, and since then the US has seemed to operate from further afar.

Trump wrote on Truth Social just last week that "President Xi, at our recent meeting in Beijing, China, told me that he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell Weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran — And that statement included Chinese Companies."

"Considering our relationship, I take him at his word and, besides, l am doing him very big favors, also. Likewise, President Putin … told me that he would not sell Weapons to Iran," he stated. Trump continued, "Therefore, two major Countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating. If they did, it would be very bad for them — Certainly not in their best interests."

As for Reuters' findings, Beijing as expected has blasted them as lies. China's Foreign Ministry said in response: "The relevant reports are completely groundless. China has consistently played a role ⁠in promoting peace and ending the conflict."

Tyler Durden Wed, 07/29/2026 - 17:25

Anatomy Of The 'Islamophobic' Shooting That Wasn't

Authored by Andrew Bostom via RealClearInvestigations,

On Nov. 17, 2023, Mustafa Ramos, a Muslim man wearing a turban and a robe, was shot in the buttocks while selling Islamic paraphernalia adjacent to the Islamic Center of Rhode Island mosque in Providence.

The 52-year-old man was treated and released from the hospital in two hours. The incident, however, which happened just six weeks after Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attack targeting Israeli citizen non-combatants of all ages, quickly became national and international news as the latest example of an "Islamophobic hate crime."

Following the lead of the initial report in the Providence Journal - which described Ramos as "a big, jovial man with a giant smile" - the Boston Globe, CNN, the U.K. Guardian and U.K. Daily Mail, among others, reported that the shooting was a hate crime while quoting people connected to the Center who felt that they and the larger Muslim community were the real targets.

As the influential albeit Hamas-linked Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) urged the Providence police to investigate the shooting's potential "bias motive," the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Board of Rabbis of Rhode Island issued a joint statement on Nov. 20 denouncing "Islamophobia," while acknowledging that "a motive has not yet been made clear."

That uncertainty was reinforced on Nov. 27 when the Providence Journal reported that Maj. David Lapatin, commanding officer of the Providence Police Investigative Division, cautioned, "To say the mosque was targeted would be premature."

After that, coverage of the shooting all but ended - although the Rhode Island House featured the "Islamophobic shooting" in a resolution it passed in February 2024 condemning "Islamophobia." "It is believed," the resolution stated, "that Mr. Ramos was a target based solely on his faith."

Now, 32 months after the shooting, RealClearInvestigations can report exclusively that the Providence police have concluded that Ramos was not targeted because of his faith. In response to the latest set of queries posed to the police as part of RCI's 18-month-long review of the case, Maj. Lapatin stated in a July 20, 2026, text that while the criminal investigation of the shooting remains "open," and no arrests have been made, his department has determined that Ramos was not the victim of an "Islamophobic hate crime."

RCI's reporting also shows that even as the Islamic Center's "spiritual leader" in Providence, Imam Sackor, and the national organization CAIR, cast the incident as part of a growing trend of anti-Muslim bias both locally and nationally, sermons preached at the mosque repeatedly espoused hateful rhetoric that demeaned and even threatened non-Muslims.

The Shooting

The official Providence Police incident report on the shooting does not reveal how or when Dean Scott Ramos adopted the name Mustafa. It does report that the Maine resident made frequent trips to the Providence mosque where he would set up a table to sell Islamic merchandise. On Nov. 17, 2023, the mosque's surveillance video footage shows a masked man lurking nearby for about 20 minutes before firing four or five rounds at Ramos from a moving car that he was driving. One of the bullets struck Ramos in the buttocks.

Three days later, Ramos, who said he spent two hours in the hospital getting treated for superficial wounds, told a detective during a phone follow-up interview that "he was feeling better and confirmed that he had been shot one time." Ramos also insisted that "he still believed he was targeted due to his religion [Islam] and the [Muslim] clothing he was wearing."

Ramos amplified this claim in an appearance in a December 2023 appearance on the local Providence area "Club Ambition" podcast. Asked if the shooting was related to his faith, he responded, "Of course it is. You know, of course it is. I wouldn't think it would be anything else. … As a Muslim dressed as a Muslim looked like a Muslim. … In front of the masjid (mosque). You know, I mean what would make that, what would it make it different for me, than it would for anyone else? What would be that element?"

He also suggested a fact confirmed to RCI by the police that he was not cooperating fully with the official investigation. "I'll be honest with you," he told the podcast host, "I'm not really interested in their investigation. That's their job. I shouldn't have to tell them to do their job. That's what they get paid for."

Ramos did not tell the podcaster that he had a criminal record. Court records show that Dean Ramos served five years in prison in the early 2000s (commuted from a 20-year sentence) for illegal manufacture and distribution of schedule I/II controlled, potentially addictive substances (examples of schedule I include heroin and ecstasy; examples of schedule II include Fentanyl and OxyContin).

The Investigation

That record might be relevant as the police investigation has revealed that the lone suspect in the shooting has an extensive criminal record. Although no one has been charged in the case, that suspect appears to loom large in the police department's conclusion that Ramos' shooting was not a hate crime. Maj. Lapatin told RCI last week, "After extensive investigation, given the background and behaviors of the lone suspect, we made that logical determination."

According to the incident report, a search warrant was executed, and items "belonging to Nasir Dupont" were "photographed and seized." Although Dupont's religious affiliation is not known publicly, Nasir is a Muslim name derived from the Arabic word "nasir," which means "to help, to aid, to defend."

Public records do show that Dupont, who was born in 2003, is a recidivist criminal, with a history that includes illegal gun possession, robbery and drug-related crimes. He is currently in prison awaiting trial on drug and weapon charges.

The Providence police incident report and supplements indicate their investigation has been stalled by several limitations. These included the fact that the gunman was wearing a mask; their inability to find the getaway car; Dupont's apparent destruction of his text messages on his phone and phone archive; and Ramos's unwillingness to assist with the investigation.

Like Ramos, Dupont has not cooperated with the police investigation. Such lack of cooperation with law enforcement occurs frequently when there are crimes involving victims who have criminal records themselves. Accordingly, a mere 5-19% of non-fatal shootings in urban centers such as Chicago and Boston, for example, result in the perpetrators being arrested. Victim non-cooperation is common in those settings.

RCI's efforts to contact Dupont's family members to find out whether the two men had any previous connection were unsuccessful.

The Providence Police told RCI that it has not received any follow-up inquiries from the media outlets that initially reported the shooting since December 2023. RCI did not receive any responses to its requests for comment from local reporters who covered the incident.

Incendiary Rhetoric

Although news outlets repeated suggestions and claims from Ramos, the Islamic Center's leader Imam Sackor, and CAIR that the shooting was a hate crime directed at all Muslims, none reported on the incendiary rhetoric frequently preached at the mosque, including the weeks and months after the attack on Ramos.

While decrying legitimate hate crimes and acts of bias, experts who track such rhetoric argue that many Muslim leaders advance the idea that their community is under siege to divert attention from the inflammatory language, especially against Jews and Christians, espoused in mosques around the country. The goal, they said, is not just to protect their people but to cast scrutiny of their own words as "Islamophobia." Daniel Greenfield, an investigative journalist who has covered the phenomenon extensively, said the promotion of alleged "Islamophobic incidents" is "a diversion from genuine antisemitic Islamic religious incitement in U.S. mosques, and Muslim violence against American Jews."

The Providence mosque and CAIR did not respond to requests for comment.

RCI's analysis of sermons posted on Facebook that were delivered at the Providence mosque after the shooting attack preached jihadism and hatred toward non-Muslims, especially Jews, but also Christians. Examples include:

• On Dec. 22, 2023, three days before Christmas, it was preached that the Muslim Jesus ("Isa") will destroy Christianity, and in the same sermon, the imam invoked Qur'an (17:4-10 and 2:61/3:112) while accusing Jews of "genocide in Gaza," and reminding Muslims that Jews are "corrupters" to be "punished" and "prophet killers."
• On Jan. 12, 2024, the imam, noted Qur'an 1:7 (which pious Muslims repeat 17-times daily) means it is the Jews who have "incurred Allah's anger," and observed they are "cursed" (Qur'an 5:78), while again accusing "prophet killing" Jews - not the Israel Defense Forces, or Israel - of committing "genocide in Gaza," because of their inveterately evil Qur'anic nature.
• On Jan. 3, 2025, just two days after an armed Muslim man with an ISIS flag in his car killed 14 people and injured 57 others on Bourbon Street in New Orleans the mosque's Imam instructed his followers to treat non-Muslims harshly (citing Qur'an 48:29), and concluded with an Arabic supplication to "fight the disbelievers and polytheists," consistent with the jihad war proclamations of the 9th Quranic sura, or chapter (9:5, 9:29, 9:73, 9:111, etc.).
• On Friday, May 30, 2025, the Islamic Center's sermon, ostensibly about Islam's Hajj pilgrimage to Muslim-only Mecca, evolved into a celebration of jihad conquest, specifically, the "cleansing" of Mecca's pagans (in 630 C.E.), and not long afterward, the attack on Syria's and Iraq's Christians (634 C.E.), all given Islamic religious sanction from the Qur'an's 9th sura, a series of timeless war proclamations. Also in that triumphal vein, the mosque's imam quoted the Qur'an (verses 3:67 and 3:68) to teach that Judaism's patriarch was a Muslim:

"Ibrahim [Abraham] is not a Christian or a Jew. He is someone who worships only one God [Allah]. He is a Muslim." [Q 3:67]…And the people who have the greatest claim to Ibrahim are those who follow his and this Messenger [Muhammad], and those who believe [Muslims] and Allah is the protector of the believers" [Q 3:68]

The imam segued from that traditional Qur'anic supremacism into a derision of Christianity, and an ugly, contemporary blood libel against Jews, and Judaism:

"One group, the Christians, can't articulate what they really believe, what their tawhid (monotheism) means. And the other group (the Jews) has reduced their religion to an ethnic identity that they use to justify a slaughter of innocent people."

The Providence mosque's leaders did not respond to RCI's queries about whether these and other statements were hate speech. They have removed all the mosque's sermons since Oct. 7, 2023, from the center's Facebook page, and no longer live stream them on Facebook each Friday. Ibrahim Hooper, the National Communications Director for CAIR, which decried what it claimed was a surge of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hate after the October 7 attack, declined to comment on the specific examples of the mosque's sermons provided above.

Local politicians, the police, and Jewish and Christian religious leaders did not respond to similar queries.

Providence Mosque Not An Outlier

The failure to report on or respond to the inflammatory sermons is notable because the Rhode Island mosque is not an outlier.

A landmark study whose results were published in two academic journals in 2011, "Sharia and Violence in American Mosques," evaluated the associations between Sharia-adherence, the presence of violence-sanctioning materials at a mosque, and the advocacy of jihadism by the mosque's leadership, in a nationally representative, random statistical sample of 100 U.S. mosques. Eighty-one percent of these representative U.S. mosques were deemed as moderately (30%) to highly (51%) supportive of promulgating jihad violence to impose Sharia. Additionally, only 4.7% of Muslim worshippers attended mosques where jihadist materials were not provided because Sharia-compliant mosques promoting jihad were the most heavily attended.

More recently, a painstaking investigation by the scholar Mansour Al-Hadj of "hundreds of Friday mosque sermons" across the U.S. following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, jihad carnage targeting Israeli non-combatants found a similar message as the bloodshed was cast as an act of faith:

"…almost all the sermons amplify(ied) a single narrative which justifies Hamas's attack as a legitimate act that is based on the command of Allah and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. Therefore, they did not condemn or hold Hamas responsible for killing and abducting civilians, including children and the elderly, and sexually assaulting women…for starting a war…using the Gazans as human shields, or causing the death of thousands of Palestinians…Instead, their sermons, focused on highlighting the similarities between Hamas' attack and the wars fought by the prophet and his companions, demonizing Israel, narrating historical antisemitic stories attributed to the prophet Muhammad and citing verses from the Qur'an that characterized Jews as corrupt, treacherous, untrustworthy, and the killers of prophets."

Researchers at MEMRI TV, which monitors broadcasts from the Arab and Muslim world, report that anti-Christian rhetoric is common at U.S. mosques. The anti-Christian sentiments preached at the Islamic Center of Rhode Island echo hateful Islamic themes about Christians sermonized across the U.S. since Oct. 7, 2023, including:

• On Dec. 8, 2023, Imam Hanif Fouse of Philadelphia maintained Christians were complicit with, and supportive of the Jews, "with whom Allah is angry (Qur'an 1:7) because they killed the prophets (Qur'an 2:61, 3:112). The Christians insult Allah because they claim he has a son," he emphasized.
• Prayers to Allah "to annihilate" the Christians were recited at the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center on Dec. 8, 2023, and June 21, 2024, at the Islamic Center of Lafayette, Louisiana.
• In Fort Lauderdale, FL, on April 19, 2024, an Islamic scholar intoned that while "the Jews orchestrated everything against the Muslims" throughout history, it was the Christians "who executed" those schemes.
• California Pakistani Islamic scholar Qazi Fazlullah, in a video posted on YouTube on Oct. 25, 2024, invoked Quran 5:51, repeating, "Oh believers, do not take the Jews and Christians as allies." He added: "Make them not protectors, or friends, secret keepers, depending on them, or trusting them," because (citing Qur'an 5:51) "they are the allies of one another." Imam Fazlullah concluded that befriending them "goes against Islam and Muslims," and is "not allowed."

FBI statistics show that hate crimes are committed against members of many religious groups, but there is no evidence that the United States is suffering an epidemic of Islamophobia. For the period July 15, 2021 to July 15, 2026, for example, the bureau recorded roughly 60,000 bias-related incidents, of which 1,163 were classified as anti-Muslim.

The Rhode Island mosque incident suggests a concerted effort by some Islamic organizations to portray their community as under siege and that many media outlets actively reinforce this narrative, while ignoring the often hateful speech routinely uttered in mosques across the country.

"This seems to be yet another incident that was hyped by officials and the media as 'Islamophobic' but turned out to just be a criminal act," Greenfield said. "False allegations of Islamophobia are not only politically damaging; they endanger the public and destroy trust in police departments" and among members of the communities in which the charges are made.

Tyler Durden Wed, 07/29/2026 - 17:05

Energy Department Issues Emergency Order To Secure Power Grid In 17 US States

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued an order to tackle an energy emergency situation across 17 U.S. states triggered by hot weather conditions.

An aircraft takes off from Los Angeles International Airport behind electric power lines in El Segundo, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2022. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The July 26 emergency order was issued by Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to Southwest Power Pool Inc. (SPP), the regional grid operator for the 17 states.

According to the order, SPP is expecting hot weather conditions through Aug. 3. The operator requested the department to allow specific power generation units to run beyond their operating limits in order to ensure grid reliability. It also sought authority to unlock and deploy backup generation resources at data centers and other industrial and commercial customer sites to counter any risk to the bulk power system.

Wright determined that statutory emergency situations exist in certain regions, serviced by the SPP, owing to sudden increases in demand, "a shortage of electric energy, a shortage of facilities for the generation and transmission of electric energy, and other causes," the order said. Homes and local businesses in the affected areas could lose power, presenting a risk to public safety and health.

The energy secretary allowed SPP to dispatch power-generating units "as needed to maintain reliability," according to the order. In addition, SPP is authorized to use backup resources to operate as a last resort before issuing an Energy Emergency Alert 3 - the highest level of energy emergency action.

The emergency order applies from July 26 to Aug. 3.

In a July 26 statement, DOE said the order would stabilize the power grid and mitigate blackout risks, highlighting that outages cost American people around $44 billion annually.

"The Trump Administration is tapping into an abundant supply of unused backup generation to maintain affordable, reliable, and secure power for hardworking American families and businesses," Wright said in the statement.

The department estimated the total nationwide unused power generation to be at over 35 gigawatts.

The emergency order comes as the National Weather Service (NWS) predicted in a July 28 post on X that "dangerous and extreme" heat would remain across portions of the central United States this week.

In a July 28 forecast, the Weather Prediction Center said the southern United States is expected to see above-normal temperatures for the next few days, with afternoon highs reaching upper 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

High heat combined with high humidity can result in widespread "Major to Extreme HeatRisk levels," with people lacking adequate cooling or hydration at risk of heat-related illnesses, according to the center. By the end of this week, the "dangerous heat" is forecast to expand into the Southwest and Intermountain West, the center said.

Strengthening Power Grid

Amid high heat conditions, other major power grid operators have also issued operational alerts.

On July 28, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which serves 15 states, released a hot weather alert update as temperatures in the region are expected to hit 103 degrees Fahrenheit. The alert is effective till the end of this month.

On July 15, PJM Interconnection, the nation's largest electric grid operator that serves 13 states, had declared a hot weather alert that remained in effect through July 17. Such an alert is issued to prepare power generation facilities and personnel to meet a jump in electricity demand.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, the DOE announced $1.9 billion in funding opportunities to strengthen the U.S. power grid, with the funds coming from a five-year grid resilience program.

The funding will prioritize projects that expand grid capacity, replace existing power lines with higher-capacity conductors, improve overall system security and reliability, and lower prices for consumers.

According to Katie Jereza, assistant secretary at the DOE's Office of Electricity, the funding will stabilize and optimize America's grid operations, strengthening it for rapid growth.

Wright said in the statement that for too long, "important grid modernization and energy addition efforts were not prioritized by past leaders."

"Thanks to President [Donald] Trump, we are doing the important work of modernizing our grid so electricity costs will be lowered for American families and businesses," Wright said.

Tyler Durden Wed, 07/29/2026 - 16:35

Lemonade Crashes As Customer Growth Miss Spooks Wall Street

Lemonade shares crashed early in the US cash session after the technology-focused insurer reported fewer second-quarter customers than Wall Street expected and announced a transition of its chief financial officer.

The company, which provides renters, homeowners, auto, pet and life insurance in the US and parts of Europe, plunged 18%, marking its steepest intraday decline since July 31, 2024.

The shares are down 30% this year, rapidly reversing a rally that catapulted the stock from about $20 in late 2024 to nearly triple digits. Lemonade peaked at around $96 earlier this year.

What traders focused on was that customers in the second quarter increased 23% to 3.31 million, short of the Bloomberg Consensus estimate of 3.33 million. Revenues in the quarter surged 79% to $294.4 million, beating expectations, while the adjusted EBITDA loss narrowed to $18.7 million from $40.9 million a year earlier. The gross loss ratio improved to 60%, better than the 64.8% estimate.

2Q Earnings Snapshot (courtesy of Bloomberg):

• Loss per share 56c vs. loss/shr 60c y/y, estimate loss/shr 56c
• Revenue $294.4 million, +79% y/y, estimate $290.9 million
• In force premium $1.43 billion, +32% y/y, estimate $1.43 billion
• Gross earned premium $332.4 million, +32% y/y, estimate $329.6 million
• Adjusted Ebitda loss $18.7 million vs. loss $40.9 million y/y, estimate loss $20.4 million
• Customers 3.31 million, +23% y/y, estimate 3.33 million
• Premium per customer $433, +7.7% y/y, estimate $428.39
• Gross Loss Ratio 60% vs. 67% y/y, estimate 64.8%

Lemonade raised its full-year revenue forecast to $1.21 billion to $1.22 billion but maintained an adjusted EBITDA loss outlook wider than consensus.

Nick Stead, currently senior vice president of finance, will succeed Tim Bixby as CFO on Jan. 1, with Bixby transitioning to the board. The company provided no color on the rationale behind the leadership change.

Tyler Durden Wed, 07/29/2026 - 15:45

US State Department Issues Travel Advisory For Caribbean Tourist Destination

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

The State Department updated its travel advisory for the Bahamas, highlighting the risk of crime, including sexual assaults, in the Caribbean nation.

Violent crimes, such as sexual assaults, armed robberies, and burglaries, can occur anywhere in the country, the department said in a July 28 update.

“Most crime occurs in Nassau and Freeport on New Providence and Grand Bahama islands. Stay alert in the ‘Over the Hill’ area in Nassau, south of Shirley Street, where gangs have killed residents. Stay alert in vacation rental properties, especially where private security is not present,” the department said.

Located on New Providence Island, Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas.

The Bahamas has been designated as a “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution” classification.

The advisory specifically warned about jet skiing and boating activities in the Bahamas, highlighting that these are not well regulated in the country. Deaths and injuries involving such activities have been reported. In some instances, jet ski operators have allegedly committed sexual assaults.

The U.S. government has banned its employees from using or renting jet skis and personal watercraft from independent operators on Paradise Islands and New Providence due to safety risks. Some watercraft operators may not be licensed or insured, and may ignore weather forecasts, according to the advisory.

In a June 15 alert, the U.S. Embassy in Nassau had warned Americans about jet ski risks in the Bahamas.

According to the embassy, at least two Americans have reported being sexually assaulted in the Bahamas this year by jet ski operators. Two such reports were registered in 2025, while three were reported in 2024.

Some of the victims alleged that operators had solicited them for rides from the small islands east of Paradise Island, downtown Nassau, and Paradise Island beaches, including areas stretching from Junkanoo Beach to Saunders Beach and Cabbage Beach.

The victims said they were assaulted on isolated islands near Nassau, according to the embassy.

In its latest advisory, the State Department warned travelers to the Bahamas to be aware of their surroundings and stay alert in public restrooms. Sexual assaults have occurred on or near beaches in downtown Nassau.

The department advised people never to swim alone and to be aware of watercraft or jet skis operating close to the shore.

In 2024, roughly 85 percent of the around 11.2 million visitors to the Bahamas were from the United States, according to data from the International Trade Administration.

In addition to the Bahamas, the State Department has issued travel advisories for other nations in the Caribbean.

A July 10 travel advisory updated the alert level for Saint Lucia to Level 2, warning about the risk of crime in the country.

American citizens and other foreigners in Saint Lucia have reported being victims of assault, armed robbery, rape, and burglary. In some instances, U.S. citizens have been killed, the advisory said.

Tourist resorts have been targets of violent crimes. Moreover, response times of local police are not as fast as in the United States.

In April, a State Department advisory warned of crime and terrorism risks in Trinidad and Tobago, designating the country with a “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” classification, the second-most severe travel advisory.

The department advised avoiding beaches, downtown Port of Spain, Fort George, and Queen’s Park Savannah after dark, warning that tourists are vulnerable to armed assault at these sites.

Meanwhile, a “Worldwide Caution” security alert was issued on July 22 by the State Department for Americans due to the heightened tensions in the Middle East.

U.S. diplomatic facilities, within and outside of the Middle East, have been targeted by rivals, with the Iranian regime and its supporting groups likely to target other American interests overseas. Targets may include locations linked to the United States and U.S. citizens anywhere in the world, such as businesses and institutions, according to the department.

“Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise caution and heightened vigilance and should be prepared for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions,” the alert said.

Tyler Durden Wed, 07/29/2026 - 15:30

Houthis Signal Red Sea Shipping Tolls In Mirror Image Of Iran's Hormuz Plan

Houthis have entered the chat...

Already multiple Saudi vessels have been targeted in the Red Sea region, forcing a number of tankers to U-turn, and now Yemen's Houthis are seeking to introduce their own 'toll system' for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

"Yemen's information minister said intelligence confirmed IRGC advisers were directly involved in designing a Houthi-enforced toll system for the Bab el-Mandeb, mirroring Iran's contested claim to charge fees in the Strait of Hormuz," European media reports Wednesday.

Source: Winward

"The Houthi armed group is working with Iran to charge ships to transit the Bab el-Mandeb in the Red Sea, threatening another waterway after Tehran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a minister in Yemen's internationally recognised government said on Wednesday." 

The scheme is to be a mirror image of that Tehran is seeking to enforce in the Strait of Hormuz, where it continues to insist that it will settle for nothing less than its own vision of management, including fee collection for "navigation" "environmental" and safety assurance. According to more via Reuters:

Yemen's Houthi group is considering imposing fees on commercial ships sailing through the southern Red Sea, a week after declaring a naval blockade ​on Saudi Arabia, regional sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The Iran-aligned Houthis on July 20 declared a maritime embargo against Saudi ‌Arabia, opening a new front against the U.S. and its allies in the Iran war and expanding attacks on tankers carrying global energy and other supplies to waters beyond the Gulf.

The US and Saudi backed government in Yemen, which has for over a decade been at civil war with the Houthi rebels, has described the move as "a dangerous escalation aimed at transforming one of the world's most strategic maritime corridors into a permanent source of funding for the militia's military and terrorist activities," according to Yemen's Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani.

The pro-Saudi axis has said it recently obtained "confirmed intelligence" indicating that Iran's IRGC were helping to manage the toll initiative.

"The intelligence indicates that IRGC experts and advisers are directly involved in designing the technical and administrative framework of the project," Eryani added.

Eryani stated this would include "the establishment of a dedicated entity responsible for collecting payments from shipping companies and commercial vessels".

Iran has been pledging to support its ground proxies in Iraq and Yemen, as both since last weekend appeared to begin launching attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities.

Overnight saw a rare joint US-Saudi response with attacks on Iraqi militias. In the case of Yemen, there's not much the coalition can do given the Houthis have remained entrenched even after years of massive bombing campaigns, including strikes conducted solely by the Israeli Air Force at times.

China is said to be in direct talks with the Houthis to allow for passage of Chinese vessels, also based on prior precedent wherein the Houthis allowed Russian and Chinese ships to pass without incident, connected to the prior Gaza war.

Tyler Durden Wed, 07/29/2026 - 15:15