🇷🇺 RUSSIA
Putin Denies Cash Request
Russia's defense budget has jumped 42% in a year.
Moscow has already raised VAT and squeezed business for cash.
Yesterday, reports saying Putin "asked" business leaders for money started circulating.
The Kremlin is now denying it, saying no request was made.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said one businessman offered a "very large sum" on his own, for an unrelated cause.
🇮🇷 IRAN
War Hits Harder
Yellowcake is a concentrated uranium oxide powder produced from processed uranium ore. It is an intermediate product in the nuclear fuel cycle, not bomb material by itself. But destroying it can slow a country's nuclear program. The yellowcake plant targeted today is known to be the only one of its kind in Iran.
USA and Israel hit the following Iranian targets:
a heavy water reactor at Iran's Arak nuclear complex
a yellowcake plant in Yazd province
two of Iran's biggest steelmakers.
Iran retaliated across the Gulf with drones and missiles.
Ports in Kuwait were damaged and Doha got missile alerts.
Oil jumped and stocks slid.
Washington says no ground invasion now, but troops are still piling in.
🇸🇦 SAUDI ARABIA
Iran Hits Saudi Base
Satellite image of the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
At least 10 US troops were hurt, two seriously.
Iran hit Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
The strike also damaged at least two refueling planes.
Trump says talks for a deal are moving, but diplomats say they're still far apart.
🇷🇺🇮🇷 RUSSIA & IRAN
Russia Sends Better Drones
Parts of downed Iranian-made Shahed drones used by Russia are piled in a storage room at a research lab in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Russia is reportedly sending (or preparing to send) upgraded drones back to Iran.
These are based on Shaheds Tehran gave Moscow in 2022.
Officials still don't know the shipment size or pace.
Kremlin says the reports are false.
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Trump Turns On NATO
US President Trump speaking at an investment conference in Miami Beach on Friday.
Click for video
TLDR:
^ President Trump said the USA might not defend NATO allies now.
^ His gripe is Europe didn't back his war against Iran.
^ He called that a "tremendous mistake" in Miami Beach.
^ That puts fresh doubt on NATO's core promise before July's summit.
Details
Break. Trump said Friday that the US may stop promising to defend NATO allies if they come under attack.
Speaking at an investment conference in Miami Beach, he said NATO "just wasn't there" when he asked for help and called that "a tremendous mistake."
Then he went further and said the USA spends hundreds of billions protecting Europe and "based on their actions, I guess we don't have to be."
He tied that threat directly to European leaders refusing to meaningfully join his war against Iran.
Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas. On March 16, she said, regarding the war in Iran, “This is not Europe's war, but Europe's interests are directly at stake.”
Europe. European leaders have been wary of both the legality and the logic of attacking Iran.
While they are not assisting with offensive missions, they are continuing discussions on how to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, since it affects energy prices in the EU.
However, Trump criticized their response as too slow.
Timing. This lands just months after NATO countries agreed to push defense spending to 5% of GDP, which had briefly eased his complaints.
Coming Up. Now, NATO heading toward a July summit in Ankara, Turkey, with the biggest question back on the table, whether Trump would actually gut the mutual defense commitment.
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Hacked:
Director’s Personal Email
TLDR:
^ Iran-linked hackers say they got into FBI Director Kash Patel's personal Gmail.
^ They dumped photos and samples from more than 300 emails.
^ The FBI says the data was historical and not government material.
^ The messages seem to run from 2010 to 2019.
^ The awkward part is how basic the target still was.
Details
Breach. A group calling itself Handala Hack Team said it broke into FBI Director Kash Patel's personal email and posted personal photos and documents online Friday.
The group is widely treated by Western researchers as one of several fronts tied to Iranian cyber units.
The material posted included photos of Patel smoking cigars, riding in an antique convertible, and posing in a mirror with a bottle of rum.
The hackers also published samples from what they said were more than 300 emails, appearing to include a mix of personal and work correspondence.
Response. The FBI confirmed Patel's emails were targeted and said it had taken steps to limit any risk. The bureau also said the material was old and did not include government information.
Pattern. This fits a pretty familiar playbook.
An Israeli cybersecurity company Check Point executive said the point was to embarrass US officials and make them feel exposed—not necessarily to expose something damning.
Handala has also claimed recent hacks tied to Stryker and Lockheed Martin staff in the Middle East.
📌 Context. Senior US officials' personal accounts have been hit before, including John Podesta in 2016 and former CIA director John Brennan in 2015.
US intelligence had also warned earlier this month that Iran or its proxies could answer recent conflict with low-level cyberattacks on American networks.
