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The week in Global Affairs
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US strikes on Iran continued for most of the week, widening threats to military sites and critical infrastructure while casualties, war costs, and disputed accounting intensified domestic pressure. A pause then opened talks over Hormuz, but shipowners still viewed the strait as unsafe and negotiations remained fragile.
Houthi threats against Saudi shipping developed into claimed tanker attacks, vessel turnarounds, and Saudi interceptions and strikes. The campaign expanded the maritime crisis beyond Hormuz, raising rerouting, insurance, and energy-logistics costs without confirmed production losses.
Washington's 50% tariffs on Canadian goods deepened into a broader tariff regime affecting more countries and products. The measures strained trade negotiations and overshadowed new cross-border infrastructure while prompting resistance from affected partners.
Ukraine replaced its top military commander amid battlefield and mobilization pressures while Russian strikes continued against civilian, commercial, and defense-linked targets. Kyiv also struck an Iranian-linked vessel in the Caspian and faced a new Russian drone incident in NATO airspace, widening the war's strategic perimeter.
Israeli strikes and displacement in Gaza undermined a claimed ceasefire framework as violence and settlement pressure intensified in the West Bank. Disputes over Lebanon border returns and Iran's demand that Israel halt attacks there tied the separate fronts more closely to regional diplomacy.
China and the Philippines traded accusations after another confrontation at Second Thomas Shoal, while Manila sought US pressure on Beijing. At the same time, Taiwan accelerated preparations for a possible maritime blockade, linking local confrontations to broader coercive pressure around regional sea lanes.
US-Saudi nuclear agreements opened a dispute over enrichment and reprocessing safeguards, with congressional and Israeli proliferation concerns. Trump then tied the arrangement to Saudi normalization with Israel, making nuclear policy part of a wider regional bargain.
Wildfires spread near cities in France and Spain as extreme summer conditions strained emergency services. By week's end, fires had forced more than 200,000 people, and possibly nearly 300,000, to evacuate or shelter.
Day’s Recap