13 August 2025
Iranian Arrests
In the wake of the 12-day war and the level of infiltration Israel’s intelligence services had within the country, Tehran states that they have arrested over 21,000 ‘suspects’. This is in the wake of the Israeli airstrikes that killed high-ranking Iranian military officials and scientists. There has also been an increase in deportations of Afghan refugees, who some Iranians believe were spying for Israel, but also as an offering to the Taliban regime.
Iran sanctions
The E3 Group, which consists of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, has informed the United Nations that they intend to reinstate major economic sanctions against Iran, if they do not return to the negotiation table regarding their nuclear program by the end of August.
Ukraine
Given the supposed breakthrough of Russian soldiers, Ukrainian forces are reinforcing the area of Dobropillia and Pokrovsk. For some time, the front lines have been blurred with gaps where Russia has been able to infiltrate with smaller groups of soldiers, then squads, and then attempt a breakout. This has been the main Russian tactic before assaults occur with trained troops – a demonstration that Russia has learned from its previous “meat assaults”. It has been expected that some sort of advance would happen before the Trump-Putin talks this week, where a territorial exchange is likely to be put forward in what the White House describes as a “listening exercise”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out any Russian proposal for the Donbas region for a ceasefire. Suppose there is any “permanent” ceasefire. In that case, Ukraine will have to “de facto” permit Russia to hold Ukrainian territory and not recognize it in law (de jure), as it will require a national referendum. This would mean frozen lines and a frozen conflict, such as between North and South Korea.
Putin and Kim Jong-un had a phone call before the upcoming summit, where both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation. North Korea’s supply of troops, artillery shells and rockets has been well-documented. However, the BBC published a report that North Korean workers in Russia are being treated like slaves with 16-hour shifts, deplorable housing conditions, etc.
Trump-Putin Meeting
Trump and Putin will meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, on the northern edge of Anchorage, Alaska. Summit organizers determined that it was the only location that would meet the security requirements of the meeting. American and Russian officials are making haste to prepare for the summit, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaking yesterday to coordinate preparation. Today, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is being joined by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky as he hosts a virtual summit with European leaders and US President Donald Trump today.
North Korea
North Korea holds firing drills before the planned South Korea-US annual joint military exercises (Ulchi Freedom Shield), which will start next week until the 28th.
Rwanda – Democratic Republic of the Congo
Rwanda denies the claim of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) that M23 killed at least 319 civilians in a series of attacks in North Kivu province in July. The OHCHR claims that Rwandan forces assisted the M23 rebels in these massacres. It may cause a roadblock to the continuing efforts to end the conflict in the DRC’s east.
Gaza Strip
Egypt is pushing for a 60-day truce. At the same time, Netanyahu stated that Palestinians should be permitted to leave the Gaza Strip enclave. It seems that the Gaza City offensive will continue, regardless of international pressure.
China
US authorities have secretly placed location tracking devices in targeted shipments of advanced chips they see as being at high risk of illegal diversion to China. The trackers are typically hidden in the packaging of the server shipments and can help build cases against people and companies who profit from violating US export controls.
Feature Photo: “Iranian Police Arrests, 2007”, FarsNews, Wikimedia Commons, 2025
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