Two Western and two Iranian officials told Reuters Tuesday that the Saudi Royal Air Force carried out unpublicized strikes on Iranian soil in late March — the first time Riyadh is known to have directly bombed Iran. The disclosure comes one day after the Wall Street Journal revealed the UAE also struck a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in early April. The 10-week war that began February 28 has now drawn in three Gulf militaries beyond the US and Israel — without public acknowledgment.
⚔️ IRAN WAR — DAY 74
SAUDI STRIKES TRIGGERED A SECRET CEASEFIRE WITH TEHRAN
According to Western and Iranian officials cited by Reuters, Riyadh notified Tehran of the strikes after carrying them out — then threatened further retaliation. The diplomatic pressure led to an “understanding” between the two countries to de-escalate, weeks before the broader US-Iran ceasefire. 31 drones and 16 missiles had been fired at Saudi Arabia on April 7-8 alone.
IRAN HIT ALL 6 GULF STATES — INCLUDING CIVILIAN AIRPORTS
Since US-Israeli strikes began February 28, Iran has hit all six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (the regional bloc of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman) with missiles and drones — striking US military bases, civilian sites, airports and oil infrastructure. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a 34-km-wide passage carrying 20% of seaborne oil, continues to disrupt global trade.
UAE FIRED 2,800+ MISSILES AND DRONES AT, REFINERY HIT BACK
Per the Wall Street Journal, the United Arab Emirates struck a refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf in early April. Tehran fired some 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones at the UAE during the war, per the Emirati defense ministry — making it the region’s most-targeted country. Officials claim a 95% interception rate. UAE Mirage-2000-9 jets were reportedly involved in the Lavan strike.
IRAN HANGS 29-YEAR-OLD AEROSPACE STUDENT FOR CIA-MOSSAD SPYING
Erfan Shakourzadeh, 29, a master’s student in aerospace engineering at Iran University of Science and Technology, was hanged Monday at Ghezel Hesar prison near Tehran. Accused of leaking classified satellite data to the CIA and Mossad (Israel’s foreign intelligence agency), he was arrested in February 2025. He left a note before execution rejecting the charges: “I was forced into a false confession after eight and a half months of torture.”
190 EXECUTIONS IN IRAN SO FAR IN 2026 — UN CONFIRMS 4,000+ ARRESTS
Iran has carried out at least 190 executions in the opening months of 2026, per the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights. The UN confirmed in late April 21 war-related executions and over 4,000 arrests since hostilities began. Tehran was the world’s second-most prolific executioner in 2025 (after China) with 1,639 hangings, including 48 women.
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🇬🇧 STARMER ON THE BRINK
SIX CABINET MINISTERS NOW TELLING STARMER TO QUIT
The Telegraph reports that six cabinet members told Keir Starmer to step down: Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Defence Secretary John Healey, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, and the Culture Secretary. Around 80 Labour MPs of the 403 have publicly called for him to set a departure date. Starmer told cabinet Tuesday: “The country expects us to get on with governing.”
FOUR JUNIOR MINISTERS RESIGNED IN ONE DAY
Tuesday, four junior ministers walked out: Jess Phillips (Safeguarding), Miatta Fahnbulleh (Devolution), Alex Davies-Jones (Victims), and Zubir Ahmed (Health). Four parliamentary private secretaries had already resigned the day before. 81 MPs are needed (20% of the parliamentary party) to trigger a formal leadership contest under Labour rules.
LABOUR LOST 1,498 LOCAL SEATS — REFORM UK GAINED 1,452
The crisis was triggered by historic losses at the May 7 local elections (which choose town and county councillors, not MPs). Labour lost 1,498 council seats across England, while Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK picked up 1,452. The BBC projected a national vote share of just 17% for Labour — half its 2024 score. The Greens picked up 441 seats; the Liberal Democrats 155.
⚖️ TEXAS SUES NETFLIX
PAXTON: “NETFLIX IS A LOGGING COMPANY THAT OCCASIONALLY STREAMS MOVIES”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Netflix Monday in Collin County under the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act (Texas consumer protection law). The complaint accuses the streamer of tracking viewing habits, devices, household networks and app usage on adult AND children’s profiles, then selling that data to brokers. The lawsuit demands Netflix disable autoplay by default on kids’ profiles.
NETFLIX FIRES BACK: “INACCURATE AND DISTORTED INFORMATION”
Netflix told ABC News the lawsuit “lacks merit” and that it “complies with privacy and data protection laws everywhere we operate.” Paxton’s filing cites a 2019 letter from Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings promising shareholders the company would not move into advertising — and a 2020 earnings call where Hastings again denied collecting user data. Texas is requesting a jury trial.
💥 CYBERWAR FALLOUT
PRO-IRAN HACKERS HIT SPOTIFY AS “REVENGE FOR KHAMENEI”
A pro-Iran group called the Islamic Cyber Resistance in Iraq — 313 Team claimed a DDoS attack (a flood of fake traffic that overloads servers) on Spotify Tuesday around 1pm EST. Downdetector recorded thousands of user reports. The group cited “revenge” for the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei. Same day, the group also briefly attacked WordPress.com servers before saying they were “stopped due to browser verification.”
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💰 $39 TRILLION DEBT WALL
US TREASURY PAYING $2.96 BILLION A DAY IN INTEREST
According to the Congressional Budget Office (the non-partisan body that scores US fiscal policy), the Treasury has paid $628 billion in net interest in the first 7 months of fiscal year 2026 — averaging $2.96 billion per day. That’s more than the US spent on Medicare ($588B) or Medicaid ($409B) over the same period. Only Social Security ($953B) costs more.
DEBT TO HIT $39 TRILLION BY MAY 18 — UP $2.7T IN ONE YEAR
Gross US national debt reached $38.91 trillion on May 5 and grows by an average of $7.39 billion per day — projected to cross $39T around May 18. Up $2.70 trillion year-on-year, up $10.75T over five years. The average interest rate on marketable debt is now 3.373%, vs. 1.491% five years ago. Net interest will absorb 14.94% of total federal outlays by FY2028, per CBO.
📺 BUZZFEED CHANGES HANDS
BYRON ALLEN BUYS 52% OF BUZZFEED FOR $120 MILLION
Comedian and Allen Media Group founder Byron Allen, 65, takes majority control of BuzzFeed as Chairman and CEO. The deal: $20M cash + $100M five-year promissory note at 5% interest, for 40 million new shares at $3.00 each. Founder Jonah Peretti steps down as CEO, becomes “President of BuzzFeed AI.” BuzzFeed peaked at $1.7B valuation in 2016; market cap was $31M on Monday before the announcement.
“COMICS UNLEASHED” REPLACES COLBERT’S “LATE SHOW” ON MAY 22
Allen’s existing late-night show “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen” moves to CBS at 11:35pm starting Friday May 22 — replacing “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which airs its final episode May 21 after 11 years. CBS announced the Colbert cancellation in July. Allen’s media holdings already include The Weather Channel and 13 broadcast affiliates.
🇨🇳 TRUMP IN BEIJING
16 US CEOS TRAVEL WITH TRUMP TO MEET XI
President Trump departed Washington Tuesday for Beijing with a delegation of 16 American CEOs, including Elon Musk (Tesla/SpaceX), Tim Cook (Apple — making his final diplomatic trip before September retirement), Larry Fink (BlackRock), Stephen Schwarzman (Blackstone), Kelly Ortberg (Boeing) and Jane Fraser (Citigroup). Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joined at the last minute. Cisco’s Chuck Robbins withdrew.
FIRST US-CHINA SUMMIT SINCE 2017 — AGENDA: AI, TARIFFS, IRAN, TAIWAN
It is Trump’s first visit to Beijing since 2017. Talks will cover trade barriers, AI development, export controls, Taiwan, and the Iran war. Boeing has been hit hard since China raised import taxes on US goods to 125% in April 2025, in retaliation for Washington’s 145% tariffs on Chinese products. A major Boeing aircraft sale is reportedly under negotiation. Notably absent: General Motors, Disney, Alphabet.
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