
Argentine President Javier Milei said in New York that he is “the most Zionist president in the world,” reaffirming his alignment with the United States and Israel during an appearance at Yeshiva University, one of the main stops on a U.S. trip that also included investor meetings as part of “Argentina Week.” The university said the event was part of a three-day visit focused on economic leadership and support for Washington and Israel in the war against Iran.

The United States continued deporting migrants to Iran and Venezuela while increasing military and diplomatic pressure on both countries, according to official records, agency reports and data from organizations tracking removal flights. In Iran’s case, Washington resumed deportation flights to Tehran in September 2025 after decades without carrying out such transfers, in a shift that coincided with a sharp deterioration in bilateral relations.

Iran on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader, cementing hardline continuity as the war with Israel and the United States deepens and cross-border strikes increasingly hit fuel depots, energy routes and desalination facilities across the region. The Assembly of Experts, the 88-member clerical body tasked with choosing the successor, said he had been appointed by a “decisive vote,” giving him ultimate authority over all matters of state.

President Donald Trump declined Friday to comment on media reports indicating that Russia has been supplying Iran with intelligence on the positions and movements of U.S. troops, ships and aircraft in the Middle East.

Oil became this week’s clearest barometer of the Middle East crisis, with Brent hovering near US$90 a barrel and WTI around US$87.5, putting both contracts on track for their biggest weekly advance since 2020. The same factor sits behind the surge: the de facto blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil normally passes.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Cuba is going to “fall pretty soon,” while making clear that his immediate priority remains the campaign against Iran, in remarks that widened the White House’s confrontational language toward both the Middle East and Latin America. Trump made the comments in a phone conversation with CNN anchor Dana Bash.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that their naval force struck a US oil tanker in the northern Gulf and that the vessel “is on fire,” raising fresh concerns about maritime security tied to the regional conflict and the safety of the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s most sensitive energy choke points.

The British Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) urged UK nationals on Thursday to take shelter immediately, “remain indoors,” and “stay away from windows,” issuing the guidance on social media as reports of strikes and explosions spread across parts of the Middle East.

Argentina posted its highest monthly crude output on official record in January, at a time when global energy markets are again under strain from the Iran–Israel–US conflict and renewed pressure on key supply routes.

The United States intensified its air campaign against Iran on Tuesday as Operation Epic Fury entered its fourth day, introducing B-52 strategic bombers into combat operations and reporting that “nearly 2,000” targets have been hit so far.