Why the US Cannot Escape the Strait of Hormuz Trap
3 April 2026
Good morning!
1. US & Canada
Why the US Cannot Escape the Strait of Hormuz Trap (nationalinterest.org)
5 ways Trump could destroy NATO (politico.eu)
Why is Trump talking about action on Cuba and what could that look like? (cbsnews.com)
Operation Save Orbán: Trump deploys Vance to Hungary (politico.eu)
2. Europe
A priceless Romanian helmet is recovered after thieves broke in with a homemade bomb and sledgehammer (pbs.org)
Crackdown on human smugglers - 19 arrested (swedenherald.com)
Win or Lose, Orbán has Broken Hungary’s Democracy (carnegieendowment.org)
In a Final Vote, Moldova Says Goodbye to Moscow-Led CIS (kyivpost.com)
3. Middle East & Arab World
US-Israeli strikes destroy Iranian highway bridge (france24.com)
Iran claims second US F-35 downed as war escalates (timeskuwait.com)
US intelligence. says half of Iran’s weapons arsenal still intact (jpost.com)
Triple veto blocks Arab push to reopen Strait of Hormuz by force – Middle East Monitor (middleeastmonitor.com)
4. Russia & Its Sphere
Russia conducts massive rolling aerial attacks on Ukraine (france24.com)
Belarusian parliament passes a bill to crack down on LGBTQ+ rights - ABC News (abcnews.com)
Ukraine maintains Easter ceasefire proposal despite unclear response from Moscow (en.apa.az)
Zelenskyy on cooperation with countries targeted by Iran (en.apa.az)
5. China & East Asia
The China-Pakistan Iran Peace Plan: All Words, No Commitment (thediplomat.com)
North Korea to bury soldiers from Ukraine war at new cemetery in mid-April (nknews.org)
Work from home, but we’re watching: Indonesia, Malaysia geo-track remote civil servants (scmp.com)
Iran oil goes to China not India | Tanker U-turn: Ship carrying Iranian crude bound for India says it’s heading to China (telegraphindia.com)
6. India & South Asia
China mediates Pakistan–Afghanistan talks, progress reported (en.apa.az)
Bangladesh cuts working hours to save energy amid Middle East crisis, Asia News (asiaone.com)
Death toll from floods in Afghanistan rises over 50 as heavy rains batter multiple provinces (aa.com.tr)
Pakistan says a new round of peace talks with Afghanistan is underway in China (asahi.com)
7. Latin America & Carribean
Vaca Muerta turns global oil shock into opportunity for Argentina (batimes.com.ar) 🇪🇸
Argentina’s New York battle scars (batimes.com.ar)
Peru Votes Again: Fragmented Politics, Cohesive Inequality (globalamericans.org)
Cuba to pardon more than 2,000 prisoners amid US pressure (aljazeera.com)
On the Radar: Venezuela’s Former First Lady Under Scrutiny (insightcrime.org)
8. Africa
They beat me up, reminded me I was ‘not Zimbabwean’ (news24.com)
Islamic State-linked rebels kill at least 43 in attack in eastern Congo (abcnews.com)
Burkina Faso military junta killed more than 1,800 civilians (upi.com)
UN Resumes Operations in Sudanese Capital after 3 Years of War (english.aawsat.com)
9. World
UN food agency says global food prices rise 2.4% in March on higher energy costs (aa.com.tr)
The Coming Ecological Cold War (foreignpolicy.com)
Artemis II on course for the moon after day in Earth orbit - National | Globalnews.ca (globalnews.ca)
10. Tech
Streaming channel for pets launched in China (thepeninsulaqatar.com)
The EU is suffering a hacking crisis. (politico.eu)
‘Kids will find a way around it’: Europeans on proposed social media bans for children (euronews.com)