Latest news for 31 August 2026

IRAN

Strike in the Strait.

The US just carried out its first known strike on Iranian territory in more than a month, hitting what it says were preparations to launch sea mines into a Hormuz shipping lane the US had just cleared. In response, Iran’s revolutionary guards claimed strikes on US bases in Jordan and the UAE, though local authorities are denying any hits. (Reuters)

Comment: It’s a reminder that, while the US warns of an economic D-Day, the kinetic bit of this war is still live. We also see this as an example of what might be the new status quo: talks, posturing, strikes, reset. Interestingly, Iran’s supreme leader issued (if he’s alive) a letter the same day urging Gulf monarchs to “know your real enemy” (the US and Israel), which feels a bold messaging pivot after all the Iranian hits across the Gulf, and we do wonder if it reflects a dash of regime pressure and isolation.

NEPAL

Rescue operations continue.

Authorities in Nepal are intensifying efforts to reach hundreds of people thought to be trapped in hydropower tunnels after last week’s disaster. The number of missing has doubled to 4,200 since Sunday, while the death toll has jumped to 900. Meanwhile, China’s authorities in Tibet have released their first official estimates, confirming over 500 missing and 16 dead. (BBC)

NORTH KOREA

New Kim on the block.

Local despot Kim Jong Un has appointed former military political chief Kim Song-gi as his new defence minister, sending the outgoing No Kwang-chol to instead head up Kim’s powerful munitions department. (Reuters)

Comment: This probably isn’t a real demotion for No — that’d be the firing squad. Rather, it looks like Kim is trying to kill two birds: reinforce ideological control, while doubling down on the arms production and sales to Putin now keeping North Korea’s economy unusually buoyant.

ICELAND

No thanks.

More than 52% of voters in Iceland just opted not to reopen accession talks with the EU. (Guardian)

Comment: This was just a vote on whether to even have the conversation, but Icelanders seem to like the status quo which — let’s be clear — is already very EU-ish: they’ve got the single market and Schengen, plus sovereign control of their own fisheries. Still, it’s a loss for Brussels, which would’ve welcomed a ‘yes’ as evidence of the bloc’s continued appeal, rather than the risk that this ‘no’ now further emboldens Europe’s eurosceptics.

PALAU— Forum friction.

A handful of last-minute withdrawals has thrown the annual Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leader summit into turmoil, with Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Kiribati, and Solomon Islands all sending lower-ranked reps — the latter had to fly home amid a no-confidence ambush in parliament. (RNZ)

Comment: Per his reputation, New Zealand’s foreign minister (Winston Peters) said the quiet bit out loud, suggesting “you’d be defying gravity and logic” to rule out foreign interference here. He’s referring to speculation that, given Taiwan-aligned Palau is hosting this summit, China might’ve pushed Beijing-aligned Kiribati to skip it, and could’ve even nudged Beijing-friendly lawmakers in the Solomons to mount the conveniently-timed ambush that forced the PM home. Pending further info, it all risks eroding one of the PIF’s strongest assets (unity), and distracting from the issues these Islands want to tackle (energy, deep-sea mining, and China’s shock nearby ICBM test last month.

NIGER

Attempted coup thwarted.

The ruling military junta says it’s now re-imposed order after putschist soldiers attempted to storm the presidential palace and Niamey’s main airport in an attempted coup. (France24)

Comment: The junta that ousted the last government to “restore security” against jihadis just relied on Russian muscle to fend off yet another generation of putschists. This is the airport’s third major incident this year after ISIS in January and JNIM in June. You can see some of the panic in the neighbours, with regional power Algeria already sending air support.

CAMBODIA

Problem solved (?)

The Cambodian government summoned 50 foreign diplomats to insist there are no longer any scam compounds operating in the country, thanks to a coordinated crackdown and slew of high-profile arrests. (Al Jazeera)

Comment: We’re not sceptics by nature, but the government itself admits that all the scamming work has now just moved into condos and coffee shops.