The Cradle ✔

❗️US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hiding in military base over alleged Iran threats US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has relocated his family from his private residence to a secure military base after encountering "advanced-stage" threats to his life originating from Iran, according to a senior administration official cited by Fox News. A Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed the relocation, stating that the secretary will "not be deterred by the Iranian regime's threats." A senior official further asserted that the security measures indicate the administration's financial warfare strategy is proving effective, noting that Tehran is targeting the key official behind the sweeping economic sanctions. Bessent spearheaded the implementation of operations Economic Epic Fury and Economic Outcast, which aim to isolate Iran financially by intensifying trade restrictions and blockades. He is the latest high-ranking Washington official to abandon a standard residential home for fortified military housing amid heightened security alerts. The US government has provided no evidence to corroborate any specific threats targeting Bessent or other government officials.

❗️Saudi Arabia, Turkiye sign deal for 3,000 MW wind power projects Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed an agreement on Tuesday to develop 3,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity in Turkiye, marking the second phase of a February energy cooperation deal. The project, signed during the COP31 summit in Antalya, brings the total planned joint power generation capacity between the two countries to 5,000 MW, including 2,000 MW of solar projects being developed by Saudi company ACWA Power. Turkiye aims to install 10,000 MW of new wind and solar capacity annually to meet its long-term energy targets.

❗️Israeli occupation forces invade southern Syria, expel farmers and ignite fires in Quneitra countryside Israeli occupation forces launched a ground intrusion into Syria’s southern Quneitra countryside, forcibly expelling Palestinian and Syrian olive pickers from their agricultural lands, according to a report by the Quneitra government media center. An Israeli military patrol comprising multiple armored vehicles crossed into the zone west of Al-Rafid town, where troops subjected local workers to invasive searches before forcing them off their properties under threat of military force. Concurrently, Israeli occupation units launched smoke bombs directly into agricultural areas surrounding the northern Quneitra village of Trinjeh, sparking widespread fires across local farmland.

UPDATE | Oil prices climbed around 1% on Wednesday, recovering from the previous session’s two-month lows. Brent crude futures rose $1.28, or 1.4%, to $92.77 a barrel at 09:34 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 76 cents, or 0.9%, to $86.80.

VIDEO | Footage shared by the Government Communication Center in Ramallah shows an attack by Israeli settlers on Palestinian farmers while they were plowing their land in the village of Beit al-Rush al-Tahta, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The attack resulted in injuries, including cases of suffocation

❗️️️️️️Mansour Abbas exposes Netanyahu’s hypocrisy: Publicly inciting against Palestinian parties while privately seeking their support Israeli opposition politician Mansour Abbas said caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been inciting against Palestinian citizens of Israel and their political representatives despite his close associate reportedly contacting him behind the scenes, as reported by the Times of Israel. Speaking to Israeli broadcaster Kan, Abbas said Netanyahu's confidant Natan Eshel had approached him to gauge his position on legislation barring criminal defendants from serving as prime minister and on joining a coalition to replace Netanyahu. The revelation highlights the apparent contradiction between Netanyahu's public attacks on Palestinian political parties and his reported private outreach to one of their leaders. During a speech to the Knesset on Tuesday, Netanyahu accused Palestinian lawmakers of seeking Israel's destruction and supporting "terrorism." Abbas condemned the remarks as dangerous incitement, warning that Netanyahu's rhetoric was putting his life and his family's safety at risk. Mansour Abbas is perhaps the clearest example of a Palestinian politician willing to make sweeping concessions to accommodate Israeli political demands, with Ra’am rejecting terrorism, supporting Hamas's disarmament, and Abbas reportedly prepared to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. Yet even these concessions have not spared him from Netanyahu's public incitement, exposing a deeper contradiction: that hostility toward Palestinian political representation persists even when its representatives accept Israeli demands. This proves once again that the issue extends far beyond Hamas to Palestinian identity and political existence itself.

❗️Bloomberg: Iran retains at least 1,700 ballistic missiles, produces 50 monthly despite US-Israeli strikes A western intelligence assessment claims that Iran can produce around 50 ballistic missiles monthly, roughly half its prewar capacity, and retains at least 1,700 missiles despite months of US and Israeli airstrikes, according to Bloomberg. The assessment further suggests Iran may retain thousands of Shahed-type attack drones. Despite US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's claims that more than 80 percent of Iran's industrial base had been destroyed, Washington continues to face concerns over the impact of its own depleted weapons stockpiles on military readiness in other regions.

❗️Strait of Hormuz maritime authority imposes sanctions enforcement against non-compliant commercial vessels The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) announced that two foreign bulk carriers were subjected to formal legal action after attempting to navigate toward southern Gulf ports using falsified documentation and without prior coordination. "In recent days, two bulk carriers that had falsified documents and attempted to sail toward ports in southern Gulf countries without coordination were subjected to legal action. By accepting the commitments communicated by the PGSA, they avoided having their names added to the non-compliance list," the PGSA stated. According to official maritime updates, both vessels managed to avoid placement on the authority's non-compliance blacklist by agreeing to adhere to regulatory commitments mandated by the PGSA. The maritime regulatory body further declared that commercial vessels with past operational violations would be granted lighter administrative penalties provided their operators formally acknowledge the infractions via direct electronic correspondence with the authority.

❗️Tehran demands end to US aggression and sanctions relief before entering nuclear negotiations Iran will refrain from making concessions regarding its nuclear program unless Washington fulfills Tehran's explicit preconditions, political analyst Atefeh Toghiani stated during an interview with Al Jazeera. Speaking from the Iranian capital, Toghiani highlighted that the Iranian government requires the US to honor its prior diplomatic commitments and cease military hostilities before formal negotiations can proceed. Tehran's core requirements center on securing a complete halt to the war and unilateral military confrontation, alongside tangible economic relief achieved through lifting existing blockades and easing financial sanctions. Toghiani noted that while Washington continues to view economic pressure as its primary leverage point against Iran, Tehran's position remains firm on refusing to negotiate under duress until its baseline security and economic conditions are satisfied.

US House blocks push to impeach Pete Hegseth President Donald Trump called Representative Thomas Massie a ‘major loser’ while hailing Hegseth as a ‘great patrio

⭕️ Oil prices remained largely unchanged on Wednesday, hovering near the previous session’s two-month lows. Brent crude futures rose 19 cents, or 0.2%, to $91.68 a barrel at 09:11 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 6 cents, or 0.1%, to $85.98.

❗️Iranian president slams US threats as Washington weighs 'mother of all bombs' Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of attempting to pursue "diplomacy through threats" by leveraging heavy military intimidation against Tehran, according to a statement published on his official X account. Pezeshkian denounced the White House for initiating aggression under the pretense of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, highlighting that US forces deployed a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) during an attack on a sports hall in Lamerd on the war's opening day that killed 21 civilians. Addressing reports that the Pentagon is weighing the deployment of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), whish is commonly known as the "mother of all bombs," against underground nuclear facilities, Pezeshkian called Washington's posturing "no contradiction, but a disgrace," adding: "Who threatens global peace and security?"

❗️UKMTO issues transit warning following suspicious incident involving tanker in Strait of Hormuz The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency issued a security warning earlier today after receiving reports from military authorities regarding a suspicious incident involving a commercial tanker navigating the Strait of Hormuz. Authorities have not yet determined the condition of the vessel's crew, the extent of any physical damage, or whether the incident has caused any environmental impact as investigations remain ongoing.

❗️Iranian military chief warns US and Israel of devastating retaliation amid ongoing aggression Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi warned that the US and Israel will face "far more deadly blows" if they launch any further military aggression against the country, according to IRIB. Abdollahi asserted that any location deemed a threat to Iranian sovereignty will become "the direct target of asymmetric operations," declaring that the ongoing military campaign has exposed the failure of advanced western defense systems against domestic Iranian manufacturing capabilities. Highlighting the resilience of Iran's defense sector, Abdollahi noted that missile and drone production lines operating deep within underground tunnels and bunkers are fully capable of sustaining manufacturing output even under heavy enemy bombardment.

❗️US lawmaker presses House Democratic leadership for vote on restricting arms shipments to Israel US Representative Delia Ramirez announced she has initiated discussions with House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries regarding a potential floor vote on the Block the Bombs Act during the upcoming congressional term, according to Drop Site News. Ramirez, an Illinois Democrat and the lead sponsor of the legislation, stated that Jeffries did not outright reject the proposal during their initial talks and that she plans to follow up in the coming days. The proposed bill aims to ban the transfer, sale, or export of offensive American weaponry to Israel, including artillery shells, bunker-busting bombs, and precision-guided munitions, unless strict conditions are fulfilled. The legislative push coincides with post-midterm negotiations as House Democrats prepare for leadership elections later this month, with newly elected progressives leveraging their support for Jeffries's speakership bid to secure policy concessions on military aid to Israel. Ramirez noted that a growing progressive bloc in the incoming 120th Congress, backed by strategy discussions with Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar, will provide lawmakers with heightened leverage to demand a floor vote when Congress convenes in January.

❗️A Palestinian man has died from severe injuries sustained during an Israeli airstrike that targeted a family home in eastern Gaza City yesterday, according to Al-Shifa Hospital medical sources. The deadly bombardment, which struck near a school in the Daraj neighborhood, initially killed three other members of the family before the latest victim succumbed to his wounds.

VIDEO | Naftali Bennett heckles Netanyahu at Knesset opening Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett repeatedly interrupted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a ceremonial address marking the opening of the new Knesset session following recent national elections, according to reports from the Israeli parliament floor. As Netanyahu delivered his opening remarks to mark the new legislative term, Bennett shouted from the floor: "What about investigating the events of 7 October?" Netanyahu's wife, Sara Netanyahu, joined the commotion from the gallery, shouting back at Bennett during the exchange.

❗️Saudi airstrikes and border shelling leave over 80 civilian casualties across northern Yemen Waves of heavy Saudi airstrikes and cross-border artillery bombardment have hit targets across northern Yemen, leaving dozens of civilians dead and causing extensive destruction to critical municipal infrastructure, according to statements by local authorities and military officials. The bombardments heavily struck the capital, Sanaa, targeting the Yemen Petroleum Company building on 60th Street, damaging surrounding homes, and destroying the Al-Mafzar domestic gas filling station along with 13 fuel tankers. Yemen's Ministry of Health reported at least 84 civilian victims from intense air strikes over the past two days in the Bani Hushaysh district east of the capital, with mass public funerals scheduled at Sanaa's Al-Sabeen Square. In a statement covering the escalation, the spokesman for Yemen's Armed Forces confirmed that Saudi forces carried out 109 air strikes and missile attacks over a 24-hour period, targeting Sanaa alongside the border governorates of Saada, Marib, and al-Jawf. Heavy Saudi artillery shelling originating from the Najran and Jazan border zones was also reported hitting populated civilian areas within the Qatabir and Saada districts.

❗️US Democrats prepare budget showdown to defund war on Iran US Democratic Senator Adam Schiff announced plans to leverage upcoming congressional budget negotiations to cut off funding for the war against Iran, according to a video statement published on his official X account. Schiff stated that the impending expiration of the government funding bill on 11 December provides a key opportunity for lawmakers to deliver on voter demands to bring the military campaign to a halt. Emphasizing that the war was never authorized by Congress nor sought by the American public, Schiff argued that the White House has continuously shifted its justifications for the conflict. He asserted that Democrats intend to use the budget process to exert pressure on the administration, noting that military actions have "done nothing but embolden Iran, which now has more say over the Strait of Hormuz than it even had before the war."

❗️Iran blacklists Argentina’s military after Buenos Aires targets Revolutionary Guard Tehran has officially designated Argentina’s navy and air force as "terrorist organizations" in a reciprocal measure after Buenos Aires blacklisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to a statement published on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's official Telegram channel. Calling the Latin American state's decision a "hostile act" and a clear violation of international law principles, the ministry stressed that the IRGC constitutes "one of the pillars of the official armed forces" of Iran. The reciprocal blacklist is enforced under a 2019 Iranian parliamentary law requiring state countermeasures against any country supporting or aligning with Washington’s designation of the IRGC. Warning of severe diplomatic fallout over the decision, the ministry stated that “it is self-evident that responsibility for all consequences arising from this matter will rest with the government of Argentina”. The move follows Argentina's decision late last March to brand the IRGC a terrorist entity, a action warmly welcomed by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Buenos Aires justified the move by citing alleged Iranian connections to the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center. Tehran completely rejects those allegations, asserting that Argentina acted under direct influence from Washington and Tel Aviv in what it termed a "strategic mistake and unforgivable insult to the Iranian nation."