The European Union has for some time blamed China for allegedly supporting Russia in its war in Ukraine.

However no evidence has been publicly presented for making such claims.  China insists that it is not involved in the war and strives to have good business relation with Russia as well as with Ukraine.

The EU however insisted on punishing China for its alleged support. See this for example from June 2025:

The EU’s 14th Russia sanctions package again included mainland Chinese companies, as Brussels inches toward the U.S.’s approach to China.

As China ramps up its support for Russia’s ongoing military campaign against Ukraine, the EU has emboldened its sanctions targeting Beijing. In late February, the EU sanctioned companies in mainland China for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for the first time—blacklisting four entities for supplying critical dual-use items to Russia. The EU’s 14th sanctions package against Russia—adopted by the EU on June 24—included an additional six mainland Chinese companies “directly supporting Russia’s military and industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Despite the lack of evidence for Chinese malice that policy continues. Last month the EU was again looking into sanctioning additional Chinese entities:

The EU’s foreign policy service is pushing to sanction four Chinese companies it accuses of supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to documents seen by POLITICO.

The four firms, likely to be included in the latest package of sanctions due to be approved at a gathering of EU foreign ministers next week, assist Russia’s shadow fleet, providing chemicals for Russia’s military and delivering components Moscow uses to build attack drones, officials said.
…
The EU has targeted Chinese firms in previous rounds of sanctions, but the latest proposals show the bloc doubling down on its strategy of going after Russia’s enablers despite China warning of “consequences” over measures included in the EU’s 20th round of Russia sanctions.

Over the last years the EU has become a main driver of the war in Ukraine. With its huge subsidies for Ukraine it is essentially bribing the leaders of Ukraine for prolonging the war. Ukraine is supposed to use the money to buy weapons from EU industries.

Europe’s industries however lack the necessary capacities. That is why end up with otherwise abstruse headlines like this:

Ukraine to buy Chinese drone parts with EU funds (archived) – FT

Ukraine will be allowed to spend funds from an EU defence loan on Chinese drone components, exposing Europe’s reliance on Beijing for critical parts as it struggles to build its own defence industry.

Kyiv has obtained a carve-out for part of a €6bn tranche to purchase drone components from China, according to two people familiar with the decision. The funds mark the first allocation from a wider Ukraine support loan, under which €60bn is earmarked for defence procurement.
…
While the EU has accused Beijing of being “the key enabler of Russia’s war” against Ukraine as a key supplier to Moscow’s military-industrial complex, it acknowledges that Kyiv’s arms industry also relies on Chinese components.
…
Ukraine requested and secured an exemption for the first €5.9bn defence tranche, which is dedicated to drone procurement. It allowed Kyiv to buy certain Chinese components that are not sufficiently available in Europe, the people said.

Will the EU now lift sanctions on Chinese companies which supply components used to build attack drones to Russia as well as to Ukraine?

Trump’s restart of his war on Iran will likely lead to much higher oil prices than the world has experienced during the previous active phase of the conflict.

The world consumes about 100 million barrels of oil per day [bpd]. Before the war on Iran some 20% of that used to pass from the Persian Gulf region through the Strait of Hormuz to the world markets.

During the 2nd recent war on Iran in March of this year the Strait was closed. This led to a strong rise in oil prices. But the catastrophic economic damage many experts had expected (archived) and feared did not occur.

The reasons were threefold:

1. Some of the oil coming from the Gulf region was diverted to different routes:

• Saudi Arabia used its trans-country pipeline to divert output from its eastern coast in the Persian Gulf to its western Red Sea coast. After a few weeks that outlet at the harbor of Yanbu had reached its maximum capacity of some 4-5 m bpd.
• The United Arab Emirates used pipelines from its oil fields within the Persian Gulf to its southern coast harbor of Fujairah. It thereby avoided to pass that oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Iraq transported some oil via trucking to Syria and Turkey.
• Under the ceasefire MoU between the U.S. and Iran the blockaded tankers loaded with oil could escape from the Gulf.

2. Additional oil was brought to the market:

• The U.S. and some of its allies raided their Strategic Petroleum Reserves to calm down oil prices.
• The U.S. lifted sanctions on Iranian and Russian oil exports.
• Oil production within the U.S. increased.

3. Demand was lowered:

• The most important contribution here was the unexpected lowering of imports in China. The country managed to draw on its own huge reserves. It also used coal instead of oil as feedstock for its chemical factories.
• Higher prices at the pump led to at least some demand shrinkage in various countries.

In total some 7 m bpd exited the Gulf region through new outlets. The releases from reserves and the lifting of sanctions contributed to additional supplies of some 3-5 m bpd. The reduction of Chinese import demand amounted to some 5 m bpd.

Due to all the above measures the global supply of about 100 m bpd only shrank to about 92-95 m bpd. Global demand, especially due to the Chinese measures, dropped to a nearly equal balance. The amount that was still missing in this rough calculation was drawn from reserves within the distribution and transport levels.

After all measures were in place demand and supply were balanced again and oil prices came down to a normal level of some $70+/bl.

When U.S. President Donald Trump decided to reignite the conflict he might have thought that the oil problem he had feared had gone away.

But it hasn’t. And the conditions now will make it way more difficult to keep the markets in balance.

1. Oil diversion from the Gulf is practically finished:Cont. reading: War On Iran: Oil Supplies Will Again Be In Trouble – This Time For Real

The last week saw several rounds of tit-for-tat strikes exchanged between U.S. forces and the Iranian military. The strikes have now become more extensive and are hitting at more valuable targets:

Oman: The IRGC said it attacked Oman as part of its latest phase of retaliation. It said it targeted “the FPS long-range aerial radar and the vessel detection radar in Oman”, adding that these radar systems were destroyed.

Bahrain: The IRGC also said it launched missile and drone attacks targeting “installations and infrastructure of the aggressive US army” in Juffair, Bahrain.
…
Earlier, the IRGC said it targeted Jordan’s Prince Hassan Air Base with missiles and drones and set fire to several fuel depots and ammunition storage facilities.

Kuwait: The IRGC said on Monday that it also targeted a US surface-to-surface missile base in Kuwait, “setting fire to two HIMARS missile launchers and missile-packed warehouses, completely destroying them”.
…
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) earlier said it hit “dozens of targets at multiple locations with precision munitions to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz”.

These targets included “Iranian military air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats”, it said.

Iran says that the Strait of Hormuz is closed. The U.S. has reinstalled its maritime blockade of Iran. Trump is demanding a 20% payment on all cargo passing the Strait. Oil prices are rising as are the chances for a new global depression.

The U.S. is incapable of acknowledging its defeat that had followed after it had attacked Iran (twice).

It is now trying to renegotiate the Memorandum of Understanding it had to sign by using the same tools is had used when it had lost the war. This is unlikely to lead to a different outcome.

The overwhelming outpour of mourners at the burial of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has shown that Iran is willing to resist all U.S. pressure.

—

Earlier today an Iranian passenger plane has (again) breached the no-flight-zone Saudi Arabia had declared over Yemen. The plane landed in Sana’a despite Saudi attempts to bomb the airport’s run way. The Ansarullah government in Sana’s announced that it will retaliate against the Saudis.

Despite the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz Saudi Arabia is still exporting significant amounts of oil via the Red Sea and through the strait of Bab el-Mandeb. Its attack on Yemen will likely lead to a Yemeni blockade of that outlet.

I find it somewhat inexplicable why the Saudis decided to reignite the conflict in Yemen now that their exports are solely depending on passing a route controlled by Yemen.

—

Today the NY Times published a rather curious story about an alleged Mossad recruiting of the former president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinjad:

Cont. reading: War On Iran: Escalation – Saudi’s Block Oil – Alleged Recruiting Of Ahmadinejad

News & views related to the war on Iran …

News & views related to the war in Ukraine …

I’ll be mostly off tomorrow. So here are your links …

Zionists:

• As Christians are attacked in Israel, government shows little concern (archived) – Washington Post

Iran:

• The Iran War’s Most Embarrassingly Wrong Pundits – Jacobin
• The Invasion That Didn’t Happen: The Secret Plan to Overthrow the Iranian Regime (in Hebrew) – The7i  – Some interesting details
  The CIA, the Mossad, and IDF officers armed, equipped, and provided vehicles, uniforms, and communication devices to the Iranian and Iraqi Kurds, after June 25, in order to stage a coup in Tehran. At the last moment, Trump, who had approved the operation, backed out.
• Exclusive: US commanders bypassed warnings about outdated intelligence ahead of strike that hit school in Iran, sources say – CNN
• Steel Over Paper: Iran’s Civilizational Rebirth – How Tehran lost its victory – Multipolar Press – Recommended!
• Leader vows to avenge martyr Ayatollah Khamenei’s blood – Irna

[Mojtaba Khamenei:] “We pledge to avenge your pure blood and the blood of all the martyrs of these two wars by taking revenge against the criminal, disgraceful murderers. This vengeance is what our nation is demanding, and this must definitely be done. These criminals, whose names are fully documented from the highest to the lowest ranks, will carry their dream of a peaceful death in bed to the grave. They must know that this action doesn’t depend on my presence or that of any other official. Whether we are here or not, this will be done. Soon, free-spirited people throughout the world will each carry out a part of this divine mission.”

Russia:

Cont. reading: This Week’s Links – Open Thread 2026-148

Israel shared intelligence with US of Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, sources say, Jul 9 2026 – CNN

Israel shared intelligence with the United States that Iran had recently devised a new plan to assassinate President Donald Trump, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN, adding another layer of tension as a ceasefire deal between the countries comes under strain.
…
Other American officials suggested the Israeli report could be an effort to sway Trump’s decision-making as he weighs whether to intensify American military action against Iran.

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Trump tells The Post he’s ‘left instructions’ should Iran assassinate him: ‘Bomb them at levels’ never seen before, Jul 10 2026 – NY Post

President Trump on Friday told The Post he has “left instructions” should Iran succeed in their plots to assassinate him — and there’ll be hell to pay.

“I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,” he said. “… The only thing is, I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”

If Israel really wants to “intensify American military action against Iran” (and become the recipient of the inevitable retribution), what better way is there now than to remove Donald Trump?

News & views related to the war on Iran …

News & views related to the war in Ukraine …

News & views not related to the wars in Ukraine and Iran …

The last three days have led to another escalation in the Strait of Hormuz.

At the beginning of the week more tankers took the southern route along the Omani coast instead of the northern route on which Iran, following the Memorandum of Understanding, insists. The Omani route is under observation and protection by U.S. military assets.

Iran is not the only one which interprets clause 5 of the MoU – “the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements …” – to give it exclusive rights to regulate the traffic in the Strait.

Gérard Araud @GerardAraud – 19:59 UTC · Jul 7, 2026

At the first reading by any diplomat, the MoU was obviously giving Iran a free hand in the strait of Hormuz. …

On Tuesday Iran fired drones against some five cargo ships which took the U.S. protected Omani route. Other ships on the same route immediately started to divert. Some returned to their anchoring positions while other proceed along the northern route.

Late Tuesday the U.S. canceled its regulation which had lifted U.S. sanctions against the sale of Iranian oil. The lifting of sanctions had been one of the MoU provisions.

On Wednesday morning a large U.S. attack was launched against targets along the Iranian coast. Some 60 of the targets were random civilian fishing vessels which the U.S. claimed to be IRGC speed boats.

Iran announced ‘consequences’ and stated that the U.S. was (again) in breach of the MoU provisions:

Cont. reading: War On Iran: Both Sides Declare Their MoU To Be Ineffective

I find this more than disturbing:

• The average (mean) of wealth per adult in the U.S. (2025) is US$ 696,777.
• The median (half have more, half have less) of wealth per adult in the U.S. (2025) is US$ 68,998.

Interpretation: There are a small number of very, very rich people and a big mass of relatively poor ones.

This is not healthy.

The difference is, compared to other countries, extremely stark.

For France the numbers are 341,359 average to 121,898 median.
For the UK the numbers are 292,808 average to 125,335 median.

biggerSource: USB Global Wealth Report 2026 (pdf)

The U.S. will need some kind of wealth tax to level this out.

To any lover of football (soccer) the sucking-up by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to the U.S. and Donald Trump has become unbearable:

According to media reports, Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to demand the world governing body review the suspension of the US top scorer – and FIFA duly obliged.

A red card leads to an automatic one-match suspension with no appeal. It is the first time since the 1962 World Cup that FIFA has reversed a suspension for a red card received during the World Cup.

On Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Thank you to Fifa for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!”

A picture of the “great injustice” shows that this was a clearly deserved Red:

biggerThe Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), like billions of sport fans, is aghast about this incident:

Yesterday’s decision to suspend for a probationary period of a year the implementation of the one-match automatic suspension following the red card issued to the player Folarin Balogun crossed a red line.

Football, like any other sports, relies on rules, which are the basis for fair, honest and transparent competition. Sometimes rules are open to interpretation. In this case not. A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted. It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension.
…
We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.

Even the most pro-American voices around the world will see this as a dark spot in football history.

Hu Xijin 胡锡进 @HuXijin_GT – 16:49 UTC · Jul 6, 2026

Trump’s intervention in the red-card controversy in the World Cup match will certainly do considerable damage to US’ international image. If the American public believes that Trump secured benefits for them through such behavior and therefore thanks him for doing so, then I really have nothing more to say.

This will hopefully be the end of the utterly corrupt management of FIFA.

News & views related to the war on Iran …

News & views related to the war in Ukraine …

Last week’s posts on Moon of Alabama:

• Jun 29 – War On Iran: – Iran’s Negotiators Are Under Pressure
• Jun 30 – War On Iran: – Vance-Rubio Struggle – Oman Supports ‘Fees’
• Jul 1 – War On Iran: – Trump Requested Briefing For War Renewal
• Jul 3 – War On Iran: – Good Guy/Bad Guy Story Of USraeli Assassination Attempt Makes Little Sense
  Related:
  – The War to Win the Peace – Why Tehran Sees Diplomacy as a Contest Over Strategic Leverage – Iran Analytica
  – Musings on the funeral ceremony in Tehran – Indian Punchline

• Jul 1 – English Outsider: Why Europe’s Provocation Of Russia Is Likely To Fail
  Related:
  – On Russophobia – Reflections on the European racism at the heart of the continent’s war obsession with Russia. – Pascal Lottaz
  – Russia Hearing the European Clamour for War, Announces It Is Ready – Alastair Crooke – UNZ
  – Russia Must Defeat Ukraine Before Trump 2.0’s “War Of Attrition” Really Gets Going – Korybko

• Jul 4 – A Settler-Extremist Rebellion …
  Related:
  – F$$K the Fourth: Declaring Our Collective Independence from the Sinking Ship of U.S. Empire – Black Agenda Report

—
Other issues:
Cont. reading: The MoA Week In Review – OT 2026-142

Excerpt from:

Helena Cobban –

That Settler-Extremist Rebellion of 1776 … and what it can tell us about America, Israel, and the world today

In addition to explicitly labeling the Indigenous peoples of this landmass as “merciless Indian Savages”, the Declaration of Independence also specified that their “known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.” There is a clear parallel there with some of the more gruesome— and equally false— accusations that the Israeli government and its acolytes worldwide launched against the Palestinian resistance movements after the resistance stunned the Israelis with the incursion of October 7, 2023. Reading that portion of the Declaration of Independence today, one almost expects it also to include accusations about “40 beheaded babies” or the “mass rapes” of the colonists’ women…

But in both cases, those completely unsubstantiated accusations served two key purposes:

1. They served to yet further de-humanize, diminish, and “other” the members, leaders, and activists of the Indigenous communities in question, and
2. They also served to give permission to the authorities and fighters of the colonial entity to treat the Indigenes in that exact same (or an even worse) manner.

…

There have been several fake good-guy/bad-guy routines played by the U.S. and Israel with regards to Iran.  Today the Washington Post and others put out another such performance with claims that the U.S. warned Iran (archived) of a potential assassination:

Senior U.S. officials feared that Israel intended to assassinate Iran’s top negotiators as the Trump administration pursued a high-stakes deal to end the war there and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, current and former officials familiar with the matter said.

Washington’s objection to killing Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, and Mohammad Ghalibaf, the country’s parliamentary speaker, was so acute that this spring it took the extraordinary step of asking intermediaries to warn Iran about Israel’s assassination aims, the officials said.

It is hard to believe, as is claimed, that the U.S. ever had or has any reluctance to kill Iranian officials:

As far back as March, when the Trump administration began to explore diplomatic options for ending the war, U.S. officials told Israeli counterparts not to continue killing Iran’s political leadership, said a diplomat.

That U.S. officials felt the need to take an additional step and warn Iran that its top negotiators could be killed demonstrates the strain in the U.S.-Israel relationship and the Trump administration’s limited influence over the Israeli government, said analysts.

The U.S. claim of “limited influence” over Israel makes absolutely no sense. Israel is 100% dependent on U.S. money and  protection. The U.S. has used more air defense missiles against attacks on Israel by Iran than Israel itself had fired.

It seems that the “senior U.S. official” who issued the story, likely Vice President JD Vance, wants to depict himself as positive towards Iran to gain a friendlier atmosphere in future negotiations.

A similar story (archived) was handed to the NY Times. That version includes additional exaggerations:

Cont. reading: War On Iran: – Good Guy/Bad Guy Story Of USraeli Assassination Attempt Makes Little Sense

News & views related to the war on Iran …

News & views related to the war in Ukraine …