Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes a long war in Iran would be very good for Russia and very bad for Ukraine, he told Axios' Barak Ravid.

🇷🇺 Zelensky told Axios: "I am sure Russia wants [a] long war. They have benefits: The U.S. is focusing on the Middle East and may decrease military help to Ukraine. Sanctions are partially lifted. I see only benefits for Russia from the war with Iran continuing."

• Asked if he was concerned that a prolonged war in Iran would hamper Ukraine's weapons supply, he said: "I am not just concerned, I am sure we will have such challenges. Absolutely."
• Zelensky also expressed concern about the U.S. issuing sanctions waivers related to Russian oil sales: "If now they get more money from energy, it doesn't help us."

🌍 Zelensky spoke with Axios after traveling to the Middle East, where he discussed possible security assistance with leaders in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Jordan.

• Leaders there have mixed views on the Iran war, he said, with some expecting it to continue and others wanting a quick ending.
• Zelensky said Ukraine shared evidence that Russia provided Iran with satellite imagery of U.S. and European military bases and other critical infrastructure in Middle Eastern countries.

🇺🇸 What's next: Zelensky said he's concerned that after the Iran war is over, the Trump administration will resume pressuring Ukraine to surrender territory to Russia.

• "They don't see another way to stop Putin other than withdrawing Ukrainian troops from our territory. My concern is that nobody really values the danger of such a decision for our security."

Go deeper.

Business professionals, educators and social service workers have the highest U.S. homeownership rates by career field, Axios' Sami Sparber writes from a new National Association of Realtors analysis.

• STEM and technical workers' homeownership rates have dipped slightly, falling from 69% in 2014 to 67% in 2024.

🌉 That's likely because they're clustered in expensive housing markets, such as California's Bay Area.

• NAR principal economist Nadia Evangelou tells Axios: "It's not just about jobs. It's really about where those jobs are located, and how affordable housing is in those markets."

📈 Service workers still have the lowest rates, but saw the highest jump since 2014, rising from 43% to 46%.

• Go deeper.

1. 🚀 President Trump threatened to "completely obliterate" Iran's power, energy and water infrastructure if a peace deal "is not shortly reached" and if the Strait of Hormuz isn't opened "immediately." More from Barak Ravid.
2. 🇪🇸 Spain has closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in the Iran war, marking another step in the country's opposition to the conflict. Go deeper.
3. 🖼️ Art thieves nabbed paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse worth millions from a northern Italian museum in a brazen three-minute heist, police say. Go deeper.

Arizona Krav Maga instructor and new mom Sara Ullenbruch-Zarezadeh has developed a postpartum version of the popular self-defense technique, Axios Phoenix's Jessica Boehm reports.

• "Krav Mama" focuses on rebuilding muscle and stamina, while incorporating motherhood's new self-defense challenges.

👶 Moms are encouraged to bring their kids along.

🥊 Jessica writes: "My 10-month-old and I gave Krav Mama a shot last week at EVKM Self Defense & Fitness."

• "We practiced one-handed palm strikes and off-balance front kicks, and simulated what to do if someone tries to grab our babies."

"It was a gift to work out without scrambling to find a babysitter, to compare milestones and sleep schedules between squats, and to see my daughter watch her mom prioritizing her mental and physical health."

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