White House Envoy Steve Witkoff met last weekend with the national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates to discuss next steps on Iran, according to two sources with knowledge of the meeting.
Why it matters: The talks, which weren't announced by the White House and haven't been reported until now, took place amid the Trump administration's push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while choking Iran economically. Witkoff met with Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed al Nahyan (TBZ) on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.
Israel will build Greece a missile-and-drone defense network similar to its own.
Why it matters: The arrangement, dubbed Achilles Shield, is valued at around €3 billion, or almost $3.5 billion. It's billed as the largest defense export in the history of Israel-Greece relations.
Aitan on Wednesday emerged from stealth, backed by tens of millions of dollars and, by its own tally, hundreds of thousands of hours operating alongside the Israel Defense Forces.
Why it matters: The startup is offering "robotic sovereignty as a service" and "edge AI weapon systems" — giving governments and militaries a backbone to build out their unmanned and autonomous forces quickly and with the lessons of the Middle East and Eastern Europe already digested.
"Warfare has totally transformed over the past few years," co-founder Daniel Almog told Axios.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who'll preside over a parade of tech tycoons at today's G20 innovation summit, tells me he's confident the U.S. will stay ahead of China in the AI race by continuing to define the frontier.
"It's teacher-student," Lutnick said Tuesday in a sunny conference room between meetings with Chinese and Turkish officials.
China's open-weight models, he said, "study off of the large language models of America. ... The teacher is the smartest person in the world, and relentlessly pushing to the frontier. The student ... can't be in the lead, because they're learning from the teacher."
The Pentagon has entered a period of profound institutional turmoil, as a crisis of leadership at home converges with a crisis of capacity abroad.
Why it matters: Six months into the Iran war, Pete Hegseth presides over a Pentagon with fewer senior leaders, fewer critical weapons and less public accountability than at any point in President Trump's two terms.
The U.S. military attacked two Iranian government tankers as part of the round of strikes that took place on Tuesday, U.S. officials said.
Why it matters: This is the first time the U.S. military has struck Iranian tankers in retaliation for Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz — rather than to prevent them from violating the naval blockade.
The G20 finance ministers failed to agree on a joint statement after China objected to several provisions, including language addressing huge trade surpluses and countries' reliance on exports for growth.
Why it matters: China was the lone holdout, with the other 19 members backing the language — a sign of widening concern over the pressure that Chinese exports are putting on industries around the world.
The U.S. military is conducting strikes on Iranian targets in the area of the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday.
Why it matters: The attacks are part of a plan President Trump and his senior aides have been consideringin recent days to wage limited strikes in the Strait of Hormuzto prevent Iran from rebuilding the radar and missile capabilities it needs to attack ships. The plan was reported by Axios on Monday.
U.S. officials are defending their work with Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt in the unprecedented White House move to effectively gain control over huge oilfields in the country.
They're also confirming the Trump administration's support for Venezuela's elections.
Why it matters: Betancourt is the colorful and controversial figure who heads North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), the oil company partnering with the administration in the agreement that gives the U.S. preferential access to output from 17 major fields.
The world's biggest economies need stronger growth to outrun mounting debt, aging populations and a new wave of global shocks. That much, the world's financial leaders can agree upon.
But this week's G20 meeting is exposing sharp differences over what's holding global growth back.
The big picture: That's the reality on the ground as the world's leading finance ministers meet in Asheville, North Carolina, against a backdrop of rising global interest rates and massive debt overhangs.
President Trump's historic Venezuelan oil deal revolves around a colorful and controversial man from Caracas with a long history of supporting U.S. interests — including the operation to remove former strongman Nicolas Maduro.
Why it matters: Alejandro Betancourt, 46, runs the oil company that's entering into an unprecedented partnership with the Pentagon. It gives America access to some of Venezuela's vast oil fields at a time when U.S. reserves are low.
Vice President Vance on Monday offered an olive branch to Jewish Republicans who have grown wary of his views toward Israel.
During a closed-door appearance before the Republican Jewish Coalition at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, Vance called Israel "extremely important to America's national security" and condemned rising antisemitism, according to two sources familiar with his remarks.
Why it matters: Vance's appearance at the meeting is the latest indication that he's trying to repair ties with a powerful but skeptical constituency within the GOP ahead of an expected bid for president in 2028.
