# ukraine war (news sources) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 3 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover ukraine war. Page: Feed: --- ## [Putin Conceded Ukraine’s Strikes ‘Are Certainly Harming Us,’ Even as He Insisted They Cannot Bring Critical Consequences](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/putin-conceded-ukraines-strikes-are-certainly-harming-us-even-as-he-insisted-they-cannot-bring-critical-consequences/) _2026-08-23 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Jack Buckby breaks down the weekend's deep strikes: FP-1 drones hit a Rosneft refinery and reach Ozon, seven of Wildberries' ten biggest hubs sit idle, and Putin orders warehouses rebuilt while conceding the campaign is harming Russia even as he dismisses critical consequences. ## [Putin Warned Ukraine Has Opened a ‘Pandora’s Box’ and Promised to Retaliate Against Its Economy: ‘You’ll Get Them](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/putin-warned-ukraine-has-opened-a-pandoras-box-and-promised-to-retaliate-against-its-economy-youll-get-them/) _2026-08-23 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Jack Buckby covers a violent weekend turn: Putin warns Kyiv has opened a Pandora's box and vows countermeasures against Ukraine's economy, a second drone reportedly struck a Kryvyi Rih shopping center as rescuers worked, and Ukraine's campaign reaches an Ozon logistics hub deep in Russia. ## [Bessent Says Washington Will Impose the ‘Toughest Sanctions in History’ as Trump Hands Him the War’s Economic Front](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/bessent-says-washington-will-impose-the-toughest-sanctions-in-history-as-trump-hands-him-the-wars-economic-front/) _2026-08-23 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Jack Buckby examines the job Trump has handed Scott Bessent: enforcing history's toughest sanctions against an Iran built to survive them, with China refusing to cooperate, a Treasury thinned by departures, and early signs the squeeze is working before the new measures even land. ## [Donald Trump Just Got Handed the Signal He Has Been Waiting For: Iran’s President Says It Is Time to End the War](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/donald-trump-just-got-handed-the-signal-he-has-been-waiting-for-irans-president-says-it-is-time-to-end-the-war/) _2026-08-22 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Jack Buckby reports on a split screen from Tehran: President Pezeshkian calls for ending the war while Iran holds leverage, the armed forces chief promises devastating responses, Araghchi shrugs off new sanctions, and Trump says Iran is not yet ready to make the right deal. ## [Odessa Surprise Visit as NATO Sends Kaliningrad Warning. Erdogan & Netanyahu Clash](https://theduran.substack.com/p/odessa-surprise-visit-as-nato-sends) _2026-08-22 · Alex Christoforou · The Duran_ Turkey demands Netanyahu’s arrest as tensions with Israel boil over, while the US and Canada trade deal collapses and Mark Carney fires back with matching tariffs. ## [Russia Pounds Odessa Encircles Dobropilia Strikes Kiev Again; Ukraine Hyperinflation Fears Return](https://theduran.substack.com/p/russia-pounds-odessa-encircles-dobropilia) _2026-08-22 · Alex Christoforou · The Duran_ Russia pounds Kiev and Odessa while closing the trap around Dobropillya in a battle that could open the road to encircling Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. ## [China Thinks They Have a ‘Secret Weapon’ to Destroy F-22 and F-35 Stealth Fighters](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/china-thinks-they-have-a-secret-weapon-to-destroy-f-22-and-f-35-stealth-fighters/) _2026-08-21 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ While America’s F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II are both stealth fighters, they are not completely invisible. ## [Trump Needs to Forget About Iran For a Sec: Russia and North Korea are Getting Closer and That Means Ukraine War Trouble](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/trump-needs-to-forget-about-iran-for-a-sec-russia-and-north-korea-are-getting-closer-and-that-means-ukraine-war-trouble/) _2026-08-21 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Pyongyang's earlier deployments went into the fighting and took heavy losses. This one is meant to free Russian troops for offensive operations, and to put North Korean crews behind the controls of drones aimed at Ukrainian targets. ## [‘We Didn’t Plan for This War’: Nuclear Aircraft Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Has a Message for the US Navy](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/we-didnt-plan-for-this-war-nuclear-aircraft-carrier-uss-abraham-lincoln-has-a-message-for-the-us-navy/) _2026-08-21 · Stephen Silver · National Security Journal_ The report said the 5,000 people on the aircraft carrier “went without basic supplies,” including toothpaste, deodorant, and soap, for long stretches of its deployment. ## [Iran Is an Oil State That Now Burns More Fuel at Home Than It Actually Manages to Produce for Itself](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/iran-is-an-oil-state-that-now-burns-more-fuel-at-home-than-it-actually-manages-to-produce-for-itself/) _2026-08-21 · Georgia Gilholy · National Security Journal_ Beijing has now answered publicly, saying pressure is not the solution. One American commissioner argues China has already upgraded the old trade war into something wider, and warns Washington to expect a response in kind. ## [Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/icDLVohHQ45B) _2026-08-21 · **Sponsored**_ Buy, sell and margin trade BTC & ETH with fiat currencies ## [Trump Making Them Sweat: The US Navy Blockade Is Costing Iran Roughly Four Hundred Million Dollars a Single Day](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/trump-making-them-sweat-the-us-navy-blockade-is-costing-iran-roughly-four-hundred-million-dollars-a-single-day/) _2026-08-21 · Georgia Gilholy · National Security Journal_ The Emirates has cut every commercial and financial tie. Chinese refiners are buying Brazilian and Iraqi crude instead. Iran's president said on Friday that it would be better to end the war now, while the country can call it a position of power. ## [Shoot the Archer: Unable to Shoot Down the Missiles, Ukraine Now Wants to Destroy the Launchers Before They Ever Fire](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/shoot-the-archer-unable-to-shoot-down-the-missiles-ukraine-now-wants-to-destroy-the-launchers-before-they-ever-fire/) _2026-08-21 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ It would place a private American company openly on Ukraine's side and potentially in Russia's sights. Zelensky has said Ukraine is not asking for gifts and is willing to buy what it needs, and that the decisions required are political ones in Washington. ## [Trump Is Said to Fear That Oman and the Other Gulf States Could Cut a Side Deal That Leaves America Out of It](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/trump-is-said-to-fear-that-oman-and-the-other-gulf-states-could-cut-a-side-deal-that-leaves-america-out-of-it/) _2026-08-21 · Stephen Silver · National Security Journal_ The threat against Oman looks different once you know what Washington reportedly fears: that Muscat and other Gulf capitals might open the strait themselves, in a deal that cuts America out of the arrangement entirely. ## [The Walls are Closing In on JD Vance](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/the-walls-are-closing-in-on-jd-vance/) _2026-08-21 · Stephen Silver · National Security Journal_ With Trump term-limited, the vice president is the likeliest nominee — and the war is the thing he can neither run toward nor away from. Distancing himself risks the loyalists and the hawks at once; embracing it means owning an unpopular conflict into a general election. ## [Desperate Kiev’s Reckless Moscow Airport Drone Missile Attack Plan; Russia All Day Strike Dobropilia](https://theduran.substack.com/p/desperate-kievs-reckless-moscow-airport) _2026-08-21 · Alex Christoforou · The Duran_ Russia unleashed one of its most massive missile and drone barrages of the war on Kiev overnight, and a leaked Atlantic report exposes former Ukrainian defense minister Fedorovs secret plan to knock out Moscows airports using AI guided drones. ## [NATO Has a Problem: More Russian Drones Have Crossed Into Romania This Year Than in the Whole of the Previous Four Years Combined](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/nato-has-a-problem-more-russian-drones-have-crossed-into-romania-this-year-than-in-the-whole-of-the-previous-four-years-combined/) _2026-08-21 · Georgia Gilholy · National Security Journal_ Drones or fragments have been recovered on Romanian soil more times this year than in all the years since the invasion began. Allied jets are flying air-policing missions at a record rate, and a maritime drone came within a few hundred yards of gas workers. ## [Iran’s Own President Suggested on Friday That the Regime Should Look to End the War From a Position of Power](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/irans-own-president-suggested-on-friday-that-the-regime-should-look-to-end-the-war-from-a-position-of-power/) _2026-08-21 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Seven commodity vessels crossed the strait on Thursday, none of them supertankers or gas carriers. Traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb dropped as well. Chinese buyers, Iran's most important customers, are sourcing crude from Brazil and Iraq instead. ## [Crazy Plan to Smash Moscow Airports. Poland's Tusk Blames Germany. China's D-Day Reply](https://theduran.substack.com/p/crazy-plan-to-smash-moscow-airports) _2026-08-21 · Alex Christoforou · The Duran_ Ukraine’s leaked Operation M&Ms exposes a wild plan to swarm Moscow airports with AI guided drones and force Putin into a truce, while Polish PM Donald Tusk stuns everyone by blaming Germany for the Nord Stream pipeline attack. ## [The Politics of the Lifeline](https://theduran.substack.com/p/the-politics-of-the-lifeline) _2026-08-21 · The Duran Daily · The Duran_ Corruption allegations and political maneuvering are exposing how Ukraine’s growing dependence on Western financing is reshaping the struggle for power in Kyiv. ## [Trump's Economic Siege on Iran, China and BRICS Stand in the Way](https://theduran.substack.com/p/trumps-economic-siege-on-iran-china) _2026-08-21 · Alex Christoforou · The Duran_ Trump has declared economic D Day on Iran, but the real question is whether China will let the siege actually work. ## [Sync bookmarks across every browser (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/fU8EabkC15DA) _2026-08-21 · **Sponsored**_ Two-way sync across Chrome, Firefox and Safari; built-in ad and tracker blocker. ## [Trump Might Have Cracked the Code and Found a Way to Get the Strait of Hormuz Reopened But Iran Isn’t Giving Up](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/trump-might-have-cracked-the-code-and-found-a-way-to-get-the-strait-of-hormuz-reopened-but-iran-isnt-giving-up/) _2026-08-20 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Going dark hides tankers from Iranian targeting and from the commercial trackers at the same time, which is why public counts show a trickle while officials describe a steady nightly flow. Central Command puts the total assisted at more than a thousand ships. ## [Russia Combined Hypersonics, North Korean Missiles and Iranian-Designed Drones in a Single Overnight Attack](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/russia-combined-hypersonics-north-korean-missiles-and-iranian-designed-drones-in-a-single-overnight-attack/) _2026-08-20 · Georgia Gilholy · National Security Journal_ Ukraine's air force says the barrage mixed Kinzhal and Zircon hypersonics, Iskanders, North Korean ballistic missiles, sea-launched cruise missiles and Shahed drones. Zelensky argues that until Kyiv can stop the fast ones, Moscow will not negotiate seriously. ## [Ukraine’s Average Soldier Is Now in His Late Forties, Which Is Why the Draft Age Went Down and Not Upward](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/ukraines-average-soldier-is-now-in-his-late-forties-which-is-why-the-draft-age-went-down-and-not-upward/) _2026-08-20 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Ukraine's own parliamentary human rights commissioner has called the violations tied to mobilization systematic and large-scale, and investigators are pursuing officials accused of assaulting civilians and falsifying records. Trust in enlistment officers had already fallen below one in four. ## [Putin Has a Residence in Sochi and a Palace Down the Coast, and He Has Not Been Seen at Either One This Year](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/putin-has-a-residence-in-sochi-and-a-palace-down-the-coast-and-he-has-not-been-seen-at-either-one-this-year/) _2026-08-20 · Stephen Silver · National Security Journal_ Most Russians have never traveled abroad and visas grew harder to get after the invasion, so they holiday at home — on a coastline that also carries refineries and tanker terminals. Air-raid sirens and petrol queues have become part of the season. ## [Is LA History Repeating Itself?: Progressive Socialism of the Early 1900s Returns](https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2026/08/20/progressive-socialism-returns/77024) _2026-08-20 · James Preston Allen · (untitled)_ The second decade of the 20th Century was a cauldron of reform and social upheaval. President Teddy Roosevelt initiated many reforms that are still with the nation today- like the Food and Drug Administration that he created after reading Upton Sinclair’s book “The Jungle” about the sordid conditions in the meatpacking industry. He then created \[…\] The post Is LA History Repeating Itself?:… ## [Refining Output Is Now Shrinking Faster Than the Demand for Fuel, Which Is Exactly Why Margins Keep Climbing](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/refining-output-is-now-shrinking-faster-than-the-demand-for-fuel-which-is-exactly-why-margins-keep-climbing/) _2026-08-20 · Georgia Gilholy · National Security Journal_ The West went into this crisis with less refining capacity than it once had and is scheduled to lose more. Global processing has fallen further than demand, which is why margins are at records and why reopening the strait would not fix the pumps. ## [Older Adults Should Go ‘Back-To-School’ Too: Psychologists Say Continued Learning Can Help Prevent Cognitive Decline](https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2026/08/20/prevent-cognitive-decline/77027) _2026-08-20 · Reporters Desk · (untitled)_ By Hannah G. Morris, Columnist As many children and young adults head back to school, scholars of psychology say that adults should keep learning too. Continued learning opportunities, whether academic or creative, offer a significant mental fitness advantage as people age. And in the Los Angeles Harbor Area, such opportunities are plenty, ranging from art \[…\] The post Older Adults Should Go… ## [“One Mass Shooting A Day”: Ports New Agreement Doesn’t Change The Daily Cost Of Port Pollution](https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2026/08/20/daily-cost-of-port-pollution/77029) _2026-08-20 · Paul Rosenberg · (untitled)_ The Port of LA was proud of approving a new addendum to its cooperative agreement with the Air Quality Management District \[AQMD\] on Aug 14. Its press release featured Mayor Karen Bass calling it “another bold, historic step toward putting sustainability at the forefront of everything we do at the Port of Los Angeles.” But \[…\] The post “One Mass Shooting A Day”: Ports New Agreement Doesn’t Change… ## [Driven by the Wind: Displaced Ukrainian Sailor Finds Her Course in San Pedro](https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2026/08/20/driven-by-wind/77049) _2026-08-20 · Reporters Desk · (untitled)_ By Cris Miller, Columnist It takes a lot to be an individual representing a country. All countries require dedication to get to an international level. In the summer of 2019, the White House delayed roughly $400 million in military assistance to Ukraine, which was approved by Congress to assist in resisting the Russian attack on \[…\] The post Driven by the Wind: Displaced Ukrainian Sailor Finds Her… ## [Massive Russian Strike. Three Factions Fight For Control of Ukraine](https://theduran.substack.com/p/massive-russian-strike-three-factions) _2026-08-20 · Alex Christoforou · The Duran_ Ukraine is collapsing on every front as Russian missile strikes cripple its air defense while a corruption scandal rocks President Zelensky’s government. ## [Anthony Ettinger on LinkedIn (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/exo8DxmHHBxT) _2026-08-20 · **Sponsored**_ Public LinkedIn profile at linkedin.com/in/anthonyettinger. ## [‘Keep Your Hands Off’: Californians Rally to Defend Coastal Commission](https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2026/08/20/californians-defend-coastal-commission/77038) _2026-08-20 · Mark Friedman · (untitled)_ When the Trump administration’s Department of Commerce ordered a review of California’s oversight of coastal resources involving industrial uses such as offshore oil production, rocket testing and desalination, more than 300 people turned out Aug. 10 to tell the administration to keep its hands off. Since 1972, California has preserved, protected, developed and, where \[…\] The post ‘Keep Your Hands… ## [We Might Now Have a Date for When the Iran War Could Start Back Up Again](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/we-might-now-have-a-date-for-when-the-iran-war-could-start-back-up-again/) _2026-08-20 · Georgia Gilholy · National Security Journal_ China takes the great majority of Iran's shipped oil, much of it through non-state refiners. Turkey buys a significant share of its natural gas from Iran. Iraq pays billions a year for Iranian gas and hosts American forces. All of them are now in the blast radius. ## [What Does it Take for Voters to Support Progressive Candidates](https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2026/08/20/what-does-it-take/77022) _2026-08-20 · Lyn Jensen · (untitled)_ For a long time, we’ve heard that if only people had information about progressive, left-of-center candidates, the majority of voters would support them. Now, though, everybody has an iPhone, and everybody surfs the internet. You can no longer blame people getting inadequate information about candidates for why more than 77 million people voted for Trump \[…\] The post What Does it Take for Voters… ## [Russians Are Now Being Fined and Detained for Complaining in Public About the Shortage of Petrol at All](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/russians-are-now-being-fined-and-detained-for-complaining-in-public-about-the-shortage-of-petrol-at-all/) _2026-08-20 · Stephen Silver · National Security Journal_ Russia has unbanned low-grade petrol it had previously outlawed, brought in fuel by rail from Kazakhstan, Belarus and Morocco, and taken a shipment from India. Some of it is stranded at Murmansk because suppliers will not sell at the price the regulator allows. ## [Moscow Is Being Kept Supplied With Fuel Redistributed Away From Russia’s Own More Rural Regions Instead Now](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/moscow-is-being-kept-supplied-with-fuel-redistributed-away-from-russias-own-more-rural-regions-instead-now/) _2026-08-20 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Refineries are diverting aromatic hydrocarbons into lower-octane gasoline, which is now producing shortages of motor oil and squeezing the same feedstocks used for synthetic materials, rubber and polymers. Putin conceded this week that growth has slowed. ## [Random Happening: Micro Gallery Debut: ‘gallery a’ featuring works by Ashley Tesfamariam](https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2026/08/20/micro-gallery-debut/77063) _2026-08-20 · Reporters Desk · (untitled)_ Join the debut of ‘gallery a’, Angels Gate Cultural Center’s new micro exhibition space. Modeled after neighborhood mini libraries, this free-standing art gallery is located outside of Building A, AGCC’s gallery and offices. ‘gallery a’ features the work of local, emerging, and underrepresented artists showing small but mighty works. ‘gallery a’ will host its \[…\] The post Random Happening: Micro… ## [Dodson Alum Alyssa Grace Proffitt Rises on Charts With ‘bloodstream’](https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2026/08/20/grace-proffitt-rises/77012) _2026-08-20 · Reporters Desk · (untitled)_ By Hannah G. Morris, Columnist Alyssa Grace Proffitt, a 19-year-old singer-songwriter and former Dodson Middle School student, is rising in the music charts with her hit song bloodstream. The young folk-pop artist has a sizable and quickly growing fan base, with nearly 6.4 million monthly listeners on popular music streaming platform Spotify. However, her fame \[…\] The post Dodson Alum Alyssa Grace… ## [Iced, Hot or Mushroom-Infused, Smart Drip Wants Coffee Your Way](https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2026/08/20/smart-drip/77016) _2026-08-20 · Terelle Jerricks · (untitled)_ Earlier this month, I saw firsthand how far iced coffee enthusiasts will go for their fix. The last time was when a friend sold iced coffee from her apartment during 100-plus-degree weather. Neighbors and customers in cars rang the doorbell every 10 minutes, seemingly driven entirely by word of mouth. Smart Drip Coffee gave me \[…\] The post Iced, Hot or Mushroom-Infused, Smart Drip Wants Coffee… ## [Brunch Around the Harbor: Reef, Think Prime and Neon Sun Offer Something Different](https://www.randomlengthsnews.com/archives/2026/08/20/brunch-around-the-harbor/77019) _2026-08-20 · Reporters Desk · (untitled)_ By Gretchen Williams, Columnist The Reef on the Water opened in 1958 as the flagship of David Tallichet’s Specialty Restaurant empire. Ports O’ Call on the Main Channel in San Pedro was another of Tallichet’s themed restaurants. Later restaurants took advantage of spectacular waterfront locations. Tallichet had been an accomplished pilot during World War II \[…\] The post Brunch Around the Harbor:… ## [Ukraine Stopped Nearly Everything That Russia Fired Overnight Except the One Weapon It Cannot Intercept Anymore](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/ukraine-stopped-nearly-everything-that-russia-fired-overnight-except-the-one-weapon-it-cannot-intercept-anymore/) _2026-08-20 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Zelensky says Ukraine has far fewer interceptors than it did last year while Russia fires roughly twice as many ballistic missiles a month, and that Kyiv receives only a small fraction of what it needs. Meanwhile Ukrainian drones hit a refinery in Tatarstan and an oil terminal on the Black Sea. ## [Russia Massive Kiev Strike More Coming; Orekhov Troops Panic; Dobropilia Falling; Ukraine Crisis](https://theduran.substack.com/p/russia-conducts-massive-kiev-more) _2026-08-20 · Alex Christoforou · The Duran_ Russia has unleashed a massive missile and drone strike on Kiev while Ukrainian defenses collapse on two key fronts, Orikhiv and Dobropillya. ## [Asked About the Israeli Strike He Had Already Been Briefed On, Trump Told a Reporter He Could Not Talk About It](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/asked-about-the-israeli-strike-he-had-already-been-briefed-on-trump-told-a-reporter-he-could-not-talk-about-it/) _2026-08-20 · Stephen Silver · National Security Journal_ Damascus says the work at the base was civil war repair and that Turkish personnel were there for training. Netanyahu's office says Syria was breaching a security status quo. Washington's own envoy called the strike an unnecessary escalation. ## [Economic D-Day Against Iran as US Hits $40 Trillion Debt. Russia Dominates Air, Land & Sea](https://theduran.substack.com/p/economic-d-day-against-iran-as-us) _2026-08-20 · Alex Christoforou · The Duran_ Trump has declared an all out economic assault on Iran just as the US national debt crosses forty trillion dollars, a staggering twin crisis unfolding in real time. ## [When the Ukraine War Reaches the Supermarket Shelves](https://theduran.substack.com/p/when-the-ukraine-war-reaches-the) _2026-08-20 · The Duran Daily · The Duran_ The Russia–Ukraine conflict is moving beyond the battlefield, exposing how sanctions, fertilizer shortages, energy disruption and Black Sea insecurity can turn geopolitical confrontation into a global food shock. ## [Moscow Is Under Attack Night After Night and Putin Doesn’t Seem to Want to Stay Home](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/moscow-is-under-attack-night-after-night-and-putin-doesnt-seem-to-want-to-stay-home/) _2026-08-19 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Moscow has already been forced to acknowledge “certain problems” caused by Ukrainian strikes, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, and a series of other officials now routinely talking about the damage and how to mitigate it. ## [Decades of Building Bases Close to Iran Made Them Useful, and That Same Closeness Now Makes Them Easy Target](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/decades-of-building-bases-close-to-iran-made-them-useful-and-that-same-closeness-now-makes-them-easy-target/) _2026-08-19 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Bahrain holds the Fifth Fleet headquarters, Qatar and Kuwait the major air and ground facilities. Hundreds of American structures have been damaged since February. Defending them burns interceptors Washington is already short of. ## [Dubai Was the Back Door That Iranian Companies Used to Buy Foreign Goods Despite All of the American Sanctions](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/dubai-was-the-back-door-that-iranian-companies-used-to-buy-foreign-goods-despite-all-of-the-american-sanctions/) _2026-08-19 · Jack Buckby · National Security Journal_ Abu Dhabi spent years shielding its commercial relationship with Tehran while keeping a close security partnership with Washington. Dubai's re-export and finance trade was how Iranian firms reached the global economy around sanctions. That route is now closed. ## [Donald Trump Keep Declaring the Strait of Hormuz Open But No One Believes Him Anymore](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/donald-trump-keep-declaring-the-strait-of-hormuz-open-but-no-one-believes-him-anymore/) _2026-08-19 · Georgia Gilholy · National Security Journal_ Last week, Aramco, the state-owned Saudi oil firm, resumed oil loadings from terminals in the Strait of Hormuz. It had previously halted operations due to attacks on its tankers. ## [The Walls Are Closing In on Donald Trump Fast](https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/the-walls-are-closing-in-on-donald-trump-fast/) _2026-08-19 · Stephen Silver · National Security Journal_ Trump told a rally he would never apologize for high gas prices. His own Speaker concedes the war drove them up. A Republican strategist describes the position as a balancing act on the thinnest of wires. ## [Russia 'Destroys' Kiev Orekhov Troops; Moscow AD Impenetrable To Kiev Drones; Kiev Economy Collapses](https://theduran.substack.com/p/russia-destroys-kiev-orekhov-troops) _2026-08-19 · Alex Christoforou · The Duran_ Russian forces are breaking through Ukrainian defenses around Orekhov and Zaporizhzhia while Kiev quietly admits it is nearly out of Patriot missiles.