Iran taps financial lifeline, Russian arms as Trump escalates 'crushing' economic warfare

Tehran is deepening its financial and military ties with Beijing and Moscow, forging a critical lifeline as it seeks to circumvent U.S. sanctions and weather Washington’s renewed "maximum pressure" campaign, regional security analysts warned Wednesday.

As the U.S. continues to ramp up Operation Economic Fury, Iran, they say, has turned to non-Western blocs and alliances to unite further with Russia and China while positioning itself as a "linchpin" in a network that directly challenges American influence.

The warning came as President Donald Trump announced Wednesday what he called the "most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country," threatening sweeping consequences for nations and businesses that provide Iran with an economic lifeline as he seeks to further isolate Tehran.

"This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale," Trump said in a post shared on Truth Social.

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"The Islamic Republic is looking to survive, but in order to survive, it needs to adapt," Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital.

"It needs to adapt not just to U.S. and Israeli military pressure, but this U.S. political and economic pressure.

"There's no doubt the Islamic Republic is looking to maximize its enmeshment with countries like Russia and China that have been subject to U.S. political and economic pressure in the past."

BRICS, an economic bloc consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and several recent expansion nations, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian political, economic and security alliance led by Beijing and Moscow, have become key vehicles for Iran’s outreach of late.

Trump has previously labeled BRICS policies "anti-American," CNBC reported.

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Abdolnaser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, said Tehran will soon join the BRICS-backed New Development Bank, though the bank told Reuters it could not confirm Iran’s membership.

"The most important result of cooperation among BRICS member countries is the establishment of the New Development Bank, and our country will soon become a member of this bank," Hemmati said, according to state media.

"You can see Iran trying to benefit from its role in BRICS, as well as a constellation of other organizations, that really would allow itself to be shielded — or try to make itself more shielded — from U.S. political and economic pressure," Taleblu explained.

"The Islamic Republic is looking to be more formally integrated into economic orders brought about by Russia and China, which are looking to contest the U.S. dollar as much as they're looking to contest U.S. power and influence.

"It is quite key and important for policymakers in Washington to wake up and see how interconnected these state threats are becoming.

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"These are independent relationships that have been coming together. They have differences, but as an authoritarian axis, these are countries that are better able to manage their differences at present than it seems like America and the liberal western order are able to handle their differences."

NBC News also reported Aug. 17 that Russia is supplying Iran with ammunition, drone components and TNT via Caspian Sea shipping routes, citing a European government document verified by a Western official.

The report comes amid indications that Tehran is relying on Russian technology and military support to adapt to U.S. military and economic pressure.

"Even limited technology and military flows from Russia to the Islamic Republic help it fight to survive, adapt and live another day to combat the U.S. order in the region," Taleblu said.

"In the short term, there is less transaction cost on this anti-American authoritarian order that is fast emerging than there is on the pro-American order."

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Taleblu also highlighted Iran’s dual role in what he terms the "Axis of Aggressors," a coalition of hostile, authoritarian states including Russia, China and North Korea, and the "Axis of Resistance," Tehran’s network of regional proxy groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Shiite militias in Iraq.

"They all have hostile intentions towards the U.S. and the liberal world order. They are authoritarians at home and creditors abroad.

He also noted that even if Tehran’s economic goals within BRICS fail to fully materialize, the political and military backing it gets from Moscow and Beijing is significant.

"So, even if what the Islamic Republic wants from the BRICS countries, particularly the likes of Russia and China, doesn't happen, that doesn't mean that political, economic and military support to this regime at a critical time is not happening.

"The linchpin between the state threats that the U.S. faces in the 21st century, from the Axis of Aggressors and the non-state threats in the Middle East, is the Islamic Republic of Iran," Taleblu clarified.

"It is actually a bridge for capabilities, money and technology from states to flow to non-state actors."

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UK Home Office guide tells asylum seekers not to rape, harass women or make kissing noises

A guide published by Britain's Home Office reminds asylum seekers not to rape women or sexually harass people, while noting that women are allowed to "earn their own money" and "make their own decisions about their lives."

The nine-page document is among the resources provided to asylum seekers seeking refuge, though it appears to target mostly men.

The guidance is meant to foster an understanding of expected behaviors for those arriving from other countries. Aside from earning a living, women are allowed to attend school, choose who they marry, travel freely and generally make their own decisions.

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"Women do not need permission from a husband, father, brother, or any other man to do any of these things," the guide states.

Sections of the booklet cover gender equality, domestic abuse, sex and consent, respect in public, getting help and living in the U.K.

The section on domestic abuse warns of arrest and prison time for committing physical or emotional abuse against a partner.

"We expect everyone who comes to the U.K. to abide by our laws," a Home Office spokesperson told GB News. "If they do not, they will face consequences, including the refusal of their asylum claim and removal from the U.K."

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"Returns of failed asylum seekers have reached their highest level since 2010 under this government," the spokesperson added.

The booklet notes that asylum seekers are expected to "treat your partner and family with respect," "let them make their own choices," and "never physically or verbally abuse or control them."

In public, one must not direct sexual comments at people, even if they think it's appropriate, follow someone or block their path to refrain from whistling or making kissing noises at someone, it states.

A section on consent adds that both people must consent to sex without threat or pressure and that anyone can change their mind at any time.

"If you have sex with someone without their consent, this is called rape. Rape is a serious crime in the U.K. You could go to prison, lose your support and accommodation, and it will affect your asylum claim," the document states.

Anyone under the age of 16 is considered a child and cannot legally consent to sex, according to the guidance.

Support hotline numbers for victims of sexual and domestic abuse are provided at the end of each section and at the back of the booklet.

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Nearly 70,000 illegal immigrants and foreign criminals have been returned or deported from the United Kingdom since the Labour Party came to power in July 2024, the BBC reported.

"Instead of trying to train these mainly young, male illegal immigrants to behave in a civilized way towards women, they should be deported," Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said.

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5 Americans killed in helicopter crash in Kenya, including Telemundo executive

Five Americans died Wednesday in a helicopter crash in northern Kenya, according to the U.S. State Department.

Seven people were on board when the accident occurred around 9 a.m. in a mountainous region near Kirish in Samburu County, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority said.

One of the deceased reportedly includes Telemundo executive José Suárez, who oversaw multiple stations in Florida as president and general manager. 

He was identified in a message to employees by NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde, according to NBC News.

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Lady Lori Helicopters, the company that operated the aircraft, said it was "deeply saddened" by the incident and extended its condolences to all those affected.

"Our deepest sympathies are with the guests, crew, their families and loved ones, and all those affected by this tragic accident," Lady Lori said in a post on social media.

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According to the operator, the aircraft was on a charter flight from Suyian Conservancy, a 44,000-acre private wildlife refuge, to Ololokwe when it crashed near Mount Ololokwe. 

Officials said the aircraft was a Eurocopter EC130 B4, and Lady Lori said it was registered as 5Y-GYM.

The cause of the accident has not yet been determined and is subject to investigation by the relevant authorities, the operator said.

The U.S. Embassy is in contact with local authorities and is providing consular assistance.

"The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans," the State Department said. "We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones on their loss."

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Cuba’s economic freefall is hiding a national security threat just miles from Florida: report

A new report warns that Cuba’s relationships with Russia, China and Iran could provide America’s adversaries with a strategic foothold just 90 miles from Florida, arguing that the island’s deepening economic crisis does not necessarily make it less dangerous to the United States.

The America First Policy Institute report, The Dictatorship Next Door: Cuba and the Fight for the Western Hemisphere, argues that Washington has too often viewed Cuba primarily as a human rights, migration or economic problem while overlooking the national security implications of Havana’s relationships with U.S. adversaries. The report says those partnerships create opportunities for intelligence collection, military cooperation, cyber operations and political influence close to the U.S. homeland.

"Cuba is a massive national security threat to the U.S.," report author Melissa Ford Maldonado, director of AFPI’s Western Hemisphere Initiative, told Fox News Digital in an interview ahead of the report’s release.

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"They are a hostile communist regime that is only 90 miles from Florida," Ford Maldonado said, arguing that Cuba has a decades-long history of working against American interests and supporting U.S. adversaries.

The report’s most concrete current concern centers on China and suspected intelligence facilities on the island.

A June 18, 2026, analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found continued activity at Cuban sites capable of supporting signals intelligence collection. CSIS said it had previously identified four such sites, several with possible links to China.

Ford Maldonado said she believes the broader evidence of Chinese intelligence activity on Cuba is compelling.

"There is a lot of credible evidence that there are Chinese bases and that there is spying going on in Cuba," she said, claiming that China has taken advantage of Cuba’s geographic position to monitor U.S. activity.

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Russia’s relationship with Havana is older and more extensive.

Ford Maldonado described Moscow and Havana as increasingly "intimate, reliable partners," pointing to diplomatic and military cooperation as well as Cuban nationals joining Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.

The number of Cubans fighting for Russia is contested. A U.S. State Department cable obtained by Reuters on Oct. 5, 2025 estimated that 1,000 to 5,000 Cubans were fighting in Ukraine alongside Russian forces. Reuters reported that Ukrainian officials had also raised concerns with U.S. lawmakers about Russia’s recruitment of Cuban nationals.

Cuba has denied sending troops to Ukraine. In an Oct. 11 statement reported by Reuters, the Cuban Foreign Ministry said Cuba was not participating in the conflict with military personnel and said it had prosecuted Cubans for mercenary activity. Havana said 40 defendants had faced criminal proceedings between 2023 and 2025, with 26 convicted.

Ukraine nevertheless closed its embassy in Havana in October 2025 and downgraded relations, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accusing Cuban authorities of failing to act against what Kyiv described as large-scale Russian recruitment of Cuban citizens, according to The Kyiv Independent.

The public evidence regarding Iran is considerably less developed — something Ford Maldonado acknowledged when pressed by Fox News Digital. "Iran was a little bit trickier," she said.

"There wasn’t that much substance that I could find to include it in the report," Ford Maldonado said, adding that she believes Iran has used Cuba primarily as a platform for influence operations.

"The evidence was not as substantive as we saw with China and Russia and Venezuela," she said.

The Trump administration has nevertheless grouped Iran with Russia and China in its own assessment of Cuba.

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In a Jan. 29, 2026, executive order, President Donald Trump declared Cuba’s policies an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and said Havana aligns itself with Russia, China, Iran and Iranian proxies – Hezbollah and Hamas. The order also accused Cuba of hosting foreign military and intelligence capabilities and specifically alleged deep intelligence and defense cooperation with China and Russian signals-intelligence activity.

AFPI’s report calls for a substantially tougher U.S. response.

"We are not advocating for new American bases," she clarified. Instead, she said Washington could pursue expanded access agreements, overflight rights, cooperative security locations and stronger regional partnerships.

"The objective is just permanent and persistent... American capability," Ford Maldonado said.

The call for even greater pressure, however, comes as ordinary Cubans are enduring a severe humanitarian crisis.

Power outages were exceeding 20 hours a day in most provinces, Reuters reported Aug. 13, 2026, crippling food production, transportation and tourism and pushing Cuba’s electrical system toward technical collapse. Reuters described the situation as one of the most severe economic and political crises in Cuba’s modern history and said it had been exacerbated by the Trump administration’s oil restrictions and hardened sanctions.

A July 7 investigation by Human Rights Watch (HRW) described severe shortages of food and medicine, prolonged blackouts, water shortages and deteriorating living conditions.

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HRW attributed Cuba’s crisis to multiple factors, including longstanding structural inefficiencies in its highly state-controlled economy, decades of U.S. restrictions on trade and financing, the collapse of tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent tightening of U.S. sanctions. HRW said the 2026 restrictions on oil supplies further deepened the energy crisis.

Critics of the Trump administration’s maximum-pressure strategy argue that further squeezing an already collapsing economy risks worsening civilian suffering and triggering additional instability and migration.

On June 8, U.N.-appointed independent human rights experts called for the sanctions to be lifted, arguing that they were putting Cubans’ access to essential goods and services at risk.

Asked about that broader criticism, Ford Maldonado said the blame belongs with Havana rather than Washington.

"Maximum pressure isn’t harming the Cuban people, it’s harming their regime," she said, arguing that the Cuban government and Cuban people should be treated as distinct.

"One has brutalized and repressed the other for 67 years now," Ford Maldonado said. "So maximum pressure is what’s necessary from the United States and from the rest of the world in order to be able to help the Cuban people."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Russian, Chinese and Iranian embassies but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Trump administration sanctions sitting president of the International Criminal Court for 'abuses of power'

The Trump administration has sanctioned two top International Criminal Court officials, escalating its campaign to dismantle a body that has investigated alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan and issued arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials over the war in Gaza.

In announcing the sanctions against ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and the ICC's senior trial lawyer, Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the court "corrupt and fatally politicized."

"These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction," Rubio said in a statement, adding that the ICC "has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate."

The sanctions against Akane and Seye freeze assets they hold in U.S. jurisdictions and largely cut them off from transactions with Americans or the U.S. financial system.

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"Our whole of government campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the ICC to national sovereignty will be sweeping and we expect more countries to join our campaign by ending their funding and participation in this politicized and unaccountable court," Rubio said. "The ICC’s ability to target American nationals and those of other non-States Parties must end."

An executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February 2025 created the sanctions' framework.

The Trump administration argues that the ICC lacks the power to investigate soldiers, military commanders and political leaders from countries that are not parties to the court, including the U.S. and Israel.

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The ICC said the Trump administration's latest sanctions "undermine the rule of law," adding that they amount to "a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution."

The ICC maintains that it can exercise jurisdiction over nationals of non-member states when they are accused of qualifying crimes committed on the territory of a state that has accepted the Court’s jurisdiction.

Qualifying crimes under the Rome Statute include genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

Afghanistan and Palestine are both members of the court, which the ICC says allows it to investigate alleged crimes committed on their territories, including alleged war crimes by U.S. personnel in Afghanistan and alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity by Israeli officials in Gaza.

In September 2024, the ICC also issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the minister of defense at the time.

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Liberia agrees to accept 1,200 third-country deportees from US within a year

Liberia announced Tuesday that it will accept up to 1,200 third-country deportees from the U.S. over the next year under an agreement between the two countries.

The agreement marks one of the largest arrangements of its kind under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown. Liberia's President Joseph Boakai was one of five West African leaders who traveled to the White House last year to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.

As part of the arrangement, the first group of 20 deportees are expected to arrive on Thursday, Liberia’s Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah told reporters.

The 1,200 deportees who will be sent to the country within the next 12 months will include Africans as well as nationals from North America, South America and the Caribbean, Piah said.

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Piah said the deportees would be received "as guests," adding that they could leave when they wanted and apply for asylum in Liberia.

He also said Liberia will receive support from the U.S. to manage the program and strengthen its migration system. But he said the deal was not part of a quid pro quo with the U.S. government and that the African nation was not demanding compensation in exchange for taking in the deportees.

"Liberia’s gesture is entirely humanitarian and in keeping with the country’s longstanding traditions," he said. "The government of Liberia intends to provide the transferred persons with the necessary support to seek protection in Liberia and to be safe during their stay here."

Liberia's government referenced its historical ties to the United States, including its roots in a 19th-century settlement established for free and formerly enslaved Black Americans and its history as a country with "a long history of accepting people seeking refuge from political and other crises."

Liberia’s Justice Minister Natu Oswald Tweh said that the country has screened the migrants ahead of their arrival.

"Most of them are people who had immigration violations and offenses," he said.

The Liberian government said the arriving deportees are not criminals and are not being prosecuted under U.S. or Liberian law.

Since Trump returned to the White House in January of last year, his administration has reached several deals with African countries to accept third-country deportees, including in some cases migrants who have legal protections barring their return to their countries of origin because of risks of torture, persecution or other abuses. It was not immediately clear whether any members of the group being sent to Liberia have such protections.

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Under several agreements that have not always been publicly disclosed in full, the administration has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own, with about 10 of them in Africa, according to immigration advocates.

The administration has defended the third-country deals as lawful, saying federal immigration law permits the government to remove migrants to willing third countries. The Supreme Court last year stayed a lower-court order that had imposed additional procedural requirements on third-country removals while litigation continued.

The U.S.-Liberia agreement says Liberia will not return a transferred person to their home country while a protection claim is pending and that both governments intend to act consistently with their obligations under refugee and anti-torture law.

Rights groups say some migrants have been sent to countries they have never visited or where they could face safety risks, potentially increasing pressure on them to return to their countries of origin.

Other African countries that have taken in third-country deportees include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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South Korean president jumps to invest in military after Trump cuts joint exercises

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged his nation to boost its independent military capabilities Tuesday after President Donald Trump ordered a cut to join U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

Lee made the statement during a meeting with his cabinet on Tuesday, a day after the annual joint Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises began. Trump announced on social media this weekend that he ordered War Secretary Pete Hegseth to "substantially reduce" U.S. involvement in the drills.

Trump's statement expressed concern that the drills presented an overly hostile tone toward North Korea, whose leader, Kim Jong Un, Trump spoke of with warm words.

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Lee emphasized in his cabinet meeting that Ulchi Freedom Shield is a purely defensive exercise.

"A strong alliance makes the foundation of security stronger, and strengthening our own capabilities increases our value and necessity as an ally," Lee said.

He stated that South Korea's top priority is maintaining peace with North Korea, but said the country must be prepared for a "worst-case scenario."

Lee specifically mentioned boosting South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine program, among others.

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Trump's statement on Monday, posted to Truth Social, was openly critical of Lee's administration with respect to North Korea.

"Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea," Trump wrote.

"These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile, to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful."

Lee's administration noted the kind words for North Korea in his statement on Tuesday, with Lee's national security advisor, Wi Sung-lac, remarking that he hopes Trump's relationship with Kim could lead to lasting change.

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"We hope the friendly relationship between the U.S. and North Korean leaders will lead to meaningful North Korea-U.S. dialogue," Wi said at a Tuesday briefing.

Trump also took the opportunity to highlight Lee's apparent refusal to assist the U.S. in the conflict with Iran.

"While somewhat unrelated (?), I recently asked the President of South Korea if they would like to join us in the Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they said, ‘No thanks!’" Trump wrote.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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