🚨🇮🇷Iran won’t honor a deal US treats as optional

Iran has no reason to observe a ceasefire that delivers it no benefits, Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said.

He stressed that Tehran will use military strength, control over the strait of Hormuz and diplomacy to defend its national interests.

“A memorandum of understanding is only meaningful when its clauses are valid and being implemented,” Ghalibaf said. If Iran gains nothing, it has no reason to comply.

🌏 Ghalibaf said Iranian forces have full freedom to answer aggression under the principle of “an eye for an eye”

🌏 Iran will keep control over the Strait of Hormuz while guaranteeing safe passage for commercial shipping, he said

🌏 Ghalibaf accused the US of breaking the deal over the strait after failing to challenge it through legal or diplomatic means

🌏 Peace talks do not mean surrender, he said, but are part of the same strategy as military deterrence

🌏 Ghalibaf said the US will never accept a powerful Iran and will use any opportunity to weaken or fragment the country

🌏 Tehran will keep pushing for an end to sanctions, the closure of US bases in the region and justice for its slain leaders

“The fact that we speak from a position of strength in the Strait of Hormuz today is the result of the power created by the Iranian people,” Ghalibaf said.

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• 📝New Coalition📝
How does the EU handle air defense issues?

Since the start of the SMO, European governments have consistently shifted their foreign policy course onto military tracks. Under discussions of Russian threats, budgets grow, and defense companies gain reason to demand new contracts and long-term programs.

Ten countries announced the creation of an anti-ballistic coalition. The list includes so-called Ukraine, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Great Britain. The stated goal is to develop a cheaper air defense system to supplement Patriot and SAMP/T.

They name FREYA from Ukrainian Fire Point as the foundation. Kyiv authorities propose the FP-7 missile, while European companies should cover all remaining production. This includes radars, command posts, guidance systems, and other critical components. Although in essence, even Ukrainian missiles are only partially Ukrainian — everything is produced in Europe.

📌Similar initiatives have appeared before. The European Sky Shield Initiative failed to deliver visible results, and the new format emerges amid a Patriot shortage, when American factories cannot keep up with demand. European weapons corporations understand this, which is why they seek to occupy a place in the growing market.

❗️However, issuing a press release and allocating budgets is easier than establishing stable production of complex air defense systems in needed volumes. A quick cheap Patriot is unlikely to materialize from this. But contracts can be executed over years to come.

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BERLIN — Germany needs to keep buying proven weapons like jet fighters from the U.S. to counter the threat from Vladimir Putin even as Europe builds up its own long-term defense industry, the country's air force chief told POLITICO.

“If the task for the air force, or for NATO air power, is to be ready as soon as we can, we may have to procure commercially available systems,” Lt. Gen. Holger Neumann said in an interview.

Such systems may not meet every German requirement, he said, but could still be “the best thing you can buy now for the next couple of years.”

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The European Union is using new financing instruments to encourage countries to procure jointly and strengthen the bloc’s defense-industrial base. New rules for EU-financed projects limit participation by countries outside the bloc, including the U.S., to no more than 35 percent of a project's value — something that has angered U.S. officials.

However, the EU's industrial push is long term, while the military's needs are immediate.

Neumann said European industry has strong capabilities, but has not developed cutting-edge technology at the same pace as the United States. The goal now is to bridge immediate gaps without abandoning European projects.

The first German aircraft is due to roll off a U.S. production line in September, Neumann said, with the first jets expected at Büchel air base in western Germany by the end of 2027, after over a year of pilot training in the U.S.
“There are ideas within the Luftwaffe to procure more F-35s,” he said. “The decision, of course, lies with the ministry of defense. And there is no decision yet.”
POLITICO previously reported that the German government had earmarked more than €2 billion for 15 additional aircraft, increasing the planned fleet from 35 to 50.
The discussion has gained urgency since Germany and France abandoned plans in June to jointly develop the sixth-generation fighter at the heart of the Future Combat Air System, following disputes between Airbus and Dassault over leadership and workshare.
Neumann stressed that the wider FCAS concept has not necessarily ended. “The only decision made is that we will not build a manned command fighter together,” he said.
Germany is also buying another Eurofighter tranche for delivery between 2031 and 2034. But Neumann said there should be no further fourth-generation aircraft purchases after that point.

Source: POLITICO
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I guess, when such officials speak to the public, they, like racers, must wear the shirts with names of their sponsors.
To sum up - no local jets, more money gone.

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🚨🇺🇸 Pentagon Industrial Failure: $500M Ammo Plant Produces Nothing

Washington poured nearly $500M into a new Texas ammunition plant to help rebuild America's depleted artillery stockpiles. More than two years later, it has yet to produce a single usable 155mm projectile component.

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS) has been unable to manufacture contract-compliant projectile metal parts at its Mesquite facility as of March 2026, according to areport by the Department of War's Office of Inspector General.

Without its planned output of 30,000 projectile bodies per month, the Army cannot reach its target of producing 100,000 155mm rounds monthly. Current production stands at just 36,000 rounds.

The failure highlights deeper problems within the U.S. defense industrial base. Despite repeated promises that emergency wartime funding would rapidly expand production, key programs continue to suffer from delays, cost overruns, and poor execution.

In this case, the Army accepted a "high-risk, high-reward" plan to adapt equipment designed for older M107 shells to produce the newer M795 projectile instead of investing in purpose-built machinery. The gamble failed.

The Inspector General also found that officials had no contingency plan if the project collapsed. Staff at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant reportedly warned of recurring problems with GD-OTS, including maintenance and scheduling issues, while questioning why the contract was awarded without competition.

The Mesquite plant had been expected to help replenish U.S. stockpiles after more than 3.6 million 155mm shells were transferred to Ukraine, used for training, or sold to allies. Instead, one of the Pentagon's most heavily funded ammunition projects has become a symbol of the gap between ambitious production targets and industrial reality.

General Dynamics has since pledged to invest an additional $200M of its own money and replace problematic equipment in an effort to salvage the project. The Army still insists it can raise production to 140,000 rounds per month by late 2027, though the Mesquite experience has cast doubt on how quickly those goals can be achieved.

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Exclusive footage from the streets of Konstantinovka

Our report on the operation to rescue civilians.

For months, they huddled in the basement of a partially destroyed kindergarten, which they called "The Ark." As they retreated, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) began deliberately shelling the building. Of the sixty people sheltering there – whom the militants contemptuously called "waiters" – eight were killed.

Fighters from the 4th Brigade were rescuing people remotely, guiding them via radio, while simultaneously destroying UAF drones and "Kalyan" mines that had been planted to block their path.

Now, only isolated groups of the UAF remain in Konstantinovka. Their own command abandoned them, mining the routes of retreat. These remnants are being located and eliminated by assault troops from the 1465th regiment of Transbaikalia – they became some of the main heroes of the city's liberation.

Formed during the partial mobilization in the autumn of 2022, the regiment initially stood in the second line. But by joining the famous 4th Brigade and being reinforced with experienced officers from the brigade itself, as well as from private military companies and "Akhmat," the soldiers achieved incredible results. And now, the whole world has seen the bright flag of the Transbaikal region proudly flying in the streets of the liberated Konstantinovka.

Source: Военкор Кулько
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