https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/7/thousands-of-us-troops-arrive-in-red-sea-amid-ratcheting-iran-tensions

More than 3,000 US military personnel have arrived in the Red Sea on board two warships, part of a beefed-up response from the United States after alleged seizures of several civilian ships by Iran, the US Navy said.

The US sailors and marines entered the Red Sea on Sunday after transiting through the Suez Canal in a preannounced deployment, the US Fifth Fleet said in a statement on Monday.

In a Monday press conference, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said US deployments are only serving Washington’s interests.

“The US government’s military presence in the region has never created security. Their interests in this region have always compelled them to fuel instability and insecurity,” he told reporters.

“We are deeply convinced that the countries of the Persian Gulf are capable of ensuring their own security.”

https://news.yahoo.com/photos-show-north-korea-kim-040422067.html

North Korean state news agency KCNA, which released the photos on Saturday, said the images showed Kim touring a production plant of a “large-caliber artillery complex” and giving “on site guidance” to workers at a facility for “strategic cruise missiles and unmanned attack aircraft.”

It also said Kim gave “important directions” regarding “capacity-building for the serial production of new ammunition.”

https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2023/08/04/tonga-staff-concluding-statement-of-the-2023-article-iv-mission

this is 2 weeks after

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4120142-blinken-warns-of-problematic-behavior-from-china/

seems connected, like tonga is looking for best influx of revenue but i don't know anything beyond china wants to expand influence and blinken is retarded.

https://www.zawya.com/en/world/middle-east/mafwr-fixing-satellite-tracking-devices-on-fishing-fleet-to-modernise-operations-in-oman-go5y186g

The ministry official reminded that this initiative isn’t merely an installation of tracking devices. Instead, it represents a considerable upgrade to the existing system, establishing electronic connections with satellites and earth stations, revolutionising the way fishing vessels are monitored in Oman.

“The new system is notable for its innovation and efficiency,” the official stated.

“It facilitates swift delivery of necessary information regarding the fishing vessels. Thanks to connectivity through the Internet of Things networks, the speed of response in emergencies has improved greatly.”

..

internet of things is just great phrase xD

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/hawaii-butterfly-knife-ban-violates-second-amendment-court-says

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Monday reversed summary judgment favoring state officials, and instructed the lower court to continue proceedings in compliance with its determination that butterfly knifes are protected by the Second Amendment.

A butterfly knife, whose blade is encased in a split handle that manually unfolds, is commonly owned for law-abiding purposes, Judge Carlos T. Bea said.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/08/why-us-sending-3000-navy-marines-force-persian-gulf

Iran has escalated its attempts to seize commercial ships in Gulf waterways in recent months following the US Justice Department’s confiscation of a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, the Suez Rajan, carrying Iranian fuel to China in April. An Iranian navy vessel opened fire on a Chevron-chartered tanker in international waters off the coast of Oman last month after the civilian ship refused orders to stop.

Iran’s navy and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have harassed or seized control of at least 20 commercial shipping tankers in the region over the past two years, according to the US 5th Fleet’s numbers.

Iran’s moves have further driven a wedge into the United States’ strategic ties with Gulf states, as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates look to reduce their dependency on Washington for defense.

“It’s drawn Gulf states closer to Iran,” one American official told Al-Monitor last week. “It sends a signal to regional partners that in the absence of US forces, the US is not serious about security.”

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/06082023

Iran has reinforced its Revolutionary Guards’ navy with drones and 1,000km range missiles, Iranian media reported on Saturday, after US officials said troops may be deployed aboard tankers passing through the Gulf.

“The enemy has been the cause of our growth,” Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) top Commander Hosseini Salami said at the unveiling ceremony of the new equipment, as cited by semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Salami added that the expansion of the IRGC Navy was a result of “the enemy”, in this case likely referring to the US, “coming closer to us in the region.”