US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Iran that any aggression against US' Gulf allies would come at a significant financial cost. "Any damage it inflicts on our allies in the Gulf will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian Accounts," Bessent said. "Every attack Iran launches will only deepen the economic and financial consequences it faces," he added.

World Bank cut its 2026 global growth forecast to 2.5%, the slowest pace since the Covid-19 pandemic, citing the Iran war. The growth could slow to 1.3% if energy supply disruptions continue, it added. India's growth forecast for FY27 is at 6.6%, and is expected to rebound to 7.2% in FY28. The forecasts for the UAE and Iraq also lowered.

US CENTCOM shared a post saying the Hormuz Strait remains open after Iran declared earlier that it had closed it following latest strikes by US. "Safe pathways are established for commercial vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz...US forces are postured to defend against Iranian aggression," it said. Iran had said any vessel attempting to cross would be shot at.

China has rejected three cargoes of dried chillies from India over the alleged presence of methamidophos residues, which are feared to affect the nervous system. China, the largest buyer of Indian dry red chillies, has suspended imports from three Indian firms. This comes after China recently rejected 70 consignments of Indian rice over the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Multiple floors and corridors inside Pentagon (US Defence Department) have been locked down and others are being evacuated due to a "hazardous materials incident". The Pentagon Force Protection Agency's hazardous materials response team is responding to the incident with the assistance of a fire department. A message sent by Pentagon's security team said an "air quality issue' was detected.

The Indian Navy has successfully recovered and safely disposed of an unexploded missile warhead found onboard crude oil tanker MT Olympic Life. The vessel, which had no Indian nationals on board, was travelling from Fujairah in the UAE to Kochi when it reported an explosion in its hull off the coast of Oman on May 26.

Amid escalating tensions between Iran and US, 22 countries, including US, France, Germany, Canada and UK, jointly urged Iran to stop alleged overseas attacks carried out through international and local criminal networks. "Attempts to kill, kidnap, harass, or otherwise attack people on our soil undermine international norms. These actions must stop immediately," the joint statement said.

US President Donald Trump said Iran has no idea US planes are flying over the middle of Tehran. "They have no navy, no air force, no anti-aircraft...they have no idea we are there. We've knocked out all of their radars," he added. "They have less than 20% missiles...their drone capacity is way down...their attacks are very minor," he further said.

At least 16 people were killed and 37 others were wounded on Thursday as Pakistan army opened fire from AK-47 rifles on thousands of unarmed protestors in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Protestors have been demanding affordable flour, rice, electricity, and basic rights. Protestors accused authorities of using force instead of addressing public anger.

OpenAI reports that China-linked groups used ChatGPT to generate political content between late 2025 and 2026. The campaigns, which critiqued Trump’s tariffs, AI policies and data centre construction, saw limited engagement. While ineffective at scale, the effort highlights how generative AI is becoming a standard, low-cost tool in global information warfare and geopolitical competition.