2026, day 226 Good morning from Asia. ‘US eyes indefinite Iran naval blockade as oil supply shortfall deepens’ (Reuters); ‘US Treasury Secretary Bessent says US to apply measures 'never seen before' on Iran’ (JPost); ‘U.S. Sending Fresh Aircraft Carrier to Middle East Amid Iran War Strain’ (WSJ) - “USS George Washington is set to replace USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for more than 250 days”; ‘U.S. military has lost roughly 25% of its Reaper drones as Iran war depletes arsenal’ (WaPo); ‘Houthis claim drone attack on Saudi Aramco refinery’ (Gulf News); ‘MBS meets top US general for Middle East to discuss defense cooperation, reducing tensions’ (Al Arabiya); ‘Saudi Arabia considers backing Yemeni ground offensive to retake Houthi-held Red Sea coast’ (JPost); ‘Prince Khalid meets Iraq’s top general to discuss Saudi-Iraqi defense ties’ (Al Arabiya); ‘Board of Peace confirms Kushner to visit Israel and Egypt next week to discuss Gaza plan’ (ToI); ‘Fidan: Türkiye will take radical steps if Israel insists on Gaza stance’ (ClashReport); ‘US military launches first-ever multinational attack drone task force’ (Gulf News); ‘Trump Orders Navy to Restore Older Tech on Aircraft Carriers, Costing Billions’ (WSJ); ‘US floats prospect of joint strikes on Colombian armed groups’ (Reuters): ‘Oil, Hunters and Dr. Phil: How a Long-Shot Project Is Shaking Up Greenland’ (NYT); ‘Covert CIA program said to be behind mysterious attacks on Galápagos boats’ (WaPo); ‘What Venezuela's renewed ties with Israel could mean for Iran’ (JPost); ‘Britain warned it lacks firepower needed to defend shipping from Russia’ (Telegraph); ‘’Much faster than originally planned': Ukraine warns of Russian rival to Musk's Starlink’ (Politico); ‘Flight-tracking data shows continued Russian air bridge to sub-Saharan Africa’ (Defense News); ‘Tokyo issues angry response as Putin makes his first visit to the disputed Kuril Islands’ (Euronews); ‘Japan needs deterrence and renewal — not managed decline’ (FT); ‘Sirens blare and the streets empty out. Taiwan prepares itself for war’ (Telegraph); ‘Satellite images show 50 per cent boost to China's Type 054B missile capacity’ (SCMP); ‘Inside North Korea’s Operation to Conquer the American Job Market’ (WSJ); ‘North Korea slams joint US-South Korea drill: 'Will respond to new threat level'’ (Reuters); In geoeconomics, ‘Are global oil stocks big enough to weather another six months of US-Iran war?’ (Reuters); ‘Russia’s Diesel Exports Crash to Multiyear-Low amid Tight Global Market’ (OilPrice); ‘Can Takaichi's $2.3tn bet on industrial policy revive growth in Japan?’ (Nikkei Asia); ‘Japan’s Inflation Paradox Is Creating Its Own Winners and Losers’ (BBG); ‘Trump enlists US tech groups for cyber privateering push’ (FT) ‘US accuses Chinese exporters of masterminding 'Great Transshipment Scam'’ (SCMP); ‘Trump administration to impose tariffs on drone imports, White House says’ (Reuters); ‘Bangladesh seeks homegrown drone industry with Turkey, China partnerships’ (Nikkei Asia); ‘Microsoft retreats in China, but Al boom helps it keep a window open’ (Reuters); ‘Brazil opens reciprocity process against US over tariffs’ (Reuters); ‘US also wants trade deal before August 19 tariff deadline, Canadian source says’ (Reuters); ‘US court backs Trump's power to close 'de minimis' tariff exemption’ (Reuters); In politics, ‘Older Democrats walloped by midterms anti-establishment revolt’ (Axios); ‘Top Democrat Targets Supreme Court for Changes’ (WSJ); ‘China ‘funding pro-Palestine marches in UK’’ (Telegraph); In markets, ‘Diesel Crack Spread Tops $98 a Barrel to Hit Record High’ (BBG); ‘US sells 30-year bonds at highest borrowing costs since 2001’ (FT); ‘Anthropic investors bet on $2tn valuation in record IPO’ (FT); ‘Chinese banks test repo-linked corporate loans to make pricing more market-based’ (SCMP)