By André Pienaar As war-weary Sudan approaches its third year of brutal civil conflict, President Donald J. Trump has launched an ambitious new initiative to bring peace to a nation that the Biden administration largely ignored. In a critical region that spans the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, increasingly dominated by foreign mercenaries, Islamist militias, and Iranian drones, Trump’s peace plan offers not only a diplomatic lifeline — but a moral reset. Let’s be clear: Sudan’s war is not just a local tribal dispute. It is the latest frontline in a broader global struggle between forces of authoritarian…

By Staff Writer In a commanding debut before the defence community, Gen. Michael A. Guetlein laid out an ambitious vision for the United States’ Golden Dome missile defence initiative, describing a whole-of-nation effort aimed at redefining strategic deterrence in the 21st century. Speaking on 22 July at the Space Foundation’s Innovate Space Global Economic Summit, Guetlein detailed the programme’s trajectory, technological readiness and acquisition philosophy — offering the clearest public insight yet into the future of space-based missile defence. A 60-day sprint towards strategic architecture Just five days after Senate confirmation, Guetlein revealed that his first task is to deliver…

By Sean Rayment A leading French defence company is investigating a potential cyberattack after hackers claimed to have obtained sensitive data relating to the country’s nuclear submarines. Naval Group, the state-owned shipbuilder that traces its origins back almost 400 years to the reign of Louis XIII, said it had “immediately launched technical investigations” after cybercriminals threatened to publish files on the dark web. The company builds and maintains key vessels for the French Navy, including aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines. These include France’s Barracuda fleet of nuclear missile-armed submarines. In a post on a dark web forum, the hackers claimed…

By Sean Rayment President Donald Trump warned that he would order fresh attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities should Tehran attempt to restart the sites bombed by the United States last month. Trump issued the threat during talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf resort on the west coast of Scotland. Iran, which denies seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, has insisted it will not abandon domestic uranium enrichment despite the bombing of three nuclear sites. Trump told reporters that Iran had been sending out “nasty signals” and that any effort to restart its nuclear programme would…

By Staff Writer Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the recent summit of “The Hague Group” convened in Bogotá, Colombia, as a politically motivated assembly orchestrated to advance an international campaign of delegitimisation against the Jewish state through lawfare and sanctions. At the centre of the controversy is South Africa’s President Ramaphosa, who played a leading role in convening and shaping the summit’s anti-Israel agenda. Described by the organisers as an “emergency conference,” the two-day meeting (15–16 July) brought together delegations from 32 countries, under the banner of opposing what the summit called Israel’s “impunity” in Gaza. The…

By Staff Writer As Sudan descends deeper into civil war, a dangerous new player has emerged behind the front lines: the Islamic Republic of Iran. Through a covert but growing alliance with Sudan’s regular army, Iran has injected advanced weaponry, deadly drones and strategic ambition into an already devastating conflict — with far-reaching consequences for the Red Sea region and beyond. A dangerous alliance resurrected After years of estrangement, Khartoum and Tehran rekindled diplomatic relations in late 2023. The timing was no accident: Sudan’s army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, was faltering against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in…

By Isabella Egerton The UK government has imposed its first-ever sanctions targeting Kurdish-led smuggling cartels. The move is part of a sweeping new strategy to disrupt the sophisticated networks moving migrants across the Channel in small boats. But despite the recent arrests and expanded intelligence efforts, experts warn that without sustained pressure, the impact may be fleeting. The sanctions — announced jointly by the Foreign Office, Home Office, and Treasury this week — target key individuals allegedly behind thousands of irregular crossings each year. Those named face asset freezes and travel bans under the UK’s autonomous sanctions regime. The move…

By Staff Writer A rare and growing bipartisan coalition in the US Congress is coalescing around legislation that would impose targeted sanctions on senior officials of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), citing allegations of support for Hamas, systemic corruption, and alignment with adversarial regimes such as Iran, China, and Russia. The House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a clear message this week by advancing H.R. 2633 — the US–South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025, a bill authored by Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), with a decisive 34–16 vote. While all 28 Republicans on the committee backed the bill, they…

By Isabella Egerton Bahrain and the United States have announced over $17 billion in agreements to boost economic and investment ties across key sectors including aviation, technology, industry, and energy. The deals were unveiled during a high-profile meeting between Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and US President Donald Trump at the White House. Facilitated by President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the agreements are expected to create approximately 30,000 American jobs, according to a senior White House official. They signal Bahrain’s intent to deepen its economic partnership with Washington while diversifying its own economy. Bahrain’s strategic importance…

By Staff Writer A controversial draft law aimed at expanding Iran’s national security and espionage legislation has been returned to parliament for revision after the Guardian Council raised concerns over vague definitions, disproportionate penalties, and potential violations of Islamic and constitutional law. The pushback is notable within Iran’s hardliner-dominated establishment, even as authorities intensify a crackdown following the recent war with Israel. Passed in late June after the 12-day war, the bill — formally titled “Intensification of Punishment for Espionage and Cooperation with the Zionist Regime and Hostile States Against National Security and Interests” — proposes sweeping measures, including the death penalty,…

By Isabella Egerton Cyberattacks using stolen and fake identities have become one of the biggest threats facing national security, according to Constella Intelligence’s 2025 Identity Breach Report. Instead of “hacking into” systems, attackers are increasingly just “logging in” using real or fake credentials. In 2024 alone, more than 219,000 breaches exposed over 107 billion records worldwide — double the level of previous years. IBM’s X-Force team noted that stolen logins and exploiting public websites each accounted for about 30 per cent of how hackers first gained access last year. Constella Intelligence, a leading global digital risk protection company that helps organisations…

By Sean Rayment Laser weapons capable of shooting down drones will be fitted to military vehicles to help protect airfields from terrorist attacks, National Security News can reveal. Tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and reconnaissance vehicles will be equipped with lasers designed to blast drones out of the sky from distances of more than half a mile. Defence experts have said the laser-armed vehicles could be used to protect airfields, sensitive locations such as GCHQ, and other areas of critical national infrastructure from swarm drone attacks launched by terrorist groups or hostile nations. Details of the new laser capability emerged as Britain begins…