Global Hotspots: Trump threatens Oman and orders force withdrawals from South Korean drills

Milos Maggiore, Andrew Loftesnes, and Jared Jeter look at some of the key developments from the week, including President Trump’s threats against anyone trading with Iran, and the news that U.S./South Korean military drills were substantially reduced following directives from Trump.

Elsewhere, in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia threatened to retaliate against the United Kingdom after Ukrainian forces used British-supplied drones for long-range attacks against Russia, as reports indicate Moscow has supplied drone parts to Iran.

In the Americas, the U.S. postponed imposing 50% tariffs on Canada amid trade negotiations, while U.S. oil companies are expected to sign contracts with Venezuela.

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Marxist Arrow by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Photo: Black smoke rise from a distribution warehouse near Moscow, Russia after Ukraine’s drone attack on August 16, 2026. At least seven people were killed and 13 injured in Ukrainian drone attacks across Russia, while three people were killed and 23 injured in Russian strikes across Ukraine, officials on both sides. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)