US-Iran Shipping Crackdown: The US disabled the Curacao-flagged tanker M/T Belma near Iran’s Kharg Island with Hellfire missiles as it resumes a naval blockade, while Iran retaliated with attacks on Kuwait and Jordan and oil prices slipped on escalation fears. Iraq-US Economic Pivot: Iraq and the US are set to unveil economic agreements worth about $60bn during PM Ali al-Zaidi’s Washington visit, including oil and infrastructure deals aimed at reducing reliance on Hormuz. Basra–Aqaba & Regional Energy Links: Jordan and Iraq discussed advancing the Basra–Aqaba oil pipeline and electricity interconnection, with US involvement floated for broader trilateral cooperation. Iraq Sanctions & Finance Pressure: Iraq expanded sanctions on Hezbollah and ISIS-linked financing networks, adding entities to banking sanctions lists as Baghdad seeks tighter US security and economic coordination. Banking Reform Push: The World Bank said it’s ready to support Iraq’s banking sector reforms, including a plan to merge state-owned banks into a larger holding company. Power Crisis Under Scrutiny: Iraq’s electricity minister met US-linked think tank partners on practical solutions as protests continue in southern provinces over worsening outages. Oil Export Route Stability: Türkiye and Iraq are moving toward a 12-month extension of the Iraq-Turkey crude pipeline transit deal to keep flows to Ceyhan as Hormuz remains disrupted. Business & Services: UniHouse Jordan won a second UNOPS advisory contract to build capacity in Ninewa and Anbar, while Uber agreed to buy Delivery Hero in a $14.8bn deal that includes overlapping delivery operations in Iraq.