Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Russia Accused Of Helping Iran Develop Carrier-Killing Supersonic Cruise Missiles
Yet another major allegation against Russia has emerged this week in the pages of the London-based Financial Times, which says that Moscow has been helping Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles, in a clandestine program that has been ongoing throughout the war with the US and Israel.
Early in the conflict, it was widely reported that advanced and ultra-fast weapons were used against Israel, which might help explain why the small Mediterranean country suffered so much damage.
The FT cited as part of its journalistic investigation internal Russian evidence it has uncovered including correspondence, travel records and military patents.
The secretive program is being described as "one of the most significant known transfers of strategic military technology from Moscow to Tehran."
At the center of the new reporting is Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, overseeing a project codenamed "C430L" - and also involving the US-sanctioned NPO Mashinostroyenia, a rocket design company.
Officials from both entities reportedly started frequently traveling to Iran in 2023, with the program having continued into June 2026 - though it's unclear whether the war with the United States has paused or halted it.
The missile reportedly under development would fly at multiple times the speed of sound, and could be an 'aircraft killer'. It should be noted there are entire Reddit threads focused on questions like: Is there any realistic way for a carrier to destroy a super-sonic “carrier killer” cruise missile?
Jim Lamson, a former CIA military analyst focused on Iran, issued a statement to FT explaining, "For the Iranians, this would give them a qualitatively new strategic weapon system that could threaten US Navy vessels."
Another interesting insight is from Fabian Hinz, a senior analyst with Conflict Armament Research. "This is the transfer of a highly strategically sensitive military technology from Russia that the Iranians have wanted to acquire for decades," he told the FT.
"A program like this would require political clearance from the very top in Russia," he added.
There of course remains the looming question of whether this is all propaganda, designed to put even more Western pressure on so-called 'rogue' actors Moscow and Tehran. It could be, but sharing such technology would also be consistent with recent defense and economic pacts the two sides have inked. This part has been no secret. They are also already deeply involved in drone transfers.
Already Russia witnessed a many years-long push to topple the Assad government in Syria, leading to a broad Russian troop withdrawal from the Levant, and certainly the Kremlin doesn't want to see US-imposed regime change in Tehran as well.
Trump's New Foundry School Aims To Train America's Manufacturing Workers Of The Future
by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times,
The Trump administration will launch Foundry School on Thursday, a national training program meant to prepare entrepreneurs, engineers, technicians, and industrial leaders for a rebuilding of U.S. manufacturing.
Vice President JD Vance is set to headline the event, according to a State Department press release. Foundry School falls under Pax Silica, the department's multilateral effort to lock down trusted supply chains for technologies expected to shape the coming decades.
Officials say President Donald Trump's reindustrialization push has already drawn trillions of dollars in investment to American soil. Foundry School's focus will be to convert that capital into actual employment.
American manufacturers will need an estimated 3.8 million skilled workers by 2033 across semiconductors, defense, energy, and related fields, according to the press release. The program is designed to put American workers first by giving them the skills to bring those jobs home and build careers in sectors tied to economic security.
The launch starts at 8:20 a.m. at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington. Senior administration officials, university leaders, and industry executives are scheduled to speak.
Foundry School was first announced as a Pax Silica project by Under Secretary Jacob Helberg at the Pax Summit on June 25. It is structured as a workforce partnership with Stanford University, which developed the core advanced manufacturing curriculum for American students.
Keystone lectures will come from seven other universities that collaborated with Stanford. They are Arizona State University, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Penn State, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Kansas, and Vanderbilt.
Across the eight campuses, the program will run 17 sessions. Founders and CEOs from advanced manufacturing firms will teach. Those leaders will come from the United States and from Pax Silica partner countries such as South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and India.
The sessions are meant to cover everything required to build and run a top-tier manufacturing operation. Officials describe it as a single course aimed at making sure the American workforce shares in the industrial expansion.
"The entire Trump economic agenda is about making it easier to do business in America, to create jobs in America, to hire American workers, and to build your factories here in America, not in China, or any other country," Trump said in April 2025.
Studies have shown a skills shortage in the United States. A 2024 Deloitte study estimated 3.8 million new manufacturing positions would open by 2033, with only about half likely to be filled without major training efforts.
The jobs of the future in the modern manufacturing sector are expected to include highly technical and specialized roles, such as in robotics, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing. Some say that the young generation of workers lack the skills to perform these tasks.
Xi In Rare Egypt Visit Blasts 'External Interference' In Mideast
Chinese President Xi Jinping in a rare trip to the Cairo told his Egyptian counterpart on Wednesday that "external interference" in the Middle East should be opposed, Chinese state media reported.
Talks in the Egyptian capital between Xi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi were a first in a decade. Interestingly, Xi at one point pledged Beijing was willing to help protect maritime shipping - though it's anything but clear what specifics would look like, or what bodies of water he had in mind.
"China stands ready to work with countries in the region to safeguard the security of international shipping lanes, advance development cooperation… and eliminate the breeding grounds for conflict," Xi said as quoted in Xinhua.
Ironically the 'offer' comes months after President Trump urged international powers to do just that, but which was met by resounding silence, even among European leaders. Naturally they don't want to get bogged down in yet another US foreign adventure, especially when there's been lack of strategy coupled with repeat contradictions along the way.
As for his remarks about non-interference, Xi clearly had in mind the still-raging US-Iran war, which has turned into a bit of a quagmire for the US, having hit the six-month mark just this week:
"We must uphold the principle that the people of the Middle East are the masters of their own affairs, oppose external interference [and] support regional countries in strengthening dialogue on peace and security."
The other irony on display is that Egypt's is essentially a military government which is bought and paid for by the United States to the tune of around $2 billion or more in bilateral foreign assistance each year. This goes back to the historic peace with Israel, and the Egyptian 'deep state' has been closely cooperative with US intelligence ever since.
Along with talk of how to advance diplomacy related to the Iran war, the two sides signed a significant Suez Canal investment deal:
The talks covered the six-month US-Iran conflict, with both presidents urging "diplomatic solutions" to reach a "comprehensive agreement to end the war", according to a statement from Sisi's spokesperson.
Sisi's office also said the two BRICS members signed an agreement to launch the third phase of the Egyptian-Chinese industrial zone at the Suez Canal, which officials say already hosts 200 companies and investments worth around $4 billion.
The new investments – for which Egypt has not announced a figure – give Beijing even greater influence in the canal zone, a critical artery of global trade, as conflict in the region chokes other conduits.
Regarding the White House's Economic D-Day sanctions on Iran, Beijing last month rejected cooperation with the policy meant to strangle the Islamic Republic.
Egypt stays committed to 'One China'...
China has been pushing back against Trump administration pressure to be part of the "toughest sanctions in history" which has marked a new phase of conflict focused on extended economic warfare, as a military solution has proven increasingly unrealistic and unlikely.
"Regarding the Iran issue, sanctions and pressure do not help resolve the problem," Reuters quoted a representative of the Chinese Embassy in Washington as saying in late August. The White House's recent plan hinges on on external countries imposing extreme isolation on the Islamic Republic.
ICE Arrests More Than 120 Illegal Immigrants At Memphis Nightclub
by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times,
Federal immigration officers arrested 121 illegal immigrants on Aug. 30 at a Memphis nightclub during a targeted multiagency enforcement action, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.
New Orleans field office for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led Operation Corral Light at the El Corralon nightclub, in which officers executed federal and state warrants, DHS said in a statement on Sept. 1.
The DHS said that those taken into custody included people with criminal histories involving larceny, drug possession, domestic violence, driving while intoxicated, assault, child endangerment, and prostitution.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin tied the arrests to broader efforts to fight crime in the Tennessee city.
"Thanks to President Trump's leadership, crime in the city of Memphis has plummeted. A big part of that success comes from arresting and deporting illegal aliens in the city," Mullin said.
"Through Operation Corral Light, ICE arrested more than 120 illegal aliens in a single day, including child abusers, drug traffickers, and violent assailants."
Scott Ladwig, acting field office director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in New Orleans, described the effort as a priority.
"This criminal enforcement operation to arrest illegal aliens and eliminate drug activity in our community is part of the highest priorities of this administration," Ladwig said.
"Our officers remain committed to enforcing the law professionally, protecting the public, and upholding the trust placed in us by the American people."
Among those arrested were Ricardo N. Rodriguez Arteaga, a Honduran national with a conviction for larceny and an arrest for commercial sex involving homosexual prostitution. Sergio Vieyra Torres, from Mexico, faced prior arrests for child endangerment and driving under the influence of liquor. Maryari Pamela Lopez Urivina, also from Honduras, had an arrest for aggravated assault. Jeronima Giron Cisneros, another Honduran, was arrested for domestic violence. Miguel Galeas Rodriguez, from Honduras, had a conviction for cocaine possession.
The operation fits into ongoing federal work in Memphis, where the Memphis Safe Task Force, established after a presidential memorandum in September 2025, has tackled the city's high violent crime rates.
FBI data for 2024 showed Memphis with the highest per-capita violent crime rate among all major U.S. cities. The task force had reached 10,000 arrests by June, with more than 1,700 illegal firearms recovered. The group's responsibilities include immigration enforcement alongside other public-safety measures.
The city had a violent crime rate roughly six times the national average in 2024.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/ice-arrests-more-120-illegal-immigrants-memphis-nightclub
FDA issues warning letters to five unapproved GLP-1 websites
The US FDA issued similar warning letters to five different online peptide vendors on 24th August, giving the companies 15 days to respond to accusations of selling unapproved new drugs.
Letters were sent by email to the proprietors of Peak Performance Peptides, Royal Peptides LLC, NuScience Peptides LLC, Peptide Partners LLC, and TXP Innovations LLC, doing business as Tex Peptides.
"This warning letter advises you of significant violations observed during a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review of your website," each letter began. "Promptly address the violations described herein without delay, including ensuring that appropriate resources are allocated to fully address the violations and prevent their recurrence. This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the violations that may exist in connection with your products or operations. It is your responsibility to ensure that your firm complies with all requirements of federal law, including FDA regulations. Failure to adequately address violations may result in regulatory or legal action without further notice including, without limitation, seizure, and injunction."
The websites in question offer some combination of semaglutide, tirzepatide, and retatrutide, along with other peptides that promise a variety of other therapeutic benefits. They include language that the drugs are "for research purposes only" or "not for human consumption", but the FDA explicitly said in a footnote of each letter that it's not buying it.
"Despite statements on your product labelling marketing your products 'for research use only' and 'not for human or veterinary use,' evidence obtained from your website establishes that your products are intended to be drugs for human use," the agency wrote.
The FDA's previous crackdown on GLP-1 compounders was aimed at telehealth companies that were selling compounded versions of the drug. The agency sent 30 letters to a slew of companies in March.
This latest move signals the agency is still serious about cracking down on counterfeit and unapproved GLP-1s and similar products. The publication of the letters also corresponded to an update to FDA's consumer fact sheet on the topic - the agency added a section about concerns with vials containing multiple doses.
The five companies have 15 days to respond as of 24th August, which means they could face regulatory or legal action as soon as Tuesday 8th September.
pharmaphorum has reached out to all five websites for comment and will update this story if they respond.
https://pharmaphorum.com/news/fda-issues-warning-letters-five-unapproved-glp-1-websites