Tuesday, April 21, 2026
"Use The Momentum": The EU Moves To Destroy The Last Vestiges Of National Sovereignty
The defeat of Viktor Orban in Hungary last weekend was celebrated by many who saw the former president as establishing single-party rule in his central European nation. The irony is that this claimed victory for democracy may fuel the establishment of a global governance system that is neither democratic nor accountable to citizens.
The European Union was criticized by many for taking sides in the Hungarian election and for undermining Orban, who asserted national priorities in disputes with the EU.
No sooner had Orban conceded defeat than a jubilant European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for the final coup de grace for national identity and sovereignty: the elimination of the ability of nations to stand against EU policies.
Orban was controversial for his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his lack of support for Ukraine. He was also accused of authoritarianism and corruption. I shared in some of those criticisms.
However, the unintended consequence of this election could be the removal of a single autocrat in favor of a global bureaucracy.
Van der Leyen helped elect the pro-EU Peter Magyar in order to remove a barrier to the EU’s ultimate exercise of power. The EU had been squeezing Hungary over its defiance by holding back billions in funds. Despite his tough talk on negotiations with the EU, Magyar is expected by EU bureaucrats to be a suppliant, willing to fall into line with the EU agenda.
The EU Chief has reportedly already given Magyar a list of 27 demands he must meet before she will turn the spigot back on. She did not try to hide the agenda, announcing that the EU needed to “use the momentum now” to consolidate its power.
With Hungary out of the way, Von der Leyen is calling for the EU to finally do away with the last vestige of national sovereignty: the veto exercised by its member states.
Under the plan, member states would lose control of their policy and could be forced to adhere to the priorities and values of the EU majority.
The EU Chief celebrated the new day of global governance in the making: “Moving to qualified majority voting in foreign policy is an important way to avoid systemic blockages, as we have seen in the past.”
In “Rage and the Republic,” I discuss the dangers posed to the American republic this century by the rise of global governance systems like the EU. The book explores how globalists planned to gradually get nations to yield their authority to the EU — destroying national identity and sovereignty in favor of an EU bureaucracy in Brussels.
As the EU moves to kill off national sovereignty, EU commissioners are calling for a single European military command, completing a longstanding globalist goal.
The 250th anniversary of our republic is occurring as we face an unprecedented EU threat. Our revolution was fought against a foreign empire. It now faces an even greater threat from a global government asserting the right to compel American companies to censor Americans and comply with environmental, social and governance or ESG policies.
At the same time, American figures such as Hillary Clinton are encouraging the EU to deprive Americans of their First Amendment rights using the infamous Digital Services Act to restore speech controls to social media. Other Americans have testified before the EU, calling on it to fight the U.S. Banners are now flying in Europe declaring, “We are the Free World Now,” as the globalists attempt to supplant freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
If the American Republic is to survive another 250 years, it must preserve key rights that the EU has been systematically destroying in Europe — freedom of speech, division of powers and political accountability of decision-makers.
That is why, I believe, the EU is inherently unstable and likely to ultimately collapse.
The EU has worked very hard to dismantle national sovereignty and identity in its member states. Historically, such collapses have been followed by different forms of tyranny.
Whatever comes next — and I could be wrong in my pessimism about the EU — the U.S. must take seriously the threat that this global governance system poses to our own values and sovereignty.
Von der Leyen is right that there is “momentum now” for the globalists, but the momentum of history still rests with the U.S. and its unique experiment in self-governance.
We saw this threat before, and we defeated a world empire. If we are to survive and thrive in this century, we will need to return to our own creation as a republic — to dig deep down and remember who we are as citizens.
Ours was the first Enlightenment revolution that embraced natural rights originating not from government but from God. We remain a unique people, joined by an article of faith found in our own Declaration of Independence. If this republic is to survive, it will be up to each of us, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, to “keep it.”
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”
UN shipping body prepares Persian Gulf evacuation plan - Bloomberg
The International Maritime Organization is working on an evacuation plan for hundreds of ships stranded in the Persian Gulf since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez.
China To Import Record Amount Of US Ethane As Iran War Chokes Off Naphtha, LPG Supplies
One year ago, in the immediate aftermath of Trump's Liberation Day tariffs, there was a flurry of discussion over who is more reliant on whom: the US on Chinese rare earth materials, or China on US ethane output (see "Chinese Plastics Factories Face Mass Closure As US Ethane Supply Evaporates" and "Who Blinks First? China May Exempt Tariffs On US Ethane & Other Goods"). Following the detente in the US-China trade war, that discussion was quietly relegated to the back of the line, however the time has come to bring it up again.
That's because with the Iran war choking off traditional - and crucial - supplies, China is set to import a record volume of US ethane this month as petrochemical producers desperately seek alternative feedstocks for their operations.
Shipments of US ethane are expected to rise to an all-time high of 800,000 tons in April, according to Chinese consultant JLC, which would be around 60% higher than the monthly average. Some companies can switch to using ethane, helping them offset disruptions to the supply of naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas from the Middle East after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Ethane is a natural gas liquid primarily used to produce ethylene, a key building block for plastics, and China depends almost entirely on the US for supply. The product became a political flashpoint between Beijing and Washington last year after the US tightened export controls during a bitter trade war.
Of course, this means that if Xi plays the rare earth cards in his upcoming summit with Trump, the US president can retaliate by simply shutting down China's plastics industry.
US ethane has become the preferred alternative for China’s ethylene makers due to stable supply and lower cost, said Shi Linlin, an analyst with JLC. Profits to produce ethylene from ethane was tenfold that of naphtha as of April 15, which has been inflated by crude-linked pricing, JLC said.
A ramp-up of downstream production capacity has also lead to a pickup in demand for the gas. A new ethane unit developed by Wanhua Chemical Group and a multi-feed cracker unit by Sinopec Ineos (Tianjin) Petrochemical Co., have both supported higher imports this year, Shi added.
The International Energy Agency said last week that “petrochemical feedstocks display the most immediate effects of the war by far,” and that supply chains to Asia have been thrown into “disarray.” Japan has been forced to scramble for naphtha, tapping a range of suppliers including from the US and Africa.
In February, just before the war started, more than 50% of China’s naphtha imports and over 40% of its LPG purchases originated from Persian Gulf nations, according to Chinese government data. That supply chain has now been cut off for as long as the Strait of Hormuz is blocked. And while China may have a massive 1.5 billion oil barrels in strategic petroleum storage, it has no naphta or ethane, meaning its plastic industry is suddenly very much exposed.
“The disruption around the Strait of Hormuz has really highlighted how exposed Asia is to Middle Eastern naphtha,” said Amber Liu, the head of Asia Petchem Analytics at ICIS. This year, naphtha-fed crackers have accounted for about 57% of China’s ethylene capacity, compared with 16% for ethane, she said.
China’s ethane buying spree comes ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned visit to Beijing in mid‑May, and US energy is expected to be part of the agenda. It could feature prominently if the Iran war continues to drag on.
China protests US report on Hong Kong
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it lodged an official protest with the United States after the US State Department issued a report on the situation in Hong Kong last week.
The report stated that the Chinese government and Hong Kong authorities have "systematically degraded Hong Kong’s political autonomy and civilians’ rights and freedoms" over the past several years. It also claimed that US citizens living in Hong Kong are at a "heightened risk of arrest, detention, expulsion, or prosecution." The local authorities dismissed the report as "wanton slander."
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/China-protests-US-report-on-Hong-Kong/66111027
Kallas: EU to make important decisions on Ukraine loan
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas announced on Tuesday that the bloc will make "important decisions" tomorrow regarding a €90 million loan to Ukraine.
"Ukraine really needs this loan, and it is also a sign that Russia cannot outlast Ukraine. This is extremely important at this moment," Kallas told reporters in Luxembourg, ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting of EU Foreign Ministers.
Kallas also shared that the ministers will discuss the status of the Druzhba pipeline, as well as the situation in the Middle East.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Kallas:-EU-to-make-important-decisions-on-Ukraine-loan/66111288
Spain, Slovenia, Ireland call to suspend EU-Israel treaty
Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland have urged the European Union to consider suspending its association treaty with Israel, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters on Tuesday before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
"Spain, along with Slovenia and Ireland, has requested that the suspension of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel be discussed and debated today," Albares said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on Sunday to break the agreement, accusing Israel of violating international law and therefore the terms of the deal. However, the total suspension of the association agreement requires "unified position" among the countries, accourding to EU Foreign Affairs chief Kaja Kallas.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Spain-Slovenia-Ireland-call-to-suspend-EU-Israel-treaty/66111356
Iran denies reports that it sent team to Pakistan
No Iranian delegation has traveled to Islamabad, Pakistan, for talks with the US, Iran's state broadcaster IRIB said on Tuesday, debunking reports about the departure of Iranian officials, including claims about meeting times.
Iran's parliament speaker and head of its negotiating team, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Tuesday that Tehran "does not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats," raising questions about whether the second round will go as scheduled.
Nonetheless, US Vice President JD Vance, who will head the US delegation for a second round of negotiations with Iran, was expected to arrive in Islamabad on Wednesday.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Iran-denies-reports-that-it-sent-team-to-Pakistan/66111283
FDA accepts application for Roche’s Gazyva/Gazyvaro for most common form of lupus
- Filing acceptance based on phase III ALLEGORY data for Gazyva/Gazyvaro showing a significant reduction in disease activity compared with placebo in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- If approved, Gazyva/Gazyvaro would be the first anti-CD20 therapy to directly target B cells in SLE, potentially becoming the new standard of care for this condition1
- SLE is a potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease affecting more than three million people worldwide – achieving better disease control can reduce flares and may prevent irreversible organ damage
- https://www.roche.com/media/releases/med-cor-2026-04-21
Board of Peace said to talk Gaza rebuild with UAE firm
Representatives for US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace have discussed supply chains and other infrastructure projects in Gaza with Dubai-based DP World, a state-owned logistics firm, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing three people familiar with the matter.
According to the outlet, the talks involve strategies for the Emirati corporation to manage logistics related to the distribution of humanitarian aid and other goods entering the Gaza territory.
The board, which originated from Trump's Gaza plan following an October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, was established to oversee the enclave's postwar redevelopment, securing over $7 billion from members for reconstruction funds and $10 billion from the US separately.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Board-of-Peace-said-to-talk-Gaza-rebuild-with-UAE-firm/66109717
US Demanded That Europeans Accelerate Their Transition To 'NATO 3.0'
This might be the US’ final warning before it takes drastic action to punish those who continue to reject Trump’s demands.
Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby gave an important speech at mid-April’s Ukraine Defense Contact Group in which he urged the Europeans to step up their transition to something that he described earlier this year as “NATO 3.0”.
As was explained here, “The idea is that NATO should return to focusing on defending itself instead of overextending itself in the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere”, and the preceding hyperlinked analysis explains how it aligns with Trump 2.0’s policies.
Circling back to Colby’s speech, he demanded that “Europe must accelerate its assumption of primary responsibility for the conventional defense of the continent”, including arming Ukraine through the “Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List” (PURL) program in which the US plays the most significant role.
To that end, “The need to quickly rebuild European munitions stocks is paramount, as is the need to remove protectionist trade barriers that stifle the continent’s industrial potential.”
He added that “Developing a robust, capable, and integrated European defense industrial base cannot simply be an aspiration, but an absolute pre-requisite for credible deterrence and defense.”
Knowing how obsessed they are with Ukraine, Colby then threw in that “This will be critical to achieving an end to the war in Ukraine, on terms that support an enduring peace.”
He then called for more “deeds and a fundamental change in attitude” from them to “accelerate this transition to a ‘NATO 3.0’”.
Colby concluded that “If Europe rises to this moment – truly embracing primary responsibility for the defense of the continent in line with our vision of a rebalanced ‘NATO 3.0’ – we will all be stronger and more credible in defending our people and our national interests.”
He also ominously warned them midway through his speech that “I underline the criticality of [NATO stepping up to help secure the Strait of Hormuz per Trump’s expectation] for our relationship going forward.”
As was assessed here last month and was just implicitly reaffirmed by Colby, the US might speed up its planned military reprioritization away from Europe to the Americas and the Indo-Pacific if they reject Trump’s request by ending its significant PURL contributions before NATO can replace them. That would facilitate a full Russian victory in Ukraine, or at least spook the Europeans into fearing that this is inevitable if they don’t step up right after he cuts off arms again, thus getting them to do what he wants.
If some members of the bloc refuse to contribute while others do, then Trump might impose his reportedly considered pay-to-play model that was described here, which would remove “dissidents” from decision-making processes and withdraw the US’ Article 5 support from them. These punishments could also be imposed for refusing to spend 5% of GDP on defense. It’s very likely that Colby conveyed these punitive plans to his counterparts on the sidelines of the event even if he only hinted at them.
His urging of them to step up their transition to “NATO 3.0”, which is his brainchild, can therefore be considered the US’ final warning before it takes drastic action to punish those who continue to reject Trump’s demands.
Imposing the pay-to-play model is one form that this could take while cutting off arms to Ukraine once again could be another.
Both could also happen together.
It’s unclear what NATO as a whole will do, let alone its individual members, but it’s obvious that Trump is losing patience with them.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-demanded-europeans-accelerate-their-transition-nato-30
Monday, April 20, 2026
Iraq's Ruling Pro-Iran Bloc Races To Choose PM, While US Rejects Main Candidates
The US has suspended all funding and security coordination with Iraq, and shipments of dollars the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI), until a new Baghdad government acceptable to Washington is formed, Saudi state-owned Al-Hadath reported Monday.
The US is also conditioning continued security cooperation on the disclosure of those involved in the bombing of its embassy, the news channel added.
Nevertheless, on Monday, the CBI released a statement rejecting the Al-Hadath report. Since 2003, a decision issued by Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) head Paul Bremer has required that all Iraqi oil revenues be paid into an account at the US Federal Reserve Bank of New York, giving the US the ability to control how many US dollars are returned to the CBI.
From that point until today, the Iraqi Ministry of Finance has had to submit funding requests to the US Treasury, which then approves or denies them based on its own criteria.
This monthly transfer of US dollars, flown into Baghdad in pallets of hard cash, determines Iraq's ability to pay for basic needs such as salaries, food, and medicine.
Whenever Washington believes that Iraq is not aligned with US regional goals, including enforcing economic sanctions on Iran, Baghdad's major trading partner and a source of natural gas for electricity production, these fund transfers can be delayed or reduced.
The Coordination Framework (CF), the largest parliamentary bloc of Shia parties, has not yet selected a prime minister nearly five months after securing a plurality in the latest elections.
Former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, viewed by the US as "close" to Iran, was initially chosen to replace incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
However, while Washington wants to replace Sudani, it also opposes Maliki's return to power.
"Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform after Maliki emerged as a candidate for prime minister in January.
"Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq," he said. If we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom. MAKE IRAQ GREAT AGAIN!"
Maliki was the prime minister in 2014 when ISIS conquered large swathes of Iraq, including the country's second-largest city, Mosul.
Maliki received much of the blame for the loss of nearly one-third of the country's territory to ISIS, which enjoyed covert support from the US military and Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani.
The CF, which won 185 of 329 seats in the last election, must nominate a prime minister by April 26.
Canada's Prime Minister Doubles Down On Militant Anti-US Rhetoric
Well before Mark Carney was elected as Canada's Prime Minister in the wake of numerous scandals surrounding Justin Trudeau, critics noted that the candidate represented a far greater threat to Canada's freedom largely because he is far more devious than Trudeau ever was.
Carney is a central banker and high level World Economic Forum globalist well acquainted with the liberal "Reset" agenda, and it is no mistake that he has taken control of Canada at a time when European elites are pushing for an economic and geopolitical separation from the US. The plan is obvious - To isolate the US in an effort to stop the spread of conservative and nationalist movements throughout the west.
In other words, the globalists/leftists are trying to build a new empire in a last-ditched scramble to prevent their liberal order from fading away. Carney pretends as if they are breaking from the old system and starting something new by "calling out" the US. In reality, it was the US that broke from the liberal system and refused to "go along to get along".
It was the US that refused to conform to the multicultural agenda, open borders, ESG and DEI politics, the transgender cult and the indoctrination of children with socialist and LGBT ideology, not to mention the fact that so many foreign nations have been feeding off US taxpayer dollars for decades through institutions like USAID.
Vast numbers of their own citizens are rebelling against liberal governments. Movements to stop the multicultural agenda and mass immigration are gaining momentum. Right-wing political parties are quickly growing, inspired by conservative success against the woke cult in the US.
The liberals are circling the wagons, and it would seem that Canada is meant to play a key role in this "new order". Prime Minister Mark Carney has been escalating his anti-US rhetoric since he entered office while threatening to build closer economic partnerships with hostile foreign entities like the CCP in China.
As we asked after the Liberal Convention in Montreal, are Canadians being primed for an open conflict with the US? The rhetoric coming from the nation's liberal government is sounding increasingly aggressive, and not just in terms of economic separation. In his latest "address to The nation", Carney doubled down on his militant position, citing the history of Canada (including the War of 1812) as an ongoing battle against a "predatory" US.
It's fascinating to see a globalist like Carney try to paint the US defense against European influences as if it this was an act of war against Canada (which did not become a country until 1867). The war of 1812 was instigated by the British Empire after their Royal Navy interfered with US trade, stopping American merchant vessels on the high seas and kidnapping men they claimed were British subjects. They then forced these American citizens to fight in their war against the French.
Estimates of kidnapped Americans range from 9,000–15,000 between 1793 and 1812. The 1807 Chesapeake-Leopard affair, where a British warship fired on a U.S. Navy frigate and seized sailors, nearly sparked war at the time and became a major flashpoint. Finally, the British engaged in arming and instigating an insurgency among the native Indians in the Great Lakes region in order to terrorize US settlements.
Canada was a controlled region of the elitist empire back then, just as it is today.
There is no US invasion of Canada today, but Carney is painting a narrative as if this is an imminent threat. US tariffs have shaken Canada to its core. Over 75% of the country's exports are sold in US markets. Their trade proximity made Canada one of the wealthiest nations in the world per capita and gave them one of the richest middle class populations in 2014-2015. However, extreme-left wing policies have ruined Canada's economic advantage.
This was not the Trump Administration's doing, it was their own doing. Trump's opposition to Canada is partly economic (Trump wants more trade parity), but it is also predominantly ideological. They are, essentially, a woke/globalist enclave looming on the US border and it is clear that they intend to act as a foothold for the elites in North America.
Carney's rhetoric only reinforces the suspicion that there is an agenda afoot to isolate the US. The problem is that Canada is already suffering from an unprecedented economic crisis, with inflation, high taxes and housing shortages crushing their middle class. The threat is so great that provinces like Alberta are seriously considering secession. Furthermore, there is no trade network on Earth that can possibly replace the highly lucrative arrangement Canada has had with the US.
The Prime Minister's efforts to stoke "national unity" among Canadians by painting the US as the "big bad wolf" is actually setting them up for disaster.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/canadas-prime-minister-doubles-down-militant-anti-us-rhetoric
World's Biggest Physical Oil Trader Warns Of Months Of Price Volatility
By Michael Kern of OilPrice.com
Seasonally lower demand ahead of the peak summer driving season and the continued turbulence in the Middle East could extend the violent oil price swings for months ahead, the top executive of oil trader Gunvor has told the Financial Times.
“It is a little bit of a more challenging, softer period that we need to be careful of,” Gary Pedersen, chairman and CEO of Gunvor Group, told FT in an interview published on Monday.
“Frankly, it could be very choppy,” commented on the oil market Pedersen, who took over the top job at one of the world’s biggest physical oil trading groups after a management buy-out in December 2025.
Before the big shake-up at the group, Gunvor was accused by the U.S. Treasury Department of being a Kremlin puppet and was denied a license to take over the international operations of Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil, which the United States sanctioned last autumn.
The recent violent swings in oil futures prices were partly due to what Gunvor’s new head Pedersen attributed in the FT interview to a “masterclass” in political messaging from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Oil futures prices have sold off sharply several times in recent weeks following various comments from President Trump that a deal with Iran is imminent or the war is “very close to over”.
But oil futures markets haven’t fully priced in the major disruption to physical supply that has crashed with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the severely constrained Middle Eastern crude and fuel supply.
Physical crude supplies remain very tight as buyers across the world scramble for replacement of the oil from the Middle East, Gunvor’s Pedersen told FT.
In a sign that buyers are rushing to lock in supply, empty supertankers have left Asia en route to the U.S. via the Cape of Good Hope in one of the biggest queues of vessels ever seen at sea—ships sent to load U.S. crude.
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/worlds-biggest-physical-oil-trader-warns-months-price-volatility
'The politics of pink: how Iran uses cuteness to rebrand violence'
Pink missiles, pink drones and pink firearms. Women with uncovered hair—braids, ponytails, short bobs—stood beside weapons, waved flags and smiled for cameras in scenes broadcast across Iranian media. Tehran appears willing to try almost anything to preserve power.
Critics say the imagery forms part of a new Islamic Republic campaign that pairs missiles with fashion, war with pop culture and force with softness.
Liora Hendelman-Baavur, author of Creating the Modern Iranian Woman, told Iran International the visuals resemble Japan’s “kawaii” culture — imagery built around cuteness — but applied here to rockets and war.
“I think it is trying to make violence look cute,” Hendelman-Baavur said. “It is trying to appeal to the youth, to Gen Z.”
She said the campaign appears aimed at a generation that has filled streets, campuses and online spaces during years of unrest.
“We hear a lot of very aggressive and violent language coming from officials,” she said.
“And we also see it in many of the posters and murals being displayed in Iran. Violence and missiles — with red as the central color — are meant to show they are invincible and victorious. And on the other hand, we have this very light, pinkish, idyllic way of presenting a different reality … to demonstrate a whole different picture of what is really going on.”
The result, she said, is two messages at once: murals, rockets and threats for one audience; pink colors, uncovered hair and festival scenes for another — a duality.
The campaign comes just over 100 days after one of the deadliest crackdowns in modern history, when at least 36,500 people were killed during the bloodiest days of the uprising on January 8 and 9 alone. The Islamic Republic continues to execute political dissidents linked to the January protests.
Any publicity — even negative — is good
For Iranian pop culture expert Siavash Rokni, the scenes are less about change than circulation.
He called the imagery a public relations stunt meant to fill feeds, group chats, broadcasts and headlines with new pictures after months of funeral processions, executions, arrests and mourning.
“With PR stunts, it doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad — what matters is that it circulates,” Rokni said.
He said many Iranians know the difference between staged images and daily life, but viewers abroad may not.
“What worries me isn’t Iranians — it’s people outside Iran who might see this and think everything is normal. That’s where it becomes dangerous.”
Others say the campaign also keeps state control over women at the center of public life. Even without hijab, women’s faces, hair and bodies remain tools in official messaging.
Pink missiles, pink drones, pink firearms — and women without hijab front and centre. The Islamic Republic has overhauled its propaganda playbook amid ceasefire negotiations with the US, just as Iran's clerical establishment faces its most uncertain moment in decades. pic.twitter.com/ujxi73mNpe
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) April 20, 2026
Retreat — for now — on Islamist ideology
It may also point to pressure inside the system itself.
Arash Azizi, author of What Iranians Want: Women, Life, Freedom, told Iran International the Islamic Republic was founded on the goal of building a uniformly Islamist society. If it now loosens one of its core social codes, he said, that carries meaning beyond style.
“They understand that they have to give up on this Islamist ideology,” Azizi said.
He also rejected claims that the war has produced a broad wave of new support for the state.
“There’s no evidence that tons of people were anti-regime before the war and are pro-regime now,” he said.
For now, the pink paint may soften the image, but it does not erase the prisons, the executions, the graves or the anger that still runs beneath the surface of Iran.
Beyond Chips: U.S. And China Enter Robotaxi Race As Physical AI Emerges
Last week, Goldman analysts led by Mark Delaney laid out a detailed roadmap for clients on how autonomous vehicles could reshape America's highways through the 2030s, with a particular focus on "the impact of AI on profit pools."
In a separate report, Goldman analysts led by Allen Chang covered the rapid expansion of China's robotaxi fleet, highlighting how both superpowers now appear to be locked in a race to automate roads and highways.
"We expect a strong ramp up of robotaxis in China, with the robotaxi fleet in China growing from 5k in 2025 to 14k in 2026E (+195% YoY)," Chang began the note.
He pointed out that this update on China's robotaxi and robotruck fleet indicates that "Commercialization is speeding up, with several players achieving city-level break-even."
"We are raising our robotaxi forecasts for 2025-2035E by 7%-25%. By 2035E, robotaxis should account for 36% of all ride-sharing vehicles," Chang said.
The report also introduces forecasts for overseas robotaxi and robotruck markets, highlighting international expansion as an increasingly important revenue driver for Chinese companies, including WeRide, Pony AI, and Baidu.
Chang forecasts that robotrucks could emerge as a long-term growth market, with China's fleet rising from 8,000 in 2026 to 760,000 by 2035.
The overall outlook for AV fleets in China suggests rapid deployment, growing fleet density, and broader global scaling. The analyst noted their stock plays on this emerging trend: robotaxi and robotruck players include WeRide (Initiation), Pony AI, Didi, and Baidu.
Circling back to Goldman analyst Delaney's report on the U.S. robotaxi market last week. He noted that the market is set to top $19 billion by 2030, up from a prior forecast of $7 billion, and continue rising to $48 billion by 2035.
Taken together, the two reports suggest the AI race is no longer confined to data centers and chip stacks. It is now moving into the physical world, where autonomous vehicles, robotaxis, and AI-powered freight networks are emerging as the next major frontier between the two superpowers. On a side note, these AI-powered vehicles can be dual-use and will eventually end up on modern battlefields.