India Turns to Israel for SPICE-1000 Bombs

 India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved a wide-ranging defense procurement package valued at approximately $8.7 billion (₹79,000 crore). 

Among the headline items is the planned acquisition of around 1,000 SPICE-1000 long-range precision-guidance kits from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, significantly expanding the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) ability to strike high-value targets from extended stand-off distances.

The SPICE-1000 approval forms part of a broader DAC clearance covering air-to-air missiles, loitering munitions, artillery rockets, radars, and other systems.

Indian defense reporting framed the decision as reflecting operational urgency and the continued prioritization of proven systems that can be fielded rapidly.

SPICE-1000 is a 500-kg (1,000-lb class) stand-off, air-to-ground precision-guided munition kit that converts conventional unguided bombs into autonomous “smart” weapons. 

The system offers a reported range of 100–125 km, allowing launch aircraft to remain outside many air-defense engagement envelopes.

Its guidance combines electro-optical scene-matching algorithms with inertial navigation, enabling GPS-independent operation and resistance to jamming, with a cited circular error probable of under 3 meters.

For the IAF, the weapon fills a niche between heavier SPICE-2000 munitions and lighter indigenous glide bombs. 

Indian reporting indicates the SPICE-1000 will be integrated across multiple fighter platforms, including Rafale, Su-30MKI, and potentially Tejas, supporting flexible employment across different strike scenarios.

The SPICE-1000 procurement was approved alongside other high-end munitions. 

These include Astra Mk-II beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, additional Meteor missiles for Rafale jets, loitering munitions, long-range Pinaka rockets, and new radar systems.

Together, the package underscores India’s emphasis on layered strike and air-combat capabilities rather than single-platform solutions.

Indian officials have not released a delivery timeline or unit cost breakdown, but the scale of the overall package—₹79,000 crore—has drawn attention domestically, particularly as indigenous alternatives advance toward induction.

India has an established operational history with Rafael’s SPICE family. SPICE-2000 munitions were used during the 2019 Balakot airstrike, and emergency purchases of more than 100 units followed later that year amid heightened tensions with Pakistan. 

According to SIPRI data cited in Indian and Israeli media, India accounted for roughly 34% of Israeli defense exports between 2020 and 2024, making it Rafael’s largest export customer.

While India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing indigenous glide bombs such as Gaurav, Indian reporting suggests the DAC favored SPICE-1000 for its maturity and near-term availability.

The decision highlights a continuing pattern: parallel pursuit of domestic programs alongside selective imports where operational gaps are judged to persist.

https://clashreport.com/defense/articles/india-turns-to-israel-for-spice-1000-bombs-a907u0kt0jn

'NYT: CIA Kept Ukraine Fight Alive as Military Aid Faltered'

 While the Pentagon halted weapons deliveries and temporarily suspended intelligence sharing after President Trump ordered an aid freeze in March, the CIA was granted an exemption. 

CIA Director John Ratcliffe warned the White House that a full cutoff would endanger U.S. officers operating inside Ukraine, prompting approval for continued intelligence sharing on Russian threats.

With long-range missile strikes using ATACMS effectively curtailed, the CIA shifted focus to Ukrainian drone operations.

The agency provided targeting intelligence and operational support for strikes against critical parts of Russia’s war economy, including:

• oil refineries,
• “energetics” factories producing explosive chemicals,
• and Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers in the Black Sea and Mediterranean.

Early drone attacks had limited impact due to poor coordination and Russian electronic warfare. In June 2025, CIA and U.S. military officers restructured the campaign, narrowing targets to refinery components that are difficult to replace, forcing facilities offline for weeks.

According to a U.S. intelligence estimate cited in the report, the refined campaign inflicted losses of up to $75 million per day on the Russian economy.

Fuel shortages followed, with gas lines forming in several regions of Russia.

The CIA deliberately avoided supplying weapons or hardware that Pentagon officials wanted redirected to Asia or the Middle East, relying instead on intelligence support and Ukrainian-produced drones.

Ratcliffe briefed President Trump on the operation, which officials said the president favored because it offered pressure on Russia without overt escalation.

The covert nature of the campaign provided Washington with deniability while weakening Russia’s ability to sustain the war.

A senior U.S. official quoted in the report said:

“We found something that is working.”

The CIA’s approach contrasted sharply with Pentagon policy, where munitions were restricted and Ukraine-focused officials were sidelined.

The result was a divided U.S. posture: overt military aid stalled, while covert intelligence operations quietly intensified to buy time for Ukraine.

https://clashreport.com/world/articles/cia-kept-ukraine-fight-alive-as-military-aid-faltered-kq1b4eptshf

'Iran’s President Blames Mismanagement, Not U.S.'

 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has delivered one of the clearest acknowledgments yet by a sitting Iranian leader that public anger reflects domestic failure rather than foreign pressure. Speaking during a visit to Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Pezeshkian said dissatisfaction among citizens should be laid squarely at the feet of the government. “If people are dissatisfied, we are to blame—not America or anyone else,” he said. “It is our responsibility to manage resources properly, improve efficiency and productivity, and solve the people’s problems.” Iranian media reported the remarks amid ongoing protests and economic strain, framing them as a directive to officials to stop deflecting responsibility outward.

The statement matters less for its novelty than for its clarity. Iranian leaders frequently cite sanctions and U.S. policy as the primary drivers of inflation, shortages, and social pressure. Pezeshkian explicitly rejected that reflex. “If people are not satisfied, this is our fault,” he said, adding that officials should not seek refuge in blaming Washington or unnamed external actors. The emphasis signals an internal diagnostic: governance, not geopolitics, is the binding constraint.

“Do Not Be Wasteful”

Pezeshkian anchored his critique in practical examples of waste and mismanagement observed firsthand. He described a single room where “14 lights” were left on when “one would have been enough,” and heating so excessive that a window had been left open, squandering energy. The anecdote was not incidental. It illustrated his broader point that inefficiency compounds scarcity in an economy already under stress. Quoting the Qur’an, he reminded officials: “Eat and drink, but do not be wasteful; for Allah does not love the wasteful.”

The president framed resource discipline as both an economic and moral obligation. He warned that routine excess—whether in energy use, procurement, or budgeting—undermines the state’s capacity to deliver services. In a country of more than one administrative layer and thousands of public buildings, such small lapses scale quickly. His message was directed at governors, managers, and financial deputies, naming each role explicitly to underscore accountability across the chain.

Governance as Moral Test

Pezeshkian cast the crisis in ethical terms, linking administrative failure to religious duty. “According to the Qur’an, if we fail to solve the people’s problems, we will end up in hell,” he said. The language was stark and deliberate. By invoking scripture, he reframed governance failures as a test not only of competence but of faith and national responsibility. “The challenges we face are a test—for our managers, for us as Muslims, and as Iranians,” he said, calling for an awakening and a “new course” for the country.

The appeal blended civic nationalism and religious obligation, a familiar Iranian rhetorical pairing, but with a notable shift in emphasis. Rather than mobilizing resistance to external pressure, Pezeshkian urged internal reform, arguing that determination must replace hopelessness. He said Iran could secure a “bright future” if officials committed to building collectively and correcting failures rooted in poor management.

Policy Signals on Currency Controls

Beyond rhetoric, Pezeshkian pointed to a concrete policy change: the government has decided to end a system that provided importers of certain goods with foreign currency at a state-set, lower exchange rate. While details were limited, the announcement signals a willingness to confront distortions that have long fueled rent-seeking and inefficiency. Preferential rates, applied unevenly across sectors, have been criticized for encouraging waste and arbitrage rather than productivity.

The move aligns with his broader critique. Subsidized access to hard currency, like excessive energy use, reflects a mindset that tolerates leakage. By highlighting both behavioral lapses—14 lights in one room, an open window in winter—and structural fixes, Pezeshkian sketched a governance agenda centered on discipline. The test, as he framed it, is execution. Responsibility, he insisted, “is ours.”

https://clashreport.com/world/articles/irans-president-blames-mismanagement-not-us-1ks083hka9t