The entire article is worth reading.  I thought this sentence was particularly relevant:

...the destruction of Damascus might be the greatest catalyst for the Ezekiel war.

https://harbingersdaily.com/syrian-nuclear-material-turkish-encroachment-and-the-burden-of-damascus/  

The United Arab Emirates suspended all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran after accusing Tehran of firing ballistic missiles toward maritime traffic.

The action severs one of the Islamic Republic’s most important commercial and financial links and threatens to close off an economic route President Donald Trump's sanctions have struggled to reach. It also further deepens Iran’s isolation amid its standoff with the U.S.

The UAE supplied 31% of Iran’s imports, valued at roughly $21 billion, in 2024, and was the destination for 13% of its exports, according to World Trade Organization trade data.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/iran-loses-key-economic-lifeline-in-middle-east-that-trumps-sanctions-couldnt-reach-as-deadlock-persists  

Iran is weighing an attack on U.S. military facilities in Europe if President Donald Trump orders an escalation in military operations, the Financial Times reported. 

Citing two regime insiders, the Times report identified Bulgaria and Cyprus as possible targets of such attacks. 

One of the regime insiders referred to the previous drone attack on a British air base in Cyprus as proof of Tehran’s ability to carry out such attacks. 

Additionally, the insiders told the Times that regime forces have also considered attacking subsea fiber-optic cables in the Strait of Hormuz, should an escalation occur. 

The Times report comes alongside other reports, indicating that Islamic Republic leaders consider the resumption of hostilities to be a matter of when, not if. 

“This was also a message to Europe: it can receive missiles, so it should know where it should stand in this war,” one of the insiders told FT. “A very big mistake, such as hitting our infrastructure, could make the war go beyond the region and reach Europe.” 

“Should the US go too far, Iran will defend itself at any price, go beyond the region and hit Europe too,” the other insider told FT. 

At the same time, a security source told Channel 12 News that Iran has also been preparing for renewed attacks on Israel. In particular, the country has used the ceasefire to try to rehabilitate its ballistic missile program, the source said. 

https://allisraelnews.com/with-no-mou-extension-in-sight-iran-threatens-attacks-on-us-sites-in-europe-report  

Iran’s military is offering cash rewards for anyone who kills or captures an American service member as fighting with the U.S. and its allies continues across the Middle East.

Iranian Army chief Amir Hatami announced Sunday that anyone who kills or captures an “invading American military personnel” and hands them over will receive the equivalent of approximately $30,000.

Female participants are being offered twice as much.

However, Iran did not explain where prospective bounty hunters would encounter American troops.

There is currently no known deployment of U.S. ground forces inside Iran.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/08/iran-offers-30000-bounty-killing-capturing-american-troops/  

Iran officials 'would not be surprised' if Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei dies soon: Report

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s health has come under renewed scrutiny after IranWire, citing two sources close to President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration, reported that senior officials are increasingly concerned about his condition.

According to IranWire, Khamenei has not met any cabinet members since the February 28 US-Israeli strikes that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with other members of his family. The outlet said rumours that the younger Khamenei is in an “extremely critical condition” and could die soon are circulating within Iran’s highest levels of government.

The claims have not been independently verified.  ...reports circulating in Israeli media have also claimed that he was recently taken to hospital. 

Separately, a report by Iran International, said Pezeshkian was taken to an undisclosed location in Tehran for a brief meeting with a man presented as Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. According to the report, the meeting took place inside a darkened vehicle and Pezeshkian was unable to see the man’s face. He later reportedly questioned whether the voice he heard actually belonged to Khamenei.

https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/iran-officials-would-not-be-surprised-if-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-dies-soon-report/ar-AA29Cok6?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email  

Ukraine's President Zelensky has in fresh remarks warned North Korea against its deepening involvement with Russian in executing the war against Ukraine.

Zelensky's late Monday words alleged that Russia recently received additional ballistic missiles from Pyongyang and is preparing to deploy more North Korean troops, after already sending thousands to fight on the Russian side.

While reports from the last couple years have estimated that North Korea has maintained up to around 10,000 troops in Russia related to the 'special military operation' in Ukraine, Zelensky is now floating a huge number of projected new DPRK forces.

Interestingly, Zelensky is using this narrative to try and goad South Korea into changing its policy and export heavy weapons, including anti-air defenses, to Ukraine.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/zelensky-claims-north-korea-sending-50k-troops-russia-presses-seoul-send-missiles   

On Friday Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a major defense agreement as leaders gathered in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. It seeks to strengthen joint deterrence and expanding defense cooperation, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

It is essentially a NATO-style agreement for the 'Muslim world' - given that it stipulates and formalizes that an armed attack on any of the countries will be treated as an attack against all of them....

Al Jazeera comments...Pakistan brings with it, obviously, its nuclear arsenal, battle-hardened military, and munitions it has been supplying. Turkiye, with its advanced drone and munitions systems, is a NATO member, combined with the economic power of Saudi Arabia.

Turkey has opposed Trump's Operation Epic Fury, and is an avowed enemy of Israel - and so this pact will only serve to further distance Saudi Arabia from entering the Abrahama Accords and establishing lasing normalization with Israel.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/saudi-arabia-turkey-pakistan-sign-islamic-nato-style-defense-pact-amid-iran-war  

The United States on Wednesday night launched another round of heavy airstrikes against Iran, which apparently sought to widen the war by attacking an Egyptian port with a kamikaze drone.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Wednesday night’s strikes were “in response to yesterday’s attempted missile attacks on U.S. forces.”

Iran continued launching attacks against its neighbors on Wednesday and Thursday, including an attack on a Chinese-owned building in Kuwait that killed one person, and another five ballistic missiles lobbed at Jordan.

The Kuwaiti military vowed to take “all necessary measures” to defend against “heinous Iranian aggression.”

That aggression apparently widened to Egypt on Wednesday, as an unidentified drone struck two ships at the port of Damietta near the Suez Canal, starting fires on board.

President Donald Trump told reporters he has been briefed on the incident and, while he did not disclose any details of the briefing, he strongly hinted that Iran was responsible.

Iran could be taking a risk by drawing the powerful Egyptian military into the war, although so far none of the nations attacked by Tehran has responded with force, except for Saudi Arabia joining U.S. forces to bomb Iran-controlled militias in Iraq on Tuesday night.

On the other hand, Iran might want to threaten the safety of the Suez Canal to shut down one of the routes employed by the Persian Gulf oil nations to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.

https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2026/07/30/iran-conflict-expands-to-egypt-with-drone-strike-on-suez-tanker/  

Most people were surprised by this development, but in retrospect, maybe it was inevitable that the wars in Ukraine and in Ikran were to merge into a full-blown WW3 for all to see.

The Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial ship in the ​Caspian Sea drew condemnation from Iran’s Foreign Ministry, which stated that the explosion killed ‌one sailor and injured another.

Reuters reported:

“Tehran described the ​attack on its vessel as an act of aggression and ⁠said it would defend its national interests and security, while accusing Kyiv ​of seeking to expand the war in Ukraine."

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/07/merging-wars-zelensky-strikes-iranian-ship-kills-one/  

Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said any activity that facilitates U.S. attacks on Iran would amount to complicity in what he described as “aggression and war crimes”, according to Iranian state media quoted by Reuters.

The warning follows word from the Bulgarian government that it would seek parliamentary approval to station up to eight U.S. tanker aircraft at an air base in Bulgaria, a member of NATO and the European Union.

Baghaei urged ‌Bulgaria ⁠not to become “an accomplice of aggressors and lawbreakers”, they said. The tanker aircraft are mainly used for airborne refuelling of other aircraft, including during strikes.

https://www.jns.org/news/world/iran-warns-bulgaria-against-hosting-us-warplanes