Geopolitical Briefing: Hormuz Strikes, Kyiv Alert, FCC China Move

1. Hormuz: U.S. strikes Iran after tanker attacks

• U.S. Central Command launched a new wave of strikes on Iran after three tankers were hit in the Strait of Hormuz; Washington also revoked a license that had allowed Iranian oil sales under the interim deal. 1
• Reuters reported that the Qatari LNG tanker Al Rekayyat was struck by a drone that caused an engine-room fire, while a Saudi-flagged crude tanker believed to be the Wedyan was also damaged off Oman. 1
• A U.S. official told Reuters the strikes targeted Iranian air-defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles and drone launch sites. 1

2. Ukraine: Kyiv alert meets a new European deep-strike plan

• Kyiv came under a Russian missile attack early Wednesday, triggering fires and injuring at least two people, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said; a missile strike in Odesa earlier in the evening injured 10. 3
• The fresh attack followed Monday's heavier Russian barrage, which Reuters said killed at least 28 people in the Kyiv area and exposed Ukraine's shortage of U.S.-made air-defense interceptors. 4
• Britain said European nations will spend more than $50 billion over 10 years on long-range precision weapons, with strike ranges from at least 300 km to more than 2,000 km and no Washington involvement. 5

3. U.S.-China: FCC blocks a China-linked telecom applicant

• The U.S. Federal Communications Commission added California-based Digitalsystem Technology to its national-security risk list, citing links to Chinese telecom firms and ownership by a Chinese national. 6
• The FCC also denied the Los Angeles-based IT company permission to provide international telecommunications services, saying it could be exploited for collection, disruption or misrouting of U.S. communications. 6
• The agency cited Digitalsystem partnerships with PCCW, China Unicom and China Mobile; Reuters said the company and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment. 6

4. East Asia: maritime policing and Taiwan-linked lawfare stay active

• China and Japan issued conflicting accounts of a Tuesday coast-guard confrontation near the disputed Senkaku Islands, which China calls the Diaoyu Islands. 7
• China said it expelled a Japanese fishing vessel that entered waters it claims; Japan said it intercepted and expelled two Chinese coast-guard vessels approaching a Japanese fishing boat with two crew members. 7
• In Taiwan, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim suggested an assault on a Japanese journalist active on the island may be linked to China's ethnic-unity law; Nikkei said a Hong Kong man was arrested. 8

5. Gaza: ceasefire violence continues despite governance talks

• Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least seven Palestinians, including a child, in Gaza on Tuesday, according to Gaza health officials cited by Reuters. 9
• Medics reported strikes in Mawasi, Khan Younis and Gaza City; Israel's military told Reuters the strikes it addressed had targeted militants. 9
• Since the October ceasefire, more than 1,070 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza, and Israeli troops control more than 60% of the territory. 9