Hundreds of Chinese maritime militia ships are operating in contested areas of the South China Sea on a consistent basis, according to a new U.S. think tank report that says this poses a significant challenge to “maritime order rooted in international law.” The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies …

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said on November 20 they had seized a boat in the Persian Gulf for allegedly smuggling diesel. “A foreign ship, carrying smuggled diesel was seized,” Iranian media quoted Colonel Ahmad Hajian, commander of the Naval Type 412 Zulfaqar in the southern Parsian county, as …

Iran believes Israel is under a wider threat than in the past, and brags it could unite Gaza and the “northern front” against Israel. It believes that the West Bank could “explode at any moment.” Iran, in its usual bluster, is claiming Israel is afraid of a conflict with its …