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Researcher & writer based in Hong Kong. Former academic. Longform articles archived at https://lauraruggeri.substack.com and https://laura-ruggeri.medium.com. Email: lauraru852@yandex.ru
UPDATE | Online users geolocated the impact sites in the Glilot area using satellite imagery and visual markers from footage taken shortly after the strikes. The coordinates indicate that multiple missiles landed in close proximity to the Mossad and 8200 facilities but not directly on them.
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Blaise Metreweli - Another piece of the puzzle, courtesy of team work on X. The new MI6 chief's father, whose real name was Constantine Dobrowolski, was born in what was then the Ukrainian SSR and officially became a British citizen in 1966. /channel/LauraRuHK/10179
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After mentioning the new MI6 chief's Hong Kong connection /channel/LauraRuHK/10179, I have received a lot of media inquiries, mostly from the UK. Sorry, guys but I won't do your job.
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Russia has transferred 6,060 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers, as agreed in Istanbul. 78 bodies of Russian soldiers have been received from Kiev on June 16.
Russia is ready to transfer another 2,239 bodies of deceased Ukrainian soldiers to Ukraine at this stage, the Russian Ministry of Defence says. (Source: RIA Novosti) @LauraRuHK
Israel’s largest oil refinery has been forced to shut down part of its operations following a major missile attack by Iran.
The company in charge of the Bazan complex, a refinery located near the Haifa Port in the north of the Israeli-occupied territories, said on Sunday that overnight attacks by Iran had damaged pipelines and transmission lines between facilities inside the complex.
“... some of the downstream facilities in the complex have been shut down,” said the company in a note to investors.
The Bazan complex is responsible for a significant part of the fuel demand in the Israeli-occupied territories. It has a refining capacity of nearly 0.2 million barrels per day.
Experts say Iran's attack on the refinery would severely disrupt Israel’s fuel supply chains as the regime relies on imported oil for nearly 40% of its energy needs.
Iran started to rain down missiles on Haifa Port late on Saturday as part of a broader operation to avenge Israel’s unprovoked attacks on civilians and military targets in Iran.
Several people were killed and dozens more were injured in the attacks on the city, which is an economic lifeline for the Israeli regime.
The attack came just hours after Israeli projectiles hit two natural gas processing refineries in southern Iran, cutting off a small part of the nationwide gas supplies.
The attacks were the first from Israel to target Iran’s energy infrastructure since the regime began its assaults early on Friday.
Iranian authorities said right after the attacks that the country would change its revenge strategy against Israel while insisting that Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks on the regime would expand to cover economic targets. (Source: PressTV) @LauraRuHK
Tasnim news agency has confirmed the death of the Islamic Revolutionary Corps intelligence chief Mohammad Kazemi and his deputy Hassan Mohaqiq. It added that a third IRGC intelligence officer, Mohsen Bagheri, was also killed in the strike on Sunday. Unfortunately these deaths corroborate fears about the vulnerability of Iran's counterintelligence. Remember former president Ahmadinejad's words: "We created a secret unit to fight Israel, and its head turned out to be a Mossad agent." The head of the counterintelligence unit was revealed as a double agent in 2021. Other agents in the Iranian counterintelligence team tasked with monitoring Israeli spying activities also turned out to be working for the enemy. @LauraRuHK
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The US and Israel are perfectly aligned in their objective to destroy Iran.
Washington tried, and failed, to destroy Iran's oil trade and economy through sanctions.
Guess where an estimated 90% of its crude shipments are directed to? China.
The US places its rivalry with China at the core of its geopolitical strategy. The bipartisan consensus in Washington is that China represents "a geopolitical adversary, the most significant long-term strategic challenge to U.S. interests."
For years Washington has been trying to undermine China's growth, to no avail.
For China, a net oil importer, affordable energy is crucial to fuel its economy and maintain competitive manufacturing costs for exports like electronics, machinery, textiles, and chemicals.
What do you do when sanctions and tariffs fail? You try to disrupt energy supplies by leveraging on your proxy, Israel.
In 2024, Israel intensified its efforts to provoke Iran (Gaza, Lebanon and Syria). Iran, however, refrained from escalating, carefully managing tensions without raising the stakes.
The latest unprovoked aggression was a declaration of war.
Yesterday the New York Times reported with glee that Israel had hit Iran’s largest natural gas field—the South Pars—which also happens to be the largest in the world:
“Israel is bombing Iran's ability to export oil and natural gas. This will remove Iran's ability to export about 2 million bpd, most of which goes to China. Iran's South Pars natural gas field is shut down, Shahran oil field is on fire. Multiple oil refineries in Iran are reportedly on fire. This will cause gasoline and diesel shortages in Iran. Oil and natural gas prices will skyrocket when markets open on Monday.”
Regardless as to whether the damage is as significant as Western and Israeli media claim, it is reasonable to expect that Israel will continue to target Iranian gas and oil fields.
These strikes and the potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint that handles roughly 20% of global oil supply, could send prices through the roof and deal a very serious blow to the global economy.
Although the beneficiaries of high prices are those oil-rich countries that can ship or pipe their oil and gas bypassing the Persian Gulf, the impact on inflation would spare no one.
China sources its crude oil from a wide range of countries besides Middle Eastern ones, and thanks to this strategic diversification Russia, Brazil and Venezuela feature among its suppliers. As of 2024, the top suppliers of crude oil to China were Russia, Malaysia (though some of this oil may be relabeled Iranian crude to bypass sanctions) Saudi Arabia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates.
Middle Eastern countries collectively supply around a third of China’s crude oil, but they also supply US allies Washington relies on for military projection in the Asia-Pacific, such as Japan and South Korea. if they suffer a serious blow to their economy due to high energy costs and shortages, forget about meeting the military spending targets imposed by Washington on its vassals.
And the same applies to a vassal bloc that prides itself on "successfully decoupling from Russian oil and gas."
@LauraRuHK
Iran’s Permanent Representative to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani:
Israel’s strikes against Iran resulted in the death of at least 78 people, including senior military officials;
More than 320 people were injured, an overwhelming majority of them civilians, including women and children;
Israel’s strikes constitute clear acts of state terrorism and flagrant violations of international law;
Damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities risks “catastrophic radiological consequences that would not be confined to Iran, but could spread across the region and beyond”;
Israel's attacks against Iran were carried out with intelligence and political support from the United States;
Iran will not forget that its people lost their lives in Israeli attacks with American weapons. These actions amount to a declaration of war. @LauraRuHK
Israel is a malignant tumor and its metastases are everywhere. In last night's attack, in addition to other victims, Commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hussein Salami, General Gholamali Rashid, Commander of Khatam Al-Anbiya HQ of IRGC, Brigadier General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief-of-Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, physicist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Fereydoon Abbasi, have been killed. Which means the Zionist terrorists relied on up-to-date intelligence to target Iran's nuclear program and military commanders. This is what worries me. @LauraRuHK.
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▶️ Footage shows the aftermath of the aerial attacks on residential neighborhoods across Tehran.
@PressTV
A building engulfed in flames in Tehran.
Tasnim reports on flight restrictions at the airport of the capital of Iran. /channel/rian_ru/298936
The genocidal entity strikes Iran - Explosions have been reported in Teheran. Al Jazeera writes that the United States was informed in advance by Israel about the upcoming attacks. Oil prices are soaring. /channel/SolovievLive/325514
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ECB's Christine Lagarde is in Beijing. In her speech at the People’s Bank of China she stated "In recent years, trade tensions have emerged and a geopolitically charged landscape is making international cooperation increasingly difficult. [...] If global trade were to fragment into competing blocs, world trade would contract significantly, with every major economy worse off. [...] If we are serious about preserving our prosperity, we must pursue cooperative solutions – even in the face of geopolitical differences. And that means both surplus and deficit countries must take responsibility and play their part." She makes it sound as if trade tensions and fragmentation are a natural process, rather than being driven by the US hybrid war on Russia and China, aided and abetted by the EU. Globalists like Lagarde miss the 'good old times' of US unipolarity, when the West set the rules and reaped the benefits. That time is over. China is better prepared for the trade war than the US, and holds the cards. It suffices to mention rare earths and Washington blinks. Trump and his allies view tariffs as a way to rebalance global trade and bring critical industries back to the US. However, the US relies on vital Chinese goods that are costly to replace, making the trade war self-defeating. Trump's erratic trade policies and transactional approach have frustrated EU vassals but they won't dare to challenge them. They simply hope the next POTUS would be more aligned with their agenda. Yesterday the ECB and People’s Bank of China signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of central banking. But since it's non-binding, it isn't worth the paper is written on. @LauraRuHK https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/key/date/2025/html/ecb.sp250611~8936f0665d.en.html
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The European Commission will propose a sweeping new law to "manage the use of Europe's oceans." Under the pretext of protecting the environment and bolstering the "blue economy", Brussels intends to globalize its meddling...and add a military dimension to it.
"The European Union stewards the world’s largest collective maritime area, with 25 million km² of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) across its Member States, outermost regions and
overseas territories...The EU has a critical interest in maritime matters. The Union’s maritime borders extend to the Caribbean, the Atlantic and the Indian ocean thanks to its outermost regions. Maritime routes carry some 74% of the EU’s external trade, and underwater communication cables carry 99% of inter-continental
internet traffic."
Mossad headquarters on fire following Iranian strikes: Reports
@PressTV
Washington imposed and then suspended punitive tariffs on EU countries. As the 90-day suspension is soon coming to an end, Brussels Eunuchs bend over backwards to dance to Washington’s tune. “When we focus our attention on tariffs between partners, it diverts our energy from the real challenge — one that threatens us all,” von der Leyen said in a pointed comment aimed squarely at Trump, who sat near her at the G7 roundtable.
“On this point, Donald is right — there is a serious problem,” von der Leyen added, encouraging the U.S. president to join forces with his allies to address China’s trade imbalances, rather than impose tariffs on his allies. @LauraRuHK
"According to information received by the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of the Russian Federation, the Zelensky regime, faced with growing problems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the front and the moral exhaustion of Ukrainian society in the rear, intends to increase sabotage and terrorist activity against Russia. The Security Service of Ukraine and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (GUR MO) of Ukraine have been tasked, in cooperation with European special services, to intensify the preparation of a series of new bloody provocations." (Source: TASS) ▪️The front of the Ukrainian Army collapsed along 40 km in the Donetsk direction - Russian troops advanced throughout the area, the deputy commander of the assault company of the 39th Motorized Rifle Brigade with the call sign "Lek" told RIA Novosti against the backdrop of the liberation of Ulyanovka. @LauraRuHK
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The Israeli Mossad conducted a large-scale operation to prepare airstrikes against Iran, having previously deployed hundreds of drones with explosives disguised as commercial cargo into the country, The Washington Post reports.
For several months, drone parts were secretly delivered in suitcases and containers, after which agents assembled them in key regions. When the attack began, these drones hit Iranian air defense systems and missile launchers, destroying dozens of targets even before they were activated, which explains Tehran's delayed response. Experts point out that such tactics as using cheap drones against sophisticated air defense systems are changing the rules of modern warfare. (Source: Zvezda) @LauraRuHK /channel/zvezda_analytics/18685
Israel shuts down parts of its largest refinery after Iran attack
🔹Israel’s largest oil refinery has been forced to shut down parts of its operations following a major missile attack by Iran.
@PressTV
Blaise Metreweli, the first woman to lead UK intelligence service MI6, grew up in Hong Kong where her father Constantine was Chair of Diagnostic Radiology at CUHK. He trained as a radiologist in the British army and lived in Ryadh in 1982-85 before moving to the British colony. He left the city in 2003, a few years after the handover. No mention of her family history in the media, but Hong Kong is a small place 😉 @LauraRuHK
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The US and Israel are perfectly aligned in their objective to destroy Iran. Washington tried, and failed, to destroy Iran's oil trade and economy through sanctions - 90% of its crude shipments are directed to China. The bipartisan consensus in Washington is that China represents "a geopolitical adversary and the most significant long-term strategic challenge to U.S. interests." In February, "the White House announced its maximum pressure campaign on Iran designed to collapse its economy, targeting all stages of Iran's oil supply chain [...] We have predetermined benchmarks and timelines. Making Iran Broke Again will mark the beginning of our updated sanctions policy. Watch this space. If economic security is national security, the regime in Tehran will have neither." (US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remarked at the Economic Club of New York, on March 6.) US sanctions didn't break Iran, and neither will Israel's unprovoked military aggression. @LauraRuHK
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Iran's retaliatory strikes against Israel. It is reported that Israeli Defense Ministry facilities have been hit, but there is no confirmation of this information yet.
Israel's air defenses are obviously overwhelmed. /channel/vzglyad_ru/122375
According to Israeli media, Mossad agents set up a covert drone base on Iranian soil near Tehran, though there could be more than one.
The Times of Israel et al. write that weapons systems were smuggled into the country to take out Iran’s air defenses and give Israeli planes air supremacy and freedom of action over Iran.
▪️When i pointed out /channel/LauraRuHK/10144 that the Pentagon had envisaged a similar scenario long before Ukraine struck Russian airfields with drones that were concealed in wooden cabins installed on trucks, I thought that there wasn't enough evidence to blame the Trump administration since this scenario predated the presidential elections. After last night's attack on Iran, all doubts have vanished. ▪️Trump is a pathological liar, his contradictory statements, seemingly irrational and volatile behaviour make him an ideal conveyor of a U.S. policy based on strategic ambiguity. By targeting Iran, Washington is trying to disrupt cooperation between Iran, Russia and China, and by extension, the consolidation of a multipolar world order. @LauraRuHK
🔴 Report: Lawmaker Fereydoun Abbasi, Azad University Chief Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi also among targets
🔴 Reports: General Gholamali Rashid, Commander of Khatam Al-Anbiya HQ of IRGC also targeted in attacks
🔴 Iran's Tasnim News Agency says IRGC Chief Major General Hossein Salami martyred in Israeli strikes
@PressTV
▶️ Footage shows the aftermath of the aerial attacks on residential neighborhoods across Tehran.
@PressTV
📸 Initial images capture the aftermath of the strikes on residential buildings in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
@PressTV
С праздником! To celebrate Russia's National Day, the Russian consulate in Hong Kong organised a reception attended by 250 guests. The Chief Secretary of Hong Kong Eric Chan was guest of honour. Among local authorities and high-ranking representatives were members of the administration and Legislative Council, the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, and senior officers of the garrison of the PLA in Hong Kong. Guess who stole the show? The Moscow Cossack Song and Dance Ensemble. I couldn't even hold the camera still. 😏
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Reuters reported that Ukraine finally repatriated the bodies of 1,212 soldiers. ▪️I had written an article about Kiev's reluctance to accept the bodies in which I argued that regardless of which course of action the Ukrainian regime followed, it would not play in its favour. And refusing to bring home its dead could be even more damaging. The decision makers may have come to the same conclusion. @LauraRuHK https://substack.com/home/post/p-165635180
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Russia is warning friendly countries about UK organizations like the British Council.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:
"We would like to warn our partners from countries that are friendly to Russia against rapprochement and 'flirting' with the British," she said. "Creating favorable conditions for such organizations as the British Council, giving them opportunities to work with youth and implement seemingly harmless cultural and educational projects are fraught with the risk of losing control over important social and political processes, as the positions of influence that London acquires in the course of such activities are subsequently used to meddle in the internal affairs of other countries, directly threatening their sovereignty and territorial integrity." (Source: TASS) ▪️This warning brings back a distant memory. In 2007-08, after an escalation of tensions between London and Moscow, and the order to temporarily suspend the activities of the British Council, several employees of its Moscow branch ended up working for the same organization in Hong Kong. @LauraRuHK