Chinese President Xi Jinping told Jordan’s King Abdullah that the Palestinians “are a core issue for the Middle East” in a meeting in Beijing, Chinese state radio says.
Xi called for a political solution, the resumption of peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel and for the swift “realization of Palestine’s… establishment as an independent state,” according to an official summary of the meeting broadcast on state radio.
The cuts were signed off by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on Aug. 21 as part of the department's 2027-2028 Operating Guidelines for the Colorado River, which provides water to over 40 million people, generates hydropower for seven states, and is a vital resource for 30 tribes and two Mexican states.
The Colorado River Basin is experiencing historically low runoff and reservoir levels amid a 26-year drought, which worsened recently after the winter of 2025-2026 resulted in the lowest observed snowpack on record.
The cuts were not a surprise to Arizona, Nevada, and California, as they pitched a temporary, two-year agreement to the Assistant Secretary of Water and Science in May in an effort to address the "deteriorating hydrologic conditions in the Colorado River system."
The Lower Basin states will see water deliveries reduced by a total of 1.25 million acre-feet annually in both 2027 and 2028, with Arizona taking a reduction of 760,000 acre-feet, California 440,000 acre-feet, and Nevada 50,000 acre-feet, according to the Interior Department press release.
The plan will see the Lower Basin states face a 21 percent reduction in water from the river in 2027 and 2028, with deeper cuts later.
But a trio of states warned that if water cuts double after 2028, it would devastate their economies.
"The combined contents of Lake Powell and Lake Mead have not been this low since before Lake Powell began filling following the closure of the gates at Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, with both Lake Powell and Lake Mead hitting record lows the last few weeks," the press release said.
The department suggested the plan will continue allowing reliable operations and water deliveries while "preserving the flexibility necessary to respond to Basin states' voluntary actions, consensus recommendations and the continued prolonged drought," the release said.
"Forty million people, millions of acres of farmland and ranchland, industries that power the American West, and some of our nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas depend on the Colorado River," Burgum said.
Global hunger was already soaring as we entered 2026, and now it appears that we have a historic crisis on our hands. The war with Iran has significantly restricted the flow of fertilizer out of the Middle East, and even the UN is admitting that this will make global food supplies much tighter in the months ahead. Meanwhile, the war in Eastern Europe has greatly escalated and that has resulted in severely reduced wheat exports from Ukraine. On top of everything else, it is being projected that the strongest Super El Niño in recorded history will peak later this year, and as a result crazy weather patterns will continue to hammer crops all over the planet. At this stage, no rational person can deny what we are witnessing.
Experts are warning that this upcoming fall harvest season will be a real turning point.
Agriculture analyst Noel Fryer recently explained to CNBC why we are facing a “perfect storm” for global food production…
“A lot of things will come together to seriously affect crops next year,” Fryer said on Thursday.
“We’ve had crops decimated by weather in Europe and the U.S. A searingly hot summer in Europe has eroded grazing potential, with no hay and grass for cattle. A possible result of that is significant herd liquidation,” he said.
“We’ve got no end in sight to the Black Sea problem. The issue with fertilizer since the start of the Iran conflict is still there and if anything getting worse. U.S. corn yields look concerning after a wet spring and less fertilizer use, and could push prices up.”
We have never been through anything quite like this.
Everyone assumed that commercial traffic would always be able to flow freely through the Strait of Hormuz, but now everything has changed.
Much of the fertilizer that normally comes out of the Persian Gulf didn’t get to farmers in the northern hemisphere this year, and as a result the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is projecting that there will be a substantial tightening of global food supplies following the coming harvest season…
The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, emphasized today that the global fertilizer scarcity caused by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz will lead to lower yields and tightening food supplies in the latter half of 2026 and into 2027. He spoke at the Ministerial Meeting of the MED9++ Countries on “Supporting Food Security and Access to Fertilizers” co-chaired by FAO, Italy and Croatia.
Addressing ministers and senior representatives gathered in Rome, the Director-General stressed that the current crisis extends far beyond geopolitics, increasingly affecting food production, trade, agricultural inputs and access to food worldwide.
“We meet at a moment of profound strain,” the Director-General said. “This is not only a geopolitical crisis, but also a disruption at the core of the global agrifood system.”
So what will 2027 be like?
In addition to facing a global fertilizer crisis, the rapidly escalating war in Eastern Europe has severely disrupted Ukrainian grain exports…
Recent military strikes on grain export facilities, oil tankers and vessels in the Black Sea region have now made it too challenging for shipping firms to get insurance, meaning many are avoiding its ports. Alternative land routes for Ukrainian grain are also being stymied by low water levels on the Danube river, and by rail maintenance in Eastern Europe.
Separately, Bloomberg pointed out that Russian attacks on Odesa have nearly halted Ukraine’s grain exports this peak harvest season. Total grain shipments from Ukraine have amounted to about 500,000 tons since the start of August, equivalent to roughly 20% of the country’s potential exports. The Greater Odesa ports normally handle about 90% of Ukraine’s grain shipments.
Meanwhile, the wheat harvest in the United States is going to be very disappointing this year.
According to Newsweek, it is being estimated that the U.S. will “harvest its lowest acreage of wheat since 1877″…
America is expected to harvest its lowest acreage of wheat since 1877, due to drought, scorched crops, high input costs and uncertainty in export markets.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service released estimates on June 30 that the total area of all wheat planted was 42.7 million acres in 2026, down six percent from the previous year. This was also 1 million acres below the agency’s March forecasts.
The harvested area of all wheat for 2026 is forecasted to be around 32 million acres, which would be the lowest level in about a century and a half, according to USDA data.
It’s a perfect storm of terrible conditions for wheat farmers this year. Drought, dramatic swings in temperature, the skyrocketing price of fertilizer and diesel, plus multiple viruses affecting wheat have all led to one of the most challenging years for farmers in decades.
The outlook for the months ahead is not promising at all because we haven’t even reached the peak of the Super El Niño yet.
According to CNN, the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that there is almost a 70 percent chance that this Super El Niño will be the strongest Super El Niño in recorded history…
One prominent climate scientist named Daniel Swain is openly admitting that we are “already at record-breaking or record-tying territory now”…
“This is a genuinely remarkable event,” said University of California climate scientist Daniel Swain in a YouTube briefing on El Niño broadcast this week.
“We’re already at record-breaking or record-tying territory now, and we’re expected to skyrocket,” he said.
Firefighters have yet to contain any part of the blaze, which is threatening roughly 1,000 homes and has prompted evacuations for roughly 42,000 residents.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency for Washoe County as the Hawk Fire grew quickly throughout the day. Strong, gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation helped fuel the flames, according to the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District.
About 400 firefighters and other personnel from local, state and federal agencies were working the fire Saturday night, both on the ground and from the air. Three helicopters were set to fly overnight as crews worked to protect homes and other property.
"The Hawk Fire is a very dynamic incident for us as it's being driven by the winds," Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue Chief Richard Edwards said in a video posted to social media.
"The wind-driven fires move very rapidly into our residential areas, creating a lot of challenges for our firefighters to save homes and protect lives," Edwards added.
Officials ordered new evacuations for the Somersett community, including areas north of Somersett Parkway to Robb Drive, as well as neighborhoods north of West 7th Street to North McCarran Boulevard.
About 1,000 homes were also in a "Warning — GET SET" zone, with residents told to be ready to leave.
Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve urged anyone ordered to evacuate not to wait, saying the fire had already damaged structures.
Lombardo also said the fire was threatening homes and other structures.
"This is an active and rapidly evolving situation, and I urge everyone in the affected areas to remain vigilant and follow the direction of local officials," the governor said in a statement.
The Trump administration is poised to announce a sweeping new wave of sanctions against Iran on Monday, introducing measures with a scope and intensity never seen before. The primary objective is to threaten any nation that conducts business with Iran across virtually any sector, expanding the net far beyond the traditional targets of oil, refined petroleum products, and weaponry. This aggressive maneuver serves as a stark American warning to any entity attempting to trade with Iran, aiming to cut the Islamic Republic off from global commerce almost entirely.
President Donald Trump has embraced economic warfare as his weapon of choice against Tehran, with the explicitly stated goal of bringing the regime to its knees until it accepts US conditions for ending the conflict. The overarching strategic aim is to cripple the regime to a point of critical weakness – potentially paving the way for its collapse – as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has explicitly outlined. The administration intends to achieve this by depleting Iran's resources and igniting domestic economic chaos that could spark widespread civil unrest.
Israel Hayom has learned the impending sanctions will tighten the naval blockade to its maximum limit. The measures will aggressively expand restrictions on oil exports and the companies facilitating them, while also targeting new commercial sectors and financial networks. Among the planned moves is a long-term strategy by the US Navy to establish total control over the Strait of Hormuz, ensuring the blockade remains impenetrable.
Furthermore, the US is expected to unleash dramatic secondary sanctions against companies and nations that trade with Iran across a vast array of products and industries, with exemptions limited strictly to humanitarian goods like food and medicine. This poses a severe risk of sweeping penalties for numerous businesses in Pakistan, China, Turkey, Russia, and beyond, simply for maintaining commercial ties with Tehran.
While state actors like China and Russia may publicly shrug off the sanctions, their corporate entities that rely on business relations with the West and the US will likely tread carefully. Many may even opt to sever trade ties with the Islamist regime altogether to protect their global interests.
Simultaneously, the US Treasury Department has drastically ramped up efforts to trace, freeze, and confiscate Iranian financial assets, whether hidden in traditional banking institutions or the digital crypto space. According to intelligence estimates, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Iran's primary military force) has funneled a substantial portion of its wealth into cryptocurrencies in a desperate bid to sustain international trade, evade surveillance, and prevent asset freezes.
The Treasury Department task force spearheading this effort has already identified numerous digital wallets, successfully seizing some while actively pursuing others. The primary target is the IRGC's colossal economic conglomerate, Khatam al-Anbiya (the IRGC's engineering and construction firm), which dominates nearly half of the Iranian economy. Striking this corporate behemoth directly undermines the regime's ability to survive.
Even before this new barrage of sanctions, Iran's economy is teetering on the edge of the abyss. The domestic fuel crisis deepens by the day. Despite being one of the world's top crude oil producers, Iran suffers from a severe lack of refining capacity, and its stockpiles of processed fuel for transportation and power generation are rapidly dwindling. Private vehicle owners are now restricted to a meager monthly quota of just 60 liters (15.8 gallons), and anyone seeking an additional liter (0.26 gallons) is forced to pay exponentially higher prices.
This localized crisis could be the spark that ignites broader chaos. A strike by truck drivers, joined by workers in vital industrial sectors reeling from wage cuts, could trigger a rapid descent into turmoil. Real wages have eroded so drastically that Ali Aslani, a senior leader in Iran's workers' councils, estimates an average Iranian worker's monthly salary now covers only 10 to 15 days of basic living expenses.
The financial reality is grim. A new worker earns roughly 21.8 million tomans (slightly more than $100) per month, yet urban rent can easily hit 28 million tomans (approximately $128). The basic cost of living for a family of four in a major city is estimated at 80 to 90 million tomans ($366 to $412), meaning the average household income barely covers half of what is needed to survive.
The governor of the Central Bank of Iran has openly expressed fears of a total economic collapse, while Davood Ranghi, vice chairman of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, warned the nation's stockpile of essential goods will run out in less than three months. Iran, he stressed, remains highly vulnerable due to its heavy reliance on imported food staples like wheat and corn.
Bessent warns: 'Endgame' with Iran is near
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that Washington is approaching the “endgame" in its confrontation with Iran, following what he described as the destruction of much of Tehran's military capabilities.
“President Trump has dismantled Iran’s military capabilities, destroyed nearly 100 percent of its military factories, and buried its nuclear program," Bessent wrote on social media.
“We are now entering the endgame. At dawn begins an economic D-Day - the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an adversary," he added.
Bessent argued that the Trump administration had fundamentally changed the balance of pressure between Washington and Tehran.
“The Islamic Republic has subsisted by dressing extortion as security guarantees. It has drawn strength from a calculus that regards Iranian retaliation as certain and American enforcement as negotiable. Under President Trump, that era is over. And those who fear the danger of defying Tehran ought not to discount the cost of testing Washington," warned Bessent.
He said Trump had also laid the groundwork for an expansive campaign targeting Iran's remaining economic lifelines.
The Treasury Secretary further stated that Trump “has created the conditions to leverage every agency, every authority and action many assumed we would never summon. Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone."
"Watch this space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country," Bessent told Newsmax.
"It will be a combination of economic isolation like the world has never seen before, and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz that will keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports," he added.
