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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Monday what he called the 'single greatest financial offensive ever' against Iran, a coordinated sanctions campaign designed to sever all economic ties to the regime. The measures target not just Iranian entities but the countries and governments that trade with Tehran, with the Trump administration warning allies they must choose sides or face U.S. financial penalties themselves. Bessent wrote in the Financial Times that the objective is to isolate Iran completely, and specifically called out China, which historically buys about 90 percent of Iran's oil. The Iranian currency, the Rial, hit a record low ahead of the announcement as markets priced in the economic shock. Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei vowed retaliation 'in a seismic manner,' warning that any country supporting the sanctions would be treated as an enemy and threatening to block all oil exports from the region and target alternative shipping routes in the Persian Gulf if the war continues. Analysts question whether fresh sanctions will change Tehran's behavior; a former U.S. nuclear negotiator told NPR the administration has already exhausted 'the low-hanging fruit, the mid-hanging fruit, the high-hanging fruit, the tree,' and that no new sanctions remain effective. Iran's economy was already contracting under nearly 50 years of U.S. sanctions, with inflation now at almost 90 percent and ordinary Iranians buying food on credit as medicines like insulin become unaffordable.

Starlink is seeking regulatory approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre for its second-generation low-Earth orbit satellite constellation to support direct-to-device connectivity. The application covers 30,000 satellites operating at altitudes between 340 and 615 kilometers, marking a shift beyond the conventional satellite broadband approved under the company's first-generation network. Direct-to-device technology connects compatible mobile phones directly to satellites without requiring dedicated user terminals. Indian telecom operators have raised concerns that these services could compete with terrestrial networks and have urged authorities to impose similar regulatory obligations on satellite providers. Meanwhile, Starlink still requires final security clearance to launch commercial services and recently faced warnings from the union government over signing memorandums of understanding with state administrations before securing a country-wide license.

CNBC reports that Donald Trump scaled back annual military drills with South Korea as Seoul finalizes hundreds of billions of dollars in investment commitments in Washington. Trump instructed the Pentagon to cut the costly exercises, which involve around 18,000 Korean troops, while Korean Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to discuss stalled investments and lower reciprocal tariffs. South Korea previously promised $350 billion in U.S. investments, a commitment pushed slower than Japan's deployment pace. The shift alters a security alliance into an economic partnership centered on integrated industrial ecosystems, including semiconductor and shipbuilding cooperation. Meanwhile, SK Hynix is building a $4 billion advanced packaging plant in Indiana alongside a $10 billion allocation for U.S. product lines. North Korea responded to the shortened military exercises by launching more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea.