Iran bags US hardware, German voters revolt, and Zelensky survives a 160km ‘near-miss’: RT stories that shaped the week

RT’s essential stories of the past seven days included an oil-price surge, an AfD shockwave in Germany, and increasingly alarming warnings about AI Gulf turns into a shooting gallery The US-Iran conflict moved increasingly onto the water this week, with oil tankers, warships, and drones all getting involved around one of the world’s most important shipping routes. Washington struck five Iranian crude carriers on Tuesday after previously attacking three other commercial vessels. Tehran retaliated, claiming strikes on eight tankers and two US Navy vessels, while an Iranian attack reportedly damaged several US warplanes at an airbase in Jordan. Iran also captured an American underwater drone and, two days later, released footage of a US Saildrone surveillance vessel burning in the water. Read more Iran retaliates after US strikes on oil tankers (VIDEOS) Tehran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control and has announced plans for another restricted shipping zone nearby. READ MORE: Iran destroys US spy Saildrone in Hormuz (VIDEO) Oil markets react The escalating hostilities saw Brent crude surge back above $100 a barrel this week, breaking the threshold for the first time in months. Meanwhile, Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure have added to fears of further disruption as the kingdom’s oil production in August reportedly fell to its lowest level since 1990 amid growing pressure on its usual export routes. Read more Oil tops $100 as Middle East conflict intensifies Trump dividend As oil prices continue to destabilize the global energy markets, the fallout is expected to become a major issue in the upcoming US November mid-term election. The US president, however, has refused to back down, promising “a lot more” strikes on Iranian tankers. As for concerned voters, Trump promised to pay every American adult a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” if Republicans keep control of Congress.

He did not explain exactly how the payouts potentially costing well over $1 trillion would be funded. Speaking of enormous piles of money... An RT investigation looked at Ukraine’s industrial-scale scam-call business, which is estimated to generate around $1 billion every month and employs some 60,000 people. The business has also become entangled with allegations that corrupt Ukrainian officials have been taking protection money from the very fraudsters they were supposed to go after, leading to the resignation of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. Read more Call of corruption: What you should know about Ukraine’s billion-dollar scam industry milked by Zelensky’s government By Friday, Zelensky’s chief of staff Kirill Budanov was also reportedly under investigation over possible financial crimes. Separately, the New York Times reported that Ukraine lost around $1.2 billion to fraud, waste and mismanagement in military procurement in 2024 alone. READ MORE: Ukraine lost $1.2 bn to defense fraud and waste in one year – NYT Washington keeps trying diplomacy While investigators searched for Ukraine’s missing money, Washington continued looking for a peace deal. After Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow and Kiev last weekend, Trump spoke with Putin by phone on Tuesday. Moscow said it hopes Russia-US-Ukraine talks can resume, while Zelensky floated the UAE, Türkiye and Switzerland as possible venues. Read more Russia looking forward to revival of trilateral Ukraine talks – Kremlin Talking to Russia may be catching on While Washington has reopened direct channels with Moscow, some European governments that have spent years doing the opposite have increasingly felt the political cost at home. The clearest example came in Germany, where the Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 43.8% in Saxony-Anh