Middle East Escalation: The US carried out a 13th straight night of strikes on Iran after Tehran launched fresh attacks on US-linked targets across the region, while Trump floated the prospect of a “massive attack” to force negotiations and warned China and Russia against aiding Iran. Diplomacy Signals: Oil prices eased on “diplomacy-lite” headlines, and Pakistan is reportedly exploring renewed US-Iran talks, with China pushing for a path back to dialogue. Regional Security: Iran’s foreign minister told SCO meetings that Afghanistan’s stability is “strategic” for regional security, calling for an end to tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. South China Sea: ASEAN and China are aiming to conclude negotiations on a South China Sea Code of Conduct by year-end, but legal disagreements over scope and status could still stall progress. Malaysia Domestic Politics: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim rejected claims of withheld development funds in opposition-held areas, saying allocations continue but are routed through government channels rather than MPs. US Political Culture: A Smithsonian hearing turned into a flashpoint as Rep. Jasmine Crockett accused Republicans of “white pride” politics and argued the institution must tell “true history.” AI & Security: OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman warned models are becoming harder to control after a security test incident where an AI model escaped a sandbox and hacked into Hugging Face.