Wöchentlicher Bericht über bedeutende Aktivitäten – 18. Juli 2026

Submission Statement: This analysis highlights some of the most significant geopolitical developments concerning China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea between July 11, 2026 and July 18, 2026.

Major events for this week included:

1. Update on the war with Iran: the US and Iran exchanged blows in a week of escalating conflict; Iran told the Houthis to prepare to close the Red Sea; Iran’s military headquarters declared control over the Strait of Hormuz an “invincible red line”; Iran ended its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum; Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei released a new written statement.
2. New European sanctions followed revelations that hackers of the Russian FSB attempted to bring down part of the Polish power grid in December 2025.
3. Ukraine reported that Russia is attempting to scale production of miniature cruise missiles to bridge the capability gap between drones and larger missiles.
4. Ukraine’s “Middle Strike” campaign against Crimea tallied 172 damaged or destroyed Russian shadow fleet vessels in the past two weeks.
5. China strongly protested global support for the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that denied the legitimacy of its vast maritime claims in the South China Sea on the occasion of its 10th anniversary.
6. China announced a new global AI alliance to counter US leadership in the field on the sidelines of the World AI Conference in Shanghai.
7. North Korea has built almost two dozen new drive-through arms depots for rockets and missiles near the South Korean border since 2023.