外媒每日新闻 Hormuz Escalation & AfD Surge Edition

The new head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said Sunday that Tehran plans to announce an "exclusion zone" outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway. The announcement came a day after the U.S. struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Tehran launching ballistic missiles at U.S. warships. Experts called the launches a dangerous escalation after Iran's previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping. The new zone will "begin from the line of the U.S. naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf," Rezaei said. The U.S. military has said over 20 warships are supporting the blockade, which as of Sunday had redirected 92 commercial ships and disabled three. Separately, a fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others near the Kurdish city of Sanandaj.^[1]

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv on Saturday, September 6, for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a day after holding a three-hour meeting with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Witkoff said the team was "very encouraged," while acknowledging it was "a very, very hard problem." Putin's foreign policy adviser Ushakov described the Moscow talks as "constructive, frank and useful," saying "economic issues and potentially large, mutually beneficial joint projects" were discussed. The visit marked the envoys' first trip to Kyiv since taking on mediation roles. Both Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a three-day pause in strikes on each other's capitals from September 5-7 to facilitate the diplomatic push. Zelenskyy held talks with the Americans and discussed air defense needs including Patriot systems. Trump had said the envoys would bring a plan to "end the war," but no breakthrough was reported.^[2]

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party surged to a resounding victory in Sunday's Saxony-Anhalt state election, but fell three seats short of the absolute majority needed to form Germany's first far-right state government since World War II. AfD won 43.8% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union slumped to 17.2% — losing about half its support. AfD's lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund, 35, declared "we have written history" and said voters had sent a signal that "things cannot carry on like this." The party, classified as a proven right-wing extremist group by domestic intelligence, campaigns on "remigration" — a term for deporting immigrants — and wants to lift sanctions against Russia. Turnout was very high at 77.8%. It was not immediately clear how AfD's divided opponents could assemble any stable government without it. The result is a major blow to Merz, whose party has led the state for 24 years.^[3]

An armed man forced his way through a crowd and charged toward Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair on Sunday, law enforcement said. The suspect, identified as Patrick Havas, 38, knocked over multiple audience members as he moved toward Acton, the state's former public health director. He was found with a taser and two pistols, and brass knuckles were recovered after his arrest. Acton was not injured, but campaign officials said several people were hurt. The Mahoning County Sheriff's Office said "no weapons were ever brandished" during the incident. The attack underscores rising political violence ahead of the November midterms, with candidates across the country stumping at fairs, festivals and parades over Labor Day weekend. Acton's campaign said she was "grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement."^[4]

Oil prices extended gains on Monday as tit-for-tat strikes between the U.S. and Iran on vessels sailing in the Strait of Hormuz heightened concerns of a prolonged supply disruption from the Middle East. Brent crude futures climbed 52 cents, or 0.54%, to $96.80 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $92.14, up 66 cents, or 0.72%. Brent rose 7.8% last week while WTI gained nearly 10% after the U.S. and Iran resumed attacks and caused a reduction in oil flows through the Hormuz strait, where a fifth of the world's oil supply used to transit. U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, including one off the coast of Kharg Island, near Iran's key oil export hub. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said it targeted three oil tankers traveling through unauthorized routes as well as three additional U.S. vessels. An average of 10 commodity ships transited the strait per day over the past 10 days, the lowest since May. OPEC+ kept its oil output policy unchanged for October at a meeting on Sunday.^[5]

President Donald Trump's support for the construction of artificial intelligence data centers is creating additional political risks for the Republican Party ahead of November's midterm elections, Bloomberg reported. About 70% of Americans do not want data centers near their homes, and Republican candidates are changing their positions on the issue. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown aired television ads criticizing Republican Senator Jon Husted as the "face of data centers." Even in Texas, Republicans including Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have broken with Trump — Abbott imposed a temporary moratorium, while Paxton, the party's Senate candidate, proposed his own plan. The backlash reflects growing voter concern over the environmental and community impact of massive AI infrastructure projects, which require enormous water and electricity resources. The issue has become a wedge topic in competitive Senate races across the country.^[6]

An Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 cargo plane barreled off a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday, striking multiple vehicles and bursting into flames in a crash that forced the closure of all runways at one of the nation's busiest airports. The plane overran the runway around 2 p.m. after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, tearing through a fence and crossing a service road before slamming into vehicles. At least five people were killed and five others injured, with three taken to a trauma center in critical condition. All five deceased were inside vehicles struck by the plane. More than 60 fire rescue units and some 200 firefighters responded. The crash trapped the pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit, with video showing a crew member escaping moments after the crash. The NTSB launched an investigation, and the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered.^[7]

Officials in Hawaii urged residents and visitors to prepare for heavy rains, flooding and possibly mudslides as Hurricane Lowell, a major Category 3 storm, prompted the National Hurricane Center to issue a tropical storm warning for two islands on Sunday. The Miami-based center issued a hurricane watch for Kauai and Niihau as Lowell was forecast to pass the islands to the west late Monday while traveling north. Forecasters said rainfall totals of 6 to 10 inches were possible, with up to 24 inches in some areas. Wind gusts reached 80 mph. The center of the storm was passing west of the islands and moving away, but tropical storm-force winds extended nearly 200 miles. Gov. Josh Green closed schools and government offices on three islands. Fox Weather's Bryan Norcross said a dip in the jet stream was nudging Lowell northward and would eventually grab the storm and speed it past Hawaii. This comes just weeks after Tropical Storm Lala washed away about 100 homes.^[8]

An eruption of Indonesia's Mount Anak Krakatau caused the suspension of hundreds of flights at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Sunday after volcanic ash spread across western Indonesia. The airport suspended flight operations until 9:30 a.m., extending a halt that had been scheduled until 5:30 a.m. The suspension affected 209 flights, including several international flights. Anak Krakatau has been erupting since late Friday, with volcanic ash detected at the airport early Sunday. Ash was identified as high as 20,000 feet on the Java side and a plume of up to 50,000 feet on the Sumatra side. Several schools cancelled activities on Saturday, with students and residents suffering eye irritation from the ash. Fishermen cancelled fishing trips. The disaster mitigation agency said there was no imminent risk of tsunami. A tsunami in 2018 caused by Anak Krakatau eruptions killed hundreds. The volcano, whose name means "child of Krakatau," sits in the Sunda Strait — the site of the catastrophic 1883 Krakatoa eruption that killed over 36,000 people.^[9]

The death toll from catastrophic flash floods and debris flows along the China-Nepal border topped 1,300 as search and rescue operations continued for more than 5,600 people still missing, official data showed Sunday. The disaster struck on August 26 when a glacier collapsed near Nepal's Mount Langtang, sending ice, rock and water down the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river basins. The flood destroyed China's border port with Nepal. In China's Tibet Autonomous Region, at least 43 people were killed and 519 remained missing as of September 5. In Nepal, 987 bodies and body parts were recovered from districts along the river basin, with 3,916 reported missing across 62 districts. Of those missing, 844 are foreigners. Over 13,500 people have been rescued, including as recently as last weekend when two survivors walked out of a tunnel alive. The combined death toll on both sides reached 1,308. China dispatched a fourth batch of emergency relief supplies to Nepal.^[10]

Apple has officially confirmed its fall event for Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, beginning at 10:00 AM Pacific Time. The event will be the first major product launch under new CEO John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook. The lineup is expected to be led by the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, alongside Apple's first-ever foldable iPhone — reportedly named the iPhone Ultra — featuring a 7.6-inch OLED display with a titanium hinge. The standard iPhone 18 has reportedly been delayed to spring 2027. The foldable represents Apple's entry into a category dominated by Samsung and Chinese rivals for over seven years. iOS 27 is also expected to debut, bringing expanded AI capabilities. At WWDC 2026, Apple announced users will be able to choose between Claude or Gemini as their iPhone assistant. The foldable iPhone's launch availability is expected to be severely constrained, with a price range estimated at $1,799-$2,199.^[12]

OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra, launched September 3, is the company's most capable model and the first to reach the "Critical" cybersecurity capability threshold, according to safety documentation reviewed on September 6. The model completes substantially more work without surfacing its reasoning steps — cheaper and faster for developers, but leaving a smaller record to audit. The classification marks a significant milestone in AI safety governance, as models at the "Critical" level require enhanced oversight and red-teaming protocols. The safety documentation highlights growing tension between AI capability advancement and transparency requirements, as more powerful models increasingly operate with less visible intermediate reasoning. The development comes amid broader industry scrutiny of AI safety practices, with regulators in both the U.S. and EU pushing for stricter reporting standards for frontier models that could pose systemic risks.^[13]

The hashtag #AfD trended worldwide on Sunday as the Alternative for Germany won a resounding victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election with 43.8% of the vote — the closest a far-right party has come to governing a German state since World War II. Reactions split sharply along ideological lines. AfD's national co-leader Alice Weidel described the result as "sensational" and said the party's "hand is outstretched to all who want to make Saxony-Anhalt better." Chancellor Merz was criticized on X for doubling down on unpopular reforms rather than reflecting on the result. A viral post from a German political scientist read: "The 'firewall' (Brandmauer) against the AfD held in parliament but crumbled at the ballot box." French far-right leader Marine Le Pen celebrated: "The momentum is with us." Counter-protests erupted in Frankfurt with signs reading "Anti-social, fascist, stupid!!!" The debate highlighted the tension between respecting democratic outcomes and maintaining post-war anti-fascist consensus in Germany.^[14]

American rapper Macklemore called out "Free Palestine" during his opening set for Ed Sheeran at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on Friday night, drawing cheers from parts of the crowd and angry reactions from Israeli concertgoers and a Jewish American group. Macklemore, wearing a keffiyeh, performed "Hind's Hall" with Gaza footage on the screens, and told the crowd that the main reason he toured with Ed Sheeran was "so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine." The Israeli-American Council launched a petition calling on Sheeran and tour organizers to remove Macklemore from his remaining appearances, with 10 dates left on the US tour. The hashtag #FreePalestine trended alongside #Macklemore and #DropMacklemore. Macklemore responded on Saturday, insisting his comments were "not an attack on Jewish people." The incident highlights the growing intersection of celebrity activism and the Israel-Palestine conflict in American public life.^[15]

The hashtag #MiamiCrash trended across X/Twitter on Sunday as dramatic video emerged of an Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 cargo plane barreling off the runway at Miami International Airport, tearing through a fence and slamming into vehicles. Footage showed thick black smoke rising over the airport as rescue teams worked to free those pinned in vehicles, and a crew member escaping through a cockpit window. The crash killed at least five people and injured five others. The video spread rapidly, with one post showing the plane's path of destruction viewed over 5 million times. Aviation safety experts weighed in on X, noting that the plane traveled about 396 meters past the paved surface and that concrete barriers designed to keep cars out crumbled as the jet headed straight for a four-lane road. Questions were raised about runway safety areas and whether the airport's infrastructure could have prevented the aircraft from reaching public roads. The NTSB investigation will examine factors including landing speed, weather conditions and runway length.^[16]