Strait of Hormuz, nuclear loans · June 25

U.S. reaffirms Gulf security after Iran war.

Today's events

Iran aftermath.
Secretary Rubio toured the Gulf after the Iran war, reassuring Kuwait and the UAE, pressing for safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and saying the U.S. knows what Tehran agreed to on inspections.¹Jun 23 · State
Nuclear buildout.
The Energy Department issued a $17.5 billion conditional loan commitment to rebuild America's nuclear supply chain, financing long-lead components for ten large AP1000 reactors and aiming to cut construction timelines by up to three years.²Jun 23 · DOE
Prince Group.
State and Treasury sanctioned nine people and 26 entities tied to the Cambodia-based Prince Group crime network, whose scam compounds defraud Americans, and moved to bar U.S. dollar accounts for the linked Huione money-laundering platform.³Jun 23 · State
EU methane.
Energy Secretary Wright joined his Qatari, Nigerian, and Algerian counterparts in warning the European Union that its 2027 methane rules would render nearly all EU oil imports noncompliant and disrupt the bloc's gas supply.⁴Jun 24 · DOE
Solar duties.
Commerce continued antidumping and countervailing duties on crystalline-silicon solar products from China and Taiwan, finding their removal would likely revive dumping, subsidies, and injury to U.S. producers.⁵Jun 23 · Commerce
Bank stress test.
The Federal Reserve said all 32 large banks would stay above minimum capital in a severe-recession scenario, absorbing more than $708 billion in projected loan losses — including roughly $200 billion on credit cards.⁶Jun 24 · Fed
Cryptography order.
President Trump signed Executive Order 14412, “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks,” a national-security measure to protect U.S. systems from code-breaking threats; the Federal Register posted it for June 25 publication.⁷Jun 24 · Fed. Reg.
PFAS settlement.
The Justice Department and EPA reached a $450 million settlement with Chemours — the first comprehensive federal deal over PFAS “forever chemicals” — covering plants in West Virginia, North Carolina, and New Jersey.⁸Jun 24 · DOJ
Exploited flaws.
CISA added four actively exploited vulnerabilities to its catalog — one in Lantronix EDS5000 devices and three in Ubiquiti UniFi OS — ordering federal civilian agencies to patch them.⁹Jun 23 · CISA

Allied Governments

E5 leaders.
France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Britain — joined by NATO's chief — agreed to expand Europe's role in the alliance before July's Ankara summit, pledged more support for Ukraine, and welcomed the U.S.–Iran memorandum.^aJun 24 · UK No.10
Russia designations.
The UK Foreign Office added 43 new designations and 27 ship specifications to its Russia sanctions list, targeting persons supporting or profiting from Moscow's war on Ukraine.^bJun 24 · UK FCDO
Japan deterrence.
The United States reaffirmed it would defend Japan with the full range of its forces, including nuclear, as both governments flagged China's opaque nuclear buildup and pressed for North Korea's denuclearization.^cJun 8–9 · Japan MoFA

Voices

“We know what they agreed to do, and now they’ll either do it or they won’t. … And if they don’t, the President will have some decisions to make.”
Sec. of State Marco Rubio, Abu Dhabi · Jun 23¹

“Just over one year ago, President Trump directed the Energy Department and its agency partners to unleash the next American nuclear renaissance.”
Energy Sec. Chris Wright · Jun 23²

“Prince Group [Transnational Criminal Organization] members own and profit from scam compounds that target victims in the United States and around the world.”
U.S. Dept. of State · Jun 23³

“Today’s results underscore the strength of the banking system. As we work to increase the transparency and accountability of the stress test, public feedback will help us continue to improve…”
Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle W. Bowman, Federal Reserve · Jun 24⁶

“This first comprehensive federal settlement against a major PFAS manufacturer delivers on the Trump Administration’s promise to make polluters pay and stop PFAS contamination at the source.”
Asst. Administrator Jeffrey A. Hall, EPA Enforcement · Jun 24⁸

“These types of vulnerabilities are frequent attack vectors for malicious cyber actors and pose significant risks to the federal enterprise.”
CISA, Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog · Jun 23⁹

Sources

U.S. Dept. of State, “Secretary of State Marco Rubio Remarks to the Press” (Abu Dhabi), June 23, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/rubio-remarks-to-the-press
U.S. Dept. of Energy, “Department of Energy Announces American Nuclear Supply Chain Loans,” June 23, 2026. energy.gov/articles/…/american-nuclear-supply-chain-loans
U.S. Dept. of State, “Dismantling Prince Group Transnational Criminal Organization and Huione Group,” June 23, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/dismantling-prince-group
U.S. Dept. of Energy, “U.S., Qatar, Nigeria, and Algeria Warn Proposed E.U. Methane Regulations Could Disrupt Europe's Oil and Gas Supply,” June 24, 2026. energy.gov/articles/…/eu-methane-regulations
U.S. Dept. of Commerce / Federal Register, “Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products From the People's Republic of China and Taiwan: Continuation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders,” June 23, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/solar-china-taiwan-continuation
Federal Reserve, “Federal Reserve Board's Annual Bank Stress Test Confirms Large Banks Are Well Positioned to Weather a Severe Recession,” June 24, 2026. federalreserve.gov/newsevents/…/bcreg20260624a
Federal Register, “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks” (Executive Order 14412), June 25, 2026. federalregister.gov/…/eo-14412-cryptographic-attacks
U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Chemours Agrees to $450M Landmark Settlement Agreement for Releases of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals,’” June 24, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/chemours-450m-pfas-settlement
CISA, “CISA Adds Four Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog,” June 23, 2026. cisa.gov/news-events/…/four-known-exploited-vulnerabilities

UK Prime Minister's Office, “E5 Leaders' Statement: 24 June 2026,” June 24, 2026. gov.uk/government/news/e5-leaders-statement-24-june-2026
UK Foreign Office (FCDO), “Russia: List of Designations and Sanctions Notices,” June 24, 2026. gov.uk/guidance/russia-list-of-designations-and-sanctions-notices
Japan MoFA, “Joint Statement on the June 2026 Japan-U.S. Extended Deterrence Dialogue,” June 2026. mofa.go.jp/press/release/…/japan-us-extended-deterrence