US News

• Leidos won a contract worth over $350 million to design and construct a medium-seized undersea vehicle for the Navy. Defense Post
• The IRS is reviewing safety and security measures in response to what it claims is misinformation about the agency on social media. Reuters
• The government destroyed tiny homes that were available to the homeless because they did not meet the minimum home size requirement. Reason
• Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe will not face charges for killing Rayshard Brooks in 2020. Rolfe shot Brooks twice in the back. BBC

Russia

• The US is expected to announce a new $3 billion weapons package for Ukraine on Wednesday as Washington is shifting to a longer-term campaign to support Kyiv in its war against Russia. AWC
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday reiterated his goal of taking back Crimea from Russia, saying Ukraine will do so by any means necessary. AWC
• The IAEA says it could inspect the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine within days if talks succeed. Reuters
• Dennis Rodman walks back his plan to travel to Russia after the White House said his visit could be counterproductive. Yahoo
• The Ukrainian Agriculture Ministry reported Tuesday that a total of 33 cargo ships carrying about 720,000 tonnes of foodstuffs have left Ukraine since a deal to facilitate the export of grain out of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports was implemented. AWC
• Lithuania says Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland may ban Russian travels. Reuters
• Estonia’s Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu wants the EU to ban Russian tourists because he believes all Russians bear a “moral responsibility” for President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. AWC
• Slovakia will send 30 tracked infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine. In return, Slovakia will receive 15 Leopard tanks from Germany. Reuters
• The black-listed Russian diamond market is bypassing American sanctions by selling in rupees to buyers in India and Europe. Insider

Iran

• US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it carried out airstrikes in Syria on Tuesday. The Department of Defense claims the bombs hit facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and were in retaliation for an attack on US personnel in Syria. The Insititute 
• A US official told Reuters on Monday that an agreement to revive the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, is closer now since Tehran has conceded on some of its key demands. AWC
• Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told journalists Monday that the positive regional climate is bolstering optimism over the possible resumption of diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. VOA The Institute 
• Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Tuesday that Israel would do “everything it can” to influence the US against reviving the Iran nuclear deal. AWC
• Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, “We strongly condemned the dangerous practice of Israeli strikes on Syrian territory.” Reuters

Middle East

• Qatar deported some migrant workers who protested not being paid. BBC
• The head of Yemen’s Presidential Council, the government backed by Saudi/UAE, calls on the Souther Transition Council to cease military operations. AJ

Mozambique 

• Jihadists in Mozambique laucnehd a new offciensive. At least 80,000 people have been displaced. AP