ISSUE #359📅Saturday, 6 June 2026⏱6 min read📑5 stories · 1 deep dive
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The Briefing
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Here’s what’s happening in geopolitics today. From the Strait of Hormuz to the battlefields of Ukraine, today’s headlines are dominated by rising military tensions, with the US striking Iranian-linked targets after downing drones, while Russia signals no appetite for direct talks with Ukraine’s leadership.
In the Indo-Pacific, New Zealand is moving ahead with a major defence upgrade through a multibillion-dollar U.S. helicopter deal, underscoring the region’s accelerating security buildup. Meanwhile, the human cost of conflict remains stark in the West Bank following a fatal Israeli military incident, while in Europe, the Pope’s visit to Spain brings a softer diplomatic note focused on migration and a divided continent.
In today’s conflict tracker, the dubious ceasefire continues as both Iran and the USA continued to exchange fire. Whilst in Myanmar, resistance forces took the key town of Yebyar.
— The Basedment Editorial Team· 06 Jun 2026
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The Last 24 Hours in Geopolitics
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US says it downed 4 Iranian drones bound for Strait of Hormuz, hit radar site
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it intercepted and destroyed four Iranian one-way attack drones that were heading toward the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, describing them as a threat to regional maritime traffic. The U.S. military also carried out strikes against Iranian radar and drone command-and-control sites, including facilities in Goruk and on Qeshm Island, which it said were linked to the drone operations.
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Putin says there is ‘no point’ meeting Zelensky over ending Ukraine war
Vladimir Putin said there was currently “no point” in meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss ending the war, rejecting a recent proposal for direct leader-to-leader talks. Putin argued that any summit should only take place after substantial progress is made through expert-level negotiations, while also criticizing the tone of Zelensky’s open letter calling for a meeting. The exchange highlights the continued gap between Moscow and Kyiv on how peace negotiations should proceed, with both sides accusing the other of lacking genuine interest in ending the conflict.
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New Zealand’s $1.5B military helicopter purchase approved by US
The United States has approved the sale of five MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters and related equipment to New Zealand in a deal valued at approximately US$1.5 billion (NZ$2.6 billion). The helicopters will replace New Zealand’s aging Seasprite fleet and form part of Wellington’s broader plan to strengthen its military capabilities amid growing strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. The approval aligns with New Zealand’s commitment to significantly increase defence spending over the coming years, with the government aiming to lift military expenditure to around 2% of GDP by the early 2030s.
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Israeli forces shoot dead Palestinian baby, wound his parents in West Bank
A seven-month-old Palestinian baby was killed and his parents were wounded after Israeli forces opened fire on their vehicle in the Tel Rumeida area of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military said soldiers believed the vehicle was accelerating toward them and fired at it, but an initial military review later found that those injured were uninvolved civilians. Israeli authorities have said the incident is under investigation, with the shooting adding to ongoing tensions and violence in the West Bank amid the broader regional conflict.
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Pope Leo XIV visits Spain as church seeks a fresh voice in changing Europe
Pope Leo XIV began a week-long visit to Spain on Friday, his first official trip to a European Union country since becoming head of the Catholic Church. The visit will focus on issues including migration, political polarization, and the role of the Church in an increasingly secular Europe, with stops planned in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands. During the trip, Leo is expected to address Spain’s parliament, meet migrants and abuse survivors, and preside over major religious events, including the inauguration of a new tower at Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia.
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Daily Deep Dive
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Analysis · middle east
Iran And USA Exchange Fire, Resistance Forces Take Town
The dubious ceasefire continues as both Iran and the USA continued to exchange fire. Whilst in Myanmar, resistance forces took the key town of Yebyar.
Basedment Analysis
Conflict Tracker
Myanmar Civil War
The seizure of Yebyar is part of an ongoing resistance offensive that has been building across Pauk Township for several weeks. Revolutionary joint forces have been running a sustained clearance campaign in the area, seizing the Yay Pyar police station near the Pauk-Myaing township border on June 3, and continuing operations the following day. The capture of Yebyar and the roughly 20 junta soldiers taken prisoner fits the pattern of a coordinated push that has been progressively dismantling junta positions in the township.
The resistance forces operating here have been up against a significant military buildup. A junta column of around 400 troops entered southern Pauk Township in mid-May, originating from the No. 22 Weapon Factory in Seikphyu Township, a major military-industrial hub in central Magway. On May 13, Yaw Army and allied PDF forces attacked that column, reportedly killing more than 80 junta troops and capturing prisoners and weapons.
The junta's response to Yebyar's fall, bombing the southern part of the township, is consistent with how it has operated across this front. Pauk has already seen periods of more than 20 airstrikes in a single day, with resistance groups repeatedly urging civilians to seek shelter and monitor airstrike warnings. Residents from multiple villages in southern Pauk have already been displaced by the ongoing operations, and the latest bombardment is likely to push that number higher.
Junta forces that were caught with the fall of Yebyar
USA-Iran War
The ceasefire that paused the US-Iran war in early April was always fragile, and the last few days have made that obvious. On June 5, a 24-hour lull in direct exchanges ended when CENTCOM reported shooting down four Iranian attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz, then struck Iranian coastal radar sites at Goruk and on Qeshm Island. Iran responded by firing seven ballistic missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain. Six of the seven were intercepted, and CENTCOM dismissed Iranian claims of hitting the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain as false.
Bonus note, we actually saw Iran use one of its newer drones that we have not seen before — caleld the “Shahed Danesh”.
This follows a bigger exchange on June 3, when the US intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones across the region, including three missiles aimed at Bahrain and two more that fell short targeting Kuwait. The IRGC also struck Kuwait's international airport, a move that reflects a consistent Iranian pattern of targeting US Gulf partners when it can't or won't hit American forces directly.
The ceasefire brokered in April, mediated by Pakistan, has been extended repeatedly but remains contested, with the Strait of Hormuz sitting at the centre of negotiations. Trump has sent revised terms demanding firmer written commitments on uranium enrichment, with Iran reviewing them through intermediaries. Rubio confirmed on June 2 that the US has not offered to lift sanctions in exchange for Iran reopening the strait, which tells you a lot about how far apart the two sides still are. The reality is that I don’t see this ending in anything too major…Both keep trading strikes, both keep talking, and neither has blinked on the waterway that sits at the heart of all of it.
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Tweet of the Day
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Tweet of the Day
Murray Rothbard
@MurraySuggests · Twitter / X
The Iranian navy, which has been destroyed eight times, has apparently closed the Strait of Hormuz again, because the United States, for the seventh time, won the war that wasn’t a war, so now the United States has to open the Strait of Hormuz that was already open before the
TODAY IN HISTORY (June 6, 1944): World War II's D-Day Gets Underway
Led by U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, an Allied armada of ships, planes, and landing craft, along with some 156,000 troops began the invasion of northern France from England on this day in 1944. D-Day helped the Allies gain momentum, and World War II would end the following year.
