PopAxis

  @BRICSinfo (dated March 22, 2026) reports that Iran is moving forward with plans to charge up to $2 million per tanker for passage through the Strait of Hormuz , citing CNN as the source. The post includes an image of Ayatollah Khamenei and a satellite view of the strait, emphasizing its strategic importance. Key Details from the Post and Reactions The claim is framed as Iran turning its control over the strait into a revenue stream amid ongoing tensions and sanctions. Many replies treat it as a clever counter-move: "You sanction a country for years, then cry when it monetizes the only leverage it has. That’s not aggression, that’s strategy." Comparisons are drawn to existing toll systems like the Suez Canal ( $500k–$600k+), Panama Canal ( $750k), and others, positioning this as a similar "user fee" for a vital chokepoint. Humorous/meme-style reactions dominate, including videos and images mocking the situation (e.g., "Iran be like" clips, Russia-Ira...

  Iran's president says immediate cessation of US-Israeli aggression needed to end war By Guy Faulconbridge and Marina Bobrova MOSCOW, March 21 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Iranian leaders on Nowruz and said Moscow remained a ‌loyal friend and reliable partner to Tehran, the Kremlin said ‌on Saturday. The extent of Moscow's support for Iran, though, is in dispute. Some Iranian sources have ​said that they have had little real help from Moscow in the biggest crisis for Iran since the U.S.-backed Shah was toppled in the 1979 revolution. Putin sent congratulations to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and Iranian President Masoud ‌Pezeshkian on the Iranian new ⁠year, the Kremlin said. "Vladimir Putin wished the Iranian people to overcome the harsh trials with dignity and stressed that in ⁠this difficult time Moscow remains a loyal friend and reliable partner of Tehran," the Kremlin said. Russia says the U.S. and Israeli att...

  Treasury secretary defends U.S. military actions in Iran: 'Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday defended strikes on Iran’s infrastructure since the U.S. and Israel began their joint war against the country in February, saying “sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate.” His comments came just hours after President Donald Trump  wrote on Truth Social  that he was giving Iranian leadership 48 hours to open the Strait of Hormuz or risk U.S. military strikes that “will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” Bessent defended Trump’s rhetoric, saying it’s “the only language the Iranians understand.” Early Sunday, a spokesperson for Iran’s military command headquarters  warned  that if the U.S. strikes oil infrastructure, Iran will respond in kind. “If Iran’s fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked, then fuel, energy, information technology systems and desalinati...

  The Bachelorette's messy break-up with Taylor Frankie Paul 22 hours ago Nardine Saad Los Angeles Getty Images TikTok and reality star Taylor Frankie Paul was a risky choice to lead ABC's The Bachelorette franchise TikTok star Taylor Frankie Paul sat uneasily in her chair during a live interview on ABC's Good Morning America this week, caught between trying to promote her turn in the network's new series of The Bachelorette and addressing fresh domestic violence allegations lodged against her by her ex-boyfriend. "I'm a person that will always speak my truth. That's what I'm known for. So when the time is right, I will be," the 31-year-old star of Hulu's Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (SLOMW) said. At the time, ABC was still poised to proceed with the premiere of its flagship dating series on Sunday. The network had been heavily promoting the show for months, even sending Paul to the Oscars the previous weekend, with the hope that the social med...

  Iran and US trade threats to attack power plants as war enters fourth week | AP News ARAD, Israel (AP) —  The United States and Iran threatened  to target critical infrastructure Sunday as the  war in the Middle East , now in its fourth week, puts lives and livelihoods at risk throughout the region. Iran said the  Strait of Hormuz , crucial to oil and other exports, would be “completely closed” immediately if the U.S. follows up on  President Donald Trump’s threat  to attack its power plants. Trump late Saturday set a 48-hour deadline to open the strait. Israeli leaders visited one of two southern communities near a secretive nuclear research site struck by Iranian missiles late Saturday, with scores of people wounded. Prime Minister  Benjamin Netanyahu  said it was a “miracle” no one was killed. Israel detected more Iranian missiles fired toward the area Sunday evening. Netanyahu claimed Israel and the U.S. were well on their way to achiev...