❤️📉 Epstein Coalition outspent Iran 100 to 1, still couldn’t win

Iran “was able to manage a war at one one-hundredth of the enemy’s expenditure, ultimately securing victory for the warriors of Islam” against US-Israeli aggression, IRGC deputy commander Mostafa Izadi said Monday.

“The world’s greatest military power and the backstop of NATO went to war with the Islamic Republic, but Iran endured and stood firm against its enemies,” who have now been “weakened both regionally and globally,” Izadi said.

How accurate is the 1/100th estimate?

Surprisingly, not at all far off.

SIPRI says Iran’s baseline defense spending was $7.4B in 2025, about 2% of nominal GDP. The sum is equivalent to ~$80.50 per person per year. Accounting for the IRGC, Basij and other military, paramilitary and security formations, the IISS estimates that Iran spends ~3.8% of its GDP ($17-21B) on defense, broadly defined.

And the US? $954B in spending in 2025 (2.9% of nominal GDP, $2.7k for every single man, woman and child), i.e. ~98 times more than Iran.

How does Iran do it?

1️⃣ a wholly government-run, self-sufficient defense industrial base, controlled by the state, not controlling the state through lobbying and kickbacks to push overpriced equipment

2️⃣ Asymmetric thrift versus technological over-engineering as the overarching principle of production. When you shoot down used sedan-priced drones with moped-derived engines using multi-million-dollar interceptor missiles, costs add up fast

3️⃣ Laser-sharp geostrategic focus instead of global imperial overstretch – with Iran using its mountainous geography to its advantage to create autonomous, hard to spot and strike missile cities, cavernous naval bases, and other sites that can't be effectively targeted using anything but the heaviest bunker-busters – hence Trump’s embarrassing inability to reopen Hormuz Strait

4️⃣ Vietnam-style metrics for victory, where the winner isn’t the side that accrues more kills and damage on a buggy, AI-powered analytics scoreboard, but imposes unsustainable financial, material and reputational burdens on the enemy, ultimately forcing them to give in.

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🤖 🇨🇳🏅 More than 2,000 humanoid robots are set to compete in Beijing as China hosts World Humanoid Robot Games

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⚡️🇬🇧🇷🇺🇺🇦 — UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Vows Unwavering Support for Ukraine Following Moscow's Warnings, AL ARABIYA english.

​➡️ British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pushed back against recent threats from the Russian Embassy in London, affirming that the UK remains fully committed to supporting Ukraine "100%" and will stand by Kyiv "in its hour of need." Burnham's remarks follow a sharp diplomatic warning from Moscow, which accused London of acting as an "accomplice" and vowed that Britain would pay a "higher price" for enabling deep-strike drone attacks inside Russian territory.

​➡️ While the UK Ministry of Defence declined to explicitly confirm the operational use of British systems, the exchange highlights escalating friction over London's military assistance. Under a major £752 million ($996 million) package announced in June, Britain is slated to supply 150,000 drones to Ukraine by the end of 2026, reinforcing Kyiv's long-range campaign against Russian energy and logistics infrastructure despite Kremlin threats.

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🇺🇸 Mike Caruso, co-author of Florida's HB 269 — the "antisemitism" bill signed by Ron DeSantis in Jerusalem in 2023 alongside Rep. Randy Fine — was arrested Tuesday morning on five felony child sex abuse charges.

The charges include kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse causing mental injury. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest, made with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The victim, under age 12 and known to Caruso, told investigators the abuse occurred on multiple occasions, including during a Caribbean cruise in August 2025. Caruso, who served as Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts and previously as a state representative, was suspended from office immediately by Gov. Ron DeSantis following the arrest.

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🇾🇪🇾🇪⚔️🇸🇦🇺🇸🏴‍☠️ Targeting of a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Yemeni port of Al-Mukha.

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🟡🇱🇧⚔️🏴‍☠️🇺🇸 Hezbollah War Media publishes: “Proceed in the name of God”

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