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Iran said it launched fresh attacks on U.S. facilities in the Gulf on Friday after ​a sixth consecutive night of U.S. strikes on Iranian military facilities, as last month's truce descended into daily attacks and counterattacks, Reuters reported. 

The U.S military said it completed another night of strikes on Iran "to further degrade Iranian military capabilities", including on Qeshm Island and near Bandar Abbas, home to Iran's largest port and key navy and Revolutionary Guards facilities.

U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) CEO Ben Black outlined the agency’s strategy to strengthen global supply chains and advance U.S. economic security during his opening remarks at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing titled “Ending Supply Chain Dependency: Aligning Tools, Capital, and Partnership.”

Addressing Chairman Brian Mast, Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, and members of the committee, Black thanked Congress for its bipartisan support of DFC’s December reauthorization, saying the move has significantly expanded the agency’s ability to advance U.S. economic interests.

Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, Black said DFC now has $205 billion in investment capacity and greater flexibility to deploy debt, equity, and insurance across the capital stack. The expanded authority enables the agency to invest in technology, energy, and critical minerals nearly anywhere in the world while addressing vulnerable supply chains.

Black said DFC has rebuilt its investment pipeline to more than 340 deal opportunities totaling $78 billion across sectors including agriculture, healthcare, financial services, energy, technology, and critical minerals. The agency is focusing on strategically important regions such as the Western Hemisphere, East Asia and the Pacific, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

He also highlighted internal reforms aimed at improving DFC’s performance, including a comprehensive valuation of the agency’s investment portfolio dating back to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) era. According to Black, DFC intends to dynamically share investment performance across previous and future administrations and has already reduced investment timelines by an average of 10 weeks.

Emphasizing what he described as "American economic statecraft," Black said DFC’s investment strategy is designed to use the nation’s economic and financial strength to advance strategic interests. He cited historical examples including Alexander Hamilton’s vision for strong financial institutions, the Panama Canal, and the Marshall Plan as models for today’s investment approach.

Black also highlighted energy as a strategic priority, noting that DFC’s Board approved $1.5 billion in June for energy infrastructure across South and Southeast Asia to support the region’s energy needs with U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) and American equipment.

Third, Black said DFC is mobilizing private capital through financial structures that reduce investment risk while strengthening long-term American influence in strategic sectors.

He cited DFC’s $600 million contribution to the $1.8 billion Critical Minerals Consortium with Orion Resource Partners. The agency’s Board has also approved an additional $900 million in financing to support Orion CMC’s expanding pipeline of mining and critical minerals projects aimed at addressing China’s dominance in the sector.

Black further highlighted the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund (URIF), a $150 million joint fund designed to mobilize private investment in Ukraine’s recovery, describing it as a potential model for future DFC investments in other strategically important regions.

Concluding his remarks, Black said international partners continue to choose the United States because its investment model is based on private capital, disciplined capital markets, and financial expertise. He added that the Trump Administration’s restoration of American economic statecraft is intended to strengthen U.S. economic security while supporting allies and securing critical global supply chains.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday announced the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), marking a significant step toward strengthening international collaboration on artificial intelligence (AI) development and governance.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, Xi said the world has entered an unprecedented era of AI innovation, bringing both enormous opportunities and complex governance challenges.

In his keynote address, Xi outlined four key principles to guide the future of global AI development:

• Promoting openness and win-win cooperation to drive innovation and shared technological progress. 
• Strengthening risk awareness to ensure AI systems remain safe, secure, and under human control. 
• Encouraging inclusiveness and mutual learningamong civilizations so that AI benefits all societies. 
• Enhancing global governance through solidarity, fostering international cooperation in setting AI rules and standards. 

Xi noted that rapid advances in AI are reshaping economies, industries, and daily life, while also raising critical questions about security, ethics, and governance.

He highlighted several pressing issues facing the international community, including how humans can coexist with increasingly capable AI systems, how algorithm-driven decision-making can remain safe and accountable, how ethical challenges can be addressed through . 

The US launched a new wave of strikes against Iran for a sixth night in a row, its military said, as the two sides battled for control of the Strait of Hormuz, BBC reported. 

US Central Command (Centcom) said the attacks were intended to "further degrade Iranian military capabilities", before saying it had boarded a vessel as part of its blockade of the strait.