Apparent Damietta drone strike, Saudi de-escalation push, Durov warrant, and South Sudan bank reshuffle

Off Leash update 30 July 2026

EGYPT •An apparent Iranian drone attack damaged an American-owned tanker (and perhaps another Greek tanker, too) in the Mediterranean Egyptian port of Damietta - roughly 1,165 miles (1,875 km) from Iran. •Two anonymous Iranian officials told the NYT that the goal of the long-range attack was to show that Iran is capable of causing far-reaching disruptions to global shipping that affect energy supplies beyond the Strait of Hormuz.

SAUDI ARABIA •Media reports suggested that Saudi Arabia's participation in U.S. airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq are a sign that Saudi is reluctantly joining the U.S.'s war with Iran. •Saudi diplomats are rushing to counter that narrative and instead portray the Iraqi strikes as an isolated act of self-defense in response to drone and missile attacks the militias launched on Saudi oil facilities last week. They were perhaps also intended as a warning to Yemen's Houthi rebels that Riyadh isn't afraid to strike back when hit. •Crown Prince MBS dispatched Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman - MBS's brother and close confidante - to Washington to reiterate that message to Pres. Trump and Vice Pres. Vance and advocate for de-escalation. (Prince Khalid also sought to lobby to close a stalled deal to buy up to 48 F-35 fighter jets from the U.S.)

RUSSIA •Russia's FSB charged exiled Telegram founder Pavel Durov with "facilitating terrorist activity" over Ukraine's use of the platform to "co-ordinate acts of sabotage and terrorism, mass killings and cyber-fraud operations," and issued an international arrest warrant for Durov. •The Kremlin's other qualm with Telegram is that 65 million Russians still use the platform daily (per Durov) to get real news instead of state-approved propaganda - despite the state's best efforts to ban Telegram and promote its state-backed alternative, MAX, instead. •Durov, who lives in Dubai, reacted to the charge by posting an old photo of him raising a middle finger on X. He's unlikely to be arrested in Dubai, but the outstanding warrant means he will need to be more careful when he travels.

SOUTH SUDAN •South Sudan's Pres. Kiir sacked his central bank governor, Johnny Ohisa, and replaced him with economist Addis Ababa Othow. •Kiir offered no reason for removing Ohisa, but he probably hopes the public will blame Ohisa for the economic woes that have worsened on Kiir's watch - which include waning oil revenues, an acute cash shortage, rampant inflation, and currency devaluation. •In a sign that Kiir is running out of allies, his new appointee, Addis Ababa Othow, is not new to the role at all. He served as central bank governor last year - from June until November, when he was sacked and replaced by his successor-cum-predecessor, Ohisa. •Ohisa himself served three stints in the role - none lasting more than 14 months.