Iran War Stalemate. The King Takes Washington. Germany Rearms.

• The Iran War stalemate and dual blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the mounting pressure on both sides to reach a deal
• Iran's hardliners consolidating power and the growing likelihood the regime pursues nuclear weapons as a deterrent
• King Charles III's address to a joint session of Congress and its surprising ability to unite a deeply divided chamber
• The diplomatic lesson of royalty and why pomp and circumstance may be more effective than elected leaders in dealing with Trump
• Germany's unprecedented defense spending surge and what it means for NATO, European autonomy, and the transatlantic relationship
• Trump's threats to withdraw US troops from Germany, Italy, and Spain, and whether they signal policy or political posturing
• The economic toll of the Iran War on European publics, with inflation rising and governments increasingly vulnerable to far-right challengers
• Europe's fundamental challenge of broad agreement on what needs to be done, paired with near-total failure to agree on how to do it
• The AFD surpassing Merz's CDU in German polls for the first time, signaling deepening public discontent
• The limits of strategic autonomy and why Germany's reliance on American nuclear guarantees and weapons systems keeps it tethered to NATO and Washington