Cargo ship sinks in Black Sea, 12 people rescued
According to TASS news agency, a cargo ship flying the Dominican Republic sank in the Black Sea after a fire broke out on the ship.
The Romanian Coast Guard said it had received a report of the fire at around 7 pm on August 27 (local time). The ship was then in Romania's exclusive economic zone.
Rescue operations lasted until about 9 pm on the same day. All 12 people on board were safely rescued.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan, currently on a visit to Moldova, said the ship was attacked but did not specify the origin or form of the attack. He said he would open an investigation to clarify this matter.
US does not want to restore agreement with Iran
On the same day, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced that it currently has no intention of returning to the terms in the memorandum with Iran, TASS reported.
Sources say the US is focusing on increasing economic pressure on Iran instead of restoring the memorandum of understanding. Intermediaries in the US-Iran negotiations are seeking to persuade Iran to reduce its demands to reach an agreement with the US.
Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Asim Munir arrived in Iran this week, but the trip did not achieve significant progress.
Arab countries are said to want the diplomatic channel to be restored, amid concerns that Iran may respond militarily to US economic pressure.
The US and Israel began a conflict with Iran on February 28. In June, the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon. However, the US resumed large-scale airstrikes against Iran on the night of July 7, accusing Tehran of violating the agreement related to the Strait of Hormuz.
Europe seriously lacks Patriot missiles
The US military is facing a serious shortage of modern interceptor missiles in Europe, especially missiles for the Patriot air defense system.
A US official said the most worrying shortage is related to Patriot missiles capable of intercepting Russian high-speed ballistic missiles. A NATO official also confirmed that the number of Patriot missiles in US and NATO warehouses in Europe is at a low level.
According to assessments by US officials, US forces in Europe do not have enough Patriot missiles to deal with a prolonged ballistic missile attack. The ability to respond even to a single attack is also limited.
Sources say that the main reason is that the US has moved part of its missile arsenal from Europe to the Middle East in the conflict with Iran. Here, US forces and allies have used a large number of interceptor missiles, including Patriot, to deal with Iranian missile and drone attacks.
