In a serious effort to weaken the fighting capability and severing the resources (financially and militarily) of the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran, the United States sanctioned entities and individuals in four nations that enabled the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to the official announcement of the Department of State.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the entire announcement of the State Department. Some parts in boldface…
The United States today sanctioned six entities and individuals in China, India, Russia, and Iran that enable the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
These include entities that support Mahan Air, the IRGC’s airline of choice for moving weapons, military personnel, and equipment. Today’s action also targets DadeNegar Startup Studio, an IRGC-affiliated front company supporting Iranian military targeting by soliciting locations of American and Israeli equipment in the Middle East.
The United States calls on the international community, particularly companies and individuals doing business with Mahan Air or any other sanctioned Iranian carrier, to recognize the serious risks raised by continuing such engagement.
The United States will continue to expose and disrupt entities providing the IRGC with the tools and information it uses to threaten American personnel, our partners, and regional stability.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think this new move by the US will cripple the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran financial and militarily? Do you think members of the international community will follow America’s initiative? Do you think other nations like Pakistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh have entities or individuals who are supporting the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran?
As the military conflict between the United States and the Islamic terrorist state of Iran intensifies, the State Department announced that action has been taken to cut off the financial lifelines of the evil regime.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the entire announcement by the State Department. Some parts in boldface…
The United States is taking decisive action to cut off the financial lifelines sustaining Iran’s ruling elite. Today’s action targets Ali Ansari, a Dubai-based Iranian national who has built a sprawling global network of real estate and commercial holdings — spanning Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Cyprus, the UAE, and beyond — on behalf of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and other regime insiders.
The United States also sanctioned three Iran-based currency exchange houses — Mohammad Darbani and Partners, Lavasani and Partners, and Mohsen Khandan and Partners — along with their managing partners and associated front companies. By targeting these networks, the United States is directly disrupting the regime’s ability to access foreign currency and conduct international financial activity.
These actions reflect the Trump Administration’s commitment to holding accountable all those who enable the regime’s corruption and regional aggression. The United States will continue to pursue sanctions against individuals, companies, and financial institutions — including foreign entities — that facilitate illicit Iranian commerce, and will not relent until the Iranian regime ends its destabilizing behavior and its exploitation of the Iranian people.
Today’s action is being taken pursuant to E.O. 13902, which targets persons operating in Iran’s financial and petroleum sectors, E.O. 13876, which focuses on the Supreme Leader of Iran and his affiliates, and the counterterrorism authority E.O. 13224, as amended by E.O. 13886. These designations build on a series of OFAC actions targeting Iranian shadow banking and currency exchange house networks
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think the US will be able to cut off Iran’s links to all financial sources around the world? Could it be possible that the sinister financiers behind LGBTQ and transgender mobs and human traffickers (involved with mass migration targeting Europe) could secretly be funding the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran?
During her European visit, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae hailed the deal between the United States and the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran to end the fighting while paving the way for international oil tankers to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a news report by Kyodo News. Japan also remained consistent in its opposition to Iran’s nuclear weapons ambition.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Kyodo News report. Some parts in boldface…
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday hailed a U.S.-Iranian deal aimed at ending their monthslong war as a “big step” to de-escalating the conflict that has brought uncertainty to the global economy and roiled her resource-poor country.
Takaichi, who stopped by Italy before attending the Group of Seven summit in France, also told reporters Japan will take part in a joint statement issued by four European nations that welcomed the development and touched on minesweeping operations toward achieving the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have been asked to participate…and we will,” the prime minister said about the statement by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy, after U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran has been reached that will lead to the reopening of the key energy artery, which has been effectively closed amid the conflict.
Takaichi noted it is important that the contents of the memorandum of understanding, which Trump said will be signed Friday, are “steadily implemented” as well as the “free and safe navigation” of vessels through the strait.
Japan, which has traditionally maintained amicable ties with Iran, has been making “proactive diplomatic efforts” based on the position that “what matters most is de-escalation of the situation,” she also said.
The joint statement by the European nations vowed support for the implementation of the U.S.-Iran deal “rapidly and comprehensively,” while noting that “the urgent re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz with unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation is essential.”
“We are committed to playing our part to achieve this — in accordance with our respective constitutional requirements — including through a strictly defensive and independent mission to reassure commercial shipping and conduct mine clearance operations,” it said.
With discussions between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear development to start after the signing of the deal, the statement also said the European countries are “prepared to lift relevant sanctions in response to clear, verifiable steps by Iran” toward scrapping its program.
Takaichi reiterated Japan’s position of opposing Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, citing her country’s experience of being the only country to have suffered atomic bombing in the final stage of World War II.
In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference that the memorandum, if implemented properly, would “help reduce risks to both the Japanese and global economies by ensuring free and safe navigation” through the strait.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Are you convinced that US-Iran deal will ensure complete nuclear disarmament of the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran? Do you think the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will pave the way for significant oil price reductions? Once revealed publicly, do you think the final details of the US-Iran deal will satisfy Japan and the European nations?
With the ongoing war in the Middle East, the hiked prices of fuel and other problems happening already, the World Bank (WB) sees the economy of the Philippines achieving gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 4.6% this year and 5.3% next year, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…
Philippine economic growth would likely remain below its potential of at least six percent until the end of the Marcos Jr. administration, according to the latest forecasts by the World Bank.
Documents on the latest $800-million Philippines Growth and Jobs Development Policy Loan (DPL) 1, approved by the Washington-based multilateral lender last week, showed a projected 4.6- percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for the country in 2026, inching up from the post-pandemic-low of 4.4 percent in 2025. This forecast is below the government’s downgraded five- to six-percent growth target for the year.
For 2027, the World Bank expects the Philippine economy to grow by 5.3 percent, which would also be lower than next year’s downscaled 5.5- to 6.5-percent goal.
By the time President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. steps down and turns over to a new administration in 2028, World Bank projections showed 5.5-percent GDP growth, still below the six- to seven-percent target.
“The growth outlook remains moderate over the near term, with activity expected to remain subdued in 2026 before gradually strengthening… The impact of the government’s anti-corruption efforts and a significantly lower infrastructure budget in 2026 is expected to weigh on public investment,” the World Bank said.
The lender added that a smaller statistical carry-over into 2026 signals weaker initial momentum, with growth projected to average 5.2 percent in 2026 to 2028, driven by recovering private domestic demand amid easing inflation and financing conditions.
“Private consumption is expected to benefit from stable labor income and improved confidence, while private investment gradually strengthens alongside improved credit conditions and a normalization of public capital spending. External demand, particularly for electronics and artificial intelligence (AI)-related exports, is projected to remain supportive, although global trade uncertainty presents downside risks,” the document said.
This World Bank report was prepared in mid-February before it was disclosed last week, which means that the impact of the war in the Middle East was not yet taken into consideration by the lender in its GDP growth forecasts.
At that time, the World Bank projected headline inflation to stay within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) two- to four-percent target range, averaging about 2.8 percent in 2026 to 2028.
Before the domestic price pressures wrought by the Middle East conflict that sent global oil prices soaring, the World Bank believed that the BSP would likely keep a neutral-to-supportive policy stance while balancing the still-negative output gap against risks from exchange-rate volatility and food inflation. A negative output gap refers to the economy expanding below its potential, which, for the Philippines, is estimated at about six percent annually.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the economic growth predictions of the World Bank for the Philippines will turn out to be true in the near future? Do you think there is any hope left for the economy of the Philippines to achieve annual GDP growth of 6%? Do you think more foreign investors will be convinced to invest in the Philippines this year?
In what can be described as the most significant eliminations since that of the demonic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) successfully eliminated Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani and Basij Commander Gholamreza Soleimani, according to a news report by The Jerusalem Post.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from The Jerusalem Post news report. Some parts in boldface…
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani was killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike in Iran overnight, the IDF and Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
Israeli confirmation of the assassination came after three separate sources confirmed to The Jerusalem Post he was targeted in what is the single most momentous targeted killing following the death of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
The military referred to Larijani as “the de facto leader of the Iranian terror regime.”
Basij commander killed along with ‘majority of leadership’ – The IDF also confirmed it had assassinated the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Basij paramilitary militia, Gholamreza Soleimani, and his deputy, Seyyed Karishi. The two were killed in a makeshift tent area, which had been set up to make it harder to follow them as opposed to in a known headquarters.
An Israeli official also confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that the majority of the Basij leadership was eliminated overnight in the Israeli airstrike.
The military also announced that it killed the IRGC’s Aerospace Force chief.
Larijani was due to give public address in Iran on Tuesday – Iranian authorities stated that Larijani was due to give a public address on Tuesday, but two IDF sources expressed skepticism about his making a statement and expressed stronger optimism that the strike succeeded in killing him, before his death was announced.
After Larijani’s death was confirmed, the Mossad Farsi account posted on X/Twitter, saying “In the end, people without mercy will die.”
The Prime Minister’s Office released an image later on Tuesday, which it said captured the moment in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued the order for the targeted assassinations.
Netanyahu also released a statement via video following confirmation of Larijani’s death, calling him the “boss” of the regime, whom he called a “group of gangsters.”
“We’re undermining the regime, in the hope of giving the Iranian nation the opportunity to get rid of it,” he said. “It won’t happen all at once, it won’t happen easily, but if we commit to it, we’ll be able to give them the chance to take their fates into their own hands.”
Larijani was ‘de-facto leader’ of Iran after Khamenei’s killing – Some have viewed Larijani as the man running the Iranian regime since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated by the IDF, along with Iran’s military chief, IRGC chief, defense minister, and around 40 other top officials on February 28.
Larijani has been the Islamic regime’s most public voice, responding directly to threats and comments by US President Donald Trump and others.
Whereas Mojtaba Khamenei has been technically appointed the next supreme leader, IDF and American intelligence have said he is badly wounded, and given a total lack of public appearances, doubts have been expressed about whether he is actually running the country.
Further, Larijani was promoted to run day-to-day operations for the country and all negotiations with the West over the conflict in the weeks before the war started.
Larijani, on March 1, announced that he would be heading an interim committee for running the country, given Khamenei’s death. However, just because Larijani issued such a statement does not mean that he is for sure calling the shots.
The Iranian leader has had ups and downs with Khamenei, having been an IRGC commander, speaker of parliament, and a national security council chief, but then was disqualified from running for Iranian president to pave the way for Ebrahim Raisi’s election in 2021, and was out of favor for a time.
However, in recent months, Larijani made a comeback as one of the older and still living top advisers to Khamenei, following so many top officials being killed in June 2025, and became Khamenei’s number two, running the country’s day-to-day security affairs and nuclear negotiations with the US.
If Larijani has been the number one official in Iran these last two weeks, and even if he is only one of the top few, killing or wounding him could significantly impact the overall strategic picture.
This development is the latest addition to the number of Islamic terrorist leaders Israel eliminated under the leadership of Prime Minister Netanyahu. With Larijani confirmed dead, one has to wonder who exactly are leading the Islamic terrorist regime of Iran and why is it their chosen so-called supreme leader – son of the demon Ali Khamenei – has not physically emerged. For additional insight, watch the YouTube news video below.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think the significance of the latest Islamic terrorist leaders of Iran will be realized soon as the war in the Middle East goes on? Who do you think is actually leading the evil regime of Iran right now?
It can be said that 2025 is indeed a very disappointing year for the Philippines as it attracted only $7.79 billion in terms of net inflows of foreign direct investments (FDI), according to a news report by the Manila Bulletin. The said figure is a drop of more than 17% compared with 2024 and it is recalled that the flood control corruption scandal of 2025 negatively affected the nation.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of the Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…
Net inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Philippines plunged to their lowest level in a decade—excluding the pandemic slump—as investors stepped on the brakes on injecting funds into the country.
The latest data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) released on Tuesday night, March 10, showed net inflows of FDI stood at $7.79 billion for the full year of 2025, dropping 17.1 percent from the $9.4 billion recorded in 2024.
It bears noting that the 2025 performance marks a significant downturn, as full-year FDI was the lowest since the 2020 pandemic level of $6.82 billion.
Excluding the pandemic period, 2025 net FDI represents the lowest level in a decade since the $5.64 billion recorded in 2015. This contraction was a consistent trend throughout 2025, with cumulative annual growth remaining negative every month since January.
On a positive note, the final figure exceeded the country’s $7-billion full-year target.
According to the BSP, the overall decline in investments was largely driven by net debt instruments, or intercompany borrowings, which shrank by 27 percent to $5.27 billion from $7.22 billion in 2024.
Meanwhile, net equity capital, other than reinvestment of earnings, grew by 31.4 percent to $1.32 billion from $1.01 billion the previous year. Reinvestment of earnings also saw a modest expansion of 2.5 percent, reaching $1.2 billion.
For the full year, equity capital placements were primarily sourced from Japan, the United States (US), Singapore, and South Korea.
Investments were largely channeled into financial and insurance activities, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade.
In December 2025 alone, net inflows were recorded at $560 million, marking the lowest in three months since September 2025 at $316 million.
Robert Dan Roces, group economist at SM Investments Corp. (SMIC), said investors delayed their investments, particularly in December. He added that softer inflows likely reflect seasonality.
Looking ahead, Roces believes the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East could add a layer of uncertainty, triggering market volatility. Still, he sees a gradual rebound in 2026 on the back of improving global financial conditions.
“While the Iran conflict adds uncertainty through higher oil prices and market volatility, we still expect FDI to gradually recover in 2026, particularly in manufacturing, renewable energy (RE), and logistics, as global financial conditions ease and supply-chain diversification continues,” Roces said.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the Philippines will be able to rebound strongly this year with foreign investors?
Author Carlo Carrasco 