Category: 2. World

Viral rumours of impending disaster stemming from a comic book prediction have taken the sheen off Japan’s tourism boom, with some airlines cancelling flights from Hong Kong where passenger numbers have plunged.

Japan has seen record numbers of visitors this year, with April setting an all-time monthly high of 3.9 million travellers.

That dipped in May, however, with arrivals from Hong Kong — the superstitious Chinese-controlled city where the rumours have circulated widely — down 11 per cent year-on-year, according to the latest data.

Steve Huen of Hong Kong-based travel agency EGL Tours blamed a flurry of social media predictions tied to a manga that depicts a dream of a massive earthquake and tsunami hitting Japan and neighbouring countries in July 2025.

“The rumours have had a significant impact,” said Huen, adding that his firm had seen its Japan-related business halve. Discounts and the introduction of earthquake insurance had “prevented Japan-bound travel from dropping to zero,” he added.

Branden Choi, a 28-year-old Hong Kong resident, said he was a frequent traveller to Japan but was hesitant to visit the country during July and August due to the manga prediction.

“If possible, I might delay my trip and go after September”, he said.

Ryo Tatsuki, the artist behind the manga titled The Future I Saw, first published in 1999 and then re-released in 2021, has tried to dampen the speculation, saying in a statement issued by her publisher that she was “not a prophet”.

The first edition of the manga warned of a major natural disaster in March 2011. That was the month and year when a massive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster struck Japan’s northeastern coast, killing thousands.

Some have interpreted the latest edition as predicting a catastrophic event specifically on July 5, 2025, although Tatsuki has denied this.

Situated within the Pacific Ocean’s ‘Ring of Fire’, Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. In recent days, there have been more than 900 earthquakes, most of them small tremors, on islands off the southern tip of Kyushu.

But Robert Geller, a professor at the University of Tokyo who has studied seismology since 1971, said even scientifically-based earthquake prediction was “impossible”.

“None of the predictions I’ve experienced in my scientific career have come close at all,” he said.

Nevertheless, low-cost carrier Greater Bay Airlines became the latest Hong Kong airline on Wednesday to cancel flights to Japan due to low demand, saying it would indefinitely suspend its service to Tokushima in western Japan from September.

Serena Peng, 30, a visitor to Tokyo from Seattle, had initially tried to talk her husband out of visiting Japan after seeing the social media speculation.

“I’m not super worried right now, but I was before,” she said, speaking outside Tokyo’s bustling Senso-ji temple.

5.5-magnitude quake hits Japan island

Meanwhile, an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 hit a remote island in southwestern Japan today, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The earthquake’s epicentre was off the coast of the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima prefecture, nearly 1,200 kilometres from Tokyo, the agency said, adding that a tsunami warning had not been issued.

The quake hit at a depth of 20km, giving it a seismic intensity of ‘6 lower’ on Japan’s 1-7 scale on Akuseki Island, the agency said. Akuseki has a population of 89. The intensity is classified as a level that makes it “difficult to remain standing”, according to the agency.

More than 1,000 tremors with a seismic intensity of 1 or above on the Japanese scale have been detected around the island chain between June 21 and July 3, the agency said.

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is taking action against networks that have collectively transported and purchased billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil, some of which has benefited Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Among the entities sanctioned today is a network of companies run by Iraqi businessman Salim Ahmed Said (Said) that has profited from smuggling Iranian oil disguised as, or blended with, Iraqi oil. Treasury is also sanctioning several vessels engaged in the covert delivery of Iranian oil, intensifying pressure on Iran’s “shadow fleet.”

“As President Trump has made clear, Iran’s behavior has left it decimated.  While it has had every opportunity to choose peace, its leaders have chosen extremism,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.  “Treasury will continue to target Tehran’s revenue sources and intensify economic pressure to disrupt the regime’s access to the financial resources that fuel its destabilizing activities.”

Today’s action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13902, which targets those operating in certain sectors of the Iranian economy, including Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors, as well as the counterterrorism authority E.O. 13224, as amended.  It marks the eighth round of sanctions targeting Iran’s oil trade since the President issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, directing a campaign of maximum pressure on Iran. 

Concurrently, the Department of State is designating six entities and identifying four vessels pursuant to E.O. 13846 for having knowingly engaged in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran.

IRAN-IRAQ OIL SMUGGLING NETWORK

Iraqi-British national Salim Ahmed Said (Said) runs a network of companies that have been selling Iranian oil falsely declared as Iraqi oil since at least 2020.  Said’s companies use ship-to-ship transfers and other obfuscation techniques to hide their activities.  Said’s companies and vessels blend Iranian oil with Iraqi oil, which is then sold to Western buyers via Iraq or the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as purely Iraqi oil using forged documentation to avoid sanctions.  This allows the oil to be sold on the legitimate market and helps Iran evade international sanctions on its oil exports. 

Said has bribed many members of key Iraqi government bodies, including parliament.  He has reportedly paid millions of dollars in kickbacks to these officials in exchange for forged vouchers allowing him to sell Iranian oil as if it originated from Iraq. 

Said is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy. 

Said controls UAE-based company VS Tankers FZE (VS Tankers), despite avoiding formal association with the company.  Formerly known as Al-Iraqia Shipping Services & Oil Trading FZE (AISSOT), VS Tankers has smuggled oil for the benefit of the Iranian government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).  For example, in 2020, AISSOT reportedly brokered a deal to transport Iranian oil via Iraqi pipelines to be blended and sold as Iraqi oil. 

VS Tankers-affiliated ships have assisted Iranian oil exporters in blending Iranian oil with Iraqi to obscure the oil’s origins by engaging in ship-to-ship transfers with vessels known to be affiliated with Iranian oil activities. VS Tankers currently claims several oil tankers as part of its fleet, one of which recorded four ship-to-ship transfers with the U.S. sanctioned, Barbados-flagged CASINOVA (IMO 9280366) in April 2024 while located in the Persian Gulf near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab river, which marks the border between Iraq and Iran. VS Tankers has served as the operator, manager, and beneficial owner of the Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker DIJILAH (IMO 9829629) since 2019. 

VS Tankers is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy.  DIJILAH is being identified pursuant to E.O. 13902 as property in which VS Tankers has an interest. 

In 2023, Said expanded his business holdings to include VS Oil Terminal FZE (VS Oil), which, though registered in the UAE, has its physical presence in Khor al-Zubayr, Iraq.  VS Oil manages six oil storage tanks where Iranian oil is dropped off to be mixed with Iraqi oil.  Vessels carrying Iranian oil also conduct ship-to-ship transfers with vessels carrying Iraqi oil in the vicinity of VS Oil’s terminal facilities, and the blended oil is ultimately authenticated by complicit Iraqi government officials.  Vessel tracking data shows that multiple oil tankers known to transport Iranian petroleum products on behalf of U.S.-sanctioned Iranian oil and petrochemical broker Triliance Petrochemical Co. Ltd. and Iranian military front company Sahara Thunder have visited VS Oil.  VS Oil employees smuggle hard currency into Iran via cars and trucks, some of which carry millions of dollars each, as payment for oil. 

VS Oil is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy. 

Said also owns UAE-based VS Petroleum DMCC, formerly Ikon Petroleum DMCC, and Rhine Shipping DMCC (Rhine Shipping) which, in 2022, were implicated in blending Iranian oil to sell as Iraqi oil.  Rhine Shipping was also previously exposed as the manager of the U.S.-sanctioned oil tanker MOLECULE, formerly named BABEL, which loaded oil in the Persian Gulf from an Iranian tanker that had turned off its location transponder to obfuscate the transaction.  OFAC subsequently sanctioned the MOLECULE for its role in shipping Iranian oil as part of the network of Iran-backed Houthi financial official Sa’id al-Jamal. 

Said also owns United Kingdom-based companies The Willett Hotel Limited and Robinbest Limited.

VS Petroleum DMCC, Rhine Shipping, The Willett Hotel Limited, and Robinbest Limited are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for being owned or controlled by, directly or indirectly, Said. 

Shadow fleet actors

Iran’s shadow fleet enables the regime to transport its petroleum to generate revenue.  Iran relies on non-sanctioned vessels to conduct ship-to-ship transfers and receive Iranian oil from sanctioned vessels before shipping the Iranian-origin cargo to buyers in Asia. 

The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) uses Singapore-based Trans Arctic Global Marine Services PTE. LTD. (Trans Arctic Global) to arrange piloting services for NITC vessels transiting through the Strait of Malacca.  Trans Arctic Global has enabled NITC to transport tens of millions of barrels of Iranian oil through the Strait of Malacca for eventual ship-to-ship transfers to vessels waiting in the Singapore Eastern Outer Port Limits.

Trans Arctic Global is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy.

The Cameroon-flagged VIZURI (IMO 9197909), Comoros-flagged FOTIS (IMO 9306548), and Panama-flagged THEMIS (IMO 9264570) and BIANCA JOYSEL (IMO 9196632), have collectively shipped tens of millions of barrels of Iranian oil and other petroleum worth billions of dollars.

Since mid-2023, the VIZURI has completed multiple shipments of Iranian oil and transported millions of barrels of Iranian oil.  Panama-flagged liquified petroleum gas carrier (LPG) FOTIS has transported millions of barrels of Iranian LPG and other petroleum to multiple locations.  Panama-flagged THEMIS, which was sanctioned by the United Kingdom on May 9, 2025 for transporting Russian oil, has also transported Iranian oil. 

Seychelles-based Egir Shipping Ltd, and Marshall Islands-based Fotis Lines Incorporated and Themis Limited are the respective owners of the VIZURI, FOTIS, and THEMIS.  Egir Shipping Limited, Fotis Lines Incorporated, and Themis Limited are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy. VIZURI, FOTIS, and THEMIS are being identified as blocked property in which Egir Shipping Ltd, Fotis Lines Incorporated, and Themis Limited, respectively, have an interest.

Panama-flagged BIANCA JOYSEL has transported more than ten million barrels of Iranian oil since mid-2024, conducting ship-to-ship transfers with sanctioned vessels owned by the U.S.-designated NITC, including the AMOR and STARLA. 

British Virgin Islands-based Betensh Global Investment Limited And Dong Dong Shipping Limited owns the BIANCA JOYSEL.  Betensh Global Investment Limited And Dong Dong Shipping Limited is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy.  BIANCA JOYSEL is being identified as blocked property in which Betensh Global Investment Limited And Dong Dong Shipping Limited has an interest.

IRGC-QF oil Sales

The IRGC-QF has used the Al-Qatirji Company to facilitate oil sales to customers around the world, generating hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue for the IRGC-QF.  The Cameroon-flagged ELIZABET (IMO 9216717), which has impersonated a separate vessel, the S TINOS, loaded a cargo of Iranian oil off the coast of Malaysia in August 2024 via ship-to-ship transfer.  The cargo had originally been loaded at Kharg Island, Iran, by the ROMINA (IMO 9114608), a vessel previously identified for its role in transporting Iranian petroleum for the Al-Qatirji Company.  Seychelles-based White Sands Shipmanagement Corp. is the ship manager, operator, and technical manager of the ELIZABET.

The AI-Qatirji Company transported approximately two million barrels of Iranian oil on the Cameroon-flagged ATILA (IMO 9262754) in support of the U.S.-sanctioned Sa’id al-Jamal network.  The ATILA received the oil in a ship-to-ship transfer with the sanctioned vessel ARMAN 114. The Iranian oil carried by the ATILA was disguised as Malaysian oil.  Seychelles-based Grat Shipping Co Ltd is the manager, operator, and owner of the ATILA.  OFAC designated Sa’id al-Jamal pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, on June 10, 2021, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the IRGC-QF.

The Al-Qatirji Company has also used the Palauan-flagged GAS MARYAM (IMO 9108099) to transport Iranian petroleum products in support of the IRGC-QF.  Liberia-based Dima Shipping & Trading Company is the manager, operator, and owner of the GAS MARYAM.

White Sands Shipmanagement Corp, Grat Shipping Co Ltd, and Dima Shipping & Trading Company are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of the Al-Qatirji Company.  The ELIZABET is being identified as blocked property in which White Sands Shipmanagement Corp. has an interest, the ATILA as blocked property in which Grat Shipping Co Ltd has an interest, and the GAS MARYAM as blocked property in which Dima Shipping & Trading Company has an interest.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.  In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons. 

Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons.  OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on a strict liability basis.  OFAC’s Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC’s enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions.  In addition, financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities involving designated or otherwise blocked persons.  The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated or blocked person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. 

Furthermore, engaging in certain transactions involving the persons designated today may risk the imposition of secondary sanctions on participating foreign financial institutions.  OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on opening or maintaining, in the United States, a correspondent account or a payable-through account of a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates any significant transaction on behalf of a person who is designated pursuant to the relevant authority.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law.  The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.  For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, or to submit a request, please refer to OFAC’s guidance on Filing a Petition for Removal from an OFAC List.

Click here for more information on the persons designated and any property identified as blocked today.

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A senior Iranian diplomat said on Thursday his country remains open to diplomacy provided the United States offers guarantees it will not resort to military action against the Islamic Republic.

The remarks came as US news website Axios, citing two unidentified sources, reported that White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was planning to meet Iran’s foreign minister and chief negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, in Oslo next week.

Neither Tehran nor Washington confirmed the Axios report, which said a final date for the talks has yet to be set.

“We are for diplomacy,” Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Majid Takht-Ravanchi told NBC News, adding that the US should “convince us that they are not going to use military force while we are negotiating”.

“That is an essential element for our leadership to be in a position to decide about the future round of talks,” he added.

Tehran and Washington had held five rounds of nuclear talks since April 12 and were set to hold a new round two days before Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran on June 13.

The Israeli strikes targeted Iranian nuclear sites and killed several senior military officials and nuclear scientists.

On June 22, the US launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz.

More than 900 people were killed in Iran during the conflict, according to the judiciary.

The Israeli attacks drew waves of retaliatory drone and missile fire, killing 28 people in Israel, according to authorities.

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel was agreed on June 24.

During the nuclear talks, which were stalled because of the fighting, Iran and the US had been at sharp odds over Iran’s uranium enrichment, which Tehran considers a “non-negotiable” right and which Washington has called a “red line”.

Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium even after the 12-day war with Israel.

“Our policy has not changed on enrichment,” Takht-Ravanchi told NBC News.

“Iran has every right to do enrichment within its territory. The only thing that we have to observe is not to go for militarisation. “

At the same time, Iran affirmed its commitment to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), as it accused Germany of “malice” over its criticism of Tehran’s decision to suspend cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

“Iran remains committed to the NPT and its Safeguards Agreement,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X.

“The explicit German support for the bombing of Iran has obliterated the notion that the German regime harbours anything but malice towards Iranians,” he added in response to a German foreign office post criticising the move.

On Wednesday, Iran officially suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, citing the agency’s failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

In a post on X, Germany’s foreign office called on Iran to “reverse this decision,” saying it sends a “devastating message”.

“It eliminates any possibility of international oversight of the Iranian nuclear programme, which is crucial for a diplomatic solution,” it added.

Araghchi lambasted what he called Germany’s “explicit support for Israel’s unlawful attack on Iran” on June 13, killing top Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists.

On June 17, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Israel was doing the “dirty work … for all of us” by targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Intense heat has contributed to record-breaking summer temperatures around the globe in recent years. Here’s the latest forecast, and where it’s expected to be warmer than usual:

High-temperature forecast for Thursday

Sources: University of Maine Climate Change Institute and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System

Where the forecast temperatures for Thursday were unusually hot

Degrees above or below average for July 3

Sources: University of Maine Climate Change Institute and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System

Note: Averages based on data from 1979 to 2000.

While tying a single heat wave to climate change requires extensive analysis, scientists have no doubt that heat waves around the world are becoming hotter, more frequent and longer-lasting.

The World Meteorological Organization confirmed in March 2025 that 2024 was the hottest year on record and the first year in which Earth’s surface was more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above its average during the preindustrial era.

Note: Maps on this page show temperature forecasts for the period between 8 p.m. on July 2 through 8 p.m. on July 3. All times Eastern.