Zimbabwe will keep a Jan 2027 deadline to stop exporting lithium concentrate, Mines and Mineral Development Minister Polite Kambamura told officials, instructing the ministry to retain the cutoff in planning despite producer requests for delays. The president has ordered that from Jan 2027 Zimbabwe will only export lithium sulfate, leaving little room for extensions; producers had asked for relief until about June 2027 saying some local processing projects may not be ready. Mining companies are

Trump said he held a productive call with Qatari PM Al Thani on Iran. He said Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait favor maintaining the status quo — continuing what he described as the largest maritime blockade in history and launching a new Operation Iron Gate to extend the blockade by sea and land. He said all parties agree Iran must never possess nuclear weapons and there is no room for negotiation. The US is prepared to act if the situation changes, but for now another strike on Iran appears unlikely; Trump said he sees positive momentum toward an end to the conflict and that US interests and Israel are protected.

US Secretary of State Rubio said on the 9th the United States and Israel are discussing a new memorandum of understanding on US military assistance. Speaking after the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in France, Rubio said President Trump believes Israel is now wealthy enough to buy US weapons and that the US no longer needs to fund them; Trump wants the new MoU implemented quickly.