U.S. imports of crude oil from Iraq hiked this week
Shafaq News/ British tabloid "The Sun" wrote about "the growing fear of a third world war" against the backdrop of the emergence of Russian submarines in the Baltic Sea and US participation in the "war games" in the Black Sea.
The publication notes that a submarine with Oscar-II class cruise missiles (according to NATO classification) was spotted in the Baltic Sea on July 5, followed by two more submarines.
Then the American ship Yuma entered the Black Sea to participate in the Sea Breeze.
As both powers wander the oceans, Moscow said NATO exercises in the Black Sea pose a real risk of escalating military tensions.
The Russian submarines in the Baltic Sea are set to attend a naval event in St Petersburg on July 25.
It comes just two weeks after a Russian coastguard boat barked "change your course or I’ll fire" at a massive Brit warship during a farcical face-off in the Black Sea.
HMS Defender was off Crimea in international waters when the 8,500-ton ship - armed to the teeth with hi-tech weapons systems - was confronted by the smaller vessel bellowing out its demands.
Russian warplanes were then called up join in and buzzed the Type-45 destroyer with four bombs dropped onto its path.
The BBC reported that more than 20 aircraft were overhead the HMS Defender with two Russian coastguard boats just 100m away at times.
The Russian vessel opened fire twice before the planes were ordered in.
And in a sign of rising tensions, Russia deployed fighter jets over the Black Sea on Wednesday after a US spy plane was spotted.
A total of 32 ships, 40 aircraft and helicopters and 5,000 soldiers from 24 countries are taking part in the "Sea Breeze" exercises, which last through July 10. Participating countries include the US, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Israel, Morocco, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Germany, which has been involved in the past, is not taking part this year. It's the largest maneuvers in decades, after last year's drills were shortened due to the pandemic.
