Why it matters:
The situation with the U.S. government’s debt is rapidly spiraling out of control, and confidence in the U.S. dollar has diminished. In such a circumstance the U.S. is spending more and more from the American public purse to weaponize Israel.
The big picture:
The 2025 BRICS Summit officially kicked off on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, bringing together representatives from 11 member states, including Iran. The agenda centers on reforming global governance, establishing regulations for artificial intelligence, and countering Western economic dominance.
BRICS member countries are working on an independent initiative for cross-border deposits and settlements.
What he's saying:
Russian FM Sergei Lavrov: "The erosion of the global economic order has been accelerated by unilateral and illegal sanctions and the use of the dollar as a tool for punishment. Trust in the U.S. currency, which was previously a reliable means of payment, has been undermined."
By the numbers:
Since 2011, the number of heavily indebted countries has risen from 22 to 59. The United States is also experiencing an unprecedented level of debt, reaching $37 trillion, and this amount continues to grow.
Source: St Louis Fed, from Al-Jazeera | May 7, 2025
The U.S. holds $36.2 trillion of debt, about three-quarters of which—roughly $27.2 trillion—is held domestically:
- $15.16 trillion (42 percent) is held by US private investors and entities, mostly in the form of savings bonds, mutual funds and pension funds.
- $7.36 trillion (20 percent) is held by intra-governmental US agencies and trusts.
- $4.63 trillion (13 percent) is held by the Federal Reserve.
Zoom in:
The U.S. government holds the debt as it provided Israel with arms to be used for bombing Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran.
About Iran, after the Israeli regime attacked Iranian soil, it received tough self-defense responses with barrages of missiles fired at the Israeli occupied territories during 22 rounds to a point that the Israeli warehouses were becoming empty of ammunition.
- Each THAAD interceptor missile is estimated to cost between $8 million to $12 million.
- Each Arrow interceptor missile (for both Arrow 2 and Arrow 3) is estimated to cost between $2 million to $3 million.
- Each Stunner interceptor missile used by David’s Sling costs approximately $700,000 to $1 million.
- Each Tamir interceptor missile used by Iron Dome costs approximately $20,000 to $50,000.
Yes, but the extravagant so-called defenses systems in the occupied territories failed to intercept a major part of the missiles Iranian armed forces fired at the Israeli bases.
Context:
Trump’s tariff threat comes as the BRICS leaders’ summit took place in Brazil. In a joint statement, the BRICS group strongly condemned the attacks by the United States and the Israeli regime on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling them a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.
But, BRICS stated that its activities are against no countries. Yet, Trump did not provide further explanation or details regarding the question: What does he specifically meant by “anti-American policies”?
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seyed mohammad kazemi
