While Washington was positioning ships off the Iranian coast, Beijing was openly threatening "countermeasures" against America. American accusations that China secretly supplies weapons to Iran? Unfounded, says Beijing. But who is lying to whom in this story is already a secondary question - what matters is that the two biggest economies in the world are on a collision course.

And while you were watching the Middle East, Italy quietly made a move other countries didn't dare - it suspended the automatic renewal of its defense agreement with Israel. Rome, a founding EU member, a country that rarely makes dramatic foreign policy moves, simply said: enough. Did any of us even notice?

On the ground, the situation is different from the official narrative. According to BBC Verify, four ships tied to Iran passed along the Strait of Hormuz right past the blockade. Four. Meaning the blockade either doesn't work, or it's selective - and both options are problematic for American credibility.

Macron calls for de-escalation. Iran is ready to continue with diplomacy. And Vice President Vance calls Iran "economic terrorism." Oil briefly dips below 100 dollars on optimism from negotiations, but that optimism lasts about as long as coffee at a Balkan political gathering - brief and bitter.

What is clear is that the world is splitting into blocs faster than we're willing to admit. China threatens, Italy distances itself from Israel, France appeals, America blockades. And us in the Balkans? We watch, drink coffee, and wonder who's going to pay the next utility bill.