President Donald Trump ordered the Strait of Hormuz closed to Iranian shipping after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps refused to relinquish control of the waterway. Washington is intensifying sanctions on senior regime officials, while Gulf states are taking the gloves off and joining the military campaign.
President Donald Trump formally announced that the naval blockade of Iran’s coastline would be reinstated. Earlier, Trump accused Iran of violating the agreement and declared, “We will take control of the Strait of Hormuz.”
The New York Times reports that the former Iranian president is being held by the Revolutionary Guards after authorities in Tehran uncovered his secret contacts with Israel. According to the investigation, Israel planned to install him as Iran’s leader following the regime’s overthrow, with then-Mossad Director David Barnea meeting him personally.
While Washington and Jerusalem mourn the sudden death of senior Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime friend of Israel, at the age of 71, Iran's state-run media openly celebrated, declaring that he had "gone to hell" and branding him a "child killer."
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announced that a vessel attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz via an "unauthorized route" was hit by warning fire and detained. US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said, "Iran made a poor choice, now it Is paying the price."
US officials say senior commanders in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will be the primary targets of a renewed economic campaign if Tehran continues to violate understandings reached with Washington. The US Navy is also preparing to once again shut down the Strait of Hormuz to Iranian shipping if necessary.
Western diplomatic officials warn of a "loss of restraint" and attempts to harm the president and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who admitted to the Americans: "We have no control over the shoal in the Gulf." As the crisis worsens, Israel and the US are examining steps to bring down the Iranian regime.
The final stage of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral procession began today with the arrival of his coffin in Mashhad, after a night of US strikes that shut down the railway line from Tehran. The pragmatic faction in the regime, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, is facing growing pressure from hardliners, which spilled into street violence.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's remarks ended the lull and led Trump to order an intensive strike. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is gambling on "breaking the rules" in Hormuz and is presenting demands that contradict the understandings set out in the memorandum. Amid an internal dispute within the administration, the three US alternatives are being revealed.
The US president launches extraordinary attack on Tehran, saying "We hit them tonight 20 times harder than ever before. They’re sick people."
