Australia, Vanuatu Sign Security Pact Amid Pacific Influence Competition 
China Expands Export Controls, Adds 20 Japanese Companies to Restricted List 
Trump Signs Memorandum Backing Americans’ Right to Repair Their Own Vehicles 
US Strikes Iran Again After Strait of Hormuz Tanker Attack Escalates Ceasefire Tensions 
Ukraine Strikes Russian Titan-Barrikady Plant With Long-Range FP-5 Flamingo Missile 
Trump Questions Housing Bill as He Prioritizes SAVE America Act 
Mexico, U.S. Launch Sterile Fly Facility to Combat New World Screwworm Outbreak 
Maria Corina Machado’s Return to Venezuela Faces U.S. Hesitation After Deadly Earthquakes 
Trump Threatens 100% Tariffs on Countries Imposing Digital Services Taxes on U.S. Tech Firms 
Israeli Airstrike Kills Three in Central Gaza Despite Ceasefire 
Despite its best efforts, Iran won’t be able to toll the Strait of Hormuz. Here’s why 
Sheinbaum Says No One Is Above the Law After Abuse Video of Ex-Pemex Chief Emerges 
Javier Milei Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni Resigns Amid Spending Scandal Investigation 
Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic to Resign, Calls Early Elections After Months of Protests 
Russia Intensifies Assault on Kostiantynivka as Ukraine’s Donetsk Defense Faces Mounting Pressure 
Trump Suspends Some Morocco Fertilizer Tariffs to Ease U.S. Supply Shortage 
Iran has firmly pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threats over the Strait of Hormuz, dismissing his ultimatum and introducing new conditions that could further destabilize global trade routes. The standoff signals a deepening crisis with potentially far-reaching economic consequences.
Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf publicly rejected Trump's warning of military strikes on Iranian infrastructure, calling the threats "reckless" and urging Washington to respect Iranian sovereignty instead. "The only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous game," Qalibaf wrote on X, making clear that Tehran has no intention of yielding to pressure.
Iran also attached a new financial condition to any potential reopening of the strait. Presidential spokesperson Seyyed Mohammad Mehdi Tabatabaei stated that resuming transit through Hormuz would require allocating a portion of shipping revenues as compensation for war-related damages — a demand that significantly raises the bar for any diplomatic resolution.
Beyond the Persian Gulf, senior Iranian officials are now warning that the conflict could spill into another critical global chokepoint. Ali Akbar Velayati, a close adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, threatened that the "resistance front" could target the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea — a waterway responsible for approximately 12% of global trade and previously disrupted by Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen. Any interference there would compound already surging oil and gas prices triggered by the near-shutdown of Hormuz traffic.
Trump had set a Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the strait, threatening to destroy Iranian power plants and infrastructure if it failed to comply. While he suggested a deal could come quickly, Iran's hardening demands and expanding threats point to a prolonged and volatile standoff with serious implications for global energy markets and international trade stability.
