📢 🇺🇸 🇮🇷 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called Operation Epic Fury a “historic and overwhelming victory,” saying the U.S. military “decimated” Iran’s armed forces and left them “combat ineffective for years to come.” Hegseth said U.S. Central Command used less than 10% of America’s total combat power to dismantle what he described as one of the world’s largest militaries in under 40 days.

“The world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism proved utterly incapable of defending itself, its people or its territory.”

📎 CBS News

—❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷 Trump when asked by ABC News about Iran imposing tolls on the Strait of Hormuz:

‘We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture. It’s a way of securing it. It’s a beautiful thing.’

@Middle_East_Spectator

📝 🇺🇸 🇮🇷 Carolina Lion on X: So let's recap this morning:

1. The Blockade is still in effect and shipping companies are avoiding the Strait.
2. Israel escalated its attacks on Lebanon and Iran is saying they are going to hit Israel hard for that.
3. Iranian oil facilities were attacked overnight.
4. Gulf oil facilities, including that vital East-West pipeline were attacked.
5.Hegseth is shooting his mouth off on national tv, looking like a complete fool while all this happens.
6. The market is still living in fantasy land oblivious to the shortages about to hit.
7. Trump's in fantasy land talking about joint ownership of Hormuz with Iran.

📎 Carolina Lion

—❗️🇮🇱/🇮🇷/🇱🇧 A senior Iranian official to Al-Jazeera:

‘We will punish Israel in response to the crime it committed in Lebanon and the violation of the ceasefire conditions.

The ceasefire includes the region, and Israel is knowingly breaking its promises. Only bullets will deter it.’

@Middle_East_Spectator

—❗️🇮🇷/🇮🇱/🇱🇧 BREAKING: A source also tells Tasnim that Iran is preparing a retaliatory response to the Israeli attacks on Lebanon today, and that if ceasefire violations ‘persist’, Iran will cancel the 2-week agreement and not attend the planned talks in Islamabad

@Middle_East_Spectator

📢 🇮🇷 🚢 Iran's navy tells ships that they need permission to transit the Strait of Hormuz, with them saying:

"You must receive permission from the Iranian Sepah Navy (IRGC) for passing through the Strait. If any vessel tries to transit without permission, it will be destroyed"

📎 Faytuks News

🇹🇼 🤝 🇨🇳 Taiwan's opposition leader Cheng Li-wun arrived in China to meet Xi, in what she calls a "journey for peace."

📎 Disclosetv

—❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇱/🇮🇷/🇱🇧 President Trump: ‘Yeah, Lebanon is not included in the deal. Because of Hezbollah.’ – PBS

@Middle_East_Spectator

📢 🇮🇷 🇮🇱 Iranian state media reports the passage of oil tankers through the Straight of Hormuz has been stopped after Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

📎 Trey Yingst