German Chancellor Friedrich Merz repeatedly tried to contact Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez after tensions over Trump’s criticism of Spain, but Madrid did not respond.

Merz sent texts and made several calls, all unanswered.

Source: Der Spiegel

German Chancellor Merz on Iran:

With every day this war lasts, more questions are coming up.

We have no interest in an endless war.

We need a convincing plan on how this war can come to an end.

NEW: Qatar says "authorities are evacuating several areas as a temporary precaution for public safety until the threat subsides."

German Chancellor Merz:

Six out of seven G7 countries were clearly of the opinion that sanctions against Russia should not be lifted.

We were somewhat surprised to hear this morning that the American government had decided differently.

That is definitely not our view.

We believe more pressure should be applied on Russia to bring this terrible war to an end as soon as possible.

NEW: Iran is considering allowing a limited number of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz only if cargo is traded in Chinese yuan.

Source: CNN

Senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti says the group has decided to stand militarily with Iran and will announce “Hour Zero” (start of action) at the appropriate time.

Trump on Iran:

You're going to see a big decrease in the price of gasoline, gas, anything having to do with energy, as soon as this is ended.

Trump on Iran:

Today we had some very, very big and powerful hits.

Reporter: When will the Navy start escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz?

Trump: It will happen soon. Very soon.

BREAKING: Trump:

Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island.

For reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island.

However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.

Iran’s Military, and all others involved with this Terrorist Regime, would be wise to lay down their arms, and save what’s left of their country, which isn’t much!

Reporter: What does unconditional surrender mean?

Trump: To me, it means very simply that we are in a position of dominance that nobody has seen before, whether or not they're able to say the words...

This is a MAJOR development.

Kharg Island is Iran’s main oil export terminal, handling about 90–95% of the country’s crude exports.

It has major storage tanks, pipelines, and tanker-loading facilities connected to Iran’s biggest oil fields.

Because oil revenue funds much of Iran’s government and economy, the island is economically critical.

It is also a major strategic and military target, since disrupting it could severely damage Iran’s economy and affect global oil prices.

Reporter: Are your objectives the same in terms of ending the war as Netanyahu?

Trump: They might be a little different, I guess.

They are a different country.

Trump on Iran:

You read some of the fake news that say, “Oh, Iran is doing wonderful.”

They are not doing wonderful. They are doing as bad as you can.

Reporter: You made a post about Claudia Sheinbaum refusing your help in Mexico. What's your plan with Mexico?

Trump: Well, she should not have refused my help.

I offered to get rid of the cartels in Mexico, and for some reason she doesn’t want to do that.

She should get rid of the cartels because the cartels are running Mexico.

US officials have discussed trading oil futures to help reduce soaring crude prices during the Iran conflict, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said.

He noted he doesn’t know if the US has actually intervened yet, adding that influencing the market would require huge capital.

Source: Bloomberg

A ground stop was issued at three Washington, D.C.–area airports after an equipment outage, the FAA said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said officials are investigating a strong chemical smell at the Potomac TRACON air traffic control center in Warrenton, Virginia.

Source: CNN

IRGC:

Our naval forces’ attacks will continue until all American terrorist bases in the region are destroyed.

BREAKING: An Iranian missile strike hit Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, damaging 5 U.S. Air Force refueling planes on the ground.

The aircraft were damaged but not destroyed, and no one was killed in that strike.

This brings the total to at least 7 U.S. refueling planes lost or damaged recently.

Source: WSJ

Two weeks of Epic Fury:

— 13 American servicemembers killed
— 10 seriously wounded
— ~200 total injured
— ~170 of the injured have returned to duty.

Source: WSJ

Türkiye’s BAYKAR reveals its new kamikaze UAV K2.

— AI-powered autonomous swarm kamikaze UAV with AI vision-based navigation, targeting, and engagement.

— Range 2000+ km, 200 kg warhead, 800 kg MTOW.

— Can take off from short, unprepared strips, reusable for multiple missions.