Trump on Cuba:

We're talking to Cuba, but we're going to do Iran before Cuba.

Reporter: Do you have a comment on the six service members who passed last week?

Trump: (...)

Trump:

MAGA includes not allowing Iran, a Sick, Demented, and Violent Terrorist Regime, to have a Nuclear Weapon to blow up the United States of America, the Middle East and, ultimately, the rest of the World.

MAGA is about stopping them cold, and that is exactly what we are doing.

Trump:

Iran has long been known as a Master of Media Manipulation and Public Relations.

They are Militarily ineffective and weak, but are really good at “feeding” the very appreciative Fake News Media false information.

Trump said NATO could face a “very bad” future if US allies refuse to help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war.

“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help.”

“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.”

Source: FT

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Trump said China should help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, arguing Beijing depends heavily on oil flowing through the waterway.

“I think China should help too because China gets 90 per cent of its oil from the Straits.”

He warned he wants Beijing’s position before his planned summit with Xi Jinping, suggesting the meeting could be postponed if China does not act.

“We’d like to know before that. We may delay.”

Source: FT

Trump criticised the UK for being slow to support US efforts in the Strait of Hormuz.

He said Britain, which he called “the number one ally, the longest serving,” initially “didn’t want to come” when he asked for help.

According to Trump, the UK only offered to send ships after the main threat had already been reduced, prompting him to complain: “We need these ships before we win, not after we win.”

He used the episode to repeat his broader criticism of the alliance, saying “NATO is a one-way street.”

Source: FT

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been regularly advising Donald Trump during the war to “keep hitting the Iranians hard.”

The two leaders have been in frequent contact throughout Iran conflict.

Source: NYT

Iranian drone strike hit a fuel tank/refueling facility near Dubai International Airport, causing a large fire overnight.

Flight operations were temporarily suspended, causing major disruptions at the airport.

Trump is considering seizing Kharg Island, which handles about 90% of Iran’s crude exports, if the Strait of Hormuz blockade continues.

U.S. officials say capturing the island could deliver “an economic knockout of the regime.”

The plan would require U.S. boots on the ground and a military occupation of the island.

Officials warn it carries major risks, including Iranian retaliation against Gulf oil facilities and pipelines, especially in Saudi Arabia.

One official said “there are big risks, there are big rewards.”

Source: Axios

At a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump pressed General Caine on why the United States could not immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Caine explained that controlling the strait is extremely difficult because Iran can disrupt shipping with small, mobile forces rather than large naval assets.

Even a single fighter in a small boat could threaten massive oil tankers moving slowly through the narrow waterway.

Source: NYT

Countries responding to Trump’s proposed Strait of Hormuz naval coalition:

🇫🇷 France: Refused to join.

🇦🇺 Australia: Declined participation.

🇯🇵 Japan: Refused deployment.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Reluctant.

🇰🇷 South Korea: Reviewing the proposal.

🇨🇳 China: Rejecting military involvement.

Reporter: Can you explain why you’re sending 5000 marines and sailors?

Trump: You’re a very obnoxious person.

Former White House energy adviser Bob McNally says there’s basically no policy fix if the Strait of Hormuz stays disrupted:

There are no policy solutions to a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Government tools like escorts, oil reserve releases, or gas tax cuts are marginal… symbolic… sideshows.

You’ve got to restore the flow of the Strait of Hormuz.

Even ending the war might not help: “No guarantee.”

Madagascar President Appoints Anti-Corruption Chief as Prime Minister

President Randrianirina appointed Mamitiana Rajaonarison as prime minister after dismissing the cabinet days earlier as part of a reform agenda launched following political transition.

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U.S. President Donald Trump has called on allied nations to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian attacks disrupt the vital energy corridor during the third week of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Some allies, including Japan and Australia, have signaled reluctance to deploy naval forces.

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Energy Secretary Says Iran War Will End in Weeks

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has stated that the ongoing conflict with Iran is expected to conclude within the next few weeks, amid rising concerns over soaring gas prices.

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Voter turnout in France’s local elections surged to 57.6% in the first round, with far-right and leftist parties making significant gains, while President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party underperformed in major cities.

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Days after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested the war in Iran was protected by God, Pope Leo XIV issued a sharp rebuke and called for an immediate ceasefire.

Speaking from St. Peter’s Square during the Angelus, the Pope urged leaders to “cease fire so that avenues for dialogue may be reopened,” condemning attacks on schools, hospitals, and homes after two weeks of fighting that have reportedly killed more than a thousand civilians.

Later, preaching at a parish in Rome, Leo warned against invoking religion to justify war.

“Someone presumes to involve the name of God in choices of death,” he said. “But God cannot be enlisted by the darkness.”

The Trump administration has eased rules for the H-2A visa program, making it cheaper for farmers to hire temporary foreign workers as the U.S. faces a farm labor shortage.

Source: NYT