Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warns war could “extend beyond the region.” Strait of Hormuz transittrafficmore than doubled last week. Iran warstriketriggers oil spill at protected Persian Gulf wildlife sanctuary. U.S. Treasurysanctions50-plus Iranian-linked entities. UAEsaysdrone that struck Barakah was launched from Iraq. Foreign governmentsdumpU.S. Treasuries in March. NYT: U.S. and Israel secretlyplannedto install former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader. Israeli strike on Lebanese townkillsat least 11 civilians. Hezbollah drones seriouslyimpedingIsraeli military operations. Israelistrikeon civilian car near Gaza City hospital kills one, wounds four. Israeli strikeseverswater line serving displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis. FT: Israelseizes1,000 sq km across Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. Israelinterceptsall vessels in Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters. Israeli ministerpostsvideo showing abuse of detained flotilla members. AIPAC-backed challengerdefeatsRep. Thomas Massie in most expensive House primary in history. Democratic Socialists of AmericamemberChris Rabb wins Democratic primary in Philly. Senateadvancesbill forcing Trump to seek congressional approval for Iran war. DOJ permanentlybarsexamination of Trump family returns. Acting AG Todd Blanche says DOJ will notrecommendpardon for Ghislaine Maxwell. NATO fighter jetshootsdown Ukrainian drone over Estonia. 15,850 have died in Ukraine, UN says. Car bombkillsone soldier, wounds 21 near Syrian Defence Ministry in Damascus. Somaliland toopenembassy in Jerusalem. Drone strikekills28 at crowded Sudan market. UAE and Francerenewdefense cooperation agreement. U.S.expresses“concern” about protests in Bolivia. China secretly trained Russian personnel who fought in Ukraine, Reutersfinds.
After Insurgents Battle Military Junta, Mali Pushed Toward War and Economic Collapse
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IRGC warns war could “extend beyond the region”:Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned on Wednesday that war would extend beyond the region if the United States and Israel resume attacks on Tehran. “If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time spread far beyond the region, and our devastating blows will crush you,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency. “The American-Zionist enemy...must know that despite the offensive carried out against us using the full capabilities of the world’s two most expensive armies, we have not deployed the full power of the Islamic revolution.”
Trump, Vance talk delayed strikes:President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. could attack Iran again if no deal to end the war is reached in the coming days. “I’m saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week, a limited period of time,” Trump said. In separate remarks, J.D. Vance said Trump told him the U.S. was “locked and loaded,” although it doesn’t “want to go down that pathway” at the present moment.
Strait of Hormuz transit traffic more than doubled last week:Strait of Hormuz transit trafficroseto 54 vessels in the week of May 11–17, more than double the previous week’s 23 vessels. Ten of these ships were owned by Chinese companies, a development which corresponds with Tehran’s announcement last week that it would permit Chinese vessels to transit. Two Chinese tankers, Yuan Gui Yang and Ocean Lily, departed Wednesday, according to Reuters. Another vessel, owned by the UAE’s state petroleum company, crossed with its tracking transponder switched off, according to data from Lloyd’s List. The partial rebound remains a fraction of pre-war levels—before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, roughly 3,000 vessels transited monthly, carrying an estimated 15 million barrels of oil daily.
South Korean tanker passing through Hormuz:A South Korean oil tanker is passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the first time a Korea-managed ship transits the strait since the Iran war began. “Consultations with Iranian authorities were completed, and the vessel began sailing yesterday. It is passing through the strait very cautiously,” South Korea’s foreign minister, Cho Hyun, said, according to the Seoul-based Yonhap news agency.
Iran war strike triggers oil spill at protected Persian Gulf wildlife sanctuary:An attack on a refinery on Lavan Island on April 9has causedan oil spill that has reached Shidvar Island, AP reports. Shivdar is a protected wildlife breeding ground in the Persian Gulf; satellite imagery and videos show oil washing ashore on the island and dead birds, crabs, and fish covered in crude. The Lavan oil refinery came under attack last month hours after the ceasefire deal was announced. Iranian media outlets alleged the UAE carried out the attack, though Abu Dhabi did not acknowledge the strike.
U.S. Treasury sanctions 50-plus Iranian-linked entities:The U.S. Treasury Departmentannouncedsweeping new sanctions targeting more than 50 companies, individuals, and oil tankers allegedly linked to Iran’s shadow banking and petroleum export networks as part of the Trump administration’s “Economic Fury” pressure campaign against Tehran. The designations include Amin Exchange—an Iranian foreign currency firm Treasury accused of helping sanctioned Iranian banks and petrochemical companies move hundreds of millions of dollars through front companies in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Hong Kong—as well as 19 vessels Washington claims transported Iranian oil, LPG, methanol, and petrochemicals in violation of U.S. sanctions.
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