Strait of Hormuz

Iran condemns US strikes on coastal facilities, calls them ceasefire violation

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Residents walk past colorful wall paintings as daily life continues under the shadow of destruction following the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Tehran, Iran, on April 5, 2026. [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]

Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned US strikes on radar and coastal surveillance facilities in the southern Sirik region and on Qeshm Island, describing them as a clear violation of the April 8 ceasefire agreement and an act of aggression against the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the ministry said the facilities targeted in the early hours of Saturday were responsible for protecting Iran’s borders and ensuring the security of international shipping routes.

It said the attacks formed part of Washington’s continued hostile and provocative actions against Iran and reflected what it described as a disregard for the principles of international law and the UN Charter.

The ministry said Iran’s armed forces responded to the strikes within the framework of the country’s right to self-defense and thwarted the objectives of the attack.

The statement said repeated US violations of the ceasefire demonstrated Washington’s lack of commitment to reducing tensions and restoring stability, warning that the US would bear responsibility for the consequences of its actions and any further escalation.

READ: Pope Leo says US-Israeli war against Iran not ‘just war’

Reaffirming Iran’s right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, the ministry said Tehran would use all available means to defend its sovereignty, security, and national interests.

The ministry also called on regional countries to adhere to the principle of good neighborliness and refrain from allowing their territories or facilities to be used to plan or carry out hostile actions against Iran.

It further urged the UN secretary-general, the UN Security Council, and other international bodies to respond to what it described as continued ceasefire violations and unlawful US actions, and to prevent further threats to regional and international peace and security.

Earlier Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it struck coastal surveillance radar sites in Sirik and on Qeshm Island following attacks targeting the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf countries.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later announced that US military bases in the region had been targeted with missiles in response to the strikes.

READ: Iran strikes US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain after drone attacks on Iranian territory: Report

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingIran condemns US strikes on coastal facilities, calls them ceasefire violation

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says opponents must adapt to ‘new rules’ in Strait of Hormuz

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A ship waits to pass through the Strait of Hormuz following the two-week temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran, which is conditional on the opening of the strait, in Oman on April 8, 2026. Shipping traffic remained at low levels, reported. [Shady Alassar – Anadolu Agency]

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said opponents of the Islamic Republic have been forced to accept what it described as new realities imposed by Iran’s armed forces, particularly regarding the management and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement marking the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the June 1963 uprising, the Revolutionary Guard said Iran’s military and political position had altered the balance of power in the region.

“The enemy is forced to accept the new rules imposed on the ground by the Iranian people and armed forces, particularly in the smart management and control of the Strait of Hormuz.”

The statement described public mobilisation as a key element of Iran’s strategy.

“The presence of the people in the streets is the backbone of the battle, the bulwark of diplomacy, and a necessary factor for achieving a complete and decisive victory.”

The Revolutionary Guard rejected what it called attempts by Iran’s adversaries to portray recent events as a success and said “the enemy is attempting to distort reality by fabricating false narratives and misleading the media”.

READ: Iran claims US patriot missile, not Iranian strike, destroyed Kuwait airport terminal

According to the statement, Iran’s armed forces remain on the highest level of readiness following decades of confrontation with the United States and its allies.

“Thanks to the invaluable experience gained over 48 years of confrontation with America, particularly in the imposed wars, the armed forces have maintained their full and continuous readiness at the highest level.”

The Revolutionary Guard also warned against what it described as broken promises by its adversaries and reiterated that any future military action against Iran would be met with a forceful response.

“Should any aggression occur, the response will be decisive, overwhelming, and far-reaching.”

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingIran’s Revolutionary Guard says opponents must adapt to ‘new rules’ in Strait of Hormuz

Iran says its armed forces ready ‘more than in the past’ if war renews with US

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Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) participate in a military exercise aimed at “increasing combat capabilities” in Tehran province, Iran, on May 12, 2026. [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Anadolu Agency]

A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday that the readiness of the country’s armed forces today “is more than in the past,” claiming Tehran will use “different” types of weapons in case of a renewed war with the US and Israel.

“The best reason for this issue is that despite the use of its vast capacity on land, sea and air, America could not remove the Strait of Hormuz from Iran’s control even for a few minutes,”

Sardar Mohebbi said in a statement carried by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.

Mohebbi said Tehran is ready for “all possible scenarios,” adding that Washington “failed to achieve its goals” in the Strait of Hormuz during the latest round of the conflict.

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with attacks targeting Israel and US allies in the Gulf, alongside the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but subsequent talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. Efforts for a solution, however, have continued since.

READ: Iranian military headquarters warns of retaliation if Beirut’s southern suburbs are attacked

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Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.

Continue ReadingIran says its armed forces ready ‘more than in the past’ if war renews with US

Israel Keeps Killing Lebanese Civilians Despite Trump’s De-Escalation Claim

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Article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

An aerial view of buildings and a parking area opposite the Jabal Amel Hospital, the largest hospital in the city of Tyre, Lebanon, on June 2, 2026, shows damage from an Israeli strike. (Photo by Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“The more Netanyahu prevents the war with Iran from ending, the more obvious it becomes that he convinced Trump to start it.”

The death toll from Israel’s assault on Lebanon continued to rise on Tuesday despite President Donald Trump’s claims of de-escalation following Monday phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an intermediary for Hezbollah.

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said Tuesday that “the cumulative toll of the aggression from March 2 to June 2 has reached 3,468 dead and 10,577 injured,” even amid a ceasefire agreed to in April. The deal stemmed from Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal war on Iran, and Israel initially claimed it did not include Lebanon.

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After Iran on Monday reportedly halted talks with the US over Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that due to his phone calls, Israeli troops “have already been turned back” from Beirut, and Hezbollah “agreed that all shooting will stop—That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.”

However, Netanyahu said later Monday that “I spoke this evening with President Trump and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and civilians, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut. This position remains unchanged.”

According to Axios reporting contested by a senior Israeli official, one US source summarized Trump’s remarks to Netanyahu as follows: “You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”

Another source said that Trump was “pissed” and at one point yelled at the prime minister, “What the fuck are you doing?”

While “the story has understandably been met with considerable skepticism,” wrote Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, there are “a few important counterexamples—particularly from Trump’s second term—that suggest the Axios story is not entirely implausible.”

“What is also plausible, however, is that Trump will once again fail to sustain the pressure and, by that, allow for Netanyahu’s potential retreat to prove temporary,” Parsi predicted.

Republican Congressman Thomas Massie (Ky.), a libertarian who recently lost his reelection primary to a Trump-backed challenger, responded to the reporting on social media: “It’s all talk. Just withhold foreign aid to Israel for a month, and they’ll stop bombing their neighbors—instant peace, the Strait of Hormuz can be opened, and gas drops $2 a gallon. Israel has been, and continues to be, the biggest welfare recipient from American taxpayers.”

Massie also said that “the more Netanyahu prevents the war with Iran from ending, the more obvious it becomes that he convinced Trump to start it.”

Progressive Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (Minn.) similarly said late Monday: “The lesson Israel has learned, time and again, is that it can commit genocide and other atrocities with near-total impunity. Now it’s exporting the Gaza playbook to Lebanon. Israel’s war in Lebanon is killing thousands and displacing over a million. NO MORE US AID TO ISRAEL.”

Citing Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) on Tuesday, Al Jazeera cataloged Israel’s killings since Trump’s de-escalation claims:

Two Syrians were killed in an Israeli attack on a plant nursery where they were working in the town of Jebchit in the Nabatieh governorate, NNA said on Tuesday.

Israeli drone strikes hit a motorcycle on Martyr Sabra Street in Toul and a car in the Dhi’at al-Arab neighborhood of Ansar, killing two people, NNA said.

The third strike hit a car near the village of Harouf, killing one person.

Separately, an Israeli drone strike hit a car on the road linking the southern town of Marjayoun with the city of Nabatieh, killing James Karam, a dentist from the nearby Christian municipality of Qlayaa, along with his daughter and son, NNA reported.

Those deaths followed Israel’s Monday airstrike in the southern village of Marwaniyeh, which killed six members of the Hassan Abdullah family, according to the Lebanese Civil Defense. Palestine Chronicle reported that “rescue teams worked throughout the night and into Tuesday morning to recover victims trapped beneath the rubble of the destroyed building. Three additional people were pulled from the debris during the operation.”

Also on Monday, Israel attacked the Jabal Amel Hospital in Tyre, killing at least four people and injuring dozens more.

Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Lebanon, said Tuesday that the hospital is one of the few operating in the country’s south, and the attack “caused significant damage… to the emergency department and intensive care unit.”

“Six hospitals have not yet resumed maternity delivery services and are currently providing only emergency room care,” he noted. “For pregnant women and newborns, delays in care can mean the difference between life and death.”

WHO has verified nearly 200 attacks on healthcare facilities and workers in Lebanon over the past three months. Calling for such attacks “to stop” and “active protection for healthcare,” Abubakar stressed that “these attacks kill and maim, they also deprive people of the health services they need.”

Israel hit Jabal Amel Hospital after a strike near Hiram Hospital the previous day, according to Doctors Without Borders, which supports both facilities. Omar Ebeid, the organization’s project coordinator in southern Lebanon, said Tuesday that “these repeated attacks reflect a grave failure to protect the medical mission and underscore the urgent need to safeguard civilians, medical staff, health facilities, and continuous access to lifesaving care.”

Faced with a rising death toll and Israeli forces’ destruction of civilian infrastructure, The Associated Press reported, “another round of talks between Israel and Lebanon began Tuesday in Washington, where Lebanese negotiators are set to seek a full ceasefire that will prevent future attacks.”

Article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Continue ReadingIsrael Keeps Killing Lebanese Civilians Despite Trump’s De-Escalation Claim

Iran’s Quds Force chief: Israeli actions may lead to Bab al-Mandab being treated like Hormuz 

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Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, Esmail Qaani in Tehran, December 20, 2022 [Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images]

Iran’s official media on Monday quoted Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as saying that Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Gaza would push the Axis of Resistance — a term used to refer to Iran and its allies — to make the situation for maritime traffic in the Bab al-Mandab Strait similar to that in the Strait of Hormuz.

Qaani said that “the evil of the Zionists (Israel) in Lebanon and Gaza, with open US support, will strengthen the determination of the Axis of Resistance to expand support from both fronts, take steps to activate other fronts, and make the status of shipping in the Bab al-Mandab Strait similar to that in the Strait of Hormuz.”

READ: Iran seeks ceasefire across Lebanon, Ghalibaf tells Berri

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/

Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says Sundown Syndrome is a dead givaway and he wishes someone would Lock Him Up

Continue ReadingIran’s Quds Force chief: Israeli actions may lead to Bab al-Mandab being treated like Hormuz