Iran launches attack on US base in Qatar, Iranian state TV reports
Iran said it launched a retaliatory attack on Al-Udeid, the U.S. airbase in Qatar, on Monday. Explosions were heard in Doha, a source told Fox News. Iranian state media reported that “Operation Fatah’s Blessing against the American Al-Udeid base in Qatar has begun.” Just before the attack, Iran’s President Mahmoud Pezeshkian issued a warning promising not to let Saturday’s strikes on its nuclear facilities go “unanswered.” “We neither initiated the war nor wanted it; but we will not leave the aggression against #GreaterIran unanswered. We will stand by the security of this #belovednation with all our being and respond to every wound on Iran’s body with faith, wisdom, and determination,” he wrote on X. AMERICANS IN QATAR TOLD TO SHELTER IN PLACE AS IRANIAN MILITARY THREATENS ACTION AGAINST US INTERESTS The base is home to 10,000 American forces and is the U.S.’s largest military installation in the Middle East. Located southwest of Doha, it serves as a hub for logistical operations for the U.S. mission to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. It also hosts Central Command’s (CENTCOM) Forward Headquarters, as well as its air forces and special operations in the region. It also has been used as a headquarters for British involvement in airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq. President Donald Trump visited Al Udeid last month on May 15, where he inked a $1 billion military sales agreement with Doha. Qatar has walked a tight line between friendly relations with the U.S., through efforts to expand the base, and with Iran. Prior to the attack, Qatar suspended all flights and promised to “take all necessary preventive measures.” The attack was not entirely unexpected – satellite images showed the U.S. moved most of its unhangered aircraft out of Al Udeid last week. Iran vowed to retaliate against the U.S. after American B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker buster bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites. “The criminal US must know that in addition to punishing its illegitimate and aggressive offspring, the hands of Islam’s fighters within the armed forces have been freed to take any action against its interests and military, and we will never back down in this regard,” Abdolrahim Mousavi, the new chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, warned in a statement. US TROOPS IN THE MIDDLE EAST COULD FACE INCREASED THREATS AMID IRAN CONFLICT: ‘IRREPARABLE DAMAGE’ But Trump warned Iran after Saturday’s strikes on its nuclear hubs: “Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight.” The air base also hosts an array of military assets: B-52 strategic bombers, C-17 Globemaster transports and RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft, in addition to 379th Air Expeditionary Wing’s airlift, aerial refueling, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Fox News’ Thomas Ferraro contributed to this report.
Texas lieutenant gov calls out Abbott for last-minute THC bill veto
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, R-Texas, is not shy about his displeasure with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who vetoed a cannabis-related state senate bill overnight. “Throughout the legislative session, @GregAbbott_TX remained totally silent on Senate Bill 3, the bill that would have banned dangerous THC products in Texas,” the lieutenant governor posted to X. “His late-night veto, on an issue supported by 105 of 108 Republicans in the legislature, strongly backed by law enforcement, many in the medical and education communities, and the families who have seen their loved ones’ lives destroyed by these very dangerous drugs, leaves them feeling abandoned,” he continued. “I feel especially bad for those who testified and poured their hearts out on their tragic losses,” Patrick said, promising to say more at a press conference that is set to take place on Monday. ONE BIG STATE NEEDS TO STOP PAYING LOBBYIST SALARIES Abbott has remained quiet on social media about his decision, but FOX 7 Austin reported it is one of 26 bills the governor has vetoed from the recent legislative session. SB 3, which would have banned THC products across the Lone Star State, is now on the agenda for a special legislative session in July, the local TV station reported. REPUBLICAN GOV SLAMS CITY FOR CONSIDERING ‘ANTISEMITIC’ RESOLUTION, THREATENS TO PULL FUNDING Abbott called SB 3 “well-intentioned,” but said “it would never go into effect because of valid constitutional challenges” in his veto proclamation. “Texans on each side of the Senate Bill 3 debate raise serious concerns,” Abbott wrote. “But one thing is clear—to ensure the highest level of safety for minors, as well as for adults, who obtain a product more dangerous than what they expected, Texas must strongly regulate hemp, and it must do so immediately.” Texas Hemp Business Council, which opposes SB 3, posted a statement to Facebook following Abbott’s veto. “By vetoing SB 3, he stood with millions of Texans, protected 53,000+ jobs,— and rejected the lies, donors, and Dan Patrick’s propaganda crusade. Governor Abbott showed real leadership today. Texas is stronger for it,” the statement said.
Trump slams Russia’s casual threat to arm Iran with nuclear weapons: ‘That’s why Putin’s the boss’
President Donald Trump took a swipe at former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for suggesting that other countries would step in to supply Iran with nuclear warheads in retaliation for the U.S. strikes on Saturday that targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities. “Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the ‘N word’ (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran? Did he really say that or, is it just a figment of my imagination? If he did say that, and, if confirmed, please let me know, IMMEDIATELY. The ‘N word’ should not be treated so casually. I guess that’s why Putin’s ‘THE BOSS,’” Trump said in a Truth Social Post on Monday. Trump’s comments came after Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said that Iran would continue to advance its nuclear program and would receive assistance from other nations to do so. RUSSIAN LEADER CLAIMS MULTIPLE COUNTRIES PREPPED TO PROVIDE IRAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOLLOWING US STRIKES “The enrichment of nuclear material — and, now we can say it outright, the future production of nuclear weapons — will continue,” Medvedev said in a Sunday X post. “A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads,” Medvedev said. He did not specify which countries could be involved in providing Iran with nuclear capabilities, but Russia historically has supported Iran’s nuclear program. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin also offered to broker peace talks between Iran and Israel. Likewise, Moscow has also offered to intervene and help negotiate a nuclear deal between the U.S. and Iran. ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT: LIVE UPDATES Moscow was involved in the 2015 Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The agreement lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program, but Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018. On Saturday, the U.S. launched strikes late Saturday targeting key Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. The mission involved more than 125 U.S. aircraft, including B-2 stealth bombers, according to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. TRUMP ATTACKS IRAN NUCLEAR SITES: ARE OUR TROOPS IN DANGER FROM RETALIATORY STRIKES? Trump also touted the success of a guided-missile nuclear submarine involved in the strikes, which launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at key Iranian targets. “By the way, if anyone thinks our ‘hardware’ was great over the weekend, far and away the strongest and best equipment we have, 20 years advanced over the pack, is our Nuclear Submarines,” Trump said Monday in the Truth Social post. “They are the most powerful and lethal weapons ever built, and just launched the 30 Tomahawks — All 30 hit their mark perfectly. So, in addition to our Great Fighter Pilots, thank you to the Captain and Crew!”
Former astronaut Terry Virts launches Democratic bid for U.S. Senate in Texas
The early announcement tees up what is likely to be a crowded primary field angling for the seat held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
Ex-ICE chief warns Biden’s border crisis likely fueled Iranian sleeper threat in US
The impact of the border crisis under the Biden administration likely added fuel to the fire of an Iranian sleeper cell threat domestically, according to a former top Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official who briefly led Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Following the strike on Iranian nuclear sites by the U.S. on Saturday, DHS issued a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin warning about the risk of domestic terrorism from Iranian-backed or inspired perpetrators. “Definitely,” former acting ICE director and Fox News contributor Jonathan Fahey said when asked if the Biden border crisis likely made matters worse domestically. AMERICANS VULNERABLE TO CYBERATTACKS, LONE WOLF THREATS IN WAKE OF IRANIAN AIRSTRIKES: FORMER FBI AGENT “I think one thing that’s really concerning about that: One, they weren’t doing any really meaningful vetting in the last administration. The second part of it is, you know, we have probably 2 million known gotaways come through the last administration, and the people that went through the non-ports of entry, we knew they went through but nobody caught them, so we have no idea who went through,” he added. Fahey noted that other countries were likely paying close attention to the heavy flow of people crossing into the country illegally. He briefly led ICE toward the end of Trump’s first term and was the former deputy assistant secretary at the DHS. “But the thing that’s concerning is all of our adversaries knew at the time that we basically, in all intents and purposes, had an open border. So, to the extent they wanted to send people in to spy, to collect intelligence, to do us harm, to plan to do us harm in the future, they had carte blanche to get anyone in that they wanted to with really little or no resistance,” Fahey said. OVER 700 IRANIAN NATIONALS RELEASED INTO US DURING BIDEN ADMINISTRATION DESPITE TERRORISM CONCERNS “That’s what makes what Biden, the Biden-Mayorkas open border just so unconscionable,” he said. Fox News reported that roughly half of the 1,500 Iranian nationals who came through illegally during the Biden administration were let go into the U.S. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland,” the DHS bulletin stated. “Multiple recent Homeland terrorist attacks have been motivated by anti-Semitic or anti-Israel sentiment, and the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict could contribute to US-based individuals plotting additional attacks,” it continued. ‘OPEN BORDERS’ UNDER BIDEN COULD HELP IRAN RETALIATE WITH US TERROR SLEEPER CELLS: FORMER FBI BOSS Other national security experts also doubled down that the releases and gotaways during the Biden administration continued to pose a risk. “We don’t know where those thousand Iranians are and who knows how many others got across the border. We missed an opportunity when they caught and released those thousand. We missed the opportunity to gather intel by interviewing them and thoroughly vetting them. We just simply let them go, which is gross negligence on the part of the Biden administration,” former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker told Fox News Digital. Border czar Tom Homan also sounded the alarm about gotaways on “Sunday Morning Futures” right after the Iran strikes. “We don’t know who they are, where they came from, because they got away because border patrol is so overwhelmed with the humanitarian crisis that Biden created. Over two million people crossed the border and got away. That is my biggest concern. And that’s what created the biggest national security vulnerability this country’s ever seen,” Homan said. When it comes to known releases, the Trump administration released nobody in May, compared with roughly 62,000 releases under the Biden administration last May, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
Row over Mughal emperor Aurangzeb hits Maharashtra again, leader of THIS party calls him ‘pious man’, details here
A former MLA from the Congress party, reportedly stated that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb respected all religions and treated them harmoniously. He also criticised the ongoing political discourse in Maharashtra.
Trump campaign unleashes PAC to oust GOP congressman who questioned authority to strike Iran
President Donald Trump‘s political team has launched a political action committee (PAC) targeting GOP Rep. Thomas Massie’s congressional seat in 2026, Fox News Digital has confirmed. Chris LaCivita, a veteran Republican strategist who was co-campaign manager for Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, and Tony Fabrizio, longtime GOP pollster and Trump’s top pollster in 2024, will steer the “Kentucky PAC.” It is the first time the Trump campaign apparatus has directly targeted an incumbent Republican through a super PAC, and the move signals an aggressive new strategy to hold congressional Republicans accountable for thwarting Trump’s legislative agenda. The news was first reported by Axios on Sunday night. As the president considered whether to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, Massie emerged as the leading Republican voice willing to challenge Trump’s constitutional authority to usher the U.S. into the burgeoning conflict between Israel and Iran. When Trump announced successful strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday night, Massie was clear in his rebuttal, “This is not constitutional.” THOMAS MASSIE SAYS HE FEELS ‘MISLED’ BY TRUMP AFTER IRAN STRIKES: ‘HE’S ENGAGED IN WAR’ “FAFO ….working on the FO …” LaCivita responded to Massie on Saturday, which means, “F— around and find out.” ‘NOT CONSTITUTIONAL’: CONGRESS EVOKES NEW WAR POWERS RESOLUTION TO REJECT TRUMP’S STRIKES ON IRAN By Sunday night, LaCivita confirmed the Axios report, responding on X, “Here’s the FO” – a clear message to Massie, and any Republican who undermines the president, that Trump’s political arm is prepared to respond. Massie was elected U.S. representative for Kentucky’s fourth congressional district in 2012. The fiscal firebrand, one of the few remaining House GOP members willing to disagree with Trump, staved off Republican primary challenges in deep red Kentucky in 2020 and again in 2024. Last week, the Republican co-sponsored the War Powers Resolution along with 48 Democrats, trying to prevent Trump from striking Iran without congressional approval. Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article I of the Constitution. The War Powers Resolution seeks to “remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic State of Iran” and directs Trump to “terminate” the deployment of American troops against Iran without an “authorized declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military forces against Iran.” When Trump announced America’s successful strikes on Iran – without congressional approval – Massie and his Democratic co-sponsors, including Rep. Ro Khanna, were quick to criticize the president on social media and during a joint appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” Sunday. “I feel a bit misled,” Massie told Fox News Digital in a Sunday afternoon interview. “I didn’t think he would let neocons determine his foreign policy and drag us into another war.” The Kentucky Republican has broken from Trump on several other occasions and has been one of the few GOP officials to openly clash with the president — particularly on government spending and foreign intervention. Trump threatened to primary Massie for his unwillingness to bend on the House GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill negotiations, comments Massie subsequently used in fundraising messages for his 2026 re-election campaign. Massie was one of just two House Republicans who voted against Trump’s megabill last month, arguing it did not do enough to tackle the country’s enormous national debt, which sits at well over $36 trillion. In a lengthy Truth Social post Sunday afternoon, Trump signaled he had enough of Massie’s dissent, claiming “MAGA doesn’t want him, doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him,” and once again called him a “grandstander.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “MAGA should drop this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, like the plague! The good news is that we will have a wonderful American Patriot running against him in the Republican Primary, and I’ll be out in Kentucky campaigning really hard. MAGA is not about lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one,” Trump said Sunday. Massie did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry about the Kentucky PAC.
Greece probes Azerbaijani arrested for espionage for links to Iran
Arrest comes shortly after Cyprus detains ethnic-Azeri suspected of planning attack on military base for Iran. Greek police have arrested an Azerbaijani national suspected of spying on a NATO base on the island of Crete. Local media reported on Monday that the man was detained the previous day on suspicion of espionage. Authorities are reportedly investigating whether the case is linked to the arrest in recent days of a man with Azeri roots in Cyprus on suspicion of terror-related offences linked to Iran. The 26-year-old was arrested in Crete after he was seen scouting the air and naval base of the United States at Souda Bay, broadcaster ERT reported, citing police and intelligence sources. According to the report, authorities said he was seen photographing strategically sensitive locations and tracking the movements of warships entering and leaving the bay. The base is a strategic US and NATO facility for the eastern Mediterranean. Police seized approximately 5,000 photographs and numerous videos. The suspect is expected to be brought before a public prosecutor. The arrest came days after a similar incident in Cyprus, where a man was detained for alleged espionage and planning a “terrorist attack” on military facilities. The suspect, who was also reported to be ethnically Azeri, was said to be acting on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to Cypriot media, citing government sources, he entered the country using a British passport. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Saturday that the IRGC had attempted to carry out a terror attack targeting Israelis. Advertisement Cyprus and Crete lie close to the Middle East and have in recent days been used as a transit point amid the conflict between Israel and the US, and Iran. Since the start of the hostilities, reports of detected espionage have increased on both sides. Iran has carried out multiple arrests since Israel launched its bombing campaign on July 13, and executed several others who had been arrested in recent years. On Monday, Iran’s judiciary said it had executed Mohammad-Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh “for intelligence cooperation with the Zionist regime”, which is Iran’s term for Israel. He was also convicted of collaborating with Iran International, a Persian-language TV channel based in London that is critical of the Iranian government and that Tehran considered linked to Israel. The previous day, Iran executed Majid Mosayebi after saying he had been proved to have been working with Mossad. Late on Sunday, officials in Tehran reported that three people had been arrested in the western province of Kermanshah on allegations of espionage, one a national of a European country. Special judicial branches are now planned in provincial prosecutors’ offices and courts to handle Israeli-linked espionage cases on an “extraordinary” basis, officials added. Iran is the world’s second most prolific executioner after China, according to human rights groups, including Amnesty International. Adblock test (Why?)
As Israel-Iran war escalates, Ukraine fears ‘more losses’ to Russia
Kyiv, Ukraine – There is a Persian word millions of Ukrainians fear. Shahed – also spelled as Shaheed or Shahid, originally a Quranic term for “martyr” or “witness” – is the name given to the triangular, explosives-laden, Iranian-designed drones that became a harrowing part of daily life and death in wartime Ukraine. These days, they are assembled in the Volga-region Russian city of Yelabuga and undergo constant modifications to make them faster, smarter and deadlier during each air raid that involves hundreds of drones. Their latest Russian versions shot down in Ukraine earlier this month have artificial intelligence modules to better recognise targets, video cameras and two-way radio communication with human operators. “The word ‘Shahed’ will forever be cursed in Ukrainian next to ‘Moscow’ and ‘Putin’,” said Denys Kovalenko, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kovalenko’s face and arms were cut by glass shards after a Shahed exploded above his northern Kyiv neighbourhood in 2023. Shaheds are the most visible and audible part of the military alliance between Moscow and Tehran that is being tested this month amid attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran. Other aspects of the alliance that affect the Russia-Ukraine war include Iranian-made ammunition, helmets, and flak jackets, according to Nikita Smagin, an author and expert on Russia-Iran relations. However, the year 2022, when Putin started the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was the “peak of Iran’s significance for Russia as a military partner”, Smagin told Al Jazeera. Advertisement The Kremlin has invested tens of billions of dollars into its military-industrial complex and shadow systems to supply chips, machine tools and dual-purpose goods for its weapons that bypass Western sanctions. The flow of military technologies usually went the other way as Moscow supplied advanced air defence systems, missiles and warplanes to Tehran, keeping Israel worried. In 2009, then-Israeli President Shimon Peres told this reporter in Moscow that his visit was aimed at convincing the Kremlin to “reconsider” the sale of S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Tehran. Russia’s advanced Su-35 jets were supposed to be delivered to Tehran earlier this year, but were not seen in the Iranian sky. Washington’s arms supplies to Israel have already affected Kyiv’s ability to withstand Russia’s air raids and slow advance on the ground. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on June 9 that the White House decided to divert 20,000 anti-drone missiles earmarked for Kyiv. “Without the help of the United States, we’ll have more losses,” Zelenskyy said in televised remarks. More Ukraine-bound military aid may now be diverted to Israel, and the Kremlin “counts on this scenario”, analyst Smagin said. This possible diversion already alarms Ukraine’s top brass. Arms that were “made for Ukraine will go to the Middle, so there are no illusions about it”, Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, former deputy head of Ukraine’s general staff of armed forces, told Al Jazeera. There should be no illusions about Russia’s ability to protect Iran, he said. Even though Moscow and Tehran hail their strategic partnership, it does not envisage a mutual defence clause. Therefore, the Kremlin will hardly be able to commit to military action similar to the Russian air raids against Syria’s then-opposition to support then-President Bashar al-Assad’s faltering regime, he said. “They won’t change anything significantly,” Romanenko said. “But they will have enough for arms supplies.” Any arms supplies may, however, enrage US President Donald Trump, who has so far showed unusual leniency towards Moscow’s actions in Ukraine as his administration botched peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv. Moscow’s condemnation of Israeli and US strikes on Iran evoked a sense of hypocrisy, some observers said, as Russia’s description of the attacks sounded familiar. “No matter what arguments are used to justify an irresponsible decision to subject a sovereign state’s territory to missile and bomb strikes, [the decision] rudely violates international law, the United Nations charter and the resolutions of the UN Security Council,” Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday. Advertisement ‘Moscow and Iran compete for China’s market’ There is an area where Russia and Iran compete for multibillion-dollar oil trade profits that keep their sanctions-hobbled economies afloat. “Moscow and Iran compete for China’s market, and China will respectively have to buy more Russian oil at a higher price,” Smagin said. A third of global oil exports go through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel between Iran and Oman that is fully controlled by Tehran’s “mosquito fleet” of tiny warships. Crude prices will skyrocket worldwide if Tehran opts to close the strait to tankers. It would also strike a financial bonanza for Russia that could further finance the war in Ukraine. And as Moscow’s war in Ukraine consumes most of Russia’s resources, its reputation in the Middle East will suffer. “Reputation-wise, Russia suffers huge losses as it risks not to be seen as a great power in the Middle East,” Smagin said. If Tehran rejects Trump’s “ultimate ultimatum” to work out a peace deal, Washington’s attention to Iran and Israel may spell disaster for Kyiv. “Undoubtedly, the US’s refocusing on the Middle East and Iran is a geopolitical catastrophe for us; there’s nothing to argue about,” Kyiv-based analyst Aleksey Kuschch told Al Jazeera. Adblock test (Why?)
Can Iran really shut down the Strait of Hormuz?
Amid Israel’s ongoing attacks in Gaza and Iran, US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites has deepened fears of a regional conflict in the Middle East. Over the weekend, the United States military carried out its first known strikes against Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled pro-Western Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Tehran has vowed to respond, prompting fears of escalation. During an address to a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, Turkiye on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US crossed “a very big red line” by attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. One way Iran could retaliate is to shut the Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade route where one-fifth of the world’s oil supply – roughly 20 million barrels – and much of its liquified gas, is shipped each day. That would lead to a surge in energy prices. So, what do we know about the strategic passage, and can Iran afford to block it in response to the US and Israeli aggression? (Al Jazeera) What is the Strait of Hormuz? The Strait of Hormuz lies between Oman and the United Arab Emirates on one side and Iran on the other. It links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea beyond. It is 33km (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just 3km (2 miles) wide in either direction, making it vulnerable to attack. Energy traders have been on high alert since Israel launched a wave of surprise attacks across Iran on June 13, fearing disruptions to oil and gas flows through the strait. While the US and Israel have targeted key parts of Iran’s energy infrastructure, there has been no direct disruption to maritime activity in the region so far. Still, even before the US strikes on Saturday, the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran had sparked ocean freight rates to surge in recent weeks. Advertisement Freight intelligence firm Xeneta said average spot rates have increased 55 percent month-over-month, through to last Friday. Who would need to approve the closure? Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, but has never followed through on the threat. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council must make the final decision to close the strait, Iran’s Press TV said on Sunday, after parliament was reported to have backed the measure. However, the decision to close the strait is not yet final, as parliament has not ratified a bill to that effect. Instead, a member of parliament’s National Security Commission, Esmail Kosari, was quoted in Iranian media as saying: “For now, [parliament has] come to the conclusion we should close the Strait of Hormuz, but the final decision in this regard is the responsibility of the Supreme National Security Council.” Asked about whether Tehran would close the waterway, FM Araghchi dodged the question on Sunday and replied: “A variety of options are available to Iran.” In his first comments since the US strikes, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Israel has made a “grave mistake” and “must be punished”, but did not make any specific reference to either Washington or the Strait of Hormuz. How would the closure work in practice? Iran could attempt to lay mines across the Strait of Hormuz. The country’s army or the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) may also try to strike or seize vessels in the Gulf, a method they have used on several occasions in the past. During the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, the two sides engaged in the so-called “Tanker Wars” in the Persian Gulf. Iraq targeted Iranian ships, and Iran attacked commercial ships, including Saudi and Kuwaiti oil tankers and even US Navy ships. Tensions in the strait flared up again at the end of 2007 in a series of skirmishes between the Iranian and US navies. This included one incident where Iranian speedboats approached US warships, though no shots were fired. In April 2023, Iranian troops seized the Advantage Sweet crude tanker, which was chartered by Chevron, in the Gulf of Oman. The vessel was released more than a year later. What would it mean for the global economy? US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called on China to encourage Iran to not shut down the Strait of Hormuz after Washington carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Speaking to Fox News, Rubio said: “It’s economic suicide for them if they do it [close the strait]. And we retain options to deal with that, but other countries should be looking at that as well. It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours.” Advertisement For starters, shutting Hormuz risks bringing Gulf Arab states – which have been highly critical of the Israeli attack – into the war to safeguard their own commercial interests. Closing the strait would also hit China. The world’s second-largest economy buys almost 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports (roughly 1.6 million barrels per day), which are subject to international sanctions. According to Goldman Sachs, a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could push oil prices above $100 per barrel. That would push the cost of production up, eventually affecting consumer prices – especially for energy-intensive goods like food, clothing and chemicals. Oil-importing countries around the world could experience higher inflation and slower economic growth if the conflict persists, which could prompt central banks to push back the timing of future rate cuts. But history has shown that severe disruptions to global oil supplies have tended to be short-lived. Before the start of the second Gulf War, between March and May 2003, crude oil surged by a whopping 46 percent at the end of 2002. But prices quickly unwound in the days preceding the start of the US-led military campaign. Similarly, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sparked a sharp rally in oil prices to $130 a barrel, but prices returned to their pre-invasion levels of $95 by mid-August. These relatively quick