What's mined is yours
Iran, Israel, the US, the UK, and Brazil.
Hello,
Here are the five things you need to know today:
IRAN. The Strait of Hormuz stays choked up.
ISRAEL. The battle comes home for Netanyahu.
UNITED STATES. Tehran hijacks the Epstein scandal.
BRITAIN. Farage gets trumped by the war.
BRAZIL. Let down by the courts, Lula goes for the jesters.
And don’t forget to connect with me on LinkedIn.
IRAN. Strait to hell
The Strait of Hormuz stays choked up.
The US said it had sunk 16 Iranian minelayers after CNN reported sea mines were being placed in the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump threatened a response “at a level never seen before”. Failed drone interceptions in the UAE rose to 26%.
INTELLIGENCE. Four minesweepers recently returned to the US for decommissioning. Another four are in Japan. The navy’s new littoral combat ships can do the job, but the mere possibility of mines in the Strait will keep it choked up. Naval escorts are yet to materialise. A tweet by the US Energy Secretary suggesting one happened was deleted. Iran said this was to “manipulate” the oil price (crude did fall sharply before rebounding). It’s a game all sides can play.
FOR BUSINESS. Commercial crews won’t want to test if there are mines in the Strait. The navy won’t want to be a sitting duck. It would seem the US did not adequately prepare for this scenario. Complicating Trump’s victory dance, meanwhile, are claims by Lindsey Graham and others that the real objective remains regime change, for which a longer campaign will be necessary. By Israel’s estimations, this could mean at least a full year of chokepoint chicken.
ISRAEL. Orb and interceptor
The battle comes home for Netanyahu.
Sirens failed to sound in an "isolated failure", which saw a satellite ground station hit by Hezbollah missiles, the IDF said Tuesday. The Lebanese militia said it was "waiting" for a full Israeli invasion. Iran sent three missile salvos overnight.
INTELLIGENCE. Iran and Hezbollah have finite resources but so does Israel. Missile