The U.S. Navy has declined near-daily requests from shipping companies for escorts through the Strait of Hormuz, saying the threat of Iranian attacks is still too high.

Although Trump has said the U.S. is ready to escort tankers if needed, military officials say options are still under review and no commercial ships have been escorted yet.

Source: Reuters

NEW: Germany is releasing part of its strategic oil reserves to ease fuel price spikes caused by the Middle East war.

BREAKING: Spain removes ambassador to Israel.

BIG: Iran’s Khatam-al-Anbiya HQ spokesman says they will not allow even one liter of oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for the benefit of the US and its allies, warning oil prices cannot be kept low artificially.

At least three cargo vessels were struck by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, with one ship catching fire and crews evacuated as maritime authorities launched investigations into the incidents.

Thailand’s navy later identified the vessel as Mayuree Naree, saying it had been attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

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Israeli Defense Minister Katz:

Iranian leadership flee like rats into tunnels, just like the Hamas leadership in Gaza. Today, they are essentially twins of Hamas.

From those tunnels, they issue orders to fire on civilians and civilian targets in Israel and across the entire region. This is what they have become—the twin leadership of Hamas.

Thousands have been killed. They are hiding this by shutting down the internet, but I understand that hospital morgues are full. We are targeting terrorist forces here, not civilians. This must continue.

We will keep acting against this regime and its strategic targets in Tehran and throughout Iran, day after day, target after target.

We will continue this to also empower the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow this regime. Ultimately, that is up to them.

Ukraine Sends Drone Experts to Gulf

Ukraine has deployed air defense specialists to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to help counter Iranian drone attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

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Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Spokesperson:

Get ready for $200 oil per barrel.

Spain will launch a tool to measure hate speech on digital platforms as part of a broader plan to increase oversight of social media companies.

The tool, called HODIO (Spanish for Footprint of Hatred and Polarisation), will track the presence, spread, and impact of online hate speech.

Its results will be made public to show how platforms respond to harmful content.

Companies including Shell and TotalEnergies have declared force majeure to customers receiving LNG sourced from QatarEnergy, after Qatar halted production at its 77 mtpa LNG facility.

Source: Reuters

The U.S. requested temporary access to Romania’s Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base to support Middle East operations, including refueling aircraft, deploying fighter jets, and sending up to 500 personnel.

Romania is expected to approve.

Japan will begin releasing oil from its reserves as early as Monday to offset disruptions in Middle Eastern supply, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday in Tokyo.

Germany will release part of its national oil reserves as energy prices rise amid the war involving Iran, Energy Minister Katherina Reiche said, joining a coordinated move by G7 countries.

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The government of Spain has removed its ambassador to Israel, according to a decision published Wednesday in the official state gazette.

Following the move, Spain’s embassy in Tel Aviv will be led by a chargé d’affaires, a source at the Spanish Foreign Ministry said.

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CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper:

We have struck more than 5,500 targets inside Iran, including more than 60 ships.

CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper:

Our warfighters are leveraging a variety of advanced AI tools.

These systems help us sift through vast amounts of data in seconds, so our leaders can cut through the noise and make smarter decisions faster than the enemy can react.

Humans will always make the final decisions on what to shoot, what not to shoot, and when to shoot. But advanced AI tools can turn processes that used to take hours, and sometimes even days, into seconds.

A 250-kg unexploded World War II bomb was found near Dresden’s former Carola Bridge in eastern Germany, prompting the evacuation of around 18,000 residents, tourists and commuters.

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Trump:

I predict that “Representative”Thomas Massie will go down as the WORST Republican Congressman in the long and fabled history of the United States Congress, even worse than Crazy Liz Chaney, Cryin’ Adam Kinzinger, and Marjorie “Traitor” Brown (Remember, Green turns to Brown under stress!).

They are all misfits and losers, but Massie, who is running against a great American Patriot in the Kentucky Primary, will hopefully lose BIG. I LOVE KENTUCKY!!!

Iran will not participate in the 2026 World Cup after the United States killed its leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said Wednesday.

“Since this corrupt regime has assassinated our leader, we cannot participate in the World Cup under any circumstances,” he told state TV.