— 🇺🇸/🇮🇷 President Trump on the U.S. naval blockade against Iran:

‘It’s a very profitable business. We’re sort of like pirates.’

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— 🇺🇸/🇮🇷 NEW: An investigation by CNN has revealed ‘unprecedented destruction’ at 16 U.S. military bases in the Middle East, with some of them being rendered ‘virtually inoperable’

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— 🇺🇸/🇮🇷 CNN Senior Analyst: Iran is preparing to use ‘suicide dolphins’ against U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf

@Middle_East_Spectator

Today boring af

—❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷 Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency:

Iran, through the Pakistani mediator, has submitted a response to the U.S. focusing on a permanent end to war.

Some of the Iranian demands revolve around the following points:

– Guarantees of no new military aggression by the U.S. or Israel.

– The withdrawal of U.S. military assets from the Middle East.

– Lifting of the naval blockade.

– Unfreezing Iran's blocked assets.

– Payment of war reparations.

– Lifting of economic sanctions.

– Permanently ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.

– A new mechanism for management of the Strait of Hormuz.

@Middle_East_Spectator

— 🇺🇸/🇮🇷 President Trump on whether he’d order further strikes against Iran:

‘It’s a possibility. That could happen, certainly.’

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—❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷 BREAKING: President Trump on Truth Social says Iran has not yet paid a ‘big enough price’ for ‘what they’ve done to humanity’:

‘I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can't imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP’

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—❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷 NEW: Iran has given the U.S. a 1-month deadline to remove the naval blockade and permanently end the war on all fronts, in exchange for a limited and controlled opening of the Strait of Hormuz – Axios

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—❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷 NEW: Iran will only consider discussusing its nuclear program after the U.S. naval blockade is lifted and a permanent ceasefire has been signed with guarantees – Axios

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— 🇺🇸/🇮🇷 A small but important note about the current U.S. naval blockade against Iran:

I see many OSINT and news channels claiming that the blockade is not effective. They share examples of Iranian tankers evading the blockade, like this one which reached Asia with 1,9 million barrels.

To be blunt, it doesn’t matter if a few Iranian tankers manage to evade the blockade. As long as the MAJORITY are being intercepted, which is currently the case, then unfortunately the blockade is definitely effective, even if Iranian media do not want to admit it.

But effective in one way does not mean effective in another. Is the blockade effective in economically crippling Iran? Yes, although this economic shock won’t be felt until a few months from now. But is the blockade effective in changing Iran’s negotiating position? No.

And apart from that, the U.S. will suffer from Hormuz closure more than Iran in the short term. And that’s what really matters and why we will likely see a new escalation.

@Middle_East_Spectator

—❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷 NEW: Speedboats of the IRGC Navy intercepted a vessel attempting to enter the Strait of Hormuz without Iran’s permission

@Middle_East_Spectator

—❗️🇮🇷/🇦🇪 NEW: The IRGC Navy has ordered oil tankers anchored off the coast of UAE to ‘move from their anchorages’

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— 🇺🇸/🇲🇦 NEW: Two U.S. soldiers went missing during a training exercise with the Moroccan military, according to the Wall Street Journal

The two soldiers likely drowned after falling from a cliff into the ocean.

@Middle_East_Spectator

—❗️🇦🇪/🇮🇷 UPDATE: The IRGC Navy directed the vessels to leave their anchorages off Ras Al-Khaimah and move away towards Dubai, or ‘face the consequences’

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