France Turns on Israel. Iran Can't Find Its Leader. Trump: Shoot the IRGC Navy

Trump ramped up the U.S. naval blockade of Iran overnight, ordering the Navy to shoot any boat caught placing mines in the Strait of Hormuz and tripling the number of mine sweepers working the strait right now. In a Truth Social post, Trump said "No ship can enter or leave without the approval of the United States Navy. It is sealed up tight, until such time as Iran is able to make a DEAL." He added that Iran's naval ships, all 159 of them, are at the bottom of the sea.

CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command) confirmed forces have directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the blockade. Overnight, U.S. forces boarded the sanctioned stateless tanker M/T Majestic X in the Indian Ocean carrying Iranian oil. The USS New Orleans intercepted the Iranian cargo ship Touska in the Gulf of Oman. At least 8 U.S. Air Force KC-46A tankers using the callsign "ADOBE" are heading to the Middle East via the Mediterranean, supporting the deployment of at least 12 F-18 jets into CENTCOM.

The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) hit back. Iranian state TV aired footage of fast attack boats firing on and boarding three international cargo ships in the strait, including the MSC Francesca and Epaminodes. The White House said the seizures were not a ceasefire violation because the vessels were not U.S. or Israeli. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called Iran "a bunch of pirates" and confirmed the blockade targets all shipping going to and from Iranian ports.

The squeeze is measurable. Leavitt said Iran is losing $500 million a day. Iran's annual government budget sits around $56 billion. If the blockade holds for 2 to 3 months, the loss lands near the size of Iran's entire annual budget. Leavitt said "there's a ceasefire with the military and kinetic strikes, but Operation Economic Fury continues. We are completely strangling their economy."

31

Vessels Turned Back

$500M

Iran Loss Per Day

3x

Mine Sweepers In Strait

Mojtaba Is Hiding. Generals Are Running Iran.

The New York Times confirms Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains in a hard-to-access hideout with limited entry, surrounded mainly by medical staff. He has not released a recorded message because he does not want to appear vulnerable or sound weak. Due to security concerns and his current condition, Mojtaba has delegated significant authority to military generals, who are now the dominant voice in key decisions.

Those generals also ordered the cancellation of the Iranian delegation's planned arrival in Pakistan this week ahead of the second round of talks. An Iranian source told Hezbollah-linked Lebanese outlet Al Akhbar that Tehran informed Pakistan's mediator the Lebanon clause is non-negotiable and must be included. A Pakistani official told Al Arabiya there is "cautious optimism" and ongoing communications with Iran, but Tehran's response has not yet arrived.

The NYT also reports that Iranian President Pezeshkian, a trained surgeon, has been personally involved in the medical care of Mojtaba. Trump read the situation directly: "Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is. They just don't know." In a separate post, Trump shared a quote suggesting that if Iran is split into a faction that wants a deal and one that doesn't, "let's kill the side that doesn't want it."

The Crown Prince Holds Court, Gets Paint Thrown

Iran's exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi held a press conference in Berlin today. An Islamic regime supporter approached him on the street saying "we love you, please come back" before throwing a bucket of orange paint on him. He walked in and gave the conference anyway.

Pahlavi went sharp on the regime, on Western media, and on the deal everyone is trying to cut. He called chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi "not pragmatists, not reformers, not IRGC," just enforcers of the regime's agenda. Asked if he's an Israeli asset, he said no, then added he is a friend to Israel and to the Jewish people.

He told Western reporters there's a disconnect between their coverage and the reality on the ground in Iran, and said they read about the tragedies of war but not about the regime's crimes against Iranians. On the solution, he was blunt: "The ultimate solution is to end this regime, and this is a great opportunity for the world."

France Wants to Sanction Israel. Hezbollah Just Killed 2 French Soldiers.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned that sanctions against Israel are coming within days over Israel's policies in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and Lebanon. Barrot said sanctions are currently blocked by Hungary's veto, but he believes that veto will be lifted under Hungary's new PM and the measures will land in the coming days.

The timing is awkward. Hezbollah killed 2 French soldiers serving in UNIFIL this week. Under Macron, France has still not designated or sanctioned Hezbollah as a terror organization. Now France plans to sanction Israel. The joke writes itself.

Macron sits at 23% in the polls as France grapples with mass immigration from Islamic countries and a severe cost of living crisis. Meanwhile, France still cannot stop focusing on Israel. For context, Israel built a $62,000 per capita economy in 78 years. France has had 232 years to build its $47,000 one.

Hezbollah Fires, IDF Holds Back, Washington Talks

Hezbollah blatantly violated the ceasefire today by firing an anti-tank missile at IDF forces in Lebanon. No casualties. Hezbollah said it was in response to Israel's alleged ceasefire violation in Tairi. Hezbollah also released footage showing its own rocket launches during the ceasefire. The Israeli Air Force intercepted a suspicious aerial target in southern Lebanon.

Despite repeated violations, Israel has held back from a major response following a U.S. request. The Trump administration does not want fighting in Lebanon to derail talks with Iran. The second round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks kicked off in Washington today at 4 PM local time, a source at the Lebanese embassy told Al-Nahar. The Lebanese PM said Lebanon cannot sign any agreement without a full Israeli withdrawal, and that disarming Hezbollah "is a process and will not happen overnight."

On the ground, the IDF eliminated Hezbollah operatives Mouhamad Hourani and Ali Bazzi in a targeted strike and apprehended a Hezbollah Radwan Force operative who was allegedly planning an imminent attack on Israeli troops. The suspect surrendered during the operation. Hezbollah keeps testing the line. Israel keeps absorbing hits. The moment Iran talks wrap, that posture likely ends.

The military phase with Iran is paused. The economic phase isn't. Trump is tightening the blockade every hour while Mojtaba hides and his generals run the clock. Pahlavi is betting the world sees the same vacuum he does. France is picking a fight with Israel in the middle of it. And Hezbollah keeps firing, because the moment the Iran file closes, theirs opens.