The Blockade Is Working. Iran Knows It.

The Wall Street Journal reports President Trump has told aides to prepare for a prolonged blockade of Iran. U.S. officials see the conflict ending neither with a nuclear deal nor a return to full-scale war. Trump is comfortable maintaining an open-ended economic stranglehold.

The damage is visible in the numbers. The Iranian rial hit an all-time low today at 1,810,000 to one U.S. dollar. Six weeks of war with the U.S. and Israel have flooded the open market with demand for foreign currency. More than a million Iranians are out of work. Food prices are surging. A prolonged internet shutdown is crushing online businesses.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Kharg Island, Iran's primary oil export terminal, is nearing storage capacity, which will force the regime to cut production. White House sources told Reuters that Trump and oil companies have discussed steps to continue the blockade for months if necessary. Japan's PM confirmed a Japanese tanker carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi crude successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran responded on state TV with a warning of "unprecedented military action" if the U.S. continues seizing Iranian-linked vessels. Ahmad Kaveibi, a member of Iran's Supreme Council of Experts, said it is "forbidden to hold any negotiation on the right to enrich uranium."

Trump posted on Truth Social: "Iran can't get their act together. They don't know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!" He followed up: "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!"

War Secretary Pete Hegseth will testify before Congress for the first time since the start of the Iran war.

1.81M

Rial Per Dollar

1M+

Iranians Out of Work

6

Weeks of Blockade

Islamist Stabs Two Jewish Men Outside Golders Green Synagogue

Two visibly Jewish men were stabbed today outside a synagogue in Golders Green, London. The attacker, described as an Islamic immigrant, armed himself with a kitchen knife and specifically identified his targets. One victim is in his 70s, the other in his 30s. One is now in serious condition after paramedics performed CPR at the scene.

The community's private security watch Shomrim detained the attacker before police arrived. Footage shows the attacker chasing two London police officers, who initially retreated. They used a Taser moments later, bringing him down.

UK PM Keir Starmer called it "deeply concerning."

The attack came in the same neighborhood where a Muslim pro-Hamas convoy once drove through with megaphones shouting threats at Jewish residents. Older footage from that incident resurfaced today.

Lebanon on the Brink of Civil War

France's Defense Minister warned that Lebanon is on the brink of civil war. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme say over 1.2 million people in Lebanon face severe hunger as a result of the Israel-Hezbollah war.

The ceasefire continues to collapse. Two launches from Lebanon targeted northern Israel today, one intercepted, one in an open area. The IDF intercepted a separate Hezbollah drone over southern Lebanon. Amer Hujayrat, 44, an Israeli Defense Ministry contractor from Shefa-'Amr, was killed when a Hezbollah explosive drone struck his excavator.

PM Netanyahu left his trial for a security consultation over a pro-Palestinian flotilla heading toward Gaza. Israeli officials assess the convoy includes around 100 vessels carrying 1,000 activists from multiple countries.

Lebanese MTV News reports no developments in Israel-Lebanon negotiations. Lebanon is conditioning progress on a full Israeli ceasefire. President Aoun said the Lebanese file is now on the U.S. President's desk. Reports in Lebanon that Aoun's life is in danger are being taken seriously at Baabda Palace.

Trump is settling in for a long siege. The rial at 1.8 million per dollar, over a million unemployed, Kharg Island filling up. Iran's negotiating room shrinks each week. In London, the Golders Green stabbing targeted Jews outside their synagogue in broad daylight, with police initially retreating from the attacker. Lebanon is a third front that keeps heating up while everyone talks ceasefire. Three pressure points, all moving at once.