The temperature in the Middle East ratcheted up again on Monday as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards promised a “firm response” against any vessel attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz outside of designated shipping lanes. The threat, reported by Le Monde, adds a dangerous new dimension to an already combustible region.
Hours later, U.S. President Donald Trump escalated the rhetoric further, declaring that the United States would not allow “the crazies to acquire nuclear weapons” and demanding Iran raise “a white flag.” Trump characterized Iran’s military as “essentially destroyed,” telling supporters: “They’re playing games, but let me tell you something: they want to make a deal. And who wouldn’t, when your military has been essentially destroyed?”
The nuclear question found a separate flashpoint in Washington, where more than twenty Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding greater transparency about Israel’s nuclear arsenal — what L’Espresso called “Pulcinella’s secret,” the open secret that has persisted for over sixty years. The lawmakers want the administration to more transparently brief Congress on the atomic balance of power in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Der Spiegel reported on how Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir continues to fuel political radicalization, with two new videos illustrating what the outlet called a “political brutalization” and a steady lowering of inhibitions around violence in Israeli society.
In the United Kingdom, four activists from the now-banned Palestine Action group were convicted for a 2024 attack on an Elbit Systems weapons factory in Bristol, during which they rammed a van through the facility’s fence and caused an estimated one million pounds in damage.
