U.S. destroyers engage with Iran in Hormuz

• Iranian media (Tasnim, Fars, IRGC sources) say the IRGC answered after Washington fired first on an Iranian oil tanker and then hammered three destroyers (Truxtun, Mason, Peralta) with missiles, drones and fast boats. Tehran claims hits on at least one destroyer. Washington swears zero damage and total victory. Same old script. This wasn’t the opening move. It followed Washington’s strikes on Iranian launch sites around Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas, after the US had already fired on the Iranian oil tanker trying to move through waters the empire has no right to blockade. Iran answered the way a sovereign nation defends its own backyard when someone tries to choke it off. All of this while the same administration swears a ceasefire is still in place and “Project Freedom” is paused for talks that never seem to materialize. The Strait, which carries one fifth of the world’s oil, isn’t some neutral shipping lane. It’s Iran’s front door, and the owners of the Gulf just reminded everyone what happens when you keep trying to kick it in. The empire keeps testing the same red line and keeps getting the same answer. Iran won't play ceasefire theater. They answer force with force and Iran just delivered round two. Let's see what US-Israel-UAE come up with next.

• Criminal Trump to ABC Network: 'The retaliatory strikes against Iranian targets following Iran’s attacks were nothing more than a light slap.'

• Fars reports Friday morning sporadic clashes in the Strait of Hormoz between Iran-US forces. This comes after CENTCOM “disabled” two empty VLCC tankers returning to Iran. The earlier reports where Sirik locals heard explosions are therefore related to this event. 
• Washington Post: U.S. intelligence says Iran can outlast Trump’s Hormuz blockade for months. A confidential intelligence community assessment delivered to the White House also finds that Iran retains a substantial missile and drone arsenal. Iran still retains around 75% of the mobile missile launch platforms it possessed before the war. Iran still retains approximately 70% of its missiles.

• The atmosphere in the Pentagon is reportedly in "disarray," with senior officials fearing that the internal cohesion required for a functioning military has been severely damaged by Hegseth’s leadership reports the Guardian.
• High-ranking Navy commanders were refusing to follow Trump's orders to enter the Strait of Hormuz after Iran destroyed their key refueling base, said Brandon Weichert, a former US Congress staffer. (It now appears that last night they did try to send US destroyers into Hormuz.)

• Al Arabiya, quoting a Saudi official, denied the report by Wall Street Journal and says Saudi Arabia has not granted the US permission to use its airspace to support offensive military operations.
• Saudi Arabia and Kuwait lift airspace ban for US forces.  Reversing earlier restrictions, Riyadh and Kuwait City have reportedly permitted the US military to use their airspace and bases to support operations reopening the Strait of Hormuz, removing a major hurdle for Washington's naval initiatives. (A prime example of the fog of war.)

• Bahrain’s normalization-aligned Parliament has revoked the membership of three MPs after they objected to measures taken against individuals sympathetic to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• Hebrew newspaper Haaretz: Israel is going through an unprecedented phase that could lead to its complete disintegration. Netanyahu has succeeded in establishing the equation that ‘the state is me,’ and his political fate has become directly tied to the fate of state institutions.
• US military test-fires Tomahawk missile in Philippines. American forces launched a Tomahawk cruise missile from a mobile Typhon launcher during joint military exercises in the Philippines. It marks the first operational test of the mid-range system since its deployment to the archipelagic nation. To ultimately be aimed at China.
• Israeli Channel 14: We are stuck both militarily and strategically in Lebanon, and Hezbollah is imposing the equation, while soldiers are wounded or killed every day.
• The Wall Street Journal: US airlines spent more than $5 billion on jet fuel in March, up 56% from February, as both fuel consumption and prices increased. The higher costs are forcing airlines to reduce routes and raise ticket prices. Lufthansa has lost €1.7 billion due to rising jet fuel prices caused by the war with Iran resulting in 3,000 layoffs.

• Markus Weidt in Berlin, Deutschland writes: "I envy the people in Iran, on the streets together at night. They have a culture, a people, a country, a civilization, a home. We in Germany are homeless, we in Europe are homeless, we in the West are homeless. We don't belong anywhere. We have lost our civilization. And there has been much evil. I propose to all the Europeans here that we openly and loudly bid our farewell to 'Europe'… Let us write a requiem for this Europe together so that we can move on to a better world and create something new and more just in its place."

• Chen from Dunhuang, China writes: "Ah, Where is the world? So few people here. I am here to say I stand with the Axis of Resistance. You silent ones. Bark! At least bark! Bark if you are alive! That is a beginning."
• It is well known that the German elite is desperate to drag anyone within reach into the processes of the accelerated development of precision-guided weapons with a range of at least 1,000 km; in other words, anyone who shares the German hysteria over the Russian threat. It is no coincidence that ArianeGroup, a French-German company with considerable experience in designing rockets, has entered into negotiations on this matter with a number of European countries. Alongside Norway, Germany would like to develop a sea-based supersonic cruise missile with a host of European states that endorse their policies, France, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK. Under the European Long‑Range Strike Approach project, talks are ongoing about designing and subsequently producing a land-based cruise missile with a range of over 2,000 km.

• In order to indulge the militaristic plans of its defense industry, the political establishment in Berlin, turning a blind eye to the worrying signals emanating from the German economy, is pumping enormous sums into arming the Kiev junta. Ukraine is to be allocated €4 billion for the purpose of intensifying bilateral dialogue in the military-technical domain. These funds are intended to expand the joint production of UAVs and medium-to-long-range drone systems, a move that will result in thousands of drones being supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. German company Quantum Systems has reported the establishment of two new joint ventures with Ukrainian military manufacturers of tactical reconnaissance and attack aerial vehicles and interceptor drones, WIY Drones and Tencore, to develop and mass-produce unmanned systems. 
• US probes suspicious oil trades ahead of Iran war announcements. The Justice Department and CFTC are investigating over $2.6 billion in suspicious oil-market shorts placed shortly before major announcements by President Trump regarding the conflict with Iran, raising concerns of massive insider trading.

• Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quotes Nahum Barnea: 'Just as in the confrontation with Iran, the decision-makers also misjudged the strength and resilience of Hezbollah. Intelligence knows how to assassinate a commander, but it does not know how to understand the other side’s capabilities and steadfastness.'
• Marco Rubio announced more sanctions on Cuba. They will eventually sanction the very air that the Cubans breathe. “Today’s sanctions demonstrate that the Trump Administration will not stand by while Cuba’s communist regime threatens our national security in our hemisphere. We will continue to take action until the regime takes all necessary political and economic reforms.” Everyone should understand how completely bizarre this is to say that Cuba threatens the national security of the US. A few weeks ago in a speech, the Cuban leader, Miguel Díaz-Canel, stated the situation correctly. He said 'Cuba is not a failed state, Cuba is a besieged state.'
• With just a week to go until the crucial Nakba commemoration march in London (UK) on 16 May, the Palestine Coalition has made a formal complaint to the Mayor of London about Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley. The legal letter refers to recent antisemitic smears Rowley made in the media about our movement and the over 30 peaceful marches for Palestine rights we have organised since October 2023.
• Locals in Cuzco, Peru say Zionists are taking over and causing problems. Cuzco is a provincial capital in Peru near numerous Incan ruins, such as Machu Picchu, one of the seven modern wonders of the world. Signs are written in Hebrew in Pisac, which is nearby. They took land from indigenous people in West Asia and now they’ve come for Latin America. They won’t stop until they’re stopped. 

• Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich: 'This war must end with changing the borders of the State of Israel -  in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Syria, and of course in the West Bank. If it were up to me, we would have annexed territory long ago.'
• Leaked recordings expose US-Israeli plot to destabilize Latin America. El Pais reports leaked audio recordings point to a coordinated effort involving figures including Donald Trump, Juan Orlando Hernández, Javier Milei, and Benjamin Netanyahu to interfere in Latin America through disinformation campaigns targeting governments in Mexico and Colombia. The recordings reveals that Hernández, who is backed by Trump and supported by Milei, sought to establish a media platform from the US to spread fake news and destabilize the administrations of Claudia Sheinbaum and Gustavo Petro.

• One-third of men in the US are not working or looking for a job, the lowest level since 1948 aside from the pandemic, Labor Department data shows.
• Immigrants are giving up their cases and departing the US in soaring numbers. People facing the prospect of prolonged ICE detention are increasingly abandoning their claims for humanitarian protection and agreeing to depart voluntarily.
• During the first quarter of 2026, the US government approved over $45 billion in potential Foreign Military Sales with the overwhelming majority supporting Middle Eastern allies. Of total global approvals, the region garnered 81 percent, or over $36.6 billion in estimated sales value for defense equipment. 
• Very interesting… something to keep an eye on: American Special Ops Command mothership, MV Ocean Trader, was seen at Diego Garcia. MV Ocean Trader is basically a gigantic floating Command Center for special operations and has barracks for special forces. 
• The UAE is funding the training of a new police force in Gaza with 100 million dollars.