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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced today that the Strait of Hormuz is only closed to ships from the United States, Israel, Europe, and other Western allies. Iran also denied Turkey’s claim that it had fired a missile towards Turkish airspace yesterday. Jessie Teung reports for CNN; Yan Zhuang and Leily Nikounazar report for the New York Times.
Iranian drones today struck Nakhchivan, an autonomous territory of Azerbaijan, according to the Azerbaijani foreign ministry. Iranian missiles also struck the camp of an Iranian Kurdish force based in Iraq this morning, according to an official from the Komala Party. Georgi Kantchev reports for the Wall Street Journal; Erika Solomon reports for the New York Times.
U.S.-Israeli strikes have killed 920 people in Iran and injured thousands, the Iranian Health Ministry announced yesterday. NPR reports.
“An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said yesterday. The Sri Lankan navy said it recovered 87 bodies from the attack in the Indian Ocean and rescued 32 people. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today accused the United States of an “atrocity at sea,” adding, “Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set.” Francis and Bharatha Mallawarachi report for AP News; Yan Zhuang and Leily Nikounazar report for the New York Times.
The Israeli army yesterday said it bombed a compound in Tehran housing Iran’s cyber warfare headquarters. It is unclear to what extent the military sites were damaged or whether there were any casualties. Iran remains under an almost total internet blackout since the U.S.-Israeli joint operation began on Saturday, limiting the flow of information coming out of Iran. Maggie Miller reports for POLITICO.
Over 17,500 U.S. citizens have returned to the United States from the Middle East since Saturday, Assistant Secretary of the State Department Dylan Johson said late last night. Several countries, including the U.K., India, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Australia, are working to increase flights and safe border crossings from the region. Karina Tsui reports for CNN.
Iranian Kurdish forces based in Iraq are preparing armed units that could enter Iran, according to Iraqi officials and senior members of Iranian Kurdish groups. The CIA gave small arms to the Iranian Kurdish forces before the war began as part of a covert program to destabilize Iran, according to sources. Two U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios that Iranian Kurdish groups are backed by Mossad, as well as the CIA, adding that the goal is to take over a specific territory in the Kurdish region inside Iran in order to challenge the regime. Sources told the Washington Post that Trump offered Kurdish leaders “extensive U.S. aircover” to take over portions of western Iran during calls this week. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday reports that Trump had agreed to any plan for the Kurds to launch an insurgency in Iran were “completely false.” Erika Solomon, Julian E. Barnes, Christiaan Triebert, Parin Behrooz, and Farnaz Fassihi report for the New York Times; Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report; Karen DeYoung, Mustafa Selim, Ellen Nakashima, and Warren P. Strobel report.
U.S. Central Command is asking the Pentagon to send more military intelligence officers to its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to support operations against Iran for at least 100 days but likely through September, according to a notification obtained by POLITICO. Nahal Toosi, Jack Destch, and Paul McLeary report.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week asked the White House for clarifications after learning that U.S. officials might be communicating with the Iranian regime, two sources said. The sources added that Israeli intelligence had obtained information that raised suspicions that Iran and the United States had been in contact to discuss a ceasefire. “The White House told Bibi that the Trump administration wasn’t talking to the Iranians behind his back,” one source said. An Iranian official said yesterday that Iran had not sent any messages to the United States, adding, “Iran’s armed forces have prepared themselves for a long war.” Barak Ravid reports for Axios; Reuters reports.
IRAN WAR – POLITICAL RESPONSE
The White House said yesterday that Spain had agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military in its operation against Iran after Trump threatened to cut off all trade. Following Leavitt’s comments, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares denied that Spain had made such an agreement. Reuters reports.
Defense ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland yesterday joined a call about the conflict in Iran. In a statement, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said they discussed how the nations’ armed forces would be protecting their citizens and “supporting their allies.” Britain’s Ministry of Defense said later on Wednesday that its fighter jets had been carrying out “defensive air operations across the Middle East,” but emphasized again that they were “in defense of British interests and allies.” Lizzie Dearden reports for the New York Times.
“[The U.S.-Israeli] attacks, which were followed by Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the region, run counter to the UN Charter,” the U.N. Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said in a statement yesterday. The U.N. probe also condemned the strike on a girls’ school in Iran on Saturday. Olivia Le Poidevin reports for Reuters.
Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine yesterday declined to address responsibility for a strike on the Iranian girls’ school, which killed at least 175 people. “All I can say is that we’re investigating, and that we, of course, never target civilian targets,” Hegseth said. The top Pentagon officials also said that fighting in Iran was far from over, with Hegseth adding, “we’ve only just begun to hunt, dismantle, demoralize, destroy, and defeat their capabilities. Greg Jaffe reports for the New York Times; Paul McLeary reports for POLITICO.
The Senate yesterday voted 47-53 against a resolution that would require the Trump administration to get congressional approval before taking any further military action against Iran. The vote was mostly along party lines; Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only Republican who supported the resolution. Connor O’Brien reports for POLITICO.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
The United States and several countries in the Middle East have approached Ukraine for help in defending against Iranian Shahed drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday. Russia has fired tens of thousands of Shaheds at Ukraine since the war started over four years ago. Zelenskyy said he will only provide assistance in countering Iranian drones if it does not weaken Ukraine’s own defenses. “We help to defend from war those who help us, Ukraine, bring a just end to the war” with Russia, Zelenskyy said. Illia Novikov and Hanna Arhirova report for AP News.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Xi Jinping today announced a 7% increase in China’s military spending and a new five-year plan focused on advancing AI, quantum computing, and 6G to strengthen China’s economic and military power. “In the midst of fierce international competition, we must win the strategic initiative,” the plan said. Chris Buckley and Lily Kuo report for the New York Times.
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez yesterday announced that the United States and Venezuela will be working together to develop mining in Venezuela. Burgum also met with mining and oil executives from both countries during his Venezuela trip. Two sources told Axios that Venezuela’s state-owned mining company on Monday signed a multimillion dollar deal to sell as many as 1,000 kilograms of gold destined for U.S. markets. Ione Well reports for BBC News; Marc Caputo reports.
Ecuador yesterday declared Cuban Ambassador Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez, and his diplomatic staff, “persona non grata,” giving them 48 hours to leave the country. Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not provide a reason in its announcement. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said on social media that it seemed like “no coincidence” that Ecuador expelled Cuba’s diplomatic staff at the same time the United States was asserting pressure on Cuba and other governments in the region. Gabriela Molina reports for AP News.
U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS
ICE is taking steps to close Camp East Montana, a massive immigration detention centre near the U.S.-Mexico border that opened less than eight months ago, according to an internal document reviewed by the Washington Post. The document indicated that ICE is drafting a letter to terminate its $1.2 billion contract, without providing a timeline or reason for the decision. A spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department said that DHS is reviewing the facility to ensure it meets standards, and that no decisions have been made in relation to the contract. Douglas MacMillan reports.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The House Oversight Committee voted yesterday to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify about her handling of the Epstein files. Five Republicans joined all Democrats in support of the motion. Hailey Fuchs reports for POLITICO.
The Justice Department was unable to move forward with making a case that former President Biden and his top aides broke the law in using the autopen to sign presidential documents, three sources said. Michael S. Schmidt, Devlin Barrett, and Alan Feuer report for the New York Times.
WhatsApp messages reviewed by the Miami Herald show that a group chat set up for students at Florida International University by Miami-Dade County’s Republican Party secretary quickly became flooded with racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic content. FIU said that the chat logs are now being examined as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Claire Heddles reports.
Harvard University will allow active-duty troops to defer their admission for up to four years in response to the Pentagon’s ban on academic involvement with the school. Harvard will also work with students accepted to Harvard Kennedy School’s programs to get expedited consideration at four other graduate schools that have not been banned, according to a source and a letter obtained by POLITICO. Leo Shane III reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem yesterday denied allegations from DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari that she and her deputies obstructed investigations by blocking access to key government databases and information systems. Noem told the House Judiciary Committee that the inspector general had not properly defined the scope of his requests, adding Cuffari “wants unfettered access to every single thing in the department, and that’s not the process.” Karoun Demirjian, Hamed Aleaziz, and Michael Gold report for the New York Times.
“We’re here this afternoon for a historic signing that will help keep down utility bills very, very substantially and electricity prices for millions of Americans,” Trump said from a White House event yesterday announcing a “ratepayer protection pledge” with major tech companies. Energy experts told POLITICO that the pledge is unlikely to protect ordinary consumers from all of the electricity prices driven by rapid expansion of AI data centers. Zack Colman, Gabby Miller, and Katherine Long report.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal trade-court judge yesterday ordered the Trump administration to start refunding more than $130 billion it collected in global tariffs invalidated by the Supreme Court last month. More than 2,000 lawsuits have been filed by companies seeking to recoup their money. Lydia Wheeler, James Fanelli, and Louise Radnofsky report for the Wall Street Journal.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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ICYMI: Yesterday on Just Security
