Key development: US Navy warships entered the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and Iran fired warning shots at them, marking the first direct military engagement since Washington announced its escort operation. Iran also hit a major UAE oil facility in Fujairah with a drone and fired missiles at UAE targets, while threatening that European military bases could become “legitimate targets.”
Military Operations
(Update) US warships entered the Gulf through Hormuz and Iran fired warning shots at them. The first direct military engagement since Washington announced its escort operation. (France24)
Context: This is what “Project Freedom” looks like in practice—US Navy vessels pushing through the strait while Iran takes live shots at them. The operation started Monday to reopen shipping lanes and escort hundreds of stranded commercial vessels out of the Gulf. Iran had warned this would violate the ceasefire.
Sources: France24
(Update) Iran hit a major UAE oil facility in Fujairah with a drone, starting a fire. The UAE also shot down three Iranian missiles over its territorial waters and a fourth crashed into the sea. (France24)
Context: This is the first time Iran has gone after UAE industrial infrastructure since the ceasefire began in early April. Previously they’d hit ships and struck at Dubai. The UAE called it a “dangerous escalation” and said they reserve the right to respond. The attacks came the same day the US started its Hormuz escort operation.
Sources: France24
(Update) Iran threatened that European military bases could become “legitimate targets.” Tehran also published its own navigation map warning US ships and tankers to stay out of certain Hormuz waters. (Euronews)
Context: Iran’s hardliners are expanding the list of potential targets beyond the immediate Gulf. The navigation map is Tehran’s counter to the US escort operation—essentially drawing red lines in the strait and daring Washington to cross them. Iran also attacked more ships in Hormuz and hit UAE targets again on the same day.
Sources: Euronews
Regional Actors
Hezbollah switched to fiber-optic drones that Israeli jamming systems can’t touch. A new battlefield capability that changes the tactical picture in Lebanon. (France24)
Context: Hezbollah got pulled back into fighting in March when tensions with Iran escalated. Early on they used rockets and mortars, but analysts say they’ve now deployed drones with physical fiber-optic cables for control—meaning Israel’s electronic warfare tools are useless against them. Israel has been running air strikes and ground operations in southern Lebanon in response, displacing hundreds of thousands.
Sources: France24
US Policy
Trump told Congress the Iran war is over, so he doesn’t need their authorization anymore. His 60-day War Powers deadline expired Friday. (France24)
Context: The War Powers Resolution says a president has to get congressional approval within 60 days of starting military action. Trump hit that deadline Friday. His response: the law is unconstitutional anyway, and besides, the conflict already ended under the early April ceasefire. This position sits awkwardly alongside the ongoing US Navy escort operation in the Strait of Hormuz, where American warships are currently taking fire from Iran.
Sources: France24
What to watch: Whether Iran keeps shooting at US Navy ships as the escort operation continues, and whether the UAE actually follows through on its threat to respond to the Fujairah attack.