The US has launched its third consecutive night of strikes on Iran, hours after Donald Trump said Washington would reinstate a maritime blockade on the country and charge ships for safe passage. The UAE reported that two national tankers were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters, killing one Indian crew member and wounding eight others, including four seriously.
Change in US position on free navigation
On Monday, Trump said the US would demand a 20% tariff on all cargoes shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. Until now, the US had maintained that the strait should remain open to all without tolls, as it was before Washington and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February. Any attempt by the US or Iran to charge fees would violate global norms on freedom of navigation and could cause further economic disruption far beyond the region, according to experts.
Iran and the US are in theory nearly halfway through the 60-day period of an interim deal intended to set up talks for a permanent end to the war, which began in February with the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. However, the deal has devolved into a series of attacks over the strait, resulting in the near-total collapse of an interim ceasefire and worrying world leaders that the conflict could fully resume.
Lindsey Graham’s sister appointed to Senate
Henry McMaster, South Carolina’s governor, appointed Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to replace him in the Senate after his death on Saturday, following Donald Trump’s recommendation. Her appointment was welcomed by lawmakers from both parties. Nordone, 64, said: “Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him. I promise to work hard over the next several months to support the president and carry forward the efforts of my brother on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina and the United States. I think this is what Lindsey would have wanted, and I plan to honor him in this way.”
Rubio launches campaign to dismantle ICC
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, launched a campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday, claiming the global tribunal interferes with US military and law enforcement operations at the risk of American sovereignty. Rubio invoked images of US border patrol agents and elected leaders being “dragged before an international court” and tried by foreign judges. “If we stand idle, all of them will be at the mercy of foreign judges, thousands of miles away – facing the constant risk of prosecution and even imprisonment for the so-called ‘crime’ of defending their own country,” Rubio said in a video.
Other news
Minnesota prosecutors have received long-withheld evidence on the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti during protests earlier this year. Mexico plans to file criminal complaints over the killing of migrants by ICE in the US, with President Claudia Sheinbaum saying Mexicans were “outraged” over the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by agents in Houston. A US judge nullified Trump’s deal to resolve his IRS lawsuit, ruling the $10bn suit was brought for “improper purpose”. Idaho will have a ballot measure for a reproductive freedom law reversing a strict abortion ban. Polish-Ukrainian solidarity over the Russian threat is undermined by a historical dispute over a WWII massacre.
Stat of the day: US refunds $81bn in Trump tariffs
The US government has already paid back tens of billions of dollars in tariffs collected before the Supreme Court ruled them illegal, according to budget figures released on Monday. The refunds amount to $81bn.
Cultural and scientific news
The South African drama The Polygamist has become Netflix’s latest breakout smash. Meanwhile, one of the largest and most complete T rex skeletons, ‘Gus’, is to be auctioned by Sotheby’s with an estimated price of $20m-$30m, worrying scientists. Prof Richard Butler said: “Dinosaur fossils being marketed and sold like rare artworks at vast prices by auction houses is very concerning. A fossil not in a recognised museum collection cannot be studied and is therefore lost to research.” Sam Neill was remembered by co-stars and neighbors following his death.
Climate check: Trump reduces size of national monuments
Donald Trump approved a sharp reduction in the size of two national monuments in Utah – Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante – held sacred by many Native Americans, in the latest move to open public land to corporate developers and the oil and gas industry. The monuments contain ancient cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, scenic canyons, and coal and uranium deposits that state officials want made available for development.
