The Babylon Times

UPDATE:📜 IRAN SAYS STRAIT OF HORMUZ SECURITY FIRM AS US BLOCKADE JEOPARDIZES SHIPPING Trump relays Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf claiming the Strait of Hormuz security equation is solidifying. That's amid US and allied ceasefire violations and a blockade choking shipping and energy transit. Ghalibaf notes the US can't stomach the mess, while Iran hasn't even fully hit back yet. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 GUARDIAN SMACKS DOWN TRUMP CLAIM ON STRAIT OF HORMUZ The Guardian newspaper rebutted former US President Donald Trump's claims about opening the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping companies say they can't pass through without Iranian permission. Iran keeps a firm grip on the strait, ready to hit any unauthorized crossers. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 IRAN'S GHALIBAF SAYS STRAIT OF HORMUZ EQUATION HARDENING AS US TWITCHES AND IRAN HASN'T EVEN STARTED Iran's Majlis Shura Council President Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announced the new equation for the Strait of Hormuz is solidifying. He noted the United States can't stomach the current setup, while Iran hasn't fired its first shot in response. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 HAARETZ SAYS NETANYAHU WILL STEP DOWN BUT STATE DIES WITH HIM Haaretz reports Netanyahu will eventually relinquish power, sooner or later. The paper claims the damage he's inflicted on Israel's governance and international credibility won't be easily repaired. The state, it seems, expires alongside his exit. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 US FORCES STRIKE IRANIAN CIVILIAN GOODS BOATS KILLING FIVE Iranian state television and radio say U.S. forces attacked two small boats Monday, hauling civilian goods from Khasab on Oman's coast to Iran. Strikes killed five people. IRGC combat naval vessels nearby got a pass. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER SLAMS UAE FOR BETRAYING ISLAMIC WORLD AND PALESTINE In September 2020, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—hailed by supporters as the martyr imam—ripped into the United Arab Emirates for stabbing the Islamic world, Arab peoples, regional countries, and Palestine in the back. He warned their betrayal won't stick around long, but the shame? That's glued to them forever. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 WHITE HOUSE LAWYERS BRIEF POLITICAL APPOINTEES ON DODGING CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT White House lawyers run private 30-minute briefings for political appointees, complete with PowerPoint slides on handling congressional oversight and crafting responses. Officials gear up for Democrats possibly seizing Congress in November midterms, as polls give Dems a strong edge. Washington Post. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRANIAN FM WARNS US AND UAE NOT TO FALL INTO ZIONIST QUAGMIRE AMID PROGRESSING NEGOTIATIONS Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cautioned the United States and United Arab Emirates against getting sucked into a quagmire by ill-intentioned parties. This comes even as negotiations show actual progress. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

UPDATE:📜 IRAN FM SAYS STRAIT OF HORMUZ CHAOS PROVES NO MILITARY FIX FOR POLITICAL MESS Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi points to recent Strait of Hormuz events as Exhibit A that bombs won't solve the political standoff. Talks are inching forward, courtesy of Pakistan's mediation. He warns the US and UAE not to let ill-wishers drag them back into the swamp. Araghchi dubs Project Freedom—Project Deadlock. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 SAUDI ARABIA TAXES KAABA WHILE BEGGING IRAN NOT TO FEE HORMUZ STRAIT Mohammad al-Farah from Ansar Allah's political bureau in Yemen says Saudi Arabia's slapping financial fees on the Kaaba itself. At the same time, the Saudis demand Iran keep its hands off fees for the Strait of Hormuz. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 US INTEL SAYS IRAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM BARELY TOUCHED BY RECENT FIGHTING U.S. intelligence figures claim the latest clashes left Iran's nuclear push mostly unscathed. They stick to their sunny estimate: Iran could whip up a nuke in 9 to 12 months if it felt like it—same as last year's crystal ball. Tehran's hoard of highly enriched uranium sits there largely untouched and unaccounted for, the key bit experts say dictates any bomb timeline. Source: Reuters. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 TRUMP CALLS US-IRAN CONFLICT A MINI-WAR WITH PUBLIC ALREADY BORED Trump, in remarks on Iran, declared the US is waging a "mini-war" there. Most incoming threats got shot down, one slipped through for limited damage. He griped about public impatience with the pace, stacking it against America's 19-year Vietnam slog, 10+ years in Iraq, 7 in Korea, and World War II. Trump held back on calling it an Iranian ceasefire breach, instead nudging South Korea to take action. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 US ARMY HITS UAE OIL FIELD TO CARVE OUT STRAIT OF HORMUZ SHIPPING CORRIDOR Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, quoting a military source, says the US Army deliberately struck an oil field in the UAE. The attack's supposed goal: force open a shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz. Emirati bloggers now finger Saudi Arabia for egging it on at Fujairah port, thanks to a Saudi-tied social media post that "predicted" the whole thing 72 hours ahead. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 TRUMP BRUSHES OFF 32% OPPOSITION POLLS AS FAKE AMID IRAN TENSIONS Trump calls polls showing 32% opposition to his presidency "totally fake." He insists support would climb if questions pivoted to whether Iran should get a nuclear weapon, yet admits the 32% sticks around anyway thanks to pollster screw-ups. This as U.S.-Iran friction ramps up, with Lindsey Graham accusing Tehran of cease-fire breaches and a top Iranian official hinting at more military moves. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 SENIOR IRANIAN OFFICIAL WARNS OF UPCOMING US-ISRAELI ATTACK A senior Iranian official let Drop Site News know that assessments point to another military strike on Iran coming soon. This comes right after Iran's latest moves sparked the usual U.S. and Israeli saber-rattling. No word on when, where, or what they'd hit—because why spoil the surprise. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 IRGC BRIGADIER GENERAL JOWANI DEMANDS PERMISSION FOR SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ OR FACE FIRM RESPONSE Brigadier General Jowani, Iran's IRGC assistant for political affairs, laid it out plain: any ship eyeing that patch of the Strait of Hormuz needs a nod from the Islamic Republic's armed forces to stay safe. Hostile enemy vessels trying to sneak through? They'll get a firm response. This drops as reports swirl of a US military attack on an oil field at UAE's Fujairah port. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 SECRET SERVICE SHOOTS PERSON NEAR WHITE HOUSE IN DC U.S. Secret Service cops opened fire on one person near 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C., right by the White House and National Mall. The shot individual's condition is a mystery. No word yet on motive, suspect, or if any officers took a hit. @TheBabylonTimes

📜 TRUMP CLAIMS HE COULD BAN EMPLOYMENT AND HIRED A MILLION PEOPLE WITH ONE PEN SWIPE Trump dropped this gem in a public appearance: "I could, with one swipe of the pen, I can say, 'Let’s have no employment, and I will hire a million people.'" Because nothing says economic genius like outlawing jobs to staff up. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

UPDATE:📜 EMIRATI BLOGGERS ACCUSE SAUDIS OF PRE-KNOWING US STRIKE ON FUJAIRAH PORT Emirati bloggers point fingers at Saudi Arabia for inciting the Fujairah port attack, after a Saudi-linked Twitter account predicted it 72 hours ahead. Recent reports pin the hit on a deliberate US military strike on a nearby UAE oil field, supposedly to carve out a shipping passage through the Strait of Hormuz. No official word confirms Saudi involvement. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum

📜 SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM CLAIMS IRAN VIOLATED CEASE-FIRE Senator Lindsey Graham informed the Wall Street Journal that Iran has absolutely violated the cease-fire agreement. Because nothing says "ironclad proof" like a senator's say-so. @TheBabylonTimes | Forum