Iran's oil threat and Greece's air-defense shift
An Iranian official threatens Gulf oil exports as Greece moves a Patriot battery to Crete overnight.
Iran's oil threat and Greece's air-defense shift — Mohsen Rezai, an Iranian official, stated that if the economic blockade continued, Iran would prevent Gulf oil exports from leaving the region.[^1] The threat comes as US President Donald Trump recently announced economic warfare against Iran, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent promised tough sanctions.[^1] Iran still has ballistic missiles with a range exceeding 2,000 kilometers.[^2] Greece moved a Patriot battery from the island of Karpathos to the island of Crete overnight.[^3] The redeployment suggests a shift in defensive priorities amid rising regional tensions. The move follows the broader pattern of NATO allies adjusting their air-defense postures in the eastern Mediterranean. Separately, a source in the Peace Council accused Israel of not upholding the 20-point agreement, stating that Israel "does not allow pushing Hamas into a corner of voluntary disarmament or Israeli action with international backing."[^4] The accusation highlights a growing gap between diplomatic frameworks and operational realities on the ground. Likud primaries and the fracturing right: ideology loses to cronyism — Idan Marash analyzes the Likud primary results and reaches a sharp conclusion: cronyism has defeated ideology.[^1] The sidelining of MKs like Amit Halevi (19th place), Ariel Kallner (26th), and Hanoch Milbitsky (22nd) in favor of figures like David Bitan (15th) and Miri Regev (4th) suggests the party's internal selection process rewarded loyalty over principle.[^1] Meanwhile, the right-wing bloc is fragmenting further. Ofer Winter announced a new party, eating into mandates from Likud, Religious Zionism, and Otzma Yehudit.[^6] Today, Amichai Shikli harshly attacked Yashar party chairman Naftali Bennett in a post on X, writing: "I've met liars and scammers in my life... but none of them come close to Bennett's ankles." Shikli recalled a personal meeting with Bennett on May 5, 2021, on the eve of publishing his letter against the formation of the change government. Minister Yariv Levin is advancing the selection of the head of the Police Internal Investigations Department (Mahash) during an election period, a mov