Strait of Hormuz cleared, Iran sanctions debate deepens
Trump announces mines removed from Hormuz as Iranian activist warns sanctions empower extremists.
Strait of Hormuz cleared, Iran sanctions debate deepens — US President Donald Trump announced this afternoon that all mines in the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz have been removed or detonated, adding that any ship laying new mines will be destroyed.[^1] Trump noted that through the Space Force, the US is monitoring every square meter of the strait, as it also does with Mount Pikax and three other nuclear sites that have already been destroyed. The announcement comes as Iranian oil exports to China have dropped to about 534,000 barrels per day, compared to an average of about 1.4 million last year.[^2] The floating stock outside the blockade zone has fallen from about 105 million barrels to about 80 million, and the rial has lost about 80% of its value against the dollar since 2022.[^3] An Iranian political activist opposing the regime warns that continued American sanctions will strengthen extremist elements in Tehran, arguing that the economic pressure on the public does not affect the government.[^4] This tension is reflected in a report citing regime officials who admit the economic pressure is working, while a separate analysis suggests Iran is betting the West will break first.[^5] Meanwhile, Pakistani Chief of Staff Asim Munir, who arrived yesterday for a short visit to Tehran, did not carry a threatening message from the US, according to Iran's Tasnim agency. The divergence between the activist's warning and the regime's own admissions raises a sharp question: if sanctions are squeezing the economy but not the government, who exactly is being weakened? And if extremist elements are being strengthened, what does that mean for the Strait of Hormuz—now declared mine-free by Trump—and the ships that might challenge it? Coalition cracks widen as Gafni signals post-Netanyahu era — The Degel HaTorah chairman, MK Moshe Gafni, told party members in a closed conversation that he does not intend to recommend Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister. "I know who I will recommend to the rabbis for prime minister — and it's not Netanyahu," Gafni said, according to a report in Maariv.[^1] The remark, from a key coalition partner, suggests the trust defici