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Iran Hormuz control 

Iran has strongly rejected US President Donald Trump's latest claim that the Strait of Hormuz is open and under full control of the United States. The Persian Gulf Strait Authority said in a social media post that repeated claims by US officials that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer blocked do not change the reality on the ground. It added that the strategic waterway remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted. The authority’s comments came a day after the new secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council announced that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the US changes its behavior and accepts Tehran's conditions. Major General Mohsen Rezaei stressed that the US must end the war and blockade, release Iran's frozen assets, and agree to a region-wide ceasefire, including in Lebanon and Gaza. Despite Trump's claims to control of the Hormuz Strait, global oil prices have been rising since Iran declared the closure of the waterway. Tehran dismisses Trump’s statements as desperate attempts to calm global markets and shore up his declining popularity ahead of the midterm elections.

Hormuz environmental pollution 

Iran has slammed the US, Israel and their allies for causing environmental pollution in the Strait of Hormuz, saying addressing this issue must be an integral part of any future administration of the Strait. In a social media post, the Foreign Ministry's spokesman said in recent days, oil pollution has been seen along the shores of Qeshm Island, which has drifted toward the island from the Persian Gulf. Esmaeil Baghaei added that preliminary evidence indicates a foreign bulk carrier as the source of the contamination, which has been documented at three coastal sites and across portions of the sea surface. He said the main parties responsible for this environmental pollution are the aggressors and their partners who have transformed the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman into a theater for military operations and the testing of highly destructive weaponry. Baghaei emphasized that all parties that benefit from commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz shoulder a legal and moral obligation to remediate the environmental harm inflicted upon the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

Suicide among US marines 

More reports are emerging about mental health crisis and violence aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, as sailors and marines are left stranded with insufficient supplies amid a months-long deployment tied to the Iran war. According to two specialist military papers, some 500 sailors aboard the carrier are facing an intensifying mental health crisis after spending nine months at sea without making land. The reports say there have been multiple suicide attempts by sailors who tried to jump overboard as deteriorating conditions and mounting psychological stress aboard the carrier approach a breaking point. Families of sailors and members of Congress have also sounded the alarm over dire conditions on board, including moldy showers, broken toilets, lack of hot water and adequate hygiene, and insufficient meals. The new revelation came after earlier reports emerged of violence aboard the carrier that resulted in at least seven deaths and several injuries. The USS Abraham Lincoln is currently stationed in the Indian Ocean to enforce a naval blockade on Iran.

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