Brent crude broke $103 on day 55 of the Iran war as President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to destroy any boat laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran collected its first transit tolls from passing ships. Trump told Fox News he is “in no rush” to end the conflict.
The Order
Trump posted on Truth Social that he had ordered the Navy to “shoot and destroy any boat, no matter how small” that lays mines in the strait.
“Their warships are ALL, 159 of them, at the bottom of the sea!” Trump wrote. “No hesitation.”
Minesweeping operations will continue at tripled intensity, he said. Trump also claimed complete US control over the strait, stating that no ship can enter or exit without American Navy approval.
CENTCOM reported that US forces ordered 33 ships to turn back or return to port under the maritime blockade, up from 31 reported earlier the same day.
Iran Collects Tolls
Iran has received its first revenues from transit tolls charged to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, parliament deputy speaker Hamid Reza Haji Babaei announced.
The fees were deposited to the Central Bank of Iran, Tasnim news agency reported. Babaei did not disclose the amount.
Tehran is now charging for passage through the waterway it has otherwise blocked.
Oil Breaks $100
Brent crude surged to $103 per barrel, up nearly $6 in 24 hours. The spike followed the collapse of the second round of peace talks in Islamabad and the renewed Hormuz closure.
Oil has risen 43 percent from pre-war levels of roughly $72 per barrel.
Ship Seizures
Iranian forces have seized multiple commercial vessels with international crew members in recent days.
Iranian troops boarded the MSC Francesca. Croatia’s foreign ministry confirmed two Croatian sailors are aboard. Montenegro’s government confirmed four Montenegrin crew members. All are reported safe.
An IRGC fast boat approached the MSC Epaminondas, a Greek-operated container ship, roughly 20 nautical miles off the coast of Oman. The attackers opened fire, struck the vessel and caused damage before boarding. The 21-member crew includes Ukrainians and Filipinos. Greek operator Technomar Shipping confirmed all crew are safe with no injuries.
The US Navy intercepted the Iranian-flagged TOUSKA on Sunday and boarded the M/T Majestic X in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday.
Mojtaba Khamenei’s Weak Grip
New supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei does not exercise the centralized power his late father held, The New York Times reported.
A combat collective of IRGC commanders now makes key decisions on war, peace and diplomacy, the newspaper reported. A former advisor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described Mojtaba as running the country “like a board chairman,” with generals as board members.
Sanam Bakhtiar of Chatham House said the new ayatollah is mostly presented with decisions already made.
UN: 32 Million Into Poverty
More than 32 million people worldwide will fall back into poverty even if the Iran war ends tomorrow, the United Nations warned.
The global economy is losing between 0.5 and 0.8 percent of GDP, Alexander De Croo, head of the UN Development Programme, told Reuters. Energy price spikes and growing food supply insecurity drive the losses. Fertilizer shipments through Hormuz have been disrupted.
“Planting season is now,” De Croo said. “If you plant now without access to fertilizer, productivity will be significantly lower in September, October and November. Food insecurity will peak in a few months.”
Italy Sends Minesweepers
Italy is ready to deploy up to four ships, including two minesweepers, to clear the Strait of Hormuz, Italian Navy chief Admiral Giuseppe Beruti Bergoto said. The mission is planned in cooperation with the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Ceasefire Until Sunday
The extended ceasefire will expire on Sunday, US officials told Tel Aviv, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.
Trump told Fox News host Martha MacCallum he is “in no rush” to end the war and wants a “good deal.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said negotiations are ongoing and Trump has made his red lines clear to Iran: hand over enriched uranium.
Washington is “waiting for a response from the Iranian regime,” Leavitt said, which “still cannot send a unified message.”