Yerevan – Trump wrote on social media Thursday evening that Iran is doing a very poor job of reopening the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement that was made. Earlier, he had written that there were reports Iran was charging fees to tankers wanting to pass through the strait. They should not do that. And if they were, they should stop immediately.
Since the ceasefire, twelve ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz. In peacetime, it was more than one hundred per day. A liquefied gas tanker flying the flag of Botswana named Nidi attempted early Friday to use the corridor designated by the Revolutionary Guard, suddenly turned around, and sailed back into the Persian Gulf.
That is the state of the reopening
Kuwait accused Iran and its allies of launching drone attacks on Kuwaiti facilities overnight into Friday despite the ceasefire. A National Guard base was hit and damaged, but no one was injured.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard denied the attacks in a statement and said that if the reports were true, it was the work of the Zionist enemy or America. Saudi Arabia confirmed that an attack had damaged the important East-West pipeline, which transports oil to the Red Sea and bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The strike on a pumping station disrupted the flow of around 700,000 barrels per day. Additional attacks reduced crude production by a further 600,000 barrels per day.
Islamabad is preparing. Pakistan announced that journalists and delegates traveling for the talks between the United States and Iran would receive visas on arrival. Interest from the global press is enormous. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with the American Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker to discuss final arrangements. US Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner are expected as delegates.
South Korea is sending Chung Byung-ha as a special envoy to Iran to negotiate the safety of Korean citizens and free passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed the visit.
Kamal Kharazi, former Iranian foreign minister and longtime foreign policy adviser to the slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, died late Thursday from injuries sustained in an airstrike last week. Kharazi had said in 2022 that Iran possessed the technical means to build a nuclear bomb, but that no political decision had been made. He served as foreign minister under reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer traveled through the Gulf region - Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar - and also spoke with Trump about efforts to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has repeatedly publicly attacked Starmer during this war for his refusal to participate in the war against Iran.
China, Iran’s largest trading partner, says it is reviewing its role in finding a lasting end to the war. Trump told the AFP news agency that he believes China played a role in pushing Iran toward agreeing to the ceasefire. Beijing’s involvement strengthens China’s image as a stabilizing force and could give it negotiating leverage ahead of Trump’s planned visit next month.
Australia rejected participation in the war. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said Australia is not part of this conflict against Iran, even though it has provided a reconnaissance aircraft to the UAE. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott had called in a newspaper article for Australia to offer fighter jets to the United States. Marles politely disagreed. Trump has repeatedly criticized Australia during the war for its restraint. Australia says it has not received any request for assistance.
Air travelers worldwide are now feeling the war in their wallets. Rising fuel costs are forcing airlines to cut schedules and raise prices. Experts warn that even if oil prices fall, airfare reductions will take months, as airlines will first wait for stability in energy markets before adjusting their pricing.
And then this …
The attack and the silence afterward - soldiers describe a night that was different from how it was portrayed
On March 1, 2026, an Iranian strike hit an American site at Kuwait’s Port Shuaiba. Six US soldiers were killed, more than 20 were injured. Survivors reported that their unit had been insufficiently protected there.
Survivors of the deadliest Iranian attack on US forces since the beginning of this war are openly challenging the Pentagon’s official account and describing a situation that is hardly compatible with Washington’s version. What was presented as a controlled situation is described by soldiers on the ground as a moment in which their unit in Kuwait was effectively left unprotected. One of them has described in detail how the attack unfolded and how little preparation there was from his perspective.
The statements are not about minor discrepancies, but about the sequence of events itself. They concern a lack of protection, a situation in which soldiers did not know whether further attacks would follow, and the feeling that they were left on their own at a critical moment. This point directly contradicts the Pentagon’s account, which had described the incident as under control.
The soldier describes the attack as sudden, intense, and without sufficient warning. Particularly serious is the question of why the affected unit was apparently not better protected, even though the situation in the region had been tense for weeks. The fact that this attack was the deadliest since the beginning of the war reinforces the impression that more went wrong here than just a single mistake.
This creates a picture that goes beyond this one attack. It shows how quickly reality and official narrative can diverge once war is no longer confined to maps and briefings, but takes place where people are hit.
Sirens are sounding …
Sirens sounded Thursday evening in Tel Aviv. Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel. Israel’s military said it had struck around ten launch positions in Lebanon that had fired rockets into northern Israel.
Islamabad opens its gates. Talks begin tomorrow.
The Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
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