Iran, Intrusive Government, Zohran Mamdani, and More

From Dispatch:

U.S. Navy Blockades Iran

The U.S. imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, preventing all vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports from using the sea route. President Donald Trump first announced plans for the blockade on Sunday, after talks for a peace deal with Iran fell apart in Pakistan over the weekend. A U.S. notice reviewed by Bloomberg on Monday showed that the military would enforce the blockade through a three-step process of “interception, diversion, and capture,” though it gave non-Iranian-flagged ships and other neutral vessels a window to leave the area. The notice said U.S. forces would permit shipments of humanitarian goods to aid Iranian civilians to safely cross through the Strait of Hormuz and into Iranian ports, so long as they submit to an inspection. In response, the Iranian regime accused the U.S. of violating international law and said that its blockade “amounts to piracy,” and warned that U.S. naval vessels will encounter a “strong and forceful response” in the Strait of Hormuz. To learn more about the blockade, keep reading today’s TMD.

• Both the U.K. and French governments declined to participate or assist the U.S. in implementing the blockade.

• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron said in separate statements on Monday that they would jointly host countries “separate from the warring parties” to a summit this week, in which they will aim to develop a “coordinated, independent, multinational plan” to ensure safe commercial passage across the Strait of Hormuz.