First Thing: US starts naval blockade of Iranian ports after deadline passes
Iran says Americans will be hit with higher fuel prices due to the blockade. Plus, summers are growing longer globally
Good morning.
The US has begun blocking ships from using Iranian ports in the Gulf, transforming the US-Israeli war against Iran into a test of economic endurance.
US Central Command (Centcom) made no formal announcement of the start of the blockade but said it would begin on Monday at 5.30pm Iranian time and would apply to any ships entering or departing Iranian ports or coastal areas. Ships using non-Iranian ports would not be affected.
It appeared that US naval forces were going to try to enforce the blockade east of the strait of Hormuz, in the Gulf of Oman, beyond easy reach for Iranian missiles and drones.
The American strategy aims to wreck the Iranian economy, which is heavily dependent on oil, forcing Tehran to reopen the strait of Hormuz to ships from the ports of Gulf allies and accept a complete ban on uranium enrichment. Iran has said that Donald Trump’s blockade will burden ordinary Americans with higher fuel costs.
How could Centcom enforce the blockade? It is unclear, but as a missile strike on a tanker attempting to break the blockade could cause an environmental disaster, it is possible that US forces could try to board and seize any vessel not obeying their instructions.
Follow the latest updates on our live blog.
Republican and Democrat step down from Congress amid expulsion threats
Tony Gonzales, a Republican representative for Texas, announced on Monday he was resigning from Congress after he admitted to having an extramarital affair with a staffer.
Gonzales, who was facing a growing threat of expulsion by his colleagues, admitted last month that he had an affair with an aide who later died by suicide.
His announcement came hours after Eric Swalwell, a Democratic representative who had been running for governor of California, said he was resigning from Congress after multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.
Did Swalwell also face expulsion? Yes, there were bipartisan calls for it. Swalwell acknowledged the threat of removal from office, saying: “Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.”
Mark Carney secures majority government in Canada after special election win
Mark Carney’s Liberal party has secured a majority government after winning three special elections in Ontario and Quebec, CBC has reported.
The wins will allow the Canadian prime minister’s government to push through his agenda without relying on the opposition, because it now has 174 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons, according to the public broadcaster. Carney has said a majority would help him deal more effectively with the trade war started by Trump.
When will Canada’s next election be? A majority government allows Carney to decide the precise timing of the next election, whereas minority governments risk snap elections. National elections are due to be held in 2029.
In other news …
The US military said it killed two people in another boat strike in the eastern Pacific Ocean, claiming – without providing evidence – that the targets were involved in “narco-trafficking operations”.
A 16-year-old from Florida has been charged with sexually assaulting and killing his 18-year-old stepsister on a cruise ship in November.
Donald Trump has deleted a post featuring an AI image of himself as a Christ-like figure after anger from Christians.
Iran has said it has released the assets of the captain of the Iranian women’s football team, which were frozen after she made and then withdrew an asylum claim in Australia last month.
Stat of the day: 1.8bn to be affected by metabolic liver disease by 2050, study suggests
Metabolic liver disease will affect 1.8 billion people worldwide by 2050, primarily driven by rising obesity and blood sugar levels, a study has suggested. There are 1.3 billion people living with the disease at present, according to the latest estimates – a 143% increase in three decades.
Culture pick: Euphoria season three review – grubby, desperate and absolutely not worth the wait
Euphoria has released a mere 18 episodes since its 2019 debut, with its production schedule hampered by everything from the pandemic to the Los Angeles wildfires. The high-school drama barely managed to wrap filming on season three before most of the cast hit 30. Hannah J Davies argues that season three is just not worth your time, calling it “a grubby, humourless work of torture porn”.
Don’t miss this: Francesca Albanese on death threats, danger and dread after accusing Israel of genocide
Francesca Albanese has been getting a rockstar welcome everywhere she goes – definitely not the norm for a UN rapporteur. But she is no typical UN expert: she was the first in the intergovernmental organisation to call Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide, and has emphatically spoken out about the complicity of western states and corporations. Albanese, who has been placed under sanction by the US and has faced death threats, explains how she has paid the price for doing so.
Climate check: ‘Suddenly, boom, it’s completely warm.’ Summers are getting longer
Summer conditions are more intense, arriving earlier and lasting longer than before, research spanning 10 global cities shows. The change, which is largely a result of human-induced global heating, means summer is becoming six days longer with each decade.
Last Thing: Dolly Parton tops list of global figures in US favourability poll
Dolly Parton, the country star and 11-time Grammy winner, has topped a poll of 20 international figures, coming ahead of her two closest competitors – Barack Obama and Volodymyr Zelenskyy – by a 50-point margin. The American public will always love you, Dolly.
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