Overview
- Iran launched a fresh wave of missiles at Israel on Thursday, as Israeli forces kept striking targets inside Iran and clerics moved toward choosing a successor with Mojtaba Khamenei described as the leading contender.
- The U.S. Senate voted 53–47 against advancing a measure to halt the air campaign and require congressional authorization, leaving President Donald Trump broad latitude to continue operations.
- A U.S. submarine torpedoed and sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka, killing roughly 80–87 sailors, in what officials described as the first such U.S. submarine strike since World War II, while U.S. commanders say more than 2,000 Iranian targets have been hit.
- NATO air defenses intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile headed toward Turkish airspace, a first in this conflict for the alliance’s systems, with U.S. officials saying the episode does not appear to trigger collective-defense obligations.
- Global trade and energy flows remain strained as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is largely stalled, oil prices rise, and at least one LNG tanker reversed course to Asia, with Washington pledging but not yet beginning naval escorts for commercial ships.