Welcome back to Global Overview, where we feature new United States plans for Strait of Hormuz, The Houthis accusations against Saudi Arabiaand European Union restrict access to social media for children.
Guardian of Hormuz
For months, the United States has cited Iran’s claims over the Strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s vow to impose tariffs on commercial shipping, as a reason for the continued war. “It’s an international waterway,” the US Secretary of State said Marco Rubio he said last month. “No country is allowed to levy taxes or fees on international waterways. That is existing international law.”
Welcome back to Global Overview, where we feature new United States plans for Strait of Hormuz, The Houthis accusations against Saudi Arabiaand European Union restrict access to social media for children.
Guardian of Hormuz
For months, the United States has cited Iran’s claims over the Strait of Hormuz, including Tehran’s vow to impose tariffs on commercial shipping, as a reason for the continued war. “It’s an international waterway,” the US Secretary of State said Marco Rubio he said last month. “No country is allowed to levy taxes or fees on international waterways. That is existing international law.”
On Monday, US President Donald Trump flip the textvowing to maintain US control over the strategic route and charging all cargo ships high access costs.
“The United States will, from this point forward, be known as the ‘GUARDIAN OF THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ,'” Trump said. he wrote on Social Reality on Monday. “(B)therefore, and as a matter of JUSTICE, shall be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% of all freight shipped, for any and all expenses necessary to perform the work of providing safety and security to this fragile part of the Earth.”
A fifth of the world’s oil and gas once passed through the Strait of Hormuz. However, since the Iran war began in late February, Tehran has closed roads, disrupting supply chains and increasing energy costs. The White House has he repeatedly insisted that US forces will reopen the channel to everyone—tax-free. “There is no nation on Earth that is willing to pay through hardship,” Rubio said on June 25.
However Trump said Fox & Friends A Monday that America is no longer interested in to work for free. “We will be paid because other countries are very rich, they are on our side, and we cannot be expected to do it for nothing,” the US president said.
In response, the United Nations International Maritime Organization be damned any attempt by Washington or Tehran to impose tariffs, as doing so would violate international navigation rules. And Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) he warned that the continued military intervention of the United States in the strait “could lead to more serious incidents in the international oil and gas sector.”
Those threats have not stopped Trump from reimposing US military sanctions against Iran. “The Strait of Hormuz is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday, announcing the blockade.
First installed in mid-April, the White House lifted the embargo in June to comply with US-Iran terms. memorandum of understanding (MOU). Although resuming the ceasefire violates the two sides’ cease-fire agreement, the MOU appears to be already in a critical state after a few days of tit-for-tat strike.
“We had a plan. It was a complete plan, and then they broke it,” Trump said Fox News Monday, referring to Iran’s attacks on merchant ships last week. “They always break it. We’ve had 10 contracts with these guys. And so, we’re going to beat them big time.” The US Central Command said that on Sunday its forces he hit several of Iran’s targets in retaliation for Iranian attacks on ships in the strait.
The US military has tried to establish a route through the waterway that runs through Iran’s waters by hugging the coast of Oman. But Tehran is not happy, attack the ship who use alternative methods. “We continue to assert our authority and control over the Strait of Hormuz with force and power, and we will force the foreigners and their allies to submit to the will of the Iranian people,” an IRGC spokesman said. Reuters on Monday.
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The World This Week
Tuesday, July 14: Israeli and Lebanese officials begin a two-day round of talks in Rome.
Thursday, July 16: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcoming Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Nominations are expected for the leadership race of the British Labor Party. If no one else stands to challenge MP Andy Burnham, then he is expected to replace outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, July 20.
Sunday, July 19: São Tomé and Príncipe holds presidential elections.
What we’re after
A new front. Houthi rebels in Yemen the suspect Saudi Arabia on Monday launched airstrikes at Sana’a International Airport and vowed to retaliate, testing the tests hard agreement between Riyadh and the Iran-backed group in Yemen. “This aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished,” Brig. General Yahya Saree, a Houthi official, wrote on Telegram.
Saudi Arabia did not say anything about the attack, but the Yemeni Defense Minister did Taher al-Aqiliwho is a member of Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government, wrote on X that the airport’s runway was hit to prevent an Iranian plane from landing there. The plane is believed to have carried a Houthi delegation that had traveled to Iran for the funeral of the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah. Ali Khameneiwho was buried last week. According to the Yemeni rebel group, the plane was directed to Hodeidah International Airport, which is controlled by the Houthis.
Houthi forces occupy large areas of northern Yemen and have long defied the country’s Saudi-backed government. Although Riyadh has tried separate itself from the Iran war, including by providing help resolve the conversation between Tehran and Washington, fierce fighting between Saudi and Houthi forces could drag the kingdom directly into the conflict.
Restricting online access. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen he announced Monday that the European Union will set age restrictions for the use of social networks. “This is not about whether children have access to social media,” von der Leyen said. “It’s about whether and when social media can reach our children.”
In the EU report published on Monday, the group recommended that children under the age of 13 have “short-term” access to social media and only with parental supervision; social media platforms already restrict access to users under the age of 13. Von der Leyen also said that the EU plans to consider age bans on other online sites deemed dangerous for young people. Although he did not specify the sites that may be affected, experts the suspect that video games and spy chatbots can be targeted.
At least 12 members of the EU– including France, Greece, and Spain – have already announced or are discussing similar restrictions. Their actions follow in the footsteps of Australia, which in December became the first country to impose age-based social media bans. However, a backlash from Estonia, the EU’s only voice against age restrictions, could complicate matters; Tallinn has he argued that EU laws should prioritize regulating platforms rather than restricting access, as it is likely that young people will find a way around the ban.
Patriot vs. Freya. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky it has arrived in Paris on Monday for a meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” a group of countries led by Britain and France that support Ukraine in its war against Russia. About 25 leaders attended the meeting, which aimed to strengthen Kyiv’s anti-ballistic missile capabilities fill the gap abandoned by the United States.
Last week, Trump agreed to give Kyiv a license domestically produce Patriot missile defense systems. Although this license will help Ukraine deal with Russian attacks in the long term, it fails to deal with the threats facing Kyiv. To address this, Zelensky on Monday pushed for joint development of the Freya anti-ballistic missile system, a concerted European effort to create a cheaper alternative to America’s Patriot system.
Zelensky’s trip came a day after the Ukrainian leader he announced major cabinet shake-up, including the dismissal of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. “Ukraine is changing its political strategy,” Zelensky he wrote on social media on Sunday, adding that he plans to appoint an official to oversee each of his policy priorities. These include managing relations with Washington, obtaining EU membership, purchasing advanced weapons, and managing the front line.
Odds and Ends
On Friday night, the security officers returned to a precious ancient relics on British soil for the first time in nearly 1,000 years. The Bayeux Tapestry, which describes the Norman invasion of England in 1066, has been preserved for a long time in the French region of Normandy. However, during a state visit to the UK last July, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the 11th-century painting would be temporarily displayed at the British Museum, starting on September 10. Citing security concerns, though, the tapestry was shipped under cover of darkness, with details of when and how it would arrive under wraps until its safe arrival was confirmed.
