First Cruise Ship Sets Sail Through Strait of Hormuz After Weeks-Long Closure by Iranian Regime

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The first commercial ship successfully sailed through the Strait of Hormuz Friday after Iran agreed to reopen the vital waterway following a weeks-long closure.

The Celestyal Discovery cruise ship cleared the strait, just hours after Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the narrow waterway was once again fully open to all commercial vessels — after the Iranian regime had threatened to attack any ship that transited it following the launch of the US and Israel’s war on Tehran.

The ship departed Port Rashid in Dubai at 11:36 a.m. local time – becoming the first passenger liner to exit the shipping lane since the start of the conflict, data from shipping tracker MarineTraffic showed.

The vessel, which carries about 1,360 passengers, was reportedly empty when it traversed the strait.

It is headed to Muscat, Oman, where it is expected to dock late Saturday afternoon, according to CruiseMapper. (Read more from “First Cruise Ship Sets Sail Through Strait of Hormuz After Weeks-Long Closure by Iranian Regime” HERE)

DHS Deports Latino Migrants to Africa

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President Donald Trump’s deputies have deported 15 illegal migrants to Africa, roughly 7,000 miles from their homes in Central America, according to the Associated Press.

“An official at the Congolese migration agency confirmed the arrivals but didn’t provide details,” the AP reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, adding:

The deportees are all from Latin America and the Congolese government plans to keep them in the country for a short period, said U.S. attorney Alma David, who represents one of the deportees. She has been speaking with her client since arriving in Kinshasa.

The new “Safe Third Country” deportation policy is a big win because it bypasses a legal maneuver used by many migrants who persuaded judges that their home country is too dangerous for a safe deportation.

That courtroom maneuver has allowed many migrants — including the 15 Congo deportees plus “Maryland Man” Kilmar Abrego Garcia — to stay in the United States even after they are ordered home. (Read more from “DHS Deports Latino Migrants to Africa” HERE)

Iran Opens Strait Of Hormuz… For Now

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President Donald Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was officially open.

Trump took to Truth Social to thank the Iranians for opening the strait after previously claiming the U.S. was close to a deal to permanently end the conflict. Crude oil futures declined shorty after Iran announced the strait’s opening, with prices tumbling by over 10% as of this writing.

“THANK YOU!” Trump said on Truth Social. “Iran Has JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE.”

However, Araghchi’s announcement on X was less enthusiastic. He explained that the Strait of Hormuz would only remain open “for the remaining period of ceasefire.”

“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran,” Araghchi wrote.

(Read more from “Iran Opens Strait Of Hormuz… For Now” HERE)

Iran to Execute the First Woman Over Widespread Anti-Regime Demonstrations

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Iran’s barbaric regime is set to execute its first female protester over recent protests, one of an estimated 1,600 sentenced to death by the Islamic Republic in the past year.

Bita Hemmati is the first woman due to be hanged in relation to the demonstrations that broke out in January across the country and were viciously stamped out by government forces.

The regime accused her of numerous crimes, including using explosives and weapons, throwing objects such as concrete blocks, participating in protest gatherings, and disrupting national security, according to a Tuesday press release from the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

Her husband, Mohammadreza Majid Asl, 34, as well as two other men, Behrouz and Kourosh Zamaninezhad, who lived in the couple’s apartment building, were also sentenced to death following a hasty trial and their property confiscated.

A fifth defendant, Hemmati’s relative Amir Hemmati, was sentenced to almost six years in prison for “assembly and collusion against national security” as well as “propaganda against the regime.” (Read more from “Iran to Execute the First Woman Over Widespread Anti-Regime Demonstrations” HERE)

Iran Used Chinese Satellite to Target US Bases Before Attack that Took out Air Force Planes

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Iran secretly got its hands on a Chinese spy satellite to target American bases in the Middle East during the war, leaked military documents revealed.

Following its launch to space in 2024, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had acquired Beijing’s TEE-01B satellite, tasking it to monitor key US military sites in the region, the Financial Times reported.

Time-stamped records show some of the images were taken last month before and after Iranian drone and missile attacks on those very bases.

The logs indicate that the satellite, which was built by the Earth Eye Chinese company, had taken images of the Prince Sultan Air Base, in Saudi Arabia, on March 13, 14, and 15.

It was during that same timespan that Iran struck the American base, damaging five US Air Force refueling planes. (Read more from “Iran Used Chinese Satellite to Target US Bases Before Attack that Took out Air Force Planes” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Report: Iran Executions Hit Three-Decade High

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Two European non-governmental organizations (NGOs) published a report this week that found Iran conducted 1,639 executions in 2025 — an increase of 68 percent over the previous year, and the largest number of executions since 1989.

The report was the latest edition of the “Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran” prepared by Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalty (EPCM), which are based in Norway and France, respectively. The report has been produced every year since 2012.

The two groups are generally opposed to the death penalty, but find Iran’s practices to be particularly objectionable, as the Islamic regime is usually “ranked first worldwide in executions per capita” — it sometimes takes second place after China — and has a much lower threshold for capital punishment than most other nations.

In her forward to the report, human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh said the “worst form of execution” practiced by Iran are its political killings, which are often carried out at the behest of bloodthirsty pressure groups.

“This is precisely why death sentences should never be issued under the influence of public opinion,” she said. (Read more from “Report: Iran Executions Hit Three-Decade High” HERE)

Philippines Warns of ‘Sabotage’ after Cyanide Seizure in Disputed South China Sea Atoll

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The Philippines discovered cyanide on Chinese boats operating around a disputed atoll in the South China Sea, security officials from the country said on Monday.

Authorities ‌said laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the highly toxic substance in bottles seized by the ‌Philippine navy in operations at Second Thomas Shoal last year.

Officials warned that the cyanide could have had serious consequences for marine ​life and weakened the reef supporting a warship that Manila grounded on the atoll to reinforce its maritime claim.

“We wish to underscore that the use of cyanide in Ayungin Shoal is a form of sabotage that seeks to kill local fish populations, depriving Navy personnel of a vital food source,” Cornelio Valencia, National Security Council ‌spokesperson, told a press conference using the ⁠Philippines’ name for the atoll.

Valencia added that cyanide could damage the reef and “ultimately compromise” the warship’s stability. (Read more from “Philippines Warns of ‘Sabotage’ after Cyanide Seizure in Disputed South China Sea Atoll” HERE)

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán Concedes Defeat after ‘Painful’ Election that Ended Trump Ally’s 16 Years in Power

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Hungarian right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat Sunday after suffering a “painful” election result that ended the Trump administration ally’s 16-year grip on Budapest.

With 60% of the vote counted by afternoon, Orbán’s governing Fidesz party saw only 38% of ballots cast in its favor, compared to 52% for challenger Peter Magyar’s Tisza’s group.

’Thank you, Hungary!’’ Magyar, 45, posted on X as thousands of his supporters celebrated in Budapest.

Orbán, who received the backing of President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, said he called Magyar to concede the race once it was evident his party had lost.

“I congratulated the victorious party,” Orbán told his supporters. “We are going to serve the Hungarian nation and our homeland from opposition as well.’’ (Read more from “Hungary’s Viktor Orbán Concedes Defeat after ‘Painful’ Election that Ended Trump Ally’s 16 Years in Power” HERE)

China Plans to Deliver Air Defense Systems to Iran During Fragile Cease-Fire Deal: Report

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China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran in the next few weeks, according to a report citing sources with knowledge of US intelligence.

The move would be “provocative,” according to CNN, considering China played a major role in brokering the fragile cease-fire deal between Iran and the US earlier this week.

Beijing is working to route shipments through third countries to hide the backroom trade — which involves shoulder-fired anti-air missile systems known as MANPADs, multiple US intelligence sources told CNN.

The weapons — which use heat-seeking guidance to lock onto an aircraft’s engine or exhaust — posed a major threat to the US military during the five-week war, with one nearly taking out a F/A-18 Super Hornet last week.

The F-15 fighter jet that was shot down over Iran last week was targeted by a “handheld shoulder missile, [a] heat-seeking missile,” Trump said Monday, though it’s not clear whether it had been provided by China. (Read more from “China Plans to Deliver Air Defense Systems to Iran During Fragile Cease-Fire Deal: Report” HERE)

Iran Holds Huge Victory Parade with Thousands Spilling onto the Streets of Tehran as Ceasefire Falls Apart

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Thousands of Iranians have gathered in the streets to commemorate the death of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei as hopes of a ceasefire with the US and Israel began to unravel.

Supporters of Khamenei held portraits of their deceased leader and waved the flags of the Islamic republic as they took part in rallies across the country after he died in the US-Israeli attack on February 28.

The celebration marks a 40-day mourning period – an important rite of passage for Muslims – since the former leader’s death.

A huge gathering took place in the capital, Tehran, where strikes have ceased since a fragile ceasefire came into effect on Tuesday night, as well as the northwest city of Urmia and northeast Gorgan.

But over a day since reaching an 11th hour agreement to halt attacks for two weeks, it looks on the verge of collapse, with major disagreements between the US, Israel and Iran over the terms of a deal. (Read more from “Iran Holds Huge Victory Parade with Thousands Spilling onto the Streets of Tehran as Ceasefire Falls Apart” HERE)