Middle East crisis Strait of Hormuz

Iran's "Mosquito Fleet" the Biggest Threat in the Strait of Hormuz

The Persian Gulf is full of Iranian warships that have been sunk by the US and Israel, but the so-called Mosquito Fleet remains the single biggest threat to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, writes the New York Times.

It consists of small, fast, mobile boats belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which operates separately from the regular Iranian navy.

The missiles and drones that the Revolutionary Guard can fire from the boats - and from hidden launch sites along the coast - are the main threat to shipping in the strait.

- The Revolutionary Guard's fleet operates more like a guerrilla at sea. Instead of large warships and classic naval battles, they focus on asymmetric warfare and "hit and run" attacks, says Saeid Golkar, a political science professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

EU Leaders Ignore Trump – Plan Hormuz Operation

European leaders are moving ahead with their plan for a military operation in the Strait of Hormuz, despite Donald Trump urging them to “stay away”, writes Politico.

Yesterday, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy announced that they are planning a joint operation under British and French leadership. A planning conference will be held in London next week.

– Our mission is defensive and will start after the ceasefire. We will see what role we play, but we want zero tariffs and zero restrictions, says British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Italy's Giorgia Meloni has offered two frigates, and Germany's Friedrich Merz has stated that they are contributing minesweeping ships.

The announcement did not go down well with Trump, who has been sharply critical of the lack of military assistance from other NATO countries.

Ship fired at in the Strait of Hormuz

First Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, then came the news that a ship had been fired at.

According to the Reuters news agency, no one was injured in the firing. The ship in question was allegedly attacked by two naval vessels sent by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The incident occurred 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman.

The firing took place just hours after Iran accused the US of violating the agreement between the countries and closing the strait. The disagreements are said to be related to the US military not allowing Iranian ships to pass. The US does not want this to happen until a peace agreement has been reached.