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Middle East Crisis  Strait of Hormuz
Goods worth 1,200 billion stuck in the Strait of Hormuz

1150 cargo ships with goods worth 125 billion dollars – around 1200 billion kronor – are stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. This is an estimate by insurance giant Allianz, according to TT. The ships also have around 20,000 sailors waiting to travel on.

In recent days, there have been reports that both container ships and tankers have started sailing through the strait again. Swedish shipping company Stena Bulk has ships in the area but remains hesitant to drop anchor.

“We are waiting for now,” writes CEO Erik Hånell to TT.

Trump's USA Iran War
Trump attacks Republicans after vote: "Losers"

Donald Trump has harshly criticized the four Republicans in the Senate who voted to limit the president's military power in Iran, in a post on Truth Social. The American president also calls the vote "meaningless" and says it comes at a bad time.

The Republicans who voted for the resolution were Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Trump has called them "losers" in several posts and claims that they have made his job harder.

The vote took place at the same time as the Pentagon requested $80 billion from Congress to finance the more than three-month-long war in Iran.

The war has been unpopular with voters and has divided the Republican Party. The resolution, which aims to prevent Trump from resuming the war in Iran, is not legally binding but has symbolic value, writes AP.

Middle East Crisis  Peace Talks
IAEA Chief: Will Visit Iran's Nuclear Facilities

The UN Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will carry out inspections at Iran's nuclear facilities - sooner or later. That's what IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi says, according to AP.

- Whether it happens the day after tomorrow, in a week or in ten days is important but not decisive. It will happen, says Grossi.

Grossi points out that the agreement between the US and Iran stipulates that Iran's nuclear activity will be monitored by the IAEA.

The US has previously said that inspections will be carried out, while this has been rejected by the Iranian side, Al Jazeera reports.

Mid-term elections in the US
Heavy victories for Mamdani and the party's left wing

Democrats supported by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani won heavy victories in the night's primary elections for Congress, reports the New York Times.

Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander and Claire Valdez all won their elections in what is seen as a major victory for the party's left wing. Avila Chevalier has been singled out as particularly controversial as she has previously organized pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

According to the AP, the result could mean a headache for the party's central leadership, where there is concern that Mamdani, who calls himself a democratic socialist, will push the Democrats too far left ahead of the fall mid-term elections.

Security in Europe
German giant investment in the navy's new frigates scrapped

Germany is scrapping the construction of six new frigates of the F126 model, reports Deutsche Welle. The multi-billion dollar project is the German navy's largest deal ever, but has been marred by problems and delays.

Both Der Spiegel and the Financial Times report that Germany will instead purchase eight smaller frigates from manufacturer TKMS.

The cancellation of the F126 project could be a severe blow to the German defense giant Rheinmetall, which was supposed to take over construction after the Dutch Damen during the year.