Brazilian President Luiz InĂĄcio Lula da Silva on Tuesday criticised US President Donald Trump‘s proposal to impose a 20 per cent charge on commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, mocking Washington as a „pirate“ state.
His remarks came after Trump announced that the US would reinstate what he called the „Iranian blockade“ and begin charging vessels for securing one of the world‘s busiest shipping lanes.
The strait was open before the US and Israel joined forces to wage war on Iran, only to have that nation slam it shut. Some vessels got through during the ceasefire, with Iran charging $3 million for a fully loaded supertanker to transit the strait.
Trumpâs threatened toll would jack that cost up to $69 million.
Around one-fifth of global oil supplies and large volumes of liquefied natural gas move through the narrow waterway, making it one of the world‘s most important maritime chokepoints. Any disruption can quickly affect fuel prices, shipping costs and inflation worldwide.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow passage with global consequences. A proposed U.S. toll would mark a sharp escalation after recent strikes and a fragile interim deal with Iran.
U.S. stocks fell after President Donald Trump announced plans to resume a naval blockade against Iran and impose tolls on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
On the 13th, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 52,498.64 in New York, down 138.37 points, or 0.26%, from the previous session.
Another person was killed during an encounter involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, in Biddeford, Maine earlier today on July 13, 2026. This shooting comes only six days after ICE agents fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas.
The most recent shooting comes as the Justice Department has turned over a substantial amount of evidence from the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during Operation Metro Surge, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Monday, as reported by the Star Tribune.
An ICE officer fired his weapon âfearing for public safetyâ as the victim of Mondayâs fatal shooting, in a vehicle, âattempted to flee the scene,â the Department of Homeland Security said in its first official statement nearly 12 hours after the incident in Maine.
The department did not share details on why the officer believed the man was a public safety risk.
The man was not the target of the immigration enforcement operation, according to the office of Maine Sen. Angus King, citing a conversation with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
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President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. will impose fees in the Strait of Hormuz âat the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped,â after declaring America the âguardianâ of the major oil shipping route.
President Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. is reinstating the naval blockade on Iran and will prevent any ships from leaving or entering Iranian ports. The blockade will go into effect on July 14 at 4pm ET.
Trump also claimed the U.S. would be „reimbursed“ at a rate of 20% for securing safe passage for cargo ships, though the details and seriousness of the initiative were not immediately clear.
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ISLAMABAD/TEHRAN â Pakistan on Sunday stepped up diplomatic engagement with Iran as tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate amid fresh US military strikes and growing security concerns in Strait of Hormuz.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during which both leaders discussed the deteriorating regional situation.
Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman has summoned Mousa Farhang, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Sultanate of Oman, to hand him a formal note of protest following the targeting of sites in the Governorates of Musandam and Al Wusta by unmanned aerial vehicles.
The note of protest was handed over by Shaikh Khalid bin Hashil al Musalhi, Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Administrative and Financial Affairs, when he received the Iranian Ambassador in Muscat today.
GAZA, July 12, 2026 (WAFA) â The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 73,223, with 173,654 people injured since October 7, 2023, medical sources in the enclave said Saturday.
At least four Palestinians were killed and others wounded on Sunday in an Israeli drone strike targeting Gaza City, according to Wafa news agency.
Wafa reported that an Israeli drone struck a metal workshop on al-Sinaa Street in southwestern Gaza City.
Republicans will now race to replace Graham on the November ballot in a special primary election in mid-August, according to state law.
In an interview with NBCâs âMeet the Pressâ on Sunday morning, President Donald Trump said he was already considering who he might back in the race.
The longtime politician had served as a US senator for South Carolina since 2003
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This attack on journalists comes just days after US Rep. Ro Khanna was detained by settlers near the village of Turmus Ayya in the West Bank. The village has a population of thousands of Palestinian-Americans who have come under repeated attack by settlers in the area.
Khanna visited the village to show solidarity with American citizens who have told CNN they feel forgotten by their government.
âI saw the arrogance in the eyes of those settlers, 21- and 22-year-olds with guns, laughing that they had detained us, the arrogance of those young IDF soldiers that my tax dollars are funding, having no respect for the fact that they were detaining Americans, no respect that there was an American congressperson in that bus, and laughing when our translator told them that there are Americans there and the American embassy is concerned,â Khanna told Reuters.
Ro Khanna said he was detained by Israeli settlers armed with US-made rifles during a West Bank visit this week that the Democratic lawmaker cast as an unfiltered look at the toll of Israeli occupation as he weighs a 2028 presidential run.
Following that meeting, MK Odeh stated, âI met with UN Secretary-General Guterres. I thanked him for his principled stances during this difficult time and made it clear that the war of destruction in Gaza must be ended through a comprehensive deal. I emphasized that there is no solution other than ending the occupation and establishing a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel. It is the duty of the international community to recognize this right, and the UN plays a pivotal role in correcting this historical injustice.â He stressed, âThere is no other way but the path of peace and justice.â
„A second vessel accused of violating regulations in the Strait of Hormuz has been struck,“ the Guards said in a statement carried by state television IRIB, adding they had also attacked a US base in Qatar.
The U.S. military has concluded its latest round of strikes on Iran, U.S. Central Command announced late Saturday night. It marked the third round of strikes this week targeting Tehran‘s regime.
(Updated on October 1, 2024)
– Congress works less than half the year, with the House averaging 147 legislative days annually.
– Senate members have slightly more legislative days, averaging 165 days each year since 2001.
(June 9, 2026)
However, legal experts said the issue is not settled law. No concurrent resolution under âthe 1973 war powers law had passed since the law was enacted.
„The executive branch will likely ignore it on constitutional grounds, and itâs not clear who might have âstanding to sue to enforce it,“ said Scott Anderson, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and senior editor of the online legal publication Lawfare, although he added that he expected someone âwould.