ATTACK IN THE STRAIT: A Singaporean-flagged cargo ship was hit by an Iranian drone Thursday as it was navigating a designated “safe route” through the Strait of Hormuz along the coast of Oman, promoted by the U.N. International Maritime Organization, as part of an operation to evacuate more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf.The ship is one of 500 to 600 commercial vessels still trapped in the Gulf, even though the Strait of Hormuz is supposed to be open under the memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the U.S. last week.“The IRGC Navy criticized the initiative as ‘unacceptable and completely dangerous,’ likely because Iran assesses that a viable transit route outside Iranian territorial waters would weaken its ability to control maritime traffic and use the strait as leverage,” the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest analysis. “Iran likely seeks to use force and coercion to compel vessels to use its illegitimate traffic separation scheme and implicitly acknowledge Iranian control over the strait, which is a key objective for the regime.”
Before the attack, Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed much of what Iran says as “maximalist rhetoric,” designed for an internal audience. “What we’re interested in is not their press conferences. What we’re interested in is whether or not ships are moving,” Rubio told reporters in Bahrain.IRAN STRIKES CARGO SHIP IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ, ENDANGERING TRUMP’S PEACEGCC: ‘INVESTMENT WITH IRAN IS CONDITIONAL AND REVERSIBLE’: Rubio wrapped up his three-day, three-nation trip to the region with a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Bahrain, where he sought to assure Gulf allies that the U.S. has their back. “The United States, while committed to this process, wants to make — will make sure that none of the agreements that are made, none of the things that are agreed to will in any way be counter to the interest of any of the nations represented here today, because you are our partners and our allies and we want that to continue,” Rubio said. “And partners and allies don’t undermine one another.”A joint statement by all the members of the GCC — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — said any final peace deal would have to go far beyond the limited scope of the two-page Memorandum of Understanding that is the basis of the current negotiations.“The Ministers … emphasized that lasting regional peace and security requires addressing the full spectrum of Iran’s threats, including its ballistic missiles, drones, and support of proxies in the region,” the statement said. “The Ministers further emphasized that any trade and investment with Iran is conditional and reversible, contingent on Iran’s compliance with the MOU and the final deal, cessation of its destabilizing behavior, and creation of the conditions necessary for economic engagement.”IN THE MIDDLE EAST, VANCE SPEAKS SOFTLY, BUT RUBIO CARRIES A BIG STICKTRUMP INSISTS THE JOB IS ‘DONE’: President Donald Trump continues to take a victory lap, insisting the war is won and the goal of keeping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is complete.“Last week, we signed a historic agreement to end the conflict with Iran, fully opened the Strait of Hormuz, and accomplished what no president has ever been able to accomplish before. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. That’s done,” Trump told the crowd at Wednesday night’s Great American State Fair. “And for the first time in 3,000 years, we are finally going to have peace in the Middle East. We’re going to have peace in the Middle East.”Despite the latest drone strike by Iran’s hardcore Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Trump insists Iran has been disarmed and is no longer a threat to its neighbors. “Iran has no navy, no air force, no anti-aircraft capacity, no missile launches, no manufacturing. And their leadership has been obliterated.”And ignoring recent down days on Wall Street, Trump touted a soaring stock market and plunging oil prices. “Your 401(k)s are skyrocketing upward and oil prices are plummeting downward,” Trump said. “We had to make that little journey to Iran to do what we did. Very soon you’ll be at $2.50 a gallon for gasoline.”IRAQ THREATENS TO LEAVE OPEC IF OIL QUOTA ISN’T RAISED: REPORTGood Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSEHAPPENING TODAY: ZELENSKY’S 40 DAYS TO PEACE PLAN: Overnight Ukraine launched a reported 660 drones — one of its biggest attacks of the war — at targets ranging deep inside Russia to the occupied Crimean peninsula.The strikes are the latest in a months-long effort to bring the war to the Russian people and increase pressure on President Vladimir Putin by causing fuel shortages and panic in Crimea, which is seeing tourists and residents fleeing for the mainland.The attack comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly approved a plan for Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU) to launch a “40-day influence operation,” aimed at “compelling [Russia] to end the war.”The announcement followed a meeting between Zelensky and the acting head of the SBU, Yevhenii Khmara, who reported on plans for “long-range sanctions, medium-range sanctions, and the results achieved by the SBU,” according to Zelensky.“Our operation, including the one concerning Crimea, is carefully calculated, and the way the operation is unfolding fully proves: if Ukraine receives exactly what we discussed with our partners within the G7 – and this depends on the partners’ decision – we will promptly create the conditions that will force Russia to choose peace,” Zelensky said Wednesday in a video message.RUBIO: ‘THERE WAS NO AGREEMENT IN ALASKA’: Russia continued to claim it is the aggrieved party in the peace process — that at last year’s summit in Anchorage, Alaska, President Trump and Putin had a handshake deal to end the war on Russia’s terms.In his open letter to Putin earlier this month, Zelensky rejected the idea that the U.S. can make a deal on Ukraine’s behalf without Ukraine’s participation. “We have heard that you were promised in Alaska the resolution of certain issues concerning Ukraine and Europe,” Zelensky wrote. “But you can see for yourself that Ukrainian and European issues are not decided in Anchorage.”“Russia is ready to engage in peace talks with Ukraine, and is ready to proceed based on the Istanbul agreements,” Putin said Tuesday. “This is a matter of relying on a foundation created by the agreements that were reached during the talks in Istanbul, and the modalities as discussed in Anchorage, as well as, most importantly, the reality on the ground.”In a Q-and-A with reporters, Marco Rubio confirmed that Russia’s position was discussed at that summit but insisted no deal was made.“Russia wants the entirety of Donetsk to be turned over to them, among some other things that they raised, but there was never an agreement,” Rubio said. “Had there been an agreement, there would have been an end to the war, and that’s been the fundamental problem.”“We are prepared to step forward and play a constructive role, if there’s one for us to play, in bringing the parties together and bringing that war to an end,” Rubio said. “That’s what the President’s tried to do now for a year and a half, but there was no agreement in Alaska. There was a proposal made in Alaska, but it was never an agreement.”ANOTHER ISIS LEADER ELIMINATED: U.S. Central Command announced yesterday that an air strike a week ago took out a senior ISIS leader in Syria. “The precision strike killed Ali Husayn al-‘Ulaywi and is part of ongoing U.S. efforts to disrupt and eliminate terrorists seeking to attack Americans abroad or the U.S. homeland,” CENTCOM said in a news release. “CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat,” the release quoted U.S. Central Commander Adm. Brad Cooper as saying, “We will continue to defend the U.S. homeland, our service members, and allies and partners across the region.”IRAQ THREATENS TO LEAVE OPEC IF OIL QUOTA ISN’T RAISED: REPORTTHE RUNDOWN: Washington Examiner: US military ‘surging forces’ to Venezuela for earthquake relief effortsWashington Examiner: Trump and Rubio offer help to Venezuela after hundreds of casualties from massive earthquakesWashington Examiner: Iran strikes cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz, endangering Trump’s peaceWashington Examiner: Behind Israel’s furious reaction to Trump Iran dealWashington Examiner: Iraq threatens to leave OPEC if oil quota isn’t raised: ReportWashington Examiner: Border Patrol hits record-high 21,471 agents following Trump hiring surgeWashington Examiner: Opinion: What went wrong in Iran?Washington Examiner: Opinion: In the Middle East, Vance speaks softly, but Rubio carries a big stickWashington Examiner: Opinion: Can the US cancel Iran’s Hormuz get-out-of-jail-free card?Washington Examiner: Opinion: What Tim Sheehy gets right and wrong about Iran’s threatNew York Times: U.S. Military’s Weapons Shortage Shows Few Signs of Easing SoonWall Street Journal: How Iran Devastated an American Naval Base—and Caused a US RecalculationAP: Russia reports one of the biggest Ukrainian drone attacks on its soil and annexed CrimeaBreaking Defense: Hegseth Hosts Emerging Weapons Makers for Meeting on Munitions Production: SourcesAir & Space Forces Magazine: Department of War? Congress Edges Closer to Official Name ChangeDefense News: The Pentagon’s Research Infrastructure Is ‘Deteriorating,’ Study FindsAP: Senior Islamic State Leader Killed by US Airstrike on Northwest SyriaAir & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Eyes New Stand-Off Missile with 1,000-Nautical Mile RangeAir & Space Forces Magazine: Marines Have 6 F-35s Without Radars; USAF Will Get Some TooBreaking Defense: In Japan, Canadian Defense Minister Expresses Interest in GCAP Sixth-Gen Fighter ProjectAviation Week: The Startup Preparing for Space’s Neighborhood Watch EraAir & Space Forces Magazine: SDA Cuts 11 Satellites from Low-Earth Orbit Demo to Focus on Operational WorkMilitary.com: SOCOM Study of 231,000 Special Operators Finds 18% Higher Cancer RiskThe Atlantic: William McRaven Opinion: Americans Deserve Answers From HegsethTHE CALENDAR: FRIDAY | JUNE 26 9:30 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “The Jones Act Meets the Hormuz Crisis: War, Energy, and Protectionism,” with Joseph Majkut, director, CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program; and Kevin Book, nonresident senior adviser, CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program https://www.csis.org/events/energy-shots-jones-act-meets-hormuz12:30 p.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council Indo-Pacific Security Initiative virtual discussion: “Frontlines of the South China Sea,” a fireside chat with Philippine Coast Guard Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/frontlines-of-the-south-china-sea-fireside-chatTUESDAY | JUNE 308:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies Defense and Security Department in-person and virtual Global Security Forum: “America at 250: A Defining Moment for American Statecraft and Military Power” https://www.csis.org/events/2026-global-security-forum-america-25010 a.m. 2359 Rayburn — House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing: “Oversight Hearing – U.S. Office of Management and Budget,” with testimony from OMB Director Russell Vought http://appropriations.house.gov2 p.m. 310 Cannon — House Homeland Security Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee and Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee joint hearing: “Northern Exposure: Assessing the Evolving Threat Landscape at America’s Northern Border” http://homeland.house.gov
