Overview
- - EU foreign ministers designated the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, triggering asset freezes, funding bans and travel restrictions, and added sanctions on 15 officials and six entities tied to the protest crackdown.
- - Tehran denounced the move as a strategic mistake, warned of immediate countermeasures, inducted 1,000 new combat drones across its forces, and threatened strikes on U.S. bases and carriers if attacked.
- - The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is in regional waters as President Trump says he hopes to avoid military action but keeps options open while urging Iran to engage on a nuclear deal.
- - Iran notified shipping of IRGC live-fire drills in the Strait of Hormuz next week, a key energy chokepoint, as military spokesmen touted carrier vulnerabilities and missile reach.
- - Regional diplomacy gathered pace with Turkey offering mediation; EU officials cautioned against a new war, and Gulf states signaled their airspace would not be available for strikes on Iran.