Iran Shreds Its Own Ceasefire as US Strikes Back — Trump Threatens Annihilation

Iran attacked a Panama-flagged commercial tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a second consecutive day of US military strikes against Iranian military targets. CENTCOM hit 10 targets including missile storage, coastal radar, and drone facilities. Iran’s IRGC then launched retaliatory drone and missile strikes on US assets in Kuwait and Bahrain. President Trump warned on Truth Social: “It is very possible that they will be wiped out of existence” if forced to complete the military job. The US-Iran ceasefire — signed just weeks ago — is now under acute stress, with Iran threatening to halt all negotiations entirely.

• CENTCOM struck 10 Iranian military targets in and near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after a drone hit a commercial tanker — two of the targets were newly built Iranian installations, a US source told the Jerusalem Post.
• Iran’s IRGC responded by launching drone and ballistic missile strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain, two key US Gulf allies — Kuwait intercepted the incoming fire, and strikes in Bahrain damaged an 8-story building.
• President Trump issued the most explicit threat yet: if the US is ‘forced to militarily complete the job,’ ‘the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist.’
• Iran has threatened a ‘complete halt’ to all ceasefire negotiations — a signal that Tehran may be testing whether tit-for-tat escalation can extract concessions before nuclear talks resume.
• The Lebanon deal signed Friday faces immediate pressure: Hezbollah declared the agreement ‘null and void,’ its supporters rioted in Beirut, and an IDF officer was killed in the southern Lebanon security zone Sunday — the first Israeli loss since the framework was inked.

Iran's pattern is now visible: sign agreements under maximum pressure, then systematically violate them to probe for red lines. The Strait of Hormuz tanker attack — deliberately targeting commercial shipping rather than military assets — is designed to inflict global economic pain while maintaining deniability about ceasefire breach intent. Whether the Trump administration treats this as a negotiating leverage play or a terminal breach will define the entire arc of Iran policy through 2026.

Beyond the mayoral race, Mamdani’s Democratic Socialists of America swept a slate of state legislative primaries in New York on Tuesday — producing candidates who are now on track to join the Albany legislature. Aber Kawas, who won SD-12, co-launched the “Not On Our Dime” campaign seeking to impose $1 million fines on synagogues and Jewish nonprofits that donate to Israeli charities including ZAKA and United Hatzalah. The Washington Free Beacon reports the NY state legislature is now becoming a ‘farm team’ for Mamdani’s network, with multiple new candidates who have justified 9/11, promoted anti-Israel platforms, and vowed to pass the Not On Our Dime Act into law.

• Aber Kawas (SD-12) co-launched the ‘Not On Our Dime’ campaign seeking at least $1 million fines on any New York organization donating to ZAKA, United Hatzalah, or the One Israel Fund.
• Multiple Mamdani-aligned candidates won NY state legislature primaries Tuesday — the Free Beacon identifies them as having records of 9/11 justification, anti-Israel organizing, and DSA affiliation.
• The New York State Legislature already produced both Mamdani and socialist congressional nominee Claire Valdez — the primaries suggest the pipeline from DSA to Albany to Congress is accelerating.
• The Hill reports the Israel divide is now ‘structural’ in the Democratic Party: anti-Israel candidates are no longer outliers but a growing bloc with institutional backing from Mamdani’s mayoralty.

The Kawas synagogue-fines campaign is the most direct legislative targeting of American Jewish organizations in the modern era — not content with opposing Israel policy, this wing of the Democratic Party is now seeking to criminalize Jewish philanthropic activity. The NY state legislature pipeline means these policy ideas will have a formal Albany incubator before migrating to Congress.

California State Sen. Scott Wiener — the leading Democratic candidate to succeed Nancy Pelosi in Congress — was physically chased from the San Francisco Trans March by pro-Palestinian activists demanding he condemn Israel more forcefully. Wiener himself had accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, yet protesters called him ‘not progressive enough’ and physically intimidated him until he left. The incident illustrates the no-win trap closing around Jewish Democratic politicians: any support for Israel — even past, even partial, even qualified — is now disqualifying in progressive coalition spaces.

• Scott Wiener, the leading CA-11 congressional candidate to replace Nancy Pelosi, was chased from SF’s Trans March by pro-Palestinian activists, per SF Standard and Ynet.
• Wiener had already publicly accused Israel of genocide — yet activists called him a ‘genocidal-supporting center right shill’ for insufficient anti-Israel posturing.
• The Hill and local SF coverage confirm Wiener described the experience as ‘harassment, threats, and physical intimidation’ — he is filing a formal complaint.
• This is the second time Wiener has been forced out of the SF Pride kickoff over his politics — the baseline for acceptability in these spaces has moved decisively against any Jewish pro-Israel figure.

The Wiener incident is a stress test of what 'enough' anti-Israel positioning looks like in progressive coalition spaces — and the answer is that no position short of complete rupture with Israel is sufficient. Jewish candidates who accommodate this demand sacrifice their community; those who don't are physically ejected from the coalition. This is the dynamic that will play out in every CA-11 debate through November.

A new Quinnipiac University survey released this week found that 48% of registered voters believe the US is ‘too supportive’ of Israel — the highest figure recorded since Quinnipiac first began asking the question in 2017. The same poll shows Netanyahu viewed unfavorably 48% to 20%, with 30% of respondents saying they haven’t heard enough. The number correlates with sustained coverage of the Iran war, the Gaza conflict, and the Mamdani-led political moment in New York — all of which have elevated Israel as a partisan identity issue.

• 48% of registered voters say the US is ‘too supportive’ of Israel in the new Quinnipiac poll — the highest response since the question was first asked in 2017.
• Netanyahu is viewed unfavorably 48% to 20% — with 30% saying they haven’t heard enough to form an opinion, suggesting a persuadable bloc.
• JTA coverage confirms the number has climbed steadily since October 7 — driven in part by Iran-war coverage and sustained anti-Israel organizing in progressive spaces.
• The result contrasts with consistent polling showing broad American support for Israel’s right to self-defense — the ‘too supportive’ number captures foreign policy posture, not fundamental alliance values.

The 48% figure is a lagging indicator of political work by organizations like CAIR, DSA, and the Mamdani coalition that have spent two years systematically moving the overton window on Israel support. The persuadable 30% who say they don't know enough about Netanyahu is the actual battleground — these voters are reachable by counter-messaging that separates US-Israel alliance support from any individual leader's popularity.