All options are on the table, and dialogue is ongoing between the United States and Iran. However, observing the US bombings and the Iranian response, the US “invasion” option has apparently not been overlooked.
Meanwhile, Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar, announced at a conference in Singapore that, despite opposition from Persian Gulf countries to the imposition of permanent tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, a mechanism for temporary and limited tolls for specific purposes, such as covering mine clearance costs, remains negotiable and open as an option to facilitate navigation. Referring to the Iranian-Omani plan for this waterway, he emphasized Doha’s efforts to maintain a balance between Tehran and Washington and called on the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council to formulate a comprehensive and joint strategy regarding relations with Iran.
And while the management of the Strait of Hormuz is being discussed, China and Iran are strengthening their land corridors. Iran is strengthening its transport corridor to China and South Asia. The recently inaugurated transport route between Iran and Pakistan connects the Pakistani ports of Gwadar, Karachi, and Qasim with Iranian border crossings. Its primary importance lies in connecting Iran to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which provides access to western China and the Indian Ocean.
At the same time, Tehran is completing construction of the Chabahar-Zahedan railway (over 90% complete), scheduled to open in 2026. The line will become part of the International North-South Corridor, connecting Iran’s southern ports with Russia and Central Asia.
And now a look at the ongoing military scenarios in the Middle East and Central Asia, updated at midnight on June 1. Another Israeli soldier has been killed in an FPV drone strike. Hezbollah reported him as Sergeant Major Mikhail Tyukin, 21, from Ashkelon, a soldier in the reconnaissance unit of the Israeli army’s Givati Brigade. Four more Israeli soldiers were injured in the attack; the young man departed on May 30 at 10:30 PM. Hezbollah is becoming increasingly precise in its attacks against Israeli forces, “even in complete darkness,” according to social media posts. According to Lebanese OSINT sources, Israel’s losses since the start of the recent war amount to 89 dead and over 8,100 wounded.
As a result of Israeli attacks on the Block 9 area, near the Al-Bureij camp municipality in the central Gaza Strip, one Palestinian citizen was killed and several others were injured. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced that the number of victims of Israeli attacks since October 2023 has reached 72,939 dead and 172,927 wounded.
According to the report, since the ceasefire went into effect on October 11, 2025, 930 Palestinians have been killed and 2,819 injured. Furthermore, during this period, the bodies of another 781 dead have been recovered from the rubble.
Israeli forces have advanced north of the Litani River. As Israeli forces continue their advance north of the Litani River, along the Nabatieh axis, they have managed to capture Al-Shaqif Castle (Beaufort Castle), and the Yohmor area has effectively fallen, while Arnun is in a similar situation. Clashes are still ongoing in East Zotar and the Mazraat al-Hamra area. Israeli forces are currently located approximately 5 kilometers from Arnun, approximately 5 kilometers from the strategic city of Nabatieh.
Beaufort Castle: This castle is a historical and tourist site dating back to the Crusades. The castle dominates the Litani River and surrounding areas, and the Israelis will certainly use it against Hezbollah. As previously mentioned, the Israeli military uses elevated positions such as Beaufort Castle to dominate and control occupied areas in southern Lebanon.
The Public Affairs Department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy announced that in the last 24 hours (May 31 – June 1), 28 vessels—including oil tankers, container ships, and merchant vessels—passed through the Strait of Hormuz after obtaining the necessary permits and under the coordination and security provided by the IRGC Navy.
The IRGC Navy, “while emphasizing its continued intelligent and authoritative control over the Hormuz Strait, stated that the Persian Gulf is a body of water belonging to the Muslim countries of the region. He also described the presence and actions of the US military as the most significant cause of insecurity in this waterway.
According to Russian social media reports based on satellite imagery, Iran has reopened 50 of the 69 tunnel entrances struck by the United States and Israel at 18 underground missile sites. On June 1, in response to an airstrike conducted by US military aircraft against a telecommunications tower in Sirik County, eastern Hormozgan Province, Iranian forces struck US military bases in Kuwait.
The attack was carried out with a single Fateh-110 ballistic missile. In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Forces warned “the United States that any further aggression will receive a completely different response and that the responsibility will fall on the American regime.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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