📰 MIDDLE EAST CRISIS BRIEFING — 23:30 CET

Day 5 | Reuters/AP/Guardian/CBC | Batch 22:30 UTC

📌 THREAD: Second Iranian Warship Sunk — In the Indian Ocean, Off Sri Lanka Status: TIER 1 — WAR EXPANDS TO THE INDIAN OCEAN

• 17:20 UTC (multiple sources) AP/Reuters/Guardian — A US submarine torpedoed a second Iranian frigate in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s Navy recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 surviving sailors. Hegseth confirmed: “An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters.” Rescuers found only an oil slick where the ship had been. [AP] [Reuters] [CBC]

Delta: This is a second Iranian frigate, separate from IRIS Dena (already confirmed by Hegseth). The war theater expands from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean — with 87 dead. A naval hunt of Iranian military assets is underway far beyond the Middle East.

📌 THREAD: US Senate Kills War Powers Resolution Status: TIER 1 — CONGRESS STANDS DOWN, TRUMP FREE TO ACT

• 22:25 UTC NYT/Reuters — A Senate majority voted down the bipartisan resolution that would have limited Trump’s war powers on Iran and required withdrawal of forces until congressional approval. Republicans, led by Majority Leader John Thune, blocked the procedure: “The president is acting in the best interest of the country.” [Reuters] [NYT]

Delta: With Congress not exercising oversight on the war, Trump has legislative carte blanche to continue and expand military operations. No War Powers Act applied, no time limit, no requirement for parliamentary authorization. The Iran war is now a unilateral presidential war.