U.S. drafts UN resolution to end Iran’s mining of the Strait of Hormuz; Hamas funders sanctioned.
Washington forces the Hormuz question into a Security Council vote — a U.S.–Bahrain draft with Gulf cosponsors, the public count Rubio wants on the record. The quieter milestone is the first new sea-launched warhead unit, three months ahead of schedule: the brief from the rest of the war.
Day 8 · Trump–Xi summit Day 83 · Iran war Year 5 · Ukraine war
This week
Trump–Xi summit delivered Boeing and rare-earth deals; U.S. tabled a UN Hormuz resolution.
Trump returned from Beijing with the week's biggest haul: a 200-Boeing order, eased rare-earth export limits, $17 billion a year in U.S. farm purchases through 2028, and two new bilateral trade boards. The Iran war reached its 83rd day and moved to the UN, where the U.S. and Bahrain tabled a Security Council draft against Iran's mining of the Strait of Hormuz. Justice indicted Raúl Castro for the 1996 shoot-down of two unarmed U.S. planes, sanctioned eleven Cuban regime officials, and unsealed a shipping-container price-fixing case against four Chinese manufacturers.
This week's events
- Trump returns with Beijing's deliverables
- Hormuz reaches the Security Council
- Bomb-grade uranium leaves Venezuela
- U.S. indicts Raúl Castro
- First new sea-based warhead
Voices
“If you kill Americans, we will pursue you. No matter who you are. No matter what title you hold.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche · May 205
“NNSA is making good on our commitment to accelerate production for the nation’s nuclear deterrent and delivering the first W76/Mk4B to the Navy ahead of schedule.”
NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams · May 204
“Today’s action exposes how Hamas exploits diaspora organizations, religious institutions, and purported civil society groups to advance its malign agenda while claiming humanitarian objectives.”
State Dept. Spokesperson Thomas Pigott · May 192
Show 3 more voices
“The defendants held hostage the world’s supply of ocean shipping containers during the Covid pandemic when our supply chains needed it the most.”
Acting AAG Omeed A. Assefi, DOJ Antitrust · May 196
“For 30 years these families have waited — and this FBI never forgot.”
FBI Director Kash Patel · May 205
“These defendants, as alleged, sought to exploit a global pandemic to increase their own profits.”
U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian, N.D. Cal. · May 196
Events
- Hormuz resolution. U.S. and Bahrain tabled a UN Security Council draft to end Iran’s mining and tolling of the Strait of Hormuz; Gulf partners backing the text, Rubio briefed Secretary-General Guterres.1May 19 · State
- Hamas backers sanctioned. State and Treasury designated three categories of Hamas enablers — organizers of a Gaza-bound flotilla, Muslim Brotherhood operatives facilitating attacks, and Samidoun coordinators (a PFLP front) — under E.O. 13224.2May 19 · State
- Two financial-system EOs. Trump signed paired orders: one tightening customer-identification at U.S. banks — citing $312B in Chinese money-laundering exposure — and one directing the Fed to open payment-account access to non-bank fintechs.3May 20 · WH
- First Mk4B warhead. NNSA delivered the first production unit of the W76 nuclear warhead’s new Mk4B reentry body — three months ahead of schedule, modernizing the sea-based leg of the U.S. deterrent.4May 20 · DOE
- U.S. v. Raúl Castro. DOJ unsealed a superseding indictment of Raúl Castro and five regime co-defendants — four counts of murder — for the 1996 Cuban Air Force shoot-down of two unarmed Brothers to the Rescue Cessnas over international waters.5May 20 · DOJ
- Container price-fixing. DOJ unsealed an indictment of seven Chinese executives and four of the world’s largest shipping-container manufacturers for a 2019–24 conspiracy that roughly doubled prices during the pandemic and grew profits about 100-fold.6May 19 · DOJ
- Fed twin moves. The Federal Reserve released April 28–29 FOMC minutes — the Committee’s spring rate deliberations — and, the same afternoon, proposed a “payment account” giving non-bank fintechs direct settlement access without intraday credit.7Apr 28–29 · Fed
- Rubio’s two-stop. Secretary Rubio flies to Helsingborg May 22 for the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting and Arctic Seven talks, then to India May 23–26 for energy-security, trade, and defense discussions.8May 22–26 · State
- U.S.–ASEAN AI talks. Under Secretary Helberg convened the first U.S.–ASEAN AI Ministerial in Singapore, pitching the Pax Silica framework for trusted supply chains and the U.S. AI Exports Program to ASEAN’s one-billion-person market.9May 20 · State
Allied Governments
- Black Sea intercept. A Russian Su-35 flew close enough to disable autopilot on an unarmed RAF Rivet Joint over the Black Sea; a Su-27 made six passes within six meters of the cockpit. UK démarchéd the Russian Embassy.aMay 20 · UK MoD
- NATO ministers in Sweden. Rutte set the table for NATO Foreign Ministers’ May 21–22 Helsingborg meeting — defense-spending delivery against the 5%-of-GDP pledge and continued Ukraine support, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha joining Thursday.bMay 20 · NATO
- NATO chiefs of defense. The 32 Allied Chiefs of Defense met at NATO HQ for the 195th Military Committee session: scaling industrial-base production, supporting Ukraine via the NATO–Ukraine Council, and preparing the July Ankara Summit.cMay 19 · NATO
Sources
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Secretary Rubio’s Call with UN Secretary-General Guterres,” May 19, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/rubio-guterres-call
- U.S. Dept. of State, “U.S. Sanctions Hamas Support Networks,” May 19, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/hamas-support-networks
- White House, “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restores Integrity to America’s Financial System” (paired with the Financial Technology Innovation EO of the same day), May 20, 2026. whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/…/restores-integrity-financial-system
- U.S. Dept. of Energy / NNSA, “NNSA Completes First Production Unit of W76/Mk4B Reentry Body,” May 20, 2026. energy.gov/nnsa/articles/…/w76-mk4b-reentry-body
- U.S. Dept. of Justice, “United States Unseals Superseding Indictment Charging Raul Castro and Five Castro Regime Co-Defendants for 1996 Shoot-Down of Brothers to the Rescue Aircraft,” May 20, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/raul-castro-bttr-indictment
- U.S. Dept. of Justice, “Four of the World’s Largest Container Manufacturing Companies and Seven of Their Executives Indicted for a Global Conspiracy Affecting Billions of Dollars of Commerce,” May 19, 2026. justice.gov/opa/pr/…/container-price-fixing
- Federal Reserve, “Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, April 28–29, 2026,” released May 20, 2026. federalreserve.gov/newsevents/…/fomc-minutes-apr-2026
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Secretary Rubio’s Travel to Sweden and India,” May 19, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/rubio-sweden-india
- U.S. Dept. of State, “Inaugural United States–ASEAN AI Ministerial,” May 20, 2026. state.gov/releases/…/us-asean-ai-ministerial