Iran floats ‘insurance fees’ and asserts control over Hormuz

Iran sought to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz by saying that ships need its permission and mandatory insurance in order to cross, even as the U.S. said that 20 ships had quietly sailed through overnight via a route along Oman’s coast.

The conflicting signals come as the shipping industry tries to assess whether it’s safe to transit the world’s most important energy chokepoint and what sort of system will emerge after the U.S. and Tehran reached an interim peace deal to reopen the strait. The number of ships crossing with their signals on dropped Friday after an initial surge, and after a report of a mine spotted near Oman’s coast.

But for many shippers and oil producers, Iran’s warning that it reserves the right to charge “insurance fees” threatens to crystallize a worst-case scenario: tolls on the Strait of Hormuz.

The insurance policy required by Iran is currently free, but could involve charges in the future, the country’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority said in a document on its website. It also said that ships must follow a prescribed route that passes along its coast and that alternatives are prohibited.

—Bloomberg News

Lines and smiles as the Obama’s welcome the public to presidential museum on Juneteenth

CHICAGO — The lines were many, the smiles countless and the pride after stepping foot on the campus of the Obama Presidential Center was priceless.

The word magnificent was uttered more than once. Walkers and wheelchairs mingled with strollers and wagons where youth were carted around.

The feeling of community, brotherhood, and sisterhood was evident as folks asked passersby to take their photo on opening day, which falls on Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

The Jackson Park-based museum opened to the public Friday, capping off more than a decade of anticipation and controversy, as the campus, which includes a forum building, parkland, and a Chicago Public Library branch, reworked one of the city’s most historic parks and a major thoroughfare.

—Chicago Tribune

Baltimore’s Confederate monuments are back. No one is saying where they are

BALTIMORE — Baltimore’s four controversial Confederate monuments, which were removed in the dead of night nearly nine years ago by former Mayor Catherine Pugh, have reentered Charm City as quietly as they left.

But no one is saying exactly where they are being held or what the plan for them is going forward.

“The Confederate monuments are back in Baltimore,” Lauren Schiszik, executive director of the city Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation, told commissioners during a June 9 briefing session.

“They are being stored in a secure facility. We will not be disclosing their location.” She added that Mayor Brandon Scott is “preparing a statement” about the return of the monuments, which most recently were on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles as part of its “Monuments” exhibit.

—The Baltimore Sun

Italy’s foreign minister pulls out of Miami event over Trump’s feud with Meloni

A high-ranking Italian official has canceled his plans to attend a Miami conference promoting business between Italy and the United States, citing “serious and offensive” statements from President Donald Trump about the country’s prime minister.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani was scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Monday at the Italy U.S. Business, Investment, Science and Innovation Forum in Coral Gables, with plans to discuss economic security and critical minerals.

Scheduled at The Biltmore Hotel, the event has been billed as a “strategic opportunity for Italian and American companies to establish and strengthen business relationships across key sectors” in both countries. The State Department announced the meeting between the two diplomats on Thursday.

But those plans were upended just hours later over an interaction between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the G7 summit in France, and a subsequent interview the president gave to an Italian news outlet. Italy’s La7 reported Friday that Trump said Meloni had “begged” him for a photo during the summit, and that he only agreed because he felt “pity” for her.

—Miami Herald