No progress has been made on the peace agreements between the United States and Iran. The United States withdrew its delegation from Islamabad, and US President Donald Trump said Pakistan was far away: “They can call us or come to us.” “I think the war with Iran will end soon and we will win.”
Iran has nevertheless presented mediators with a three-phase negotiating formula, and if the United States accepts it, talks will resume. The first phase of negotiations will focus on ending the war and obtaining guarantees that it will not resume, either against Iran or Lebanon. Trump: “Iran has handed over a document that could have been better.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian Strait of Hormuz bill is ready: “Transit ban for Israeli vessels, tolls only in rials, compensation demands from Israel and the United States. Transit ban for Israeli-related vessels (total ban on Israeli-associated vessels and goods); Tolls in Iranian rials (fees paid exclusively in rials, with a portion potentially earmarked for the military and public support); Reparations/compensation (demands from countries that have “harmed Iran” or taken action against it, including in recent conflicts); Full authority for the armed forces (greater military/IRGC oversight of security, environmental protection, and navigation). Nothing new in Iran’s position, then.
The chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Roger Wicker, has called for renewed attacks against Iran. U.S. exports of crude oil and LNG have soared, as European and Asian buyers rush to to replace supplies lost in the Persian Gulf, while the number of empty tankers headed to the United States to be filled with crude oil, fuel, and other petroleum products has reached a record high.
The United States has frozen $344 million in cryptocurrency wallets linked to Iran as part of an “Economic Fury” campaign, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. He added that Washington will monitor all funds Tehran attempts to transfer abroad. The US Treasury Department has also imposed sanctions on 40 shipping and oil tanker companies linked to Iran’s so-called shadow fleet.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission: “It is too early to ease sanctions against Iran.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “The Iranians are clearly stronger than previously thought and are obviously negotiating very skillfully. At the moment, I don’t see what exit strategy the Americans are choosing.” The German Navy will send a minesweeper to the Mediterranean if the Bundestag orders assistance in clearing the Strait of Hormuz.
Egypt has strengthened its defense systems in the Sinai to an unprecedented level and has sent additional systems to the Persian Gulf states.
The Israeli Prime Minister, at a cabinet meeting on Lebanon: “Hezbollah’s violations are effectively undermining the ceasefire. The Israel Defense Forces are acting decisively in Lebanon and preventing immediate and emerging threats.
In response, the vice president of Hezbollah’s Political Council in Lebanon stated that “direct negotiations with the ‘Zionist regime’ are unacceptable,” adding: “We will not give up our weapons.” Hezbollah stated: “We will not wait and rely on failed diplomacy, which has proven ineffective, nor on a government that is negligent in defending its homeland.” “The people of this country are the true guarantee for resisting this aggression and repelling the occupation.”
The United States warned Iraq that it could be designated a state sponsor of terrorism after Abu Alaa al-Walai, leader of the Iran-linked Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada group, attended a recent cabinet meeting to select the next prime minister, according to UTV Iraq.
Qatar has stated that it is ready to help reduce tensions in the region and Facilitating negotiations to end the war. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi briefed Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, during a telephone conversation, on Iran’s latest diplomatic initiatives and efforts to end the conflict. During the conversation, regional developments and ongoing diplomatic processes were discussed. The Qatari side expressed appreciation for Iran’s diplomatic approach and declared its readiness to continue supporting the mediation and negotiation processes.
According to Axios, Israel sent an entire Iron Dome air defense battery (including interceptors) to the United Arab Emirates at the start of the war with Iran, along with several dozen Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operators to man it. Netanyahu ordered the deployment after a phone call with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE became the first nation, other than Israel and the United States, to actively use the system in combat.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in St. Petersburg on April 27 for a meeting with Vladimir Putin, ISNA reported. The minister consulted with Russian officials on the status of negotiations with the United States, the ceasefire in the Middle East, and current international developments.
The meeting, along with the Russian president, is attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Head of the General Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov, and presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. The Iranian delegation includes Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi and Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali.
Putin reported receiving a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week.
Putin on Iran: “I received a message from Mr. Khamenei. The Iranian people are fighting courageously and heroically for their sovereignty.” “Russia will do everything possible, in the interests of Iran and other countries in the region, to ensure peace in the Middle East as soon as possible.” Araghchi in Russia: “Cooperation between Tehran and Moscow continues.” Lavrov: “The meeting was very fruitful.”
China urges its citizens to leave Iran as soon as possible, says the Chinese Embassy in Tehran, as does India, which is urging its citizens to leave Iran.
And now a look at the military scenarios in the Middle East and West Asia, updated at 3:320 PM on April 27. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated that President Trump has authorized the US Navy to “shoot down and destroy” any Iranian patrol boat attempting to lay mines and/or attack US merchant or warships in the Strait of Hormuz. Since April 25, several US military aircraft have been heading to the Middle East.
The United States has deployed a significant naval force throughout the Middle East, including several aircraft carriers, destroyers, amphibious ships, and support vessels, operating from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea. Aircraft carriers: Abraham Lincoln, Gerald R. Ford, George H.W. Bush. Destroyers: Gonzalez, Bulkeley, Mahan, Winston S. Churchill, Bainbridge, Thomas Hudner, Rafael Peralta, Mitscher, John Finn, Milius, Michael Murphy, Frank E. Petersen Jr., Spruance, McFaul, Pinckney, Delbert D. Black. Landing craft: Tripoli. Dry-docked transports: New Orleans; Littoral combat ships: Canberra.
Beginning on April 24, Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport was overrun by American KC-46 and KC-135 tankers. Everything is exactly as it was before February 28. A dozen American KC-135 Stratotankers have been deployed to Ramon Airport in Eilat, southern Israel.
Beginning on April 25, Hezbollah has again bombed northern Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu has ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to launch a powerful attack against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon: “The ceasefire is over.” The Israel Defense Forces National Guard Command is tightening restrictions on public gatherings in northern Israel due to Hezbollah attacks during the ceasefire. Following a new assessment of the situation, the Interior Forces Command announced that public gatherings in communities along the border with Lebanon, as well as in Meron, Bar Yochai, Or Haganuz, and Safsuf in the Galilee, will be limited to 1,500 people.
Palestinian sources report: “The IDF is intensifying child abductions in the brutal West Bank campaign, targeting defenseless Palestinian children.” The IDF stormed the Al-Ram neighborhood in Jerusalem, arresting dozens of Palestinians, including minors and former prisoners. More mass arrests in Al-Dhahiriya, West Bank.
Since April 25, Israel has been hitting Lebanon hard. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has attacked targets in Zutar al-Sharqiya, in the south of the country. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are releasing footage of the destruction of Hezbollah buildings and infrastructure in the a-Taiba and Addeshit area, 8 km from Misgav Am and Metula. On the afternoon of April 27, the IDF have begun attacking Hezbollah infrastructure in the Bekaa Valley and several areas of southern Lebanon.
Satellite imagery indicates a growing U.S. military presence at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, which now hosts fighter jets and tankers, such as the U.S. Air Force KC-135R. Israel has sent a battery of its Iron Dome missile defense system to the UAE, and Israeli soldiers are operating on its territory.
On April 24, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: “Suspicious vessel, presumably in collaboration with the U.S. military, detained for ignoring warnings and violating regulations.” A U.S. Air Force KC-46A Pegasus tanker, likely supporting fighter or attack aircraft, flew over the Persian Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, following yesterday’s announcement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that U.S. forces have the authority to “shoot and destroy” any Iranian speedboat laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. Navy seized a tanker in the Arabian Sea that was smuggling oil from Iran and was part of its “Shadow Fleet,” carrying $380 million worth of oil.
Iran is preparing for the “largest missile launch in history” against Israel, according to Israeli sources. The Iranian ship Toska, seized by the U.S. Navy, was carrying dialysis supplies and vital medical equipment for Iranian civilians, according to Iran. The United States had previously stated that its blockade would not seize or stop vessels carrying food or medical equipment. “
The IRGC reports: “More than 15 American aircraft of the “GBU,” “BLU,” and other models have fallen into our hands in Hormozgan province.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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