No news on upcoming meetings in Islamabad. Iran denied today’s talks despite statements from US President Donald Trump, clarifying to RIA Novosti an Iranian diplomatic source: “Iran still considers Pakistan the main mediator in negotiations with the United States.” Rumors suggest a date could be announced soon.
Turbulence continues within the Trump administration: a Pentagon spokesperson announced that Navy Secretary John Phelan will leave his post immediately. And in the early hours of April 23, US Navy Secretary Phelan resigned.
Returning to the Iranian issue, White House spokeswoman Leavitt said: “The President has not set a specific deadline for receiving the Iranian offer.” In fact, Israeli media reported that the United States has given Iran until April 26 to finalize negotiations.
US allies in the Persian Gulf and Asia have requested financial assistance because of the war in Iran, Scott Bessent said. The Treasury Secretary noted that providing them with U.S. dollars will prevent a disorderly sell-off of dollar-denominated assets on the global market. Secretary Bessent: “Sanctions exemptions for Russian and Iranian seaborne oil have been extended by 30 days.”
On April 22, Britain and France brought together military strategy experts from over 30 countries in London for a conference aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The previous 51-nation summit, held last week in Paris and hosted by the leaders of France and Britain, called for the “unconditional, unlimited, and immediate” reopening of the strait and agreed to establish a “multinational defense mission to escort merchant ships.”
Cyprus, with U.S. support, is modernizing two major military bases, strengthening its role as a safe haven in the Eastern Mediterranean for people fleeing conflict in the Middle East and as a humanitarian hub. Attention is focused on the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base, Cyprus’s main naval base, located just 229 km off the Lebanese coast. The US European Command will fund the construction of a new helipad, designed to accommodate the large CH-47 transport helicopters used to evacuate people from conflict zones. In the southwestern part of the island, Cyprus will also expand the Andreas Papandreou Air Base. The project includes a new platform designed to accommodate dozens of heavy military transport aircraft, capable of carrying personnel and equipment for regional humanitarian missions. Lieutenant Colonel Paris Samoutis, spokesman for the Cyprus National Guard, said that the base expansion will allow aircraft to refuel and perform maintenance more quickly. A meeting of EU heads of state is taking place in Cyprus on April 23 and 24. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said: European Union countries should begin discussing how to act if one of the EU countries were attacked. The Iranian embassy in Nicosia denied Israeli accusations of facilitating the smuggling of explosive drones into Cyprus.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was ready for any scenario, “on defense and on offense.” Ella Keenan, a former captain in Israel’s intelligence services, credits herself with popularizing the slogan “Hamas is ISIS” during Israeli attacks in Palestine, noting that it was even cited in Biden’s speech. On April 23, chaos erupted at the Israeli Supreme Court due to a settler uprising following an October 7 investigation, forcing the judges to evacuate.
Haaretz: “The Israeli Supreme Court will today hear, with an expanded panel of seven judges, petitions demanding that the government be forced to establish an official commission of inquiry into the failures that led to the events of October 7, 2023. The petitioners are the Government Integrity Movement, the Zulat association, the Chomat Magen forum, the Derechinu movement, and a settler group. The judges participating in the hearing are Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg and Justices David Mintz, Yael Vilner, Ofer Grosskopf, Alex Stein, Khaled Kabub, and Yehiel Kasher.”
In Lebanon, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut is closely monitoring the security situation. The situation remains complex and can change rapidly. “We urge U.S. citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial flights are available. We encourage U.S. citizens who choose to remain to prepare contingency plans and monitor the news for updates.” This is stated in the note from the US Embassy.
The Lebanese Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah: “We will destroy the Yellow Line in southern Lebanon and all the consequences of the war.” The authorities’ problem is not with Hezbollah, but with a large segment of Lebanese who refuse. “I am against direct negotiations with Israel. This is a serious mistake that is exacerbating internal divisions in Lebanon.”
Lebanese Parliament Member Hussein Hajj Hassan: “We are no longer committed to the ceasefire and will respond based on our assessment of the situation.” According to Lebanese media, Italian UNIFIL troops restored the statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon after it was vandalized and destroyed by an Israeli soldier.
An unconfirmed report claims that the Syrian government has ceded the strategic base of Palmyra to Turkey, turning it into a sovereign military zone.
Somalia, at odds with Israel over the Somaliland issue, has joined forces with Iran and the Houthis, and Hezbollah has announced a ban on Israeli ships passing through the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.
Iran has received the proceeds of tolls for crossing the Strait of Hormuz for the first time; “the funds have been credited to the Central Bank’s account,” announced the Deputy Speaker of the Majlis.
Iran has been without internet for 55 consecutive days, with connectivity dropping to 2% of normal levels after 1,296 hours. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammadbakir Ghalibaf: “A complete ceasefire is possible only if it is not violated by a naval blockade and a takeover of the global economy, and if Zionist aggression on all fronts ceases. Opening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible in the event of a serious ceasefire violation. They have not achieved their goals with military aggression, and they will not achieve them with intimidation either. The only way forward is recognition of the rights of the Iranian people.”
Iranian Ambassador to Tunisia, Mir Masoud Hosseinian, stated that “Russia and China could act as guarantors for a possible agreement between Tehran and Washington.”
Late in the afternoon of April 22, at 6:15 PM Italian time, South Korean envoy Chang Byung-ha met with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi in Tehran. Not only did Iran open its borders to foreign journalists, British political commentator and journalist Bushra Shaikh, who arrived in Iran for an independent report, firmly rejected Fox News’ claims that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was holding the Ayatollah hostage. “What a ridiculous lie and a piece of propaganda, without any evidence whatsoever. The Iranian Guards are NOT holding the Ayatollah hostage.” Among the journalists present in Iran were Christopher Helali, Wyatt Reed, and Bushra Shaikh.
An Iranian diplomatic source told RIA Novosti late today: “A possible breakthrough in the arrangements for a meeting between Tehran and Washington in Pakistan this evening or tomorrow.”
And now a look at the ongoing military scenarios in the Middle East and Western Asia, updated at 3:30 PM on April 23. A statement from the U.S. Department of War said: 271 infantrymen, 64 sailors, 19 Marines, and 46 airmen were wounded in the war against Iran. Meanwhile, according to OSINT and SIGINT sources, the Americans continue to monitor Iran with almost the same intensity as before February 28. The Washington Post: “The Pentagon announced during a briefing to Congress that the process of clearing the Strait of Hormuz could take at least six months and that it does not plan to begin such operations until the end of the war with Iran.”
Trump disavows the Pentagon: “I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and destroy any vessel, no matter how small (all 159 of their warships are on the seabed!), that is laying mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz. There must be no hesitation. Furthermore, our minesweepers are clearing the Strait right now. I therefore order that this activity continue, but at a tripled level! US minesweepers are currently clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz.”
A third US aircraft carrier will arrive in the Middle East by the end of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran. According to US media, the naval group led by the USS George Bush will arrive in the conflict zone within three to five days, i.e., by April 26. Nine KC-46A Pegasus tankers are entering the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar.
CBS News reports that, according to several US intelligence sources, Iran possesses military capabilities greater than those publicly acknowledged by the White House and the Pentagon.
Clashes between Israel and Lebanon have continued. On April 23, the Islamic Resistance posted online footage of an attack on an Israeli army artillery outpost in Kafarjaladi (Kfar Giladi), northern Israel, using rockets and kamikaze drones.
A convoy of five US heavy transport aircraft is arriving at Nevatim Air Base in Israel.
A drone attack in Gaza kills six people near the Al-Qassam Mosque in Beit Lahia. Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardments continued throughout April 23 in the eastern Gaza Strip and Khan Younis, worsening the humanitarian catastrophe. Three members of the Islamic Resistance were killed by an Israeli reconnaissance missile on a white Fiat on Salah al-Din Road, north of al-Maghazi Camp.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem declared the attack on the family in Gaza a horrific crime and urged mediators, guarantor states, and “participants in the so-called Peace Council” to assume their responsibilities, “forcing Israel to end the genocidal war against the Gaza Strip.”
West Bank sources: “Israel shot him dead while he was returning home from school.” The man was a student, Youssef Eshtayeh. The IDF blocked the road connecting the villages of Madama and Asira al-Qibliya, south of Nablus, with earthworks.
Emmanuel Macron announced that another French soldier was killed in Lebanon in an attack by Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah announced it targeted an Israeli Humvee in Qantara and a military gathering with an FPV drone.
According to Hezbollah, an Israeli army reconnaissance drone was shot down in the town of Majdal Zoun in response to Israel’s ceasefire violation and violation of Lebanese airspace. This afternoon, it claimed responsibility for an attack on IDF personnel in the town Al-Tayyiba city. An Israeli army Merkava tank was targeted in the city of Al-Bayada.
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz: “Hezbollah’s drones are immune to interference, and the new security zone will not stop them.” The Israeli army reports that 45 officers and soldiers have been injured in southern Lebanon in the past 48 hours. The number of army injuries since the beginning of the battle in southern Lebanon has risen to 735, 44 of whom are in serious condition and 100 in moderate condition.
Another Lebanese journalist has been killed in an Israeli attack. Amal Khalil, a correspondent for Al-Akhbar, who has been covering the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah since October 2023, was killed while covering the latest escalation. Source: TMJ. In an interview recorded before her murder, Khalil revealed that she had received direct death threats from the Mossad on her phone. “I received direct threats on my phone from the Mossad, from the Israelis, threatening to kill me. They literally said they would behead me if I didn’t leave southern Lebanon.”
An oil field linked to Israel and operated by US-backed Kurdish groups in Erbil, northern Iraq, was struck by drones on the night of April 22.
In recent weeks, the US military has deployed Ukrainian counter-drone technology at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters and the Times of Israel, citing several sources familiar with the situation. The platform in question is the Sky Map command and control platform, developed in Ukraine. The system is used to detect unmanned aerial threats and coordinate response actions, including the launch of interceptors, the sources said. Ukrainian military specialists have already arrived at the base to train US troops in the use of the system.
Bab al Mandeb: The UK Maritime Trade Operations Center reported a security incident 83 miles southeast of Somalia. A merchant vessel reportedly encountered two small boats carrying armed individuals who opened fire on the vessel.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM): “Over the past 24 hours, we have ordered 29 vessels to reverse course and turn back as part of the naval blockade against Iran.” According to the Washington Post, citing three sources familiar with the situation, the Pentagon has informed Congress that Iran may have planted up to 20 naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas. White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt stated that U.S. President Donald Trump does not consider Iran’s seizure of the MSC Francesca and Epaminodes a ceasefire violation, stating that the vessels were neither American nor Israeli. She further added that these actions are simply acts of piracy by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
At least 34 Iranian-linked oil and gas tankers have breached the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, according to Bloomberg, citing data from analytics firm Vortexa. Nineteen vessels have exited the Persian Gulf beyond the blockade line, while 15 have entered, crossing a cordon that extends from the coast of Ras al-Hadd in Oman northeast to the Iran-Pakistan border. The US Navy simply does not have enough ships in service to intercept and stop every vessel entering and leaving Iranian ports.
The New York Times, citing ship-tracking data, states that from March 2 to Sunday, 308 Iranian-linked vessels passed through the strait, while only 90 non-Iranian vessels transited (all with Iranian authorization). Despite more than 13,000 US airstrikes against Iranian targets and the imposition of a naval blockade, Tehran still holds considerable sway.
The United States says its forces seized a sanctioned tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean yesterday. The vessel is identified as the Majestic X. The United States announced the landing of troops on a vessel linked to Iran.
Regarding the seized vessels: According to “Lost and Found” data from TankerTrackers.com, the MSC Francesca – a container ship linked to the Mediterranean Shipping Company (Switzerland). Seized by Iran (Islamic Coast Guard). En la Epaminondas – a container ship, likely owned by an international company (exact owner unconfirmed). Seized by Iran (Islamic Coast Guard); reportedly damaged on its deck. Finally, there is the Euphoria – a vessel linked to the United Arab Emirates; targeted by gunfire and forced to stop. Seized unconfirmed.
According to the Pasdaran: “Both seized ships belong to Israel, which sails under a false flag and manipulates its identity when trading with Arab countries in the region. The company’s offices are located in Ashdod and Haifa.”
Exercises were held yesterday in Iran, and explosions were heard overnight, alerting the air defense. According to Iranian sources: “Fighters from the Israeli-backed Jaish al-Adl terrorist group attempted to enter Iran from the southeastern border with Pakistan and were immediately neutralized by Iranian border guards. Several terrorists were killed, and weapons, ammunition, explosives, and various equipment were seized.” The Jaish al-Adl group is a Baluchi Sunni Islamist and jihadist militant organization that operates primarily in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchistan along the border with Pakistan. It is recalled that an oil pipeline was blown up in Pakistan.
According to a satellite image of 33 high-speed patrol boats of the Revolutionary Guards Navy after patrolling the Strait of Hormuz and returning No to the naval base. On April 22, they successfully intercepted three vessels violating Hormuz patrol rules and seized two of them, with ties to hostile countries, taking them off the Iranian coast.
Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces, Amir Hatami: “They say they destroyed the Iranian Navy. This navy, which they claim to have destroyed, is still strong and powerful today, and the enemy respects a distance of 300 kilometers from it.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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