US commercial oil reserves are being depleted at an unprecedented rate due to the US blockade of Iran. Asian buyers, now unable to access Iranian oil, are following President Trump’s advice to buy American oil. A side effect of this is that Americans will face a sharp rise in gasoline prices and may soon face physical fuel shortages at gas stations and airports, as has been observed across Southeast Asian countries over the past two months.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, on the bombing of the Minab elementary school in Iran, which killed over 168 people, most of them children: “The bombing of a school in Iran is deplorable and is still under investigation.”
Secretary Hegset responded to the attacks on Iran during the House Armed Services Committee hearing on April 29. “So we accomplished nothing?” Adam Smith presses Hegseth
HEGSETH: Their nuclear facilities were destroyed.
SMITH: Wait a minute. You just said we had to start this war because nuclear weapons posed an imminent threat. Now you say they’ve been completely destroyed?
HEGSETH: They hadn’t given up on their ambitions.
SMITH: So Operation Midnight Hammer accomplished nothing substantial.
According to Donald Trump: “The blockade is brilliant. Iran should cry and say it surrenders. There will be no deal now unless Iran declares it doesn’t have nuclear weapons.” In an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, Trump reiterated his intention to maintain the naval blockade of Iran until the regime accepts a deal that addresses US concerns about its nuclear program. Trump also stated that he will “intensify the political campaign against Hezbollah through the Lebanese Armed Forces,” according to Axios. “We intend to do so very quickly,” the US president commented.
Remaining on the regional issue, tensions are also rising with the authorities in Northern Cyprus, who have condemned the Status of Forces Agreement between Cyprus and France, declaring it invalid for the Turkish Cypriot population. The agreement provides for the presence of French troops on Cypriot territory for humanitarian purposes. United Nations peacekeeping forces in Cyprus continue to monitor the situation in the buffer zone near the village of Avlona, following repeated reports of violations.
Amid the crisis between Israel and Ukraine and fears of sanctions, a grain importer decided to postpone the unloading of a Russian ship in the country.
Trump asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to conduct only targeted military operations in Lebanon and avoid the resumption of a full-scale war.
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced on April 27 that it had revoked the Bahraini citizenship of 69 people on charges of “glorifying or sympathizing with Iranian hostile acts” and maintaining contacts with external entities during the recent regional conflict. The government stated that all those affected are of “non-Bahraini origin” and that the measure was taken under Article 10 of Bahrain’s Nationality Law to protect national security.
Iran’s reaction was immediate, condemning the revocation of Bahraini citizenship as a “serious violation of human rights.” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei denounced the anti-humanitarian act by Bahraini officials in revoking the citizenship of Bahraini citizens under the flimsy pretext of sympathizing with Iran and expressing hatred for the crimes of the United States and Israel. He called the measure a serious violation of human rights and This is clear evidence of the country’s rulers’ discriminatory policy against their own people.
Pakistan has officially notified and opened six land transit routes for goods (including cargo from third countries) destined for Iran, primarily to clear a backlog of over 3,000 Iran-bound containers stuck in ports such as Karachi, Port Qasim, and Gwadar due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and restrictions on Iranian ports.
Iran celebrated Persian Gulf Day on April 30. Celebrated annually, the day commemorates the defeat of Portugal in 1622, underscoring Iran’s unchallenged sovereignty and strategic control over the Strait of Hormuz, while reaffirming lessons from the Timeless achievements of diplomacy and resistance. Among the most anticipated speeches was that of Mujtaba Hosseini Khamenei, who said: “Islamic Iran, with concrete gratitude for the blessing of controlling the Strait of Hormuz, will secure the Persian Gulf region and drive away hostile enemy encroachments from this waterway. The legal norms and new management of the Strait of Hormuz will bring prosperity and progress to the benefit of all the peoples of the region, and its economic benefits will gladden the hearts of the people, God willing, even if the unbelievers will not like it.”
Professor Mohammad Marandi clarified Reuters’s statements about Iran’s internal divisions and its leadership structure: “…decisions are made with the approval of the Supreme Leader. They have appointed Dr. Ghalibaf to handle the nuclear dossier. So, when Americans and Western media say that Iranians are in chaos and deeply divided, it’s all nonsense… because the dossier is in the hands of one person: Dr. Ghalibaf. He is the one who negotiated with Vance and makes the decisions.”
Iranian Army General Rezaee responded to Trump: “We will not tolerate a naval blockade; if the blockade continues, Iran will respond.”
And now a look at the military scenarios open at 2:00 PM on April 30 in the Middle East and Western Asia. According to Axios: “The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has prepared a plan for a series of ‘short and powerful’ strikes against Iran, hoping to break the stalemate in negotiations.” Security expert Heinrichs suggests that the United States conduct CIA operations in Iran to “supply weapons” to protesters during the ceasefire. “They will be a great asset for the United States.”
As of late afternoon on April 29, the IDF stated: “Sirens have been activated due to a hostile air infiltration in the Zar’it area.” The Israeli Air Force successfully intercepted a suspicious air target identified in the area where IDF soldiers operate in southern Lebanon. The target did not cross Israeli territory. The sirens were activated according to protocol.
Late in the evening of April 29, Israeli naval forces boarded the Global Sumud Flotilla ship en route to Gaza.
On April 30, Israeli media reported that Hezbollah shot down an Israeli military drone in southern Lebanon and launched a surface-to-air missile. A Hezbollah drone attack was also reported against the Western Galilee in the north. A Hezbollah drone reportedly struck an Israeli military vehicle in the Shomera area, destroying it and wounding 12 Israeli soldiers. Two soldiers suffered moderate injuries and 10 minor injuries. Several other soldiers are suffering from anxiety and tinnitus and may be transferred to the hospital later. Following the explosion of a Hezbollah-affiliated drone this morning in Shomera, secondary explosions from munitions at the site of the attack occurred.
A Jewish settler attacked a nun in Jerusalem, punching her in the face and violently pushing her. The attacker, a 36-year-old man, later fled.
During a visit today to Taybeh, southern Lebanon, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir announced that there is no ceasefire in southern Lebanon and that the IDF continues and will continue to target Hezbollah. Zamir also stated that the IDF will not withdraw from its “safe zone” in southern Lebanon until there is no longer any threat to Israeli settlements in the north of the country.
According to the IDF, over 30 weapons depots, command centers, and other infrastructure belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah in southern Lebanon have been dismantled over the past two days.
On April 29, the Israeli Air Force and the 91st Division struck approximately 20 Hezbollah military infrastructure sites in the Baraashit and Shakra areas of southern Lebanon. The attacks targeted weapons depots, command centers, and facilities used by the terrorist organization for military purposes. “Hezbollah used these facilities to plan and execute attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians, posing a threat to their safety.”
Hezbollah announced that it targeted a gathering of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) infantry and armored vehicles using two FPV drones in Bayada, southern Lebanon, at 7:00 PM. Drone attack on an Israeli army vehicle in Al-Bayyadah, Southern Lebanon
On April 29, explosions at the US Embassy in Baghdad activated the embassy’s air defense system. Previous attacks had been carried out at the Victoria Base, and also in Anbar.
From Iran, news has come that the new generation of Arash kamikaze drones was unveiled for the first time during a nighttime pro-armed demonstration in Enghelab Square in Tehran. According to General Mohsen Rezaee: “If war were to break out again, it would focus on the southern coast, near Isfahan, and partly in the western part of the country. They could also carry out some bombings and assassinations in Tehran, because there is nothing else left and all military plans have failed. This is the last plan on the table.”
Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani warned that “Iran will soon confront its enemies with a ‘terrible’ weapon,” describing it as one the enemy is “deeply afraid of.” He highlighted Iran’s successful retaliation for recent aggression, including seven missile strikes against the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and at least 100 operations against American and Israeli targets.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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