By Dave DeCamp – Antiwar.com

President Trump on Thursday shared a post calling for the killing of Iranian leaders who won’t accept US demands, ramping up his threats against the country amid a very fragile ceasefire.

The post Trump amplified was written by Marc Thiessen, who served as a speechwriter for the George W. Bush administration. “If there are two factions in Iran, one that wants a deal and one that doesn’t, let’s kill the ones who don’t want a deal,” Thiessen said in a post on X where he was quoting himself from an appearance on Fox News. Continue reading “Trump Shares Post Calling for the Killing of Iranian Leaders Who Won’t Accept US Demands”

By Jason Ditz – Antiwar.com

South of the newly-established Yellow Line, Israel has established de facto military occupation of over 50 Lebanese municipalities, and has been demolishing homes and preventing the return to displaced locals. The destruction goes deeper than that, however. Continue reading “Israeli Troops Say Mass Looting of Occupied Southern Lebanon ‘Routine’”

By Tyler Derden – Zerohedge

House Republicans on Thursday unveiled legislation to extend for three years a surveillance authority that permits the collection of communications from non-U.S. persons located abroad without a warrant.

Continue reading “House GOP Unveils Bill To Extend Key Surveillance Power Until 2029”

By Dave DeCamp – Antiwar.com

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a move that comes after the US military seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman and a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean. Continue reading “Iran’s IRGC Seizes Two Ships in the Strait of Hormuz”

By Jeremy Loffredo – The Gray Zone

Prominent Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was killed on Wednesday in what appeared to be a targeted attack by the Israeli military in the town of Tyre in southern Lebanon. Her employer, Al-Akhbar, confirmed the death of their correspondent Wednesday evening. Continue reading “Lebanese Journalist Amal Khalil Bombed and Left to Die by Israel”

By Tyler Derden – Zerohedge

Summary

  • Iranian sources to Chinese state media says ‘breakthrough’ toward restarting US talks again could come ‘tonight or tomorrow’.
  • Trump orders US Navy ‘shoot & kill’ small Iranian boats amid concern over mines in Hormuz. Says US now “doesn’t need a deal”.
  • Overnight, US military intercepted two more Iranian oil supertankers that tried to evade the blockade And in Indian Ocean US conducted a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran.
  • Media sources confirm based on prior Trump post that US has extended the ceasefire indefinitely until ‘unified proposal’ can be brought forward by Tehran.

Continue reading “Trump Orders Navy ‘Shoot & Kill’ Iranian Boats, Says ‘Doesn’t Need A Deal’ As US Intercepts Tankers From Hormuz To Indian Ocean”

By Jason Ditz – Antiwar.com

As demolitions continue at scale south of the new “Yellow Line” Israel established in Lebanon’s south, their operations have been more limited north of that area, given the present ceasefire. They have not, however, actually ceased. Continue reading “Israel Reports Killing ‘Militants’ in Lebanon Despite Ceasefire as Troops Continues Demolitions”

By Jeremy Scahill – Drop Site News

The future of U.S.-Iran negotiations remains in doubt after President Donald Trump and Tehran’s leaders staked out opposing positions on the Strait of Hormuz. “Diplomacy is a tool to secure national interests and security,” said Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, in a briefing in Tehran on Wednesday. “Whenever we conclude that the necessary and logical grounds for using this tool to realize national interests and consolidate the achievements of the Iranian nation in thwarting the enemies from reaching their evil goals are prepared, we will act.” Continue reading “Trump Blinks First, Extending Ceasefire with Iran as Hormuz Deadlock Continues”

By Tyler Derden – Zerohedge

Summary

  • IRGC seized the MSC Francesca and a Greek-owned ship named Euphoria, which had been attempting to transit the Hormuz chokepoint earlier today.
  • Within hours, a third ship comes under fire by the IRGC
  • Senior Iranian adviser says the US naval blockade is “no different than bombing” and must be met “with a military response”.

Continue reading “Iran Fires On Third Ship In Hormuz Chokepoint, Says US Navy Blockade ‘No Different Than Bombing’”

By Jason Ditz – Antiwar.com

While the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is holding across most of the country, the far south area of Lebanon occupied by Israel continues to see some limited fighting, and a massive amount of destruction as the systematic destruction of towns and villages by Israeli forces continues. Continue reading “Displaced Lebanese Again Warned Not to Return to Israeli-Occupied South”

By Tyler Derden – Zerohedge

DHL Group CEO Tobias Meyer warned Bloomberg TV earlier this morning that a persistent Gulf energy shock could morph into broader trouble for the global economy.

“Well we have seen this before, that you have recognized by consumers as having an impact that sparks broader discussion, the real economic implications for people. Now, this hasn’t happened yet. We’re trying to prevent that from happening. The 10, 12 million barrels of crude oil per day, it will come to that tipping point. Solutions are needed and political momentum is building up to resolve the situation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Meyer said. Continue reading “DHL CEO Warns Prolonged Energy Shock Could Push Global Economy To “Tipping Point””

By Middle East Eye

People walk near an anti-US billboard on a building in Tehran, Iran, on 16 April 2026 (Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani)

Iran on Saturday denied US claims that it agreed to transfer its enriched uranium abroad and signalled that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed again due to Washington’s ongoing naval blockade.

On Friday, President Donald Trump said the US would maintain a naval blockade on Iranian ports, imposed earlier this week, until a final agreement between the two countries is reached.

The blockade was imposed in response to Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran ended on Thursday following a US-brokered 10-day ceasefire to halt Israel’s war in Lebanon. Continue reading “Iran signals re-closure of Hormuz as it rejects uranium transfer abroad”

By Tyler Derden – Zerohedge

Ukraine is pushing Israel to seize a grain shipment it says was looted from Russian-occupied territory as the war persists in the east.

At the moment it does not appear that Israel complied with any interdict of the vessel, also as reports say the cargo is already offloaded and gone.

Continue reading “Ukraine Urges Israel To Act Against Russian Ship Carrying ‘Stolen’ Grain To Haifa Port”

By Dave DeCamp – Antiwar.com

Italian ‌Prime Minister Giorgia ‌Meloni said on Tuesday that her government has halted the automatic renewal of a military Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israel, as Italy has become increasingly critical of Israel’s wars and killing of civilians. Continue reading “Italy’s Meloni Halts Renewal of Military MoU With Israel”

By Murtaza Hussain – Drop Site News

On Saturday, as Pakistan was in the middle of mediating hard-won ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran, Saudi Arabia made a sudden revelation that appeared to undermine Pakistan’s status as a neutral host. In a statement posted on X, the Saudi Ministry of Defense announced “the arrival of a military force from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan at King Abdulaziz Air Base in the Eastern Sector,” adding that the force would include a contingent of military aircraft and would improve “operational readiness between the armed forces of the two countries.” Continue reading “Leaked Documents Reveal Details of the Secret Saudi Arabia–Pakistan Mutual Defense Pact”

By Tyler Derden – Zerohedge

Summary

  • The Iran war is “very close to over” with authorities in Tehran eager to agree a peace deal, Trump says, adding: “We’ve beaten them militarily.” Axios cites ‘progress’ toward framework to end war.
  • AP/Bloomberg reporting the two sides have an “in principle agreement” to pursue further diplomacy; however, this is batted down as ‘unconfirmed’ by Tehran & a US official.
  • The Pentagon is sending thousands of additional troops into the Middle East in coming days: WaPo
  • Trump claims China “very happy” the US is permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz, also Xi told him Beijing was not sending weapons/defense items to Tehran.
  • Significant Lebanon fighting continues: Israel issues more evacuation orders, moving into south; Tehran outraged, threatens Red Sea shipping. Unconfirmed reports of one-week Lebanon ceasefire about to take effect.

Continue reading “Negotiators Make ‘Progress’ Toward 2nd Round Of Pakistan Talks, While More US Troops Prepped To Deploy Near Iran”

By Dave DeCamp – Antiwar.com

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he spoke with Vice President JD Vance after the US-Iran talks in Pakistan and described the call as part of a daily report the Trump administration provides him. Continue reading “Netanyahu Says the Trump Administration Gives Him Reports on Iran Talks Every Day”

By Mehr Sher – Drop Site News

The struggle over a fallen police barrier lasted less than a minute, but it has forever altered the course of student Muhammad Ali’s life.

On June 3, 2024, the 21-year-old University of Pittsburgh senior was protesting in support of a pro-Palestine encampment in the center of campus. University police had set up metal barriers, held together with zip ties, to keep protesters from delivering food, water, and supplies to the encampment. Frustrated, some protesters tried to move the barriers. Continue reading “How 51 Seconds at a Pro-Palestine Protest Could Send a Muslim Student to Prison for 34 years”

By Tyler Derden – Zerohedge

Wary of Iranian escalation that shuts down Red Sea traffic, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is asking the Trump administration to back off from its newly-implemented blockade of Iranian-linked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday evening. On Sunday, a senior advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned that Iran has “large, untouched levers” to respond to such a blockade.

Continue reading “Fearing Iranian Escalation In Red Sea, Saudis Push Trump To Call Off Hormuz Blockade”