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The death toll from a huge explosion that rocked one of Iran’s main ports rose Monday to 46 people killed, authorities said. . . . Over 1,000 people suffered injuries in the blast. Authorities still haven’t offered an explanation for the explosion. Private security firm Ambrey says the port received missile fuel chemical in March. It was part of a shipment of ammonium perchlorate from China by two vessels to Iran, first reported in January by the Financial Times. The chemical used to make solid propellant for rockets was going to be used to replenish Iran’s missile stocks, which had been depleted by its direct attacks on Israel during the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Iran and U.S. Advance to Technical Talks on Tehran’s Nuclear Program | Washington Post
Iran and the United States held their first technical-level talks on Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program Saturday, a more complex phase of their high-stakes negotiations. “The negotiations this round were much more serious than in the past,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television. A senior Trump administration official called the talks “positive and productive.” . . . The sides met for more than four hours and agreed to continue talking. “There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal,” the administration official said. . . . During public remarks Thursday, Iran’s supreme leader referred to the story of an imam who was criticized for making peace with non-Muslims. “The imam would say it is temporary,” the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. “This dominance of disbelief and hypocrisy is not meant to be permanent.”
Trump Signals Breakthrough on Iran Deal “Without Having to Drop Bombs” | Israel Hayom
US President Donald Trump said Sunday night that talks between Americans and Iran on a nuclear deal are going “very well.” In a briefing to reporters before boarding Air Force One, the American president said, “I think a deal is going to be made there, it's going to happen. Without having to start dropping bombs all over the place.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Flag Hopping Hits Unprecedented Levels Among Sanctioned fleet | Lloyd’s List
The acceleration in flag hopping is a reflection of the increasing agility and sophistication of deceptive actors, explains Claire Jungman, chief of staff at US advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran. “This behaviour is rarely coincidental or administrative. It’s often a deliberate tactic to obscure ownership, complicate enforcement and maintain access to global shipping markets despite restrictions,” Jungman said.
Massive Blast in Iranian Port Linked to Missile Fuel Kills 8, Injuries More than 700 | New York Post
A huge explosion ripped through Iran's largest commercial port, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 700 others Saturday, in a fiery disaster authorities are linking to a shipment of chemicals used to create missile propellant. . . . Experts, however, cautioned pointing fingers at other nations. Jason Brodsky, policy director of the nonprofit United Against Nuclear Iran, posted to X that the explosion reminded him of recent reports about Iranian cargo ships docking at Bandar Abbas after departing China with missile components in late March.
A Hiring and a Firing Drag Israel into Fight over Trump’s Middle East Policy | Haaretz
United Against Nuclear Iran Policy Director Jason Brodsky decried the reporting as "disgusting," stressing [NSC official Merav Ceren] was “an experienced professional, we're lucky to have her in this role, and she wasn't an official of Israel's Defense Ministry. She did a fellowship there. This may be controversial in Doha and Tehran, but it isn't here. A former White House chief of staff served as a volunteer in the IDF as well. Take the antisemitism back in the gutter where it belongs.” To Brodsky's point, American-Jewish political figures have been forced to reckon with dual loyalty tropes for decades.
After Trump’s Optimism, Will the Tehran-Washington Agreement Be Achieved Tomorrow | Asharq TV
UANI Research Director Daniel Roth discussed U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran on Asharq.
"It could be an accident, or sabotage. Too early to tell," Jason Brodsky, director of United Against Nuclear Iran, told the Corriere della Sera. He writes: "Of course, even if the more I think about it, the more I remember the news about those Iranian cargo ships that, having left China with missile components, then docked in Bandar Abbas." And he explains: less than a month ago the weekly Newsweek, citing the website “Maritime Executive,” reported that the Iranian cargo ship “Jeyran,” after leaving China, docked in Bandar Abbas. The suspicion is that it was carrying chemical materials used in the production of solid-propellant missiles. According to this report, the ship's cargo included sodium perchlorate, a substance used in the production of ballistic missile fuel, intended to replenish the ayatollahs' dwindle supplies after attacks on Israel. Other experts also share Brodsky's idea.
U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Enter Technical Phase | OilPrice.com
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), sees the current trajectory not as a concession but as strategic pressure. “A Trump doctrine on Iran takes shape where it gives Iran a choice: Either you dismantle your nuclear program or the US and/or Israel will dismantle it for you,” he said.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Enrichment Inside Iran a Red Line in Trump Negotiations, Tehran Says | Iran International
Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that any agreement with the US must respect Tehran’s key demands, including the continuation of uranium enrichment inside the country and the effective lifting of sanctions.
UN Nuclear Watchdog Team in Iran for Technical Talks | Reuters
A technical team from the International Atomic Energy Agency has arrived in Iran for talks with nuclear experts, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, as a follow up to the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief's visit to Tehran earlier this month.
Iran Says ‘Extremely Cautious’ on Success of Nuclear Talks with US | Reuters
Iran and the United States have agreed to continue nuclear talks next week, both sides said on Saturday, though Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi voiced “extreme cautious” about the success of the negotiations to resolve a decades-long standoff. . . . A senior U.S. administration official described the talks and positive and productive, adding that both sides agreed to meet again in Europe “soon.” . . . Earlier Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi had said talks would continue next week, with another "high-level meeting" provisionally scheduled for May 3. Araqchi said Oman would announce the venue.
Iran Sees Missile Programme as Main Sticking Point in US Talks | Reuters
Iranian negotiators left [talks a week ago in] Rome persuaded that the U.S. had accepted Tehran’s position that it would not entirely end its enrichment programme or surrender all the uranium it has enriched already, but that its missile programme remained a big sticking point, [an Iranian] official said.
“A real deal that works is one that removes Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons,” [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] says. . . . “Dismantle all the infrastructure of Iran’s nuclear program,” says Netanyahu. “That is a deal we can live with.” If the two sides agree on more lenient deal, says Netanyahu, Iran will simply run out the clock and wait for the end of Donald Trump’s term. He also says that Iran’s ballistic missile production must be part of the talks as well.
Former White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that President Trump can secure a new deal to curtail Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, on the heels of negotiations between U.S. officials and Iran in Oman. Mr. Sullivan, who was a top adviser on foreign policy to President Joseph R. Biden, said he believed Mr. Trump can get a new agreement — but it would likely appear similar to one President Barack Obama developed and Mr. Trump scrapped.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Port Shutdown Halts Over Half of Iran’s Cargo As Fire Not Yet Contained | Iran International
More than half of Iran's port activity remains offline following a major explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, according to Iranian port authority data.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Massive Iran Port Explosion Kills at Least 14 and Injures Hundreds | New York Times
A person with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that what exploded was sodium perchlorate, a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles. . . . The security firm Ambrey told The Associated Press that there were indications that the blast resulted from improper storage of sodium perchlorate at the port. The Financial Times reported in January that China had shipped the chemical to Iran, whose stocks of missile propellant were depleted last year when it and its proxy, Hezbollah, launched missiles at Israel.
Iran's President Visits Injured from Port Blast that Killed 40 | Associated Press
Iran’s president on Sunday visited those injured in a huge explosion that rocked one of the Islamic Republic’s main ports, a facility purportedly linked to an earlier delivery of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant. The visit by President Masoud Pezeshkian came as the toll from Saturday’s blast at the Shahid Rajaei port outside of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran’s Hormozgan province rose to 40 dead with about 1,000 others injured.
Iran Port Fire Costs Economy $25 Million Daily as It Continues to Burn | IranWire
Iran faces daily economic losses of $25 million as Shahid Rajaee Port continues to burn. According to Sajjad Mohammadi, former Deputy for Engineering Affairs and Infrastructure Development of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, the daily losses are mounting while the critical facility remains partially or fully inoperable. Despite official claims of resumed operations, the port has been ablaze for over 36 hours, with the full extent of damage still undetermined.
Iran's Supreme Leader Orders Probe into Deadly Port Blast | Iran Wire
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has ordered a thorough investigation into the massive explosion at Shahid Rajaee Port that killed at least 46 people and injured more than 1,000. "Security and judicial officials are obliged to thoroughly investigate, uncover any negligence or intent, and follow up in accordance with regulations," Khamenei said. The explosion occurred at Bandar Abbas's key southern port, which handles 80 million tons of goods annually.
MP Questions Role of Firm Linked to Supreme Leader’s Conglomerate in Port Blast | Iran International
The explosion at Rajaei Port occurred in the yard of Sina Company, affiliated with Bonyad Mostazafan, a powerful economic conglomerate controlled by Iran’s Supreme Leader, parliament’s National Security Committee member Ali Khezrian said on Sunday. He questioned what safety improvements had been made since a 2019 incident involving a sunken Indian ship under Sina’s management.
Iran’s Defense Ministry Denies Military Cargo at Blast Site | Iran International
There was no military-related cargo in the area affected by the Rajaei Port fire, Iran’s defense ministry spokesperson said on Sunday, according to state television.
Islamic Republic Is the Root of All Disasters, Nobel Peace Laureate Says | Iran International
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights advocate Narges Mohammadi blamed the Islamic Republic for the tragedy in Bandar Abbas, calling it the “root of all disasters.” “We are mourning not only the lives lost, but also the hardship of living under a despotic, inefficient, and unaccountable regime. The Islamic Republic, concerned only with its own survival, has no regard for its people. It bears no responsibility for the suffering it causes,” she said in a post on her Instagram page.
Tehran Prosecutor Files Charges over ‘False Reports’ on Port Explosion | Iran International
Tehran’s prosecutor has filed charges against several media outlets and online activists accused of spreading false information about the Rajaei port explosion, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported on Sunday.
Sabotage Cannot Be Ruled Out in Iran Port Blast, Analyst Says | Iran International
The type of fire and smoke confirms that the explosive material was a derivative of sodium, and that a container is by no means a suitable vessel for storing sodium perchlorate, as the heat inside a container cannot be controlled, Farzin Nadimi, a senior defense and security analyst at the Washington Institute, told Iran International. . . . “If someone wanted to cause such a reaction leading to a fire, it would be very easy to set off an explosion in such a shipment. It did not seem that there were any serious security measures in place beyond surveillance cameras," Nadimi said regarding the possibility of an act of sabotage.
Explosion at Iranian Port Severely Impacts Regime, Iran Expert Says | Jerusalem Post
The mass explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, which took place on Saturday, has significantly impacted the Iranian regime, according to Beni Sabti, an expert in the Iran program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). “The port that blew up in the southern Iranian city was the most important port for the Iranian regime,” Sabti told Maariv on Sunday. He said the reason for the port’s importance was “not only because it was the largest port in Iran, but because the hub was used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to transfer weapons to terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and the Houthis.” It was also used “to illegally transfer oil to China,” Sabti added.
Chinese Missile Fuel ‘Caused Iran Port Explosion’ | Telegraph
A deadly explosion at Iran’s largest port is believed to have been caused by missile fuel ingredients sent by China.
Empty Words: Iran’s Pattern of Disasters and Hollow Investigations | IranWire
As officials scrambled to contain the damage and investigate the cause [of the port explosion], the incident became the latest in a troubling pattern of industrial disasters across Iran, where lessons from past disasters appear unheeded.
Iranian Elite Grows Supportive of Nuclear Talks as Economic Fears Spike | Washington Post
Iranian media coverage of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran has been largely positive, reflecting a growing willingness among the Iranian elite to engage with the United States, with even conservative outlets spinning the negotiations as evidence of their country’s influence on the world stage. . . . As talks between technical teams from the two countries resume Saturday, analysts say this messaging reveals the emerging consensus among Iranian officials that engagement with the Trump administration should be a priority—not because Iran is strong but because it faces the prospect of economic collapse unless sanctions are eased.
Iran Seeks ‘Controlled Narrative’ at Home on US Talks | Iran International
Cautious statements from some Iranian officials and a paucity of disclosures by the tightly-controlled media on ongoing talks with the United States suggests an official desire to control the public discourse on the hyper-sensitive dossier.
In Friday Prayers, State Clerics Praise Wisdom of Nuclear Talks | Iran International
Senior Iranian clerics signaled guarded optimism toward renewed indirect talks with the United States over Iran’s nuclear program, while voicing the Islamic Republic's uncompromising stance on national sovereignty and sanctions relief.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Iranian Father Murders Teenage Daughter in Tehran Revenge Killing | Jerusalem Post
Fatemeh Soltani, 18, was stabbed to death on the streets of Tehran by her father on April 17, according to women’s rights organizations and international media reports. Some reports indicate the father beheaded Soltani before repeatedly stabbing her. The young woman was killed outside a nail salon where she worked while she was taking a phone call, according to the reports. She had reportedly moved out of her family home as a result of domestic violence, Iran International reported.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Report: Dermer Urged US to Consider Use of ‘Bunker Busters’ on Iran Nuclear Sites | Times of Israel
In recent talks in Washington, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer pressed top American officials to consider deploying powerful “bunker buster” bombs against Iran’s fortified nuclear sites, The Washington Post reports, citing former Israeli and American intelligence officials familiar with the discussions.
Israeli planners envisage two possible outcomes. In the first—and preferred—scenario, talks collapse, prompting a joint U.S.–Israeli strike. A severe blow would then compel Iran to return to negotiations on terms acceptable to both capitals. In the second, which alarms Israel’s leadership, Mr. Trump settles for an interim deal before his late May or early June Middle East visit—an accord that forestalls bombing but fails to dismantle Iran’s breakout capability. Such a deal, critics say, would merely delay Tehran’s progress by a year or two, leaving intact its nuclear infrastructure and missile forces. Even if a large-scale strike is off the table temporarily, Israel and its Western allies possess other levers: cyber operations akin to the 2006 “Olympic Games” campaign, which analysts believe significantly set back Iran’s program, and targeted sabotage—such as the 2020 killing of Professor Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the program’s military architect. Yet Israeli and U.S. officials caution that only a comprehensive campaign—military, cyber and diplomatic—can induce real, lasting change in Iran’s strategic calculus.
ASSASSINATION PLOTS
Iran Summons Dutch Envoy to Protest Assassination Attempts Claim | Reuters
The Iranian foreign ministry summoned the Dutch ambassador to Tehran on Friday, the official IRNA news agency reported, a day after the Netherlands called in Iran's envoy over suspicions that Iran was behind two assassination attempts.
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
Iran Repelled Large Cyber Attack on Sunday | Reuters
Iran repelled a large cyber attack on its infrastructure on Sunday, said the head of its Infrastructure Communications Company, a day after a powerful explosion damaged its most important container port and another round of talks with the U.S. over Tehran's disrupted nuclear programme. "One of the most widespread and complex cyber attacks against the country's infrastructure was identified and preventive measures were taken," Behzad Akbari said on Monday, according to semi-official Tasnim news agency, without giving more detail.
RUSSIA, UKRAINE, & IRAN
Russia Sends Help to Iran After Deadly Port Explosion | Guardian
Vladimir Putin was one of the first world leaders to offer help to Iran in the aftermath of a massive explosion at a container depot in a key port near the strait of Hormuz, dispatching several emergency planes to the area.
[On severing Russia’s ties with Iran, Lavrov said:] There was never any request like this, and we welcome the process which was initiated between the United States and Iran. We are ready to be helpful if the parties believe this can be the case, and they know this.
EUROPE & IRAN
Iran’s Minister Attends Pope Francis’ Funeral Under Heavy US Security Presence | Iran International
Iran’s Minister of Culture Abbas Salehi represented the Islamic Republic at the funeral of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, appearing alongside global dignitaries in a rare display of Tehran’s diplomatic outreach. Salehi was accompanied by Mohammad Hossein Mokhtari, Iran’s ambassador to the Vatican, to pay respects to the late pontiff, who died Monday at the age of 88 after years of declining health.
SYRIA, IRAQ, & IRAN
US Urges Syria to Curb Iran Influence at UN Meeting | Iran International
“We will hold Syrian interim authorities accountable for the following steps to fully renounce and suppress terrorism, adopt a policy of non-aggression to neighboring states, exclude foreign terrorist fighters from any official roles, prevent Iran and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory,” said Dorothy Shea, the Deputy US representative to the United Nations in New York.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa hosted a high-level Iraqi delegation led by the head of the Iraqi intelligence, Hamid al-Shatri, on Friday, with Sharaa possibly to Iraq for a summit of Arab leaders on May 17 . . . This is important because it comes after the first meeting between Al-Sharaa and Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani last week in Doham, leading to some controversy among pro-Iranian politicians in Iraq who opposed the Shara’a visit.
ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON, & IRAN
Israeli warplanes last year intercepted Iranian aircraft headed toward Syria, preventing them from delivering troops meant to assist the country’s embattled president at the time, Bashar Assad, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday. The remarks in a speech gave a new glimpse into Israel’s thinking in the final days in power for Assad, a longtime enemy who was overthrown by insurgents last December.
[Israeli] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed Sunday that Israel moved up its pager operation against Hezbollah by several weeks after intelligence indicated that three pagers sent from Lebanon were being scanned in Iran.
‘Netanyahu Kidnapped’ on Iranian State-Affiliated Film amid Nuclear Talks | Jerusalem Post
Scenes of a faux kidnapping of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into Iran circulated on pro-regime networks last week. The scenes were taken from a short movie named “Unofficial Guest.” . . . Despite the film being released over five months ago, it suddenly made a comeback on Iranian networks, in striking tandem with the US-Iran nuclear negotiations. The producers of the film are the Ghodra studios, accused by oppositionist outlet Radio Farda of being a straw company which belongs to the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, operating to disperse the regime’s propaganda.
MP Blames Israel for Saturday Port Explosion | Iran International
An Iranian parliamentarian accused Israel of orchestrating the deadly explosion at Bandar Abbas’s Rajaei port, according to remarks published Sunday by Rokna News. Mohammad Seraj, a Tehran MP, said that explosives were pre-planted in containers and detonated remotely, possibly via satellite or timer.
Failed Financial Gambit: Iran Underpaid Hamas $58M | Israel Hayom
Captured Gaza documents reveal that former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was informed about Tehran’s limited response to Hamas' $500 million funding request. . . . According to Israel Hayom, senior Iranian official Saeed Izadi declined Hamas' $500 million request, offering only limited assistance within Iran's capabilities.
MISCELLANEOUS
Seventy-nine percent of American Jews reported little or no confidence in former US President Donald Trump’s ability to handle the Iranian nuclear threat, according to new findings released Monday by the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI). . . . Sixty-one percent of respondents said they backed [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s demand for the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, compared to 23% who agreed with the US position that limiting Iran’s uranium enrichment would be sufficient.