TOP STORIES
Why a U.S. Blockade on Iran Seems to Be Working | Associated Press
The U.S. Navy’s sea blockade against Iran appears to be working. Iran-linked or sanctioned vessels that have left the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz have stopped or turned around, shipping data firms say. They appear to have jammed or faked their locations in some instances, complicating an uncertain and risky shipping situation.
U.S. Intelligence Detects Signs China Is Weighing Giving Iran Advance Radar Systems | CBS News
Days after the U.S.-Israel led war with Iran kicked off last month, American intelligence agencies detected signs that the war risked widening beyond the immediate battlefield as Russia and China sought to support Iran to blunt U.S.-Israeli military operations. . . . U.S. officials . . . said Beijing had considered supplying Iran with X-band radar systems. This technology would significantly enhance Iran's ability to detect and track incoming threats, like low-flying drones and cruise missiles, and could help protect its air defense systems against advanced strikes.
Trump Says Israel and Lebanon Have Agreed to a Ceasefire | Politico
Israel and Lebanon have reached a ceasefire, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on Thursday, after Israel’s continued bombing of its neighbor emerged as a major sticking point in U.S. talks with Iran over the broader conflict. . . . Trump’s announcement raises significant unanswered questions over the details of the agreement. Israel’s bombing campaign in Lebanon is part of its long-running conflict with the Hezbollah militant group and not the country’s military forces. The Lebanese government has little control over the group, so a ceasefire with the country’s official representation does not necessarily mean an end to the war.
UANI IN THE NEWS
US Threatens to Seize All Iranian Vessels | Telegraph
Charlie Brown, senior advisor to United Against a Nuclear Iran, told SeatradeMaritime News: “It provides both a warning and clarity. It should put the entire dark fleet on notice that they are subject to these actions everywhere.”
US Ramps Up Scope of Iran Blockade to Target Ships ‘Regardless of Location’ | TradeWinds
Charlie Brown, senior adviser at lobby group United Against Nuclear Iran, told TradeWinds that the move sends an “unmistakable signal” to the shipping industry, particularly operators of the “dark fleet”, that “no geography is beyond reach” and no operating area should be treated as a sanctuary. He said Southeast Asian waters, including Malaysia’s Eastern Outer Port Limits, have become key hubs for ship-to-ship transfers of sanctioned Iranian crude, adding that “every facilitator, operator, insurer, and port actor connected to this trade should take notice.”
New U.S. Target? Iran’s ‘Dark Fleet’ Long Accused of Skirting the Rules | Daily Wire
United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) has identified more than 570 vessels as part of Tehran’s so-called “dark fleet,” many of which are already under U.S. sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
MILITARY MATTERS & STRAIT OF HORMUZ CRISIS
U.S. Navy Stopped 13 Ships from Passing Iranian Port Blockade, Pentagon Says | CNBC
The U.S. Navy has turned back 13 ships since its blockade of Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman began more than 24 hours earlier, the Pentagon said Thursday.
Pete Hegseth Says Iran Is Digging Out Missiles and Launchers | NBC News
A week ago, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Iran’s missile program was “functionally destroyed,” with stockpiles depleted, decimated and ineffective. On Thursday, he acknowledged Iran is “digging out” its remaining missiles and launchers, but said it no longer had the capacity to get more. “You have no defense industry, no ability to replenish your offensive or defensive capabilities,” he said.
U.S. Expands Search for Contraband as Iranian Blockade Continues | USNI News
The U.S. reserves the right to search any Iranian vessels, sanctioned vessels and ships suspected of carrying a list of contraband items, according to a Thursday notice to mariners from U.S. Central Command. Contraband items include weapons, ammunition, explosives and military equipment, the notice reads. Conditional contraband—meaning contraband for aiding Iran’s military operations—includes crude oil, nuclear material, metals and machinery. . . . To that end, the U.S. will pursue ships outside of the U.S. Central Command area of response, Chief of the Joint Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters Thursday.
Iran Leaders Frustrated over Failed Hormuz Revenue Plan | Iran International
Senior Iranian officials have grown frustrated with a plan to generate revenue from shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, with little money collected despite expectations of significant income, sources familiar with the matter told Iran International. Iran moved early in the war to control traffic through the strait and charge tankers about $2 million for transit permits, setting up a committee led by Mohammad-Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. But the effort has produced limited results, with only about 60 permits issued, payment requests sent for just eight shipments and no funds collected so far, the sources said, citing weak management of the process.
Hegseth Again Threatens Attacks on Iran’s Civilian Infrastructure | New York Times
“Our forces are maximally postured to restart combat operations should this new Iranian regime choose poorly and not agree to a deal,” [Defense Secretary Pete] Hegseth said during a briefing to reporters at the Pentagon. “We are locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation and on your energy industry.” “We’d rather not have to do it,” he added, “but we’re ready to go at the command of our president and at the push of a button.”
Trump Says War in Iran Is Going ‘Swimmingly’ and ‘Should Be Ending Pretty Soon’ | CNBC
President Donald Trump on Thursday said that “the war in Iran is going along swimmingly.” “It should be ending pretty soon,” Trump said at an event in Las Vegas, echoing similarly rosy predictions about the end of the war that he has made since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February.
Drone Wars: The Strategic Convergence Between Ukraine and Iran | Brett McGurk for CNN
Last week, for the first time in human history, an attack by unmanned drones and robots captured an enemy position on the ground. “The future is here,” said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, after describing the mechanical assault by his forces against a Russian outpost. This historical first would be a surprise to Moscow, which believed—together with support from Iran—that it was mastering the art of drone warfare in Ukraine. Instead, Ukraine is now out-innovating Russia just as the US is degrading Iran’s drone and missile programs, which since 2023 have helped Russia sustain its brutal assaults against Ukrainian cities and towns. Seeing these two theaters—Ukraine and Iran—as interconnected can help the United States better prepare for wars of the future and remain steps ahead of its adversaries.
DIPLOMACY & STRAIT OF HORMUZ CRISIS
Trump Sees Good Prospects for Permanent US-Iran Ceasefire Deal | Bloomberg
President Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone for prospects that the US and Iran could clinch a permanent ceasefire as the two sides discuss an extended truce ahead of its expiration next week. “It’s looking very good that we’re going to make a deal with Iran, and it’s going to be a good deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday. Talks between Washington and Tehran could resume this weekend, he said. Trump claimed, without evidence, that Iran had agreed to terms it has long resisted, including giving up ambitions for a nuclear weapon and turning over atomic materials. The deal would also include “free oil” and an opening of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump added. Tehran hasn’t publicly confirmed it’s made those concessions.
TERRORISM & TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION
Three Charged After Attempted Arson at Iran International Office in London | Reuters
British police said on Friday they had charged three people over an attempted arson attack on offices linked to television station Iran International in northwest London earlier this week. The three, two men and a teenager and all British, are accused of arson with intent to endanger life after an ignited container was thrown towards the premises of the parent company of Iran International, Volant Media, on Wednesday evening, landing in a car park. The fire immediately put itself out, causing no damage nor injuries. . . . The incident came a day after police arrested two suspects following an attempted arson attack on a synagogue, also in north London.
PROPAGANDA
Diplomatic Cables Show Iran War Is Damaging US on Multiple Fronts Across the World | Politico
The Iran war is risking America’s global security ties and damaging its reputation, especially among the world’s Muslims, according to a set of State Department cables obtained by POLITICO. The cables, dated Wednesday, described the fallout of the war for America’s standing in three countries in different parts of the world: Bahrain, Azerbaijan and Indonesia. U.S. diplomats at embassies in the countries’ capitals painted damning portraits of an America under siege in multiple media spheres by pro-Iranian actors that are exceptionally agile in the digital space.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Indian Refiners Pay for Iran Oil in Yuan via ICICI Bank, Sources Say | Reuters
Indian refiners are settling payments for rare cargoes of Iranian oil purchased under a temporary U.S. sanctions waiver using Chinese yuan through Mumbai-based ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS), four sources with knowledge of the matter said. . . . Earlier this month, state-run Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), the country's largest refiner, bought 2 million barrels of Iranian oil onboard the very large crude carrier Jaya in the country’s first purchase of Iranian crude in seven years, Reuters reported, a cargo worth roughly $200 million. India has also allowed four vessels carrying Iranian oil to berth for privately-run refiner Reliance Industries (RELI.NS), sources said last week. . . . IOC does not plan to make further Iranian oil purchases, one of the sources said.
CYBERSECURITY
Despite Cease-Fire, Iran’s Hackers Haven’t Logged Off | New York Times
Iran has continued its cyberspace operations since the cease-fire with the United States began on April 8, according to Western cybersecurity experts and former U.S. intelligence officials. In doing so, Tehran is trying to keep up pressure on the United States and Israel but also positioning itself to mount a bigger retaliation if peace talks do not resume. . . . Now in the cease-fire, Iran is tactically shifting from overt demonstrations meant to undermine support for the U.S.-Israel campaign toward quieter efforts to prepare for what might come next. This new phase of cyberspace operations includes a greater focus on espionage.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Senior Cleric Says No One ‘Will Dare Attack Iran Again’ | Iran International
A senior Iranian cleric said no one would dare attack Iran, while warning that any strike would fail and urging caution toward the United States.
U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY
US Arrests Iranian National over Alleged Basij-Linked Visa Fraud | Iran International
US immigration authorities have arrested an Iranian national accused of lying about past ties to a paramilitary organization linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Iran International. Homeland Security Investigations agents, working with the FBI, arrested Yousof Sadat Azizi on April 13 on charges related to alleged fraud and misrepresentation in his visa application, a DHS spokesperson said. . . . Azizi is currently being held in immigration detention pending a hearing before an immigration judge, the statement said.
CONGRESS & IRAN
House Effort to End Trump’s War with Iran Fails by One Vote | NBC News
The Republican-controlled House voted Thursday to reject a resolution ordering President Donald Trump to end the war with Iran. The vote was 213-214, almost entirely along party lines, as Republicans overwhelmingly stick with Trump, refusing to slap guardrails on his military campaign.
Democrats Eye New Strategy After Iran War Powers Fail | Axios
A group of House Democrats is discussing plans to force a vote on an Iran war powers resolution every day until one finally passes or U.S. operations in the region end, Axios has learned. . . . It's not clear if House Democratic leadership will get behind the tactic, but even some centrists aren’t immediately dismissing the proposal.
MISCELLANEOUS
Trump Administration Expects Iranian Team to Travel to U.S. for World Cup | Politico
The Trump administration expects Iran’s soccer team to travel to the United States for the upcoming World Cup, a senior administration official told POLITICO on Thursday.