Iran Says It Has Seized 2 Vessels In Strait Of Hormuz

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15:11

Iran Says War Has Cost More Than 700,000 Jobs

Alireza Mahjub, secretary-general of Irans Labor House, an influential officially recognized labor organization, has said that more than 700,000 jobs have been lost during Iran’s war with the United States and Israel.

Speaking at a press conference in Tehran on April 22, he said 130,000 people were directly made unemployed as a result of the bombing of workplaces, while 600,000 other jobs were lost indirectly.

He also warned that the consequences of unemployment caused by the economic crisis after the war would be far greater than these figures.

During nearly six weeks of conflict before a cease-fire was declared on April 8, some of the country’s largest steel and petrochemical production facilities suffered serious damage in air strikes, forcing their production lines to halt. Other commercial and industrial units were also damaged.

Mohammad-Hadi Asgari, a deputy labor minister, also said at the April 22 press conference that the Labor Ministry was identifying and following up on problems facing affected businesses.

He said the government would provide “support packages” to help rebuild damaged facilities, but gave no further details.

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14:41

Lebanese Official Says Beirut To Seek One-Month Cease-Fire Extension

A youth rides a moped past a mosque that was hit by a recent Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir.

Lebanon and Israel are set to hold a second round of talks in Washington on April 23, with a Lebanese official saying Beirut will seek a one-month extension of a fragile US-mediated cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel, which is due to expire on April 26.

The official told the AFP news agency that Lebanon would also seek an end to Israeli bombing and destruction in areas where Israeli troops remain and a renewed commitment to the truce.

The 10-day cease-fire has come under strain, with Hezbollah saying they fired rockets at northern Israel this week in response to Israeli violations, while Israel accused the group of breaches and said it killed two militants in south Lebanon.

Cross-border hostilities escalated on March 2 after Hezbollah opened fire in support of Iran during the regional war.

Hezbollah is a Tehran-backed militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing.

The Lebanese government says extending the cease-fire is a prerequisite for broader negotiations covering an Israeli troop withdrawal, the return of Lebanese detainees, and land border demarcation between the two countries.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to attend the meeting.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has called the talks a “historic decision” after more than four decades without direct negotiations.

Lebanon and Israel have remained formally in a state of war since Lebanon joined the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli conflict following Israel’s creation, though hostilities have flared only intermittently since.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

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12:51

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Say They Seized 2 Ships In Hormuz Strait

People on Revolution Square in Tehran on April 22 walk past a giant billboard saying “the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) says it has seized “two offending vessels” during an alleged “secret attempt to leave” the Strait of Hormuz.

The naval arm of the IRGC said on April 22 that it had detained “two violating ships” that it claimed were attempting a “secret departure” from the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the IRGCstatement, the vessels were the MSC Francesca, which it described as belonging to Israel, and the Epaminodes.

The IRGC said they were stopped on accusations that they intended to leave “without permission,” while committing “repeated violations,” tampering with navigational assistance systems, and endangering maritime security in an attempt to exit the strait “secretly.”

The IRGC navy said the vessels had been transferred to Iran’s territorial waters for inspection of their cargo and documentation.

The announcement came on a day when Iran’s armed forces said they had attacked and disabled three cargo ships off the country’s coast, according to state media.

The IRGC, which has closed the strait to ships and oil tankers since February 28, briefly reopened the waterway for one day after a cease-fire in the war with the United States and Israel started on April 8, but shut it again after negotiations between the sides collapsed and a naval blockade of Iranian ports began.

With reporting by dpa

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12:13

EU Unveils Energy Plan Amid Iran War Shock

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen starts a meeting in Brussels on April 22.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a strategy to address the consequences of the US-Israeli military war with Iran on European energy markets.

“The choices we make today will shape our ability to face the challenges of today and the crises of tomorrow,” she said on April 22, announcing a package that included optimizing the distribution of jet fuel among EU member states.

“Our AccelerateEU strategy will bring both immediate and more structural relief measures to European citizens and businesses,” von der Leyen added. “We must accelerate the shift to homegrown, clean energies. This will give us energy independence and security, and mean we are better able to weather geopolitical storms.”

The effective closure of the key Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for about one-fifth of the global oil trade, has become a central issue of the conflict, putting many exporting countries in the region at risk of a crisis and sharply driving up energy prices.

A separatestatement about the initiative, announced by von der Leyen and published on the same day, said the EU has spent an additional 24 billion euros ($28.2 billion) on energy imports since the first days of the war.

“Even if hostilities ceased immediately, disruptions to energy supplies from the Gulf will persist for the foreseeable future,” the statement said.

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12:02

Iran Accused Of Striking Kurdish Opposition Group In Iraq

Drone strikes in Iraqs autonomous Kurdistan Region wounded three members of an exiled Iranian Kurdish rebel group on April 22, according to the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), which blamed Iran.

The group said four drones targeted its bases in the Khabat district of Irbil province, causing minor injuries.

The reported attack comes during a fragile cease-fire in the US-Israeli war against Iran, which took effect on April 8.

Tehran has repeatedly targeted Iranian Kurdish groups based in Iraqi Kurdistan, which it designates as terrorist organizations and accuses of serving Western or Israeli interests.

Days before the war began on February 28, PAK joined four other exiled groups in a coalition seeking to topple Irans Islamic republic and secure Kurdish self-determination.

Sunni Cleric Calls For ‘Just Agreement’ With US

Iranian Sunni cleric Abdolhamid Esmailzehi (file photo)

A prominent Iranian Sunni cleric and outspoken critic of the regime has said that Irans skies are under enemy control and that key infrastructure had been exposed to destruction.

In apost on Xon April 22, Abdolhamid Esmailzehi also said that the countrys armed forces lacked the necessary tools for air defense and argued that in the current deadlock the only path forward was a just agreement.

Abdolhamid sharply criticized hard-liners who he said were blocking such an outcome, asking what answer they would have before God and this oppressed nation if their obstinacy resulted in the ruin of the homeland.

Esmailzehi’s comments appeared to reflect growing public debate inside Iran over the costs of continued confrontation with the US and Israel.

Iran is a Shi’a-majority country, with about 90 percent of the population belonging to that branch of Islam. The Sunni Islam minority is about 5-10 percent, according to recent statistics.

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10:55

Second Ship Fired Upon In Hormuz Strait, Says Monitor

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) shipping monitor said an outbound cargo ship reported being fired upon in the Strait of Hormuz early on April 22, about eight nautical miles west of Iran.

The vessel was left “stopped in the water,” though all crew were safe and no damage was reported, the UKMTO said on X.

The UKMTO post came hours after it reportedanother incidentin which a container ship said it was fired on by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps northeast of Oman, suffering heavy damage to its bridge.

Since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28, repeated strikes on shipping have severely disrupted traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which usually accounts for about one-fifth of the global oil trade.

With reporting by dpa

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09:08

Iran’s Digital Blackout Enters 53rd Day, Says Internet Monitor

The NetBlocks Internet connectivity monitor says Irans digital blackout has entered its 53rd day, with users disconnected from global networks for 1,248 hours.

The watchdog said authorities are expanding tiered access for selected users and businesses, while the human and economic costs continue to mount.

Separately, Iranian Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi warned that an unstable Internet threatens the livelihoods of about 10 million Iranians, mainly from lower- and middle-income groups who depend on reliable connectivity for their work.

He said prolonged disruption could have deep social and economic consequences,” underscoring the growing domestic pressure over the nationwide shutdown.

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08:56

Iran Executes Man Over Alleged Links To Mossad

Iran says it has hanged a man after convicting him of alleged espionage and extensive cooperation with the Israeli spy agency Mossad.

The country’s judiciary said on April 22 that Mehdi Farid’s death sentence was upheld after legal review under the capital charge of corruption on earth.

Officials did not disclose when he was arrested or tried.

The judiciary’s Mizan website claimed Farid had provided “sensitive information to Mossad.”

It added that Farid was accused of “connecting the servers of a sensitive organization to infected files on the orders of a Mossad officer.”

Human rights organizations had previously identified Farid as a former employee of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

It was also announced that, in related cases, 19 other sentences have so far been issued in Qom Province for defendants accused of cooperation with the enemy, including prison terms and fines.

Since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28, the Islamic republic has intensified the implementation of execution sentences.

In recent days, multiple reports have also emerged of daily executions carried out by Irans judiciary.

With reporting by AFP

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08:15

Trump Says Iran Is Collapsing Financially

US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran is collapsing financially, losing $500 million a day and urgently seeking to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

In hisTruth Social postearly on April 22, he also alleged that the country was experiencing deepening economic distress and its security forces had not been paid.

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