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Iran unveils new control measures over Strait of Hormuz transit

Al Mayadeen | May 2, 2026

Senior Iranian lawmakers have unveiled a proposed plan to regulate maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, introducing new restrictions on certain vessels and a licensing system that would require ships to obtain authorization from Tehran.

Ali Nikzad, Deputy Speaker of Iran’s parliament, detailed that the initiative includes a 12-point framework aimed at managing transit through one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes. Under the proposal, vessels linked to “Israel” would be barred from passing through the Strait at all times, while ships from “hostile countries” would be denied transit unless they pay unspecified war reparations.

Nikzad added that all other vessels would be required to operate under a newly established legal framework, obtaining official licenses and authorization from Iranian authorities before entering the waterway. He emphasized that the plan would be implemented “in accordance with international law” and with consideration for the rights of neighboring states, while asserting that Iran would not relinquish what it views as its sovereign rights. … continue

In Kentucky primary, it’s ‘America First’ vs. ‘Israel First’ as Trump backs Massie’s pro-war rival

By José Niño | Press TV | May 2, 2026

The opening bell has rung in what may be the most consequential Republican primary of 2026, and the combatants could not be more different.

In one corner stands Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), the libertarian engineer and eight-term congressman who has made a career of defying party leadership and voting his conscience regardless of political cost.

In the other corner stands Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy SEAL captain backed by President Donald Trump and armed with over $5.7 million from the pro-Israel lobby, according to Track AIPAC. […]

Should Massie prevail … it will signal not only the limits of Trump’s power within his own party but the viability of future candidates running on unapologetic “America First” platforms to challenge the pro-Israel consensus.

The May 19 primary will determine whether billions in lobbying money can override the emerging will of Republican voters, or whether the structural shift in American political culture has finally reached the point where candidates can defy the Israel lobby and survive. – Full article

Global Sumud activists ‘survived 40 hrs of calculated cruelty’ by IOF

Al Mayadeen | May 1, 2026

The Global Sumud Flotilla once again detailed the extensive abuse its activists were subjected to after they were detained in international waters while sailing to break the Israeli-imposed siege on Gaza.

In a statement shared on Telegram, the group said, “Global Sumud Flotilla participants have just survived 40 hours of calculated cruelty aboard an iOF navy vessel in Greek waters.” The detained activists were denied adequate food and water and forced to sleep on floors that were deliberately and repeatedly flooded.

The flotilla added that participants were beaten, kicked, and dragged across the deck with their hands tied behind their backs. Many reportedly “suffered broken noses, cracked ribs and bloody beatings,” according to its statement. … Full article

‘They treated us like animals’: Activist recounts detention after Gaza-bound flotilla intercepted

MEMO | May 2, 2026

… According to British activist Katy Davidson, detainees were held in a makeshift prison constructed from shipping containers surrounded by barbed razor wire, with armed guards patrolling walkways. She reported overcrowded conditions, with more than 60 people held in 40-foot shipping containers, and said the total number of detainees reached 181.

“We were on foam mattresses that were soaking up water. At night, sometimes they would spray water for it to soak into the people’s mattresses,” she said, adding that detainees were given only bread and water and that guards were “violent, aggressive, and manipulative.” … Full article

IOA demolishes 26 structures and arrests 250 Palestinians in Jerusalem during April

Palestinian Information Center – May 2, 2026

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM – Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) demolished 26 structures and arrested 250 Palestinians in Jerusalem during the month of April.

The center explained in a report monitoring occupation violations in Jerusalem during April, that most of the houses demolished by the IOA during the past month were inhabited and had been standing for years.

It indicated that the demolition operations were mainly concentrated in the town of Silwan, especially in al-Bustan neighborhood, along with demolitions in Jabal al-Mukabbir, as-Suwwana, and the Old City. … Full article

Palestinians injured in West Bank attacks by Israeli forces, settlers

Palestinian Information Center – May 2, 2026

WEST BANK – Palestinian citizens were injured and agricultural property was damaged on Saturday in attacks by Israeli forces and extremist settler groups in different areas of the occupied West Bank.

The Red Crescent said its crews in al-Khalil provided first aid for three wounded citizens, including a 71‑year‑old woman in Jabel Jales, before transporting them to the hospital.

Settlers also attacked farmlands in al-Khalil, destroying property and uprooting dozens of trees.

In southern al-Khalil, a settler opened fire at Palestinian citizens in the village of al‑Tabaqa. … Full article

Ceasefire no longer viable after 200 days of Israeli violations: Hamas

Al Mayadeen | May 2, 2026

One Palestinian was killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting the vicinity of al-Qastal Towers, east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported on Saturday.

In a separate development, Israeli forces carried out a large-scale demolition operation east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to the same correspondent.

In light of the continued Israeli violations, Basem Naim, a member of the political bureau of Hamas, said that after 200 days, it is no longer possible to speak of a ceasefire in Gaza. He stated that the situation is a continuation of a “war of extermination,” despite the Resistance’s adherence to the agreement.

Speaking to Al Mayadeen on Saturday evening, Naim stressed that the future of the Gaza Strip and the broader Palestinian cause remains a solely internal Palestinian matter. He added that the Resistance has fulfilled all obligations requested of it, as confirmed by mediators, while Israeli attacks have continued.

Naim also stated that the Rafah crossing has not been opened in accordance with the agreement, noting that the number of people allowed to pass remains limited. He said mediators had been informed of the need to review the implementation of the first phase of the agreement before moving on to the second. … continue

Israeli strikes intensify across southern Lebanon, casualties reported

 Al Mayadeen | May 2, 2026

The Israeli occupation has intensified its attacks on villages and towns in southern Lebanon, with fresh airstrikes and artillery shelling reported across several districts, according to field reports from the south.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in southern Lebanon reported that three people were killed after an Israeli raid struck a house in the town of al-Louaizeh in the Jezzine district at dawn on Friday, with the escalation extending beyond the area as Israeli airstrikes also hit the towns of Harouf and Shoukin, as well as the al-Tuffah heights region.

The National News Agency reported that an earlier strike on Shoukin resulted in the killing of civilians and the injury of several others, including the town’s mayor, Hussein Ali Ahmad.

Further raids targeted multiple towns in the Nabatieh district, including Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, A’dshit, Mayfadoun, Kfar Joz, and Ebba. An additional strike hit a vehicle on the Kfar Dajjal road in the same district.

Southern Lebanon also came under intensified attacks across a wider area, with strikes hitting Majdal Zoun in the Tyre district and Burj Qalaway in the Bint Jbeil district. … continue

Left in Disbelief: Israel in Panic over Hezbollah FPV Drone Nightmare

By Robert Inlakesh | The Palestine Chronicle | May 1, 2026

Left in disbelief, an already drained Israeli military is left without any viable solutions to the ever-growing threat of first-person view (FPV) drones, now used by Hezbollah to overwhelm their newly assumed positions in southern Lebanon.

On April 16, Tel Aviv and Beirut agreed to a temporary ceasefire imposed by US President Donald Trump. Within the first hour of the ceasefire’s imposition, Israel had already violated the agreement 10 times, including an attack on an ambulance. What they sought to achieve was a return to the pre-war status quo, whereby the Israeli military attacked Lebanon at will, without any return fire.

It soon became clear that the 15-month ceasefire period, following November 27, 2024, during which the Israeli military violated the agreement 15,400 times according to UNIFIL, was not going to be replicated. The first wave of retaliation against Israeli violations began with Hezbollah detonating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and destroying convoys of Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers (APCs), after carrying out reconnaissance and anticipating the movement of armed convoys. … continue

US has been in clear NPT non-compliance for 56 years: Iran UN mission

Al Mayadeen | May 2, 2026

Iran’s mission to the United Nations has issued a strongly worded statement accusing the United States of failing to meet its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

In a post shared on social media on Saturday, the mission described the US record as “extremely shameful,” arguing that Washington, as a state possessing thousands of nuclear warheads and the leading proliferator of nuclear weapons, has been in “clear non-compliance” with Articles I and VI of the treaty for 56 years.

Iran says uranium enrichment permitted under IAEA supervision

The statement further criticized the United States for its “outrageous and hypocritical behaviour,” rejecting any justification for Washington’s nuclear policy in light of its international commitments on disarmament and non-proliferation.

It also defended Iran’s nuclear program, stating that uranium enrichment is not restricted so long as it remains under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The mission added that this principle had been observed in Iran’s previous nuclear activities under international monitoring.

Iran’s strategic patience, resilience outplay US war machine as Trump’s desperation deepens

Press TV – May 2, 2026

… Cornered leaders do not become more rational. They become more desperate. And desperation, when combined with unlimited military power, is a recipe for catastrophe.

If the current naval blockade fails to break Iranian resistance – and all evidence suggests it will fail – Trump may well resort to military aggression again. Not because it is wise. Not because it is justified. But because he will have no other move left. It is plain desperation.

Consider the White House’s current calculation. American strategists are betting that the naval blockade will cripple Iran’s economy, spark domestic unrest, trigger riots and chaos, weaken the government, and eventually force Tehran to surrender to American terms. They are betting that economic hardship will do what bombs could not.

This is a miscalculation of staggering proportions.

It ignores Iran’s remarkable resilience. It ignores the 8,000 kilometers of land borders Iran shares with multiple neighbors, offering countless routes to bypass any naval blockade.

It ignores Iran’s asymmetric warfare capabilities, which remain largely hidden and unused. And most critically, it ignores the unprecedented national unity that American aggression has forged inside Iran. The people will not leave the scene. […]

The options Iran has not yet used

If Trump miscalculates and resumes full-scale military aggression against the Islamic Republic, he will discover that Iran has been holding back.

There are numerous options that Iran and the Resistance Front have not yet deployed.

These options remain unannounced, their timing and method unspecified. This ambiguity is itself a weapon – a powerful weapon. The enemy does not know what is coming and when it is coming. The enemy cannot prepare. The enemy can only wait in fear.

American officials have already expressed open concern about certain potential Iranian responses – including, notably, the fiber optic communication lines beneath the Strait of Hormuz. These and other capabilities could dramatically shift the balance of power in ways Washington has not anticipated.

If the naval blockade continues and the economic war intensifies, Iran will have no choice but to respond asymmetrically. And when Iran responds, all of Trump’s carefully laid plans will collapse. The endurance battle will then turn decisively in Iran’s favor.

At that point, it will be Washington – not Tehran – that must choose between two grim options: escalate to full-scale war, or accept Iran’s terms for a ceasefire.

Neither option is attractive nor feasible from the American point of view.

What we are witnessing is something far larger than a single military confrontation. We are witnessing the unraveling of American unipolarity. … Full article

Trump Taps Israel Lobbyist From Mossad Cutout FDD To Join Iran Negotiations

The Dissident | May 1, 2026

Journalist Alex Marquardt reported recently that , “Amid stalled talks with Iran, President Donald Trump’s negotiators are adding a new member to the team from an outside Washington lobbying group” adding, “Nick Stewart, the Managing Director of Advocacy at FDD Action, the lobbying side of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, has joined the office of Steve Witkoff, the Special Envoy for Peace Missions”.

This means- as I will demonstrate- that a literal Israel lobbyist is now joining the team negotiating with Iran on behalf of the Trump administration.

The think tank, initially founded by the journalist Clifford May, was initially called “EMET,” the Hebrew word for truth, and was established in order to “provide education to enhance Israel’s image in North America”. … continue

Trump’s Blockade Snatches Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

By Trita Parsi | May 1, 2026

It appears Donald Trump once again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by heeding the hawkish counsel of the warmongers at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

As I have argued before, the fragile ceasefire disproportionately favored the United States over Iran: Trump secured his central objective — a swift exit from a costly war — while Iran forfeited its primary source of leverage, namely the inflationary pressure of elevated oil prices. Tehran, by contrast, remained unable to achieve its core objective — meaningful sanctions relief — without entering a difficult diplomatic process with Washington.

The asymmetry was stark: Trump could afford strategic patience, whereas Iran risked squandering the most consequential gains the conflict could have yielded if negotiations faltered or collapsed.

In short, this emerging status quo could have constituted a quiet but decisive victory for Trump. Yes, Iran would retain control over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz — but it does so today as well and would do so in almost any scenario. But the status quo would have seen oil prices drop as the Iranians would allow tankers to transit in order to collect fees. And as long as oil prices came down, Trump’s position at home and vis-à-vis Iran would have strengthened.

FDD argued that blockading the Persian Gulf would swiftly cripple the Iranian economy and coerce Tehran into capitulation, allowing Trump to achieve through economic strangulation what he had failed to secure through military force. In short, it was sold to him as a silver bullet. … continue

Geopolitics and Geoeconomics of the Strait of Hormuz

Sputnik – 02.05.2026

The reckless reliance on a blitzkrieg to eliminate Iran’s political and military leadership has left Israel and the United States in an extremely precarious situation, where Tehran’s key trump card in the conflict turned out to be control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Alexander Yakovenko, deputy director of Sputnik’s parent company Rossiya Segodnya and head of the Committee on Global Issues and International Security of the Russian Security Council’s Scientific-Expert Board, has addressed the standoff around the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysts in Israel are already writing of a complete failure, with the prospect of “returning to the issue” sometime in the future. Judging by published reports, everything was planned for June this year, but, as the saying goes, the devil intervened, and Benjamin Netanyahu succumbed to the temptation of a final solution through “regime change.” The scapegoats will be the Mossad division responsible for Iran and the military command responsible for Lebanon.

Donald Trump faces a far more difficult predicament… continue

Spirit Airlines shuts down after 34 years amid financial crisis

Al Mayadeen | May 2, 2026

Spirit Airlines has announced the immediate shutdown of its operations after 34 years in service, citing severe financial difficulties and an inability to secure funding.

The airline confirmed it had “started an orderly wind-down of our operations, effective immediately,” with all flights canceled and customer service suspended. The company, known for its ultra-low-cost model and bright yellow aircraft, had employed approximately 17,000 people and operated hundreds of daily flights.

“We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 34 years and had hoped to serve our guests for many years to come,” the airline said in its final statement.

Efforts to prevent the airline’s collapse ultimately failed despite last-minute intervention attempts. US President Donald Trump had indicated that the government was exploring options, including a potential $500 million federal loan.

“We gave them a final proposal,” Trump said, adding that saving jobs had been a priority. However, negotiations with creditors stalled, and no viable agreement was reached.

A creditor involved in discussions stated, “The Trump administration made an extraordinary effort to try and save Spirit, but you can’t breathe life into a corpse,” reflecting the severity of the airline’s financial position.

Spirit’s collapse comes amid mounting pressure on the aviation sector, particularly from rising oil prices due to the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has significantly increased jet fuel costs.

The main driver of the crisis in the global airline industry is due to the aggressions on Iran, which has led to a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, significantly crippling the transfer of oil through the key waterway. […]

Industry experts warn that Spirit’s exit could reduce competition within the already consolidated US airline market… Full article

Indonesia Announces Imminent Russian Oil Deliveries and Discloses Supply Details

Sputnik – 02.05.2026

Russian oil supplies to Indonesia will begin soon, Indonesia’s Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said.

“The most important thing is that we have all the reserves. And Russian oil will arrive soon,” he told journalists.

According to the minister, this will be part of the plan to purchase 150 million barrels of oil from Russia by the end of 2026. He emphasized that, given the current international situation, this will allow the country to secure all types of fuel – from diesel to various grades of gasoline.

The minister explained that specific issues related to procurement mechanisms and prices will have to be resolved by businesses. Additionally, Indonesia is considering the possibility of importing liquefied petroleum gas from Russia, but this issue is still under discussion.

Mali: a new front in the Western war on multipolarism

Strategic Culture Foundation | May 1, 2026

An audacious coup attempt against the government in the West African state of Mali appears to have been thwarted by the Malian Armed Forces, supported by their Russian allies.

The surprise coup was launched last weekend when an estimated 12,000 fighters attacked at least five cities, including the capital, Bamako. Fighting continued during the past week, with most of the casualties – over 1,000 dead – suffered by the insurgents who came under heavy ground and air fire from state forces backed by Russian auxiliaries belonging to the Africa Corps.

Mali’s leader, Assimi Goïta, made a nationwide televised address appealing for calm and stating that the country’s security situation had been brought under control. He paid tribute to his defense minister, General Sadio Camara, who was killed in action on the first day of the coup attempt on April 25. The leader also acknowledged the actions of his country’s strategic partner, the Russian Federation, for helping to defeat the coup, which he condemned as “foreign-sponsored”. … continue

Special Military Operation Success Will Guarantee Justice for Those Killed in Odessa — Zakharova

Sputnik – May 2, 2026

On May 2, 2014, Ukrainian nationalists set fire to the Trade Unions House in Odessa, trapping inside anti-Maidan activists who protested against the coup in Ukraine, which resulted in 48 people killed and over 250 injured.

“A guarantee of justice for the victims of the monstrous crime in the Odessa Trade Unions House will be the successful achievement of the goals and objectives of the special military operation,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a commentary on the anniversary of the tragedy in Odessa.

Ukraine is unwilling to investigate the tragedy in Odessa, despite promising to do so, while Europeans simply ignore this, Zakharova said.

“This has no effect on the financial and moral assistance to Kiev. It is obvious that in modern Europe, encouraging Nazism and financing terrorism has become a tradition,” she stressed.

Purdue Pharma dissolves, reemerges as opioid nonprofit

Al Mayadeen | May 2, 2026

Purdue Pharma announced on Friday that it has formally ceased operations and concluded its bankruptcy proceedings, marking the end of a controversial chapter in the US pharmaceutical industry.

The company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019, has now reemerged under a new structure as a nonprofit entity aimed at addressing opioid addiction and its consequences. The transition follows years of legal battles tied to Purdue’s role in the opioid epidemic.

As part of a $7.4 billion bankruptcy settlement, Purdue has been reconstituted into Knoa Pharma, an organization tasked with directing its resources toward combating opioid addiction.

The settlement is designed to allocate funds toward public health efforts, with the majority directed to US states and local governments that have borne the financial burden of the crisis. An additional $865 million has been designated for individuals affected by opioid addiction or those who lost family members. … continue

COVID Conniving Receives First Federal Indictment

By Jim Bovard | The Libertarian Institute | May 1, 2026

David Morens, a former top advisor to COVID Czar Tony Fauci was indicted this week and “charged with conspiracy against the United States; destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in federal investigations; concealment, removal, or mutilation of records; and aiding and abetting,” according to the Justice Department press release.

Morens allegedly helped top federal health officials cover up the potential role of federal grants in spurring the COVID pandemic. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires federal agencies to preserve and disclose federal records with some narrow exceptions. In early 2021, Morens emailed a colleague, “I learned from our foia lady here how to make emails disappear after i am foia’d but before the search starts, so i think we are all safe.”

Morens added, “Plus i deleted most of those earlier emails after sending them to gmail.” In a previous email, he assured his collaborators, “I have spoken to our FOIA folks” and “I should be safe from future FOIAs. Don’t ask how…”

Fauci doesn’t need to worry about getting indicted since President Joe Biden, on his last morning in office, pardoned any crimes that Fauci might have committed in the previous decade. Fauci justified COVID mandates because average citizens “don’t have the ability” to determine what is best for them. Congressional investigations revealed that Fauci was at the center of string-pulling to shirk responsibility on COVID. … continue

CHD Scientist: CDC, FDA COVID Vaccine Safety Monitoring ‘Insulting, and Many People Are Injured’

By Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D. | The Defender | April 29, 2026

Federal health officials under the Biden administration failed abysmally to look for COVID-19 vaccine safety signals, according to congressional testimony delivered today by Children’s Health Defense (CHD) Senior Research Scientist Karl Jablonowski.

The government’s vaccine safety monitoring “over the past several years has been insulting, and many people are injured,” Jablonowski wrote in his written testimony.

History repeats itself if we don’t learn our lessons, Jablonowski warned.

“The COVID-19 pandemic created over 100 billionaires in the United States and over 1,000 billionaires around the world,” Jablonowski wrote. “Anything that profitable is going to repeat.” … continue

We Now Know How The Government Lied About the COVID Vaccines

For more than 250 years, the same playbook has been used to prop up toxic vaccines. At long last, we have a chance to end it.

A Midwestern Doctor | The Forgotten Side of Medicine | April 30, 2026

Story at a Glance:

  • Since the dawn of vaccination, authorities have habitually doubled down on unsafe and ineffective vaccines, regardless of the pushback they received or the evidence against them.
  • Sustaining this has required increasingly brazen methods to censor and conceal the deluge of “extremely rare” injuries caused by an ever-expanding vaccination schedule.
  • Senator Ron Johnson, who has worked tirelessly to expose this coverup, recently held a Senate hearing aptly titled: “Unmasked: How Biden Health Officials Purposely Turned a Blind Eye Toward COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Signals.”
  • Faced with a tsunami of vaccine injuries too large for anyone to ignore, the FDA and CDC searched for a way to statistically dismiss it, eventually settling on effectively comparing Moderna’s injury rate to Pfizer’s and declaring the vaccines “safe” because there was no major difference between the two.
  • When a senior FDA analyst pointed out this obvious flaw and suggested comparing them to less toxic vaccines instead, documents show the entire FDA turned against her to suppress her findings. As a result, dozens of conditions we have all seen the COVID vaccines cause were never officially linked to them—despite the data clearly showing they were.
  • The unprecedented damage caused by the COVID-19 vaccines has created a historic loss of trust in the parties who covered it up, giving us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to force them to start telling the truth and end an immunization experiment that has profoundly damaged the health of our society.

Read article

Minab children massacre not ‘unfortunate situation’ but ‘heinous war crime’: Tehran

Press TV – May 1, 2026

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman has condemned the US war secretary’s attempt to portray the massacre of children in Minab as an “unfortunate incident,” reiterating that the missile strike was “a heinous war crime.”

During hours of tense testimony before Congress on Wednesday, Pete Hegseth described the deadly strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Iran’s southern city of Minab as an “unfortunate incident,” which according to him remains under investigation.

On the first day of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran on February 28, US Tomahawk missiles struck the school, killing 168 people, most of them children.

In a post on X on Friday, Esmaeil Baghaei said that the attack “was not an ‘unfortunate situation.’ It was a premeditated, heinous war crime.” … continue

Iran categorically rejects UK terror allegations as ‘baseless’, politically-motivated

Press TV – May 1, 2026

Iran’s Embassy in the United Kingdom has categorically dismissed any allegations of involvement in violent incidents on British soil.

In a statement on Friday, the embassy reiterated its “position in unequivocally condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including recent incidents within the United Kingdom.”

The Islamic Republic of Iran, it said, “categorically rejects any allegations or links regarding Iranian involvement in violent activities in the United Kingdom.”

The statement followed an incident on Wednesday, when two Jewish men were stabbed in London in what police described as a terrorist act. A man has since been charged with attempted murder in connection with the attack.

In controversial remarks, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Iran of attempting to “harm British Jews.”

His Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, however, countered Starmer’s remarks, saying that it was too early to determine whether the perpetrator of the stabbing had any links to Iran.

“Such baseless accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran lack credible evidence and appear to serve narrow political agendas, aiming to mislead public opinion and distract from the root causes of terrorism,” read the embassy statement.

The embassy further highlighted that Iran itself “has been a primary victim of terrorism for decades.” … Full article

OPCW Forced To Pay Damages To Whistleblower Who Found Evidence Of False Flag In Syria

The Dissident | April 30, 2026

After years of a continued cover-up, the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) has been forced by the International Labour Organization to pay damages to Dr. Brendan Whelan, an OPCW scientist who found evidence that the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria, that took place in 2018, was a false flag. … continue

Pirates of Mediterranean: Israel does as it pleases in the Sea of Three Continents

By Lorenzo Maria Pacini | Strategic Culture Foundation | May 1, 2026

How control of the Mediterranean works

On the night of April 29–30, the Zionist entity Israel attacked the 22 ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla 600 kilometers off the Italian coast, from where the group had set sail. All of this took place unhindered, constituting yet another act of bullying, piracy, and barbarism. But how does the Mediterranean work? … continue

Israel’s western, Arab partners helped coordinate abduction of Gaza flotilla activists

The Cradle | May 1, 2026

… The Israeli Foreign Ministry on 1 May announced in a statement that the military was releasing 175 abducted Gaza flotilla participants on the Greek island of Crete in cooperation with Greek authorities.

However, Israel refused to release two activists, Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish citizen of Palestinian origin, and Thiago Avila, a Brazilian with a long history of pro-Palestinian activism. Both are being transferred to Israel as “suspects.”

“Saif Abu Keshek, [is] suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization, and Thiago Avila, [is] suspected of illegal activity, will be brought to Israel for questioning,” the ministry claimed in a post on X.

The flotilla organizers are calling for pressure on Israel to release the two remaining abductees.

Keshek has been active for the best part of his life in the struggle against the occupation of Palestine. He served as a coordinator for the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in Nablus in the occupied West Bank during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s.

ISM is a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land using nonviolent, direct-action methods and principles.

During the last attempt by the Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza in October 2025, Israel abducted some 450 activists before releasing them. The Israeli police and prison officials sexually assaulted and raped one of the activists, German journalist Anna Liedtke. … Full article

Israeli occupiers attack Palestinian man, burn vehicles in West Bank

MEMO | May 1, 2026

Israeli occupiers attacked a Palestinian man on Friday in the West Bank city of Hebron, local sources said.

Occupiers from the illegal settlement of Susiya assaulted Ahmad Nasser Arabed al-Dajajneh, before burning his vehicle and an excavator, the sources told Anadolu.

The incident occurred in the Wadi al-Rakhim neighborhood.

The attack comes amid a rise in occupier assaults on Palestinian villages and communities in southern Hebron.

The occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem have seen an escalation in Israeli military operations, including raids, arrests, live fire and excessive use of force, alongside increasing occupier attacks on Palestinians and their property. … Full article

Two Palestinians Injured In Colonizer Attack East of Tubas

IMEMC | May 1, 2026

Two Palestinian young men were injured on Friday after being assaulted by illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers east of Tubas in the northeastern part of the occupied West Bank.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Tubas said its medics treated two Palestinians who suffered injuries from a severe beating carried out by colonizers in the Aqaba–Tayasir area, east of Tubas.

The victims were attacked while working on their land when a group of colonizers invaded the area and began assaulting them with clubs and rifle butts, causing multiple injuries that required medical intervention. … Full article

Assault on Christian nun in Jerusalem sparks widespread outrage

Palestinian Information Center – May 1, 2026

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM – A video circulating online has documented a violent assault by a settler on a Christian nun in occupied Jerusalem, triggering widespread anger and condemnation.

The nun was injured in the attack, sustaining facial wounds after being assaulted by an extremist settler in the city.

In response, the French Consulate in Jerusalem strongly condemned the incident, calling for the perpetrator to be held accountable. In a statement posted on X, the consulate expressed its wishes for the nun’s speedy recovery and stressed the need to bring the attacker to justice.

The statement came in reaction to remarks by Olivier-Thomas Venard, director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School in Jerusalem, who denounced what he described as an “unprovoked assault.”

Speaking to Agence France-Presse, Venard said the 48-year-old nun, who works as a researcher at the French institution and prefers to remain anonymous, was attacked when an individual forcefully pushed her from behind into a rock, then proceeded to kick her while she was on the ground. … Full article

Unemployment rate spikes in Israel due to wars against Iran, Lebanon

The Cradle | May 1, 2026

Unemployment across Israel has surged to over 16 percent as a result of the wars on Iran and Lebanon – affecting close to one million Israelis and marking the highest unemployment rate since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March 2026, hundreds of thousands of Israelis reported not working due to economic reasons, Haaretz  reported.

“As of March, there were 750,000 Israelis who were unemployed. For comparison, in October 2023, the figure stood at 10.4 percent, with some 467,000 unemployed people. In June 2025, during the first war with Iran, the figure stood at some 10.1 percent,” the newspaper highlighted.

Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic carried out scores of missile, rocket, and drone attacks on Israel throughout the war, which began on 28 February.

Major economic assets were struck, including the Bazan Oil Refinery in Haifa and the ICL Rotem petrochemical facility in the Negev.

Hezbollah alone has fired hundreds of rockets and drones at northern Israeli settlements throughout the war. The Lebanese resistance has continued to launch cross-border attacks despite the so-called ceasefire, responding to brutal Israeli strikes on civilians in Lebanon. … Full article

Iran can thrive under blockade, the US and its allies cannot

By Robert Inlakesh | Al Mayadeen | May 1, 2026

While officials of the US Trump administration have repeatedly claimed that their blockade on Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is a winning strategy, on the contrary, Tehran thrives. Instead of taking the temporary ceasefire as an opportunity to find a viable offramp, Washington has used mental gymnastics to sell the public on a non-existent get out of jail free card.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has claimed that Iran’s oil industry is creaking under the pressure of the blockade imposed upon its exports, even making rather outlandish comments about the inevitability of oil infrastructure blowing up as a result. While the US seizure of Iran-linked tankers and vessels does evidently have an impact, it is being enormously overblown by an American administration that is out of viable options. … continue

Iran slams US leadership, debunking fabrications, false war costs

Al Mayadeen | May 1, 2026

Iranian officials criticized the United States over its leadership and its justification for the US-Israeli war on Iran, debunking Washington’s fabrications and scrutinizing its political coherence and legal rationale.

In reference to the reported cost of the US-Israeli war on Iran, estimated at 25 billion dollars by the US Department of War, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi maintained that “the Pentagon is lying.”

In a post on X, Araghchi asserted that “Netanyahu’s gamble cost America $100b so far, four times what is claimed.”

He further noted that “indirect costs for U.S. taxpayers are FAR higher. Monthly bill for each American household is $500 and rising fast.” … continue

Here’s why Iran is sovereign and Germany is not

By Tarik Cyril Amar | RT | May 1, 2026

Sovereignty, as defined in international law, is both crucial and complex. In the real shark-pool world of geopolitics, it is not hard to spot: if you have the ability to rule at home and resist attack from outside (any outside), then you are sovereign. Otherwise not. No exceptions.

That’s why Iran has sovereignty, but Germany does not. Iran has withstood two months of a devious and brutal war of aggression waged by the US and Israel, which in turn is “merely” the culmination of decades of assaults levied via economic warfare, assassination campaigns, and subversion.

However, Iran has not only successfully foiled the current Israeli-American blitzkrieg-and-regime-change scenario, but also put the attackers on the backfoot. Tehran’s achievement is already historic. It has changed and will change the course of history.

Germany, by contrast, cannot even defend its own vital infrastructure, as the Nord Stream sabotage and its aftermath have demonstrated. What is even worse, its governments have had no will to do so. On the contrary, they have been rewarding the Ukrainian attackers with untold billions to feed Kiev’s ultra-corruption. Their backers – certainly including the US and Poland, and most likely Great Britain, too – need not worry about any trouble from Berlin either.

Case closed: Iran is sovereign, Germany is not. If you are German and find this uncomfortable, complain to Berlin. … continue

Leaked audios reveal pro-Israel groups ‘paid’ for US pardon of convicted drug trafficker Juan Orlando Hernandez

The Cradle | April 30, 2026

WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram audio messages published by Canal RED and Hondurasgate on 29 April reveal pro-Israel groups “paid” for the release of former Honduran president and convicted drug trafficker Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH) from US federal prison last year.

“The pardon money … came from a board of rabbis and people who supported Israel, and they had previously supported Yani Rosenthal,” JOH is heard saying in the leaked audios.

Yani Rosenthal is the former president of the right-wing Liberal Party of Honduras. He was convicted in December 2017 of laundering drug proceeds for a prominent Honduran drug cartel.

In 2024, JOH was convicted in a US federal court of three counts of drug trafficking and weapons conspiracy and received a 45-year prison sentence. He was also found guilty of receiving money from the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, Joaquin Archivaldo “El Chapo” Guzman, to finance electoral fraud. … continue

Ukrainian strike kills two teenagers in Russian region – governor

RT | May 1, 2026

Two teenagers have been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in Russia’s Belgorod Region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has said.

The victims were aged 18 and 15, the governor of Belgorod Region wrote in a post on his Telegram channel, adding that the drone deliberately targeted the motorcycle they were riding in the village of Volchya Aleksandrovka in Volokonovsky District. He added that the two died at the scene from their injuries and offered condolences to their families, writing: “This is a terrible loss for all of us.”

Belgorod and other Russian regions bordering Ukraine have repeatedly been targeted by drone strikes during the ongoing conflict. Moscow has accused Kiev of “terrorism” and of deliberately targeting civilians and critical infrastructure.

The drone which took the boys’ lives was just one of dozens Kiev has used to target Belgorod Region this week. On Wednesday, three women were killed when a drone struck a passenger bus in Voznesenovka. Eight others were injured, two of them seriously.

A day earlier, a man was killed in the same village when a drone hit a car. In a separate incident, a married couple were killed when a drone struck their vehicle in the village of Bobrava in Rakityansky district. Their 16-year-old son was injured and suffered blast trauma. … Full article

Brussels Wants Google’s Search Data

By Ken Macon | Reclaim The Net | April 29, 2026

The European Commission wants Google to hand over a forensic-level record of how Europeans use search, packaged into an API and refreshed as quickly as Google itself queries the data.

The preliminary proposal, published as a Digital Markets Act compliance measure under Article 6(11), is framed as helping rival search engines compete. However, what it actually builds is a pipeline that streams the most intimate behavioral dataset on the internet to parties the Commission hasn’t finished naming.

Every query input by end users, including the original wording and any subsequent modifications. That includes timestamps, user location, language, and device type; whether the query came through the Chrome omnibox, the Google app, Gemini, Google Lens, or Circle to Search. It also includes whether it was typed, spoken, or submitted as a photo. Search is rarely just words anymore, and the Commission’s measure captures all of it.

Everything Google shows you after the query goes too, organic results, paid results, Knowledge Panels, Short Answers, plus the contents of every tab from Web through Images, Videos, News, Forums, Books, and Short Videos. Each result carries identifiers for type, format, and position on the page. Ranking data follows the same logic, recording where a URL appeared, which column held it, its ordinal position relative to neighbors, and which page of results it landed on.

The interaction data is where the surveillance turns granular. The API would deliver timing, order, and duration of clicks on URLs and ad blocks, alongside scrolling, hovering, swiping, and the act of expanding results.

Click-back behavior gets logged when users return to the results page after visiting a link, grouped into time intervals. The system tracks how long users viewed each URL or block and how long they remained on a given screen. Paid search URLs are excluded from the click data, a carve-out that protects advertiser revenue while leaving the rest of the user’s behavior fully exposed.

A search query is one of the most revealing things a person produces. People type questions into Google that they wouldn’t say out loud to a doctor, a lawyer, or a partner. Symptoms, debts, fears about a marriage, suspicions about an employer, names of people they’re trying to find. Pair the query with location, device, language, and the precise sequence of clicks and pauses that followed, and you have a behavioral fingerprint that’s hard to mistake for anyone else.

The Commission’s answer to this is “anonymization.” That’s supposed to mean personal identifiers stripped out, precise timestamps removed, and rare or identifying queries filtered.

However, look at how anonymization actually performs in the wild. Research on supposedly anonymized datasets has found that re-identification is usually trivial… Full article

Disinformation “Maven”: Emma Briant’s Troubling Apparent Recruitment as an Intelligence Asset

How MI6 appears to reach out to academics

By David Miller | Tracking Power | May 1, 2026

… This article digs deeper and looks closely at the various activities in which Emma Briant engaged which ended up placing her into intelligence connected networks. It analyses the way in which academics such as Briant can get drawn into collaboration with shadowy intelligence figures, perhaps without fully realising what is going on. I put it this way to give Dr Briant the benefit of the doubt at the start of this article. But readers will no doubt come to their own conclusions as we traverse her career and her varying and increasingly close contacts with the national security apparatus in the UK, US, and NATO. … Read full article

Congress Extends Section 702 Spy Program 45 Days

By Dan Frieth | Reclaim The Net | April 30, 2026

The surveillance program that scoops up Americans’ communications without warrants got another 45 days of life on Thursday, after Congress reauthorized a clean version of FISA Section 702 hours before it was set to expire.

The House voted 261-111 to push the program’s expiration to June 21, sending the legislation to President Trump’s desk before the midnight deadline. … continue

Israel pours $730m into global propaganda machine as reputation collapses

The Cradle | May 1, 2026

Israeli lawmakers last month approved a sharp increase in the 2026 public diplomacy budget, allocating roughly $730 million to the global messaging apparatus, also known as “Hasbara,” according to a report by the Jerusalem Post on 29 April.

Surveys point to a deepening collapse in international support, as Israel’s genocide in Gaza and continued aggression toward its neighboring countries have sent the Tel Aviv’s reputation into freefall on the global stage.

The funding accounts for more than four times the previous year’s allocation, and forms part of a broader push led by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who characterized the effort as a strategic imperative, saying it should be treated “like investing in jets, bombs, and missile interceptors” and calling it “an existential issue.” … continue

Zionists Are Gunning for Your Freedom of Speech

By Jack Hunter | The Libertarian Institute | May 1, 2026

… What Levin, like so many other Zionists, truly want is for the First Amendment to be amended itself. They believe, whether they say it forthright or not (and Levin appears to be doing just that), that this legal provision designed by the Founders precisely to protect political speech should no longer protect speech that is critical of Israel’s government. … Read full article

AIPAC’s Texas Trouble: How Brandon Herrera Broke the Third Rail of GOP Politics

By targeting foreign aid and “Israel First” spending, a firearms YouTuber has successfully challenged the most powerful lobby in Washington

José Niño Unfiltered | April 29, 2026

When Brandon Herrera came within 354 votes of toppling a sitting congressman in the May 2024 Republican runoff, the pro-Israel establishment dismissed it as a fluke.

When he came back in March 2026, finished within one point of the incumbent in the primary, and watched a sex scandal force Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) out of the race entirely, it became impossible to ignore.

The “AK Guy” is now the presumptive Republican nominee in Texas’s 23rd Congressional District, and his ascent represents something far more significant than one YouTuber’s political ambitions.

Herrera’s rise reflects a growing anti-Zionist current within the Republican Party that threatens to shatter decades of bipartisan consensus on Israel. … continue

UK judge gags Palestine Action defendants to secure ‘terror’ stitch-up

The Grayzone | April 29, 2026

Since the retrial of six Palestine Action (PA) activists began on April 13, the defendants have been barred under court order from using terms like “genocide” or discussing the target of their direction action protests. Meanwhile, supporters of PA have been arrested outside the court for holding signs advising jurors of their right to acquit the defendants based on conscience.

Now, a draft court order reviewed by The Grayzone reveals how the presiding judge has sought to comprehensively neutralize the PA activists’ ability to defend themselves by imposing crippling restrictions on what can be said in closing speeches. Under threat of secret contempt of court charges, the jury may be improperly swayed to convict them of serious crimes, not knowing harsh “terrorism”-related sentences will be attached. … continue

Why don’t UK media mention the Israel lobby?

By Mark Curtis | Declassified UK | April 27, 2026

Britain’s national media fails to recognise the influence – and even the existence – of an Israel lobby, our new media analysis shows.

Declassified researched two years of reporting by seven British media outlets and found only 16 mentions of the phrase Israel lobby without speech marks.

Nearly all those mentions are in comment articles rather than news pieces and none we found expound on what influence such an Israel lobby might have.

The phrase “Israel lobby” – used with speech marks – is slightly more common in these outlets, with 26 mentions in two years, and tends to be used to quote others in a disparaging way or to suggest such a lobby does not exist.

For example, one Guardian article refers to “the trope of the ‘Israel lobby’”. The Daily Mail reported in May 2024 of hecklers at a speech by then foreign secretary secretary David Lammy “accusing the MP of having taken ‘shady money’ from the ‘pro-Israel lobby’ on the grounds that he once lawfully accepted £30,000 from a Zionist lobbyist named Trevor Chinn.” … continue

Kuwait revokes journalist’s citizenship over reporting of US-Israeli war on Iran

The Cradle | April 29, 2026

The Kuwaiti government has revoked the citizenship of US-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, after he was detained for several weeks for sharing videos online of incidents from the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Kuwait authorities also stripped his two sisters of their citizenship.

Shihab-Eldin, who was born in the US, was detained on 2 March after sharing publicly available footage and images related to the Iran war, including footage of a US warplane crashing into a US air base in Kuwait.

He was released last week and found innocent of all charges, according to his lawyers.

“I am free – but many remain behind bars in Kuwait and across the region for speaking the truth. Today, my sisters and I have become part of the more than 50,000 Kuwaitis who have had their citizenship revoked,” Shihab-Eldin said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

“For 52 days, he was wrongly imprisoned and endured repeated, grave violations of his fundamental rights due to his work. For reporting. For expressing opinions. For simply doing his job,” his lawyers stated. … Full article

Over 180 activists detained in Israeli attack on Gaza aid flotilla in international waters, organizer says

MEMO | April 30, 2026

The Israeli army attacked a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and detained more than 180 activists in international waters, 500 nautical miles (926 kilometers) off the Palestinian enclave, the head of the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza, which organized the voyage, said Thursday. […]

… the committee said Israeli forces acted according to a doctrine of “systematic abandonment,” carrying out “violent raids in international waters” during which they “intercepted, boarded and deliberately disabled several vessels.”

After “destroying engines and navigation systems,” Israeli forces withdrew, “leaving hundreds of civilians stranded aboard damaged boats, without power, and on the path of a sea storm, in a scene amounting to deliberate endangerment of life,” it added.

The committee accused Israeli forces of “deliberately jamming communications between ships,” disrupting coordination and preventing distress calls, “which exacerbated the danger and placed participants in a catastrophic scenario at sea.”​​​​​​​

It denounced the Israeli raid as “a flagrant violation of international law and freedom of navigation, clearly amounting to an act of organized maritime piracy.” … Full article

Soldiers Shoot Worker Near Annexation Wall in ar‑Ram

IMEMC | April 30, 2026

A Palestinian worker was shot and injured on Wednesday evening after Israeli occupation soldiers opened fire near the illegal Annexation Wall in the town of ar‑Ram, north of occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medics treated a worker who was struck with live ammunition close to the illegal Wall of annexation and colonial expansion, before transferring him to hospital.

Local sources reported that Israeli soldiers chased several Palestinian workers near the Wall and fired live rounds directly at them, injuring one. … Full article

Netanyahu’s adviser fails to advance Israeli plans to relocate Palestinians from Gaza: Report

MEMO | April 30, 2026

An adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed to advance plans to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip following Tel Aviv’s two-year war on the enclave, Haaretz newspaper reported on Thursday.

Israel has described the relocation of Palestinians as “voluntary migration,” after Tel Aviv’s brutal assault that has killed more than 72,000 people, injured over 172,000 and caused widespread destruction of infrastructure. Israel has also maintained a tight blockade on the enclave, worsening living conditions and leaving the entire population on the verge of starvation.

Haaretz said Netanyahu tasked his adviser Caroline Glick with promoting plans to relocate Palestinians from the war-ravaged enclave.

According to the paper, Glick contacted Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in an attempt to arrange the transfer of Gaza residents, without success. … Full article

Three Palestinians killed, others injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza

Palestinian Information Center – April 30, 2026

Three Palestinian civilians were martyred and another one was injured in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on Thursday evening.

According to media sources, an Israeli drone bombed an animal-drawn cart near the Kuwait rotary in the southeast of Gaza City, killing three people and critically injuring another.

Earlier in the morning, medical sources reported that 35-year-old Hanoun Barbakh succumbed to wounds sustained in a previous Israeli attack in the Sheikh Nasser neighborhood of Khan Yunis, south of Gaza.

The body of another martyr was recovered today from a site in the south of Khan Yunis that had been previously bombed.

In central Gaza, seven people were injured, one critically, when a drone targeted a group of civilians near Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah.

A fisherman also sustained a bullet injury when an Israeli gunboat opened fire at him as he was fishing near the shores of Rafah, south of Gaza.

New US shipment of 6,500 tons of military aid arrives in Israel

MEMO | April 30, 2026

Israel said Thursday it received a new shipment of 6,500 tons of ammunition and military equipment from the US in 24 hours, Anadolu reports.

“Two cargo ships carrying thousands of air and ground munitions, military trucks, Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs), and additional military equipment were offloaded at the ports in Ashdod and Haifa,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The daily Maariv said the shipments are part of a “central effort to enhance Israel’s readiness for developments in the war.”

According to the paper, more than 115,600 pieces of military equipment have arrived in Israel via 403 airlifts and 10 maritime shipments since the start of the war with Iran in February.

Israel has been engaged in ongoing military offensives in Gaza since October 2023 with US backing, alongside escalating hostilities involving Lebanon and tensions with Iran.

Over 70 Israeli airstrikes kill, injure dozens in South Lebanon

Al Mayadeen | April 30, 2026

Israeli warplanes, drones, and artillery launched more than 70 strikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday, striking wide areas in the western and central sectors, including Tyre, Bint Jbeil, and multiple towns in Nabatieh.

The assaults left dozens dead and wounded, while also causing extensive destruction to homes, roads, and vital infrastructure.

The bombardment was sustained and widespread, with heavy attacks reported throughout the day in Nabatieh, Tyre, and Bint Jbeil districts. Air raids, drone strikes, and artillery shelling repeatedly targeted residential neighborhoods and surrounding areas, turning multiple towns into zones of continuous fire. … Full article

Political heir, 25, who was left $5m in Epstein will kills himself days after investigation into parents launched

xymphora – April 30, 2026

… The suicide victim was also a victim of the Epstein Class, just shy of the murdered children of Gaza and the raped, murdered and eaten victims on Lolita Island and Zorro Ranch, essentially murdered by his own parents who thought it was a clever idea to be shabbos goyim and take the shekels to queer the Oslo Accords and hang out with the pedos.

Their realization of what they did to their son will surely be the only punishment they will receive for some of the most vile sins that can possibly be committed. … Full post

Military aid to Ukraine vital for ‘US hegemony’ – Republican senator

By Lucas Leiroz | April 30, 2026

Despite initial attempts by Donald Trump to establish diplomatic dialogue with Russia on the Ukrainian issue, there are still many politicians in the US interested in taking the conflict to its ultimate consequences. Even among Republicans themselves, there are several “hawkish” figures trying to boycott the peace process and promoting the escalation of the conflict.

In a recent statement, Republican senator Mitch McConnell asserted that the US urgently needs to increase its military assistance to Ukraine. He justified his claims by stating that supporting Kiev is necessary for the US to preserve its status as a global superpower. He believes it is vital for the US to maintain this status, and that intervention in Ukraine is necessary to prevent the US from losing its recognition as a “world leader”.

McConnell harshly criticized the way Trump and the American military are conducting the policy of support for Ukraine. He believes that current US efforts are insufficient, and that the country needs to invest more heavily in assisting the fascist regime. He also stated that it is a mistake to transfer responsibility for this assistance to Europe, since it is up to the US, as a “world leader,” to promote this type of initiative.

The senator also advocated for a massive presence of American military instructors on the battlefield. … continue

Ukrainian commander reveals drone defense hit-rate

RT | April 30, 2026

More than half of Ukraine’s drone-interceptor crews haven’t been able to take down a single Russian UAV over an entire year, a senior Ukrainian air force commander has revealed. The disclosure comes amid Kiev’s push to market its anti-drone expertise to Gulf nations and the US in its war against Iran.

In an interview with Ukrainskaya Pravda published on Wednesday, Colonel Pavel Elizarov, deputy commander of Ukraine’s Air Force, stated that of the 300 interceptor crews under his command, 66 shot down more than 10 Russian Geran drones while 170 failed to hit a single one. In one region, 24 out of 28 crews recorded zero eliminations over the same period, he said.

Elizarov, a former television producer, also described systemic mismanagement in Ukraine’s low-altitude air defenses that has persisted for years.  […]

Kiev has reportedly signed defense agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, which are estimated to be worth billions of dollars, according to the New York Times. … Full article

Zelensky’s favorite drone company at center of Ukrainian corruption alert

RT | April 30, 2026

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry must cut its ties with a drone maker touted globally by Vladimir Zelensky and linked to fugitive businessman Timur Mindich, his longtime associate, the ministry’s Public Anti-Corruption Council (PAC Council) has said.

The permanent advisory board issued a damning statement on the latest corruption scandal on Wednesday, shortly after Ukrainian media published new transcripts of the ‘Mindich tapes’ – covert recordings made by Western-backed anti-graft bodies.

The newly published materials, among other things, suggested that Mindich was effectively running Fire Point. The transcripts are reportedly of a conversation between the businessman and then Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who currently heads Ukraine’s National Security Council.

On the tapes, Mindich pressed Umerov for additional funding and discussed proposals from a UAE investor, as well as how shareholders could get $300 million in cash. … continue

The Broken Contract

When Words No Longer Match Reality

Ashes of Pompeii | April 30, 2026

The gap between what people experience and what the media and their government describes has become impossible to ignore. It starts with the basics. Officials point to improving inflation data, but families see it in their weekly budgets: rent consuming half their income, groceries costing significantly more than two years ago, car repairs deferred because the bill is too high. When the government celebrates economic progress while households tighten their belts, the message isn’t reassuring, it’s dismissive. People aren’t confused by statistics; they’re alienated by the disconnect.

The Epstein case marked a before and after in this erosion of trust. For years, the story unfolded as a slow demonstration that accountability operates differently for the powerful. Flight logs placed influential figures on the same planes as a convicted sex trafficker. Survivor testimony described a network that extended into politics, finance, and intelligence – names like Bill Clinton, Bill Gates or Prince Andrew, the very pinnacle of society. Yet the legal process moved with conspicuous caution: documents released in fragments, key names redacted, prosecutions narrowly focused. When the public saw that connections could delay, dilute, or deflect consequences, it confirmed what everyone already knew: the system protects its own. Its a big club, and you ain’t in it… continue

US CENTCOM’s Request for Dark Eagle Missiles Shows Shortage of Weapons and Limited Options

By Ekaterina Blinova – Sputnik – 30.04.2026

The request for untested hypersonic missiles for the Middle East arena exposes the US’ failure to neutralize Iran’s launcher network, veteran war correspondent Elijah J. Magnier tells Sputnik.

“The Dark Eagle has reportedly not been declared fully operational in the past,” Magnier says. “So when the US decided to deploy it, it signaled urgency, escalation pressure. And above all, shortage of suitable conventional weapons.”

The request also shows that earlier Pentagon statements that Iran’s launchers were fully destroyed did not match reality, the pundit continues.

“If all key launchers were eliminated, CENTCOM would not need a new system.” … continue

Iran consolidates Strait of Hormuz control in post-war power shift, leaving US in dark

Press TV | April 30, 2026

The geopolitical landscape of the Persian Gulf has undergone a seismic shift following the 40-day US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iran emerged from the imposed war not merely intact but strategically ascendant, holding a decisive upper hand over the world’s most critical energy chokepoint.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately one-fifth of global oil trade passes, is no longer a waterway that Washington can threaten, monitor, or control.

It is now firmly under Iranian management, backed by legal codification, military capability, and an unshakable political resolve, as asserted by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei in his Persian Gulf Day statement on Thursday.

The Leader unveiled a comprehensive strategic vision, which seeks to transform Iran’s relationship with the world’s most critical energy chokepoint from defensive vigilance to active and legally codified management.

This is not a tactical victory or a fleeting advantage. It is a fundamental reordering of power in the region, one that leaves the United States guessing about Iran’s next move while every available path before it leads toward a deepening crisis. … continue

A pause, not a ceasefire: Washington stalls, Tehran recalibrates

By Peiman Salehi | The Cradle | April 29, 2026

What is currently being described as a “ceasefire” between Iran and the US is, in reality, something far more fragile and far more strategic: a temporary pause in an ongoing war.

The distinction matters. Because while Washington seeks to frame this moment as a diplomatic opening, Tehran increasingly views it as a recalibration of tempo rather than a resolution of conflict.

This is precisely the point articulated by senior Iranian strategist Mohsen Rezaei, who recently argued that what we are witnessing is not a ceasefire, but a “military silence” within an active war.

Negotiations, in this view, are not an alternative to conflict but something that unfolds within it. The current moment aligns with that doctrine. There has been no political settlement, no structural shift in American objectives, and no evidence that the underlying confrontation has been resolved. … continue

US blockade crumbles as Iran turns to overland routes

Press TV – April 30, 2026

As the US intensifies its inhuman sanctions and seeks to stifle Iran’s economy through an illegal naval blockade, Tehran has made strategic adjustments.

Pakistan formally activated a new transit corridor through Iran on Friday, announcing that the inaugural shipment including frozen meat bound for Tashkent, Uzbekistan had been dispatched via the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Iranian overland routes.

The country designated six transit routes, including multiple key corridors connecting ports and border points inside Pakistan, forming a wide network for overland trade into Iran in a bid to bypass the maritime trade routes in the Persian Gulf.

The order, which took effect on April 25, aims to ease the logjam at Karachi Port and Port Qasim, where more than 3,000 Iran-bound containers have been stuck due to the ongoing US naval blockade of Iranian ports. … continue

Hidden costs of US Iran war push total far beyond $25bn Pentagon claim

Al Mayadeen | April 30, 2026

The Pentagon’s declared $25 billion cost of the war on Iran is likely a significant understatement of the war’s true financial burden, Bloomberg reported, citing analysts. Senior US defense officials disclosed the figure during testimony at a contentious congressional hearing on Wednesday, outlining the total cost incurred so far.

Calculations by Bloomberg, based on Pentagon data, suggest that the cost of certain munitions, destroyed equipment, and operational expenses alone amounts to around $14 billion. This includes $8 billion for munitions, $5 billion to replace lost aircraft and damaged equipment, and approximately $1 billion in operational costs for deploying two aircraft carriers and 16 destroyers over 39 days of near-continuous strikes.

The estimate does not account for the cost of repairing damaged facilities across the region, such as the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, which has been repeatedly targeted in Iranian attacks. It also excludes the operational costs of all ships and aircraft involved in the military buildup prior to February 28, as well as those currently engaged in the ongoing blockade. … continue

Iran Will Respond With Long-Term Strikes to US Attack, Even If It Is Short-Term – IRGC

Sputnik – 30.04.2026

TEHRAN – Iran will respond with long-term strikes to the US attack, even if it is short-term, Majid Mousavi, the commander of the aerospace forces of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said on Thursday.

“We will respond with long-term strikes to enemy operations, even if they are short-term,” the SNN broadcaster quoted Mousavi as saying.

On Wednesday, Axios reported, citing three sources privy to the matter, that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) prepared a plan to conduct a “short and powerful” wave of strikes on Iran as negotiations for a peace settlement stall.

Israeli forces intercept Gaza-bound flotilla in Mediterranean, organizers say

Press TV – April 30, 2026

… Gur Tsabar, a spokesperson for the flotilla, described the incident as “a straight-up attack on unarmed civilian boats in international waters.”

Speaking to Qatar’s Al Jazeera network from Toronto, he said the operation was taking place “hundreds of miles from Israel” and that vessels were being “surrounded and threatened at gunpoint.”

“This is illegal under international law. Israel has no jurisdiction in these waters. Boarding these boats amounts to illegal detention – potentially kidnapping on the high seas,” Tsabar said.

“It’s critical that all governments act now. Every government has an obligation to protect the over 400 civilians on board and to uphold international law. Silence in this moment is absolute complicity.”

Tariq Ra’ouf, an activist on board one of the vessels, said Israeli naval forces surrounded the fleet using larger ships and smaller rigid inflatable boats.

“From those military ships, a bunch of smaller military RIBs began surrounding many of our vessels. Drones have been surrounding us and flashing us with lights. And we’ve been getting messages from the Israeli military through our radio, saying that we are breaking international law and that we need to stop,” he said.

Ra’ouf added that the operation unfolded over several hours, while the flotilla was travelling towards Crete in international waters.

“We’ve lost communication with many of our boats,” he said, noting that the flotilla’s communications were jammed by the Israeli military playing music over radio channels as “some sort of psychological warfare tactic.” … Full article