Trump with machine gun: 'Iran get a grip'

The Iranian rial hit an all-time low against the dollar due to the US naval blockade of the country's ports. This can be seen on websites that monitor exchange rates. On the black market, the rial is trading at about 1.8 million rials per dollar, as reported by the websites Bonbast and AlanChand. When war broke out two months ago, one dollar was worth about 1.7 million rials. Officially, Iran has several fixed exchange rates, but the two websites are generally used as a reference for unofficial rates.

"If Iranian pistachios do not return to the market, there will be a major availability problem. At the moment the product is there and has risen by 15%, but the outlook is not rosy, as we expect a 'short' harvest from California next year'. Giovanni Calvini, CEO of Madi Ventura, a Genoese company operating in the packaged and bulk dried fruit market, is a case study. Like most Italian companies, Midi Ventura imports 'green gold' from California (the world's leading exporter), where the block on exports from Iran (the world's second largest exporter) has caused demand to skyrocket.

Less traditional customers are also turning to the US, such as the Far East, which has seen its import share from Tehran plummet from 25% to 8% due to the blockade of shipments from the Bandar Abbas port on the Strait of Hormuz. By March 2026 (the beginning of the campaign) American output already stood at 276 thousand tonnes, up 26% compared to the same period in 2025. On the other hand, supplies to Turkey, CIS, and India have not been interrupted, albeit with prohibitive times, methods, and costs.

"We are ready to send minesweepers from our navy, accompanied by other navy ships in an international European or UN mission that will have to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in the future, as soon as there is a lasting ceasefire". So said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in his speech at 'Obiettivo esportazione' underway in Turin. Shortly before, talking to journalists, the minister explained that the government had given "provision through the action of Minister Crosetto to participate, with the Navy, in any international operations under the UN flag, or of the European Union, to take part in the action both of demining and of guaranteeing freedom of navigation". "Our Navy," he added, "is ready to participate on behalf of Italia as it is doing in the Red Sea to protect maritime traffic from Houthi attacks, and as the Atalanta mission is doing from piracy attacks.

Italia is among the top 15 countries in the world for military spending (in 12th place), with a significant increase in spending (+20% in 2025 over 2024) and a growing weight on GDP, but it remains below the threshold of 2% of gross domestic product (1.9 per cent). The latest report on global military spending published on Monday 27 April by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) takes a snapshot of this. Twelve of the top 15 countries by military expenditure have increased their allocations in 2025, while only the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel have seen a decrease. States at the bottom of the top 15 recorded some of the largest year-on-year percentage increases within this group, with Spain (ranked 15th) recording the largest increase (plus 50%). Poland (ranked 14th) increased its spending by 23%, while Italia (ranked 12th) and Ukraine (ranked 7th) each increased their military spending by 20%.

US President Donald Trump received oil and gas company executives at the White House yesterday to discuss the consequences of the war with Iran. This was reported today by the website Axios, listing Chevron CEO Mike Wirth among the participants. Present alongside Trump were White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia is on the rise, largely due to regional instability caused by the war in the Middle East, according to Operation Atalanta (EU Navfor), an EU naval force patrolling the region.

At least three hijackings have been confirmed in the last week alone, with pirates boarding two merchant ships and an oil tanker, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations. The attacks occurred in Eyl, Mareeyo and Garacad, in the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia, which was a hub for piracy in the late 2000s.

Further reading

Non-EU exports grow but to the Gulf almost halved

29 April 2026

Tokyo confirms the transit through the Strait of Hormuz of a ship bound for Japan. The Foreign Ministry states that there are three Japanese crew members on board. "The government of Japan considers this transit of a ship bound for Japan to be a positive development, including from the perspective of protecting Japanese citizens," the ministry note reads. Tokyo will "continue to urge Iran to ensure free and safe passage through the Strait for all ships".

Donald Trump has once again attacked Iran in a social media post, saying the regime needs to 'get its act together' and does not know 'how to sign a non-nuclear deal'. The post, published when it's 4am in Washington, is accompanied by an evidently artificial intelligence-generated image of him holding a machine gun while standing in front of a mountain range wracked by explosions. "STOP LORD GENTLE," reads the caption, echoing an earlier post by Trump in which the president said he was taking a hard line on Iran

"Our common goal is now to see a lasting end to the war" in Iran, and "this includes the restoration of full and permanent freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz without tariffs" for transit. This was said by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the plenary of the Europarliament. "It is equally clear that any peace agreement will have to address Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme," she added.

"Our common goal is now to see a lasting end to the war" in Iran, and "this includes the restoration of full and permanent freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz without tariffs" for transit. This was said by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the plenary of the Europarliament. "It is equally clear that any peace agreement will have to address Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme," she added.

The Israeli army said it killed three Hezbollah militants "who had attempted a gun attack on soldiers" in Lebanon on Tuesday, adding that, in a separate incident, a Hezbollah drone exploded near IDF soldiers, slightly wounding one. "The soldier was transported to hospital to receive medical treatment," the army added.

The IDF also claimed to have hit 'ready-to-fire grenade launchers, weapons depots and military facilities' outside the Israeli buffer zone in Lebanon.

The US government has stepped up pressure on Tehran, imposing sanctions on 35 entities and individuals for their role in Iran's shadow banking sector and threatening sanctions against banks that do business with Chinese 'teapot' refineries, which it claims pay tolls for the transit of goods through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Treasury Department claimed that the sanctioned individuals and companies facilitated the movement of the equivalent of tens of billions of dollars, related to sanctions evasion and what it called Iran's support for terrorism.

The Iranian state news agency Irna writes that flights between Tehran and Moscow resumed today after a two-month suspension caused by the US-Israeli war with Iran. The announcement came a day after a meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Russia, in which the two discussed the 'details' of the war in the Middle East. CNN writes. The Iranian airline Mahan Air made its first restored flight this morning, departing from Tehran and returning to the Iranian capital later the same day. According to the agency, which quotes Mahan Air officials, regular service on the Tehran-Moscow route will operate on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in both directions.

Further reading

The second round of negotiations between the US and Iran failed before it even started

25 April 2026

Donald Trump said at the State Dinner for King Charles that the US had won 'militarily' over Iran.

Iran has sent a letter to the UN Security Council 'on US piracy'. This was reported by the Iranian Tasnim news agency. In a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General and the Security Council Presidency, Amir Saeed Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the UN, strongly protested against the US seizure of Iranian ships and piracy. The letter states, among other things: 'Referring to internal agreements, which are inherently illegal, can under no circumstances justify such a heinous crime committed by force. Such conduct constitutes unlawful coercion, interference with legitimate international trade and illegal seizure of property, while setting a dangerous precedent that seriously undermines the rule of law internationally'.

Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said in a video taken by Al Jazeera that he did not consider the war 'over' despite the ceasefire with the US.

US President Donald Trump reportedly told his aides to prepare for a 'prolonged blockade' of Iran. The Wall Street Journal reports. The tycoon - it is explained - would prefer a 'decisive victory' but none of the available options guarantees him a quick exit from the conflict. The idea would therefore be to target Iranian financial resources in an attempt to force Tehran into a 'nuclear capitulation' that it has long rejected. In Monday's meeting in the Situation Room, the US president reportedly opted to continue squeezing Iran's economy and oil exports by blocking shipments to and from its ports. Trump reportedly assessed that the other options - resuming the bombing or withdrawing from the conflict - carried greater risks than maintaining the blockade.

Further reading

Extreme attempts to revive negotiations between the US and Iran

26 April 2026

"As a result of the maximum pressure campaign, inflation in Tehran has doubled and its currency has rapidly depreciated. Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal, is about to reach its maximum storage capacity, which will force the regime to reduce oil production, resulting in a loss of revenue of approximately $170 million per day and permanent damage to Iran's oil infrastructure." US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote this on X. "The Treasury Department will continue to exert maximum pressure and any person, vessel, or entity facilitating illicit flows to Tehran risks being subject to US sanctions," he added.

Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the night, accusing him on his Truth Social of 'not knowing what he is talking about' with regard to Iran.

The German leader had stated on Monday that "the Americans obviously have no strategy" in Iran and added that Tehran was "humiliating" the world's leading power.