Live
Tehran accuses the EU: ‘Hypocritical, calls for legality on Hormuz and gives the US and Israel a free hand’. As for peace, Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf spoke of “progress with the US, but significant differences remain”
Cnn: Trump will read a Bible verse from the Oval Office
President Donald Trump will participate in a public Bible reading this week as the administration continues to integrate religion, particularly Christianity, into official business. Cnn writes that. “On 21 April, President Trump will read a passage of Scripture via a videomessage from the Oval Office at 6pm,” reads a press release from the organisers. The event is called America Reads the Bible. Trump’s participation in the week of readings is particularly noteworthy, given his recent disagreements with Pope Leo over the conflict with Iran and the criticism he received earlier this week for posting – and then deleting – an AI-generated image portraying him as Jesus. In the video message, according to the organisers, Trump will read a passage from the Second Book of Chronicles 7:11-22, which includes the oft-quoted verse 14: ‘If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Israeli media: ‘Araghchi in storm, Pasdaran would like to remove him’
Over the weekend, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi came under severe and unusual criticism, ending up at the centre of an attack by elements of the Revolutionary Guards. At the same time, there is a growing belief that the Pasdaran commander exerts considerable influence on the decision-making process in negotiations with the United States. This is according to an analysis published by the Israeli news outlet Channel 12.
The storm erupted after Araqchi announced on Friday on X that the Strait of Hormuz was fully open. Minutes later, Donald Trump rushed to declare that Iran had reopened the strait. Media affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, including the Tasnim, Fars and Mehr agencies, attacked the minister, claiming that his tweet had created confusion and offered Trump an opportunity to present himself as a winner.
Mehr explicitly stated that the negotiations were not run exclusively by the ministry. According to the Israeli newspaper, prominent conservative figures in parliament have reportedly called for Araqchi’s removal, claiming that his statement brought down oil prices and gave the US an advantage in the negotiations. Meanwhile, according to some studies, Revolutionary Guard commander Ahmad Ahidi and his men managed to establish control not only over Iran’s military response in combat, but also over its position in the negotiations. According to some sources, it was the Guards who pressurised the clerics to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader. Vahidi has been considered one of the most important and prominent security figures in Iran for years, but his career is not limited to the military: he has been Minister of Defence and Minister of the Interior. This combination places him at a strategic crossroads between the armed forces, the intelligence services and the political class.
Pasdaran: every ship approaching Hormuz ‘targeted’
Any ship approaching the Strait of Hormuz will now be ‘targeted’. This is the warning issued by the Guards of the Islamic Revolution, Iran’s ideological army.
After more than a month of war that has claimed thousands of lives, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, Tehran’s announcement on Friday on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz boosted financial markets and caused a sharp drop in crude oil prices, as 20 per cent of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas usually transits through the Strait.
While some ships managed to cross the strait on Saturday during its temporary reopening, others were met with gunfire and threats from the Tehran army.
Related
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.