Published on: 05/01/2026 - 05:06 Modified on: 05/06/2026 - 01:37

Washington took new retaliatory measures against Iranian interests on Friday and warned ships that pay Tehran to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz will also face sanctions in return. Furthermore, Donald Trump said he was "not satisfied" with a new offer from Iran to relaunch negotiations with the United States. Here is the thread for May 1, 2026.

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Soaring sea freight rates disrupt aid to refugees, UNHCR warns

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Friday that the war in the Middle East, via soaring sea freight rates, was affecting the delivery of aid to refugees in the region and Africa.

“The crisis in the Middle East has generated far-reaching repercussions well beyond the region, with growing consequences for global humanitarian supply chains and aid delivery,” said Carlotta Wolf, UNHCR spokesperson, at a press conference in Geneva.

Every additional dollar spent on fuel and war risk insurance premiums is one less dollar that can be spent on humanitarian assistance on the ground, UNHCR added.

Iran: 14 members of the Revolutionary Guards killed during a mine clearance operation

Fourteen deminers were killed Friday in northwestern Iran during a mine clearance operation, the Revolutionary Guards reported, cited by the Tasnim and Fars news agencies.

"As a result of enemy airstrikes using cluster bombs and mines, some areas of Zanjan province, including around 1,200 hectares of agricultural land, were polluted by bombs," the sources reported.

According to them, more than 15,000 unexploded ordnance were neutralized during mine clearance missions by Revolutionary Guard teams.

Supreme Leader wants Iran to win 'economic and cultural war'

Iran's Supreme Leader on Friday called on businesses to avoid layoffs in the name of an economic battle, while his country's productive apparatus suffered great damage in the American-Israeli offensive.

In a message written on Telegram, Mojtaba Khamenei hoped that the Islamic Republic would win "the economic and cultural war" after having proven, according to him, "its excellence" during the armed conflict.

“Employees in the productive sector must be supported by giving priority to the consumption of goods manufactured in the country,” urged the leader. “And in particular, owners of businesses that have suffered damage should avoid, as much as possible, layoffs and abandonment of their workforce.”

UN to look into Iran's attacks on telecommunications in Middle East

The UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU) pledged on Friday to monitor the impact of Iranian attacks on telecoms infrastructure in four Middle Eastern countries, at the request of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan.

A draft “contribution relating to the impact of disruptions on civil telecommunications and information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan” was adopted on Friday by the ITU council, the UN body told AFP.

Donald Trump says he will do without a green light from Congress on the conflict with Iran

Donald Trump suggested Friday that he did not intend to obtain a green light from Congress, the day the 60-day limit set in the law for obtaining parliamentary authorization in the conflict against Iran expires.

"I don't think what they are asking is constitutional. Those who are asking are not patriots," said the American president during an exchange with journalists at the White House, referring to the elected officials who demand that this approach be respected.

“No one has ever claimed it before, no one has ever asked for it,” he continued, “so why should we?”

Donald Trump says he is “not satisfied” with the new Iranian proposal

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he was "not satisfied" with the latest Iranian proposal intended to relaunch negotiations two months after the start of the war.

“At this time, I am not satisfied with what they are offering,” he told the press from the gardens of the White House, while repeating that in his opinion the Iranian leaders are “disjointed” and incapable of agreeing on an exit strategy from the conflict.

“The Islamic Republic transmitted the text of its latest proposal to Pakistan on Thursday evening, mediator in discussions with the United States,” said the official Iranian agency Irna, without further details.

Six dead in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon

Six people, including a child, were killed Friday in two Israeli strikes on a village in southern Lebanon, which the Israeli army had called to evacuate despite a ceasefire, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported.

According to a ministry statement, eight other people, including a child, were injured in these strikes on Habboush.

The official Lebanese news agency (ANI) reported "a series of intense strikes (...) a little less than an hour after the Israeli warning".

Washington takes new sanctions against Iran, threatens ships that pay toll

The Trump administration on Friday took new sanctions against Iranian interests and warned ships that would pay Tehran authorities to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

The new sanctions include three exchange houses, according to a press release from the Ministry of Finance, explaining that this is to thwart the conversion into local currency of yuan used by Chinese actors to pay for Iranian oil.

At the same time, the executive issued a warning explaining that ships paying a toll to secure the crossing of the Strait of Hormuz themselves expose themselves to sanctions.

White House does not comment on new Iranian offer

The White House on Friday declined to comment on Iran's new offer of negotiations, saying only that "discussions were continuing."

"We do not provide details of private conversations. President Trump has made it clear that Iran must never be armed with nuclear weapons and negotiations continue to ensure the short and long term national security of the United States," said Anna Kelly, deputy spokesperson for the American executive, in a statement sent to AFP.

One of three US aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East has left the region

The USS Gerald Ford, an American aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East for the war in Iran, has left the region, an American official said Friday, with two other vessels remaining positioned there.

The world's largest aircraft carrier is currently in the US command zone for Europe, according to the official, who estimated the number of US Navy ships remaining deployed in the Middle East at twenty. This count includes the aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George Bush.

Oil: the American barrel loses more than 5% after the new Iranian offer

Oil prices fell on Friday amid renewed market optimism as Iran submitted a new proposal to the United States to resume negotiations.

Around 2:20 p.m. GMT (4:20 p.m. in Paris), the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate, the American oil benchmark, for delivery in June, fell 4.97% to $99.85, after briefly losing more than 5%.

The barrel of Brent from the North Sea, for delivery in July, which is the first day of use as a reference contract, dropped 3.10%, to 106.98 dollars.

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Hezbollah sent reinforcements to southern Lebanon

Hezbollah has sent reinforcements in arms and personnel to southern Lebanon since the start of the war with Israel on March 2, the official in charge of the media of the pro-Iranian movement said on Friday.

The Lebanese army claimed in January to have disarmed the group in southern Lebanon, where fighting pits Israel against Hezbollah despite a truce in force since April 17.

During an interview with a group of journalists, including AFP, Youssef al Zein indicated that the formation had been able to "introduce forces and weapons during the battle". He explained that the reinforcements did not use the roads held by the Lebanese army, which "did not close other accesses" leading south of the Litani River.

“We are convinced that the army is a national army,” which “will not enter into a confrontation with Hezbollah,” he said.

Oil falls after Tehran's proposal to negotiate with Washington

Oil prices fell into the red on Friday after Iran presented a new offer to resume negotiations with the United States.

Around 1:10 p.m. GMT (3:10 p.m. in Paris), the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate, the American oil benchmark, for delivery in June, lost 1.96% to $103.01.

The Islamic Republic presented a new proposal to the United States via Pakistan

Iran has presented a new offer with a view to resuming negotiations with the United States, currently at a standstill, to put a lasting end to the war, announced the official Iranian agency IRNA.

“The Islamic Republic transmitted the text of its latest proposal to Pakistan on Thursday evening, mediator in discussions with the United States,” according to the agency, which did not give further details.

Faced with American threats, Iran sticks to its positions

Will Donald Trump snub Congress to continue the war in Iran?

Does Donald Trump have the right to continue the war against Iran? In theory, he would have to obtain congressional approval... a requirement that his administration disputes. How can Trump bypass Congress? And two months after the start of this war, where are the objectives? Elements of response with Bruno Daroux, international columnist France 24.

Tehran's propaganda now relies on Western visual and narrative codes

With AFP and Reuters

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