Published on: 04/30/2026 - 01:04 Last updated: 04/30/2026 - 23:24

Iran said Thursday that it would respond with "prolonged and painful strikes" on American sites if the United States resumed attacks, asserting its control over the Strait of Hormuz, which complicates Washington's plans to form an international coalition to reopen the waterway. Meanwhile, a cable issued by the US State Department, seen by Reuters, showed that the United States is pressing for the participation of a number of countries in forming an international coalition in order to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, at a time when oil prices jumped to the highest level in more than four years.

Air defenses confront small aircraft and drones in the airspace of Tehran (Iranian media)

Iranian Tasnim and Fars agencies reported on Thursday night that air defenses had been activated in the airspace of Tehran, to confront “small planes and drones” over the capital.

Tasnim reported, "The sound of air defenses being activated was heard in some parts of Tehran. It is not yet clear whether the matter is related to a defensive test or to confront what are likely 'reconnaissance drones' over Tehran."

Fars Agency published a similar report.

Security sources: A drone attack targets an Iranian Kurdish opposition camp in Iraq

Mehr Agency: Air defense sounds were heard in some areas of Tehran, and the reasons are unknown

The semi-official news agency in Iran reported on Thursday that sounds of air defenses were heard in some areas of the Iranian capital, Tehran, but the reason is not yet known.

Washington urges a meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu and considers that “the time for hesitation is over” (Embassy in Beirut)

Financial Times: Israel rushed to send a laser defense system to the UAE to help it confront Iranian missiles.

Trump: Gasoline prices will fall as soon as the Iran war ends

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday that gasoline prices will "fall sharply" once the Iran war ends.

Global oil prices previously recorded their highest level in four years at more than $126 per barrel, amid fears that the war would lead to a long-term crisis.

United Nations: The cost of the war on Iran is equivalent to helping 87 million people

A United Nations official said Thursday that what the Pentagon spent on the war against Iran could cover the organization’s entire need to provide life-saving support to more than 87 million people during the year 2026.

The US Department of Defense announced that it has so far spent $25 billion on the war in the Middle East, while the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) launched an appeal to collect $23 billion for this year.

At least 15 were killed in Israeli raids on southern Lebanon

At least 15 people were killed Thursday in Israeli raids on southern Lebanon, according to what the authorities announced, at a time when President Joseph Aoun denounced the "continuous violations" of the Hebrew state despite the implementation of a ceasefire with Hezbollah.

The ceasefire agreement entered into force on April 17, following direct discussions between Israel and Lebanon, the first in decades. However, the Israeli army continues to carry out attacks in southern Lebanon, where its spokesman on Thursday requested the evacuation of more than twenty villages.

Trump: I do not mind Iran participating in the FIFA World Cup finals

US President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday that he "does not mind" Iran participating in the FIFA World Cup finals, which will be held in North America in June and July.

Displaced people and mayors from southern Lebanon protest Israel's demolition of their border villages

Dozens of officials and villagers in southern Lebanon gathered at the border with Israel in central Beirut on Thursday, to protest the widespread bombing operations carried out by the Hebrew state forces for weeks, which resulted in massive destruction. Before and after the truce between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on April 17, Israeli forces carried out large-scale demolition and bombing operations in dozens of border towns that they invaded and prevented their residents from returning to them.

Iran confirms that the US blockade is doomed to fail and the price of oil is at its highest levels since 2022

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei considered Thursday that the United States had suffered a “shameful defeat” in the war, in a new chapter of the verbal war between the two countries that led to oil prices briefly rising to $126 per barrel, a level unprecedented since 2022.

Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council: The Strait of Hormuz will be “free of the American presence”

Iranian Shura Council Speaker Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf pledged Thursday that his country's control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz will guarantee a future free of the American presence in the region.

“Today, by managing the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will provide itself and its neighbors with the precious blessing of a future free of American presence and interference,” Ghalibaf said in a post on the X platform.

The Iranian leader says that the United States has suffered a “shameful defeat” (written letter)

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written message Thursday that the United States has been defeated in its war against Iran.

Khamenei added in the message read on state television, "Today, two months after the largest military movement and aggression by the arrogant forces in the region and America's shameful defeat, a new phase is forming for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz."

Agency: Iran warns America of a long-term conflict if it is attacked

On Thursday, official media quoted Majid Mousavi, commander of the aerospace forces in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, as saying that any American attack on Iran, even if it is limited, will push Tehran to launch “long and painful strikes” on American sites in the region.

The Student News Network quoted Mousavi as saying, “We saw what happened to your bases in the region, and we will see the same thing happen to your warships.”

Mehr Agency: The Iranian President informs the Japanese Prime Minister that Tehran is ready to resume the course of diplomacy as soon as Washington changes its behavior

Commander of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace forces: American ships "will meet the same fate as American bases in the region."

9 killed, including two children, in Israeli raids on three towns in southern Lebanon (Ministry of Health)

Nine people, including two children, were killed in Israeli raids on Thursday on three towns in southern Lebanon, according to the Ministry of Health, at a time when Israel continues its strikes despite a ceasefire with Hezbollah.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement that the "Israeli enemy raids" on the towns of Jibshit, Toul, and Harouf in southern Lebanon "led to an initial toll of 9 martyrs, including two children and five women, and 23 wounded, including 8 children and 7 women."

Iranian Supreme Leader via X: A new chapter is shaping up in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz

Medvedev questions America's eligibility to mediate international conflicts

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, said on Thursday that it is unlikely that the United States will play the role of mediator effectively in international conflicts, referring to its actions on the global stage.

Medvedev's statements, the former Russian president, seem to contradict the official position of the Kremlin, which sees the United States playing a role.

Valuable in seeking a peaceful solution between Russia and Ukraine.

France 24/ Agencies

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