Reactions and statements from the international community
Mossad, Shin Bet, and the Israeli army announced the exposure of Unit 4000, a secret network affiliated with the IRGC, which has been involved in assassination plots, attacks on infrastructure, and weapons smuggling.
Donald Trump wrote that the agreement currently being negotiated with the Islamic Republic will be much better than the JCPOA, which he termed the "worst agreement in relation to the country's security." He also claimed that the JCPOA involved sending $1.7 billion in cash to Iran via a Boeing airplane, emptying banks in Washington, Virginia, and Maryland in the process.
On April 20, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Truth Social that the naval blockade of Iranian ports would continue until an agreement is reached, despite Iranian state media claiming the lifting of the blockade as a key condition for resumed negotiations.
IRGC Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani met with leaders of multiple armed factions in Baghdad yesterday to coordinate for potential new fighting and support the election of a pro-Iran prime minister.
On Monday, April 20, 2026, Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that Iran remains steadfast in its decision not to attend the Pakistan talks, asserting that Tehran's participation is conditional on the fulfillment of unspecified preconditions.
Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the current agreement being negotiated with the Islamic Republic of Iran will be superior to the JCPOA, which he termed the "worst agreement related to the country's security." Trump asserted that a new agreement under his presidency would guarantee peace and security for Israel, the Middle East, Europe, and America.
A citizen in Iran sent a video showing a closed factory during the conflict, stating, "The IRGC has destroyed our country and we have no income."
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped to a near standstill after Iran initially claimed it had reopened but then reinstated restrictions, allowing only a handful of vessels to transit since. Oil and gas prices are rebounding as a result.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated it is "highly unlikely" he will extend the current 2-week ceasefire with Iran without a deal being reached, and indicated that the Hormuz Strait will remain blocked until an agreement is in place.
The European Union is expanding sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran to include individuals and entities responsible for blocking the Strait of Hormuz, according to two European diplomats. The EU's External Action Service will draft new sanction lists within a few weeks, targeting those obstructing the strategic waterway, while the European Commission manages broader economic restrictions.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is accelerating executions of women activists, with Bita Hemmati, Ghazal Ghalandari, Golnaz Naraghi, Venus Hosseinnezhad, Panah Movahedi, Ansiyeh Nejati, Mahboubeh Shabani, and Diana Taherabadi facing imminent execution on charges of "enmity against God."
Masoud Pezeshkian, in a message on X, claimed that the United States "seeks Iran's surrender," amid conflicting reports of potential new Iran-U.S. negotiations in Pakistan. The President of the Islamic Republic responded on April 31, 1405 (April 16, 2026), stating that recent U.S. actions convey a message of seeking Iran's capitulation, to which the Iranian people will not submit.
