Reports related to demonstrations and public protests
Gholamreza Ghasemian, a preacher for IRIB, addressed the former comrades of Mojtaba Khamenei, urging them to carry out Khamenei's work and emphasizing their duty to follow his leadership despite their seniority and experience.
Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that based on the Customs Export Guidelines, the export of various steel products including slabs, sheets, strips, and coated metals has been prohibited.
The LNG carrier Mubaraz, owned by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), has successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the start of the Iran war, according to Kpler data analyzed by AFP.
The IDF Arabic spokesperson has ordered residents of 16 villages south of the Litani River to evacuate immediately and head toward Sidon, due to alleged ceasefire violations by Hezbollah.
Mahmoud Nabavian, Deputy Chair of Iran's Majles National Security Commission, stated that negotiations with the United States are futile and Iran aims to humiliate America; Iran did not agree to remove any highly-enriched uranium and needed the ceasefire to replenish its arsenals.
The global oil price rose above $110 per barrel for the first time in three weeks, with Brent crude increasing 2.7% to $111.2 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate gaining 2.3% to $98.5 per barrel, due to traders' concerns over the lack of progress in negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Republic to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. CNN reported that former President Donald Trump stated it is unlikely he will accept Tehran's recent proposal to end the war, which includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz but defers nuclear program discussions to future talks.
Nabih Berri, Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, stated that a ceasefire is the absolute priority and that no other issues will be discussed until a ceasefire agreement is reached, warning that manipulating the Lebanese lira's exchange rate would have disastrous consequences. Berri also noted that Lebanon's government is in a state of stagnation and criticized the president's positions.
The U.S. naval blockade has reduced Iran's oil exports by 70%, leaving Iran with only 12-22 days of oil storage remaining, and Strait of Hormuz shipments are nearly halted, with production expected to decrease by an additional 1.5 million barrels per day by mid-May.
Sen. Marco Rubio was asked on Fox News if Mojtaba Khamenei is alive, to which he responded that there is no evidence to suggest otherwise, adding that being "alive" and being "in power" are two different questions.
In an interview with Fox News, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States does not wish to harm the Iranian people and condemned the regime's suppression of the Dey-Month Uprising, citing the killing of tens of thousands of protesters and warning about the regime's threats to the Strait of Hormuz.
On April 26, the USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), a guided-missile destroyer, intercepted the M/T Stream off the coast of Iran to enforce the U.S. blockade against Iranian ports.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, led by Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, warned that anti-regime protests could resume within days as the economy deteriorates, with officials stating that up to 2 million private sector jobs could be lost by the end of spring due to a U.S. naval blockade, making unrest inevitable.
