Key moments
- The stagnation of negotiations between the US and Iran dampens optimism in the stock markets
Iran’s President, Masud Pezeshkian, defended his country’s commitment to “dialogue” early this Thursday, after his US counterpart, Donald Trump, decided to extend the ceasefire agreed on April 8. However, he recalled that the blockade of Iranian ports is one of the main obstacles to “authentic” negotiations between Tehran and Washington. The Republican stated yesterday Wednesday that peace talks with Iran could resume this Friday, according to the New York Post.
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Attack against Iran
The video released by Iran of the boarding of two ships in the Strait of Hormuz
The uniformed men, hooded and armed, boarded the ships, flying Panamanian and Liberian flags, and accuse the crew of navigating without permission.
You can watch the full video here
Iran executes another prisoner for collaborating with Israel, the fifth this week
Iranian authorities executed a prisoner this Thursday, condemned for collaborating with Israel’s intelligence services, the Mossad, in the fifth hanging of the week in the Islamic Republic.
“Soltanali Shirzadi Fakhr was hanged after following the legal process and after the confirmation of the sentence by the Supreme Court, for his membership in the terrorist group People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) and his collaboration with Israeli intelligence services,” reports the Mizan agency, of the Iranian Judiciary.
Tehran considers the MEK group a terrorist organization and accuses it of carrying out attacks on Iranian soil. According to the Persian country’s justice system, Fakhr also collaborated with Israeli intelligence services, the Mossad.
This is the fifth prisoner executed this week by Iranian authorities, all with alleged ties to Israel. One of these prisoners was executed for his participation in the January protests, in addition to allegedly working for the Israelis.
Since March 19, Iran has hanged eight people convicted for their participation in the January protests, and in recent months, executions of prisoners accused of collaborating with Israel have soared.
Iran is one of the countries with the highest number of executions in the world, and in 2025, it hanged 1,639 people, 68% more than the previous year and the highest figure in the country since 1989, according to the annual report by the Norwegian NGO Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) and the French Ensemble contre la Peine de Mort (ECPM). Only 113 of these executions were announced by official sources, a figure corresponding to less than 7% of the total, compared to 9.5% in 2024 and 15% in 2023. (Efe)
Israel announces multi-million dollar purchase of “aerial munitions”
The Israeli Ministry of Defense has announced the order to purchase over 170 million euros worth of “aerial munitions,” as announced on X. The contracts will be carried out by the Israeli arms company Elbit, which will produce the munitions at various locations across the country.
Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, stated that the purchase is an effort to maintain “Israel’s independence in munitions supply,” as well as to be ready for “immediate combat scenarios” and an “intense decade in security,” according to the Israeli media outlet Haaretz.
Lebanese Prime Minister condemns Israeli attack on two journalists
Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, has condemned the Israeli attack that killed two journalists this Wednesday, something Salam noted are not “isolated incidents but have become a proven pattern that we condemn and reject,” which he has called “full-fledged war crimes.”
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The Lebanese official stated that his country will “spare no effort” to bring these crimes before “relevant international forums.”
This Wednesday, Israel explicitly targeted two journalists, according to the accusation of the Lebanese Ministry of Health, and then bombed the area up to two more times to prevent rescue efforts.
WAR AGAINST IRAN
Iran’s ‘mosquito fleet’ brings guerrilla warfare to the Strait of Hormuz
“The Iranian Navy lies at the bottom of the sea, completely destroyed: 158 ships,” boasted the President of the United States on his social network, Truth, on the 13th. In the same message, Donald Trump continued: “What we have not attacked is the small number of what they call fast attack boats.” These small boats of the naval force of the powerful parallel Iranian army, the Revolutionary Guard, which Trump said posed “no great threat,” attacked three large container ships this Wednesday. Two of them were forced to head to Iranian ports for allegedly attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz without the Islamic Republic’s green light.
You can read the full information here
WAR AGAINST IRAN
Trump’s latest unfulfilled threat in Iran deepens his internal crisis in the United States
Among the most recurring themes in Donald Trump’s abundant literary output on his social network, Truth, are attacks on the press. It is rare for the President of the United States not to take issue with this or that media outlet or journalist. However, those barbs are not always as brutal as the one he launched this Tuesday at Elliot Kaufman, an “IDIOT,” he wrote, from the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, a media outlet owned by his friend Rupert Murdoch, whom he accused (again, in capital letters) of “having lost his way.” The reason? Publishing an opinion piece titled Iranians Take Trump for a Fool. In it, Kaufman writes: “On two occasions [Trump] has announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and on two occasions he has given up the strategic advantage of the United States in return. Despite everything, the strait remains closed, while the regime demands more.”
You can read the full information here
The stagnation of negotiations between the US and Iran dampens optimism in the stock markets
The stagnation of negotiations between the US and Iran dampens optimism in the stock markets. Persistent tensions between the United States and Iran keep investors nervous, who also see oil prices rising again. Brent crude has added more than 1% to exceed $103 a barrel. Despite new historical highs last night on Wall Street, after President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran, Asian stocks are falling, as are US futures and EuroStoxx 50 futures. European indices point to declines of more than 1%. Optimism has faded due to the stagnation of peace negotiations and risks to global oil supply following recent incidents in the Strait of Hormuz.
Risk aversion sentiment rises with crude prices above $100 per barrel, near recent highs, and escalating tensions in the Middle East. Iran seized two commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, solidifying its control over the strategic waterway, just hours after Trump’s ceasefire announcement, underscoring the truce’s weakness. There are few signs of peace talks resuming, and rising oil prices cloud economic growth prospects. Japan’s Nikkei is down 1.1%. In China, the Shanghai Composite index falls 0.5%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index drops 1%.
Good morning. We begin the live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East conflict this Thursday, April 23. We remain attentive to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the resumption of negotiations between the US and Iran. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has assured that peace talks with Tehran could resume tomorrow Friday. Iran’s President, Masud Pezeshkian, has defended his country’s commitment to “dialogue,” although he recalled that the blockade of Iranian ports is one of the main obstacles to “authentic” negotiations.
Meanwhile, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, will advocate this Thursday in Cyprus before the rest of the European Union leaders for his position on the war in Iran and the need for the Twenty-Seven to decide on adopting measures in their relationship with Israel.
