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Maroosha Muzaffar29 April 2026 05:45<\/p>\n
<\/a>Scott Bessent says US blockade cut off billions of dollars in revenue for Iran<\/p>\n US treasury secretary Scott Bessent has claimed that the US\u2019s economic pressure on Iran through sanctions and a blockade has already cut off tens of billions in revenue, driven up inflation, and weakened Iran\u2019s currency.<\/p>\n With key export hubs like Kharg Island nearing storage limits due to restricted shipping, Bessent said that Iran may soon be forced to reduce oil production, losing around $170m a day.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Treasury Department, through Economic Fury, has targeted Iran\u2019s international shadow banking infrastructure, access to crypto, shadow fleet, weapons procurement networks, funding for terrorist proxies in the region, and independent Chinese \u2018teapot\u2019 refineries that support Iran\u2019s oil trade. These actions have disrupted tens of billions of dollars in revenue that would be used to fund terrorism,\u201d he wrote on X.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder @POTUS\u2019 maximum pressure campaign, Tehran\u2019s inflation has doubled and its currency has rapidly depreciated.\u201cKharg Island, Iran\u2019s primary oil export terminal, is soon nearing storage capacity, which will force the regime to reduce oil production, resulting in an additional approximately $170 million per day in lost revenue, and causing permanent damage to Iran\u2019s oil infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that the \u201cTreasury will continue to exert maximum pressure and any person, vessel, or entity facilitating illicit flows to Tehran risks exposure to US sanctions\u201d.<\/p>\n Maroosha Muzaffar29 April 2026 06:56<\/p>\n <\/a>Trump\u2019s approval ratings drop<\/p>\n Donald Trump\u2019s approval rating has dropped to a new low of 34 per cent, driven largely by public dissatisfaction with rising living costs and his handling of the Iran war. <\/p>\n The previous approval rating was 36 per cent. <\/p>\n A Reuters\/Ipsos poll shows growing frustration as fuel prices surge due to conflict-related disruptions, with only 22 per cent approving of his performance on the cost of living. <\/p>\n While most Republicans still back him, concerns are rising within his party, and independent voters are leaning toward Democrats ahead of the midterm elections. <\/p>\n The survey also found that only 34 per cent of Americans support America\u2019s war on Iran, down from 36 per cent in mid-April and 38 per cent in mid-March. <\/p>\n Maroosha Muzaffar29 April 2026 06:46<\/p>\n <\/a>Houthis reaffirm support for Iran<\/p>\n Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels have declared that they are \u201cnot neutral\u201d in the ongoing war between US and Iran and reaffirmed support for Iran and allies, including Lebanon.<\/p>\n In a statement, they condemned what they called US \u201cpiracy\u201d in the Gulf of Oman, accusing Washington of illegally targeting Iranian commercial vessels and disrupting global trade.<\/p>\n The group backed Iran\u2019s actions in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a legitimate form of self-defence, and warned that Yemen\u2019s position is \u201cclear, public, and explicit\u201d.<\/p>\n They also reiterated past threats to escalate, including potentially targeting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key global shipping route, if the conflict continues. <\/p>\n Maroosha Muzaffar29 April 2026 06:36<\/p>\n <\/a>Iran ambassador complains to the UN over seizure of Iranian vessels<\/p>\n Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran\u2019s ambassador to the United Nations, has formally complained to the UN secretary-general and the Security Council president, condemning the United States for seizing Iranian vessels and calling the actions \u201cpiracy\u201d.<\/p>\n In the letter, reported by the Tasnim News Agency, he argued that \u201creliance on domestic arrangements, which are inherently illegal, can under no circumstances justify such an abhorrent crime committed through the use of force\u201d.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cSuch behaviour constitutes illegal coercion, interference in lawful international trade, and the unlawful seizure of property. Simultaneously, it sets a dangerous precedent that severely undermines the international rule of law. <\/p>\n Maroosha Muzaffar29 April 2026 06:26<\/p>\n <\/a>Trump directs his team to prepare for prolonged blockade – report<\/p>\n Donald Trump has directed his team to prepare for a prolonged blockade of Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.<\/p>\n Instead of escalating with more military strikes or pulling back from the conflict, Trump sees the blockade as the least risky option, the officials said.<\/p>\n Earlier, it was reported that Trump was reviewing Iran\u2019s new peace proposal, but that he was unhappy with it since it didn\u2019t include nuclear talks.<\/p>\n WSJ reported that the US president told his aides on Monday that Iran\u2019s three-step offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and save nuclear talks for the final phase proved Tehran wasn\u2019t negotiating in good faith.<\/p>\n In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump \u2060said: \u201cIran has just informed us that they are in a \u2018State of Collapse\u2019. They want us to \u2018Open the Hormuz Strait,\u2019 as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!).\u201d<\/p>\n Maroosha Muzaffar29 April 2026 06:16<\/p>\n <\/a>Trump responds to Merz\u2019s remarks after German chancellor said US was being \u2018humiliated\u2019 by Iran<\/p>\n Donald Trump has publicly lashed out at Friedrich Merz after he said that America was being \u201chumiliated\u201d by Iran.<\/p>\n Trump hit back on social media. \u201cThe Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, thinks it\u2019s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. He doesn\u2019t know what he\u2019s talking about! If Iran had a Nuclear Weapon, the whole World would be held hostage. I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago. No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier, Merz had said that the Americans \u201cclearly had no strategy\u201d and that \u201cthe problem with conflicts like this is always that you don\u2019t just have to go in; you also have to get out again. We saw that all too painfully in Afghanistan, for 20 years. We saw it in Iraq. So this whole affair is, as I said, ill-considered, to say the least\u201d.<\/p>\n Maroosha Muzaffar29 April 2026 06:06<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2270719313.jpg\")
(AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n
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Exterior views of Opec (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) headquarters on 28 April 2026 in Vienna, Austria. Earlier, the United Arab Emirates announced that it is leaving the cartel of oil producers from 1 May, saying the decision ‘reflects the UAE’s long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile’ (Getty)<\/p>\n