Wednesday, April 22, 2026

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Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and head of the Islamic Republic's negotiating team, wrote on May 22nd in his message on the X social network: "A complete ceasefire only makes sense when it is not violated by naval blockade and taking the world economy hostage, and when Zionist warmongering is stopped on all fronts; reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such flagrant violation of the ceasefire." He added: "They didn't achieve their goals through military aggression, and they won't achieve them through bullying either. The only way is accepting the rights of the Iranian nation." Donald Trump, the US President, announced that he has extended the temporary ceasefire with Iran, but the naval blockade will continue. He said in a statement that this decision was made following requests from Pakistani officials, including Asim Munir and Shehbaz Sharif, to give Tehran the opportunity to present a comprehensive proposal. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Scott Besent, US Treasury Secretary, announced on Wednesday that he has extended the oil sanctions exemption for sea-borne oil belonging to Russia and Iran for 30 days. He said this decision was made following requests from about 10 countries vulnerable to oil shortages due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Besent added that the Treasury Department, by granting sanctions exemptions, was able to release more than 250 million barrels of oil at sea, and noted that without this action, prices would have gone higher. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Naboian, a member of parliament and part of the Islamic Republic's delegation to Pakistan, said: "During the war, our oil sales increased significantly; we have now sold all the oil at sea at double the price and currently don't have a single drop of oil at sea." @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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The White House announced in a statement to Fox News that the ceasefire extension by Donald Trump will be very limited and is only considered for a 3 to 5-day timeframe. A Fox News correspondent also reported on Wednesday, April 22nd, that Donald Trump, the US President, is wary of any delays in the Islamabad negotiation process and has issued warnings. @VahidHeadline Two sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the US President intends to give Iran a limited timeframe to present a comprehensive proposal. These sources added that the US government does not want to extend the ceasefire indefinitely and also has no desire to give Iran the opportunity to prolong negotiations. According to these sources, Trump has been cautious about extending the initial ceasefire beyond the Wednesday deadline. He wants a final agreement to be reached as quickly as possible. @VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Donald Trump, the US President, told the New York Post on Wednesday, April 22nd, that a second round of negotiations with Iran might take place on Friday in Pakistan. The newspaper reported that Pakistani sources have spoken of "positive efforts" to mediate between Iran and America, saying negotiations will likely be held "within the next 36 to 72 hours." The newspaper wrote that they asked the US President about the accuracy of this matter, and he responded via text message: "Maybe! President DJT." Meanwhile, Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards, has written that "so far, no change has been made to Iran's plan not to participate in negotiations." @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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According to three American officials speaking to Axios, Donald Trump has given Iran's warring factions a short window to reach consensus on a coherent counter-proposal; otherwise, the ceasefire he extended on Tuesday will end. An informed American source said in this regard: "Trump is inclined to give the ceasefire 3 to 5 more days so the Iranians can sort out their internal situation; but this deadline is not meant to be unlimited." Trump's negotiators believe that reaching an agreement to end the war and resolve what remains of Iran's nuclear program is still possible. However, they are concerned that no one in Tehran has "full authority" to respond positively to an agreement. Reports indicate that Mojtaba Khamenei, the new leader of the Islamic Republic, has very limited connections and the Revolutionary Guard commanders who now control the country are severely at odds with civilian negotiators over the path forward. @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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Lufthansa airline is canceling some European routes and 20,000 scheduled short-haul flights until October in order to save on jet fuel. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the German group announced on Tuesday that the canceled flights by several of its airlines will be primarily regional and will represent a 1% reduction in its passenger capacity. This action has been taken following tensions in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which will leave airlines facing jet fuel shortages. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European Union's Transport Commissioner, warned on Tuesday, April 21st, that keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed would have catastrophic consequences for the world and Europe. This senior EU official, speaking at a special European Council meeting in Brussels, warned about jet fuel shortages for passenger aircraft and called for finding alternative ways for energy independence and diversification of energy sources for the 27 European countries. @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announced on Wednesday, April 22nd, that it has seized "two violating ships" which it claims intended to "secretly exit" the Strait of Hormuz. According to this force's statement, the ships "MSC-Francesca" belonging to "Israel" and "Epaminondas" were stopped on charges that they intended to "secretly" exit the Strait of Hormuz "without permission" and by "committing repeated violations and manipulating navigation aid systems and endangering maritime security." The IRGC Navy says these vessels have been transferred to Iranian territorial waters for inspection of cargo and documents. This announcement comes on a day when, according to maritime sources, three container ships came under fire. The Revolutionary Guards, which has closed the Strait of Hormuz to ships and oil tankers since February 28th, opened this strait for one day following a ceasefire in the war with America and Israel, but after the failure of negotiations between the parties and the beginning of a naval blockade of Iranian ports, blocked it again. @ VahidHeadline 📡 @VahidOnline

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Scott Besent, U.S. Treasury Secretary, referring to the United States' decision to continue the naval blockade of the Islamic Republic, said that in the coming days, the storage facilities of Khark Island will be filled and Iran's fragile oil wells will be shut down. Besent added that restricting the Islamic Republic's maritime trade directly targets the government's main revenue arteries, and the U.S. Treasury Department will continue to apply maximum pressure through the "economic wrath" campaign to systematically weaken Tehran's ability to produce, transfer, and return financial resources. He also emphasized that any individual or vessel that facilitates these flows through covert trade and financing will be subject to U.S. sanctions, and Washington continues to freeze assets that he claims "corrupt leadership has stolen in the name of the Iranian people." @ VahidOOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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The Judiciary of the Islamic Republic announced that early Wednesday morning, the 2nd of Ordibehesht, it executed an employee of one of the "country's sensitive organizations" named Mehdi Farid, who "worked in the field of passive defense," on charges of "espionage" for Israel. Previously, human rights organizations had identified him as a former employee of the Atomic Energy Organization who was arrested in winter 1401 and initially transferred to Tehran's Grand Prison and later to Evin Prison. It has been reported that Mehdi Farid worked at the same location (Amirabad site in Tehran) where Rozbeh Vadi, the nuclear scientist who was executed some time ago, was also employed. @VahidHeadline He was arrested in winter 1401 and initially sentenced to 10 years in prison, but received a death sentence in another court; a sentence that was carried out after confirmation by the Supreme Court of the country. @VahidOnLine 📡 @VahidOnline

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Trump's post, machine translation: Iran is financially collapsing! They want the Strait of Hormuz opened immediately — they desperately need cash! They're losing $500 million daily. Military forces and police are complaining that their salaries aren't being paid. Help! realDonaldTrump 📡 @VahidOnline

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Trump's post machine translation: Iran doesn't want the Strait of Hormuz to be closed; they want this strait to remain open so they can have $500 million in daily revenue (so if this route is closed, they lose exactly that amount!). They only say they want the strait closed because I have completely besieged it (closed it!) and therefore they simply want to "save face." Four days ago, people came to me and said: "Sir, Iran wants to immediately open the strait." But if we do such a thing, no agreement with Iran will ever be possible again, unless we blow up the rest of their country too, including their leaders! President Donald J. Trump realDonaldTrump 📡 @VahidOnline

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Trump's post, machine translation: The Wall Street Journal has lost its way! Some fool on the Wall Street Journal editorial board named Elliot Kaufman recently wrote a piece titled: "Iranians Consider Trump a Naive Person." Really? Over 47 years, they have killed our people and many others and taken advantage of every American president, except me — and what did I deliver to them? A devastated and collapsed country! Their entire navy sent to the bottom of the sea, their air force destroyed, their air defense and radars obliterated, their nuclear laboratories and storage facilities completely demolished by our massive B-2 bombers on a dark night in June, their leaders killed, including General Soleimani; that evil genius of theirs who destroyed many lives with his beloved roadside bombs. The Strait of Hormuz is under siege and completely under American control, and no ships are allowed to go to Iranian ports — they're said to be losing $500 million daily from this. Their country has become an economic disaster hanging by a thread. Barack Hussein Obama sent $1.7 billion in "green-colored" cash with a Boeing 757 to their leaders and made hundreds of billions more available to help them on their path to achieving nuclear bombs. Other presidents did nothing to stop them; a disgrace to the presidency! But despite all this, now some fool on the Wall Street Journal editorial board writes about me as if I've lost my mind and been a "naive person." Iran certainly doesn't think so! Nobody else thinks so either. I think Rupert Murdoch told him to write this piece this way, because the Wall Street Journal has lost its way; it's no longer essential reading, just turned into another failed political publication! President Donald J. Trump realDonaldTrump 📡 @VahidOnline