US Issues Sanctions Warning Over Strait of Hormuz Payments
The United States has issued a warning to shipping companies that they could face sanctions if they make payments to Iran for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The alert, posted Friday by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, adds pressure in the standoff between Washington and Tehran over control of the strategic waterway, where approximately one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas trade typically transits.
Iran effectively closed the strait by attacking and threatening ships after the U.S. and Israel launched a war on February 28. Since then, Iran has offered some vessels safe passage by rerouting them through coastal routes closer to its shores, charging fees in some cases. This so-called "tollbooth" operation is the focus of the U.S. sanctions warning, which notes that payment demands could include not only cash but also "digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments," including charitable donations and payments at Iranian embassies.
In response to Iran's closure of the strait, the U.S. imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports on April 13, preventing Iranian tankers from departing and depriving Tehran of oil revenue needed to support its struggling economy. The U.S. Central Command reports that 45 commercial ships have been ordered to turn around since the blockade began.
Nobel Laureate Mohammadi's Health at Risk
Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi remains hospitalized in Zanjan, northwestern Iran, after being transferred from prison late Friday. Her foundation describes her condition as "very high risk," with fluctuating blood pressure and severe nausea. Medical teams in Zanjan have requested her medical records before proceeding with treatment, though they recommend transferring her to Tehran for care by her own doctors. However, her husband, Taghi Rahmani, stated that "the Intelligence (Ministry) is still opposing the transfer of Narges to a hospital in Tehran for angiography," a procedure to image blood vessels. Until angiography is performed, doctors cannot determine her primary illness. Mohammadi's brother, Hamidreza Mohammadi, noted that doctors have been unable to stabilize her blood pressure. Her legal team is pursuing the matter with the General Prosecutor's office.
Trump Rejects Latest Iranian Proposal
U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected Iran's latest proposal to end the war. "They want to make a deal, I'm not satisfied with it, so we'll see what happens," Trump said Friday, without elaborating. He expressed frustration with Iran's leadership, calling it "very disjointed." Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that Tehran submitted its plan to mediators in Pakistan on Thursday night. The shaky three-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran appears to be holding, though both sides have accused each other of violations. Negotiations have continued by phone after Trump canceled his envoys' trip to Pakistan last weekend. Trump this week floated a new plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran Hangs Two Convicted of Spying for Israel
Iran on Saturday executed two men convicted of spying for Israel. The Iranian judiciary's news outlet, Mizanonline, identified them as Yaghoub Karimpour and Nasser Bekrzadeh, stating they were hanged after the Supreme Court upheld death sentences. Karimpour was accused of sending "sensitive information" to an officer in Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, while Bekrzadeh allegedly provided details about government and religious leaders, as well as information about Natanz, a central Iranian city home to a nuclear enrichment facility bombed by Israel and the U.S. last year. Iran has executed more than a dozen people in recent weeks on espionage and terrorism charges. Rights groups accuse Iran of holding closed-door trials where defendants cannot challenge the accusations.
