Hezbollah vows to continue --- its
‘legitimate response’ to Israeli
ceasefire violations
April 26th, 6:37pm
(PressTV)
Hezbollah --- has strongly denounced the Israeli PM,
Benjamin Netanyahu for claiming the resistance
movement, is ''undermining'' the ceasefire
agreement in Lebanon -------- vowing to
continue its “legitimate response”
-------- to the Israeli regime’s
continuous violations
of the truce.
“Today, the criminal Israeli enemy Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu claimed that Hezbollah is undermining the
ceasefire and that the enemy has the right to
freedom of action in Lebanon, according
to ..''the agreement'' with the United
States and Lebanon,” Hezbollah
said in a statement, Sunday.
Hezbollah stressed that the Israeli statements are
a desperate attempt to implicate the Lebanese
authorities... in a bilateral agreement made
solely between the Tel Aviv regime
and Washington.
At the same time, Hezbollah criticized the Lebanese
authorities for participating in direct talks with
Israel, recently held in the US capital.
The Lebanese authorities claimed that their main
condition for attending the ominous meeting in
Washington with the enemy, was an end to its
attacks, and the start of its withdrawal from
occupied Lebanese lands, a statement said.
“However --- we did not hear.. any clear, public
statement from them setting that condition.
On the contrary ------ what was issued by
Lebanon’s representative.... was only
praise for the American president;
the enemy’s partner in shedding
Lebanese blood ------- which
encouraged the enemy
to persist in attacks
and violations.”
A 10-day pause in hostilities in Lebanon began
on April 16 and was later extended for
another three weeks.
Hezbollah noted: that Israeli violations have
already exceeded 500 on land, at sea, and
in the air, including shelling, demolitions,
and the destruction of homes.
“Extending the truce for additional weeks, was
supposed - according to what the Lebanese
authorities declared.....to lead to a real
ceasefire, in which the enemy would
halt its violations and aggressions
---- especially the demolition and
destruction ---- of homes in the
south,” the statement added.
Instead, Israel has escalated its aggression and
attacks, confirming - once again - its criminal
nature, treachery, and utter contempt for
all international laws and charters.
The Lebanese group emphasized that the retaliatory
actions by its resistance fighters against Israeli
military positions ---- are entirely legitimate.
“The resistance’s continued targeting of Israeli
enemy gatherings on our occupied land, and
its shelling of the enemy's settlements, in
northern occupied Palestine - constitute
a legitimate response to its continuous
violations of the ceasefire - since the
very first day the temporary truce
was announced.”
Hezbollah also warned the Lebanese authorities
against placing themselves in a dangerous
position “by agreeing to be captured, in
a single shameful photograph.... with
the representatives of a usurping,
illegitimate entity, that violates
our land and sovereignty, and
continues to kill our people
....and by pursuing paths,
that ''legitimize'' this
enemy’s attacks.”
“The authorities stand today silent, and incapable
of carrying out their most basic national duties
toward their land and people, as they watch
the enemy demolish homes and burn
everything in its path,” it added.
Hezbollah demanded that the Lebanese authorities
“provide a clear explanation to their people
regarding the enemy’s pretext -- of an
agreement with them that grants
it the freedom to attack,
destroy, and kill.”
“We will not wait for or bet on a failed diplomacy that
has proven ---- its futility,” the statement concluded.
_______________________________________________________
Media reports --- have reported anti-
government rallies in Israeli cities
April 25th, 10:58pm
(Izvestia.ru)
Haaretz: Protests against Netanyahu
took place in several Israeli cities....
Several cities in Israel held protests against the government
of the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This
was reported by the newspaper Haaretz, on April 25.
"Thousands of people are protesting against Netanyahu's
government in Tel Aviv," the article says.
It is noted that the demonstrators began their march from the
Hungarian Embassy, initially celebrating the defeat of Prime
Minister Viktor Orban's party in the elections, and then
moved to Habim Square - in the centre of Tel Aviv.
According to Haaretz, protesters in northern Israel took to
the streets carrying Hungarian flags ------ and chanting
slogans, including --- "Hungary, soon we will too."
Additionally, protests were held in Jerusalem,
Beersheba, and Haifa, with approximately
1,000 demonstrators participating.
The NYT newspaper reported on April 25 that the U.S.
authorities may refuse to issue a green card to
individuals who have criticized Israel or
supported Palestine at rallies.
It is clarified that relevant training materials were
distributed last month among employees of the
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(CIS), which is part of the Department
of Homeland Security.
The agency is responsible for processing
applications for green cards ...and
other types of legal status.
__________________________________________
Iran presents 'workable framework'
to end war .....as US sinks deeper
into internal turmoil
April 25th, 9:34pm
(Press TV Website Staff)
On Day 57 of the imposed war, Iran demonstrated confidence
and cohesion as the US strategy showed mutating signs of
failure, contradiction, and internal turmoil.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he presented a
“workable framework” to Pakistani mediators - for
ending the US-Israeli war of aggression during
his visit to Islamabad.
Washington abruptly cancelled a high-profile trip of US
envoys... it had announced only a day earlier, high-
lighting deep confusion and disagreements
inside the Trump administration.
Iran’s top military command warned: that a continued
US “piracy and blockade” in the Strait of Hormuz
would trigger a decisive response.
President Masoud Pezeshkian and judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein
Mohseni Ejei, in social media posts, invoked historic US defeats,
from Tabas in 1980 to the recent failed operation in Isfahan, to
insist that Washington cannot impose a naval siege on a
nation that has repeatedly turned US aggression
into humiliation.
Political cracks in the US camp widened, as the State Department
admitted in an official release that it entered the war against Iran
“on behalf of Israel.”
European allies distanced themselves, intelligence reports
confirmed US understatements of battlefield losses.. and
polls showed Trump bleeding support from his own base.
Key developments on day 57 of the war,
the eighteenth day of the ceasefire:
FM Araghchi ----- said he presented “a workable framework” to
Pakistani mediators aimed at putting a lasting end to the US-
Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic
during his “very fruitful visit” to Islamabad.
US President Donald Trump abruptly cancelled a planned visit
to Pakistan by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner and special
envoy Steve Witkoff, a trip the White House had
announced just a day earlier. Tehran, for its
part --- had never confirmed any intention
of holding direct talks with the US side.
Iran’s central military command warned that the continued naval
“piracy, blockade, and banditry” by US forces in the region - will
be met with a decisive response from the Iranian armed forces.
Iran’s High Council for Human Rights condemned the US blockade
of Iranian ports and the seizure of an Iranian commercial vessel,
the Touska ---- as crimes, surpassing maritime piracy and state
terrorism, and amounting to collective punishment against
millions of Iranian civilians.
President Pezeshkian warned the world’s arrogant powers to
learn from history, as divine intervention delivered yet
another crushing defeat to the US in Isfahan, much
like its humiliating failure in Tabas.. 46 years ago.
Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, warned
that Washington cannot impose a naval siege on the
Islamic Republic, vowing that the historic defeats
of US forces at Tabas and Isfahan ---- will be
repeated in the waters of the Persian Gulf.
Iran’s parliament speaker and lead negotiator, Mohammad Baqer
Qalibaf, warned that access to US assets could tighten in the
West Asian region if tensions escalate, urging investors to
“get out --- while they are open.”
Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic
Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei, said while
Iran stands united in the face of its enemies --- a “deep
fracture” is widening in the relations between the US
and its traditional European allies.
Iran's ministry of intelligence announced the arrest of a “veteran”
spy working for the Israeli regime.... along with 15 members of
separatist terrorist groups, following operations in different
Iranian provinces.
In a government release, the US Department of State, admitted
that Washington entered the recent war of aggression against
Iran "at the request of" the Israeli regime.
Attacks carried out by Iran on US bases in the West Asia region
in response to US-Israeli aggression on the country caused
more extensive damage than has been publicly declared
by US authorities, a report by NBC News showed.
A surprising 21 percent of Republicans who voted for Trump
in the 2024 presidential election -- support impeaching him,
a recent poll by Strength in Numbers/Verasight revealed.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRSC) announced that 7,125
people were pulled out alive from under the rubble during the
recent US-Israeli war of aggression against the country.
The US froze $344m in cryptocurrency assets linked to Iran,
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, as Washington
seeks to ''raise pressure'' on Tehran.
Bessent told The Associated Press that Washington will
not renew waivers for Russian oil shipments in transit,
and that any extension for Iranian oil is “completely
out of the question.”
Washington imposed fresh sanctions on a major China-based
refinery and about 40 shipping firms and tankers.
The US military stated that it now has 3 aircraft carriers in
West Asia for the first time since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The market for liquefied natural gas (LNG), strained by the
ongoing war, will remain “tight” through 2026 and 2027,
the International Energy Agency said.
Brent crude futures inched up, closing above $105 per barrel,
while West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, fell 1.5%
to $94.40. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 gained 0.8%, pushing
the US stock index ..to a new record ''high''.
_____________________________________________
Iran's new calculus: Full Strait
of Hormuz control, no retreat
on nuclear rights, and....
unused cards
April 25th, 2:08pm
by Press TV Strategic Analysis Desk
Iran emerged from the 40-day war that was illegally imposed
on it not as a subdued party gasping for breath, but as an
undisputable victor - calling the shots on the battlefield.
The military and political upper hand belongs to the Islamic
Republic now, and the terms of any future engagement will
be dictated accordingly – not by Washington, not by the
failed aggressor, but by the party that defended itself
and prevailed.
After failing on the battlefield, and screwing up at the negotiating
table, the enemy resorted to psychological warfare – fabricating
an illusion of internal discord among Iranian officials. That
trick too, failed the only test that matters: reality ------
on the ground.
Despite the continued naval blockade, not a single Iranian
position has shifted. It remains as steadfast as it was on
the first day of the imposed war. In fact, it has only
grown stronger, holding the initiative and
keeping unused cards ready to be
revealed... whenever required.
Firm control over Strait of Hormuz
Central to this new reality is the decisiveness of Iran's armed
forces in exercising complete control over the Strait of
Hormuz – the strategic chokepoint between the
Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that many
military pundits have dubbed Iran's
"economic nuclear bomb."
Iran has made it unmistakably clear: that no vessel violating the
rules established by the country will be permitted to pass. This
is not a threat or a negotiating posture. It is an operational
reality. Western military analysts have described it.... in
candid terms, as Iran placing a boot, on the US' throat.
That description is accurate. And the boot isn't lifting.
The United States, for its part, has responded with an intriguing
and telling performance. It poses as indifferent to the closure
of the strait, shrugging its shoulders as if time is on its side.
But behind this theatrical indifference.... lies sheer panic.
Washington is using every possible means to escape the
pressure ------- that keeps mounting every day. It has
threatened to restart the war against Iran. It has
imposed a naval blockade... that has, to its
dismay, failed to stop Iranian oil.......
from flowing.
It has even fabricated news about supposed Iranian requests
for negotiations. It has spun every routine Iranian diplomatic
move as a "prelude to talks." It has floated the fiction of a
US negotiating team heading to Islamabad. None of
this is true. It is.... desperation.
US is living in denial
Trump claims he is in no hurry to resolve the Strait of Hormuz
issue. The facts, however, tell a very different story. Time is
working against the US ----- at an accelerating pace.
The US president's 60-day window --------- to wage war without
congressional authorization, granted under US domestic law,
is rapidly closing. The global economic crisis – for which
Washington is widely and rightly blamed -- continues
to deepen.
Prices, especially for gasoline and fuel, are rising within the
United States itself, a politically toxic development for any
administration. The midterm congressional elections in
the US are also approaching. So is the FIFA World Cup,
less than two months away, an event that will place
the US --- under an uncomfortable global spotlight.
Condemnation of the US and its incumbent government
– headed by a megalomaniac president with utter
disregard for both international and domestic
law – has become increasingly common in
US and international media.
Internal disputes within the Trump administration..... are also
intensifying, with senior military figures reportedly turning
against Fox News host-turned-Secretary of War... Peter
Hegseth, and the likelihood of further resignations or
dismissals ....growing by the day.
To make matters worse, Trump's corruption cases, particularly
those tied to the Jeffrey Epstein affair, have resurfaced. Taken
together, these factors paint a clear picture -- time is not a US'
ally. Each passing day presses harder on Washington's throat.
Araghchi's visit to Islamabad
It is against this backdrop.... that Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas
Araghchi traveled to Islamabad on Friday. His mission is clear:
to clarify Iran's views to the Pakistani hosts --------- about any
potential diplomatic engagement with the US in the future.
What he did not travel to do was negotiate with the United States.
There remains no plan for direct talks, no backchannel, no
secret overture. Iran has not retreated from any of its
principled positions, least of all the non-negotiable
nature of its nuclear program.
It is quite the opposite. Having emerged from the war as the
victorious party, Iran's resolve has only become stronger.
US propaganda, no matter how loud or elaborate, has
not moved Tehran one millimetre. There can be no
compromise on principles.
This is particularly true...... regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's
determination to manage and control this strategic waterway is
unchangeable. Tehran has stated, clearly and repeatedly, that
no concession will be granted to the opposing side on this.
Not one. The Strait is not a bargaining chip. It is a
sovereign right that no power can take away
from Iran.
Beyond this narrow waterway, Iran continues to demand what is
rightfully its own. Compensation for war damages, reparations
for decades of sanctions, and the return of frozen Iranian
assets are not negotiating points. They are
undeniable rights.
Iran will continue to pursue them ------- with full resolve. And if the
enemy persists in refusing to pay, Tehran has made clear that it
will collect or compensate through its own means by whatever
method it deems appropriate; at whatever time - it chooses.
Iran's unused cards in play
What makes Iran's position particularly formidable, however,
is not just what it has already deployed, but what it has
held back. Iran has not yet used all its cards.
Many of these cards – whether on the military battlefield or in
the political arena – remain untouched. They have been kept
in reserve, waiting for the right moment. The enemy would
be foolish to mistake Iran's restraint for weakness. It is
not weakness. It is strategic patience.
One such card --- is Iran's membership in the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty, or NPT. To date - Iran has acted with
considerable restraint, adhering to its obligations under
the treaty ------- despite being subjected to relentless
pressure and bad-faith accusations.
But analysts and experts within the country.... have begun to
question this posture. Their advice is clear: there must be a
valuable quid pro quo for Iran's continued membership. If
the benefits do not materialize, if the treaty serves only
as a mechanism of constraint without offering
corresponding rewards, then the costs and
benefits of remaining in the NPT ---- must
be reassessed.
This is not a threat to withdraw. It is a rational and logical
strategic decision, the kind any sovereign nation would
make ...when its interests are on the line.
So, Iran will not settle for anything less than full compliance
with its demands stipulated in the ten-point proposal that
became the basis for the ceasefire in early April.
There will be no negotiations with the United States unless –
and until – the naval blockade is lifted in its entirety, all of
Iran's legitimate demands are met, and the terms of
engagement are set by Tehran, not Washington.
The era of Iranian concessions is over.
The era of US dictates ---- is finished.