Live – Trump says will keep Iran under blockade until it agrees to deal | Iran International – ایران اینترنشنال
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday denounced the US naval blockade as an “extension of military operations” against Iran, calling its continuation “intolerable.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday the Trump administration does not currently need congressional authorization for military action against Iran, arguing that the ceasefire has paused or stopped the 60-day deadline under the War Powers Resolution.
Israel's defense minister said on Thursday the country may soon need to act again to ensure the achievement of its goals."
President Donald Trump is expected to receive updated military options on Iran from Pentagon officials Thursday, though there was little sign his reluctance to resume US bombing was fading, according to CNN.
Iran's Judiciary on Thursday executed a 21-year-old karate athlete who had been arrested during January protests. The UN says at least 21 people had been executed and more than 4,000 arrested in Iran since the war began, many linked to the protets.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called the presence of American forces “the main source of insecurity” in the Middle East, saying that the future of the region would be free of US presence. He also vowed to protect Iran's missile and nuclear capabilities.
US President Donald Trump told Axios that he would keep Iran under a naval blockade until Tehran agreed to a deal, calling the blockade “somewhat more effective than the bombing.”
"What is being done under the guise of a naval blockade is an extension of military operations against a nation paying the price for its resistance and independence," Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a post on X.
"Continuation of this oppressive approach is intolerable," he added.
Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a US administration must end the use of armed forces within 60 days of notifying Congress unless lawmakers authorize the operation, extend the period, or are unable to meet. The deadline for the Iran war is expected at the end of this week.
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hegseth said the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which took effect on April 8, meant the administration did not need congressional approval at this stage, despite the ongoing US naval blockade.
“Ultimately, I would defer to the White House and the White House counsel on that; however, we are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” Hegseth said in response to a question from Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine.
“I do not believe the statute would support that,” Kaine replied. The expiration of the 60-day clock is “going to pose a really important legal question for the administration there,” he said.
An Israeli soldier identified as 19-year-old Sergeant Liem Ben Hamo was killed in a Hezbollah drone strike in southern Lebanon on Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
“President Trump has been transparent with the Hill since before Operation Epic Fury began, and administration officials provided over 30 bipartisan briefings for Members of Congress to keep them apprised of military updates,” Anna Kelly said.
“The President’s preference is always diplomacy, and Iran wants to make a deal,” she added.
Kelly said "the administration is in active conversations with the Hill on this topic. Members of Congress who try to score political points by usurping the Commander-in-Chief’s authority would only undermine the United States Military abroad, which no elected official should want to do.”
The War Powers Resolution requires the president to terminate the use of US armed forces within 60 days unless Congress authorizes the action, extends the period, or is physically unable to meet.
Iranian crude shipments that successfully moved out of the Gulf of Oman fell to about four million barrels between April 13 and April 25, Reuters reported, citing oil analytics firm Vortexa, as the US naval blockade tightened pressure on Tehran’s exports.
Vortexa said only a handful of carriers carrying Iranian crude left the Gulf of Oman during that period, down more than 80% from a comparable period in March, when Iran exported 23.4 million barrels, according to LSEG data cited by Reuters.
The report said some Iranian vessels have turned off tracking systems, while US forces have turned back Iranian tankers, making it impossible to measure how much crude Iran is delivering to customers, particularly China.
The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has demanded the British government explain whether alleged Iranian operatives have crossed the English Channel in small boats, after claiming he had received information from a source in the Iranian diaspora.
“I do have a source within the Iranian-Persian diaspora who is one of the best-connected human beings in the world that I know,” Farage told GB News.
“He told me last night that he knows for a fact that over the course of the last few weeks, there have been Iranian operatives crossing the Channel in small boats."
“To put that in simple terms, we are importing terrorists into our country from across the English Channel."
Farage said he would challenge the government to respond directly, publicly asking Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to confirm or deny the claim.
GB News reported that Iranians have made up a significant share of small boat arrivals since the Channel crossings crisis began in 2018, with more than 30,000 Iranians crossing during that period, including 4,500 last year.
The outlet said Iranians accounted for around 16 percent of all small boat arrivals, followed by Afghans at 14 percent and Iraqis at 10 percent.
"Iran has suffered very severe blows over the past year, blows that have set it back years in all areas," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a ceremony on Thursday.
"US President Trump, in coordination with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is leading the effort to complete the campaign's objectives in a way that ensures Iran will not return to being a threat to the existence of Israel, to the United States, and to the free world for generations to come," he said.
"We support this effort and provide the necessary backing, but we may soon be required to act again to ensure the objectives are achieved."
Iran’s judiciary said on Thursday it has executed Sasan Azadvar, a 21-year-old karate athlete arrested during the January protests.
The judiciary accused him of “effective cooperation with the enemy by damaging police vehicles, inciting people to war and killing each other with the intent of disrupting national security, and encouraging others to take part in unrest and riots."
Azadvar, who was detained in January and held at Dastgerd Prison in central Iran, had previously won provincial karate championships in Isfahan.
US President Donald Trump criticized Germany’s chancellor in a post on Truth Social, urging him to focus on domestic issues and the Ukraine war rather than Iran.
“The Chancellor of Germany should spend more time on ending the war with Russia/Ukraine (Where he has been totally ineffective!), and fixing his broken Country, especially Immigration and Energy, and less time on interfering with those that are getting rid of the Iran Nuclear threat,” Trump wrote on Thursday.
He added the effort would make “the World, including Germany, a safer place.”
Iran’s president said repeated attacks during negotiations have led to a complete loss of trust in the United States.
He made the comments in a phone call with his Belarusian counterpart on Thursday.
“Repeated attacks during negotiations have led to our complete distrust of the United States,” Masoud Pezeshkian said, adding that US officials must “stop provocative rhetoric and actions.”
Pezeshkian said Iran pursues active engagement with countries based on mutual respect.