April 30, 2026

Iran Watch

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Some of the reports coming out of the U.S-Iran nuke talks are extremely disappointing. President Trump seems to have a cabal of Iran appeasers and Israel-haters in his national security team. There is a concern that they could convince President Trump to accept a substandard deal with Iran. Rubio, Waltz, Huckabee, and other sensible Trump Admin officials are going to have to fight the Iran appeasers, and make sure that only a strong deal is signed with Iran. A deal in which Iran’s nuclear program is completely dismantled.

Related – Trump team’s Iran divide: Dialogue vs. detonation to end nuclear threat

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to travel to Moscow later this week, according to Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, who made the announcement during his regular press briefing on April 14.

Baghaei noted that Araghchi’s trip had been planned in advance and said the minister would use the opportunity to hold consultations with Russian officials about the ongoing negotiations with the United States, Caliber.Az reports, citing Iranian media.

“Araghchi will make a pre-scheduled visit to Moscow this week, during which he will discuss the latest developments in the Muscat talks,” Baghaei stated.

On April 12, Iranian and American delegations held an initial round of indirect talks in Oman, with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi serving as the mediator. In line with Iran’s request, the negotiations were not conducted face-to-face, but through the Omani mediator. Each delegation remained in separate rooms, with messages being passed back and forth.

DOJ Charges Men Over Plot to Steal U.S. Technology for Iranian Regime– townhall.com
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Federal prosecutors have charged an Iranian company and two Iranian nationals with trying to funnel money to the country’s military while obtaining U.S. technology to improve drones.

The Justice Department made the announcement on Tuesday.

A criminal complaint was unsealed today charging Hossein Akbari, 63, and Reza Amidi, 62, both of Iran, and an Iranian company, Rah Roshd Company (Rah Roshd), with conspiring to procure U.S. parts for Iranian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones), conspiring to provide material support to the IRGC – a designated foreign terrorist organization – and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Akbari is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rah Roshd. Amidi is the company’s commercial manager and was previously the commercial manager of Qods Aviation Industries (QAI), an Iranian state-owned aerospace company. They are both citizens of Iran and remain at large.

Sue J. Bai, head of the DOJ’s National Security Division, explained, “Today’s charges lay bare how U.S.-made technology ended up in the hands of the Iranian military to build attack drones.”

Iran, Facing Trump Threats, Says It Positioned ‘Launch-Ready Missiles’ To Strike ‘US-Related Positions’– freebeacon.com
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Iran says it has readied “a significant number” of advanced missiles capable of striking American bases and military outposts in the Middle East, drawing a sharp warning from the Trump administration.

Iran’s “armed forces have readied missiles with the capability to strike U.S.-related positions,” the Tehran Times, a state-controlled newspaper, reported on Monday. “A significant number of these launch-ready missiles are located in underground facilities scattered across the country, designed to withstand airstrikes.”

The announcement came in response to President Donald Trump’s threat over the weekend to bomb the country if it does not enter into negotiations over its contested nuclear weapons program. But Trump is not backing down—the White House, in response to Tehran’s war preparations, told the Washington Free Beacon it does “not take kindly to military threats.”

“President Trump and his administration do not take kindly to military threats,” said White House National Security Council communications director James Hewitt. “The President has made clear he prefers direct diplomatic channels with Tehran, or they will face serious consequences if they do not end their work to obtain nuclear weapons.”

Iran Has Rejected Direct Negotiations With the U.S., Trump– time.com
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s president said Sunday that the Islamic Republic rejected direct negotiations with the United States over its rapidly advancing nuclear program, offering Tehran’s first response to a letter that U.S. President Donald Trump sent to the country’s supreme leader.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran’s response, delivered via the sultanate of Oman, left open the possibility of indirect negotiations with Washington. However, such talks have made no progress since Trump in his first term unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018.

In the years since, regional tensions have boiled over into attacks at sea and on land. Then came the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which saw Israel target militant group leaders across Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance.” Now, as the U.S. conducts intense airstrikes targeting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen, the risk of military action targeting Iran’s nuclear program remains on the table.

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President Donald Trump’s letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened major actions against the nation if it doesn’t come to an agreement on nuclear arms. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, characterized the letter like this: “It roughly said: I’m a president of peace, that’s what I want. There’s no reason for us to do this militarily. We should talk. We should clear up the misconceptions. We should create a verification program so that nobody worries about weaponization of your nuclear material, and I’d like to get to that place, because the alternative is not a very good alternative.”

As U.S. sanctions are now causing the economy to collapse, including its currency, Iran is doubling down, with the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, responding to the letter by saying Iran “won’t bow down to anyone,” and “I won’t come to negotiate with you. Go do whatever the hell you want.”

As Trump offers new nuclear talks, Iran weighs the cost of losing its final leverage – CNN
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 Iran is currently mulling over US President Donald Trump’s offer for talks on a new nuclear deal. Its answer will hinge on one key factor: Whether it believes that it can come out of it undefeated.

Last week, Trump sent Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a rare letter proposing negotiations on a new nuclear deal, with a two-month ultimatum to reach an agreement, a source familiar with the letter’s contents told CNN.

The communication contained “more of a threatening posture,” but apparently also offered “some opportunities” for Iran, the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday, saying a response will come “in the coming days.”

Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, delivered the letter to the president of the United Arab Emirates last week, according to the source, and a UAE official passed it on the Iranians.

Trump’s message shakes the pillars of Khamenei’s regime– www.americanthinker.com
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On March 17, 2025, Donald Trump issued a significant statement on his Truth Social account. This firm and threatening message explicitly holds Khamenei’s regime accountable for the actions of the Houthis in Yemen, aiming to exert direct pressure on Iran’s leadership. Trump’s statement carries several key aspects.

In his statement, Trump wrote:

 

Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN. Any further attack or retaliation by the ‘Houthis’ will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there. Iran has played ‘the innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control. They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, ‘Intelligence.’ Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!

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According the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), they claim the Iranian Islamist regime is working on developing nuclear missiles that can effectively reach Europe. They are using North Korean designs, the report alleges.

A U.S. representative of the NCRI, Soona Samsami,  told The Telegraph UK, “For over two decades, they have used negotiations and the West’s leniency as a means to advance their nuclear weapons program, threatening global peace and stability. Tehran has never been as weak and vulnerable as it is today. The desperate Iranian regime is thus speeding up the development of nuclear weapons. Now is the time to hold the regime accountable for internal killings, regional warmongering and nuclear weapons development.”

Iran secretly building nuclear weapons able to reach Europe based on North Korean designs – Ynetnews
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Iran has allegedly been covertly developing nuclear weapons with a 1,800‑mile range that could reach Europe using North Korean designs, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
The Telegraph in Britain reported Sunday that details provided by the NCRI indicate that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is expanding its warhead program at two sites disguised as communication satellite launch facilities. The facilities, controlled by Iran’s nuclear weapons division – the Organisation for Advanced Defence Research (SPND) – are reportedly expediting missile production…
According to the report, the first warhead base is located about 22 miles from the Iranian city of Shahrud. Experts from the SPND and the IRGC Aerospace Force have been working on a nuclear missile integrated into a Ghaem-100 rocket, capable of traveling 1,800 miles. This range would put targets in Europe –including Greece –and Israel within reach.

Iran is going ahead with plans to develop more near weapons-grade uranium, to heck be darned, according to the United Nations.

Iran defies international pressure, increasing its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium, UN says – FOX21News.com
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Iran has defied international demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to a confidential report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog seen Tuesday by The Associated Press.

The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency said that as of Oct. 26, Iran has 182.3 kilograms (401.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, an increase of 17.6 kilograms (38.8 pounds) since the last report in August.

Uranium enriched at 60% purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Even before President Trump won the 2024 election, Israel was signaling it was not in the mood to entertain calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon. Now, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, who replaced former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after Prime Minister Netanyahu fired him for the second time, is doubling down.

He is claiming Hezbollah has been defeated, but more work needs to be done in Lebanon to secure the victory, meaning no ceasefire proposal will be considered until the work is done. Katz said of the decision not to pursue a ceasefire that Israel had learned its lessons and “Now it is our job to continue to put pressure on order to bring about the fruits of that victory.”

Israel Defence Minister Katz: In Lebanon there will be no ceasefire, will continue to hit Hezbollah with full force – Reuters
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Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said on X on Tuesday that during a meeting with military officials, he reiterated that Israel will continue hitting Hezbollah with full force and that there will be no ceasefire.

On Saturday, October 25, Israel finally struck Iran after delaying the attack due to the Pentagon leak. The strikes appear to have targeted their ballistic missile capacity and air defenses, with some suggesting Iran’s ballistic missile program will take years to rebuild. Meanwhile, the alleged gutting of Iran’s air defenses senses the regime a stark warning. Next time, we won’t be so restrained, we won’t have to be.

What we know about Israel’s attack on Iran – BBC
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Israel carried out what it described as “precise and targeted” airstrikes on Iran on Saturday, in retaliation for the barrage of strikes launched by Tehran against Israel earlier this month.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted military sites in several regions, with subsequent reports suggesting an Iranian missile production site had been hit. One civilian and four soldiers were killed in the attacks, the Iranian military said.

It marks the latest in a series of attacks between the two regional foes that for months have raised fears of an all-out war.

Israel Delays Iran Counter-Strike After Leaked U.S. Intelligence On Military Plan– legalinsurrection.com
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Israel has reportedly delayed plans to strike back at Iran after U.S. intelligence on the country’s military preparations and capabilities were leaked to the Iranians.

The intelligence leak has ‘forced’ Israel to put aside plans for a military response to Tehran’s recent missile attack, The Times of London reported Thursday. “Israel has delayed its retaliatory strike against Iran because of a leak last week of potentially sensitive military information from the US,” the British newspaper said.

Last week, highly classified U.S. documents on a possible Israeli counter-strike against Iran appeared on Tehran-affiliated social media channels. Documents showed U.S. satellite imagery and intelligence assessment on an impending Israeli military retaliation to the October 1 Iranian missile strike.

The Times of London reports:

The leak revealed Israel’s well-advanced plans to respond to a salvo of nearly 200 Iranian ballistic missiles fired against it earlier this month, which was a retaliation by Tehran for Israel’s attacks on its Middle Eastern proxy groups.

The top-secret document was published on a pro-Iranian Telegram channel last Friday and appeared to be a US assessment of Israel’s likely response, based on satellite imagery and other intelligence.

Israel has been holding military drills for a major ballistic missile attack on Iran, according to American satellite intelligence documents that have been leaked to pro-Iranian social media ­accounts.

The exercises involved at least 16 airborne missiles, 40 state-of-the-art “Rocks” missiles and refuelling tankers, indicating targets across the country.

‘Grave Mistake’: Netanyahu Says Hezbollah Tried To Kill Him In Drone Attack, Warns Iran Of Heavy Price – news18.c0m
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said he remains undeterred by the Hezbollah drone attack that targeted his home and warned Iranian proxies that they will pay a heavy price for targeting him and his wife.

“Two days ago we took out Yahya Sinwar, the terrorist mastermind. We continue our battle. Nothing will deter me,” he said.

Later on Saturday evening, Netanyahu said Iranian proxy Hezbollah made a ‘grave’ mistake by plotting to kill him and his wife. “The attempt by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake. This will not deter me or the State of Israel from continuing our just war against our enemies in order to secure our future. I say to Iran and its proxies in its axis of evil: Anyone who tries to harm Israel’s citizens will pay a heavy price,” Netanyahu said in a social media post on X.

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Two documents were leaked to Iran that expose in whole or in part Israel’s plans for retaliation following Iran’s recent missile barrage of the country. The Pentagon has stressed that no employee in the Defense Department is under suspicion at present. The leak critically undermines America’s trustworthiness not just with Israel, but with the rest of the world.

President Donald Trump believes the leaker is coming from within, as do most other people not existentially committed to the social experiment that is the DNC-CCP agenda.

Trump said, “They leaked all the information about the way that Israel’s going to fight and how they are going to fight and where they are going to go. And somebody — who did that? Can you imagine somebody doing that? That’s the enemy. I guess that maybe is the enemy from within, as I talked about. We have an enemy from within. They hate to talk about it. Can you imagine? So we just can’t stand for this incompetence anymore.”

The U.S. is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s attack plans– www.washingtontimes.com
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The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appear to be legitimate.

The documents are attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, and note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. They were sharable within the “Five Eyes,” which are the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The documents, which are marked top secret, were posted to the Telegram messaging app and first reported Saturday by CNN and Axios. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The investigation is also examining how the documents were obtained — including whether it was an intentional leak by a member of the U.S. intelligence community or obtained by another method, like a hack — and whether any other intelligence information was compromised, one of the officials said. As part of that investigation, officials are working to determine who had access to the documents before they were posted, the official said.

Trump suggests ‘enemy from within’ is responsible for Israel leak– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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Former President Donald Trump used his “enemies from within” line to suggest that Americans were responsible for a classified documents leak.

Trump claimed without evidence that an “enemy from within” leaked highly classified U.S. intelligence documents involving Israel. The FBI is investigating the incident.

“They leaked all the information about the way that Israel’s going to fight and how they are going to fight and where they are going to go. And somebody — who did that? Can you imagine somebody doing that? That’s the enemy. I guess that maybe is the enemy from within, as I talked about,” Trump said at an event focused on Latino leaders Tuesday.

“We have an enemy from within,” Trump continued, adding, “They hate to talk about it. Can you imagine? So we just can’t stand for this incompetence anymore.”

White House officials have said it has not been determined yet whether the documents were leaked or hacked, but they said they do not expect additional leaks. The documents in question were each dated Oct. 15 and Oct. 16, purportedly from U.S. government agencies, including the National Security Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Their contents focused on Israel’s expected retaliatory attack against Iran.

While it is unclear exactly who “they” Trump is referring to, he did reaffirm that his “enemies from within” line is, in fact, referring to his political opponents. When asked on Fox News to clarify his comments about using law enforcement or the military against those who disagree with him, Trump confirmed he was talking about former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).

“What they’ve done is so terrible. Who’s ever heard of anything like this? Adam shifty Schiff. He’s a crooked guy. He’s a crooked politician. 100% he’s going to be a senator,” Trump said on Sunday. “Of course, he’s an enemy. He’s an enemy. He wanted to put my son in jail.”

“We have a lot of bad people. But when you look at Shifty Schiff and some of the others, yeah, they are, to me, the enemy from within. I think Nancy Pelosi is an enemy from within. She lied,” Trump continued.

FBI Investigates Leak on Israel’s Iran Strike Plans – devdiscourse

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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed no employees from the Office of the Secretary of Defense are under investigation for a leak concerning Israel’s strike on Iran. The FBI is probing the release of classified documents, while social media falsely accused a Defense Department employee.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has confirmed that no employees from the Office of the Secretary of Defense are currently being scrutinized in relation to a leak of U.S. intelligence about Israel’s plans to strike Iran. Speaking in Rome, Austin assured reporters that no OSD officials have been implicated in the investigation.

According to the FBI, the inquiry is focused on the unauthorized public disclosure of two highly classified documents that detail Israel’s intention for a retaliatory operation against Iran. The Bureau made this announcement on Tuesday, reinforcing a commitment to uncover the source of the leak.

Israel targets Hezbollah-run banks as U.S. probes alleged leak of Iran attack plan– www.cbsnews.com
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The White House says President Biden is “deeply concerned” about the possible leak of American intelligence about Israel’s plans for an attack on Iran. Meanwhile, Israel is turning up pressure on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, targeting the group’s financial network. Debora Patta reports.

 

 

The U.S. is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s attack plans– www.washingtontimes.com
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The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appear to be legitimate.

The documents are attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, and note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. They were sharable within the “Five Eyes,” which are the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The documents, which are marked top secret, were posted to the Telegram messaging app and first reported Saturday by CNN and Axios. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The investigation is also examining how the documents were obtained — including whether it was an intentional leak by a member of the U.S. intelligence community or obtained by another method, like a hack — and whether any other intelligence information was compromised, one of the officials said. As part of that investigation, officials are working to determine who had access to the documents before they were posted, the official said.

Israel targets Hezbollah-run banks as U.S. probes alleged leak of Iran attack plan– www.cbsnews.com
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The White House says President Biden is “deeply concerned” about the possible leak of American intelligence about Israel’s plans for an attack on Iran. Meanwhile, Israel is turning up pressure on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, targeting the group’s financial network. Debora Patta reports.