Month: May 2026

Democracy Now – Trump Blasts Iran’s Response to U.S. Ceasefire Proposal as “Totally Unacceptable”

President Trump blasted Iran’s response to the U.S.’s 14-point ceasefire proposal, calling it “totally unacceptable.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the U.S. continues to have “unreasonable demands” and that Iran’s response to the U.S. proposal “was not excessive.” This comes as Iran’s economy is reeling from the impact of U.S.-Israeli strikes. An Iranian government official estimated that the war has caused the loss of 1 million jobs, in comments reported by Iranian state media. On April 25, an Iranian job search platform reported a record 318,000 résumés submitted in a single day, which is 50% higher than the previous record, according to the news site Asr Iran cited by The New York Times.

According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, 3,636 people have been killed in Iran by U.S.-Israeli strikes, among them 254 children. Meanwhile, the Pentagon confirms 13 U.S. service members have been killed and 415 wounded in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted in an interview with CBS News’s “60 Minutes” that the Iran war isn’t over, because nuclear material remains in the country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “It’s not over, because there’s still nuclear material, enriched uranium, that has to be taken out of Iran. There are still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled. There are still proxies that Iran supports. There are ballistic missiles that they still want to produce. Now, we’ve degraded a lot of it, but all that is still there, and there’s work to be done.”

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Newsnation – Iran executes student who admitted under torture to working with CIA

An Iranian aerospace engineering master’s student has been executed by hanging by the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) according to human rights groups on charges of “espionage.”

Erfan Shakourzadeh, 29, was videotaped by the regime under distress and allegedly gave a forced confession to working with the CIA and Mossad agents. He was arrested two years ago and held in prison until his execution in Ghezel-Hesar Prison near Karaj.

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, “In the video, which was reportedly recorded under unclear circumstances, he says that CIA and Mossad agents attempted to recruit individuals by promoting the idea that there was ‘no future or progress in Iran’ and by raising topics such as the ‘futility of studying and working in the country.’”

The U.S.-based human rights group reported this month, “Executions of prisoners on political and security-related charges have increased alongside the outbreak of military conflict in Iran.”

An Iranian refugee, who spoke to NewsNation under the condition of anonymity for fear of their safety, said during that time, Shakourzadeh was held in solitary confinement for nine months under extreme torture.

They said, “These forced confessions are a way for the regime to justify its actions internationally and claim that what they did was right. They do not need for them for their own people; they use them to manipulate the international community and present themselves in a better light to the world.”

The Human Rights Activists News Agency did not specify the prison where Mr. Shakourzadeh’s execution was carried out. However, it had previously been reported that he was transferred from Evin Prison to Ghezel Hesar Prison for the implementation of the death sentence.

NewsNation reached out to the White House for comment and has not yet heard back.

Iran regime executions haven’t slowed down: refugee
The refugee said, “Since he was a genius, it would be more effective to execute him to cause fear and give others a lesson and eliminate the best of us.”

His death signals the regime “haven’t changed a bit by doing this. They have been slaughtering the people of Iran and haven’t stopped.”

Iranian regime trying to tamp down domestic upheaval: retired special forces officer
Mike Nelson, a retired Special Forces lieutenant colonel with extensive experience at U.S. Central Command, told NewsNation the regime is primarily concerned with tampering down any revolutionary uprising, and executions are a way to control the masses with fear-inducing tactics.

“The regime’s first thought is towards regime survival. They are still concerned with putting down domestic upheaval, and executing dissidents, in the face of objection from the US, could be meant to remove any hope from those looking to rise up,” Nelson said.

While President Trump has said he thinks the United States “won” the war against Iran last week, and the regime has been nearly wiped out, Nelson contested those remarks.

“The President’s rhetoric about the regime has always been hyperbolic and disconnected from reality.” Nelson continued, “The regime is very much intact, even if some of the key leaders have shifted. Based on his proclamation of ‘regime change’ in Venezuela, despite leaving the communist government in charge, one wonders if he actually knows what it means, or is just engaging in his normal over-the-top misrepresentations.”

NewsNation reached out for comment to the White House on the young scholar’s execution and the continued executions at the hands of the regime to which they offered a similar statement to the one they provided last week.

“President Trump will never allow Iran – a nation that brutally kills its own people for merely speaking out against the regime’s oppression, chants ‘Death to America’, and is the world’s leading state sponsor of terror – to obtain a nuclear weapon,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told NewsNation.

“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!!”

The sources who spoke with NewsNation say the number of deaths during the protests is closer to 30,000, but an exact number is difficult to reach.

Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, Iran’s judiciary chief, who was appointed by former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2021, has asked for hastening the process of executions, NewsNation reported in April. Mohseni-Ejei has been described as a ruthless enforcer.

The regime is now led by Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei.

The refugee detailed that the executions of political prisoners and protesters “almost happen every day. Protesters were empty-handed and peaceful and the regime can only take revenge on these people. At least one person a day is executed.”

The nation held under the regime’s brutal control has been under an internet blackout

NetBlocks reported that the internet blackout in the country has reached its 73rd day.

The only way information can flow out of the country to report on activities going on within Iran is through illegal VPNs that come at a high-cost and could risk the lives of those who use them, according to Iranian refugees who spoke with NewsNation last month. VPNs were outlawed in 2024 by the regime’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace, under then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to maintain its grip on communications within and outside the country.

Iranian sources told NewsNation in February that many protesters who have been captured by the regime’s police forces are being savagely tortured and raped in prison before being executed.

An Iranian refugee told NewsNation that same month some of the female protesters’ bodies allegedly had their uteruses cut out in an attempt to conceal the militants’ alleged sexual crimes.

“Some of the women’s bodies that were returned to their families were missing their wombs so that the crimes could not be traced or investigated. To be honest, most families did not pursue the matter further in order to avoid even more suffering,” the refugee said then.

NewsNation obtained images of a deceased female protester who was allegedly killed in a prison in Bojnord, a city in Northern Khorasan province in Iran.

In April, NewsNation reported that a nurse, Salehe Akbari, who aided protesters in January, was reportedly hunted down in her home and shot in the heart in front of her husband, and then her deceased body was reportedly taken by IRGC militants and gang-raped, the refugee said. The regime soldiers allegedly took images of their violent acts and sent them to her husband, who was so grief-stricken he attempted to take his life this week, according to Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad.

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CPG – Netanyahu announces the end, in 10 years, of the US$ 3.8 billion Israel receives annually in US aid.

In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” program aired on May 10, the Israeli premier proposed a gradual cut over ten years. The current agreement, signed in 2016, expires in 2028. The move brings Israel closer to the same logic of industrial sovereignty that Brazil pursues with SIATT.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced in an interview with the American network CBS’s “60 Minutes” program, broadcast on May 10, 2026, his intention to gradually phase out military aid from the United States to Israel over the next ten years. The current Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries, signed in 2016 during the Barack Obama administration, provides for an annual transfer of US$ 3.8 billion to Israel, a value that converts to around R$ 21 billion at the current exchange rate, and expires in 2028. Netanyahu’s proposal is to fulfill the final three years of the agreement and then reduce the transfers to zero over the subsequent seven years. In accumulated values, the transition represents the end of at least US$ 38 billion in American aid over the next decade. “We want to move with the United States from aid to partnership,” Netanyahu stated in the interview, broadcast on the same Sunday that Tel Aviv and Washington were separately discussing the next steps for joint operations in the Middle East, according to UNN.

And there’s a detail in this equation that changes the complete meaning of the announcement.

What you will understand in this text

• How much, exactly, Israel receives today in American military aid and why part of it never leaves the United States.
• Why Netanyahu presents the end of aid as an advantage for Israel, and not as a concession.
• How the decline in American approval for Israel accelerates the move.
• What is the direct parallel with the Brazilian defense industry, and why it matters.
• What changes in the balance of the Middle East if the transition materializes.

The US$ 3.8 billion that returns to the USA

The 2016 agreement between the United States and Israel provides for an annual transfer of US$ 3.8 billion to Tel Aviv in military aid. But there is a technical clause that completely changes the interpretation of the number. According to Reuters and the specialized portal IDNFinancials, most of these resources are not delivered in cash to the Israeli government. They return to the United States itself, in the form of payment for military equipment manufactured on American soil, obligatorily purchased by Israel from companies Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and General Dynamics.

In other words, the “aid” functions, in practice, as financing conditioned on the consumption of American weaponry. Tanks, missiles, F-35 fighters, helicopter parts, electronic systems. Everything must be purchased from US suppliers.

This is what Netanyahu unceremoniously called an “obstacle”.

His interpretation, according to the “60 Minutes” interview, is as follows. The obligation to spend in the United States prevents Israel from strengthening its own defense industrial base. Every dollar spent in Tel Aviv with an American company is a dollar that does not go to Rafael, Elbit Systems, or Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the three pillars of the Israeli military-industrial complex. And, in Netanyahu’s view, this has become a strategic problem.

The economy that changed the calculation

There is a second point, and it is less ideological than it seems.

The Israeli economy has grown significantly over the last decade, even with intermittent wars and internal political crises. In 2024, Israel’s GDP exceeded US$ 530 billion. Per capita income surpassed that of several Western European countries, including France and the United Kingdom. The technology sector, especially cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, became one of the country’s largest exporters. In parallel, Israeli arms exports broke successive records, with sales exceeding US$ 13 billion in 2024, according to official data from the Israeli Ministry of Defense.

In practical terms, Israel has become an exporter of cutting-edge military technology. Dependence on American aid, instead of generating security, began to generate limitation.

That’s what Netanyahu summarized in the interview. “Israel today has a thriving and fast-growing economy, and that allows us to gradually eliminate the financial component of American military assistance,” the prime minister told CBS, in remarks cited by Reuters and the Arab News portal on May 11.

The decline in approval, and its political interpretation

There is also a third layer, which few international reports are highlighting.

American approval of Israel has been in continuous decline since 2023. Gallup polls, released throughout 2025, showed that for the first time in decades, more Americans said they sympathized with Palestinians than with Israelis on the general empathy scale. Among Democrats, support for Israel plummeted to below 30%. Among young people aged 18 to 34, regardless of party affiliation, the drop was also sharp.

In the “60 Minutes” interview, Netanyahu did not hide his interpretation of the phenomenon. He attributed the decline in American support for Israel to “manipulation” on social media and “online propaganda campaigns,” rather than admitting a connection to military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. More than 71,000 Palestinians are said to have been killed since the start of the offensive, according to Gaza Health Ministry data cited internationally. In Iran, the American human rights agency Human Rights Activists News Agency reports 3,636 deaths caused by joint US-Israel attacks since March 2026, including 254 children. The Pentagon confirms 13 American military personnel killed and 415 wounded in the war against Iran.

The political interpretation, however, is more pragmatic. The more Israel’s approval falls in the United States, the riskier it becomes to depend financially on the American government. A future, more critical administration, whether Democratic or Republican, could use aid as a tool for pressure. Eliminating aid is eliminating that leverage.

It was this, more than any economic calculation, that seems to have sealed the announcement.

The three-stage plan

Netanyahu detailed the proposed timeline in the interview:

• First stage (2026-2028): fulfillment of the remaining three years of the current Memorandum of Understanding, with full transfer of the annual US$ 3.8 billion.
• Second stage (2028-2035): gradual and progressive reduction of transfers, in seven decreasing annual installments.
• Third stage (from 2035 onwards): zero transfer. Israel would then purchase American armaments under the same model as any other purchasing country, without subsidies, and would expand internal production to meet the demand of its own Armed Forces.

The transition would preserve, according to Netanyahu, technological cooperation, intelligence sharing, and joint research agreements between the two countries. What changes is the direct financial component.

The parallel with Brazil

And here’s the part that connects with what the Brazilian reader has seen happening within the country.

In the same week Netanyahu announced the transition, in Brazil, the company SIATT, formerly Mectron, completed the first industrial batch of the MAX 1.2 AC anti-tank missile for the Brazilian Army. It was the first time the country had produced, on an industrial scale, a guided missile with national technology. The Brazilian move follows, on a much smaller scale, the same logic as the Israeli announcement: reducing dependence on foreign suppliers and building its own industrial capacity.

SIATT also has as a strategic partner the EDGE Group conglomerate, from the United Arab Emirates, which also maintains relations with the Israeli industry. The global defense industrial geography is being redrawn towards a logic of multilateralism, where countries previously only buyers are beginning to position themselves as producers.

The transition is not just Israel’s. It is that of an entire generation of countries that understood that buying technology is not the same as mastering technology.

What changes in the Middle East

For regional balance, the announcement has effects that will still take time to materialize, but are worth observing.

First, by building more industrial autonomy, Israel will have more political freedom in relation to the United States. Military decisions currently moderated by diplomatic considerations (Washington’s approval or disapproval for this or that operation) may become less dependent on coordination. In theory, this expands Tel Aviv’s room for maneuver. In practice, it can also increase tensions with regional allies who have become accustomed to using the US as an interlocutor.

Second, by expanding its own export base, Israel becomes a direct competitor to the United States in markets where it previously complemented American supply. Countries that today buy Israeli Hermes drones or Iron Dome systems may stop buying Patriot missiles or F-35 fighter jets.

Third, the gradual reduction of transfers can be used politically by Washington as an argument to reduce the American military presence in the Middle East. If Israel no longer needs direct aid, part of the justification for maintaining bases and troops in the region loses strength. This may sound counterintuitive, but this is exactly the calculation circulating in analyses by Foreign Affairs and the Council on Foreign Relations, two of the main American strategic think tanks.

What still needs to happen

Netanyahu’s announcement, however detailed, still has no legal effect. Any change to the Memorandum of Understanding will depend on negotiation with the United States government, and the current American president, Donald Trump, has not yet publicly responded to the proposal. The American Congress will also have a say in the process, especially if a new agreement is negotiated to succeed the 2028 one with a different format from the current one.

Internally, in Israel, the announcement also faces debate. Opposition political forces and part of the Israeli high military command have already expressed, in interviews with outlets such as Times of Israel and Haaretz in recent months, concern about the speed of the proposed transition. The main argument is that ten years may be too short for the Israeli industry to independently achieve the capacity to replace fighter jets, anti-missile defense systems, and naval technology currently purchased from the United States.

But the signal has been given. And time has begun to run.

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South Florida Reporter – Trump Rejects “Totally Unacceptable” Iran Peace Plan Ahead of High-Stakes Beijing Summit and Domestic IVF Expansion

In a whirlwind of diplomatic tension and domestic policy rollouts, President Donald J. Trump has set the stage for a defining week in his second term. Facing a deepening impasse with Tehran over a fragile ceasefire, the President is simultaneously preparing for a monumental state visit to China while doubling down on a federal initiative designed to drastically lower the costs of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for American families.

The intersection of these three pillars—Middle Eastern security, Great Power competition, and “pro-family” domestic policy—highlights an administration attempting to leverage its “America First” doctrine on multiple fronts as the 2026 midterms approach.

The Iran Impasse: “Totally Unacceptable”
On Sunday, President Trump took to Truth Social to deliver a blunt assessment of Iran’s response to a 14-point U.S. ceasefire proposal. “I have just read the response from Iran’s so-called ‘Representatives.’ I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” the President posted. He added, “They will be laughing no longer!”

The diplomatic friction follows a period of intense volatility in the Persian Gulf. After a month-long, shaky ceasefire, recent days have seen renewed exchanges of fire, including U.S. strikes on Iranian tankers and clashes around the Strait of Hormuz. The war, which escalated earlier this year following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure, has left the global energy market in a state of shock.

According to reports from the Pentagon and international monitors:

• Casualties: Since the onset of hostilities, the Pentagon confirms 13 U.S. service members have been killed and 415 wounded. In Iran, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that over 3,600 people have been killed by U.S.-Israeli strikes.
• Economic Impact: The Iranian economy is reeling, with over one million jobs lost. Domestically, the global price of Brent crude has surged toward $105 per barrel, sparking concerns over a prolonged energy crisis.
• The Demands: The Trump administration’s 14-point plan requires the complete removal of enriched uranium from Iranian soil and the dismantling of enrichment sites. Tehran, through Pakistani mediators, has insisted on an end to the U.S. naval blockade, the unfreezing of assets, and the lifting of sanctions before nuclear negotiations can begin.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed the President’s hardline stance in a recent interview, insisting the war is not over while Iran maintains its nuclear capabilities and continues to support regional proxies.

The Road to Beijing: High Stakes with Xi Jinping

The Iran crisis will cast a long shadow over President Trump’s upcoming visit to Beijing, scheduled for May 14–15. This summit marks the first visit to China by a U.S. President since Trump’s own trip in 2017.

However, the agenda extends far beyond the Middle East:

1. Reciprocal Trade: The administration is pushing a “Board of Trade” proposal aimed at ensuring fairness and reciprocity. This includes seeking massive Chinese purchases of U.S. goods to reduce the trade deficit.
2. Technological Rivalry: Discussions are expected to cover critical minerals, investment restrictions, and access to the U.S. market for Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers like BYD.
3. Nuclear Control: President Trump is reportedly seeking a new trilateral nuclear arms control framework that would formally include China, arguing that Cold War-era agreements with Russia are obsolete in the current strategic landscape.

Analysts suggest that the willingness of both leaders to meet signals a mutual desire for “managed stability” despite ongoing competition in the South China Sea and the tech sector.

Domestic Shift: The TrumpRx.gov IVF Revolution

While navigating global conflicts, the President is also promoting a major victory for his domestic agenda: the expansion of the TrumpRx.gov platform. Launched in January 2026, the portal is the centerpiece of a 2025 executive order aimed at making IVF and maternal healthcare more affordable.

The administration has successfully negotiated a “Most-Favored-Nation” (MFN) drug pricing agreement with pharmaceutical giant EMD Serono. Under this deal, common fertility medications such as Gonal-f, Ovidrel, and Cetrotide are being offered at discounts of up to 84% off list prices for eligible Americans.

Key components of the maternal health plan include:

• Direct Access: Patients can purchase discounted medications directly through the government-run portal, bypassing traditional retail markups.
• Employer Flexibility: New federal guidance allows employers to offer “standalone” fertility benefits. Similar to dental or vision insurance, these benefits can be provided separately from a company’s primary medical plan.
• HRA Contributions: The administration has cleared a path for limited Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), allowing employers to contribute up to $2,150 annually toward an employee’s out-of-pocket fertility expenses.

Critics, including some medical associations, have noted that while the drug discounts are historic, the plan does not mandate coverage for the actual IVF procedures, which remain expensive. Nonetheless, advocacy groups like RESOLVE have acknowledged the progress, noting that these steps address the significant financial barriers many families face.

As President Trump departs for China, his administration finds itself at a critical juncture. The success of the “Art of the Deal” 2.0 in Tehran may depend heavily on the rapport he can maintain with President Xi. Meanwhile, the success of his “Pro-Family” GOP platform will be measured by how many Americans utilize the new healthcare portals in the coming months.

In the words of Energy Secretary Chris Wright, “We know where this is going to end. We will have free flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and we will have an end to the Iranian nuclear program.” Whether that end comes through diplomacy in Beijing or continued pressure remains the defining question of May 2026.

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HS Today – PERSPECTIVE: Maritime Blockade and Sanctions Intensify Strain on Iran’s Economy

As the US Navy continues a maritime blockade off the Strait of Hormuzi, the world hopes for a permanent ceasefire and an end to the US / Israel war against Iran. As these efforts renew, the pressure of longstanding economic sanctions acts as the invisible hand working to collapse the unregulated self -interest of the current regime’s access to hard currency needed to achieve its aims of funding nuclear weapons, terrorist proxies and disrupting economic prosperity in the Middle East. While these sanctions are non-kinetic and hold a less visceral appeal than military strikes, they continue to grind down Iran’s cash reserves. Merged with the hard power of a naval blockade, their overall effectiveness could further implode the Iranian economy and push its hardline regime back to the negotiation table. The scope of this article is limited to the US-Iran – China interplay and how using international financial frameworks, combined with US economic sanctions and a maritime blockade, can affect Iran’s remaining cash surplus from oil exports to China, thereby reducing the regime’s economic viability.

First Principles – Economic Indicators

From a historical perspective, the US remains the world’s largest, strongest and most stable economy and continues to greatly influence the international financial system, which Iran must operate within to keep its oil exports and revenues viable. Various social media platforms and pundits continue to argue Iran has gained the economic advantage by creating a geographic chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz thereby enabling them to outlast US efforts. Such efforts have indeed acted to disrupt the energy transmission belt of the strait, and increased Iran’s ability to temporarily export global economic shocks; however, the US can use the dollar based financial system to act as a foreclosure tool on Iran’s sanctions-based economy. While the outcome remains uncertain, basic economic indicators from the World Bankii demonstrate how overmatched Iran’s economy is compared to the US. For example, using Gross Domestic Product (GDP),iii an indicator defined as the total income earned through the production of goods and services within a country’s borders (economic territory).

Additionally, and prior to the war, as Iranians bravely protested their poor economic conditions and repressive governmental policies, the Iranian currency valuation swiftly bottomed out to zero (Iranian Rial, IRR)v in exchange for US dollars; and at the time of this writing, it remains at zero. Conversely, the US dollar remains the world’s preferred global reserve currency.

Iran’s key economic indicators related to natural resources, oil production and shipping will continue to remain in the spotlight; and are of great interest to consumers, energy traders, buyers and sellers. However, the regime’s hard-liner response to US negotiation efforts does not place it in total control of the global energy market, nor does it place Iran in a position of long-term superiority. The GDP comparisons highlight a critical reality: while Iran’s regime can temporarily disrupt the global economy through control of geography, the United States and its economy are better positioned to withstand and absorb the shocks.

Components of the International Financial Framework

Cross boarder Finance – Everywhere you Go

Having access to the dollar to buy, sell and trade oil within the global energy market is required, to effectively do business and commerce within the international banking system. In today’s global economy a key element of the international financial framework is the cross-border finance system. This system transmits payments between banks and enables money to flow back and forth between foreign investments, commodity trading and goods transferred by the global supply chain. At the center of this infrastructure is the US dollar.vi As discussed earlier, the US dollar has become the world’s default currency and medium of exchange.

Underscoring the importance of access to the US dollar and its use as a foreclosure tool; Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, in his recent testimony before Congress, and response to Senator Katie Britt in US progress and its ‘maximum pressure campaign’ toward Iran stated:

“Well, what we can do at Treasury and what we have done is created a dollar shortage in the country … It came to a swift, and I would say grand, culmination in December when one of the largest banks in Iran went under … The Iranian currency went into freefall. Inflation exploded, and hence we have seen the Iranian people out on the street. We will continue monitoring … all the Iranian partners … We have seen the Iranian leadership wiring money out of the country like crazy. So, the rats are leaving the ship, and that is a good sign that they know the end may be near.” vii

Furthermore, highlighting the value of the US dollar as the preferred medium of exchange for both the American financial system and foreign investments, are the New York stock exchange and the NASDAQ, both based in the US, and with market capitalizations much larger than any other foreign country’s exchange. Edward Fishman, in his book “Chokepoints,” writes that “valued at over $50 trillion, the US bond market dwarfs those compared to the rest of the world. When firms anywhere turn to international capital markets for cash, they almost always borrow dollars; 70% of the world’s debt is denominated in dollars.”viii Both debits and credits are usually cleared through the US-based payments systems known as “the Clearing House Interbank Payment System (CHIPs) or the Federal Reserve’s Fedwire system.”ix Additionally, Iran’s central bank is currently precluded from using the international “Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) system, a global provider of secure financial management services to over 11,500 banks and financial institutions in over 200 countries.”x The SWIFT system is overseen by the G-10 central banks and headquartered in Belgium. Silently watching and monitoring these transactions is the US government, who along the way, is either in charge or influential at each point.

This mechanism is only part of a larger invisible framework, also included are the consortium of national banks, insurance and settlement systems enabling the US to retain strategic monetary power and leverage to restrain Iran’s banking transactions and thereby its economic sustainability. The president of the United States can exempt any foreign bank or country from access to US systems by issuing an executive order. Secondarily, executive orders coupled with evidence provided by the Department of Treasury influences the international banking system and thereby SWIFT, to endorse similar sanctions. The president delegates the authority for these actions to the Secretary of the Treasury, who tasks the office of foreign assets control (OFAC), part of the treasury’s office of terrorism and financial intelligence, for enforcement. Starting with President Carter’s administration, six other US administrations have issued executive orders imposing sanctions on Iran including: Presidents Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump.

US Sanctions OFAC – Iran Shadow Banking

As previously discussed, the Secretary of the Treasury delegates sanction enforcement to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.xi They are charged with the administration and enforcement of “economic sanctions programs primarily against countries and groups of individuals, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers. The sanctions can be either comprehensive or selective, using the blocking of assets and trade restrictions to accomplish foreign policy and national security goals.”xii The number of sanctions placed on Iran by OFAC are substantial and listed by category on their sanctions search site.xiii In total, there are well over a 1,000 economic sanctions that have been placed on Iran, with significant focus aimed at Iran’s shadow fleet of oil tankers, businesses, and facilitators (people). Recent sanctions are designed to focus specifically on Iran’s network of shadow banks in efforts to track and disrupt the flow of illicit funding to Iran’s nuclear and terrorism proxy organizations. Operation Economic Fury,xiv announced on April 28, 2026, in accordance with Executive Order (EO) 13902, the operation is charged with “overseeing Iran’s shadow banking architecture, facilitating the movement of the equivalent of tens of billions of dollars tied to sanctions evasion and Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism.” xv In efforts to negate the international financial framework and banking system and its consortium of controls, a rouge set of private Iranian companies simply known as “rahbars,” have established thousands of overseas shell companies to transfer money on behalf of the regime.

These companies are aligned with Iranian banks in efforts to negate the established international financial framework and transfer billions of dollars of revenue gained from Iran’s sale of oil to its customers throughout the Middle East and China. The US government has outed the Rahbar network to the international finance and banking community purposefully; as a way for OFAC to place all on notice, the actions and penalties US Department of Treasury will impose on those who are aiding or abetting these shadow networks. Furthermore, Secretary Bessent has gone on record stating: “Illicit funds funneled through this network support the regime’s ongoing terrorist operations, posing a direct threat to U.S. personnel, regional allies, and the global economy.  Financial institutions are on notice: Any institution that facilitates or engages with these networks is at risk of severe consequences.”

Chinese Linkage and Interplay

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the largest consumer of Iranian oil, purchasing almost 90% of its energy needs from Iran; this provides billions of dollars to fund the Iranian regime’s government, military weapons, nuclear development program and funds its terrorist proxies such as Hezbollah in Palestine, Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. The PRC also helps Iran to evade US sanctions, having set up its own shadow banking and financial transaction systems. These shadow companies pay for the transportation of oil, Iran’s shadow fleet, and its missile and drone programs. This relationship benefits the PRC and Iran on several levels; of primary importance to both regimes is undermining the US-led global financial framework. Secondarily, the PRC obtains discounted oil prices, while Iran uses the PRC’s networks to maintain access to hard currency. The PRC considers this a partnership; however, it remains an asymmetric relationship, as “Iran depends heavily on China for energy export revenue and diplomatic backing, while Beijing maintains a cautious approach to avoid jeopardizing relations with other Middle Eastern partners.”

For now, Iranian oil exports and the accompanying revenues from sales to China have been reduced or halted altogether. As the US Navy continues its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by impeding entrance and exit to Iranian ports, and stopping oil exports, this has also stopped billions of dollars of hard currency from going to Iran, thereby collapsing revenue needed by the regime. Consequently, Iran will be forced to spend whatever cash it retains on its war efforts and survival and must do so without a steady stream of replacement income. When combined with current economic sanctions, this will further degrade economic activity in an already stressed system and devalue their currency even further, leading to hyperinflation.xix When combined, these actions will implode Iran’s economy. Under these conditions, the regime would be hard-pressed not to return to the negotiation table. Chart 2 below shows Iran’s oil exports to China vs. the Rest of the World; providing a visual example of Iran’s reliance on oil exports to the Chinese.

While not full-proof, US banking sanctions on Iran has forced the Iranian regime to trade in less preferred currencies such as China’s Yuan (CNY). With the advent of what is now termed the ‘Petroyuan,’ China is seeking to undermine the US dollar as the global currency of exchange. China has made significant efforts to ease Iran’s isolation and reduce the effectiveness of economic sanctions such as “facilitating its entrance into alternative multilateral institutions including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2023 and into the foreign economies of (Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa) BRICS, in 2024.”xxii Additional help in the way of offering low interest loans including infrastructure upgrades and repair works to both embolden and financially enable the regime to hold out for a longer period.

Membership in these organizations brings Iran into closer alignment with China and Russia and helps China’s goal of using them to promote illiberal norms, help mitigate the impact of sanctions tools, and coordinate on security issues.xxiii

Should China’s actions be successful, it will cement the anti-US regime’s place within the BRIC system and the “Axis of Autocracy”;xxiv in turn, this will undermine the US-led financial system and the dollar. Conversely, should the regime be forced to negotiate with the US administration due to its maritime blockade of goods and services, China’s strategic efforts within the global financial system would lose momentum.

Final Thoughts

Already brutalized by their own regime, the war has taken a terrible toll on everyday Iranians and their families. Human Rights Watch (HRW),xxv an international organization monitoring abuses in all corners of the world, reported mass killings of Iranian citizens by their own security forces totaling well over 3,000 across all provinces, with over 2,000 bodies counted in Tehran alone. In addition, the US–based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)xxvi reported that 1,407 people, including 214 children, have been killed in Iran since the war began. This past January 2026, in efforts to counter these actions and hold the regime accountable for its atrocities, OFAC implemented a subset of sanctions on Iranian regime officials for violent repression and corruption. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent stating: “President Trump stands with the people of Iran and has ordered the Treasury to sanction members of the regime. Treasury will continue to target Iranian networks and corrupt elites that enrich themselves at the expense of the Iranian people.”

Furthermore, war reporting confirmed by the BBC on March 23, 2026,xxviii mapped significant damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, military and government infrastructure, public buildings and its energy and civil infrastructure targeted by US and Israeli military strikes. At the time of this writing, BBC Persianxxix has confirmed visual evidence of 191 attacks across most Iranian provinces, including 81 strikes in Teran, with many more since then. US Central Command (USSCENTCOM), the combatant command responsible for military operations in the Middle East area of operations (AOR), reported that it had flown over 8,000 combat flights since the war began February 28, 2026. To date, according to the Department of War (DoW), 15 service members have been killed in action. With the Iranian people desperate and destitute, and their infrastructure bombed and crumbling, how long the Iranian regime continues to hold out remains unknown. However, their economic viability is akin to Ernest Hemingway’s famous comment on how bankruptcy occurs: “two ways, gradually, then suddenly.”

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News Nation – Iran refugees have lost hope in Trump, US after ‘we won’ comment

Iranian refugees expressed despair and frustration to NewsNation as the White House claimed the war with Iran is nearing its end, all while the brutal regime appears to have stayed in power, and there is an uptick in executions of citizens.

Rayan Amiri, the founding leader of the Conservative Party of Iran, told NewsNation he is exhausted by the United States continuing to negotiate with the regime while it “lies” about the decrease in executions of citizens.

“I’m worn down by our so-called friends, those who have abandoned me and the Iranian people, treating us as leverage and pressure tools on the negotiation table with the Islamist regime occupying Iran, rather than human beings fighting for freedom,” Amiri said.

“Trump’s claims about a decrease in executions in Iran have proven false constantly,” he added.

‘I am so hopeless’: Iranian refugee on Trump’s war plan

An Iranian refugee who spoke to NewsNation under a condition of anonymity for their safety shared a similar sentiment.

“I am so hopeless and sad that things seem to be settled between the U.S. and the IRGC without the regime overthrown. People in neighboring countries are saying that Iran won the battle as the regime is doing extensive propaganda saying that the U.S. gave up. That is the most extreme despair I have ever felt in my life,” they said.

Amiri says the regime has ramped up executions yet again. He argues the U.S. is not doing enough to root out the “totalitarian and terrorist regime.”

“(Trump) talks tough, but in reality, he throws lifelines to the very terrorist regime that has destroyed and devastated my beautiful country Iran and created a mess in the Middle East. It’s gaslighting, empty words, doublespeak and betrayal,” Amiri said.

The U.S-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported this month, “Executions of prisoners on political and security-related charges have increased alongside the outbreak of military conflict in Iran.”

The human rights organization provided a comprehensive list of individuals who are set to be executed, one of whom is a woman, Bita Hemmati, whom Trump claimed he saved from being executed.

NewsNation has been unable to independently verify Hemmati’s status.

Trump says US has ‘won’ war in Iran
The White House believes it is close to reaching an agreement with Iran on a one-page memorandum to end the war.

On Wednesday, Trump claimed the U.S. had “won” the war.

“They had an Air Force, lots of planes, and they don’t have any planes. They don’t have any anti-aircraft. They don’t have any radar left. Their missiles are mostly decimated. They have some. Probably 18-19%, but not a lot by comparison to what they had. And their leaders are all dead. So I think we won,” the president said.

He added that the U.S. continued to have “very good talks” with Iranian officials and said the people of Iran “have great pride.”

“If we left right now, in Iran, it would take them 20 years to rebuild,” Trump said.

Amiri said he has lost trust in Trump to help the Iranian people under the regime’s control.

“Instead of talking about erasing power plants and civil infrastructure in Iran that will affect the Iranian people, he must erase all of the regime’s military infrastructure, including the entire crackdown apparatus of the regime, in a meaningful way, paving the way for the Iranian people to liberate themselves and leveling the playing field for them to take back their country. Words mean nothing without action,” Amiri said.

Mike Nelson, a retired Special Forces lieutenant colonel with extensive experience at U.S. Central Command, told NewsNation on Wednesday that the administration’s objective has been difficult to define due to shifting rhetoric.

“It’s been hard to nail down the administration as to what they think they are actually trying to accomplish in the war with Iran because the rhetoric shifts so frequently,” he said. “But none of the various strategic goals they have mentioned at any time have been accomplished.”

Nelson detailed that the Iranian people are still under the control of the regime.

“The Iranian people are still oppressed, the regime that came to power in 1979 is still in charge, Iran is still tied to their regional and terror proxies, the highly enriched uranium is still in Iranian hands, and Iran has demonstrated what a threat they are to the region and the world,” he said.

NewsNation informed the White House of the refugees’ concerns over the lack of regime change, executions, and inquired about the status of Hemmati, awaiting execution.

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told NewsNation, “These are horrific tragedies perpetrated by the Iranian terrorist regime. President Trump will never allow Iran – a nation that brutally kills its own people for merely speaking out against the regime’s oppression, chants ‘Death to America’, and is the world’s leading state sponsor of terror – to obtain a nuclear weapon.”

Iran remains under internet blackout
The war-torn nation has been under an internet blackout controlled by the regime.

NetBlocks reported that the internet shutdown has reached its 69th day, making the flow of information into and out of the country nearly impossible.

Elon Musk’s Starlink was positioned to help provide access for some people in the country, but Amiri says it never reached those who needed it.

“Trump said he gave Starlink and arms to the people. What did he mean by people? Bunch of ethnocentric separatists in some mountains in Iraqi Kurdistan? How is that helping the Iranian people? Those help packages never reached the people. Only the anti-Iranian bad actors,” he said.

Iran’s judiciary chief has asked for hastening the process of executions, NewsNation reported in April.

In a video posted by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i said, “In cases where issuing rulings such as asset confiscation and the death penalty is warranted for enemy agents, the process should be expedited.”

Iranian sources told NewsNation in February that many protesters who have been captured by the regime’s police forces are being brutally tortured and raped in prison before being executed.

Amiri, a political activist, spoke with NewsNation last month about being targeted by the regime and their attempts to abduct him and potentially assassinate him for his antiregime beliefs.

He said at the time that he was receiving “obvious and direct threats of assassination and intimidation” from IRGC associates.

Amiri detailed he was approached under false pretenses: “under the guise of our allies, faking it as being from the side of our American and Israeli allies” and “asking for in-person meetings.”

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BalkanWeb – Iran hangs three men for January protests in ‘wave’ of executions

Iran executed three men accused of protests this January, authorities said Monday, the latest in a wave of hangings of those seen by human rights groups as political prisoners amid the war against the United States and Israel.

Iranian authorities have carried out executions almost daily in recent weeks, in what activists have denounced as an attempt to sow fear in society at a time of international and domestic tensions.

Mehdi Rassouli, Mohammad Reza Miri and Ebrahim Dolatabadi were executed after being convicted of rioting in the eastern city of Mashhad in January, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.

It was not specified when or where they were executed. But the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Rassouli, 25, and Miri, 21, were hanged at dawn on Sunday in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.

The protests began in December sparked by complaints about the cost of living, but intensified into nationwide rallies against the Islamic Republic, culminating in mass demonstrations on the nights of January 8 and 9.

Human rights groups say thousands of people were killed in a crackdown by security forces, while authorities have blamed “rioters” they say were supported by the United States and Israel.

Mizan said Rassouli and Miri were responsible for the death of a member of the security forces and described Dolatabadi as one of the “inciters” of the unrest in Mashhad.

But the Norway-based NGO, Iran Human Rights, described the three as “political prisoners” who had been sentenced “after unfair trials in Revolutionary Courts.”

It was said that since executions resumed in March during the war against the United States and Israel, Iran had executed 24 men considered “political prisoners.”

Thirteen men were executed during the January 2026 protests, another man for the 2022 demonstrations, nine men for suspected links to the banned opposition group the People’s Mujahedin, and one for membership in a Sunni militant organization.

Within the same timeframe, four other individuals have been executed for suspected espionage for Israel.

“The international community, especially the European Union, must respond decisively to this continuing wave of executions,” said IHR Director Mahmood Amiry Moghaddam.

“If the political cost of these executions is not increased through clear and strong international responses, there is a serious risk that daily executions will continue in the weeks and months ahead,” he added.

Amnesty International said in a statement on May 1 that the international community should not “stand idly by while the Iranian authorities continue to escalate the arbitrary execution of political dissidents and protesters to sow fear.”

Amnesty said it had documented the cases of 13 men who, it said, had been subjected to torture and “convicted in grossly unfair trials that relied on forced ‘confessions’ and lasted several hours.”

Iran is the country that carries out the most executions in the world after China, according to human rights groups, and last year it hanged at least 1,639 people, according to figures from the IHR.

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Asatunews – Iran Executes Three Men for Alleged Roles in Political Protests

Iranian authorities have executed three men accused of involvement in political protests that occurred this January. This move marks the latest in a series of near-daily hangings occurring amidst heightened international and domestic tensions, as reported by The Guardian.Politics

The judiciary’s Mizan news agency announced on Monday that Mehdi Rassouli, Mohammad Reza Miri, and Ebrahim Dolatabadi were put to death. They had been convicted for their alleged roles in the unrest that swept through the eastern city of Mashhad.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) provided further details on the timing of the executions. According to the organization, Rassouli, 25, and Miri, 21, were hanged at dawn on Sunday at the Vakilabad prison located in Mashhad.

The demonstrations originally began in December due to economic grievances. However, they quickly evolved into nationwide rallies against the Islamic regime, reaching their peak during mass demonstrations on January 8 and 9.

Mizan stated that Rassouli and Miri were held responsible for the death of a member of the security forces. The agency further described Dolatabadi as one of the primary instigators behind the unrest in Mashhad.

Security forces responded to the nationwide movement with a significant crackdown. While human rights groups claim thousands were killed during the suppression, Iranian authorities have blamed the violence on rioters they allege were supported by foreign powers.

The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) classified the three individuals as political prisoners. The organization asserted that their sentences followed unfair trials conducted within the revolutionary courts.Politics

International Concerns Over Execution Rates
Since executions resumed in March, Iran has reportedly executed 24 political prisoners. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of IHR, has called for a decisive response from the international community to address the current trend.

“The international community, especially the European Union, must respond decisively to this ongoing wave of executions.” Amiry-Moghaddam said. He warned that without increased political costs, daily executions might continue in the coming months.

Amnesty International also issued a statement on May 1, urging global action against the escalation of arbitrary executions. The group documented cases of 13 men who reported being subjected to torture before their convictions.

“[The international community must] not stand idly by while the Iranian authorities continue to escalate the arbitrary execution of political dissidents and protesters to instil fear,” Amnesty International stated.

The organization noted that many trials lasted only a few hours and relied heavily on forced confessions. Rights groups highlight that Iran maintains the second highest number of executions globally, with at least 1,639 people hanged last year according to IHR data.

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Jerusalem Post – Iran claims to destroy ‘Zionist Christian sect’ in Yazd province

The Islamic regime arrested three Christian leaders who allegedly opened their own church to preach Zionist teachings privately, according to the Yazd Justice Department’s Public Relations Department and statements made by Yazd prosecutor Mehdi Hassanpour.

“After establishing organizational ties with two Christian missionary leaders associated with the Zionist regime, the defendants established a group in the form of a house church and converted a significant number of their family members and friends to Zionist Christianity, both in person and online,” Hassanpour claimed.

The church leader reportedly recruited new members to pray for the victory of Israel, burn and desecrate the Koran, and insult Islamic leadership.

Hassanpour alleged that the church’s leader had first claimed to be chosen by God, then later claimed to be a reincarnation of Jesus Christ. He was said to have used this religious authority to abuse his followers.

Fars News Agency reported that the religious leaders were “key members of a Christian proselytizing network.”

Regime authorities frequently smeared Christians as “Mossad mercenaries”
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency noted that the arrests come as part of a wider crackdown on Christian conversion in the Islamic Republic.

Amnesty International also noted in its 2025 review of the country that regime authorities frequently smeared Christians as “Mossad mercenaries,” raided house churches, and arbitrarily detained Christian converts.

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Yahoo – Trump’s vicious bombing seems to have done nothing to hurt Iran’s nuclear program

The Trump administration has justified its catastrophic war in Iran by insisting that the Islamic Republic was close to securing a nuclear weapon and that a military intervention was necessary to prevent it from ever obtaining one. The initial narrative was untrue: There was no known evidence, according to the U.S. intelligence community, that Iran was building one or that it had reauthorized its suspended nuclear weapons program. And now a new report indicates that the war has failed to deal any damage to Iran’s currently existing nuclear program.

Reuters, citing three sources familiar with the matter, reported that “U.S. intelligence assessments indicate that the time Iran would ​need to build a nuclear weapon has not changed since last summer, when analysts estimated that a U.S.-Israeli attack had pushed back the timeline to up to a year.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

The sheer pointlessness of the destruction wrought by the war only deepens the tragedy.

That means that despite weeks of aggressive bombing, which has killed at least an estimated 1,700 Iranian civilians, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, Iran’s nuclear program is still humming along — and no further away from being able to weaponize its nuclear program than it was before Trump launched his war of aggression.

Eric Brewer, a former senior U.S. intelligence ​analyst and vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative arms control think tank, told Reuters that “Iran still possesses all of its nuclear material, as far as we know” and that that material is “probably located in deeply buried underground sites where U.S. munitions can’t penetrate.”

This makes it all the clearer that in order to make a dent, Trump would likely need to storm Iran’s underground nuclear facilities to seize and destroy its highly enriched uranium. Such a mission would require the deployment of ground troops, could take weeks and would, in the words of Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, constitute one of the “most complicated special operations in history.” Given Trump’s stunning ineptitude at every stage of this ill-conceived war, the prospect of the U.S. trying to conduct such a high-risk endeavor — which could easily escalate into an extended ground operation — is downright chilling.

The other way Trump can attempt to control Iran’s nuclear program is through negotiations. But given his limited leverage over Tehran, he’s currently considering the kinds of trade-offs and provisions he slammed for years in Barack Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Ironically, as my colleague Hayes Brown points out, it’s unlikely Trump is able to secure anything as strong as Obama’s agreement because of the political dynamics he has set in motion with the war.

The sheer pointlessness of the destruction wrought by the war only deepens the tragedy. The U.S.-Israeli strikes appear to have caused so many deaths, so much chaos across the region and so much global upheaval — culminating in a bona fide global economic crisis that has no end in sight. On Tuesday, Trump announced that he was pausing “Project Freedom,” a U.S.-led maritime operation aimed at safely escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. And the warmakers have achieved precisely zero of the goals that were the supposed justifications for war.

One of those goals expressed by Trump and his administration, often abandoned without explanation, was Iranian regime change. On that front, Trump has done worse than fail. He has helped pave the way for a new generation of leaders who are more hard line than the ones he killed off — and are probably more likely to pursue a nuclear weapon at some point in the future. Ironically, a nuclear-armed Iran some day could wind up being the most significant legacy of Trump and Israel’s war.

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