War in the Middle East: Iran denounces a serious violation of its sovereignty after the US blockade comes into effect

The damages caused by American-Israeli strikes amount to approximately 270 billion dollars (around 229 billion euros), according to initial estimates from the Iranian government.

“One of the issues our negotiation team is addressing, which was also discussed during the talks in Islamabad, is war reparations,” explained Fatemeh Mohajerani, spokesperson for the Iranian government, emphasizing that the figure of 270 billion dollars is not final.

At least eleven people have been killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon since the beginning of the day, reported the ANI, the Lebanese official news agency.

Two people were killed and a woman injured in a strike on a house in the town of Arab Salim. Three members of a family were also killed in a strike in Sohmor. Another strike in the coastal town of Adloun resulted in three deaths.

Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will preside over a conference in Paris on Friday that will bring together “non-belligerent countries ready to contribute” to a “multilateral and purely defensive mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz when security conditions allow,” announced the Élysée.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Russia’s oil revenues nearly doubled in March after easing sanctions imposed on Moscow to curb the surge in energy prices during the Israeli-American war against Iran.

The country amassed 19 billion dollars (approximately 16 billion euros) last month in crude oil export revenues, up from 9.7 million dollars (8.2 billion euros) in February.

Beijing warns that China will take “resolute retaliatory measures” if the United States imposes additional tariffs due to suspicions of providing military aid to Iran.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, dismisses the information as “completely fabricated,” with Donald Trump threatening a 50% tariff on Chinese goods.

“China will undoubtedly take resolute countermeasures if the United States persist in using this pretext to impose additional tariffs,” stated Guo Jiakun during a regular press briefing.

Pakistan is attempting to once again bring Iran and the United States back to the negotiating table to extend the ceasefire and allow for discussions, as reported by several media outlets including AFP, Associated Press, Reuters, and Al-Jazeera.

“Efforts are underway to bring both parties back to the negotiating table,” stated a senior Pakistani source to AFP. “Of course, we want them to return to Islamabad, but the location has not yet been determined.”

“The meeting could take place soon,” stated the same source, indicating that the dates still need to be confirmed. “We are also working to extend the ceasefire beyond the current deadline to have more time.”

The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts the sharpest drop in oil demand in the second quarter since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to its monthly report released today.

The “destruction” of black gold consumption, first noticed in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, is expected to “widen as the supply shock and price increases persist,” notes the IEA.

The Middle East conflict has triggered “the most serious oil supply shock in history,” with a loss of 10 million barrels last month, while boosting Russia’s oil export revenues, which doubled between February and March, according to the report.

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Beijing considers the blockade imposed by the United States on Iranian ports in the Gulf and the Sea of Oman as “dangerous and irresponsible.”

“The United States has escalated its military operations and imposed a targeted blockade, which will only escalate tensions, weaken a fragile ceasefire agreement, and further compromise sea passage security in the Strait,” stated a Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, during a regular press briefing. “This is dangerous and irresponsible behavior.”

In an interview on BFMTV, Jean-Marc Jancovici, president of the think tank The Shift Project, believes that Donald Trump may be “doing us a great service unwittingly” by pushing countries to decarbonize their economy to reduce dependence on hydrocarbon imports.

“In an ideal world, we would have made the revolution quietly,” he remarked. “In reality, we are short-term thinkers, and we wait for a big kick in the rear,” continued the engineer.

In an interview on CNews, Joshua Zarka, Israel’s ambassador to France, emphasized the “historic” nature of peace talks set to take place in the coming hours in Washington between Israel and Lebanon.

“For the first time, we have an official meeting between Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in the United States,” said the diplomat. “We have the opportunity to create this peace.”

“One of the dreams of Israelis is to have dinner in Beirut, visit Beirut, and go skiing in the Chouf mountains,” added Joshua Zarka.

“Several hundred” companies have requested emergency fuel grants, totaling 10 million euros, following the opening of this fund, announced Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of the public investment bank Bpifrance on TF1.

“We had several hundred requests for almost 10 million euros. Several hundred companies, 60% of which are road transporters,” stated Nicolas Dufourcq. Bpifrance estimates that a “global envelope of around a hundred million euros” will be allocated to these grants.

Announced in early April, this system allows lending amounts ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 euros at a rate of 3.80%, without collateral, to very small businesses (TPEs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in eligible sectors (transport, agriculture, fishing), with fuel costs representing at least 5% of their turnover.

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Following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that “China can play an important role” in resolving the conflict in the Middle East.

“Any effort we can make, especially from countries that have a dialogue capacity and have not actively participated in this illegal war… I believe that not only are these efforts welcome, but they are also truly necessary,” added the Spanish Prime Minister during a press conference.

On BFMTV-RMC, National Rally deputy from Somme and member of the Finance Committee in the National Assembly, Jean-Philippe Tanguy, argues for a “tax reduction” to lower fuel prices.

In addition to a reduction in VAT from 20 to 5.5%, the National Rally advocates for a reduction in TICPE (domestic tax on energy products) “to rebuild confidence” and “to liberate the economy.”

While the Hezbollah leader Naïm Qassem demanded the cancellation of talks slated to begin in a few hours in Washington between Lebanon and Israel, some Lebanese interviewed by BFMTV in Beirut are more open to the idea.

“I support the negotiations if they serve Lebanon’s interests and help end the war so that we can finally experience some relief,” stated one of them.

“We know that Israel will remain our enemy for life, but we’ve had enough, and we yearn for a world where we can raise our children in safety,” affirmed another resident of the Lebanese capital.

During a meeting with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the respect of Middle Eastern and Gulf state sovereignty, as well as international law, as reported by state media.

“Upholding the authority of international law should not mean using it when it suits us and rejecting it when it doesn’t. We cannot let the world return to the law of the jungle,” declared Xi Jinping.

“Sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region must be fully respected.”

Contacted by BFMTV, a woman in her twenties living in a major city in Iran fears an escalation of repression with the truce in effect since last week.

“Repression will likely be harsher because a sense of victory might give the regime the impression they can do whatever they want without facing consequences,” she predicted.

The young woman also believes that the downfall of the mullahs’ regime “is much less likely than before the war.” Last year, Iran executed at least 1,639 people, a record since 1989, according to a report by two NGOs, the Norwegian organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) based in Paris.

The Iranian embassy in South Africa embraces mockery following the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Last night, they shared a video of Donald Trump singing Blockade, Blockade, a parody of the 1980s hit by Desireless, Voyage, Voyage.

“Please let the ships through/Go on, at least a few,” sings Donald Trump while playing the synthesizer in the song.

This is not the first time Iranian embassies have poked fun at the threats and decisions of the American president. On April 4, the Iranian embassy in London, for example, posted a meme mocking American aviation losses.

After unsuccessful talks in Pakistan on Sunday, the United States sought to secure a 20-year suspension of the Iranian uranium enrichment program in a bid to halt the war, as reported by American media citing officials close to the Islamabad discussions.

This 20-year pause would come with eased sanctions, according to the Wall Street Journal. In return, Iran offered to suspend its nuclear activities for five years, as reported by the New York Times.

These proposals reported by the press appear to be a softened version of the demands publicly made by Donald Trump, who called for Iran to definitively abandon its nuclear ambitions.

Following the failed negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan on Sunday, “the ball is in the court” of the Iranians