04/19/26
Houthis threaten to block Bab el-Mandeb Strait if US hinders peace
US President Donald Trump and those who appease him should immediately put an end to all actions and policies that hinder peace and show the necessary respect for the rights of our people and our country | The Houthis from the Yemeni Ansar Allah rebel movement have confirmed their readiness to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa, to international shipping in response to the policies of US President Donald Trump in the region, one of the movement’s leaders, who holds the position of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Houthi-formed government, Hussein al-Ezzi, has stated.
❖ "If Sanaa decides to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, neither people nor jinn will be able to open it. Therefore, Trump and those who appease him should immediately put an end to all actions and policies that hinder peace and show the necessary respect for the rights of our people and our country," he wrote on his page on social media X.
■ What's happening with the US Navy fleet? (Rybar in English)
Iran threatens to strike ships approaching Hormuz
At least three vessels have reportedly been attacked since Iran renewed restrictions on the strait | Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced that no vessels, regardless of their flag, are allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while the US maintains its blockade of Iranian ports. Any attempting to approach the waterway will be targeted, it said. ● On Friday, Tehran initially declared the waterway completely open for commercial vessels for the remaining period of the ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, prompting a drop in oil prices on hopes of de-escalation. However, while US President Donald Trump praised the news, he said that the US blockade of Iranian ports “will remain in full force” until a peace deal is reached. ● This violated the ceasefire conditions, prompting Tehran to reimpose restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, according to the IRGC.
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■ Tehran Recloses Strait of Hormuz, US Prepared to Seize Iranian Tankers (Antiwar)
Big Bully US Presses Cuba to Transition to Market Economy
State Department officials have reportedly warned Havana that it has a “small window” to implement reforms | US officials have urged Cuba to transition from socialism to a market-based economy and compensate American citizens and corporations whose assets were seized in the 1960s, US news outlets reported on Friday and Saturday, citing sources familiar with the matter. ● A delegation from the US State Department outlined the demands late last week during the first trip of the kind to Havana since 2016, as Cuba grapples with severe fuel shortages and blackouts following restrictions on oil shipments imposed by US President Donald Trump.