Calling the Faithful to Freedom!

“Will the second order blockade trigger a third order blockade? Trump Orders Naval Blockade of Iran After Failed Talks, Iran Threatens Retaliation in Gulf (Democracy Now!) “[S]ecret documents … reveal the extent to which Pakistan is committed by treaty to potentially become a participant in the war it was attempting to mediate”: Leaked Documents Reveal…

Blockade envy? Trump decides he wants to blockade Hormuz himself: US Military Says It Will Blockade Iranian Ports After Ceasefire Talks Ended Without Agreement (Washington Post) Trump’s Blockade Threat Raises Risks and Leaves Predicaments Unchanged (BBC) UK ‘Not Supporting’ U.S. Iran Blockade as France’s Macron Confirms ‘Multinational’ Talks on the Strait of Hormuz (CNBC) Iran…

“Neither side indicated what will happen after the 14-day ceasefire expires on April 22” … US and Iran End Ceasefire Talks Without Agreement and Blaming Each Other (AP) … “So far President Trump hasn’t commented on the failure of the talks…. However earlier on Saturday, Trump said ‘We win, regardless’ of the outcome of negotiations”:…

Lebanon, Hormuz, nuclear enrichment, Iran’s regional allies, and sanctions relief make the U.S.-Iran talks look iffi: The Five Big Sticking Points in US-Iran Talks (BBC) World Leaders Push to Save Iran Talks Amid Israel’s Attacks in Lebanon (NY Times) JD Vance Dispatched to Negotiate Iran Peace with Few Cards to Play (The Guardian) “The initial…

“The U.S., Israel and Iran agree that a ceasefire is now in effect, but they’re contradicting each other and themselves in terms of what’s actually been agreed to and what happens now” … Iran Ceasefire Clouded by Confusion, Contradictions (Axios) … cases-in-point: Vance: Israel Offered to Restrain Strikes in Lebanon During U.S.-Iran Talks (Axios) ‘Afraid…

Israeli/US insistence on excluding Lebanon from the cease-fire is a fragile ceasefire’s weakest link … Iran Threatens New Hostilities as Israel Pounds Lebanon (Deutsche Welle) Israel Kills Scores in Beirut as U.S. Says Lebanon Is Not Part of Iran Truce (Washington Post) Ceasefire Is Threatened as Israel Expands Lebanon Strikes and Iran Closes Strait Again…

Just under two hours before an 8 p.m. EDT deadline: U.S. and Iran Agree to 2-week Ceasefire (NPR) Trump Agrees to Ceasefire with Iran, Backs Off Threat of Sweeping Strikes (Time) How Pakistan Helped Secure a Fragile Ceasefire Between the US and Iran (BBC) Exclusive: How Iran’s Supreme Leader Reached a Truce with Trump (Axios)…

“News organizations have a First Amendment right to publish stories about matters of public importance—including stories the government would prefer to suppress” — Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University: Trump Threatens to Jail Journalists in Hunt to Find Leaker of Iran Fighter Jet Story (NBC News) “The entire…

Iran war updates: Iran’s Downing of Plane and U.S. Rescue Leave Both Sides Dangerously Emboldened (NY Times) Trump Issues a Fiery, Expletive-filled Threat Against Iran as Details of US Aviator’s Rescue Emerge (AP) ‘Unhinged Madman’: US Politicians React to Trump’s Expletive-laden Threat to Iran (The Guardian) ‘An Easter Miracle’: Trump Invokes Religious Rhetoric in Praise…

“As Christians across the globe remember Jesus’ journey through Holy Week, Israel is taking the unprecedented steps of restricting access to holy sites in Jerusalem”: Israel Is Blocking Palestinians from Easter at Church Where Jesus Resurrected (Sojourners) Iran War updates: Trump Says U.S. Military Has Rescued Airman Shot Down over Iran (NPR) Iran Says Several…