US Treasury Secretary Says Iran's Currency Has Fallen To A Record Low
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Iran’s currency has fallen to a record low amid mounting economic pressure and the US blockage of Iranian oil exports and shipping routes.
"With their oil industry closing and their currency plummeting, it is past time for the Iranian regime to concede that the people of Iran deserve much better than the ruins of their current regime can provide," he wrote on X.
"The Iranian people deserve a new era, which the corrupt and shambolic Iranian regime cannot provide" he added.
Trump 'Not Satisfied' With 'Messed Up' Iranian Leaders' Proposal
US President Donald Trump said he is "not satisfied" with a new Iranian proposal delivered by Tehran to Pakistan, which is acting as a mediator in talks with the United States.
"They want to make a deal, but I'm not satisfied with it," Trump told journalists outside the White House hours after Iranian media reported that the Islamic republic had handed over the text of its latest peace plan to Islamabad on April 30.
The president added that Tehran seeks a peace deal "because they don't have a military left," following a joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran that began on February 28 and has been halted since a cease-fire between the United States and Iran came into effect on April 8.
"They have a tremendous problem getting along with each other in Iran. The leadership is very disjointed... They all want to make a deal, but they all are messed up," Trump said.
While the Iranian Foreign Ministry appears to continue diplomatic efforts to negotiate with Washington on key issues of the conflict, hard-line clerics and lawmakers have publicly opposed any major concessions.
14 IRGC Specialists Killed Attempting To Defuse Ordnances, Iran Media Report
Iranian media on May 1 reported that 14 members of the hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) were killed in an operation to defuse unexploded explosives in Zanjan Province.
"Following enemy air strikes using cluster bombs and aerial mines, parts of Zanjan Province, including about 1,200 hectares of agricultural land, were contaminated by bombs," reported Fars news agency, which is close to the IRGC.
The report could not independently be verified.
The Fars report said IRGC demining specialists had neutralized more than 15,000 items during the operation.
"However, today, during one of these missions, 14 of these dedicated forces were martyred and 2 were injured," it said.
Trump Claims No Need For Congressional Approval As Hostilities With Iran Have 'Terminated'
US President Donald Trump, in a political battle over his war powers, claimed that a cease-fire announced last month had officially "terminated" hostilities against Iran as part of his argument that he does need congressional approval to continue the conflict.
Trump made the claim in a letter to lawmakers on May 1 -- which was the deadline to come to Congress about the war -- saying there have been no exchanges of fire with Iran forces since the April 7 cease-fire.
"The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated," Trump said.
"We had a cease-fire, so that gives you additional time," Trump added.
At issue is the 1973 War Powers Resolution. Under the terms, a US president can wage military action for only 60 days before ending it and then asking Congress for the authority to continue.
A president can also seek a 30-day extension due to "unavoidable military necessity regarding the safety of United States Armed Forces" while withdrawing forces.
Trump formally notified Congress of the conflict 48 hours after the first US-Israeli air strikes at the end of February, starting the 60-day clock that ended on May 1.
A senior Trump administration official had said on April 30 that the Trump administration's view was that the war powers law deadline did not apply, while has Trump said he considers the law unconstitutional.
Democrats in Congress have repeatedly attempted to pass war powers legislation to force Trump to end the conflict or come to Congress for authorization.
“After 60 days of conflict, President Trump still does not have a strategy or way out for this poorly planned war," Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement labeling the May 1 deadline "a clear legal threshold" for Trump to act upon.
With reporting by Reuters
Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner Urgently Transferred To Hospital
Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was urgently transferred from prison to a hospital in northwestern Iran, her foundation said in a statement on May 1.
"Narges Mohammadi was urgently transferred to a hospital in Zanjan today following a catastrophic deterioration of her health, including two episodes of complete loss of consciousness and a severe cardiac crisis."
The Narges Mohammadi Foundation added that the development comes after 140 days of Mohammadi's "arbitrary detention and the persistent denial of specialized health care."
Speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Farda last month, Mohammadi's brother, Hamid Reza Mohammadi, said his sister's life is "in serious danger," as she was suffering from "vision problems, nausea, blood-pressure issues, and chest pain."
Mohammadi, a prominent Iranian human rights activist, has spent much of the last decade behind bars.
She was most recently arrested in December 2025, during a memorial ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
"After her arrest in Mashhad, because of blows she received to the head, she was already in bad condition," her brother said.
Iran's Internet Shutdown Means A Boon For Saffron Business In Afghanistan
Iran supplies about 90 percent of the world's saffron -- one of the most valuable agricultural products by weight.
But since Iranian authorities shut down Internet access two months ago, growers have been cut off from their usual clients in Europe and China. That has meant a windfall for Afghan saffron dealers.
US Navy Expands AI Mine-Hunting In Strait Of Hormuz
The United States Navy is ramping up artificial intelligence capabilities to detect naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.
The contract, worth up to $100 million, was awarded to San Francisco-based Domino Data Lab and is designed to accelerate the Navy’s ability to identify and respond to underwater explosives in contested waters.
President Donald Trump has said the US Navy is already clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz, warning that disruption to the waterway, which carries a large share of global oil shipments, could threaten the world economy. Sweeping for mines could take months despite a fragile cease-fire between the United States and Iran following weeks of conflict.
The new program expands Domino Data Lab’s role in the Navy’s Project AMMO (Accelerated Machine Learning for Maritime Operations), which aims to improve underwater mine detection using AI-driven analysis of sonar and visual imaging data.
According to Reuters, the system allows the Navy to train, test, and deploy machine-learning models for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), while monitoring performance and correcting errors in real time.
“Mine-hunting used to be a job for ships,” Domino Data Lab chief operating officer Thomas Robinson told Reuters. “It’s becoming a job for AI."
The contract is part of broader efforts to speed up military AI deployment. Before the program, updating detection models for new or unseen mines could take up to six months. Domino Data Lab says the process has now been reduced to days.
Iran Delivers New Negotiation Plan To Pakistan
Iran has delivered a new negotiation proposal to Pakistan, which is acting as mediator in talks with the United States.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the Islamic republic handed over the text of its latest plan on the evening of April 30, as part of efforts to end the ongoing conflict and advance diplomatic talks with Washington.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a televised interview that the “termination of war and a lasting peace” remain Tehran’s top priorities in any engagement with the United States.
While the Foreign Ministry continues diplomatic efforts, hard-line clerics and lawmakers have publicly opposed concessions on key issues, particularly the Strait of Hormuz. Senior lawmaker Mahmud Nabavian described the waterway as one of three “red lines,” alongside uranium enrichment and the removal of enriched material, that should not be included in any agreement.
IRNA did not provide details of the proposal. However, according to The Guardian, the plan is understood to focus on ending hostilities and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while postponing detailed negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program to a later stage.
Asked by RFE/RL about the matter later on May 1, the White House said it would not disclose details of "private diplomatic conversations" but added that US President Donald Trump "has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon" and that "negotiations continue to ensure the short and long-term national security of the United States."
The development comes after Trump rejected Iran’s previous proposal, which called for ending hostilities and reopening the Strait of Hormuz without linking it to nuclear negotiations. Iranian officials subsequently said they would submit a revised text.
Earlier this week, Trump urged Tehran to “act wisely as soon as possible” and sign a deal. US officials have said military options remain on the table if a deal is not reached, while Israel has also signaled it would support renewed strikes should Iran’s nuclear program continue unchecked.
Iran Executes 21-Year-Old Karate Champion Over January Protests
Iran has reportedly executed a 21-year-old protester arrested during demonstrations earlier this year.
Mizan News Agency, the official media arm of Iran’s judiciary, reported that Sasan Azadvar, a karate champion, was executed on April 30 after being convicted of “moharebeh” (enmity against God) over his role in protests in the central city of Isfahan.
Mizan reported that Azadvar was accused of attacking police, damaging a security vehicle, attempting to set it on fire, and inciting unrest during the January protests.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights said Azadvar was executed at Isfahan's central prison.
The rights group said his conviction relied in part on forced confessions and that his family had been summoned for a final visit days before the execution.
RFE/RL can not independently confirm details about Azadvar's trial or whether he has been executed.
Iran Human Rights said he was the 10th protester executed in connection with demonstrations that began in December 2025 and continued into January.
At least 43 remain at risk of execution, Iran Human Rights said, including two women and three individuals under 18 at the time of their arrest.
Human rights groups have warned that Iran has ramped up executions since the nationwide protests and are using the death penalty to instill fear in society.
UAE Official Rejects Iranian Control Of Strait Of Hormuz
UAE diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash rejected Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, advocating for an international, law-based guarantee to ensure maritime security in the post-conflict region.
In a post on X on May 1, Gargash said: “the collective international will and provisions of international law emerge as the primary guarantor of freedom of navigation through this vital passage, serving the stability of the region and the global economy in the postwar phase.”
He added: “no unilateral Iranian arrangements can be trusted or relied upon following its treacherous aggression against all its neighbors.”
In recent days, Iranian officials have reiterated Tehran's intention to control the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy chokepoint. Nearly all of the UAE’s LNG exports, along with the majority of its crude oil exports, traditionally pass through the strait. Roughly 12–13 percent of the oil flowing through it originates from the UAE, according to energy transport data.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to most international shipping, while the US Navy is stopping Iranian ships entering or exiting Iranian ports.
Gulf states have increasingly called for internationally backed maritime protection arrangements, arguing that unilateral control or interference by any single regional actor would threaten global energy stability.
Gargash’s remarks come against the backdrop of UN Security Council Resolution 2817, adopted in March and co-sponsored by 136 countries, which condemned threats to close the Strait of Hormuz and affirmed that impeding freedom of navigation through the waterway constitutes a threat to international peace and security.
US Legal Showdown Over War Powers Deadline
The US-Iran temporary cease-fire is triggering a major legal dispute in Washington as a key War Powers Resolution deadline looms.
According to Reuters, the Trump administration said the halt in fighting over the past several weeks means the conflict no longer counts as “active hostilities” under the War Powers Resolution. The law generally requires a president to seek approval from Congress after 60 days of military action.
The conflict began on February 28 with US and Israeli air strikes on Iran, followed by strikes from Tehran. While the cease-fire has largely held, Democrats in Congress argue that the law does not allow the administration to pause the timeline because of a truce.
The White House, however, maintains that the absence of ongoing fighting effectively stops the clock, reducing the need for immediate congressional action. With Republicans holding narrow majorities in Congress, no resolution is expected before the deadline.