Iran war prompts biggest energy crisis in history: IEA; Israeli convoy kills West Bank teen biking to school; UK universities paid to surveil student protestors
Drop Site Daily: April 21, 2026
Second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations remains uncertain. President Donald Trump refuses a ceasefire extension, says U.S. will resume attacks if there is no deal. IEA: U.S.-Israeli war on Iran causing “biggest crisis in history.” Despite ceasefire, Israel continues military activity in Lebanon. Israeli strike hits coffee shop in southern Lebanon, injuring six. Iran executes man accused of arson during January protests. Second round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks set for Thursday. Israel threatens to assassinate Hezbollah leader during ceasefire. Three Palestinians, including two children, killed in West Bank settler attacks. Palestinian security force claims strike on collaborator militia vehicles near Khan Younis. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer leaving post. Two Florida politicians face expulsion votes from Congress. Maryland poised to become first state to ban dynamic grocery pricing. Iranian-American living in California was arrested on charges of trafficking weapons to Sudan. Homeland Security is developing smart glasses to identify people in real time using biometric surveillance. Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland push EU to debate suspending trade deal with Israel. Mexico demands answers after a fatal car crash in Chihuahua includes two U.S. officials. Japan lifts ban on lethal weapons exports. Gunman kills one and injures 13 at Teotihuacan pyramids. Ethiopia’s TPLF retakes control of regional government. María Corina Machado plans return to Venezuela before year’s end. Saudi Arabia nixes Pakistan’s $1.5 billion arms deal with Sudan. Twelve British universities paid private intelligence firm to surveil pro-Palestinian students and academics, investigation finds.
From Drop Site: Iranian analyst Hassan Ahmadian speaks with Jeremy Scahill about Iran’s strategy, a potential deal, and how decisions are being made in Tehran.
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Iran and Ceasefire
Second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations uncertain: Uncertainty remains over whether a new round of talks between the U.S. and Iran will take place in Pakistan before the ceasefire agreement between the two countries is set to expire on Wednesday. An AP report citing regional officials said Tuesday morning that both sides are signaling they may attend discussions in Islamabad, with Pakistan-led mediators reportedly receiving confirmation that top negotiators, including Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, could arrive early Wednesday. However, there has been no official confirmation from either Washington or Tehran. On Tuesday, Iran’s state broadcaster wrote in a post on Telegram that “no delegation from Iran has travelled to Islamabad.”
Trump says he refuses a ceasefire extension, will resume attacks if no deal: U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not want to extend the ceasefire, which is due to expire on Wednesday. Speaking in an interview with CNBC, he said, “We don’t have that much time,” and argued that “Iran can get themselves on very good footing if they make a deal,” adding that Iranian officials have “no choice” but to negotiate. Trump was asked whether he would resume strikes if there is no progress in the coming talks in Islamabad. He responded, “Well, I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with,” adding, “But, you know, we’re ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go.”
“We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” says Iran: Iran’s chief negotiator, Ghalibaf, rejected pressure tactics on X early Tuesday, saying, “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” and warning that the Islamic Republic has been preparing “to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”
IEA: U.S.-Israeli war on Iran causing “biggest crisis in history”: The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is driving what he described as the worst energy crisis the world has ever faced, reported Reuters. Speaking to France Inter, IEA chief Fatih Birol said the situation is “the biggest crisis in history,” warning that it is already extremely severe when combined with ongoing pressures from earlier oil and gas disruptions linked to Russia. He noted that current global energy market conditions are worse than the crises of 1973, 1979, and 2022 combined. This could lead to higher oil prices, fuel shortages, disrupted flights, strained trade and economies, as well as rising global inflation.
At least 26 Iranian vessels bypass U.S. blockade: At least 26 Iranian “shadow fleet” vessels have bypassed the U.S. naval blockade of the strait of Hormuz since April 13, according to Lloyd’s List, moving in and out of Iranian ports and exporting Iranian-origin cargo. U.S. Central Command said on Monday that since the blockade began, the U.S. has directed 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port. “The blockade, which we will not take off until there is a ‘deal,’ is absolutely destroying Iran,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that the U.S. is “carrying out behaviors that do not in any way indicate seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process,” citing the U.S. attack on an Iranian cargo ship and naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran executes man accused of arson in January protests: Iran executed a man on charges of setting fire to a mosque in Tehran during the January protests and of being a leader of a network linked to Israel’s intelligence service Mossad, according to the Mizan news agency. His death sentence by hanging was carried out early Tuesday morning.
Lebanon
Casualty count: Lebanon’s Disaster Risk Management Unit said Monday that the death toll from Israeli attacks has risen to 2,387, with 7,602 people wounded.
Israel continues attacks in Lebanon despite ceasefire:
Israeli forces carried out demolitions and strikes across southern Lebanon Tuesday, including an explosion in the town of Tayr Harfa and artillery fire targeting the outskirts of Kounine in Bint Jbeil district, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Israeli troops were also reported to have blown up homes and infrastructure in multiple villages, including Beit Lif, Shamaa, al-Bayyada and Naqoura.
Israeli strike hits coffee shop in southern Lebanon, injuring six: An Israeli strike on the village of Qaaqiyet al-Jisr, near Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, injured six people Monday evening, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said. The strike hit a coffee shop and damaged a nearby vehicle, with the wounded evacuated by al-Risala Scouts ambulances, according to local correspondents.
Second round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks set for Thursday: A second round of direct Israel-Lebanon talks is scheduled for Thursday in Washington, following the first such official negotiations in over 33 years held on April 14. Lebanon’s delegation will be led by former Ambassador to the United States Simon Karam. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter will again lead Israel’s delegation. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem fiercely condemned the talks on Monday, calling them “a free concession” to Israel and the United States and urging Beirut to withdraw, arguing Lebanon cannot negotiate while under fire.
Israel threatens to assassinate Hezbollah leader during ceasefire: Israeli defense minister Israel Katz on Tuesday threatened to kill Qassem amid the 10-day ceasefire, saying he will “pay with the loss of his head.” Katz said Israeli forces would continue to “act with strength” in Lebanon, “even during the ceasefire.”
Genocide in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel
Casualty count: Over the last 24 hours, seven Palestinians were killed and 21 were injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 72,560 killed, with 172,317 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 784 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 2,214, while 761 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Israeli attacks continue in Gaza:
Three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian police checkpoint in the Al-Amal neighborhood of Khan Younis in southern Gaza Tuesday, according to WAFA.
A man was also killed in a drone strike near Sheikh Nasser in Khan Younis, while a child, Abdullah Dawas, died from wounds sustained days earlier after being shot by Israeli forces in Jabalia camp. Separately, a woman was killed by Israeli naval fire in the al-Salatin area west of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.
In Rafah, southern Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on tents sheltering displaced families, killing a pregnant woman.
In northern Gaza, several people were injured in the Fallujah area of Jabaliya, one critically. Airstrikes also hit a police position near the 17th roundabout west of Gaza City, killing and wounding several. Additional casualties were reported after a strike on a group at a major intersection in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood east of Gaza City. Five more were injured when Israeli fire targeted tents for displaced people in al-Mawasi, Rafah, in southern Gaza.
Three Palestinians, including two children, killed in West Bank settler attacks: A 16-year-old Palestinian boy, Mohammed al-Jaabari, was killed Tuesday morning after being run over by a settler’s vehicle while cycling to school north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, reported WAFA. The driver was reportedly part of a security convoy assigned to an Israeli government minister. Separately, Israeli settlers bulldozed the al-Maleh School in the northern Jordan Valley overnight and demolished nearby homes, according to local officials. In a separate incident the same day, two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old student, were killed and three others wounded by live fire during a settler attack on a boys’ school in al-Mughayyir village, east of Ramallah.
Sexual violence by Israeli settlers and soldiers is systematically driving West Bank displacement, report finds: More than 70 percent of displaced Palestinian households in the occupied West Bank cited threats of sexualized violence against women and children by Israeli settlers and soldiers as the primary reason for fleeing their communities, according to a report by the West Bank Protection Consortium, led by the Norwegian Refugee Council. Drawing on 83 in-depth interviews and 12 focus group discussions across 10 communities, researchers documented at least 16 cases of sexual violence attributed to Israeli settlers and soldiers—a figure they say substantially undercounts actual incidents, as survivors rarely come forward due to stigma, fear of retaliation, and the threat of further targeting.
Hamas confirms receiving ceasefire proposals: Hamas said in a statement Tuesday that it held several meetings in Cairo with “mediators and Palestinian factions” regarding implementing the remaining obligations of the ceasefire and preparing for a second phase “in light of President Trump’s plan.” The movement said it is committed to continuing talks to “overcome all obstacles,” adding it will present its response after further consultations within the movement’s leadership and Palestinian factions.
Palestinian security force claims strike on collaborator militia vehicles near Khan Younis: The Radi’ Resistance Security Force, a Palestinian group targeting Israeli-backed collaborators in Gaza, said Monday it struck vehicles belonging to a collaborator militia, loyal to Hossam Al-Astal, operating near the so-called Yellow Line east of Khan Younis. According to the group’s statement, forces hit the first vehicle with an anti-tank Tandem shell and opened fire on two others with light and medium weapons after monitoring them attempting to distribute cigarettes and money as cover for recruiting informants. Radi’ alleged the Israeli air force then intervened to support the militia’s withdrawal before striking the abandoned vehicle.
U.S. News
By Julian Andreone, with Ryan Grim. Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer leaving post: The White House announced that Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer would be leaving Trump’s cabinet, after a term marked by a series of scandals and investigations. The New York Post reported in January that she was under investigation for having an affair with a member of her security team and drinking in her office during work hours; she was also reportedly under investigation for using department resources to fund personal trips. That investigation was reportedly concluding, with the Secretary expected to be interviewed in the coming days. Chavez-DeRemer’s husband was also physically barred from entering the Labor Department’s offices in February, after being accused of sexually assaulting two of its staffers. Chavez-DeRemer is taking a job in the private sector.
Two Florida lawmakers face expulsion votes this week: Reps. Cory Mills—a Republican facing allegations of financial misconduct, campaign finance violations, and sexual misconduct—and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat found guilty by the Ethics Committee of funneling $5 million in Covid-19 relief funds to her congressional campaign, could become the seventh and eighth members ever expelled from Congress. Speaker Mike Johnson signaled support for a Tuesday resolution to expel Cherfilus-McCormick, while Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced a separate resolution Monday to expel Mills simultaneously. Expulsion requires a two-thirds vote of the House. As of Tuesday, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) had not called for Mills’s expulsion, telling reporters he is “waiting for” Mills’s Ethics Committee investigation to conclude. Reporter Roger Sollenberger has the background on Mills’s scandals in Congress.
Veterans protest Iran war at the Capitol; dozens arrested: Dozens of military veterans and their family members were arrested as they occupied the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Monday to protest the Iran war. Over 60 people gathered in the Capitol rotunda and unveiled banners reading “End the War on Iran” and demanded a meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson. The demonstration was organized by several veterans groups, including Veterans For Peace, About Face, the Center on Conscience and War, and Military Families Speak Out.
Maryland poised to become first state to ban dynamic grocery pricing: Maryland’s legislature has passed the Protection from Predatory Pricing Act, which would ban grocery retailers from using technology to adjust prices based on demand or individual customer data, making Maryland the first state in the country to restrict the practice. The law would take effect in October, though Consumer Reports’ director of marketplace policy raised concerns about its enforcement, noting that violators face no fines.
Iranian-American arrested on charges of trafficking weapons to Sudan: Shamim Mafi, 44, an Iranian national and U.S. lawful permanent resident living in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, was arrested Saturday at Los Angeles International Airport and charged with brokering the sale of Iranian-made drones, bombs, bomb fuses, and millions of rounds of ammunition to Sudan on behalf of Tehran. The federal indictment alleges that Mafi and an unnamed co-conspirator operated an Oman-based front company called Atlas International Business that received more than $7 million in payments in 2025, and separately brokered the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses to the Sudanese Ministry of Defense through Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Homeland Security is developing smart glasses to identify people in real time using biometric surveillance: The Department of Homeland Security is developing AI-powered smart glasses for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that would enable real-time biometric identification—including facial recognition and walking gait analysis—of individuals on federal watchlists, according to a new report from Ken Klippenstein, with prototypes expected by September 2027. A DHS attorney who spoke anonymously warned that the technology could be used against “all Americans, particularly protesters.”
Silicosis epidemic ravages Latino immigrant stoneworkers in California: California has recorded at least 536 cases of silicosis and 29 deaths among engineered stone workers—predominantly young Latino immigrants—as the lung disease, caused by inhaling silica dust released when cutting quartz-based countertop material, has emerged as a full-blown occupational epidemic in the state. Lawsuits filed on behalf of roughly 800 workers allege that manufacturers, including Caesarstone, knew their products were hazardous for years but failed to provide adequate safety warnings, with a jury awarding one 34-year-old stoneworker $52.4 million in August 2024—while manufacturers simultaneously lobby Congress to ban such suits. The disease has no cure short of a lung transplant. An investigation into this epidemic is available here, from our friends at In These Times.
Other International News
Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland push EU to debate suspending trade deal with Israel: The foreign ministers of Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland sent a joint letter Monday to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas demanding a debate on suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement at Tuesday’s foreign affairs council meeting. Amnesty International backed the push, calling on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to support the move. “The European Union can no longer remain on the sidelines,” the ministers wrote in the letter, urging “bold and immediate action” and saying all options should remain on the table.
Mexico demands answers after a fatal car crash in Chihuahua includes two U.S. officials: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she is seeking explanations from the U.S. Embassy and the state of Chihuahua after four officials—including two U.S. embassy-linked personnel, reported by journalist Luis Chaparro to be CIA—died in a car accident following an anti-narcotics operation. Sheinbaum said she was unaware of any collaboration between her government and the U.S. in the state of Chihuahua, and ordered an investigation into whether a law requiring federal authorization for collaboration with foreign agents was violated.
Japan lifts ban on lethal weapons exports: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s cabinet on Tuesday lifted a decades-old ban on exporting lethal weapons—including fighter jets, missiles, and warships—opening sales to at least 17 countries. The move comes shortly after Japan and Australia signed a $7 billion deal for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to build 11 warships for the Australian Navy. China condemned the shift, with its foreign ministry spokesperson vowing China would “firmly resist Japan’s reckless new-style militarization.” The announcement coincided with reports that Takaichi sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead, including over 1,000 convicted war criminals from the Second World War, 14 of whom were convicted of “Class A” war crimes.
Gunman kills one and injures 13 at Teotihuacan pyramids: A gunman opened fire Monday at the Teotihuacan archaeological site outside Mexico City, killing a Canadian woman and injuring at least 13 others—including Colombian, Russian, and Canadian tourists—before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Local prosecutors identified the suspected shooter as Julio César Jasso Ramírez, a Mexican national who witnesses said fired from the platform of the Pyramid of the Moon as tourists descended the steps.
Ethiopia’s TPLF retakes control of regional government: The Tigray People’s Liberation Front is reinstating the region’s suspended parliament and reclaiming control of Tigray’s government, effectively repudiating the 2022 Pretoria Agreement that ended a war in which at least 600,000 people were killed and 5 million were displaced. The TPLF accused Ethiopia’s federal government of violating the accord by provoking armed conflict within the region and withholding funds to pay civil servants.
Ukraine and Russia trade overnight strikes: Ukraine’s military intelligence unit claimed strikes on two Russian landing ships and a radar station in Sevastopol Bay in Russian-occupied Crimea, while Ukrainian drones also hit the port of Tuapse on Russia’s Black Sea coast for the second time in three days, killing at least one person and damaging transport infrastructure. Russia struck multiple Ukrainian regions overnight including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Zaporizhia, killing one person in Kherson and injuring more than a dozen across the affected areas.
María Corina Machado plans return to Venezuela before year’s end: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said Sunday she expects to return to Venezuela before the end of 2026, telling Reuters she “absolutely” sees herself back in the country soon and that she was coordinating the move with the United States. Her return would test acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who consolidated power following the January 3 capture of President Nicolás Maduro by the United States. Rodríguez said in February that Machado would have to “answer for her actions before the Venezuelan people.”
Saudi Arabia nixes Pakistan’s $1.5 billion arms deal with Sudan: Pakistan has suspended a $1.5 billion deal to supply weapons and jets to Sudan after Saudi Arabia withdrew financing and asked Islamabad to terminate the agreement, according to Reuters. One source claims that Western countries have advised Riyadh to disengage from its proxy conflicts in Africa. A separate $4 billion Pakistani arms deal with the Libyan National Army is also in jeopardy, as Saudi Arabia is reportedly “revisiting its strategy” in both countries. Read Drop Site’s report on a classified mutual defense agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
More than 550,000 Sudanese refugees have entered Libya since war began, UN says: An estimated 559,920 Sudanese refugees have entered Libya since April 2023, according to a report from the UN on Monday. Fighting in eastern Libya has increased the risk of arbitrary detention and forced return to Sudan, and Libyan migrants often have difficulty accessing the country’s healthcare. The agency warned that women, children, and persons with disabilities face heightened risk of exploitation and gender-based violence.
Twelve British universities paid private intelligence firm to surveil pro-Palestinian students and academics, investigation finds: A joint investigation by Al Jazeera and Liberty Investigates revealed Tuesday that 12 British universities—including Oxford, Imperial College London, University College London, and the London School of Economics—paid Horus Security Consultancy at least £443,000 since 2022 to monitor student protesters and academics through social media surveillance. Among those surveilled were a Palestinian-American academic invited to give a guest lecture at Manchester Metropolitan University and an LSE PhD student whose post-encampment social media activity was compiled into daily briefings sold to universities for £900 a month. The UN special rapporteur for freedom of peaceful assembly, Gina Romero, said the use of AI to harvest student data raises “profound legal concerns” and has contributed to a “state of terror” among UK student activists.
More from Drop Site
Drop Site News Latin American Bureau Chief José Luis Granados Ceja spoke with Breaking Point about his recent visit to Cuba, saying that the overwhelming sentiment shared by the Cuban population is a desire for peaceful coexistence with the United States. However, there is also an incredible determination to defend their country’s sovereignty and resist any aggression, in line with their military doctrine known as the “war of all the people.” A video of his appearance on Breaking Points is available here.
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The Interview with Dr. Hassan Ahmadian for me was a clear understanding of Iran in this war.
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