The Iranian government has been gradually expanding access to an expensive internet service available to certain professionals and business owners. But it won't fully restore the internet until the war ends, and there's no clear sign of when that will happen.
An Iranian named Babak Zanjani, who has called himself an “antisanction operator,” made $850 million in transactions on the exchange until as recently as December 2025, according to internal Binance compliance reports seen by The Wall Street Journal. That's on top of another $1.7 billion that the same network may have moved through Binance, as reported earlier by The New York Times and WSJ.
The footage lasts just three minutes. An Israeli flag flies over a position in the village of al-Bayada, in occupied southern Lebanon. One drone approaches the flagpole while another observes from above. The flag falls after the impact. The final frame displays a digitally rendered, torn Israeli flag with the words: Al-Bayada does not welcome you. The video's caption reads: Flag lowering ceremony.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky yesterday lost the Republican House primary by nearly 10 percentage points. Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein secured the victory over Massie, who is the latest Republican lawmaker to lose his seat after angering the president. This became the most expensive House primary in history, with $33 million spent on TV ads, much of it directed at Massie, according to NPR's ad-tracking partner AdImpact.
In response, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of the world’s oil flows. Predictably, oil and gas prices have soared. The national average was $4.53 for a gallon of gas, as of Thursday. Before the war, it was under $3. Collins noted to Jordan that Trump ran and won in 2024 on the issue of affordability, especially gas prices.
We have been cut off from our sources. After the authorities imposed a nationwide communications blackout, the already fragile infrastructure of reporting has all but collapsed. Even when we can make contact, we are careful; a phone search at a checkpoint could put them in danger. We cannot cross-check events through local coverage or rely on familiar verification channels. Instead, we wait for the rare, precious moments when a reliable contact inside Iran manages to get online, navigating VPNs or risking Starlink, which the authorities have criminalised.
Iran is reviewing a new U.S. proposal, with sources indicating that Washington and Tehran are nearing a one-page memorandum to end the Gulf war while deferring discussions on Iran's nuclear program.
The pulse that pushed VIX above 30 in late March has faded. President Trump paused the U.S. operation to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing 'Great Progress' toward an Iran agreement, while warning bombing would resume 'at a much higher level and intensity' if Tehran balks.
The White House believes it's getting close to an agreement with Iran on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations. The U.S. expects Iranian responses on several key points in the next 48 hours.
The IRGC stated that safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz will be ensured as the United States threats end and with new procedures in place. The announcement follows the US President's decision to pause military operations to assist stranded ships.
