US to step up role in efforts to disarm Hezbollah - report
The United States plans to play a more active role in efforts to disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon, a senior Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
The official said the administration of US President Donald Trump intends to support Lebanese government efforts to curb Hezbollah’s military capabilities and is prepared to use American resources to achieve that goal.
“Trump wants this to happen, so this time the US will be far more involved,” the official was quoted as saying.
Iran’s Quds Force commander Esmail Qa’ani said Hezbollah has emerged as the “victor” in the confrontation with Israel, commenting after US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon earlier on Thursday.
“People in Lebanon and the region know that the victor in this decisive battle is the heroic Hezbollah,” Qa’ani said in a message carried by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
Qa’ani said that if a ceasefire takes place, it would be the result of “the steadfast resistance of Lebanon and the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
US officials have told European allies that some previously contracted weapons deliveries may be delayed as the Iran war continues to draw on American weapons stocks, Reuters reported citing three sources familiar with the matter.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because the communications were not public, said several European countries could be affected, including nations in the Baltic region and Scandinavia.
Some of the weapons were purchased through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program but have not yet been delivered, the sources said.
US immigration authorities have arrested an Iranian national accused of lying about past ties to a paramilitary organization linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Iran International.
Homeland Security Investigations agents, working with the FBI, arrested Yousof Sadat Azizi on April 13 on charges related to alleged fraud and misrepresentation in his visa application, a DHS spokesperson said.
Authorities said Azizi had denied being a member of Iran’s Student Basij Organization when applying for a US visa, despite allegedly belonging to the group between 2006 and 2010. The Basij is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which the United States has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
According to DHS, Azizi entered the United States in September 2013 on a student visa and studied at the University of Michigan before transferring to Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Officials said his student visa status was later terminated after he failed to re-enroll for the Fall 2025 semester.
Azizi is currently being held in immigration detention pending a hearing before an immigration judge, the statement said.
“There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here,” the DHS spokesperson said.
The arrest comes amid heightened scrutiny of Iranian nationals in the United States following the recent war between Iran and Israel and rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Several other cases involving individuals linked to prominent Iranian political figures have also drawn attention in recent weeks.
Among them was the arrest of the son of former Iranian vice president Masoumeh Ebtekar, who was detained in the United States along with his wife and child.
In a statement on Saturday the State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had terminated the green card status of Seyed Eissa Hashemi, Maryam Tahmasebi and their son, who were placed in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending removal.
Rubio had earlier terminated the lawful permanent resident status of the niece and grandniece of former IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani, leading to their arrest by federal agents earlier this month.
The State Department said Hamideh Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pending removal from the United States.
The department alleged that Soleimani Afshar had publicly supported Iran’s government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps while living in the United States, including through social media posts praising attacks on US forces and promoting regime messaging.
“The Trump Administration will not allow our country to become a home for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes,” Rubio said in a statement.
The cases have circulated widely on Iranian social media and Persian-language media, where they have been cited by critics of Washington as evidence of increased pressure on Iranians abroad.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel has agreed to a temporary 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon to allow time for US President Donald Trump’s initiative to forge a peace deal between Israel and Lebanon.
In a video statement, Netanyahu said any agreement would need to include the dismantling of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
He also said Trump had assured him that the United States would continue enforcing the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and pursue efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
An attempted attack near the London studios of Iran International has heightened concerns over what the broadcaster says is a growing campaign of intimidation targeting its staff.
A suspicious vehicle was denied entry at the main entrance of its site on the evening of April 15. Shortly afterward, incendiary devices were thrown into the car park of a neighboring building just meters from its studios.
“Our security team responded immediately, and the police and fire brigade arrived shortly afterwards. We are grateful to them for their swift response,” Iran International’s editorial board said in a statement.
London’s Metropolitan Police said on April 16 that three people aged 16, 19 and 21 had been arrested after an ignited container was thrown toward Iran International’s offices in north-west London. The container landed in a car park without causing damage or injury.
Police said the case is not currently being treated as terrorism but is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing London.
The incident comes amid a sharp increase in threats and pressure directed at Iran International journalists and their families, particularly following the recent war involving Iran.
“In recent months, particularly following the recent military operation in Iran, there has been a marked increase in harassment targeting the relatives of Iran International journalists inside Iran,” the statement said.
Security agents have raided the homes of the parents and close relatives of several journalists, questioning them and confiscating phones and other electronic devices.
The intimidation campaign has intensified at a time when Iran has imposed sweeping internet shutdowns across the country. The current near-total blackout has lasted more than six weeks, making it the longest nationwide shutdown on record.
Iran’s IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency recently reported that prosecutors ordered the seizure of assets and freezing of bank accounts belonging to more than 100 individuals, including 63 journalists working for Iran International.
State media in Iran have also broadcast repeated threats against the channel, including calls for the network to be targeted by missiles.
“These actions amount to a campaign of transnational intimidation aimed at silencing independent journalism,” Iran International said.
In May 2024, United Nations experts warned that threats and violence against Iran International formed part of a broader pattern of repression targeting Persian-language journalists working abroad.
The channel temporarily relocated its operations from London to Washington in February 2023 following intelligence warnings of state-backed threats.
In March 2024, one of its presenters was stabbed outside his London home in an attack investigated by counter-terrorism police.
Iran International’s editorial board said the latest incident underscores the risks faced by journalists reporting on Iran from abroad.
“Journalists must not be threatened or attacked, and their families must not be used as a means of pressure,” the broadcaster said. “Such actions constitute an attack on individual safety, press freedom, and the public’s right to know.”
