Trump pressures Iran amid Strait of Hormuz tensions, calls for ‘real agreement’
President Trump is ramping up pressure on Iran as traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz slows, stressing the need for a “REAL AGREEMENT.” This Saturday, on April 11, 2026, Vice President Vance, along with advisors Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will engage in peace talks with Iran in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the administration is weighing possible repercussions for NATO allies who did not support the war effort against Iran, amid ongoing concerns about the fragile ceasefire and regional tensions in the Middle East.
In a related development, Israeli authorities have detained a 22-year-old resident of Haifa, accusing him of being part of an Iranian-backed conspiracy to assassinate a prominent Israeli official. Reports suggest the intended target of this plot was former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
The suspect, Ami Gaydarov, was taken into custody last month on charges of collaborating with an Iranian agent to acquire intelligence and construct a bomb for a terror plot against a high-ranking Israeli official. It appears Gaydarov was unaware of the exact identity of the target. A recent lifting of the gag order on his arrest has allowed Israeli media to report on the incident.
According to authorities, Gaydarov first established contact with his Iranian handler in August 2025. For his efforts, he allegedly received approximately $23,000, with most of the payment made in cryptocurrency, to execute tasks related to the assassination scheme.
It is further alleged that Gaydarov rented an apartment in downtown Haifa, which was intended to serve as a bomb-making laboratory.
Ami Gaydarov was apprehended on March 9 by Israeli police, suspected of collaborating with Iranian operatives to target a senior official. (Israeli Police)
“To facilitate the contacts with his handlers, Gaidarov purchased dedicated phones and rented an apartment in Haifa where he produced the explosive substance, while documenting his activities in videos and photos that were sent to his handler as proof of compliance,” the Israeli police force said.
In connection with the plot, Israeli authorities have also arrested three other suspects, including Sergey Leibman and Edward Shovtiuk. The fourth suspect has not been named. Authorities said indictments for the four suspects should occur in the “coming days.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance at the Prime Minister’s Office on October 22, 2025, in Jerusalem, Israel. (Nathan Howard/Pool/Getty Images)
The terror plot was uncovered as part of Israel’s “Operation Roaring Lion,” a major military campaign launched against Iran on February 28, coinciding with the start of the war with Iran.
The arrest of the four men comes as Israeli authorities have won more than 40 indictments against more than 60 defendants working on behalf of the Iranian government. Just two months ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that the citizenship of Israelis convicted of espionage for Iran be stripped of their citizenship.
Illustration shows a missile launch from Iran with the country’s flag in the background. (iStock)
Since the outbreak of the war with Iran, pro-Iranian attacks linked to radical groups have been on the rise. Just last week, French officials reported that a pro-Iran group was behind a failed bomb plot on a Bank of America office in Paris.
