The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
Week commencing 1st May 2026
The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
Week commencing 1st May 2026
The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
Iranian air-defences are on red alert as Trump mouths off his usual threats and Brent crude tops $100 on the spot oil market amid fears that a new round of all-out fighting is imminent in the Middle East. The cease-fire in Lebanon has collapsed as Israeli troops battle to extend their control of their northern borderlands and create a new ‘buffer zone’ on Lebanese territory. And in a renewed call for peace, UN chief António Guterres warns that the consequences of the war in Iran and regional instability are growing “dramatically worse with each passing hour”.
Two months into the American-Israeli war on Iran and the Persian Gulf remains closed. The Trump truce has halted the war in the air for the moment but the double-blockade of the Persian Gulf continues. The struggle between Iranian patrol boats and American warships for control of the Strait of Hormuz that is choking-off over 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas supplies has sent global energy prices surging and heightened concerns about the risks of a new world wide slump.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian says the Ameri can blockade of Iranian ports amounts to an “extension of military operations” by Washington and is “intolerable”. Trump says “we might need” to resume fighting adding that “nobody knows what the talks are except myself and a couple of other people”. And unusually for Trump, he’s actually telling the truth this time.
Although the second round of peace talks in Pakistan collapsed before they even took place, secret exchanges between the Americans and the Iranians continue through the good offices of Pakistani mediators. But it’s clear from leaks to the Arab media that the stumbling blocks that led to the break-down in negotiations are entirely down to the Americans who are insisting that the Iranians abandon their nuclear research programme before any talk about lifting the crippling sanctions regime on the Islamic Republic can begin.
Meanwhile, Israeli naval forces have seized Gaza aid flotilla ships in international waters off the coast of Crete. Some 20 small vessels, part of the Sumud Aid Flotilla, were stopped and boarded by Israeli marines last week. The flotilla set sail two weeks ago, with a total of 58 vessels joining from Spain, France and Italy, aiming to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. The remaining 36 boats remain close to Crete’s southern coast. The Israeli raid was naturally backed by the USA, which dismissed the aid flotilla as a “meaningless political stunt”.
Flotilla organisers said the seizure of the aid ships, and the detention of 175 campaigners on board, reflects an expansion of £1.50 the “policy of impunity” enjoyed by Israel. “This is an act of piracy and illegal detention on the high seas,” the Global Sumud Flotilla said. “The incident demonstrates that occupation forces can operate with total impunity, far beyond their borders, and without facing any consequences.” Most of the activists have now been released but two were taken to Israel for further questioning.
The Global Sumud Flotilla was established with the goal of breaking the blockade on the Gaza Strip, delivering aid to its residents and raising global awareness of the catastrophic humanitarian situation under Israeli occupation.