Iran principlists call for ships to be seized in Straight of Hormuz: Press review
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Thu, 04/23/2026 - 11:51
Meanwhile, BBC Persian faces criticism over alleged pro-Pahlavi bias and a seven-year-old killed in the Minab school strike brings focus to child victims of war
A video screen capture said to show the Iranian seizure of the container ships MSC Francesca and Epaminondas in the Strait of Hormuz, broadcast on Iranian state TV on 22 April 2026 (IRIB/Handout via Reuters)
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Principlists urge Hormuz closures, ship seizures to counter US pressure
With the US imposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, the conservative Kayhan daily and some members of parliament have called for seizing foreign ships in the Strait of Hormuz and demanding that Yemen’s Houthis close the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
On Wednesday, hours after US President Donald Trump announced a unilateral extension of a ceasefire in attacks on Iran, Kayhan published its front-page headline “The response to the US naval blockade is to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait,” with an editorial by its editor-in-chief, Hossein Shariatmadari.
Shariatmadari, a figure close to late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) should continue enforcing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
He also called for compensation for war damages from the US and Israel through the seizure of cargo from ships.
“Given the inaction of the UN Security Council and the UN’s obvious dependence on the arrogant powers, it is our legal right to receive the amount of compensation demanded through spoils,” Shariatmadari wrote.
“We should seize US-owned ships currently in the Strait of Hormuz and confiscate US-owned oil and goods transported by non-US ships as compensation,” he added.
At the same time, principlist lawmaker Seyyed Mahmoud Nabavyan dismissed any link between the US naval blockade and ongoing negotiations, calling talks with the US “pure damage”.
“Lifting the naval blockade is our right, and anyway, we will make it happen by force. This has nothing to do with negotiations,” he said.
On Wednesday, the IRGC attacked three vessels and seized two attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
BBC Persian accused of pro-monarchist bias
BBC Persian has come under growing criticism in recent months over allegations that its coverage favours supporters of Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s deposed Shah.
Reza Pahlavi’s supporters in Iran are turning against him
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Critics argue that the TV channel and its digital platforms have given disproportionate visibility to monarchist voices, who have openly supported the US-Israeli war on Iran.
The criticism intensified last week after media researcher Mazdak Azar released findings from a study examining BBC Persian’s coverage of the January protests in Iran, which were met with a deadly establishment crackdown.
Azar analysed around 4,500 videos shared on Persian-language social media during the protests, finding that 17 per cent included pro-Pahlavi slogans. In comparison, nearly 30 per cent of protest-related videos aired by BBC Persian featured such messaging.
He noted the study was limited to social media content, but stressed that some BBC Persian TV analytical and news programmes have framed Pahlavi as a “leading figure” in the protests.
After the 2025 June 12-day war, Haaretz reported that the government of Benjamin Netanyahu backed a campaign using fake Persian-language accounts to amplify perceptions of Pahlavi’s popularity among Iranians.
Israel’s killing of senior diplomats raises questions over motive
The assassinations of Ali Larijani and Kamal Kharrazi, two senior figures within Iran’s ruling establishment, have raised questions about Israel’s motives during the recent war.
Larijani was a key figure in Iran’s national security apparatus and previously led negotiations on the country’s nuclear programme. Kharrazi, who served as foreign minister from 1997 to 2005, later remained influential as a senior foreign policy adviser to the former supreme leader.
Ali Larijani: What does the death of philosopher security chief mean for Iran?
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In a report, the Etemad daily highlighted their roles in past Iran-US negotiations and the potential influence they could have had in ongoing talks.
The newspaper said Israel may have sought to weaken Iran’s negotiating position by targeting figures it described as “diplomatic strategists,” aiming to reduce the chances of any future agreement between Tehran and Washington.
“Beyond their organisational positions, they were symbols of ‘wise conservatism’ and ‘strategic realism,’” Etemad wrote. It described Larijani as a “bridge” capable of translating the government’s positions into language more accessible to the West.
Kharrazi, the report added, acted as a “compass” in foreign policy, a trusted adviser whose approval was key in any move toward negotiations.
Etemad concluded that the killings were intended to target what it described as the “think tank” behind future Iran-US negotiations.
Makan Nasiri becomes symbol of school strike
Seven-year-old Makan Nasiri, killed on the first day of the war in a US double-tap strike on the Shajarah Tayyiba school in Minab, has become a symbol of the students who died in the attack.
Due to the intensity of the strike, in some cases, only parts of bodies were recovered from the rubble. Makan was the only victim from whom no remains were found; only one shoe and pieces of his blue sweater were recovered.
In a report by the Sharq daily, Makan’s mother described the hours spent searching through the debris.
“Many were under the rubble, but not a single child came out alive. We were there from 11:30am to 2:30am the next day. Everyone who was pulled out was dead… most were in pieces,” she said.
According to figures published by Sharq, 156 people were killed in the attack, including 120 students, along with 26 female teachers, seven parents, a school bus driver, a clinic worker, and a six-month-old unborn child.
Meanwhile, Persian-language media also shared a video showing moments from Makan’s life with his family.
*Iranian press review is a digest of news reports not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.
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