There are those who still have the optimistic (or Pollyannic?) belief that Iran views the “ceasefire negotiations” as a movement towards a lasting peace between the Islamic regime of Iran and the West. But new satellite images were released on Wednesday morning that show Iran using heavy equipment to dig out missile launchers that were trapped in tunnels as a result of the rest of the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. In other words, they are using this time to rearm.
CENTCOM announced on Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz is fully blockaded, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the U.S. blocked Chinese tankers carrying Iranian oil. Iranian media reports that Iran will use alternative ports to bypass the American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and also that at least one Iranian tanker with 2 million barrels of crude oil “entered Iranian waters without any concealment and with its navigation system active, and crossed the open sea and the Strait of Hormuz.”
Israel, Lebanon, and the U.S. seemed to have made some progress in the first series of talks about creating peace for both Israel and Lebanon. Under the guidance of Marco Rubio, there was productive dialogue, and a time and place for more detailed discussions is being planned.
President Donald Trump said in an interview on Tuesday with ABC that he is not thinking about extending the ceasefire. Israelis are questioning “what ceasefire”, as Iranian proxies continue to attack Israel, including over 40 rockets launched at Israel by Hezbollah on Tuesday. Eitan Davidi, chairman of Moshav Margaliot, expressed the feelings of most Israelis in a Wednesday interview with Ynet. “Everyone knows the negotiations won’t succeed, and everyone is lying to everyone.”
It is good to be optimistic, and equally important to be honest, especially when dealing with a regime that has demonstrated evil and duplicity for 47 years.
Or to quote an Islamic folk saying, “Trust in Allah, and tether your camel”.
May we always be optimistic, but not deceive ourselves by relying on hopes and ignoring the nature, values, and historical practices of the Islamic regime.
Chazak u’Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
April 15, 2027
28th of Nisan, 5786
13th Day of the Omer
The Associated Press, Bloomberg, and multiple other news outlets reported on Wednesday that the Iran-U.S. ceasefire truce would be extended two weeks after the current deadline of April 22. But then White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt announced the exact opposite about the reports from AP, Bloomberg, et al. “These reports are incorrect. The talks on a second round of discussions are productive and ongoing. It is likely that an additional round of talks will be held in Islamabad.” And yet, Israeli sources are preparing for at least an extended week of ceasefire, and the process of Iran rearming during that ceasefire time.
And while these “talks” are being planned, Iranian officials continue to make threats and escalate the rhetoric. Senior Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei was clear in his tone and intentions on Tuesday. “The war has not ended, and the enemy is trying to sow discord.” He threatened the U.S. that “our missiles will sink your ships,” said he opposes extending the ceasefire and even said that it would be “good” if the American military launches a ground invasion: “We will take thousands of hostages, and then we will get a billion dollars for each one of them.”
This is their military strategy: take hostages. Really think about all the implications in that statement. We each need to be honest about the implications of what Rezai is saying, and about what it says about how Iran and its proxies are already thinking towards future conflict with the U.S.
Here at home, there was also concerning news coming out of Washington DC, where Sen. Bernie Sanders led a bill trying to prevent U.S. support for Israel. 40 Democrats supported betraying Israel, and 59 Senators, including all Republicans and a few Democrats like Schumer, chose to still side with America’s greatest ally, defeating Sanders.
The concern throughout Israel has to do with what Iran may be doing during this “ceasefire”: rearming, rebuilding, and restrategizing.
Let us all pray that the Holy One leads us away from the evil qualities of the Iranian regime into a time of true peace.
Chazak u’Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
April 16, 2026
29th of Nisan, 5786
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