US naval blockade plan shows lack of strategy, Iran MP says

Saudi Arabia’s crude oil sales to China are set to halve in May as the war in the Middle East disrupts flows and pushes up prices, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing traders familiar with the matter.

The world’s biggest oil exporter is expected to ship about 20 million barrels to its customers in China next month.

That compares with roughly 40 million barrels allocated for loading in April.

The traders said the lower volumes reflected market disruption linked to the regional conflict, which has affected supply routes and lifted crude prices.

The figure marked a 68% increase from the 975 executions recorded in 2024, according to a joint annual report by Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty.

If the Islamic Republic “survives the current crisis, there is a serious risk that executions will be used even more extensively as a tool of oppression and repression,” read the report.

The report said 48 women were among those executed.

The two groups said the sharp rise pointed to a broader use of the death penalty as a tool of intimidation.

Japan was closely watching developments between the United States and Iran, diplomatic efforts by related countries, and situation around the Strait of Hormuz, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said on Monday.

“The most important thing is that the situation is actually calmed down,” Kihara told a news conference, and voiced hope that diplomacy would lead to an agreement.

Asked whether Japan could take part in operations such as clearing sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Kihara said no decision had been made on any deployment forces.

Concern is growing over the whereabouts of Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh 12 days after her arrest, the human rights website HRANA reported.

According to the report, Sotoudeh has had only one brief phone call with her family during this period. In the call, she said she had been detained by agents of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry but did not disclose where she was being held.

HRANA said Sotoudeh’s family has contacted judicial and security authorities to seek information about her situation but were reportedly told that her name is not registered in any judicial authority.

Recent negotiations between US and Iranian envoys produced some progress in establishing goodwill and gave Washington a clearer understanding of Tehran’s negotiating posture, the Washington Post reported citing US officials.

The sources said the talks helped build a measure of rapport with Iranian counterparts despite the failure to reach a deal.

That experience has led President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance to believe Iran may still eventually accept US terms to end the war, according to the report.

The post cited one US official as saying that Vance concluded after many hours of negotiation that Tehran believed it held more leverage than Washington thinks is justified by the realities on the ground.