First, links to ELEVEN-plus reports, analyses, commentaries and interviews (14 or more): from the Associated Press, Reuters, Al Jazeera, the Cradle, Informed Comment, ScheerPost, National Public Radio, Z Network, Truthout, Consortium News, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials as highlighted. (Scroll down for IRAN 4-27-26 and today’s LEBANON so far.) — MCM

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Israel’s strikes and Trump’s blockade have battered Iran’s economy, by Amir-Hussein Radjy, Lee Keath and Sarah El Deeb | AP  CAIRO — Over more than five weeks of bombardment, U.S. and Israeli strikes hit thousands of factories. The damage is reverberating across Iran’s economy, threatening increasing waves of layoffs, even as Iranians face skyrocketing prices. READ MORE . . .

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UAE leaves OPEC and OPEC+ in major blow to global oil producers’ group, by Maha El Dahan | Reuters  DUBAI — The action by United Arab Emirates deals a heavy blow to the oil exporting groups ‌and their de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, at a time when the Iran war has ‌caused a historic energy shock and unsettled the global economy. It could create disarray ​and weaken the group, which has usually sought to show a united front despite internal disagreements. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE and HERE for report from Al Jazeera and the Cradle.

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Putin to Iran: You are fighting courageously for independence and sovereignty, by Juan Cole | Informed Comment / ScheerPost  Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg for 90 minutes as part of his attempt to widen the grounds of diplomacy toward ending the war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28. READ MORE . . .

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Turkish naval strategist warns U.S. blockade risks global economic collapse, by Ceyda Karan | The Cradle  Last year, retired Rear Admiral Cem Gurdeniz — architect of the “Blue Homeland” doctrine — warned the Cradle that NATO had become a hollow alliance and that Turkiye’s future lay in a sovereign Eurasian alignment. Today, as Washington-backed escalation against Iran spirals into a global economic and military crisis, his warnings . . . READ MORE . . .

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Ceasefire in south Lebanon fraying as U.S.-Iran talks stall. Kat Lonsdorf and Steve Inskeep of NPR talks about it. Click HERE to listen and, later, read; and HERE for link to other Iran war-related reports today on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

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