White House is expected to shake up more leadership roles at Justice Department, sources say=

By Jennifer Jacobs, Sarah N. Lynch

Updated on: April 4, 2026 /

President Trump is likely to makeleadership changes involving two more top roles at the Justice Department, sources told CBS News on Saturday.

The changes are most likely to affect Associate Attorney GeneralStanley Woodward, the No. 3 official at the Justice Department andHarmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

Senior officials have discussed promotingDhillon to one of the top department roles, whiledemoting Woodward, the sources added. It was unclear if final decisions had been made yet.

The discussions of a possible promotion for Dhillon come shortly after Mr. Trump ousted Attorney General Pam Bondiearlier this week, after frustrations that she had not aggressively pursued criminal charges against his political enemies.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on personnel matters.

Mr. Trump named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as acting attorney general earlier this week. It is unclear whether he will eventually be the permanent replacement. Other front-runners include Lee Zeldin, a former congressman who currently leads the Environmental Protection Agency, CBS previously reported.

Woodward previously served as a defense attorney representing many prominent Trump alliesin the past, including White House adviser Peter Navarro, FBI Director Kash Patel and Walt Nauta, who was charged by Special Counsel Jack Smith in the classified documents case.

He also represented Kelly Meggs, one of the Oath Keepers who was convicted for seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, before Mr. Trump later commuted his sentence.

He has come under attack from some of Mr. Trump's allies,notably far-right influencer Laura Loomer, over his wife's support for progressive causes.

TheAssociate Attorney General position oversees the Civil Rights Division, the Antitrust Division, the Civil Division, and the Environment and Natural Resources Division, as well as the department'sgrant-making offices and the trustee program.

Dhillon currently serves as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and is known as a staunch loyalist to the president.

The Civil Rights Division has undergone a major shift under Dhillon's leadership.More than 75% of its attorneys left over the past year, with most of them accepting buy-outs or early retirements, some due toconcerns over new mission statementsshe issued for the office.

Dhillon has hewed closely to Mr. Trump's policy directives, taking actions that have included launching investigations into diversity, equity and inclusion policies at universities, filing lawsuits to prohibit transgender athletes from playing on girls' and women's sports teams, and litigating against dozens of states in an effort to access unredacted copies of their voter registration lists.

She also created a new section within the division that is focused on gun rights. Last year, she upended efforts to reach consent decrees with police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville, after previous Biden-era investigations found both departments were engaged in systemic constitutional abuses.

In an open letter last year, more than 200 former Civil Rights Division attorneys alleged Dhillon was destroying the Civil Rights Division, an office created by the 1957 Civil Rights Act. The law was originally enacted to help undo discriminatory Jim Crow racial segregation and protect the voting rights of Black people.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-shake-up-more-leadership-roles-justice-department/

Eyal Yakoby

@EYakoby

BREAKING: There are unconfirmed reports that Mojtaba Khamenei was killed in the city of Qom.

9:48 PM · Apr 5, 2026

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240.1K

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https://x.com/EYakoby/status/2040969908549279815?s=20

Hardliners pile on 'traitor' Zarif, urge his arrest over call for end of war

Apr 4, 2026, 03:04 GMT+1

Iranian hardliners on Friday brandedformer foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif a “traitor” and accused him of espionage over his call to end the war, with a lawmaker urging the judiciary to arrest him along with former president Hassan Rouhani.

Hardline lawmaker Hamid Rasaei urged thejudiciary to issue what he described as a “judicial shot” to detain the two, following comments in which Rouhani called for preparations to end the war “honorably” and Zarif outlined a framework for de-escalation.

In an article published in Foreign Affairs, Zarif said Tehran should “use its upper hand not to keep fighting but to declare victory and make a deal,” warning that continued conflict would lead to “further destruction of civilian lives and infrastructure.”

He proposed that Iran could “offer to place limits on its nuclear program and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an end to all sanctions,” and called for “a comprehensive peace deal” rather than a ceasefire.

He also called for the lifting of economic sanctions and the signing of a non-aggression pact and even restoration of diplomatic ties between Iran and the United States.

Rouhani, for his part, said the country should be prepared to end the war in a way that serves national interests and the public, stressing the need to coordinate resources to prevent attacks on Persian Gulf islands and maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz. He added that preserving the country and the Islamic Republic requires immediate policy reforms.

Hardliner threatens raid on Zarif's home

Zarif became a target at several state-organized rallies across Tehran on Friday night, where his photos were torched and demonstrators held placards calling him and Rouhani “traitors” and agents of the United States, urging their execution.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202604043395

ANALYSIS.1/2

What Trump’s threat to strike Iran’s power grid could unleash

Umud Shokri: Senior visiting fellow, George Mason University

11 hours ago

Iran's Damavand power station, southeast of the capital Tehran

President Donald Trump’s threat to strike Iran’s power plants, if carried out, could trigger widespread economic disruption inside Iran while sending shockwaves through global energy markets.

Trump warned on Sunday that if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened by Tuesday, the United States could target Iran’s power plants and bridges.

Tehran has responded defiantly, warning that the Strait of Hormuz will not return to normal and signaling that it would retaliate if critical infrastructure were attacked.

Iran’s electricity system relies overwhelmingly on thermal power plants, most of them fueled by natural gas. A relatively small number of large facilities supply major urban and industrial centers, including Tehran and other key regions.

Among the most prominent facilities is the Damavand combined-cycle power plant east of Tehran, one of the country’s largest electricity producers and a key supplier to the capital’s metropolitan area.

Other large plants, including Neka on the Caspian coast and Shahid Montazeri near Isfahan, also play central roles in the national grid.

Strikes could temporarily remove large amounts of generating capacity without requiring prolonged bombing campaigns.

Inside Iran

Even limited damage to several major facilities could lead to rolling blackouts across large parts of the country.

Hospitals depend on stable power for life-support equipment and medical systems. Water pumping and treatment facilities require electricity to maintain supply, while telecommunications networks, factories and transport systems all rely on uninterrupted energy.

Iran’s economy is already under pressure from sanctions, high inflation and environmental challenges such as drought. Large-scale power disruptions could deepen these strains, affecting everything from factories to household water supplies.

Because many components used in large power plants must be imported, repairing damaged facilities could also take time, particularly under existing sanctions and trade restrictions.

Regional retaliation

Iran has signaled that it would respond proportionally if its energy infrastructure were attacked.

Regional energy systems present obvious targets. Persian Gulf oil facilities, desalination plants that supply drinking water to major cities and Israeli infrastructure could all become potential objectives in a cycle of reciprocal strikes.

Tehran could also retaliate through allied groups. Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen have both demonstrated the ability to target infrastructure and shipping routes, raising the possibility that attacks could spread beyond Iran itself.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202604065976

>>24470244

2/2

Once energy systems become targets, they become shared vulnerabilities across the region.

A dangerous precedent

Targeting power plants also raises legal and ethical questions.

Electricity systems support civilian life, even if they may also serve military needs.International humanitarian law places limits on attacks against civilian infrastructure when the harm to civilians could be disproportionate to military advantage.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that strikes on power systems can have cascading humanitarian effects, particularly in densely populated areas.

The threat to strike Iran’s electricity grid reflects a broader shift in modern conflict, where infrastructure itself increasingly becomes a tool of coercion.

While such attacks may promise short-term strategic leverage, they also risk opening a cycle of infrastructure warfare. Energy systems, water facilities, ports and communications networks could all become targets in a conflict that spreads beyond traditional military objectives.

In a region already marked by volatility, that shift could transform a localized confrontation into a broader and more unpredictable struggle in which societies themselves, rather than armies, become the pressure points of war.

Global impact

At the center of the confrontation remains the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.

Roughly 20 million barrels of oil pass through the narrow waterway each day—about a fifth of global seaborne oil trade.Any prolonged disruption could push oil prices sharply higher and ripple through global supply chains.

Insurance costs for shipping could rise, tanker traffic could fall and energy-importing economies, particularly in Asia, could face new supply shocks.

Oil prices reflected those fears at the start of the trading week, with crude jumping at market open Monday as the confrontation intensified.

Analysts warn prices could rise significantly further if the conflict escalates or if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202604065976

Iraq asks oil buyers for schedules after Iran grants Hormuz 'exemption'

10 hours ago

State Organization for Marketing of Oil has asked its customers to submit crude oil lifting schedules within 24 hours, Reuters reported citing an official document it reviewed.

The request came after media reportsthat Iran has exempted Iraq from restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

“In light of the above, and to ensure the continuity and stability of crude oil export operations, we urge your esteemed company to submit its lifting schedules within 24 hours,” SOMO said in the document dated April 5.

The notice asks companies to provide vessel nominations and contractual volumes to allow Iraqi oil exports to proceed without disruption amid the ongoing regional tensions.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202604067817

What Trump’s threat to strike Iran’s power grid could unleash

11 hours ago

President Donald Trump’s threat to strike Iran’s power plants,if carried out, could trigger widespread economic disruption inside Iran while sending shockwaves through global energy markets.

Trump warned on Sunday that if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened by Tuesday, the United States could target Iran’s power plants and bridges.

Tehran has responded defiantly, warning that the Strait of Hormuz will not return to normal and signaling that it would retaliate if critical infrastructure were attacked.

Iran’s electricity system relies overwhelmingly on thermal power plants, most of them fueled by natural gas. A relatively small number of large facilities supply major urban and industrial centers, including Tehran and other key regions.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202604061147

Iran’s UN mission accuses Trump of seeking 'endless war'

12 hours

Iran’s mission to the United Nations said comments by Donald Trump about targeting Iran’s power plants and bridges amount to “clear evidence of intent to commit war crime” and "terrorise" the civilian population.

"If the conscience of the United Nations were alive, it would not remain silent in the face of the overt and shameless threat by the war-mongering President of the United States to target civilian infrastructure," the mission said in a post on X.

"Trump seeks to drag the region into an endless war."

It urged the international community and UN member states to act immediately to prevent such attacks.

(The UN has been filled with endless stupidity!)

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202604057910

US senator warns Trump planned Iran strikes would be 'war crime'

(What about Iran’s war crimes idiot)

14 hours ago

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy accused President Donald Trump on Friday of preparing attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran that he said could constitute war crimes.

“Trump is calling reporters today to tell them he is going to commit mass war crimes next week,” Murphy wrote on X, urging Republican leaders to stop him.

He argued that bombing bridges and power plants in Iran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz and warned that advisers were encouraging Trump to target civilian sites in order to provoke unrest and potentially destabilize the regime.

Murphy also said experts on the Geneva Conventions considerbombing aimed at inducing political panic to be a war crime. Bullshit because almost all wars have done this, war panic has never be isolated. Now they are making up shit)

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202604051911

LIVE updated 4 hours ago

Pakistan-backed plan seeks ceasefire as Iran rules out temporary truce

Summary

• Pakistan has put forward a ceasefire proposal to Iran and the United States, but Tehran says it is reviewing the plan while rejecting any temporary truce that leaves the threat of renewed war in place, according to Reuters.

• US and Israel heavily bombed Tehran and other Iranian cities while Iran struck Haifa as the war entered its sixth week on Monday.

• President Donald Trump warned "all hell will reign down" on Iran if it a real to open the Strait of Hormuz was not reached by Tuesday. Tehran rejected the ultimatum.

• The foreign ministers of China and Russia called for an immediate cessation of fighting in the Middle East, arguing that aceasefire was the “fundamental way” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

(Putin ruled out ceasefire in Ukraine, because Zelensky would break the ceasefire)

• Oil prices opened higher on Monday after the Easter holiday weekend as President Donald Trump escalated pressure on Iran over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202604051911

Iran International English

@IranIntl_En

Drone strikes targeted the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq’s Kurdistan region early Monday, according to footage received by Iran International.

https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/2041056454572912797?s=20

5 hours ago

IRGC intelligence chief killed in attack, Guards say

The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intelligence organization,Major General Majid Khademi, was killed in a US-Israeli strike, according to a Guards statement carried by Fars news agency on Monday.

The statement saidKhademi had played a major role in Iran’s intelligence and security apparatus over nearly five decades.

It said funeral and burial arrangements would be announced later.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202604015564

(That’s the face of evil, directly responsible for all innocent citizens that were shot dead. Estimated amount killed over that last couple of years, it was announced on the news approximate is 78,000! I hope he enjoys the Iran hell.

22 minutes ago

Trump has not approved 45-day ceasefire idea, White House says

Trump has not approved 45-day ceasefire idea, White House says

A senior White House official told NBC Newsthat a proposed 45-day ceasefire in the Iran war was only one of several ideas under discussion and cautioned against treating it as settled.==

“It’s one of many things being discussed and POTUS has not signed off on the idea,” the official said.

Trump is scheduled to speak at the White House later in the day.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202604067622

53 minutes ago

Iran embassy in Kabul says it is ready to receive financial aid from Afghans

The Islamic Republic’s embassy in Kabul said it was ready to receivefinancial donations from Afghan citizens, saying the move came in response to what it described as repeated requests from Afghans to show support during the US-Israeli war on Iran. (Are you kidding, asking their citizens to donate to a foreign country when Iran banks have no money in the banks even for citizen. Iran is drawing they accounts)

The announcement comes amid growing attention over the reported presence inside Iran of Fatemiyoun, the Afghan Shiite militia long tiedto the Islamic Republic, as well as Zeynabiyoun andIraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces.

Images published in recent days by Iranian state media appeared to show those groups inside Iran, promptingquestions online about their role and the reason for their presence.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202604067622

Group News Reports

1 hour ago

Israel hit Iran’s biggest petrochemical site, defense minister says

Israel struck Iran’s largest petrochemical facilityin Asaluyeh on Monday, causing severeeconomic damage and taking a major share of the country’s export capacityoffline, Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

Katz said the target was acentral facility responsible for about half of Iran’s petrochemical production.

He added that the site was struck after an Israeli attack last week on Iran’s second main petrochemical facility.

According to Katz,the two sites, “which together are responsible for about 85%of Iran’s petrochemical exports, have been taken out of use and are not functioning.”

He said thedamage amounted to tens of billions of dollarsand described the petrochemical sector as a key source of funding for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards and Iran’s military buildup.

He added that continued attacks on Israeli civilians would bring deeper economic and strategic costs for Iran.

2.

1 hour ago

Utility firms hit in strike on Asaluyeh petrochemical hub - IRGC media

Utility companies supplying Iran’s Asaluyeh petrochemical hub were hit in a strike on Monday, IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News reported.

Mobin and Damavand companies, which provide electricity, water and oxygen to petrochemical plantsin the area, were targeted, according to the report, which added that the South Pars facility did not sustain any damage.

3.

2 hours ago

Continuing war is not an emotional decision, Iran military spokesman says

Thegoal of continuing the war is to push the enemy toward “real regret,” said an Iranian military spokesman on Monday, describing the approach asstrategically rationalrather than emotional.

“The aim ofcontinuing the war is to bring the enemy to a point of real regret; this may be seen by some as an emotional approach, but in fact it is entirely based on strategic rationality,” Mohammad Akraminia said.

He added that the objective was toprevent future conflicts by raising deterrence to a levelwhere the adversaries would not risk further action against Iran.

The adversaries had so far failed to achieve their objectives, while Iran had responded to threats and, in some cases, carried out reciprocal actions, he said.

2 hours ago

Drone attack targets US diplomatic site near Baghdad airport, sources say

A droneattack targeted a US diplomatic facility near Baghdadairport on Monday, with smoke seen rising from the site, Reuters reported, citing security sources.

5.

3 hours ago

Israel kills Imam Hussein Division artillery chief in Lebanon, IDF says

The Israeli military said on Monday it had killed Kamil Melhem, the artillery commander of the Imam Hussein Division, in an airstrike in Lebanon a day earlier.

The IDF said the strike on Sundayhit the division’s main fire-control headquartersand also killed several other fighters, including aides to division commander Yahya Hussein.

According to the Israeli military, Melhemoversaw artillery fire toward Israeland Israeli troops and was one of the division’s key commanders.

The military said he was also involved in weapons procurement and worked in the office of the division commander.

Israel described the Imam Hussein Division as an Iran-linked force used by the Quds Force to support theso-called Axis of Resistanceand carry out attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

The IDF said the strike had significantly weakened the division….

(https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202604067622

>>24470532

3 hours ago

Israel killed Quds Force Unit 840 commander, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israelkilled Asghar Bakri – aka Yazdan Mir or Commander Bagheri– the head of Unit 840 in Iran’s IRGC-Quds Force, in an overnight operation, according to a post on X.

Netanyahu said Bakri had been responsible for attacks targeting Jews and Israelis around the world. He also said Israel killed Majid Khademi, the head of IRGC intelligence, describing him as a senior figure who had recently taken up the post after his predecessor was killed.

“Whoever acts to murder our citizens, whoever directs terror against the State of Israel, whoever builds the Iranian axis of evil, bears responsibility for his own blood,” Netanyahu said.

He said Israel would keep operating “with strength and determination” on all fronts until the threat was removed and war goals were achieved.

7.

3 hours ago

Slain IRGC spy chief led operations against Israel, US, IDF says

Majid Khademi, the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence arm killed in Tehran on Sunday,was involved in activities against Israel, the US, and Iranian dissidents, the Israeli military said on Monday.

“Khademi worked toadvance terrorist activitiesagainst the State of Israel and against Jewish targets worldwide. He also took part in attempts to target American individuals and was responsible for monitoring Iranian civilians as part of the regime’s suppression of internal protests,” read the statement by Israel Defense Forces.

The IDF described him as a key figure in operations directed both abroad and inside Iran.

Iran has drafted its response to proposals conveyed through mediatorsand will announce it when necessary, the foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Esmaeil Baghaei saidnegotiations could not take place under threats, warning that US threatsto target infrastructure would amount to war crimes.

He added that Iran’s focus remained on defending the country amid ongoing attacks, while diplomacy continued alongside military efforts.

The foreign ministry spokesman said proposals,including a 15-point US plan relayed via Pakistanand other countries,were “excessive, unusual and unreasonable” and not acceptable to Tehran.

5 hours ago

Video: IRGC hides missile launcher in civilian tunnel in western Iran

Iran International English

@IranIntl_En

·Follow

IRGC hid a missile launcher inside a civilian tunnelon the Borujerd–Arak route in western Iran on Sunday, according to a video sent to Iran International.

The footage is one of several videos that appear to show the IRGC using civilian tunnels for military purposes.

4:19 AM · Apr 6, 2026

https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/2041068382028542126?s=20