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April 9

International relations

British prime minister Keir Starmer visits Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates during a trip to several Gulf Arab states to discuss the regional situation.
Source: The Peninsula Qatar external link
Indian oil and gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri visits Qatar to discuss the prioritization of energy exports, as the country is India's largest supplier of liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas.
Source: Reuters external link
Source: AA external link

Armed conflicts and attacks

After pressure from the United States, Israel agrees to hold direct talks with Lebanon in Washington, D.C., but refuses to observe the Iran war ceasefire in Lebanon.
Source: AA external link
Source: Times of Israel external link
The Bahraini military intercepts seven drones from Iran.
Source: AA external link
The Kuwaiti military reports that drones attacked several vital facilities and caused significant damage to a national guard base.
Source: AA external link
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announces alternative routes for ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, citing risks of sea mines in the main shipping channel.
Source: AFP via Arab News external link
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company CEO Sultan Al Jaber says that the strait is still not open because Iran is restricting and controlling traffic.
Source: CNBC external link
Gabon-flagged oil tanker MSG crosses the Strait of Hormuz according to MarineTraffic, making it the first non-Iranian oil tanker to cross the waterway since the ceasefire was announced.
Source: Gulf Today external link
Former Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi dies from injuries sustained during a April 1 airstrike on his home carried by the United States and Israel.
Source: Ynet external link
Hezbollah launches rockets at the Israeli kibbutz of Manara in response to Israeli and American violations of the ceasefire linked to the Iran war.
Source: AFP via ABS-CBN News external link
At least seven people are killed by a wave of Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling across Lebanon.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
The Israeli military says that it has killed Lebanese Resistance Brigades commanders Maher Qassem Hamdan and Ali Yusuf Harshi, personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem.
Source: Reuters external link
Hezbollah says that its fighters are engaged in "point-blank clashes" with Israeli troops in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon.
Source: Al Arabiya external link
Lebanese authorities update the losses from the previous day's attacks to 303 killed and 1,150 injured.
Source: AA external link
In an emergency conference, British defence secretary John Healey says Russian Navy submarines have launched military action against the UK in the North Sea near its undersea cables and says counter-measures are underway.
Source: BBC News external link

Arts and culture

The Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall, and other holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem reopen for the first time since the war with Iran started on February 28 after being closed by authorities due to security concerns.
Source: The Times of Israel external link

Disasters and accidents

Four people are killed and 38 are rescued after an inflatable dinghy of migrants capsized near Calais, off the coast of Northern France.
Source: Reuters external link

Science and technology

Isar Aerospace's "Onward and Upward" mission, which had been due to launch from Andøya Space port in Andøya, Norway, is postponed for a third time due to a possible leak, to be rescheduled at a later date.
Source: NRK external link
The Korean Central News Agency reports that North Korea has tested various military technologies throughout the week, including a surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile identified as Hwasongpho-11 Ka.
Source: Yonhap News Agency external link

Politics and elections

The Supreme Court of Russia designates the human rights group Memorial as an extremist organization and bans its activities following a petition by the Ministry of Justice.
Source: Laredo Morning Times external link

Business and economy

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announces plans to allocate €5 billion to support economies affected by the Iran war, focusing on financial systems, businesses, and infrastructure in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Source: Reuters via London South East external link
Gulf Air, the flag carrier of Bahrain, announces a plan to return its operations hub to Bahrain International Airport after having relocated to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, during the Iran war.
Source: Aerospace Global News external link
Oil prices rebound amidst concerns about the ceasefire, with U.S. and Brent Crude back up to nearly $100 per barrel.
Source: NBC News external link
Saudi Arabia reports that the recent Iranian attack on a pumping station of the East–West Crude Oil Pipeline reduced its throughput by 700,000 barrels per day.
Source: CNBC external link
The OECD reports that official development assistance from its member states declined by 23.1 percent in real terms to US$174.3 billion, marking the largest recorded annual decrease, with the reduction largely driven by cuts from the United States.
Source: AFP via Indo Premier external link

April 8

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi confirms the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States, which includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The ceasefire is ratified by the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
Source: Khaleej Times external link
The SNSC announces that negotiations between Iran and the U.S. will start on Friday in Islamabad, Pakistan, with the U.S. contingent to be led by vice president JD Vance alongside senior presidential adviser Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Source: Middle East Eye external link
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. president Donald Trump both claim that the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, despite contrary statements from both Iran and Pakistan on their versions of the ceasefire agreement.
Source: The New York Times external link
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt states that Netanyahu and Trump will continue discussions on potentially including Lebanon in a ceasefire arrangement.
Source: AFP via Aaj News external link
After the announcement, an Israeli military spokesperson states that Israel is still launching attacks on Iran.
Source: CNN external link
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian says the ceasefire with Israel and the U.S. has been violated as a result of the bombings of Iranian islands and Lebanon. Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf later echoes the remarks, citing the attacks as well as the "denial of Iran to enrich uranium."
Source: G1 external link
The Bahraini military intercepts six missiles and 31 drones.
Source: Yemen Online external link
Kuwait's interior ministry reports fires at several oil facilities, power plants, and desalination plants after an Iranian drone attack.
Source: Middle East Eye external link
The Qatari military intercepts seven ballistic missiles and multiple drones.
Source: DPA via Yahoo News external link
Saudi Arabia's East–West Crude Oil Pipeline is hit in an Iranian attack.
Source: Reuters external link
The Emirati military intercepts 17 ballistic missiles and 35 drones.
Source: The National external link
After the announcement of a ceasefire and Israeli violations of the terms, Iran launches ballistic missiles at Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Source: CNN external link
Iranian agencies report explosions from the Lavan and Sirri islands of unknown origin. Iran accuses Kuwait and the UAE of the attacks and launches retaliatory attacks against those countries in response.
Source: Wanaen external link
Thailand confirms the three crewmen on a vessel that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz in March have died.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
MarineTraffic reports the first ships that have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire announcement, namely the Greek-owned bulk carrier and Liberia-flagged .
Source: Euronews external link
Iran closes Strait of Hormuz maritime traffic to oil tankers over Israeli attacks in Lebanon, claiming that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire.
Source: Forbes external link
Bahrain, Iraq, and Syria reopen their airspace after weeks of closure. The Damascus International Airport and the Bahrain International Airport begin resuming flights.
Source: AA external link
At least 254 people are killed and 1,165 others are injured in a wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon, including in southern Lebanon, Beirut, and the Bekaa Valley.
Source: BBC News external link
The IDF announces that its strikes in Lebanon are one part of a new operation it is calling "Eternal Darkness".
Source: Ynet external link
The Israeli military says that it has halted strikes against Iran, but state that they will continue fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Source: The Times of Israel external link
The Lebanese army closes a bridge in the Tyre District after receiving a warning of a possible Israeli strike on the structure. The bridge is the last crossing linking areas north and south of the Litani River in the area, where many residents remain despite evacuation notices.
Source: The Times of Israel external link
An Israeli airstrike in Sheikh Ijlin, Gaza City, Palestine, kills two people, including Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Wishah.
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer external link
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning says that Afghanistan and Pakistan has agreed on a comprehensive plan to end tensions after seven days of talks in Ürümqi, China. The two countries also agree to avoid any escalations in their current conflict.
Source: Reuters external link

Law and crime

Turkish police arrest 198 suspects across 34 provinces in operations targeting the Islamic State following a fatal shootout outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7. Several suspects are placed in pre-trial detention as part of the investigation.
Source: AFP via Yahoo News external link
Rex Heuermann admits in court to killing eight women and discarding their bodies between 1993 and 2010 in New York, United States. Heuermann is expected to receive a sentence of life in prison without parole when he is sentenced on June 17.
Source: NBC News external link
A U.S. court sentences Jasveen Sangha to 15 years in prison for distributing ketamine that resulted in the death of actor Matthew Perry in 2023, as part of a wider investigation into a network supplying controlled substances. Authorities also charge and sentence other individuals, including medical professionals, in connection with the distribution of the drug.
Source: AFP via France 24 external link

Business and economy

U.S. president Donald Trump threatens to impose 50% tariffs on countries that supply military weapons to Iran.
Source: CNBC external link
Danish shipping company Maersk says that they will take a "cautious approach" for vessels to cross the Strait of Hormuz despite the ceasefire and says that they have not provided security certainty as to when normal operations would resume.
Source: Reuters external link
German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd says that it still does not plan to resume transiting the Strait of Hormuz despite the two-week ceasefire. They also say that it would need 6–8 weeks for recovery and for normal operations to resume.
Source: Reuters external link
Oil prices plunge below US$95 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average surges past 1,000 after the ceasefire announcement.
Source: AP external link

Politics and elections

Anti-war protesters gather outside the U.S. embassy in Ottawa, Canada, to protest against the Iran war, the war in Lebanon, and the Gaza Genocide.
Source: CTV News external link

International relations

Belarus plans to open an embassy in North Korea by August 1 after president Alexander Lukashenko visited the country in March following a decree signed by prime minister Alexander Turchin.
Source: Caliber.az external link

April 7

Armed conflicts and attacks

United States president Donald Trump announces on his Truth Social that, based on conversations with Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and field marshal Asim Munir, he has agreed to "suspend the bombing and attacks on Iran for a period of two weeks", subject to Iran agreeing to the "complete, immediate and safe opening" of the Strait of Hormuz, and to allow time for an agreement to be reached.
Source: Axios external link
Iranian ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri-Moghaddam says that the Pakistan-mediated framework aimed at a ceasefire to end the war has reached a "critical, sensitive stage".
Source: ARY News external link
Trump tells Fox News that the U.S. is in "heated negotiations" with Iran after being briefed about the proposal.
Source: CBS News external link
It is reported that U.S. vice president JD Vance would serve as the U.S. interlocutor in ceasefire talks.
Source: CBS News external link
Trump warns that "a whole civilization will die tonight" and will "never be brought back" if Iran does not agree to a deal by noon (GMT).
Source: Reuters external link
reports that Iran has ended direct contact with the U.S. in response to Trump's latest threat to "end its civilization". However, denies the reports by stating on X that "diplomatic and indirect channels of talks with [the] U.S. are not closed".
Source: Iran International external link
Vance says that the war in Iran will conclude "very shortly", claiming that the U.S. military has achieved all objectives.
Source: Middle East Monitor external link
The U.S. embassy in Riyadh advises its citizens to reconsider participating in this year's Hajj. The U.S. has raised its travel advisory for Saudi Arabia to Level 3 and warns of security risks such as rocket and drone attacks.
Source: TRT World external link
Four people are injured by falling debris in Muraikh, Qatar, after the Qatari military intercepts Iranian missiles.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Iranian drones strike a SABIC petrochemical complex in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, causing a fire.
Source: The Times of Israel external link
An Iranian ballistic missile strikes a Thuraya building in the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, injuring two Pakistani nationals.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Iran threatens to launch massive retaliatory strikes against the energy infrastructure of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the event of a U.S. attack on its power plants.
Source: MoneyControl external link
Saudi Arabia closes the King Fahd Causeway to Bahrain for several hours after the Iranian Fars News Agency has published a list of strategic bridges in the Gulf region as potential targets for retaliation.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
China and Russia veto a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on UN member states to "coordinate efforts, defensive in nature" to ensure the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that it was biased against Iran.
Source: Reuters via Al Jazeera external link
Kata'ib Hezbollah announces the release of American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped by gunmen in Baghdad on March 31. The group's condition for Kittleson's freedom is her departure from Iraq.
Source: The Jerusalem Post external link
At least 35 people are killed in airstrikes across Iran.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Reports indicate nighttime attacks in the greater Tehran area, in Ahvaz, Chahbahar, Jask, Shiraz, and Yazd, as well as near Shahid Kalantari Port, Tis Port, and the Imam Ali base.
Source: Iran International external link
The semi-official Mehr News Agency reports that a suspected Israeli–U.S. missile struck a synagogue in central Tehran.
Source: Dawn external link
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israel has struck bridges and railways in Iran allegedly used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Source: The Standard external link
U.S. and Israeli warplanes strike Iranian military targets on Kharg Island that results in several massive explosions.
Source: NBC News external link
At least five people are killed after a rocket fired from Kuwait landed in Basra, southern Iraq.
Source: Shafaq external link
Three people are killed and several are injured by an Israeli airstrike in Maarakah, Tyre District, Lebanon.
Source: Daily Sabah external link
One person is killed by an Israeli drone strike in Deir ez-Zahrani, Nabatieh District, Lebanon.
Source: Daily Sabah external link
One person is killed by an Israeli strike in Zebdin, Nabatieh District, Lebanon.
Source: Daily Sabah external link
The Israeli military says that 36 soldiers were injured over the past two days, bringing the total casualties to 411.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Israel deploys the 98th Division to southern Lebanon, raising the force there to five divisions.
Source: AA external link
The Afghan foreign ministry says that talks between the Taliban–led government of Afghanistan and Pakistan in Ürümqi, China, to end the conflict have been "useful".
Source: ABC News external link
One gunman is killed, while two other perpetrators and two policemen are injured in a shootout outside of the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. The two injured perpetrators have been captured and detained by police.
Source: Al Jazeera external link
Armed attackers kill at least 50 people in a village in Shiroro, Niger State, Nigeria, including local hunters, militia members, and civilians.
Source: Macau Business external link

International relations

Source: CBS News external link
At the invitation of paramount leader Xi Jinping, Kuomintang chairperson Cheng Li-wun begins the first visit to China by a Taiwanese opposition leader since 2016.
Source: AP external link
Protestors storm the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra, Iraq, after a rocket attack launched from Kuwait killed three people in Basra.
Source: Türkiye Today external link

Business and economy

The Japanese House of Councillors enacts the country's largest state budget in history worth ¥122.3 trillion (€664 billion).
Source: Euronews external link

Politics and elections

A protest is held outside the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., after the ceasefire announcement, calling for President Trump's removal from office and accusing him of war crimes.
Source: India TV external link
Iran calls on the population to form human chains around critical infrastructure such as power stations and bridges ahead of a U.S. deadline that threatens their destruction.
Source: The Hill external link
Human chain protests are held across bridge and power plant structures in Iran to protest against Trump's threats against civilian infrastructure.
Source: The Telegraph external link
Citizens in Ilam, Iran, form a human chain protest against Trump's threats against key infrastructure in the country.
Source: Away The Voice external link
Source: Xinhua external link

Disasters and accidents

The International Organization for Migration reports that at least 990 deaths have been recorded in 2026 across the Mediterranean Sea, making it one of the deadliest starts to a year since 2014, with over 180 people feared dead or missing in the latest shipwrecks since 28 March.
Source: The Daily Star external link
The death toll from a large fire at a petrochemical plant in Tatarstan, Russia, five days ago, rises to 12, including a firefighter. Dozens of others were injured.
Source: Reuters external link
Three people are killed and another is reported missing after a scaffolding collapse at a steel plant in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Source: The Japan Times external link
A TGV train collides with a military lorry on a level crossing at Nœux-les-Mines, France. The train driver is killed and 27 people are wounded.
Source: Liverpool Echo external link
The death toll from natural disasters, including heavy rain, storms and floods, rises to 188 in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Source: Business Recorder external link

Arts and culture

This year's in London, England, is cancelled and all tickets are refunded after its headliner, American rapper Kanye West, is banned from entering the United Kingdom by the Home Office on the grounds that "his presence would not be conducive to the public good" amid controversy over his past antisemitic comments on Jews and Adolf Hitler, and his association with neo-Nazis.
Source: CNN external link

Law and crime

Australian Army veteran and Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith is arrested by police at Sydney Airport for alleged war crimes committed between 2009 and 2012 during his deployment to Afghanistan.
Source: Reuters external link
South Sudan president Salva Kiir Mayardit sacks National Legislative Assembly speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba and her deputy Parmena Awerial Aluong after his ruling party backed a no-confidence vote accusing them of corruption and mismanagement.
Source: Reuters external link