Commuters drive past a giant billboard referring to the 'Strait of Hormuz' along a busy street in Tehran on April 19, 2026. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images A U.S.
Trump announces planned Iran war peace talks, Tehran signals it may boycott negotiations amid ongoing U.S. naval pressure, businesses can now apply for Trump tariff refunds.
Skip next section Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to visit Germany for talks April 19, 2026 Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to visit Germany for talks Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to Germany from April 21 to 23 to shore up the defense strategic partnership between the two nations.
Skip next section Houthis threaten to close key waterway April 19, 2026 Houthis threaten to close key waterway Yemen's Houthi rebels have threatened to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen, amid escalating rhetoric between Tehran and Washington. The Yemeni militia is part of the so-called Axis of Resistance, a network of pro-Iran regional armed groups.
Skip next section Iran's sudden Hormuz reversal: What it signals now April 19, 2026 Iran's sudden Hormuz reversal: What it signals now Marianna Evenstein Tehran has reimposed its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, just a day after saying it would reopen the critical waterway.
A French soldier with the multinational United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was killed on Friday in an ambush. Three others were wounded, two of whom severely, in what UNIFIL and French officials called a "deliberate attack."
The sun rises behind a tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026.
It was the shelling that drove Syrian man Imad Omar Qashit from his home again. Fourteen years ago, he fled from Syria to Lebanon. This time, it was the other way round.
Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt says the Iran war has so far not triggered a wave of migration to Europe Antisemitism commissioner Felix Klein has called on festivals to make a stand against what he says is rising antisemitic rhetoric in the cultural sector
Skip next section Lebanese PM condemns attacks on UN peacekeepers April 18, 2026 Lebanese PM condemns attacks on UN peacekeepers Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Saturday condemned what he said was an attack on French United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
France and the United Kingdom have said they are ready to lead a multinational mission to help restore freedom of navigation and trade in the Strait of Hormuz, only to be deployed once peace had been agreed in the region.
Iran first imposed a near-total communications blackout on the third day of the protests that swept the country in January, and the restrictions were further tightened after the war with the United States and Israel began.