UK and France to lead defensive mission in Strait of Hormuz
Sir Keir Starmer has said further details of the plan will come after a meeting in London next week.
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Strait of Hormuz 'completely open' and Iran will 'never close' it again, Trump announces
Strait of Hormuz 'completely open' and Iran will 'never close' it again, Trump announces Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 04/17/2026 - 20:39 Tehran says all vessels can now cross as long as US, Israel abide by ceasefire in Iran, Lebanon US President Donald Trump dances during a tax cuts event in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 16 April 2026 (Evan Vucci/Reuters) Off The US and Iran announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that shuttles a quarter of the global oil supply, is now back open to all vessels after Tehran wrested control of the strait following the US-Israeli attack on Iran. "In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route as already announced by Ports and Maritime Organisation of the Islamic Rep. of Iran," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X on Friday.
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Europe Wants to Help Restore Shipping in the Strait. It Just Isn’t Sure How.
Amid conflicting reports about the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, European leaders gathered on Friday to coordinate a plan to guard it.
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"Present, vigilant, ready", says US Central Command as naval blockade continues against Iran
Washington DC [US] April 18 (ANI): The US military has said that its naval blockade operations targeting Iran continue, even as tensions persist in the Strait of Hormuz, with Central Command stressing that American forces remain fully deployed and alert in the region. The Middle East-based US Central Command released a video stating that its forces remain 'present', 'vigilant' and 'ready'.
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Too early to tell who is winning Iran war, experts say
As Washington signals that a deal with Tehran may be close, a central question remains unresolved: who, if anyone, is actually winning?
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Source: Iran Was Planning to Attack Israel if There Was No Ceasefire in Lebanon
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An informed military source told Tasnim that in case there was no ceasefire in Lebanon, Iran was planning to attack Israel at 8 pm local time last night.
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Unicef says Lebanon ceasefire ‘must hold’
Unicef says Lebanon ceasefire ‘must hold’ The UN children's agency has welcomed the ceasefire in Lebanon after weeks of “immense suffering”. “Over the past 46 days, children have paid a devastating price... This ceasefire must hold – and must be fully respected," Unicef said on X.
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Trump’s Iran war victory boast has echoes of Bush’s ill-fated ‘mission accomplished’ claim
US president says all major sticking points have been ironed out ahead of peace talks, but some of his assertions seem dubious It lacked the triumphalist symbolism of George W Bush’s memorable – and subsequently ill-fated – appearance before the “mission accomplished” banner aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln six weeks after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But there was no mistaking the boastful claims asserted on Friday by Donald Trump after a military assault on neighbouring Iran that has, so far, lasted a similar period and which, by widespread agreement outside the Trump administration, has not gone to plan. Continue reading...
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More than 38,000 women, girls killed in Gaza war by end of 2025, UN says
More than 38,000 women, girls killed in Gaza war by end of 2025, UN says Over 38,000 women and girls were killed in the Gaza war by the end of 2025, the UN estimated Friday, amounting to over half of the more than 72,000 deaths recorded by the territory's health ministry. "Between October 2023 and December 2025, more than 38,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza - the result of Israeli air bombardment and land military operations," the UN Women agency's spokeswoman Sofia Calltorp told a press briefing in Geneva. "This includes over 22,000 women and 16,000 girls, amounting to an average of at least 47 women and girls killed every day.
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Lebanon president says country no longer 'arena for anyone's wars'
Lebanon president says country no longer 'arena for anyone's wars' Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday said his country was no longer an "arena" for anyone's wars after a ceasefire in Lebanon went into force. "We are confident that we will save Lebanon... we have reclaimed Lebanon and Lebanon's decision-making power for the first time in nearly half a century," Aoun said in his first speech to the nation since the truce, adding that "today, we negotiate for ourselves...
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Trump Is Urged to Act on Iranian Site Feared Impervious to Airstrikes
Little is known about Pickaxe Mountain, but some experts say it illustrates the impossibility of relying on force alone to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb.
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Israeli drone strike kills one in south Lebanon on first full day of truce, medics say
Israeli drone strike kills one in south Lebanon on first full day of truce, medics say An Israeli drone strike killed one person in southern Lebanon on Friday, the first full day of a US-brokered truce meant to end Israel's war on Lebanon, paramedics in the area and the head of a local hospital told Reuters. The reports of the strike came in minutes after US President Donald Trump said the United States had banned Israel from further bombing in Lebanon.
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Donald Trump claims to have ended a 10th war – but will the Lebanon ceasefire hold?
Lasting peace depends on resolving a border dispute dating back to 2000 and dealing with Hezbollah’s weapons Middle East crisis – live updates Israel’s security cabinet first heard about the ceasefire with Lebanon from a social media post by Donald Trump. Hezbollah first heard about the ceasefire from the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon. Each side shot off as many bombs, drones and rockets as they could before the ceasefire – imposed from above – came into effect.
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"Completely open": Iran restores Strait of Hormuz access for commercial vessels during Lebanon ceasefire
Tehran [Iran], April 17 (ANI): Tehran has announced that the Strait of Hormuz will remain 'completely open' for the duration of the current cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. In a statement shared on social media platform X, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed the move, linking maritime access directly to the ongoing truce.
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UK prime minister announces UK and France-led international mission in Hormuz
UK prime minister announces UK and France-led international mission in Hormuz United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a new British and French-led international mission in the Strait of Hormuz, the BBC reported. The mission, which aims to be "strictly peaceful and defensive" includes over a dozen nations who will join a planning conference in London next week, according to the report.
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IRAN-STRAIT OF HORMUZ-PASSAGE
(260417) -- BEIJING, April 17, 2026 (Xinhua) -- This file photo taken on Feb. 19, 2025 shows the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Friday in a post on social media platform X that the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of the ceasefire, in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon.
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Ceasefire with Israel brings respite to Lebanon, but obstacles to peace remain
The halt to weeks of fighting is being celebrated in Lebanon, but it will be difficult to ensure it lasts.
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How to fuel a war: EU eyes new front for green agenda
Officials claim renewable energy could power European militaries after the Iran war exposed a key vulnerability EU and NATO officials fear that European armies would be unable to conduct a major military operation - such as a hypothetical war with Russia that Brussels continues to claim could be imminent - without a secure supply of fossil fuels.
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Israel's campaign of terror in Lebanon takes another psychopathic turn
Israel's campaign of terror in Lebanon takes another psychopathic turn Submitted by Belen Fernandez on Thu, 04/16/2026 - 15:16 Not one to abide by ceasefires, Israel is carpet bombing Lebanese civilians, as its quest for devastation continues with no end in sight First responders carry a body from the rubble of buildings destroyed in an Israeli strike in Qana, southern Lebanon, on 12 April 2026 (Kawnat Haju/AFP) Off On 8 April, Israel 's military launched the psychopathically titled Operation Eternal Darkness against Lebanon , with predictably macabre results. In the span of a mere 10 minutes, Israel struck more than 100 sites across the country, killing more than 300 people and wounding at least 1,150. The killing spree took place amid the regional ceasefire that had ostensibly taken hold after five weeks of cataclysmic war unleashed on Iran by the US and Israel.
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London police investigating incident near Israeli embassy
London police investigating incident near Israeli embassy Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Fri, 04/17/2026 - 14:20 Police say they are investigating possible links between debris at Israeli embassy and online video claiming drone attack on site Police officers work in the closed Kensington Palace Gardens, west London on April 17, 2026, close to the Israeli Embassy (Henry Nicholls / AFP) Off London police in protective clothing are investigating an incident that took place near the Israeli embassy on Friday. Officers at the embassy in Kensington Gardens in the British capital said they were examining a number of “discarded items” at the scene and urged people to avoid the area. Few other details of the incident have been released to the public, but counter-terrorism police are understood to be investigating a video shared online overnight in which a group claimed to have targeted the embassy with drones.
