Current events: 2026-04-09

[Wikipedia Current Events]

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Middle Eastern crisis
  • 2026 Iran war
    • 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
      • 2026 Iran war ceasefire
        • 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. (Axios) (AA)
        • Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that the ceasefire was approved by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. (Times of Israel)
    • 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain
        • The Bahraini military intercepts seven drones from Iran. (AA)
      • 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
        • The Kuwaiti military reports that drones attacked several vital facilities and caused significant damage to a national guard base. (AA)
    • 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
      • 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. (AFP via Arab News)
      • Abu Dhabi National Oil Company CEO Sultan Al Jaber says that the strait is still not open because Iran is restricting and controlling traffic. (CNBC)
      • 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. (Gulf Today)
    • Iranian officials killed during the 2026 Iran war
      • 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. (Ynet)
  • Hezbollah–Israel conflict
    • 2026 Lebanon war
      • Hezbollah launches rockets at the Israeli kibbutz of Manara in response to Israeli and American violations of the ceasefire linked to the Iran war. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
      • At least seven people are killed by a wave of Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling across Lebanon. (Al Jazeera)
      • 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. (The Jerusalem Post) (Reuters)
      • Hezbollah says that its fighters are engaged in "point-blank clashes" with Israeli troops in Bint Jbeil, Lebanon. (Al Arabiya)
      • Lebanese authorities update the losses from the previous day's attacks to 303 killed and 1,150 injured. (AA)
• Russia–United Kingdom relations
  • The United Kingdom says Russia has launched a sabotage operation on its navy and critical infrastructure, including pipelines. (BBC News)
  • 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. (BBC News)

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. (Israel National News) (Middle East Eye) (The Times of Israel)

Business and economy

• Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
  • 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. (Reuters via London South East)
  • 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. (Aerospace Global News)
  • Oil prices rebound amidst concerns about the ceasefire, with U.S. and Brent Crude back up to nearly $100 per barrel. (NBC News)
  • 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. (CNBC)
• USAID in the second Trump administration
  • 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. (AFP via Indo Premier)

Disasters and accidents

• European migrant crisis
  • Four people are killed and 38 are rescued after an inflatable dinghy of migrants capsized near Calais, off the coast of Northern France. (Reuters)

International relations

• Bahrain–United Kingdom relations, Qatar–United Kingdom relations, United Arab Emirates–United Kingdom 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. (Belfast Telegraph) (Daily Record) (The Peninsula Qatar)
• India–Qatar relations
  • 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. (OilPrice.com) (Reuters)
• Iraq–United States relations
  • United States deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau summons the ambassador of Iraq to protest the Iraqi government's failure to prevent militia attacks on American personnel. (AA)

Politics and elections

• Terrorism in Russia
  • 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. (AP via Laredo Morning Times)

Science and technology

• International Space Station program
  • 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. (isaraerospace.com) (NRK)
• North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
  • 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. (Yonhap News Agency)

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