Wednesday, April 8, 2026

2026 Iran war ceasefire

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).

2026 Iran war ceasefire

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.

2026 Iran war ceasefire

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.

2026 Iran war ceasefire

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt states that Netanyahu and Trump will continue discussions on potentially including Lebanon in a ceasefire arrangement.

2026 Iran war ceasefire

After the announcement, an Israeli military spokesperson states that Israel is still launching attacks on Iran.

2026 Iran war ceasefire

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."

2026 Iranian strikes on Bahrain

The Bahraini military intercepts six missiles and 31 drones.

2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait

Kuwait's interior ministry reports fires at several oil facilities, power plants, and desalination plants after an Iranian drone attack.

2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar

The Qatari military intercepts seven ballistic missiles and multiple drones.

2026 Iranian strikes on Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's East–West Crude Oil Pipeline is hit in an Iranian attack.

2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates

The Emirati military intercepts 17 ballistic missiles and 35 drones.

2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries

After the announcement of a ceasefire, Iran launches ballistic missiles at Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries

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.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

Thailand confirms the three crewmen on a vessel that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz in March have died.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

MarineTraffic reports the first ships that have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire announcement, namely the Greek-owned bulk carrier NJ Earth and Liberia-flagged Daytona Beach.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

Iran closes Strait of Hormuz maritime traffic to oil tankers over Israeli attacks in Lebanon, claiming that Lebanon is included in the ceasefire.

2026 Iran war

Bahrain, Iraq, and Syria reopen their airspace after weeks of closure. The Damascus International Airport and the Bahrain International Airport begin resuming flights.

2026 Israeli Beirut strikes

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.

2026 Lebanon war

The IDF announces that its strikes in Lebanon are one part of a new operation called "Eternal Darkness".

2026 Lebanon war

The Israeli military says that it has halted strikes against Iran, but state that they will continue fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

2026 Lebanon war

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.

Killing of journalists in the Gaza war

An Israeli airstrike in Sheikh Ijlin, Gaza City, Palestine, kills two people, including Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Wishah.

2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war

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.

Belarus–North Korea 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.

Protests against the 2026 Iran war

Anti-war protesters gather outside the U.S. embassy in Ottawa, Canada, to protest against the Iran war despite the ceasefire along with the wars in Lebanon and Gaza.

Protests against the 2026 Iran war

Around 50,000 protestors across over 150 locations, including around 30,000 outside the National Diet Building in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan, protest against the war and proposals by prime minister Sanae Takaichi plan to revise Article 9 of the constitution.

2026 attack on Israeli consulate in Istanbul

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.

Gilgo Beach serial killings

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.

Illegal drug trade in the United States

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.

Tariffs in the second Trump administration

U.S. president Donald Trump threatens to impose 50% tariffs on countries that supply military weapons to Iran.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

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.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

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.

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war

Oil prices plunge below US$95 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average surges past 1,000 after the ceasefire announcement.