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Issued on: 16/04/2026 – 04:16Modified: 16/04/2026 – 04:31
A cargo ship is pictured off coast city of Fujairah, in the Strait of Hormuz in the northern Emirate on February 25, 2026 © Giuseppe Cacace, AFP archives
The leader of Iran’s joint military command threatened Wednesday to halt trade in the Gulf region if the US does not lift its blockade of Iranian ports. Even so, US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran was “very close to over” in an interview that aired Wednesday. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
16/04/2026 – 04:31Iran war brings US close to net crude exporter for first time since World War Two
The US nearly turned into a net crude exporter last week for the first time since World War Two as shipments surged close to a record high to meet demand from Asian and European buyers scrambling to replace Middle East supplies cut by the Iran war.
16/04/2026 – 04:08Iran arrests four alleged Israeli spies, says state media
Iran arrested four suspected Israeli spies, state media reported on Thursday.
It came as US officials discuss possible peace talks with Iran after US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28 engulfed the Middle East in war.
“The four agents linked to the Mossad were apprehended in Gilan governorate” in northern Iran, IRNA reported, citing a statement from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
The Mossad is Israel’s foreign intelligence agency.
“The arrestees had provided Mossad intelligence officers with images and locations of some sensitive and critical military and security sites via the internet”, it said.
16/04/2026 – 03:39Iran participating in World Cup, FIFA president confirms
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that Iran will “for sure” participate in the 2026 World Cup despite the Middle East war.
“Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help,” Infantino said on broadcaster CNBC.
“But Iran has to come, they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play,” he said of the team’s upcoming matches scheduled in the United States in June.
16/04/2026 – 03:39Iran threatens to disrupt Gulf trade in response to US naval blockade
The leader of Iran’s joint military command threatened Wednesday to halt trade in the Gulf region if the US does not lift its blockade of Iranian ports. Even so, US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran was “very close to over” in an interview that aired Wednesday.
16/04/2026 – 03:38China urges restoration of normal navigation in Strait of Hormuz
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi to make efforts to restore normal navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in a phone call on Wednesday, according to a Chinese foreign
ministry statement.
Wang said while Iran’s sovereignty and security in the Strait of Hormuz should be respected and safeguarded, freedom and safety of navigation through the waterway should also be guaranteed.
The United States on Wednesday threatened to sanction buyers of Iranian oil and said it believed China would pause such purchases as Washington enforces a maritime blockade on Iran. US President Donald Trump would “welcome” an end to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but such an agreement is not part of peace talks with Iran, a senior US administration official said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country’s top priority was to secure the “dismantling” of Hezbollah in its first direct talks with Lebanon in decades.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)