23/04/2026 – 10:28Iran official says Tehran received first revenue from Strait of Hormuz tolls
A senior Iranian parliament official said on Thursday that Tehran has received the first revenue from tolls it imposed on the strategic Strait of Hormuz in its war with the United States and Israel.
“The first revenue received from the Strait of Hormuz tolls was deposited into the Central Bank account,” said Hamidreza Hajibabaei, deputy speaker of parliament, according to Tasnim news agency.
Other Iranian media carried the same statement, without elaborating.
23/04/2026 – 09:53Clearing Hormuz Strait mines could take six months, report says
A Pentagon assessment said it could take six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines, which could keep oil prices high, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
Iran has all but blocked the vital waterway since the start of a war with the United States and Israel, sharply driving up oil and gas prices and disrupting the global economy.
The strait – through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes in peacetime – has remained largely closed during a shaky ceasefire, with the US imposing its own blockade.
Even if hostilities end and the blockade lifts, it could take months to clear the waterway of mines, according to a Pentagon assessment, the Washington Post reported, citing officials close to the discussion.
The assessment added that it was unlikely such an operation would begin before the end of the war.
23/04/2026 – 09:42FM Barrot says death of French soldiers in Lebanon a ‘war crime’
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Wednesday said the attack that killed two French soldiers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was a “war crime”.
“To attack UN peacekeepers in this way — soldiers who are clearly identifiable on the ground — is not only a war crime, but also an attack on the entire international community,” Barrot told radio station Franceinfo.
23/04/2026 – 08:46Japan calls for safe navigation through Strait of Hormuz
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday called for “safe navigation” through the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently tightly controlled by Tehran as the US maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.
In a social media post, Takaichi said she spoke with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman to thank him for the country’s continued supply of crude oil to Japan via the port of Yanbu.
The prime minister also called for the current US-Iran ceasefire “to be maintained” and the securing of “safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz”.
23/04/2026 – 05:23A longer Iran conflict could boost risk for Ukraine securing missile defences, Zelensky says
Ukraine could face increased risks in securing US anti-missile defences if the war in Iran goes on for an extended period of time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.
Zelensky, interviewed by CNN, said Ukraine received limited numbers of such weaponry because US production was limited, but so far it had experienced no disruption in supplies or in the provision of intelligence.
Zelensky said Ukraine was able to secure US weaponry through the PURL programme under which NATO countries can finance the purchase of weapons for Kyiv.
23/04/2026 – 04:52Soccer-Trump envoy seeks to replace Iran with Italy in upcoming World Cup, FT reports
A top envoy to US President Donald Trump has asked FIFA to replace Iran with Italy in the upcoming World Cup, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
The plan is an effort to repair ties between Trump and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after the two fell out amid the American president’s attacks against Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war, the FT reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
“I confirm I have suggested to Trump and (FIFA president Gianni) Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup. I’m an Italian native and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a US-hosted tournament. With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify inclusion,” US special envoy Paolo Zampolli told the FT.
23/04/2026 – 04:50Stocks sink and oil rises with Iran, US no closer to peace talks
Asian stocks fell and oil prices rose Thursday as the United States and Iran appeared no closer to holding fresh peace talks and Tehran continued to refuse to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Hopes that the two would meet for a second round of negotiations in Pakistan have dissipated, with the Islamic republic targeting three container ships in the waterway and citing Washington’s blockade as its reason for keeping it closed.
Investors have spent most of the week upbeat that a breakthrough to end the seven-week conflict will be made soon, while healthy earnings and a resumption of the AI trade has also provided support.
Crude prices jumped as much as four percent in early Asian business after global security monitors and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Iranian forces had seized two ships and fired on a third in the Strait of Hormuz.
23/04/2026 – 04:18Iran’s Araqchi tells South Korea envoy “aggressors” responsible for consequences of war, Tehran says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told a South Korean special envoy that responsibility for the consequences of the war lay with “aggressors”, referring to the United States and Israel, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
The envoy, Chang Byung-ha, held a meeting with Araqchi in Tehran, the ministry said in a post on X.
23/04/2026 – 03:18Lebanon meets Israel in Washington to request truce extension
Israel and Lebanon hold a new round of talks in Washington on Thursday, during which Beirut plans to request a one-month extension of a ceasefire due to expire within days.
Israel stated ahead of the talks that it has no “serious disagreements” with Lebanon, calling on it to “work together” against the pro-Iran Hezbollah, which is notably absent from and opposed to the negotiations.
The two countries, officially at war for decades, held a meeting in Washington on April 14, the first of its kind since 1993, in an attempt to put an end to the more than six-week war between Hezbollah and Israel.
The United States announced a 10-day truce shortly after the first meeting, and it is due to expire on Sunday.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,454 people and displaced one million since the start of the war, according to Lebanese authorities.