Main points
- Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, starting at 10pm Irish time
- Trump also said he would invite Israel’s Binyamin Netanyahu and Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun to peace talks
- US-Iran peace deal may take “six months”, according to some Gulf states and Europe
- Europe has “maybe six weeks or so (of) jet fuel left,” the head of the International Energy Agency said
- Europe will face higher gas prices “for years” to come even in the best-case scenario, if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, the EU’s energy commissioner has warned
Best reads
- Iran has unleashed Gen Z tech warriors to ridicule the Trump administration
- Analysis: What Trump hopes to achieve by blockading Iran’s ports
That’s the end of our live coverage for tonight. You can read more reports, analysis and features on today’s events on irishtimes.com
Ceasefire comes into force
The 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon - announced earlier by Donald Trump - has now come into effect, pausing a devastating conflict that has displaced more than 1.2 million Lebanese people.
Israel and Hizbullah had continued to exchange fire in the hours leading up the ceasefire, with both parties maintaining their right to defend themselves if the truce is broken, reports the Guardian.
Details of ceasefire revealed
The text of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement has been released by the US State Department, Reuters reports.
It states that once the ceasefire takes effect, the Lebanese government will take steps to prevent Hizbullah and all other non-state armed groups in its territory from carrying out any attacks against Israel.
It says that Israel can take “necessary measures in self-defence against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks” during the ceasefire period, but Israel has agreed not to carry out any offensive military operations in Lebanon during the 10 days.
Trump issues update
US president Donald Trump said prospects for a deal with Iran are “looking very good” as the two sides are in discussions to extend a truce ahead of its expiration next week, Bloomberg has reported.
“It’s looking very good that we’re going to make a deal with Iran, and it’s going to be a good deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday. Talks between Washington and Tehran could resume this weekend, he said.
Trump said he believed Iran had agreed to terms it has long resisted, including giving up ambitions for a nuclear weapon and turning over nuclear material. The deal would also include “free oil” and an opening of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump added. Tehran has not publicly confirmed it’s made those concessions.
US-Iran peace deal may take ‘six months’, Gulf states and Europe say
Some Gulf state and European leaders believe a US-Iran peace deal will take about six months to be agreed and that the warring sides should extend their ceasefire to cover that timeframe, according to officials from the regions familiar with the matter, Bloomberg has reported.
After the report was published, oil futures jumped with Brent rising over $4 per barrel to more than $99 a barrel.
Leaders want the vital Strait of Hormuz opened immediately to restore energy flows and are warning in private that a global food crisis may develop if that doesn’t happen by next month, said the officials, who asked not to be identified discussing private talks.
Gulf states believe Iran is looking to build a nuclear weapon and that hasn’t changed in the wake of the US-Israeli bombardment of the country, said the officials. They thus think a peace deal should ban Iran from enriching uranium or having long-range ballistic missiles, the officials said.
Von der Leyen: ‘We need not just a temporary pause’
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, announced by US president Donald Trump.
She has reiterated that Europe would continue to call for the respect of Lebanon’s territorial integrity.
“I welcome the announced 10 day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by president Trump. This is a relief, as this conflict has already claimed far too many lives,” wrote von der Leyen on X.
“Now we need not just a temporary pause, but a path to permanent peace.”
She said Europe will continue to call for the full respect of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“And we will keep supporting the Lebanese people through substantial humanitarian aid,” she added.
Israel will ‘not withdraw from south Lebanon’ - official
The Israeli military is not planning to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon during any potential ceasefire, an Israeli security official has told Reuters.
Israeli forces expanded their invasion of southern Lebanon after Hizbullah joined the broader Iran war by firing missiles into Israel on March 2nd.
Two days later, the military ordered all people to flee villages south of the Litani River, an area that makes up some 8 per cent of Lebanese territory but which Israeli officials view as a Hizbullah stronghold.
Israeli troops have since destroyed Lebanese villages in the area, saying their aim is to create a “buffer zone” to protect northern Israeli towns from Hizbullah attacks.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the Israeli security official told Reuters that troops deployed in the “buffer zone” would remain in place during the duration of the ceasefire.
Trump to invite Netanyahu and Lebanese presidents for peace talks
In another post on Truth Social, US president Donald Trump has said he would invite Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun to the White House for what he described as “the first meaningful peace talks” between their countries since 1983.
Trump said both sides wanted to see peace and he believed this would happen quickly.
Hizbullah responds to Israel-Lebanon ceasefire
Israel’s fighting in Lebanon, aimed at the Iranian-backed militant group Hizbullah, is due to pause from 10pm Irish time.
A senior official for the group told Reuters that Hizbullah was told by Iran’s ambassador in Lebanon that a ceasefire would begin tonight.
Asked if Hizbullah would commit to the ceasefire, Hassan Fadlallah said everything was tied to Israel’s commitment to halt all forms of hostilities.
The ceasefire is the result of Iranian diplomatic efforts, he said.
Trump says Lebanon and Israel have agreed a ceasefire
US president Donald Trump has said Lebanon and Israel have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire.
Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, and Binyamin Netanyahu reached the agreement after speaking with the US president, Trump posted on Truth Social.
The ceasefire will come into effect from 10pm Irish time.
Lebanese army claims IDF bombed last bridge to south of country
Israeli strikes that destroyed the Qasmiyeh bridge over the southern Litani River have cut off the area from the rest of the country, according to a statement from the Lebanese army.
“In the context of the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, the Qasmiyeh-Tyre coastal bridge was targeted and destroyed, with the aim of separating the area south of the Litani from its north and isolating it,” the army said in a statement.
It added that the strikes killed one person and wounded three others, among them “a soldier from the unit stationed on the bridge”.
US has not had to ‘board’ any ships during blockade
US forces have not had to “board any particular” ships that have defied the blockade, Chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff Dan Caine told reporters today.
Earlier this week, experts said that it is unlikely the military would fire missiles or other weapons at tankers, given the risk of an environmental disaster.
The most likely option is the US navy will try to force vessels to change course through threats, and if that doesn’t work, they will launch armed boarding parties to take physical control of the ships.
US Central Command has now claimed at 14 vessels have been turned away by the blockade.
Israeli troops being prepared for Lebanon ceasefire - report
A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is expected to begin at 7pm local time today, according to IDF officials.
High-ranking IDF commanders have been given orders to prepare forces currently deployed in southern Lebanon for the truce, Haaretz reports.
They have been informed that the ceasefire would begin some time between 7pm and midnight. - The Guardian
Lebanese president turns down call with Netanyahu, reports
US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke by phone with the Lebanese president on Thursday to discuss efforts for a ceasefire in Lebanon, the president’s office said.
Before the call with Rubio, Aoun turned down a US request to speak by phone with Tel Aviv’s Binyamin Netanyahu, according to a Lebanese official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomacy.
Rubio’s outreach to the Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, followed a social media post by president Donald Trump late Wednesday saying that Israeli and Lebanese leaders would speak Thursday.
US officials are attempting to build on rare direct talks between Lebanon and Israel this week in an effort to pause the war between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hizbullah. Israeli and Lebanese officials said Wednesday that Israel was considering a short-term ceasefire in Lebanon.
In his social media post, Trump wrote: “Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice!”
That announcement may have been premature.
The statement from the Lebanese presidency did not make any mention of the American request, but the Trump administration was pressing for a call between the Israeli and Lebanese leaders, two Lebanese officials said. - New York Times
Three arrested after attempted arson attack at UK office of Iran International news channel
A teenage boy and two men have been arrested after an attempted arson attack at the offices of a Persian media organisation in north-west London, the Metropolitan Police said.
Officers on patrol were told at around 8.30pm on Wednesday that an “ignited container” had been thrown towards the site in Wembley, landing in a car park where the fire immediately went out.
It is understood the offices of Volant Media, the parent company of Persian news channel Iran International, were targeted.
The attack is not being treated as a terrorist incident but is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing London, according to the Met. There were no injuries and no damage was reported.
After a police pursuit involving an armed response vehicle (ARV), a 16-year-old boy and two men, aged 19 and 21, were arrested on suspicion of arson endangering life. They remain in police custody. - Press Association
Hegseth couches speech in religion hours after papal rebuke
Pete Hegseth has again used Biblical language and scripture to describe the US military campaign in Iran.
The comments made just hours after Pope Leo delivered a speech in Cameroon denouncing leaders for using religion to justify war.
Hegseth likened the rescue mission of American crew members whose fighter jet was shot down by Iran as a “miracle” and compared the press to the Pharisees, who challenged Jesus in the Bible, because of “the relentless negative coverage” of the war. - The Guardian
Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth. #ApostolicJourney #Cameroon https://t.co/bKteFZ3iWE
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) April 16, 2026
Ceasefire in Lebanon as important as in Iran, says top Iranian official
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, said a ceasefire in Lebanon was “as important” as in Iran, according to a statement posted on Telegram.
In a telephone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri, the Iranian official said Tehran was “seriously seeking to force the enemies to establish a permanent ceasefire in all conflict areas in accordance with the agreement” reached with the US on 8 April, adding: “A ceasefire in Lebanon is as important to us as a ceasefire in Iran.” - The Guardian
As the summer holiday season approaches, with European officials warning that jet fuel shortages could impact passenger airlines, here’s what you should consider about travel insurance.
Consumer Affairs Correspondent and Pricewatch Editor Conor Pope as the Dos and Don’ts here:
[ The dos and don’ts of travel insurance in troubled timesOpens in new window ]
US blockade of Iran has now stopped 13 vessels
The US blockade in the Gulf has rebuffed 13 vessels from sailing to or from Iranian ports, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said.
General Dan Caine detailed the blockade that president Donald Trump imposed this week, telling reporters at a briefing that the US had so far not had to board any ships as part of the US effort.
The US will enforce the blockade “inside Iran’s territorial seas and in international waters,” Caine said.
He said US-led forces in the Pacific Ocean will also “actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran.”
Trump ordered the blockade to pressure Iran to agree to a long-term deal to end the conflict that the US and Israel began in late February. A two-week ceasefire imposed last week is set to expire next Tuesday. - Bloomberg
US to maintain blockade ‘for as long as it takes’
US defence secretary Hegseth says that the US is reloading “with more power than before” and says it is giving Iran the choice of doing things “the easy way or the hard way”.
He says Iran’s energy industry is not destroyed “yet” and that threatening to shoot at commercial ships “is not control, it’s piracy”.
The Pentagon chief adds: “For as long as it takes, we will maintain the blockade” and warned Iran’s leadership that the US is “watching you”.
“While you are digging out bomb-hit facilities, we are only getting stronger,” he says. “You only have what you have – you know that and we know that.”
Addressing the Iranian regime directly, he says they can “move things around” but that is exposing them to the “watchful eye” of the US.
“You like to say publicly - Iran - that you control the strait of Hormuz but you don’t have a navy,” Hegseth adds.
The US defence secretary hit out at the “legacy, Trump-hating press” for a perceived lack of patriotism.
Meanwhile, joint chiefs of staff chairman Dan Caine says the US military remains ready to re-engage in combat “at literally a moment’s notice”.
He says the blockade covers Iran’s ports and coastlines and applies to all ships, regardless of which flag they are sailing under.
“This includes dark fleet vessels, carrying Iranian oil,” he says.
Pentagon boss Hegseth to address press amid impeachment filings
US defence secretary and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is set to address the press on the progress of US talks with Iran, but comes after impeachment articles were filed against him.
The Democrats filed six articles of impeachment on Wednesday, accusing the defence secretary of “high crimes and misdemeanors”, in reference to the attack on Iran without congressional authorisation and deadly strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats, among other official acts.
Pope Leo decries world ruled by ‘tyrants’ after Trump attacks
Pope Leo condemned leaders who spend billions on wars and said the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”, in unusually forceful remarks in Cameroon on Thursday after US president Donald Trump attacked him again on social media.
Leo, the first US pope, also decried leaders who used religious language to justify wars and urged a “decisive change of course” in a meeting in the biggest city in Cameroon’s anglophone regions, where a simmering conflict going back nearly a decade has left thousands dead.
“The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,” the pontiff said.
“They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found.”
Leo, who kept a relatively low profile for most of his first year as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church, has emerged as an outspoken critic of the US-Israeli war with Iran.
On Thursday, the pontiff sharply criticised leaders who invoked religious themes to justify wars.
“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” he said.
“It is a world turned upside down, an exploitation of God’s creation that must be denounced and rejected by every honest conscience.”
The pope made similar remarks last month, saying God rejected prayers from leaders with “hands full of blood”, in comments widely interpreted as aimed at US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, who has invoked Christian language to justify the Iran war.
Trump began his criticism of Leo on Sunday, when he called the pope “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” in a post on Truth Social.
Leo told Reuters on Monday that he would not stop speaking out about the Iran war and has avoided responding to Trump directly since then. - Reuters
Iran proposes letting ships travel through Omani side of Hormuz - reports
Iran could let ships sail freely through the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack under proposals it has offered in talks with the US, providing a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict, a source briefed by Tehran said.
The proposal appeared to be more of a gesture than a move that would, on its own, offer an immediate breakthrough for hundreds of ships waiting to pass through the key waterway, which handles about 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
The source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Iran could be willing to let ships use the other side of the narrow strait in Omani waters without any hindrance from Tehran.
“We welcome any moves to permit safe transit of ships through the established traffic separation scheme,” said a spokesperson for the International Maritime Organisation, which is the United Nations’ shipping agency.
The proposal marks the first visible step by Tehran to pull back from more combative ideas floated in recent weeks, which included charging ships for passage through the international waterway and imposing sovereignty on the strait.
Both these options are seen by the global shipping industry as breaching maritime conventions. - Reuters
Merchant vessels warned of ‘contraband’ under US blockade amid ‘increased naval presence’ in Gulf
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) operations centre has issued a warning of “increased naval presence” to merchant vessels operating in the Arabian Gulf and seas near Iran.
It upheld a ‘critical’ status for the area, the highest security threat level, amid the enactment of the US blockade on the shipping lane and Iranian ports.
The UK maritime security authority has circulated a list of goods being considered as “contraband items” under the US blockade.
The “non-exhaustive list” has two tiers of contraband. Blocked under all circumstances are: nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, all small arms or ammunition, electronic systems designed for military applications, aircraft propulsion devices, as well as radar and other intelligence systems.
Items blocked on condition of their contribution to the “Iran’s war-sustaining economy” are fuels, crude oil, components necessary for the refinement of nuclear materials, rare earth elements and metals, computer systems, and power generators.
UKMTO detailed that the US blockade is being enforced in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz against the coastline of Iran.
“The blockade applies to all vessel traffic, regardless of flag,” it said in a circular. “Any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area without authorization is subject to interception, diversion, and capture.”
“The blockade will not impede neutral transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations,” UKMTO said.
Europe has ‘maybe six weeks’ of jet fuel left
Europe has “maybe six weeks or so (of) jet fuel left”, the head of the International Energy Agency said in a wide-ranging Associated Press interview on Thursday, warning of possible flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war.
IEA executive director Fatih Birol painted a sobering picture of the global repercussions of what he called “the largest energy crisis we have ever faced,” stemming from the pinch-off of oil, gas and other vital supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
“In the past there was a group called ‘Dire Straits.’ It’s a dire strait now, and it is going to have major implications for the global economy.
“And the longer it goes, the worse it will be for the economic growth and inflation around the world,” he said.
The impact will be “higher petrol prices, higher gas prices, high electricity prices,” Birol told AP, with some parts of the world “hit worse than the others.”
“The front line is the Asian countries” that rely on energy from the Middle East, he said, naming Japan, Korea, India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh. - Associated Press
Marco Rubio reportedly to join any call between Israel and Lebanon
Lebanese TV channel Al Jadeed has reported that efforts are under way to arrange a call between Israel, Lebanon and the US.
Citing diplomatic sources, Al Jadeed reported that mediators are attempting contact between Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, with US secretary of state Marco Rubio to also join the discussion.
Rubio hosted the first talks in decades between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington on Tuesday.
There has been no official confirmation of talks, although an Israeli minister told local media this morning that Netanyahu will speak to Aoun today. Lebanese officials however, have said privately that they were unaware of any such call.
In a statement shared on social media, Aoun said the ceasefire that Lebanon is “demanding with Israel” will serve as a “natural entry point for direct negotiations between the two countries”.
He did not address reports about a call with the Israeli prime minister. - The Guardian
No dates set for more US-Iran talks, says Pakistan foreign ministry
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said no dates have been decided for a second round of talks between the US and Iran.
Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief, is in Iran as part of ongoing mediation efforts to renew negotiations as the deadline for the fragile US-Iran ceasefire looms.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Munir’s visit “was effective in reducing differences in some areas” but added that fundamental disagreements remained between the warring parties, specifically over Iran’s nuclear programme.
“More hopes have been created for extending the ceasefire and holding a second round of talks,” the official said.
“The fate of Iran’s highly enriched uranium and the duration of Iran’s nuclear restrictions are among the highly disputed issues for which no solution has yet been found.”
Nigerian airlines could halt flights over soaring jet fuel prices
Nigerian airlines have threatened to suspend all flight operations from next Monday, April 20th unless crippling jet fuel prices are reduced.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria, an industry body grouping around a dozen mainly domestic carriers, wrote to the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria on April 14, complaining that jet fuel prices had risen by about 270 per cent since late February.
They accused the country’s fuel marketers of artificially inflating fuel prices beyond the impact on global oil and fuel prices since the onset of the Iran war.
But in the letter seen by Reuters, AON called the jet fuel increase in Africa’s most populous nation “astronomical and artificial,” saying it far outpaced global crude oil prices.
“Currently, airline revenues are insufficient to cover the cost of fuel alone,” it said. Soaring jet fuel prices have upended the global aviation industry, forcing airlines to raise fares, curb growth plans and rethink forecasts. - Reuters
Iran halts all petrochemical exports to prioritise local supply
Iran has halted all petrochemical exports to prioritise domestic supply and prevent shortages after Israel struck several petrochemical hubs.
The instruction was issued on Monday, April 13th by a senior National Petrochemical Company official overseeing downstream industries, and told petrochemical firms to suspend exports until further notice, as reported by economic newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad.
The export ban primarily aims to stabilise domestic markets and ensure supply to industries following damage caused by recent attacks.
Iran exports around 29 million tons of petrochemical products per year, worth $13 billion (€11 billion), according to Fars news.
Domestic prices for petrochemical and related products have been held at pre-conflict levels despite rising global prices, with officials saying the measures would remain in place to support local industry and consumers.
Several key petrochemical production hubs were struck by Israel in recent weeks, and the order coincides with the commencement of the US military began blocking shipping traffic in and out of Iran’s ports – additional reporting, Reuters.
EasyJet sees fuel prices surge €28.7m in one month from Iran war
Budget airliner EasyJet has announced the conflict in the Middle East cost it about £25 million (€28.7 million) in higher jet fuel prices last month.
The war has introduced “near-term uncertainty around fuel costs and customer demand”, EasyJet reported.
Oil prices – which have a significant effect on the cost of jet fuel – soared in response to Iran’s stranglehold on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Kenton Jarvis, EasyJet chief executive, said its performance was “impacted by the conflict in the Middle East” among other factors, but said it was “well placed” financially to take the hit.
Concerns have been raised that airlines will be forced to cancel flights because of jet fuel shortages, but Jarvis said all the airports it serves are “operating as normal”.
EasyJet’s reported bookings are down two percentage points for the three months to the end of both June and September compared with a year ago – additional reporting, Reuters.
US claims no ships have broken Strait of Hormuz blockade
US Central Command has claimed its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains unbroken, since it was put in place on Monday.
“Ten vessels have now been turned around and zero ships have broken through since the start of the US blockade on Monday,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
The claim came in reference to an incident on Wednesday, CENTCOM said, in which an “Iranian-flagged cargo vessel tried to evade the US blockade” after leaving Iranian port city, Bandar Abbas.
The US said a guided-missile destroyer, USS Spruance, redirected the vessel which has returned to port.
Yesterday, an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel tried to evade the U.S. blockade after leaving Bandar Abbas, exiting the Strait of Hormuz, and transiting along the Iranian coastline. The guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) successfully redirected the vessel, which is… pic.twitter.com/EUnwhwYiDv
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 15, 2026
Military adviser to Iran supreme leader threatens to sink US ships
The military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader warned that Tehran would sink American ships in the strait of Hormuz if the US decided to “police” the narrow waterway.
Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was named as a military adviser by Mojtaba Khamenei last month, also threatened to take American soldiers hostage if they came ashore and “demand one billion dollars for each captive”.
“Trump wants to become the police of the strait of Hormuz, but we will under no circumstances back down from our 10 conditions in the short negotiations over a maritime blockade,” he told state TV last night.
The US blockade of ships using Iranian ports in the Gulf came into effect on Monday evening as a counter to Iran’s near-total closure of the strait of Hormuz since the start of the war. The US Central Command (Centcom) said it stopped 10 vessels from sailing out of Iranian ports during the first 48 hours of the blockade, but ship tracking data indicated at least three ships sailing from Iranian ports crossed the strait of Hormuz, though some vessels later turned back.
Lebanese officials ‘unaware’ of meeting with Israel
Lebanese officials have said they were unaware of any contact or meeting with Israel, after Trump said on social media that Israeli and Lebanese leaders would speak to each other.
AFP news agency reported an official source in Lebanon saying: “We are not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side, and we have not been informed of any through official channels.”
Al Jazeera also reported an official source in Lebanon saying “there is no information” about a possible phone conversation between Lebanese and Israeli leaders or a second meeting between their ambassadors in Washington following Tuesday’s talks.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said Israeli and Lebanese leaders will hold talks, but he did not provide any other details and it was not clear if he meant the countries’ heads of state or other officials. There has been no official confirmation of a meeting from Israel or Lebanon.
On Thursday morning, the Israeli military issued another order telling people in southern Lebanon to flee the area due to “ongoing” air strikes against what it described as Hizbullah targets, in its second such warning in 24 hours.
EU drafting plans to tackle jet fuel supply
The European Union is drafting plans to tackle a looming jet fuel supply crunch and maximise refinery output, officials said.
European airlines have warned of jet fuel shortages within weeks as a result of the war.
Europe is more dependent on jet fuel imports – with some 75 per cent from the Middle East – than for any other transport fuel, Reuters reports.
From next month, the European Commission will introduce EU-wide mapping of refining capacity for oil products and introduce measures “to ensure that existing refining capacity is fully utilised and maintained“, a draft proposal says.
The EU is also working on measures targeting jet fuel supply, but those are still in development, officials familiar with the proposals said. The commission declined to comment on the draft plans, which are due to be published on April 22nd.
Europe facing higher gas prices ‘for years’ to come, EU energy chief warns
Europe will face higher gas prices “for years” to come even in the best-case scenario, and possible shortages in the supply of diesel and jet fuel in the short term if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, the European Union’s energy commissioner has warned.
As Jack Power reports, the senior Brussels-based politician said the most optimistic projections were “pretty bleak”, due to missile strikes on key gas production facilities in the Gulf during the Iran war.
“We’re not speaking weeks or months, we’re speaking years, because so much infrastructure has been damaged and ruined, especially in Qatar ... So even the best-case scenario is bad,” Dan Jorgensen said.
In an interview with The Irish Times and seven other media outlets, the European Commission’s point man on the energy crisis said people needed to brace themselves for things getting worse.
Iran will play in World Cup, Fifa leader insists
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday that the “Iranian team is coming, for sure” to play in the World Cup in the United States this summer.
Speaking at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum in Washington, he said: “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come.”
US president Donald Trump has said it would not be “appropriate” for Iran to participate in the tournament this summer and that it may be a risk for the players’ “own life and safety”.
It remains unclear whether Iran will pull out of the tournament. Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, told state TV in February the team “certainly” would not participate after strikes by the United States and Israel killed Iran’s supreme leader.
In March, Iran said it was negotiating with Fifa to move its matches from the United States to Mexico, which is co-hosting the tournament along with Canada. But Fifa made it clear it had no plans to do so.
“Sports should be outside of politics,” Infantino said at the CNBC event.
Iran was drawn to play two group-stage games in Los Angeles, home to one of the world’s largest Iranian diasporas, and one in Seattle. The United States is in a different group and could play Iran only if both teams advance in the tournament.
US-sanctioned supertankers enter Gulf despite blockade
A second US-sanctioned supertanker has entered the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, shipping data showed, despite a US blockade on vessels visiting Iranian ports.
Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday after weekend peace talks in Islamabad between the US and Iran failed to reach a deal.
The US Central Command said on X that 10 vessels have been turned around and no ships have broken through since the start of the blockade on Monday.
Still, Iran’s Fars News Agency said on Wednesday that an Iranian supertanker subject to US sanctions crossed the strait towards Iran’s Imam Khomeini port despite the blockade. Fars did not identify the tanker or give further details of its voyage.
The tanker’s entry into the Gulf comes a day after US-sanctioned tanker Alicia passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The Alicia is heading to Iraq. Both tankers have records of carrying Iranian oil in the past few years. – Reuters
Peace hopes grow as Israel discusses Lebanon ceasefire
Optimism grew on Thursday that the war in the Middle East may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator in Tehran and the administration of US president Donald Trump talking up hopes for a deal that would open the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Israel’s cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss a possible ceasefire in neighbouring Lebanon, a senior Israeli official said, more than six weeks into its war with Iran-backed Hizbullah.
Trump said talks between leaders of both countries would take place on Thursday, while the Financial Times reported a ceasefire could be announced soon, citing Lebanese officials.
Ending the fighting in Lebanon was a key sticking point in earlier peace talks, along with how to deal with Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
US and Iranian officials were weighing a return to Pakistan for further talks as early as the coming weekend, after negotiations ended on Sunday without a breakthrough.
Pakistan’s army chief and key figure in the mediation, field marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict.
“We feel good about the prospects of a deal,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a news conference on Wednesday, calling conversations mediated by Pakistan “productive and ongoing”. She denied reports that the US had formally requested an extension of a two-week ceasefire agreed by the two sides on April 8th.
