Latest breaking news and urgent events
In 2026, critics alleged that while pursuing a nuclear deal with Iran, former U.S. President Barack Obama provided U.S. visas and green cards to family members of Iran’s regime, at a time when Iranian citizens faced significant repression under the regime.
Iran has set a condition for negotiations with the United States, demanding that the U.S. force Israel to agree to a temporary one-week ceasefire with Hezbollah. Israel has not yet agreed to this condition.
Yesterday, the Israeli domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet arrested an Israeli woman in Haifa who was working as a spy for the IRGC intelligence organization, assisting in targeting the Haifa oil refinery operated by the Bazan Energy Group.
According to Pentagon sources, the IRGC Aerospace Force is using both the Khayyam satellite launched by Russia and the TEE-01A “Earth Eye” satellite developed by Chinese company Mumei Xingkong Keji to monitor U.S. Armed Forces activities in the Middle East and enable precise targeting.
According to a Financial Times report, Iran utilized intelligence capabilities from a Chinese spy satellite to launch attacks on US military bases in the Middle East during the conflict.
Two improvised gas-based explosive devices exploded in Tehran's 10th district, causing minor damage to three houses and two vehicles, and slightly injuring three people, according to the Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Fars News Agency.
On April 9, 2026, the U.S. Navy confirmed that one of its MQ-4C Triton surveillance drones (169804) deployed from NAS Sigonella crashed in the Persian Gulf near Iran, believed to have been shot down by either the Iranian Air Defense Force or the IRGC Aerospace Force, resulting in a loss of $200 million USD.
The U.S. Navy did not block the passage of the Chinese oil tanker Richard Starry through the Strait of Hormuz, indicating that the United States is not currently seeking direct conflict with China.
Over the past few hours, propaganda accounts linked to the IRGC’s psychological operations headquarters have been circulating fabricated or outdated images of Iranian military equipment, including destroyed Ghadir-class midget submarines and an old image of an F-4D Phantom II aircraft, claiming they are still operational. These images were disseminated despite the fact that the equipment was destroyed on the first day of the war by U.S. Navy and Air Force operations in Bandar Abbas port, southern Iran.
On January 15, 2026, the U.S. Navy sent two destroyers through the Strait of Hormuz to demonstrate naval power and discredit Iranian claims of sea mines, marking the start of a comprehensive blockade of Iran's coastline. U.S. Central Command confirmed that over 15 U.S. warships are involved in the operation, which aims to prevent Iran from exporting any oil.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire and stated that Hezbollah must disarm, while also condemning Israel's strikes as wrong. He urged an immediate end to the bombing.
The U.S. Navy is deploying 15 warships, primarily Arleigh Burke-class destroyers including DDG-121 and DDG-112, to enforce a naval blockade in the Oman Sea, Strait of Hormuz, and Persian Gulf.
