Pete Hegseth, Trump's Secretary of War from the Pentagon, announced in a press conference on the war in Iran that "Operation Epic Wrath" was a decisive military victory, leading to a ceasefire requested by Iran.
Israeli government and military sources confirm that the Israeli Air Force was not involved in the recent airstrikes on Iran’s oil facilities on Lavan and Siri islands. They suggest that the United Arab Emirates may be attempting to frame Israel for the attacks.
The United Arab Emirates conducted a false-flag operation today, targeting Iran’s oil facilities in the Persian Gulf, in response to the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran and the cessation of Israeli airstrikes on Iran. In retaliation, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force targeted oil facilities in Fujairah, UAE.
BREAKING: F-16E Block 60 Desert Falcons of the UAE Air Force are flying over Tehran, potentially aiming to deceive the Iranian regime into breaking the ceasefire with the U.S. and attacking Israel, according to Israeli sources. #OperationEpicFury #OperationLionsRoar
On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, stating that the U.S. will cooperate with Iran to extract nuclear dust and monitor uranium enrichment activities closely. Trump also indicated that the U.S. will engage in talks with Iran on tariffs and sanctions reduction, noting significant progress on many desired clauses.
On January 19, 2026, President Donald Trump announced that the United States will work closely with the new regime in Iran to dismantle its nuclear program, remove buried nuclear materials, and lift tariffs and sanctions contingent on Iran's compliance with 15 agreed points. Trump also threatened a 50% tariff on any country supplying military weapons to Iran, with no exceptions.
On Truth Social, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States will cooperate closely with Iran following a successful regime change, including the extraction of nuclear materials buried by U.S. military operations. The U.S. is negotiating tariff reductions and sanctions relief with Iran, with many agreement clauses already agreed upon.
Iranian dissident @iranidaturan calls on the EU to demand accountability from Iran, urging the expulsion of Iranian diplomats, designation of the IRGC as terrorists, recognition of HRH @PahlaviReza, and cessation of legitimizing the Islamist regime.
Iran conducted a nuclear weapons test in the Strait of Hormuz. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev commented on the temporary ceasefire between Iran and the United States.
On April 8, 2025, French political prisoners Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who had been held in Evin Prison in Iran for three and a half years, returned to France. French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated their release on social media, thanking those involved in the prisoner exchange that also saw the release of Mehdi Esfandiari, an Iranian citizen imprisoned in France.
As part of a ceasefire agreement, the Trump administration aims to participate in the reconstruction of Iran’s maritime infrastructure, including ports and piers damaged during Operation Epic Fury, as reported by Babak Taghvaee.
American military operations against the Islamic Republic regime in Iran began in January 2026, coinciding with ongoing protests and violence within the country. The start of these US airstrikes drew criticism from anti-war activists who had previously focused on internal Iranian political factions.
On April 19, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates announced they were countering missile and drone attacks from Iran, with Kuwait intercepting 28 drones targeting critical infrastructure, causing extensive material damage. Meanwhile, Iran reported that its Lavan Island oil facilities were attacked early Wednesday morning, resulting in no casualties but causing fires and damage to the facilities.
Since the ceasefire took effect, two ships—the bulk carrier NJ Earth departing from Bushehr and the bulk carrier Daytona Beach from Bandar Abbas—have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, following routes through waters controlled by Iran. Ship tracking data shows that 11 passages occurred the previous day, with hundreds of ships, including 426 tankers, 34 LPG carriers, and 19 LNG carriers, remaining in the area.
This morning, the IDF conducted four targeted airstrikes in southern Lebanon, hitting a motorcycle in Kfardounine, Bint Jbeil district, a vehicle on the Qasmiyeh highway, a motorcycle in Shehabieh, and a vehicle in Blat town square, as well as a Hezbollah medical vehicle in Kalila village, resulting in the elimination of four terrorists.
Six professors teaching at prominent American universities are known to be children of Iran's government officials, including Leila Khatami, Zahra Mohaghegh Damad, Zeinab Hajjarian, Ehsan Nobakht, Eissa Hashemi, and Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani.
On April 19, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait reported continuing to defend against missile and drone attacks from the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite accepting a ceasefire earlier that day. The UAE Ministry of Defense specifically stated that its air defense forces are responding to attacks originating from Iran.
Emirati forces conducted an airstrike on the oil refinery on Lavan Island in southern Iran, hitting two storage tanks and the Iranian Offshore Oil Company jetty, causing three explosions at 10:20.
Israeli fighter jets conducted airstrikes in Tehran, the capital city of Iran, on January 10, 2026, with heavy air defense responses reported in eastern Tehran and the Narmak district.
Emirati Mirage 2000-9EAD fighter jets conducted airstrikes on oil refineries on the islands of Siri and Lavan, damaging oil storage tanks and major infrastructure. The UAE’s operation to target Iran’s oil and petrochemical facilities continues. #OperationEpicFury #OperationLionsRoar
