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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
IRAN WAR – CEASEFIRE
President Trump has instructed aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran as negotiations remain stalled, U.S. officials said. Trump assessed that maintaining the blockade carries less risk than other options, despite it prolonging the conflict and straining the global economy. Iran told mediators on Monday that it would need a few days to consult with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei before presenting a modified proposal, sources said. Regional mediators remain skeptical that Iran’s offer would catalyze a breakthrough. Trump said yesterday that Iran told the United States that it is “in a state of collapse” and wants to open the Strait of Hormuz “as soon as possible.” It is unclear what Trump was basing his comment on. Iran has not confirmed that it is willing to reopen the strait. Alexander Ward, Laurence Norman, and Summer Said report for the Wall Street Journal; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
“The Iranians are painfully slow in their response,” a senior Pakistani official said. “There is apparently no one decision-making command structure. At times, it takes them 2 to 3 days to respond.” Three other sources said that Khamenei’s current role is to legitimize decisions made by his generals rather than issue directives himself. Iranian officials and analysts have said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps now dominates both military strategy and key political decisions. Samia Nakhoul, Parisa Hafezi, and Asif Shahzad report for Reuters.
IRAN WAR – LEBANON OPERATIONS
Two successive Israeli strikes on a building in southern Lebanon killed five people yesterday, including three rescuers who went to help those wounded in the initial attack, Lebanon’s health ministry said. Reuters reports.
IRAN WAR – OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
The U.S. Treasury Department announced yesterday that it has intensified sanctions on Iran, targeting its “shadow banking” network and warning financial institutions against facilitating Chinese purchases of Iranian oil. Alan Rappeport reports for the New York Times.
The United Arab Emirates announced yesterday that it was leaving the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Emirati officials said they were doing so to unilaterally increase their oil production and meet the market’s long-term needs. The Emirati energy minister, Suhail Al Mazrouei, said that the decision had “nothing to do with any specific producer,” adding that Saudi Arabia and the Emirates are “brothers,” standing together during the crisis caused by the war. Vivian Nereim and Ismaeel Naar report for the New York Times.
The U.K. government said yesterday that it had summoned the Iranian ambassador in response to what it called “unacceptable and inflammatory comments” posted by the Iranian embassy on social media. The Iranian statement invited Iranians living in Britain to register for a “Sacrifice for the Homeland” campaign, encouraging Iranians to “stand together, ready to sacrifice our lives, for it is better than surrendering our country to the enemy.” Megan Specia reports for the New York Times.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians in Gaza yesterday, including a 9-year-old boy, health officials said. Medics said an Israeli drone killed the child in eastern Khan Younis, while an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle in Gaza City, killing four people. Regarding the strike in Khan Younis, the Israeli military said it had targeted an individual who posed a threat to Israeli troops by approaching the “yellow line” that demarcates the part of Gaza occupied by Israel. The 9-year-old boy’s family said he was collecting cardboard for cooking. Reuters reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine used interceptor systems to shoot down more than 33,000 Russian drones of various types in March, a record monthly figure since the war started more than four years ago, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Fedorov also said that Ukraine has more than doubled the range of its deep-strike capabilities since 2022, striking targets as far as 1,750 kilometres (1,100 miles) behind enemy lines. Hanna Arhirova reports for AP News.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Mali’s military leader Assimi Goita said the situation in Mali is under control after coordinated attacks killed the defence minister and struck key sites over the weekend, vowing to “neutralize” those responsible. Since the attacks, Goita had not been seen in his office until his office published pictures of him meeting the Russian ambassador, Igor Gromyko, yesterday afternoon. Gromyko “reaffirmed [Russia’s] commitment to supporting Mali in the fight against international terrorism,” according to a social media post from Goita’s office. Reuters reports.
The International Criminal Court yesterday ordered an al-Qaeda-linked extremist leader to pay €7.2 million ($8.4 million) in reparations for atrocities he oversaw as head of the Islamic police in Timbuktu, Mali. While the court has declared Al Hassan Ag Aboul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud liable, it will not be able to collect the money, as he was declared indigent and represented by a court-funded lawyer during his trial. Instead, reparations for the more than 65,000 victims will be paid by the Trust Fund for Victims, set up by the court’s member states to distribute the funds. Molly Quell reports for AP News.
Five Million Children across Sudan’s Darfur region are facing extreme deprivation, UNICEF said yesterday, issuing an emergency warning over the situation as the civil war enters its fourth year. The warning, known as “Child Alert,” is used sparingly by UNICEF and is designed to signal that a situation has reached a critical threshold. Olivia Le Poidevin reports for Reuters.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog yesterday invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and government prosecutors to his official residence in hopes of brokering a settlement to end the ongoing corruption case against Netanyahu. The invitation said that Herzog believes efforts to settle “must be exhausted first” before he can consider the pardon request. AP News reports.
TECH DEVELOPMENTS
Goldman Sachs has stopped its bankers in Hong Kong from using Anthropic’s AI models, reflecting concerns over intellectual property risks and “AI distillation” into Chinese-developed models, according to four sources. Arjun Neil Alm, Zijing Wu, and Tim Bradshaw report for the Financial Times.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
“Today, our partnerships in NATO and AUKUS deepen our technological and military cooperation and ensure that together we can meet the challenges of an increasingly complex and contested world,” King Charles III told Congress yesterday. Trump called the king’s speech “fantastic,” despite the king’s pointed comments on NATO’s Article 5 and the Magna Carta. Trump later touted the defense relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom at the state dinner, saying the two nations share “unconquerable courage.” Alex Gangitano reports for POLITICO; Michael D Shear and Zolan Kanno-Young report for the New York Times.
Britain’s ambassador to Washington, Christian Turner, said that the United States’ only “special relationship” is “probably Israel,” not the United Kingdom, according to remarks made by Turner at an event in February and shared with the Financial Times this week. Turner also criticised the U.S. political system for failing to hold associates of Jeffrey Epstein to account. Lucy Fisher and Paul Murphy report.
The United States has circulated two diplomatic notes outlining nine “quick-hit” reforms needed to unlock billions of dollars it owes to the United Nations, according to Devex. The proposed reforms include further cost-cutting measures and steps aimed at limiting China’s influence at the world body. David Brunnstrom reports for Reuters.
The United States said yesterday it is not funding any security units tasked with policing or guarding mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after Kinshasa announced plans to launch a paramilitary force to secure mining sites. The DRC’s General Inspectorate of Mines said on Monday that the paramilitary guard would be funded by a $100 million budget and created under strategic partnerships with the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates. Ange Adihe Kasongo reports for Reuters.
U.S. special envoy John Coale said yesterday he expects to secure the release of additional prisoners from Belarus within the next month, adding that further sanctions relief for Minsk could be possible if that happens. “I’ll be going back to facilitate that in the next month. Nothing definite, but probably the next month,” Coale said. Alan Charlish reports for Reuters.
U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS
The U.S military has ramped up attacks against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean this month, flying more attack aircraft than ever before in its campaign against those smuggling drugs at sea, according to a U.S. military official and another source. In the past few weeks, the military has, without public notice, increased the number of secret fixed-wing attack aircraft and armed MQ-9 Reaper drones operating from bases in El Salvador and Puerto Rico, allowing the military to accelerate the strikes, the two people said. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times.
U.S. Special Forces soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges that he used classified information about the mission to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to win more than $400,000 on the prediction market Polymarket. Michael R. Sisak and Larry Neumeister report for AP News.
The Senate yesterday voted 51 to 47 to block a Democratic-led resolution that would have barred Trump from military action against Cuba without congressional approval. Connor O’Brien reports for POLITICO.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted yesterday over a social media post last year showing seashells in the arrangement of “86 47,” that officials said constituted a threat against Trump. Comey deleted the post shortly after it was made, writing: “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.” Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker report for AP News.
The Federal Communications Commission has ordered ABC to seek early broadcast license renewals for its eight TV stations, following a controversy over a Jimmy Kimmel joke about first lady Melania Trump. “You can accelerate when a license comes due and say, ‘hey, we have significant concerns with the value of conducting your operations. We want to review your license now and decide if you’re in the public interest,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr said yesterday. The licenses were not scheduled for renewal until 2028 at the earliest. Mandalit del Barco reports for NPR.
The Government Accountability Office yesterday announced an investigation into the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, including the decisions made in “reviewing, redacting, and releasing the Epstein files.” Cheyanne M. Daniels reports for POLITICO.
The Southern Poverty Law Center yesterday pushed back against the accusation that it sought to promote, not dismantle, far-right groups, according to court papers. The SPLC asserted that information gleaned from its informants was shared at least three times with law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, resulting in arrests and prosecutions. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
The State Department yesterday announced that it will release a limited edition U.S. passport design featuring Trump’s face on the inside cover and other images to celebrate the 250th anniversary of independence. Finya Swai reports for POLITICO.
The White House is developing guidance that would allow agencies to get around Anthropic’s supply chain risk designation and onboard new models, including Mythos, according to sources. One source described the White House efforts as a way to “save face and bring em back in.” Maria Curi and Ashley Gold report for Axios.
Google has signed a classified deal with the Defense Department to use its AI models for “any lawful government purpose,” a source told The Information. The agreement was reported less than a day after Google employees demanded CEO Sundar Pichai block the Pentagon from using its AI amid concerns that it would be used in “inhumane and extremely harmful ways.” Jess Weatherbed reports for The Verge.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal appeals court has ruled against the Trump administration’s policy requiring mandatory detention without bond for most people facing deportation, finding it based on an unreasonable interpretation of immigration law and raising serious constitutional concerns. The decision creates a split with other appellate courts that have upheld the policy. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions.
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ICYMI: Yesterday on Just Security
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