Issued on: 09/04/2026 - 04:16Modified: 10/04/2026 - 07:26
The US State Department will host talks between Israel and Lebanon next week, a State Department official said Thursday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier authorised his cabinet to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible”. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This liveblog is no longer being updated.
Japan plans to release 20 days’ worth of oil reserves
Japan plans to release 20 days' worth of oil reserves from May, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told a cabinet meeting on Friday, to ensure stable domestic supply while searching for non-Middle East barrels as conflict in the region disrupts global supply.
Japan is dependent on the Middle East for some 95% of its oil. It began releasing reserves on March 16 unilaterally and in coordination with other nations under a plan to make available enough oil to last 50 days. The 20 days' worth is additional.
Kuwait says Iran and its proxies attacked it on Thursday
Kuwait accused Iran and its proxies of launching drone attacks targeting it on Thursday despite the two-week ceasefire in the Iran war, as Saudi Arabia said recent attacks damaged a key pipeline in the kingdom.
The statement from Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry, carried by the state-run KUNA news agency, put new pressure on the ceasefire ahead of planned talks Saturday between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said the drone attacks “targeted some vital Kuwaiti facilities" Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting an anonymous official, acknowledged a recent attack in the war that damaged its crucial East-West pipeline. That pipeline carries oil out to the Red Sea and avoids the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran maintains a chokehold on despite the pause in the fighting.
Iran’s supreme leader says Iran does not want war but will defend its rights
Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in his latest written message the Islamic republic did not want war with the United States and Israel, but would protect its rights as a nation, state television reported Thursday.
"We did not seek war and we do not want it," he said in the message read out on state TV, weeks after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on February 28, the first day of the war.
"But we will not renounce our legitimate rights under any circumstances, and in this respect, we consider the entire resistance front as a whole," he added, in an apparent reference to Lebanon where Israel is fighting with Tehran's ally Hezbollah.
Khamenei told Iranians that they must "not imagine that taking to the streets is no longer necessary" despite the announcement of the ceasefire.
"Your voices in public squares are undoubtedly influential in the outcome of the negotiations," he said, according to the message broadcast on state TV.
Israel says Hezbollah missile triggered air raid sirens
Israel's military said on Friday that Hezbollah had launched a missile at Israel, triggering air raid sirens in parts of the country, including in Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah said it targeted "Israeli military" infrastructure in the northern city of Haifa in the late hours of Thursday.
Trump says Iran doing 'very poor job' allowing oil through Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran was doing a "very poor job" of allowing oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz.
"That is not the agreement we have!," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
White House warns staff over misuse of positions for futures trading
The White House warned US government staff against improperly leveraging their positions to place bets in futures markets in an email on March 23, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing sources.
The Journal said the announcement was made hours after US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social he would order the military to postpone any strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.
The White House confirmed the authenticity of the warning, WSJ said.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemns Iranian attacks
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with leaders of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates and condemned Iranian attacks on the nations, Downing Street said in separate statements.
Starmer made the comments in a conversation with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and others.
Separately, Starmer, in his conversation with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, discussed the Strait of Hormuz and the need to push to restore the free flow of goods to support global supply chains.
EU diplomat Kaja Kallas calls for urgent cessation of hostilities in Lebanon
The European Union's top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Thursday called for an urgent cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and urged all parties to respect a ceasefire agreement agreed between the United States and Iran.
"We urge all involved to fully respect the ceasefire across the region, cease all military operations and fully ensure freedom of navigation as well as free and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, in line with international law," Kallas said in a statement.
Trump warns oil will flow quickly 'with or without' Iran
US President Donald Trump on Thursday warned in a post on Truth Social that oil would start flowing very quickly, "with or without the help of Iran," without providing further details.
US State Dept says it summoned Iraq envoy over attacks by Iran-backed groups
The US State Department said Thursday it had summoned Iraq's ambassador over what it called "egregious terrorist attacks" by Iran-backed armed groups on US interests in Iraq.
The United States "will not tolerate attacks on US interests and expects the Iraqi government to immediately take all measures to dismantle the Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq," a department spokesperson said after the ambassador was called in for a meeting.
Kuwait condemns drone attacks by Iran
Kuwait condemned drone attacks by Iran and its proxies targeting vital facilities in the country on Thursday evening, calling the strikes a violation of its sovereignty and airspace, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Earlier on Thursday, Kuwaiti state news agency reported a National Guard site was targeted by drones, causing significant material damage but no injuries.
Trump warns Iran against Hormuz fees
President Donald Trump said on Thursday Iran should not charge fees to tankers going through the Strait of Hormuz.
"They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
US Department of Energy seeks exchange of up to 30 million barrels of sweet crude oil
The US Department of Energy is soliciting an exchange of up to 30 million barrels of sweet crude oil from the West Hackberry Strategic Petroleum Reserve site, according to a request for proposal posted to the department’s website on Thursday.
Trump and Starmer discuss need for 'practical plan' on Hormuz
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump on Thursday agreed the "need for a practical plan" to get shipping moving again through the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Iran ceasefire, the UK leader's office said.
The two leaders "agreed that now there is a ceasefire in place and agreement to open the Strait, we are at the next stage of finding a resolution," the prime minister's office said.
"The leaders discussed the need for a practical plan to get shipping moving again as quickly as possible," and agreed to speak again, Downing Street said.
Oil pares gains to close up 1% as Israel plans peace talks with Lebanon
Oil prices closed up 1% but settled below $100 for the second straight session on Thursday in volatile trading as a fragile Middle East ceasefire held and Israel said it would start direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible.
Earlier in the session, doubts over the durability of the two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran stoked concerns about ongoing restrictions to energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, driving prices up more than 5%.
Those gains were later pared after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed officials to open peace talks with Lebanon, including discussions on disarming Hezbollah.
In photos: Beirut residents face aftermath of Israeli strikes
Beirut residents on Thursday gathered in hospitals to identify the dead and continued searches amongst the rubble in the wake of devastation caused by Israeli strikes in densely populated areas of the Lebanese capital the previous day.
(© Emilie Madi, Raghed Waked, Mohamed Azakir, Reuters)
Netanyahu graft trial to resume after Israel eases war restictions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial will resume on Sunday, the Jerusalem District Court confirmed, after emergency restrictions imposed during the conflict with Iran were lifted.
A court statement on Thursday said that "the return to work of the judicial system" means Netanyahu's trial is cleared to continue, beginning with a hearing on Sunday set to include testimony from a defence witness.
Netanyahu is facing charges in two cases in which he allegedly negotiated favourable media coverage from Israeli news outlets, and a third involving accusations that he accepted more than $260,000 in luxury gifts from billionaires in exchange for political favours.
A fourth corruption charge was previously dismissed.
Netanyahu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the three court cases.
Canada says it strongly condemns Israel's bombing of Lebanon
Canada strongly condemns Israel's bombing campaign against targets in Lebanon, Foreign Minister Anita Anand said in a statement on Thursday.
Anand also condemned what she called Hezbollah's indiscriminate attacks against Israel.
WHO Director denounces Israel’s evacuation order in Beirut
WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said Israeli evacuation orders will cause chaos for 450 patients at two Beirut hospitals and thousands in shelters who are unable to leave their locations.
Yesterday's key developments:
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters and AP)
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