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China has told Iran on Thursday that it must reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The country’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, told foreign minister Abbas Araghchi that freedom of safety and navigation through the waterway should be guaranteed, saying there is a “unanimous interest” for normal navigation to be restored.
It follows a US blockade of Iranian ports this week, which has caused further restrictions and uncertainty for shipping in the region. China is Iran’s largest trading partner and the primary buyer of the country’s oil.
Meanwhile. Lebanon has denied knowledge of forthcoming peace talks with Israel hours after US president Donald Trump announced the historic negotiations.
An official in Lebanon’s presidential office told the BBC it is not aware of any plans of contact with Israel on Thursday.
“It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow,” Trump had said on Truth Social in a midnight post.
Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington, following more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. At least 2,124 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon and more than one million displaced, according to the health ministry.
Iran’s biggest trading partner China says Tehran must reopen Strait of Hormuz
China has told Iran on Thursday that it must reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The country’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, told foreign minister Abbas Araghchi that freedom of safety and navigation through the waterway should be guaranteed, saying there is a “unanimous interest” for normal navigation to be restored.
It follows a US blockade of Iranian ports this week, which has caused further restrictions and uncertainty for shipping in the region. China is Iran’s largest trading partner and the primary buyer of the country’s oil.
Maira Butt16 April 2026 08:57
Australia boosts military spending as Iran war makes global impact
The Iran war had greatly complicated the global strategic landscape, Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday as he announced a major increase in Australian military spending.
Marles released the latest two-year update of Australia’s defense strategy and said an additional 53 billion Australian dollars ($38 billion) in spending on defense was planned over the next decade.
Australia’s defense budget would grow from 2.8 per cent of GDP this year to 3 per cent by 2033 as “Australia faces its most complex and threatening strategic circumstances since the end of World War II,” Marles said.
Asked how much more complex and threatening Australia’s circumstances were since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February, Marles told reporters: “I don’t think anyone could honestly answer that question.”
“It greatly complicates the global strategic landscape,” Marles said. “The world feels less safe.”
Maira Butt16 April 2026 08:17
Lebanon ‘not aware’ of forthcoming peace talks
An official in Lebanon’s presidential office told the BBC it is not aware of any plans of contact with Israel on Thursday.
“It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow,” Trump had said on Truth Social in a midnight post.
Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington, following more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
Maira Butt16 April 2026 07:45
UK economy grew faster than expected before Iran war
The UK economy grew by a better-than-expected 0.5 per cent in February, the Office for National Statistics said.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 0.2 per cent growth in gross domestic product for the December-February period compared with the previous three months.
In February alone, the economy grew by 0.5 per cent, the Office for National Statistics said, against expectations for a 0.1 per cent increase.
Maira Butt16 April 2026 07:25
Watch: UN welcomes Lebanon-Israel talksUN welcomes Lebanon-Israel talks as White House optimistic for peace
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar16 April 2026 07:05
How Iran built its military and weapons over decades of conflict
Six weeks of US and Israeli bombardment have served to degrade Iran’s nuclear facilities and cripple parts of its military.
But the Islamic Republic’s offensive capabilities have been built up over nearly 50 years, during which Iran has been either at war or under the threat of conflict.
As an expert in military history and theory, I believe that to understand what may come next in Operation Epic Fury, it’s valuable to grasp the development of Iran’s modern military structure, capabilities and international activities, writes Paul J. Springer.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar16 April 2026 07:00
Israeli settlers block Palestinian kids’ path to school with tear gas
Hajar and Rashid Hathaleen have always walked to school from their neighborhood on the outskirts of Umm al-Khair.
But when classes resumed this week for the first time since the Iran war began, coiled barbed wire blocked the Palestinian siblings’ path to the village center.
Israeli settlers had installed it overnight, according to a video that Palestinian residents provided to The Associated Press.
Palestinians say the improvised fence is just the latest attempt by settlers to expand control in part of the occupied West Bank where state-backed demolitions, arson and vandalism regularly occur and settler violence, at times lethal, is rarely prosecuted.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar16 April 2026 06:50
Iran threatens to disrupt Gulf trade in response to US naval blockade
The commander of Iran’s joint military command has threatened to halt trade in the Gulf region if the US does not lift its blockade on Iranian ports.
No vessels have made it past US naval forces during the first 48 hours of the blockade, according to the US Central Command. Even so, Trump said on Wednesday the war in Iran was “very close to over”.
The military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei also warned that Iran would sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz if the United States decided to “police” the key shipping bottleneck.
“Mr Trump wants to become the police of the Strait of Hormuz. Is this really your job? Is this the job of a powerful army like the US?” Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander-in-chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards who was named as a military adviser by Khamenei last month, told state TV.
“These ships of yours will be sunk by our first missiles and have created a great danger for the US military. They can definitely be exposed to our missiles and we can destroy them,” Rezaei, wearing his military uniform, told the state broadcaster.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar16 April 2026 06:40
Asian stocks hit record highs as Iran peace deal hopes grow
Japan‘s Nikkei reached a fresh record in early trading, up 2.2 per cent, while MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.9 per cent, putting it on track for a third consecutive day of gains. S&P 500 futures were also higher.
The gains followed a strong Wednesday session on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 rose 0.8 per cent and the Nasdaq gained 1.6 per cent after strong quarterly results from Bank of America and Morgan Stanley lifted both indexes to record highs.
With around 6 per cent of companies having reported earnings, 84 per cent have beaten analyst expectations.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar16 April 2026 06:30
Fire at Australian oil refinery threatens already dwindling petrol supplies
A fire at one of Australia’s only two remaining oil refineries burned for 13 hours on Wednesday night before being extinguished, threatening petrol supplies in a country already struggling with the fallout from the US-Iran war.
The blaze broke out just after 11pm at Viva Energy’s Corio facility in Geelong, about 75km south-west of Melbourne, after multiple calls to emergency services reported explosions and flames.
Fire Rescue Victoria said the blaze was contained to the Mogas section – the part of the plant where motor gasoline is produced – an area of roughly 30 by 30m.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar16 April 2026 06:10