Thursday, April 2nd, 2026 

U.S. president Donald Trump, in his prime address since the start of the war, says that U.S. forces will soon “finish the job” and that objectives are “nearing completion”. However, he also says that the U.S. would hit them “extremely hard” within the next 2–3 weeks if a deal is not reached to end the war. (AFP via The Daily Star) 

The B1 highway bridge linking Tehran and Karaj, which was inaugurated earlier this year, is hit by Israeli–U.S. airstrikes. Eight people are killed and 95 others are injured. (Reuters via The Times of Israel) 

United States crude oil surges to over US$113 per barrel. (NBC News) 

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asks Gen. Randy George, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, to step down and take immediate retirement. (CBS News) 

U.S. president Donald Trump dismisses Pam Bondi as Attorney General, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche replacing her on an acting basis. (BBC News) (CNN) 

The Pasteur Institute of Iran sustains heavy damage in US-Israeli strikes. (Telegraph) 

Argentina orders Iranian chargé d’affaires Mohsen Soltani Tehrani to leave the country within 48 hours after Iranian officials issued statements that Argentina described as false and offensive. The move follows Argentina’s designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. (AFP via LBCI) 

Iran conducts strikes on Amazon Web Services servers in Bahrain and on an Oracle data center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. However, the Dubai government dismisses any reports the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has targeted the Oracle data center and says it’s false.  (Gulf News) 

Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi says that Iran and Oman are drafting a protocol to oversee maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz. (AA) 

The United Kingdom hosts a summit with 40 countries to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters) 

Austria denies United States aircraft use of its ‌airspace for military operations against Iran. (Reuters) 

The Basmanny District Court in Moscow, Russia, sentences German sculptor Jacques Tilly in absentia to eight years and six months in prison for spreading false information about the military and offending religious believers through his public works and statements concerning Russia’s actions in Ukraine. (Reuters)