The U.S. had demanded that Iran immediately reopen the strait, but Iran said it would do so only after a final peace deal, according to Iranian officials.
Israel’s campaign targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon has been a source of tension in the U.S.-Iran cease-fire. Israeli and Lebanese officials plan to meet for rare talks in Washington this week.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party has repeatedly tweaked Hungary’s electoral system to its advantage, making Sunday’s vote free, but not entirely fair.
The exact format of the talks in Pakistan was unclear. The White House declined to comment about Vice President JD Vance’s potential meetings with the Iranians.
Israel said it would continue striking the Iran-backed militia. Iran said it would not attend talks with the U.S. in Pakistan if the truce was not extended to Lebanon.
President Trump is citing European nations’ unwillingness to back the U.S. in the war as a reason to scale back or abandon the alliance. And he still wants Greenland.
The Consumer Price Index for March will reflect the rising costs for energy and other goods affected by disruptions from the conflict in the Middle East.
An irony of Viktor Orbán’s 16-year grip on power in Hungary is that his Fidesz movement was originally founded by pro-democracy, change-seeking young voters, even initially requiring members to be below the age of 35.
Now, in a crossroads election on 12 April, a new generation of Hungarians may be on the cusp of removing the rightwing populist prime minister, much to the dismay of his admirers in Moscow, Washington and Europe’s populist movements.
Orbán may have once described Hungary as “a petri dish for illiberalism” – as reflected by Harry Haysom’s cover art for us this week – but polls suggest his opponent Péter Magyar, a former top member of Fidesz who favours a closer relationship with the EU, could be the new change agent.
Spotlight | Was Trump conned by Netanyahu’s promise of an easy war? Senior US officials now consider the Israel PM’s pitch to have been overblown, creating potentially far-reaching consequences for both countries, writes Peter Beaumont
Science | The 21st-century moon prospectors Helium-3 is so rare that a palm-sized amount could be worth millions. As Artemis II flies by the moon and businesses look to the skies, is mining Earth’s satellite ethical? Oliver Holmes investigates
Feature | Can the UK’s cargo theft crisis be stopped? It costs the UK economy £700m ($920m) a year, and criminal gangs are operating with near impunity. Every time a lorry gets robbed, raided or hijacked, it’s Mike Dawber who investigates. ByStuart McGurk
Opinion | Ten years after Brexit, Trump is pushing Britain back towards the EU It’s the silver lining from this terrible age of Donald Trump, argues Gaby Hinsliff: his disdain and insults are fuelling the belief that the UK should renew ties with Europe
Culture | James McAvoy, froma Glasgow council estate to Hollywood stardom In his directorial debut, the X-Men actor is challenging stereotypes about his Scottish homeland via the remarkable tale of a real-life hip-hop hoax. Libby Brooks met him
Israeli forces killed more than 200 people in strikes against Hezbollah on Wednesday. Top European diplomats called for Lebanon to be included in the cease-fire.
International relief was tempered by uncertainty over what comes next. Israel declared its support for the two-week truce between the U.S. and Iran, but said it had launched the largest wave of strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon since the war began.
As US troops flock to danger, Donald Trump seeks ways to disentangle himself from the war on Iran. “We are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly,” he said in a 19-minute address at the start of the month. “It’s very important that we keep this conflict in perspective.”
The West’s technology brains and universities are arming China. A few of them are potentially breaking the law to do it, but most of them don’t need to. The front door has been open for years, and nobody in London or Washington has thought to close it.
It was, on the surface, a fairly routine proposal. Officials from the BRICS nations, made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, have decided to discuss, at a summit in New Delhi later this year, how to deepen trade and collaboration. No one was paying very much attention when the decision was made. And yet, according to a report in the well-informed newspaper Berliner Zeitung, a resolution was quietly suggested that might turn the global monetary system upside down. It was the start of what might be termed the “plot against the dollar.” America’s currency is likely to face its most serious challenge of the post-World War Two era.
Iran said it would respond “crushingly” if President Trump carried out his threats to strike power plants and bridges. An Israeli strike killed an Iranian intelligence chief overnight.
As the Persian Gulf conflict boosts the oil revenue that finances Moscow’s war against Ukraine, Kyiv’s forces are striking at Russia’s ability to refine and ship its crude.
Iran said it would respond “crushingly” if President Trump carried out his threats to strike power plants and bridges. An Israeli strike killed an Iranian intelligence chief overnight.
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