live Iran reopens Hormuz Strait, demands end to U.S. naval blockade- Saturday 18 April
Iran temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday (17 April) following a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, ra...
Iran has executed three men convicted of killing two police officers during anti-government protests in January, according to state media. The men were executed in Qom, central Iran, on Thursday (19 March) after their sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court.
The judiciary said the men were found guilty of murder and mohārebeh (waging war against God), including carrying out acts it claimed were in support of Israel and the U.S.
Iranian officials have repeatedly accused foreign adversaries of involvement in the nationwide unrest earlier this year. The government’s subsequent crackdown on the demonstrations has been described as the largest in the Islamic Republic’s history.
Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, said in February that the number of civilians killed in the crackdown could exceed 20,000. The Iranian government has put the official death toll from the protests at 3,117.
The executions came a day after Tehran put to death a Swedish citizen who had been arrested in Iran in June 2025. Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, summoned the Iranian ambassador in response.
"The death penalty is an inhumane, cruel and irreversible punishment. Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemns its application in all circumstances," Stenergard said.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, also condemned the execution in a statement on Wednesday evening (18 March).
"The appalling human rights situation in Iran and the alarming increase in executions are intolerable and show the regime's true colours," she said, offering condolences to the deceased's family.
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Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping on Friday (17 April) for the first time since the U.S. and Israel killed Iran's ex-Supreme Leader in air strikes, triggering the Middle East conflict, at the end of February. A U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, however, remains in force.
Russia published addresses of manufacturers allegedly producing drones or components for Ukraine on Wednesday (15 April), warning European countries against plans to step up UAV supplies to Kyiv.
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U.S. President Donald Trump says Israeli and Lebanese leaders have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire that includes Hezbollah, raising cautious hopes of a pause in hostilities after weeks of escalating tensions.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said his country could provide a “safe corridor” and “alternative route” for regional energy shipments, as supply disruptions continue to affect the wider Middle East.
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A low-profile diplomatic visit to Tbilisi may prove more consequential than it first appears, as representatives of France, Germany and Poland meet figures across Georgia’s political spectrum, signalling that Brussels is watching closely ahead of a key EU foreign ministers’ meeting.
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