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Over the last 24 hours, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an Eid ceasefire brokered by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkiye, and five EU nations are seeking an emergency response to a crewless Russian tanker drifting toward Libya.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has requested over $200 billion in emergency funding for the Iran war, and Saudi Arabia has warned it reserves the right to take military action against Tehran following attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure.

Read more below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇺🇸🇻🇪 US eases Venezuela oil sanctions amid Iran crisis: The Treasury Department authorized Venezuela's state oil company PdVSA to sell oil directly to American companies, with payments held in a US-controlled account and sales to Russia, Iran, North Korea, and some Chinese entities prohibited. The move comes as Brent crude hit $109 a barrel following US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and disruptions to Strait of Hormuz shipping, with the administration also temporarily waiving Jones Act restrictions for 60 days.

2️⃣ 🇵🇰🇦🇫 Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to Eid ceasefire: The two countries announced a five-day pause in hostilities brokered at the request of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkiye, with Pakistan warning operations will resume immediately if any cross-border or terrorist attack occurs. The truce follows weeks of their worst fighting in years, including Afghan accusations that a Pakistani airstrike killed 143 people at a Kabul drug rehabilitation centre, a claim Islamabad has denied.

3️⃣ 🇯🇵 Japan's PM heads to Washington with limits in mind: Prime Minister Takaichi said she would communicate to Trump what Japan "can and cannot do" in the Middle East at their upcoming summit, hours after he abruptly reversed calls for Japan and other nations to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. Trump posted on social media that the US no longer needed assistance from NATO, Japan, Australia, or South Korea, citing what he described as military success against Iran.

4️⃣ 🇳🇬 Nigeria repels major militant assault: Soldiers backed by air support killed at least 80 suspected Boko Haram or Islamic State West Africa Province fighters, including three senior commanders, after militants supported by armed drones attacked a military base in Borno state near the Niger border. The assault follows suicide bombings in Maiduguri earlier this week that killed at least 23 people, as militant groups intensify operations against Nigeria's military amid an insurgency that has claimed over 40,000 lives since 2009.

5️⃣ 🇪🇺 EU leaders seek urgent response to drifting Russian tanker: Italy, Spain, Malta, Greece, and Cyprus jointly warned the European Commission that a crewless, damaged shadow fleet tanker carrying liquefied natural gas is drifting in the Mediterranean and poses an imminent risk of ecological disaster, urging activation of the bloc's civil protection mechanism. The Arctic Metagaz, damaged in a suspected Ukrainian sea drone attack, is currently moving toward Libya with a 7-kilometre exclusion zone in place due to explosion risk.

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Major Story

Iran War Update: Day 19

Military

1️⃣ US intel chief contradicts Trump's justification for Iran war: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Iran made no attempts to rebuild its nuclear enrichment capabilities after US and Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities in June 2025, directly undercutting one of President Trump's primary stated reasons for launching the war.

2️⃣ Pentagon seeks over $200 billion in emergency Iran war funding: The Defense Department has requested more than $200 billion from the White House to replenish depleted munitions and expand weapons production, though officials doubt the request will clear Congress given limited public support and the Senate's 60-vote threshold. The war has already cost over $11 billion in its first week alone.

3️⃣ Israel faces Hezbollah resistance in Lebanon ground push: Israeli forces are engaged in intense fighting across at least three areas in southern Lebanon, with the heaviest clashes centred on the strategic hilltop city of Khiam. This comes as Israel amasses four brigades and tanks for an expanded ground operation aimed at creating a buffer zone along the border.

4️⃣ USS Gerald Ford to leave Red Sea for repairs after onboard fire: The US Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier will sail to a naval base in Crete for more than a week of repairs after a laundry facility fire left over 100 beds unusable and caused significant damage. Deployed for nearly nine months, the vessel would surpass the post-Vietnam War record for the longest US carrier deployment if it remains at sea beyond mid-April.

5️⃣ US bombers routing around European airspace on Iran missions: Flight tracking data shows US Air Force B-1B bombers departing the UK are taking southerly routes via the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and North Africa. The routing is consistent with Britain's position that it has authorised US base access only for defensive strikes against Iranian missile sites.

6️⃣ Saudi Arabia reserves right to strike Iran if necessary: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the kingdom reserves the right to take military action against Iran if deemed necessary, warning that all political, economic, and diplomatic levers would be used to halt Iranian attacks on Gulf states. He said trust with Tehran had been "completely shattered" following attacks on Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries not party to the conflict.

Diplomacy

1️⃣ Trump warns of devastating strike on Iranian gas field: The US president threatened to destroy Iran's South Pars gas field if Tehran attacks Qatar again, after claiming Washington had no prior knowledge of the Israeli strike that prompted Iran's retaliatory attack on the Ras Laffan LNG facility.

2️⃣ Qatar expels Iranian attachés after Ras Laffan strike: Qatar has expelled Iran's military and security attachés and ordered all staff from both offices to leave within 24 hours, following missile strikes that caused extensive damage to the Ras Laffan facility, the world's largest LNG production complex.

3️⃣ NATO chief sidesteps Trump's alliance threats over Iran war: Secretary-General Mark Rutte declined to respond to President Trump's warning that the US may reconsider its role in NATO, saying only that member states were collectively discussing how best to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after allies refused his demands for military support.

4️⃣ Macron calls for moratorium on energy and water strikes: French President Emmanuel Macron urged all parties to immediately halt strikes on civilian infrastructure following attacks on gas production sites in both Iran and Qatar. He reaffirmed that France would not participate in any operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Economic/Oil

1️⃣ UAE suspends Habshan gas facility after missile debris: The UAE temporarily halted operations at its Habshan gas facility and reported a separate incident at the Bab oil field after debris fell following a missile interception.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇺🇦 Zelenskyy warns Europe of drone threat beyond state actors: Addressing British MPs in Westminster, Zelenskyy cautioned that advancing drone technology has made mass strikes affordable for criminal networks, terrorist groups, and lone attackers, not just state-level actors. He also warned that the Iran conflict risks indirectly benefiting Russia through higher oil revenues, while UK Prime Minister Starmer reaffirmed western commitment to Ukraine and cautioned against any sanctions relief for Moscow.

2️⃣ 🇻🇪 Venezuela replaces Maduro-era defence minister: Interim President Delcy Rodriguez announced that General Vladimir Padrino, who led the country's military for 11 years under Maduro, would be replaced by General Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez, a former domestic intelligence chief who also faces US sanctions over alleged human rights abuses and corruption. The reshuffle is the latest in a series of cabinet departures since the US military operation that abducted Maduro in January, as Rodriguez's government faces ongoing pressure to implement political reforms.

3️⃣ 🇨🇩🇷🇼 Congo and Rwanda agree to de-escalation steps: Following US-hosted talks in Washington, the two countries committed to a series of measures including a scheduled Rwandan military disengagement from defined areas of DRC territory and Congolese efforts to neutralise the FDLR armed group. The meeting was the first since the US Treasury sanctioned the Rwanda Defence Force earlier this month over alleged support for the M23 rebel group, which Rwanda denies, and came after M23's brief seizure of Uvira marked the conflict's largest escalation in months.

4️⃣ 🇷🇺🇵🇱🇺🇦 Poland clears extradition of Russian archaeologist to Ukraine: A Warsaw court approved Ukraine's request to extradite Hermitage Museum academic Alexander Butyagin, who is accused of illegally excavating the Myrmekion site in Russian-occupied Crimea and seizing 30 gold coins, with alleged damages exceeding $4.5 million. Russia summoned the Polish ambassador in January to demand his release, calling the case politically motivated, while Butyagin's lawyer has said he will appeal the ruling.

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