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The U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is now in its third day, with U.S. Central Command reporting it has stopped nine oil tankers attempting to break the blockade. The two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, brokered in early April after weeks of conflict, is set to expire on April 21. The White House says Iran's "desperation for a deal will only increase" under the blockade's pressure.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) officially resigned from Congress on Tuesday, pre-empting expected expulsion votes over separate sexual misconduct allegations. Swalwell, who had been a leading contender in California's gubernatorial race, faced at least five accusers. The resignations narrow the GOP House majority to 216-213.
House Democrats filed formal articles of impeachment Wednesday against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, accusing him of abusing his office and committing war crimes related to the U.S. campaign in Iran. Hegseth is also facing internal Pentagon friction over his intervention in promotions for more than a dozen senior military officers.
Stock futures rose Wednesday after both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs, fueled by growing optimism over a potential U.S.-Iran peace deal. Brent crude steadied above $94/barrel as markets weigh the possibility of the Strait of Hormuz reopening to oil traffic.
Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors held their first direct diplomatic meeting in more than three decades in Washington, hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. President Trump announced the leaders of both countries will speak Thursday — the first such communication in 34 years. Israel seeks the dismantling of Hezbollah's weapons; Lebanon seeks a lasting ceasefire.
An Iranian general warned that Tehran could shut down Red Sea traffic and deploy Houthi allies to block the Bab al-Mandeb Strait — which carries roughly 12% of global oil shipments — if the U.S. blockade continues. The threat raises the specter of a second major shipping chokepoint crisis on top of the Hormuz standoff.
Pakistan's army chief met Wednesday in Tehran with Iran's foreign minister in the latest diplomatic effort to set up a second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations. The first round, held in Islamabad, ended without a lasting agreement. Pakistan has positioned itself as a key mediator in the conflict.
NASA's Artemis II crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — returned to Earth on April 11 after a nearly 10-day mission around the Moon. It was the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972 and included the first woman and first person of color to travel beyond LEO. The crew photographed never-before-seen areas of the Moon's far side.
Over 400,000 units — 13 tons — of special Formula 1 car-shaped Kit-Kat bars were stolen while in transit from Italy to Poland. Nestlé responded by launching a "Kit-Kat Tracker" website on April 1 to crowdsource leads on the missing chocolate. The candy has not been recovered.
