Portal:Current events/2026 April 1

April 1, 2026 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
  - 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
    - 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
      - A fuel storage at Kuwait International Airport in Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, is hit by Iranian drones, causing a major fire. (Gulf News)
    - 2026 Iranian strikes on Qatar
      - Iran fires three ballistic missiles at Qatar, with two intercepted and a third one hitting a oil tanker registered by QatarEnergy. (Khaama Press)
    - 2026 Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
      - A Bangladeshi national is killed by shrapnel during a drone interception in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. (AFP via The Daily Star)
  - 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
    - Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian releases a letter to the American people and suggests that diplomatic engagement is possible. (The New York Times)
    - U.S. president Donald Trump, in his first primetime 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) (AP)
  - 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
    - Ten civilians are injured, including a girl from Bnei Brak, Israel, who is in critical condition, after a missile barrage from Iran. (The Times of Israel)
  - A U.S. strike on Tehran reportedly damages the former U.S. embassy, which was converted into a museum following its takeover during the Iranian Revolution. The St. Nicholas Orthodox Church is also damaged. (Iran International) (AFP via The Times of Israel)
  - As confirmed by the U.S. defense department and international media, two more MQ-9 Reaper unmanned reconnaissance drones have been shot down over Iranian territory. (CBS News) (Iran International)
  - The Israeli military says that the air force has completed strikes against vital targets in Iran, including military and nuclear targets. (Ynet)
- 2026 Lebanon war
  - Israeli airstrikes kill seven people, including the Hezbollah commander for Iraq, Youssef Hashem, and injure dozens more in Beirut and nearby Khalde, Lebanon. (AFP via Naharnet)
- Red Sea crisis
  - The Israeli military reports a missile launched by Houthi militias is intercepted. (The Times of Israel)
Russo-Ukrainian war
- Eastern front of the Russo-Ukrainian war
  - The Russian defence ministry says its forces have taken full control of Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military denies this claim, saying its 3rd Assault Brigade continues to hold a small number of positions near the front line. (AP)
- A Russian drone strike kills four civilians in Zolotonosha, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine. (The New Voice of Ukraine)
2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war
- Talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan are reportedly held in China in an effort to end the current conflict. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
- Malaysia announces a remote work policy for government officials and employees of state-owned enterprises starting April 15 to reduce fuel consumption amid rising energy costs linked to the Iran war. The government also reduces subsidized fuel quotas while maintaining market-based pricing for unsubsidized fuel. (AFP via CNA)
- The Taiwanese transport ministry announces that airlines will increase fuel surcharges on international flights by 157 percent starting April 7, following a rise in global oil prices linked to the Iran war. (AFP via The Straits Times)

Disasters and accidents

A boat carrying Afghan migrants capsizes off the coast of Bodrum, Turkey, leaving at least 19 people dead, according to the Turkish Coast Guard. Twenty other migrants are rescued. (AP)
Five people are killed and 21 others are injured, including one critically, when a truck crashes into and sets on fire several vehicles at a tollbooth in Cundinamarca Department, Colombia. (Blu Radio in Spanish)
Four people are killed in a roof collapse at a coal mine in Xing County, Shanxi, China. (China Daily)

International relations

United States–Venezuela relations
- The United States lifts sanctions on Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez. (AP)

Law and crime

Scam centers in Cambodia
- Cambodia extradites the former chairperson of Huione Group to China, where law enforcement authorities accuse him of involvement in a large-scale online fraud and money laundering network linked to Huione. Investigators identify him as an associate of suspected crime leader Chen Zhi, who was previously extradited in connection with the case. (AFP via The Star)

Politics and elections

Alice Mina and Vladimiro Selva are sworn in as the new Captains Regent of San Marino. (San Marino RTV)

Science and technology

Artemis program
- NASA launches Artemis II from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, for a flyby of the Moon. (BBC News) (Space.com)