Portal:Current events/2026 June 23

June 23, 2026 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Middle Eastern crisis
- 2026 Iran war
  - 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
    - 2026 Strait of Hormuz campaign
      - The International Maritime Organization announces an evacuation plan for around 500 to 600 ships with 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf to sail through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran and the United States have reached a ceasefire deal to end the war. The evacuation will be coordinated with Iran and Oman. (Middle East Eye) (The Maritime Executive)
    - The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation reports that the Bangladesh-flagged DWT bulk carrier vessel MV Banglar Joyjatra has cleared through the Strait of Hormuz at 3:00am BST after it was stranded in the region for 4.5 months. (The Business Standard) (New Age BD)
    - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that the U.S. will not accept Iranian tolls or fees on vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. (Kurdistan24)
  - 2026 United States F-15E rescue operation in Iran
    - Two sources tell CNN that a pilot on a United States Armed Forces F-15E Strike Eagle, which was downed over Iran during the beginning of April, reported a "jellyfish-like" formation from Iranian drones before the jet was shot down. (AA) (CNN)
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  - Gaza war, Gaza genocide
    - The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, a United Nations fact-finding mission, finds that Israel has deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes in Gaza, and war crimes in the West Bank. (Reuters)
- 2026 Lebanon war
  - Israeli soldiers open fire near an excavator in Nabatieh, Lebanon, killing two civilians and wounding two more. (Al Jazeera)
Sudanese civil war
- 2026 Blue Nile campaign
  - The Sudanese army launches an offensive in the Geissan District of Sudan's Blue Nile State, capturing a key rebel stronghold near the border with Ethiopia. (Sudan Tribune)
- War crimes during the Sudanese civil war
  - The U.N. Human Rights Office reports that sexual violence has been more widespread across Sudan since the civil war broke out three years ago in April. (BBC News) (Radio Tamazuj)
Communal conflicts in Nigeria
- Nigerian police report that at least 20 people were killed in an attack on a community in Bokkos, Plateau State, over the weekend. Police and other security agencies engaged the assailants in a shootout before they withdrew from the area. (Reuters)
Mali War
- The Radio France Internationale reports that the Malian Army and Russian Africa Corps have killed four civilians in Zahro and Abakoira near the Timbuktu and Gao regions in Mali, arranging one of the bodies in the shape of a swastika. (RFI in French) (Mezha) (AllAfrica in French via RFI)

Business and economy

Housing in the United States
- The U.S. House of Representatives passes the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in an effort to lower the cost-of-living of houses and support affordable housing in the country. The legislation will head to president Donald Trump for his signature. (CNBC)

Health and environment

2026 European heatwaves
- French sports minister Marina Ferrari reports that at least 40 people have drowned in France while swimming in unsupervised areas over the weekend during a heat wave. (AFP and Reuters via Al Jazeera)
- France records its hottest ever day on record after a temperature of 44.3°C is recorded in Pissos, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, according to Météo-France. (The Guardian)

International relations

North Korea–South Korea relations, North Korean involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war, Prisoners of war in the Russo-Ukrainian war
- South Korea announces that it will accept any North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukraine while fighting for Russia if they choose resettlement in South Korea. South Korea also opposes any repatriation of such prisoners against their wishes. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Libyan crisis
- The Government of National Stability, which controls eastern Libya, prohibits the entry of citizens of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan through all land, sea and air ports, citing a reorganization of procedures governing the entry of foreign nationals. (Reuters)
Reactions to the 2026 Iran war
- The U.S. Senate votes 50–48 in favor of a resolution to require the Trump administration to halt military action against Iran, joining the House of Representatives in doing so. (The Guardian) (NBC News) (NPR)

Sports

2026 FIFA World Cup
- Iran at the FIFA World Cup
  - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security eases travel restrictions for the Iranian soccer team, allowing them to arrive in Seattle, Washington two days before their match at Lumen Field against Egypt. (AP) (The Athletic via The New York Times) (Politico)
- Portugal at the FIFA World Cup
  - In association football, Portuguese forward and captain Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first player to score in six different FIFA World Cups and Portugal's all-time top goalscorer at the tournament after scoring a brace in the team's 5–0 win over Uzbekistan in the group stage. (AFP via RFI)
2026 NBA draft
- The 80th edition of the NBA draft is held at the Barclays Center in New York City, U.S., with the Washington Wizards selecting former Brigham Young University freshman AJ Dybantsa with the first-overall pick. (Reuters) (The Washington Post)