Portal:Current events/2026 March 25

March 25, 2026 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2026 Iran war
- 2026 Iranian strikes on Arab countries
  - 2026 Iranian strikes on Jordan
    - Jordan's air force intercepts four missiles and one drone launched from Iran. (Al Jazeera)
  - 2026 Iranian strikes on Kuwait
    - A drone strikes a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, causing a fire at the site. (Reuters)
- 2025–2026 Iran–United States negotiations
  - According to Press TV, Iran has rejected a United States proposal to end the war and sets out five conditions for a ceasefire. (bne IntelliNews) (AP)
  - A senior Iranian official says that Iran is still reviewing the proposal despite an initial response that was considered "negative". (Reuters)
  - Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi states that Iran seeks to end the war "on its own terms" but does not plan to enter negotiations with the U.S. and will continue its current policy. (AFP via Al-Ahram)
  - Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty says that Egypt is ready to host negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war. (Reuters via Al Arabiya)
- 2026 Iranian strikes on Israel
  - An Iranian cluster bomb wounds nine people, including six children and an elderly woman, in Bnei Brak, Israel. (The Times of Israel)
- Iraq in the 2026 Iran war
  - Seven fighters are killed and 13 others are injured in a strike on a Popular Mobilization Forces base in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. The attack follows an American strike on the same base yesterday. (AFP via Al-Ahram)
- Iran says it has received intelligence that the U.S. and an "unnamed regional country" are planning to invade and capture its Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf as thousands of U.S. Marines are due to arrive in the region in the coming days. (The Telegraph)
Russo-Ukrainian war
- Violations of non-combatant airspace during the Russo-Ukrainian war
  - A stray Ukrainian drone strikes a power station in Auvere, Estonia, while another crashes in Latvia during a large-scale drone attack on Russia. (Sky News) (BBC News)
- Attacks in Russia during the Russo-Ukrainian war
  - A Ukrainian drone strike kills two people in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, according to Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. (Reuters)
Sudanese civil war
- El Fasher massacre, Darfur campaign
  - The Sudan Doctors Network says that Rapid Support Forces have killed 16 civilians, including three women, in El Fasher, North Darfur, Sudan. (Sudan Tribune)
Operation Southern Spear
- United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear
  - The United States Southern Command (Southcom) says its forces have struck a drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea, killing four occupants. This brings the number of alleged narcoterrorists killed in Operation Southern Spear to 163 since U.S. strikes began. (AP)
2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war
- A ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan collapses with resumed cross-border shelling killing two people in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, while Afghan forces claim to have destroyed three Pakistani military outposts along the border. Both sides accuse each other of breaking the ceasefire first. (AP)

Arts and culture

Under the St Peter and Paul Church in Maastricht, Netherlands, the remains of French musketeer d'Artagnan are believed to be found. (BBC News)
Sarah Mullally is enthroned as the first female primate of the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury. (BBC News)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the 2026 Iran war
- 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis
  - COSCO Shipping resumes new container shipment bookings from the Far East to several Gulf countries after Iran allowed non-hostile vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since yesterday. (AFP via The Straits Times)
  - India purchases a shipment of liquefied petroleum gas from Iran for the first time since 2019 following a temporary easing of U.S. sanctions, with the cargo set to be distributed among state-run fuel companies, in response to supply disruptions caused by the Strait of Hormuz crisis. (Reuters)
- Gold prices in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, rise after a 15-day drop amidst potential diplomacy to end the Iran war. (Gulf News)

Disasters and accidents

The International Organization for Migration reports that 922 migrants have died or went missing along the "Eastern Route" from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula in 2025, marking the deadliest year for Red Sea migration and a significant increase from 2024. (AFP via The Daily Star)
At least 26 people are killed, including seven children, 11 others survive and around 13 are reported missing when a passenger bus carrying around 50 people plunges into the Padma River in Goalanda Upazila, Rajbari District, Dhaka, Bangladesh. (AA) (Xinhua)

International relations

Belarus–North Korea relations
- Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko visits Pyongyang, North Korea, to meet with its supreme leader Kim Jong Un in a effort to improve relations between the two countries. (AP)
Hungary–Ukraine relations, Hungary and the Russo-Ukrainian war
- Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán says Hungary will gradually suspend gas supplies to Ukraine until Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline resumes, citing disruptions to deliveries crossing Ukraine. (AP)
Russia–United Kingdom relations
- British prime minister Keir Starmer authorizes the military to board Russian shadow fleet vessels used by the Russian government to evade international sanctions. (Reuters)
The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution proposed by Ghana recognizing the Atlantic slave trade as a crime against humanity and calling for dialogue on reparations, despite opposition and abstentions from Western countries. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping
- A Chinese court sentences former Aviation Industry Corporation chairperson Tan Ruisong to death with a two-year reprieve after convicting him of corruption-related offenses, including bribery, embezzlement, and insider trading, during his tenure as chairperson. (Reuters)
Mahadev Betting App Case
- The Indian enforcement directorate says that it has attached ₹1,700 crore (US$180 million) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and has seized villas in the Burj Khalifa as part of the Mahadev online betting app money laundering investigation. (The New Indian Express)
Terrorism in Kuwait
- Kuwaiti authorities arrest six individuals suspected of links to Hezbollah over an alleged plot to carry out assassinations targeting state officials. (AFP via Arab News)
K.G.M. v. Meta et al.
- A jury in California, United States, rules in favor of a woman who sued Google and Meta Platforms for her addictions to websites Instagram and YouTube as a child. (CNBC)

Politics and elections

2026 Kosovan presidential election
- Kosovo's Constitutional Court rules that President Vjosa Osmani's decree to dissolve had no legal effect, giving the Kuvendi 34 more days to elect the next president before automatically moving to new elections within 45 days. (Balkan View)
2026 Philippine energy crisis
- Philippine president Bongbong Marcos signs into law a measure allowing the suspension or reduction of excises on petroleum products when global oil prices reach a specified threshold, subject to time limits and reporting requirements. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
2026 Danish general election
- After winning her party, the Social Democrats, a reduced majority in the elections, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen resigns, but is tasked by King Frederik X with leading talks to form a new government. (Euronews)