Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz as Trump says US blockade will continue until deal is made

Summary

• Iran's foreign minister says the Strait of Hormuz is "completely open" to commercial ships for the remainder of the ceasefire

• "THANK YOU!" Donald Trump posts on Truth Social - moments later, he says the US naval blockade of Iranian ports will continue until a peace deal is agreed

• Oil prices drop after Iran's announcement - why does the strait matter so much?

• Earlier, a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon began, with celebrations and fireworks in Beirut - here's what we know about the truce

• More than 2,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in the six-week conflict, with one in five people displaced; Israel says two of its civilians and 13 soldiers have been killed

• The ceasefire is very fragile - our security correspondent Frank Gardner explains why

1. 01:14

   Oliver Smith
   Senior business producer

   Early indications are that commercial ships in and around the Gulf won’t be in any rush to travel through the Strait of Hormuz, despite the Iranian foreign minister’s declaration that it is “completely open”.

   One oil and gas tanker operator, which did want to be named, told the BBC the Iranian statement “doesn’t change anything” for now.

   “We don’t feel like we need to be taking unnecessary risks, and our company approach is that we won’t be the first to go through the strait,” it said.

   Another company, Stena Bulk, which operates oil tankers in the region says it is “monitoring developments closely.”

   It says: “The safety of our crew and vessels governs every routing decision, and we will not transit until we are satisfied it is safe to do so.”

2. International Maritime Organization 'currently verifying' Iranian announcementpublished at 01:00

   01:00

   Jonathan Josephs
   Business reporter

   The head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is trying to understand the details behind Iran’s commitment to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

   Even with the fighting on pause there is significant US and Iranian military presence in the area, and as tensions remain heightened there is an ongoing risk to the safety of ships and their crews.

   The IMO’s secretary general Arsenio Dominguez has been at the UK - France summit in Paris and has been looking at how to reopen the important shipping route.

   He has posted on X saying: “We are currently verifying the recent announcement related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, in terms of its compliance with freedom of navigation for all merchant vessels and secure passage using the IMO established traffic separation scheme.”

1. 

   Hormuz situation still murkypublished at 00:45

   00:45

   Frank Gardner
   Security correspondent

   The situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf region is still murky and messy, despite the well-received announcement by Iran’s foreign minister that it is "fully open for commercial traffic while the ceasefire lasts".

   We are not back to where we were on 27 February, before the US and Israel began this latest conflict.

   Will Iran still insist that ships follow its newly designated route to the north of the pre-existing tanker lanes?

   This is a route called the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) that has been functioning smoothly for everyone since it was first ratified by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 1968.

   Will Iran still demand military inspections of shipping by IRGC officials? Its announcement also mentions only commercial shipping.

   The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet is headquartered in Bahrain - inside the Gulf and therefore past the Strait of Hormuz. So, the US is not likely to accept having its naval warships locked out of the Gulf.

   Meanwhile it is far from clear if the Islamic Republic will accept the proposed long-term multinational force for the Strait of Hormuz when Iran wants to “exercise its right of sovereignty” over the waterway.

2. US participation in strait mission 'desirable' - Merzpublished at 00:33

   00:33

   

   Finally, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says it is in the “immediate interests” of the parties to increase efforts towards peace.

   He says Germany supports the ongoing efforts to achieve “a quick diplomatic agreement” between the US and Iran and also hails the "historic opportunity" for Hezbollah and Israel to make efforts towards a lasting peace.

   Merz repeats calls for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz fully in a way that is lasting, secure and “toll free”, and says despite the recent “good news” on this front, there must be no restrictions on its opening.

   Germany is willing to contribute to the mission to promote freedom of navigation through the strait, he says, including the possible participation of its armed forces and activity such as mine clearing.

   Such a plan would need to be approved by the UN and Germany’s parliament, he says, adding that US participation would be “desirable.”

   The news conference has now concluded.

Israeli attacks kill several over two days in Gaza despite ‘ceasefire’

As Gaza violence continues, activist says Israeli settlers torch vehicles, attack Palestinian homes in occupied West Bank.

By Heba Habib, AFP, Anadolu and Reuters

Published On 17 Apr 202617 Apr 2026

Several Palestinians have been killed in two days of separate Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, despite the so-called “ceasefire” that is now in its seventh month, as raids and assaults continue in the occupied West Bank.

Brothers Abdelmalek and Abdel Sattar al-Attar were killed after an Israeli drone struck Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza on Thursday, in an area witnesses said fell outside the zone under Israeli control under the “ceasefire”, Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for the Palestinian Civil Defence, told the AFP news agency.

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Nine-year-old Saleh Badawi was shot dead by Israeli forces in the Zeitoun neighbourhood east of Gaza City later that day and Mohsen al-Dabbari, 38, was killed by Israeli fire south of Khan Younis, Bassal said.

Three others were wounded, including a teenage boy, after Israeli forces fired towards homes and tents sheltering displaced people east of Maghazi refugee camp, according to a witness speaking to Anadolu agency.

On Friday, three more Palestinians were killed. Brothers Mohammed and Eid Abu Warda were shot dead on Mansoura Street in the Shujayea neighbourhood east of Gaza City while transporting water by vehicle, with a third brother wounded with moderate injuries, medical sources told Anadolu.

An Israeli drone separately struck a water desalination facility in the same neighbourhood, killing one Palestinian and wounding several others, according to Wafa news agency.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said Israel has committed 2,400 violations of the “ceasefire”, which began between Israel and Hamas in October. These include killings, arrests, blockades and starvation policies.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 72,340 people since October 2023, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, including at least 765 since the “ceasefire” took effect. At least 32 of those deaths have occurred since the start of April alone, among them Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Wishah, who was killed in a drone strike west of Gaza City on April 8.

On Friday, UN Women said an average of at least 47 women and girls were ⁠killed each day ⁠during the war in Gaza, with more than 38,000 killed between October 2023 and December 2025.

“Women and girls accounted for a proportion of deaths far higher than those observed in previous conflicts in Gaza,” Sofia Calltorp, the agency’s humanitarian action head, told reporters. The agency that focuses on gender equality expressed concern that the violence has continued since the ceasefire.

Raids, attacks in West Bank

Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, Friday’s predawn hours brought raids and attacks across multiple governorates.

Israeli settlers set fire to two vehicles during an attack on Palestinian homes in the southern West Bank, according to a local activist.

Osama Makhmara told Anadolu that a group of armed Israeli occupiers infiltrated from the illegal settlement of Otniel into the Majd al-Ba’a area west of Yatta, south of Hebron, where they attacked Palestinian homes and burned two vehicles belonging to brothers Khaled and Yasser Abu Ali. The fire destroyed both vehicles, he added.

Israeli forces also stormed ar-Ram town north of Jerusalem, breaking into homes and arresting a number of Palestinians; and in Nablus, soldiers ransacked houses and detained about a dozen people in total across both governorates, according to Wafa.

The raids require no search warrant, conducted under Israeli military law, granting army commanders full authority over three million Palestinians who have no say in how the law is exercised.

According to Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, 9,600 Palestinian political prisoners are in Israeli prisons and detention centres, including 342 children and 84 women. Of these, 3,532 are held under administrative detention imprisonment without charge or trial, for renewable intervals of three to six months, based on undisclosed evidence that even the prisoner’s lawyer is barred from viewing.

United Nations experts this week described the displacement being driven by Israeli forces and state-backed settler activity as “ethnically cleansing the West Bank through daily attacks resulting in killing, injury, and harassment of women and children, and the widespread destruction of Palestinian homes, farmland and livelihoods”.

"Pain Is Coming" - Dear Minister, What Are You Talking About?

Malaysia's #1 Content Aggregator


OPINION | "Pain Is Coming" - Dear Minister, What Are You Talking About?


17 Apr 2026 • 2:00 PM MYT

Fa Abdul
FA ABDUL is a former columnist of Malaysiakini & Free Malaysia Today (FMT)

(Photo credit: Malay Mail)


“Pain is coming.”


Not a horror movie trailer. Not a breakup text. That’s the official message from Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to the people of Malaysia.


And just in case you were about to react like a normal human being—panic, worry, maybe ask questions—don’t.


Because we are also told: Don’t panic. But also don’t be complacent.


Which raises a very important question:


Minister… what the heck are you talking about?


No, seriously. What kind of pain? Economic pain? Supply shortages? Job losses? Price hikes?



Or are we just meant to wake up one day, feel vaguely worse, and go, “Ah yes, this must be the pain”?


Because right now, this isn’t communication. It’s performance art.


You’ve essentially told 30 million people: “Something bad is coming. We won’t tell you what. React—but not too much. Prepare—but we won’t say how.”


That’s not leadership. That’s a teaser with no release date.


Imagine your doctor saying: “I’m afraid something is wrong. Don’t panic. But also don’t ignore it. Anyway, see you next month.”



You wouldn’t call that reassurance. You’d call it deeply unhelpful.


And here’s the thing—Malaysians can handle bad news. We’ve lived through enough of it. What we cannot handle is being treated like we’ll fall apart if someone speaks plainly.


If prices are going up—say it. If supplies will be disrupted—tell us which ones. If households need to adjust—explain how.


Give people something concrete. A direction. A plan.


Because “pain is coming” without details doesn’t calm people—it irritates them. It leaves them suspended in that uniquely exhausting state of almost worrying but not knowing why.


And then comes the follow-up: Projects will be reviewed. Non-essential spending postponed. Ah yes. The classic move.


But again—what does that mean for the average Malaysian? When the government tightens its belt, it usually means the rakyat is already on the last notch.



So while policymakers are “reassessing priorities,” regular people are doing their own version: Do I cut groceries or petrol? Do I save or survive? Do I prepare—or am I overreacting?


And the answer from above is… “Feel the right amount of concern.”


Perfect. Very actionable.


Minister, if you’re going to warn the nation about incoming hardship, then do it properly. Spell it out. Respect people enough to tell them the truth—even if it’s uncomfortable.


Because right now, the only thing worse than the idea of “pain coming”… is being told to brace for it without knowing where it’s going to hit.


And Malaysians are not asking for miracles.


Just clarity.


And maybe—just maybe—a little less poetry, and a lot more substance.

Mixed reactions after pilgrims spot Guinness 0.0 in Medina

Mixed reactions after pilgrims spot Guinness 0.0 in Medina

Published on: Friday, April 17, 2026

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian pilgrims performing Umrah were surprised after spotting alcohol-free Guinness products on store shelves in Saudi Arabia’s holy cities, sparking discussion online.

The reactions followed a viral Threads post, showing a can of Guinness Draught 0.0 in Medina, with users sharing similar sightings of non-alcoholic beverages and other products in supermarkets near Mecca.

The product contains 0% alcohol and is permitted under local regulations, although its branding has raised questions among some Muslim consumers due to its association with alcoholic drinks.

The viral posts also featured other items such as food products and retail brands, prompting broader conversations about cultural expectations and differences encountered by pilgrims.

The images and comments drew mixed reactions, with some expressing surprise while others noted the growing availability of non-alcoholic alternatives in the region.

***

When I was working in Malaysia my ex-Boss told me he had 'bacon & eggs' in Medina, except of course the 'bacon' in his case was not of pork but beef.

Myanmar cuts ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence, frees former president

FMT:

Myanmar cuts ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence, frees former president

Aung San Suu Kyi’s 27-year sentence was reduced by one-sixth, while former president Win Myint was freed under specified conditions

It is unclear whether Aung San Suu Kyi (left) will be allowed to serve the remainder of her sentence under house arrest or what conditions apply to Win Myint’s pardon.

YANGON: Myanmar has reduced the sentence of imprisoned ex-leader Aung San Suu Kyi, her lawyer told Reuters on Friday, as part of an amnesty by a new president who ousted her government in a coup five years ago.

Suu Kyi, 80, was serving a 27-year sentence for a litany of offences her allies said were politically motivated to keep her at bay, ranging from incitement and corruption to election fraud and violating a state secrets law.

The sentence has been cut by one-sixth, but it remains unclear whether the Nobel Peace Prize winner will be allowed to serve the rest of her sentence under house arrest, the lawyer said.


The wildly popular Suu Kyi, who had dismissed the charges against her as “absurd”, has not been seen in public since the end of her marathon trials, and her whereabouts have been unknown.

Earlier, state media reported that President Min Aung Hlaing approved an amnesty for 4,335 prisoners, the third such move in the past six months. Amnesties typically take place in Myanmar each year to mark Independence Day in January and New Year in April.

Among the prisoners freed was Win Myint, who served as president from 2018 until the 2021 military coup.

Win Myint, an ally of Suu Kyi, was “granted a pardon and the reduction of his remaining sentences under specified conditions”, state broadcaster MRTV said.

A spokesperson for the military-backed government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 2021 coup against Win Myint and Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government was led by Min Aung Hlaing. It plunged the Southeast Asian country into a nationwide civil war that continues to rage.

Min Aung Hlaing was elected president on April 3 following polls in December and January during which the opposition was stifled and largely absent.

Critics and Western governments dismissed the vote as a sham designed to entrench military rule behind a democratic facade.

Malaysia to arm border agency with pistols or tasers following Bukit Kayu Hitam shooting

Malaysia to arm border agency with pistols or tasers following Bukit Kayu Hitam shooting



Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (centre)) witnesses the Director-General of the Malaysia Border Protection and Control Agency (AKPS), Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain (left), present the Malaysia Border Guard Pledge to retired Staff Sergeant Taufik Maulop during the launch of the Malaysia Border Guard (Armed Forces Veterans) Initiative 2026 at the Malaysia Prison College in Kajang on April 13, 2026. — Bernama pic

Friday, 17 Apr 2026 6:41 PM MYT


PORT KLANG, April 17 — The government has agreed to equip the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) with necessary armaments, with procurement to begin before year-end, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

He said the matter had been discussed in meetings with the ministry, and the Cabinet had agreed to the need, following a shooting incident involving the AKPS Bukit Kayu Hitam commander, Mohd Nasaruddin Mohd Nasir, in February.


“We have agreed on the need for armaments, but only the type has yet to be decided. There are various options, such as taser guns or light weapons like pistols. Both options are being studied by the Home Ministry’s Secretary-General, in line with Cabinet instructions, which I have conveyed for implementation.

“Whether they are equipped first with taser guns or pistols, or both, is still being studied by the ministry’s Secretary-General,” he said, at a press conference after the Home Ministry’s programme to release the ashes of Quranic texts and materials, formed into blocks, into the sea aboard Maritime Vessel (KM) Tun Fatimah, here, today.


Saifuddin said the matter could not be delayed any longer, given the high-risk nature of AKPS duties, adding that further developments will be announced in the near future.


Previously, Saifuddin was reported as saying that the government is prepared to support the needs of AKPS, including in terms of armaments and safety equipment, to ensure that the agency can carry out its responsibilities more effectively.

In an incident on Feb 25, a Proton X70, driven by Mohd Nasaruddin, was reportedly shot at, at about 5.40 am, at a slip road near Masjid Muhajirin in Bukit Kayu Hitam, about one kilometre from the Malaysia-Thailand border.

Mohd Nasaruddin, who was on his way to perform Subuh prayers, escaped unharmed. — Bernama

Putrajaya rejects report of Sebatik land loss, says Malaysia gained 662ha in broader border deal

Putrajaya rejects report of Sebatik land loss, says Malaysia gained 662ha in broader border deal



Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup delivers his officiating remarks during the soft launch of International Sustainability Week at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur on April 14, 2026. — Bernama pic

Friday, 17 Apr 2026 6:27 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 — The Malaysian government has challenged a news report claiming that 127.3 hectares of territory on Pulau Sebatik now belongs to Indonesia, labelling the assertion as inaccurate and inconsistent with official records.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) clarified that the border realignment on the island was part of a larger, comprehensive resolution with Indonesia that resulted in Malaysia achieving a net gain of 662 hectares of territory.


The rebuttal follows a report on April 15, which quoted the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian President's Office, Muhammad Qodari, as saying that 127.3 hectares on Pulau Sebatik, previously in Malaysia, was now officially Indonesian territory, with Malaysia receiving 4.9 hectares in return.

In a statement today, NRES Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup explained that the final border demarcation was a technical correction based on the 1891 Boundary Convention, which fixed the border along the 4° 10' North latitude line.


After decades of negotiations to resolve discrepancies found in 1983, a resolution was agreed upon in 2018.


According to Kurup, the resolution was packaged with border realignments at two other locations, Sg Sinapad and Sg Sesai.

On Pulau Sebatik, an area of 123 hectares previously within Malaysia is now within Indonesia, while Malaysia gained five hectares from Indonesia.


At Sg Sinapad and Sg Sesai, Malaysia gained an additional 780 hectares that were previously Indonesian territory.

This results in a total net gain of 662 hectares for Malaysia.

The final alignment was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on February 18, 2025, concluding over 45 years of technical and diplomatic cooperation.

“To ensure that state interests are always safeguarded, the Sabah State Government has been consistently involved at every stage of negotiations,” Kurup said, citing the participation of the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department and the Sabah Land and Survey Department.

He stressed that the entire process was based on mutual agreement and international law, not on principles of compensation or a trade-off.

“The finalisation of the land boundary alignment on Pulau Sebatik provides legal and administrative certainty,” the minister added, enabling better delivery of government services, security management, and development planning.

NRES also advised the media to seek confirmation from authoritative sources before publishing reports on sensitive national boundary issues to avoid public confusion.