Iran has issued new terms for controlling the Strait of Hormuz following a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan after months of conflict with the United States and Israel. The strait, a vital route for 20 percent of global oil and LNG shipments, had been closed after Iran attacked merchant vessels in retaliation for strikes by Washington and Tel Aviv. Tehran’s new protocol includes a revised navigation map directing ships closer to its coast and potential tolls for passage, though it remains unclear if fees are being collected during the truce. Talks between Iran and the US are scheduled to begin in Islamabad on Friday.

Iran’s 10-point peace plan demands an end to US and Israeli attacks, lifting of sanctions, and recognition of its control over Hormuz. Reports suggest Tehran may charge up to $2 million per vessel or $1 per barrel of oil, with revenues shared with Oman, though Muscat has rejected the idea. Critics argue the tolls violate international maritime law under UNCLOS, which forbids levies on transit through international straits.

Analysts warn that continued Iranian control could unsettle global energy markets and strain relations with Gulf states and Western powers, as uncertainty persists over safe passage and future disruptions.

Following a recent ceasefire, partial maritime traffic has resumed through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. According to data from the vessel-tracking platform MarineTraffic, at least nine ships have passed through the strait since the ceasefire was declared on Tuesday night. Among these were two oil and chemical tankers, though the overall number remains far below normal levels.

Before the conflict, the multinational Joint Maritime Information Center recorded an average of about 138 ships passing daily through the strait. Richard Meade, editor of maritime news agency Lloyd’s List, said the ongoing conflict had nearly halted vessel movement, with around 800 ships still stranded in the region.

Analysts noted that while limited traffic has resumed, uncertainty persists over whether Iran will fully reopen the strait. This continued uncertainty could keep affecting global trade and energy supply conditions.

Allegations of irregularities surfaced during the Bogura-6 by-election on Thursday, April 9, when a presiding officer was found taking premature signatures on result sheets and stamping ballots in advance. The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. at Maltinagar Government Primary School and City Girls’ School polling centers. Jamaat-backed candidate Abidur Rahman Sohel raised the complaint after visiting the centers at 11:30 a.m., claiming that the officer was collecting signatures before vote counting had ended.

The accused officer, Nur Islam, a chemistry teacher at Government Azizul Haque College, initially said he took early signatures to save time but later admitted his mistake in front of a magistrate and media. Executive Magistrate Taswar Tanzamul Haque immediately seized and tore up the Form-16 documents, calling the act a serious administrative violation. The presiding officer was formally warned. However, a district election official described the incident as a mistake rather than a crime.

The by-election was held after BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman vacated the Bogura-6 seat, with voter turnout reported at 18 percent by 1 p.m., according to the district returning office.

Motorcyclists blocked the Dhaka-Khulna highway at Mandartala in Gopalganj on April 9, 2026, after failing to obtain fuel from local filling stations. The protest caused traffic congestion stretching about two kilometers, leaving more than fifty vehicles stranded and passengers in distress. Police arrived at the scene, persuaded the protesters to withdraw, and cleared the road within an hour, restoring normal traffic flow.

According to reports, seven filling stations in Gopalganj municipality had stopped fuel sales since early morning, prompting frustration among bikers who had waited for hours. The protesters claimed that stations were withholding fuel despite having stock. Station owner Mofizur Rahman Lofiz said staff shortages and worker fatigue had disrupted distribution. Assistant Commissioners and Executive Magistrates Shahriar Ahmed and Fardeen Khan Prince supervised the resumption of fuel supply, which helped calm the situation.

Authorities confirmed that the highway is now operating normally, and fuel distribution has resumed under administrative monitoring.

US President Donald Trump announced that American military forces will remain inside and around Iran until the terms of what he called a 'real deal' are completely implemented. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the deployment includes warships, aircraft, and personnel, along with additional ammunition and equipment to support potential operations against what he described as an already weakened enemy.

Trump stated that the likelihood of the agreement being violated is very low but warned that any breach would trigger an unprecedented military response, larger and more powerful than before. He claimed that an understanding had already been reached under which Iran would not develop nuclear weapons and the Strait of Hormuz would remain open and secure.

He concluded his message by saying that the US military is replenishing supplies and resting, preparing for its next victory, declaring that 'America is back.'

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Amir Maulana Muhammad Mamunul Haque visited the Raju Sculpture area in Dhaka on Thursday to express solidarity with students who are on hunger strike demanding the implementation of a referendum verdict. During his visit, he inquired about the condition of the fasting students and voiced full support for their movement.

Haque praised the students’ peaceful protest and stated that standing for a just cause is the duty of every conscious citizen. He urged the concerned authorities to take prompt action to prevent the situation from becoming more complicated. Leaders from different levels of the Bangladesh Khelafat Chhatra Majlis were also present at the site and expressed their solidarity with the ongoing student movement.

The demonstration is part of a broader wave of student activism across several universities calling for the implementation of the referendum verdict and the July Charter, as noted in related events at Jagannath University and Jahangirnagar University.

The opposition parties in Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliament walked out on Thursday evening, protesting what they called the passage of 'anti-people' bills. The walkout occurred shortly before 6 p.m. while Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal was presiding. This marks the third walkout by the opposition in the current parliament. Opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami chief Dr. Shafiqur Rahman announced the decision, stating that despite their objections, several controversial bills were passed, and they would not take responsibility for them.

After the walkout, NCP member secretary and MP Akhtar Hossain told reporters that the day was painful for the independence of the judiciary. He criticized the government for using its majority to pass laws that expand its power, calling the approach one-sided. In response, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed thanked the opposition for participating in all stages of the legislative process and questioned the logic of walking out afterward.

The bills passed included the National Human Rights Commission (Repeal and Reenactment) Bill, the Supreme Court Secretariat (Repeal) Bill, the Supreme Court Judges Appointment (Repeal) Bill, and several others, all approved by voice vote despite opposition objections.

The Jagannath University (Jabi) branch of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti organized a human chain on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at the university’s sculpture square, demanding the implementation of the July Charter and the verdict of the national referendum. Leaders and activists of the organization participated in the event, criticizing the current political situation, the independence of the judiciary, and recruitment practices in state institutions.

Speakers at the rally called for the realization of the spirit of the July Movement and urged all concerned to act accordingly. Joint convener Ferdous Sheikh emphasized that Bangladesh’s foreign relations should be based on mutual respect and justice, not dependency. Member secretary Shahin Mia warned that ignoring past movements and public expectations could harm political parties, while convener Faisal Murad stressed the need for constitutional reforms and restoration of public trust through electoral and legal changes.

Participants collectively demanded that the government promptly implement the July Charter and the referendum’s public mandate.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis chief Maulana Mamunul Haque has called on the BNP to implement the referendum verdict, urging the party to learn from past mistakes. He made the appeal on April 9 at Dhaka University’s Daksu premises during the second session of a reform dialogue titled “July Charter and Reform: New Bangladesh or Old Fascism.” The event was chaired by Daksu Vice President Sadiq Kayem and attended by academics, political leaders, and civil society representatives.

Speakers at the dialogue warned that if the ruling BNP ignores the public mandate expressed through the referendum, citizens may again take to the streets. They emphasized that disregarding the people’s mandate for constitutional reform would endanger democracy. Professor Dilara Chowdhury criticized BNP’s dual stance on constitutional amendments, while others highlighted the need for structural reform to ensure judicial independence and power balance.

Participants noted that about 70 percent of voters supported constitutional reform in the recent referendum, giving it moral and political legitimacy. Several speakers cautioned that ignoring this outcome could trigger renewed political unrest and undermine democratic institutions.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar alleged that serious irregularities, including vote rigging, fake voting, and expulsion of polling agents, occurred during the by-elections in Bogura and Sherpur constituencies held on Thursday. Speaking at a press conference at the party’s central office in Moghbazar, he described incidents such as presiding officers forcing agents to sign result sheets early, ballot stuffing, and intimidation of voters and agents.

Porwar claimed that in Sherpur’s Shreebordi area, agents were expelled from 13 polling centers by noon and that violence was used against Jamaat activists. He accused local BNP groups of attacking Jamaat agents and obstructing women voters. Despite repeated appeals to police, army, and returning officers, he said no action was taken. He urged the Chief Election Commissioner to suspend voting in affected centers and take legal action against responsible presiding officers.

Jamaat leaders present at the briefing demanded intervention to ensure fair voting and warned that the public would not accept one-sided election results if irregularities continued.

Lebanon’s Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine announced that 203 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in Israeli airstrikes carried out on Wednesday across Beirut and other parts of the country. The updated figures were shared before a cabinet meeting, marking a sharp rise from earlier reports by the Health Ministry, which had confirmed 182 deaths and 890 injuries.

According to the report, the attacks targeted multiple areas in Lebanon, including the capital. Iran described the ongoing Israeli strikes as a serious violation of the Tehran–Washington ceasefire agreement. The information was sourced from Al Jazeera and the BBC.

The escalation underscores rising regional tensions following the ceasefire, with Lebanon’s civilian toll continuing to climb amid international concern over the breach of the truce terms.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Thursday sentenced former vice-chancellor of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, Hasibur Rashid, to 10 years in prison in the murder case of student Abu Sayeed. The tribunal, chaired by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury with judges Md Manjurul Basid and Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir, also handed death sentences to two police officers, life imprisonment to three others, and varying jail terms to 30 accused in total.

The death sentences were given to former assistant sub-inspector Amir Hossain and former constable Sujon Chandra Roy, both currently in custody. University teachers Mashiur Rahman and Asaduzzaman Mondal, along with former BCL president Pomel Barua, each received 10 years in prison, while five other leaders were sentenced to three years. The tribunal accepted the formal charges on June 30, 2025, and began the trial on August 27, 2025.

Abu Sayeed, an English department student and a coordinator of the quota reform movement, was shot dead by police on July 16, 2024, in front of the university during protests. His death sparked nationwide outrage and later escalated into a mass uprising.

Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, deleted a social media post in which he announced that an Iranian delegation was traveling to Islamabad to begin talks with the United States. The post, made on Thursday on platform X, mentioned that the discussions were to take place at the invitation of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and based on Iran’s proposed ten-point framework. The ambassador did not explain why the post was later removed.

According to the deleted message, Moghadam had also accused Israeli authorities of repeatedly violating the ceasefire to undermine diplomatic efforts, which he said had created public doubt in Iran about the peace process. The talks were expected to follow a two-week conditional ceasefire between Iran and the United States, agreed on April 9 through Pakistan’s mediation.

The upcoming meeting was scheduled for Saturday with US Vice President JD Vance, as part of the ongoing diplomatic engagement facilitated by Islamabad.

The family and classmates of Abu Sayeed, a student of Begum Rokeya University and the first martyr of the July uprising, expressed dissatisfaction with the court verdict in his murder case. The judgment was announced on Thursday in Rangpur, after which his parents, Mokbul Hossain and Monowara Begum, voiced their disappointment at their home in Babunpur village of Pirganj upazila.

Mokbul Hossain said he was not satisfied with the sentencing of two people to death and three to imprisonment, claiming that more individuals deserved capital punishment. Monowara Begum added that they would have been happier if more accused had been punished and demanded the arrest of those still absconding. Fellow students, including Ashiqur Rahman and Shamsur Rahman Suman, also criticized the verdict, alleging that police officers involved were spared and that the punishments were too lenient.

According to the report, out of 30 accused in the case, 24 remain fugitives while six are in custody, including a former university proctor, police officers, and student leaders.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Israeli attacks in Lebanon following the ceasefire were 'completely wrong' and urged that Lebanon be urgently included under the US-Iran ceasefire agreement. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s 'Today' program, she highlighted the large-scale displacement of civilians in Lebanon and the resulting humanitarian crisis, calling for an extension of the ceasefire to cover Lebanon.

Cooper also responded to remarks from Iran’s deputy foreign minister, who claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is not part of international waters and that safe passage depends on the goodwill of Iran and Oman. She rejected this assertion, emphasizing that under maritime law, freedom of navigation applies to international transit routes.

Cooper added that no country can unilaterally seize control of such routes or impose tolls, reinforcing the UK’s position on maintaining open international waterways.