Day: April 8, 2026

Ex-Army employee with top secret clearance charged with leaking information to journalist
thehill.com/policy/defense/5…

— The Hill (@thehill) Apr 9, 2026

MORE: Iran has continued to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz despite the ceasefire, which is making vessels reticent to transit the strait. Iran is levying these threats so that it can extract tolls on traffic through an international waterway.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains significantly low amid Iran’s lingering threats and uncertainty over a fragile ceasefire. Commercial maritime tracking data showed only five Iranian‑flagged cargo vessels entered the strait, while just three international oil tankers, six international cargo vessels, and one unknown Iranian-flagged vessel exited via Iran’s alternative route between April 7 at 2:00 PM ET and April 8 at 2:00 PM ET.

The S&P Global Market Intelligence recorded that Iran permitted only four vessels to transit on April 7, the lowest daily total so far in April.

Major shipping companies, including Maersk and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, continue to suspend or tightly limit transits, citing the absence of clear rules and security guarantees.

Shipping and maritime intelligence executives told the Financial Times that daily traffic has fallen to just 10 to 15 vessels, compared with roughly 135 per day before the crisis.

Around 800 tankers are now waiting to transit, with an estimated 300 to 400 vessels effectively stranded inside the Persian Gulf.Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar)Iran Update Evening Special Report, April 8, 2026: US President Donald Trump announced on April 7 that the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire deal mediated by Pakistan. Trump stated that Iran sent a ten-point proposal to form the basis of upcoming negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 10.

Other Key Takeaways:

Senior US and Israeli officials stated on April 7 and 8 that the Israeli campaign in Lebanon is not a part of the US-Iran ceasefire deal. Hezbollah officials claimed that unspecified actors informed the group that it would be a party to the ceasefire deal. US President Donald Trump told PBS News on April 8 that Lebanon is not included in the US-Iran ceasefire deal.

The IDF conducted the largest number of airstrikes against Hezbollah personnel and infrastructure throughout Lebanon, including central Beirut, since the start of the Israeli campaign in Lebanon. The IDF struck over 100 Hezbollah headquarters, command-and-control centers, missile launch sites, and Hezbollah drone unit and Radwan Force sites in Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley.

Iran has continued to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz despite the ceasefire, which is making vessels reticent to transit the strait. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains significantly low amid Iran’s lingering threats and uncertainty over a fragile ceasefire.·

Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi had to convince Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders to accept the US proposal for a ceasefire, according to a regional source familiar with the talks speaking to Axios. The ceasefire follows reports that a group of veteran hardline IRGC commanders has consolidated power within the Iranian regime in recent weeks and is playing an increasingly central role in decision-making, such as appointments to key positions.—  https://x.com/TheStudyofWar/status/2042052119604211928

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) Apr 9, 2026