explainer
Tensions continue after President Trump threatened to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to Iran on Truth Social.
Published April 6, 2026
Tensions continue to rise as US President Donald Trump faces a Tuesday deadline to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz or face bombing of power plants and bridges.
Iran has threatened to strike back after Gulf states and Israel reported drone interceptions on Monday.
Israel continued its invasion of southern Lebanon, occupying and destroying entire villages.
Here’s what we know about the latest developments.
in iran
According to Iranian media, US and Israeli attacks damaged a fuel station near Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology, causing a gasoline shortage in the vicinity. Tasnim news agency reported that a university mosque was also damaged. Four girls and two boys under the age of 10 were killed in an overnight attack by the US and Israel on a residential area in Tehran’s Baharestan province, Fars news agency reported. The agency earlier reported that at least 13 people were killed in the attack. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran condemned the US and Israeli attack on the heavy water facility as a “crime against science and human health.” Iran’s Kondab heavy water production plant was attacked on March 27, rendering it inoperable.
on the bay
UAE authorities reported that Fujairah’s air defense systems responded to missile and drone threats from Iran. The state-run WAM news agency reported that the drone targeted the building of telecommunications company Du. A Ghanaian resident of Abu Dhabi suffered “moderate injuries” from falling debris, the Abu Dhabi Municipality Press Office said. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said any resolution to the war must ensure access through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that a deal that fails to curb Iran’s nuclear program, missiles and drones would pave the way for a “more dangerous and unstable Middle East.” The Saudi Defense Ministry said its defense systems intercepted the two drones, but did not provide further details.
in the US
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, President Trump threatened to attack Iranian civilian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants, if the Strait of Hormuz is not fully reopened. “Tuesday is Power Plant Day and Bridge Day rolled into one in Iran. There’s no better day than this!!! Open the straits, you crazy bastards, or you’ll live in hell – look! Praise be to Allah,” he wrote, using profanity. President Trump then set a specific deadline of Tuesday, April 7, at 8 p.m. ET (midnight GMT).
in israel
Israeli media reported that the military intercepted an Iranian missile and that the attack caused an alert across southern Israel, including Beersheba. No casualties were reported. In northern Israel, more than 10 locations in the city of Haifa were damaged, according to local media reports. According to Y Net News, a 34-year-old woman was “severely injured” by an interceptor missile in Petah Tikva following Iran’s recent attack on central Israel.
in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank
Lebanon: Israeli drones targeted Kfar Runman in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera correspondent reported. GAZA: Israeli forces attacked a group of civilians near Gaza City’s Yarmouk Stadium on Sunday night, killing one Palestinian and wounding others, Wafa news agency reported. WEST BANK: Israeli forces shot and wounded a Palestinian teenager and arrested three others in a raid across the occupied West Bank, according to the Wafa news agency.
