All news: Wednesday 15 July 2026

2026 United States naval blockade of Iran

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) says that American forces have redirected two commercial vessels since the blockade resumed.

2026 United States naval blockade of Iran

CENTCOM says that American forces disabled the Curaçao-flagged oil tanker M/T Belma as it was heading towards an Iranian port in the Persian Gulf amidst the blockade. An 18 second video confirms that a U.S. aircraft disabled the vessel.

Operation Urja Suraksha

India's Directorate General of Shipping warns companies not to deploy Indian sailors onto vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz after two Indian seafarers were killed in separate ship attacks in the waterway.

2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed "until the United States ends its acts of aggression".

2026 Iran war ceasefire

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says that ceasefire negotiations aimed at ending the war have not closed despite renewed fighting between Iran and the U.S.

2026 Iranian strikes on the Kurdistan Region

The Directorate General of Counter Terrorism of the Kurdistan Region Security Council reports that international coalition forces have intercepted seven drones in Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.

2026 Iranian strikes on the Kurdistan Region

Three drones are reportedly shot down near the U.S. consulate in Erbil.

2026 Iran war

CENTCOM announces the U.S. has launched new strikes against Iran for a fifth consecutive day aimed at coastal defense systems, cruise missile storage, and launch sites in the Greater Tunb Island.

Gaza peace plan

Morocco signs an agreement with the Board of Peace to join the International Stabilization Force for Gaza.

Nirim attack

Israel's military claims to have killed a militant from the Hamas branch Al-Qassam Brigades that participated in the abduction of soldiers Col. Asaf Hamami, St.-Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, and Sgt. Kiril Brodski during the October 7 attacks on the Nirim kibbutz.

Saudi Arabia–United States relations

The U.S. State Department approves a potential US$1.96 billion deal in arms sales to Saudi Arabia amidst the current Iran war and potential re-escalation with the Houthis.

Darfur campaign

The Sudanese Armed Forces-allied Joint Forces announce that they have recaptured the Orshi Reservoir area in North Darfur, a month after the Rapid Support Forces seized the area.

Sudanese civil war

A drone strike by the Rapid Support Forces hits a power station in the town of Al Dabbah in Sudan's Northern State.

Seven people are killed and one person is missing after a rubber dinghy explodes near Liaoning Province, China.

One person is killed and 24 others are missing after a passenger boat sank off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Effect of Brexit on Gibraltar

The United Kingdom and the European Union remove the land-border fence between Gibraltar and Spain under a post-Brexit treaty, allowing free movement while introducing joint British-Spanish checks at Gibraltar's airport and port.

Afghanistan and the United Nations

United Nations secretary-general António Guterres appoints Bangladeshi diplomat Rabab Fatima as the next head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Papua New Guinea–Taiwan relations

Papuan foreign minister Justin Tkatchenko announces the immediate closure of Taiwan's representative office in Port Moresby, citing Papua New Guinea's adherence to the One China policy, while saying the decision does not affect contracts between Taiwan's CPC Corporation and natural gas in Papua New Guinea.

France's National Assembly gives final approval to a bill allowing eligible adults with incurable, life-threatening illnesses to obtain lethal medication under strict conditions. The measure awaits Constitutional Council review before taking effect.

Bhutanese refugees scam

A district court in Kathmandu, Nepal, sentences former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi to four years in prison and former home minister Bal Krishna Khand to two years for roles in forging documents for a fraudulent Bhutanese refugee resettlement scheme.

Cannabis in Kenya

Kenya's High Court rejects a Rastafarian petition seeking a religious exemption from cannabis laws, ruling that the group does not show the laws violate religious freedom.

Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda conflict

The Democratic Republic of the Congo establishes a council composed of mostly international war crimes lawyers to advise state institutions seeking accountability and reparations for victims of violence in the country's east.

Detention of Craig and Lindsay Foreman

The family of British national Craig Foreman says an Iranian court has added two years to his 10-year espionage prison sentence for speaking to the media, as he and his wife Lindsay continue a hunger strike.

Moroccan prosecutors release journalist Ali Lmrabet after questioning him over online posts allegedly defaming unnamed individuals and institutions, while the criminal investigation continues.

U.S. president Donald Trump announces that American citizen Dena Karari has been released from Iran after being detained on espionage charges since 2024. Her lawyer, Jared Genser, also confirmed her release.

Discoveries of exoplanets

Astronomers directly image the exoplanet Beta Pictoris d next to its star, located 63 light-years away, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. It is also reported to be fainter than its sibling Beta Pictoris b. The discovery is published in the The Astrophysical Journal.

Internet in South Africa

American technology company Amazon partners with South African internet provider Herotel to launch Amazon Leo satellite internet service in 2027, marking its first such African agreement.

2026 Canadian wildfires

IQAir ranks Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as having the worst air quality among major cities worldwide as smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario reaches the city, prompting the Canadian environment ministry to advise residents to remain indoors.

2026 Ebola epidemic

The total amount of cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo exceed 2,000.

Sudanese cholera epidemic

Sudan's health ministry reports that the total amount of cholera cases in north and west Kordofan has increased to 1,547.

2026 ESPY Awards

The ESPY Awards is held at the David H. Koch Theater in New York City, U.S., with the 2025–26 New York Knicks winning five awards, including the Best Team award after winning their first NBA championship since 1973, while point guard Jalen Brunson wins the Best Male Athlete and Best Championship Performance awards.