Stories for April 18th 2026

Saturday, April 18th 2026 - 10:58 UTC
Iran closes Hormuz again after less than 24 hours as two ships report being fired upon

Iran's reopening of the Strait of Hormuz lasted less than 24 hours. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared on Saturday that it had reimposed “strict control” over the maritime corridor, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas transits. At least two vessels reported being hit by gunfire while attempting to cross the strait, according to three maritime security sources cited by Reuters. It has not been confirmed whether the shots caused damage.
Saturday, April 18th 2026 - 02:53 UTC
Uruguayan court rejects injunction against offshore seismic prospection, allowing exploration to continue

A Montevideo civil court dismissed an injunction filed by social organizations and fishing industry unions against seismic prospection activities for hydrocarbon exploration in Uruguay's exclusive economic zone, allowing operations by the company Viridien (CGG Services) to continue on an offshore block assigned to oil major Chevron.

Iran closes Hormuz again after less than 24 hours as two ships report being fired upon