After attacking the Head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, in a rambling post earlier tonight for his criticisms of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, President Trump posted this AI image to TruthSocial, portraying himself as Jesus Christ.

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France and the UK will hold a conference of nations willing to participate in a multinational coalition “aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the [Strait of Hormuz].” President Macron called it a “strictly defensive mission, separate from warring parties,” to include Iran and the United States.

Following the election in Hungary where Prime Minister Viktor Orbán lost to Péter Magyar, the Kremlin has voiced its desire to continue contacts with the new government following the transition period. Prime Minister Orbán government often sided against Ukraine when it came to votes on EU support for the nation, and was seen as one of the primary state-actor disrupters both within NATO and the EU, as it relates to measures related to Ukraine and Finnish/Swedish ascension into NATO.

Speaking today during a cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin confirmed that he spoke yesterday with U.S. Vice President JD Vance as he returned from the failed peace negotiations with Iran in Islamabad. Netanyahu stated that, “He reported to me in detail, as this administration does every day, about the development of the negotiations. In this case, the explosion in the negotiations. The explosion came from the American side, which could not tolerate Iran's blatant violation of the agreement to enter the negotiations.”

According to the Prime Minister, the agreement discussed during the negotiations involved a total ceasefire by the United States, in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the removal of highly-enriched nuclear material from Iran, and a several decades-long suspension in the enrichment of additional uranium by Iran. Which was rejected by the representatives of the Islamic Republic.

According to Bloomberg, citing a Cypriot official, the EU is looking to push through a €90 billion loan for Ukraine now that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban‘a government is on the way out. Prime Minister Orbán previously blocked the loan and the incoming prime minister, Peter Magyar is expected to allow the loan to be pushed through.

In a notable announcement, as a part of a slew of new defense appointments in Australia following the end of previous terms, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles announced today that they plan to appoint Lieutenant General Susan Coyle as Chief of Army, making her the first woman to fill the role as head of the Australian Army.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has stated that 34 ships transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, which he claims to be the highest number since the start of the Iran War. Prior to the conflict, roughly 140 cargo ships and tankers passed everyday through the Hormuz Strait.

Several vessels have transited the Strait of Hormuz over the last 36 hours, though levels are less than 15% of normal, inbound and outbound. The vast majority of them are using the Iranian traffic separation scheme transiting near Larak Island.

According to Barak Ravid, citing a senior U.S. official, following the failed talks between Iran and the United States in Islamabad, Pakistan, mediators from Turkey, Pakistan, and Egypt will continue talks with their U.S. counterparts in an attempt to find points of convergence between the U.S. and Iranian sides. Per the report, mediators, who still believe a lasting ceasefire is possible, hope to realize the aforementioned goals before the ceasefire deadline on April 21, 2026.

U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster and KC-135 Stratotanker activity over the last 24 hours across Europe and the Middle East.

Here's the current view of tanker (red) and container (green) traffic in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center has issued an advisory for all vessels in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz, advising that restrictions will go into effect at 1400UTC (1000EST), affecting the entirety of the Iranian coastline. Neutral vessels currently in Iranian ports have been granted a limited grace period to depart before being affected by the blockade by the United States.

According to the Israel Defense Force (IDF), two IDF soldiers were moderately injured, with another 6 being lightly injured, following a Lebanese Hezbollah bomb-laden drone attack during IDF operations in southern Lebanon. The soldiers were transported to the hospital and their families have been notified, per reports.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump said on TruthSocial that if any Iranian fast-attack vessels approach the now in effect U.S. blockade they will be “immediately eliminated” in the same manner that vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) in the U.S. Southern Command Area-of-Responsibility.

According the Wall Street Journal, citing a senior U.S. official, the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is now in effect. Per the official, 15 U.S. warships are in position to enforce the blockade of Iranian ports across the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea.