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Here is the top, trending news of Thursday, April 16, 2026, including Iran war, Indian politics, states' politics, geopolitics, federal issues, economics, development issues, sports, entertainment, and so on.
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Live Updates
- 16 April 2026 6:49 AM IST
Iran threatens to disrupt Gulf trade in response to US naval blockade
The commander of Iran's joint military command on Wednesday threatened to halt trade in the Gulf region if the US does not lift its blockade on Iranian ports.
No vessels have made it past US naval forces during the first 48 hours of the blockade, according to the US Central Command. Even so, US President Donald Trump said the war in Iran was “very close to over” in an interview that aired Wednesday.
Trump also claimed that China has agreed not to provide weapons to Iran as reports circulate that Beijing has considered transferring arms. China's Foreign Ministry has repeatedly denied in recent days that the country is providing any form of military support to Iran.
Separately, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned on Wednesday that the US is preparing to ramp up economic pain on Iran by levying secondary sanctions on financial institutions that do business with the Middle Eastern nation. Bessent called the measure the “financial equivalent” of the bombing campaign.
Meanwhile, mediators' efforts to extend a ceasefire between the United States and Iran have made progress as the warring sides are expected to return soon to the table for another round of negotiations, regional officials said.
However, a senior US official said Wednesday the US has not formally agreed to extend the ceasefire and that “engagement” with Iran continues. The latest diplomatic move came hours later, when a Pakistani delegation arrived for talks in Tehran.
- 16 April 2026 6:47 AM IST
Iran used Chinese satellite to track US bases in Middle East: Report
Iran relied on a Chinese-built satellite it quietly obtained last year to help track US military positions across the Middle East during the recent conflict, the Financial Times has reported.
The satellite, known as TEE-01B, was developed and launched by the Chinese firm Earth Eye Company before being taken over by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force.
Earth Eye Company operates under a relatively obscure export model known as "in-orbit delivery," whereby spacecraft launched in China are transferred to overseas buyers only after they have successfully reached orbit.
According to the report, Iranian commanders tasked it with keeping watch on key American military installations in the region.
As part of the arrangement, the IRGC was also granted access to a network of commercial ground stations run by Emposat, a Beijing-based satellite services provider with operations spanning Asia, Latin America and beyond.
The satellite is said to have captured imagery of Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan Air Base on March 13, 14 and 15. A day later, on March 14, US President Donald Trump acknowledged that American aircraft stationed there had been damaged.
The report adds that TEE-01B also tracked activity around Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, sites near the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, and Erbil Airport in Iraq around the same period that the IRGC claimed strikes in those areas.
