US-Iran: no deal, Washington threatens to block the Strait of Hormuz

Today’s headlines: the Spanish Prime Minister has called on China to play a more active role in global affairs; Israel has approved the appointment of the new head of the Mossad; Next week, the President of Taiwan will visit Eswatini. Since late March, floods in Afghanistan have killed at least 189 people; With Orban’s defeat, Hungary is distancing itself from Russia.

MIDDLE EAST

The US military has stated that on Monday it will begin a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, after the Washington delegation left Islamabad. On Saturday, three oil tankers crossed the Strait, whilst other vessels are waiting to see how the situation will develop. Meanwhile, oil has once again surpassed 0 a barrel, further exacerbating the global energy crisis.

ISRAEL

Israel has approved the appointment of Roman Gofman as the new head of the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency. Gofman, 49, currently military secretary to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will take up his post in June, replacing the current director, David Barnea.

SPAIN – CHINA

During a conference at Tsinghua University in Beijing this morning, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is due to meet President Xi Jinping tomorrow, said that China should take on a more proactive role on issues such as climate change, security, defence and the fight against inequality.

TAIWAN – ESWATINI

This morning, Taiwan’s presidential office announced that next week, from 22 to 26 April, President Lai Ching-te will visit the small state of Eswatini, Taiwan’s last remaining diplomatic ally in Africa. This will be Lai’s first trip outside Taiwan since November 2024, when he visited the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, and stopped over in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam.

AFGHANISTAN

According to Kabul’s natural disaster management agency, at least 189 people have died as a result of the floods since the end of March. In the last 24 hours alone, the agency added, 10 people have died and a further 15 have been injured, whilst nine are missing. In total, at least 9,000 families have been affected and at least 7,000 homes have been destroyed.

HUNGARY

Péter Magyar has won the elections in Hungary, which saw a turnout of 79.5%, bringing an end to Prime Minister Victor Orbán’s pro-Russian government, which had lasted for 16 years. The Tisza party is expected to win 138 seats, whilst Orbán’s Fidesz secured 55; a further six went to the far-right Our Homeland party. During the election campaign, Magyar pledged to combat corruption, restore the independence of the judiciary and eradicate the patronage system that has helped enrich the party’s loyalists and squander state resources. His victory could foster more cordial relations with the European Union and Ukraine.

KAZAKHSTAN

Kazakhstan’s President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has decreed the full entry into force of the new constitution, announcing that elections will be held in August to form the new unicameral Kurultai, with a five-month election campaign to “initiate a major perestroika of our political system, so that political and economic changes go hand in hand with positive changes across the whole of society”.