NPR News: 04-18-2026 11AM EDT

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nur Rahm. After the reopening of the Strait of

Hormuz yesterday, military officials in Iran said today they are once again controlling

the Strait and will continue to block traffic as long as the U.S. blockades Iranian ports.

President Trump says the blockade will stay in force until a deal is reached on Iran's

nuclear program. Trump was asked this morning about the current situation.

But we're talking to them. They wanted to close up the Strait again. You know,

it's they've been doing for years and they can't blackmail us.

The British military's United Kingdom maritime trade operations

reports the two gunboats, Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz

today. It says the tanker and its crew are safe. It did not identify the tanker or its destination.

About one-fifth of the world's oil is shipped through the Strait. Further limits could drive

oil prices higher again. The ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah is being tested

over two incidents today, including the killing of a French soldier. NPR's Eleanor Beersley reports

the French President says everything suggests, end quote, that Hezbollah was behind that attack.

President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that a French soldier serving in the UN peacekeeping

mission in southern Lebanon was killed. The Israeli military says it also conducted strikes

against a threatening target. Polls show more than 70 percent of Israelis are against pausing

their fight against Hezbollah. Tel Aviv resident Sarri Hafez says a ceasefire will only allow the

group to rearm. We want that this time it will be in the end but the final end. We don't want

another little war for one year later or two year later we want quiet. She says Hezbollah is

weakened and now is the time to defeat them. Eleanor Beersley in Pairnews, Tel Aviv.

A new warning from the International Energy Agency this week says parts of Europe could

face jet fuel shortages this summer. This could have ripple effects for Americans planning trips

overseas. NPR's Windsor Johnston has more in the story. The agency says parts of Europe could

soon face short term jet fuel shortages as global supplies remain strained. Michael Weber is

an energy expert at the University of Texas at Austin. He says even when shortages are less

severe in the U.S. Americans can still feel the impact. The United States will feel good because

we're a major energy producer but we'll absolutely be affected by what's going around the world

because we're coupled to the international economic system. So it might mean our travel to Europe's

more expensive. It also means that things we import for Europe or other places will be more

expensive because the shipping fuels will be more expensive. So we will be affected for sure.

Weber says travelers heading overseas may also see fewer flight options, especially during

the peak summer season. Windsor Johnston and Pairnews. This is NPR News in Washington.

Officials and residents in Northwest Illinois are assessing the damage after a likely tornado

yesterday. The storm stripped roofs off houses and brought down trees and power lines

in the village of Lena, about 117 miles northwest of Chicago. There are no reports of severe injuries

or deaths. British Prime Minister Kier's Starmer will be fighting for his job when he appears in

Parliament on Monday. Vicki Barker reports from London. Starmer is expected to repeat his assertion

that he only just learned that Peter Mandelson, who was fired as Britain's ambassador to the U.S.

last year over revelations in the Epstein files, had actually failed a security check when

appointed. But as the Guardian's political editor, Pippa Krier, or told the BBC,

the career civil servant, Starmer just fired for that alleged oversight will be testifying Tuesday.

That might be a moment when that all comes to a head. He puts his side of the story and that

could be damaging to the Prime Minister, who has already been so damaged by this extraordinary

scandal. If Starmer is found to have deliberately misled Parliament, convention requires that he

step down. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. Hundreds of cyclists in tweed jackets and

bowler hats throw the streets of London today. It's the annual tweed run. The goal is not to cycle

fast, but to look good while riding past landmarks such as Big Ben. Riders embrace vintage British

attire, including tweed suits, bow ties and pantaloons. A rider from Sussex told Reuters,

everyone has to make an effort. I'm Nora Rom. NPR News in Washington.

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