First Thing: Ceasefire in peril as Israel assaults Lebanon and Iran blocks oil tankers

<p>Iran and mediator Pakistan say ceasefire includes Lebanon but Israel and US disagree. Plus, how Korean fried chicken took over the world</p><p>Good morning.</p><p>The fate of the two-week ceasefire in the Iran conflict <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/08/middle-east-ceasefire-doubt-israel-lebanon-iran-oil-tankers">looked in peril</a> as both sides gave divergent versions of what had been agreed, Israel intensified its bombing campaign in Lebanon and Iran halted the passage of oil tankers because of an alleged Israeli ceasefire breach.</p><p><strong>What has Iran said</strong>? In a sharply worded statement, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Israel and the US had violated several clauses of the provisional ceasefire, and he decried Israel’s aggressive bombing of Lebanon and a US demand that Iran should have no right to enrich its own uranium.</p><p><strong>This is a developing story.</strong> Follow our liveblog <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/apr/09/iran-war-ceasefire-live-strait-of-hormuz-israel-strikes-middle-east-crisis-latest-news">here</a>.</p><p><strong>What was said in the video about Mamdani</strong>? The videos feature the organization’s founder, Yisrael Yaacob Ben Avraham, describing Mamdani as a “Muslim terrorist” and a “cancer”, and his election as a “harbinger” of “a creeping Islamic takeover of America”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/09/first-thing-middle-east-ceasefire-israel-lebanon-iran-oil">Continue reading...</a>