The week in photos: March 28 to April 3, 2026

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MANILA, Philippines – On March 30, United States President Donald Trump warned that the US would obliterate Iran’s energy plants and oil wells if Tehran does not open the Strait of Hormuz. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said Trump wanted to reach a deal with Tehran before an April 6 deadline he set last week after extending an earlier deadline.

Iran said it had received US peace proposals via intermediaries, following talks on March 29 between the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the proposals were “unrealistic, illogical, and excessive.”

On April 2, stocks slid, oil prices surged, and the dollar gained after Trump said military operations would be intensified in the next two to three weeks, offering no concrete timeline for ending hostilities that have sparked global energy supply chaos and threatened to send the world economy into a tailspin.

Hopes for a swift end to the Middle East war faded as Trump vowed more aggressive strikes on Iran, disappointing investors hoping for clearer signals of a way out of the monthlong conflict.

On April 3, the UN Security Council was to vote on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, but veto-wielding China made clear its opposition to authorizing any use of force.

Diplomats said Bahrain, the current chair of the Security Council, finalized a draft resolution that would authorize “all defensive means necessary” to protect commercial shipping.

Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:

Anja Dengler, 22, reacts with her face painted as people gather to take part in a ‘No Kings’ protest against US President Donald Trump’s administration policies, in St. Paul, Minnesota, on March 28, 2026. PHOTO BY ERICA DISCHINO/REUTERS

Women mourn over the body of one of the children who were killed by an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Saksakiyeh, Lebanon, on March 28, 2026. PHOTO BY YARA NARDI/REUTERS

People take part in a demonstration following the killing of Lebanese journalists, Al Manar reporter Ali Shaib, Al Mayadeen reporter Fatima Ftouni, and cameraman Mohammed Ftouni by a targeted Israeli strike, as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 28, 2026. PHOTO BY ALKIS KONSTANTINIDIS/REUTERS

Affan Haritsah, 11, Daffa Ibnu Alkhalifi, 12, and Kevin Prince, 14, use their phones, as Indonesia’s communications and digital information ministry implements restrictions against ‘high-risk’ social media platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, and Roblox, in Depok, on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 28, 2026. PHOTO BY AJENG DINAR ULFIANA/REUTERS

Members of the clergy carry palm branches on the day of the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican, on March 29, 2026. PHOTO BY FRANCESCO FOTIA/REUTERS

A cruise boat sails past blooming cherry blossoms along Meguro River in Tokyo, Japan, on March 30, 2026. PHOTO BY KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS

People visit the memorial installation for the victims of attacks and executions by Russian troops, marking the fourth anniversary of the liberation of the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 30, 2026. PHOTO BY GLEB GARANICH/REUTERS

A gas station attendant in Paco, Manila, changes the price board as motorists refuel their tanks after another round of fuel price increases on March 31, 2026. PHOTO BY RAPPLER

Members of various urban poor communities, along with church-based groups, hold the ‘Kalbaryo ng Maralita,’ a Lenten Way of the Cross observance at the fire-hit NIA Road settlement in Quezon City on March 31, 2026. PHOTO BY JIRE CARREON/RAPPLER

Bosnia and Herzegovina fans celebrate qualifying for the FIFA World Cup against Italy, in the UEFA Qualifiers Finals at Bilino Polje Stadium, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on March 31, 2026. PHOTO BY AMEL EMRIC/REUTERS

Drag queen Kay Long attends a performance for an audience inside an underground parking garage used as a bomb shelter, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on March 31, 2026. PHOTO BY RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish people look on from a damaged residential building, after Iran launched missiles towards Israel, in Bnei Brak, Israel, on April 1, 2026. PHOTO BY NIR ELIAS/REUTERS

People, mostly children, gather at La Rodadora museum to watch a live broadcast of the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission to fly by the moon, during an event organized by the US Consulate General in Mexico, in Ciudad Juarez on April 1, 2026. PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ/REUTERS

A customer watches US President Donald Trump address the nation on the Iran crisis from the White House, on a screen at Brooklyn Diner in Times Square, New York, on April 1, 2026. PHOTO BY DAVID DEE DELGADO/REUTERS

An oil tanker carrying coal and other fuels is seen near the Petron Refinery Facility, following the arrival of Russian crude amid a global energy crisis, in Limay, Bataan, on April 2, 2026. PHOTO BY DANIEL CENG/ANADOLU VIA REUTERS

A handbag made using Tyrannosaurus rex fossil-derived collagen is on display at Museum ArtZoo in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on April 2, 2026. PHOTO BY PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW/REUTERS

A Filipino penitent performs self-flagellation on Maundy Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Mandaluyong City. PHOTO BY NOEL CELIS/REUTERS

Tourists and locals look at a penitent in a skeleton costume performing the ‘Dance of the Death’ with an object representing the passing of time and death, during a Holy Week procession in Verges, Catalonia, Spain, on April 3, 2026. PHOTO BY NACHO DOCE/REUTERS

Pilgrims from the Northern Cross carry a wooden cross as they walk over the tidal causeway to Lindisfarne (Holy Island) during the final leg of their annual Good Friday pilgrimage in Northumberland, Britain, on April 3, 2026. PHOTO BY TEMILADE ADELAJA/REUTERS

Performers reenact the Passion of Christ during the 29th Buhing Kalbaryo, a long-standing Holy Week tradition in Cebu, at the Espina Compound in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, on Good Friday, April 3, 2026. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE HERNANDEZ/RAPPLER

– with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com