Canceled! U.S. Department of Defense, breaking news! International Energy Agency, major warning

A key moment: the Pentagon’s latest move in the United States has drawn attention.

According to the latest reports, the U.S. Pentagon canceled a press conference originally scheduled for 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday (20:00 Beijing time on Tuesday) that was to be hosted by U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force general Dan Kane.

At present, the risk of the Middle East’s escalating tensions spilling over continues to intensify. Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, warned that the severity of the current global energy crisis “is even more serious than the energy crises in 1973, 1979, and 2022 combined,” and that global energy markets could face “a Black April.”

As for the fighting in the Middle East, the latest report from CCTV News said that, according to local reports from Iran on the 7th, the key corridor connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain—the King Fahd Bridge—was shut to traffic due to an “Iranian attack threat.” Subsequently, the King Fahd Bridge Authority said it had suspended vehicle access on the King Fahd Bridge because the early-warning platform issued an attack alert targeting Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. In addition, a source in Israel’s security department said in the morning of April 7 local time that Iran’s railway system is being used to support current military operations, including transporting weapons and other military supplies by rail across the country. Therefore, the Israel Defense Forces will carry out strikes on Iran-related railway facilities.

Sudden cancellation by the U.S. Pentagon

The U.S. Pentagon canceled a press conference originally scheduled for 08:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday that was to be hosted by U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force general Dan Kane. No reason was given for the cancellation.

The press conference was only 12 hours away from the final deadline set by U.S. President Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz; otherwise, it would face bombing of power plant and bridge facilities.

Earlier on Monday, Trump, along with Hegseth and Kane, attended a press conference at the White House on the Iran issue, where they discussed relevant targets.

On April 7, according to Xinhua News Agency, on April 6 Yassamin Ansari, a Democratic congresswoman, said she would bring impeachment proceedings against U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth over the war involving Iran.

In a statement released that day, Ansari said: “Next week I will impeach Hegseth, accusing him of repeatedly violating his oath of office and constitutional duties. Only Congress has the power to declare war, not a lawless president or his lackeys.”

In the statement, Ansari said she is the daughter of an Iranian immigrant.

She also said on social media: “U.S. President Trump is escalating a devastating illegal war…… Over the past 48 hours, his remarks have crossed every line. Hegseth is an accomplice to this war.”

The U.S. outlet Axios reported that, because Republicans control both houses of Congress and a two-thirds majority of senators is required for impeachment charges against government officials to be upheld, it is “highly unlikely” that Ansari’s push to impeach Hegseth will succeed.

International Energy Agency issues a warning

According to CCTV News, Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, said that the current global energy crisis is “even more serious than the energy crises in 1973, 1979, and 2022 combined.” He predicted that the crisis will accelerate the development and growth of renewable energy, nuclear power, and electric vehicles.

According to reports from France on the 7th, in an interview Birol said that in the short term, countries should “conserve energy as cautiously as possible,” because global energy markets may face “a Black April.” “If the strait remains closed throughout April, the shortage of crude oil and refined products will be more than twice that of March.”

After the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on February 28, Iran retaliated, and the Strait of Hormuz—a key energy transportation route—was severely disrupted, causing fuel prices to surge. Birol predicted, “We will soon shift to renewable energy, perhaps within a few months.” He said the pace of technological progress in the clean energy sector will be far faster than in other areas, and the deployment of renewables such as solar and wind may be especially rapid.

“The architecture of the global energy system is changing.” He said, “This (process) will take several years. It is not a way to solve the current crisis, but the energy geopolitical landscape will be profoundly altered.”

Meanwhile, on the 6th, Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said that the fighting in the Middle East will push inflation higher and slow global economic growth.

The IMF will release its latest global economic forecasts next week. In an interview with Reuters on the 6th, Georgieva said that even if the Middle East military conflict is resolved quickly, the IMF will lower its economic growth forecasts and raise its inflation forecasts. If the war drags on, its impact on inflation and growth will be greater.

She said that, without this war, as economies continued to recover from the pandemic, the IMF would originally have made a modest upward adjustment to its global economic growth forecasts for the next two years. Now, all paths point to higher prices and slower growth.

Georgieva said that among the countries most affected are the poor and vulnerable ones that lack energy reserves, and that some countries have already begun seeking help. She warned that the world today faces high uncertainty stemming from geopolitical tensions, technological advances, climate shocks, and demographic changes.

The IMF and the World Bank will hold the 2026 Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., in the United States from the 13th to the 18th, and it is expected that on the 14th the IMF will publish a new《World Economic Outlook》.

Layout: Yang Yucheng

Proofreading: Peng Qihua