The war in the Middle East showed no sign of ending as President Donald Trump exchanged threats with the Iranian regime and jittery markets sent oil prices surging. The week also saw NASA launch its first crewed lunar mission in half-a-century, Italy miss out on a third successive football World Cup, and Christians mark Holy Week. Here's a look back at some of the most striking images.
Issued on: 05/04/2026 - 16:11Modified: 05/04/2026 - 16:11
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A woman attends Easter Sunday Mass at Saint Sarkis Cathedral, an Armenian Apostolic church, in Tehran, Iran, April 5, 2026. © Francisco Seco, AP
Image provided by Sepahnews, the IRGC's official website, of wreckage that Iran's state TV claimed was the site of a downed US transport plane and two helicopters involved in a rescue operation, in Isfahan province, April 5, 2026. © AP via Sephanews
A family who fled Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon warm themselves by a bonfire next to tents used as shelters in Beirut, on March 31, 2026. © Emilio Morenatti, AP
A key bridge linking Tehran and Iran's Karaj after it was hit by a missile strike on April 3, more than a month into the US-Israeli war on Iran. © Majid Asgaripour, Reuters
An aerial view of the Marathon Petroleum refinery in Carson, California, on April 1. The price of petrol in the US hit a four-year high this week as hopes for an early end to the Iran war faded. © Jae C. Hong, AP
NASA's Artemis II mission lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 1, marking the start of the first crewed mission to the Moon in half-a-century. © Joe Skipper, Reuters
An apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike in the town of Obukhiv, in Ukraine's Kyiv region, on April 3. © Valentyn Ogirenko, Reuters
A young woman poses surrounded by pairs of red shoes, a symbol of solidarity with victims of domestic violence, during an awareness event in Bucharest, Romania, on March 31, 2026. © Andreea Alexandru, AP
Residents carry a float marking the Passion of Christ during a Good Friday procession on the island of Procida, Italy, April 3, 2026. © Claudia Greco, Reuters
Hooded penitents of the 'Nuestro Padre Jesus Cautivo y Nuestra Senora de la Estrella' brotherhood take part in a Holy Week procession in Dona Mencia, southern Spain, on March 31, 2026. © Manu Fernandez, AP
Congolese fans celebrate in Guadalajara, Mexico, on March 31 after DR Congo's national team qualified for their first World Cup in more than half-a-century by defeating Jamaica in a playoff. © Eloisa Sanchez, Reuters
A deflated football pictured on a street in Rome on April 1, 2026, after four-time former world champions Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row. © Gregorio Borgia, AP
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