US-Iran-Israel war highlights: Trump says US will be out of Iran pretty quickly, could return for ‘spot hits’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "US-Iran-Israel war highlights: Trump says US will be out of Iran pretty quickly, could return for ‘spot hits’")
US President Donald Trump and an image of Mojtaba Khamenei and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei released by Iran Photograph: (AFP | WION Combination Image)
The US-Iran-Israel war intensifies as Tehran retaliates, allies like Houthis and Hezbollah join in, and Hormuz faces disruption. While Trump signals talks, indirect US-Iran contacts and Pakistan-led mediation offer hope amid rising regional and global tensions.
US-Iran-Israel war LIVE | The war in West Asia that began on February 28, when the United States, alongside Israel, launched a series of pre-emptive strikes inside Iran, has entered its second month. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead and new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has taken over, but he has not been seen in public. Tehran has launched a full-scale retaliation, targeting Israel as well as American military installations across the Gulf region. Several Iranian leaders have been killed as strike continue. Iran-backed groups in the Gulf, namely Houthis and Hezbollah - have joined the war. Iran has blocked the strategic oil route the Strait of Hormuz, while Israel has expanded its attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
After almost a month, US President Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to engage and is said to have put forward a 15-point proposal aimed at ending the conflict. However, Iran has maintained that any communication so far has been indirect. Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary, reportedly preparing to host the talks if needed. Trump has been dilly-dallying in his approach on Iran, sometimes hinting at its end and sometimes saying that it will continue
The major question that arises amid the ongoing operation in West Asia is that what future holds? How the Iran-US relations will pan out and what it will mean for regional security in specific and world geopolitics at large? All updates and analysis on the ongoing situation as Israel-US war on Iran continues
Kuwaiti firefighters on Wednesday extinguished a massive fire that broke out in fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport earlier in the day following an Iranian drone attack, the government said.
There were no casualties, a government spokesperson said, and only material damage.
The tanks were hit by drones as Iran retaliated with strikes across the Gulf.
Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev told Rossiya-24 state television that Russia’s state nuclear corporation plans to evacuate more than 200 of its staff from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant this week
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, called President Donald Trump’s claim that it has asked for a ceasefire “false and baseless”, reported Iranian state television. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard separately issued a statement saying the Strait of Hormuz “is firmly and decisively under the control” of its forces.
“This strait will not be opened to the enemies of this nation through the ridiculous spectacle by the president of the United States,” it added.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US will be “out of Iran pretty quickly” but could return for “spot hits”. In an interview with Reuters news agency ahead of his scheduled national address, Trump slammed Nato over what he described as its lack of support for his war objectives against Iran. He added that he was “absolutely” considering an attempt to withdraw the US from the alliance.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran’s new president has asked the US for a ceasefire, but he will consider the offer only when the Strait of Hormuz is “open, free, and clear.”
“Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Iran said on Wednesday that its Security Council has approved safe passage to Bangladesh's six fuel-carrying ships waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz amid continued war in West Asia.
Petroleum reserves dwindled in Bangladesh, which is heavily dependent on imported fuel. Five LNG shipments from Qatar and one crude oil cargo from Saudi Arabia, carrying nearly 5 lakh tonnes of LNG and around 79,000 tonnes of crude oil, had been waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain Ministry of Defence confirmed on Wednesday that its air defence systems have intercepted 186 ballistic missiles and 419 UAVs launched by Iran since the war began on February 28, 2026.
Bahrain reported on Wednesday that a fire broke out at a commercial facility after an Iranian strike, and authorities are currently working to bring the blaze under control.
A Bangladeshi national was killed on Wednesday after an Iranian drone attack targeted Fujairah. According to the Fujairah Media Office, the air defence system intercepted the drone, but debris fell onto a farm, causing the death.
A drone strike sparked a major fire at storage facilities belonging to an engine oil company in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region on Wednesday, according to local authorities and the firm.
Iraq has increasingly been caught up in the conflict that began on February 28 involving the US and Israel, with attacks targeting both American interests and Iran-backed groups within the country.
Prime Minister of the UK Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday that Britain is set to hold a meeting this week of about 35 countries to discuss how to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which has been disrupted by the Middle East war, adding that UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will also host the discussions.
The meeting will "assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and resume the movement of vital commodities", Starmer said. "Following that meeting, we will also convene our military planners to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped," he added.
An Israeli strike in the Jnah area of Beirut on Wednesday killed the top commander of Hezbollah for Iraq military affairs, Yousef Hashem, sources informed AFP. The security source said "a senior Hezbollah official, who is the military chief for the Iraq file, named Youssef Hashem, was killed in the strike on the Jnah area in Beirut," adding that "he was in a meeting inside a tent near several vehicles".
Oil supply disruptions from the West Asia are set to increase in April and will begin to hit Europe, the head of the International Energy Agency said. Fatih Birol said losses in April would be about double those in March, warning shortages of jet fuel and diesel could soon spread from Asia to Europe.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain will not be drawn into the Iran conflict and called for closer ties with the European Union as the war drives an energy crisis.
“We will not be drawn into this conflict,” Starmer said in an address to the nation.
US-Israeli strikes hit steel complexes in central, southwest Iran: Media
Russia’s foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said on Wednesday (April 1) his agency is in contact with the US Central Intelligence Agency over the situation in Iran, according to RIA news agency.
The US has warned its citizens in Saudi Arabia of potential threats targeting public places such as hotels, businesses, and educational institutions. Americans have been advised to shelter in place and avoid windows. While airports remain open, travel disruptions are likely, and those wishing to leave the region can seek US government assistance.
Israeli media reported that at least 25 people were wounded across 20 different sites in Iran’s most recent strikes. One person is in critical condition, while another is in serious condition.
Qatar’s Defence Ministry said that Qatar was targeted by three cruise missiles launched from Iran, one of which struck an oil tanker. In a post on X, the ministry said that it intercepted two of the missiles, while the third hit a tanker leased to QatarEnergy. The tanker’s 21-person crew was evacuated, the ministry said. No injuries were reported.
Explosions reported in Isfahan again, reported AL Jazeera quoting Iranian media
Oil prices tumbled and European stocks rose on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran could end within weeks.
International benchmark Brent North Sea crude fell five percent to $98.77 a barrel, and the main US oil contract WTI dropped around four percent to $97.28 a barrel.
The Frankfurt and Paris stock markets jumped more than two percent at the open, while London's FTSE 100 index gained 1.7 percent.
Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday claimed a missile attack targeting Israel that they said was launched jointly with their backer Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah group -- the third such attack by the Houthis since they entered the Middle East war.
The Houthis "carried out the third military operation... targeting sensitive Israeli enemy targets... with a barrage of ballistic missiles", military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.
"This operation was conducted jointly with our mujahideen brothers in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon," he added.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is reportedly willing to join the war in West Asia and is preparing to assist the United States and other allies in reopening the Strait of Hormuz by force. The move would make the UAE the first Gulf country to directly engage in the conflict that has been going on for a month now. This comes as Iran continues to retaliate against the UAE and other Gulf nations in response to the US and Israeli attacks.
Residents assessed damage in the Beirut neighbourhood of Jnah on Wednesday morning, following an Israeli strike. Footage captured by The Associated Press showed damage to a road and vehicles. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said in a preliminary count early Wednesday that 21 people were wounded in the strike in Jnah.
Jet fuel prices on Wednesday (Apr 1) have breached the Rs 2 lakh per kilolitre mark for the first time since the war in West Asia began. The new Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices have been revised from April 1 in major cities. The fare has more than doubled to a record high of Rs 2.07 lakh per kilolitre. Meanwhile, commercial LPG rates were raised by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, amid the global energy crisis triggered by the Iran war.
A Bangladeshi national was killed by falling shrapnel after a drone interception in the United Arab Emirates, the official WAM news agency said on Wednesday.
"Shrapnel falling from the interception of a drone... resulted in the killing of a person of Bangladeshi nationality," WAM posted on X, adding that the incident happened in Fujairah, which is close to the Strait of Hormuz.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said that the US-Israeli war on Iran “should be opposed on every single ground” noting that “regime change wars” by Washington have historically had “disastrous consequences”.
One person killed after drone interception debris fell on farm in Fujairah, according to Israeli media
The Israeli military has said that it has “just completed a broad wave of strikes targeting” Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran.
US Central Command says its forces dropped “precision munitions” in the attacks aimed at further degrading Iran’s “ability to project power in meaningful ways beyond its borders”. CENTCOM posted its comments on X, accompanied by a 13-second video that appears to show an explosion in a mountainous region.
The Channel 12 broadcaster reported that the Israeli military intercepted a missile that had been launched from Yemen toward southern Israel, and no casualties were reported from the incident. Air raid sirens were activated across southern Israel, from Dimona to Ashkelon, as the alert unfolded.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday Washington could see the "finish line" in the Iran war, which is now in its fifth week, and the U.S. will have to reexamine ties with NATO after the conflict. "We can see the finish line. It's not today, it's not tomorrow, but it is coming," Rubio told Fox News Channel's "Hannity" show. Rubio said there were messages being exchanged between Iran and the U.S. and there is the potential to have a "direct meeting at some point" between the two sides. "There are messages being exchanged, there are talks going on. There is the potential for direct meeting at some point," Rubio said.
The United Arab Emirates has barred Iranians from entering or transiting the country as the war rages, three major airlines said. They said holders of Golden Visas, 10-year residency permits in the country, could still enter
Argentina has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, its presidential office said in a statement on Tuesday, following a push from the Trump administration for allies to do so.
Trump says when we feel Iran is 'for a long period of time, put in to the Stone Ages and they won't be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, we will leave'
Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi said that what is happening between Iran and the US is an exchange of messages, either directly or through "friends," not "negotiations," as per Bloomberg.
The White House says President Donald Trump will deliver a prime-time address Wednesday evening to update the public on the Iran war. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that Trump will “give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran” at 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.
US-Iran-Israel war LIVE | The war in West Asia that began on February 28, when the United States, alongside Israel, launched a series of pre-emptive strikes inside Iran, has entered its second month. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead and new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has taken over, but he has not been seen in public. Tehran has launched a full-scale retaliation, targeting Israel as well as American military installations across the Gulf region. Several Iranian leaders have been killed as strike continue. Iran-backed groups in the Gulf, namely Houthis and Hezbollah - have joined the war. Iran has blocked the strategic oil route the Strait of Hormuz, while Israel has expanded its attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
After almost a month, US President Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to engage and is said to have put forward a 15-point proposal aimed at ending the conflict. However, Iran has maintained that any communication so far has been indirect. Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary, reportedly preparing to host the talks if needed. Trump has been dilly-dallying in his approach on Iran, sometimes hinting at its end and sometimes saying that it will continue
The major question that arises amid the ongoing operation in West Asia is that what future holds? How the Iran-US relations will pan out and what it will mean for regional security in specific and world geopolitics at large? All updates and analysis on the ongoing situation as Israel-US war on Iran continues
Kuwaiti firefighters on Wednesday extinguished a massive fire that broke out in fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport earlier in the day following an Iranian drone attack, the government said.
There were no casualties, a government spokesperson said, and only material damage.
The tanks were hit by drones as Iran retaliated with strikes across the Gulf.
Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev told Rossiya-24 state television that Russia’s state nuclear corporation plans to evacuate more than 200 of its staff from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant this week
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, called President Donald Trump’s claim that it has asked for a ceasefire “false and baseless”, reported Iranian state television. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard separately issued a statement saying the Strait of Hormuz “is firmly and decisively under the control” of its forces.
“This strait will not be opened to the enemies of this nation through the ridiculous spectacle by the president of the United States,” it added.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US will be “out of Iran pretty quickly” but could return for “spot hits”. In an interview with Reuters news agency ahead of his scheduled national address, Trump slammed Nato over what he described as its lack of support for his war objectives against Iran. He added that he was “absolutely” considering an attempt to withdraw the US from the alliance.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran’s new president has asked the US for a ceasefire, but he will consider the offer only when the Strait of Hormuz is “open, free, and clear.”
“Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Iran said on Wednesday that its Security Council has approved safe passage to Bangladesh's six fuel-carrying ships waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz amid continued war in West Asia.
Petroleum reserves dwindled in Bangladesh, which is heavily dependent on imported fuel. Five LNG shipments from Qatar and one crude oil cargo from Saudi Arabia, carrying nearly 5 lakh tonnes of LNG and around 79,000 tonnes of crude oil, had been waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain Ministry of Defence confirmed on Wednesday that its air defence systems have intercepted 186 ballistic missiles and 419 UAVs launched by Iran since the war began on February 28, 2026.
Bahrain reported on Wednesday that a fire broke out at a commercial facility after an Iranian strike, and authorities are currently working to bring the blaze under control.
A Bangladeshi national was killed on Wednesday after an Iranian drone attack targeted Fujairah. According to the Fujairah Media Office, the air defence system intercepted the drone, but debris fell onto a farm, causing the death.
A drone strike sparked a major fire at storage facilities belonging to an engine oil company in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region on Wednesday, according to local authorities and the firm.
Iraq has increasingly been caught up in the conflict that began on February 28 involving the US and Israel, with attacks targeting both American interests and Iran-backed groups within the country.
Prime Minister of the UK Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday that Britain is set to hold a meeting this week of about 35 countries to discuss how to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which has been disrupted by the Middle East war, adding that UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will also host the discussions.
The meeting will "assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and resume the movement of vital commodities", Starmer said. "Following that meeting, we will also convene our military planners to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped," he added.
An Israeli strike in the Jnah area of Beirut on Wednesday killed the top commander of Hezbollah for Iraq military affairs, Yousef Hashem, sources informed AFP. The security source said "a senior Hezbollah official, who is the military chief for the Iraq file, named Youssef Hashem, was killed in the strike on the Jnah area in Beirut," adding that "he was in a meeting inside a tent near several vehicles".
Oil supply disruptions from the West Asia are set to increase in April and will begin to hit Europe, the head of the International Energy Agency said. Fatih Birol said losses in April would be about double those in March, warning shortages of jet fuel and diesel could soon spread from Asia to Europe.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain will not be drawn into the Iran conflict and called for closer ties with the European Union as the war drives an energy crisis.
“We will not be drawn into this conflict,” Starmer said in an address to the nation.
US-Israeli strikes hit steel complexes in central, southwest Iran: Media
Russia’s foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said on Wednesday (April 1) his agency is in contact with the US Central Intelligence Agency over the situation in Iran, according to RIA news agency.
The US has warned its citizens in Saudi Arabia of potential threats targeting public places such as hotels, businesses, and educational institutions. Americans have been advised to shelter in place and avoid windows. While airports remain open, travel disruptions are likely, and those wishing to leave the region can seek US government assistance.
Israeli media reported that at least 25 people were wounded across 20 different sites in Iran’s most recent strikes. One person is in critical condition, while another is in serious condition.
Qatar’s Defence Ministry said that Qatar was targeted by three cruise missiles launched from Iran, one of which struck an oil tanker. In a post on X, the ministry said that it intercepted two of the missiles, while the third hit a tanker leased to QatarEnergy. The tanker’s 21-person crew was evacuated, the ministry said. No injuries were reported.
Explosions reported in Isfahan again, reported AL Jazeera quoting Iranian media
Oil prices tumbled and European stocks rose on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran could end within weeks.
International benchmark Brent North Sea crude fell five percent to $98.77 a barrel, and the main US oil contract WTI dropped around four percent to $97.28 a barrel.
The Frankfurt and Paris stock markets jumped more than two percent at the open, while London's FTSE 100 index gained 1.7 percent.
Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday claimed a missile attack targeting Israel that they said was launched jointly with their backer Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah group -- the third such attack by the Houthis since they entered the Middle East war.
The Houthis "carried out the third military operation... targeting sensitive Israeli enemy targets... with a barrage of ballistic missiles", military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.
"This operation was conducted jointly with our mujahideen brothers in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon," he added.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is reportedly willing to join the war in West Asia and is preparing to assist the United States and other allies in reopening the Strait of Hormuz by force. The move would make the UAE the first Gulf country to directly engage in the conflict that has been going on for a month now. This comes as Iran continues to retaliate against the UAE and other Gulf nations in response to the US and Israeli attacks.
Residents assessed damage in the Beirut neighbourhood of Jnah on Wednesday morning, following an Israeli strike. Footage captured by The Associated Press showed damage to a road and vehicles. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said in a preliminary count early Wednesday that 21 people were wounded in the strike in Jnah.
Jet fuel prices on Wednesday (Apr 1) have breached the Rs 2 lakh per kilolitre mark for the first time since the war in West Asia began. The new Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices have been revised from April 1 in major cities. The fare has more than doubled to a record high of Rs 2.07 lakh per kilolitre. Meanwhile, commercial LPG rates were raised by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, amid the global energy crisis triggered by the Iran war.
A Bangladeshi national was killed by falling shrapnel after a drone interception in the United Arab Emirates, the official WAM news agency said on Wednesday.
"Shrapnel falling from the interception of a drone... resulted in the killing of a person of Bangladeshi nationality," WAM posted on X, adding that the incident happened in Fujairah, which is close to the Strait of Hormuz.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said that the US-Israeli war on Iran “should be opposed on every single ground” noting that “regime change wars” by Washington have historically had “disastrous consequences”.
One person killed after drone interception debris fell on farm in Fujairah, according to Israeli media
The Israeli military has said that it has “just completed a broad wave of strikes targeting” Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran.
US Central Command says its forces dropped “precision munitions” in the attacks aimed at further degrading Iran’s “ability to project power in meaningful ways beyond its borders”. CENTCOM posted its comments on X, accompanied by a 13-second video that appears to show an explosion in a mountainous region.
The Channel 12 broadcaster reported that the Israeli military intercepted a missile that had been launched from Yemen toward southern Israel, and no casualties were reported from the incident. Air raid sirens were activated across southern Israel, from Dimona to Ashkelon, as the alert unfolded.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday Washington could see the "finish line" in the Iran war, which is now in its fifth week, and the U.S. will have to reexamine ties with NATO after the conflict. "We can see the finish line. It's not today, it's not tomorrow, but it is coming," Rubio told Fox News Channel's "Hannity" show. Rubio said there were messages being exchanged between Iran and the U.S. and there is the potential to have a "direct meeting at some point" between the two sides. "There are messages being exchanged, there are talks going on. There is the potential for direct meeting at some point," Rubio said.
The United Arab Emirates has barred Iranians from entering or transiting the country as the war rages, three major airlines said. They said holders of Golden Visas, 10-year residency permits in the country, could still enter
Argentina has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, its presidential office said in a statement on Tuesday, following a push from the Trump administration for allies to do so.
Trump says when we feel Iran is 'for a long period of time, put in to the Stone Ages and they won't be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, we will leave'
Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi said that what is happening between Iran and the US is an exchange of messages, either directly or through "friends," not "negotiations," as per Bloomberg.
The White House says President Donald Trump will deliver a prime-time address Wednesday evening to update the public on the Iran war. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that Trump will “give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran” at 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.
US-Iran-Israel war LIVE | The war in West Asia that began on February 28, when the United States, alongside Israel, launched a series of pre-emptive strikes inside Iran, has entered its second month. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead and new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has taken over, but he has not been seen in public. Tehran has launched a full-scale retaliation, targeting Israel as well as American military installations across the Gulf region. Several Iranian leaders have been killed as strike continue. Iran-backed groups in the Gulf, namely Houthis and Hezbollah - have joined the war. Iran has blocked the strategic oil route the Strait of Hormuz, while Israel has expanded its attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
After almost a month, US President Donald Trump has indicated a willingness to engage and is said to have put forward a 15-point proposal aimed at ending the conflict. However, Iran has maintained that any communication so far has been indirect. Pakistan has emerged as a key intermediary, reportedly preparing to host the talks if needed. Trump has been dilly-dallying in his approach on Iran, sometimes hinting at its end and sometimes saying that it will continue
The major question that arises amid the ongoing operation in West Asia is that what future holds? How the Iran-US relations will pan out and what it will mean for regional security in specific and world geopolitics at large? All updates and analysis on the ongoing situation as Israel-US war on Iran continues
Kuwaiti firefighters on Wednesday extinguished a massive fire that broke out in fuel tanks at Kuwait International Airport earlier in the day following an Iranian drone attack, the government said.
There were no casualties, a government spokesperson said, and only material damage.
The tanks were hit by drones as Iran retaliated with strikes across the Gulf.
Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev told Rossiya-24 state television that Russia’s state nuclear corporation plans to evacuate more than 200 of its staff from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant this week
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, called President Donald Trump’s claim that it has asked for a ceasefire “false and baseless”, reported Iranian state television. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard separately issued a statement saying the Strait of Hormuz “is firmly and decisively under the control” of its forces.
“This strait will not be opened to the enemies of this nation through the ridiculous spectacle by the president of the United States,” it added.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US will be “out of Iran pretty quickly” but could return for “spot hits”. In an interview with Reuters news agency ahead of his scheduled national address, Trump slammed Nato over what he described as its lack of support for his war objectives against Iran. He added that he was “absolutely” considering an attempt to withdraw the US from the alliance.
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran’s new president has asked the US for a ceasefire, but he will consider the offer only when the Strait of Hormuz is “open, free, and clear.”
“Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Iran said on Wednesday that its Security Council has approved safe passage to Bangladesh's six fuel-carrying ships waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz amid continued war in West Asia.
Petroleum reserves dwindled in Bangladesh, which is heavily dependent on imported fuel. Five LNG shipments from Qatar and one crude oil cargo from Saudi Arabia, carrying nearly 5 lakh tonnes of LNG and around 79,000 tonnes of crude oil, had been waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain Ministry of Defence confirmed on Wednesday that its air defence systems have intercepted 186 ballistic missiles and 419 UAVs launched by Iran since the war began on February 28, 2026.
Bahrain reported on Wednesday that a fire broke out at a commercial facility after an Iranian strike, and authorities are currently working to bring the blaze under control.
A Bangladeshi national was killed on Wednesday after an Iranian drone attack targeted Fujairah. According to the Fujairah Media Office, the air defence system intercepted the drone, but debris fell onto a farm, causing the death.
A drone strike sparked a major fire at storage facilities belonging to an engine oil company in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region on Wednesday, according to local authorities and the firm.
Iraq has increasingly been caught up in the conflict that began on February 28 involving the US and Israel, with attacks targeting both American interests and Iran-backed groups within the country.
Prime Minister of the UK Keir Starmer announced on Wednesday that Britain is set to hold a meeting this week of about 35 countries to discuss how to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which has been disrupted by the Middle East war, adding that UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will also host the discussions.
The meeting will "assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and resume the movement of vital commodities", Starmer said. "Following that meeting, we will also convene our military planners to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped," he added.
An Israeli strike in the Jnah area of Beirut on Wednesday killed the top commander of Hezbollah for Iraq military affairs, Yousef Hashem, sources informed AFP. The security source said "a senior Hezbollah official, who is the military chief for the Iraq file, named Youssef Hashem, was killed in the strike on the Jnah area in Beirut," adding that "he was in a meeting inside a tent near several vehicles".
Oil supply disruptions from the West Asia are set to increase in April and will begin to hit Europe, the head of the International Energy Agency said. Fatih Birol said losses in April would be about double those in March, warning shortages of jet fuel and diesel could soon spread from Asia to Europe.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain will not be drawn into the Iran conflict and called for closer ties with the European Union as the war drives an energy crisis.
“We will not be drawn into this conflict,” Starmer said in an address to the nation.
US-Israeli strikes hit steel complexes in central, southwest Iran: Media
Russia’s foreign intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said on Wednesday (April 1) his agency is in contact with the US Central Intelligence Agency over the situation in Iran, according to RIA news agency.
The US has warned its citizens in Saudi Arabia of potential threats targeting public places such as hotels, businesses, and educational institutions. Americans have been advised to shelter in place and avoid windows. While airports remain open, travel disruptions are likely, and those wishing to leave the region can seek US government assistance.
Israeli media reported that at least 25 people were wounded across 20 different sites in Iran’s most recent strikes. One person is in critical condition, while another is in serious condition.
Qatar’s Defence Ministry said that Qatar was targeted by three cruise missiles launched from Iran, one of which struck an oil tanker. In a post on X, the ministry said that it intercepted two of the missiles, while the third hit a tanker leased to QatarEnergy. The tanker’s 21-person crew was evacuated, the ministry said. No injuries were reported.
Explosions reported in Isfahan again, reported AL Jazeera quoting Iranian media
Oil prices tumbled and European stocks rose on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran could end within weeks.
International benchmark Brent North Sea crude fell five percent to $98.77 a barrel, and the main US oil contract WTI dropped around four percent to $97.28 a barrel.
The Frankfurt and Paris stock markets jumped more than two percent at the open, while London's FTSE 100 index gained 1.7 percent.
Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday claimed a missile attack targeting Israel that they said was launched jointly with their backer Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah group -- the third such attack by the Houthis since they entered the Middle East war.
The Houthis "carried out the third military operation... targeting sensitive Israeli enemy targets... with a barrage of ballistic missiles", military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.
"This operation was conducted jointly with our mujahideen brothers in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon," he added.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is reportedly willing to join the war in West Asia and is preparing to assist the United States and other allies in reopening the Strait of Hormuz by force. The move would make the UAE the first Gulf country to directly engage in the conflict that has been going on for a month now. This comes as Iran continues to retaliate against the UAE and other Gulf nations in response to the US and Israeli attacks.
Residents assessed damage in the Beirut neighbourhood of Jnah on Wednesday morning, following an Israeli strike. Footage captured by The Associated Press showed damage to a road and vehicles. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said in a preliminary count early Wednesday that 21 people were wounded in the strike in Jnah.
Jet fuel prices on Wednesday (Apr 1) have breached the Rs 2 lakh per kilolitre mark for the first time since the war in West Asia began. The new Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices have been revised from April 1 in major cities. The fare has more than doubled to a record high of Rs 2.07 lakh per kilolitre. Meanwhile, commercial LPG rates were raised by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, amid the global energy crisis triggered by the Iran war.
A Bangladeshi national was killed by falling shrapnel after a drone interception in the United Arab Emirates, the official WAM news agency said on Wednesday.
"Shrapnel falling from the interception of a drone... resulted in the killing of a person of Bangladeshi nationality," WAM posted on X, adding that the incident happened in Fujairah, which is close to the Strait of Hormuz.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said that the US-Israeli war on Iran “should be opposed on every single ground” noting that “regime change wars” by Washington have historically had “disastrous consequences”.
One person killed after drone interception debris fell on farm in Fujairah, according to Israeli media
The Israeli military has said that it has “just completed a broad wave of strikes targeting” Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran.
US Central Command says its forces dropped “precision munitions” in the attacks aimed at further degrading Iran’s “ability to project power in meaningful ways beyond its borders”. CENTCOM posted its comments on X, accompanied by a 13-second video that appears to show an explosion in a mountainous region.
The Channel 12 broadcaster reported that the Israeli military intercepted a missile that had been launched from Yemen toward southern Israel, and no casualties were reported from the incident. Air raid sirens were activated across southern Israel, from Dimona to Ashkelon, as the alert unfolded.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday Washington could see the "finish line" in the Iran war, which is now in its fifth week, and the U.S. will have to reexamine ties with NATO after the conflict. "We can see the finish line. It's not today, it's not tomorrow, but it is coming," Rubio told Fox News Channel's "Hannity" show. Rubio said there were messages being exchanged between Iran and the U.S. and there is the potential to have a "direct meeting at some point" between the two sides. "There are messages being exchanged, there are talks going on. There is the potential for direct meeting at some point," Rubio said.
The United Arab Emirates has barred Iranians from entering or transiting the country as the war rages, three major airlines said. They said holders of Golden Visas, 10-year residency permits in the country, could still enter
Argentina has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, its presidential office said in a statement on Tuesday, following a push from the Trump administration for allies to do so.
Trump says when we feel Iran is 'for a long period of time, put in to the Stone Ages and they won't be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, we will leave'
Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi said that what is happening between Iran and the US is an exchange of messages, either directly or through "friends," not "negotiations," as per Bloomberg.
The White House says President Donald Trump will deliver a prime-time address Wednesday evening to update the public on the Iran war. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that Trump will “give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran” at 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.