US-Iran-Israel war: World on edge of wider war, warns UN chief Antonio Guterres

US stock market wiped out nearly $830 billion from the S&P 500 within hours of opening on Thursday after President Donald Trump’s Iran War speech. Dow Jones, S&P 500, Nasdaq crashed on oil surge fears as Nvidia, Apple, Google, Amazon sank deep in red. Moreover, oil prices spiked above $113, adding to inflation fears.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday that the Middle East conflict risks escalating. “We are on the edge of a wider war that would engulf the Middle East with dramatic impacts around the globe,” Guterres told reporters in New York.

Pointing to the international consequences of the disruption to maritime routes, he said, “When the Strait of Hormuz is strangled, the world’s poorest and most vulnerable cannot breathe.”

Guterres called for disputes to be resolved peacefully, appealing directly to all sides to de-escalate the conflict.

A fire broke out near Iran's Mashhad airport in the northeast of the country on Thursday after a projectile hit a fuel tank in the area, said local media reports.

Citing the governor's office of the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, the Mehr news agency said there were no casualties as firefighting operations were underway.

The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday that Iran launched 19 missiles and 26 drones at it. The UAE Ministry of Defence said they engaged with 19 missiles and 26 drones launched from Iran.

In its update on X, the ministry said that the UAE's air defences have tackled around 457 missiles and 2,038 drones since the war began.

The Ministry of External Affairs announced that more than 1,200 Indian citizens have been successfully evacuated from Iran due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Speaking at an inter-ministerial briefing in the national capital, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the evacuation is being conducted via Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the central government closely coordinating operations on the ground. Jaiswal said, "Some 1200 Indian nationals have been evacuated, of which 845 are students." He added, "996 moved to Armenia and 204 to Azerbaijan, from where they are being helped by the MEA."

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf claimed that around seven million Iranians are prepared to join the fight against the United States and Israel. He said," You come for our home, you are going to meet the whole family. Locked, loaded, and standing tall."

OPEC+ is expected to consider another increase in oil production when eight of its members meet on Sunday, news agency Reuters confirmed, citing sources. The move would allow major producers to quickly raise supply if the Strait of Hormuz, currently disrupted by the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, reopens.

During its March 1 meeting, the group had approved a modest output rise of 206,000 barrels per day for April, after keeping production unchanged in the first quarter due to oversupply concerns, even as the conflict began affecting oil flows from key Middle Eastern producers.

Tehran warned on Thursday of wider retaliation after Donald Trump threatened “extremely hard” US strikes on Iran in the coming weeks, according to the BBC.

French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking during a visit to South Korea, commented on recent tensions involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. He argued that joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran would not solve concerns over its nuclear programme and instead emphasised the need for diplomatic engagement. “If there is no framework for diplomatic and technical negotiations, the situation can deteriorate again in a few months or a few years,” said Macron.

The French president also highlighted on a proposed military operation to open the Strait of Hormuz, indicating that it was “unrealistic”. “it would take an inordinate amount of time and would expose anyone crossing the strait to coastal threats from the (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards, who possess significant resources, as well as ballistic missiles, (and) a host of other risks,” said Macron.

Israel’s Channel 12 confirmed that alarms have been activated across parts of the Upper Galilee after the country was attacked with the rocket.

The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Nawaf Salam, said the situation in his country is “very critical”, as Israel’s military is continuing its invasion in the south, resulting in the displacement crisis. Speaking in Beirut, Salam said more than one million displaced people in Lebanon are the primary victims of a conflict they are not part of. He also paid tribute to residents who have remained in southern villages, assuring them of the government’s support and vowing to do everything possible to meet their needs.

Israel’s military said it killed over 40 Hezbollah fighters in the past 24 hours through coordinated attacks by air, sea, and land. It reported airstrikes on multiple Hezbollah targets, including weapons depots and launch sites. Ground forces operating in southern Lebanon also eliminated a Hezbollah cell and struck key infrastructure. Additionally, Israel’s navy targeted a weapons depot in the south, as operations against Hezbollah positions intensified across the region.

Russia has expressed its willingness to assist in resolving the Iran conflict, with President Vladimir Putin continuing discussions with leaders across the region, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Thursday.

“The president is continuing these contacts, and if our services are ‌somehow required, we are, of course, ready to make our contribution to ensuring that the military situation transitions to a peaceful course as ⁠soon as possible,” ⁠Peskov told reporters.

The Philippines said Thursday that Iran has pledged to allow safe passage for shipments of oil to the import-dependent archipelago through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The Iranian Foreign Minister assured the (Foreign) Secretary that Iran will allow the safe, unhindered, and expeditious passage through the Strait of Hormuz of Philippine-flagged vessels, energy sources, and all Filipino seafarers," the foreign affairs department said in a statement.

President Ferdinand Marcos last week declared a state of national energy emergency, saying "nothing was off the table" as the country of 116 million tries to navigate a global fuel crisis driven by the Middle East war.

Oil prices spiked and stocks sank on Thursday after Donald Trump reiterated that US forces would hammer Iran for another two to three weeks but offered no solution to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that has crippled global markets.

Investors were left unimpressed with the US president's first prime-time address to the nation since the war began, in which he again called on countries that rely on the waterway for energy supplies to reopen it themselves.

Trump's speech added little to what he has said in the past, warning that "over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong".

He also told the nation that US forces would meet all their battlefield goals "very, very shortly".

United states President Donald Trump in a televised speech on Wednesday said US military will step up attack on Iran in the next two to three weeks, reiterating his stance of preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He detailed the United States’ ongoing military campaign against Iran and defended Operation Epic Fury. Trump once again said that regime change was not the agenda and main objectives were: destroying weapons factories, destroying their navy and air force and ending all possibilities for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon.

The statement by Trump invited a reaction from China that said, "military means cannot fundamentally solve the problem, and the escalation of conflicts is not in the interests of either side."

Beijing's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Thursday (April 2) urged "the parties concerned to immediately cease military operations".

Read more

Emirati air defences were responding to missile and drone "threats", the United Arab Emirates' defence ministry said.

Since the war erupted, the UAE and other Gulf countries have been regularly targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign.

Iran's military vowed to carry out "crushing" attacks against the United States and Israel after Trump threatened to bomb the country into the "Stone Ages".

"With trust in Almighty God, this war will continue until your humiliation, disgrace, permanent and certain regret, and surrender," said the military's operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya in a statement carried by state TV.

Iran did not 'restart enrichment', envoy to UN atomic agency tells news agency AFP

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Apr 1) addressed the world about the ongoing war with Iran and said that the Islamic Republic is in ruins and is decimated. In a high-stake address, Trump detailed the United States’ ongoing military campaign against Iran and defended Operation Epic Fury. While Washington has been accused of not having a clear objective for the Iran war, Trump stated, once again, that regime change was not the agenda and main objectives were: destroying weapons factories, destroying their navy and air force and ending all possibilities for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon. He portrayed the conflict as a decisive success, saying that US is "winning bigger than ever before." Emphasising that his first approach was diplomacy, he claimed that it ultimately failed, making military action necessary. He framed the war as critical to protecting global stability, countering long-standing threats from Iran, and ensuring that the US remains secure and less dependent on West Asian resources.

Read more

"Iraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours," the US embassy said in a statement on X, again urging Americans in the country to leave immediately.

China said on Thursday that US and Israeli strikes on Iran were the "root cause" of the Strait of Hormuz blockage. "The root cause of interruptions to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is the United States and Israel's illegal military operations against Iran," Beijing's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference.

China also called for a halt to the war. "Military means cannot fundamentally solve the problem," Mao said, urging "the parties concerned to immediately cease military operations".

UGC (user-generated content) images posted on social media on April 1st, 2026, show a massive explosion following a strike in Baharestan, in Iran's central province of Isfahan.

Iran's army commander-in-chief, Hatami, tells operational headquarters to monitor “enemy movements with utmost accuracy” to counter their plans, especially ground attack.

During a wave of strikes in Tehran yesterday, the Israeli Air Force bombed a base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces, the military says. The IDF says the IRGC Ground Forces base “constitutes a central unit within the regime’s military forces.”

Hezbollah has fired more than 50 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel this morning, according to IDF assessments. One rocket struck the border city of Kiryat Shmona, lightly injuring two people. The barrage comes as Israelis celebrate the first day of the Passover festival, forcing hundreds of thousands of people into shelters.

“Do not think that the matter will end simply by carrying out a ‘remarkable’ act and then everything stops," says Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council.

Iran's health ministry says strikes hit century-old medical centre. Number of casualties are not yet known.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen spoke to the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and said they discussed the situation in the Middle East.

“Iran’s actions are putting global economic stability at risk. We will work with our partners to ensure freedom of navigation can resume as soon as possible,” said von der Leyen as she spoke with Starmer.

“Targeting Iran’s pharmaceutical hubs has placed thousands of critically ill patients on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. Human rights experts consider this a clear and blatant example of a “war crime,” says Iran Ambassador Mohammad Fathali.

According to the US Embassy in Iraq terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours. The advisory says that the attack may target U.S. citizens, businesses, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other locations perceived to be associated with the United States.

Iran's military vowed on Thursday to carry out "crushing" attacks against the United States and Israel after US President Donald Trump in a televised address to the nation threatened to bomb the country into the "Stone Ages" in the coming weeks.

Joe Kent, the former top US security official who quit over the war on Iran, has urged Trump to end the war on Iran as soon as possible. Responding to Trump’s address to the nation, he wrote on X: “We honor our fallen by learning from our past & only shedding American blood in defense of our nation. The best time to get out of a war of choice is now, before we lose more lives.”

The US Embassy in Baghdad has warned that Iran-aligned militia groups could launch attacks in central Baghdad within the next 24–48 hours, urging American citizens to leave Iraq immediately.

The Lebanese armed group said its fighters fired rockets at Israeli troops in the settlements of Al Malikiyah and Yeroun at 6:10 a.m. local time. It also said its fighters targeted the settlement of Even Menachem at 6 a.m. with a swarm of attack drones.

India has announced a temporary but significant relief measure for industries dependent on petrochemical inputs, as disruptions in global supply chains intensify due to the ongoing West Asia conflict. In a notification issued on April 2, the government said it will grant full customs duty exemption on select critical petrochemical products until June 30, 2026. The move aims to ease supply constraints and contain rising input costs for domestic manufacturers

These include:

• Plastics and packaging
• Textiles
• Pharmaceuticals
• Chemicals
• Automotive components
• Other manufacturing segments

• Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari said Trump’s threat to bring Iran “back to the stone ages” was a “vile, horrifying, evil” way to talk about a country of 90 million people.
• Congressman Jim Himes said that oil prices had gone up $5 a barrel in the hour since Trump’s speech ended. “Going to be a wild night on Truth Social. And I’m still not sure what he said.” Himes added.

Brent crude has surged as much as 5 percent to hit $106.29, while West Texas Intermediate has jumped more than 4 percent to as high as $104.29.

Trump made his case for attacking Iran in his first nationwide address more than a month into the war. Trump defended his decision highlighting the massive threat that Iran posed and explained on how the war would end while he also vowed two to three weeks further of "extremely hard" strikes against Iran.

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said the original aims of the war in Iran had been met and it was not clear what more remained to be achieved. “Now those objectives have been realised it is not clear what more needs to be achieved or what the end point looks like,” he said during a speech in the capital Canberra.

Israel's military said air defences were responding to an Iranian missile attack on Thursday, shortly after US President Donald Trump delivered an address. The military said in a statement it had "identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel" for the third time in just over three hours, adding that "defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat". Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel, according to the military's Home Front Command, and there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.

In a new threat, Trump said, “Over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.”

Trump also recalled the killing of Iranian General Qasem Solemani during his first term and said that Iran would be much more stronger had he been alive. While he did not say a word about the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in his speech, he did repeat that negotiations are ongoing but warned that if deal is not struck, each and every location in Iran would be hit.

In a long rant against former President Barack Obama and Iran nuclear deal that was known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he said that it gave Iran time to rebuild and strengthen its nuclear capabilities. It was signed between Obama and former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. 

Just two days after he said that his favourite thing is to take oil, the US president in his speech claimed that US has oil more than Saudi and UAE combined and it is not dependent on Iranian oil. He boasted the takeover of Venezuela. In a message to other countries that rely on oil from the West Asia, Trump said that they should bear responsibility for getting oil tankers to flow through the Strait of Hormuz again, claiming that their threat from Iran is “decimated.”

On the crucial issue of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route, he claimed that it would “open up naturally.” "It'll just open up naturally. They're going to want to be able to sell oil because that's all they have to try and rebuild. It will resume the flowing and the gas prices will rapidly come back down. Stock prices will rapidly go back up. They haven't come down very much, frankly. They came down a little bit, but they've had some very good days over the last couple of days. We've done, actually, much better than I thought, but we had to take that little journey to Iran to get rid of this horrible threat," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Apr 1) delivered high-stake address about the United States’ ongoing military campaign against Iran but repeated same old claims. From decimating Iran to highlighting the “threat” from the Islamic Republic, Trump speech was nothing new. Even his claims of ending the war in 2-3 weeks was said before. READ FULL SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS here 

US stock market wiped out nearly $830 billion from the S&P 500 within hours of opening on Thursday after President Donald Trump’s Iran War speech. Dow Jones, S&P 500, Nasdaq crashed on oil surge fears as Nvidia, Apple, Google, Amazon sank deep in red. Moreover, oil prices spiked above $113, adding to inflation fears.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday that the Middle East conflict risks escalating. “We are on the edge of a wider war that would engulf the Middle East with dramatic impacts around the globe,” Guterres told reporters in New York.

Pointing to the international consequences of the disruption to maritime routes, he said, “When the Strait of Hormuz is strangled, the world’s poorest and most vulnerable cannot breathe.”

Guterres called for disputes to be resolved peacefully, appealing directly to all sides to de-escalate the conflict.

A fire broke out near Iran's Mashhad airport in the northeast of the country on Thursday after a projectile hit a fuel tank in the area, said local media reports.

Citing the governor's office of the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, the Mehr news agency said there were no casualties as firefighting operations were underway.

The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday that Iran launched 19 missiles and 26 drones at it. The UAE Ministry of Defence said they engaged with 19 missiles and 26 drones launched from Iran.

In its update on X, the ministry said that the UAE's air defences have tackled around 457 missiles and 2,038 drones since the war began.

The Ministry of External Affairs announced that more than 1,200 Indian citizens have been successfully evacuated from Iran due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Speaking at an inter-ministerial briefing in the national capital, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the evacuation is being conducted via Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the central government closely coordinating operations on the ground. Jaiswal said, "Some 1200 Indian nationals have been evacuated, of which 845 are students." He added, "996 moved to Armenia and 204 to Azerbaijan, from where they are being helped by the MEA."

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf claimed that around seven million Iranians are prepared to join the fight against the United States and Israel. He said," You come for our home, you are going to meet the whole family. Locked, loaded, and standing tall."

OPEC+ is expected to consider another increase in oil production when eight of its members meet on Sunday, news agency Reuters confirmed, citing sources. The move would allow major producers to quickly raise supply if the Strait of Hormuz, currently disrupted by the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, reopens.

During its March 1 meeting, the group had approved a modest output rise of 206,000 barrels per day for April, after keeping production unchanged in the first quarter due to oversupply concerns, even as the conflict began affecting oil flows from key Middle Eastern producers.

Tehran warned on Thursday of wider retaliation after Donald Trump threatened “extremely hard” US strikes on Iran in the coming weeks, according to the BBC.

French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking during a visit to South Korea, commented on recent tensions involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. He argued that joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran would not solve concerns over its nuclear programme and instead emphasised the need for diplomatic engagement. “If there is no framework for diplomatic and technical negotiations, the situation can deteriorate again in a few months or a few years,” said Macron.

The French president also highlighted on a proposed military operation to open the Strait of Hormuz, indicating that it was “unrealistic”. “it would take an inordinate amount of time and would expose anyone crossing the strait to coastal threats from the (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards, who possess significant resources, as well as ballistic missiles, (and) a host of other risks,” said Macron.

Israel’s Channel 12 confirmed that alarms have been activated across parts of the Upper Galilee after the country was attacked with the rocket.

The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Nawaf Salam, said the situation in his country is “very critical”, as Israel’s military is continuing its invasion in the south, resulting in the displacement crisis. Speaking in Beirut, Salam said more than one million displaced people in Lebanon are the primary victims of a conflict they are not part of. He also paid tribute to residents who have remained in southern villages, assuring them of the government’s support and vowing to do everything possible to meet their needs.

Israel’s military said it killed over 40 Hezbollah fighters in the past 24 hours through coordinated attacks by air, sea, and land. It reported airstrikes on multiple Hezbollah targets, including weapons depots and launch sites. Ground forces operating in southern Lebanon also eliminated a Hezbollah cell and struck key infrastructure. Additionally, Israel’s navy targeted a weapons depot in the south, as operations against Hezbollah positions intensified across the region.

Russia has expressed its willingness to assist in resolving the Iran conflict, with President Vladimir Putin continuing discussions with leaders across the region, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Thursday.

“The president is continuing these contacts, and if our services are ‌somehow required, we are, of course, ready to make our contribution to ensuring that the military situation transitions to a peaceful course as ⁠soon as possible,” ⁠Peskov told reporters.

The Philippines said Thursday that Iran has pledged to allow safe passage for shipments of oil to the import-dependent archipelago through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The Iranian Foreign Minister assured the (Foreign) Secretary that Iran will allow the safe, unhindered, and expeditious passage through the Strait of Hormuz of Philippine-flagged vessels, energy sources, and all Filipino seafarers," the foreign affairs department said in a statement.

President Ferdinand Marcos last week declared a state of national energy emergency, saying "nothing was off the table" as the country of 116 million tries to navigate a global fuel crisis driven by the Middle East war.

Oil prices spiked and stocks sank on Thursday after Donald Trump reiterated that US forces would hammer Iran for another two to three weeks but offered no solution to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that has crippled global markets.

Investors were left unimpressed with the US president's first prime-time address to the nation since the war began, in which he again called on countries that rely on the waterway for energy supplies to reopen it themselves.

Trump's speech added little to what he has said in the past, warning that "over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong".

He also told the nation that US forces would meet all their battlefield goals "very, very shortly".

United states President Donald Trump in a televised speech on Wednesday said US military will step up attack on Iran in the next two to three weeks, reiterating his stance of preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He detailed the United States’ ongoing military campaign against Iran and defended Operation Epic Fury. Trump once again said that regime change was not the agenda and main objectives were: destroying weapons factories, destroying their navy and air force and ending all possibilities for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon.

The statement by Trump invited a reaction from China that said, "military means cannot fundamentally solve the problem, and the escalation of conflicts is not in the interests of either side."

Beijing's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Thursday (April 2) urged "the parties concerned to immediately cease military operations".

Read more

Emirati air defences were responding to missile and drone "threats", the United Arab Emirates' defence ministry said.

Since the war erupted, the UAE and other Gulf countries have been regularly targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign.

Iran's military vowed to carry out "crushing" attacks against the United States and Israel after Trump threatened to bomb the country into the "Stone Ages".

"With trust in Almighty God, this war will continue until your humiliation, disgrace, permanent and certain regret, and surrender," said the military's operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya in a statement carried by state TV.

Iran did not 'restart enrichment', envoy to UN atomic agency tells news agency AFP

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Apr 1) addressed the world about the ongoing war with Iran and said that the Islamic Republic is in ruins and is decimated. In a high-stake address, Trump detailed the United States’ ongoing military campaign against Iran and defended Operation Epic Fury. While Washington has been accused of not having a clear objective for the Iran war, Trump stated, once again, that regime change was not the agenda and main objectives were: destroying weapons factories, destroying their navy and air force and ending all possibilities for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon. He portrayed the conflict as a decisive success, saying that US is "winning bigger than ever before." Emphasising that his first approach was diplomacy, he claimed that it ultimately failed, making military action necessary. He framed the war as critical to protecting global stability, countering long-standing threats from Iran, and ensuring that the US remains secure and less dependent on West Asian resources.

Read more

"Iraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours," the US embassy said in a statement on X, again urging Americans in the country to leave immediately.

China said on Thursday that US and Israeli strikes on Iran were the "root cause" of the Strait of Hormuz blockage. "The root cause of interruptions to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is the United States and Israel's illegal military operations against Iran," Beijing's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference.

China also called for a halt to the war. "Military means cannot fundamentally solve the problem," Mao said, urging "the parties concerned to immediately cease military operations".

UGC (user-generated content) images posted on social media on April 1st, 2026, show a massive explosion following a strike in Baharestan, in Iran's central province of Isfahan.

Iran's army commander-in-chief, Hatami, tells operational headquarters to monitor “enemy movements with utmost accuracy” to counter their plans, especially ground attack.

During a wave of strikes in Tehran yesterday, the Israeli Air Force bombed a base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces, the military says. The IDF says the IRGC Ground Forces base “constitutes a central unit within the regime’s military forces.”

Hezbollah has fired more than 50 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel this morning, according to IDF assessments. One rocket struck the border city of Kiryat Shmona, lightly injuring two people. The barrage comes as Israelis celebrate the first day of the Passover festival, forcing hundreds of thousands of people into shelters.

“Do not think that the matter will end simply by carrying out a ‘remarkable’ act and then everything stops," says Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council.

Iran's health ministry says strikes hit century-old medical centre. Number of casualties are not yet known.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen spoke to the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and said they discussed the situation in the Middle East.

“Iran’s actions are putting global economic stability at risk. We will work with our partners to ensure freedom of navigation can resume as soon as possible,” said von der Leyen as she spoke with Starmer.

“Targeting Iran’s pharmaceutical hubs has placed thousands of critically ill patients on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. Human rights experts consider this a clear and blatant example of a “war crime,” says Iran Ambassador Mohammad Fathali.

According to the US Embassy in Iraq terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours. The advisory says that the attack may target U.S. citizens, businesses, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other locations perceived to be associated with the United States.

Iran's military vowed on Thursday to carry out "crushing" attacks against the United States and Israel after US President Donald Trump in a televised address to the nation threatened to bomb the country into the "Stone Ages" in the coming weeks.

Joe Kent, the former top US security official who quit over the war on Iran, has urged Trump to end the war on Iran as soon as possible. Responding to Trump’s address to the nation, he wrote on X: “We honor our fallen by learning from our past & only shedding American blood in defense of our nation. The best time to get out of a war of choice is now, before we lose more lives.”

The US Embassy in Baghdad has warned that Iran-aligned militia groups could launch attacks in central Baghdad within the next 24–48 hours, urging American citizens to leave Iraq immediately.

The Lebanese armed group said its fighters fired rockets at Israeli troops in the settlements of Al Malikiyah and Yeroun at 6:10 a.m. local time. It also said its fighters targeted the settlement of Even Menachem at 6 a.m. with a swarm of attack drones.

India has announced a temporary but significant relief measure for industries dependent on petrochemical inputs, as disruptions in global supply chains intensify due to the ongoing West Asia conflict. In a notification issued on April 2, the government said it will grant full customs duty exemption on select critical petrochemical products until June 30, 2026. The move aims to ease supply constraints and contain rising input costs for domestic manufacturers

These include:

• Plastics and packaging
• Textiles
• Pharmaceuticals
• Chemicals
• Automotive components
• Other manufacturing segments

• Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari said Trump’s threat to bring Iran “back to the stone ages” was a “vile, horrifying, evil” way to talk about a country of 90 million people.
• Congressman Jim Himes said that oil prices had gone up $5 a barrel in the hour since Trump’s speech ended. “Going to be a wild night on Truth Social. And I’m still not sure what he said.” Himes added.

Brent crude has surged as much as 5 percent to hit $106.29, while West Texas Intermediate has jumped more than 4 percent to as high as $104.29.

Trump made his case for attacking Iran in his first nationwide address more than a month into the war. Trump defended his decision highlighting the massive threat that Iran posed and explained on how the war would end while he also vowed two to three weeks further of "extremely hard" strikes against Iran.

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said the original aims of the war in Iran had been met and it was not clear what more remained to be achieved. “Now those objectives have been realised it is not clear what more needs to be achieved or what the end point looks like,” he said during a speech in the capital Canberra.

Israel's military said air defences were responding to an Iranian missile attack on Thursday, shortly after US President Donald Trump delivered an address. The military said in a statement it had "identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel" for the third time in just over three hours, adding that "defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat". Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel, according to the military's Home Front Command, and there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.

In a new threat, Trump said, “Over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.”

Trump also recalled the killing of Iranian General Qasem Solemani during his first term and said that Iran would be much more stronger had he been alive. While he did not say a word about the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in his speech, he did repeat that negotiations are ongoing but warned that if deal is not struck, each and every location in Iran would be hit.

In a long rant against former President Barack Obama and Iran nuclear deal that was known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he said that it gave Iran time to rebuild and strengthen its nuclear capabilities. It was signed between Obama and former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. 

Just two days after he said that his favourite thing is to take oil, the US president in his speech claimed that US has oil more than Saudi and UAE combined and it is not dependent on Iranian oil. He boasted the takeover of Venezuela. In a message to other countries that rely on oil from the West Asia, Trump said that they should bear responsibility for getting oil tankers to flow through the Strait of Hormuz again, claiming that their threat from Iran is “decimated.”

On the crucial issue of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route, he claimed that it would “open up naturally.” "It'll just open up naturally. They're going to want to be able to sell oil because that's all they have to try and rebuild. It will resume the flowing and the gas prices will rapidly come back down. Stock prices will rapidly go back up. They haven't come down very much, frankly. They came down a little bit, but they've had some very good days over the last couple of days. We've done, actually, much better than I thought, but we had to take that little journey to Iran to get rid of this horrible threat," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Apr 1) delivered high-stake address about the United States’ ongoing military campaign against Iran but repeated same old claims. From decimating Iran to highlighting the “threat” from the Islamic Republic, Trump speech was nothing new. Even his claims of ending the war in 2-3 weeks was said before. READ FULL SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS here 

US stock market wiped out nearly $830 billion from the S&P 500 within hours of opening on Thursday after President Donald Trump’s Iran War speech. Dow Jones, S&P 500, Nasdaq crashed on oil surge fears as Nvidia, Apple, Google, Amazon sank deep in red. Moreover, oil prices spiked above $113, adding to inflation fears.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday that the Middle East conflict risks escalating. “We are on the edge of a wider war that would engulf the Middle East with dramatic impacts around the globe,” Guterres told reporters in New York.

Pointing to the international consequences of the disruption to maritime routes, he said, “When the Strait of Hormuz is strangled, the world’s poorest and most vulnerable cannot breathe.”

Guterres called for disputes to be resolved peacefully, appealing directly to all sides to de-escalate the conflict.

A fire broke out near Iran's Mashhad airport in the northeast of the country on Thursday after a projectile hit a fuel tank in the area, said local media reports.

Citing the governor's office of the northeastern Khorasan Razavi province, the Mehr news agency said there were no casualties as firefighting operations were underway.

The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday that Iran launched 19 missiles and 26 drones at it. The UAE Ministry of Defence said they engaged with 19 missiles and 26 drones launched from Iran.

In its update on X, the ministry said that the UAE's air defences have tackled around 457 missiles and 2,038 drones since the war began.

The Ministry of External Affairs announced that more than 1,200 Indian citizens have been successfully evacuated from Iran due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Speaking at an inter-ministerial briefing in the national capital, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the evacuation is being conducted via Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the central government closely coordinating operations on the ground. Jaiswal said, "Some 1200 Indian nationals have been evacuated, of which 845 are students." He added, "996 moved to Armenia and 204 to Azerbaijan, from where they are being helped by the MEA."

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf claimed that around seven million Iranians are prepared to join the fight against the United States and Israel. He said," You come for our home, you are going to meet the whole family. Locked, loaded, and standing tall."

OPEC+ is expected to consider another increase in oil production when eight of its members meet on Sunday, news agency Reuters confirmed, citing sources. The move would allow major producers to quickly raise supply if the Strait of Hormuz, currently disrupted by the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, reopens.

During its March 1 meeting, the group had approved a modest output rise of 206,000 barrels per day for April, after keeping production unchanged in the first quarter due to oversupply concerns, even as the conflict began affecting oil flows from key Middle Eastern producers.

Tehran warned on Thursday of wider retaliation after Donald Trump threatened “extremely hard” US strikes on Iran in the coming weeks, according to the BBC.

French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking during a visit to South Korea, commented on recent tensions involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. He argued that joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran would not solve concerns over its nuclear programme and instead emphasised the need for diplomatic engagement. “If there is no framework for diplomatic and technical negotiations, the situation can deteriorate again in a few months or a few years,” said Macron.

The French president also highlighted on a proposed military operation to open the Strait of Hormuz, indicating that it was “unrealistic”. “it would take an inordinate amount of time and would expose anyone crossing the strait to coastal threats from the (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards, who possess significant resources, as well as ballistic missiles, (and) a host of other risks,” said Macron.

Israel’s Channel 12 confirmed that alarms have been activated across parts of the Upper Galilee after the country was attacked with the rocket.

The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Nawaf Salam, said the situation in his country is “very critical”, as Israel’s military is continuing its invasion in the south, resulting in the displacement crisis. Speaking in Beirut, Salam said more than one million displaced people in Lebanon are the primary victims of a conflict they are not part of. He also paid tribute to residents who have remained in southern villages, assuring them of the government’s support and vowing to do everything possible to meet their needs.

Israel’s military said it killed over 40 Hezbollah fighters in the past 24 hours through coordinated attacks by air, sea, and land. It reported airstrikes on multiple Hezbollah targets, including weapons depots and launch sites. Ground forces operating in southern Lebanon also eliminated a Hezbollah cell and struck key infrastructure. Additionally, Israel’s navy targeted a weapons depot in the south, as operations against Hezbollah positions intensified across the region.

Russia has expressed its willingness to assist in resolving the Iran conflict, with President Vladimir Putin continuing discussions with leaders across the region, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Thursday.

“The president is continuing these contacts, and if our services are ‌somehow required, we are, of course, ready to make our contribution to ensuring that the military situation transitions to a peaceful course as ⁠soon as possible,” ⁠Peskov told reporters.

The Philippines said Thursday that Iran has pledged to allow safe passage for shipments of oil to the import-dependent archipelago through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The Iranian Foreign Minister assured the (Foreign) Secretary that Iran will allow the safe, unhindered, and expeditious passage through the Strait of Hormuz of Philippine-flagged vessels, energy sources, and all Filipino seafarers," the foreign affairs department said in a statement.

President Ferdinand Marcos last week declared a state of national energy emergency, saying "nothing was off the table" as the country of 116 million tries to navigate a global fuel crisis driven by the Middle East war.

Oil prices spiked and stocks sank on Thursday after Donald Trump reiterated that US forces would hammer Iran for another two to three weeks but offered no solution to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that has crippled global markets.

Investors were left unimpressed with the US president's first prime-time address to the nation since the war began, in which he again called on countries that rely on the waterway for energy supplies to reopen it themselves.

Trump's speech added little to what he has said in the past, warning that "over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong".

He also told the nation that US forces would meet all their battlefield goals "very, very shortly".

United states President Donald Trump in a televised speech on Wednesday said US military will step up attack on Iran in the next two to three weeks, reiterating his stance of preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He detailed the United States’ ongoing military campaign against Iran and defended Operation Epic Fury. Trump once again said that regime change was not the agenda and main objectives were: destroying weapons factories, destroying their navy and air force and ending all possibilities for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon.

The statement by Trump invited a reaction from China that said, "military means cannot fundamentally solve the problem, and the escalation of conflicts is not in the interests of either side."

Beijing's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Thursday (April 2) urged "the parties concerned to immediately cease military operations".

Read more

Emirati air defences were responding to missile and drone "threats", the United Arab Emirates' defence ministry said.

Since the war erupted, the UAE and other Gulf countries have been regularly targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign.

Iran's military vowed to carry out "crushing" attacks against the United States and Israel after Trump threatened to bomb the country into the "Stone Ages".

"With trust in Almighty God, this war will continue until your humiliation, disgrace, permanent and certain regret, and surrender," said the military's operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya in a statement carried by state TV.

Iran did not 'restart enrichment', envoy to UN atomic agency tells news agency AFP

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Apr 1) addressed the world about the ongoing war with Iran and said that the Islamic Republic is in ruins and is decimated. In a high-stake address, Trump detailed the United States’ ongoing military campaign against Iran and defended Operation Epic Fury. While Washington has been accused of not having a clear objective for the Iran war, Trump stated, once again, that regime change was not the agenda and main objectives were: destroying weapons factories, destroying their navy and air force and ending all possibilities for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon. He portrayed the conflict as a decisive success, saying that US is "winning bigger than ever before." Emphasising that his first approach was diplomacy, he claimed that it ultimately failed, making military action necessary. He framed the war as critical to protecting global stability, countering long-standing threats from Iran, and ensuring that the US remains secure and less dependent on West Asian resources.

Read more

"Iraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours," the US embassy said in a statement on X, again urging Americans in the country to leave immediately.

China said on Thursday that US and Israeli strikes on Iran were the "root cause" of the Strait of Hormuz blockage. "The root cause of interruptions to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is the United States and Israel's illegal military operations against Iran," Beijing's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference.

China also called for a halt to the war. "Military means cannot fundamentally solve the problem," Mao said, urging "the parties concerned to immediately cease military operations".

UGC (user-generated content) images posted on social media on April 1st, 2026, show a massive explosion following a strike in Baharestan, in Iran's central province of Isfahan.

Iran's army commander-in-chief, Hatami, tells operational headquarters to monitor “enemy movements with utmost accuracy” to counter their plans, especially ground attack.

During a wave of strikes in Tehran yesterday, the Israeli Air Force bombed a base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces, the military says. The IDF says the IRGC Ground Forces base “constitutes a central unit within the regime’s military forces.”

Hezbollah has fired more than 50 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel this morning, according to IDF assessments. One rocket struck the border city of Kiryat Shmona, lightly injuring two people. The barrage comes as Israelis celebrate the first day of the Passover festival, forcing hundreds of thousands of people into shelters.

“Do not think that the matter will end simply by carrying out a ‘remarkable’ act and then everything stops," says Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council.

Iran's health ministry says strikes hit century-old medical centre. Number of casualties are not yet known.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen spoke to the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and said they discussed the situation in the Middle East.

“Iran’s actions are putting global economic stability at risk. We will work with our partners to ensure freedom of navigation can resume as soon as possible,” said von der Leyen as she spoke with Starmer.

“Targeting Iran’s pharmaceutical hubs has placed thousands of critically ill patients on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. Human rights experts consider this a clear and blatant example of a “war crime,” says Iran Ambassador Mohammad Fathali.

According to the US Embassy in Iraq terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours. The advisory says that the attack may target U.S. citizens, businesses, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other locations perceived to be associated with the United States.

Iran's military vowed on Thursday to carry out "crushing" attacks against the United States and Israel after US President Donald Trump in a televised address to the nation threatened to bomb the country into the "Stone Ages" in the coming weeks.

Joe Kent, the former top US security official who quit over the war on Iran, has urged Trump to end the war on Iran as soon as possible. Responding to Trump’s address to the nation, he wrote on X: “We honor our fallen by learning from our past & only shedding American blood in defense of our nation. The best time to get out of a war of choice is now, before we lose more lives.”

The US Embassy in Baghdad has warned that Iran-aligned militia groups could launch attacks in central Baghdad within the next 24–48 hours, urging American citizens to leave Iraq immediately.

The Lebanese armed group said its fighters fired rockets at Israeli troops in the settlements of Al Malikiyah and Yeroun at 6:10 a.m. local time. It also said its fighters targeted the settlement of Even Menachem at 6 a.m. with a swarm of attack drones.

India has announced a temporary but significant relief measure for industries dependent on petrochemical inputs, as disruptions in global supply chains intensify due to the ongoing West Asia conflict. In a notification issued on April 2, the government said it will grant full customs duty exemption on select critical petrochemical products until June 30, 2026. The move aims to ease supply constraints and contain rising input costs for domestic manufacturers

These include:

• Plastics and packaging
• Textiles
• Pharmaceuticals
• Chemicals
• Automotive components
• Other manufacturing segments

• Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari said Trump’s threat to bring Iran “back to the stone ages” was a “vile, horrifying, evil” way to talk about a country of 90 million people.
• Congressman Jim Himes said that oil prices had gone up $5 a barrel in the hour since Trump’s speech ended. “Going to be a wild night on Truth Social. And I’m still not sure what he said.” Himes added.

Brent crude has surged as much as 5 percent to hit $106.29, while West Texas Intermediate has jumped more than 4 percent to as high as $104.29.

Trump made his case for attacking Iran in his first nationwide address more than a month into the war. Trump defended his decision highlighting the massive threat that Iran posed and explained on how the war would end while he also vowed two to three weeks further of "extremely hard" strikes against Iran.

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said the original aims of the war in Iran had been met and it was not clear what more remained to be achieved. “Now those objectives have been realised it is not clear what more needs to be achieved or what the end point looks like,” he said during a speech in the capital Canberra.

Israel's military said air defences were responding to an Iranian missile attack on Thursday, shortly after US President Donald Trump delivered an address. The military said in a statement it had "identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel" for the third time in just over three hours, adding that "defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat". Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel, according to the military's Home Front Command, and there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.

In a new threat, Trump said, “Over the next two to three weeks, we are going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.”

Trump also recalled the killing of Iranian General Qasem Solemani during his first term and said that Iran would be much more stronger had he been alive. While he did not say a word about the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in his speech, he did repeat that negotiations are ongoing but warned that if deal is not struck, each and every location in Iran would be hit.

In a long rant against former President Barack Obama and Iran nuclear deal that was known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he said that it gave Iran time to rebuild and strengthen its nuclear capabilities. It was signed between Obama and former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. 

Just two days after he said that his favourite thing is to take oil, the US president in his speech claimed that US has oil more than Saudi and UAE combined and it is not dependent on Iranian oil. He boasted the takeover of Venezuela. In a message to other countries that rely on oil from the West Asia, Trump said that they should bear responsibility for getting oil tankers to flow through the Strait of Hormuz again, claiming that their threat from Iran is “decimated.”

On the crucial issue of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route, he claimed that it would “open up naturally.” "It'll just open up naturally. They're going to want to be able to sell oil because that's all they have to try and rebuild. It will resume the flowing and the gas prices will rapidly come back down. Stock prices will rapidly go back up. They haven't come down very much, frankly. They came down a little bit, but they've had some very good days over the last couple of days. We've done, actually, much better than I thought, but we had to take that little journey to Iran to get rid of this horrible threat," Trump said.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Apr 1) delivered high-stake address about the United States’ ongoing military campaign against Iran but repeated same old claims. From decimating Iran to highlighting the “threat” from the Islamic Republic, Trump speech was nothing new. Even his claims of ending the war in 2-3 weeks was said before. READ FULL SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS here