US-Israel-Iran war Highlights | US preparing ‘heavy strikes’ as Iran deadline nears: Trump

The Israeli military on Tuesday expressed regret over "collateral damage" to a synagogue in Tehran caused by an overnight strike that it said was targeting a senior Iranian commander.

"Last night (Tuesday), the IDF struck a senior commander in the emergency headquarters 'Khatam al-Anbiya' of the Iranian terror regime," an Israeli military spokesperson said in response to a question from AFP.

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump's extreme threats against his country, after the president warned that "a whole civilization will die" if Tehran does not accept US war demands.

"The president of the United States again resorted to language that is not only deeply irresponsible, but profoundly alarming," said Amir Saeid Iravani, adding that the comment "openly reveals his intent to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity."

The Israeli military on Tuesday urged all vessels in the maritime zone off the coast of southern Lebanon to immediately head north of the city of Tyre, warning that it would operate in the area.

US President Donald Trump said the United States is preparing to launch “heavy strikes” against Iran if his 8 PM ET deadline passes without a response. He added that military options remain on the table and could be executed tonight, underscoring rising tensions.

Russia and China veto Strait of Hormuz resolution at UN Security Council. 

The draft resolution on the Strait of Hormuz was put to a vote at the UN Security Council. Eleven members voted in favor, two opposed, and two abstained. The resolution was not adopted.

Bahrain tells the UN, ‘Iran has no right to close the waterway,’ warning failure to act would have ‘grave consequences for the world and humanity’ and undermine the authority of Security Council resolutions.

The United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on situation in the Middle East with a vote expected on a draft resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran officially warns it may close the Bab al‑Mandeb Strait “if the situation gets out of control”. A senior Iranian source told Reuters news agency that the entire region and Saudi Arabia would fall into darkness if the US Iran's struck power plants.

US oil prices surged above $117 per barrel, as the market reacted to US President Donald Trump’s looming 8 PM ET deadline for Iran. Analysts warn that if prices remain at this level for about seven weeks, US CPI inflation could rise to 3.7 per cent.

Iran has cut direct diplomatic communications with the United States following President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilisation,” a move that complicates efforts to negotiate a cease‑fire as a key deadline approaches.

The White House dismissed suggestions that remarks by Vice President JD Vance regarding military operations in Iran implied any consideration of a US nuclear strike.

After Vance said US forces have tools they "so far haven't decided to use" to enforce a dramatic ultimatum from President Donald Trump, the White House said on X: "Literally nothing @VP said here 'implies' this, you absolute buffoons."

Lebanon's health ministry said Tuesday that the death toll in more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah had reached 1,530.

The toll includes 102 women and 130 children, as well as 57 heath workers, a ministry statement said, adding that 4,812 people have been wounded.

Netanyahu says Israel struck railways, bridges in Iran.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned what he described as "treacherous attack" outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul where a gunman was killed, and vowed to fight "terrorism".

JD Vance says 'there's going to be a lot of negotiation' until the US deadline for Iran.

Israel strongly condemned what it described as a "terrorist attack" on its consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, adding it would be undeterred by "terror" following the shootout.

"We appreciate the Turkish security forces' swift action in thwarting this attack. Israeli missions around the world have been subjected to countless threats and terrorist attacks. Terror will not deter us," the foreign ministry posted on X.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Tuesday they would deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas if Washington crossed Tehran's "red lines", a statement carried on state television said. "The Revolutionary Guards once again declare that if the American terrorist army crosses the red lines, our response will go beyond the region," the statement said.

It said the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, would target infrastructure "to deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas in the region for years".

"America's regional partners should also know that until today, we have exercised great restraint for the sake of good neighbourliness and have had some reservations in choosing targets for retaliation, but all these reservations have since been removed," it said.

The Pentagon cancels a press briefing with the defence secretary and joint chiefs of staff. No explanation was given for why the briefing was cancelled.

Israeli Defence Forces on Tuesday (Apr 7) issued an “urgent warning” to Iranians to avoid travelling by train and stay away from railway tracks across the country until at least 9 pm. In a statement issued in Farsi, the IDF warned of “safety” risks, suggesting a possible target for its airstrikes. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Tehran with “complete demolition” of the country’s civilian infrastructure once the deadline to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is over.

In a statement, IDF’s Persian-language spokesman, Lt. Col. (res.) Kamal Penhasi said, “Dear citizens, for your safety, we request that from this moment until 21:00 Iran time, you refrain from using and travelling by train across Iran.”

He added, “Your presence on trains and near railway lines puts your lives at risk.”

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards announces all restraints in targeting will be ending, and it will strike infrastructure in a way that could deprive the US and regional countries of oil and gas resources for years.

Iran's strategically important Kharg island targeted, local media reports

The United States and Israel launched an attack on a bridge near the Iranian city of Qom, south of Tehran, on Tuesday, the deputy governor of the province said, according to state TV.

"A few minutes ago, one of the bridges on Qom's communication lines, outside the city of Qom and in the west of the province, was attacked by American and Zionist enemy projectiles," Morteza Heydari said.

Train travel to and from Iran's second city of Mashhad was cancelled until further notice on Tuesday after Israel warned Iranians not to use railways until 1730 GMT, local media reported, citing the governor.

"Due to the immoral warning of the Zionist regime regarding the attack on the country's railways and in order to exercise caution, all train movements from the Mashhad Railway have been cancelled until further notice," Governor Hassan Hosseini said, according to several local media.

Istanbul Governor says police are working to identify attackers near Israeli consulate and said all three attackers were neutralised in the shooting incident.

A shooting outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul has resulted in several casualties, according to CNN affiliate CNN Turk.

Egypt’s foreign minister called for restraint in tensions involving Iran and the United States, warning of a “catastrophic scenario” as he held talks with regional and international counterparts.

At least 18 people were killed in a pre-dawn attack on residential areas in Alborz province, west of Tehran, IRGC-affiliated Fars news reported on Tuesday, citing a provincial official.

Russia has provided satellite imagery and cyber support to Iran to help it carry out attacks on US and regional targets, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters.

The driver of a high-speed TGV train was killed and 27 people injured in France on Tuesday when the train collided with a truck, officials said.
 

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital on Tuesday, according to the country's Mehr news agency as well as the newspapers Shargh and Ham-Mihan.

An AFP journalist confirmed that a series of blasts were heard coming from the north of the city.

The IDF confirms bombing another petrochemical facility in Iran yesterday, saying it was “one of the few remaining facilities” used to manufacture materials for ballistic missiles.

Iranian media reported yesterday that the airstrikes hit the Marvdasht Petrochemical Complex, near Shiraz, hours after the Israeli Air Force bombed Iran’s largest petrochemical facility in Asaluyeh.

In a statement, the IDF says that the facility near Shiraz “was used by Iran’s armed forces to produce nitric acid, a substance necessary for manufacturing explosives and additional materials used in ballistic missile development processes.”

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital on Tuesday, according to the country's Mehr news agency as well as the newspapers Shargh and Ham-Mihan.

An AFP journalist confirmed that a series of blasts were heard coming from the north of the city.

Israeli Defence Forces on Tuesday (Apr 7) issued an “urgent warning” to Iranians to avoid travelling by train and stay away from railway tracks across the country until at least 9 pm. In a statement issued in Farsi, the IDF warned of “safety” risks, suggesting a possible target for its airstrikes. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Tehran with “complete demolition” of the country’s civilian infrastructure once the deadline to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is over.

Read more here.

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, which is mediating between Iran and the United States, said on Tuesday that efforts to end the war were approaching a "critical" stage.

"Positive and productive endeavours in Good Will and Good Office to stop the war is approaching a critical, sensitive stage," Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam wrote on X, without giving details.

The message came hours before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face attacks on key infrastructure.

Israel's military on Tuesday morning urged Iranians to refrain from travelling by train until 1730 GMT, in a message on X that appeared to signal upcoming strikes on Iran's railway network.

"For your safety, we ask you to refrain from using trains or travelling by train throughout the country from now until 9 pm Iran time," the military wrote on its Persian-language account.

"Your presence on trains and near railway tracks puts your life in danger."

The major traffic artery connecting Saudi Arabia and the island nation of Bahrain was temporarily closed as a precaution, authorities said Tuesday, following the issuance of security alerts in the area.

"The movement of vehicles across King Fahd Bridge has been suspended as a precautionary measure," said the General Authority for King Fahd Causeway in a post online.

The King Fahd Causeway is a 25-kilometre (16-mile) series of bridges connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

US-Israeli strikes early on Tuesday "completely destroyed" a synagogue in Tehran, Iran's Mehr news agency and the Shargh daily reported.

"According to preliminary information, the Rafi-Nia Synagogue... was completely destroyed in this morning's attacks," Shargh wrote.

Judaism is one of Iran's official religions, and the country has a small Jewish community, although many members fled in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Two separate Israeli air attacks on southern Lebanon have killed five people, Al Jazeera reported

The Israeli military has just warned the people of Iran not to use trains, saying that doing so “endangers your life”.

The military’s Farsi-language channel on X issued what it called an “urgent warning to users and train passengers in the country of Iran”:

Trump might delay his Tuesday 8 PM ET deadline on Iran “if he sees a deal is coming together,” according to Axios. This would mark the 5th time President Trump has delayed his ultimatum

US crude oil prices rise by 3%, up to over $115 as Trump's deadline looms

Trump is reportedly preparing to revoke the visas of up to 4,000 "Iranian elites" living in the U.S, according to reports

Traffic movement on the King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge that connects Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, has been suspended due to Iranian air raid threats.

Israeli military warns Iranian citizens to keep away from trains and railway lines until later tonight
 

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in US for foreign office consultations with American side. The talks will take place on Wednesday

Iranian composer Ali Ghamsari has staged a sit-in protest in front of Iran’s Damavand power plant, as US President Donald Trump continues to threaten to destroy the country’s civilian energy sites and bridges.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that one of seven Malaysian-owned commercial vessels previously stranded in the Strait of Hormuz has “been granted safe passage” and is now on its way to its final destination. “The positive outcome follows high-level diplomatic engagements,” including a call between Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian last month, the ministry said in a statement.

The ongoing conflict in and around Iran has pushed inflation in the Philippines up to 4.1% in March 2026, above the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ target range of 2% to 4%. The rise was driven largely by higher global fuel prices and increased costs for transport and utilities, affecting the import‑reliant economy. This marks the fourth straight month of inflationary pressure, raising concerns about rising prices for food and transportation and the potential for slower economic growth if costs continue to climb.

Arrangements are being made for a phone call between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. “I recall what I said yesterday was that we were making arrangements to do a telephone call with the Iranian president,” Takaichi told parliament.

Japan said that a Japanese national who had been detained in Iran since January has been released on bail. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters that Japan is demanding a full release from Iranian authorities. He said the Japanese ambassador to Iran met the person released and that he was in good health without providing further details. The person is believed to be a journalist at Japan’s NHK public television.

Hezbollah said in a new social media post that it launched rocket at the towns of Metula and Kfar Yuval in northern Israel.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces have attacked more than 13,000 Iranian targets.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described US President Donald Trump’s recent threats against Iranian civilian infrastructure as “unhelpful.” He told national broadcaster Radio New Zealand that they were “unhelpful because more military action’s not necessary." Luxon emphasized that the focus should remain on preventing the conflict from expanding further, saying, “I think the bottom line is that the focus needs to be on not seeing this conflict expand any further.” He also noted that any attacks on bridges, reservoirs, or other civilian infrastructure would be unacceptable, explaining, “We got threats from the president over the weekend. Any of those actions, including bombing bridges and reservoirs and civilian infrastructure, would be unacceptable as well.”

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stated that Iran’s military forces will not be intimidated by the recent assassinations of commanders, following the killing of the Revolutionary Guards’ top intelligence officer, Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi. Describing Khademi’s career, Khamenei said, “Khademi spent decades in quiet and devoted service in the fields of security, intelligence and defense.” He added, “Nonetheless, the unbroken ranks of the combatants and fighters on the path of truth in Islamic Iran, along with the self-sacrificing Armed Forces, form such a towering, deeply rooted front that terrorism and crime cannot even crack their resolve for jihadi ideals. Khamenei delivered his remarks in a written statement.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said US President Donald Trump’s threats to blow up the country are “baseless” and vowed to continue fighting. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said “the rude rhetoric, arrogance and baseless threats of the delusional US president, arising from the deadlock he faces and aimed at justifying the repeated defeats of the US military” will not stop Iran from fighting. “If attacks on non-civilian targets are repeated, our retaliatory response will be carried out far more forcefully and on a much wider scale,” he warned

Israel said it had struck Iran's largest petrochemical complex, which services the South Pars natural gas field, the biggest natural gas reserve in the world.

Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu said the facility had been "destroyed" and his country was "systematically eliminating the Revolutionary Guards' money machine."

Strikes also hit another petrochemical complex near the Iranian city of Shiraz, local authorities said.

Trump and Iran rejected a ceasefire bid from mediating countries, though the US leader called it a "significant proposal."

"It's a significant step. It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," Trump told reporters in Washington before his news conference.

Iranian state media said the proposal contained 10 undisclosed points, but Tehran "has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict."

International Committee of the Red Cross chief Mirjana Spoljaric warned that "deliberate threats... against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare."

"Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law," she said, without singling out any country or leader.

Trump, asked about potentially committing war crimes by attacking civilian infrastructure, said "I'm not worried about it." He argued an Iran with "a nuclear weapon" would be worse.

Trump and other senior US officials gave details of the high-risk mission to rescue two US airmen who were shot down over Iran, saying more than 170 aircraft and hundreds of troops were involved in the operation.

"These two operations reflect our nation's most sacred obligation to our military service members," top US general Dan Caine said. "We leave no one behind."

Nearly 40 days into the Iran war, with strikes intensifying and no clear end in sight, Donald Trump claims he has already “saved 30–50 million lives” by ending 8 wars, including between India and Pakistan. He also claimed God supports the war.

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Iran freed a Japanese national held since January, Tokyo said Tuesday, with Kyodo News reporting that the person was believed to be the Tehran bureau chief of broadcaster NHK.

"The Japanese embassy in Iran has confirmed that a Japanese national who was detained by Iranian authorities on January 20 was released on April 6 local time," government spokesman Minoru Kihara said.

Why is Iran asking civilians to form a “human chain” around the nation's power plants. Here's all you need to know.

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Alireza Rahimi, Iran’s deputy minister for youth and sports, has urged citizens to gather at power plants across the country at 2 p.m. (10:30 GMT) tomorrow and form human chains in protest against U.S. threats to bomb those facilities.

Explosions were reported in parts of Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj, Iranian media reported. "Moments ago, explosions were heard in parts of Tehran and Karaj," local media outlets Fars and Mehr posted on Telegram, without giving further information.

Local authorities in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region say a drone believed to have come from Iran crashed into a home and killed a couple on Monday. The autonomous region’s Counter‑Terrorism Service said in a statement that the incident occurred in the Dara Shakran subdistrict of Erbil Province, where a bomb‑laden unmanned aerial vehicle struck a civilian house, resulting in the deaths of a man and a woman.

Saeed Jalili, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, said ignoring US President Donald Trump is not the best approach, arguing that his remarks reveal America’s true nature. “‘Shut up’ is not the right response to Trump’s ramblings; let him speak more,” Jalili wrote on X. “Nothing exposes the true character of the United States more effectively than Trump’s outbursts,” he added.

Iran reported that four of its army officers were killed during a US rescue operation south of Isfahan on Sunday. The army’s public relations office said Monday that the officers died early Sunday in an attack by “several US offensive aircraft” in Isfahan province. According to the statement, the officers engaged in “direct combat” with enemy fighter jets, helicopters, armed drones, and support aircraft.

Iran has threatened to target an artificial intelligence center in the United Arab Emirates after an airstrike hit Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology on Monday morning, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. The strike damaged the university’s computing center and GPU facility, which supports the country’s AI infrastructure, Tasnim said. The agency is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran’s Ministry of Health reported Monday that hundreds of women and children have been killed in US-Israeli strikes since the war began. The ministry said 220 children under 18 were killed and 1,959 were injured, including 18 under the age of 5 and 70 children under 2 among the injured. At least 254 women were killed, with 4,830 injured.

The ministry also detailed the wider impact on Iran’s healthcare system: 481 people hospitalized, 28,918 treated and discharged as outpatients, 1,220 surgeries performed, 41 ambulances damaged, and 25 healthcare workers killed, with 118 injured.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization condemned an alleged US-Israeli strike on its yellowcake production facility in central Iran, calling it a violation of protections for peaceful nuclear sites. The Shahid Rezayee Nejad facility, located in Ardakan, Yazd Province, is a key part of Iran’s nuclear fuel cycle. In a post on X Monday, the organization described the strike as “a clear violation of the immunity of peaceful nuclear facilities” and an attack on Iran’s “reactor fuel supply chain” and nuclear medicine development.

“Iran’s nuclear technology serves peace and human health,” the statement said, adding that the country’s nuclear program “will never be stopped by heavy bombs.” The statement did not specify when the strike occurred or whether the facility was damaged.

Tehran’s army dismissed Donald Trump’s “arrogant rhetoric” on the Middle East, saying his threats will not stop Iran’s forces. A spokesman for the Khatam Al-Anbiya central command told the state broadcaster that the U.S. president’s “rude, baseless threats have no effect on the ongoing offensive operations of the warriors of Islam against American and Israeli targets.”

The Israeli military on Tuesday expressed regret over "collateral damage" to a synagogue in Tehran caused by an overnight strike that it said was targeting a senior Iranian commander.

"Last night (Tuesday), the IDF struck a senior commander in the emergency headquarters 'Khatam al-Anbiya' of the Iranian terror regime," an Israeli military spokesperson said in response to a question from AFP.

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump's extreme threats against his country, after the president warned that "a whole civilization will die" if Tehran does not accept US war demands.

"The president of the United States again resorted to language that is not only deeply irresponsible, but profoundly alarming," said Amir Saeid Iravani, adding that the comment "openly reveals his intent to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity."

The Israeli military on Tuesday urged all vessels in the maritime zone off the coast of southern Lebanon to immediately head north of the city of Tyre, warning that it would operate in the area.

US President Donald Trump said the United States is preparing to launch “heavy strikes” against Iran if his 8 PM ET deadline passes without a response. He added that military options remain on the table and could be executed tonight, underscoring rising tensions.

Russia and China veto Strait of Hormuz resolution at UN Security Council. 

The draft resolution on the Strait of Hormuz was put to a vote at the UN Security Council. Eleven members voted in favor, two opposed, and two abstained. The resolution was not adopted.

Bahrain tells the UN, ‘Iran has no right to close the waterway,’ warning failure to act would have ‘grave consequences for the world and humanity’ and undermine the authority of Security Council resolutions.

The United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on situation in the Middle East with a vote expected on a draft resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran officially warns it may close the Bab al‑Mandeb Strait “if the situation gets out of control”. A senior Iranian source told Reuters news agency that the entire region and Saudi Arabia would fall into darkness if the US Iran's struck power plants.

US oil prices surged above $117 per barrel, as the market reacted to US President Donald Trump’s looming 8 PM ET deadline for Iran. Analysts warn that if prices remain at this level for about seven weeks, US CPI inflation could rise to 3.7 per cent.

Iran has cut direct diplomatic communications with the United States following President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilisation,” a move that complicates efforts to negotiate a cease‑fire as a key deadline approaches.

The White House dismissed suggestions that remarks by Vice President JD Vance regarding military operations in Iran implied any consideration of a US nuclear strike.

After Vance said US forces have tools they "so far haven't decided to use" to enforce a dramatic ultimatum from President Donald Trump, the White House said on X: "Literally nothing @VP said here 'implies' this, you absolute buffoons."

Lebanon's health ministry said Tuesday that the death toll in more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah had reached 1,530.

The toll includes 102 women and 130 children, as well as 57 heath workers, a ministry statement said, adding that 4,812 people have been wounded.

Netanyahu says Israel struck railways, bridges in Iran.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned what he described as "treacherous attack" outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul where a gunman was killed, and vowed to fight "terrorism".

JD Vance says 'there's going to be a lot of negotiation' until the US deadline for Iran.

Israel strongly condemned what it described as a "terrorist attack" on its consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, adding it would be undeterred by "terror" following the shootout.

"We appreciate the Turkish security forces' swift action in thwarting this attack. Israeli missions around the world have been subjected to countless threats and terrorist attacks. Terror will not deter us," the foreign ministry posted on X.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Tuesday they would deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas if Washington crossed Tehran's "red lines", a statement carried on state television said. "The Revolutionary Guards once again declare that if the American terrorist army crosses the red lines, our response will go beyond the region," the statement said.

It said the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, would target infrastructure "to deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas in the region for years".

"America's regional partners should also know that until today, we have exercised great restraint for the sake of good neighbourliness and have had some reservations in choosing targets for retaliation, but all these reservations have since been removed," it said.

The Pentagon cancels a press briefing with the defence secretary and joint chiefs of staff. No explanation was given for why the briefing was cancelled.

Israeli Defence Forces on Tuesday (Apr 7) issued an “urgent warning” to Iranians to avoid travelling by train and stay away from railway tracks across the country until at least 9 pm. In a statement issued in Farsi, the IDF warned of “safety” risks, suggesting a possible target for its airstrikes. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Tehran with “complete demolition” of the country’s civilian infrastructure once the deadline to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is over.

In a statement, IDF’s Persian-language spokesman, Lt. Col. (res.) Kamal Penhasi said, “Dear citizens, for your safety, we request that from this moment until 21:00 Iran time, you refrain from using and travelling by train across Iran.”

He added, “Your presence on trains and near railway lines puts your lives at risk.”

Read more

Iran's Revolutionary Guards announces all restraints in targeting will be ending, and it will strike infrastructure in a way that could deprive the US and regional countries of oil and gas resources for years.

Iran's strategically important Kharg island targeted, local media reports

The United States and Israel launched an attack on a bridge near the Iranian city of Qom, south of Tehran, on Tuesday, the deputy governor of the province said, according to state TV.

"A few minutes ago, one of the bridges on Qom's communication lines, outside the city of Qom and in the west of the province, was attacked by American and Zionist enemy projectiles," Morteza Heydari said.

Train travel to and from Iran's second city of Mashhad was cancelled until further notice on Tuesday after Israel warned Iranians not to use railways until 1730 GMT, local media reported, citing the governor.

"Due to the immoral warning of the Zionist regime regarding the attack on the country's railways and in order to exercise caution, all train movements from the Mashhad Railway have been cancelled until further notice," Governor Hassan Hosseini said, according to several local media.

Istanbul Governor says police are working to identify attackers near Israeli consulate and said all three attackers were neutralised in the shooting incident.

A shooting outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul has resulted in several casualties, according to CNN affiliate CNN Turk.

Egypt’s foreign minister called for restraint in tensions involving Iran and the United States, warning of a “catastrophic scenario” as he held talks with regional and international counterparts.

At least 18 people were killed in a pre-dawn attack on residential areas in Alborz province, west of Tehran, IRGC-affiliated Fars news reported on Tuesday, citing a provincial official.

Russia has provided satellite imagery and cyber support to Iran to help it carry out attacks on US and regional targets, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters.

The driver of a high-speed TGV train was killed and 27 people injured in France on Tuesday when the train collided with a truck, officials said.
 

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital on Tuesday, according to the country's Mehr news agency as well as the newspapers Shargh and Ham-Mihan.

An AFP journalist confirmed that a series of blasts were heard coming from the north of the city.

The IDF confirms bombing another petrochemical facility in Iran yesterday, saying it was “one of the few remaining facilities” used to manufacture materials for ballistic missiles.

Iranian media reported yesterday that the airstrikes hit the Marvdasht Petrochemical Complex, near Shiraz, hours after the Israeli Air Force bombed Iran’s largest petrochemical facility in Asaluyeh.

In a statement, the IDF says that the facility near Shiraz “was used by Iran’s armed forces to produce nitric acid, a substance necessary for manufacturing explosives and additional materials used in ballistic missile development processes.”

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital on Tuesday, according to the country's Mehr news agency as well as the newspapers Shargh and Ham-Mihan.

An AFP journalist confirmed that a series of blasts were heard coming from the north of the city.

Israeli Defence Forces on Tuesday (Apr 7) issued an “urgent warning” to Iranians to avoid travelling by train and stay away from railway tracks across the country until at least 9 pm. In a statement issued in Farsi, the IDF warned of “safety” risks, suggesting a possible target for its airstrikes. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Tehran with “complete demolition” of the country’s civilian infrastructure once the deadline to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is over.

Read more here.

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, which is mediating between Iran and the United States, said on Tuesday that efforts to end the war were approaching a "critical" stage.

"Positive and productive endeavours in Good Will and Good Office to stop the war is approaching a critical, sensitive stage," Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam wrote on X, without giving details.

The message came hours before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face attacks on key infrastructure.

Israel's military on Tuesday morning urged Iranians to refrain from travelling by train until 1730 GMT, in a message on X that appeared to signal upcoming strikes on Iran's railway network.

"For your safety, we ask you to refrain from using trains or travelling by train throughout the country from now until 9 pm Iran time," the military wrote on its Persian-language account.

"Your presence on trains and near railway tracks puts your life in danger."

The major traffic artery connecting Saudi Arabia and the island nation of Bahrain was temporarily closed as a precaution, authorities said Tuesday, following the issuance of security alerts in the area.

"The movement of vehicles across King Fahd Bridge has been suspended as a precautionary measure," said the General Authority for King Fahd Causeway in a post online.

The King Fahd Causeway is a 25-kilometre (16-mile) series of bridges connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

US-Israeli strikes early on Tuesday "completely destroyed" a synagogue in Tehran, Iran's Mehr news agency and the Shargh daily reported.

"According to preliminary information, the Rafi-Nia Synagogue... was completely destroyed in this morning's attacks," Shargh wrote.

Judaism is one of Iran's official religions, and the country has a small Jewish community, although many members fled in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Two separate Israeli air attacks on southern Lebanon have killed five people, Al Jazeera reported

The Israeli military has just warned the people of Iran not to use trains, saying that doing so “endangers your life”.

The military’s Farsi-language channel on X issued what it called an “urgent warning to users and train passengers in the country of Iran”:

Trump might delay his Tuesday 8 PM ET deadline on Iran “if he sees a deal is coming together,” according to Axios. This would mark the 5th time President Trump has delayed his ultimatum

US crude oil prices rise by 3%, up to over $115 as Trump's deadline looms

Trump is reportedly preparing to revoke the visas of up to 4,000 "Iranian elites" living in the U.S, according to reports

Traffic movement on the King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge that connects Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, has been suspended due to Iranian air raid threats.

Israeli military warns Iranian citizens to keep away from trains and railway lines until later tonight
 

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in US for foreign office consultations with American side. The talks will take place on Wednesday

Iranian composer Ali Ghamsari has staged a sit-in protest in front of Iran’s Damavand power plant, as US President Donald Trump continues to threaten to destroy the country’s civilian energy sites and bridges.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that one of seven Malaysian-owned commercial vessels previously stranded in the Strait of Hormuz has “been granted safe passage” and is now on its way to its final destination. “The positive outcome follows high-level diplomatic engagements,” including a call between Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian last month, the ministry said in a statement.

The ongoing conflict in and around Iran has pushed inflation in the Philippines up to 4.1% in March 2026, above the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ target range of 2% to 4%. The rise was driven largely by higher global fuel prices and increased costs for transport and utilities, affecting the import‑reliant economy. This marks the fourth straight month of inflationary pressure, raising concerns about rising prices for food and transportation and the potential for slower economic growth if costs continue to climb.

Arrangements are being made for a phone call between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. “I recall what I said yesterday was that we were making arrangements to do a telephone call with the Iranian president,” Takaichi told parliament.

Japan said that a Japanese national who had been detained in Iran since January has been released on bail. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters that Japan is demanding a full release from Iranian authorities. He said the Japanese ambassador to Iran met the person released and that he was in good health without providing further details. The person is believed to be a journalist at Japan’s NHK public television.

Hezbollah said in a new social media post that it launched rocket at the towns of Metula and Kfar Yuval in northern Israel.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces have attacked more than 13,000 Iranian targets.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described US President Donald Trump’s recent threats against Iranian civilian infrastructure as “unhelpful.” He told national broadcaster Radio New Zealand that they were “unhelpful because more military action’s not necessary." Luxon emphasized that the focus should remain on preventing the conflict from expanding further, saying, “I think the bottom line is that the focus needs to be on not seeing this conflict expand any further.” He also noted that any attacks on bridges, reservoirs, or other civilian infrastructure would be unacceptable, explaining, “We got threats from the president over the weekend. Any of those actions, including bombing bridges and reservoirs and civilian infrastructure, would be unacceptable as well.”

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stated that Iran’s military forces will not be intimidated by the recent assassinations of commanders, following the killing of the Revolutionary Guards’ top intelligence officer, Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi. Describing Khademi’s career, Khamenei said, “Khademi spent decades in quiet and devoted service in the fields of security, intelligence and defense.” He added, “Nonetheless, the unbroken ranks of the combatants and fighters on the path of truth in Islamic Iran, along with the self-sacrificing Armed Forces, form such a towering, deeply rooted front that terrorism and crime cannot even crack their resolve for jihadi ideals. Khamenei delivered his remarks in a written statement.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said US President Donald Trump’s threats to blow up the country are “baseless” and vowed to continue fighting. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said “the rude rhetoric, arrogance and baseless threats of the delusional US president, arising from the deadlock he faces and aimed at justifying the repeated defeats of the US military” will not stop Iran from fighting. “If attacks on non-civilian targets are repeated, our retaliatory response will be carried out far more forcefully and on a much wider scale,” he warned

Israel said it had struck Iran's largest petrochemical complex, which services the South Pars natural gas field, the biggest natural gas reserve in the world.

Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu said the facility had been "destroyed" and his country was "systematically eliminating the Revolutionary Guards' money machine."

Strikes also hit another petrochemical complex near the Iranian city of Shiraz, local authorities said.

Trump and Iran rejected a ceasefire bid from mediating countries, though the US leader called it a "significant proposal."

"It's a significant step. It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," Trump told reporters in Washington before his news conference.

Iranian state media said the proposal contained 10 undisclosed points, but Tehran "has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict."

International Committee of the Red Cross chief Mirjana Spoljaric warned that "deliberate threats... against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare."

"Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law," she said, without singling out any country or leader.

Trump, asked about potentially committing war crimes by attacking civilian infrastructure, said "I'm not worried about it." He argued an Iran with "a nuclear weapon" would be worse.

Trump and other senior US officials gave details of the high-risk mission to rescue two US airmen who were shot down over Iran, saying more than 170 aircraft and hundreds of troops were involved in the operation.

"These two operations reflect our nation's most sacred obligation to our military service members," top US general Dan Caine said. "We leave no one behind."

Nearly 40 days into the Iran war, with strikes intensifying and no clear end in sight, Donald Trump claims he has already “saved 30–50 million lives” by ending 8 wars, including between India and Pakistan. He also claimed God supports the war.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Iran freed a Japanese national held since January, Tokyo said Tuesday, with Kyodo News reporting that the person was believed to be the Tehran bureau chief of broadcaster NHK.

"The Japanese embassy in Iran has confirmed that a Japanese national who was detained by Iranian authorities on January 20 was released on April 6 local time," government spokesman Minoru Kihara said.

Why is Iran asking civilians to form a “human chain” around the nation's power plants. Here's all you need to know.

CLICK HERE TO READ

Alireza Rahimi, Iran’s deputy minister for youth and sports, has urged citizens to gather at power plants across the country at 2 p.m. (10:30 GMT) tomorrow and form human chains in protest against U.S. threats to bomb those facilities.

Explosions were reported in parts of Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj, Iranian media reported. "Moments ago, explosions were heard in parts of Tehran and Karaj," local media outlets Fars and Mehr posted on Telegram, without giving further information.

Local authorities in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region say a drone believed to have come from Iran crashed into a home and killed a couple on Monday. The autonomous region’s Counter‑Terrorism Service said in a statement that the incident occurred in the Dara Shakran subdistrict of Erbil Province, where a bomb‑laden unmanned aerial vehicle struck a civilian house, resulting in the deaths of a man and a woman.

Saeed Jalili, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, said ignoring US President Donald Trump is not the best approach, arguing that his remarks reveal America’s true nature. “‘Shut up’ is not the right response to Trump’s ramblings; let him speak more,” Jalili wrote on X. “Nothing exposes the true character of the United States more effectively than Trump’s outbursts,” he added.

Iran reported that four of its army officers were killed during a US rescue operation south of Isfahan on Sunday. The army’s public relations office said Monday that the officers died early Sunday in an attack by “several US offensive aircraft” in Isfahan province. According to the statement, the officers engaged in “direct combat” with enemy fighter jets, helicopters, armed drones, and support aircraft.

Iran has threatened to target an artificial intelligence center in the United Arab Emirates after an airstrike hit Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology on Monday morning, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. The strike damaged the university’s computing center and GPU facility, which supports the country’s AI infrastructure, Tasnim said. The agency is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran’s Ministry of Health reported Monday that hundreds of women and children have been killed in US-Israeli strikes since the war began. The ministry said 220 children under 18 were killed and 1,959 were injured, including 18 under the age of 5 and 70 children under 2 among the injured. At least 254 women were killed, with 4,830 injured.

The ministry also detailed the wider impact on Iran’s healthcare system: 481 people hospitalized, 28,918 treated and discharged as outpatients, 1,220 surgeries performed, 41 ambulances damaged, and 25 healthcare workers killed, with 118 injured.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization condemned an alleged US-Israeli strike on its yellowcake production facility in central Iran, calling it a violation of protections for peaceful nuclear sites. The Shahid Rezayee Nejad facility, located in Ardakan, Yazd Province, is a key part of Iran’s nuclear fuel cycle. In a post on X Monday, the organization described the strike as “a clear violation of the immunity of peaceful nuclear facilities” and an attack on Iran’s “reactor fuel supply chain” and nuclear medicine development.

“Iran’s nuclear technology serves peace and human health,” the statement said, adding that the country’s nuclear program “will never be stopped by heavy bombs.” The statement did not specify when the strike occurred or whether the facility was damaged.

Tehran’s army dismissed Donald Trump’s “arrogant rhetoric” on the Middle East, saying his threats will not stop Iran’s forces. A spokesman for the Khatam Al-Anbiya central command told the state broadcaster that the U.S. president’s “rude, baseless threats have no effect on the ongoing offensive operations of the warriors of Islam against American and Israeli targets.”

The Israeli military on Tuesday expressed regret over "collateral damage" to a synagogue in Tehran caused by an overnight strike that it said was targeting a senior Iranian commander.

"Last night (Tuesday), the IDF struck a senior commander in the emergency headquarters 'Khatam al-Anbiya' of the Iranian terror regime," an Israeli military spokesperson said in response to a question from AFP.

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump's extreme threats against his country, after the president warned that "a whole civilization will die" if Tehran does not accept US war demands.

"The president of the United States again resorted to language that is not only deeply irresponsible, but profoundly alarming," said Amir Saeid Iravani, adding that the comment "openly reveals his intent to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity."

The Israeli military on Tuesday urged all vessels in the maritime zone off the coast of southern Lebanon to immediately head north of the city of Tyre, warning that it would operate in the area.

US President Donald Trump said the United States is preparing to launch “heavy strikes” against Iran if his 8 PM ET deadline passes without a response. He added that military options remain on the table and could be executed tonight, underscoring rising tensions.

Russia and China veto Strait of Hormuz resolution at UN Security Council. 

The draft resolution on the Strait of Hormuz was put to a vote at the UN Security Council. Eleven members voted in favor, two opposed, and two abstained. The resolution was not adopted.

Bahrain tells the UN, ‘Iran has no right to close the waterway,’ warning failure to act would have ‘grave consequences for the world and humanity’ and undermine the authority of Security Council resolutions.

The United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on situation in the Middle East with a vote expected on a draft resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran officially warns it may close the Bab al‑Mandeb Strait “if the situation gets out of control”. A senior Iranian source told Reuters news agency that the entire region and Saudi Arabia would fall into darkness if the US Iran's struck power plants.

US oil prices surged above $117 per barrel, as the market reacted to US President Donald Trump’s looming 8 PM ET deadline for Iran. Analysts warn that if prices remain at this level for about seven weeks, US CPI inflation could rise to 3.7 per cent.

Iran has cut direct diplomatic communications with the United States following President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilisation,” a move that complicates efforts to negotiate a cease‑fire as a key deadline approaches.

The White House dismissed suggestions that remarks by Vice President JD Vance regarding military operations in Iran implied any consideration of a US nuclear strike.

After Vance said US forces have tools they "so far haven't decided to use" to enforce a dramatic ultimatum from President Donald Trump, the White House said on X: "Literally nothing @VP said here 'implies' this, you absolute buffoons."

Lebanon's health ministry said Tuesday that the death toll in more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah had reached 1,530.

The toll includes 102 women and 130 children, as well as 57 heath workers, a ministry statement said, adding that 4,812 people have been wounded.

Netanyahu says Israel struck railways, bridges in Iran.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned what he described as "treacherous attack" outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul where a gunman was killed, and vowed to fight "terrorism".

JD Vance says 'there's going to be a lot of negotiation' until the US deadline for Iran.

Israel strongly condemned what it described as a "terrorist attack" on its consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, adding it would be undeterred by "terror" following the shootout.

"We appreciate the Turkish security forces' swift action in thwarting this attack. Israeli missions around the world have been subjected to countless threats and terrorist attacks. Terror will not deter us," the foreign ministry posted on X.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Tuesday they would deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas if Washington crossed Tehran's "red lines", a statement carried on state television said. "The Revolutionary Guards once again declare that if the American terrorist army crosses the red lines, our response will go beyond the region," the statement said.

It said the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, would target infrastructure "to deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas in the region for years".

"America's regional partners should also know that until today, we have exercised great restraint for the sake of good neighbourliness and have had some reservations in choosing targets for retaliation, but all these reservations have since been removed," it said.

The Pentagon cancels a press briefing with the defence secretary and joint chiefs of staff. No explanation was given for why the briefing was cancelled.

Israeli Defence Forces on Tuesday (Apr 7) issued an “urgent warning” to Iranians to avoid travelling by train and stay away from railway tracks across the country until at least 9 pm. In a statement issued in Farsi, the IDF warned of “safety” risks, suggesting a possible target for its airstrikes. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Tehran with “complete demolition” of the country’s civilian infrastructure once the deadline to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is over.

In a statement, IDF’s Persian-language spokesman, Lt. Col. (res.) Kamal Penhasi said, “Dear citizens, for your safety, we request that from this moment until 21:00 Iran time, you refrain from using and travelling by train across Iran.”

He added, “Your presence on trains and near railway lines puts your lives at risk.”

Read more

Iran's Revolutionary Guards announces all restraints in targeting will be ending, and it will strike infrastructure in a way that could deprive the US and regional countries of oil and gas resources for years.

Iran's strategically important Kharg island targeted, local media reports

The United States and Israel launched an attack on a bridge near the Iranian city of Qom, south of Tehran, on Tuesday, the deputy governor of the province said, according to state TV.

"A few minutes ago, one of the bridges on Qom's communication lines, outside the city of Qom and in the west of the province, was attacked by American and Zionist enemy projectiles," Morteza Heydari said.

Train travel to and from Iran's second city of Mashhad was cancelled until further notice on Tuesday after Israel warned Iranians not to use railways until 1730 GMT, local media reported, citing the governor.

"Due to the immoral warning of the Zionist regime regarding the attack on the country's railways and in order to exercise caution, all train movements from the Mashhad Railway have been cancelled until further notice," Governor Hassan Hosseini said, according to several local media.

Istanbul Governor says police are working to identify attackers near Israeli consulate and said all three attackers were neutralised in the shooting incident.

A shooting outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul has resulted in several casualties, according to CNN affiliate CNN Turk.

Egypt’s foreign minister called for restraint in tensions involving Iran and the United States, warning of a “catastrophic scenario” as he held talks with regional and international counterparts.

At least 18 people were killed in a pre-dawn attack on residential areas in Alborz province, west of Tehran, IRGC-affiliated Fars news reported on Tuesday, citing a provincial official.

Russia has provided satellite imagery and cyber support to Iran to help it carry out attacks on US and regional targets, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters.

The driver of a high-speed TGV train was killed and 27 people injured in France on Tuesday when the train collided with a truck, officials said.
 

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital on Tuesday, according to the country's Mehr news agency as well as the newspapers Shargh and Ham-Mihan.

An AFP journalist confirmed that a series of blasts were heard coming from the north of the city.

The IDF confirms bombing another petrochemical facility in Iran yesterday, saying it was “one of the few remaining facilities” used to manufacture materials for ballistic missiles.

Iranian media reported yesterday that the airstrikes hit the Marvdasht Petrochemical Complex, near Shiraz, hours after the Israeli Air Force bombed Iran’s largest petrochemical facility in Asaluyeh.

In a statement, the IDF says that the facility near Shiraz “was used by Iran’s armed forces to produce nitric acid, a substance necessary for manufacturing explosives and additional materials used in ballistic missile development processes.”

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital on Tuesday, according to the country's Mehr news agency as well as the newspapers Shargh and Ham-Mihan.

An AFP journalist confirmed that a series of blasts were heard coming from the north of the city.

Israeli Defence Forces on Tuesday (Apr 7) issued an “urgent warning” to Iranians to avoid travelling by train and stay away from railway tracks across the country until at least 9 pm. In a statement issued in Farsi, the IDF warned of “safety” risks, suggesting a possible target for its airstrikes. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Tehran with “complete demolition” of the country’s civilian infrastructure once the deadline to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is over.

Read more here.

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, which is mediating between Iran and the United States, said on Tuesday that efforts to end the war were approaching a "critical" stage.

"Positive and productive endeavours in Good Will and Good Office to stop the war is approaching a critical, sensitive stage," Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam wrote on X, without giving details.

The message came hours before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face attacks on key infrastructure.

Israel's military on Tuesday morning urged Iranians to refrain from travelling by train until 1730 GMT, in a message on X that appeared to signal upcoming strikes on Iran's railway network.

"For your safety, we ask you to refrain from using trains or travelling by train throughout the country from now until 9 pm Iran time," the military wrote on its Persian-language account.

"Your presence on trains and near railway tracks puts your life in danger."

The major traffic artery connecting Saudi Arabia and the island nation of Bahrain was temporarily closed as a precaution, authorities said Tuesday, following the issuance of security alerts in the area.

"The movement of vehicles across King Fahd Bridge has been suspended as a precautionary measure," said the General Authority for King Fahd Causeway in a post online.

The King Fahd Causeway is a 25-kilometre (16-mile) series of bridges connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

US-Israeli strikes early on Tuesday "completely destroyed" a synagogue in Tehran, Iran's Mehr news agency and the Shargh daily reported.

"According to preliminary information, the Rafi-Nia Synagogue... was completely destroyed in this morning's attacks," Shargh wrote.

Judaism is one of Iran's official religions, and the country has a small Jewish community, although many members fled in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Two separate Israeli air attacks on southern Lebanon have killed five people, Al Jazeera reported

The Israeli military has just warned the people of Iran not to use trains, saying that doing so “endangers your life”.

The military’s Farsi-language channel on X issued what it called an “urgent warning to users and train passengers in the country of Iran”:

Trump might delay his Tuesday 8 PM ET deadline on Iran “if he sees a deal is coming together,” according to Axios. This would mark the 5th time President Trump has delayed his ultimatum

US crude oil prices rise by 3%, up to over $115 as Trump's deadline looms

Trump is reportedly preparing to revoke the visas of up to 4,000 "Iranian elites" living in the U.S, according to reports

Traffic movement on the King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge that connects Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, has been suspended due to Iranian air raid threats.

Israeli military warns Iranian citizens to keep away from trains and railway lines until later tonight
 

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in US for foreign office consultations with American side. The talks will take place on Wednesday

Iranian composer Ali Ghamsari has staged a sit-in protest in front of Iran’s Damavand power plant, as US President Donald Trump continues to threaten to destroy the country’s civilian energy sites and bridges.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that one of seven Malaysian-owned commercial vessels previously stranded in the Strait of Hormuz has “been granted safe passage” and is now on its way to its final destination. “The positive outcome follows high-level diplomatic engagements,” including a call between Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian last month, the ministry said in a statement.

The ongoing conflict in and around Iran has pushed inflation in the Philippines up to 4.1% in March 2026, above the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ target range of 2% to 4%. The rise was driven largely by higher global fuel prices and increased costs for transport and utilities, affecting the import‑reliant economy. This marks the fourth straight month of inflationary pressure, raising concerns about rising prices for food and transportation and the potential for slower economic growth if costs continue to climb.

Arrangements are being made for a phone call between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. “I recall what I said yesterday was that we were making arrangements to do a telephone call with the Iranian president,” Takaichi told parliament.

Japan said that a Japanese national who had been detained in Iran since January has been released on bail. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters that Japan is demanding a full release from Iranian authorities. He said the Japanese ambassador to Iran met the person released and that he was in good health without providing further details. The person is believed to be a journalist at Japan’s NHK public television.

Hezbollah said in a new social media post that it launched rocket at the towns of Metula and Kfar Yuval in northern Israel.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces have attacked more than 13,000 Iranian targets.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described US President Donald Trump’s recent threats against Iranian civilian infrastructure as “unhelpful.” He told national broadcaster Radio New Zealand that they were “unhelpful because more military action’s not necessary." Luxon emphasized that the focus should remain on preventing the conflict from expanding further, saying, “I think the bottom line is that the focus needs to be on not seeing this conflict expand any further.” He also noted that any attacks on bridges, reservoirs, or other civilian infrastructure would be unacceptable, explaining, “We got threats from the president over the weekend. Any of those actions, including bombing bridges and reservoirs and civilian infrastructure, would be unacceptable as well.”

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stated that Iran’s military forces will not be intimidated by the recent assassinations of commanders, following the killing of the Revolutionary Guards’ top intelligence officer, Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi. Describing Khademi’s career, Khamenei said, “Khademi spent decades in quiet and devoted service in the fields of security, intelligence and defense.” He added, “Nonetheless, the unbroken ranks of the combatants and fighters on the path of truth in Islamic Iran, along with the self-sacrificing Armed Forces, form such a towering, deeply rooted front that terrorism and crime cannot even crack their resolve for jihadi ideals. Khamenei delivered his remarks in a written statement.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said US President Donald Trump’s threats to blow up the country are “baseless” and vowed to continue fighting. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said “the rude rhetoric, arrogance and baseless threats of the delusional US president, arising from the deadlock he faces and aimed at justifying the repeated defeats of the US military” will not stop Iran from fighting. “If attacks on non-civilian targets are repeated, our retaliatory response will be carried out far more forcefully and on a much wider scale,” he warned

Israel said it had struck Iran's largest petrochemical complex, which services the South Pars natural gas field, the biggest natural gas reserve in the world.

Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu said the facility had been "destroyed" and his country was "systematically eliminating the Revolutionary Guards' money machine."

Strikes also hit another petrochemical complex near the Iranian city of Shiraz, local authorities said.

Trump and Iran rejected a ceasefire bid from mediating countries, though the US leader called it a "significant proposal."

"It's a significant step. It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," Trump told reporters in Washington before his news conference.

Iranian state media said the proposal contained 10 undisclosed points, but Tehran "has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict."

International Committee of the Red Cross chief Mirjana Spoljaric warned that "deliberate threats... against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare."

"Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law," she said, without singling out any country or leader.

Trump, asked about potentially committing war crimes by attacking civilian infrastructure, said "I'm not worried about it." He argued an Iran with "a nuclear weapon" would be worse.

Trump and other senior US officials gave details of the high-risk mission to rescue two US airmen who were shot down over Iran, saying more than 170 aircraft and hundreds of troops were involved in the operation.

"These two operations reflect our nation's most sacred obligation to our military service members," top US general Dan Caine said. "We leave no one behind."

Nearly 40 days into the Iran war, with strikes intensifying and no clear end in sight, Donald Trump claims he has already “saved 30–50 million lives” by ending 8 wars, including between India and Pakistan. He also claimed God supports the war.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Iran freed a Japanese national held since January, Tokyo said Tuesday, with Kyodo News reporting that the person was believed to be the Tehran bureau chief of broadcaster NHK.

"The Japanese embassy in Iran has confirmed that a Japanese national who was detained by Iranian authorities on January 20 was released on April 6 local time," government spokesman Minoru Kihara said.

Why is Iran asking civilians to form a “human chain” around the nation's power plants. Here's all you need to know.

CLICK HERE TO READ

Alireza Rahimi, Iran’s deputy minister for youth and sports, has urged citizens to gather at power plants across the country at 2 p.m. (10:30 GMT) tomorrow and form human chains in protest against U.S. threats to bomb those facilities.

Explosions were reported in parts of Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj, Iranian media reported. "Moments ago, explosions were heard in parts of Tehran and Karaj," local media outlets Fars and Mehr posted on Telegram, without giving further information.

Local authorities in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region say a drone believed to have come from Iran crashed into a home and killed a couple on Monday. The autonomous region’s Counter‑Terrorism Service said in a statement that the incident occurred in the Dara Shakran subdistrict of Erbil Province, where a bomb‑laden unmanned aerial vehicle struck a civilian house, resulting in the deaths of a man and a woman.

Saeed Jalili, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, said ignoring US President Donald Trump is not the best approach, arguing that his remarks reveal America’s true nature. “‘Shut up’ is not the right response to Trump’s ramblings; let him speak more,” Jalili wrote on X. “Nothing exposes the true character of the United States more effectively than Trump’s outbursts,” he added.

Iran reported that four of its army officers were killed during a US rescue operation south of Isfahan on Sunday. The army’s public relations office said Monday that the officers died early Sunday in an attack by “several US offensive aircraft” in Isfahan province. According to the statement, the officers engaged in “direct combat” with enemy fighter jets, helicopters, armed drones, and support aircraft.

Iran has threatened to target an artificial intelligence center in the United Arab Emirates after an airstrike hit Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology on Monday morning, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. The strike damaged the university’s computing center and GPU facility, which supports the country’s AI infrastructure, Tasnim said. The agency is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran’s Ministry of Health reported Monday that hundreds of women and children have been killed in US-Israeli strikes since the war began. The ministry said 220 children under 18 were killed and 1,959 were injured, including 18 under the age of 5 and 70 children under 2 among the injured. At least 254 women were killed, with 4,830 injured.

The ministry also detailed the wider impact on Iran’s healthcare system: 481 people hospitalized, 28,918 treated and discharged as outpatients, 1,220 surgeries performed, 41 ambulances damaged, and 25 healthcare workers killed, with 118 injured.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization condemned an alleged US-Israeli strike on its yellowcake production facility in central Iran, calling it a violation of protections for peaceful nuclear sites. The Shahid Rezayee Nejad facility, located in Ardakan, Yazd Province, is a key part of Iran’s nuclear fuel cycle. In a post on X Monday, the organization described the strike as “a clear violation of the immunity of peaceful nuclear facilities” and an attack on Iran’s “reactor fuel supply chain” and nuclear medicine development.

“Iran’s nuclear technology serves peace and human health,” the statement said, adding that the country’s nuclear program “will never be stopped by heavy bombs.” The statement did not specify when the strike occurred or whether the facility was damaged.

Tehran’s army dismissed Donald Trump’s “arrogant rhetoric” on the Middle East, saying his threats will not stop Iran’s forces. A spokesman for the Khatam Al-Anbiya central command told the state broadcaster that the U.S. president’s “rude, baseless threats have no effect on the ongoing offensive operations of the warriors of Islam against American and Israeli targets.”

The Israeli military on Tuesday expressed regret over "collateral damage" to a synagogue in Tehran caused by an overnight strike that it said was targeting a senior Iranian commander.

"Last night (Tuesday), the IDF struck a senior commander in the emergency headquarters 'Khatam al-Anbiya' of the Iranian terror regime," an Israeli military spokesperson said in response to a question from AFP.

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump's extreme threats against his country, after the president warned that "a whole civilization will die" if Tehran does not accept US war demands.

"The president of the United States again resorted to language that is not only deeply irresponsible, but profoundly alarming," said Amir Saeid Iravani, adding that the comment "openly reveals his intent to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity."

The Israeli military on Tuesday urged all vessels in the maritime zone off the coast of southern Lebanon to immediately head north of the city of Tyre, warning that it would operate in the area.

US President Donald Trump said the United States is preparing to launch “heavy strikes” against Iran if his 8 PM ET deadline passes without a response. He added that military options remain on the table and could be executed tonight, underscoring rising tensions.

Russia and China veto Strait of Hormuz resolution at UN Security Council. 

The draft resolution on the Strait of Hormuz was put to a vote at the UN Security Council. Eleven members voted in favor, two opposed, and two abstained. The resolution was not adopted.

Bahrain tells the UN, ‘Iran has no right to close the waterway,’ warning failure to act would have ‘grave consequences for the world and humanity’ and undermine the authority of Security Council resolutions.

The United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on situation in the Middle East with a vote expected on a draft resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran officially warns it may close the Bab al‑Mandeb Strait “if the situation gets out of control”. A senior Iranian source told Reuters news agency that the entire region and Saudi Arabia would fall into darkness if the US Iran's struck power plants.

US oil prices surged above $117 per barrel, as the market reacted to US President Donald Trump’s looming 8 PM ET deadline for Iran. Analysts warn that if prices remain at this level for about seven weeks, US CPI inflation could rise to 3.7 per cent.

Iran has cut direct diplomatic communications with the United States following President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilisation,” a move that complicates efforts to negotiate a cease‑fire as a key deadline approaches.

The White House dismissed suggestions that remarks by Vice President JD Vance regarding military operations in Iran implied any consideration of a US nuclear strike.

After Vance said US forces have tools they "so far haven't decided to use" to enforce a dramatic ultimatum from President Donald Trump, the White House said on X: "Literally nothing @VP said here 'implies' this, you absolute buffoons."

Lebanon's health ministry said Tuesday that the death toll in more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah had reached 1,530.

The toll includes 102 women and 130 children, as well as 57 heath workers, a ministry statement said, adding that 4,812 people have been wounded.

Netanyahu says Israel struck railways, bridges in Iran.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned what he described as "treacherous attack" outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul where a gunman was killed, and vowed to fight "terrorism".

JD Vance says 'there's going to be a lot of negotiation' until the US deadline for Iran.

Israel strongly condemned what it described as a "terrorist attack" on its consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, adding it would be undeterred by "terror" following the shootout.

"We appreciate the Turkish security forces' swift action in thwarting this attack. Israeli missions around the world have been subjected to countless threats and terrorist attacks. Terror will not deter us," the foreign ministry posted on X.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Tuesday they would deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas if Washington crossed Tehran's "red lines", a statement carried on state television said. "The Revolutionary Guards once again declare that if the American terrorist army crosses the red lines, our response will go beyond the region," the statement said.

It said the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, would target infrastructure "to deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas in the region for years".

"America's regional partners should also know that until today, we have exercised great restraint for the sake of good neighbourliness and have had some reservations in choosing targets for retaliation, but all these reservations have since been removed," it said.

The Pentagon cancels a press briefing with the defence secretary and joint chiefs of staff. No explanation was given for why the briefing was cancelled.

Israeli Defence Forces on Tuesday (Apr 7) issued an “urgent warning” to Iranians to avoid travelling by train and stay away from railway tracks across the country until at least 9 pm. In a statement issued in Farsi, the IDF warned of “safety” risks, suggesting a possible target for its airstrikes. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Tehran with “complete demolition” of the country’s civilian infrastructure once the deadline to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is over.

In a statement, IDF’s Persian-language spokesman, Lt. Col. (res.) Kamal Penhasi said, “Dear citizens, for your safety, we request that from this moment until 21:00 Iran time, you refrain from using and travelling by train across Iran.”

He added, “Your presence on trains and near railway lines puts your lives at risk.”

Read more

Iran's Revolutionary Guards announces all restraints in targeting will be ending, and it will strike infrastructure in a way that could deprive the US and regional countries of oil and gas resources for years.

Iran's strategically important Kharg island targeted, local media reports

The United States and Israel launched an attack on a bridge near the Iranian city of Qom, south of Tehran, on Tuesday, the deputy governor of the province said, according to state TV.

"A few minutes ago, one of the bridges on Qom's communication lines, outside the city of Qom and in the west of the province, was attacked by American and Zionist enemy projectiles," Morteza Heydari said.

Train travel to and from Iran's second city of Mashhad was cancelled until further notice on Tuesday after Israel warned Iranians not to use railways until 1730 GMT, local media reported, citing the governor.

"Due to the immoral warning of the Zionist regime regarding the attack on the country's railways and in order to exercise caution, all train movements from the Mashhad Railway have been cancelled until further notice," Governor Hassan Hosseini said, according to several local media.

Istanbul Governor says police are working to identify attackers near Israeli consulate and said all three attackers were neutralised in the shooting incident.

A shooting outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul has resulted in several casualties, according to CNN affiliate CNN Turk.

Egypt’s foreign minister called for restraint in tensions involving Iran and the United States, warning of a “catastrophic scenario” as he held talks with regional and international counterparts.

At least 18 people were killed in a pre-dawn attack on residential areas in Alborz province, west of Tehran, IRGC-affiliated Fars news reported on Tuesday, citing a provincial official.

Russia has provided satellite imagery and cyber support to Iran to help it carry out attacks on US and regional targets, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters.

The driver of a high-speed TGV train was killed and 27 people injured in France on Tuesday when the train collided with a truck, officials said.
 

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital on Tuesday, according to the country's Mehr news agency as well as the newspapers Shargh and Ham-Mihan.

An AFP journalist confirmed that a series of blasts were heard coming from the north of the city.

The IDF confirms bombing another petrochemical facility in Iran yesterday, saying it was “one of the few remaining facilities” used to manufacture materials for ballistic missiles.

Iranian media reported yesterday that the airstrikes hit the Marvdasht Petrochemical Complex, near Shiraz, hours after the Israeli Air Force bombed Iran’s largest petrochemical facility in Asaluyeh.

In a statement, the IDF says that the facility near Shiraz “was used by Iran’s armed forces to produce nitric acid, a substance necessary for manufacturing explosives and additional materials used in ballistic missile development processes.”

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital on Tuesday, according to the country's Mehr news agency as well as the newspapers Shargh and Ham-Mihan.

An AFP journalist confirmed that a series of blasts were heard coming from the north of the city.

Israeli Defence Forces on Tuesday (Apr 7) issued an “urgent warning” to Iranians to avoid travelling by train and stay away from railway tracks across the country until at least 9 pm. In a statement issued in Farsi, the IDF warned of “safety” risks, suggesting a possible target for its airstrikes. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Tehran with “complete demolition” of the country’s civilian infrastructure once the deadline to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is over.

Read more here.

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, which is mediating between Iran and the United States, said on Tuesday that efforts to end the war were approaching a "critical" stage.

"Positive and productive endeavours in Good Will and Good Office to stop the war is approaching a critical, sensitive stage," Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam wrote on X, without giving details.

The message came hours before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face attacks on key infrastructure.

Israel's military on Tuesday morning urged Iranians to refrain from travelling by train until 1730 GMT, in a message on X that appeared to signal upcoming strikes on Iran's railway network.

"For your safety, we ask you to refrain from using trains or travelling by train throughout the country from now until 9 pm Iran time," the military wrote on its Persian-language account.

"Your presence on trains and near railway tracks puts your life in danger."

The major traffic artery connecting Saudi Arabia and the island nation of Bahrain was temporarily closed as a precaution, authorities said Tuesday, following the issuance of security alerts in the area.

"The movement of vehicles across King Fahd Bridge has been suspended as a precautionary measure," said the General Authority for King Fahd Causeway in a post online.

The King Fahd Causeway is a 25-kilometre (16-mile) series of bridges connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

US-Israeli strikes early on Tuesday "completely destroyed" a synagogue in Tehran, Iran's Mehr news agency and the Shargh daily reported.

"According to preliminary information, the Rafi-Nia Synagogue... was completely destroyed in this morning's attacks," Shargh wrote.

Judaism is one of Iran's official religions, and the country has a small Jewish community, although many members fled in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Two separate Israeli air attacks on southern Lebanon have killed five people, Al Jazeera reported

The Israeli military has just warned the people of Iran not to use trains, saying that doing so “endangers your life”.

The military’s Farsi-language channel on X issued what it called an “urgent warning to users and train passengers in the country of Iran”:

Trump might delay his Tuesday 8 PM ET deadline on Iran “if he sees a deal is coming together,” according to Axios. This would mark the 5th time President Trump has delayed his ultimatum

US crude oil prices rise by 3%, up to over $115 as Trump's deadline looms

Trump is reportedly preparing to revoke the visas of up to 4,000 "Iranian elites" living in the U.S, according to reports

Traffic movement on the King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge that connects Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, has been suspended due to Iranian air raid threats.

Israeli military warns Iranian citizens to keep away from trains and railway lines until later tonight
 

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in US for foreign office consultations with American side. The talks will take place on Wednesday

Iranian composer Ali Ghamsari has staged a sit-in protest in front of Iran’s Damavand power plant, as US President Donald Trump continues to threaten to destroy the country’s civilian energy sites and bridges.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that one of seven Malaysian-owned commercial vessels previously stranded in the Strait of Hormuz has “been granted safe passage” and is now on its way to its final destination. “The positive outcome follows high-level diplomatic engagements,” including a call between Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian last month, the ministry said in a statement.

The ongoing conflict in and around Iran has pushed inflation in the Philippines up to 4.1% in March 2026, above the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ target range of 2% to 4%. The rise was driven largely by higher global fuel prices and increased costs for transport and utilities, affecting the import‑reliant economy. This marks the fourth straight month of inflationary pressure, raising concerns about rising prices for food and transportation and the potential for slower economic growth if costs continue to climb.

Arrangements are being made for a phone call between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. “I recall what I said yesterday was that we were making arrangements to do a telephone call with the Iranian president,” Takaichi told parliament.

Japan said that a Japanese national who had been detained in Iran since January has been released on bail. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters that Japan is demanding a full release from Iranian authorities. He said the Japanese ambassador to Iran met the person released and that he was in good health without providing further details. The person is believed to be a journalist at Japan’s NHK public television.

Hezbollah said in a new social media post that it launched rocket at the towns of Metula and Kfar Yuval in northern Israel.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces have attacked more than 13,000 Iranian targets.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described US President Donald Trump’s recent threats against Iranian civilian infrastructure as “unhelpful.” He told national broadcaster Radio New Zealand that they were “unhelpful because more military action’s not necessary." Luxon emphasized that the focus should remain on preventing the conflict from expanding further, saying, “I think the bottom line is that the focus needs to be on not seeing this conflict expand any further.” He also noted that any attacks on bridges, reservoirs, or other civilian infrastructure would be unacceptable, explaining, “We got threats from the president over the weekend. Any of those actions, including bombing bridges and reservoirs and civilian infrastructure, would be unacceptable as well.”

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stated that Iran’s military forces will not be intimidated by the recent assassinations of commanders, following the killing of the Revolutionary Guards’ top intelligence officer, Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi. Describing Khademi’s career, Khamenei said, “Khademi spent decades in quiet and devoted service in the fields of security, intelligence and defense.” He added, “Nonetheless, the unbroken ranks of the combatants and fighters on the path of truth in Islamic Iran, along with the self-sacrificing Armed Forces, form such a towering, deeply rooted front that terrorism and crime cannot even crack their resolve for jihadi ideals. Khamenei delivered his remarks in a written statement.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said US President Donald Trump’s threats to blow up the country are “baseless” and vowed to continue fighting. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said “the rude rhetoric, arrogance and baseless threats of the delusional US president, arising from the deadlock he faces and aimed at justifying the repeated defeats of the US military” will not stop Iran from fighting. “If attacks on non-civilian targets are repeated, our retaliatory response will be carried out far more forcefully and on a much wider scale,” he warned

Israel said it had struck Iran's largest petrochemical complex, which services the South Pars natural gas field, the biggest natural gas reserve in the world.

Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu said the facility had been "destroyed" and his country was "systematically eliminating the Revolutionary Guards' money machine."

Strikes also hit another petrochemical complex near the Iranian city of Shiraz, local authorities said.

Trump and Iran rejected a ceasefire bid from mediating countries, though the US leader called it a "significant proposal."

"It's a significant step. It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," Trump told reporters in Washington before his news conference.

Iranian state media said the proposal contained 10 undisclosed points, but Tehran "has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict."

International Committee of the Red Cross chief Mirjana Spoljaric warned that "deliberate threats... against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare."

"Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law," she said, without singling out any country or leader.

Trump, asked about potentially committing war crimes by attacking civilian infrastructure, said "I'm not worried about it." He argued an Iran with "a nuclear weapon" would be worse.

Trump and other senior US officials gave details of the high-risk mission to rescue two US airmen who were shot down over Iran, saying more than 170 aircraft and hundreds of troops were involved in the operation.

"These two operations reflect our nation's most sacred obligation to our military service members," top US general Dan Caine said. "We leave no one behind."

Nearly 40 days into the Iran war, with strikes intensifying and no clear end in sight, Donald Trump claims he has already “saved 30–50 million lives” by ending 8 wars, including between India and Pakistan. He also claimed God supports the war.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Iran freed a Japanese national held since January, Tokyo said Tuesday, with Kyodo News reporting that the person was believed to be the Tehran bureau chief of broadcaster NHK.

"The Japanese embassy in Iran has confirmed that a Japanese national who was detained by Iranian authorities on January 20 was released on April 6 local time," government spokesman Minoru Kihara said.

Why is Iran asking civilians to form a “human chain” around the nation's power plants. Here's all you need to know.

CLICK HERE TO READ

Alireza Rahimi, Iran’s deputy minister for youth and sports, has urged citizens to gather at power plants across the country at 2 p.m. (10:30 GMT) tomorrow and form human chains in protest against U.S. threats to bomb those facilities.

Explosions were reported in parts of Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj, Iranian media reported. "Moments ago, explosions were heard in parts of Tehran and Karaj," local media outlets Fars and Mehr posted on Telegram, without giving further information.

Local authorities in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region say a drone believed to have come from Iran crashed into a home and killed a couple on Monday. The autonomous region’s Counter‑Terrorism Service said in a statement that the incident occurred in the Dara Shakran subdistrict of Erbil Province, where a bomb‑laden unmanned aerial vehicle struck a civilian house, resulting in the deaths of a man and a woman.

Saeed Jalili, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, said ignoring US President Donald Trump is not the best approach, arguing that his remarks reveal America’s true nature. “‘Shut up’ is not the right response to Trump’s ramblings; let him speak more,” Jalili wrote on X. “Nothing exposes the true character of the United States more effectively than Trump’s outbursts,” he added.

Iran reported that four of its army officers were killed during a US rescue operation south of Isfahan on Sunday. The army’s public relations office said Monday that the officers died early Sunday in an attack by “several US offensive aircraft” in Isfahan province. According to the statement, the officers engaged in “direct combat” with enemy fighter jets, helicopters, armed drones, and support aircraft.

Iran has threatened to target an artificial intelligence center in the United Arab Emirates after an airstrike hit Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology on Monday morning, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. The strike damaged the university’s computing center and GPU facility, which supports the country’s AI infrastructure, Tasnim said. The agency is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran’s Ministry of Health reported Monday that hundreds of women and children have been killed in US-Israeli strikes since the war began. The ministry said 220 children under 18 were killed and 1,959 were injured, including 18 under the age of 5 and 70 children under 2 among the injured. At least 254 women were killed, with 4,830 injured.

The ministry also detailed the wider impact on Iran’s healthcare system: 481 people hospitalized, 28,918 treated and discharged as outpatients, 1,220 surgeries performed, 41 ambulances damaged, and 25 healthcare workers killed, with 118 injured.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization condemned an alleged US-Israeli strike on its yellowcake production facility in central Iran, calling it a violation of protections for peaceful nuclear sites. The Shahid Rezayee Nejad facility, located in Ardakan, Yazd Province, is a key part of Iran’s nuclear fuel cycle. In a post on X Monday, the organization described the strike as “a clear violation of the immunity of peaceful nuclear facilities” and an attack on Iran’s “reactor fuel supply chain” and nuclear medicine development.

“Iran’s nuclear technology serves peace and human health,” the statement said, adding that the country’s nuclear program “will never be stopped by heavy bombs.” The statement did not specify when the strike occurred or whether the facility was damaged.

Tehran’s army dismissed Donald Trump’s “arrogant rhetoric” on the Middle East, saying his threats will not stop Iran’s forces. A spokesman for the Khatam Al-Anbiya central command told the state broadcaster that the U.S. president’s “rude, baseless threats have no effect on the ongoing offensive operations of the warriors of Islam against American and Israeli targets.”

The Israeli military on Tuesday expressed regret over "collateral damage" to a synagogue in Tehran caused by an overnight strike that it said was targeting a senior Iranian commander.

"Last night (Tuesday), the IDF struck a senior commander in the emergency headquarters 'Khatam al-Anbiya' of the Iranian terror regime," an Israeli military spokesperson said in response to a question from AFP.

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday criticized Donald Trump's extreme threats against his country, after the president warned that "a whole civilization will die" if Tehran does not accept US war demands.

"The president of the United States again resorted to language that is not only deeply irresponsible, but profoundly alarming," said Amir Saeid Iravani, adding that the comment "openly reveals his intent to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity."

The Israeli military on Tuesday urged all vessels in the maritime zone off the coast of southern Lebanon to immediately head north of the city of Tyre, warning that it would operate in the area.

US President Donald Trump said the United States is preparing to launch “heavy strikes” against Iran if his 8 PM ET deadline passes without a response. He added that military options remain on the table and could be executed tonight, underscoring rising tensions.

Russia and China veto Strait of Hormuz resolution at UN Security Council. 

The draft resolution on the Strait of Hormuz was put to a vote at the UN Security Council. Eleven members voted in favor, two opposed, and two abstained. The resolution was not adopted.

Bahrain tells the UN, ‘Iran has no right to close the waterway,’ warning failure to act would have ‘grave consequences for the world and humanity’ and undermine the authority of Security Council resolutions.

The United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on situation in the Middle East with a vote expected on a draft resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran officially warns it may close the Bab al‑Mandeb Strait “if the situation gets out of control”. A senior Iranian source told Reuters news agency that the entire region and Saudi Arabia would fall into darkness if the US Iran's struck power plants.

US oil prices surged above $117 per barrel, as the market reacted to US President Donald Trump’s looming 8 PM ET deadline for Iran. Analysts warn that if prices remain at this level for about seven weeks, US CPI inflation could rise to 3.7 per cent.

Iran has cut direct diplomatic communications with the United States following President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s “whole civilisation,” a move that complicates efforts to negotiate a cease‑fire as a key deadline approaches.

The White House dismissed suggestions that remarks by Vice President JD Vance regarding military operations in Iran implied any consideration of a US nuclear strike.

After Vance said US forces have tools they "so far haven't decided to use" to enforce a dramatic ultimatum from President Donald Trump, the White House said on X: "Literally nothing @VP said here 'implies' this, you absolute buffoons."

Lebanon's health ministry said Tuesday that the death toll in more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah had reached 1,530.

The toll includes 102 women and 130 children, as well as 57 heath workers, a ministry statement said, adding that 4,812 people have been wounded.

Netanyahu says Israel struck railways, bridges in Iran.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned what he described as "treacherous attack" outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul where a gunman was killed, and vowed to fight "terrorism".

JD Vance says 'there's going to be a lot of negotiation' until the US deadline for Iran.

Israel strongly condemned what it described as a "terrorist attack" on its consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, adding it would be undeterred by "terror" following the shootout.

"We appreciate the Turkish security forces' swift action in thwarting this attack. Israeli missions around the world have been subjected to countless threats and terrorist attacks. Terror will not deter us," the foreign ministry posted on X.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Tuesday they would deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas if Washington crossed Tehran's "red lines", a statement carried on state television said. "The Revolutionary Guards once again declare that if the American terrorist army crosses the red lines, our response will go beyond the region," the statement said.

It said the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, would target infrastructure "to deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas in the region for years".

"America's regional partners should also know that until today, we have exercised great restraint for the sake of good neighbourliness and have had some reservations in choosing targets for retaliation, but all these reservations have since been removed," it said.

The Pentagon cancels a press briefing with the defence secretary and joint chiefs of staff. No explanation was given for why the briefing was cancelled.

Israeli Defence Forces on Tuesday (Apr 7) issued an “urgent warning” to Iranians to avoid travelling by train and stay away from railway tracks across the country until at least 9 pm. In a statement issued in Farsi, the IDF warned of “safety” risks, suggesting a possible target for its airstrikes. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Tehran with “complete demolition” of the country’s civilian infrastructure once the deadline to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is over.

In a statement, IDF’s Persian-language spokesman, Lt. Col. (res.) Kamal Penhasi said, “Dear citizens, for your safety, we request that from this moment until 21:00 Iran time, you refrain from using and travelling by train across Iran.”

He added, “Your presence on trains and near railway lines puts your lives at risk.”

Read more

Iran's Revolutionary Guards announces all restraints in targeting will be ending, and it will strike infrastructure in a way that could deprive the US and regional countries of oil and gas resources for years.

Iran's strategically important Kharg island targeted, local media reports

The United States and Israel launched an attack on a bridge near the Iranian city of Qom, south of Tehran, on Tuesday, the deputy governor of the province said, according to state TV.

"A few minutes ago, one of the bridges on Qom's communication lines, outside the city of Qom and in the west of the province, was attacked by American and Zionist enemy projectiles," Morteza Heydari said.

Train travel to and from Iran's second city of Mashhad was cancelled until further notice on Tuesday after Israel warned Iranians not to use railways until 1730 GMT, local media reported, citing the governor.

"Due to the immoral warning of the Zionist regime regarding the attack on the country's railways and in order to exercise caution, all train movements from the Mashhad Railway have been cancelled until further notice," Governor Hassan Hosseini said, according to several local media.

Istanbul Governor says police are working to identify attackers near Israeli consulate and said all three attackers were neutralised in the shooting incident.

A shooting outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul has resulted in several casualties, according to CNN affiliate CNN Turk.

Egypt’s foreign minister called for restraint in tensions involving Iran and the United States, warning of a “catastrophic scenario” as he held talks with regional and international counterparts.

At least 18 people were killed in a pre-dawn attack on residential areas in Alborz province, west of Tehran, IRGC-affiliated Fars news reported on Tuesday, citing a provincial official.

Russia has provided satellite imagery and cyber support to Iran to help it carry out attacks on US and regional targets, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment reviewed by Reuters.

The driver of a high-speed TGV train was killed and 27 people injured in France on Tuesday when the train collided with a truck, officials said.
 

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital on Tuesday, according to the country's Mehr news agency as well as the newspapers Shargh and Ham-Mihan.

An AFP journalist confirmed that a series of blasts were heard coming from the north of the city.

The IDF confirms bombing another petrochemical facility in Iran yesterday, saying it was “one of the few remaining facilities” used to manufacture materials for ballistic missiles.

Iranian media reported yesterday that the airstrikes hit the Marvdasht Petrochemical Complex, near Shiraz, hours after the Israeli Air Force bombed Iran’s largest petrochemical facility in Asaluyeh.

In a statement, the IDF says that the facility near Shiraz “was used by Iran’s armed forces to produce nitric acid, a substance necessary for manufacturing explosives and additional materials used in ballistic missile development processes.”

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital on Tuesday, according to the country's Mehr news agency as well as the newspapers Shargh and Ham-Mihan.

An AFP journalist confirmed that a series of blasts were heard coming from the north of the city.

Israeli Defence Forces on Tuesday (Apr 7) issued an “urgent warning” to Iranians to avoid travelling by train and stay away from railway tracks across the country until at least 9 pm. In a statement issued in Farsi, the IDF warned of “safety” risks, suggesting a possible target for its airstrikes. This comes after US President Donald Trump threatened Tehran with “complete demolition” of the country’s civilian infrastructure once the deadline to make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is over.

Read more here.

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, which is mediating between Iran and the United States, said on Tuesday that efforts to end the war were approaching a "critical" stage.

"Positive and productive endeavours in Good Will and Good Office to stop the war is approaching a critical, sensitive stage," Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam wrote on X, without giving details.

The message came hours before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face attacks on key infrastructure.

Israel's military on Tuesday morning urged Iranians to refrain from travelling by train until 1730 GMT, in a message on X that appeared to signal upcoming strikes on Iran's railway network.

"For your safety, we ask you to refrain from using trains or travelling by train throughout the country from now until 9 pm Iran time," the military wrote on its Persian-language account.

"Your presence on trains and near railway tracks puts your life in danger."

The major traffic artery connecting Saudi Arabia and the island nation of Bahrain was temporarily closed as a precaution, authorities said Tuesday, following the issuance of security alerts in the area.

"The movement of vehicles across King Fahd Bridge has been suspended as a precautionary measure," said the General Authority for King Fahd Causeway in a post online.

The King Fahd Causeway is a 25-kilometre (16-mile) series of bridges connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

US-Israeli strikes early on Tuesday "completely destroyed" a synagogue in Tehran, Iran's Mehr news agency and the Shargh daily reported.

"According to preliminary information, the Rafi-Nia Synagogue... was completely destroyed in this morning's attacks," Shargh wrote.

Judaism is one of Iran's official religions, and the country has a small Jewish community, although many members fled in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Two separate Israeli air attacks on southern Lebanon have killed five people, Al Jazeera reported

The Israeli military has just warned the people of Iran not to use trains, saying that doing so “endangers your life”.

The military’s Farsi-language channel on X issued what it called an “urgent warning to users and train passengers in the country of Iran”:

Trump might delay his Tuesday 8 PM ET deadline on Iran “if he sees a deal is coming together,” according to Axios. This would mark the 5th time President Trump has delayed his ultimatum

US crude oil prices rise by 3%, up to over $115 as Trump's deadline looms

Trump is reportedly preparing to revoke the visas of up to 4,000 "Iranian elites" living in the U.S, according to reports

Traffic movement on the King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge that connects Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, has been suspended due to Iranian air raid threats.

Israeli military warns Iranian citizens to keep away from trains and railway lines until later tonight
 

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in US for foreign office consultations with American side. The talks will take place on Wednesday

Iranian composer Ali Ghamsari has staged a sit-in protest in front of Iran’s Damavand power plant, as US President Donald Trump continues to threaten to destroy the country’s civilian energy sites and bridges.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that one of seven Malaysian-owned commercial vessels previously stranded in the Strait of Hormuz has “been granted safe passage” and is now on its way to its final destination. “The positive outcome follows high-level diplomatic engagements,” including a call between Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian last month, the ministry said in a statement.

The ongoing conflict in and around Iran has pushed inflation in the Philippines up to 4.1% in March 2026, above the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ target range of 2% to 4%. The rise was driven largely by higher global fuel prices and increased costs for transport and utilities, affecting the import‑reliant economy. This marks the fourth straight month of inflationary pressure, raising concerns about rising prices for food and transportation and the potential for slower economic growth if costs continue to climb.

Arrangements are being made for a phone call between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. “I recall what I said yesterday was that we were making arrangements to do a telephone call with the Iranian president,” Takaichi told parliament.

Japan said that a Japanese national who had been detained in Iran since January has been released on bail. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters that Japan is demanding a full release from Iranian authorities. He said the Japanese ambassador to Iran met the person released and that he was in good health without providing further details. The person is believed to be a journalist at Japan’s NHK public television.

Hezbollah said in a new social media post that it launched rocket at the towns of Metula and Kfar Yuval in northern Israel.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces have attacked more than 13,000 Iranian targets.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described US President Donald Trump’s recent threats against Iranian civilian infrastructure as “unhelpful.” He told national broadcaster Radio New Zealand that they were “unhelpful because more military action’s not necessary." Luxon emphasized that the focus should remain on preventing the conflict from expanding further, saying, “I think the bottom line is that the focus needs to be on not seeing this conflict expand any further.” He also noted that any attacks on bridges, reservoirs, or other civilian infrastructure would be unacceptable, explaining, “We got threats from the president over the weekend. Any of those actions, including bombing bridges and reservoirs and civilian infrastructure, would be unacceptable as well.”

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stated that Iran’s military forces will not be intimidated by the recent assassinations of commanders, following the killing of the Revolutionary Guards’ top intelligence officer, Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi. Describing Khademi’s career, Khamenei said, “Khademi spent decades in quiet and devoted service in the fields of security, intelligence and defense.” He added, “Nonetheless, the unbroken ranks of the combatants and fighters on the path of truth in Islamic Iran, along with the self-sacrificing Armed Forces, form such a towering, deeply rooted front that terrorism and crime cannot even crack their resolve for jihadi ideals. Khamenei delivered his remarks in a written statement.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said US President Donald Trump’s threats to blow up the country are “baseless” and vowed to continue fighting. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said “the rude rhetoric, arrogance and baseless threats of the delusional US president, arising from the deadlock he faces and aimed at justifying the repeated defeats of the US military” will not stop Iran from fighting. “If attacks on non-civilian targets are repeated, our retaliatory response will be carried out far more forcefully and on a much wider scale,” he warned

Israel said it had struck Iran's largest petrochemical complex, which services the South Pars natural gas field, the biggest natural gas reserve in the world.

Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu said the facility had been "destroyed" and his country was "systematically eliminating the Revolutionary Guards' money machine."

Strikes also hit another petrochemical complex near the Iranian city of Shiraz, local authorities said.

Trump and Iran rejected a ceasefire bid from mediating countries, though the US leader called it a "significant proposal."

"It's a significant step. It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," Trump told reporters in Washington before his news conference.

Iranian state media said the proposal contained 10 undisclosed points, but Tehran "has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict."

International Committee of the Red Cross chief Mirjana Spoljaric warned that "deliberate threats... against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare."

"Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law," she said, without singling out any country or leader.

Trump, asked about potentially committing war crimes by attacking civilian infrastructure, said "I'm not worried about it." He argued an Iran with "a nuclear weapon" would be worse.

Trump and other senior US officials gave details of the high-risk mission to rescue two US airmen who were shot down over Iran, saying more than 170 aircraft and hundreds of troops were involved in the operation.

"These two operations reflect our nation's most sacred obligation to our military service members," top US general Dan Caine said. "We leave no one behind."

Nearly 40 days into the Iran war, with strikes intensifying and no clear end in sight, Donald Trump claims he has already “saved 30–50 million lives” by ending 8 wars, including between India and Pakistan. He also claimed God supports the war.

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Iran freed a Japanese national held since January, Tokyo said Tuesday, with Kyodo News reporting that the person was believed to be the Tehran bureau chief of broadcaster NHK.

"The Japanese embassy in Iran has confirmed that a Japanese national who was detained by Iranian authorities on January 20 was released on April 6 local time," government spokesman Minoru Kihara said.

Why is Iran asking civilians to form a “human chain” around the nation's power plants. Here's all you need to know.

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Alireza Rahimi, Iran’s deputy minister for youth and sports, has urged citizens to gather at power plants across the country at 2 p.m. (10:30 GMT) tomorrow and form human chains in protest against U.S. threats to bomb those facilities.

Explosions were reported in parts of Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj, Iranian media reported. "Moments ago, explosions were heard in parts of Tehran and Karaj," local media outlets Fars and Mehr posted on Telegram, without giving further information.

Local authorities in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region say a drone believed to have come from Iran crashed into a home and killed a couple on Monday. The autonomous region’s Counter‑Terrorism Service said in a statement that the incident occurred in the Dara Shakran subdistrict of Erbil Province, where a bomb‑laden unmanned aerial vehicle struck a civilian house, resulting in the deaths of a man and a woman.

Saeed Jalili, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, said ignoring US President Donald Trump is not the best approach, arguing that his remarks reveal America’s true nature. “‘Shut up’ is not the right response to Trump’s ramblings; let him speak more,” Jalili wrote on X. “Nothing exposes the true character of the United States more effectively than Trump’s outbursts,” he added.

Iran reported that four of its army officers were killed during a US rescue operation south of Isfahan on Sunday. The army’s public relations office said Monday that the officers died early Sunday in an attack by “several US offensive aircraft” in Isfahan province. According to the statement, the officers engaged in “direct combat” with enemy fighter jets, helicopters, armed drones, and support aircraft.

Iran has threatened to target an artificial intelligence center in the United Arab Emirates after an airstrike hit Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology on Monday morning, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. The strike damaged the university’s computing center and GPU facility, which supports the country’s AI infrastructure, Tasnim said. The agency is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iran’s Ministry of Health reported Monday that hundreds of women and children have been killed in US-Israeli strikes since the war began. The ministry said 220 children under 18 were killed and 1,959 were injured, including 18 under the age of 5 and 70 children under 2 among the injured. At least 254 women were killed, with 4,830 injured.

The ministry also detailed the wider impact on Iran’s healthcare system: 481 people hospitalized, 28,918 treated and discharged as outpatients, 1,220 surgeries performed, 41 ambulances damaged, and 25 healthcare workers killed, with 118 injured.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization condemned an alleged US-Israeli strike on its yellowcake production facility in central Iran, calling it a violation of protections for peaceful nuclear sites. The Shahid Rezayee Nejad facility, located in Ardakan, Yazd Province, is a key part of Iran’s nuclear fuel cycle. In a post on X Monday, the organization described the strike as “a clear violation of the immunity of peaceful nuclear facilities” and an attack on Iran’s “reactor fuel supply chain” and nuclear medicine development.

“Iran’s nuclear technology serves peace and human health,” the statement said, adding that the country’s nuclear program “will never be stopped by heavy bombs.” The statement did not specify when the strike occurred or whether the facility was damaged.

Tehran’s army dismissed Donald Trump’s “arrogant rhetoric” on the Middle East, saying his threats will not stop Iran’s forces. A spokesman for the Khatam Al-Anbiya central command told the state broadcaster that the U.S. president’s “rude, baseless threats have no effect on the ongoing offensive operations of the warriors of Islam against American and Israeli targets.”