According to semi-official Mehr news agency, Kamal Kharazi, a top foreign policy official and former Iranian foreign minister, has been severely injured in an airstrike on his home in Tehran earlier. His wife was reportedly killed in the attack.
Kharrazi, considered a moderate politician and veteran policy expert, also served as an adviser to the former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in the first hours of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
As the BBC notes, this reported attack will raise questions about why Kharazi, head of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, was targeted in a system now increasingly dominated by hardliners.
According to the New York Times, two Iranian officials said Kharazi had been overseeing engagement with Pakistan for a possible meeting between Iranian officials and US vice-president JD Vance. The officials said the targeting of Kharazi is being viewed as an attempt to derail diplomacy.
Explainer: Can Trump pull the US out of Nato – and why is he considering it?
After years of attacking its efficacy and assailing its members as spendthrift freeloaders, Donald Trump now appears on the very threshold of doing the once unthinkable: withdrawing the US from Nato.
Such a move would signal a political earthquake for the western security architecture established in the aftermath of the second world war and which endured cold war confrontation with the Soviet Union before expanding after the demise of eastern European communism in 1989.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the alliance’s formal name, was set up in 1949 with an initial core of 12 members – including the US, Britain, France, Canada and Denmark – and has since expanded to include 32 countries.
Its initial purpose was to provide a bulwark against Soviet communism, then deemed to be aggressively expansionist.
But it was also underpinned by a recognition that an absence of collective security had been key to the failure to deter Hitler in the 1930s, as Nazi Germany steadily annexed territory before the second world war.
In this explainer, my colleague Robert Tait examines Trump’s attitude towards Nato and whether he can simply withdraw such a vast panoply of armed backing:
Updated
The Iranian president said “the world stands at crossroads”, arguing in his letter to the people of the United States that continuing on a path of hostility toward Iran is “more costly and futile than ever before”.
Pezeshkian described the choice between confrontation and engagement as “both real and consequential”, warning that its outcome will “shape the future for generations to come”.
Pezeshkian also questioned whether the United States was putting “America first” with its warn on Iran, or if it was acting as a “proxy” for Israel.
Is it not also the case that America has entered this aggression as a proxy for Israel, influenced and manipulated by that regime?
Is it not evident that Israel now aims to fight Iran to the last American soldier and the last American taxpayer dollar — shifting the burden of its delusions onto Iran, the region, and the United States itself in pursuit of illegitimate interests?
Iran's president says his country has no 'enmity' for American people
In his letter to the American people, Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian laid out the longstanding, historical grievances behind Tehran’s distrust of Washington, with a turning point being the 1953 coup d’état, which he described as “an illegal American intervention aimed at preventing the nationalisation of Iran’s own resources”.
Relations before that “were not originally hostile, and early interactions between the Iranian and American people were not marred with hostility or tension”, he wrote.
He said that distrust “deepened further” through US support for the Shah, backing of Saddam Hussein, sweeping “inhumane” sanctions and, most recently, “unprovoked military aggression – twice, in the midst of negotiations, against Iran”.
The continuation of military aggression and recent bombings profoundly affect people’s lives, attitudes, and perspectives.
He then stressed that there was a distinction between the US government and the people of the United States – with ordinary Americans, Europeans, and other countries not viewed as enemies, despite decades of hostility.
The Iranian people harbor no enmity toward other nations, including the people of America, Europe, or neighbouring countries; attacks on Iran’s infrastructure, targeting of our people, have consequences beyond the country’s border. What we do in response is based on the legitimate right of self-defense, not an act of aggression.
Even in the face of repeated foreign interventions and pressures throughout their proud history, Iranians have consistently drawn a clear distinction between governments and the peoples they govern. This is a deeply rooted principle in Iranian culture and collective consciousness — not a temporary political stance.
Updated
Iran's president rejects perception of Iran as a threat, in open letter addressed to American people
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has rejected portrayals of Iran as a security threat, and described the perception of it as such as a product of the “political and economic whims of the powerful”.
In an open letter addressed to the people of the United States and carried by state media outlet Press TV, he argued that Iran’s modern record is defensive as he urged Americans to “look beyond political rhetoric” and reconsider their view of his country.
Iran, by this very name, character, and identity – is one of the oldest continuous civilisations in human history. Iran has never, in its modern history, chosen the path of aggression, expansion, colonialism, or domination .… Iran has never initiated a war. Yet it has resolutely and bravely repelled those who have attacked it.
He went on:
Portraying Iran as a threat is neither consistent with historical reality nor with present-day observable facts. Such a perception is the product of political and economic whims of the powerful, the need to manufacture an enemy in order to justify pressure, maintain military dominance, sustain the arms industry, and control strategic markets.
I’ll bring you more from the letter as I get it.
Updated
There is no evidence yet that the strait of Hormuz has been mined, France’s navy chief has said.
Speaking at the War & Peace security conference in Paris, Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, said:
It is clearly an issue we are working on, should mining be confirmed, which, as of today, has not been established.
He also called on China to “engage more directly” and pressure Iran to restore store traffic flows in the critical waterway.
We have not seen China’s navy step in to reopen the strait. On the other hand, there is direct political dialogue between Chinese and Iranian authorities to ensure that a certain number of vessels can pass. Will that be enough to restore normal traffic flows? I don’t believe so.
As a result, China will probably have to engage more directly in the debate and show its impatience with the fact that the strait remains closed.
Trump expected to reiterate timeline of 'two or three weeks' for winding down US operations on Iran in 'important update' later
With Donald Trump due to deliver an address to the nation tonight, multiple outlets are reporting that he is expected to reiterate a timetable of two or three weeks for winding down US military operations in Iran.
That would be in line with what the US president said on Tuesday, when he told reporters in the Oval Office US forces would end operations in Iran “very soon”, adding:
Now we’re finishing the job. I think in two weeks or maybe a few days longer, we’ll do the job. We want to knock out everything they’ve got.
Trump is due to speak at 9pm ET in what will be his first prime-time speech since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran over a month ago.
The White House gave no further details, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying only that the remarks would be an “important update”.
Updated
US state department offers $3m reward for information on attacks on Iraq facilities
The US state department is offering a reward of up to $3 million for information on attacks on its diplomatic facilities in Iraq.
It comes after the US embassy in Baghdad, the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Centre and the US consulate General in Erbil, in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, have faced repeated attacks since the US-Israeli war on Iran began over a month ago.
“If you have information on Iranian-aligned terrorist militia groups or others responsible for these attacks, send us your tips today,” the department’s Rewards for Justice program said in a post on X.
“Your information could make you eligible for relocation and a reward,” it added.
This is the latest of a number of bounties for information the department has issued since the start of the war, including on top figures in the Iranian leadership .
Israel carries out further strikes on Iran
Earlier, the Israeli air force said it had started a “wave of extensive strikes” on Tehran, claiming the attacks were targeting “infrastructures” linked to the regime in the “heart” of the capital.
The Mehr news agency reported that an attack struck western Tehran, damaging several residential buildings.
The semi-official news agency also reported that the deputy governor of Isfahan in central Iran had said Kashan passenger airport came under attack this evening by US-Israeli forces, with parts of the airport sustaining damage in the strike.
Akbar Salehi, a provincial security official, said other locations were also hit in Kashan and across the province, including Shahreza, Aran, Bidgol and Najafabad.
Updated
The day so far
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, called Trump’s claim that it has asked for a ceasefire is “false and baseless”, according to a report on Iranian state television. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard separately issued a statement saying the strait of Hormuz “is firmly and decisively under the control” of its forces, AP reported.
Donald Trump has said he is “absolutely” considering withdrawing the US from Nato, warning that the matter was “beyond reconsideration” after the refusal of US allies to join the US-Israeli war against Iran. The president’s threats, his most determined to date, have left the alliance facing its worst crisis in its 77-year history, a former US ambassador has warned.
Trump said the US will be “out of Iran pretty quickly” but could return for “spot hits”. Ahead of his scheduled national address this evening, the US president said he would express his disgust with Nato over what he described as its lack of support for his war objectives against Iran.
Trump will address the nation on the Iran war on Wednesday, his first prime-time speech since the conflict began. The White House has given no details on the address, but it comes hours after Trump claimed Iran had sought a pause in hostilities – even as he set conditions that underscored the uncertainty surrounding the war’s trajectory, AFP reported.
The Israeli military claimed to have killed a Hezbollah commander who was responsible for the group’s military activity in southern Lebanon. In a statement on social media, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Yusuf Ismail Hashem was killed in a strike in Beirut yesterday. It described Hashem as a “senior commander with 40+ years of experience” and that he was “a central figure in Hezbollah”.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has acknowledged the attack on an oil tanker in Qatari waters, alleging that it had ties to Israel. As reported earlier, the Qatari defence ministry said the Aqua 1 fuel oil tanker leased to the state-owned QatarEnergy was hit by an Iranian cruise missile.
The new supreme leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, has issued a message of gratitude to Hezbollah’s secretary general, Naim Qassem. In a statement carried by Iranian media, he praised Hezbollah for its “perseverance, steadfastness and patience” against “the most ruthless enemies of the Islamic world”, as he vowed Iran will continue to support groups fighting US and Israeli forces across the Middle East.
British counter drone crews in northern Iraq downed over 10 Iranian drones overnight, the UK Ministry of Defence said. Attacks have continued seemingly undimmed over the past month, with some or more aimed at western bases, previously for troops engaged in counter Islamic State operations before the US and Israel attacked Iran.
Kuwaiti firefighters on Wednesday extinguished a fire that broke out earlier in the day in fuel tanks at Kuwait airport following an Iranian drone attack, the government said. There were no casualties, and only material damage was reported.
The families of UK citizens held in the United Arab Emirates over allegations that they shared images of the conflict with Iran have voiced frustration at the British government’s failure to help. Several British citizens are among more than 100 foreign nationals who have been detained under draconian Emirate rules that outlaw publishing or sharing material that could “disturb public security”.
Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus and its surrounding areas, state TV al Ekhbariyah reported on Wednesday. The network said that that the blasts were likely caused by Israeli air defences intercepting Iranian missiles.
Trump lashes out at Nato: will Europe stand up to him? - podcast
Donald Trump has said he is considering pulling the US out of Nato, likening the alliance to a “paper tiger”.
It comes after weeks of denouncements from the US president against allies for not helping to reopen the strait of Hormuz.
Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley…
Updated
Donald Trump has said he is “absolutely” considering withdrawing the US from Nato, warning that the matter was “beyond reconsideration” after the refusal of US allies to join the US-Israeli war against Iran.
The president’s threats, his most determined to date, have left the alliance facing its worst crisis in its 77-year history, a former US ambassador has warned.
Trump has long been vocally sceptical about the benefit of Nato membership to the US, but since North Atlantic allies have refused to take part in the month-long, faltering, US-Israeli assault on Iran, the president has stepped up his rhetoric.
He told Reuters news agency on Wednesday he was “absolutely without question” considering withdrawal, after telling the Telegraph the matter was “beyond reconsideration”, insisting he had never been “swayed by Nato”. He signalled that he would express his disgust for Nato in an address to the nation scheduled for Wednesday evening.
It could be politically and constitutionally difficult for Trump to bring about formal withdrawal from the 1949 Washington treaty, Nato’s founding document, but Ivo Daalder, US permanent representative at Nato headquarters from 2009 to 2013, argued the serious damage to the alliance had already been done.
“This is by far the worst crisis Nato has ever confronted. Military alliances are, at their core, based on trust: the confidence that if I am attacked, you will come help defend,” Daalder wrote in an online commentary. “It’s hard to see how any European country will now be able and willing to trust the United States to come to its defence.”
The families of UK citizens held in the United Arab Emirates over allegations that they shared images of the conflict with Iran have voiced frustration at the British government’s failure to help.
Several British citizens are among more than 100 foreign nationals who have been detained under draconian Emirate rules that outlaw publishing or sharing material that could “disturb public security”.
UK government ministers have refused to condemn the arrests, amid claims they are too fearful of offending the Emirates because of their economic clout.
The campaign group Dubai Watch, which is supporting nine British detainees, said their identities could not be revealed for fear of reprisals. But it has shown the Guardian anonymised correspondence from their increasingly anxious families.
A mother whose daughter is being held wrote: “This experience is exhausting, mentally and emotionally.”
She described reading media reports about the continuing conflict in which Iran has retaliated against US and Israelis strikes by firing drones and missiles against its Gulf neighbours, including the UAE.
She said: “I have just read another article, and quite frankly I could do one purely on the inadequacies and sycophantic responses from this [UK] embassy.”
Iran says Trump's claim of ceasefire request is 'false and baseless'
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, called Trump’s claim that it has asked for a ceasefire is “false and baseless”, according to a report on Iranian state television.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard separately issued a statement saying the strait of Hormuz “is firmly and decisively under the control” of its forces, AP reported.
“This strait will not be opened to the enemies of this nation through the ridiculous spectacle by the president of the United States,” it added.
Kuwaiti firefighters on Wednesday extinguished a fire that broke out earlier in the day in fuel tanks at Kuwait airport following an Iranian drone attack, the government said.
There were no casualties, and only material damage was reported.
US president Donald Trump will address the nation on the Iran war on Wednesday, his first prime-time speech since the conflict began.
The White House has given no details on the address, but it comes hours after Trump claimed Iran had sought a pause in hostilities – even as he set conditions that underscored the uncertainty surrounding the war’s trajectory, AFP reported.
Iran’s president “has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”
There was no independent confirmation of Trump’s claim.
Trump is set to speak at 9pm ET, more than a month after the United States and Israel launched their assault on Iran – a delay that contrasts with the early addresses presidents typically deliver at the outset of major conflicts.
What should we infer from Trump's claim Iran has asked for ceasefire?
President Trump’s Truth Social post claiming that Iran’s new president had asked for a ceasefire is problematic in a number of key details.
While Iran might have a new Supreme Leader in Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father Ali who was assassinated in the opening salvoes of the war, it does not have a “new president” who remains exactly the same person as before the start of the war - Masoud Pezeshkian.
If, at a pinch one could argue that, Trump is talking sloppily about the president of a “new regime” that still remains sharply at odds with most expert analysis which suggests that far from being “less radicalized” the regime has taken a more hardline and unpredictable turn since Ali Khamenei’s killing as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has moved to further consolidate its power.
Even in the event that Pezeshkian is behind an undisclosed ceasefire initiative of some kind – which Iran has not commented on – it is not clear what the status that might means in terms of Tehran’s internal power dynamics where the role of Supreme Leader is viewed historically as being more powerful than the office of president.
In a phone call this week with Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, Pezeshkian suggested that Iran could end of the conflict but with the important proviso of guarantees against a repeat attack - which is one of Tehran’s key demands and which Trump may be misrepresenting.
“We possess the necessary will to end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met, especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression,” Pezeshkian’s office said in a statement.
When Iran has commented on contacts through the mediation of Pakistan it has been to suggest that Trump’s remarks on progress have been highly exaggerated, a familiar Trump trait both in his interventions in Middle East diplomacy and over the war in Ukraine where repeated claims of imminent breakthroughs have tended not to survive contact with reality.
Amid widespread reporting that Trump is looking for an exit strategy for a deeply unpopular war that he has already become bored with, what seems more likely is that he is trying to shape a narrative that would allow him to say the war has been won.
Updated
Trump repeats claims of Iran 'regime change'
Reuters has published further remarks from Donald Trump in its phone interview with the US president.
When asked if he was thinking about pulling the US out of Nato, he said: “Oh, absolutely without question. Wouldn’t you do that if you were me?”
He added: “They haven’t been friends when we needed them. We’ve never asked them for much ... it’s a one-way street.”
He also expressed his hope for a deal with the new leaders in Iran after airstrikes killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
He again claimed that there has been a “full regime change” in Iran, adding: “I’m dealing with a very good chance that we’ll make a deal because they don’t want to be blasted anymore.
“I didn’t need regime change, but we got it because of the casualties of war. We got it. So we have regime change and the big thing we have is they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. Nor do they want one.”
As for the enriched uranium still possessed by Iran, Trump said: “That’s so far underground, I don’t care about that.
“We’ll always be watching it by satellite.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has acknowledged the attack on an oil tanker in Qatari waters, alleging that it had ties to Israel.
As reported earlier, the Qatari defence ministry said the Aqua 1 fuel oil tanker leased to the state-owned QatarEnergy was hit by an Iranian cruise missile. There were no reports of injuries and the 21 crew members escaped unharmed.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the IRGC said an oil tanker belonging to the “Zionist regime with the trade name ’Aqua 1’” in the the Persian Gulf “was precisely targeted”.
It was not immediately clear what links the oil tanker have to Israel.
In further news alerts, Reuters reported Trump as saying Iran will not have a nuclear weapon “nor do they want one”.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, with leaders citing a religious decree (known as a fatwa) against weapons of mass destruction. The US and Israel have always disputed this claim.
Trump says US will be 'out of Iran pretty quickly' - Reuters
In an interview with Reuters news agency, Donald Trump said the US will be “out of Iran pretty quickly” but could return for “spot hits”.
Ahead of his scheduled national address this evening, the US president said he would express his disgust with Nato over what he described as its lack of support for his war objectives against Iran. He added that he was “absolutely” considering an attempt to withdraw the US from the alliance, according to Reuters.
He did not give a timeline of when the US could end the war, saying: “I can’t tell you exactly... we’re going to be out pretty quickly.”
He added: “They [Iran] won’t have a nuclear weapon because they are incapable of that now, and then I’ll leave, and I’ll take everybody with me, and if we have to we’ll come back to do spot hits.”
British counter drone crews in northern Iraq downed over 10 Iranian drones overnight, the UK Ministry of Defence said.
Attacks have continued seemingly undimmed over the past month, with some or more aimed at western bases, previously for troops engaged in counter Islamic State operations before the US and Israel attacked Iran.
It was not clear what Donald Trump meant by “Iran’s new regime president”, as there has been no recent change in that role. Masoud Pezeshkian remains the Iranian president, a role he has served since 2024.
Trump claims Iran's president has asked US for a ceasefire
The US would only consider a ceasefire with Iran if the Hormuz strait opens, Donald Trump has declared on social media.
He said Iran had asked for a ceasefire, writing:
Iran’s New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE! We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!! President DJT
Updated
Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus and its surrounding areas, state TV al Ekhbariyah reported on Wednesday.
The network said that that the blasts were likely caused by Israeli air defences intercepting Iranian missiles.
Iranian authorities warned Nato member Bulgaria last month not to let the US use its airports for planes participating in military operations in Iran, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Stanislav Balabanov, a deputy with the ‘There is Such People’ party, showed a note from 18 March in which the Iranian government protested against US military refuelling planes parked at Bulgaria’s Vasil Levski airport.
In the note, Iran said it “reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, security and national interests in accordance with international law.” Later on Wednesday, in a statement to reporters, deputy foreign minister Marin Raikov confirmed the note and said: “Bulgaria is not at war.“
“No combat aircraft are being loaded over Bulgaria to participate in military operations,” he told reporters. “We maintain intact diplomatic relations with the Iranian side.“
The new supreme leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, has issued a message of gratitude to Hezbollah’s secretary general, Naim Qassem.
In a statement carried by Iranian media, he praised Hezbollah for its “perseverance, steadfastness and patience” against “the most ruthless enemies of the Islamic world”, as he vowed Iran will continue to support groups fighting US and Israeli forces across the Middle East.
Khamenei has not been seen since the war began on 28 February and has only issued written statements since becoming Iran’s new supreme leader. US and Israeli officials believe he was wounded in the attack that killed six of his family members, including his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and remains in hiding.
Here are some of the latest images from across the Middle East:
The Israeli military claimed to have killed a Hezbollah commander who was responsible for the group’s military activity in southern Lebanon.
In a statement on social media, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Yusuf Ismail Hashem was killed in a strike in Beirut yesterday. It described Hashem as a “senior commander with 40+ years of experience” and that he was “a central figure in Hezbollah”.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the reported killing.
The IDF has escalated its attacks in southern Lebanon as Hezbollah continues to fight an Israeli ground invasion. Israel said it will occupy swathes of southern Lebanon and destroy the homes along the border to prevent the return of about 600,000 people, prompting concerns of long-term forced displacement.
The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, said that when fighting with Hezbollah ended, Israel would occupy the area under the Litani River, about 19 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border, as part of its so-called buffer zone inside southern Lebanon.
Ebrahim Azizi, the chair of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, has mocked Donald Trump for declaring “regime change” in Iran, saying the only change the US has achieved in the war is losing access to the strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, he said:
Trump has finally achieved his dream of ‘regime change’—but in the region’s maritime regime!
The strait of Hormuz will certainly reopen, but not for you; it will be open for those who comply with the new laws of Iran.
Donald Trump said he will wrap up his military campaign against Iran in two to three weeks and that a deal is not necessary to end the conflict.
“We will be leaving very soon,” he told reporters in the Oval Office last night.
The White House said the US president will provide “an important update” during a national address this evening at 9pm Washington time (2am BST). While it is unclear what updates he will provide on the war, questions remain over whether the US has achieved its shifting objectives since launching a joint attack with Israel against Iran more than four weeks ago.
Trump said on Monday that he has already achieved regime change by killing Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, even though he has been replaced by his son, Mojtaba. Other key Iranian officials have been killed since the outbreak of the war, but critics say a change in Iran’s leadership does not constitute a regime change.
“What we are seeing in Iran is not a regime change — but a transformation within the regime itself, one that has made it more extreme,” Danny Citrinowicz, the Israeli military’s former top Iran researcher, posted on X.
Updated
Starmer says summit with EU later this year will lead to 'more ambitious' plans for cooperation
Keir Starmer said he will push for a closer relationship with the EU at a summit coming up later this year.
“We want to be more ambitious, closer economic cooperation, closer security cooperation, a partnership that recognises our shared values, our shared interest and our shared future,” he said in a press conference in Downing Street.
When asked by a reporter whether a closer relationship with the EU is an acknowledgment that the relationship with the US is changing, Starmer responded:
Firstly, Nato is the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen. And it has kept us safe for many decades. And we are fully committed to Nato.
Secondly, that, whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I’m going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions that I make.
And that’s why I’ve been absolutely clear that this is not our war, and we’re not going to get dragged into it.
But I’m equally clear that, when it comes to defence and security and our economic future, we have to have closer ties with Europe.
His remarks followed a Telegraph interview with Donald Trump, in which the US president said he was considering pulling the US out of Nato, and suggested the UK does not have a proper navy.
Trump's frustration with Nato over its refusal to back his Iran war is clear - snap analysis
Trump’s latest comments come as he increasingly hardens his language against European allies, blaming them for difficulties in his Iran operation.
In last days, he specifically targeted European allies, calling them “cowards” and telling them to “build up some delayed courage” and take control over the strait of Hormuz.
He and his senior officials also criticised a number of specific countries, particularly Spain, which has been most vocally critical of the US-Israeli war against Iran, and France.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, warned last night about the sharply escalating frustration with Nato, as he told Fox News: “We are going to have to reexamine whether or not this alliance that has served this country well for a while is still serving that purpose or has now become a one-way street, where America is simply in a position to help Europe but when we need the help of our allies, they deny us basing rights and overflight.”
Italy is the latest country to risk the US administration’s anger, after it has denied the use of an airbase in Sicily to US military planes carrying weapons for the war in Iran after the US did not follow the required authorisation procedure.
For more on the impact of the war in Europe, follow our Europe live blog here:
Updated
Keir Starmer is giving an update on the Iran war at a press conference in Downing Street, where he sought to reassure the British public that the government is working on a plan to help with the cost of living.
“We will continue to stand up for the British national interest, and we continue to do what we must to guide our country calmly through this storm,” he said.
You can follow the live updates on our UK politics blog here:
The Telegraph interview follows remarks by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, that the US may need to reconsider its relationship with Nato once the war against Iran is over.
“We’re going to have to reexamine the value of Nato and that alliance for our country,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News last night.
“If Nato is just about us defending Europe if they’re attacked, but them denying us basing rights when we need them, that’s not a very good arrangement. That’s a hard one to stay engaged in.”
Trump said he was “glad” Rubio made the comments.
When asked by the Telegraph whether Keir Starmer should spend more on defence, Trump said: “I’m not going to tell him what to do. He can do whatever he wants. It doesn’t matter.
“All Starmer wants is costly windmills that are driving your energy prices through the roof.”
Trump suggests he is considering pulling out of Nato - report
Donald Trump suggested he is considering pulling the US out of Nato, as he again likened the alliance to a “paper tiger”.
“Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration,” he said in an interview with the Telegraph.
“I was never swayed by Nato. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”
The US president has been levelling insults at allies in recent weeks for not helping to reopen the strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively shut down by Iran as the Middle East war rages on.
“Beyond not being there, it was actually hard to believe. And I didn’t do a big sale. I just said, ‘Hey’, you know, I didn’t insist too much. I just think it should be automatic,” Trump said.
He added that the US has been there for countries that needed its support, including Ukraine, even though it “wasn’t our problem”.
Taking aim at the UK, he said: “You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work.”
Updated
Governments across Asia are ramping up their use of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, as they try to cover huge energy shortfalls triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran.
The move has triggered warnings from climate experts who point to coal’s devastating environmental impact, and say the energy crisis should be a wake up call for governments to invest in renewables, which can offer a more stable supply that is not exposed to price shocks.
Across the region, from Bangladesh to South Korea, governments are trying to compensate for a drop off in imported energy, much of which comes from the Middle East.
South Korea said it will delay the shutdown of coal-fired power plants and has lifted caps on electricity from coal, while in Thailand, the government has increased output at the country’s largest coal-fired plant. The Philippines, which has declared a “national energy emergency” as a result of the war, also plans to boost operations of its coal-fired power plants.
In South Asia, India, which relies on coal for nearly 75% of its power generation, has asked its coal plants to run at maximum capacity and avoid planned outages, while Bangladesh increased coal-fired power generation and coal-fired power imports in March.
Read the full report here:
Albanese says months ahead 'may not be easy' as he urges Australians to save fuel
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has warned the months ahead “may not be easy” because of the oil crisis caused by the Middle East war.
“The months ahead may not be easy. I want to be upfront about that. No government can promise to eliminate the pressures that this war is causing,” he said in a rare national address.
“I can promise we will do everything we can to protect Australia from the worst of it.”
He urged Australians not to panic buy fuel and to trade cars for public transport where possible.
“If you’re hitting the road, don’t take more fuel than you need — just fill up like you normally would. Think of others in your community, in the bush and in critical industries,” he said.
Updated
The National Bank of Kuwait said it is closing its headquarters for two days as the Gulf nation continues to face Iranian attacks.
The bank’s headquarters in the capital Kuwait City and a branch in Subhan, which is close to the airport, were closed “due to current developments and in the interest of everyone’s safety and business continuity”, it said in a statement.
It follows reports of an Iranian drone attack at Kuwait airport which struck fuel tanks at the site, triggering a large fire.
The Israeli military said a strike in central Iran killed what it described as a senior engineering officer of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Mahdi Vafaei, chief of engineering in the IRGC Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps, was killed in the strike yesterday in Mahallat.
The IDF claimed Vafaei “advanced underground projects across Lebanon and Syria” for two decades, including “dozens of underground projects in Lebanon that were used to store advanced weaponry”.
There was no immediate comment from Iran.
An 11-year-old girl is in critical condition and a 13-year-old boy was seriously injured after a missile attack in Bnei Brak in central Israel this morning, according to Israeli media.
Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency medical service said 14 people have been wounded in the attack.
Qatar’s defence ministry has also confirmed the missile attack on the oil tanker, saying the 21 crew members were evacuated from the vessel with no injuries.
In a statement this morning, the ministry said Qatar was targeted by three cruise missiles from Iran. The Qatari armed forces intercepted two missiles, while the third struck an oil tanker leased to QatarEnergy.
“Procedures were taken and coordination with the relevant authorities to evacuate the oil tanker, which has a crew of (21) persons, without any human casualties,” the ministry said in a post on X.
QatarEnergy, the world’s largest producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), confirmed one of its tankers was hit in a missile strike this morning.
“None of the crew members on board were injured, and there is no impact on the environment as a result of this incident,” the state-owned company said in a statement.
As reported earlier, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a tanker off the coast of Qatar was hit by two projectiles, one causing a fire that has since been extinguished and another remaining unexploded in the vessel’s engine room.
The vessel was struck about 17 nautical miles (31 km) north of Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial hub.
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Houthis claim third missile attack against Israel
Houthi forces in Yemen have claimed responsibility for a missile attack on southern Israel this morning, saying it was a joint operation with Iran and Hezbollah.
In a statement, the Houthi movement said it carried out its third missile attack in the conflict “in conjunction with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon”.
The Houthis “carried out the third military operation... targeting sensitive Israeli enemy targets... with a barrage of ballistic missiles”, the Tehran-backed group said.
It threatened “further escalation” if Israel continues to attack Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
The statement comes about three hours after the Israeli military said a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen at southern Israel was intercepted. No injuries were reported.
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Here are some early images from across the Middle East.
Israel’s emergency medical service said an 11-year-old girl was in serious condition after a missile attack that the military blamed on Iran and police said caused damage at several sites, reports AFP.
The military said it had “identified missiles launched from Iran towards the territory of the State of Israel” for the first time in about 20 hours, with air raid sirens activated across central Israel.
Another warning of incoming missile fire came less than an hour later, prompting alerts across large parts of northern and central Israel, according to the military’s Home Front Command.
The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said an 11-year-old girl was seriously wounded by shrapnel in central Israel as a result of the first launch.
Spokesman Zaki Heller told Israeli TV that at least 12 others were also wounded, including a 13-year-old boy and a 33-year-old woman in moderate condition, all from the same impact site.
Israeli media said cluster munitions, which explode mid-air and scatter bomblets across a wide area, were used in the attack. Iran and Israel have previously accused each other of using cluster bombs.
Macron lauds Europe's 'predictability' in seeming contrast to Trump
French President Emmanuel Macron has praised Europe’s “predictability” during a visit to Japan on Wednesday, contrasting it with countries that “could hurt you without even informing you” in an apparent swipe at Donald Trump, reports AFP.
“I’m well aware that sometimes Europe can be seen as a continent that is slower than others,” Macron told an audience of Japanese business leaders and investors in Tokyo.
“But predictability has value, and we have demonstrated that over all these past years and, dare I say, even these past weeks: we are where you know we will go,” he added.
Macron criticised countries that said they were “going much faster” than their allies, but “you don’t know whether the day after tomorrow they will still be in that position, and whether tomorrow they won’t make a decision that could hurt you without even informing you”.
The remark was an apparent reference to the US-Israeli war on Iran, which has led to the effective closures of the strait of Hormuz, a waterway that Japan depends upon for its energy imports.
The US president criticised France on Tuesday, writing on social media that Paris had been “very unhelpful” during the war with Iran.
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Israel military says it is working to intercept Iran missile attack as warning sirens activated
The Israeli military said its air defences responded to a missile attack from Iran on Wednesday, with warning sirens activated across central Israel.
“A short while ago, the IDF (army) identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” a military statement said.
One person has been killed by falling drone debris in United Arab Emirates
One person has been killed after debris from an intercepted drone fell on a farm in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, state media said.
The individual killed was a Bangladeshi national.
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Tanker struck off Qatar was hit by two projectiles, UK authorities say
A tanker struck off Qatar was hit by two projectiles, one causing a fire that has since been extinguished and another remaining unexploded in the vessel’s engine room, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Wednesday.
The vessel was struck about 17 nautical miles (31 km) north of Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial hub, causing damage above the waterline, with the crew safe and no environmental impact, reported AFP.
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Israel’s military said early on Wednesday it had carried out a “wide-scale wave of strikes” on Tehran.
Separately, it said an Israeli military drone had been downed by a surface-to-air missile during operational activity in southern Lebanon overnight on Tuesday.
Australian PM to address nation as support measures announced to cushion soaring fuel prices
Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers has unveiled a suite of Covid-era support measures for businesses struggling with soaring fuel prices, while Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese is set to address the nation in the latest sign the government is preparing for a more severe economic downturn from the war.
“The war in the Middle East is having an extreme impact on the global economy. Australians and Australian small businesses are paying the price for that,” the treasurer told reporters on Wednesday.
The support package will include more generous Australian Taxation Office payment plans, doing away with penalties and interest on unpaid tax debts, and offering support to defer PAYG payments where the business has suffered a hit to their revenue “due to fuel supply issues”.
The ATO will also hold off on chasing unpaid tax debts.
Anthony Albanese will deliver an address to the nation on Wednesday night at 7pm AEDT, where he’s expected to encourage Australians to play their part in the fuel crisis, including helping to save fuel for areas that need it.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and the wider repercussions throughout the Middle East and globally.
Donald Trump said on Tuesday that US forces would end operations in Iran “very soon,” suggesting a timeline of two to three weeks. The US president also told reporters that the responsibility for keeping the strait of Hormuz open will rest with countries that rely on it. “That’s not for us … That’ll be for whoever’s using the strait,” he said.
Later, US secretary of state Marco Rubio told Fox News the US would need to reevaluate the Nato relationship after the conflict in Iran concludes, saying: “I do think, unfortunately, we are going to have to re-examine whether or not this alliance that has served this country well for a while is still serving that purpose.
“If now we have reached a point where the Nato alliance means that we can’t use [US military bases in Europe]... then Nato is a one-way street.”
Here is a summary of the latest developments:
Donald Trump will provide an update on the Iran war in an address to the nation at 9pm EST on Wednesday (0100 GMT on Thursday), White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has announced.
Two-thirds of Americans believe that the US should work to end its involvement in the Iran war quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by the Trump administration, a Reuters/Ipsos poll has found.
Asian markets rose sharply early on Wednesday after US stocks soared to their best day in almost a year on renewed hopes that the Iran war could soon end. South Korea’s Kospi surged 6.4% in early trading, while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 1.9%, while the Shanghai Composite index was trading 1.4% higher.
Thousands of additional US troops are heading to the Middle East. The aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush deployed on Tuesday and is slated to travel to the region along with three destroyers, two US officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 personnel.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards Israel. It said defence systems were operating to intercept the missile.
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said areas in northern, eastern and central Tehran were under attack on Wednesday morning. The broadcaster said on Telegram that explosions were heard in the capital’s north, east and centre, reporting “attacks on Tehran” without immediately providing more details.
A drone attack has sparked a large fire at Kuwait international airport, according to its state news agency, which said no casualties had been reported, while in the last few hours Saudi Arabia has said it intercepted and destroyed two drones. Bahrain also said early on Wednesday that it was working to extinguish a fire at a business facility that resulted from an Iranian attack. A tanker also came under attack off the coast of Qatar early on Wednesday, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre.
Israeli strikes in southern Beirut and a nearby area have killed seven people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
An American journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad by a suspected Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, the US said. The journalist was identified as Shelly Kittleson, a freelancer, by media advocacy groups as well as Al-Monitor, one of the news outlets for which she worked.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the United Arab Emirates is preparing to help the US open the strait of Hormuz by force. Citing Arab officials, the newspaper reported the UAE is lobbying for a UN security council resolution that would authorise such action.
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