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Summary
Here is a summary of the latest developments:
The UN security council is expected to vote today on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the strait of Hormuz. Diplomats said Bahrain, which now chairs the 15-member Security Council, finalized a draft resolution seen by Reuters that would authorize “all defensive means necessary” to protect commercial shipping.
Iran says it is drafting a peacetime protocol that will supervise – but not restrict – maritime traffic through the strait of Hormuz with Oman. Meanwhile, the strait is open for Russia, according to a Russian official quoted by that country’s state media.
UN secretary-general António Guterres has issued a stark warning to the warring parties, calling for an immediate end to the “spiral of death and destruction” in the Middle East.
US army chief of staff Randy George was asked to step down by defense secretary Pete Hegseth and take immediate retirement, CBS News reported. His removal adds to recent upheaval at all levels of leadership at the Pentagon.
US forces have struck a bridge connecting Tehran and Karaj in Iran in an attack that Iranian media reported killed at least 8 people and injured about 100 others. The attack reportedly eliminated a planned military supply route for sustaining Iran’s ballistic missile and attack drone force.
The US president, Donald Trump, shared footage on his Truth Social of the bridge strike near Tehran, warned there was “much more to follow” and urged Tehran to “make a deal before it is too late”.
Yemen’s Houthis have said they have carried out another military operation using a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting “vital Israeli enemy targets”, this time as part of a joint operation with Iran and Hezbollah.
US oil prices settled more than 11% higher and Brent soared nearly 8% on Thursday in volatile trading, as traders worried about prolonged disruptions to oil supply the day after President Donald Trump said the US would continue attacks on Iran.
Kuwait’s military said on Friday its air defences were working to intercept missiles and drones fired towards the Gulf nation’s territory.
The Kuwaiti army posted the news on X, saying any explosions heard were air defence interceptions.
Updating our earlier post about today’s UN security council vote on a proposal to secure the strait of Hormuz, a final draft seen by Reuters says it authorises the use of defensive – but not offensive – action to ensure vessels can safely pass through the strait. Bahrain’s initial draft resolution would have allowed countries “to use all necessary means” – UN language that would include possible military action – “in the strait of Hormuz, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman” to secure passage and deter attempts to interfere with navigation. Russia, China and France, all veto-wielding countries , had expressed opposition to approving the use of force. The final draft eliminates any reference to allowing offensive military action, but the three countries’ views on the changes are not known, so Friday’s vote will be closely watched.
Israel’s military said Friday its air defences were operating to down missiles fired from Iran, as Tehran keeps up its retaliatory fire on the country.
The military said in a statement it had “identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the state of Israel”, adding that “defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat”. There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.
US oil prices settled more than 11% higher and Brent soared nearly 8% on Thursday in volatile trading, as traders worried about prolonged disruptions to oil supply the day after President Donald Trump said the US would continue attacks on Iran.
Brent crude futures closed at $109.03 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose to $111.54 per barrel, settling at their biggest absolute price rise since 2020.
Both benchmarks remained below highs near $120 a barrel reached earlier in the conflict.
The UN security council is set to vote on Friday on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the strait of Hormuz, diplomats said.
Diplomats said Bahrain, which now chairs the 15-member Security Council, finalized a draft resolution seen by Reuters that would authorize “all defensive means necessary” to protect commercial shipping.
“We look forward to a unified position from this esteemed council during the vote that will take place on the draft resolution tomorrow, God willing,” Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani told the council.
Bahrain, backed in its efforts to secure a resolution by other Gulf Arab states and Washington, had previously dropped an explicit reference to binding enforcement in a bid to overcome objections from other nations, particularly Russia and China.
The draft seen by Reuters authorises the measures “for a period of at least six months … and until such time as the council decides otherwise.”
Updated
'Spiral of death and destruction must stop,' says Guterres
UN secretary-general António Guterres has issued a stark warning to the warring parties, calling for an immediate end to the “spiral of death and destruction” in the Middle East.
“Every day the war in the Middle East continues, human suffering and devastation grow, indiscriminate attacks grow, and the perils to our world grow,” he said.
The conflict is being felt everywhere. We must find a peaceful way out. The spiral of death & destruction must stop now.
In a prior post, he called on the United States and Israel to “stop the war that is inflicting immense human suffering & triggering devastating economic consequences”, and urged Iran to stop attacking its neighbours.
“Conflicts end when leaders choose dialogue over destruction,” he said. “That choice still exists. And it must be made now.”
Hegseth asks US army chief to step down
US Army chief of staff Randy George was asked to step down by defense secretary Pete Hegseth and take immediate retirement, CBS News reports.
In the last year, Hegseth has moved quickly to reshape the department, firing top generals and admirals as he seeks to implement Donald Trump’s national security agenda.
George, an infantry officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was confirmed to the top post in 2023. Terms in that role usually run for four years.
Prior to holding the top job, George was the vice chief of the army and, before that, the senior military adviser to then-defense secretary Lloyd Austin.
His removal adds to recent upheaval at all levels of leadership at the Pentagon, including the firing last year of the previous chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, air force general CQ Brown, as well as the chief of naval operations and air force vice-chief of staff.
The office for George did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Key event
A US military official has told the New York Times that it was US forces that struck the B1 bridge connecting Tehran and Karaj in Iran on Thursday, in an attack that Iranian media reported killed at least 8 people and injured 95 others.
The attack on the bridge – a major infrastructure project that was nearing completion – eliminated a planned military supply route for sustaining Iran’s ballistic missile and attack drone force, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to share operational details.
Donald Trump earlier boasted about the attack and appeared to take US responsibility, warning Tehran that there was “much more to follow” if it did not make a deal.
Updated
Death toll in strike on Iranian bridge rises to 8 with almost 100 injured, Iran state media reports
The death toll from Thursday’s attack on the B1 bridge in Karaj, Iran, has risen to eight, up from two, and 95 others were injured, Iranian state media reports.
Donald Trump earlier boasted about the attack, warning Tehran there was “much more to follow” and urged it to “make a deal before it is too late”.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the attack wouldn’t force Tehran to surrender. “It only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray,” he said.
Every bridge and building will be built back stronger. What will never recover: damage to America’s standing.
Updated
Strait of Hormuz is 'open for us', says Russia
The strait of Hormuz is open to Russia, Vladimir Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov has said.
While Iran has effectively closed the strait to most ships, Russian state media reported Ushakov as saying on Thursday that it was “open for us”.
Almost 2,000 vessels are currently stranded inside the Persian Gulf, according to the International Marine Organization. But some vessels with ties to Iran, China, India and Pakistan have been able to pass through the strait.
Ushakov’s comments came as the Iranian and Russian foreign ministers discussed the safety of navigation in the critical waterway during a phone call.
Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement that they also discussed the efforts taken by a number of states to de-escalate tensions in the region
It added they also “exchanged views on the progress of discussions in the UN Security Council on ways to ensure the safety of navigation in the strait of Hormuz and overcome other consequences of the unprovoked aggression of the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
US striking civilian structures a sign of 'moral collapse', says Iranian foreign minister
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said that Washington’s recent strikes on civilian infrastructure will not force Tehran to back down, adding that such actions “convey the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray”.
“Striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender,” Araghchi said in a post on X. “It only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray. Every bridge and building will be built back stronger. What will never recover: damage to America’s standing.”
Donald Trump earlier boasted about the strike on the B1 bridge in Karaj, west of Tehran, which killed at least two people and injured several others. He warned there was “much more to follow” and urged Tehran to “make a deal before it is too late”.
Updated
Houthis claim further strikes on Israeli targets
Yemen’s Houthis have said they have carried out another military operation using a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting “vital Israeli enemy targets”, this time as part of a joint operation with Iran and Hezbollah.
The Israeli military earlier said it had detected a missile launch coming from Yemeni territory and was working to intercept.
Updated
Iran preparing proposal for joint post-war strait of Hormuz navigation protocol with Oman
Iran said on Thursday it was drafting a peacetime protocol that would supervise – but not restrict – maritime traffic through the strait of Hormuz with Oman, AFP reports citing state media, with Tehran’s closure of the vital oil corridor roiling the global economy.
Deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi told Russia’s Sputnik state media that the protocol would apply after the ongoing war with the United States and Israel had ended, setting basic rules to manage ship movements, the IRNA news agency said.
“We are currently finalising the drafting of this protocol and, once it has been finalised internally, we will undoubtedly begin negotiations with the Omani side in order to reach a joint protocol,” he said.
Such oversight “will naturally not mean restrictions”, he said, rather, “they are intended to facilitate and ensure safe passage and to provide better services to ships passing through this route.”
Oman has yet to report any such negotiations. Its foreign minister said last month his country was “working intensively to put in place safe passage arrangements for the strait of Hormuz”.
Under international law, the critical waterway is open to international shipping, but Iran has effective halted most traffic through the strait and recently passed plans to impose tolls on ships.
Updated
Argentina has expelled the Iranian embassy’s chargé d’affaires, ordering them to leave the country within 48 hours, after Tehran criticised Argentina’s designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organisation”.
Argentina’s foreign ministry declared Mohsen Soltani Tehrani persona non grata and said Iran had made “false, offensive and unfounded accusations against the Argentine Republic and its highest authorities”.
In a statement released by its embassy in Uruguay on Wednesday, Iran criticised Argentina’s decision to declare the IRGC a terrorist organisation as “illegal and unfounded” and warned the move would damage bilateral relations.
Iran also said Argentine president Javier Milei, a Trump and Israel ally, and foreign minister Pablo Quirno were “siding with the aggressors” in a “clear violation” of international law.
Argentina’s foreign ministry said Thursday it would “not tolerate insults or interference from a state that has systematically failed to comply with its international obligations and that persists in obstructing the progress of justice”.
The UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper convened a virtual meeting of more than 40 countries on the strait of Hormuz crisis on Thursday, in which officials from every continent discussed possible ways to increase pressure on Iran to reopen the critical waterway.
“We’re so determined to see every possible diplomatic, economic and coordinated measure to get the strait reopened,” Cooper told reporters after the meeting, adding:
Iran’s reckless strikes are attacking international shipping, seeking to hijack the global economy. That’s affecting petrol prices and mortgage rates here in the UK, but also jet fuel across the world, fertiliser to Africa and also gas to Asia.
We’re clear that we need the diplomatic pressure, the economic pressure and also the work that’s being done separately by military planners on how to keep shipping safe for the long term, when the conflict concludes.
In a statement released after the meeting, the chair said that the areas of possible collective action include:
Increase international diplomatic pressure, including through the UN, to send clear and co-ordinated messages to Iran to permit unimpeded transit passage through the strait of Hormuz and to comprehensively reject the imposition of tolls on vessels which seek to pass through.
Explore co-ordinated economic and political measures, such as sanctions, to bear down on Iran if the strait remains closed.
Work with the International Maritime Organisation to secure the release of thousands of ships and sailors trapped in the strait and get shipping moving again.
Joint arrangements to support greater market and operational confidence.
A drone attack targeted the US diplomatic and logistics centre in Baghdad’s international airport complex on Thursday, two Iraqi security sources have told AFP.
“Two drones targeted the logistics support centre, causing a fire but no injuries,” one security source said, adding that one of the drones was shot down “behind the airport”. A second source confirmed the incident.
The airport complex houses an Iraqi military base as well as the US facility.
Trump urges Iran to make deal 'before it is too late'
Donald Trump has shared footage on his Truth Social of the bridge strike near Tehran that killed two people and appeared to take US responsibility for the attack.
He warned there was “much more to follow” and urged Tehran to “make a deal before it is too late”.
The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow! IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY!
As we reported earlier, strikes hit the B1 bridge between Karaj and Tehran on Thursday, which had already been hit around an hour earlier, Iranian state TV reported.
“The American-Zionist enemy once again targeted the B1 bridge in Karaj,” a city west of Tehran, state TV said earlier, adding that the first strike had caused two civilian casualties.
The Israeli Defence Forces previously told the BBC that they were unaware of the strike.
Updated
The day so far
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has hit out at Donald Trump, saying he was undermining Nato by creating “daily doubt about his commitment” to the alliance. The US president, in interviews to various media yesterday, made disparaging comments about Nato, calling it a “paper tiger” and threatening to pull the US out of it.
Iran is drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor traffic in the strait of Hormuz, the official IRNA news agency cited deputy foreign minister Kezem Gharibabadi as saying this afternoon. Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi has apparently told Sputnik, the Russian government-owned news agency, that Iran has nearly completed its draft protocol, which would establish a new navigation regime in the strait of Hormuz.
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that the Middle East conflict risked spiralling into a wider war, as he called for an immediate halt to US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian attacks on its neighbours. “We are on the edge of a wider war that would engulf the Middle East with dramatic impacts around the globe,” the secretary-general told reporters in New York.
Wall Street’s main indexes pared declines and were muted on Thursday, in the last session of the week, as investors assessed latest indications that energy shipping through the strait of Hormuz could be restored. Iran was drafting a protocol with Oman for traffic through the Strait, its foreign ministry said. Britain also said that about 40 countries are discussing joint action to reopen the strait to stop Iran from holding “the global economy hostage.”
US-Israeli strikes hit a bridge near Tehran on Thursday, which had already been hit around an hour earlier, Iranian state TV reported. “A few minutes ago, the American-Zionist enemy once again targeted the B1 bridge in Karaj,” a city west of Tehran, state TV said, adding that the first strike had caused two civilian casualties.
Argentina’s government declared Iran’s charge d’affaires, Mohsen Tehrani, “persona non grata” and expelled him from the country, Argentina’s foreign minister said in a statement on Thursday. The measure orders Tehrani to leave the country within 48 hours.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has warned that Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem would pay an “extraordinarily heavy price” for escalating attacks during the ongoing Jewish holidays. “I have a clear message for Naim Qassem... you and your associates will pay an extraordinarily heavy price for the intensified rocket fire directed at Israeli citizens as they gathered to celebrate Passover Seder,” Katz said in a video statement.
Germany and China both want to restore the freedom of navigation in the strait of Hormuz and agree that individual states must not control sea lanes or levy tolls for passage, the foreign ministry in Berlin said on social media platform X on Thursday. China can exert its influence on Iran to bring about a negotiated solution and an end to hostilities against the Gulf states, added the ministry.
The Lebanese prime minister, Nawaf Salam, said there was no end in sight to the war that has killed hundreds of people and left a million more displaced. Marking one month since Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war, with the Israeli military fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants along the southern Lebanese border, Salam said his country was committed to “employing all available means to stop the war”.
Austria has rejected US requests for military overflights of its territory since the start of the conflict in the Middle East in line with its policy of neutrality, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP on Thursday. “There have indeed been requests and they were refused from the outset,” Colonel Michael Bauer said, adding that every time a similar request “involves a country at war, it is refused”.
Polish prosecutors have opened an investigation into a bomb attack that wounded a Polish soldier who was part of a UN peacekeeping patrol in Lebanon, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw said on Thursday. The 29 March bombing was carried out in Bint Jubayl by an unidentified person using an improvised explosive device on the route of the Polish convoy, prosecutors said in a statement, Reuters reported.
The Philippines said Iran has pledged to allow safe passage of oil shipments through the strait of Hormuz. Officials said a “productive phone conversation” between the Philippine foreign secretary, Theresa Lazaro, and her Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, had opened the door to crucial oil shipments.
Strikes in Iran have caused extensive damage to a century-old medical centre in the capital Tehran, the country’s health ministry spokesperson said. “The aggression against Pasteur Institute of Iran – a century-old pillar of global health and member of International Pasteur Network – is a direct assault on international health security,” Hossein Kermanpour wrote in a post on X, with images of a heavily damaged building.
War without a plan?: What Trump's latest speech revealed - podcast
Donald Trump’s primetime address on Wednesday evening provided little clarity on the US’s strategy in its war against Iran.
Trump said that, while military action has made Iran ‘no longer a threat’, the US will continue to hit the country ‘extremely hard’ for several weeks and ‘bring them back to the stone ages, where they belong.’
In today’s edition of The Latest podcast, Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s global affairs correspondent, Andrew Roth.
Updated
Wall Street’s main indexes pared declines and were muted on Thursday, in the last session of the week, as investors assessed latest indications that energy shipping through the strait of Hormuz could be restored.
Iran was drafting a protocol with Oman for traffic through the Strait, its foreign ministry said. Britain also said that about 40 countries are discussing joint action to reopen the strait to stop Iran from holding “the global economy hostage.”
“It looks like the UK may be leading an effort to open the Strait of Hormuz, which would be great for traders,” said Kim Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital Partners told Reuters.
“Not only does it benefit all people on the Arabian Peninsula, but Iran needs to get its products to market too. That probably is softening today’s sell off.“
Wall Street’s indexes had opened sharply lower on Thursday after president Donald Trump signalled more aggressive attacks on Iran, in a sharp reversal from his earlier comments that the US will be “out of Iran pretty quickly”.
Oil prices pared some gains, but the elevated prices pressured airlines. United Airlines, Delta Airlines and American Airlines lost between 1% and 3%.
Updated
Now for some more on the market reaction. Brent crude is now ‘only’ up 5% today at $106.40 a barrel, following reports that Iran and Oman are working on a protocol to cover travel through the strait of Hormuz.
That’s down from its earlier high of $109.74 a barrel, but still higher than the $99 at which it started the session.
Updated
Report: Iran is drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor traffic in the strait of Hormuz
Iran is drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor traffic in the strait of Hormuz, the official IRNA news agency cited deputy foreign minister Kezem Gharibabadi as saying this afternoon.
Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi has apparently told Sputnik, the Russian government-owned news agency, that Iran has nearly completed its draft protocol, which would establish a new navigation regime in the strait of Hormuz.
Gharibabadi told Sputnik:
The draft of this protocol is currently in the final stages of preparation. Once we have it ready, we will begin negotiations with Oman so that we can draft a joint protocol.
Gharibabadi then explained that the protocol would mean that, in peacetime, all vessels that pass through the strait must have all the necessary agreements with the coastal states - Iran and Oman, and obtain the necessary permits and licenses in advance.
Updated
Polish prosecutors have opened an investigation into a bomb attack that wounded a Polish soldier who was part of a UN peacekeeping patrol in Lebanon, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw said on Thursday.
The 29 March bombing was carried out in Bint Jubayl by an unidentified person using an improvised explosive device on the route of the Polish convoy, prosecutors said in a statement, Reuters reported.
The statement said the bomb attack failed due to the HMMWV, or Humvee, vehicle’s security measures.
The wounded soldier suffered injuries to his face and head, the office said. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was first deployed in 1978 and has remained through successive conflicts, including a 2024 war during which its positions came under fire repeatedly.
US-Israeli strikes hit a bridge near Tehran on Thursday, which had already been hit around an hour earlier, Iranian state TV reported.
“A few minutes ago, the American-Zionist enemy once again targeted the B1 bridge in Karaj,” a city west of Tehran, state TV said, adding that the first strike had caused two civilian casualties.
It said the later attack took place as emergency teams were deployed to the site to help victims of the first strike.
Argentina’s government declared Iran’s charge d’affaires, Mohsen Tehrani, “persona non grata” and expelled him from the country, Argentina’s foreign minister said in a statement on Thursday.
The measure orders Tehrani to leave the country within 48 hours.
The decision comes in response to a statement released on Wednesday by Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which accused Argentina’s president, Javier Milei – an ally of the US president, Donald Trump – and his foreign minister, Pablo Quirno, of being complicit in military attacks on its territory.
Argentina’s foreign minister said Iran’s claims “contain false, offensive, and unfounded accusations against the Argentine republic and its highest authorities”.
Updated
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that the Middle East conflict risked spiralling into a wider war, as he called for an immediate halt to US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian attacks on its neighbours.
“We are on the edge of a wider war that would engulf the Middle East with dramatic impacts around the globe,” the secretary-general told reporters in New York.
The closure of the strait of Hormuz, the crucial oil and gas shipping route that has been blocked by Iran since the US-Israeli attacks began, is having ripple effects around the world, with most industries already grappling with rising energy costs.
If the strait is not reopened, transport blockages across the Middle East could cause significant shocks to food and medicine supplies.
No one knows how long the wider conflict will last, but governments are panicking about the implications.
Yvette Cooper, the UK foreign secretary, is hosting a meeting with 35 other countries on Thursday to discuss reopening the strait.
Here is what could happen in the UK if the blockade drags on:
The Lebanese prime minister, Nawaf Salam, said there was no end in sight to the war that has killed hundreds of people and left a million more displaced.
Marking one month since Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war, with the Israeli military fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants along the southern Lebanese border, Salam said his country was committed to “employing all available means to stop the war”.
Speaking at a press conference, he said: “Lebanon has become a victim of a war whose outcomes or end date no one can predict with certainty.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has issued unprecedented evacuation orders for swathes of the Lebanese south, which it claims to be a Hezbollah stronghold. With troops advancing further into Lebanese territory, Israel said it will occupy and destroy the homes along the border to prevent the return of about 600,000 residents.
Since the start of attacks, 1,318 people have been killed in Lebanon and 3,935 injured, according to the country’s health ministry. More than 1.1 million people have been displaced, including hundreds of thousands of children, the UN said.
“We are called upon to continue our work in strengthening our capacities, obtaining greater support for sheltering the displaced, responding to their needs, ensuring their good hosting—indeed, their embrace—and safeguarding their security as well as the security of their hosts among the citizens throughout all of Lebanon,” said Sawaf.
“For these displaced persons are the first and greatest victims of a war in whose waging they had no say or decision.”
‘Everyone is thinking about oil prices’: is Iran using the war to hide a surge in executions?
It has been almost three months since Peyvand Naimi, 30, was arrested in connection with the mass street protests that spread across Iran in January before being brutally suppressed. Since then, he has been detained for more than a month in solitary confinement, appeared in a televised forced confession, and has undergone two mock hangings, beatings, interrogation, psychological torture and starvation.
He has been accused of involvement in the deaths of security agents during the protests and of celebrating the death of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, but his family insist he has done nothing wrong and that no formal charges have been made. He has been denied access to a lawyer; his relatives fear he now faces execution.
“My whole body was shaking when I heard about the torture he has endured,” says Zahra Hosseini*, a close relative. “It’s unbelievable. I am very worried.”
Naimi’s uncertain fate comes amid concerns that a surge in executions is taking place in Iran and has been “overshadowed” by the US-Israeli war on Iran. At least 145 people are confirmed to have been killed in 2026 so far, with an additional 400-plus executions reported but not verified, according to Iran Human Rights.
Read the full report here:
Updated
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has warned that Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem would pay an “extraordinarily heavy price” for escalating attacks during the ongoing Jewish holidays.
“I have a clear message for Naim Qassem... you and your associates will pay an extraordinarily heavy price for the intensified rocket fire directed at Israeli citizens as they gathered to celebrate Passover Seder,” Katz said in a video statement.
Austria has rejected US requests for military overflights of its territory since the start of the conflict in the Middle East in line with its policy of neutrality, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP on Thursday.
“There have indeed been requests and they were refused from the outset,” Colonel Michael Bauer said, adding that every time a similar request “involves a country at war, it is refused”.
Austria has been a neutral country since 1955. It is surrounded to the north, south, and east by Nato members, with neutral Switzerland to the west.
Germany and China both want to restore the freedom of navigation in the strait of Hormuz and agree that individual states must not control sea lanes or levy tolls for passage, the foreign ministry in Berlin said on social media platform X on Thursday.
China can exert its influence on Iran to bring about a negotiated solution and an end to hostilities against the Gulf states, added the ministry.
Updated
Iran’s two largest steel plants have been forced out of action by several waves of US and Israeli attacks, the companies have said.
“Our initial estimate is that restarting these units will take at least six months and up to one year,” Mehran Pakbin, deputy head of operations at the Khuzestan Steel Company, was quoted as saying by the Mizan Online website on Thursday.
Mobarakeh Steel Company in the central province of Isfahan said that its “production lines have completely shut down following the high volume of attacks”.
Both plants have suffered repeated strikes since last week.
Yvette Cooper condemns 'Iranian recklessness' over global economic security
The UK foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, is chairing a meeting of almost three dozen nations to discuss measures to help reopen the strait of Hormuz.
She condemned “Iranian recklessness” for “hitting global economic security”, adding that the UK is seeking to lead a diplomatic initiative to restore access to the maritime route being targeted by Iran in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign against it.
She said there were more than 25 attacks on vessels in the strait and 20,000 seafarers trapped on 2,000 ships.
“Iranian recklessness towards countries who were never involved in this conflict… is not just hitting mortgage rates and petrol prices and the cost of living here in the UK and in many different countries across the world, it is hitting our global economic security,” she said.
Speaking ahead of the virtual meeting, she said military planners are being convened to look at how to de-mine the strait as past of efforts to secure the vital sea passage, the Press Association news agency reported.
“Alongside today’s discussions, we are also convening military planners to look at how we marshal our collective defensive military capabilities, including looking at issues such as de-mining or reassurance once the conflict eases,” she said.
For more UK reaction to the Middle East war and other news, you can follow our UK politics blog here:
The Philippines said Iran has pledged to allow safe passage of oil shipments through the strait of Hormuz.
Officials said a “productive phone conversation” between the Philippine foreign secretary, Theresa Lazaro, and her Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, had opened the door to crucial oil shipments.
“The Iranian foreign minister assured the secretary that Iran will allow the safe, unhindered, and expeditious passage through the strait of Hormuz of Philippine-flagged vessels, energy sources, and all Filipino seafarers,” the Philippine foreign affairs department said in a statement.
The Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos, declared a state of “national energy emergency” last week as a result of the Middle East war, which his administration said posed “an imminent danger of a critically low energy supply”.
Macron criticises Trump, says 'unrealistic' to reopen strait of Hormuz by force
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has hit out at Donald Trump, saying he was undermining Nato by creating “daily doubt about his commitment” to the alliance.
The US president, in interviews to various media yesterday, made disparaging comments about Nato, calling it a “paper tiger” and threatening to pull the US out of it. Trump has been especially critical of the alliance for refusing to heed his demands to secure the strait of Hormuz by force, provoking the ire of European leaders.
Macron warned that Trump’s comments questioning the US commitment to the alliance “erode its very substance” as he urged leaders to “be serious”.
“I believe that organisations and alliances like Nato are defined by what is left unsaid – that is, the trust that underpins them, and that has often been the case, incidentally, with military and strategic matters,” he said durinng a state visit to Seoul in South Korea.
“If you cast doubt on your commitment every day, you erode its very substance.”
He continued: “We need to be serious, and if you want to be serious, you don’t go around saying the opposite of what you said the day before.
“I think there is too much talk.”
Macron said it “unrealistic” to reopen the Hormuz strait by force, telling reporters that it would expose navies to Iranian attacks. He said securing the strait could only be done “in coordination with Iran” after a ceasefire.
For the latest European reactions to the war in the Middle East and all the other news from across the continent, follow our Europe live blog here:
Updated
Here are some of the latest images on the newswires as conflict deepens across the Middle East:
Key moments from Trump's address to the nation
As we get more reaction from Donald Trump’s national address on Iran, here is a recap of the key moments from the US president’s speech:
War to continue for another ‘two to three weeks’
Trump once again gave a vague timeline of when the US will likely wrap up its military campaign against Iran, saying it will take another “two to three weeks”.
We’ve heard similar comments made before by Trump and other US officials, who have offered mixed messages about when the war - now approaching its sixth week - could end.
Trump initially said (exactly a month ago) that the war was projected to last four to five weeks, although he did add that it could “go far longer than that”. Just a day before those comments, in an interview with the Daily Mail, he predicted “it’ll take four weeks — or less”. About a week later, on 9 March, he said he thought the war “is very complete, pretty much”.
Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defence, usually declines to give a definitive timeline. On 4 March, he said: “You can say four weeks, but it could be six, it could be eight, it could be three.”
Other nations should secure strait of Hormuz
In an attempt to shift responsibility away from the US, Trump repeated his call for other nations to help secure the strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively shut since the beginning of the war, triggering a global fuel crisis.
There was no mention of the deadline he set for Iran to open the strait, which was extended to Monday, but Trump said it was up to the countries that receive oil through the key shipping route to “take care of that passage”. The bulk of the oil that is carried through the strait heads to Asian countries, the majority of which are probably more sympathetic to Iran than they are of the US or Israel (China has blamed their attacks against Tehran for the closure of the strait, see the post here).
With no solution to the closure of the strait, Trump’s speech has spooked the markets, with brent crude – the international standard – jumping 4.9% to $106.16 a barrel, while gold dipped 2% to $4,718.70 an ounce and silver lost 4.9% to $72.39 an ounce (for the latest updates on the economic impact of the war, follow our business live blog here).
Justifying war to US public
As part of his plea for patience from US voters, Trump said the the two world wars and conflicts in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq took longer than the current Iran war.
Action in Iran has spanned 32 days by comparison, Trump said, and has been “so powerful, so brilliant” that “one of the most powerful countries” is “really no longer a threat”.
He promised things will get better, telling Americans that he personally rescued the US from the “dead and crippled country” it was a year ago.
No mention of pulling US out of Nato
Ahead of the speech, Trump gave interviews to the Telegraph and Reuters news agency indicating that he was considering withdrawing the US from Nato, likening the alliance to a “paper tiger”. He told Reuters that he would express his “disgust” with Nato in the address.
Despite the verbal attacks, he did not mention Nato in his speech, much to the relief of his allies. Besides, he would face significant legal and political hurdles if he wants to make good on his threats.
No mention of talks, either
Last week there were a flurry of reports of potential talks between the US and Iran, with Pakistan stepping in as mediator. The Trump administration had reportedly offered Iran a 15-point plan to bring about a ceasefire, while the White House said talks were ongoing. Hours before his address, Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Iran’s New Regime President” had asked the US for a ceasefire, suggesting negotiations were taking place.
Iran have been quick to deny these reports, with officials countering the US’s ceasefire proposal with their own conditions to end the war. Responding to Trump’s claim yesterday that Iran had asked for a ceasefire, an Iranian official said it was “false and baseless”.
Updated
Strikes in Iran have caused extensive damage to a century-old medical centre in the capital Tehran, the country’s health ministry spokesperson said.
“The aggression against Pasteur Institute of Iran – a century-old pillar of global health and member of International Pasteur Network – is a direct assault on international health security,” Hossein Kermanpour wrote in a post on X, with images of a heavily damaged building.
He called on the World Health Organisation and International Committee of the Red Cross to “condemn this attack, assess damages and support reconstruction”.
Updated
China blames US and Israeli attacks on Iran for Hormuz strait closure
China has blamed US and Israeli strikes on Iran for the effective shutdown of the strait of Hormuz, which has been at a near halt for a month, saying these attacks were the “root cause” of the problem.
In a national address last night, Donald Trump said countries that receive oil through the major shipping route, which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil, “must take care of that passage” themselves.
When asked by reporters to comment on the US president’s remarks, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, said: “The root cause of interruptions to navigation through the strait of Hormuz is the United States and Israel’s illegal military operations against Iran.”
UK petrol and diesel prices jumped by a record amount in March, as the oil supply shock caused by the Iran war quickly rippled to forecourts.
New data from the RAC shows that the average price of a litre of unleaded petrol rose by 20p from 132.83p on 1 March to 152.83p by the end of the month. That surpasses the previous all-time biggest monthly jump of 16.6p recorded in June 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Diesel prices have risen even more sharply – up 40p in March to an average of 182.77p from 142.38p. That’s almost twice as large as the previous record rise of 22p recorded in March 2022.
Follow our business live blog for the latest economic and financial news:
In further comments to Iranian state media, Ebrahim Zolfaqari,, the spokesperson for the Iranian military’s operational command headquarters, Khatam al-Anbiya, claimed Tehran has hidden stockpiles of arms and munitions.
Reacting to Donald Trump’s address to the nation last night, Zolfaqari said: “The centres you think you have targeted are insignificant, and our strategic military productions take place in locations of which you have no knowledge and will never reach.”
In his statement, carried by Press TV, the Iranian state broadcaster’s English-language outlet, Zolfaqari said the US and Israel “know nothing about [Iran’s] vast and strategic capabilities”.
Oil prices have spiked and stocks sank after Donald Trump, in an address from the White House, offered no timeline to the end of the war on Iran and no solution to the closure of the strait of Hormuz that has crippled global markets.
The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, jumped by over 6% this morning to $107.63 a barrel – yesterday, hopes of de-escalation in the Middle East had pushed it below the $100/barrel mark.
All the major stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region have fallen, after the US president used his primetime address to vow to hit Iran “extremely hard” for another two to three weeks.
The UK is reeling from the biggest shock to its mortgage market since Liz Truss’s mini-budget in 2022, after the Iran war drove up borrowing costs. New research from the data provider Moneyfacts shows how the cost of fixed-rate mortgages has surged over the last month, making it harder for new borrowers to get onto the housing ladder – and meaning those remortgaging face a surge in repayments.
For the latest news on the economic impact of the war, you can follow our business live blog here:
Updated
An Iranian military spokesperson said Tehran will continue with the war until the US and Israel face “permanent regret and surrender”, Reuters news agency reported.
Ebrahim Zolfaqari,, the spokesperson for the Iranian military’s operational command headquarters, Khatam al-Anbiya, said Iran would step up its military actions with “more crushing, broader and more destructive” attacks, according to a statement carried by state media.
Joe Kent, the former US counter-terrorism chief who resigned from Donald Trump’s administration over the US and Israel’s war against Iran, has urged the president to end the conflict “before we lose more lives”.
Responding to Trump’s address to the nation, he wrote on X:
We do not honor our fallen by getting more of our best men & women killed in the Middle East.
We honor our fallen by learning from our past & only shedding American blood in defense of our nation.
The best time to get out of a war of choice is now, before we lose more lives.
Kent, who resigned as national counter-terrorism center director on 17 March, previously said he could not continue in his role “in good conscience” due to the war in Iran that Trump started without congressional authorisation alongside Israel in late February.
New York-based think tank, the Soufan Center, has said that Donald Trump’s speech suggests he “is willing to leave the strait of Hormuz off the table, leaving other nations to deal with the consequences”.
Trump’s message was that the United States can sustain its own economic and energy ecosystem, while countries dependent on regional exports will either have to buy from the United States or manage the strait themselves.
While Trump explicitly thanked US allies in the Persian Gulf for their cooperation and allyship, an expedited US withdrawal without securing the strait will leave many of these countries, whose economies are dependent on energy exports, in the lurch.
Shrinking fuel stocks and soaring prices are leading countries around the world to burn coal, ration fuel, shorten work weeks and tell citizens to stay at home.
Here is how the world is responding as the Iran war oil crisis deepens.
The United States
The federal government has not moved to increase subsidies or support households struggling to pay bills, but it has continued its “drill, baby, drill” policy of expanding fossil fuel production while blocking renewable projects. Last week, the Trump administration announced it would pay the French company TotalEnergies $1bn of taxpayer money to kill plans to construct windfarms off the US east coast, and instead direct investments into oil and gas.
The UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada
The UK has encouraged people to stay calm as fuel prices rise, steering clear of calls to curb demand and limiting its action to financial support for people who use oil to heat their homes. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is considering plans to put extra cash into a council-run fund to help vulnerable people during financial crises, but has ruled out the universal support offered during the last energy crisis.
The IEA has warned governments against providing blanket subsidies in response to the crisis and advised them to instead target support to those who need it most. New Zealand has announced weekly cash payments to nearly 150,000 families “in the squeezed middle” as part of a fuel relief package.
Australia has introduced a 50% cut to the fuel excise for three months and released a national fuel security plan. At its current danger level, it encourages motorists to “only buy the fuel you need” and says voluntary choices will help avoid the impact of higher prices. Canada, meanwhile, has refrained from intervening to offset rising prices.
Asia
Coal is coming back across Asia, which has been hit hardest by the energy crisis. India has ordered coal-fired power plants to be run at full capacity and avoid planned outages, while Japan is allowing less-efficient coal plants back on to the electricity market. South Korea has lifted caps on electricity from coal and announced a delay to its planned phaseout. Bangladesh, Thailand and the Philippines are also increasing electricity output from the dirtiest fossil fuel.
China, the world’s second-largest economy, is less exposed to the crisis than its neighbours. In recent years, it has greatly increased energy production – from fossil, nuclear and renewable sources – and built up a vast strategic oil reserve. Its state-run refineries have avoided Iranian crude oil imports for fear of being cut off from international markets, but independent “teapot” refineries have continued to process it for domestic consumption.
South and south-east Asian countries have taken the greatest steps to reduce energy demand. Sri Lanka has introduced fuel rationing and a four-day working week. Vietnam has urged employers to let staff work from home. News anchors in Thailand took off their jackets on air, as the government called on people to use less air conditioning and told officials to wear short-sleeved shirts without neckties. It has also reduced temperatures in government offices to 26-27C and joined other countries in the region in calls to drive less, use more public transport and promote car-sharing.
Almost three dozen countries are set to meet in an effort to exert diplomatic and political pressure to reopen the strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route that has been choked off by the US-Israeli war against Iran.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer said the virtual meeting chaired by British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper “will assess all viable diplomatic and political measures we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities.”
Iranian attacks on commercial ships, and the threat of more, have halted nearly all traffic in the waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world’s oceans, shutting a critical path for the world’s flow of oil and sending petroleum prices soaring.
The US is not among the countries attending Thursday’s meeting. Trump has said securing the waterway is not America’s job, and told US allies to “go get your own oil.”
US embassy in Iraq warns of attacks from 'Iran-aligned militias' in Baghdad within 24 to 48 hours
The US embassy in Baghdad has urged Americans to leave Iraq, warning that “Iran-aligned militias” may carry out attacks in central Baghdad within 24-48 hours.
These actors may target U.S. citizens, companies, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports, and other sites believed to be associated with the United States, in addition to Iraqi institutions and civilian targets.”
The embassy goes on to say that routine consular services are suspended and urges US citizens to “leave Iraq now.”
Democrats are continuing to criticise Donald Trump’s primetime address to the American people on the war in Iran as “incoherent” and as doing little to answer “the most basic questions the American people,” according to statements from two Democratic lawmakers.
Senator Mark Warner, noted that Trump owed Americans more answers about a conflict that has driven up prices on gas “alongside rising prices for diesel, fertilizer, aluminum, and other essentials, with consequences that will continue to ripple through the economy for a long time to come.”
Senator Chris Murphy, released a statement that said the “speech was grounded in a reality that only exists in Donald Trump’s mind.”
Murphy went on to add that “no one in America, after listening to that speech, knows whether we are escalating or deescalating.”
Authorities in Abu Dhabi have responded to an incident near Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD) after air defence systems intercepted a missile, officials have announced, adding that there was minor damage and no injuries.
Israel’s military has said air defences are responding on to a fourth Iranian missile attack within six hours, as sirens sounded in parts of northern Israel.
A military statement said Israeli forces had “identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel”, adding that “defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat”.
Hezbollah has said its fighters launched drones and rockets at northern Israel on Thursday, with the Israeli military’s Home Front Command saying air raid sirens were activated across the border from Lebanon.
In separate statements, the Iran-backed group claimed rocket fire targeting Israeli troops in border areas and a drone attack targeting a village.
Sirens were activated in those areas, according to the Israeli Home Front Command, with no reports of any casualties or damage.
Updated
Rationale for Iran war questioned after Trump says ‘I don’t care’ about regime’s uranium stockpiles
Donald Trump has said he does not care about Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium (HEU), arguing it was deep underground and could be monitored by satellite, raising questions about one of the key US justifications for the war.
In his address to the nation from the White House on Wednesday night, Trump elaborated: “If we see them make a move, even a move for it, we will hit them with missiles very hard again.”
Unless they were intended as a ruse to put Tehran off its guard, the president’s remarks appeared to rule out a risky military mission to retrieve the HEU stockpile, which Iran is believed to have hidden down deep underground shafts.
The apparent decision to leave the HEU, which is roughly enough for about a dozen warheads, in Iran appeared to conflict with Trump’s assertions that one of the principal war aims was to ensure it could never make a nuclear bomb.
Nuclear proliferation experts say that if the HEU stock remains under Iranian control at the end of hostilities, it would leave Tehran significantly closer to the capability of making nuclear bombs than the proposed settlement being negotiated in Geneva on 26 February, two days before the war began.
Some more reaction to Donald Trump’s address this evening:
Republican senator Ted Cruz said Trump “was exactly right tonight.”
Operation Epic Fury is an investment in the future of our children and our grandchildren. We are on the cusp of ending Iran’s nuclear blackmail — that makes America much, much safer.”
Former congresswoman and devoted Maga acolyte Marjorie Taylor Green said all she heard from his speech was “WAR WAR WAR.”
Nothing to lower the cost of insurance. Nothing to address jobs for Americans. Nothing about education for our children. Nothing about our children’s future. Nothing for America’s future. I’m so beyond done.”
Michael McFaul, a professor of political science and former US ambassador to Russia under Barack Obama, said Trump failed to mention his “plans for complete denuclearization of Iran.”
His war so far has not achieved that objective. Is he just giving up?
If so, that means we lost a dozen soldiers, hundreds more injured, and spent a 100 billion to destroy boats, planes, and missiles that had no capability to attack the American homeland.”
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has given his verdict on Donald Trump’s address, asking whether here has ever been a “more rambling, disjointed, and pathetic presidential war speech?”
Donald Trump’s actions in Iran will be considered one of the greatest policy blunders in the history of our country, failing to articulate objectives, alienating allies, and ignoring the kitchen table problems Americans are facing.”
Israel’s military said air defences responded to three waves of Iranian missile fire early Thursday, with media reporting several light injuries in the Tel Aviv area.
The third reported salvo came shortly after Donald Trump delivered an address to the American public about the Middle East war.
After the first attack, police said officers were called to “several” impact sites in central Israel, with media reports putting the number at nine.
Four people were lightly wounded, the reports said, citing medics.
Israeli media attributed the damage across a relatively wide area to the use of cluster munitions, which explode mid-air and scatter bomblets. Iran and Israel have previously accused each other of using cluster bombs.
Within just over three hours of the first attack, the military announced it had again “identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel”, triggering air raid sirens across much of northern and central Israel.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage as a result of the second and third reported attacks.
In the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump’s address investors were back to selling almost everything except the US dollar and sending oil prices higher. US stock futures slid 1% while European futures sank over 1.5%. Asian stocks were clobbered, with Japan’s Nikkei down 1.8% and South Korea’s Kospi index sliding 3.6%.
“We have no additional certainty or clarity around timeline from this address and this is what the market was looking for,” said Jon Withaar, senior portfolio manager at Pictet Asset Management in Singapore.
The fact that we can expect 2-3 more weeks of action, boots on the ground were not ruled out and that threats to hit infrastructure were reiterated will put the market back on the defensive, particularly as we come into the long weekend.“
“The only thing that really matters is whether the strait of Hormuz will open soon. Trump’s speech doesn’t imply this is likely to happen as quickly as the markets were expecting,” said Prashan Newnaha, senior rates strategist at TD Securities.
As Trump delivered his speech in the White House Cross Hall, members of his administration were seated directly in front of him. According to the reporter pool following the president, vice-president JD Vance was sat in the front row.
Others in the audience included treasury secretary Scott Bessent, attorney general Pam Bondi, health secretary Robert Kennedy Jr, secretary of state Marco Rubio, defence secretary Pete Hegseth and director of intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Donald Trump used a primetime address to the nation on Wednesday evening to declare the month-long war in Iran a success “nearing completion”, despite a spiralling conflict that has caused economic turmoil across the globe, fractured transatlantic alliances and eroded the president’s approval ratings.
In remarks from the White House, Trump argued that the US’s “little journey” to Iran had accomplished nearly “all of America’s military objectives”, but offered little clarity on how he planned to wind down the conflict over the next “two to three weeks”.
“We are on the cusp of ending Iran’s sinister threat to America and the world,” Trump said in the 19-minute speech, delivered from Cross Hall of the White House. “We have all the cards. They have none.”
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese - one of America’s allies who is most consistently supportive of Donald Trump on the world stage - said on Thursday he believed the original objectives of the war in Iran had been met and it was not clear what more remained to be achieved.
Now those objectives have been realised it is not clear what more needs to be achieved or what the end point looks like.”
Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, has offered up his response to Donald Trump’s address, saying “Trump sold voters on a ‘pro-peace,’ ‘America First’ vision for his administration.”
It was all bullshit.”
Martin said that Trump was “desperately trying to justify his deadly and costly war of choice.”
Trump offered no new information the the American people and once again failed to give the public a clear rationale for his war, while he forces them to foot the bill to the tune of billions of dollars and causes their gas prices to skyrocket.”
As part of his plea for patience from US voters, the Donald Trump ticked through the timeline of American involvement in earlier conflicts.
World War I lasted one year, seven months and five days … World War II lasted for three years, eight months and 25 days.”
He added references to Korea, Vietnam and Iraq — noting Vietnam’s nearly 20-year US commitment.
Action in Iran has spanned 32 days by comparison, Trump said, and has been “so powerful, so brilliant” that “one of the most powerful countries” is “really no longer a threat.”
Key moments from Trump's oval office address
Donald Trump’s Wednesday evening address was an opportunity to use a wide audience to articulate clear objectives for the war, after weeks of changing goals and often contradictory messages about whether he’s winding down or ready to escalate military operations.
He said America’s “core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” but he also spent much of his time repeating many of the same things he said in recent weeks.
He criticised previous US administrations for failing to tackle Iran’s nuclear programme, saying previous presidents “made mistakes and I am correcting them.”
For years, everyone has said that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. But in the end, those are just words if you’re not willing to take action when the time comes.”
Earlier on Wednesday the president said he did not care about Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium (HEU) as it was deep underground and could be monitored by satellite. He reiterated on Wednesday evening saying Iran’s various nuclear sites are under “intense satellite surveillance and control”.
If we see them make a move, even a move for it, we will hit them with missiles very hard again.”
Trump claimed the military action was launched to help America’s allies in the region, and also pointedly thanked “Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain,” adding he would not let them get hurt.
We’re now totally independent of the Middle East, and yet we are there to help … We don’t have to be there. We don’t need their oil. We don’t need anything they have … We’re there to help our allies.”
The president was particularly critical of Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, reiterating his longstanding derision of that framework, and commending his decision to pull out of it during his first term.
His Iran deal would have led to a colossal arsenal of massive nuclear weapons for Iran.”
Trump also didn’t talk directly about Nato, at whose members he has fumed over refusal to help secure the strait of Hormuz. The war has sent oil prices soaring as Iran has effectively shut the strait.
During his address, Trump said Americans “don’t need” the strait and that the countries who do “must grab it and cherish it.” The president also claimed that when the conflict is over, the strait would open up naturally.
Oil prices rise after Donald Trump addresses Americans about progress of Iran war
Oil prices surged almost immediately after Donald Trump’s address on the Iran war. His 20 minute speech did little to soothe market worries over the closure of the strait of Hormuz, with the US president calling on other nations to help reopen it.
Brent jumped more than 4% to $105.55, while West Texas Intermediate climbed 3% to hit $103.16. Both had been falling before Trump started his speech.
In early trading on Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei was down 0.79% and South Korea’s Kospi reacted by dropping by 1.8%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was trading 0.5% lower and China’s CSI 300 fell 0.3% just after opening. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was 0.5% down.
Elsewhere, US stock futures dipped by 0.67% and European futures were 0.1% lower.
Updated
Trump once again sets out a timeline of 'two to three weeks', as he defends his decision to go to war
Donald Trump used his first address to the nation since the start of the war in Iran to justify the costs that it is imposing on America and the world, while continuing to claim that he is close to winding up the conflict.
Trump said on Wednesday evening that Iran had been decimated and that the hard part of the war was done. He however added that the US would hit Iran “extremely hard” for the next two to three weeks.
Tonight, I’m pleased to say that these core strategic objectives are nearing completion … In these past four weeks, our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield – victories like few people have ever seen before.”
The president also once again called for countries that receive oil through the strait of Hormuz to show “courage” and seize the key waterway, while saying Washington will not allow its Middle East allies to be harmed.
“The countries of the world that ... receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage,” Trump said. “Just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves.”
He also thanked “our allies in the Middle East – Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain,” saying: “They’ve been great, and we will not let them get hurt or fail in any way, shape or form.”
Updated
Trump says US close to ‘finishing the job’ in Iran
Trump has said that America’s core strategic objectives are nearing completion and he is close to “finishing the job” in Iran. He has once again set out a timeline of “two to three weeks”.
He has followed this statement by once again criticising US allies for failing to take part in the operation against Iran – and told them that they must take responsibility for reopening the strait of Hormuz.
Trump has said over the last few days that the US does not rely on the strait for its oil, so therefore will not take responsibility for reopening the vital waterway.
On Tuesday he 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.”
Updated
Trump has claimed that Iran was “right at the doorstep” of gaining a nuclear weapon.
Earlier on Wednesday the president said he did not care about Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium (HEU), arguing it was deep underground and could be monitored by satellite.
Experts said that if the US-Israeli offensive against Iran concluded with the Tehran government still in control of its 440kg HEU stockpile, it would be significantly closer to the capability of making nuclear warheads than if the US had pursued a potential negotiated settlement that was on the table at the time the US and Israel launched the war on 28 February.
Trump makes the case for the Iran war
The president has begun to make the case for why the war in Iran is necessary.
From the very beginning my campaign for president in 2015, I said I would never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. This regime has been chanting death to America, death to Israel.
Trump is going through a timeline of his approach to Iran over his first and second term. He is spending some time talking about his withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal that the Obama administration agreed with Tehran to limit Iran’s enrichment of uranium.
Updated
Trump has begun by praising the victories that the US has achieved in Iran.
Iran’s navy is gone. Their Air Force is in ruins … Very few are left.”
He goes on to praise the operation to remove Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela in January.
We are working along Venezuela .. true partners and we are getting along incredibly well.”
Trump begins address to the nation
Donald Trump is speaking now, we’ll bring you updates as they come in.
As Donald Trump prepares to address the nation, many are asking why he is making this speech now, more than one month into the conflict. One reason might be the amount of recent polling which shows support for the Iran war, and for his administration, falling.
A new CNN poll released in the last few hours shows that just one-third of Americans believe Trump has a “clear plan to handle the situation in Iran”.
The polling also shows that just 34% of Americans approve at least somewhat of the Trump’s decision to launch the war, down 7 points from another CNN poll conducted soon after the start of operations.
More than 5,000 people have been killed across the Middle East since the war in Iran began, according to death tolls from various groups compiled by the Reuters news agency.
The casualty numbers are concentrated in Iran and Lebanon, but also include countries throughout the gulf, Israel, Syria, Iraq and the West Bank.
In Iran, US-based rights group HRANA said 3,519 people have been killed since the war erupted. It said 1,598 of those were civilians, including at least 244 children. The group says its data comes from field reports, local contacts, medical and emergency sources, civil society networks, open-source materials and official statements.
Lebanese authorities say 1,318 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since 2 March, including at least 124 children. More than 400 fighters from Hezbollah have been killed since the Lebanese armed group launched attacks in a new war with Israel, two sources familiar with the group’s count told Reuters. It is unclear if the death toll reported by the authorities includes the fighters.
Three United Nations peacekeepers from Indonesia were also killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon, one from a roadside explosion, the other involving a projectile.
As Donald Trump prepares to address the American people, US central command has released an update on the ongoing conflict in Iran.
Operation Epic Fury has seen more than 13,000 combat flights, which have struck over 12,000 targets and damaged or destroyed more than 150 Iranian vessels, according to Centcom.
Despite these raw statistics, Trump is struggling to reconcile weeks of changing goals and often contradictory messages about whether he’s winding down or ready to escalate military operations — as Iran keeps up its attacks on Israel and Gulf countries.
The New York Times has reported that US intelligence agencies believe Iran is not currently willing to engage in negotiations to end the war, and that despite the month-long bombing campaign by the US and Israel, the government in Tehran believes it remains in a strong position.
According to officials speaking to the NYT, Iran doesn’t trust the US or believe Donald Trump is serious about negotiations.
The current conflict was launched while Iran was locked in negotiations with US officials over its nuclear programme. Last year, Israel launched attacks on Iranian nuclear targets, again while the US was engaged in discussions with Tehran.
On Wednesday, Iran rejected Donald Trump’s claim that its leadership asked for a ceasefire, calling the US president’s statement “false” and “baseless”.
Tehran has repeatedly said there are no ongoing negotiations to end the war. The country’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has previously said Iran had the “necessary will” for a ceasefire, but only if its foes guaranteed hostilities would not resume.
Trump preparing to make first national address since launching Iran war a month ago
Donald Trump is minutes away from delivering his first formal address from the White House since launching the war in the Middle East a month ago.
It comes at a pivotal moment for the US president, as he faces accusations that he has lost control of the conflict and will not be able to achieve the key aims of the war.
Trump has continued to claim that the US has already won the war, and has refused to take responsibility for the economic fallout that has spread across the world.
In his speech, the president will give an operational update on the progress of Operation Epic Fury, while highlighting the military’s “success in achieving all of its stated goals”, a US official has said.
He is expected to reiterate the 2-3 week timetable for concluding the operation, but crucially is not expected to announced an end to the war.
Recent polling shows Trump’s overall approval rating slipping below 40%, with disapproval climbing above the mid-50s as voters sour on both the war and its economic fallout, while support for the Iran campaign itself polls even lower.
The economic picture has compounded the problem. US petrol prices have surged above $4 a gallon for the first time in years, while consumer confidence has weakened, dragging down Trump’s already fragile standing on the economy.
Updated
Opening summary
Welcome to our continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, as Donald Trump prepares to address America for the first time since the US-Israel war on Iran was launched.
The president will deliver the prime-time speech at 9pm ET from the White House.
The address comes as his administration faces plunging approval ratings, economic jitters and a spiralling diplomatic fallout. Trump is expected to try and reassure the nation that US goals are being met and that he has a plan for completing the war, which has roiled the US economy.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump claimed a major breakthrough, saying Iran’s president was seeking a ceasefire. This was swiftly denied by Iran’s foreign ministry, which also accused Washington of making “maximalist and irrational” demands.
Here’s what else has been happening today:
Iran has rejected Donald Trump’s claim that its leadership asked for a ceasefire, calling the US president’s statement “false” and “baseless”. Trump made the claim in a post on Truth Social, which said: “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!!!”
Trump also 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 said. Here’s our story.
Meanwhile, in an open letter to the American people, Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian said relations between Washington and Tehran were “misunderstood” and that Iran was not an aggressor. The Iranians “harbour no enmity toward other nations, including the people of America, Europe, or neighbouring countries,” he said, adding that portrayals of Iran as a security threat were inaccurate, and Tehran was acting in self-defence – not aggression.
In Tehran, Kamal Kharazi, a top foreign policy official and former Iranian foreign minister, has been severely injured in an airstrike on his home in the Iranian capital. His wife was reportedly killed in the attack. Kharazi, considered a moderate politician and veteran policy expert, also served as an adviser to the assassinated former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Reports suggest his targeting is being viewed as an attempt to derail diplomacy.
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