US and Iran plan to meet soon in Pakistan, says German minister
Germany’s foreign minister is saying the US and Iran have had indirect negotiations and that representatives from both sides plan to meet shortly in Pakistan.
“Based on my information there have been indirect contacts, and preparations have been made to meet directly. That would be very soon in Pakistan, apparently,” Johann Wadephul told Deutschlandfunk radio on Friday, cited by Reuters.
The report could not be independently confirmed.
Updated at 02.54 EDT
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Israel to ‘intensify’ strikes on Iran to stop missile fire, warns defence minister
Israel are to step up strikes against Iran as a result of its continued missile fire, says Israel Katz, warning the Islamic republic would pay a “heavy price”.
“Despite the warnings, the firing continues – consequently, IDF strikes in Iran will intensify and expand to other targets in sectors that help the regime develop and use military means against Israeli civilians. They will pay a heavy price, an increasingly heavy one, for this war crime,” Katz said in a video released by his office.
According to Reuters, more than 1,900 people have been killed and at least 20,000 injured in Iran since the start of U.S. and Israeli attacks, said Maria Martinez of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Friday, citing figures provided by the Iranian Red Crescent.
Martinez said the Iranian Red Crescent continues to serve as the only nationwide humanitarian organization operating across the country amidst the escalating conflict.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid warned last night his country’s government for the first time that the war was taking too high a toll.
“The IDF is stretched to the limit and beyond. The government is leaving the army wounded out on the battlefield,” Lapid said, echoing a warning delivered a day earlier by military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.
“The government is sending the army into a multi-front war without a strategy, without the necessary means, and with far too few soldiers,” Lapid said.
ShareMore than over 370,000 children displaced in Lebanon and 121 killed, UNICEF says
More than 370,000 children have been forced from their homes in Lebanon amid Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah, according to Reuters, with at least 121 children killed and 399 injured, UNICEF’s representative in Lebanon, Marcoluigi Corsi, said on Friday.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, has said his country intends to create a “security zone” up to the Litani River, which meets the sea about 30 km (19 miles) north of the border with Israel. He has said hundreds of thousands of Shi’ites will not return south of the Litani until security is ensured for northern Israel.
A UNHCR official estimates that about 150,000 people are isolated in Lebanon after the destruction of bridges.
An official told Reuters: “We have seen increasingly worrying rhetoric concerning activities in southern Lebanon by the Israeli army and authorities.
“What we really need is for Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty to be fully respected.”
A bulldozer clears rubble from a street at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 06.59 EDT
UN report calls on Syria to investigate abuses during deadly clashes with Druze last year
A UN inquiry says Syria shows no sign it has investigated alleged abuses by its forces during deadly sectarian clashes in Sweida province. The U.N. commission says at least 1,700 people died, mostly from the Druze minority, while about 200,000 were displaced.
UN investigators interviewed more than 400 survivors, officials, and alleged perpetrators. The report described looting, arson, killings, and abductions during a government-led advance, according to AP.
The report says tribal fighters targeted homes across dozens of villages. It also documents retaliatory attacks on Bedouin civilians. Hospitals overflowed as bodies piled up.
Hatem Radwan points to bloodstains inside the Al-Radwan guest house, after a deadly shooting, in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria. Photograph: Khalil Ashawi/ReutersShare
Hostilities are eroding the foundations of civilian life, ICRC says
A devastating pattern of warfare is eroding the foundations of civilian life in the Middle East, the International Committee of the Red Cross have said.
double quotation markOne month of hostilities has upended the lives of millions and sent shockwaves far beyond the region at a scale and speed that threatens to overwhelm the humanitarian response.
In just four weeks, thousands have lost their lives, including first responders and humanitarian workers. Hundreds of thousands have been uprooted. Essential infrastructure critical for the supply of energy, water and health care has been damaged or destroyed. The use of heavy explosive weapons with wide area impact in urban settings has caused suffering and fear on a dramatic scale.
The way hostilities have been waged has exacerbated the detrimental impact. Without respect for the rules of war, civilians will continue to suffer profound consequences that could outlast the current conflict.”
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Patrick Wintour
Diary of Iranian president’s son reflects hopes and fears of ordinary citizens
An Iranian keeping a diary expressing his doubts about the war’s outcome, even shedding a tear over its impact on his grandmother, might not seem extraordinary but for the fact the diarist is the son of the president.
Apart from fierce loyalty to his father, Masoud Pezeshkian, the former heart surgeon elected to the presidency in 2024 who he says he has not seen since the war started, Yousef Pezeshkian’s daily reflections on social media chart how the war effort is going, its impact on ordinary Iranians and how he believes the fight could be made more effective.
The 45-year-old assistant professor in physics reveals no official state secrets, says he has none, and questions the value of knowing some information 48 hours before others. He instead hears what is happening from television or social media.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Read Patrick Wintour’s piece here.
Patrick Wintour is diplomatic editor for the Guardian
ShareEuropeans to press Rubio over Russian support for Iran at G7 meeting
Back to G7 now, and Reuters is reporting that the UK are “deeply concerned” about Russia-Iran links.
European powers accused Russia of helping Iran target U.S. forces in the Middle East war and said they would raise the issue in today’s meeting in France.
The ministers are also expected to discuss the strait of Hormuz, the critical Gulf waterway for the transport of oil and gas which Iran has effectively blocked, spiking energy prices and roiling financial markets.
Two western security sources and a regional official close to Tehran told Reuters that Moscow has been providing satellite imagery to Tehran and also helped Iran upgrade its drones to emulate the equivalent versions used by Russia against Ukraine.
“We’re deeply concerned about the links between Russia and Iran that have been longstanding in terms of shared capabilities – for example, drones provided to Russia by Iran that have been involved in the conflict in Ukraine,” British foreign minister Yvette Cooper said.
“We have also seen support from Russia provided to Iran in the Middle East conflict,” Cooper told reporters at the meeting in Vaux-de-Cernay abbey near Paris. “As G7 countries, we have a shared interest in coming together to discuss these issues.”
Marco Rubio and Yvette Cooper on the second day of the G7 meeting. Photograph: Stéphanie Lecocq/ReutersShare
Updated at 06.00 EDT
Shipping to and from ports of US-Israeli allies still prohibited, says IRGC
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Friday that shipping “to and from ports of allies and supporters of the Israeli-American enemies” is prohibited through any corridor or to any destination, Iranian state media reported.
The IRGC added that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and any transit through the waterway will face “harsh measures”, according to Reuters.
Three container ships of various nationalities were turned back from the Strait of Hormuz after warnings from the IRGC revolutionary guards’ navy, media also reported.
ShareUS-Israeli strikes damage more than 100 museums and historic buildings, says Iran
Israeli strikes have caused damage to 120 museums and historic buildings, says Iran
US and Israeli strikes on Iran have damaged at least 120 museums and cultural and historic sites across the country since the start of the war, the head of Tehran city council’s cultural heritage committee said in a report from AFP.
“At least 120 museums, historical buildings and cultural sites across various provinces were directly targeted and sustained serious structural damage,” said Ahmad Alavi.
He was quoted by state TV as naming UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace along with other sites damaged in the war, including Saadabad Palace, the Marble Palace and Teymourtash house, also known as the War Museum.
Debris at the historical monument Golestan Palace after it was damaged in an Israeli and U.S. strike, in Tehran. Photograph: Majid Asgaripour/ReutersThe Qajar-era Golestan Palace is UNESCO-listed. Photograph: APShareMarco Rubio in France for G7 after Trump insults allies
Marco Rubio is in France meeting his G7 foreign minister counterparts today after President Donald Trump attacked NATO countries over a reluctance or refusal to take part in the Iran war, a conflict that some of America’s closest allies have met with deep skepticism.
On his arrival at the meeting venue at a historic 12-century abbey in Vaux-de-Cerney outside of Paris, Rubio posed for a group photo with his fellow foreign ministers but none of them spoke, according to AP.
Rubio left Washington for the G7 meeting just hours after Trump complained bitterly about NATO countries not stepping up to help the U.S. and Israel in the Iran war.
“We are very disappointed with NATO because NATO has done absolutely nothing,” Trump said.
EU Rep Kaja Kallas, Germany’s Johann Wadephul, Britain’s Yvette Cooper, Marco Rubio, France’s Jean-Noel Barrot, alongside dignitaries from Canada, Italy and Japan. Photograph: Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 05.28 EDT
David Hambling
Iran’s black rain is latest grim example of weather in war zones
Black rain fell in Iran earlier this month, a grim phenomenon seen previously in other war zones.
Strikes on oil facilities burned thousands of tons of stored fuel. Unlike the clean controlled combustion inside an engine, uncontrolled burning leaves many particles of unburned fuel, producing a pall of toxic smoke over affected areas.
The particulate matter rises on the hot updraft from the fire and effectively seeds rainclouds, with the particles forming nuclei for raindrops. The resulting dirty rainfall helps clean the air, but potentially harmful pollutants may end up in drinking water.
Similar black rain occurred after oil wells in Kuwait were set ablaze during the 1991 Gulf war.
Black clouds fill skies in Iran – video loopBlack soot from black rain after a strike on fuel tanks. Photograph: Majid Asgaripour/Reuters
David Hambling is a journalist, specialising mainly in science, technology and strange phenomena.
Updated at 05.09 EDT
Saudi Arabia urging US to keep up Iran attacks, intelligence source confirms
Julian Borger
Saudi Arabia has urged the US to ramp up attacks on Iran, a Saudi intelligence source has confirmed, while it is weighing a decision on whether to join the fight directly.
The Saudi source confirmed reporting in the New York Times, which said the kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has urged Donald Trump not to cut short his war against Iran, and that the US-Israeli campaign represented a “historic opportunity” to remake the Middle East.
The intelligence source said Riyadh was not just calling for the military campaign to be continued, but to be intensified. Trump appeared to confirm the report about the crown prince’s role, telling journalists on Tuesday: “Yeah, he’s a warrior. He’s fighting with us.”
There are no reports of active Saudi military involvement in the nearly four-week-old war so far, but a Saudi political analyst said the kingdom was likely to take that step if current peace efforts led by Pakistan failed.
Donald Trump meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House in November 2025. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Julian Borger is the Guardian’s senior international correspondent and Aram Roston is senior political enterprise reporter for the Guardian US.
ShareUS troops using Persian Gulf citizens as human shields, says Iranian foreign minister
Local people in Persian Gulf states are being used as human shields during the US-Israeli war on Iran, the Iranian foreign minister has said, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
double quotation markFrom outset of this war, US soldiers fled military bases in GCC to hide in hotels and offices. They use GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] citizens as human shield.
Hotels in US deny bookings to officers who may endanger customers. GCC hotels should do same.”
Abbas Araghchi said in a post on his X account on Thursday.
Updated at 04.19 EDT
Pakistan’s emerging role as broker in US-Iran peace talks
Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said on Tuesday his country is ready to “facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks” to end the war in the Middle East amid attempts to push Islamabad as a possible venue for negotiations between the US and Iran.
The White House confirmed that Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, had a call with Donald Trump last weekend to discuss the conflict.
Qatar, Turkey and Egypt have been touted as potential venues for talks, but reportedly Tehran’s preference is Islamabad.
Field marshal general Asim Munir. Photograph: AP
Read more about Pakistan and the role of JD Vance in Hannah Ellis-Peterson and Shah Meer Baloch’s report
Updated at 03.53 EDT
Israeli military says it carried out ‘wide-scale’ strikes on Tehran
Israel’s military said it carried out strikes on targets in Tehran early on Friday, according to AFP.
A brief military statement said Israeli forces “completed a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran”.
The military said in a separate statement that it had also struck “ballistic missiles and aerial defense systems production sites across Iran”.
It reported hitting missile launchers and storage sites in western Iran, as well as missile production sites in the capital.
Donald Trump has in recent days repeatedly claimed progress in talks with Iran, even as Tehran denied any formal negotiations were taking place.
Updated at 03.35 EDT
Interim summary
In case you’re just tuning in to today’s live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran, here’s a snapshot of the latest. It’s 10.30am in Tehran, 9am in Tel Aviv and Beirut and 3am in Washington DC.
Donald Trump said he would extend – again – his pause on his threat to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure for 10 days until 6 April, claiming that the request came from Tehran and that talks were going “very well”. The US president threatened last Saturday he would destroy Iranian power plants if Tehran did not reopen the strait of Hormuz. Then, on Monday, he postponed his threat for five days (until Friday), citing “very good and productive conversations” with Iran on ending the war – which Tehran dismissed as “fake news” designed to “manipulate” the oil markets. Now, he’s pushing that deadline back again.
The price of Brent crude oil dropped after Trump’s latest announcement, but stock markets fell sharply in the US and Europe on Thursday and followed suit in Asia on Friday as investors worried about the war dragging on.
The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give Trump more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, the Wall Street Journal reported, quoting defence department officials.
Lebanese media said an Israeli strike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early on Friday. Several explosions were heard from the Hezbollah stronghold and smoke was later billowing from the area. Israel has previously issued sweeping evacuation warnings for the area but provided no specific warning in advance of Friday’s strike, AFP said. It was unclear if there were any casualties.
An Israeli self-propelled howitzer artillery gun fires towards southern Lebanon from a position in the upper Galilee in northern Israel on Thursday. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Yemen’s Houthis said there was “no cause for concern”, Lloyd’s List reported, amid fears that if Trump follows through on threats to seize Iran’s Kharg Island, Tehran may ask them to attack shipping in the Red Sea.
A Thai-flagged cargo ship that was hit by unknown projectiles in the strait of Hormuz earlier this month has run aground off Iran’s Qeshm Island, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said on Friday.
India has slashed taxes on diesel and petrol, the government announced, amid the war’s continued disruption of global energy supplies.
The United Arab Emirates has told allies that it would participate in a multinational maritime task force intended to reopen the strait of Hormuz as it lobbies to form a coalition to ensure shipping can pass through the vital waterway, the Financial Times reported.
The Israel Defence Forces’ chief of staff has warned that the military will “collapse in on itself” as it faces increasing demands and a growing manpower shortage while fighting on multiple fronts, according to Israeli media reports.
Vietnam’s trade ministry says it has temporarily waived an environmental tax on fuel to cut soaring prices by more than a quarter.
Updated at 03.21 EDT
Kuwait’s Shuwaikh port has been hit by drones that caused material damage, the Gulf state’s ports authority said on Friday, cited by Reuters.
No injuries were reported, it said.
ShareUS and Iran plan to meet soon in Pakistan, says German minister
Germany’s foreign minister is saying the US and Iran have had indirect negotiations and that representatives from both sides plan to meet shortly in Pakistan.
“Based on my information there have been indirect contacts, and preparations have been made to meet directly. That would be very soon in Pakistan, apparently,” Johann Wadephul told Deutschlandfunk radio on Friday, cited by Reuters.
The report could not be independently confirmed.
Updated at 02.54 EDT
Here are some of the latest images coming in from the Middle East as the US-Israel war on Iran continues in its fourth week.
A car amid the ruins of a residential building near the centre of Beirut – near an area linked to Hezbollah – after repeated Israeli military strikes. Photograph: Frederic Munsch/SIPA/ShutterstockA video grab from what Iran’s state broadcaster said was a phase of the 82nd wave of missiles launches against Israel and US bases in the UAE and Kuwait. Photograph: IRIB TV/AFP/Getty ImagesDamage in Arad, southern Israel, after Iranian missile strikes. Photograph: Ilan Rosenberg/ReutersPro-government supporters chant slogans and wave Iranian flags during a rally in Tehran, Iran. Photograph: Vahid Salemi/APMourners of an Israeli soldier killed in combat in southern Lebanon at his funeral in Jerusalem. Photograph: Oren Ben Hakoon/ReutersRelatives grieve for an Iraqi soldier, who was killed in a strike at a military clinic in western Iraq’s Anbar province, during a procession in Najaf, Iraq. Photograph: Anmar Khalil/APBurnt-out cars in Kiryat Ono, Israel, after an Iranian missile barrage. Photograph: Oren Ben Hakoon/ReutersShare
Updated at 02.26 EDT