![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/49f74cca-1cdc-4c44-892a-2e7825281c65.gif\")
The B1 bridge in Karaj<\/p>\n\t\t\t11.11pm<\/p>\n
\t\tWorld\u2019s largest warship returns to Middle East\n <\/p>\n
The USS Gerald R Ford has departed Split, Croatia after a five days after it underwent repairs and received supplies and will rejoin Operation Epic Fury.<\/p>\n
The world\u2019s largest aircraft carrier \u201cremains poised for full mission tasking in support of national objectives in any area of operation,\u201d according to the US Navy.<\/p>\n
The carrier played a major role in the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran but sailed to Crete and then Croatia after a laundry fire broke out aboard on March 12.<\/p>\n
The Ford has been at sea for more than nine months \u2014 a deployment that has already seen it take part in US operations in the Caribbean, where Washington\u2019s forces have carried out strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, interdicted sanctioned tankers and seized the Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t10.29pm<\/p>\n
\t\tNetherlands pledges millions in aid to Lebanon\n <\/p>\n
The Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten and the Lebanese president Joseph Aoun have discussed the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah over the phone, with Jetten announcing \u20ac13.5 million (\u00a312 million) in humanitarian aid and support for the Lebanese armed forces in a post on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cHezbollah must immediately cease all its activities and disarm, and Israel must prevent any further escalation of the conflict,\u201d Jetten posted.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll parties must comply with international law. I emphasised the importance of de-escalation and direct diplomacy between Lebanon and Israel, which could help achieve a lasting resolution to this conflict.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Netherlands supports the Lebanese government\u2019s efforts to restore full control over the country\u2019s territory. To that end, I announced that the Netherlands will provide \u20ac13.5 million in humanitarian aid and support for the Lebanese armed forces.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t10.12pm<\/p>\n
\t\tUS army chief of staff ousted\n <\/p>\n
Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of war, has asked the army chief of staff, General Randy George, to step down.<\/p>\n
A war department official told CBS News: \u201cWe are grateful for [George\u2019s] service, but it was time for a leadership change in the army.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pentagon later confirmed the news in a statement on X: \u201cGeneral Randy A George will be retiring from his position as the 41st chief of staff of the army effective immediately. The Department of War is grateful for general George\u2019s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement.\u201d<\/p>\n
The army chief of staff typically serves a four-year stint. George was appointed under Biden, meaning he was expected to stay in position until 2027.<\/p>\n
Hegseth has fired more than a dozen senior military officers over his tenure under President Trump.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t9.44pm<\/p>\n
\t\tIranian minister: Every bridge will be built back stronger\n <\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said \u201cevery bridge and building will be built back stronger\u201d after the bombing of the B1 bridge between Tehran and Karaj.<\/p>\n
\u201cStriking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender,\u201d he posted on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt 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\u2019s standing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t9.30pm<\/p>\n
\t\tIsrael and Hezbollah urged to stop fighting\n <\/p>\n
Eighteen European countries urged Israel and Hezbollah to end hostilities as their latest conflict reached the one-month mark, while criticising Israeli plans to occupy part of southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsraeli military operations in Lebanon and Hezbollah\u2019s attacks must cease,\u201d said a joint statement from foreign ministers representing countries including Italy, Spain, Belgium, Poland, and Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urge Israel to fully respect Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and call on all parties, both Hezbollah and Israel, to halt military action,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t9.15pm<\/p>\n
\t\tIran strikes UAE, Bahrain, and Israel in retaliation for attacks on steel plants\n <\/p>\n
Iran launched a wave of strikes against the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel on Thursday, claiming the attacks were direct retaliation for recent US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic\u2019s two largest steel facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn response to attacks on Iranian steel industries, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a new wave of attacks this morning,\u201d the military\u2019s central command, Khatam al-Anbiya said in a statement carried by state TV.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerican steel industries in Abu Dhabi, American aluminium industries in Bahrain, and the Rafael arms factories of the Zionist regime\u201d were among a number of targets, it said.<\/p>\n
Quoting the IRGC\u2019s navy command, Tasnim News Agency said the data centres of two US firms \u2014 Oracle in Dubai and Amazon in Bahrain \u2014 were also targeted.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t8.31pm<\/p>\n
\t\tIRGC targets Oracle\u2019s Dubai data centre\n <\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said it has targeted Oracle\u2019s data centre in Dubai, according to state media.<\/p>\n
It comes after Iran\u2019s armed forces spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi said the Strait of Hormuz will be closed \u201clong term\u201d to the US and Israel. The IRGC previously threatened to strike American tech companies in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t8.00pm<\/p>\n
\t\tArgentina expels Iranian diplomat\n <\/p>\n
Argentina has expelled Tehran\u2019s diplomatic envoy after a war of words with the government of President Milei.<\/p>\n
The Iranian charge d\u2019affaires, Mohsen Soltani Tehrani, was given 48 hours to leave the country after what Argentina\u2019s foreign ministry called \u201cfalse, offensive and baseless accusations\u201d by Tehran against the South American country.<\/p>\n
The expulsion came two days after Argentina \u2014 led by Milei, who is a top ally of President Trump and of Israel \u2014 designated Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a \u201cterrorist organisation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s foreign ministry accused Argentina in a statement of \u201csiding with the aggressors\u201d in a \u201cclear violation\u201d of international law.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t7.47pm<\/p>\n
\t\tFormer ambassador: UK must stand up to \u2018bully\u2019 Trump\n <\/p>\n
Sir Peter Westmacott, a former UK ambassador to the US, has called for countries including the UK to stand up to the \u201ccruel\u201d and \u201crather unpleasant\u201d President Trump.<\/p>\n
Westmacott told Times Radio that America\u2019s allies had not made \u201ca very firm stand against the playground bully in ways that make him stand back \u2014 like the Chinese did over limiting exports, sensitive technologies and critical minerals and so on. Trump, of course, stood down on his threats to do huge tariffs against China. The UK hasn\u2019t done that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cBut as this goes on, we are going to have to find more ways of standing up for ourselves. It\u2019s important, I think, politically, but it\u2019s also important to stand up to the bully. You can\u2019t let them carry on doing this indefinitely.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Macron has made his views plain without having to reply to the specifics of, frankly, really rather disgusting and unworthy language for the president of the United States. But he is, I\u2019m afraid, at times a cruel and rather unpleasant head of state.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t7.35pm<\/p>\n
\t\tTrump fires Pam Bondi as attorney-general\n <\/p>\n
President Trump has fired Pam Bondi as US attorney-general after his frustration grew over the Department of Justice\u2019s handling of the Epstein files and its failure to prosecute his political foes (George Grylls writes).<\/p>\n
In a Truth Social post Trump described Bondi as \u201ca Great American Patriot and a loyal friend\u201d, saying she did a \u201ctremendous job \u2026 We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that Todd Blanche, Bondi\u2019s deputy, would serve as acting attorney-general after\u00a0The New York Times\u00a0reported that he had lined up as her replacement Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. He previously described Zeldin as his \u201csecret weapon\u201d.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t7.16pm<\/p>\n
\t\tStrait of Hormuz is \u2018open for Russia\u2019\n <\/p>\n
President Putin\u2019s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said the Strait of Hormuz was open for Russia, according to state media. <\/p>\n
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, discussed the situation around the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Thursday, Russian state news agencies reported.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t6.58pm<\/p>\n
\t\tIDF detected missile launched at Israel \u2018from Yemen\u2019\n <\/p>\n
The Israel Defence Forces said it had detected a missile launched from Yemen towards Israeli territory, the fourth time it has detected such an attack since the start of the Middle East war.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe IDF has identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, aerial defence systems are operating to intercept the threat,\u201d the military said in a statement on Thursday.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels claimed a missile attack on Israel that was intercepted, their third such claim since the war started.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t6.43pm<\/p>\n
\t\tUS embassy in Baghdad \u2018may face imminent attack\u2019\n <\/p>\n
The US embassy in Baghdad has warned that pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq may attack the city in the coming one or two days.<\/p>\n
Iraq has been dragged into the war between the United States, Israel and Iran, after strikes targeted both US interests and pro-Iran groups in the country.<\/p>\n
The US embassy in Baghdad, located in the centre of the city, has been repeatedly targeted, and on Thursday it warned of more attacks in central parts of the capital.<\/p>\n
\u201cIraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours,\u201d the embassy said in a statement on X.<\/p>\n
It repeated earlier advice for Americans in Iraq to leave. It comes after an American freelance journalist, Shelly Kittleson, was kidnapped in Baghdad by two men on Tuesday. She remains missing.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t6.11pm<\/p>\n
\t\tTrump calls on Iran to make a deal \u2018before it\u2019s too late\u2019\n <\/p>\n
President Trump has said there\u2019s \u201cmuch more to follow\u201d after the destruction of Iran\u2019s tallest bridge. <\/p>\n
He also called on Iran to make a deal \u201cbefore it is too late\u201d in a Truth Social post, while sharing a video of the bridge\u2019s destruction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again \u2014 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! President DONALD J. TRUMP\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t6.08pm<\/p>\n
\t\tMacron loses patience with Trump\n <\/p>\n
Donald Trump has been mocking Emmanuel Macron for months but the French president\u2019s patience has finally snapped with the latest insult, suggesting that his wife\u00a0abuses\u00a0him (Charles Bremner writes).<\/p>\n
Macron had shrugged off a series of Trump jibes that began soon after an incident in May last year when a news camera caught Brigitte Macron shoving her husband near an open aircraft doorway\u00a0as they arrived in Vietnam. \u201cMake sure the door remains closed,\u201d the US president advised Macron after the footage appeared.<\/p>\n
At the time, Macron denied any \u201cdomestic dispute\u201d with his wife, saying that they were \u201cjoking as we often do\u201d.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t6.05pm<\/p>\n
\t\tTrump mocks Starmer and Macron\n <\/p>\n
President Trump put on a weak-sounding voice to mock Sir Keir Starmer at a White House event.<\/p>\n
The video, which was posted on X by the White House before being deleted, showed the US president recalling a phone call he had with Starmer, asking if the UK could send \u201ctwo old, broken-down aircraft carriers\u201d.<\/p>\n
Trump mocked Starmer\u2019s reply with a whiney: \u201cNo, no, no, I have to ask my team, president. My team has to meet, we\u2019re meeting next week.\u201d<\/p>\n
It comes after Starmer said the situation in the Middle East was \u201cnot our war\u201d.<\/p>\n
Trump also mocked President Macron, saying \u201chis wife treats him very badly\u201d, drawing a laugh from the crowd.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t5.52pm<\/p>\n
\t\tUK and allies discussed sanctions on Iran if Strait stays closed\n <\/p>\n
The United Kingdom and its allies have discussed \u201csanctions to bear down on Iran\u201d if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, said after chairing a meeting of more than 40 countries.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t5.38pm<\/p>\n
\t\tGCC calls for UN to authorise force to protect Strait\n <\/p>\n
The secretary-general of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) called for the UN security council to authorise the use of force to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks.<\/p>\n
Jassem al-Budaiwi said: \u201cIran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, prevented commercial vessels and oil tankers from transiting and imposed conditions on some to pass through the strait.\u201d<\/p>\n
He spoke in New York at the first security council meeting on co-operation with the GCC, which comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe call upon the security council to assume its full responsibility and take all necessary measures to protect maritime routes and ensure the safe continuation of international navigation,\u201d al-Budaiwi said.<\/p>\n
Bahrain has proposed a draft resolution that would greenlight states to use \u201call necessary measures\u201d to assure free transit through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t5.10pm<\/p>\n
\t\tCeasefire is urgently needed, says Finnish president\n <\/p>\n
Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, has called the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the situation in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe discussed the situation in Iran and the Middle East. A ceasefire and a diplomatic solution are urgently needed,\u201d Stubb posted on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cI emphasised the need to end the strikes on neighbouring countries and restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite the disagreements, it is important to maintain dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t4.51pm<\/p>\n
\t\tChinese foreign minister: US and Israel \u2018clearly violated international law\u2019\n <\/p>\n
China\u2019s foreign minister, Wang Yi, has said that US and Israeli attacks on Iran were a violation of international law.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe military attack launched by the United States and Israel against Iran was not authorised by the [United Nations security council] and clearly violated international law,\u201d Wang told his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, in a phone call on Thursday, CCTV reported.<\/p>\n
Beijing is a close partner of Tehran and the main buyer of Iranian oil, most of which passes through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t4.41pm<\/p>\n
\t\tCentury-old medical centre in Tehran hit by strikes\n <\/p>\n
A 105-year-old medical centre in Tehran suffered extensive damage in a strike, the Iran\u2019s health ministry has said.<\/p>\n
Dr Hossein Kermanpour, the health ministry spokesman, wrote on X: \u201cThe aggression against Pasteur Institute of Iran \u2014 a century-old pillar of global health and member of the international Pasteur Network \u2014 is a direct assault on international health security.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t4.36pm<\/p>\n
\t\tIRGC targets Amazon cloud computing centre\n <\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said it targeted an Amazon cloud computing centre in Bahrain in retaliation for attacks on Iran, according to a statement carried by state media.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, the IRGC said it would target leading American technology firms if the US continued to target Iranian leaders.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t4.23pm<\/p>\n
\t\tMiddle East\u2019s highest bridge hit by US-Israel\n <\/p>\n
A bridge that is said to be the highest in the Middle East has been struck twice by US-Israeli forces, Iran\u2019s Fars news agency has reported.<\/p>\n
The B1 bridge is part of a vital highway that links the capital Tehran to the western city of Karaj.<\/p>\n
The bridge, which is 156 metres (512 feet) high, was only inaugurated earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The B1 bridge in Karaj<\/p>\n
\t\t\t3.48pm<\/p>\n
\t\t\u2018Europe should take Trump\u2019s Nato stance seriously\u2019\n <\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s stance on Nato is \u201cpretty clear\u201d, a former foreign policy adviser to George W Bush has warned.<\/p>\n
Richard Haass told Times Radio: \u201d If you look at everything he\u2019s been saying about Europe, about Ukraine, about the allies, the message is pretty clear. And he\u2019s limited in what he can do formally. Congress would have to get involved if it were formal but he can withdraw American troops from Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can create doubts about our fidelity or commitment to Article 5. He\u2019s already done that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also think that Europe ought to take this somewhat seriously and think about what is it they might want to do in the way of some operation to deal with freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. I would think that would be a smart thing to do, both in Europe\u2019s own interest, as well as to signal to the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t3.45pm<\/p>\n
\t\tCalls for Strait to open to alleviate food crisis in Africa\n <\/p>\n
Humanitarian organisations are calling for an agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping that would alleviate looming crises in Africa linked to shortages of food, fertiliser, medicine and other goods (Jack Denton writes).<\/p>\n
A petition led by the International Crisis Group (ICG) this week proposed an initiative to allow critical supplies through the strait based on a previous deal that allowed goods to flow from Ukrainian ports despite the war there.<\/p>\n
Iran has blockaded most shipping through the\u00a0Strait of Hormuz\u00a0since the start of a conflict with the US and Israel on February 28. The effect has been felt in oil and gas markets \u2014 but also fertilisers, with about a third of all supplies originating in the Gulf.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\t3.39pm<\/p>\n
\t\t\u2018Bring it on,\u2019 says Speaker of Iranian parliament\n <\/p>\n
The Speaker of Iran\u2019s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has posted a confrontational message on X, saying that \u201cIranians don\u2019t just talk about defending our country, we bleed for it. We\u2019ve done it before and we are ready to do it again\u201d.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cYou come for our home\u2026 you\u2019re gonna meet the whole family. Locked, loaded and standing tall. Bring it on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t3.19pm<\/p>\n
\t\tUN chief calls for immediate halt to hostilities\n <\/p>\n
Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, has warned that the Middle East conflict risked spiralling into a wider war, and he called for an immediate halt to US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian attacks on its neighbours.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are on the edge of a wider war that would engulf the Middle East with dramatic impacts around the globe,\u201d Guterres told reporters in New York.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t3.15pm<\/p>\n
\t\tAustria rejects American overflight requests\n <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have indeed been requests and they were refused from the outset,\u201d Colonel Michael Bauer told AFP, adding that every time a similar request \u201cinvolves a country at war, it is refused\u201d.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
President Trump has criticised European members of the trans-Atlantic alliance, such as France and Spain, which refused to allow their airspace to be used for the war against Iran.<\/p>\n
In mid-March, Switzerland, also invoking its neutrality, said it had refused the use of its airspace.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t3.11pm<\/p>\n
\t\tDefence investment plan delay is \u2018criminal\u2019\n <\/p>\n
The government\u2019s failure to publish its defence investment plan is \u201cindefensible\u201d and \u201ccriminal,\u201d a former Labour defence secretary has claimed, as he called on Sir Keir Starmer to fix the issue.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Times Radio, Lord Hutton said: \u201cI find it indefensible that we\u2019re in this position, but it can be fixed with the leadership and the clear set of priorities that I think only the prime minister can bring to bear. I think all of us want to see that happen pretty quickly, because we really are running out of time to do something effective.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best way to defend yourself against war is to deter it in the first place, rather than have to fight it. I think we\u2019re running the danger now of having to fight a war rather than effectively spend our money now to deter it, and that\u2019s criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t3.07pm<\/p>\n
\t\tDonald Tusk: world events look like \u2018Putin\u2019s dream plan\u2019\n <\/p>\n
The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, has claimed that current world events look \u201clike Putin\u2019s dream plan\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a post on X, Tusk wrote: \u201cThe threat of Nato\u2019s break-up, easing sanctions on Russia, a massive energy crisis in Europe, halting aid for Ukraine and blocking the loan for Kyiv by [Hungarian leader Viktor] Orban \u2014\u00a0 it all looks like Putin\u2019s dream plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
His post drew a response from Orban, who said Europe \u201cis heading toward one of the most severe economic crises in its history\u201d and the only way out was to immediately lift sanctions imposed on Russia\u2019s energy sector because of the invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must think not about Putin, but about our own country and our peoples,\u201d Orban said. \u201cInstead of warmongering, love and save your country, Donald!\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t3.00pm<\/p>\n
\t\tRussia pushes for ceasefire to evacuate staff\n <\/p>\n
Russia will ask the United States and Israel to ensure a ceasefire while it evacuates more Russian staff from the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, RIA news agency reported.<\/p>\n
Alexei Likhachev,\u00a0 the head of Russia\u2019s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said: \u201cThe travel routes will be communicated to the relevant authorities in Israel and the United States, and we will use all channels to request strict adherence to the ceasefire during the convoys movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Likhachev added that a \u201cfinal wave of evacuation\u201d involving about 200 people was tentatively scheduled for next week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Russia built the Iranian nuclear reactor at Bushehr and Rosatom staff are working there on construction of additional units.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t2.50pm<\/p>\n
\t\tIranian human rights lawyer taken by regime\n <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/b1880e4d-f3fb-401b-ab1d-cc271063ea45.jpg\")
Nasrin SotoudehAFP<\/p>\n
Iranian authorities have arrested the prize-winning human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, as activists accuse the Islamic Republic of cracking down on civil society during the war.<\/p>\n
Mehraveh Khandan, her daughter, wrote on Instagram: \u201cMum was arrested last night while she was alone at home.\u201d <\/p>\n
Sotoudeh, who won awards including the 2012 Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament and the 2020 Right Livelihood award, has been repeatedly arrested in the past for her work. Her husband and Mehraveh\u2019s father, Reza Khandan, has been held in prison since December 2024.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t2.40pm<\/p>\n
\t\tIsrael issues Passover warning to Hezbollah\n <\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s defence minister has threatened that the chief of Hezbollah will pay an \u201cextraordinarily heavy price\u201d for escalating attacks during the ongoing Jewish holidays.<\/p>\n
Israel Katz said: \u201cI have a clear message for Naim Qassem \u2026 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will be consigned to the depths of hell alongside Nasrallah, Khamenei, Sinwar and the other fallen figures of the axis of evil,\u201d he said, referring to the former leaders of Hezbollah, Iran, and Hamas, who have been assassinated by Israel. \u201cThe Hezbollah terrorist organisation you now lead, and its supporters in Lebanon, will bear the full and severe consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hezbollah claimed it carried out a series of rocket attacks on northern Israel.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t2.30pm<\/p>\n
\t\tTeenager executed for role in Iranian protests\n <\/p>\n
Iranian authorities have executed a teenager convicted of setting fire to a security forces base during January protests.<\/p>\n
Amir Hossein Hatami, 18, was sentenced to death in February along with six others by a Tehran revolutionary court and was hanged at dawn in the Ghezel Hesar prison outside the capital, according to Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights.<\/p>\n
The Iranian judiciary\u2019s Mizan Online website said he acted \u201cagainst national security\u201d on behalf of Israel and the United States by breaking into \u201ca military centre and destroying it in order to seize the weapons stored there\u201d during the protests.<\/p>\n
He is the fourth man to be executed over protests that broke out in Iran in late December against the rising cost of living before evolving into nationwide anti-government demonstrations. The protests peaked on January 8 and 9 and were met with a crackdown that activists say left thousands dead.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t2.18pm<\/p>\n
\t\tScorn in the USA\n <\/p>\n
President Trump has avoided talking about the war in Iran by attacking rock star \u2014 and critic of the US president \u2014 Bruce Springsteen for having bad plastic surgery and called on people to boycott his concerts.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/88951b4d-2f1b-4024-b79e-f89085d777bd.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/567fb79b-198d-4c89-b97e-912155ec499d.jpg\")
Bruce Springsteen performs at Target Center in Minneapolis, MinnesotaGetty<\/p>\n
\u201cBruce Springsteen, who looks like a dried up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon, has long had a horrible and incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, sometimes referred to as TDS,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guy is a total loser who spews hate against a President,\u201d he wrote. \u201cMAGA SHOULD BOYCOTT HIS OVERPRICED CONCERTS, WHICH SUCK. SAVE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY. AMERICA IS BACK!!!\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t1.56pm<\/p>\n
\t\tRAF gunners down Iranian drones\n <\/p>\n
RAF regiment gunners have downed multiple Iranian drones overnight, according to the Ministry of Defence.<\/p>\n
The gunners were operating in a high-threat area, understood to be Iraq.<\/p>\n
UK Typhoons and F-35 jets, together with Wildcat helicopters, have also been involved in defensive missions across the Middle East region overnight.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t1.41pm<\/p>\n
\t\tPope to vent war opposition in Easter address\n <\/p>\n
The Pope\u2019s sessions in the gym will pay off on Good Friday, when he will carry a large wooden cross around the Colosseum. Leo, 70, will carry it throughout all 14 Stations of the Cross at the ancient Roman arena, symbolising Jesus\u2019s last hours before his crucifixion.<\/p>\n
This Easter, the pontiff is expected to not only flex his muscles but also his political clout. On Easter Sunday, when the American Pope will deliver the traditional Urbi et Orbi address at St Peter\u2019s Square, he is likely to give full vent to his opposition to the Iran war.<\/p>\n
His remarks could exacerbate tensions with the White House on the most important day in the Catholic calendar, and antagonise conservative American Catholics.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t1.20pm<\/p>\n
\t\tRestrain Israel to end Iran war, says former Trump official\n <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/90443dbe-44fe-4e84-a4c7-bcc5859a4591.jpg\")
Kent, who was sworn in last year, previously said Trump had been deceived into believing Iran posed an \u201cimminent threat\u201dTom Williams\/Getty images<\/p>\n
Donald Trump\u2019s former counterterror chief, Joe Kent, who resigned last month, has claimed that a first step to ending the war with Iran is \u201crestraining Israel\u201d.<\/p>\n
Kent said that Israel was deliberately targeting Iranian negotiators so there was no one to negotiate a peace with.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael is targeting the negotiators to ensure we can\u2019t end the war and to ensure that the Iranian leaders who come next will be more extreme, thereby ensuring that the war goes on,\u201d he wrote on X.
\u201cThe first step to end the war must be restraining Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his resignation letter<\/a>, Kent claimed Trump\u2019s administration had started the war \u201cdue to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby<\/a>\u201c.<\/p>\n \t\t\t1.15pm<\/p>\n \t\tUS\u2013Israeli strikes cripple Iranian steel production\n <\/p>\n Iran\u2019s two largest steel plants have been forced out of action by several waves of United States and Israeli attacks, the affected companies have said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur initial estimate is that restarting these units will take at least six months and up to one year,\u201d Mehran Pakbin, deputy head of operations at the Khuzestan Steel Company, was quoted as saying by the Mizan Online website.<\/p>\n Mobarakeh Steel Company in the central province of Isfahan said that its \u201cproduction lines have completely shut down following the high volume of attacks\u201d.<\/p>\n Both plants have suffered repeated strikes since last week.<\/p>\n \u201cAll modules and steelmaking furnaces of this industrial complex have been damaged,\u201d Mehran Pakbin, deputy for operations at Khuzestan, was reported to have said.<\/p>\n Mobarakeh said late Wednesday on its website that after the attacks, \u201ccontinuation of operations is not possible\u201d.<\/p>\n \t\t\t1.10pm<\/p>\n \t\tParis Citigroup staff to work remotely after bomb threat fears\n <\/p>\n Citigroup staff in Paris and Frankfurt are working from home \u201cas a precautionary measure\u201d after a thwarted attack against another United States bank at the weekend, a spokeswoman said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe safety of our employees is our number one priority, and we are taking the necessary measures to keep our employees safe,\u201d she said. \u201cEmployees in Paris\/Frankfurt are working remotely, as a precautionary measure.\u201d<\/p>\n French authorities have charged a young adult and three minors and placed them in pre-trial detention after an explosive device was placed outside a Bank of America branch<\/a> in Paris before dawn on Saturday.<\/p>\n The foiled plot came more than a month after US\u2013Israeli strikes on Iran sparked a regional war, sending energy markets into a tailspin.<\/p>\n France\u2019s National Counterterrorism Prosecutor\u2019s Office said the incident could be linked to a little-known Islamist group with possible links to Iran, though no firm link had yet been established.<\/p>\n The emergent Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya group, meaning \u201cThe Islamic Movement of the People of the Right Hand\u201d, claimed responsibility for attacks targeting Jewish communities<\/a> in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n \t\t\t1.00pm<\/p>\n \t\tAnalysis: Iran war quickens looming crisis in Africa\n <\/p>\n Calls are mounting for an agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping that would alleviate looming humanitarian crises in Africa linked to shortages of food, medicine and other goods (Jack Denton writes).<\/p>\n A petition led by the International Crisis Group proposed this week an initiative to allow critical supplies through the strait based on a deal that allowed goods to flow from Ukrainian ports despite the war there.<\/p>\n Iran has blockaded most shipping through the strait since the start of the war. Much of the effect has been felt in oil and gas markets but also fertilisers, with about a third of all supplies originating in the Gulf.<\/p>\n Dwindling fuel is already choking the likes of Ethiopia, which recently put non-essential state workers on leave amid a national transportation crisis. Africa imports about 80 per cent of its fertiliser, with shortages causing nitrogen-based urea prices to jump 50 per cent.<\/p>\n \t\t\t12.50pm<\/p>\n \t\tArrested to spy for the other side\n <\/p>\n An Iranian-American dual national who once ran for local election in the United States as a Republican candidate has told how he was arrested by the Iranian security services and forced to sign a document stating that he would spy for them.<\/p>\n Born in\u00a0Iran<\/a>\u00a0but raised in the US, Rouzy Vafaie returned to the country of his birth in 2021 to help look after his father, but decided to leave the country last month after the start of the war with Israel and America.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the airspace closed, he joined thousands of others attempting to flee across the Armenian border, but was detained en route by\u00a0members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)<\/a>, Vafaie told Suzanne Kianpour on Times Radio.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t12.40pm<\/p>\n \t\tUAE begins denying entry to Iranians\n <\/p>\n The United Arab Emirates is banning Iranians from entry, with some exceptions, severing a lifeline to the beleaguered country after it conducted daily attacks on the UAE.<\/p>\n UAE\u00a0airlines have reported that Iranian nationals will not be allowed to travel to the country unless they hold \u201cgolden visas\u201d, which are granted to high earners and property owners, or are married to Emirati nationals or born of an Emirati woman.<\/p>\n \u201cNationals of Iran are not allowed to enter and transit,\u201d Emirates, one of the UAE\u2019s flag-carrier airlines, said on its website. Athletes, bank executives, and several other categories will also be exempted from the ban.<\/p>\n \t\t\t12.30pm<\/p>\n \t\tMinisters to discuss demining of the Strait\n <\/p>\n Military planners are being convened to look at how to demine the Strait of Hormuz as part of efforts to reopen the vital sea passage.<\/p>\n Yvette Cooper stressed \u201cdiplomatic and international planning measures\u201d were the focus of the meeting between foreign ministers at Downing Street this afternoon.<\/p>\n The foreign secretary said: \u201cWe are focusing on the diplomatic and international planning measures, including collective mobilisation of our full range of diplomatic and economic tools and pressures, reassurance work with industry, insurers and energy markets, and also action to guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers, and effective co-ordination that we need across the world to enable a safe and sustained opening of the Strait.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t12.25pm<\/p>\n \t\tCooper condemns \u2018Iranian recklessness\u2019\n <\/p>\n Yvette Cooper condemned \u201cIranian recklessness\u201d for damaging global economic security as she addressed a virtual meeting of more than 40 countries aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n The meeting will discuss ways to make the strait, through which about 20 per cent of the world\u2019s oil supplies pass, \u201caccessible and safe after the fighting has stopped\u201d. Military planners will also meet this week to discuss naval options to protect shipping.<\/p>\n Other countries, including France and the Gulf states, have already been involved in private discussions over what naval assets they would be willing to provide to any potential coalition. Military escorts, minesweeping operations and other defences against possible attacks by Iran are all under consideration.<\/p>\n \t\t\t12.20pm<\/p>\n \t\tIranian airport hit by strikes\n <\/p>\n An airport in Isfahan province, central Iran, had been attacked by US-Israeli strikes, Iranian media has reported.<\/p>\n Akbar Saleh, Isfahan\u2019s deputy governor, said the Kashan airport in the province was targeted, according to IRNA, Iran\u2019s official news agency.<\/p>\n He added that the cities of Shahreza, Aran, Bidgol and Najafabad had also been targeted.<\/p>\n \t\t\t12.10pm<\/p>\n \t\tExtent of US military damage revealed\n <\/p>\n That the US has been stuck for too long in \u201cforever wars\u201d is one thing on which both sides of the country\u2019s political divide seem to agree.<\/p>\n Yet both sides \u2014 if not the military itself \u2014 may have overlooked one important aspect that makes its war with Tehran different from the rest. For the first time in decades, the US has found itself fighting a fully functioning state, rather than guerrillas and jihadists it can dismiss as \u201cragtag\u201d.<\/p>\n The effect has been dramatic. Rather than a slow bleed to roadside mines and suicide bombs, the might of the American military has suffered the sort of losses to be expected of more conventional wars.<\/p>\n \t\t\t12.00pm<\/p>\n \t\tOperation to liberate Strait \u2018unrealistic\u2019\n <\/p>\n President Macron said a military operation to liberate the Strait of Hormuz would be \u201cunrealistic\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are those who advocate for the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz by force through a military operation, a position sometimes expressed by the United States,\u201d Macron said after he arrived in South Korea for his two-day visit.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is unrealistic because it would take an inordinate amount of time and would expose anyone crossing the strait to coastal threats from the [Iranian] Revolutionary Guards, who possess significant resources, as well as ballistic missiles, [and] a host of other risks.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t11.50am<\/p>\n \t\t\u2018US taking soldiers to their graves, not Iran\u2019\n <\/p>\n A commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has criticised the US secretary of war for claiming America could bomb Iran \u201cback to the Stone Age\u201d.<\/p>\n Seyed Majid Mousavi, the commander of IRGC Aerospace Force, said: \u201cIt is you who are taking your soldiers to their graves, not Iran, whom you seek to drag back to the Stone Age.<\/p>\n \u201cHollywood delusions have so poisoned your minds that, with your paltry 250-year history, you threaten a civilization over 6,000 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t11.40am<\/p>\n \t\tUK businesses hit by inflation\n <\/p>\n Inflation expectations among British businesses have climbed to their highest level in over two years as companies grapple with the surge in energy prices resulting from the war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n Figures published by the Bank of England on Thursday revealed that in March businesses expected inflation would be 3.5 per cent in a year\u2019s time, up from the present rate of 3 per cent.\u00a0<\/p>\n That marked the highest year-ahead\u00a0inflation forecast\u00a0<\/a>since December 2023 and was a significant increase from February\u2019s prediction of 3 per cent. The Bank of England data also showed that firms thought there would be just two rate cuts by 2029 and possibly only one over the next 12 months.<\/p>\n \t\t\t11.30am<\/p>\n \t\tMacron: Trump\u2019s remarks neither elegant nor up to standard\n <\/p>\n President Macron has criticised Trump\u2019s remarks about his marriage, claiming they were \u201cneither elegant nor up to standard\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump mocked Macron\u2019s marriage, claiming his wife, Brigitte, \u201ctreated him extremely badly\u201d, to laughs from the assembled audience.<\/p>\n The US leader also referenced an incident last year when video emerged of the French first lady appearing to push her husband, later laughed off as a \u201cjoke\u201d by the \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s still recovering from that right to the jaw,\u201d said Trump.<\/p>\n The French leader arrived in South Korea this morning for a two-day visit, where he will meet with Lee Jae Myung, the South Korean president, for talks to strengthen political and economic ties.<\/p>\n \t\t\t11.20am<\/p>\n \t\tPhilippines granted safe passage through Strait\n <\/p>\n Iran pledged to allow safe passage for shipments of oil to the Philippines through the Strait of Hormuz, Manila said.<\/p>\n Ferdinand Marcos, the president of the Philippines, declared a state of national energy emergency, and said \u201cnothing was off the table\u201d, as fuel prices hit historic highs.<\/p>\n On Thursday, the country\u2019s department of foreign affairs said a \u201cproductive phone conversation\u201d between Theresa Lazaro, its foreign secretary, and her Iranian counterpart had opened the door to crucial oil shipments.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t11.10am<\/p>\n \t\tStrike on nuclear plant would be war crime, insists Iran\n <\/p>\n A strike on Iran\u2019s Bushehr nuclear power plant would constitute a \u201cwar crime\u201d under international law, Tehran\u2019s envoy to the United Nations\u2019 atomic agency claimed.<\/p>\n Reza Najafi said: \u201cEven during the war, it is prohibited to attack the facilities for use of the civilians, and such an attack would be a very big crime, a crime against humanity, a war crime.\u201d<\/p>\n He also denied that Tehran had \u201crestarted enrichment\u201d of radioactive uranium after the US-Israeli strikes in June 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t restart enrichment, and it was a lie, a very big lie, like the other lies,\u201d the Iranian envoy said in an interview with AFP.<\/p>\n Israel and the US have long accused Iran of having ambitions to build a nuclear weapon, with President Trump claiming the threat as a justification for both the 12-day conflict last year and the ongoing war.<\/p>\n \t\t\t11.00am<\/p>\n \t\tThe State of It: Foreign policy by tantrum\n <\/p>\n \t\t\t10.50am<\/p>\n \t\tTrump faces backlash over Macron mockery\n <\/p>\n \t\tTrump mocked the president at an Easter lunch event<\/p>\n French politicians have rallied to defend their president after Trump mocked the leader and claimed Brigitte Macron punched her husband.<\/p>\n Ya\u00ebl Braun-Pivet, president of France\u2019s lower house of parliament, said: \u201cHonestly, it\u2019s not up to par. We are currently discussing the future of the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRight now in Iran, this is having consequences for the lives of millions of people, people are dying on the battlefield, and we have a president who is laughing, who is mocking others,\u201d she told franceinfo.<\/p>\n Even political rival, Manuel Bompard, co-ordinator of the hard-left France Unbowed party, said: \u201cYou are aware of the extent of my disagreements with the president, but for Donald Trump to speak to him like that and to speak of his wife in such a manner, I find that absolutely unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t10.40am<\/p>\n \t\tUS insiders \u2018profiting\u2019 from war\n <\/p>\n It was an unusual time to be trading more than half a billion dollars in oil futures. Yet between 6.49am and 6.50am last Monday, business was brisk.<\/p>\n The price of oil had been yo-yoing for weeks. Even experienced traders struggled to make sense of the contradictory statements coming from the White House.<\/p>\n Amid the confusion, on the morning of March 23, someone appeared remarkably certain about what would happen next. Betting the price of oil would collapse, they gambled $580 million on Brent and West Texas Intermediate futures.<\/p>\n \t\t\t10.30am<\/p>\n \t\tRussia \u2018ready to make contribution\u2019 in Iran\n <\/p>\n Russia is ready to contribute to resolving the Iran conflict, a Kremlin spokesman has said.<\/p>\n Dmitry Peskov added that President Putin was continuing to talk with regional leaders. <\/p>\n \u201cThe president is continuing these contacts, and if our services are somehow required, we are, of course, ready to make our contribution to ensuring that the military situation transitions to a peaceful course as soon as possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t10.20am<\/p>\n \t\tWhat is Trump\u2019s plan for Iran?\n <\/p>\n One reason no one can tell whether the war on Iran is really nearing its conclusion is because Washington has not been clear about what it is trying to achieve.<\/p>\n A close reading of President Trump\u2019s speech on February 28, the day the bombing started, would seem to reveal a list of objectives that has since shrunk by the week. On Wednesday in his new address to America he specifically ruled out regime change, while even Iran\u2019s enriched uranium will be left in place.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s so far underground, I don\u2019t care about that,\u201d he said in an interview with Reuters just beforehand. \u201cWe\u2019ll always be watching it by satellite.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t10.02am<\/p>\n \t\tTrump\u2019s Iran speech fails to reassure voters\n <\/p>\n President Trump attempted to reassure American voters that oil prices would soon come down in a primetime speech on the Iran War delivered in the wake of record poor polling.<\/p>\n The White House had promised an \u201cimportant update\u201d from the president on Wednesday evening after his approval rating sank to its lowest level of his two terms.<\/p>\n Trump repeated many of the arguments he has made in recent weeks, saying that the US needed to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and claiming that Tehran had been building missiles \u201cthat could reach the American homeland\u201d.<\/p>\n \t\t\t9.52am<\/p>\n \t\t\u2018No enemy troops should survive\u2019\n <\/p>\n Iran\u2019s operational headquarters must monitor \u201cenemy movements with utmost pessimism and accuracy\u201d and be ready to counter any attack including a ground invasion, the country\u2019s army commander-in-chief has said.<\/p>\n Iranian state media quoted Amir Hatami as saying: \u201cNo enemy troops should survive if adversaries attempt a ground operation.\u201d <\/p>\n President Trump said the Iran conflict was nearing completion and could end within weeks, but a parallel build-up of additional US troops in the Gulf has raised concerns that preparations may be underway for potential ground operations.<\/p>\n \t\t\t9.42am<\/p>\n \t\tTrump: Support my coalition or I\u2019ll stop aiding Ukraine\n <\/p>\n Trump threatened to stop supplying weapons for Ukraine in an attempt to get European countries to join a coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports.<\/p>\n The US president was said to have demanded that Nato allies\u2019 navies help to reopen the crucial trade waterway last month, the Financial Times reported. However, his demands were rejected, with several leaders telling him the conflict in the Middle East was \u201cnot our war<\/a>\u201d. <\/p>\n Trump responded by threatening to stop supplies to Purl, Nato\u2019s weapons procurement initiative for Ukraine funded by European countries, three officials familiar with discussions told the FT.<\/p>\n Subsequently, a group of countries including key alliance members France, Germany and the UK issued a hastily agreed statement on March 19 that read: \u201cWe express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait [of Hormuz].\u201d<\/p>\n War and peace newsletter<\/p>\n Tom Newton-Dunn\u2019s concise guide to global conflict \u2013 with reasons for optimism.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tSign up with one click<\/p>\n \t\t\t9.32am<\/p>\n \t\tTrump compared to Christ in Easter event\n <\/p>\n Trump\u2019s spiritual adviser has compared the US president to Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n Paula White, speaking at the Easter lunch event, said that like Christ, Trump had been betrayed, arrested and falsely accused, and had overcome every challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cJesus taught so many lessons through his death, burial and resurrection,\u201d she said. \u201cHe showed us great leadership; great transformation great sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n The turning to the president directly, she added: \u201cMr President, no one has paid the price like you have paid the price. It almost cost you your life. You were betrayed and arrested and falsely accused. It\u2019s a familiar pattern that our Lord and Saviour showed us. But it didn\u2019t end them for him and it didn\u2019t end there for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t9.21am<\/p>\n \t\tIsraelis celebrate Passover in an underground car park\n <\/p>\n \t\tJews in Tel Aviv marked the holiday last night in an underground car park, repurposed to shelter residents\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t9.10am<\/p>\n \t\tTrump takes swipe at Macron\u2019s marriage\n <\/p>\n President Trump has mocked President Macron\u2019s marriage, claiming his wife \u201ctreated him extremely badly\u201d.<\/p>\n At an Easter event at the White House, the US leader referenced an incident in Vietnam last May, when video emerged of Brigitte, the French first lady, appearing to push her husband<\/a>, later laughed off as a \u201cjoke\u201d by the \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s still recovering from that right to the jaw,\u201d said Trump, before going on to berate the French lack of help in the war.<\/p>\n Mimicking a phone conversation the pair had, Trump said: \u201cI say, \u2018Emmanuel, we\u2019d love to have some help in the Gulf \u2026 if you could please send ships immediately?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Then, in a fake French accent, he added: \u201cNo, no, no, we cannot do that Donald, we can do that after the war is won.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t9.00am<\/p>\n \t\tChina blames US for blockage of the Strait\n <\/p>\n China has blamed US and Israel solely for the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Mao Ning, Beijing\u2019s foreign ministry spokeswoman, said: \u201cThe root cause of interruptions to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is the United States and Israel\u2019s illegal military operations against Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n On Wednesday, President Trump said countries that received oil through the key waterway, which included many Asian nations, \u201cmust take care of that passage\u201d, urging them to \u201cjust take it<\/a>, protect it, use it for yourselves\u201d.<\/p>\n \t\t\t8.48am<\/p>\n \t\tBhutan latest to feel Iran\u2019s fuel squeeze\n <\/p>\n The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has raised its fuel prices as a result of the war in Iran.<\/p>\n Carbon-negative Bhutan has aggressively promoted hydropower projects, earning substantial revenue by exporting electricity to energy-hungry neighbour India. However, the landlocked nation imports its fuel via India. <\/p>\n The price of petrol at the pump has shot up by more than 60 per cent since war began and shortages have caused long queues at filling stations in the capital Thimphu.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what to say. It\u2019s not like our government is responsible, they are trying their best despite the war in the Middle East and price hike in India,\u201d said Karma Kalden, 40, a resident of Thimphu. \u201cWe are helpless.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t8.38am<\/p>\n \t\tBritish allies meet to discuss reopening Strait\n <\/p>\n The foreign secretary will host a virtual meeting with 35 British allies today on measures to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n The prime minister said yesterday: \u201cToday I can announce that later this week the foreign secretary will host a meeting that brings those nations together for the first time where we 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.<\/p>\n \u201cFollowing this meeting, we will also convene our military planners to look at how we can marshal our capabilities and make the Strait accessible and safe after the fighting has stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t8.28am<\/p>\n \t\tStarmer calls for plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz\n <\/p>\n Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to the president of the European Commission about the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz ahead of a meeting of international allies.<\/p>\n The prime minister spoke to Ursula von der Leyen last night and \u201cagreed allies must come together and work on a viable plan for full freedom of navigation to resume when circumstances allow\u201d, Downing Street said.<\/p>\n The pair also discussed closer ties between the UK and Europe, an ambition that Starmer set out at his Downing Street press conference on Wednesday.<\/p>\n A spokesman said: \u201cThey then discussed their shared ambition to further strengthen the partnership between the UK and the European Union, and the need to continue strong support to Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cThey agreed to keep in close contact as this important work progresses in the lead-up to the next UK-EU Summit.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t8.22am<\/p>\n \t\tSaudis intercept fresh wave of drone attacks\n <\/p>\n Saudi Arabia has intercepted and destroyed four unmanned drones, its ministry of defence said.<\/p>\n The ministry said it had also downed a ballistic missile heading to the eastern region of the country.<\/p>\n \t\t\t8.18am<\/p>\n \t\tSouth Korea\u2019s economy on \u2018wartime footing\u2019\n <\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s economy was on a \u201cwartime footing\u201d\u00a0 because of the Iran war, its president said, after the government proposed a $17.2 billion supplementary budget to tackle the crisis.<\/p>\n Seoul is heavily reliant on Middle Eastern crude for around 70 per cent of its imports.<\/p>\n \u201cOur government is treating the economy as being on a wartime footing and is making all-out efforts to overcome the crisis,\u201d Lee Jae Myung said in a budget speech to the National Assembly.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current crisis is not like a passing shower that will stop, but rather like a massive storm that could last indefinitely,\u201d he added, asking lawmakers to swiftly pass the budget.<\/p>\n The plan allocates 4.8 trillion won ($3.1 billion) in cash handouts for the bottom 70 per cent of income earners, with payments scaled by income.<\/p>\n \t\t\t8.08am<\/p>\n \t\tTrump recycles war rhetoric\n <\/p>\n President Trump and Pete Hegseth\u2019s phrase \u201cback to the stone age\u201d has been recycled from previous US military campaigns.<\/p>\n During the Vietnam war, US Air Force General Curtis LeMay was credited with using it ahead of a carpet bombing campaign in the north of the country. LeMay subsequently denied saying it, claiming he only said the US had \u201cthe capability\u201d to do it.<\/p>\n In 2006, Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistan president, claimed George W Bush\u2019s administration threatened to bomb Pakistan \u201cback to the stone age\u201d if the country did co-operate with the US war on Afghanistan.<\/p>\n \t\t\t7.58am<\/p>\n \t\tPro-Iran groups could attack Baghdad\n <\/p>\n The US embassy in Baghdad has warned that pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq may attack the city in the coming days.<\/p>\n \u201cIraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours,\u201d it wrote on X, urging Americans in the country to leave immediately.<\/p>\n \t\t\t7.48am<\/p>\n \t\tWar will continue until US humiliation, Iran says\n <\/p>\n Iran\u2019s military has vowed to carry out \u201ccrushing\u201d attacks against the United States and Israel until they surrender.<\/p>\n Khatam al-Anbiya, the military\u2019s operational command, said: \u201cWith trust in Almighty God, this war will continue until your humiliation, disgrace, permanent and certain regret, and surrender. Await our more crushing, broader and more destructive actions.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement came after hours after President Trump threatened to bomb Iran into the \u201cStone Ages\u201d in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n \t\t\t7.26am<\/p>\n \t\tTrump\u2019s speech causes shares to fall\n <\/p>\n Oil prices climbed sharply and stock markets fell after President Trump dashed hopes of a de-escalation in the Middle East conflict.<\/p>\n The benchmark Brent crude price rose $6.56 to $107.76 a barrel after falling below $100 at one stage on Wednesday when the president suggested the war could be over soon.<\/p>\n A relief rally in global stock markets yesterday has ended. Japan\u2019s Nikkei lost 2.5 per cent, South Korea\u2019s Kospi fell 5 per cent, and the UK\u2019s FTSE 100, which closed up 1.9 per cent for its best daily gain since April 14 last year, is expected to open 0.9 per cent lower.<\/p>\n \t\t\t6.46am<\/p>\n \t\tIsrael hits Iran with \u2018extensive wave of strikes\u2019\n <\/p>\n The IDF has launched 400 strikes on Iran since Tuesday in an effort to destroy weapons manufacturing sites.<\/p>\n An \u201cextensive wave of strikes overnight\u201d targeted \u201cthe heart of Tehran\u201d, a spokesman for the IDF wrote on Telegram messaging app.<\/p>\n They added: \u201cThe IDF intensified its strikes against the Iranian regime\u2019s military manufacturing industries and attacked approximately 15 weapons production sites, including a central complex of the Iranian Ministry of Defense.<\/p>\n \u201cThis complex housed facilities for the production and development of advanced missiles designed to target fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles.<\/p>\n \u201cAdditionally, air defence systems, launch sites and facilities for the production and storage of ballistic missiles and anti-aircraft missiles were attacked. The strikes that were carried out are part of an effort to intensify the damage to the core systems and foundations of the Iranian terrorist regime.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t6.33am<\/p>\n \t\tWatch: Trump says Iran \u2018has essentially been decimated\u2019\n <\/p>\n \t\t\t5.53am<\/p>\n \t\tIran responds to Trump speech with more missiles\n <\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military said that air defences responded to waves of Iranian missile fired early on Thursday, including at least two attacks after President Trump\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n Police said officers were called to \u201cseveral\u201d impact sites in central Israel, with media reports putting the number at nine. Four people were lightly wounded in the Tel Aviv area, the reports said.<\/p>\n Within about six hours of the first attack, the military announced it had again \u201cidentified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the state of Israel\u201d three more times, triggering air raid sirens across much of northern and central Israel.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, as Jewish Israelis were preparing to celebrate the Passover holiday, emergency services said Iranian missile fire wounded 14 people, including an 11-year-old girl.<\/p>\n \t\t\t5.26am<\/p>\n \t\tHezbollah fires fresh missiles at northern Israel\n <\/p>\n![\"Police](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/b21c3715-24fb-4340-9693-70e15ddc4019.jpg\")
Police at the scene in central Paris on SaturdaySEBASTIEN DUPUY\/AFP\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/6081b5fd-6d5b-4434-b97d-b48751869a8f.jpg\")
Yvette Cooper at a virtual summit at the Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeLeon Neal\/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/5ee94cf8-5c89-47f3-8819-31b1fe1e23a1.gif\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/058aff82-71cf-4a6c-b0bd-274a0706d677.jpg\")
President Macron and his wife arrive at Seoul airport in South KoreaLee Jin-man\/AP<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/7e6e1025-ee4f-4d0a-8818-d29c19b871a3.jpg\")
President Macron with Brigitte Macron and Japan\u2019s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at Tokyo\u2019s Imperial PalaceAFP<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/d0259be9-1c7d-49a7-9247-924d0a78ce6a.jpg\")
A plume of smoke rises after a strike in Tehran on ThursdayAP\/Mohsen Ganj<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/50ecd76b-ba7e-41ff-8226-afdeb39b4838.jpg\")
A communal Passover seder in an underground car park in Tel AvivAlexi Rosenfeld\/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bb3095f2-130c-473f-b03c-eee746dbc3f7.jpg\")
Alexi Rosenfeld\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
![\"Australian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/6732a76a-469c-4896-a1b1-bee30f08d4eb.jpg\")
Anthony Albanese LUKAS COCH AUSTRALIA\/EPA<\/p>\n![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/27847cf8-2161-4f84-a05b-86f4a3795d1e.jpg\")
AP\/Alex Brandon<\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/a6960747-e5b5-4071-b11f-00d34a438277.jpg\")
Smoke billows from an oil warehouse in Erbil, Iraq, after a suspected drone strikeAFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n