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Israel has warned the Iranian public not to take trains on Tuesday as it will endanger their life, according to a military statement.
“For the sake of your security, we kindly request that from this moment until 9pm Iran time, you refrain from using and travelling by train throughout Iran,” the military posted on its Persian-language account on X.
“Your presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has said he is “not at all” concerned about committing possible war crimes as he again threatened to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants if Tehran does not meet his Tuesday deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8pm EDT.
“The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” the US president told a news conference on Monday at the White House.
But after issuing at least four prior deadlines, questions have been raised over his latest threat.
Iran’s Alireza Rahimi, called on “all young people, athletes, artists, students and university students and their professors” to form human chains around power plants ahead of the threatened strikes.
Tehran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the conflict.
The nations doing deals with Iran to get ships through Strait of Hormuz
As American president Donald Trump threatens to obliterate Iran’s energy infrastructure unless it reopens the Strait of Hormuz, a number of countries are now negotiating directly with Tehran to secure safe passage for their ships.
Several nations in Asia, arguably the region most affected by the ongoing fuel crisis, have been able to get their vessels through the chokepoint, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas normally transits. Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, after it was attacked by the US and Israel on 28 February.
The conditions of the agreements that countries are striking with Iran remain unclear – neither shipping companies nor the Iranian government have made the terms of these deals public.
Maira Butt7 April 2026 10:05
Israel hits petrochemical site in Iran, says military
The Israeli military has struck a key petrochemical compound in Iran, it said on Tuesday.
The facility was located in Shiraz, in southern Iran and is reported to be one of the last remaining establishments producing critical components for explosives and ballistic missiles, according to the Israeli military.
It added that the military also struck a ballistic missile array site in northwestern Tehran. The Independent was not able to independently verify the claims.
Maira Butt7 April 2026 09:45
Key bridge linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain reopens
The King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge linking Saudi Arabia to the island of Bahrain, has reopened after being shut earlier on Tuesday amid threats of an Iranian attack.
Movement on the 25-km bridge was “suspended as a precautionary measure” in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province.
Its reopening was confirmed by the King Fahd Causeway Authority in a post on X on Tuesday.
Maira Butt7 April 2026 09:35
Around 18 per cent of French petrol stations lacking some fuel, says minister
The Strait of Hormuz crisis is affecting European countries with at least 18 per cent of French petrol stations lacking some kind of fuel on Tuesday morning, according to junior energy minister Maud Bregeon.
She told BFM TV that French oil major TotalEnergies had set a ceiling on its retail prices in France, lower than competitions, which led to supply issues at some stations.
Bregeon insisted that there were no issues with supply only logistics due to the changes in demand.
Maira Butt7 April 2026 09:30
Oil prices climb as Strait of Hormuz deadline looms
Oil prices have climbed again on Tuesday as a deadline set by President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz looms.
The US leader said that he would order attacks on Iranian bridges and power plants if a deal with Tehran was not reached by 8pm EDT (12am GMT/1am BST).
Brent crude futures rose by $1.44 to $111.21 a barrel according to Reuters, while US West Texas Intermediate crude jumped $2.32 or 2.1 per cent to $114.73.
The conflict in the Middle East has already pushed up the price of petrol, diesel and heating oil (PA) (PA Wire)
Maira Butt7 April 2026 09:10
Iran rejects proposal for temporary ceasefire to reopen Hormuz and hands Trump ‘ten-clause response’
Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a “temporary ceasefire”, a senior Iranian official said on Monday after receiving a new proposal from mediators to end the war.
The unnamed official told Reuters that Iran’s leadership is reviewing a plan for an immediate pause in hostilities sent by mediator Pakistan ahead of Donald Trump’s Tuesday deadline for strikes on energy infrastructure.
Tehran does not believe that Washington is ready for a permanent ceasefire, however, and will not accept being pressured to accept deadlines and make a decision, the unnamed source said.
James C Reynolds reports:
Maira Butt7 April 2026 08:50
Iran’s Koharramabad Airport targeted by US-Israeli strike, says Mehr agency
Koharramabad Airport in the Lorestan region of Iran has been targeted by a US-Israeli strike, according to Mehr news agency.
It serves mainly domestic flights to Tehran and Mashad.
Maira Butt7 April 2026 08:40
UN Security Council to vote on Strait of Hormuz resolution today
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is to hold a vote on Tuesday on protecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route through which one fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes.
Members of the Council will vote on the proposal which “strongly encourages” states to “coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances, to contribute to ensuring navigational safety”.
The original wording of the resolution had proposed member states could “use all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances” to ensure shipping through the route.
Fishing boats dot the sea as cargo ships, in the background, sail through the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz off the UAE (AP) (AP)
Maira Butt7 April 2026 08:25
Watch: Donald Trump reveals scale of Iran rescue mission after general urged secrecyTrump blurts out the number of people on rescue mission after Caine wanted to keep it secret
Maira Butt7 April 2026 08:10
Iranian judiciary chief urges execution verdicts against ‘enemy agents’ to be expedited
Iran’s judiciary chief has asked for cases against individuals accused of assisting Iran’s adversaries to be expedited, according to Mizan news agency.
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei urged for executions and asset confiscation verdicts to be sped up on Tuesday.
Hundreds of people have been arrested by security forces across Iran since the outbreak of war on 28 February. Many have been accused of sharing sensitive footage to foreign-based opposition channels or for expressing support for attacks on Iran.
Maira Butt7 April 2026 07:49