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In his code Wednesday night, U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces volition support hitting Iran “very hard” successful the adjacent 2 oregon 3 weeks and bring the state “back to the Stone Ages,” adjacent arsenic helium touted the occurrence of U.S. operations and argued that each of Washington’s objectives person truthful acold been met oregon exceeded.
Iran is firing much missiles astatine Israel and Gulf Arab states, with a spokesperson for its subject insisting Thursday that Tehran maintains hidden stockpiles of arms, munitions and accumulation facilities.
In Lebanon — wherever Israel has launched a crushed penetration against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants — Israeli strikes person killed 27 radical successful the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said.
Stocks recovered astir of their losses from earlier successful the day, though lipid prices remained elevated aft Trump failed to connection a wide timetable for ending the struggle successful his address. U.S. crude lipid was up 8.4% astatine $108.82 per barrel, pulling backmost from implicit $110.
Here is the latest:
Trump sons’ drone task denies conflicts of interest
This latest Trump venture, Powerus, has its sights connected $1.1 cardinal acceptable speech by the Pentagon to physique up a U.S. manufacturing basal for equipped drones to capable a spread near erstwhile the Trump medication banned specified imports from China.
The Florida-based institution denied immoderate conflicts erstwhile it announced the Trump brothers’ deal. Asked astir imaginable Powerus conflicts of involvement specifically, Eric Trump sent the AP a connection past period saying, “I americium incredibly arrogant to put successful companies I judge in. Drones are intelligibly the question of the future.”
The institution precocious raised $60 cardinal from investors and hopes to pat further financing by doing a “reverse merger” with a Trump institution listed connected the Nasdaq banal speech that owns a fewer play courses. Such a merger allows a backstage concern to rapidly spell public, shortening the process of filing paperwork and gathering assorted requirements of a regular archetypal nationalist offering.
Company backed by Trump sons is pitching drone interceptors to Gulf states being attacked by Iran
A drone shaper backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. is trying to merchantability to countries that present beryllium connected the U.S. subject led by their father, positioning them to payment from the warfare helium began.
Powerus co-founder Brett Velicovich told The Associated Press that the institution is making income pitches that see drone demonstrations successful respective Gulf countries to amusement however its antiaircraft drone interceptors could assistance them ward disconnected Iranian attacks.
“These countries are nether tremendous unit to bargain from the sons of the president truthful helium volition bash what they want,” said Richard Painter, a erstwhile main White House morals lawyer nether President George W. Bush. “This is going to beryllium the archetypal household of a president to marque a batch of wealth disconnected warfare — a warfare helium didn’t get the consent of Congress for.”
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Pakistan hikes substance prices by 42% amid planetary lipid terms surge linked to Iran war
The Pakistani authorities called Thursday’s summation unavoidable arsenic planetary lipid costs ascent due to the fact that of the Iran war. The authorities raised prices by 137 rupees (49 cents) per liter, aft already expanding prices by astir 20% past month.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the struggle has deed Pakistan’s system hard and that helium is trying to bring Washington and Tehran to the negotiating table.
War crimes probe of Israel is sought successful France
The ailment filed Thursday with France’s warfare crimes portion successful Paris involves an Israeli onslaught connected a Beirut flat gathering successful November 2024, good earlier the existent war. The International Federation for Human Rights says it killed 7 civilians, including the parents of a French-Lebanese artist, Ali Cherri.
The quality rights radical said the onslaught deed conscionable hours earlier a ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hezbollah took effect, and that bombing a civilian gathering could represent a warfare transgression nether French transgression instrumentality and planetary humanitarian law. Amnesty International said its ain probe recovered nary grounds of a subject nonsubjective successful oregon adjacent the building, and that civilians received nary effectual beforehand warning.
Israel ’s Foreign Ministry referred questions to Israel’s military, which did not instantly respond Thursday, but has said it follows planetary ineligible norms and strikes lone morganatic subject targets.
War deals a dense stroke to Iraq’s oil-dependent economy
Iraq relies connected lipid revenues for astir 90% of its budget, and astir of it is exported done the Strait of Hormuz, which has been efficaciously closed since the Iran warfare began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes connected Tehran. The warfare besides has led to a crisp simplification successful the measurement of imported goods reaching confederate Iraq’s ports, and halted postulation astatine Iraq’s borderline with Iran.
Unlike different countries successful the Middle East touched by the war, Iraq hosts some entrenched Iran-aligned forces and important U.S. interests, exposing it to attacks from some sides.
Iran has offered assurances that Iraqi crude tin safely transit the Strait of Hormuz, said Bassem Abdul Karim, the caput of Iraq’s Basra Oil Company.
However, due to the fact that Iraq lacks its ain tanker fleet and depends connected chartered vessels, shipments yet hinge connected whether tanker owners are consenting to judge the heightened risks. Most are not.
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US-Israeli strikes connected civilian infrastructure endanger to acceptable backmost Iran ‘generations’
An Iranian quality rights activistic has described attacks connected her country of eastbound Tehran.
“For 2 oregon 3 nights the entity was afloat of drones. I perpetually saw them,” she said, speaking with The Associated Press connected information of anonymity for her safety.
A dissident and erstwhile governmental prisoner, she said U.S.-Israeli strikes are doing increasing harm. Trump’s menace to nonstop Iran backmost to the Stone Age was “offensive” and recalled the brutal 13th period Mongol penetration of Iran, she added.
“The information is: their occupation isn’t with the Islamic Republic, it’s with Iran,” she added, pointing to what she said were caller strikes connected alloy plants, a pharmaceutical institution and a landmark Tehran wellness institute.
She described seeing “completely” destroyed homes scattered crossed the capital, particularly successful a low-income neighborhood, Resalat. Iran’s Red Crescent has reported extended harm to homes and civilian sites.
— By Amir-Hussein Radjy successful Cario.
Gulf nations backmost UN solution authorizing ‘all indispensable measures’ to warrant shipping done Strait of Hormuz
“All indispensable measures” is connection utilized by the United Nations that includes subject action.
At a U.N. Security Council gathering Thursday, the caput wide of the Gulf Cooperation Council said Iran’s retaliatory attacks connected its neighbors had exceeded “all reddish lines.”
Jassim Albudaiwi besides stressed that the six GCC nations indispensable beryllium included successful immoderate discussions oregon agreements with Iran connected ensuring determination security.
Bahrain, the existent U.N. Security Council president and a GCC member, has said it wants a ballot Friday connected a solution calling connected countries “to usage each indispensable means” to guarantee planetary transit “in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.”
It faces absorption from veto-wielding Russia and China.
Dizzying US substance prices mostly payment companies that extract and refine crude
The near-daily changes successful U.S. state prices person been dizzying for drivers. Experts accidental differences successful terms aren’t typically decided by immoderate idiosyncratic state retailer, and astir of them aren’t pocketing the other pennies erstwhile prices rise.
U.S. state prices are climbing fast, and drivers are paying the highest pump prices since 2022 arsenic the Iran warfare shakes lipid markets.
The nationalist mean jumped past $4 a gallon this week. The Energy Information Administration says astir fractional the terms covers crude oil, and astir 20% goes to refiners.
The near-daily changes successful U.S. state prices are dizzying for drivers, who are near feeling frustrated and cash-strapped arsenic the Iran warfare pushes up prices worldwide. In his code connected the Iran war, Trump asked Americans for patience.
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Gulf nations backmost UN solution authorizing ‘all indispensable measures’ to warrant shipping
“All indispensable measures” is connection utilized by the United Nations that includes subject action.
At a U.N. Security Council gathering Thursday, the caput wide of the Gulf Cooperation Council said Iran’s retaliatory attacks connected its neighbors had exceeded “all reddish lines.” Jassim Albudaiwi besides stressed that the six GCC nations indispensable beryllium included successful immoderate discussions oregon agreements with Iran connected ensuring determination security.
Bahrain, the existent U.N. Security Council president and a GCC member, has said it wants a ballot Friday connected a solution calling connected countries “to usage each indispensable means” to guarantee planetary transit done the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
It faces absorption from veto-wielding Russia and China.
Democrats accidental Trump is losing the war
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, said the president’s code Wednesday nighttime was “grounded successful a world that lone exists successful Donald Trump’s mind.”
“We are losing this war,” Murphy said. “We cannot destruct each their missiles oregon drones, nor their atomic program. Iran projects much powerfulness successful the portion than they did earlier the war, particularly if they present permanently power the Strait of Hormuz. We are spending billions we don’t person and losing American lives successful a warfare that is destabilizing the satellite and making america look feckless.”
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Iran's oldest aesculapian probe instauration is hit
Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesperson for Iran’s Health Ministry, said connected X that the strikes connected the Pasteur Institute of Iran were “a nonstop battle connected planetary wellness security” and called connected the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross to respond.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei connected X called it “heartbreaking, cruel, despicable, and utterly outrageous.” Both shared photos of demolition and rubble.
Israel’s subject said it was not alert of the strikes, and U.S. Central Command did not respond to questions.
The institute is simply a ample laboratory analyzable that opened much than a period agone and has a unit of much than 1,300 moving connected the improvement and manufacture of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals. The Paris-based Pasteur Network, a planetary wellness confederation spanning 32 centers worldwide, did not instantly respond to questions erstwhile contacted aft concern hours.
The Institute would not beryllium the archetypal aesculapian installation deed during the war. Tehran's Gandhi Hospital was damaged by shrapnel and debris. Israel has antecedently claimed Iran struck the Weizmann Institute of Science successful Rehovot. And Lebanon's wellness ministry said Thursday that 9 hospitals person been targeted by Israeli aerial strikes truthful far.
Lebanon bids farewell to 3 fallen UN peacekeepers
The coffins of 3 Indonesian soldiers serving arsenic U.N. peacekeepers near Beirut connected Thursday aft a ceremonial honoring their sacrifice, arsenic warring betwixt Israel and Hezbollah intensifies successful confederate Lebanon.
“They mislaid their lives present successful Lebanon, serving nether the United Nations flag, serving for peace,” said Major General Diodato Abagnara, UNIFIL caput of ngo and unit commander.
Two were killed Monday erstwhile their conveyance was deed by an detonation of chartless origin, a time aft the 3rd peacekeeper was killed. The U.N. says the deaths are nether investigation, and Israel denies involvement.
Trump posts video of span collapsing and urges Iran to ‘make a deal’
Trump posted the footage connected his societal media platform, saying it was Iran’s biggest span and threatening “Much much to follow.”
Earlier Thursday, Iranian authorities media reported that the country’s B1 bridge, which is nether operation and reportedly the tallest span successful the Middle East, was attacked. Two semi-officials quality agencies reported that 2 radical were killed.
It was not instantly wide if the footage Trump shared was of the B1 bridge.
“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,” Trump wrote.
UN says peacekeepers had to request Israeli troops instrumentality down their adjacent flag
“As you tin imagine, the emblem undermines the cognition of UNIFIL’s impartiality and risks drafting occurrence towards peacekeepers amid the ongoing clashes that we are seeing,” Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. spokesperson, said Thursday.
The Israeli emblem was raised adjacent a peacekeeping presumption by the colony of Kfra Kila successful confederate Lebanon.
This comes conscionable days aft 3 UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed successful 2 abstracted instances, arsenic Israel invades confederate Lebanon and engages successful combat with Hezbollah. The probe into their deaths is ongoing.
Austria closes its airspace to US subject operations related to Iran
Austria’s Defense Ministry cited its neutrality instrumentality for rejecting U.S. requests to usage its airspace for ongoing operations
The Austria Press Agency quoted a ministry spokesperson connected Thursday arsenic saying that determination had been “several” requests from Washington, adding that idiosyncratic cases would beryllium examined successful coordination with the Foreign Ministry.
The Alpine federation is the latest European state to restrict U.S. subject entree amid the ongoing U.S. and Israeli subject run against Iran.
Rocket of chartless root falls connected UN peacekeeper basal successful confederate Lebanon, Italy’s Defense Ministry says
The Italian Defense Ministry said Thursday that nary injuries were reported and determination was lone insignificant harm to infrastructure.
Italy is the second-largest contributor to the United Nations peacekeeping unit successful confederate Lebanon, known arsenic UNIFIL, with immoderate 1,000 to 1,200 soldiers.
The basal was struck conscionable days aft 3 UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed successful 2 abstracted instances, arsenic Israel invades confederate Lebanon and engages successful combat with Hezbollah. The probe into their deaths is ongoing.
Israel identifies a rocket launched toward the state from Yemen
The military’s announcement came soon aft a informing astir incoming missiles from Iran.
The Iran-backed Houthis successful Yemen, dissimilar Lebanon’s Hezbollah and militant groups successful Iraq, had held backmost for a period into the warfare earlier attacking Israel.
Iranians respond to Trump’s menace to weaponry Iran ‘back to the Stone Ages’
That circumstantial enactment successful Trump’s code Wednesday, which helium utilized successful a anterior societal media post, has stirred choler among Iran officials and the nationalist alike.
Iran’s ngo to the United Nations said connected X that Trump’s remark “reflects ignorance, not strength,” noting that the country’s civilization stretches backmost much than 7,000 years.
Similarly, Seyed Majid Moosavi, the Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Force commander, said connected X that Hollywood has misled the U.S. officials into believing that they tin endanger Iran with their “paltry 250-year history.”
Some mean Iranian radical shared akin sentiments.
“God consenting helium himself (Donald Trump) volition spell backmost to the Stone Age,” Mahdi Moghaddam, 55, said successful an interrogation successful Tehran.
And successful missive to Americans connected Wednesday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian asked whether specified a boast serves “any intent different than further damaging the United States’ planetary standing.”
Bahrain curate says UN ballot connected solution volition instrumentality spot Friday `God willing’
Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, whose state holds the presidency of the Security Council, said Bahrain looks guardant to “a unified position” from its 15 members successful the vote, though veto-wielding Russia and China person expressed opposition.
Al-Zayani, the Arab typical connected the U.N.’s astir almighty body, accused Iran of threatening the planetary system by closing the Strait of Hormuz and restricting planetary navigation done the waterway.
These actions interruption planetary instrumentality and “endanger vigor information and nutrient supplies and planetary trade,” helium said.
The Bahrain-drafted Security Council resolution, which is inactive undergoing revisions, calls connected countries “to usage each indispensable means” —U.N. connection that includes subject enactment — to guarantee planetary transit done the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Some Iranians amusement defiance by dancing and barbecuing
The yearly nationalist picnic day, called Sizdeh Bedar, which comes from the Farsi words for “thirteen” and “day out,” is simply a bequest from Iran’s pre-Islamic past that hard-liners successful the Islamic Republic ne'er managed to erase from calendars. Many accidental it’s atrocious luck to enactment indoors for the holiday. (AP video by Mohsen Ganji)
The time aft Trump said U.S. attacks connected Iran would intensify, immoderate Iranians showed their defiance by holding outdoor barbecues and dancing successful a park. Thursday is an yearly nationalist picnic time known arsenic Sizdeh Bedar, an past contented marking the past time of Iran’s Nowruz, holidays.
The war, present successful its 2nd month, has killed much than 1,900 successful Iran and near a way of harm crossed subject sites, universities, taste landmarks. But adjacent arsenic Trump heralds the sidesplitting of the theocracy’s pre-war leaders and the strikes that person degraded its ballistic rocket capabilities, immoderate Iranians said Thursday Trump is the 1 much apt to larn a hard lesson.
“The force indispensable cognize present that this shouldn’t person started, it shouldn’t person attacked and invaded,” said Rasool Azimi, 27, arsenic helium was smoking hookah successful Tehran’s Mellat park.
Oil jumps and Wall Street wavers aft Trump vows to escalate attacks connected Iran
Stocks recovered astir of their earlier losses arsenic volatility returned to Wall Street aft 2 days of coagulated gains. The S&P 500 was down 0.1% aft slumping arsenic overmuch arsenic 1.5% successful aboriginal trading Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 87 points, oregon 0.2% arsenic of 11:08 a.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Stocks successful Europe pared their losses.
Oil prices remained elevated though down from earlier highs. The terms for a tube of U.S. crude roseate to astir $114 a tube astatine 1 point.
The unsettled trading follows Trump’s nonaccomplishment successful his nationalist code to connection a wide timetable for ending the war. His comments appeared to dim the hopes for a near-term decision that had pushed stocks higher done astir the week.
Bahrain UN connection to unfastened Strait of Hormuz reaches impasse implicit China, Russia objections
Days of closed-door consultations and high-level talks betwixt Chinese, Russian and Bahraini officials person not yet resulted successful a breakthrough connected a draught connection to unfastened the captious waterway.
Moscow and Beijing objected to the latest draught Thursday contempt immoderate insignificant changes, arguing that connection authorizing “all indispensable means” to support commercialized shipping inactive goes excessively far.
That is according to a U.N. diplomat, who spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon diplomatic conversations.
“Actions by the UN Security Council should assistance easiness tensions and bring astir a ceasefire and the resumption of talks, alternatively than endorse amerciable acts of war, inactive little adhd substance to the fire,” China’s ngo to the U.N. posted connected X.
— By Farnoush Amiri and Edith M. Lederer
Argentina declares Iran’s apical diplomat persona non grata, orders departure amid escalating tensions
Argentina connected Thursday declared Iran’s chargé d’affaires, Mohsen Soltani Tehrani, persona non grata and ordered him to permission the state wrong 48 hours.
The determination followed a connection from Iran’s overseas affairs ministry accusing President Javier Milei and Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno of acting nether “the power of the occupying and genocidal Zionist authorities and the United States,” and of being complicit successful U.S. attacks connected Iran.
In precocious March, Argentina designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arsenic a violent organization. The designation allows authorities to frost its assets, funds and spot and bars it from operating wrong the country’s fiscal system.
Argentina has agelong said that the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy successful Buenos Aires and the 1994 onslaught connected the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association “were planned, financed and carried retired with the nonstop information of the Iranian authorities and operatives of the Revolutionary Guard.”
The 1992 bombing killed 29 radical and injured much than 200. The AMIA onslaught killed 85 and wounded much than 300 successful Argentina’s deadliest violent attack.
Trump’s jibes astatine UK’s Royal Navy onslaught a nerve
The U.K. has been astatine the forefront of Trump’s ire since the onset of the Iran warfare connected Feb. 28, erstwhile British Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to assistance the U.S. subject entree to British bases. He has repeatedly lashed retired astatine Starmer and branded the Royal Navy’s 2 caller craft carriers arsenic “toys.”
For galore reasons, the Royal Navy is, and has nary crushed to be, arsenic large arsenic it utilized it to be. But it’s not arsenic feeble arsenic Trump implies.
In the aftermath of Russia’s full-blown penetration of Ukraine successful 2022, and with different Middle East warfare underway, there’s a increasing knowing crossed the U.K’s governmental disagreement that defence spending needs to beryllium ramped up.
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UN experts impulse planetary probe into Israel’s sidesplitting of Lebanese journalists
Israeli strikes connected March 28 killed Ali Shoeib, a analogous with Hezbollah’s Al-Manar; and 2 journalists with Al-Mayadeen, the Lebanese pan-Arab tv network: newsman Fatima Ftouni and her cameraman member Mohammed, arsenic they covered the warfare successful confederate Lebanon.
The UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said Thursday that the killings indispensable beryllium “promptly, afloat and independently investigated by an planetary body.”
Israel’s subject said without providing grounds that it had targeted Shoeib for being a Hezbollah quality operative. The U.N. experts said moving for an outlet an outlet linked to an equipped radical does not represent nonstop information successful hostilities.
“We denounce powerfully what has present go a standard, unsafe signifier of Israel to people and termination journalists and past claim, without providing immoderate credible evidence, that they were progressive with equipped groups,” the UN experts said successful a property release. “The lone ‘evidence’ … is what they themselves admit is simply a photoshopped representation of Ali Shoeib … a blatant objection of their disdain for planetary law.”
Israel has killed astatine slightest 259 journalists crossed determination conflicts since the Gaza warfare began successful 2023, with astatine slightest 64 of them appearing to person been straight targeted, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Beijing urges extremity to warfare arsenic soon arsenic imaginable successful calls with EU, Germany and Saudi Arabia
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says Beijing is consenting to enactment with the European Union to extremity the warfare successful Iran arsenic soon arsenic possible.
He made the comments successful a telephone telephone Thursday with Kaja Kallas, EU’s overseas argumentation chief. Wang said akin successful a abstracted telephone with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, the Chinese overseas ministry said.
Wang besides told Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan that the astir urgent substance is halting the fighting.
Kallas said connected societal media that the EU “supports each diplomatic efforts” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and “calls for de-escalation and restraint.”
The Chinese overseas ministry connection said Kallas praised a five-point connection from China and Pakistan urging hostile acts to end, bid talks to commencement and the strait to beryllium secured.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.
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