Tensions Rise Over Oil Passage Through Strait of Hormuz
While Iran, the United States, and Israel did not exchange fire, Gulf states continued reporting drone attacks against them (ISW)
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied launching attacks on any states in the Persian Gulf (AP)
Meanwhile, Iran’s deputy foreign minister stated that the Strait of Hormuz was open to “everyone,” but that ships must coordinate with the Iranian military (NYT)
U.S. President Donald Trump condemned reports that Iran was charging ships a fee to pass through the Strait of Hormuz; he also wrote on Truth Social that Iran was doing a “dishonorable job” of allowing oil to pass through the Strait (AP)
Ceasefire in Jeopardy as Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz
The ceasefire is increasingly in doubt as Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz over the continuing Israeli offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon (AP)
Earlier in the day, Iran’s state media reported that the first ship had passed through the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)
Marine Traffic, a maritime monitoring service, reported that two ships—a Greek-owned bulk carrier and a Liberian-flagged vessel—transited the Strait (Times of Israel)
Meanwhile, in a news conference, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called for Iran to turn over its enriched uranium stockpile; he further stated that President Donald Trump could still deploy Special Operations forces to seize the stockpile (NYT)
Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, continued to report incoming fire (NYT)
Separately, Iranian state television reported that an oil refinery on Lavan Island was attacked; it did not report who was responsible (AP)
Trump Announces Ceasefire
The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire dependent on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, leading U.S. President Donald Trump to pull back his threats to launch devastating strikes; Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it accepted the ceasefire, further stating that negotiations with the United States would begin in Pakistan on Friday (AP)
After U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iran’s “whole civilization,” Middle Eastern officials said Iran had cut off direct communications with the United States; the move complicated efforts to reach a deal by the 8:00 p.m. deadline, though talks with ceasefire mediators continued (WSJ)
Meanwhile, the United States launched a series of over ninety strikes on Kharg Island; U.S. officials described the strikes as “restrikes,” further damaging targets that had previously been struck (NYT)
Israel also struck eight road and rail bridges in Iran; Iran retaliated with attempted strikes on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (NYT)
As a precautionary measure, the King Fahd Causeway, a bridge linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, was closed to all vehicle traffic (AP)
The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia also cautioned Americans to reconsider performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca due to the security situation (NYT)
Amid escalating tensions, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged U.S. President Donald Trump to extend his deadline by two weeks (AP)
Israel Kills IRGC Intelligence Chief
Israel killed Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps intelligence chief Major General Seyed Majid Khademi in an airstrike in Tehran, the latest senior Iranian leader to die since the United States and Israel began their war against Iran in late February (NYT)
The Israeli military further stated that it struck three airports overnight, targeting aircraft and helicopters belonging to the Iranian Air Force (AP)
Meanwhile, sources familiar with the matter say Pakistan has proposed a two-tier ceasefire framework to both Iran and the United States that could take effect Monday and reopen the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)
In the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates said a Ghanaian national was moderately injured by debris from an air defense interception (NYT)
Second F-15E Crew Member Rescued From Iran
Two U.S. officials confirmed that the second F-15E crew member was safely rescued from Iran (NBC)
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump escalated threats to Iranian infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened in an expletive-laden post (WaPo)
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump further threatened to destroy all of Iran’s power plants if the Strait is not opened by Tuesday (WSJ)
Separately, the Israeli military stated it struck over a hundred targets across Iran, focusing on air defense, drone, and missile systems (AP)
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that one of its ambulances was hit in an airstrike in Fars province; the organization said forty-six of its ambulances had been destroyed since the start of the war (NYT)
Meanwhile, a missile strike from Iran hit a residential building in Haifa, killing two people (AP)
In the Gulf, drone attacks in Kuwait damaged two power and water desalination plants and caused a fire to an oil complex; the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company in Bahrain reported that a drone attack ignited fires at its facilities, while the United Arab Emirates said fires broke out at an Abu Dhabi petrochemical plant from falling debris after the country’s air defenses intercepted an attack (NYT)
U.S.-Israeli Strikes Hit Iranian Petrochemical Facilities
U.S. forces continued searching for an American crew member whose plane was shot down over Iran; meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to rain “hell” on Iran if the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz continued (NYT)
This comes as Iran announced that Iraqi ships will be permitted to pass through the Strait (Al Jazeera)
Separately, Iranian state media reported that a U.S.-Israeli strike targeted several petrochemical facilities in Khuzestan province; the strikes killed at least 5 and injured 170 others (Anadolu Agency)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the strikes in a video statement, further adding that Israel will continue to strike Iran (Times of Israel)
Airstrikes hit the vicinity of an Iranian nuclear power plant Saturday, prompting a worker evacuation and a warning from the UN nuclear watchdog against targeting the site (Times of Israel;UN)
Retaliatory attacks continued as medics stated that at least four people were injured because of a ballistic missile attack on central Israel (Times of Israel)
In the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates intercepted fifty-six drones and twenty-three ballistic missiles; Kuwait also reported nineteen drone and six missile attacks (NYT)
U.S. Fighter Jet Downed Over Iran
A local channel of Iranian state television reported that a U.S. pilot ejected from their aircraft over southwestern Iran, noting that those who capture or hand in any pilots to the police would be rewarded (AP)
Israel, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia continued to report drone and missile attacks (NPR)
Kuwait reported damage to a power and desalination plant, while a drone set several units at Kuwait’s Mina al-Ahmadi refinery on fire; in Abu Dhabi, falling debris from drone interception caused a fire at its Habshan gas facility (NYT)
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards blamed Israel for attacking the Kuwaiti power and desalination facilities (WANA)
Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported that a man was injured by debris after a missile struck northern Israel (NYT)
Iran’s Response to Trump Speech
Iran struck a defiant tone despite weathering two high-profile attacks after President Donald Trump’s prime-time address earlier this week; a U.S. airstrike on Iran’s largest bridge killed eight people, Iranian state media reported (Times of Israel)
Trump touted the bombing on social media and threatened more attacks on bridges and power plants (Truth Social)
An airstrike amid U.S. and Israeli bombings also destroyed one of the country’s preeminent public health establishments (The National)
More than a month into the war, unnamed sources told CNN that U.S. intelligence suggests around half of Iran’s missile launchers remain intact (CNN)
Meanwhile, Iran’s mission to the United Nations rebuked Trump’s Wednesday speech as a show of “ignorance, not strength” (Iranian Mission UN)
The United Kingdom hosted a virtual meeting involving some thirty-five countries to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)
At the UN Security Council, China, France, and Russia objected to draft resolution language that would authorize the use of military force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz; a vote is expected in the coming days (NYT)
Meanwhile, Iran and Oman are preparing a framework to monitor transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported (CNBC)
For now, ships passing through the strait have done so via negotiations with Tehran; the Philippines said today it had gained permission to transit (Reuters)
Bloomberg reported that some ships have been required to pay in Chinese yuan or cryptocurrency to get through (Bloomberg)
Amnesty International accused Iran of child recruitment—a war crime—saying it had sought to draw children as young as twelve into its war effort (Amnesty)
Separately, U.S.-based international law experts published a joint letter saying the conduct of all three parties in the war—Israel, Iran, and the United States—raises concerns of “serious violations of international law,” and pointing to U.S. actions they said could amount to war crimes (Just Security)
Even as the U.S. offensive presses ahead—with thousands of additional troops being deployed to the Middle East—its military leadership faces an overhaul at home; three U.S. generals were reportedly removed (AP)
A Defense Department spokesperson announced the departure of General Randy A. George, the former Army Chief of Staff, without citing an explanation (Pentagon)
Unnamed U.S. defense officials told multiple news outlets that generals responsible for chaplains and training were also removed (CNN)
Trump Addresses Nation on Iran War
Trump said the United States plans to attack Iran “extremely hard” over the next two to three weeks in a speech last night that made little mention of diplomacy; it was his first formal address about the Iran war since its start more than a month ago (NYT)
Yet Trump made no major announcements, instead reiterating recent talking points: core U.S. goals are “nearing completion,” Trump said, giving no assurances about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and saying that other countries should “take the lead” on the matter (NYT)
Iran’s military command responded by vowing to carry out “more crushing, broader, and more destructive” attacks, according to state media (France24)
Global oil prices rose, and stocks tumbled in the wake of Trump’s address (Reuters)
Unnamed U.S. and Iranian officials told the New York Times the two countries are exchanging messages, but have not entered formal negotiations over a truce or peace deal (NYT)
While Trump wrote on social media that Tehran had requested a ceasefire, Iran denied it (Truth Social)
Iran believes the United States is not serious about diplomacy, according to comments from its foreign ministry spokesperson published on state media (WSJ)
Earlier in the day, Trump stated he was considering withdrawing the United States from NATO due to European members’ unwillingness to send ships to the Strait of Hormuz, which remains effectively closed (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Israel announced that it had completed a wave of strikes targeting government infrastructure in Iran; Iranian state media reported explosions across Tehran early in the morning (NYT)
Iran continued retaliatory strikes, conducting several ballistic missile attacks on Israel; according to the Israel Defense Forces, the missiles were intercepted (Times of Israel)
The IDF also reported that it intercepted a ballistic missile in southern Israel fired by the Iran-backed Houthis (Times of Israel)
Iran launched three cruise missiles at Qatar; two were intercepted, and a third struck an oil tanker (NYT)
In the United Arab Emirates, a Bangladeshi national was killed after he was struck by debris from a drone interception (NYT)
The Wall Street Journal reported that the United Arab Emirates is weighing joining the war to help the United States reopen the Strait of Hormuz (WSJ)
U.S. Deploys B-52 Bombers Over Iran
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that U.S. bombers conducted strikes on Isfahan (NYT)
Hegseth also told reporters today that negotiations with Iran are “very real” and “gaining strength” (C-SPAN)
Israel struck a pharmaceutical plant in Iran, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it planned to attack a slew of U.S. tech companies operating in the region (NYT;IRGC)
Retaliatory attacks continued across the Gulf as Iran struck a large Kuwaiti oil tanker near the coast of Dubai overnight, and the United Arab Emirates’ Defense Ministry reported intercepting drones and missiles fired by Iran; meanwhile, Israeli media also reported waves of attacks on central Israel (NPR)
The war has triggered rising energy prices worldwide, including in the United States, where the average price of gasoline surpassed $4 per gallon today for the first time since 2022 (AP)
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration with U.S. allies who have been unwilling to take additional steps to support U.S war efforts in Iran, telling them to “go get your own oil” on Truth Social (Truth Social;AP)
Trump said the United States would be done with the war in “two to three weeks,” and hinted a U.S. exit could come before the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz (C-SPAN)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Tehran sought an end to the regional war rather than a ceasefire, even as military hostilities continue to escalate (Al Jazeera)
Pakistan’s foreign minister visited China today for talks regarding the war (China MoFA)
Beijing “commends and supports” Pakistan’s mediation effort and is ready to work toward peace, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said ahead of the visit (China MoFA)
Trump Threatens Widespread Destruction if Deal Not Made Soon
Israel and the United States launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy plants, oil wells, Kharg Island, and potentially desalination plants if a deal to end the war is not made soon (AP;Truth Social)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the goals of degrading Iran’s military capabilities had been largely achieved (ABC)
The White House press secretary declined to confirm that fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz was a “core” objective, while the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told aides he was willing to end the war even if the strait remained mostly closed (White House;WSJ)
Iran’s foreign ministry said that a fifteen-point U.S. peace plan included “excessive, unrealistic, and irrational demands” (AP)
The threats come as an airstrike struck the Tabriz Petrochemical Complex in northwestern Iran early Monday, sparking a contained fire with no reported hazardous leaks (NYT)
A U.S.-Israeli strike on an orphanage west of Tehran killed at least two people, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported (CNN)
NATO air defenses shot down an incoming Iranian missile over Turkey for the fourth time this month, Ankara said (Turkey MoND)
Iran also attacked a water desalination facility in Kuwait, killing one worker (Al Jazeera)
The Houthis continued retaliatory attacks as the Israel Defense Forces stated it intercepted two drones fired from Yemen (Times of Israel)
While the Iran war’s precise effects on the global economy remain uncertain, “all roads lead to higher prices and slower growth,” economists from the IMF; they flagged risks of food insecurity in low-income countries from rising food and fertilizer prices, as well as potential shortages of materials needed for chips and electric car batteries (IMF)
Meanwhile, the United Nations Development Program estimated in a new report that fighting in the Middle East could cost Arab countries between $120 billion and $194 billion in lost economic output; that amounts to a regional GDP decline of between 3.7 and 6 percent (UNDP)
Pakistan Pushes for Diplomacy, U.S. Weighs Expanded Operations
Pakistan convened talks with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey in Islamabad on Sunday to explore ways to end the Iran war, with discussions centering on proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid surging global oil prices (Reuters)
After the meeting, Pakistan’s foreign minister announced that Islamabad was also ready to host U.S.-Iran talks, though neither side confirmed the date (Bloomberg)
This comes as several hundred U.S. Special Operations forces arrived in the Middle East, joining the 2,500 Marines and 2,500 sailors who recently arrived in the region (NYT)
Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran would set U.S. troops “on fire” if a ground operation is launched, according to state media (The Hindu)
U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a military operation to extract close to a thousand pounds of enriched uranium in Iran (WSJ)
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump also said that he could seize Kharg Island and “take the oil in Iran” (FT)
Trump also announced that Iran agreed to release twenty cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday, framing it as a sign of respect and evidence of ongoing negotiations he claimed were going “extremely well”; however, outside experts say it more simply demonstrates Iran’s control over the critical waterway (NYT)
Escalations continued as Al Araby, a Qatari news channel, reported that Israeli strikes hit its office in Tehran (Times of Israel)
The International Atomic Energy Agency also reported that Iran’s heavy water production plant in Khondab is no longer operational following March 27 strikes (Times of Israel)
Meanwhile, Iran continued retaliatory attacks, firing a series of ballistic missiles at Israel; Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry also reported intercepting ten drones (NYT)
Houthis Enter the War
The Iranian-backed Houthis entered the war, claiming two missile attacks directed toward Israel (AP)
In a statement released on Saturday, the group claimed that their ballistic missiles were targeting “sensitive” Israeli military sites, further stating that attacks would continue until all aggression from all fronts comes to a halt (NYT)
The Israel Defense Forces stated that air defense systems successfully intercepted both missiles (Times of Israel)
The Israeli military also stated that it carried out overnight strikes in Tehran targeting weapons production infrastructure (AP)
Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported that Israeli strikes struck the University of Science and Technology in northeastern Tehran; in response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to target American universities in the Middle East (Times of Israel)
Retaliatory attacks continued across the Gulf as Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates were targeted with missile and drones (AP)
Two drones also struck near Oman’s port of Salalah; Iran’s military claimed it was targeting an American vessel near the port (NYT)
Israel Threatens to Expand Strikes on Iran
Israel threatened to “escalate and expand” its strikes on Iran, noting that Iran needed to stop firing missiles at civilians in Israel (AP)
The statement comes a day after U.S. President Donald Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to April 7 as Iran rejected his fifteen-point proposal to end the war (Reuters)
Separately, two Chinese state-owned COSCO Shipping container ships were forced to turn back in the Strait of Hormuz; the unusual move underscores the broader disruption to global shipping routes as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has typically restricted passage to ships tied to U.S. and Israeli partners (WSJ)
Meanwhile, the war continued as the Israeli military announced it conducted strikes targeting government infrastructure (NYT)
The Israel Defense Forces also identified Iranian missile fire targeting central Israel (Times of Israel)
White House Seeks Iran Off-Ramp
The White House is reportedly still pushing for an off-ramp to the Iran war, though Iranian leaders say they are not officially negotiating; the two sides are passing indirect messages to each other via Pakistan, Pakistan’s foreign minister wrote on social media (Pakistan FM)
Israel’s defense minister said its military killed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ naval commander overnight (NYT)
Pakistan Delivers Fifteen-Point Proposal to Iran
Pakistani officials said that Iran has received a U.S. plan to end the war, delivered as a fifteen-point proposal via Pakistan; the officials say the proposal broadly encompasses reopening the Strait of Hormuz, placing limits on missiles, sanctions relief, and a rollback on Iran’s nuclear program (AP)
Unnamed U.S. officials told CNN the Trump administration is trying to set up talks in Pakistan this weekend (CNN)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was reviewing the fifteen-point U.S. peace plan but insisted it did not intend to negotiate (Reuters)
Iranian state television quoted a senior official as saying the war would only end when Tehran’s conditions are met, including an end to fighting on “all fronts” and guarantees Iran will not be attacked in the future (FT)
Trump is prepared to “unleash hell” if Tehran does not make a deal, the White House press secretary said (WSJ)
U.S. defense and intelligence officials told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing that the use of ground troops had not been ruled out, without explaining what they could be used for or if they could be protected (NBC)
In a sign of the tensions among Republicans over the war, Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) wrote on social media that the briefing reaffirmed her opposition to sending U.S. troops to Iran (X)
Meanwhile, Israel has accelerated strikes to hit key targets before a potential end to the war, unnamed Israeli officials told the New York Times(NYT)
Retaliatory attacks also continued as Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia reported additional missile and drone incursions, while Iran’s military announced that it fired missiles towards the U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln (NYT)
Israeli media also reported smoke rising from the Rabin power plant in Hadera, Israel, after a missile barrage from Iran, though the Israel Electric Corporation stated there was no damage to its infrastructure from the attack (Anadolu Agency)
Iran believes its adversaries are preparing to occupy an Iranian island with the help of a Middle Eastern country, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on social media; in the case of an attack, he threatened Iran would retaliate against “all the vital infrastructure” of that country (X)
Missile Strike Wounds Four in Tel Aviv
Israel announced that its forces were conducting continued strikes on Iran and Lebanon, while Iranian forces launched a new round of drone and missile strikes towards the Persian Gulf (WSJ)
Missile fire from Iran severely damaged three buildings and lightly wounded four people at an impact site in Tel Aviv (Times of Israel)
A representative for the Israeli military stated that the damage was caused by direct impact from an Iranian missile that was not intercepted (NYT)
The Israeli military further revealed that the missile carried a conventional warhead rather than cluster munitions, and that the Israeli Air Force is investigating the failure to shoot down the missile (Times of Israel)
In Bahrain, a civilian contractor working alongside the United Arab Emirates’ military was killed in a missile attack, and five Emirati military personnel were injured (Anadolu Agency)
Meanwhile, Iran appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as the new chief of the Supreme National Security Council, replacing Ali Larijani, who was killed in an Israeli strike last week (Times of Israel)
Zolghadr is a hardline former deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with experience helping the IRGC entrench itself further in Iranian politics (NYT)
By the time Trump’s five-day pause on his threat to hit Iranian energy sites ends Friday, more than two thousand additional U.S. Marines are expected to arrive in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported (WSJ)
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that negotiations with Iran were continuing and that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will join Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in discussions (NYT)
Trump Walks Back Threat to Target Iranian Power Plants
U.S President Donald Trump stated on social media that the United States and Iran held a productive conversation about ending hostilities and that he instructed the Pentagon to postpone attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure and power plants for at least five days (NYT)
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf pushed back, writing on social media that “no negotiations” were held with the United States (X)
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said that in recent days, however, “friendly states” had conveyed messages about a U.S. request for talks (FT)
Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey have reportedly spoken with both the United States and Iran in recent days (Axios)
Despite this, Trump told reporters that the U.S. and Iran had productive talks that would continue today by phone, stating that his envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were leading the U.S. side and speaking with a “top” Iranian official (NYT)
He further noted that as a part of a potential agreement with Iran, the United States would retrieve Iran’s enriched uranium (AP)
Trump told reporters that if diplomacy is unsuccessful, “we’ll just keep bombing our little hearts out” (CNBC)
Meanwhile, the Israeli military conducted another wave of strikes, knocking out electricity in large parts of Tehran (NYT)
More than three weeks of war appear to have hardened some Gulf states’ positions toward Iran, with a senior Emirati official calling Tehran’s restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz an “act of economic terrorism” (WSJ)
Iran Vows Heavy Retaliation
Iran stated that if U.S. President Donald Trump followed up on his Saturday ultimatum of striking power plants, it would completely close the Strait of Hormuz (AP)
Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, also threatened that critical infrastructure across the region would be “irreversibly destroyed” (NBC)
Amid Trump’s ultimatum, Brent crude rose to around $114.09 a barrel, while U.S. crude rose to $100.29 (CNN)
Meanwhile, U.S. and Israeli strikes continued targeting Iranian missile production and storage sites (ISW)
Separately, while an ongoing internet blackout in Iran makes it difficult to determine casualties, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency estimated that more than three thousand people have been killed in Iran since the start of the war (HRANA)
Iran Fires Ballistic Missiles Towards Joint U.S.-U.K. Military Base Diego Garcia
Multiple U.S. officials said that Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles towards the joint U.S.-U.K. military base, Diego Garcia, in the middle of the Indian Ocean (WSJ)
The semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr also reported on the event, stating that it demonstrated that Iran’s ballistic capabilities were more advanced than adversaries had previously imagined (Reuters)
Neither of the missiles struck the base, as one failed, and the other was struck down by the United States; even so, the event debunked the regime’s long-standing assertion of a self-imposed two-thousand-kilometer cap on its missile capabilities (ISW)
Meanwhile, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that U.S. and Israeli strikes targeted the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, noting that no civilians were injured and that there were no reported radioactive leaks (Reuters)
The Israeli military denied striking the facility, but stated it struck dozens of sites across Tehran, focusing on sites that were critical to developing ballistic missiles (NYT)
Later in the day, Iranian missiles struck the Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona, injuring one hundred and eighty people (BBC)
Dimona is widely believed to house Israel’s nuclear weapons program (NYT)
Retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region also continued as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates reported intercepting drones and missiles (NYT)
Separately, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran, threatening to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened within forty-eight hours (AP)
Axios reported that the Trump administration had begun initial conversations about peace talks with Iran, but that U.S. officials still expected two to three more weeks of fighting; an unnamed U.S. official listed six demands, including a five-year halt to Iran’s missile program, an end to financing for regional proxies, and zero uranium enrichment (Axios)
IRGC Spokesperson and Intelligence Head for Basij Force Killed
Iranian state TV reported that Ali Mohammad Naini, a spokesperson and deputy of public relations for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes (Reuters)
Israeli military officials also reported that Esmail Ahmadi, the head of intelligence for the Basij force, was killed earlier in the week (AP)
Meanwhile, as the war approaches its fourth week, Israel launched more strikes in and near Tehran; Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, also issued a rare statement saying that Iran’s adversaries need to have their security removed (NPR)
General Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces, additionally warned that adversaries would not be safe in “tourist centers” around the world (NBC)
Retaliatory attacks on energy infrastructure continued as Kuwaiti state media reported that drone attacks caused fires at the Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery (NYT)
Amid attacks in the Gulf, Ukrainian security council secretary Rustem Umerov said that Ukraine deployed military units to Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to protect critical and civilian infrastructure against drones (Reuters)
Finally, Washington lifted sanctions on Iranian crude oil shipments loaded between March 20 and April 19 (Treasury)
Iran Retaliates Against South Pars Strike
Iran intensified strikes across the Gulf in retaliation for the recent strike on the South Pars oil field, as natural gas facilities in Qatar were struck in Iranian strikes (AP;NYT)
Qatar’s energy minister told Reuters that an Iranian strike on a major Qatari gas facility earlier this week knocked out around 17 percent of the country’s liquified natural gas export capacity (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud warned that tolerance for Iranian attacks in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf is limited (CNBC)
As tensions increased, Brent crude prices briefly reached $119 a barrel (AP)
Amid rising oil prices, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessett said the administration was considering lifting restrictions on the approximately 140 million barrels of Iranian oil already loaded onto vessels, even as the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. attack jets and helicopters were targeting Iranian assets in the area of the Strait of Hormuz (WaPo; WSJ)
U.S. President Donald Trump also said that he told Israel not to conduct additional attacks on Iranian oil infrastructure (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he believes pipelines should be built to transport oil and gas through the Arabian Peninsula into Israeli ports to avoid additional Iranian threats to the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters (Reuters)
Seven U.S. allies pledged to help ensure safe passage through the strait, but did not specify how they would do so (UKG)
The World Trade Organization (WTO) said that if oil and gas prices remain high for the rest of the year, it could reduce the forecasted 2026 growth in global GDP by 0.3 percent; it estimated that Europe, a heavy energy importer, could see GDP grow at least one percent less than previously expected (WTO)
In separate comments, U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the United States and Israel were accomplishing their battlefield goals (State)
Netanyahu said that Iran no longer has the capabilities to produce ballistic missiles or enrich uranium; hours after his remarks, Iran fired a series of missiles at Israel (Times of Israel)
The Israeli Army Radio reported that 85 percent of Iran’s surface-to-air missiles have been destroyed in recent strikes (ISW)
Netanyahu also said Israel sought to create the conditions in Iran for a popular uprising (Times of Israel)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media that any agreement to end the war must compensate Iran for the destruction of civilian sites (Iran FM)
Finally, the State Department announced it had approved more than $16 billion in potential arms sales to Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates; all three countries have been attacked by Iran this month in the ongoing war (Reuters)
Citing emergency circumstances, it waived the normal requirement for Congress to review the sales (State)
Israel Says it Killed Iranian Intelligence Minister
Israel announced that its military killed Esmail Khatib, Iran’s intelligence minister, and that it had authorized the Israel Defense Forces to target any senior Iranian official that it can locate (Reuters)
In a statement, the IDF said Khatib and his ministry oversaw covert operations against American and Israeli targets around the world (NYT)
In response to Khatib’s killing, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that it conducted a ballistic missile attack on Tel Aviv, and that the missiles penetrated Israeli air defense systems (NYT)
An elderly couple was killed in the attacks, and two others were lightly wounded by shrapnel (Times of Israel)
Israel attacked the Iranian portion of the world’s largest gas field, known as South Pars (AP)
Iran responded by striking a liquefied natural gas facility on the Qatari side of the same gas reservoir, with the hub sustaining “extensive damage” (Qatar Energy)
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia also said their energy facilities were targeted by drones (AP)
The events prompted heightened warnings to Iran from Gulf countries, with Saudi Arabia threatening military retaliation and Qatar expelling senior Iranian officials from the country (Reuters;WSJ)
The attacks sent jitters through markets, and the price of Brent crude oil rose above $118 per barrel before falling back below $114 (Bloomberg;FT)
Trump wrote on social media that Israel would stop targeting Iran’s gas field—but threatened that if Iran attacks Qatar again, the United States would “blow up” the Iranian gas facility (Truth Social)
Trump also claimed the United States “knew nothing” about the South Pars attack though multiple outlets, quoting unnamed U.S. and Israeli officials, reported he was aware and approved of the impending strike (WSJ;Axios)
The Trump administration issued a sixty-day waiver yesterday allowing foreign-flagged ships to move between U.S. ports and loosened its sanctions on Venezuela’s state oil company to make it easier to sell oil directly to U.S. companies and on international markets (Guardian;FT)
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified at a Senate hearing that Iran’s conventional military capabilities “have largely been destroyed” but the regime appears “intact” (ODNI)
In a written statement submitted prior to the hearing, she said Tehran had made “no efforts” to rebuild its nuclear enrichment capabilities after last June’s strikes (Senate Intel)
In a sign that the Iran war could last considerably longer, the Pentagon asked the White House to approve a request to Congress for more than $200 billion in additional war funding, the Washington Post reported (WaPo)
Israel Says It Killed Top Security Official Ali Larijani
Israel said that it killed top Iranian security official Ali Larijani and senior military commander Gholam Reza Soleimani; Iran did not immediately confirm their deaths, which would mark the most senior Iranian figures killed since the death of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the war’s start (CNN)
As the United States faces increasing isolation from global allies in the war with Iran, top European officials said they favor diplomatic solutions to restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)
Countries such as France continue to resist Trump’s calls to join a military coalition to reopen the waterway (Reuters)
Trump rebuked NATO, saying the alliance was “making a very foolish mistake” and that the United States did not need those allies anyway (C-SPAN)
Commercial shipping through the strait remains at a trickle; Iran’s foreign minister said Saturday the waterway was only closed to “those who are attacking us and their allies,” and ships from India, Pakistan, and Turkey have sailed through since the start of the war (MS Now;Al Jazeera)
Yet a Kuwait-flagged tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates was struck by a projectile today (Reuters)
Meanwhile, maritime tracking data showed that a ship believed to be moving Marines to the Middle East had advanced from Japan and was now close to Singapore (CNN)
A top Trump administration counterterrorism official resigned over the war in Iran; former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent broke ranks with senior Trump administration officials, writing in a resignation letter that “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation” and the war “serves no benefit to the American people” (X)
Trump responded by saying that “it’s a good thing that he’s out,” calling him “very weak on security” (C-SPAN)
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard posted a statement saying the president was responsible for determining threats while intelligence officers were responsible for coordinating intelligence (DNI)
Europe Rebuffs Trump’s Call for Warships in the Strait of Hormuz
Major European powers have largely rejected President Trump’s demand for naval intervention, with Germany, Italy, and Greece explicitly refusing to join military operations in the Strait of Hormuz; Germany’s defense minister said, “this is not our war” (NYT)
While UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer ruled out joining a “wider war,” he signaled a willingness to work with allies on a collective plan to restore shipping, potentially using autonomous mine-hunting systems rather than warships (Reuters)
Similarly, Japan’s defense minister said today that Tokyo had no plans to send ships and called for de-escalation (Bloomberg)
At an event, Trump berated allies reluctant to participate in a military coalition to reopen the strait, painting them as ungrateful for years of U.S. assistance (ABC)
Trump also claimed that the United States has destroyed all of Iran’s mine-laying ships as part of its efforts to reopen the strait; however, he added that Washington was unsure whether any mines had already been laid (NBC)
If the crisis continues roiling global oil prices, the International Energy Agency is open to a second release of oil reserves since the start of the war, its director said (IEA)
Meanwhile, Iran has asked India to release three Iran-linked tankers seized in February as part of negotiations to ensure the safe passage of Indian-flagged or India-bound vessels through the Strait of Hormuz; Tehran also requested medical equipment and certain medicines during the talks (Reuters)
Separately, retaliatory attacks continued as the Israel Defense Forces detected a new ballistic missile launch from Iran (Times of Israel)
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates also reported that an Iranian drone attack set a fuel tank on fire at Dubai International Airport early in the morning, as civilian infrastructure continues to be targeted across the Persian Gulf (WaPo)