live U.S. launches navy blockade of Iranian ports as Tehran vows retaliation- Tuesday 14 April
The U.S. military began a blockade of Iran's ports on Monday, President Donald Trump said, and Tehran threaten...
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran's energy and transport infrastructure in a social media post containing expletives on Sunday (5 April), as he seperately gave Iran a deadline of Tuesday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
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Search and rescue teams are continuing their work following an Iranian missile strike on Haifa, northern Israel. Four people were reportedly injured in the attack, one of whom is in a critical condition.
Iranian Foreign Affairs Spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei quoted the Qur'an in a post on X, which included the hashtag 'IranWillWin'.
A missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) strike has reportedly hit the Azadi Camp of the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party (IKDP) in the Koysancak district of Erbil, Iraq, local media reports.
The strike hit the Azadi Gate area, where families of IKDP members were staying at the time. No casualties have been reported .
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has not yet issued an official statement.
Four people were injured after an Iranian missile struck a building in Haifa, northern Israel on Sunday. One of the people is now in a serious condition.
According to Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom, the missile made a direct impact on a building in the city, causing casualties.
Local media reported that the strike triggered an explosion, believed to be caused by a gas cylinder, which led to a fire at the scene.
Spain, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Portugal have formally called on the European Commission to introduce a coordinated windfall tax on energy companies, citing rising oil prices linked to the ongoing Iran war.
In a joint letter dated 3 April, addressed to European Commissioner for Climate Wopke Hoekstra, the five countries urged the development of a robust legal framework to tax extraordinary profits in the energy sector.
The proposed tax aims to ensure that the financial burden of the energy crisis does not fall solely on consumers or public finances.
According to the letter, revenues from the proposed levy could be used to fund relief measures for households and businesses, helping to curb inflation without increasing national deficits.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is Tuesday evening (7 April), according to an interview he gave to the Wall Street Journal published on Sunday.
"If they don’t do something by Tuesday evening, they won’t have any power plants and they won’t have any bridges standing,” Trump told the Journal. In a social media post earlier on Sunday, Trump had said Iran would face infrastructure attacks if it did not open the strait by Tuesday.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the U.S. should abandon "the language of ultimateums" in order to de-escalate the Iran conflict. The Russian Foreign Ministry statement was issued after a conversation between Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Aircraft used by the United States during a rescue mission in Iran and later destroyed each cost more than $100 million, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing U.S. military data.
MC-130J aircraft were deployed in an operation to recover crew members of a downed F-15E fighter jet, including a second crewman who was successfully rescued.
An American official said the U.S. destroyed two of its MC-130J aircraft during the rescue mission, without providing details on how the planes were lost, according to the report.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), however, said in a statement released on Sunday that its forces had destroyed “enemy flying objects” that entered central parts of the country during what it described as a failed rescue attempt.
The Strait of Hormuz will only reopen when transit revenues are used to compensate for damages from the war, Iran’s Presidential Office said Sunday.
“The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only when part of the transit revenues is used to compensate for all damages caused by the imposed war," Mehdi Tabatabai, Deputy for Communications and Information at the Iranian President's Office, said in a post on X.
Tabatabai also sharply criticised U.S. President Donald Trump, saying he had “resorted to insults and nonsense out of desperation and anger,” and accused him of “initiating a full-scale war in the region and still boasting.”
An Israeli airstrike on Kfarhata, a village in south Lebanon, killed seven people on Sunday, including a four-year-old child, Lebanon's Health Ministry said in a statement.
Another Israeli attack on the Jnah neighbourhood in Beirut killed four people and injured 39 others, the Ministry added.
The strike on Kfarhata followed an overnight evacuation order by the Israeli military instructing residents to leave the village.
Earlier on Sunday, the Lebanese Army said a soldier had been killed in an Israeli strike.
British armed forces shot down Iranian drones overnight in the Middle East, the UK Ministry of Defence said in a post on X on Sunday.
The Ministry added that UK Typhoons and F-34 jets, supported by military helicopters, continued patrolling the skies above the Eastern Mediterranean, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran is possible by Monday (6 April), and that Iran was negotiating, Fox News reported on Sunday following an interview with him.
Earlier, writing on Truth Social, Trump warned that Tuesday (7 April) would be "Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day" in an apparent threat to strike Iran's energy and transport infrastructure.
Iran has warned that it could close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, in addition to the Strait of Hormuz, if U.S. President Donald Trump carries out his threats to attack the country's energy infrastructure.
"The Command Centre of the Resistance Front views Bab al-Mandeb like the Strait of Hormuz. If the White House plans to repeat its foolish mistakes, it will soon realise that energy flows and global trade can be disrupted with a single move," Ali Akbar Velayati, Advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said in a statement.
Earlier, in a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump warned that "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day." In the same post, Trump ordered Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, adding "or you'll be living in Hell."
Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has thanked Iran for allowing Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Iraq's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
Hussein also reiterated Baghdad's policy of rejecting the war in remarks made during a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem Al‑Sadeq, according to the statement.
The U.S. President has urged Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning of serious consequences and using expletive language in a social media post.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes, with a significant share of global energy supplies passing through it each day. Any disruption risks triggering volatility in international markets.
The remarks come as the United States and its allies continue operations in the region, with efforts also under way to locate a missing U.S. airman following recent military incidents.
The airman whose F-15 was downed in Iran was "seriously wounded," U.S. President Donald Trump has said in a post on social media.
"We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran. The Iranian Military was looking hard, in big numbers, and getting close. He is a highly respected Colonel," Trump said on Truth Social.
He went on to praise the "AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all" in the post.
More than 3,200 people have been evacuated from Iran to Azerbaijan since 28 February, including over 570 Azerbaijani citizens, as foreign nationals flee the conflict following U.S.-Israel strikes.
The evacuees come from dozens of countries, including China, Russia, and India.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Sunday that it was behind attacks on petrochemical plants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Bahrain.
In a statement, the IRGC warned it would intensify attacks against U.S. economic interests if assaults on civilian targets in Iran continued.
Earlier, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reported "severe material damage" after a drone attack caused fires at its operating units.
Bahrain's Bapco Energies said that a tank caught fire at one of its storage facilities after an attack, with no injuries reported.
Meanwhile, the UAE reported dealing with missile threats on Sunday.
An Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon has killed a Lebanese soldier, the Lebanese Army said on Sunday.
Earlier, the Israeli Army ordered residents from a neighbourhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut to leave their homes in advance of an attack.
“To everyone present in the building marked in red as shown on the map and the adjacent buildings: You are located near a facility affiliated with Hezbollah”, Arabic language spokesman Avichay Adraee said.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that U.S.-Israeli attacks on the country’s nuclear facilities could expose the entire region to radioactive contamination.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, members of the Security Council, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi, Araghchi said continued strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure pose serious environmental and human risks.
“These illegal attacks expose the entire region to a serious risk of radioactive contamination, which could have grave consequences for human health and the environment, and therefore must not be ignored,” he said in the letter, according to the IRNA news agency.
Israel provided intelligence assistance to the United States during an operation to rescue a stranded U.S. airman in Iran and halted its attacks in the area to facilitate the mission, an Israeli security official said.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reported "severe material damage" after an Iranian drone attack caused fires at its operating units.
It said in a statement that no injuries were reported, adding that teams were currently working to contain the fires and prevent it from spreading to other facilities.
The Israeli military has ordered residents from a neighbourhood in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, to flee their homes in advance of an attack.
“To everyone present in the building marked in red as shown on the map and the adjacent buildings: You are located near a facility affiliated with Hezbollah”, Arabic language spokesman Avichay Adraee said.
Oman and Iran have held talks at the deputy foreign minister level to discuss options for ensuring the smooth transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, Oman's Foreign Ministry wrote on X.
The talks come after an Iranian official said on Thursday that Iran was drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor traffic in the strait through which around a fifth of global oil supplies travel.
Iran’s internet blackout is not the longest nation-scale internet shutdown on record in any country, exceeding all other comparable incidents in any country, says monitoring group NetBlocks.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation, has raised the alarm over the safety of nuclear facilities in Iran following U.S.-Israeli strikes close to the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
The attack “is a stark reminder: a strike could trigger a nuclear accident, with health impacts that would devastate generations. With every passing day of this escalating conflict, the stakes and threats are raised higher and higher”, Tedros said on X.
Israeli airstrikes on the town of Kfar Hatta in Lebanon have reportedly killed six people and injured two, according to Lebanese media.
Reports said the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on Kfar Hatta, a town near Sidon in southern Lebanon, hours after issuing a threat of attack.
Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate calls to discuss proposals for regional de-escalation with U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and regional counterparts including Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the ministry said in a statement.
Egypt, Türkiye and Pakistan have emerged as active intermediaries in the crisis, with Islamabad recently hosting a meeting to discuss regional de-escalation and proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE authorities are responding to several fires that broke out at the Borouge petrochemicals plant following debris from a “successful” interception by air defence systems, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said Sunday.
It said no injuries were reported from the incident, adding that "an update will be provided once further information is available."Several "flying objects" were destroyed during the U.S. mission to find a stranded airman in Iran, the Revolutionary Guards said according to Tasnim news agency.
"During a joint operation (Aerospace, Ground Force, Popular Units, Basij and Police command), enemy flying objects were destroyed," the group said after Iran's police command announced an American C-130 aircraft had been downed in the south of Isfahan
Bahrain's Bapco Energies said that a tank caught fire at one of its storage facilities on Sunday after an Iranian attack, with no injuries reported.
The fire has been extinguished and damage is being assessed, the company said in a statement.
The U.S. Military rescued an officer whose plane was downed in Iran, President Donald Trump said early on Sunday.
"The United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND," Trump posted on Truth Social.
The airman was the second member of a two-person crew of an F-15 that Iran said on Friday (3 April) was brought down by its air defences.
Bahrain reported that a fire broke out at a facility due to an Iranian attack and that civil defence teams have taken measures to bring it under control.
The Interior Ministry said on X that the Civil Defence is taking measures to bring the fire under control.
Three people were killed and three others were injured in U.S.-Israeli attacks on Ardabil province in northwestern Iran, according to the Tasnim News Agency.
Ardabil Deputy Governor Ebrahim Emami said Saturday that the casualties were caused in attacks by the U.S. and Israel on the districts of Germi and Jafarabad.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed Sunday (5 April) that it downed an MQ-9 drone above the central province of Isfahan using an advanced air defence system.
The IRGC said the drone was intercepted in the skies above Isfahan.
The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority of the United Arab Emirates says the country’s “air defences are now dealing with a missile threat”.
It added, “Please remain in a safe place and follow the warnings and updates on official websites.”
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said a fire broke out at the Shuwaikh oil complex following a drone attack. No injuries were reported, according to the Kuwaiti state news agency.
Emergency and firefighting teams were dealing with the fire, it added.
Israel has reprimanded Spain’s most senior diplomat in Tel Aviv after a giant effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up in a Spanish town.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately eliminated" on Monday, as the U.S. started its blockade.
Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday (11 April) in connection with a terror attack targeting a police post in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
Millions of Orthodox Christians across the globe celebrated Easter, known as Holy Pascha, on Sunday (12 April) with midnight liturgies, candlelight processions and deeply rooted local traditions reflecting centuries of faith.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a 32-hour ceasefire introduced to mark Orthodox Easter on Saturday (11 April). Russian officials said Ukrainian drones attacked targets in the Kursk and Belgorod border regions, injuring five people.
The U.S. military began a blockade of Iran's ports on Monday, President Donald Trump said, and Tehran threatened to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours' ports after talks in Islamabad on ending the war broke down at the weekend.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to join a U.S.-led blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, distancing Britain from military escalation after failed U.S.-Iran talks at the weekend, warning involvement could worsen regional tensions.
Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States will meet later in Washington to discuss a ceasefire, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attending.
Iran's ports were blocked by the U.S. military on Monday (13 April), President Donald Trump confirmed. Tehran has threatened to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours' ports and a U.S. official said there was continued engagement with Iran, and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement.
Tensions in the Gulf have sharpened dramatically after reports that the United States has begun a blockade of Iranian ports, a move already rippling through global markets and political circles.
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