live U.S. and Iran trade threats as World focus' on reopening Strait of Hormuz - Middle East conflict on 3 April
Iran has rejected claims it has been weakened, vowing instead “more crushing” attacks against the United States and ...
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that any U.S. military attack on Iran would spark a wider regional conflict, Iranian semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.
Ali Khamenei said Washington should understand that striking Iran would not remain a limited confrontation, but would quickly escalate beyond Iran’s borders.
The warning comes as Tehran and Washington exchange threats alongside parallel signals that diplomacy remains possible.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Saturday that a “structured framework” for negotiations with Washington is “taking shape and moving forward,” dismissing what he described as exaggerated media narratives portraying an imminent war.
Larijani’s remarks come as several regional actors, most notably Türkiye, step up mediation efforts aimed at easing tensions between Tehran and Washington.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi travelled to Istanbul on Friday for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Following the meetings, Araghchi said Iran remains open to negotiations based on “mutual respect.”
Larijani also made a brief visit to Moscow, where he held closed-door talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin confirmed the meeting, though no details were disclosed.
Tensions between Iran and the United States have escalated in recent weeks following protests inside Iran and strong warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump has pledged support for protesters and urged Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Earlier this week, Trump announced that a large U.S. naval force was moving toward the region, raising fears of a direct confrontation. He has repeatedly warned Iran to return to negotiations or face severe consequences.
Iranian officials insist the country does not seek nuclear weapons and say they are prepared to engage diplomatically, while maintaining that Iran’s armed forces remain on maximum alert.
Military commanders in Tehran have warned that Iran would respond forcefully to any attack by the United States or Israel, underscoring the fragile balance between diplomacy and escalation as mediation efforts continue.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
There are fears of an oil spill after a drone strike hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai on Tuesday, while U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed at least two people. A loud explosion was heard in Beirut in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, as oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in Indonesia's Northern Molucca Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging some buildings and triggering tsunami waves, authorities and witnesses said.
President Donald Trump staunchly defended his handling of the month-old U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in a prime-time address on Wednesday, saying the U.S. military was nearing completion of its mission while also reinforcing his threats to bomb the Islamic Republic back to the Stone Age.
In a highly unusual move highlighting shifting narcotics diplomacy, the U.S. has handed over a Chinese fugitive accused of serious drug crimes to authorities in Beijing.
Russian forces launched a day-long barrage of drone strikes on Ukraine’s second-largest city on Thursday (2 April), injuring at least two people and sparking fires across several districts, local officials said.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 3 April, covering the latest developments you need to know
The 2026 World Cup final is setting new records for sports ticketing costs, characterised by unprecedented price hikes and the debut of controversial sales models.
French police detained European Parliament member Rima Hassan in Paris for several hours on Thursday as part of an investigation into an alleged “apology for terrorism”, following a social media post linked to a deadly attack in Israel in the 1970s.
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