US–Israel War on Iran, Day 33: Trump claims Iran president wants ceasefire; Tehran calls it 'false and baseless'

NATO is getting defended on a bipartisan basis by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., ahead of Trump’s address to the nation on Wednesday night.

Trump is expected to criticize NATO members for not joining the U.S. in its war with Iran.

McConnell and Coons said in a joint statement that “NATO is the most successful military alliance in history” and stressed how its members “fought and died,” along with U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Americans are safer when NATO is strong and united,” the statement said. “The Senate will continue to support the alliance for the peace and protection it provides America, Europe, and the World.”

The National Defense Authorization Act in 2023 has provision that requires a two-thirds approval from the Senate in order to leave NATO or a separate measure by Congress, limiting the president’s ability to do so unilaterally.

The president has said one of his primary goals of the war was to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and he told Reuters on Wednesday that has been achieved, though it isn’t clear how.

Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium that could potentially be used to build nuclear weapons is believed to be buried under the rubble of a mountain facility that was hit during strikes last June — and that hasn’t changed since the war with Iran began this year. Trump has said the U.S. would move to take the uranium if it reaches a deal with Iran.

But he said Wednesday that the uranium is “so far ⁠underground, I don’t care about that.”

“We’ll always be watching it by satellite,” he said.

Trump also said Iran is now “incapable” of developing a nuclear weapon.

Iran's military announced on Wednesday evening a new wave of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US bases in the Gulf, though there was no immediate word from either of any direct hits.

In a statement, the military's central command, Khatam Al-Anbiya, said the targets included Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean coast and Eilat on the Red Sea, as well as US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.

The announcement came hours before US President Donald Trump was set to make a highly anticipated address on the state of the war, which began on February 28 with a wave of US-Israel attacks against the Islamic republic.

The Ministry of Interior announced the adjustment of the wireless emergency alerts system on smartphones, effective today.

Under the revised mechanism, alerts issued in the event of potential danger between midnight and 6:00 a.m. will be transmitted using a notification-only tone.

UAE residents have received a mobile alert from the Ministry of Interior confirming that the situation in the country is currently safe, following earlier warnings about potential missile threats.

The message, sent across the UAE, thanked residents for their cooperation and reassured the public that normal activities can now resume.

"Thank you for your cooperation. We reassure you that the situation is currently safe. You may resume your normal activities while continuing to remain cautious, take the necessary precautions, and follow official instructions," the alert read.

The Ministry of Defence has warned of a potential missile threat. Residents are urged to move to the nearest secure building, stay away from windows, doors, and open areas, and await official instructions.

Authorities have stressed the importance of staying in safe locations, following official channels for real-time updates, and remaining vigilant as the situation develops.

Dubai Media Office tweeted: "The competent authorities in Dubai confirm that the sounds heard in various areas of the Dubai Emirate are the result of successful interceptions by air defenses. They call on the public to obtain information from its official sources."

A strike in northwestern Iraq killed two fighters from the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi on Wednesday, the alliance said, blaming the US and Israel.

An official with the group told AFP there were "two dead and six wounded in a Zionist-American aggression" on a position in Tal Afar district in Nineveh Governorate, near the Syrian border.

The alliance is also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), and is now part of Iraq's regular armed forces although it also contains pro-Iran factions.

The president told Reuters in a telephone interview ahead of his televised address Wednesday night that the U.S. would be finishing its war in Iran soon, but he wouldn’t give a timeline.

“I can’t tell you exactly ... we’re going to be out pretty quickly,” he said.
But once the U.S. leaves, he said “We’ll come back to do spot hits” on targets, as needed.

Almost 4 million barrels of crude oil a day transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in March, up from about 3 million barrels the prior month and the highest level since October 2023, maritime data firm Kpler said Wednesday.

The increase came as Saudi Arabia sent crude through a pipeline across its country to the Red Sea port of Yanbu after the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Aramco operates the East-West pipeline from the Aqaiq oil processing center near the Persian Gulf to Yanbu. It has enabled the Saudis to maintain some exports blocked by the Hormuz closure, but it lacks the capacity to fully compensate.

Before the war, Yanbu shipped 750,000 to 850,000 barrels a day. Of the crude passing through Bab el-Mandeb in March, 1.75 million barrels a day were loaded there, the data showed.

Most of the remainder transiting the strait in March was Russian oil bound for Asia, Kpler said.

American officials have given mediators “clear assurances” that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer ‌Qalibaf won’t be targeted amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to stop the Iran war, according to two regional officials and one person briefed on the matter.

The person briefed said that Pakistan asked Washington to intervene to get Israel to remove the two officials from its hit list.

Israel’s prime minister’s office and the military didn’t respond to request for comment.

The assurances were also given at the request of other regional mediators to facilitate communications with Iran and push for indirect talks, said one of the officials, who is involved in the mediation efforts. All three spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss sensitive diplomatic conversations.

The two leaders spoke via phone in a "constructive" conversation, said Alexander Stubb, the Finnish leader.

"We exchanged thoughts on NATO, Ukraine, and Iran," Stubb wrote in an X post. "It's good to seek solutions to problems together."

The call comes as the U.S. president is increasingly venting about allies and what he says is their unwillingness to get involved in the war in Iran, particularly in securing the Strait of Hormuz, prompting him to again talk about the U.S. leaving NATO.

In total 27 commercial ships, including 13 tankers, have been attacked or reported incidents since March 1 in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, or the Gulf of Oman, according to British marine security agency UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

In the latest incident, a tanker leased to Qatar's state-owned energy company was struck by an Iranian missile in the Gulf country's territorial waters, officials there said Wednesday.

They said 21 crew members were evacuated without any casualties.

UKMTO said the vessel had been struck by "two projectiles" north of Ras Laffan, the world's largest LNG hub.

It noted "one projectile caused a fire, which was extinguished, and another "remains unexploded within the vessel's engine room".

Israel's emergency services said 14 people, including an 11-year-old girl, were wounded near Tel Aviv on Wednesday during a missile attack that the military blamed on Iran.

On Wednesday morning, the military said it had identified a missile launched from Yemen, as well as four rounds of Iranian missiles, which activated air raid sirens across large parts of central and northern Israel.

In the central city of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, the Magen David Adom emergency service said it had treated and evacuated to hospital 14 wounded people, including an 11-year-old girl in critical condition with shrapnel injuries.

Police reported damage at several sites in central Israel, sharing an image of what appeared to be missile debris on a road.

Iran has claimed it targets military objectives.

Kuwait's Ministry of Defence announced on Wednesday that the armed forces detected and dealt with three cruise missiles and 15 hostile drones within the country's airspace over the past 24 hours.

Official spokesperson of the Ministry, Colonel Staff Saud Al-Atwan, said during a media briefing on operational developments that the Iranian aggression resulted in the targeting of a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, which was handled by specialised teams.

He added that debris fell on a residential house in one of the areas without causing any human injuries.

Al-Atwan noted that the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the Land Force Engineering Corps, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, dealt with and safely neutralised a military object at the site in line with approved procedures.

Should the US decide to send in military forces to secure Iran's uranium stockpile, it would be a complex, risky and lengthy operation, fraught with radiation and chemical dangers, according to experts and former government officials.

President Trump has offered shifting reasons for the war in Iran but has consistently said a primary objective is ensuring the country will "never have a nuclear weapon." Less clear is how far he's willing to go to seize Iran's nuclear material.

Given the risks of inserting as many as 1,000 specially trained forces into a war zone to remove the stockpile, another option would be a negotiated settlement with Iran that would allow the material to be surrendered and secured without using force.

Iran has 972 pounds (440.9 kilograms) of uranium that's enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency.

The American University of Sharjah (AUS) on Wednesday announced online learning for the rest of the semester.

Chancellor Dr Tod Laursen acknowledged the strain of rolling short-term updates and said the university had listened. "The recent approach of planning one or two weeks at a time has understandably created difficulty and uncertainty for many of you," he wrote.

"Our planning moving forward will be guided by the expectation that online learning will remain in place for the remainder of the semester. We hope that offering this level of direction will help you make more informed decisions and feel more at ease during this time,” he stated.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, called Trump's claim "false and baseless," according to a report on Iranian state television.

Also, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard separately issued a statement saying the Strait of Hormuz "is firmly and decisively under the control" of its forces.

"This strait will not be opened to the enemies of this nation through the ridiculous spectacle by the president of the United States," it added.

Airfares between the UAE and India are likely to come under upward pressure after Indian carrier IndiGo announced a revision in fuel charges, driven by a sharp rise in jet fuel prices.

The airline confirmed that updated fuel surcharges will apply to all new bookings made from 1 am on April 2, impacting both domestic and international routes. IndiGo has also re-calibrated its domestic and international fuel charge to vary by different travel distances.

Iran’s disruption of energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz amounts to “global economic extortion” that risks destabilising economies far beyond the Middle East, according to Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber.

The UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Managing Director and Group CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Chairman of Masdar, and Executive Chairman of XRG made the remarks in a post on LinkedIn.

The effective closure of the strategic waterway is “a threat the world cannot tolerate,” he said, calling for coordinated international action. “The world must act — together — to protect the free flow of energy and safeguard economic stability,” Al Jaber wrote.

Head coach Graham Arnold has exuded confidence in Iraq's football team, stating that his side will look to surprise the world after they qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a thrilling 2-1 win against Bolivia in the final match of the qualifiers played at the Monterrey Stadium on Wednesday.

The qualification marks a significant milestone for Iraq, which will be making only their second appearance at the World Cup and their first since the 1986 FIFA World Cup. In their previous outing, they exited in the group stage after suffering three defeats.

Iraq has been placed in a tough Group I in the World Cup, where they will face 2022 World Cup runner-ups France, along with Senegal and Norway, in the group stage.

Lebanon's health ministry said Wednesday that Israeli attacks have killed 1,318 people in the country since war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2, raising a previous toll of 1,268 a day earlier.

The ministry statement said the toll included 91 women, 125 children and 53 health workers, with 3,935 other people wounded.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that Britain needed to forge a "closer partnership" with the European Union on defence, security and the economy, citing the war in the Middle East.

Starmer told a news conference that "our long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe and with the European Union".

The British prime minister has sought to rebuild post-Brexit relations with the EU since winning power in July 2024, hoping to fire up Britain's insipid economy.

He cited the "volatile" Middle East and the "deep damage" caused by Brexit, 10 years after the referendum in favour.

"The opportunities to strengthen our security and cut the cost of living are simply too big to ignore," Starmer said.

He made the speech at a rocky time for Britain's "special relationship" with the United States, as President Donald Trump has made repeated criticisms of Starmer for his support for the US-Israel war against Tehran.

Trump has said the United States will reduce its role within NATO, while Starmer on Wednesday insisted the bloc is the world's "most effective military alliance".

An AFP journalist reported several huge explosions in the west of the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday afternoon.

It was unclear what the target was. Israel said earlier on Wednesday it had struck several targets in Tehran.

Jazeera Airways will launch two new destinations to India: Vijayawada and Lucknow, via Dammam Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Flights to and from Vijayawada will commence on April 13, while flights to and from Lucknow will begin on April 15, with three weekly flights to each destination.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards insisted on Wednesday that the strategic strait of Hormuz will remain closed to the country's "enemies" as US President Donald Trump said he would only consider a ceasefire if it was reopened.

"The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is also firmly and dominantly under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' naval forces," the Guards said in a statement carried on state TV, adding that it "will not be opened to the enemies of this nation".

The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), at its 237th session, adopted a strict and historic decision based on a joint working paper submitted by the GCC Member States, along with the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the Kingdom of Morocco.

The decision unequivocally condemned the unlawful attacks carried out by Iran, which have come to constitute a direct and serious threat to the safety of international civil aviation in the Middle East.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed on Wednesday that they had struck an oil tanker in the Gulf, saying it belonged to Israel.

"An oil tanker belonging to the illegitimate and child-killing Zionist regime with the trade name 'Aqua 1' in the central region of the Persian Gulf was precisely targeted in the valiant missile battle of the IRGC naval forces, and is burning," the Guards said in a statement carried by state television.

Qatar had earlier said the tanker was hit in its territorial waters.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that Iran's president wanted a ceasefire ahead of his speech to the American people.

Trump made the claim on his Truth Social website.

Trump said "Iran's New Regime President," however. Iran still has the same president.

Trump also said that a ceasefire would only happen when the Strait of Hormuz is "open, free, clear."

"Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!" he wrote.

Iran had no immediate response to Trump's post. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in an interview with Al Jazeera aired late Tuesday signaled Tehran's willingness to keep fighting.

"You cannot speak to the people of Iran in the language of threats and deadlines," he said. "We do not set any deadline for defending ourselves."

President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday France had not been consulted and wasn't taking part in the war against Iran, after US leader Donald Trump criticised the country's overflight ban on planes carrying military supplies for the conflict.

"It is absolutely true that France, which has not been consulted and is not part of this military offensive launched by the United States and Israel, is not taking part in it," Macron said in an interview with Japanese broadcaster NHK during his visit to Tokyo, adding that had been France's stance since "day one" of the war.

The Jordan Armed Forces announced on Wednesday that the Royal Jordanian Air Force intercepted a missile launched from Iran and two drones that targeted Jordanian territory.

In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency (Petra), the Military Media Directorate at the General Command of the Jordan Armed Forces said the operations were carried out over the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the Public Security Directorate spokesperson said the relevant units dealt with six reports over the past 24 hours involving falling shrapnel and projectiles.

The spokesperson confirmed that no injuries were reported as a result of these incidents, although some material damage was recorded.

The National Communication Centre has confirmed that Bahrain Defence Force air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 4 missiles and 19 drones in the past 24 hours, according to the latest updates from the BDF General Command.

The total number of missiles and drones intercepted and destroyed since the beginning of Iran's hostile aggression against the Kingdom now stands at 186 missiles and 419 drones.

Iran and countries across the Middle East are using the war as an excuse to clamp down on rights, the UN warned Wednesday as it denounced attempts to limit media freedom in Israel and the United States.

"We are witnessing a sharp securitisation of civic space across the region, with severe restrictions imposed by governments on people exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.

He also decried "attempts to limit media freedom, such as restrictions imposed by Israeli military censorship authorities, and a threat by the US Federal Communications Commission to revoke broadcast licences for coverage deemed critical of the war."

The Philippines has sought safe passage for desperately needed oil shipments in a meeting with Iran, a presidential spokeswoman said Wednesday, as the import-dependent archipelago jockeys with other regional countries for fuel.

President Ferdinand Marcos declared a state of national energy emergency last week, later saying that "nothing was off the table" as the country of 116 million tried to meet its need for fuel.

On Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said she had explored "key avenues for cooperation" in a meeting with Iranian ambassador Yousef Esmaeilzadeh that included the Philippines' energy secretary.

Presidential spokeswoman Claire Castro later told reporters that Lazaro had sought safe passage through the strait for oil shipments bound for the Philippines.

The UAE air defences on (1st April 2026) engaged 5 Ballistic missiles and 35 UAV's launched from Iran.

Since the start of the blatant Iranian attacks, UAE air defences have engaged 438 ballistic missiles, 19 cruise missiles and 2,012 UAVs.

An Israeli strike in the Jnah area of Beirut early on Wednesday killed Hezbollah's top commander for Iraq military affairs, Yousef Hashem, a Lebanese security source and a Hezbollah source both told AFP.

The security source said "a senior Hezbollah official, who is the military chief for the Iraq file, named Youssef Hashem, was killed in the strike on the Jnah area in Beirut," adding that "he was in a meeting inside a tent near several vehicles".

A source close to Hezbollah confirmed the information, while the health ministry announced a final toll of seven people killed in the strike.

With regional tensions prompting many UAE businesses to adopt remote working or cut back on in-office days, more employees than ever are working from home. It is a significant shift but not one that affects your legal protections.

Under UAE Labour Law, remote workers are entitled to the same rights as their in-office counterparts - the same working hours, the same leave policy, and the guarantee that their salary will be paid on time.

Here is a breakdown of what the law says.

The war is raging. The real question isn’t who wins — it’s who breaks first.

As the war enters its second month, pressure is no longer building quietly — it is beginning to show cracks across markets, governments and economies.

At the centre of it all lies the Strait of Hormuz.

By restricting traffic through the narrow waterway — which carries roughly a fifth of global oil supply — Iran has turned geography into leverage. The result is a slow but widening shock to the global economy.

US-Israeli strikes have hit steel complexes in central and southwest Iran, causing damage to production units, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.

"Initial assessments indicate massive attacks, with significant damage and destruction to production units" at the complex of the Mobarakeh Steel Company, one of Iran's biggest, in the central province of Isfahan, Fars news agency reported, quoting a statement by the company.

It added that one of the company's subsidiaries, Sefid Dasht Steel, in the southwestern Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, had also "sustained damage and losses".

The complex in Isfahan was attacked on Friday along with Khuzestan Steel factories in southwestern Iran.

One person of Indian nationality was injured after debris from an intercepted drone fell near an industrial facility in the Umm Al Thaoub area, the Umm Al Quwain Government Media Office confirmed on Wednesday.

The media office said UAE air defence systems successfully intercepted a drone targeting the emirate.

Britain will this week host a meeting of about 35 countries to discuss how to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz which has been crippled by the Middle East war, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday.

The meeting will "assess all viable diplomatic and political measures that we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and resume the movement of vital commodities", Starmer told reporters.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned Wednesday the months ahead "may not be easy" because of the Middle East war, in a rare address to the nation across television networks.

"The months ahead may not be easy. I want to be upfront about that. No government can promise to eliminate the pressures that this war is causing," Albanese said.

Facing historic spikes in petrol prices, Albanese urged Australians to switch to using public transport, preserving fuel for rural communities and essential services.

"Australia is not an active participant in this war. But all Australians are paying higher prices because of it," he said.

"Farmers and truckies, small businesses and families are doing it tough. And the reality is, the economic shocks caused by this war will be with us for months," he said.

The Indian Consulate General in Dubai on Wednesday issued an advisory for Grade 12 students offering them a rare walk-in facility to apply for NRI certificates.

The move comes as India's university admission season approaches, giving families a narrow but welcome window to get their paperwork in order.

“On Saturday, April 4, 2026, all eligible students can apply for NRI certificates at any BLS centre as walk-ins, without a prior appointment,” the mission announced.

Strikes early on Wednesday hit the area near the former US embassy in Tehran, damaging some of the building's walls, an AFP journalist reported.

Other footage carried by Mehr news agency showed the aftermath of the strikes in central Tehran, with shops damaged, windows blown out and debris scattered across the area near the building.

The wall of the former embassy, which was transformed into a museum known as the "Den of Spies", appeared damaged in the footage.

Qatar said on Wednesday that a tanker leased to its state-owned energy company was struck by an Iranian missile in the Gulf country's territorial waters.

"Qatar was targeted... by three cruise missiles launched from Iran," the Gulf state's defence ministry said in a statement.

Qatar's military "intercepted two of the cruise missiles, while the third missile struck an oil tanker leased to QatarEnergy in Qatar's territorial waters," it said.

"Coordination was established with relevant authorities to evacuate the tanker, which had 21 crew members on board, without any human casualties," the defence ministry added.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there were no negotiations with the United States and that Tehran had not responded to a reported 15-point proposal from Washington to end the war.

"We receive messages from the American side, some direct and some through our friends in the region, and whenever necessary we respond to these messages," Araghchi said in an interview with Al Jazeera aired on Wednesday and dubbed into Arabic from Persian.

"There are no grounds for negotiations," he said, adding however that some messages had been exchanged directly with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Oil prices tumbled and European stocks rose on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said the war with Iran could end within weeks.

International benchmark Brent North Sea crude fell five percent to $98.77 a barrel, and the main US oil contract WTI dropped around four percent to $97.28 a barrel.

The Frankfurt and Paris stock markets jumped more than two percent at the open, while London's FTSE 100 index gained 1.7 percent.

In response to the evolving situation, the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has confirmed that both its Head Office and the Subhan branch will remain closed for the remainder of today and throughout Thursday. The bank emphasized that this proactive measure is being taken as a priority to safeguard employees and clients while maintaining operational resilience.

Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday claimed a missile attack targeting Israel that they said was launched jointly with their backer Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah group - the third such attack by the Houthis since they entered the Middle East war.

The Houthis "carried out the third military operation... targeting sensitive Israeli enemy targets... with a barrage of ballistic missiles", military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.

"This operation was conducted jointly with our mujahideen brothers in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon," he added.

Israel's emergency medical service said an 11-year-old girl was in serious condition after a missile attack that the military blamed on Iran and police said caused damage at several sites.

The military said it had "identified missiles launched from Iran towards the territory of the State of Israel" for the first time in about 20 hours, with air raid sirens activated across central Israel.

Another warning of incoming missile fire came less than an hour later, prompting alerts across large parts of northern and central Israel, according to the military's Home Front Command.

The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said an 11-year-old girl was seriously wounded by shrapnel in central Israel as a result of the first launch.

Spokesman Zaki Heller told Israeli TV that at least 12 others were also wounded, including a 13-year-old boy and a 33-year-old woman in moderate condition, all from the same impact site.

The Israeli military said its air defences responded to a missile attack from Iran on Wednesday, with warning sirens activated across central Israel.

"A short while ago, the IDF (army) identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," a military statement said.

Dubai gold prices moved higher on Wednesday morning, extending a short rebound after a sharp correction through March. The uptick follows the metal’s worst monthly performance since 2008, with prices still below mid-month peaks despite recent gains. Buyers in the UAE are returning cautiously, watching global cues, including interest rate expectations and easing geopolitical tensions, before making fresh purchases.

Authorities in Fujairah confirmed that one person was killed after debris from an intercepted drone fell on a farm in the Al-Rifa’a area, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.

The Fujairah Government Media Office said UAE air defence systems successfully intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the emirate. Following the interception and debris landed on a farm in Al-Rifa’a. 

A Bengali national died as a result of the incident, authorities said.

The Israeli military said air defences responded early Wednesday to a missile launched from Yemen, where Iran's Houthi allies have claimed attacks on Israel in recent days.

A military statement said Israeli forces had "identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, aerial defence systems are operating to intercept the threat", later announcing that residents were "permitted to leave protected spaces in all areas of the country".

Iran's state broadcaster IRIB said areas in northern, eastern and central Tehran were under attack on Wednesday.

The broadcaster said on Telegram that explosions were heard in the capital's north, east and centre, reporting "attacks on Tehran" without immediately providing more details.

Bahrain’s civil defence teams have been deployed to extinguish a fire in a facility of a company as a result of Iranian missile and drone attacks. Relevant authorities are taking their measures at the site.

Kuwait’s Civil Aviation Authority said on Wednesday that Kuwait International Airport had been targeted in a drone attack, which struck fuel storage tanks and triggered a major fire. No casualties were reported.

Abdullah Al Rajhi, official spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority, said the attack was carried out by Iran and its-backed armed groups, describing it as a “blatant assault” on the airport.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence announced the interception and destruction of two drones during the past hours. The statement was made by Major General Turki Al-Malki, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

A tanker has been hit by a projectile in the Gulf, off the coast of Qatar's capital Doha, a British maritime security agency said Wednesday, reporting some damage but no casualties.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations said it had received a report of an incident 17 nautical miles (31 kilometres) north of Doha that a "tanker has been hit by unknown projectile on the port side causing damage to the hull above water line. The crew are reported as safe."

It added there was "no environmental impact" and that authorities were investigating the incident.

Nikos Dendias, Greece's Minister of National Defence, has expressed his country's full solidarity with the UAE following Iran's unprovoked, terrorist missile attacks.

Dendias discussed with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the repercussions of Iran's attacks targeting the UAE and several countries in the region.

The Israeli army said Wednesday it had "struck a senior commander" and another "terrorist" from Hezbollah in Beirut. "A short while ago, in two separate strikes in the Beirut area, the IDF struck a senior Hezbollah commander and an additional senior terrorist," the Israeli Defence Forces said, adding that the second person was also a Hezbollah member.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that US forces would end operations in Iran "very soon," as his administration pursues talks with Iranian authorities while continuing its aerial campaign.

Trump says war with Iran could end in "two weeks, maybe three".

Asked during a White House event about the impact of high fuel prices since the start of the war on February 28, Trump said that: "All I have to do is leave Iran, and we'll be doing that very soon, and they'll become tumbling down. But we're finishing the job, and I think within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer," US forces will leave, he added. 

The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed that it is enhancing air defence support to Gulf partners amid ongoing regional tensions. The announcement details new deployments of UK air defence systems and personnel, successful defensive actions against Iranian drones, and continued multinational air operations.

Explosions ⁠were ​heard in ​the Syrian capital ​Damascus ​as Israeli air ‌defenses ⁠intercepted Iranian missiles, Reuters reported, quoting ​Syrian ​state TV.

The Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF)–Arab Army announced Iran targeted the Kingdom's territory with four missiles in the past 24 hours. A spokesperson for Public Security Directorate (PSD) also announced the relevant units responded to 17 reports of falling debris and projectiles in the past 24 hours. The spokesperson noted no injuries resulted from these incidents, though some material damage occurred.

Day 32: Debris hits several homes in Dubai, 4 injured

Day 31: Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's Kharg island

Day 30: Tehran warns Washington against ground invasion

Day 29: Yemen's Houthis enter war with missile targeting Israel

Day 28: Rubio says US expects victory in weeks after G7 talks

Day 27: Trump insists Iran is ‘begging’ to make a deal, not him

Day 26: US preparing to deploy 1,000 troops to Middle East

Day 25: UAE intercepts threats from Iran ; 1dead, 5 hurt in Bahrain

Day 24: Netanyahu speaks with Trump, vows to protect Israel's interests

Day 23: Trump gives Iran 48 hours to reopen Strait of Hormuz

Day 22: Trump says US considering ‘winding down’ war

Day 21: UK to let US use bases for strikes on Iran threats