US–Israel war on Iran, day 31: Trump says Iran has undergone ‘regime change’; Kuwait power site attacked

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Iran's heavy water production plant in Khondab was no longer operational after an Israeli military strike.

The Israeli military said Friday it carried out a strike against a heavy water plant in Arak, central Iran, describing the site as a "key plutonium production site for nuclear weapons".

IAEA said based on an independent analysis of satellite imagery the heavy water production plant at Khondab, which Iran reported had been attacked on 27 March, had "sustained severe damaged (sic) and is no longer operational".

It added the "installation contains no declared nuclear material".

The Philippines' sole oil refinery has secured nearly 2.5 million barrels of Russian crude out of "extreme necessity", a stock exchange filing revealed Monday, as the country seeks to replenish fast-dwindling fuel reserves.

AFP reported last week that a tanker filled with Russian crude oil had arrived at the harbour servicing refinery operator Petron Corp, a purchase unthinkable before longtime treaty ally the United States eased sanctions tied to Moscow's war in Ukraine.

In a report to the Philippine stock exchange released Monday, Petron said it had agreed to purchase Russian crude after seeing at least four million barrels in shipments cancelled since the start of the Middle East war.

"The purchases were undertaken strictly out of extreme necessity as an extraordinary emergency measure in response to unprecedented geopolitical and supply-chain disruptions and only after exhausting all commercially and operationally viable alternatives," the report reads.

"A refinery shutdown for failure to secure crude would lead to serious nationwide fuel shortages and sharp price spikes," said the company, whose refinery accounts for about 30 percent of the country's fuel needs.

Israel’s military said on Monday morning that it was striking ‘military infrastructure’ across Tehran.

“Many long sought after targets have been taken out and destroyed by our GREAT MILITARY, the finest and most lethal in the World,” US President Donald Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social website, without elaborating.

Public transport will be free in two Australian states under new measures aimed at easing the impact of rising fuel costs, amid global supply strains linked to the ongoing war in Iran, CNN reports.

In Victoria, trains, trams, and buses will be free throughout April, while Tasmania will offer free travel on buses and ferries until 1 July.

The move comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convenes a meeting with state and territory leaders to discuss a coordinated national response to surging oil prices.

Qatar’s Ministry of Transport announced that maritime navigation will gradually resume on Monday, exclusively for vessels licensed for marine fishing activities.

In a statement on Sunday, the ministry outlined the following technical requirements for vessels:

• Ensure the safety, readiness, and seaworthiness of the vessel before departure.

• Operate the Automatic Identification System (AIS) throughout the voyage until returning to port.

• Maintain operation of the VHF radio (Channel 16) during the voyage and until return.

• Comply with all provisions of the Maritime Equipment Law and related regulations.

The ministry urged all operators to adhere to these guidelines to avoid legal accountability.

Asian shares mostly dipped in today morning trading as worries continued about soaring oil prices and the potential for further escalation in the US war with Iran.

The drops in Asia follow the deep declines on Wall Street last Friday that finished off a fifth straight losing week, its longest such streak in nearly four years.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 4.5% in morning trading to 50,979.54. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.2% to 8,417.00. South Korea's Kospi dove 3.2% to 5,264.32. Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 1.7% to 24,519.63, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.7% to 3,884.57.

President Donald Trump said he has no problem with Moscow delivering oil to Cuba, as a sanctioned Russian oil tanker approached the Communist-ruled island.

"Cuba's finished, they have a bad regime, they have very bad and corrupt leadership, and whether or not they get a boat of oil it's not going to matter," Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

US President Donald Trump said that the US-Israel war had achieved regime change in Iran, even as he assured that he would "make a deal" with the Iranians.

"I think we'll make a deal with them, pretty sure...but we've had regime change," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, citing the number of Iranian leaders killed in the month-long war.

"We're dealing with different people than anybody's dealt with before. It's a whole different group of people. So I would consider that regime change," Trump said.

Brent crude was just over $70 a barrel when the war started on Feb. 28. Prices have spiked by over 50% since.

The Saudi Ministry of Defence announced on Monday that five ballistic missiles were detected and intercepted heading towards the Eastern Region.

This was reported by the Saudi Press Agency, quoting Major General Turki Al-Malki, the official spokesperson for the ministry.

The Saudi Ministry of Defence had earlier announced the detection and destruction of a cruise missile heading towards the same region.

US President Donald Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday that he could take Iran's Kharg Island "very easily."

Kharg Island, located off the west coast of Iran, is a vital oil terminal for the Middle Eastern country and is being eyed by the Pentagon for ground operations, though the United States insisted it would stop short of a full-scale invasion.

When asked about the state of Iranian defense on the island Trump said "I don't think they have any defense. We could take it very easily."

In Kuwait, a worker from India has been killed in an Iranian attack on a power and desalination plant, Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water says in a statement on X.

The attack caused "significant damage" to the facility, the statement says, and technical teams are working "to ensure the continuity of vital services".

Authorities in Dubai have confirmed that the loud sounds reported across parts of the city were the result of successful air defence interceptions.

Residents and the public are urged to rely solely on official sources for updates and avoid spreading unverified information.

Pakistan announced that it will soon host talks between the US and Iran, though there was no immediate word from Washington or Tehran, and it was unclear whether discussions on the monthlong war would be direct or indirect.

"Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the US have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks. Pakistan will be honored to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in the coming days," Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said after top diplomats from Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met in Islamabad.

Pakistan later said the diplomats had departed for their home countries. The talks were originally scheduled to continue Monday.

Pakistan's foreign ministry did not answer questions, and Iran's mission to the United Nations declined to comment.

Islamabad has emerged as a mediator, having relatively good ties with Washington and Tehran, after what Pakistani officials call weeks of quiet diplomacy.

Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity has reported that the service building in one of its power stations and water desalination plants was damaged due to an Iranian attack on the State of Kuwait, according to the official news agency.

KUNA reported that technical teams and emergency units immediately activated approved emergency plans to address the repercussions of the incident and ensure the continuity of operational efficiency.

UAE authorities confirmed that air defence systems responded to a missile threat, following precautionary alerts sent out to residents across the country.

The authorities thanked the residents for their cooperation, reassuring that the situation is currently safe, while urging them to remain cautious and take necessary precautions.

The authorities have also urged the public not to circulate rumours and to obtain information solely from official sources.

The UAE Ministry of Defence (MOD) confirmed that air defence systems are responding to missile threats, urging residents to immediately seek a safe place in the closest secure building, steer away from windows, doors and open areas.

The Jordan Armed Forces announced on Sunday that Iran had targeted the Kingdom with one missile and two drones over the past 24 hours.

The Military Media Directorate at the General Command said the Royal Jordanian Air Force intercepted the missile and the two drones.

Meanwhile, the Public Security Directorate spokesperson said the relevant units had handled 26 reports over the past 24 hours involving the fall of shrapnel and projectiles.

The RAF Regiment Gunners successfully engaged and destroyed 7 one-way Iranian attack drones overnight, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.

In its March 29 operational update on defensive missions in the Middle East, the ministry stated the mission continues — and the Royal Air Force (RAF)’s new generation of “aces” is proving highly effective at it.

The UAE has condemned in the strongest terms Iran’s unprovoked terrorist attack targeting a military camp in the State of Kuwait, which resulted in the injury of 10 members of the armed forces, in a flagrant violation of international law.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that this aggression constitutes a violation of the sovereignty of the State of Kuwait and a threat to its security and stability and further represents a dangerous escalation that threatens the security of GCC states and the wider region.

The UAE expressed its full solidarity with Kuwait, stressing its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding its security and stability.

Cruise missile targeting Eastern Province intercepted and destroyed, according to the Saudi Ministry of Defence.

Saudi Arabian low-cost Flyadeal has cancelled flights to Dubai, Amman and Damascus until April 14 due to the US-Israel war in Iran.

The Council of the League of Arab States, at the level of Foreign Ministers, has renewed its full and strongest condemnation of Iran's deliberate and unprovoked attacks against the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, the State of Kuwait, and the Republic of Iraq.

The Israeli military announced on Sunday evening it had launched new strikes on targets across Tehran, after it had detected seven new incoming missile salvoes fired from Iran during the day.

"The IDF is currently striking Iranian terror regime targets across Tehran," the military said.

Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has in a written message thanked the people of Iraq for their support in the war against the United States and Israel, Iranian media said on Sunday.

Mojtaba, the son of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war on February 28, has still yet to appear in public after being named and has only issued a handful of written statements

In the message, Khamenei "expressed his appreciation to the supreme religious authority (in Iraq) and the people of Iraq for their clear stance against aggression against Iran and their support for our country", the ISNA news agency said, referring to the Iraq-based Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, one of the most revered figures in Shia Islam.

The message was delivered following a meeting between the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a Shia party, and the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, it said.

No further details were given on how the message was transmitted.

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

Day 20: Trump vows to destroy Iran gas field; UAE intercepts threats