US–Israel war on Iran, day 35: US rescues missing pilot; Trump seeks $1.5t defense budget

The Ministry of Interior in Qatar has cautioned the public against playing or circulating audio or video clips that mimic the National Emergency Alert System, including using such tones as mobile ringtones.

Authorities warned that misuse of these tones risks causing panic and disturbing public order.

President Donald Trump has been briefed about the downing of a US warplane in Iran that has triggered a major search and rescue operation for the crew, the White House said Friday.

"The president has been briefed," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Authorities confirmed that two fires broke out at the Habshan Gas Processing Plant after debris fell following a successful air defence interception.

Emergency response teams responded swiftly and brought the situation under control, officials said, adding that the incident occurred as part of the ongoing follow-up to the previously reported event at the site.

The incident tragically claimed the life of an Egyptian national during the evacuation of the site. Four others sustained minor injuries, including two Pakistani nationals and two Egyptian nationals.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran denounced on Friday what it describes as the U.N. nuclear agency's "silence" as the US and Israel attacks Iran's nuclear facilities.

The Iranian agency accused the International Atomic Energy Agency of "not merely inaction but complicity with perpetrators," according to a statement posted on X. It said it has sent a protest letter to the IAEA's director. "This historic negligence erodes the IAEA's little remaining credibility," read the statement.

The Iranian government has constantly said that it needs to expand its nuclear plants to meet its electricity needs rather than to build weapons.

Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense said its armed forces intercepted seven ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles and 26 drones within Kuwaiti airspace over the past 24 hours.

According to Kuwait News Agency, the Iranian attack targeted the Mina Al Ahmadi Refinery, triggering fires in several operational units. A power and water desalination plant was also hit, causing material damage but no casualties.

Authorities said explosive ordnance teams responded to 22 reports of debris and remnants from the attacks to ensure public safety.

The US embassy in Lebanon, where the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militant group is at war with Israel, said on Friday that Iran and allied groups could seek to target universities in the country.

"Iran and its aligned terrorist militias may intend to target universities in Lebanon," said a security alert, without identifying any specific institutions, days after Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened to target US universities in the Middle East after saying US-Israeli strikes had destroyed two Iranian universities.

Among other universities, Lebanon is home to the American University of Beirut, one of the most prominent US institutions in the region, whose campus and hospital are in the heart of the capital.

A US warplane has gone down over Iran and US forces have rescued one of the crew, major US media outlets reported Friday after Iranian media aired footage of aircraft wreckage.

Axios and CBS News, citing unidentified sources, reported that one of the two crew on the plane had already been rescued by US special forces but that the search was ongoing for the second crew member.

According to The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, the plane was an F-15E fighter, which is crewed by a pilot and a weapons-systems officer in the back seat.

CNN also said that analysis of what Iranian media said were photos of the wreckage showed an F-15, rather than an F-35 stealth fighter, as claimed in some Iranian reports.

US media reported that President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation.

However, there was no immediate on-the-record response from the White House or Pentagon to requests for comment.

US media reported that a search-and-rescue operation was underway by specialized US forces, following what would be the first known loss of a jet inside Iran since Trump ordered the war.

The U.S. military launched a rescue operation Friday after local Iranian state media said an American fighter jet went down over southwest Iran and at least one crew member ejected.

A rescue operation was underway, according to an Israeli military officer briefed on the information who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a U.S. announcement.

A US military helicopter was hit by an Iranian projectile during a rescue mission for a downed American pilot, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.

The agency reported on Friday evening that the helicopter sustained a direct hit while attempting to carry out a search-and-rescue operation for a US pilot whose aircraft had earlier crashed inside Iranian territory.

Three tankers, including one co-owned by a Japanese company, crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday by hugging close to Oman's shore, a rare transit route as Iran maintains a chokehold on the key war-torn passageway.

Before the war which started more than a month ago, about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the Strait, but that has dwindled to a trickle as Iran selectively attacks ships and energy facilities throughout the Gulf in retaliation against US and Israeli attacks.

The near closing of the international artery has led to fuel shortages and soaring energy prices across the globe.

Thursday's passage of the three was notable because they sailed close to the Omani Musandam Peninsula to the south of the waterway on Thursday, maritime traffic data showed Friday.

The few vessels that have crossed the chokepoint since the start of the Middle East war have passed using an Iranian-approved route through its waters near Larak Island, dubbed the "Tehran Toll Booth" by leading shipping journal Lloyd's List.

No other ships have been tracked "not taking the Iranian corridor" while crossing the strait "in nearly three weeks", according to Lloyd's List.

Fresh strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday as the Israeli army said it was striking "terror infrastructure", hours after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning for the area.

An AFP correspondent heard explosions as the state-run National News Agency reported strikes on the area, a Hezbollah bastion that has largely emptied of residents since war erupted last month between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel's army said it "has begun striking terror infrastructure in Beirut".

Iran deployed troops and offered a bounty as it launched a hunt for a US pilot whose jet Iranian media said had been downed by the Islamic republic's air defence systems Friday.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for military operations in the Middle East, did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on the first such report in the war engulfing the region.

The war started more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, triggering retaliation that spread the conflict throughout the Middle East, convulsing the global economy and impacting millions of people worldwide.

"Military forces have launched a search operation to find the American fighter pilot who was hit earlier today," Iran's Fars news agency said.

Israel has resumed operations at a major natural gas field that had been shut down since the onset of its war with Iran, a move that had halted exports to neighbouring Egypt and Jordan.

At the outbreak of hostilities on February 28, Israel ordered the suspension of activity at two offshore gas fields - Leviathan and Karish facilities.

Israel's ministry of energy and infrastructure has now announced that production at the Leviathan field has been restored.

The president said in a post on social media Friday morning that “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A “GUSHER” FOR THE WORLD???”

Trump’s comments seem to fly in the face of his remarks over the past week, including days ago when he said that ensuring safe shipping through the vital waterway was ‘not for us” and instead lashed out at other nations, including America’s allies, for not stepping in to police the strait from Iranian attacks on vessels.

The president’s Friday comment seemed to reflect remarks he made in private this week in which he expressed a desire to continue the war and try to seize Iranian oil, but said it “is unfortunate” that there did not seem to be patience among the American people for such an effort.

The White House sent a spending proposal to lawmakers Friday calling for a massive $1.5 trillion US defense budget next year as it faces increased costs due to the war in Iran.

The total year-on-year increase in Pentagon spending would be the largest since World War II, US media reported, although presidential budgets are wish lists that have to be approved by Congress, rather than binding orders.

"The budget builds upon the historic $1 trillion overall defense topline for 2026 and requests $1.5 trillion in total budgetary resources for 2027," the document reads. "This is a $445 billion, or 42 percent, increase from the 2026 total resource level."

Iranian state media soon after shared images online of what appeared to be American aircraft flying over the area, including helicopters, planes and drones.

The public request for help suggests the Iranian military, police and security services maintain a small presence in the rural region that spans over 15,500 square kilometers (5,900 square miles).

The province is mainly home to Iran's Lur people, many of whom are farmers. The extreme south of the province is the start of Iran's oil fields in the area.

Iranian state TV affiliate claims US pilot ejected over southwestern Iran

US Central Command, the Pentagon and White House didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Kuwait Ministry of Interior, through its Security Systems Department, has announced a comprehensive ban on the operation of drones across the country effective immediately. Authorities stated that the measure is a necessary step to ensure public safety and maintain national security. Residents are urged to strictly adhere to these instructions, as the Ministry emphasised that compliance is vital for the protection of the community and the state's security framework.

Israel’s military said Friday it will soon be able to say it has established new defensive lines in order to prevent direct fire on communities in northern Israel.

Army spokesman Nadav Shoshani said Israel will establish control and defense for its communities coming under “immediate fire” posing an “imminent threat.” Shoshani said Israel has killed at least 1,000 Hezbollah militants since the start of the operation.

Twelve people have been injured after debris fell in Abu Dhabi’s Ajban area following the interception of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles by the UAE’s air defence systems, authorities said on Friday.

According to Abu Dhabi Media Office, six Nepali nationals and five Indian nationals sustained minor to moderate injuries, while another Nepali national suffered serious injuries in the incident.

The injuries were reported as part of the continuing assessment of the incident, which occurred after air defence systems successfully intercepted aerial threats, causing debris to fall in parts of the emirate.

The UAE air defenses (April 3, 2026) engaged 18 ballistic missiles, 4 cruise missiles, and 47 drones originating from Iran. Since the start of Iran's brazen attacks, the UAE air defenses have engaged 475 ballistic missiles, 23 cruise missiles, and 2,085 drones.

The Ministry of Defense affirms that it is on high alert and readiness to deal with any threats and to firmly counter all that targets the destabilization of the state, in a manner that ensures the preservation of its sovereignty, security, and stability, and protects its interests and national capabilities.

The air defence systems of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) have intercepted and destroyed 188 ballistic missiles and 445 drones targeting Bahrain since the onset of the Iranian aggression.

In a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency, the BDF's General Command emphasised that the use of ballistic missiles and drones to target civilian areas and private property constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the United Nations Charter.

"These indiscriminate attacks represent a direct threat to regional peace and security," the statement added.

A container ship declaring itself to have a French owner has passed through the Strait of Hormuz, according Marine Traffic data analysed by AFP Friday.

The Maltese-flagged Kribi belonging to the French maritime transport group CMA CGM crossed the strait which has been virtually blocked by Iran since early in the Middle East war to exit the Gulf on Thursday afternoon, the maritime tracking website showed.

It appears to be the first known transit by a major European shipping group since March 1, when Iranian attacks against ships near the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliation for US-Israel strikes, reduced crossings to a trickle. 

The ship was off Muscat, Oman, early Friday, still broadcasting the message "owner France" on its transponder system in the field usually used to give the destination.

Kuwait blamed Iran for the drone attacks that sparked fires at its Mina al-Ahmadi refinery Friday. There were no injuries reported.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated the UK’s support for Kuwait in his call with Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al Sabah, his office said.

Britain’s defense minister said this week that it was deploying an air defense system to Kuwait as part of efforts to protect its interests in the region.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has paid tribute to the UAE Armed Forces through a patriotic poem titled “Ya Mawtini” (O My Homeland), which he both wrote and recited, praising the courage, loyalty and sacrifice of the nation’s soldiers.

In the poem, Sheikh Mohammed describes the armed forces as the protectors of the nation’s land, sea and skies, lauding their bravery, honour and sense of duty. The verses portray Emirati soldiers as the shield of the homeland and a source of pride, emphasising their readiness to defend the country under all circumstances and their deep connection to the values of courage, generosity and national belonging.

Helen McEntee had been due to meet with Irish troops serving in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon after her visit Wednesday to Kyiv, Ukraine. But she said the Irish military warned that it was too dangerous after three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed this week in southern Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Hezbollah.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine could contribute to protecting maritime routes if invited, citing experience gained from keeping Black Sea shipping lanes open under sustained Russian attack.

“If we are invited, we will help,” Zelenskyy said, without elaborating. “The strait must be unblocked.”

Kyiv’s offer comes as it deepens cooperation with Gulf countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, shifting toward a long-term role as a security partner. Ukrainian teams have already been deployed to the region to advise on air defense, infrastructure protection and maritime security.

Amnesty International is warning Iran that its recruitment of children as young as 12 for the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force amounts to a war crime. The Guard has put out the call recently as the Basij finds its checkpoints under attack during the war with the United States and Israel.

Amnesty also said that eyewitnesses and its own analysis of video footage “show child soldiers having been deployed” to checkpoints and patrols, some armed with weapons including Kalashnikov-style assaults rifles.

“As US and Israeli strikes hit thousands of (Guard) sites, including Basij facilities, across the country, including through drone attacks targeting security patrols and checkpoints, the deployment of child soldiers alongside (Guard) personnel or in their facilities puts them at grave risk of death and injury,” Erika Guevara-Rosas of Amnesty International said.

The Shri Krishna Temple in Bur Dubai will remain temporarily closed from Friday, April 3, 2026, until further notice, following directives from Dubai authorities citing safety and security reasons, the temple management has announced.

"The Management apologises for the inconvenience caused and requests the devotees' understanding and cooperation. Prayers for everyone's safety and well-being," the temple management said in a statement to Gulf News.

Abu Dhabi authorities are responding to an incident of falling debris at the Habshan gas facilities, following successful interception by air defence systems. Operations have been suspended while authorities respond to a fire. No injuries have been reported. Authorities have also responded to an incident of falling debris in the Ajban area, following successful interception by air defence systems. 

The public is advised to obtain information only from official sources and to avoid spreading rumours or unverified information.

The UAE Ministry of Interior said air defences are responding to a missile threat and urged residents to remain in safe locations and follow official updates.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said one of its power generation and water desalination plants was struck in what it described as an Iranian attack early Friday, causing material damage to parts of the facility.

The ministry said technical and emergency teams were immediately deployed in line with approved contingency plans to contain the impact of the incident and ensure continuity of operations, while coordination was underway with security authorities to secure the affected sites. It added that electricity and water systems remain a top priority, with teams working around the clock to maintain essential services.

Several churches across Dubai have announced the suspension of in-person services starting April 3, following directives from UAE authorities to ensure public safety and community well-being.

Distance learning will continue through the end of the Spring semester, concluding on Friday, 1 May 2026, the American University in Dubai has announced.

“Please be assured that every decision we make is guided by a single priority: your safety and well-being. Our focus remains on academic continuity, and we are here to ensure you have uninterrupted access to the resources, faculty guidance, and support systems you rely on,” the university said on Instagram.

The UAE Ministry of Interior confirmed that the threat has passed and it is safe to resume daily activities. Authorities advised residents to remain cautious and follow official updates.

The Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara and The Hindu Temple Dubai on Friday announced temporary closures until further notice, following directives from Dubai authorities citing safety and security reasons.

The announcements come on the same day that several of the emirate's churches suspended in-person services under similar official guidance.

Iran’s former top diplomat offered terms Friday to see a ceasefire in the war with the United States and Israel.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, who helped reach the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, made the proposal in Foreign Affairs magazine in a piece published Friday.

While Zarif has no official position now in Iran’s theocracy, he helped get reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian elected.

He also would not have been able to publish such a piece without at least running the positions past senior members of the country’s theocracy.

While insisting Iran “is clearly winning” the war, Zarif wrote that Tehran “should offer to place limits on its nuclear program and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an end to all sanctions — a deal Washington wouldn’t take before but might accept now.”

It remains unclear how US President Donald Trump would respond to such a pitch, particularly as Zarif referred to Trump’s close friend Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner as “completely illiterate on both geopolitics and nuclear technicalities.”

The Ministry of Interior stated that UAE air defences are responding to a missile threat and advised residents to stay in safe areas and follow official updates and instructions.

The UAE Ministry of Interior (MOI) has issued a nationwide public safety update confirming that the situation in the country is now secure. In an official alert, authorities reassured residents and citizens that it is safe to resume routines and normal activities. While the immediate threat has passed, the Ministry emphasised the importance of remaining vigilant, taking standard precautions, and continuing to monitor official government channels for further updates.

A team searching a Thai ship that was struck near the Strait of Hormuz on March 11 has found human remains onboard, the Thai Foreign Ministry said Friday.

The Mayuree Naree was hit by a projectile just north of Oman. Three of its crew members were declared missing.

The search team was hired by the ship’s owner, Precious Shipping Co. The company and the ministry did not say when the ship was searched or its current location. A previous search of the vessel was disclosed March 30.

The ministry said the team has not been able to immediately verify the identity of the remains, which were found in a damaged area of the ship.

Former CIA director Bill Burns has described the US-Israeli war launched against Iran as “a war of choice” that may have only further empowered the most hard-line elements within its theocracy.

Burns, a former State Department diplomat, made the observation in a podcast by Foreign Affairs magazine.

“This is a regime that is inept at many things like managing its economy, but it is designed to preserve itself and designed to repress its own people and designed to withstand even the decapitation of its senior leadership,” said Burns, who secretly negotiated with the Iranians ahead of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers during the Obama administration.

Burns also disagreed with US President Donald Trump’s assessment that there had been a “regime change” in the airstrike campaign killing top leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“In some ways, it’s certainly a much weaker regime, but it’s also one that’s even nastier and more radical and, you know, less open,” he said.

He added that Iran’s theocracy thought “victory is survival.”

“I’ve believed for a long time that this is a regime that’s on a kind of one-way street to its eventual collapse, but I worry that, you know, in this war, what we’ve done rather than accelerate that moment of collapse is slow it down a little bit,” Burns said.

The Ministry of Interior said air defence systems are currently responding to a missile threat, urging residents to remain in safe locations and follow official channels for updates and instructions.

The Saudi Ministry of Defence said it intercepted and destroyed seven drones over the past few hours. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA), citing Brigadier General Turki Al-Malki, the ministry’s official spokesperson, reported that the operation was carried out as part of ongoing efforts to safeguard the Kingdom’s security.

French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Friday to work together to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease global economic uncertainties caused by the war in the Middle East.

In a televised briefing after their meeting in Seoul, Macron underscored the need for France and South Korea to cooperate to help reopen the strait and de-escalate Middle East animosities.

Lee said the two affirmed “their resolves to cooperate to secure the safe shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz.”

The two leaders did not elaborate on how they would help reopen the strait and took no questions.

Macron was making his first visit to South Korea since taking office in 2017.

A drone attack on a refinery owned by Kuwait's national oil company on Friday sparked fires at several of its units, state media said.

"Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) told KUNA that the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was targeted in a drone attack early this morning, resulting in fires in several operational units," official news agency KUNA reported, adding that emergency teams were working to contain the blazes.

Israel's military said Friday that its air defences were operating to down missiles fired from Iran, as Tehran keeps up its retaliatory fire on the country.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

The military said in a statement it had "identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel".

It said "defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat".

Israel's Magen David Adom emergency services said an unintercepted missile hit central Israel, injuring no one but causing damage to homes, roads and some cars.

According to Israeli military radio, a train station in Tel Aviv was damaged by shrapnel, without saying from where it had been fired.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement published by broadcaster IRIB early Friday that it had targeted areas of Tel Aviv and the port city of Eilat with long-range missiles.

The UN Security Council has postponed a vote scheduled for Friday on authorizing the use of "defensive" force to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks, according to the official program.

The 15-member body was set to vote Friday morning on a draft resolution brought by Bahrain, but the schedule shifted.

The reason given was that the United Nations observes Good Friday as a public holiday, according to diplomatic sources - despite this fact being known when the vote was first announced.

No new date has been given for voting on the draft.

US forces have yet to begin "destroying what's left in Iran," President Donald Trump warned late Thursday, as he said more of the country's bridges and energy infrastructure were in his sights.

The US military "hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, several hours after he said Iran's tallest bridge had been destroyed.

Trump has repeatedly stated that the vast majority of major military targets in Iran have already been damaged or destroyed over the past month of war.

Iran's "New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!" Trump said, seemingly referring to his call for Tehran to strike a deal with Washington that will bring about a ceasefire.

Despite US President Donald Trump claiming that Iran's missile programme had been destroyed following the US-Israeli military action against the Islamic Republic for the past month, intelligence assessments indicate Tehran continues to retain a significant portion of its missile-launching capability despite weeks of sustained military strikes, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

According to CNN, citing recent intelligence findings, nearly half of Iran's missile launchers remain intact, while thousands of one-way attack drones are still part of its arsenal even after continuous strikes targeting military infrastructure over the past five weeks.

"They are still very much poised to wreak absolute havoc throughout the entire region," one of the sources said as quoted by CNN.

The assessment reportedly includes launchers that may currently be inaccessible, such as those buried underground due to bombardment but not fully destroyed.

The UN Security Council will vote Friday on a draft resolution brought by Bahrain to authorize the use of "defensive" force to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks.

"We cannot accept economic terrorism affecting our region and the world, the whole world is being affected by the developments," Bahrain's United Nations ambassador Jamal Alrowaiei said this week.

He said the text, which has gone through several amendments and is supported by the United States, "comes at a critical juncture."

A sixth and final draft, seen by AFP, greenlights member states - either unilaterally or as "voluntary multinational naval partnerships" - to use "all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances."

It applies to the strait and adjacent waters to "secure transit passage and to deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz."

At least eight civilians have been reported killed, and 95 others sustained injuries following US-Israeli strikes, Iranian state media Press TV reported. The military action specifically targeted the "B1 bridge in Karaj," resulting in a high number of casualties in the surrounding area.

The victims of the strike reportedly include "Iranian travellers" and "residents of the local village" who were near the infrastructure at the time of the attack. According to Press TV, the toll also included "families who were in the area for Nature Day," a time when many people were outdoors.

China's permanent representative to the United Nations has voiced Beijing's firm resistance to any measures that would allow member states to engage in military action within the Middle East, Al Jazeera reported.

Addressing the international body, Fu Cong stated that such an authorisation "would amount to legitimising the unlawful and indiscriminate use of force."

Beijing's formal opposition at the UN aligns with its broader diplomatic response to recent rhetoric from Washington. China on Thursday responded to the recent "bring them back to the stone ages" remarks made by US President Donald Trump against Iran, stressing that escalation will not resolve the conflict, China Daily reported.

Elaborating on this position, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning emphasised that "military means cannot fundamentally solve any issue, and escalation of the conflict does not serve any party's interest," according to China Daily.

Kuwait announced that its air defences intercepted hostile missile and drone attacks. The Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) quoted the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence, Colonel Staff Saud Al-Atwan, stating that the sounds of explosions were the result of air defence systems intercepting the hostile strikes.

Iran and its allies traded fire with Israel and the United States, as Washington-linked assets across the Middle East were targeted alongside energy and civilian infrastructure -- with the month-long war on Friday showing little sign of easing.

Strikes have increasingly targeted economic and industrial sites, raising fears of wider disruption to global energy supplies and deepening the conflict's impact beyond the battlefield.

Iran fired missiles at Tel Aviv overnight, triggering Israeli air defences and leaving four people lightly wounded, while fresh blasts were heard in Jerusalem after the military warned of incoming fire.

As the US-Iran war with Iran continues to disrupt global shipping, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has convened around 40 countries to demand the "immediate and unconditional reopening" of the Strait of Hormuz.

"Now that we are facing these reckless Iranian attacks on international shipping, affecting countries from across the globe who played no part in this conflict, and more than 40 countries coming together for these discussions today, we're clear we need the diplomatic pressure, the economic pressure and also the work being done by military planners on how to keep shipping safe for the long term," she said in comments posted by ITV Politics.

With flows from Gulf oil significantly curtailed by the tanker squeeze on Hormuz by Iran, Russian crude has surged in demand, rapidly repositioning itself as one of the most sought-after supplies on the global market.

Urals, the Russian crude oil benchmark, surged to $123.45 as of 10.17PM GMT on Thursday (7.17am Tokyo on Friday, April 3, 2026), a 6.44% increase, while Brent crude rose at $109.03, up more than 7.78%, since Trump's speech on the Iran war which drew more questions than answers.

NEW YORK: Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), has called on the Security Council to take all necessary measures to ensure an immediate end to Iran's unprovoked attacks on GCC states.

He further urged the Council to protect waterways, guarantee the continuity of international navigation in all maritime straits, and include GCC countries in any talks or agreements with Iran to enhance regional security and prevent future recurrences.

Dubai: The Dubai Government has denied reports circulating online that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted a data centre belonging to US technology company Oracle in Dubai.

In a statement posted on X, the Dubai Government Media Office said the reports alleging that the IRGC had launched or attempted an attack in Dubai were “fake news” and had no basis in fact.

US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George has stepped down and is retiring, per Pentagon spokesman. This follows a CBS report that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had asked for his "removal".

He is the highest-ranking US military official to leave during an active war since the conflict began 33 days ago.

Calling for resumption of talks to resolve the ongoing conflict in West Asia, French President Emmanuel Macron said that it would be "unrealistic" to conduct military operation to liberate the Strait of Hormuz.

"There are those who advocate for the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz by force through a military operation, a position sometimes expressed by the US. "It is unrealistic because it would take an inordinate amount of time and would expose anyone crossing the strait to coastal threats from the (Iranian) Revolutionary Guards, who possess significant resources, as well as ballistic missiles, (and) a host of other risks," Euro News quoted Macron as saying during his State Visit to South Korea.

Day 34: UN chief warns world on 'edge of a wider war'

Day 33: Trump says US to hit Iran 'extremely hard'

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