As the conflict enters its 35th day, Iran and its allies continue to exchange fire with Israel and the US, with strikes expanding beyond military targets to hit civilian and industrial sites. Attacks across the Gulf have raised fears of disruption to global energy supplies, while tensions around key shipping routes deepen, signalling a widening crisis with no clear end in sight. Follow all the latest developments here:

10:08 AM, 3 April 2026

UAE air defences respond to missile threat

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.

10:08 AM, 3 April 2026

UAE air defences respond to missile threat

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.

09:57 AM, 3 April 2026

Saudi Arabia intercepts, destroys 7 drones

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.

09:50 AM, 3 April 2026

France, South Korea back Hormuz reopening

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.

09:11 AM, 3 April 2026

Kuwait oil refinery units on fire after drone attack

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.

08:50 AM, 3 April 2026

Israel military says responding to missiles fired from Iran

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.

08:35 AM, 3 April 2026

UNSC delays vote on authorising force to protect Hormuz

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.

07:55 AM, 3 April 2026

US forces yet to start ‘destroying what’s left’ in Iran: Trump

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.

07:43 AM, 3 April 2026

Iran retains significant missile capability despite strikes

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.

07:31 AM, 3 April 2026

UN Security Council to vote on authorising force to protect Hormuz

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.”

06:31 AM, 3 April 2026

8 killed, 95 injured as hit Iran’s B1 Bridge

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.

06:23 AM, 3 April 2026

China opposes use of force in Middle East

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.

05:41 AM, 3 April 2026

Kuwait intercepts hostile missiles, drones

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.

05:24 AM, 3 April 2026

Iran vows ‘crushing’ attacks, targets infrastructure

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.

04:21 AM, 3 April 2026

UK convenes 40 countries to demand ‘immediate and unconditional reopening’ of Hormuz

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.

02:35 AM, 3 April 2026

Russia’s Urals crude price jumps to $123.45, Brent at $109

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.

02:33 AM, 3 April 2026

GCC Secretary General urges UN Security Council to ensure a halt to Iran’s unprovoked attacks on Arab Gulf states

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.

01:41 AM, 3 April 2026

Dubai denies reports of attack on Oracle data centre, calls claims ‘fake news’

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.

01:29 AM, 3 April 2026

US Army Chief of Staff General Randy George steps down, retires: Pentagon

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.

01:09 AM, 3 April 2026

Unrealistic to liberate Hormuz by force: Macron

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.

GN

Iran and Oman are drafting a protocol to “monitor transit” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported Thursday morning, citing an official.

Tanker traffic through the key oil-shipping route “should be supervised and coordinated” with the two countries, said Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister of legal and international affairs, according to a translation of IRNA’s report.

“Of course, these requirements will not mean restrictions, but rather to facilitate and ensure safe passage and provide better services to ships that pass through this route,” Gharibabadi reportedly said.

U.S. stock indexes, which were trading sharply lower Thursday morning after President Donald Trump signaled that the Iran war will continue for weeks to come, suddenly turned higher following IRNA’s report.

Oil prices, which likewise had surged overnight, eased from their highs of the day on the Oman news, which offered hope that the Strait of Hormuz may be able to reopen in some capacity without requiring military force.

The strait, a vital artery for much of the world’s oil transit, has been effectively closed since the war started on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Iran’s blockade has rapidly led to a historic surge in oil prices, creating a cascading crisis with widespread impacts around the world.

Trump insists that the U.S. is unaffected by the closure because it imports comparatively little oil via the strait. “We haven’t needed it, and we don’t need it,” he said in his address to the nation Wednesday night.

But average U.S. gas prices have nevertheless spiked more than 30% in a month, surpassing $4 per gallon for the first time in years.

CNBC

Brent soars to $141, highest since 2008

The spot price for current physical cargoes of Brent crude oil soared Thursday to $141.36, the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, according to S&P Global, which tracks the data.

The spot price reflects the demand for Brent oil that will be delivered in the next 10 to 30 days. The high price for more immediate oil deliveries points to the tightness of physical supply right now due to the huge disruption trigged by the Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The price was $32.33 higher than the Brent crude futures contract for June delivery, which closed at $109.03 on Thursday.

The futures price is “almost giving a false sense of security that things are not that stressed,” said Amrita Sen, founder of Energy Aspects, in an interview with CNBC’s “The Exchange.”

“You are seeing it but the financial market is almost masking the true tightness that everywhere else is showing up,” Sen said. The price for a barrel of diesel in Europe is almost $200 per barrel right now, she said.

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth warned last week that the futures price is not reflecting the scale of the oil supply disruption to the closure of the Strait. Wirth said the market is trading on “scant information” and “perception.”

“There are very real, physical manifestations of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that are working their way around the world and through the system that I don’t think are fully priced into the futures curves on oil,” Wirth said at the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in Houston on March 23.

CNBC

Emmanuel Macron has sharply criticised Donald Trump’s inconsistent and often contradictory pronouncements on the Iran war and Nato, saying if “you want to be serious” it was better not to come out with a something different every day.

“There is too much talk … and it’s all over the place,” the French president said on Thursday during a state visit to South Korea. “We all need stability, calm, a return to peace – this isn’t a show!”

Macron added: “You have to be serious. When you want to be serious, you don’t go around saying the opposite every day of what you just said the day before. And perhaps you shouldn’t talk every day.”

Macron also mounted a strong defence of Nato, accusing Trump of undermining the transatlantic defence alliance through repeated remarks questioning the United States’ commitment to its continued membership.

“I believe organisations and alliances like Nato are defined by what is left unsaid – that is, the trust that underpins them,” he said. “If you cast doubt on your commitment every day, you erode its very substance.”

The comments follow mixed messages this week from the US president and others in Washington on the progress of the war, as well as criticism of European leaders for declining to back it and suggestions that the US might leave Nato.

Trump has suggested variously that the war was as good as won and the US did not need the support of its allies; that he expected allies to join the US military operation; and that they should act alone and “go get their oil” in the strait of Hormuz.

He also said this week at a private White House lunch that Nato had “treated us very badly” and “will be treating us badly again if we ever need them”. In comments to Reuters, he said he was “absolutely without question” considering leaving.

He told the Daily Telegraph that a US exit was “beyond consideration”, calling the organisation a “paper tiger”, and has elsewhere criticised the defence alliance for its reluctance to support the month-old war, labelling its members “cowards”.

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, this week also suggested the US would “re-examine” whether the alliance that was still serving US interests, while Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, declined to confirm the US would defend Nato allies in the event of an attack.

Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, is to visit Washington next week to try to repair relations, and other European leaders have defended the alliance, with the UK’s Keir Starmer calling it “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen”.

Two US senators, Republican Mitch McConnell and Democrat Chris Coons, said in a joint statement late on Wednesday that the Senate would “continue to support the alliance for the peace and protection it provides” the US, Europe and the world.

While Trump did not mention Nato in an evening address to the nation on Wednesday night, the repeated remarks from Washington have further strained transatlantic relations already damaged by the US president’s attempted Greenland grab in February.

Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, said on Thursday Trump’s repeated threats to withdraw from Nato, along with the prospect of a “massive” energy crisis in Europe and other factors, all looked like a “dream plan” for Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.

EU diplomats said Trump’s increasingly frequent attacks on Nato were “nothing very new” and largely reflected “the difficulty of the situation he’s landed himself in”. One official said they would start to worry “when the paperwork actually goes in”.

Congress passed legislation in 2023 that would prevent any president from pulling out of Nato without its approval. Nato’s mutual defence clause requires all members to respond to an attack on one, but does not imply support for a unilateral offensive.

Many EU leaders are under political pressure over the war, which is deeply unpopular in Europe and has sparked a surge in energy prices and rising inflation since Iran effectively shut the strait of Hormuz, which carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil.

Trump said on Wednesday he may end the war without a deal and told countries that rely on fuel shipments through the strait to “just grab it”. European and other states have said they will only help secure the strait if there is a ceasefire.

With pressure growing, about 40 countries on Thursday explored ways to restore freedom of navigation to the waterway during online talks. The UK, which convened the talks, said they were focused on diplomatic and economic tools.

France said the process would be multi-phased and could not begin until hostilities had calmed or ended. “It can only be done in consultation with Iran,” Macron said, adding that Paris considered a military operation to free the strait “unrealistic”.

Macron, who said remarks by Trump poking fun at the French president’s marriage were “neither elegant nor up to standard” and did not “merit a response”, also said US and Israeli strikes would not resolve the issue of Tehran’s nuclear programme.

“A targeted military action, even for a few weeks, will not allow us to resolve the nuclear issue in the long term,” he said. “If there is no framework for diplomatic and technical negotiations, the situation can deteriorate again in a few months.”

Iran’s armed forces responded to Trump on Thursday with a warning for the US and Israel of “more crushing, broader and more destructive” attacks.

The war will continue until the “permanent regret and surrender” of Iran’s enemies, said Ebrahim Zolfaqari, the spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters, in a statement carried by Iranian media.

Trump said in his address on Wednesday that the US was “very close” to achieving its objectives but attacks would intensify and Iran would be brought “back to the stone ages, where they belong” unless Tehran agreed a negotiated settlement.

“Messages have been received through intermediaries, including Pakistan, but there is no direct negotiation with the US,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency on Thursday.

The Guardian

Emmanuel Macron has sharply criticised Donald Trump’s inconsistent and often contradictory pronouncements on the Iran war and Nato, saying if “you want to be serious” it was better not to come out with a something different every day.

“There is too much talk … and it’s all over the place,” the French president said on Thursday during a state visit to South Korea. “We all need stability, calm, a return to peace – this isn’t a show!”

Macron added: “You have to be serious. When you want to be serious, you don’t go around saying the opposite every day of what you just said the day before. And perhaps you shouldn’t talk every day.”

Macron also mounted a strong defence of Nato, accusing Trump of undermining the transatlantic defence alliance through repeated remarks questioning the United States’ commitment to its continued membership.

“I believe organisations and alliances like Nato are defined by what is left unsaid – that is, the trust that underpins them,” he said. “If you cast doubt on your commitment every day, you erode its very substance.”

The comments follow mixed messages this week from the US president and others in Washington on the progress of the war, as well as criticism of European leaders for declining to back it and suggestions that the US might leave Nato.

Trump has suggested variously that the war was as good as won and the US did not need the support of its allies; that he expected allies to join the US military operation; and that they should act alone and “go get their oil” in the strait of Hormuz.

He also said this week at a private White House lunch that Nato had “treated us very badly” and “will be treating us badly again if we ever need them”. In comments to Reuters, he said he was “absolutely without question” considering leaving.

He told the Daily Telegraph that a US exit was “beyond consideration”, calling the organisation a “paper tiger”, and has elsewhere criticised the defence alliance for its reluctance to support the month-old war, labelling its members “cowards”.

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, this week also suggested the US would “re-examine” whether the alliance that was still serving US interests, while Pete Hegseth, the defence secretary, declined to confirm the US would defend Nato allies in the event of an attack.

Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, is to visit Washington next week to try to repair relations, and other European leaders have defended the alliance, with the UK’s Keir Starmer calling it “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen”.

Two US senators, Republican Mitch McConnell and Democrat Chris Coons, said in a joint statement late on Wednesday that the Senate would “continue to support the alliance for the peace and protection it provides” the US, Europe and the world.

While Trump did not mention Nato in an evening address to the nation on Wednesday night, the repeated remarks from Washington have further strained transatlantic relations already damaged by the US president’s attempted Greenland grab in February.

Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, said on Thursday Trump’s repeated threats to withdraw from Nato, along with the prospect of a “massive” energy crisis in Europe and other factors, all looked like a “dream plan” for Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.

EU diplomats said Trump’s increasingly frequent attacks on Nato were “nothing very new” and largely reflected “the difficulty of the situation he’s landed himself in”. One official said they would start to worry “when the paperwork actually goes in”.

Congress passed legislation in 2023 that would prevent any president from pulling out of Nato without its approval. Nato’s mutual defence clause requires all members to respond to an attack on one, but does not imply support for a unilateral offensive.

Many EU leaders are under political pressure over the war, which is deeply unpopular in Europe and has sparked a surge in energy prices and rising inflation since Iran effectively shut the strait of Hormuz, which carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil.

Trump said on Wednesday he may end the war without a deal and told countries that rely on fuel shipments through the strait to “just grab it”. European and other states have said they will only help secure the strait if there is a ceasefire.

With pressure growing, about 40 countries on Thursday explored ways to restore freedom of navigation to the waterway during online talks. The UK, which convened the talks, said they were focused on diplomatic and economic tools.

France said the process would be multi-phased and could not begin until hostilities had calmed or ended. “It can only be done in consultation with Iran,” Macron said, adding that Paris considered a military operation to free the strait “unrealistic”.

Macron, who said remarks by Trump poking fun at the French president’s marriage were “neither elegant nor up to standard” and did not “merit a response”, also said US and Israeli strikes would not resolve the issue of Tehran’s nuclear programme.

“A targeted military action, even for a few weeks, will not allow us to resolve the nuclear issue in the long term,” he said. “If there is no framework for diplomatic and technical negotiations, the situation can deteriorate again in a few months.”

Iran’s armed forces responded to Trump on Thursday with a warning for the US and Israel of “more crushing, broader and more destructive” attacks.

The war will continue until the “permanent regret and surrender” of Iran’s enemies, said Ebrahim Zolfaqari, the spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters, in a statement carried by Iranian media.

Trump said in his address on Wednesday that the US was “very close” to achieving its objectives but attacks would intensify and Iran would be brought “back to the stone ages, where they belong” unless Tehran agreed a negotiated settlement.

“Messages have been received through intermediaries, including Pakistan, but there is no direct negotiation with the US,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency on Thursday.

The Guardian