Friday marks the 35th day of the US, Israel-Iran conflict. There was little sign of the war in the Middle East winding down as Israel said it faced incoming fire from Iran, Kuwait and Bahrain reported being under attack, and Iran said eight people were killed while celebrating the close of Persian new year near a major bridge hit by a US strike.
Tehran continued to demonstrate its ability to strike its neighbours even as US President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated and cheered the collapse of the bridge on Thursday, reportedly the tallest in the Middle East.
Iran decried the strike on the bridge, which also injured 95 people celebrating Nature Day, when Iranians gather for picnics and other celebrations outdoors on the last day of Nowruz, the Persian new year.
Here are the latest updates on the US-Israel-Iran war.
Emergency contact numbers of Indian Embassies:
Bahrain: +973 39418071, Iran: +98 9128109115 / +98 9128109102 / +98 9128109109 / +98 9932179359, Iraq: +964 771 651 1185 / +964 770444 4899, Israel: +972 54 7520711 / +972 54 2428378, Jordan: +962 770 422 276, Kuwait: +965 65501946
Lebanon: +961 76860128, Oman: +968 98282270 (WhatsApp) / 80071234 (Toll free) Qatar: +974 55647502, Ramallah, Palestine: +970 592916418, Saudi Arabia (Riyadh): +966 11 4884697 / 800 247 1234 (Toll free), Saudi Arabia (Jeddah): +966 126648660 / +966 12 2614093, United Arab Emirates: +971 543090571 (WhatsApp) / 800 46342 (Toll free)
Iran War Live Updates: Saudi Arabia Intercepts Seven Drones
The Ministry of Defense in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said that seven drones were intercepted and destructed during the past hours.
Iran War Live Updates: UAE Intercepts Missiles And Drone Attacks From Iran
The UAE air defenses dealt with missile and drone attacks coming from Iran, and the Ministry of Defense confirmed that the sounds heard in scattered areas of the country are the result of the UAE air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.
Iran War Live Updates: Iran Launches Missiles At Israel
Iran fired missiles at Israel and some Gulf nations, setting alight a refinery in Kuwait, while explosions could be heard around Tehran and the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Friday, as the United States prepared to further reinforce its already significant military forces in the Middle East.
Iran War Live Updates: Sailor's Family Awaits Justice
The family of seafarer Dixit Solanki who died last month in a suspected attack on a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman has moved the Bombay High Court, seeking the return of his mortal remains.
The petition, filed by Solanki’s father Amratlal Solanki and sister Mitali Solanki through advocates S B Talekar and Madhvi Ayyappan, has sought directions to the Union government to expedite the repatriation of his remains, claiming lack of clarity from the authorities.
The plea will be heard on April 6 by a bench headed by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar.
Dixit Solanki (25) was killed on March 4 when an explosive-laden drone boat struck an oil tanker -- MT MKD Vyom -- off the coast of Oman amid the West Asia conflict, becoming its first Indian casualty.
Iran War Live Updates: Kuwait's Oil Refinery Hit
Iranian drones struck Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery on Friday, sparking fires at the facility. The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. issued a statement on the attack and said firefighters were working to control the blazes. There were no injuries reported, the company said.
Kuwait operates three oil refineries. Mina al-Ahmadi has come under attack multiple times in the war. Refineries are key to Kuwait's oil production because, without them, oil wells would have to be shut down for lack of a destination for the oil.
Restarting refineries is extremely time-consuming for safety reasons, and those wells would remain largely inactive until refineries are back online.
(Source: AP)
Iran War Live Updates: Voting Session Regarding Hormuz Cancelled
According to the amended official program of the Security Council, the voting session on the draft resolution regarding Strait Of Hormuz will not be held on Friday.
(Source: United Nations)
Iran War Live Updates: Trump Praises US Military
US President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social said, "Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants! New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST! President DONALD J.TRUMP." [sic
Iran War Live Updates: Iran Claims To Be Drafting Proposal With Oman
Iran claimed its drafting a proposal with Oman to 'monitor' Strait of Hormuz. The comments by Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat, quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency, described the proposal as “intended to facilitate and ensure safe passage and provide better services to ships passing through this route.”
It is unclear what the proposal would mean. Oman did not immediately acknowledge it. The strait runs through Iranian and Omani territorial waters but is considered an international waterway that should freely allow ships to pass.
Iran War Live Updates: Trump Threatens Iran Infrastructure
US President Donald Trump has escalated tensions with Iran, announcing on social media that a major bridge in Iran has been destroyed, with more attacks to follow. The bridge, connecting Tehran to Karaj. Trump warned Iran to negotiate or face further destruction, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that targeting civilian structures won't force Iran to surrender.
The US and its allies are trying to broker a deal with Iran, including reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz, as the conflict approaches five weeks.
Iran War Live Updates: What's Happening In Middle East
Iran's attacks on Gulf states along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world's energy supplies with effects far beyond the Middle East. That has proved to be Iran's greatest strategic advantage in the war. Britain held a call with nearly three dozen countries about how to reopen the strait once the fighting is over.
Trump has insisted the strait can be taken by force — but said it is not up to the US to do that. In an address to the American people Wednesday night, he encouraged countries that depend on oil from Hormuz to “build some delayed courage” and go “take it.”