CNN
Rubio says US can achieve its goals
without ground troops in Iran as energy
crisis deepens
Here's the latest
• Israel’s warning: Israel says it will “escalate” its strikes in response to waves of Iranian missile fire. Fresh strikes have been carried out across the region, with Iran reporting overnight attacks in multiple cities. Iran’s Red Crescent says the death toll in the country is now nearly 2,000.
• US troops: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US can achieve its objectives in the Iran war “without any ground troops,” as hundreds more service members are deployed to the region.
• Energy crisis: The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and other impacts from the war are rippling around the world, including in Africa and the Philippines, which became the first country to declare a state of emergency due to the energy crisis.
• Threat delayed: President Donald Trump said the US will hold off on targeting Iranian energy sites another 10 days as “talks are ongoing” with T
• Israel’s warning: Israel says it will “escalate” its strikes in response to waves of Iranian missile fire. Fresh strikes have been carried out across the region, with Iran reporting overnight attacks in multiple cities. Iran’s Red Crescent says the death toll in the country is now nearly 2,000.
• US troops: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US can achieve its objectives in the Iran war “without any ground troops,” as hundreds more service members are deployed to the region.
• Energy crisis: The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and other impacts from the war are rippling around the world, including in Africa and the Philippines, which became the first country to declare a state of emergency due to the energy crisis.
• Threat delayed: President Donald Trump said the US will hold off on targeting Iranian energy sites another 10 days as “talks are ongoing” with T
Rubio says US can achieve Iran war objectives without “any ground troops”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the US can achieve its objectives in the Iran war “without any ground troops,” as more than 1000 extra service members have been ordered to deploy to the region.
“We’re going to destroy their navy, we are going to destroy their air force, and we are going to significantly destroy their missile launchers so they can never hide behind these things to get a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said. “We are achieving all of those objectives, we are ahead of schedule on most of them, and we can achieve them without any ground troops, without any.”
As to why more service members are being sent to the Middle East, he said President Donald Trump “has to be prepared for multiple contingencies,” without detailing what those contingencies included.
Rubio said the war will end in weeks, not months.
“As the Department of War has consistently outlined, we are on or ahead of schedule in that operation and expect to conclude it at the appropriate time here, in a matter of weeks, not months,” Rubio said.
He added that “there is nothing Russia is doing for Iran that is in any way impeding or affecting our operation of the effectiveness of it.” CNN has reported that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence about the locations and movements of American troops, ships and aircraft, according to multiple people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue.
Rubio says US "could" divert weapons from Ukraine to Middle East
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the US “could” divert weapons from Ukraine to the Middle East, but it hasn’t done so “yet.”
“It hasn’t happened yet,” Rubio said when asked about news reports weapons could be diverted. “Nothing yet has been diverted but it could.”
“Let me be clear, if the United States has a military need whether it is to replenish our stocks or to fulfill some mission in the national interest to the United States, we’re always going to come first,” Rubio added ahead of departing from a G7 foreign ministers meeting in France.
The secretary also addressed sanctioned Russian lawmakers’ visit to the US, saying it “was scheduled previously.”
“Russia is still a powerful country with nuclear weapons and it is important for nuclear powers to have some engagement at the governmental level just like we do at the diplomatic level,” Rubio said. “I don’t think that was a major concession in any shape or form.”
Iran's Arak nuclear facility targeted in attack, state media says
Iran’s Arak nuclear facility has been targeted in an attack, Iranian officials said Friday evening, according to Iranian state media Fars News.
An official in Iran’s Markazi Province claimed the attack was carried out by US and Israeli forces, adding there were no casualties due to prior safety measures.
The reported attack comes shortly after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning to Iranian civilians located northwest of the city of Arak and in the Khir Abad Industrial Zone, which are areas near the nuclear facility. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement on X in Farsi warning civilians that it would strike Iranian military infrastructure in the area, without specifying exact targets.
The Israeli military later took responsibility for the strike on the inactive Arak reactor, citing “repeated reconstruction attempts by the Iranian terror regime.”
Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor was still under construction as of last year, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The plans for its construction previously raised concerns in Israel and in the West, because heavy water can be used to produce plutonium – a pathway to a potential nuclear bomb. Under the now-defunct Iran nuclear deal, Tehran had agreed in 2015 to modify the facility’s construction plans to close off the plutonium path.
Last June, Israel hit the still-under-construction reactor at the Arak complex during its 12-day war with Iran. At the time, the IAEA said the reactor was not operational and did not contain any nuclear material.
This post has been updated with comment from the Israeli military.
G7 foreign ministers stress “absolute necessity” of a "toll-free" Strait of Hormuz
G7 foreign ministers on Friday stressed “the absolute necessity to permanently restore safe and toll-free freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz” as Iran continues to throttle the key waterway.
In a statement issued after a meeting in France, the G7 foreign ministers also called for “an immediate cessation of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure if Iran does not reopen the Strait, but on Thursday he again pushed back his self-imposed deadline until April 6.
Allies have expressed openness to contributing to efforts to help ensure the Strait remains open but have been maintained that there must de-escalation first. Iran has reportedly sought to pass legislation to impose tolls on vessels transiting the waterway.
“We underscored the importance of minimizing the impact of the conflict on regional partners and civilian populations, critical infrastructure - and the need to coordinate humanitarian aid efforts,” the statement said.
“We focused on the value of diverse partnerships, coordination, and supporting initiatives, including to mitigate global economic shocks such as disruptions to economic, energy, fertilizer and commercial supply chains, which have direct impacts on our citizens,” it said.
Thousands stranded at sea by the Iran war
About 20,000 seafarers are stranded at sea since Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital trade routes. There have been at least seven seafarer deaths and more than a dozen vessels attacked near Iran since the start of the war, CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout reports.
Here’s what a captain who was stuck in the Middle East for three weeks told CNN:
Ukraine signs defense deal with Saudi Arabia
Ukraine’s expertise in drone warfare got a seal of approval on Friday, as the country signed a new defense agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Zelensky was in Saudi Arabia on Friday to meet, among others, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense confirmed the agreement was signed on Friday, calling it “a memorandum of arrangements related to defense procurement.”
Some background: Ukraine has developed a world-leading expertise in drone warfare over the past four years, as it tries to defend itself against Russia.
Kyiv has created a layered defense against Russian drone swarms. Its experience with the Iranian-designed, Russian-made Shahed drones is now becoming particularly useful. The Shahed is one of the weapons most used by Tehran.
Hospitals in Lebanon crumbling as supplies may last only two weeks, WHO warns
Hospitals across Lebanon are running so low on medical supplies some could run out of stock within two weeks, a World Health Organization (WHO) representative told CNN’s Becky Anderson.
Lebanon’s healthcare system is under mounting strain amid the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. At least 49 primary healthcare centers have shut down and casualties among medical staff continue to rise, with 53 killed and 117 injured, according to WHO.
“I have visited two hospitals who are managing casualties… and both of them have supplies enough only for two weeks” said Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, WHO’s representative in Lebanon.
Abubakar said the impact extends far beyond damaged infrastructure. Mass displacement has forced many healthcare workers to flee, leaving already overstretched facilities without sufficient staff to operate.
“We have healthcare workers who are civilians as well, and they’ve had to evacuate. This means that we don’t have healthcare workers operating in those affected health facilities,” he said.
He also pointed to a growing mental health crisis among both civilians and frontline workers, compounding the pressure on emergency services. “We also have an increase in mental health among the civilians and healthcare workers. Whenever there is an emergency, the first thing that impacts people is mental health distress.”
New report warns civilians find themselves under fire from all sides
A human rights report published today has highlighted the devastating impact of the war on civilians, arguing they have borne the brunt of the conflict since it began a month ago.
The report, put together by Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), Airwars and the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), three human rights groups, said Iranian civilians are under intense fire from the US and Israel while facing intensified domestic repressions.
The report highlighted some reasons for the high civilian death toll from strikes by the US and Israel:
- Targeting errors and misidentification, including as a result of outdated or faulty intelligence.
- Inadequate precautionary warnings for civilians.
- The use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas.
- Attacks on or impacting civilian and “dual-use” infrastructure.
The report also highlighted that, just like in previous periods of unrest and insecurity, Iranian authorities are using the current conflict to crack down on dissent.
HRA said Iranian authorities have intensified domestic repression since February 28, including expanded arbitrary arrests, restrictive security controls, and inflammatory official rhetoric threatening arrest and even death to perceived opponents, further constraining the ability to seek safety or access information.
They said there have been at least 1,830 arrests as of March 19.
303 US troops have been wounded since start of conflict with Iran
More than 300 US troops have been injured in action since the start of combat operations targeting Iran, according to a defense official. More than 75% of that total is related to traumatic brain injuries, the official told CNN.
As of Friday, 303 American service members have been wounded, up from the approximately 290 reported by the Pentagon earlier this week, the official said. Of those injured, 273 have returned to duty.
Ten US service members are still seriously wounded.
A US official previously told CNN that the service members considered seriously wounded include significant cases where death is possible or imminent. Thirteen US service members have been killed in action to date.
Previously, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine had said the majority of the injuries to US military personnel were the result of Iranian drone attacks.
It’s not unusual for the number of injuries to fluctuate or increase over time, as service members may not seek care immediately after an incident, depending on its severity.
Israel warns it will "escalate and expand" attacks. Catch up on the latest headlines
Israel has warned that it will “escalate and expand” its attacks on Iran. Meanwhile, the speaker of the Iranian parliament cautioned the United States against putting troops on the ground, and the energy crisis unleashed by the war deepens.
Here’s the latest headlines:
- Israel’s vow: Israel “will escalate and expand” its attacks on Iran in response to Iranian missile fire, Israel’s defense minister said Friday, without specifying the nature of that expansion.
- Iran’s warning: The speaker of the Iranian parliament warned the US against putting troops on the ground, as thousands of US Marines and sailors are being deployed to the region. The White House has said US President Donlad Trump isn’t planning to put troops on the ground but CNN has reported that Pentagon officials have drawn up scenarios for deploying troops while preparing for a next phase of war.
- Houthi warning: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels are prepared to join the war in support of Iran if the US and Israel escalate their attacks, a Houthi government official told CNN.
- Civilian toll: More than 1,900 people have been killed and 20,000 injured in Iran since the war began, the Iranian Red Crescent said today. Meanwhile, the UN’s refugee agency said Lebanon is facing a “humanitarian catastrophe” as more than 1 million people have fled their homes in the wake of Israeli strikes. At least 1,116 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry.
- Rubio at G7 meeting: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with other G7 foreign ministers in France earlier today. European allies, who continue to voice skepticism about the war in Iran, attempted to put Ukraine back in the spotlight.
- Energy crisis fallout: Three ships were turned away from the Strait of Hormuz this morning by the IRGC Navy, according to semi-official news agency Fars. The agency reiterated that the waterway remains closed. As the strait’s closure causes chaos worldwide, aid agencies in Africa warned that rising costs and supply chain disruption threaten food security in vulnerable nations on the continent.
CNN’s Lauren Kent, Nadeen Ebrahim, Nimi Princewill, Eugenia Yosef and Jennifer Hansler contributed reporting.
Lebanon facing a "humanitarian catastrophe," says UN refugee agency
Lebanon is facing a “humanitarian catastrophe” with more than 1 million people fleeing their homes in the wake of Israeli strikes, the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) said today.
Since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ramped up its offensive in Lebanon earlier this month, responding to rockets fired over the border by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, about one-fifth of Lebanon’s population has been displaced.
And since Israeli strikes destroyed several bridges in southern Lebanon, more than 150,000 people have been cut off from the rest of the country, severely limiting humanitarian access, Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told a UN Press Briefing today,
Many of Lebanon’s refugees are fleeing their homes for the second or third time, often returning to the same shelters they went to in 2024 when the IDF invaded the south of the country, she added.
Most of these shelters, frequently schools, are stretched beyond their capacity and overcrowded, limiting access to sanitation and exacerbating the stress and trauma of displacement.
“Older people and those with disabilities are particularly affected, struggling to sleep on classroom floors or use facilities designated for children,” Billing said.
“Again and again, people tell me the same thing: they simply want to go home.”
Iranian parliament speaker warns US about putting troops on ground
The speaker of the Iranian parliament has issued a veiled warning to the United States, as amphibious warships and thousands of US Marines and sailors are being deployed to the region.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has emerged as as a potential interlocutor with the Trump administration, said in a post on X: “How can the US, which can’t even protect its own soldiers at its bases in the region and instead leaves them stashed away in hotels and parks, protect them on our soil?”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that US President Donald Trump said he was not planning to send ground troops anywhere at this time. But CNN has reported that Pentagon officials who are preparing for a next phase of war have drawn up scenarios for deploying troops to seize various targets within Iran, according to more than half a dozen people familiar with the discussions.
UN human rights chief calls for US to conclude probe into fatal attack on Iranian school
The United Nations human rights chief has urged the United States to conclude its investigation into the fatal strike on an elementary school in Iran “as soon as possible” and for the findings to be made public.
A CNN report on the February 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyiba school in Minab found that the US military accidentally struck an Iranian elementary school likely due to outdated information about a nearby naval base, according to two sources briefed on the preliminary investigation.
The attack killed at least 168 children and 14 teachers, according to Iranian state media.
Türk also criticized the US and Israel’s broader campaign, saying: “Resort to the use of force, at a time when negotiations were ongoing, is a strategic failure that has had a devastating impact on civilians.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously said that the school strike would be “thoroughly” investigated, adding the US had “attempted in every way possible to avoid civilian casualties.”
CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Thomas Bordeaux, Gianluca Mezzofiore and Allegra Goodwin contributed previous reporting.
Iran's new supreme leader healthy but absent for security reasons, Iranian official says
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in good health and leading the country, an Iranian official said today, attributing his absence from public view to security concerns.
“The reason for his absence from public view is the observance of security considerations due to the current special circumstances,” said Ali Bahraini, Iran’s representative to the United Nations office in Geneva, according to Iran’s state-affiliated Student News Network (SNN), adding that “he is in full health and is continuing to lead the country.”
Khamenei has not appeared in public since his father and former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was assassinated last month in joint US-Israeli strikes. Only statements purported to be by the new supreme leader have been read out since his appointment.
Earlier this month, a source familiar with the situation told CNN that he had suffered a fractured foot and other minor injuries on the first day of the US and Israel’s bombardment campaign. In addition to his injured foot, Khamenei, 56, received a bruise around his left eye, as well as minor lacerations to his face, the source said.
Yemen’s Houthis warn they could join Iran war if there is further escalation
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels are prepared to join the war in support of Iran if the US and Israel escalate their attacks, a Houthi government official has told CNN.
Yemen’s Houthis have previously disrupted shipping through Bab al-Mandab, attacking commercial ships in the strait and in the Red Sea, causing trade chaos. The rebel group is yet to join the war in support of Iran, despite some analysts having expected it to do so.
“Yemen, under the leadership of Ansaruallah (referring to the Houthis), will join in supporting Iran. We have a religious, moral, and humanitarian responsibility to do so,” said the undersecretary of the ministry of information, Mohammed Mansour, in statements sent from the ministry to CNN by text. He added that the timing depends on the “assessments of the armed forces” as well as consultations with Tehran and its proxies.
“If Washington and its allies rush to escalate the situation against Iran, Yemen will preempt them by intervening,” Mansour said, noting that closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait off the coast of Yemen – the chokepoint linking the Red Sea to global shipping lanes – is a “viable option.”
“The consequences will be borne by the American and Israeli aggressors, as well as the complicit and silent capitals.”
Iran has already closed the Strait of Hormuz – the main conduit for about 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas – for almost four weeks, throwing global oil markets into chaos.
In a speech televised Thursday, rebel leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi spoke about the massive losses borne by the country due to US involvement in Yemen’s conflict, but made no statements formally declaring the Houthis’ entry into the current Iran war.
IRGC urges region's civilians to avoid areas housing US forces, Iranian media says
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) urged civilians in the region to leave areas where American forces are stationed, the semi-official news agency Fars reported Friday.
The US has military bases across the Middle East, including in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Iran has been striking particularly Gulf states throughout this war, in rare instances leading to casualties.
Earlier this month, Iran attempted to strike a US-UK base more than 2,000 miles (about 3,200 kilometers) off its coast, renewing questions about Tehran’s military capabilities and how far its missiles can reach.
Iran war adds to humanitarian strain in Africa, signals “first major crisis" of post-aid era
Rising tensions in the Middle East are causing significant global economic repercussions, disrupting essential trade routes and supply chains, and driving up the costs of fuel, fertilizer and food.
In Africa, aid agencies are raising alarms about rising costs that threaten food security in vulnerable nations heavily reliant on imports for food and fuel.
The fallout from the conflict in Iran couldn’t come at a worse time for countries like Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia, “where millions of people are already living through drought, hunger, displacement, and conflict,” Melaku Yirga, Mercy Corps’ vice president for Africa, told CNN.
The conflict-ridden Somalia and Sudan, both of which have faced famine in recent years, are at the highest risk of slipping into acute levels of hunger as the Middle Eastern crisis continues, according to the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP).
The WFP estimates that an additional 45 million people worldwide may be at risk of acute hunger, particularly as this conflict coincides with critical funding shortages for aid services.
Yirga warns that we may be on the brink of “the first major crisis of the post-aid era, where the need is immense, but the response simply does not come.”
He cautions that, if these tensions persist for several months, “the consequences could unleash a far deeper crisis – disrupting critical planting seasons, driving food prices even higher, crippling aid delivery, and pushing even more people over the edge at a time when humanitarian support is already stretched to breaking point.”
At least 1,900 people killed in Iran since war began, says Iranian Red Crescent
At least 1,900 people have been killed and 20,000 injured in Iran since the joint US-Israeli military assault on the country began almost four weeks ago, the Iranian Red Crescent said.
One rescue worker discovered the bodies of his own family underneath the rubble of a building destroyed by a strike, Martinez said. “In Qom, another first responder recovered his aunt and her husband, alongside a young child,” she added.
Much civilian infrastructure has been damaged by US-Israeli airstrikes, including about 289 medical facilities as well as 600 schools and educational institutions, Martinez said. Seventeen of the humanitarian organization’s own centers have been struck and almost 100 ambulances damaged or destroyed.
Inflation, which was already rampant in Iran before the war began, has further skyrocketed, Martinez said. That is “severely limiting access to essential goods, including food and medication,” at the same time as some cities in southern Iran “are facing water and electricity cuts,” and the country remains under a nationwide internet blackout, she said.
The Iranian regime has not released official casualty figures since the first few days of the war.
Israeli defense minister says its strikes on Iran "will escalate and expand"
Israel’s attacks on Iran “will escalate and expand” in response to Iranian missile fire, Israel’s defense minister said on Friday.
Katz’s statement gave no specifics about what the expanded operations would entail.
“We will continue to hunt down the leaders and commanders of the terror regime and destroy its strategic capabilities,” Katz added.
Israel has already carried out daily strikes on targets inside Iran for nearly four weeks after launching the war alongside the United States.
Operations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have continued to target senior Iranian commanders, and on Thursday, the Israeli military said it killed the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy.
Three ships turned away from Strait of Hormuz by Iran, local media says
Three ships of different nationalities were turned away this morning from the Strait of Hormuz by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, the semi-official news agency Fars reported Friday, adding that “the US president lied and said that the Strait of Hormuz was open.”
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the mystery “present” he told reporters earlier this week that Iran had given to the US as part of negotiations was 10 “boats of oil” that successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil thoroughfare.
Fars denied that the strait was open to any ships, saying that the waterway “is closed and any passage will be responded to harshly.”
“Movement of any ship ‘to and from’ ports of places that are allied with Israeli and American enemies is prohibited regardless of destination,” Fars said, citing the navy.
Deadly overnight attacks on Iran's Urmia and Qom, state media report
Iran’s state media and authorities on Friday reported deadly overnight attacks in the cities of Urmia and Qom.
Qom’s deputy governor said via Telegram Friday that at least 18 people were killed following strikes. Earlier in the day, Iran’s Tasnim and ISNA news agency, citing a local official, reported that at least six people had been killed after three homes were struck. The Iranian Red Crescent said aid workers carried out search and rescue operations in the city early Friday.
In Urmia, rescuers from the Iranian Red Crescent Society were seen searching through damaged buildings, in a video by the aid agency.
Four residential units were destroyed and “a number of our fellow citizens were killed and injured,” state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported, citing a local official in Urmia.
Emergency responders were combing damaged buildings, climbing over debris while a teddy bear covered in dirt could be seen among a pile of broken concrete.
“Early Friday, after a residential area in Urmia was hit by an airstrike, aid workers arrived at the scene and are carrying out search and rescue operations,” the Red Crescent said in a statement.
Also on Friday, it said rescue workers were busy in Tehran after overnight strikes.
Rubio speaks with Ukraine's foreign minister about Iran war concerns
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on the margins of the G7 foreign ministers meeting today amid ongoing Russian support for Iran and concerns that war in the Middle East could divert resources from Kyiv.
“And they both must face consolidated pressure,” he wrote in a post on X. CNN has reported that Moscow is providing intelligence to Iran about the locations and movements of American troops, ships and aircraft, according to multiple people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue.
Meanwhile, the US has granted sanctions relief for both Russian and Iranian oil.
“Ukraine’s tangible assistance to the Gulf states in protecting from Iranian terror has demonstrated our role as a security partner and contributor,” Sybiha noted. Ukraine has offered assistance to countries throughout the Gulf dealing with a scourge of Iranian drone attacks and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Saudi Arabia.
Sybiha said that he and Rubio also discussed the war in Ukraine, saying that “U.S. role in advancing peace efforts remains critical.”
“Pressure on Russia is key to make Moscow end the war,” Sybiha said.
It is unclear how long their conversation lasted. The G7 ministerial is holding a working session on support for Ukraine.
Europeans to press Rubio on Russia, discuss avenues for Iran negotiations at G7 meeting
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in France for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers on Friday – his first trip outside the United States since the Iran war began – as European allies continue to voice skepticism about the conflict and call for de-escalation.
The meeting just outside of Paris comes against a backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s repeated complaints that NATO countries, which include many G7 allies, have done “absolutely nothing” to help with the war in Iran. Trump has also offered shifting war aims and timelines.
Rubio is expected to have a difficult time selling European nations on the US strategy for the war. However, G7 and NATO countries appear keen to work on viable plans to safeguard international shipping and de-escalate the conflict.
According to the French foreign ministry, G7 partners will discuss potential avenues for negotiations, “the reopening of maritime and trade routes,” and the “cessation of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.”
The other main topic will be the war in Ukraine, as European allies try to keep Kyiv from being overlooked.
The European Union’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas has argued that the wars in Iran and Ukraine are interlinked. “Of course, the oil price hike is giving also Russia the possibility to fund this war again, which is really not good for the Ukrainians. So, we need to increase our bilateral support but also the pressure on Russia to stop this war,” Kallas told reporters.
Iran and Israel exchange missile strikes overnight
Israel and Iran have exchanged another wave of strikes overnight and into today.
The Israeli military conducted “a wide wave of attacks overnight in Tehran,” a spokesperson said, adding that it attacked “dozens of military industries, launch sites, and soldiers.”
Meanwhile, the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) network announced in early afternoon Tehran time that a wave of new strikes was launched against Israel.
Iran’s state-affiliated Fars News Agency reported that drone attacks were also carried out against Kuwait’s Mubarak Port, targeting what the agency said were “US interests.”
Deadly overnight strikes and deepening energy crisis. Here's the latest
A fresh wave of strikes rocked the Middle East overnight, killing civilians in Iran and damaging Kuwaiti infrastructure, while the Trump administration continues to equivocate about its threats towards Tehran and the status of talks.
Catch up on the latest headlines:
- Overnight strikes on Iran: At least 18 people were killed and 10 were injured in overnight strikes in Qom, according to the city’s deputy governor. Several people were killed in Urmia in western Iran, state media said, and Tehran was struck overnight.
- Kuwaiti infrastructure damaged: Two separate Kuwaiti ports were damaged by drone and missile strikes this morning, according to the country’s Ministry of Public Works. No casualties were reported.
- Trump’s comments: Trump said yesterday his administration will halt strikes on Iranian energy sites for an extra 10 days, extending his self-imposed deadline past today. He is still weighing options for escalating the war in case his latest push for diplomacy fails. Tehran rejected an initial 15-point proposal as a nonstarter and has characterized the negotiations as more of an “exchange of messages.” Trump insists the talks are “going very well.”
- Fuel protests: Hundreds of people marched through Manila today, protesting against soaring fuel prices in the Philippines. The cost of diesel and petrol there has more than doubled since the war in Iran began. Earlier this week, the Philippines became the first country to announce a state of emergency due to the energy crisis.
Iran bans sports teams from traveling to “hostile” countries
Iran has banned sports teams in the nation from traveling to other countries that it considers “hostile,” Iranian state TV reported, per the Associated Press.
The announcement by Iran’s Ministry of Sports focused on Iranian soccer team Tractor FC, which had been scheduled to play an Asian Champions League Elite playoff game against Shabab Al Ahli of Dubai in Saudi Arabia.
“The presence of national and club teams in countries that are considered hostile and are unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice,” it said.
This year’s FIFA World Cup was not mentioned in the announcement. Iran has qualified for the tournament, which is to be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, but there are now questions about whether the team will participate.
Reminder: It follows the controversy around Iran’s women’s soccer team which made headlines earlier this month.
There were fears the team would be persecuted back home after opting not to sing the national anthem ahead of a game at the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia.
Iran conflict is a boon for Russia’s "war machine" and it’s not just about oil
The Iran war has handed Russia’s beleaguered economy a much-needed lifeline.
High oil prices are boosting the Kremlin’s coffers, helping plug a hole in its federal budget and sustain the war effort in Ukraine. But beyond oil, a global scramble for natural gas and fertilizer supplies — also choked off by the Iran conflict — could further boost Russia’s financial gains.
“The biggest winner of the (Iran) conflict is Russia,” said Ben Cahill, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think tank in Washington, DC. The Kremlin can now sell previously discounted Russian crude “at full market prices,” marking “a pretty big turnaround” for the economy, he added.
The windfall for Russia’s public finances comes at a crucial moment. Before the Iran war, “Russia was heading toward a genuine budget crisis,” said Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, a Russia-focused research institute in Berlin. Although the latest Middle East conflict has not fundamentally changed the outlook for an economy structurally damaged by a drawn-out war, it has “bought time,” she told CNN.
Quite how much time depends on how long the Iran war lasts, but higher oil prices have already brought some relief. Russia’s finance ministry signaled that spending cuts previously expected for this year will now be pushed out to 2027, Prokopenko added.
As Iran appoints hardline new military-backed leaders, residents fear a repressive future
Nearly a month into the war, the US and Israel have steadily picked off Iran’s top leadership – allowing new hardline figures to take power, experts warn, and sowing fear and unease among the public.
“The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has continued targeting senior Iranian commanders to disrupt Iranian command and control and operations broadly,” wrote the Institute for the Study of War, a think tank based in Washington, DC, in a Thursday report.
In this sudden power vacuum, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has “reportedly continued to consolidate power within the Iranian regime and play an increasingly central role in key leadership decisions,” it warned – citing newly appointed leaders with deep military ties and hardline stances.
That’s an unsettling thought for some Iranian residents, many of whom remain divided. Pro-regime supporters mourned the killing of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, while others have long wished for an end to the repressive regime he led.
One resident within Iran told CNN there was widespread concern about what could happen if Trump left the war “unfinished”–- fearing the new regime could crack down on the populace. Things would be “hell,” they said – adding that the war could go on for a long time, though everyone hopes it will end soon.
CNN is not naming the resident for their security.
For context: Besides Khamenei, Israeli attacks have also killed top national security official Ali Larijani, intelligence minister Esmail Khatib, paramilitary force chief Gholamreza Soleimani – and on Thursday, Iranian naval chief Alireza Tangsiri.
Oil prices rise slightly after Trump extends pause on Iran energy strikes
Oil prices edged up slightly early Friday after US President Donald Trump said he would hold off strikes against Iranian energy sites, citing ongoing talks with the country.
Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose 1% to $109.1 a barrel at 3:20 am ET on Friday. WTI, the US benchmark, was up 0.4% to $94.9 a barrel.
Oil prices have been volatile this week after Trump threatened to carry out military strikes on Iran’s power plants if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a critical oil and gas shipping route which has been effectively closed since the war began. Trump had said on Thursday that the US would hold off on the strikes for another 10 days. The pause was set to expire on Friday.
Protests in the Philippines as fuel prices soar
Hundreds of people marched through Manila on Friday to protest rising fuel prices as the Philippines reels from the energy crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East.
The protest was part of a two-day nationwide strike, organized by the country’s transport unions. Since the start of the war, the cost of diesel and petrol has more than doubled.
“My earnings of 500 pesos ($8.28) a day now goes mostly to my children’s school allowance. That’s not enough for food on the table,” said jeepney driver Michael Llabore, a father of five. “The president needs to address why they let the oil companies increase their prices almost everyday.”
Protesters marched through the city toward the Presidential Palace, where there were barricades and a heavy police presence.
Earlier this week, the Philippines became the first country in the world to announce a state of emergency due to the energy shortages, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warning that there was an “imminent danger” to the “availability and stability of the country’s energy supply.”
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that the country had 40-45 days’ worth of petroleum supply left and outlined the “cascading effects” of higher energy prices on the economy.
Measures include introducing fuel subsidies and other initiatives to reduce transport costs, taking action against hoarding, profiteering and manipulation of the supply of petroleum products.
Jeepney drivers and other public transport operators have been struggling to stay afloat amid the soaring cost of oil.
Allan Las Pinas, 46, also a jeepney driver, said the oil price increase has reduced his daily income.
“Before, I could give part of my earnings everyday to my kids, but now I ask them to be patient because I can’t anymore,” he said. “Because I earn less now, my earnings go to food. So they don’t have their school allowance now.”
About 98% of the Philippines’ oil imports come from the Middle East, making the country – and much of Asia – especially vulnerable to supply disruptions.
Search and rescue operations underway in Tehran following overnight strikes
Rescue workers were busy combing for survivors and helping the injured after overnight strikes on Tehran, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said on Friday.
“A residential area in Tehran was targeted by an airstrike, and the Red Crescent’s operational teams were immediately dispatched to the scene and provided relief to the affected citizens,” the IRCS said in a statement.
Photos from the scene show a multi-story building heavily damaged and rubble on the streets around dawn as emergency responders used ladders to reach the upper floors.
The IRCS said civilians were trapped under the rubble, with video showing emergency workers going up the damaged stairs of a building in search of survivors, with a child’s bike covered in dust visible in the background.
The Israeli military said Friday it had launched “a wide-scale wave of strikes” on Tehran, targeting what it described as Iranian regime infrastructure. In a statement, an IDF spokesperson said they attacked sites being used by Iran to “produce weapons, primarily ballistic missiles.” The spokesperson added that the air force also struck firepower arrays in western Iran, hitting missile launchers and missile storage sites.
The IRCS says airstrikes have damaged more than 87,000 civilian units across the country since the war began on February 28, about 66,000 of which are residential buildings.
Israeli and US strikes on Iran have so far killed at least 1,492 civilians – including 221 children – and 1,167 military personnel, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on Thursday, adding that hundreds of other fatalities are yet to be recorded.
Many of Trump’s remaining options risk heavy casualties with dubious chances of success
President Donald Trump is weighing several options for dramatically escalating the war against Iran should his latest push for diplomacy fail.
While the military campaign has heavily focused on bombing the country so far, Pentagon officials preparing for a next phase of war have drawn up scenarios for deploying troops to seize various targets within Iran, according to more than half a dozen people familiar with the discussions.
Yet not only would those scenarios risk heavy casualties, there’s also little guarantee they would successfully end the conflict.
There are only so many options left both to secure the strait and advance US interests in Iran enough for Trump to convincingly declare victory. And officials are increasingly convinced that nearly all of them would likely require troops, according to multiple people familiar with the discussions.
Administration officials have debated separate ideas for extracting the enriched uranium that remains buried within Iran’s nuclear facilities, a mission that some believe could provide Trump with the clear win he needs to end the war, sources familiar with the discussions said.
Officials have also developed options for capturing Kharg Island, which handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports, or authorizing a bombing raid aimed at effectively wiping out its oil infrastructure. And the administration has examined the potential for taking over other strategically placed islands near the strait that might weaken Iran’s ability to threaten tankers trying to traverse the waterway.
Thai ship that was attacked in Strait of Hormuz runs aground on Iranian island
The Thai cargo vessel that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month has run aground on an Iranian island in the narrow waterway, according to Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim.
The Mayuree Naree ran aground near Ramchah village on Qeshm Island, according to Tasnim. Qeshm Island sits in the strait, just off the Iranian mainland.
It then relocated to the nearby Larak Island, according to state-run media outlet Press TV on Friday, which did not give further details on the status of the ship or how it moved locations.
Thailand “protested strongly” against the attack on the ship, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told CNN’s Becky Anderson Friday morning.
“The vessel in question was carrying normal cargo, commercial cargo, and usually when you’re not a party to the conflict, under international law you have the right of safe passage,” he added.
“So we urge the Iranian authorities to respect international law.”
On March 11, the ship was fired on while traveling through the strait with 23 crew members on board. Afterward, at least three crew members were reported missing, while the remaining 20 were rescued and returned safely to Bangkok.
As war drives mortgage rates higher, here's what it means for home buyers
With uncertainty from the war in Iran and the weakening job market causing higher mortgage rates in the United States, CNN’s Vanessa Yurkevich breaks down what that means for potential home buyers.
How Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed for almost four weeks – throwing global oil markets into chaos – and there is no clear end in sight.
Iran’s threats and attacks on vessels in the Gulf have raised the risk of transit enough to stop almost all traffic through the narrow waterway, which is the main conduit for about 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas, plus fertilizers that help grow crops the world relies on.
As the energy crisis deepens, US President Donald Trump has touted diplomatic efforts to end the blockade, while also moving to deploy thousands more troops to the Middle East and looking into possible US Navy escorts for oil tankers.
But Iran still has the upper hand in many ways – in part because of its unconventional warfare methods, including cheap drones and sea mines, and in part because of its geography. Taken together, these two realities make it harder for the United States or others to defend vessels or to secure the strait militarily.
And it’s lucrative for Iran to retain control. Iranian officials have said they will continue charging fees for the safe passage of some tankers through the strait, after Lloyd’s List Intelligence released a report on March 23 saying at least two vessels had paid large sums to cross.
Read how the geography favors Iran and the threats vessels face in the strait.
Trump extends deadline, but status of talks with Iran remain unclear. Here's the latest
Citing ongoing peace talks, US President Donald Trump has for a second time extended his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz – or face its power plants being “obliterated.”
The status of the talks remains unclear, with both sides giving mixed signals. Iran has expressed deep distrust toward Washington, while Trump is growing frustrated with the pace of progress.
Here’s what to know on Day 28 of the conflict:
- Deadline extended: Trump said the US will hold off on targeting Iranian energy sites another 10 days as “talks are ongoing” with Tehran. The pause on strikes had been set to expire Friday.
- Fraught negotiations: Trump has insisted that it’s up to Iranian leaders to “get serious” and convince him to halt the war, saying he doesn’t care about making a deal. He voiced frustration with Tehran’s approach on Thursday, warning that time was running out for negotiations. Meanwhile, Iranian officials have said they are in “complete doubt” about Washington’s willingness to engage in ceasefire discussions.
- Iran navy chief dead: Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy, has been killed, according to Israel’s defense minister. Tangsiri oversaw the near-total shutdown of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the US and Israel said. Iranian authorities have not commented on the claims of Tangsiri’s death.
- Cascading effect of war: Countries around the world are feeling the fallout of the war, with several resorting to austerity measures. South Korea has declared an emergency economic response to the energy crisis; Japan has begun releasing oil from its state-owned reserves; and the Philippines has announced a state of emergency, with only about 40 to 45 days’ worth of petroleum supply left.
- Ongoing fighting: Deadly overnight strikes were reported by state media in Iranian cities Qom and Urmia. In Kuwait, authorities said Friday that Shuwaikh Port was attacked by drones, resulting in “material damage but no casualties.”
Asian markets fall after US markets have biggest drop since start of war
Investors across Asia are deeply worried about when the war will end.
Shares in the region are falling after markets in the US had their biggest drop since the start of the conflict.
Investors are continuing to sift through the contradictory messaging from Iran and US President Donald Trump, and are not seeing a de-escalation in the conflict which is disrupting energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Also weighing on the markets is a fresh warning on inflation from the OECD.
It has sharply raised its inflation forecasts for major economies and now sees the average rate for the G20 economies soaring this year to 4%. The OECD has also downgraded its global growth forecast from 3.3% last year to 2.9%.
Countries across Asia are set to be among the hardest hit. The region relies more heavily on crude, gas, and fuel from the Middle East than other parts of the world.
In the Philippines, transport workers are protesting over rising fuel costs, and the president has declared a state of “national energy emergency” – becoming the first country to do so.
The country’s foreign secretary told CNN it only has 40 to 45 days of petroleum supply left.
Philippines has 40-45 days of petroleum supply left, foreign secretary tells CNN
The Philippines became the first country in the world to announce a state of emergency in response to energy shortages triggered by the war in the Middle East.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of national energy emergency on Tuesday, warning that there was an “imminent danger” to the “availability and stability of the country’s energy supply.”
Measures include enforcing energy conservation measures, introducing fuel subsidies and other initiatives to reduce transport costs, taking action against hoarding, profiteering and manipulation of the supply of petroleum products.
Trump says Iran asked for a 7-day pause on energy site strikes and he gave 10
President Donald Trump told Fox News on Thursday that Iran initially asked him to pause US strikes on the country’s energy sites for seven days, but he decided to give them 10, making the deadline April 6.
“They said to me very nicely, through my people, ‘Could we have more time?’ Because we’re talking about tomorrow night, which is pretty quick, and if they don’t do what they have to do, I will knock out their power plants,” Trump said.
“They asked for seven, and I said, ‘I’m going to give you 10,’ because they gave me ships,” he added.
Trump said that Iranian officials were “very thankful” about that.
When Trump first threatened to strike Iranian energy sites, he said the country had just 48 hours to open up the Strait of Hormuz. He then pushed that deadline back five days, to Friday, before pushing it back again today.
No comments:
Post a Comment