Iran war updates: US, Israel attack ignites worst trade rupture in 80 years

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Here are some of the day’s top developments:

• Trump said he would pause his threat to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities until April 6, claiming Tehran requested the move.
• IAEA chief Rafael Grossi warned attacks near Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant could cause a “major radiological accident”.
• Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on the UN to act on Israeli ministers threatening “to occupy the area south of the Litani River”.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is expanding what he calls a “buffer zone” in southern Lebanon.
• The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon grew to 1,116, while US-Israeli attacks have now killed more than 1,900 people in Iran.
• Iran continued attacks on its Gulf neighbours, as well as Israel, where one person was reported killed.

A poll by the right-leaning network, seen as largely friendly to US President Trump, suggested that 64 percent of Americans disapprove of the war on Iran.

Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister is here in Washington right now, and he’s expected to meet Donald Trump, but he has already met with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

They’ve been discussing the ongoing situation in the Middle East, but also security cooperation, especially because of what’s happening right now.

Just a few weeks ago, Hegseth had said that he had been in discussions with countries in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) about the ongoing situation and how to increase security for these countries, especially after the attacks they faced from Iran.

So certainly, lots of concerns about the GCC countries, even though there’s differences in what they want out of this war.

We have seen more hawkish stances from countries like Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates.

On Qatar’s end, we have seen a much more diplomatic approach, hoping to de-escalate the ongoing situation.

Qatar is in a position where it’s on the front line of a war it did not want.

US air strikes on the Habbaniyah military base in Iraq’s Anbar province have killed at least five to seven Iraqi soldiers and injured 23 others, according to Iraqi military officials.

The base, located west of Fallujah on a route once known as the “road of death” during the US invasion of Iraq, houses both Iraqi forces and members of the Popular Mobilisation Force, some of whom are Iran-backed militias.

The attacks destroyed medical and engineering facilities, and Iraqi officials say Iran-backed militias have been targeting US forces across Iraq and the region, prompting US demands for the Iraqi government to rein them in or face further strikes. Iraqis fear being dragged into a war not of their making as both sides escalate attacks.

Al Jazeera’s Nicholas Haque reports from Habbaniyah, Iraq:

This is what we’ve been seeing since the beginning of the war, Trump saying something in the morning, and later on something completely different.

And that’s what happened last Friday, when he said that the United States was not ready for a ceasefire.

Later on in the day, he said that they could be ready to start winding down the situation, and then, next day, on Saturday, this deadline to Iran that if it would not open up the Strait of Hormuz, (the US) would destroy the country.

That deadline has been extended for five days, and now we’re hearing that it has been extended once again, until April 6, at 8pm US Eastern time (01:00 GMT on April 7].

So we’ve been seeing lots of changes from the US president.

Still, on social media, he said that in spite of “fake news” from journalists, talks are going well.

But as we know, as the talks are ongoing, the United States is also adding up and sending more troops to the Middle East, at least 5,000 Marines coming from Japan and from California.

They have already deployed three more warships and the 82nd Airborne Division.

And it shows, in a way, that the Trump administration is under a lot of pressure, basically because of the price of gas in this country and the big impact it has had until now on his approval ratings and his popularity.

The chief of staff of the Israeli military has warned that it will “collapse in on itself” due to growing demand and a shortfall of manpower as it fights multiple fronts.

“I am raising 10 red flags before you,” Eyal Zamir told a security cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to Israeli media reports. He said that it wouldn’t be long before the military was unable to perform routine missions.

He said the military needs a “conscription law, a reserve duty law, and a law to extend mandatory service”.

US President Donald Trump has declared that the US military has effectively neutralised Iran’s primary combat capabilities, claiming the war “militarily” has already been won.

During an interview with Fox News, the US president stated that the US has “just about completely knocked out” both the Iranian navy and air force, specifically citing the destruction of 154 ships.

He asserted that the Iranian military has been heavily degraded, and noted the targeting of missile launchers and telecommunications infrastructure.

“We knocked out their missile launchers, which is a big deal, because without the missile launchers, the missiles don’t do very well, and we knocked out all their communications and telecommunications,” he said.

President Trump also emphasised his control over the diplomatic timeline, revealing that while the Iranians requested a seven-day pause, he opted for 10. “I’m going to give you 10 because they gave me ships,” Trump said, adding, “We talked about the eight ships.”

He further dismissed the strategic necessity of the region for the US, noting that the US does not need the Strait of Hormuz and expressed frustration that the nations that rely on the waterway were failing to take action.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry says that the country’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held a meeting in Washington with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

The meeting reviewed the cooperation between Qatar and the US, and discussed ways to strengthen and develop it in the defence and security fields, in light of the developments taking place in the region.

Both sides also stressed the importance of continuing joint coordination and consultation to address regional challenges, in order to support security and stability at the regional and international levels, according to a statement from the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Lebanon’s National News Agency is reporting that Israeli forces have bombed several towns and villages in recent hours.

They include:

• Israeli warplanes bombed the town of Kfar Reman, the village of Hamool and the outskirts of Odaisseh in the Nabatieh Governorate.
• Israeli warplanes bombed the town of Haddatha, targeting the public road, near Karim Mini Market.
• An Israeli air strike targeted the town of Zibqin in the South Governorate.
• Israeli warplanes targeted the town of Bayada, near a facility that was used by the Lebanese army, before they evacuated.
• Israeli artillery also shelled several towns, with heavy shelling reported in Majdal Zoun and Hanaway, in the South Governorate.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director general, Rafael Grossi, has reiterated his “deep concern” about recent military strikes near Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.

Grossi warned that “damage to the facility could result in a major radiological accident affecting a large area in Iran and beyond,” the IAEA said.

He called for maximum restraint and stressed the importance of the seven pillars for ensuring nuclear safety.

The United States is considering redirecting weapons meant for Ukraine to the Middle East as its joint war with Israel on Iran stretches military supplies, according to a report by The Washington Post.

The report said air defence interceptor missiles funded through a NATO initiative could be reassigned, raising concerns about Kyiv’s access to critical systems.

The shift comes as the Israeli-US war continues to expand in the region. Admiral Brad Cooper said Washington has struck more than 10,000 targets inside Iran.

A Pentagon spokesperson said it would “ensure that US forces and those of our allies and partners have what they need to fight and win”.

Saudi Arabia has intercepted and destroyed a further two drones in its eastern region, the Defence Ministry says.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, expressing his gratitude to the government for enabling oil from Iraq to reach global markets. 

Iraq’s oil exports have dropped by more than 70 percent as a result of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier this month it reached an agreement with Kurdistan to use a pipeline running from Kurdistan to Turkey to export what it can.

Rubio “strongly condemned the continued attacks by Iran and Iran-alligned terrorist militas against U.S. citizens and energy infrastructure across Iraq,” the State Department said in a statement, and offered condolences to families of Peshmerga killed this week.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has warned UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the “risk of annexation” of areas south of the Litani River by Israel.

In a phone call, he highlighted “the repeated threats issued by the Israeli defence minister regarding Israel’s intention to occupy the area south of the Litani River, in addition to the statements of the Israeli finance minister about seeking to annex this area.”

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency also quoted Salam as denouncing Israel’s destruction of bridges, which he said sought to isolate the area.

Mass displacement of residents and the “daily encroachment on lands, the demolition of homes” suggest civilians will not be allowed to return in the future. He warned that Israel’s actions and statements threaten Lebanon’s sovereignty, as well as being in contradiction with international law and the UN Charter.

Guterres said he asked Lebanon’s foreign minister to submit an immediate complaint to the Security Council, and called on the UN to “assume its responsibilities in putting an end to these violations”.