Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday that he and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed developments in the Middle East conflict.

Iran said Thursday that Washington's demands were "maximalist and irrational" and denied any negotiations were under way on a ceasefire to end the war in the Middle East.

Iranian intelligence forces have reportedly intercepted a substantial consignment of advanced spying devices and communication equipment, while also capturing a spy and several separatist militants during operations in the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan, according to the state broadcaster Press TV.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Public Relations Department of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence confirmed that its forces uncovered a "large consignment of sophisticated espionage and communication equipment." This included "45 US and Israeli-built devices" that were intercepted as they were "being smuggled into the country through northwestern borders."

JD Vance warned that there would be "increased pressure" on the country's "infrastructure sites" "unless the Iranians made a deal."

Israel's emergency services said 14 people, including an 11-year-old girl, were wounded near Tel Aviv on Wednesday during a missile attack that the military blamed on Iran.

Later in the day, medics said they were treating a 61-year-old man in mild condition with blast injuries in the north following fire from Lebanon, where Israeli forces are fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Former Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi was seriously wounded in a strike that also claimed the life of his wife, Iranian media reported.

Still an adviser to the government, Kharazi had given an interview to CNN a few weeks ago.

According to the newspapers Shargh, Etemad and Ham Mihan, his home in Tehran was targeted on Wednesday in a US-Israeli strike.

To the people of the United States of America pic.twitter.com/3uAL4FZgY7

— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) April 1, 2026

The report also mentioned that Trump spoke about a possible ceasefire with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over a call on Wednesday.

Stocks are rushing higher worldwide, and oil prices are easing Wednesday as hopes build that the war with Iran could end soon. That's even though some of the signals investors saw as hopeful are already under dispute, and several prior bouts of optimism in financial markets quickly got undercut by continued, fierce fighting in the war.

The S&P 500 rallied 1.1% and added to its leap from the day before, which was its best since last spring. That followed even bigger gains for stock markets across Europe and Asia, including an 8.4% surge in South Korea, which were catching up to Wall Street’s rally from Tuesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 401 points, or 0.9%, as of 12:49 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.7% higher.

Oil prices also fell back toward $100 per barrel after President Donald Trump said late Tuesday that the U.S. military could end its offensive in two to three weeks.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said US President Donald Trump's statement on Iran requesting a ceasefire was false and baseless, Iranian state TV reported on Wednesday.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards insisted that the strategic strait of Hormuz will remain closed to the country's "enemies" as US President Donald Trump said he would only consider a ceasefire if it was reopened.

"The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is also firmly and dominantly under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' naval forces," the Guards said in a statement carried on state TV, adding that it "will not be opened to the enemies of this nation".

Iran's new leader has just asked the United States for a ceasefire, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post.

"We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion," he said.

An Indian national was injured following a drone interception in an industrial zone of the northern emirate of Umm Al Quwain in the UAE, authorities said.

The Umm Al Quwain media office reported an incident "near a facility in the Umm Al Thuoob Industrial Area, resulting from falling shrapnel following the successful interception of a drone by air defence systems".

"The incident led to the injury of one Indian national," the statement shared on the official news agency WAM said.

US President Donald Trump said he is strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO, after it failed to lend support to Washington in the war against Iran, The Telegraph reported.

He stated that NATO is a "paper tiger".

The war in Iran could end "within maybe two weeks", Donald Trump teased early April 1 when reporters pressed him on the impact of fighting on high fuel prices worldwide.

The US President signalled he could do so without a deal to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, potentially leaving the world mired in an energy crisis his administration triggered over a month ago.

Assuming this is true - that the war will end in two weeks - it will be another six to eight weeks before oil production is restored to pre-war levels and Hormuz tanker traffic is normalised. This is because, as an early-war Thomson Reuters report noted, there is a minimum two to four week lag in impact, meaning "the pain from today's anchored tankers has not yet arrived".

Read the full story here

Trump's shifting timeline on Iran war @VishalV054 pic.twitter.com/nsMHjW9cix

— NDTV (@ndtv) April 1, 2026

A Bangladeshi national was killed by falling shrapnel after a drone interception in the United Arab Emirates, the official WAM news agency said on Wednesday.

"Shrapnel falling from the interception of a drone... resulted in the killing of a person of Bangladeshi nationality," WAM posted on X, adding that the incident happened in Fujairah, which is close to the Strait of Hormuz.

(AFP)

Strikes To Begin Today: Iran Warns Tech Firms Over US' Killing Of Leaders#Iran pic.twitter.com/DteURT6F8f

— NDTV (@ndtv) April 1, 2026

🔴#BREAKING | Sensex Jumps 1,600 Points After Trump Says Will Leave Iran Soon
NDTV's @himanshundtv joins @ParmeshwarBawa with more details pic.twitter.com/HLHHjypZ9a

— NDTV (@ndtv) April 1, 2026

Aviation costs surge amid Hormuz blockade
NDTV's @himanshundtv joins @ParmeshwarBawa with more details pic.twitter.com/Lu1uuIxJV2

— NDTV (@ndtv) April 1, 2026

Jet fuel crisis: Global hubs under pressure
NDTV's @ParmeshwarBawa takes you through the details pic.twitter.com/EteNZSayTx

— NDTV (@ndtv) April 1, 2026

The Israeli military said it carried out strikes on Wednesday on Tehran, where Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported blasts in several areas.

A brief military statement said Israeli forces had "completed a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure sites of the Iranian terror regime in Tehran".

(AFP)

Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver a rare address to the nation on Wednesday about the war in the Middle East, with media reporting he will encourage Australians to conserve fuel.

The address will be broadcast simultaneously across major television and radio networks at 7 p.m. (0800 GMT). Similar addresses were made by previous prime ministers during the COVID pandemic and the 2008 global financial crisis.

"Australian prime ministers traditionally address the nation in times of great challenge," Housing Minister Clare O'Neil said in an interview with Sky News on Wednesday when asked about the address.

"The prime minister will be talking about the status of what's going on in Iran and the plans that the government has to protect the Australian community from the worst."

(Reuters)

The United Arab Emirates has barred Iranians from entering or transiting the country as the war rages, three major airlines said Wednesday.

The long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, as well as the lower-cost airline FlyDubai, made the announcements on their websites.

Entry rules can sometimes be opaque in the autocratic United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms. But the airlines' websites all displayed the order. It said holders of Golden Visas, 10-year residency permits in the country, could still enter.

Authorities offered no official comment. But the change comes as Dubai already has shut down the Iranian Hospital and Iranian Club in the city, two institutions in the city-state dating back to the time of the shah.

(AP)

Watch #TheBreakfastShow with @ParmeshwarBawa | After 'Secret' Gulf Visit, Hegseth Says US Troops Want Bigger Bombs
NDTV's @VishalV054 reports more details pic.twitter.com/UWArAe0ZQp

— NDTV (@ndtv) April 1, 2026

🔴#BREAKING | Iran mounts attack on US bases in Gulf, military base in Sitra, Bahrain attacked
NDTV's @tejshreethought joins @ParmeshwarBawa with more details pic.twitter.com/UzN6LDqXOu

— NDTV (@ndtv) April 1, 2026

The price of jet fuel has also been increased. Jet fuel prices have been increased by over two times to Rs 2.07 lakh per kilolitre amid surge in global oil prices

The prices of XP100 petrol (a premium variant) and Xtra Green (premium diesel) have been increased for Delhi. While the price of XP100 has been raised from Rs149 per litre to Rs 160 per litre, Xtra Green (Premium Diesel) has been hiked from Rs 91.49 to 92.99.

Kuwait's civil aviation authority said the Gulf state's international airport was under an Iranian drone attack on Wednesday that led to "a large fire" at fuel tanks.

"Kuwait International Airport has been subjected to blatant attacks by drones launched by Iran and the armed factions it supports," the official Kuwait News Agency quoted the spokesman of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation as saying.

The spokesman, Abdullah Al-Rajhi, said "fuel storage tanks... were targeted, resulting in a large fire at the site", reporting no casualties.

(AFP)

Pope Leo urged US President Donald Trump on Tuesday to look for an "off-ramp" to end the Iran war, in a rare direct appeal from the pontiff as the regional conflict expands.

"I'm told that President Trump has recently stated that he would like to end the war," said Leo, the first pope from the United States.

"Hopefully he's looking for an off-ramp," the pope told journalists outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome. "Hopefully he's looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence."

Leo, who is known for choosing his words carefully, rarely makes direct appeals to national leaders but he has been stepping up criticism of the Iran war in recent weeks.

(Reuters)

Israel's military said on Wednesday it carried out two separate strikes in the Beirut area a short while ago targeting a senior Hezbollah commander and another senior member of the group.

The military did not provide further details on their identities or the outcome of the strikes.

(Reuters)

The dollar was largely steady on Wednesday, with gains from safe-haven demand fading, as U.S. President Donald Trump said the war with Iran could wind down within weeks, though conflicting signals on the conflict kept investors on edge.   

The yen has recovered from this year's low of 160.46 per dollar, moving back through the psychologically important 160 level that had fanned concerns of intervention by Japanese authorities. The euro hit more than a one-week high.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, fell 0.03% to 99.70, with the euro up 0.21% at $1.1576.

(Reuters)

Japan's Nikkei index climbed more than three percent and South Korea's Kospi was up nearly five percent in early trade on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump indicated that the war with Iran may be over in around two weeks.

The Nikkei 225 jumped 3.29 percent to 52,742.62, and the Kospi rose 4.83 percent to 5,296.29 points.

(AFP)

Israeli strikes in south Beirut and a nearby area killed seven people and wounded dozens, Lebanon's health ministry said on Wednesday.

"The Israeli enemy's raid on the Jnah area in Beirut has, according to an initial toll, resulted in five martyrs and 21 others wounded," a ministry statement said, referring to an area in south Beirut.

The strikes on Jnah targeted four cars that were parked in the street, a Lebanese security source said. Another strike that hit a vehicle in Khaldeh, just south of the capital, killed two people and wounded three, the ministry of health said in another statement.

Israel's military said on Wednesday it had struck a senior Hezbollah commander and another member of the Iran-backed group in Beirut in two separate strikes, without giving detail on the exact locations.

(AFP)

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari says Qatar is "ready to help" with any negotiations to end the US-Israeli war on Iran. President Donald Trump on Monday said he was "pretty sure" a deal was on the verge of being struck, Al-Jazeera reported.

US President Donald Trump will deliver a national address at 9:00 pm Wednesday night (0100 GMT Thursday) related to the war against Iran, the White House said.

"TUNE IN: Tomorrow night at 9PM ET, President Trump will give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote Tuesday evening on X.

Israeli strikes in south Beirut and a nearby area killed seven people and wounded dozens, Lebanon's health ministry said on Wednesday.

"The Israeli enemy's raid on the Jnah area in Beirut has, according to an initial toll, resulted in five martyrs and 21 others wounded," a ministry statement said, referring to an area in south Beirut.

The strikes on Jnah targeted four cars that were parked in the street, a Lebanese security source said.

The Israeli army said Wednesday it had "struck a senior commander" and another "terrorist" from Hezbollah in Beirut.

"A short while ago, in two separate strikes in the Beirut area, the IDF struck a senior Hezbollah commander and an additional senior terrorist," the Israeli Defence Forces said, adding that the second person was also a Hezbollah member.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. could end its military campaign against Iran within two to three weeks.

"We'll be leaving very soon," he told reporters at the White House, adding that the exit could take place in two or three weeks.

Three explosions rocked Beirut early Wednesday, AFP journalists reported.

An AFP correspondent saw a column of smoke rising from the area after three large explosions were heard across the city, and saw an ambulance headed towards the site.

Iraq has detained a militant tied to an Iran-backed group over the kidnapping in Baghdad of an American journalist, the United States said Tuesday.

"An individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hezballah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities," Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, wrote on X.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel would press ahead with its military campaign against Tehran, declaring that it would continue to "crush Iran's terror regime".

Pope Leo XIV said Tuesday that he hoped that US President Donald Trump was looking to end the war in the Middle East, as he called for a halt to the violence.  

"I'm told that President Trump recently stated that he would like to end the war, hopefully he's looking for an off-ramp, hopefully he's looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence, of bombing," the pope told journalists.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, "I receive messages from Witkoff directly, as before, and this does not mean that we are in negotiations."

The EU urged member states Tuesday to try to push down domestic demand for fuel in the face of surging energy prices caused by the Middle East war.

"There's no one-size-fits-all solution. But it is clear that the more you can do to save oil, especially diesel, especially jet fuel, the better we are off," EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen told a press conference after talks with ministers from the 27-nation bloc.

"We are in a situation that might worsen where indeed, demand reduction is necessary," he added. 

(AFP)

Iran Guards say will target US tech firms if more leaders killed

US President Donald Trump, who is facing immense pressure at home to secure the Strait of Hormuz due to soaring oil prices, issued an ultimatum last week saying that he would destroy "various power plants, starting with the biggest one first!"

Indonesia announces fuel rations as oil prices soar over Mideast war

(AFP)

The 59-second video shows a fast-cut montage of Iranian special forces set to dramatic music with the message, "Come close, we are waiting for you."

EU chief Antonio Costa on Tuesday urged Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call to stop attacks on regional neighbours and engage with diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

"To de-escalate the situation, I urged Iran to stop the unacceptable attacks on countries in the region and to engage positively on the diplomatic track, notably with the UN to ensure the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," European Council president Costa wrote on X. 

Trump claimed that these countries will have to learn how to "fight" for themselves and that the United States will not be there to assist them any further, just like how the allies were not there for America.

Qatar says Gulf states 'unified' in calling for war de-escalation.

Malaysian tankers permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz will be exempt from paying any prospective tolls imposed by Iran, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Tuesday.

Iranian state media reported on Monday that a parliamentary commission had approved plans to impose tolls on vessels transiting the vital waterway that Tehran has effectively closed due to the Middle East war.

Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said on Saturday the tankers -- owned by petroleum giant Petronas, Sapura Energy and maritime firm MISC -- were awaiting clearance to safely sail through the strait.

(AFP)

People accused of spying or cooperating with "hostile states" could face the death penalty and confiscation of all assets under a recently enhanced law, an Iranian judiciary spokesperson said, a month into the war with the United States and Israel.

Even sharing photos or videos that could aid enemy targeting may be treated as intelligence cooperation, the spokesman added.

Iranian media have reported more than 1,000 arrests over the course of the month, related to individuals accused of filming sensitive locations, sharing anti-government content online, or "cooperating with the enemy."

(AFP)

Indonesia said Tuesday it would not increase fuel prices despite rising budget pressures from the war in the Middle East.

A government statement sent to AFP said there would be no increase "for subsidised or non-subsidised" fuel from April 1, and urged citizens not to panic in reaction to "misinformation" being spread about a pending price hike.

(AFP)

Israel's emergency services said Tuesday that eight people with minor injuries were evacuated to hospitals in the Tel Aviv area, where police reported falling munitions fragments after an alert for incoming Iranian missiles.

Six of the injured were treated in the city of Bnei Brak, which is largely populated by ultra-Orthodox Jews, according to Magen David Adom, Israel's equivalent of the Red Cross.

It specified that they were in mild condition with blast injuries.

The military's Home Front Command said it had received "reports of damage" in the central parts of the country.

(AFP)

An explosion was heard Tuesday morning near the international airport of Erbil, a city in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, an AFP journalist said.

Erbil is home to a major US consulate complex, while its airport houses military advisers attached to a US-led international anti-jihadist coalition. 

Regular drone attacks by pro-Iran armed groups have usually been intercepted by air defences.

(AFP)

Yemen's Houthi rebels waded into the Iran war over the weekend and potentially delivered a second shock to Indian crude oil imports impacted by the Strait of Hormuz blockade.

The Houthis - a heavily armed, Iran-backed militia claiming to represent a Shia minority - earlier warned Israel their 'fingers are on the trigger'. They pulled it Saturday and fired missiles at Israeli military sites. Their entry "marks a serious and deeply concerning escalation", experts said.

Explosions were heard in Dubai on Tuesday, AFP journalists reported, as UAE authorities warned of missile and drone attacks, one month into the Middle East war that has seen Iran launch daily attacks on Gulf countries.

"UAE air defences system is actively engaging with missiles and UAV threats," the defence ministry said in a statement on X.

(AFP)

China's foreign minister and his Pakistani counterpart will discuss the situation in Iran during the latter's visit to China on Tuesday, China's foreign ministry said. 

The two countries have similar positions on major international and regional issues, a spokesperson for the ministry said in a press briefing.

(Reuters)

Watch #BreakingGround with @VedikaS | Why US targets Isfahan in Iran? pic.twitter.com/G84WWHWO5o

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 31, 2026

🔴#BREAKING | Saudi Arabia intercepts 10 Iranian drones as war in West Asia rages on
NDTV's @VishalV054 joins @radhika1705 with more details pic.twitter.com/sNtBy6x1GK

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 31, 2026

Two container vessels belonging to the Chinese shipping giant Cosco have successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz as they have exited the Gulf, ship tracking data showed Tuesday.

The CSCL Indian Ocean crossed the strait at around 0914 GMT on Monday, followed by CSCL Arctic Ocean 27 minutes later, according to data from Marine Traffic.

(AFP)

Iranian media reported Tuesday that initial investigations indicated strikes in central Iran had hit some "military sites", without specifying the locations. 

"Initial investigations indicate that some military locations in Isfahan were targeted," the Fars news agency quoted Akbar Salehi, a security official at the governor's office in Isfahan province, as saying.

The official also said the extent of the damage and any casualties were not immediately clear.

(AFP)

West Asia war: Iran's key nuclear facilities under attack@divyawadhwa pic.twitter.com/uNKeOAxw6u

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 31, 2026

US Attacks Iran's Isfahan With Bunker Buster Bombs
NDTV's @nazeer_masoodi joins @divyawadhwa with more details from Beirut pic.twitter.com/V7arHKovyM

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 31, 2026

The Israeli military said on Tuesday four soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon where its forces are clashing with Iran-backed Hezbollah. 

A military statement named three soldiers from the same battalion who "fell during combat" and a separate statement said another soldier, who had not yet been publicly named, had died in the same incident. 

Another soldier was severely wounded and a reservist moderately wounded, according to the second statement.

(AFP)

Israel's military said its air defences were responding to Iranian missiles on Tuesday as sirens rang out in Jerusalem. 

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel," the Israeli military posted on Telegram. 

Sirens sounded and several blasts were heard over Jerusalem, an AFP witness said.  

(AFP)

Explosions were heard in Tehran and power cuts hit some parts of the capital, Iranian media reported on Tuesday. 

"Power outages in parts of Tehran after multiple explosions heard," Fars news agency reported.

Tasnim news agency also reported some residents in eastern Tehran were without electricity and that authorities were working to restore power. 

(AFP)

US ground invasion next in Iran? What could be the possible impact?
NDTV's @NewshoundArjun explains more details pic.twitter.com/cYf0pkWxXX

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 31, 2026

🔴#BREAKING | US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth looked to buy shares before Iran war, reports Financial Times
NDTV's @priyankadeo joins @NewshoundArjun with more details pic.twitter.com/rQC8CtivuC

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 31, 2026

🔴#BREAKING | Hormuz Strait reopening may stretch war by 6 weeks, reports Wall Street Journal
NDTV's @priyankadeo joins @NewshoundArjun with more details pic.twitter.com/u77F1mZ5i1

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 31, 2026

🔴#BREAKING | US-Israel forces target Isfahan in Iran with reports of massive explosion
NDTV's @priyankadeo joins @NewshoundArjun with more details pic.twitter.com/KHzVXAkf8I

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 31, 2026

Ground War On? US Rushes 57,000 Troops As Iran Crisis Escalates pic.twitter.com/iR0SazlbTQ

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 31, 2026

Iran war: What Trump threatens to target? What he wishes to accomplish?
NDTV's @ShivAroor has all the details pic.twitter.com/3QjJRT8zSH

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 31, 2026

Oil prices on Tuesday were set for a record monthly rise while Asian shares were headed for their steepest fall since 2022, capping a tumultuous month as the war in the Middle East stoked fears of higher inflation and slower growth.

Bonds were headed for their largest decline in months, owing to the hawkish sea change in the global outlook for interest rates, while the dollar recorded its strongest gain in eight months.

A month into the war, investors continue to be whipsawed by a barrage of headlines as tensions and attacks between the U.S., Israel and Iran escalate.

"It appears markets have gone from just mechanically trading headlines ... into a little bit more of a fear mode, taking risk off the table," said Vishnu Varathan, Mizuho's head of macro research for Asia ex-Japan.

(Reuters)

An Iranian attack sparked a fire on a Kuwaiti oil tanker at Dubai Port, state media reported Tuesday, adding there were no injuries.  

"The Kuwaiti giant crude oil tanker was subjected to a direct and malicious Iranian attack while in the anchorage area of Dubai Port in the UAE," official news agency KUNA reported, citing Kuwait's state-owned oil company.

Also in Dubai, falling debris from an air defence interception sparked a fire and wounded four people in the city, authorities said. 

(AFP)

An Iranian attack sparked a fire on a Kuwaiti oil tanker at Dubai Port, state media reported on Tuesday, adding there were no injuries.  

"The Kuwaiti giant crude oil tanker was subjected to a direct and malicious Iranian attack while in the anchorage area of Dubai Port in the UAE," official news agency KUNA reported, citing Kuwait's state-owned oil company.

Iran's Parliament Security Committee on Monday (local time) approved the Strait of Hormuz Management Plan, which includes measures to impose tolls on vessels passing through the strategic waterway, as reported by Iranian state media, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

According to the IRIB, a member of the National Security Commission announced that the plan was formally approved, detailing key areas of focus, including security arrangements for the Strait, ship safety, environmental protection, financial arrangements, and the implementation of a rial-based toll system.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced confidence Monday that Iran's Islamic republic would eventually fall, though he again said that was not the objective of the US-Israeli war on the country.

"I think this regime will collapse internally. But at the moment, right now, what we're doing is just degrading their military capacity, degrading their missile capacity, degrading their nuclear capacity and also weakening them from the inside," Netanyahu told conservative US broadcaster Newsmax.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday in an interview with Fox News that the United States is going to retake control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's top diplomat urged Saudi Arabia on Monday to evict US forces from its territory, reiterating that its attacks in the region only targeted its enemies.

"Iran respects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and considers it a brotherly nation," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X. "Our operations are aimed at enemy aggressors who have no respect for Arabs or Iranians, nor can provide any security... High time to eject U.S. forces."

A month into its war with the United States and Israel, Iran is trying to forestall any spark of domestic unrest with arrests, executions and massive street deployments by security forces and supporters, recruiting even children to staff checkpoints.

While there has been little sign so far of people defying draconian warnings not to protest, officials fear that damage to an already battered economy will spur mounting opposition to the ruling system once the conflict ends.

People contacted inside Iran, along with rights groups outside, fear that with the hardline Revolutionary Guards in the ascendancy, conditions may be ripe for bloody internal confrontations.

-Reuters

The war in the Middle East has caused serious disruption to the economies of frontline countries, and is dimming the outlook for many economies that had just started to recover from previous crises, the International Monetary Fund warned on Monday.

In a blog published by the global lender's top economists, the IMF said the war launched by US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28 was causing a global, but asymmetric shock and leading to tighter financial conditions.

-Reuters

The February 28 US-Israel attack on Iran - and the war it triggered - was widely seen as Europe's chance to stand up to Donald Trump and maybe redefine the post-World War global order.

Most international law experts agree the war on Iran violates UN Charter rules on the use of force, and also that Washington's unilateral actions against Venezuela, i.e., the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, are illegal.

An industrial building and a fuel tanker at Israel's Oil Refineries in the northern city of Haifa was hit by debris from an intercepted missile, Israel's Fire and Rescue Service said on Monday.

It was not immediately clear whether the missile was fired from Iran or Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, who were both firing at the same time. 

The fire service said a direct hit was identified on a gasoline storage tank within the factory grounds, causing thick smoke from the roof of a nearby structure. 

-Reuters

Spain's leftist government has closed Spanish airspace to US planes carrying out missions against Iran in addition to denying Washington use of its bases, the defence minister said on Monday.

"The bases are not authorised, and of course neither is the use of Spanish airspace for actions related to the war in Iran," Margarita Robles told journalists, confirming a report by El Pais daily.

-AFP

In case of a ground invasion, US troops will likely be forced to fight on multiple fronts - Iran proxies Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Gaza, as well as smaller Shiite militia in Iraq and Bahrain.

US President Donald Trump said "I'd have to find out if that is true" but the US could shut that operation down vert fast.

"We could close that up in two minutes. We could close that up so fast, your head would spin," he added.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes in Lebanon's capital Beirut on Monday targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

"The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Beirut," the military said in a brief statement.

(AFP)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday said he wanted more certainty from U.S. President Donald Trump on the objectives of the ongoing war in Iran.

"I want to see more certainty in what the objectives of the war are and I want to see a de-escalation," Albanese said, responding to a question about his view on how Trump was prosecuting the war.

(Reuters)

#BREAKING | Israel hits Iran's petrochemical facility in Tabriz as war enters fifth week
NDTV World's @VishalV054 brings you more details pic.twitter.com/faT3rlOgaM

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2026

#BREAKING | US sending more troops to West Asia, reports New York Times
NDTV's @nazir_masoodi joins @ParmeshwarBawa with more details pic.twitter.com/LY0ccDFYwB

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2026

Trump's Mission Tehran: All about simulated ground operations
NDTV's @Parmeshwarbawa reports pic.twitter.com/j2YsDoSNqz

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2026

#BREAKING | Indian killed after Iranian strike damages Kuwait power station
In touch with Kuwaiti authorities, says India
NDTV's @tejshreethought reports pic.twitter.com/OmoxpTzXwx

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2026

#BREAKING | Government warns of more disruptions as Israel-Iran war enters fifth week
NDTV's @himanshundtv brings you more details pic.twitter.com/uTcN4boPf7

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2026

The Israeli military said its air defences were responding to "missiles launched from Iran" on Monday.

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel," the military statement said.

"Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," it added, urging people to take shelter until further notice.

(AFP)

The siren has been sounded .Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place

— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) March 30, 2026

#TheBreakfastShow with @ParmeshwarBawa | Inside Dimona: Missile Crater, 500 Displaced After Strike - NDTV World Ground Report@Ankit_Tyagi01 pic.twitter.com/3ZTsJJ6oh6

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2026

#BREAKING | "Big Day In Iran": Trump Claims US Destroyed "Long Sought After Targets"@VishalV054 joins @ParmeshwarBawa with more details
Read more: https://t.co/0evo9YyoFv pic.twitter.com/HaExQPFyIG

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2026

The Israeli army said on Monday morning that it was striking Iranian military infrastructure across the Islamic republic's capital.

The Israeli forces are "currently striking Iranian terror regime military infrastructure across Tehran," it said on Telegram.

(AFP)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Sunday that Iran's heavy water production plant in Khondab was no longer operational after an Israeli military strike.

The Israeli military said Friday it carried out a strike against a heavy water plant in Arak, central Iran, describing the site as a "key plutonium production site for nuclear weapons".

On Sunday, IAEA said based on an independent analysis of satellite imagery the heavy water production plant at Khondab, which Iran reported had been attacked on 27 March, had "sustained severe damaged (sic) and is no longer operational".

It added the "installation contains no declared nuclear material". 

(AFP)

Australia will halve a tax on fuel to reduce costs for motorists experiencing soaring petrol prices due to war in the Middle East, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday.

"We are making fuel cheaper today because we understand that Australians are under serious pressure," Albanese said. 

Australia charges a sales tax of 52 cents on each litre on petrol sold at the pump, which will be halved for three months.

(AFP)

Iran's nationwide internet blackout was on its 30th consecutive day on Sunday, leaving millions cut off from information and communication since the war with the United States and Israel began. 

Gold prices fell on Monday, as a surge in energy prices fuelled inflation worries and dampened expectations for US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts this year.

Spot gold fell 0.6% to $4,466.99 per ounce as of 0238 GMT. US gold futures for April delivery shed 0.6% to $4,496.30.

Gold has lost more than 15% so far this month, marking its steepest monthly decline since October 2008, as the U.S. dollar strengthened. The currency has gained more than 2% since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28. 

"The bigger macro picture behind that (gold's) underperformance is the huge shift in interest rate expectations... The USD has picked up on that, and as gold's outlook was likewise rate-dependent, largely with expectations that the policy rate would fall under a new Federal Reserve chair, which has worked against gold," said Nicholas  Frappell, global head of institutional markets at ABC Refinery. 

(Reuters)

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the US-Israel war against Iran has achieved regime change and a deal could be reached "soon" with Tehran.

Trump, citing the number of Iranian leaders who have been killed in the month-long US-Israeli war against Iran, said regime change has already been achieved and the new leadership is "much more reasonable".

"We've had regime change," he told reporters aboard Air Force One. "We're dealing with different people than anybody's dealt with before. It's a whole different group of people. So I would consider that regime change."

Asked whether there could be a deal with Iran this coming week, Trump said: "I do see a deal in Iran. Could be soon."

(AFP)

Pakistan on Monday said it is ready to play a role in efforts to end the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar noting that Islamabad is in regular touch with regional and international partners and is willing to host talks between Iran and the United States for a lasting settlement.

"Discussed the possible ways to bring an early and permanent end to the war in the region. We agreed that this war is not in favor of anyone and would only lead to death and destruction. Pakistan has maintained a regular engagement with our regional and international partners. We have remained actively involved in all efforts and initiatives aimed at bringing this conflict to an end. Pakistan also has a very important relationship with the United States. Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the US have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks. Pakistan will be honored to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in coming days, for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict," Dar said.

US President Donald Trump has indicated that America could "take the oil in Iran" and seize the Kharg Island-- Tehran's main oil export hub-- as war in the Middle East continued into its fifth week. 

Talking to the Financial Times, the American commander-in-chief said his "preference would be to take the oil", comparing the US military operation in Iran with those in Venezuela earlier this year, where Washington gained control of the oil industry following the capture of the Latin American nation's leader, Nicolas Maduro.

Oil prices extended gains on Monday after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launched over the weekend their first attacks on Israel since the start of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, widening the conflict in the Middle East.

Brent crude futures jumped $3.16, or 2.81%, to $115.73 a barrel by 2205 GMT after settling 4.2% higher on Friday.

US West Texas Intermediate was at $102.77 a barrel, up $3.13, or 3.14%, following a 5.5% gain in the previous session.

(Reuters)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will on Monday convene senior government and military officials alongside energy, shipping, finance and insurance sector leaders to discuss the Middle East war, his office said late Sunday.

The roundtable meeting in Downing Street will examine the impact of Iran's effective closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz, which has driven up oil prices and costs in various sectors around the world.

Participants will include representatives from energy giants Shell, BP and Centrica, shipping firms Maersk and CMA as well as banking executives at HSBC and Goldman Sachs, Starmer's office said.

Senior officials from Lloyd's of London, the world's leading insurance marketplace, will also attend, it noted. 

"The roundtable will include an operational update from Commander Maritime Operations, who is responsible for directing and coordinating UK naval and Royal Marine operations globally," the statement from Starmer's Downing Street office added. 

"He will set out the maritime security picture in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East, which is having a direct effect on shipping and the freedom of navigation." 

(AFP)

#BREAKING | Iran War: Missile alert in Israel's Dimona
NDTV's @Ankit_Tyagi01 reports from ground zero pic.twitter.com/nglB8q2oIa

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2026

#BREAKING | FT: Trump says he wants to take the oil in Iran
NDTV's @NewshoundArjun speaks to Daniel Block (@dblock94) to decode this and more pic.twitter.com/VuRKyE0RBp

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2026

#BREAKING | Mojtaba's New Message, Days After Trump's 'Don't Know If He's Alive' Claim
Senior journalist Daniel Block (@dblock94) decodes Iran's new supreme leader's message@NewshoundArjun | #MojtabaKhamenei pic.twitter.com/sPiyR4ugAy

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2026

#BREAKING | Iran's water plant damaged in Khondab: IAEA pic.twitter.com/81czRrkAXT

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 30, 2026

Israel's parliament approved the 2026 budget early Monday, providing for a significant increase in military spending as the country remains engaged in wars on multiple fronts.

Lawmakers passed the budget with 62 votes in favour and 55 against.

The vote averted an automatic government collapse and snap election that would have followed failure to pass the budget by March's end, under Israeli law.

The proposed total expenditure budget for 2026 amounts to approximately 850 billion Israeli shekels (NIS) or $270 billion.

"As part of the updated budget, and in light of Operation 'Roaring Lion', more than NIS 30 billion (about $10 billion) has been added to the ministry of defence budget, bringing it to over NIS 142 billion," the parliament said in a statement, using the name Israel has given to the war with Iran.

(AFP)

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said its forces detected and intercepted five ballistic missiles aimed at the kingdom's Eastern Province.

The brief statement posted on X did not specify where the missiles originated.

Since the Middle East war erupted at the end of February, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have been regularly targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign, now in its second month.

(AFP)

Japan's Nikkei tumbled over five percent in early trade Monday and South Korea's Kospi was down more than four percent after the price of oil rose again with no end in sight for the war in the Middle East.

The price of the main US benchmark for oil, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), was up 3.23 percent at around 0015 GMT, once again surpassing $100 a barrel to reach $102.86. Brent climbed 2.95 percent to $115.89.

The Nikkei dipped 5.16 percent and the Kospi was down 4.41 percent before both indexes recovered slightly.

(AFP)

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the US-Israel war had achieved regime change in Iran, even as he assured that he would "make a deal" with the Iranians. 

"I think we'll make a deal with them, pretty sure...but we've had regime change," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, citing the number of Iranian leaders killed in the month-long war.

"We're dealing with different people than anybody's dealt with before. It's a whole different group of people. So I would consider that regime change," Trump said.

(AFP)

An Iranian strike on a power station in Kuwait killed one Indian worker and damaged a building at the site, the Gulf state's electricity ministry said Monday.

"A service building at a power and water desalination plant was attacked as part of the Iranian aggression against the State of Kuwait, resulting in the death of an Indian worker and significant material damage to the building," said Fatima Abbas Jawhar Hayat, a spokesperson for the ministry.

(AFP)

بيان رقم (16) وزارة الكهرباء والماء والطاقة المتجددة
تضرر مبنى خدمي في إحدى محطات القوى الكهربائية وتقطير المياه #وزارة_الكهرباء_والماء pic.twitter.com/yOEuRP9vZs

— وزارة الكهرباء والماء والطاقة المتجددة 🇰🇼 (@mew_kwt) March 29, 2026

Shrapnel from an Iranian missile struck a facility in Neot Hovav, a major industrial zone known for its concentration of chemical plants, located in the Negev desert in southern Israel on Sunday. The hit triggered a hazardous materials incident and prompted emergency measures, local authorities said, adding that at least one person has been injured and workers from adjoining factories have been evacuated. 

Israel's Fire and Rescue said a pesticide tank was hit and videos from the site showed a raging fire, with black plumes of smoke rising into the air. 

An AFP journalist heard a series of explosions coming from northern Tehran on Sunday, as the US-Israeli war with Iran continued.

Smoke was seen rising from one of the areas that were hit, the journalist said. It was not possible to immediately determine what the target was.

It came after the Iranian capital, in the north of the country, was rocked by two powerful explosions early on Sunday morning.

Iran's annual inflation rate rose to 50.6 percent by mid-March, up three percentage points from the previous month, the country's official statistics centre said on Sunday.

"The inflation rate for the twelve months ending in Esfand (from February 20 to March 20) reached 50.6 percent,"the centre said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.

The rate had stood at 47.5 percent in the previous month, covering the period from January 21 to February 19.

The rise in prices comes with Iran at war with the United States and Israel since February 28, when strikes that killed the country's supreme leader triggered a conflict that has since spread across the Middle East.

On March 20, Iran marked the start of the Nowruz holidays, the Persian New Year.

The speaker of Iran's parliament accused the United States on Sunday of plotting a ground attack despite publicly pushing for a negotiated deal, after a US warship with around 3,500 military personnel arrived in the Middle East.

Iran on Friday claimed to have significantly damaged a United States aircraft during a retaliatory missile and drone strike on an American air base in Saudi Arabia.

The strikes reportedly hit Prince Sultan Air Base, where the now-destroyed E‑3 AWACS command and control plane was stationed alongside other US military assets.

Newly released images, published by Iran's Press TV, show the body of the plane damaged, with only the head and tail intact. The attack reportedly involved six ballistic missiles and 29 drones.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey on Sunday held talks about trying to end the war in the Middle East, as Islamabad acts as a go-between between the United States and Iran.

The four-way meeting between the top diplomats of the Muslim nations lasted several hours in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Pakistan has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the United States as their war drags on, relaying messages between the two sides.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Sunday that the United States was plotting a ground attack despite publicly engaging in diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war.

"The enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly planning a ground attack," Ghalibaf said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency. 

(AFP)

Iran claimed on Sunday attacks on two major aluminium plants in the Gulf, further raising the economic stakes of the Middle East war after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis joined the conflict.

The war that began on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran has mushroomed throughout the region, sending world energy markets into a tailspin and threatening to torpedo the global economy.

With the official status of talks between Washington and Tehran uncertain and ahead of a meeting in Pakistan on Monday with key regional players, daily salvoes of strikes across the region have continued unabated.

(AFP)

Qatari news channel Al Araby reported on Sunday that an Israeli missile had hit the building housing its office in Tehran, causing damage.

"An Israeli missile targets the Al Araby TV channel building in the capital, Tehran... extensive damage and the suspension of live broadcasting," the channel said in a post on X.

Footage from inside the office showed broken windows, shattered glass and debris. Outside the building, images showed the streets covered in debris along with damage to surrounding buildings. 

(AFP)

A new actor has stepped into a war already being waged on multiple fronts: Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who launched their first missile in months at Israel on Saturday.

After the Middle East war broke out, the Houthis had voiced support for their ally in the face of a US-Israeli offensive, refraining from taking part while warning they had their fingers "on the trigger".

US-Israeli strikes on Sunday hit a quay at an Iranian port city near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, killing five people, Iranian state media reported.

"The American-Zionist enemy carried out a criminal attack at the quay of Bandar Khamir, killing five people and injuring four others," the official IRNA news agency reported. 

(AFP)

Hundreds gathered in Tel Aviv and some other Israeli cities on Saturday to protest the Middle East war, in unauthorised demonstrations that security forces sought to disperse.

Numbers attending weekly protests against the war appear to be rising, though they are far from the tens of thousands who filled the streets last year to protest the conflict against Hamas in Gaza.

(AFP)

Taiwan said it is freezing prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in April.

"Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices will remain unchanged in April, and key feedstocks such as ethylene and propylene will be prioritised for domestic downstream industries," a statement from Taiwan's cabinet said.

(AFP)

US Prepares For Weeks Of Ground Operations In Iran
NDTV's @reetksahni Tells You Why pic.twitter.com/XohDfWLgN1

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 29, 2026

Iran claims strike on American E-3 sentry
NDTV World's @NewshoundArjun brings you more details pic.twitter.com/Liy4VV2PCu

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 29, 2026

#BREAKING | We are going to be out of Iran soon: JD Vance's big comment amid escalating war in the Middle East
NDTV's @nazir_masoodi reports LIVE from Beirut pic.twitter.com/gIvzXjRtPP

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 29, 2026

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday they launched missile and drone strikes on aluminium plants in Bahrain and the UAE over the weekend, targeting what they described as industries linked to the US military.

In a statement carried by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, the Guards said they hit an aluminium facility in the UAE and Aluminium Bahrain's main plant, calling both sites "industries affiliated with and connected to the US military and aerospace sectors in the region".

The IRGC said the strikes were retaliation for a US-Israeli attack on Iranian industrial infrastructure launched from bases in Gulf states. 

Aluminium Bahrain, one of the world's largest aluminium producers, said two employees were wounded in an Iranian strike targeting its facility on Saturday. The company, also known as Alba, said the workers suffered minor injuries.

(AFP)