War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Lebanon’s health ministry has announced that the death toll from Israeli attacks has risen to 2,496, with 7,725 people injured since the escalation of fighting on March 2, Al Jazeera reports.

In its daily report, it said the total number of displaced people sheltering in evacuation centres has exceeded 120,000, while the number of displaced families in these centres has reached around 31,000.

A Republican lawmaker has told Bloomberg that US-Iran talks on ending the conflict, which has closed the Strait of Hormuz, seem unlikely to make major progress soon.

“I don’t see any big breakthrough in the near term,” Texas Representative Michael McCaul, a former chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security panels, said.

“I think to lower the expectations is smart.”

The BBC reports that hundreds of people are protesting near a British military base that is being used by the United States Air Force (USAF) to launch operations against Iran.

Up to 200 people have gathered at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire for the demonstration organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).

The base has been used to deploy US bombers since the Middle East conflict began on 28 February.

Read more here.

An Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has left Islamabad after meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Washington’s motive for targeting infrastructure and imposing blockades is to create dissatisfaction among the people, the state-run IRNA news agency reports.

“The enemy has a plan to turn the people’s current satisfaction into dissatisfaction. To counter this plot, we must ensure that no conditions are created that could lead to public discontent,” Pezeshkian has said during a visit to the interior ministry.

He has also expressed gratitude to provincial governors across the country for their role amid the war, stating, “We have granted full authority to the governors, and in terms of management, they have the same powers as the president.”

US Senator Chris Murphy has alleged that both US negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have “massive financial conflicts of interest, their fortunes tied to the Middle East dictators that make them rich”.

“No diplomatic experience. In way over their head,” he wrote on X.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on the social media platform X that he and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had a “most warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation”.

“We also discussed matters of mutual interest, including the further strengthening of Pakistan–Iran bilateral relations,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for “approximately two hours”.

“The prime minister emphasised on the importance of dialogue and diplomacy for peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron has reiterated that he is focused on efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, adding that panic caused by geopolitical uncertainty could itself lead to energy shortages, Al Jazeera reports.

“Our goal is to achieve a full reopening in the coming days and weeks, in accordance with international law, guaranteeing freedom of navigation without tolls on the Strait of Hormuz. Then things can gradually return to normal,” Macron says, speaking at a news conference in Athens alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has said that despite attacks on infrastructure, such as bridges, the country would be rebuilt better than before.

“The enemy struck the bridges, unaware that the people of Iran mend what is broken,” he has said on X.

He adds that a supplier for construction material has come forward donating cement, while a villager is offering free rebar work.

“This goes beyond rebuilding with concrete and steel — it is the nation and the state standing side by side. With this spirit, we will rebuild Iran more magnificently than before,” Aref writes.

The Israeli military says alert sirens have been activated in the “Menara, Margaliot, and Misgav Am areas”, and that details are under review, Al Jazeera reports.

Israeli media reports that three rockets were fired.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with bilateral ties, expanded cooperation and regional and international developments being discussed, according to the Iranian government.

According to Tehran, Araghchi expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s efforts to ensure a ceasefire with the US and for hosting talks.

Tehran’s top diplomat “reaffirmed Iran’s stance on ending the war, and stressed stronger ties with neighbours”.

Germany will soon send a minesweeper to the Mediterranean for a possible mission in the Strait of Hormuz after the end of the US-Israeli war on Iran, a defence ministry spokeswoman told AFP.

Several countries have said they are ready to take part in a “neutral” mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, which the US said last week it was in the process of de-mining together with Tehran, although this has not been confirmed by Iran.

The German navy’s “Fulda” will be deployed “in the coming days”, the spokeswoman said.

The aim is to make a “significant and visible contribution to an international coalition seeking to protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” she said.

Minesweepers are specialised vessels used to detect and set off naval mines.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has asked people to “reduce electricity and energy consumption”, Al Jazeera reports, citing semi-official Mehr news agency.

“The enemies are attacking our infrastructure and surrounding us so that people become dissatisfied and the current satisfaction turns into dissatisfaction; people must not allow the grounds for dissatisfaction to arise,” he said.

“We need consumption control; at home, instead of 10 lights, 2 lights should be on — what’s the problem with that?”

Four people were killed on Saturday in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s state news agency reported, according to Reuters.

On Friday, six people were killed in Lebanon, the deadliest day during the ceasefire that was recently extended.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued a statement marking the “anniversary of America’s historic defeat in Tabas, where divine supremacy over any other will was clearly demonstrated”, referring to Operation Eagle Claw.

“This year too, by the grace of God, another Tabas was brought about in southern Isfahan, showing that the God of Tabas’s sands is the protector of this land’s people,” Pezeshkian said, referring to Iran downing a US fighter jet.

“I hope such historic defeats serve as a lesson for the arrogant powers of the world.”

The UK and Finland, as co-chairs of the Media Freedom Coalition, have strongly condemned attacks on journalists in Lebanon, terming an Israeli strike that killed Amal Khalil as “unacceptable”.

In a joint statement, they said, “Journalists and media workers play an essential role in putting the spotlight on the devastating reality of war. Attacks on journalists in Lebanon, including journalist Amal Khalil killed in an Israeli strike on 22 April, are unacceptable.”

The UK and Finland condemned “all violence directed against journalists and media workers”.

They urged Israeli authorities and all other parties to “make every effort to ensure that media workers in Lebanon can conduct their work freely and safely”.

A meeting between Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has begun, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

It said that Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir were also present for the meeting.

“The regional situation will be discussed in the meeting,” it said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has spoken to Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan regarding Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts, according to the Foreign Office.

It said that Dar emphasised that sustained engagement through “dialogue and diplomacy remains the only viable means for promoting peace and stability in the region and beyond”.

Iran’s military command Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has warned the US of a response if it continues its naval blockade of Iran’s ports, Tasnim reports.

“Should the invading American army continue the siege, piracy, and maritime theft in the region, they can be certain that they will face the reaction of the powerful Iranian armed forces,” the outlet quoted the military as saying.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan is facilitating talks between the United States and Iran for “achieving peace and stability in the region and beyond”, according to the Foreign Office (FO).

“Pakistan is facilitating Iran-US talks for achieving peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he said during a meeting to review the latest developments in the region.

“He also underlined that Pakistan’s official policy statements on the Iran-US facilitation process are only those issued by official sources. Unnamed Pakistani officials or sources, whether quoted in print or social media, do not reflect Pakistan’s official position,” it said.

“He advised print and electronic media to refrain from speculative reporting and focus on official statements only,” the FO added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has delivered Tehran’s negotiating demands, as well as its reservations about US demands, to Pakistani officials during his visit to Islamabad, a Pakistani source involved in the talks tells Reuters.