War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The head of US intelligence has declined again to endorse President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran posed an “imminent” threat before the United States and Israel launched military strikes, AFP reports.

Testifying on the war in the Middle East before the House Intelligence Committee, Tulsi Gabbard has doubled down on her claim from a day earlier that this determination is “the responsibility of the president” — a position that had already drawn sharp pushback from Democrats.

“The only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent threat is the President of the United States,” Gabbard has said, facing immediate pushback from the Senate panel.

When asked if there was an imminent threat from Iran despite its nuclear enrichment programme being “obliterated” and no efforts to rebuild, Gabbard responded: “It is not the intelligence community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat.”

Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, has slammed Iran for targeting civilian and economic infrastructure, saying these attacks constitute a violation of international and humanitarian law, Al Jazeera reports.

They also represent a dangerous step that undermines the international order and regional stability, he said.

Gargash called for the immediate cessation of Iranian attacks against neighbouring countries.

The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a funding request of more than $200 billion to present to Congress to sustain military operations in Iran, Anadolu reports citing The Washington Post, which spoke with several people familiar with the matter.

The request aims to fund the military campaign that began on February 28 and ramp up the production of weapons used during the conflict, three people familiar with the matter told The Post.

The Defence Department has proposed different funding packages over the past two weeks, The Post reported, though some White House officials were sceptical that the request had “a realistic shot of being approved in Congress”.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Anadolu’s request for comment.

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US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said in a post on X that President Donald Trump’s administration has no plan to implement restrictions on oil and gas exports, Reuters reports.

Iran has asked Berlin to clarify the role of the Ramstein airbase in the US-Israeli war on Iran, Tehran’s ambassador to Germany Majid Nili has told AFP.

“We have asked them to clarify or explain regarding the role of Ramstein,” Nili said, charging that “the role of Ramstein is not officially clear for us”.

“Till now, we don’t have any answer.”

Iran believes Washington’s use of the airbase in western Germany may violate UN resolution 3314. The resolution says that territory placed at the disposal of another state cannot be used by that state for perpetrating an “act of aggression” against a third state.

“We don’t know yet whether Ramstein is in that line or not,” he said.

Benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) briefly rose more than 5 per cent to over $100 a barrel on fears for global supplies during the Middle East war, Al Jazeera reports.

At 1605 GMT (9:05pm PKT), the WTI price for delivery in April rose 2.29pc to $98.53 per barrel, while international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude gained 2.01pc to $109.54 per barrel.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports that Tehran has launched missiles at Israel, adding that Tel Aviv’s “successive punishment continues”.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says Washington might lift sanctions on Iranian oil that is already being shipped, as energy prices soar due to the war in the Middle East, reports AFP.

Bessent’s comments to Fox Business on Thursday came as oil and gas prices made a renewed surge after Iran hit the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Qatar and threatened to destroy the region’s energy infrastructure.

He added that the US government could also release more oil from its strategic reserves to help contain costs.

Iranian authorities have imposed a total internet blackout across the country since the start of the war, which has entered its 20th day, says monitoring group NetBlocks.

“The incident is now the longest recorded shutdown in Iran’s history, surpassing the blackout imposed during protests in January,” it says, in reference to deadly nationwide demonstrations earlier this year.

Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s prime minister, has told US President Donald Trump that he is the only person who can achieve peace, Al Jazeera reports.

Speaking during a press conference in the Oval Office, the Japanese leader has said that the entire world is going through a severe security environment and that the global economy is about to experience a “huge hit”.

“But I firmly believe that only you can achieve peace across the world,” she has said, noting that her trip to the White House was to directly convey that message from the international community to the US president.

Takaichi also mentioned that Japan has been reaching out to Iran and that she condemns Iranian attacks on Gulf countries and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States has announced the approval of $16.46 billion in military sales to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, two Gulf states hit by the fallout from Washington and Tel Aviv’s war on Iran, AFP reports.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has “determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale” of the military equipment, thereby waiving the requirement that Congress give its approval.

The biggest single sale is of lower-tier air and missile defence sensor radars — which are designed to track high-speed targets and give data to a missile defence network — for $8 bn, according to a statement from the State Department.

The next largest is to the United Arab Emirates for a long-range discrimination radar — which tracks ballistic missile threats — and related equipment at a cost of $4.5 billion, the State Department has said.

The UAE has also received approval to buy systems designed to defeat small, unmanned aircraft for $2.1bn, advanced air-to-air missiles for $1.22bn, and F-16 warplane munitions and upgrades for $644 million.

A US F-35 fighter jet has made an emergency landing at a US air base in the Middle East after it was struck by what is believed to be Iranian fire, CNN reports citing two sources familiar with the matter.

Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, has said the fifth-generation stealth jet was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to make an emergency landing.

“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Hawkins added. “This incident is under investigation.”

The incident would be the first time Iran has hit a US aircraft in the war started in late February. Both the US and Israel are flying F-35s in the conflict, with the aircraft costing upwards of $100 million.

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US President Donald Trump praised Japan’s efforts related to the Iran war, saying he had received an assurance of support, AFP reports.

“I believe that, based on statements [which] were given to us yesterday, the day before yesterday, having to do with Japan, they are really stepping up to the plate, yes — unlike Nato,” Trump has told reporters while meeting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

US President Donald Trump says he told Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Iranian energy fields, adding that the Israeli prime minister had agreed not to, Reuters reports.

“I told him, ‘Don’t do that’, and he won’t do that,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

US President Donald Trump has said, “I’m not putting troops anywhere,” when asked whether he was planning to send soldiers to the Middle East region amid the Iran war, Reuters reports.

Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan have signalled their readiness to support efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, following recent attacks by Iran in the Gulf, Anadolu reports.

“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning,” the leaders said in a joint statement.

They condemned the attacks, saying: “We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces.”

They urged Tehran to halt aggressive actions, calling on Iran to “cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping, and to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2817”.

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A projectile hits a tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, causing a fire and leaving the captain missing, AFP reports quoting officials and maritime monitors.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a naval monitor, said it received a report that “a vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile which has resulted in a fire on board” off the UAE port of Khor Fakkan in the Gulf of Oman.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a press conference with international media at 8:30pm (11:30pm PKT), his office has said in a statement, Reuters reports.

It is Netanyahu’s second press conference since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned Iranian attacks on Jordan, expressing solidarity with Amman as the Middle East war rages on, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The premier has made these remarks in a phone call with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, where he extended Eid greetings to the monarch.

“His Majesty King Abdullah II reciprocated these sentiments. Both leaders also called for peace and harmony in the ranks of the Ummah,” the PMO says.

“The prime minister expressed deep concern over the ongoing hostilities in the region. While expressing his strong condemnation of the attacks on Jordan during the ongoing regional escalation, the prime minister expressed solidarity with the people of Jordan in these difficult times,” it adds.

PM Shehbaz has emphasised the need for restraint, de-escalation, and the diplomatic resolution of tensions, his office says.

“Both leaders agreed to remain in close contact on bilateral and regional matters,” the PMO adds

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines says it will not resume flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam until at least May 17 out of safety considerations during the US-Israel war on Iran, Al Jazeera reports.

Several major international airlines — including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Aegean Airlines — have also extended flight suspensions to these Gulf hubs until at least April or May, citing the ongoing regional security tensions.

Carriers such as Eurowings have extended some suspensions as far as late June.

Israeli media has reported that an Iranian attack had hit Haifa refineries, causing damage, but leaving no casualties, Reuters reports.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have discussed the regional fallout of the US-Israeli war on Iran in Abu Dhabi, Al Jazeera reports.

The two leaders “emphasised the importance of bringing the military escalation in the region to an immediate halt, and highlighted the need to prioritise diplomacy to support security and stability”, the Emirati news agency WAM has reported.

During his visit, al-Sisi “condemned Iran’s attacks on the UAE and other Gulf states and expressed solidarity with the Emirates as it takes steps to protect its territory and the public”.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that Ankara is conveying “friendly” advice to Iran to avoid spreading its war with the United States and Israel to the Middle East, adding that Tehran’s attacks on regional countries are unacceptable, Reuters reports.

Speaking in Doha, Fidan has said Israel is the main perpetrator of the war but that Iran has a “historic responsibility” not to attack regional countries.

He adds that Ankara is in contact with both Washington and Tehran to gauge where they stand, and that Turkiye’s efforts to end the conflict will continue.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has just spoken at a press conference alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Al Jazeera reports.

Sheikh Mohammed has said that the war must stop immediately and that Iran must stop its attacks and not expand the conflict to the region.

“Any expansion of the war will never enable stability,” he has stated.

The Qatari PM adds that Iran’s claims of targeting US bases in neighbouring nations are “unacceptable and unjustified”.

“Yesterday’s attack on the Ras Laffan gas plant shows Tehran is targeting energy infrastructure that is vital for Qatar and the entire world,” Sheikh Mohammed has said. “The attack will affect millions of people around the world.”