The US and Israel on Feb 28 launched what they described as a “pre-emptive” joint strike against Iranian targets, with Trump announcing start of “major combat operations”
A new poll has found that a large majority of people in the United States believe that the decision to take military action against Iran was a mistake, as the war roils the global economy and fuels cost-of-living concerns in the US, Al Jazeerareports.
A Washington Post-ABC-Ipsos poll released on Friday shows that 61 per cent of respondents believe the use of military force against Iran was a mistake, with just 36pc saying it was the right decision.
US President Donald Trump’s administration argues that a ceasefire with Tehran has “terminated” hostilities with Iran, as a legal deadline arrived for coming to Congress about the two-month Iran war, Reuters reports.
Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, the president can wage military action for only 60 days before ending it, asking Congress for authorisation or seeking a 30-day extension due to “unavoidable military necessity regarding the safety of United States Armed Forces” while withdrawing forces.
Trump formally notified Congress of the conflict 48 hours after the first airstrikes, starting the 60-day clock that ends on May 1. As that date approached, congressional aides and analysts said they expected the Republican president to sidestep the deadline.
A senior Trump administration official said that the administration’s view was that the war powers law deadline did not apply.
“For War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have terminated,” says the official, requesting anonymity while describing the administration’s thinking.
Iran’s Fars news agency reports that 14 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel have been killed and two others injured when unexploded ordnance detonated in the north-western Zanjan province, according to Al Jazeera.
The personnel were part of a specialised unit tasked with clearing unexploded munitions from the area, which the agency says has placed around 1,200 hectares of agricultural land at risk.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has hailed the role of teachers and workers in the “cultural and economic battle” to mark Labour Day, according to a post on X.
“Teachers are the most influential link in the cultural battle, and workers are among the most effective elements of the economic battle; like the backbone of the spheres of culture and the economy,” he says.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says that it is “beyond dispute” that the US war on Iran is a “clear, unprovoked act of aggression”.
“The American public has both the undeniable right and the solemn duty to demand accountability from their ruling authorities for waging this illegal war against the nation of Iran, and for all the atrocities perpetrated during the war,” he says in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump suggests he will not seek Congressional authorisation for military action in Iran under the War Powers Resolution, describing those calling for it as “not patriotic”, Al Jazeera reports.
Arguing against the need for authorisation under the law, which requires a US president to seek approval within 60 days of deploying troops, Trump says, “many presidents… have gone and exceeded it. It’s never been used.
“Most people consider it totally unconstitutional,” Trump added. “Also, we had a ceasefire, so that gives you additional time … We’re in the midst of a big victory.”
US President Donald Trump says that he is not seeking congressional approval to extend the Iran war since it has “never been sought before”.
Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, the president can wage military action for only 60 days before ending it, coming to Congress for authorisation or seeking a 30-day extension due to “unavoidable military necessity regarding the safety of United States Armed Forces”.
“Nobody’s ever gotten it before, they consider it totally unconstitutional,” Trump tells reporters, adding that he is “always in touch with Congress”.
“Nobody’s ever sought it before, nobody’s ever asked for it before, it’s never been used before, why should we be different?” he asks.
Iran delivered a new proposal for peace talks with the United States via Pakistan, state media reported on Friday, with US President Donald Trump saying that he was “not satisfied” with what had been put forth.
The text of the proposal was handed to Islamabad on Thursday evening, the IRNA news agency reported on Friday.
Hours later, Trump spoke to reporters at the White House, saying, “At this moment, I’m not satisfied with what they’re offering.”
The US president said that the Iranian leadership was “disjointed”, “had a lot of problems” and “were not getting along with each other”.
“But we have just had a conversation with Iran. But I will say I am not happy,” he said.
Asked why he was unsatisfied with the Iranian offer, Trump said: “They’re asking for things that I can’t agree.” He gave no details.
Trump said Iran had “made strides” in negotiations, but added that there was “tremendous discord” in the Islamic republic’s leadership and warned: “I’m not sure if they ever get there.”
Trump was asked what he would do if there was no deal but refused to say whether he would launch more strikes.
“Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever — or do we want to try and make a deal? I mean, those are the options,” he said.
Trump added that he would “prefer not” to launch a huge offensive but added: “That’s the option: do we want to go in there heavy and just blast them away or do we want to do something?”
He was also asked about blowing past the 60-day deadline set out in the War Powers Act for getting congressional approval for the war and claimed that the notion that he would need approval was “totally unconstitutional.”
“Also, we had a ceasefire, so that gives you additional time, but no other country has done it,” he said. “We’re in the midst of a big victory. This is a victory like we haven’t had since Venezuela.”
He also repeated his prediction that oil and gas prices would fall when the war ends.
During his talk, Trump also said he had “great respect” for Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
On Thursday, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said diplomacy to end the US-Iran conflict was continuing, with Islamabad maintaining its role as a facilitator between the two sides despite an apparent impasse in talks.
Negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stalled, with both holding firm positions even as a fragile ceasefire continues. The truce, initially brokered by Pakistan earlier this month, has been extended to allow space for diplomacy, but officials acknowledge that the process faces serious sticking points.
Last month, Pakistan hosted the first high-level contact between Iran and the US in decades and mediated those meetings. However, with challenges in convening a second round, Islamabad has shifted back to its role as a facilitator and go-between.
Lebanon’s health ministry has said six people including a woman and a child were killed in two Israeli strikes on a southern town where Israel’s army had issued an evacuation order despite a ceasefire.
The ministry statement has said eight other people, including a woman and a child, were wounded in the strikes on Habboush, where the state-run National News Agency had reported casualties after Israeli warplanes “launched a series of heavy strikes… less than an hour after warning” residents there to evacuate.
Asked about his options regarding Iran, US President Donald Trump says he has a choice between pursuing a deal or resuming military strikes.
“Right now we have negotiations going on, but they’re not going anywhere,” he tells reporters. “Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever, or do we want to try and make a deal? I mean, those are the options”
Asked if he wants to resume strikes, Trump says, “On a human basis, I’d prefer not.”
US President Donald Trump tells reporters he is not worried about the state of American missile stocks amid reports of concerns about the pace of weapons use during the conflict with Iran, Reuters reports.
US President Donald Trump has expressed his displeasure with Iran, but says, “We just had a conversation with Iran, let’s see what happens.”
He tells reporters, “I would say that I am not happy,” reiterating his claim that Tehran’s leadership is “disjointed” and “very argumentative with each other”.
US President Donald Trump has told reporters that he is not satisfied with Iran’s latest proposal for resolving the conflict and that negotiations were taking place by phone, Reuters reports.
“In terms of the negotiation, telephonically. They’ve (Iran) made strides, but I’m not sure if they’ll ever get there,” he tells reporters.
“There’s tremendous discord; they’re having a tremendous problem getting along with each other in Iran. The leadership is very disjointed — it’s got two to three groups, maybe four.
“It’s a very disjointed leadership and, with that being said, they all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up,” Trump adds.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has affirmed that Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports will continue, additionally claiming that there is a shortage of hard currency in Iran and food rationing is ongoing.
“It is very difficult for rats in a sewer pipe to know what’s going on in the outside world,” Bessent has said in a post on X, referring to Tehran’s leadership.
Offering “some colour for the Iranian leadership”, he outlines that the US “has complete control” of the Strait of Hormuz, and that there is a shortage of dollars in Iran.
“Food and gasoline rationing are in place. The entire international community has turned against you. The blockade will continue until there is pre-February 27 Freedom of Navigation,” Bessent adds.
Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu is highlighting the spike in American gasoline prices due to the war on Iran, Al Jazeera reports.
“Americans are getting crushed while [US President Donald] Trump and his billionaire friends keep getting richer,” the congressman, a vocal Trump critic, writes on X.
First responders search for survivors amongst the rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Ain Baal on May 1, 2026. — AFP
Smoke rises from the site of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Habbouch on May 1, 2026. — AFP
First responders search for survivors amongst the rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Ain Baal on May 1, 2026. — AFP
Lebanese first responders search for human remains amongst the rubble the day after a house was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, on May 1, 2026. — AFP
The United States has imposed new Iran-related sanctions on several individuals, entities and one vessel, including some based in China, Reuters reports, citing the US Treasury website.
Data and analytics firm Kpler says seven vessels, four commercial and three non-commercial, have transited through the Strait of Hormuz as of yesterday, Al Jazeera reports.
“Only two [vessels] laden west-to-east crossings were recorded, under Pakistani and Comoros flags carrying CPP and dry bulk, while higher-risk tonnage remained limited with just three shadow or sanctioned vessels observed and the rest assessed low-risk,” Kpler has said in a post on social media.
“No new physical attacks have been recorded since 22 April as the ceasefire holds,” it adds. “Most vessels are still using the IMO-regulated traffic separation scheme to reduce collision risk.”
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has expressed reservations about direct negotiations with Israel — a policy led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Al Jazeera reports.
Berri tells the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that there is no use in holding talks under fire. He also stresses that the claimed “ceasefire” that Trump has announced in Lebanon has only allowed Israel to “escalate its aggression” without any intervention from the US administration.
“Where is this truce? And has Israel ceased its annihilation of towns, its demolition of homes, its wanton shedding of the blood of children, women, and the elderly, and its obstruction of ambulance teams attempting to rescue the wounded and transport them to hospitals, or to retrieve those trapped beneath the rubble?” Berri asks.
The White House says it will not detail private diplomatic conversations when asked about Iran’s new proposal to the United States, which was submitted to Pakistani mediators.
“We do not detail private diplomatic conversations. President Trump has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, and negotiations continue to ensure the short- and long-term national security of the United States,” spokeswoman Anna Kelly tells Reuters.
