Iranian foreign minister warns against targeting infrastructure

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday issued a warning against Israel "unashamedly" bombing pharmaceutical companies as part of the Iranian infrastructure the US and Israel have been targeting since the war began.

"Their intentions are clear. What they've gotten wrong is that they're not dealing with defenceless Palestinian civilians. Our Powerful Armed Forces will severely punish aggressors," he wrote on X.

Death toll in Lebanon reaches 1,268

The death toll in Lebanon has reached 1,268 since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began.

The Health Ministry in Beirut said Tuesday that 21 people were killed and 70 wounded over the past 24 hours.

The ministry says 1,268 have been killed and 3,750 wounded since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2.

The dead include 125 children and 88 women, the ministry says.

Pakistan considers use of foreign vessels to move vital cargo through Hormuz: Report

Pakistan is considering steps to secure essential imports as uncertainty continues over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, including the option of allowing foreign vessels to operate under its national registry, reported Bloomberg.

The move follows discussions between Tehran and Islamabad.

Over the weekend, Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar said in a post on X that Iran had allowed the country to take 20 vessels “under the Pakistani flag” out through the Hormuz waterway.

US President Donald Trump also referred to the same clearance in a newspaper interview.

However, Pakistan does not currently have that many vessels in the Persian Gulf, according to ship-tracking data and people familiar with the matter. The last ships operated by the Pakistan National Shipping Corp. have already exited the region.

Officials are now examining alternatives to move cargo. One option being discussed is to use other tankers to transport supplies such as fertilizer and crude.

These vessels could be re-registered to establish a Pakistani link, which may allow them to pass through the route.

WHO chief says attacks hit near Tehran office

Areas near the World Health Organization's Tehran office were hit by strikes over the past two nights, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in an X post on Tuesday.

"Fortunately all WHO Iran office colleagues are accounted for and none were injured," he added.

Supreme leader Khamenei in Iran but avoiding public appearances: Russian envoy

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in the country but is refraining from making public appearances "for understandable reasons", the RTVI news outlet quoted Russia's ambassador to the country as saying on Tuesday.

Mojtaba replaced his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed when Israel and the United States launched their war on Iran more than a month ago. The U.S. has said it believes Mojtaba himself is wounded and likely disfigured.

Russia has close ties with Iran, with which it signed a strategic partnership treaty last year.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards says they will target US companies in the region

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they will target US companies in the region as of April 1 in retaliation for attacks on Iran, state media reported.

The 18 companies listed in the IRGC's threat included Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla and Boeing.

"These companies should expect the destruction of their respective units in exchange for each terror act in Iran, starting from 8 PM Tehran time on Wednesday, April 1st," the IRGC statement said.

China, Pakistan call for immediate ceasefire, ensure safety in Hormuz: Report

Chinese and Pakistani foreign ministers on Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to war in the Gulf and Middle East regions, urging peace talks to be held as soon as possible, Pakistan's foreign ministry and China's state news agency Xinhua reported.

The diplomats also said the safety of waterways should be ensured and that of ships and crews stranded in the waters within the Strait of Hormuz, Xinhua said.

The countries appealed a five-point initiative released on Tuesday for restoring peace and stability in the region, Pakistan's foreign ministry said.

IRGC confirms killing of major general in Iran’s Armed Forces: Report

Iran’s IRGC has confirmed the killing of Jamshid Eshaghi, a major general in Iran’s Armed Forces and adviser to the General Staff chief, as reported by Al Jazeera.

France refuses to allow Israel to use air space to transport American weapons

France did not allow Israel to use its air space to transport American weapons to be used in the war against Iran, a Western diplomat and two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

The sources said the refusal, which happened at the weekend, was the first time France had done this since the start of the conflict in Iran.

Neither the French presidency nor the foreign ministry were immediately available for comment.

Hegseth says next few days in Middle East conflict will be decisive

The next few days in the Middle East conflict will be decisive, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a briefing on Tuesday, saying there had been major desertions from the Iranian armed forces.

"We have more and more options, and they have less ... in only one month we set the terms, the upcoming days will be decisive," Hegseth said. "Iran knows that, and there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it."

Hegseth, citing intelligence, said the strikes were damaging the morale of the Iranian military. This, he said, was triggering widespread desertions, key personnel shortages and causing frustration amongst senior leaders.

Hegseth also said he had visited troops in the Middle East on Saturday to witness the military operation against Iran.

The US team negotiating with Iran over an end to the war is "getting a back and forth on terms, which is a productive development," Hegseth told a briefing on Tuesday.

EU's Costa urges Iranian President to ensure freedom of navigation in Strait of Hormuz

The European Council President Antonio Costa said on Tuesday he had spoken on the telephone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and urged him to engage on the diplomatic track and ensure the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Costa also said he had told Pezeshkian that Iran must stop what Costa described as "unacceptable attacks" on countries in the region.

"I urged for de-escalation and restraint, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and the need for all parties to fully respect international law. The loss of innocent lives, including in the Minab school, is deeply regrettable," Costa said in a post on X.

Trump urges countries to take oil from Hormuz by themselves, buy from US

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said nations upset by high fuel prices should "go get your own oil" as Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump expressed his frustration toward allies that have been unwilling to help the US reopen the critical passageway in a social media post. "Go get your own oil," Trump wrote. He also said they should buy from the US because "we have plenty."

His comments in a social media post on Tuesday came as average US gas prices shot past USD 4 a gallon. 

Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson: 'Future of Strait of Hormuz should be decided by entire region'

Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, "the threat on Iran's desalination plants is a threat to the whole region."

There is a unified stance in the Gulf on ending escalation. "The sooner we get to the negotiation table the better it is for the region," he said.

He added that, "We are calling on all parties to refrain from attacking energy and nuclear infrastructure."

According to him, "The future of Strait of Hormuz should be decided by the entire region."

Israel to establish buffer zone inside southern Lebanon up to the Litani River: Katz

Israel will establish a buffer zone inside southern Lebanon and maintain control over the entire area up to the Litani River once the conflict with Hezbollah militants ends, Israel's defence minister said on Tuesday.

"At the end of the operation, the IDF would control the area up to the Litani River, including the remaining Litani bridges, while eliminating Radwan forces that infiltrated the area and destroying all weapons there," Israel Katz said in a statement following a security assessment, calling it a "security zone".

Radwan forces are an elite military unit of Hezbollah.

Katz said that the more than 600,000 Lebanese residents who have been evacuated northward would be barred from returning south of the Litani until the safety of residents in northern Israel is guaranteed.

To that end, "all homes in villages near the border in Lebanon would be destroyed, according to the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza, in order to permanently remove threats near the border to northern residents" in Israel, Katz said.

Israel prepared for 'weeks' more of fight in Iran, military spokesman says

Israel is prepared for "weeks" more of fighting in Iran, a military spokesman said on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview the war was "beyond the halfway point."

Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters the decision is up to political leaders. But "we are prepared to keep operating for weeks to come. We have the targets for that, the munition for that, the manpower for that, and it's up to the leadership to decide," he said. 

Three Chinese ships pass through Strait of Hormuz, Chinese ministry says

Three Chinese ships have recently passed through the Strait of Hormuz and China appreciates the assistance provided by the relevant parties, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Iran warns of death penalty, asset seizures for spying, aiding enemies

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".

The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, since when the conflict has spread across the region, killing thousands, disrupting energy supplies and hitting the global economy.

The judiciary spokesman said the legislation, passed last year, applies to operational, intelligence and certain media activities deemed to support hostile governments, notably the United States and Israel.

He warned those creating “fear” through misinformation could face prison terms, with penalties increased in wartime.

He added that authorities have issued around 200 indictments in such cases and were working with security bodies to identify and seize assets linked to suspects, stressing that there would be no leniency in enforcing the law. 

Israeli military says it completed an additional wave of strikes on targets in Iran

Israeli military says it completed an additional wave of strikes on targets in Iran.

Israeli military says four soldiers killed in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that four of its personnel were killed and two wounded during combat in southern Lebanon.  

US reportedly strikes Iran’s Isfahan with 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs; Trump shares video

US reportedly strikes Iran’s Isfahan with 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs; Trump shares video