What’s happening?
- • US President Donald Trump has set Iran an 8 p.m. Tuesday (midnight GMT) deadline
- • He threatened to destroy Iranian power plants and infrastructure
- • On Tuesday he said ‘a whole civilization will die’ if there is no deal
- • Iran said it would retaliate by hitting infrastructure of its Gulf neighbors
- • Tehran has refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
- • Israel warned Iranians to stay away from trains and railways
The White House has confirmed it is reviewing the formal request from Islamabad regarding the ongoing crisis.
Earlier, we reported that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked President Trump to grant a two-week extension to the Tuesday deadline to allow diplomatic efforts to reach a substantive conclusion.
In a brief statement to Reuters, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the development, stating: “The President has been made aware of the proposal, and a response will come.”
The timing of the response is critical as the 8:00 PM deadline looms, with global markets and regional players on high alert for any sign of a de-escalation or a shift in the U.S. stance.
Pope Leo XIV has labeled threats against the Iranian people as “unacceptable,” emphasizing that strikes targeting civilian infrastructure constitute a violation of international law.
The pontiff made an emotional plea for the world to remember the victims of the war, specifically mentioning the children killed in recent escalations. He urged citizens globally to contact their local representatives and demand a shift toward diplomatic peace efforts.
In recent weeks, Pope Leo has emerged as a sharp critic of the conflict, directly calling out President Trump and urging him to find an “off-ramp” to prevent further loss of life as the midnight deadline approaches.
Iranian media outlets have published an urgent warning directed at citizens and residents crossing specific bridges and roads within Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
According to the reports, those identified areas will be declared closed military zones starting at 11:00 PM local time (19:30 GMT) until further notice.
The move signals a significant expansion of the current friction beyond the immediate conflict zone, heightening concerns over regional infrastructure safety as the deadline for a potential diplomatic resolution rapidly approaches.
Senator Jack Reed has issued a blistering critique of President Trump’s recent rhetoric, stating that the president is putting both U.S. allies and troops in an untenable position.
“Threatening to eliminate a civilization is comparable to genocide. That is illegal, immoral, and should not be in the vocabulary of an American president. The ominous sentiment he’s suggesting would be a criminal act,” Reed said in an official statement.
Reed, a former army officer, expressed concern for military leadership: “Unfortunately, he’s put our professional military officers in a very difficult situation. They cannot carry out an illegal order.” He added that such threats are actively “setting back our chances of a peaceful ceasefire.”
This sentiment was echoed by a former legal advisor at the Department of State, who told Reuters that Trump’s language “could plausibly be interpreted as a threat to commit genocide” under international legal frameworks.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formally requested that President Trump grant a two-week extension to the Tuesday deadline, citing progress in back-channel negotiations.
Diplomatic efforts for peaceful settlement of the ongoing war in the Middle East are progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully with the potential to lead to substantive results in near future. To allow diplomacy to run its course, I earnestly request President Trump to extend…
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) April 7, 2026
Pakistan has acted as the primary intermediary for proposals exchanged between Tehran and Washington. While PM Sharif maintains that efforts are “progressing steadily, strongly and powerfully,” there has been no public sign of a definitive compromise from either side.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the Prime Minister’s appeal.
Americans are less confident in the president’s decision-making on Iran than they were last year, according to a new Pew Research Center poll, with notable drops in confidence among both Republicans and Democrats.
About one-third of U.S. adults are “very” or “somewhat” confident Trump can make good decisions when it comes to U.S. policy toward Iran, according to the poll conducted in late March. That’s down from 44% in August. Roughly two-thirds of Republicans currently maintain high confidence, a significant decrease from 78% last year.
The poll also found about 7 in 10 Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about higher gas and fuel prices as a result of U.S. military action. Beyond economic impact, majorities of Americans also expressed worry about the potential for U.S. ground troops being sent into Iran, military casualties, and potential terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.
Lebanon was drawn into the conflict when Iranian-backed Hezbollah began to launch rockets at Israel on March 2 in support of Tehran. Since then, Israel has launched strikes on Lebanon and invaded the south in what has become the most violent spillover of the war.
The Lebanese health ministry stated that 1,461 people had been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon as of Sunday. Additionally, more than one million people have been displaced as the fighting continues to intensify.
At a vote in the U.N. Security Council, China and Russia vetoed a Bahraini resolution encouraging states to coordinate efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The 15-member Security Council voted 11 in favor of the resolution, with two against and two abstentions. Despite the majority support, the vetoes from the permanent members blocked the measure.
“The draft resolution has not been adopted, owing to the negative vote of a permanent member of the Council,” Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani told the Council following the vote.
The parties involved in the Iran conflict must respect international law, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday.
“Canada expects all parties in this conflict, in any conflict, to respect international laws, the rules of engagement, and that means not targeting, certainly civilians or civilian infrastructure. And we urge all parties in this war to follow those responsibilities,” Carney told reporters.
Carney emphasized that this position has been communicated both publicly and privately as the international community watches the escalating tension ahead of the U.S.-imposed deadline.
The U.N. Security Council has failed to approve a resolution intended to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The deadlock at the UN comes as the maritime artery remains closed, further straining global energy markets and heightening the risk of direct military confrontation as President Trump’s deadline approaches.
Sen. Chuck Schumer responded to President Trump’s dire threat against Iran by calling on Republicans to vote against the war.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, has joined with others in his party in forcing votes on legislation that would halt Trump from ordering further attacks on Iran unless he received congressional approval. So far, though, just a few Republicans have voted to rein in Trump’s power to order the attacks.
Schumer said on social media that any Republican who declines to vote “against this wanton war of choice owns every consequence” of Trump’s actions.
Pakistan’s military on Tuesday voiced support for government efforts aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, stressing the need for restraint and dialogue while warning that recent attacks on Saudi Arabia risk undermining ongoing diplomatic initiatives.
The remarks came during a meeting of top commanders chaired by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to a statement from the military.
It said the military strongly condemned recent attacks on Saudi Arabia’s petrochemical and industrial facilities, calling them an “unnecessary escalation” that could spoil “sincere efforts to resolve the conflict through peaceful means.”
The forum noted that Saudi Arabia’s restraint “despite grave provocations” had helped enable mediation and diplomatic options but warned that continued attacks risk damaging the “conducive environment” needed for negotiations.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, described the strikes overnight as hitting targets previously struck and not directed at oil infrastructure.
The official didn’t clarify what was specifically hit on the island during the latest round of activity.
The U.S. has already struck various targets on the island, including air defenses, a radar site, the airport and a hovercraft base, according to satellite analysis by the Institute for the Study of War and American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project.
They had been holed up in French diplomatic premises there since their release from prison.
“Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are free and on route toward French territory, after three and a half years of detention in Iran,” Macron tweeted.
The green light for them to leave Iran, long sought by France, signaled how Iran is differentiating between nations, treating some favorably and others as foes, in the context of the Iran war.
Macron has distanced France from the conflict, saying his country wasn’t consulted in advance about the U.S-Israel strikes and didn’t want the war. He also thanked Oman for playing a key mediation role in securing their departure.
That’s according to a White House official who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The U.S. hit military targets on the island, the official said Tuesday. The strikes came hours ahead of a deadline Trump set for Iran to capitulate to his demands or face a major attack. He said Tuesday morning that “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not make a deal.
Trump has threatened to deploy ground troops to seize critical oil infrastructure on the island, but experts warn such an operation would cost the lives of many U.S. military members and would not be a decisive move to ending the war.
The U.S. had earlier in the war struck several targets on the island, including air defenses, a radar site, an airport and a hovercraft base, according to satellite analysis by the Institute for the Study of War and American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project.
Earlier Tuesday, the semiofficial Mehr news agency put out a report saying there had been several explosions on Kharg Island, without elaborating.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance is visiting Hungary and has been speaking about the Iran war during a press conference with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Vance said the United States has largely accomplished its military objectives in Iran. He also stated that the U.S. feels confident it can get a response from Iran by President Trump’s Tuesday night deadline.
Vance is in Budapest to boost veteran nationalist leader Orbán’s campaign ahead of Hungary’s election on Sunday.
همه جوانان، چهرههای فرهنگی و هنری، ورزشکاران و قهرمانان را به پویش ملی «زنجیره انسانی جوانان ایران برای فردای روشن» دعوت میکنم.
— علیرضا رحیمی (@DrAlirezaRahimi) April 6, 2026
فردا، سهشنبه ساعت ۱۴، کنار نیروگاههای سراسر کشور، با هر عقیده و سلیقهای، دست در دست هم میایستیم تا بگوییم: حمله به زیرساختهای عمومی جنایت جنگی…
On Monday, Iran’s deputy sports minister, Alireza Rahimi, called on artists and athletes to form human chains at power plants across the country on Tuesday.
“We will stand hand in hand to say: Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime,” Rahimi said on X. The move appears to be a strategic effort to use civilian presence as a deterrent against threatened strikes on energy facilities.
Trump has just posted on his Truth Social platform:
Authorities in the UAE city of Sharjah say an administrative building of satellite telecoms operator Thuraya Telecommunications was attacked by an Iranian missile.
Sharjah Media Office said the strike injured two Pakistani nationals, who were taken to hospital. The incident marks a significant escalation in the targeting of civilian corporate infrastructure within the Emirates.
Reuters
Trump has threatened to rain “hell” on Iran if it doesn’t meet his Tuesday deadline.
“We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again,” Trump said during a press conference on Monday.
But dozens of international law experts have said those sorts of strikes could amount to war crimes.
Iran showed no sign of agreeing to U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that it open the Strait of Hormuz by the end of Tuesday or suffer massive attacks on its civilian infrastructure.
Such attacks would be the biggest escalation yet of the war. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Tehran had rejected a proposal conveyed by intermediaries for a temporary ceasefire.
As the clock ticked down on Trump’s deadline to unleash “hell”, global markets were largely frozen, hesitant to bet on whether Trump would follow through on his threats. Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. in Washington to end its blockade of Gulf oil, saying he will otherwise destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran within four hours.
AP NEWS
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned Tuesday it would “deprive the U.S and its allies of the region’s oil and gas for years” if U.S. President Donald Trump carries out his threat to attack power plants and bridges if the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t open.
Multiple Iranian media outlets carried the statement. It also issued a new threat to the Gulf Arab states.
“We have exercised great restraint and had considerations in choosing retaliatory targets, but from now on all these considerations have been removed,” the warning read.
AP NEWS
A container ship in the Persian Gulf has been hit by a projectile that caused damage, the British military said Tuesday.
The attack happened in international waters south of Iran’s Kish Island, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
It said no one was hurt and there was no environmental impact from the apparent attack. Over 20 ships have been attacked in the Mideast by Iran since the war began.
Three assailants opened fire at police outside a building housing the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, sparking a gunfight that left one attacker dead, Turkish officials said. The two other assailants were captured with injuries.
Two police officers sustained slight injuries in the clash, Istanbul Gov. Davut Gul told reporters. The assailants were carrying long-barreled weapons.
Interior Minister Mustafa Cifti wrote on X that the attackers had traveled to Istanbul from the neighboring city of Izmit in a rented car. One of the assailants was linked to a group he described as “exploiting religion,” without naming the organization.
At least four northern Italian airports have imposed restrictions on jet fuel due to shortages, giving priority to long-haul and medical flights.
The restrictions at Milan Linate, Bologna, Venice and Treviso airports involve supplier Air Bp Italia, the British Petroleum group’s aviation division, and will remain until at least April 9.
Priority will be given to ambulance flights, state flights and flights of more than three hours, according to an official notice. For nonpriority flights, the airports have imposed a supply ceiling of 2,000 liters (528 gallons) per aircraft.
The Venice airport has requested pilots ensure they have enough fuel from the previous airport for the following flight.
بیش از ۱۴ میلیون ایرانی غیور تا این لحظه اعلام آمادگی کردهاند جان خود را برای دفاع از ایران فدا کنند. من نیز جانفدای ایران بودهام، هستم و خواهم بود.#جان_فدا
— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) April 7, 2026
Facing a looming U.S. deadline, Iran’s president said Tuesday that 14 million Iranians, including himself, have volunteered to sacrifice their lives in the war.
President Masoud Pezeshkian made the comment on X just ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadline to bomb power stations and bridges in Iran if it doesn’t loosen its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
The figure is double other figures mentioned by state media in the past about volunteers the government had been soliciting by text messages and media as the war went on.
Iran is home to 90 million people. Many remain angry at the government over its bloody crackdown on nationwide demonstrations and the 14 million figure likely is aimed at trying to dissuade the promised American bombing campaign.
“More than 14 million Iranian people have declared their readiness to sacrifice their lives in the (self-sacrificing) campaign,” Pezeshkian wrote. “I too have been, am, and will remain ready to give my life for Iran.”
Airstrikes pounded sites across Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Monday, including residential areas. Strikes also were reported in Qom, the Shiite seminary city to the south of Tehran.
Iranian state television acknowledged the strikes in an online message, saying more details would be released. Areas around Parchin, a military base associated with Iran’s ballistic missile program, and points south of downtown Tehran were struck.
Khorramabad International Airport also came under attack Tuesday, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported. Video circulated online showing what appeared to be a cruise missile targeting one site in Iran. Residential strikes in the past have targeted Iranian government and security officials.
The King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge linking Saudi Arabia and the island of Bahrain, reopened Tuesday morning after closing for hours over possible threats from Iran.
The King Fahd Causeway Authority made the announcement in a post on X, saying the only route by road between Bahrain and the Arabian Peninsula reopened.
Bahrain’s airport has been closed over the Iranian attacks for weeks. The hourslong closure came after a ballistic missile attack from Iran targeted Saudi Arabia and may have done damage to energy infrastructure there.
The kingdom has not elaborated on damage from that attack.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said attacks targeting civilian and energy infrastructure “are barred by the rules of war, international law” and would surely trigger reprisals from Iran.
He spoke ahead of the Tuesday evening deadline for possible strikes against Iran set by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“In the framework of the war in Iran, they would without doubt trigger a new phase of escalation, of reprisals, that would drag the region and the world economy into a vicious circle that would be very worrying and, most of all, very damaging to our own interests,” the minister said Tuesday morning on France Info television.
“We’re already seeing a surge of fuel prices. If energy facilities in Iran were struck, we can expect reprisals from the Iranian regime that would further worsen an already worrying situation,” he said.
The United Nations health agency has suspended evacuations from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing with Egypt after the death of one of its contractors.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a social media post that the contractor was killed Monday in what he described as a “security incident.”
Two WHO staffers were present but were not hurt, he said without elaborating. The incident is being investigated and the evacuations of patients and wounded people will be halted until further notice, Tedros said.
The Rafah Crossing was reopened in February after long delays in a key but mostly symbolic step in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal.
Iran has reported fatalities from airstrikes overnight into Tuesday.
At least nine people were killed in the city of Shahriar, west of the capital, Tehran, Iranian media reported.
In the city of Pardis, east of Tehran, at least six people were killed in a strike and recovered from buildings, Iranian media reported.
An adviser to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, says they have lost trust in the Iranian government after its attacks on Arab neighbors.
“We are facing a perfidious regime that cannot be trusted,” Anwar Gargash wrote in a social media post Tuesday, adding that his country had sought to avoid the war.
He also claimed the UAE’s position toward Iran’s attacks in the Gulf Arab countries is appreciated across the region.
Likely signaling a new target for their airstrikes, the Israeli military warned Iranians in Farsi on Tuesday to avoid taking trains until at least 9 p.m. local time.
“Your presence puts your life at risk,” the warning posted on X read.
Iran has shut off access to the internet for weeks, making it difficult for the average Iranians to see these warnings. However, Farsi-language satellite news networks abroad report them, allowing the information to make its way back into the Islamic Republic.
The King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge linking Saudi Arabia to the island kingdom of Bahrain, closed early Tuesday over threats from Iranian attacks.
The King Fahd Causeway Authority made the announcement in a post on X. It said vehicle movements had been “suspended as a precautionary measure” over Iranian attacks targeting Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
The 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) bridge is the only connection by road for Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, to the Arabian Peninsula. While there’s been no formal threat against the King Fahd Causeway, some hard-liners within Iran have increasingly identified it as a possible target.
That risk likely would grow if Trump carries out his threatened strikes against bridges in Iran.