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US president Donald Trump has called Nato allies “cowards” for refusing to offer warships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump says US considering 'winding down' Iran war; Natanz nuclear facility attacked
In a social media post, Trump said the U.S. was close to meeting its goals but insisted that other countries should take the lead in policing the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping lane whose near-closure threatens a global energy shock.
Trump and his administration have sent mixed messages about U.S. goals throughout the war, now entering its fourth week, leaving traditional U.S. allies struggling to respond.
Trump has suggested the war could wind down as the Iranian threat was being eliminated, while at the same time U.S. Marines and heavy landing craft head to the region.
Iran reports attack on Natanz nuclear enrichment plant
"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran," Trump said on Truth Social.
"The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not!" he added. "If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated."
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Iran since the U.S. and Israel attacked on February 28, while American voters appear increasingly concerned at signs the war could expand.
Energy price shocks are fuelling inflation, hitting consumers and businesses hard - a major political liability for Trump as he seeks to justify the war to the U.S. public before November elections in which he could lose control of Congress.
Trump had also accused NATO allies of cowardice over their reluctance to help open the strait. Some allies have said they will consider it, but most say they are reluctant to join a war that Trump started without consulting them.
Iranian media said U.S.-Israeli forces had attacked the Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan Natanz enrichment complex on Saturday morning. Technical experts found no radioactive leaks had occurred and nearby residents were not at risk. Israel said it was unaware of such a strike while the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was investigating.
Iranian media later reported strikes on a passenger terminal in the southern port of Bushehr and an empty passenger ship at nearby Kharg Island. The island, where Iran loads nearly all its oil exports, is seen as a potential target if Washington decides to hit Iranian energy or to use ground troops to seize it.
Iran said it fired drones at U.S. bases in the UAE and Kuwait used to stage attacks on Iranian islands in the Gulf.
Israel also attacked Beirut, saying it was targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia, part of the deadliest spillover from the war on Iran. Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of Tehran on March 2.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel was "determined to continue leading the attack against the Iranian terrorist regime, to behead its commanders and to thwart its strategic capabilities until any security threats to Israel and U.S. interests in the region are removed."
Israel also said it had attacked Tehran, Karaj, west of the capital, and the central city of Isfahan. Three members of a family were killed in a strike on a residential building in the city of Ramsar, Iranian media reported.
Air raid sirens in Israel warned of incoming missiles from early morning, sending millions to shelters as the blasts of interceptions rang out from above. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Iran fired two ballistic missiles towards the U.S.-British military airport on the island of Diego Garcia, 3,800 km (2,400 miles) away in the Indian Ocean but did not hit the base, the Wall Street Journal reported. A source at Britain's defence ministry said the attack had occurred before the government gave specific authorisation on Friday for the U.S. to use British military bases to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites.
European gas prices surge
Natural gas prices in Europe surged as much as 35% this week after Israel hit Iran's biggest gas field and Iran responded by attacking neighbours' energy infrastructure. The European Union urged members to lower gas-storage targets and start refilling reserves gradually to curb demand, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
The Strait of Hormuz, conduit for around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, has been effectively closed to most shipping.
India, suffering a severe shortage of cooking gas, has been one of the few countries so far to persuade Iran to let any of its ships through the strait, with two tankers carrying liquefied petroleum gas leaving last week and two more in position on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Kyodo news agency that Tehran was ready to let Japan-related vessels pass through the strait, which carries around 90% of Japan's oil imports.
UK says its bases on Cyprus will not be used in offensive operations, Cypriot spokesperson says
Iran's president says immediate cessation of US-Israeli aggression needed to end war
Pezeshkian spoke with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi by phone earlier in the day.
Pezeshkian told Modi that there should be guarantees to prevent a recurrence of such "aggression" in the future. He also called on the BRICS bloc of major emerging economies to play an independent role in halting aggression against Iran.
The Iranian president proposed a regional security framework comprising West Asian countries to ensure peace without foreign interference, according to the country's embassy in India.
In a separate post on X earlier on Saturday, Modi said he condemned attacks on critical infrastructure in the Middle East in the discussion with Pezeshkian.
The Indian Prime Minister further reiterated the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation and ensuring shipping lanes remain open and secure.
Trump says US considering 'winding down' Iran war
In a social media post, Trump said the U.S. was close to meeting its goals but insisted that other countries should take the lead in policing the vital shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, whose near-closure threatens a global energy shock.
Trump and his administration have sent mixed messages about U.S. goals throughout the war, now entering its fourth week, leaving traditional U.S. allies struggling to respond.
In less than 24 hours, Trump suggested the war could wind down as the Iranian threat was being eliminated, while at the same time U.S. Marines and heavy landing craft were headed to the region on a mission whose goals were not immediately clear.
"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran," Trump said on Truth Social.
"The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not!" he added. "If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated."
Iran reports attack on Natanz nuclear enrichment plant
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Iran since the U.S. and Israel attacked on February 28, while Americans appear increasingly concerned at signs the war could expand further.
Vital energy infrastructure in Iran and neighbouring Gulf states has been attacked, sending oil prices up 50% and threatening a global economic shock.
Trump had also accused NATO allies, which have not been consulted about the war, of cowardice over their reluctance to help open the Strait of Hormuz.
As the fighting continued, the Iranian media said U.S.-Israeli forces had attacked the Shahid Ahmadi-Roshan Natanz enrichment complex on Saturday morning. Technical experts found that no radioactive leaks had occurred and nearby residents were not at risk. Israel said it was unaware of such a strike.
Israel also attacked Beirut, saying it was targeting Hezbollah as it steps up airstrikes targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese militia in the deadliest spillover from the war on Iran since Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of Tehran on March 2.
Israel said Saturday's attacks on Iran included Tehran, Karaj, west of the capital, and the central city of Isfahan. Three members of a family were killed in a strike on a residential building in the city of Ramsar, Iranian media quoted a local governor as saying.
Before its strikes on Lebanon, the Israeli military said it had issued evacuation warnings for seven neighbourhoods in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Four Hezbollah militants were killed in southern Lebanon, one in a "ground engagement" and three using tank fire, it said.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon and over 1 million displaced in the Israeli attacks.
Air raid sirens in Israel warned of incoming missiles from early morning, sending millions to shelters as the blasts of interceptions rang out from above. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Israel's military said search and rescue teams were headed to impact sites in central Israel.
Iran fired two ballistic missilesat the U.S.-British military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean but did not hit the base, the Wall Street Journal reported.
European gas prices surge
Natural gas prices in Europe surged as much as 35% this week as Iran and Israel hit some of the region's most important gas infrastructure. The European Union urged members to lower gas-storage targets and start refilling reserves gradually to curb demand, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
The Strait of Hormuz, conduit for around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, has been effectively closed to most shipping.
Leading allies of the U.S. from Europe as well as Japan and Canada have pledged to join "appropriate efforts" to ensure safe passage through the strait, but Germany and France have spelled out that fighting must stop first.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Kyodo news agency that Iran was ready to let Japan-related vessels pass through the narrow waterway. Japan gets around 90% of its oil shipments via the strait.
The White House, in an effort to increase supply and lower prices, said it would waive sanctions on Iranian oil for 30 days to allow the sale of 140 million barrels on tankers. The administration had previously eased sanctions on a similar amount of Russian oil.
As Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Friday to end the fasting month of Ramadan and Iranians marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a message of defiance.
Khamenei - who did not appear at Eid prayers and has not been seen in public since the initial Israeli attack that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - said in his statement that Iranians had responded with unity and resistance and "dealt a disorienting blow to the enemy".
Russian President Vladimir Putin also sent Nowruz greetings to Iran's leaders, using the occasion to say Moscow remained a loyal friend and reliable partner.
The extent of Moscow's support for Iran is in dispute though. Some Iranian sources say they have had little real help from Moscow in the biggest crisis for Iran since the U.S.-backed shah was toppled in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran informs IAEA of attack on Natanz nuclear site, watchdog says
UK PM Starmer calls meeting on Iran war’s cost‑of‑living impact, says Times
A spokesperson for Starmer's office and one for the Bank of England declined to comment on the report.
Starmer is under pressure to assist UK consumers after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran drove up petrol, energy and mortgage costs.
On Monday, he promised to support "working people" with cost-of-living pressures worsened by the conflict.
As a start the government said it will provide a 53-million-pound ($70 million) package to help the most vulnerable households cope with the rising cost of heating oil.
Trump's peace board hands Hamas disarmament proposal, sources say
The proposal, first reported by NPR, was submitted to Hamas during meetings in Cairo over the past week, one of the sources said. The talks were attended by Nickolay Mladenov and Aryeh Lightstone, the two sources familiar with the matter said.
Mladenov is the Trump-appointed Board of Peace envoy to Gaza. Lightstone is a U.S. aide to Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump's Gaza plan, to which Israel and Hamas agreed in October, sees Israeli troops withdrawing from Gaza and reconstruction starting as Hamas lays down its weapons.
Mladenov on Thursday said that serious efforts were underway to bring relief to war-torn Gaza, with a framework agreed by the mediators that could advance reconstruction in the enclave, much of which lies in ruins.
"It is now on the table. It requires one clear choice: full decommissioning by Hamas and every armed group, with no exceptions and no carve-outs. In this season of hope, may those responsible make the right choice for the Palestinian people," Mladenov said on X in a post for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.
Representatives of Hamas were not immediately available for comment on Saturday, the second day of the holiday. Talks on disarmament had been placed on hold at the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran which began on February 28.
U.S. officials have said that Iran-backed Hamas could be offered amnesty in any deal under which they agree to lay down any heavy weaponry and light arms including rifles.
Sources close to Hamas say the group would likely refuse to give up their rifles for fear of attacks by rival militias in Gaza, some of which have backing from Israel. Hamas and its rivals have staged deadly attacks on one another since the October ceasefire.
One of the sources said much would depend on what is acceptable to Israel, which demands the group’s complete disarmament.
Some of Hamas' prominent officials have outright rejected any disarmament over the past few months.
Israel has shown no sign of withdrawing its troops who are in control of around half of Gaza's territory, with Hamas keeping a firm grip on the other half of the enclave and its two million population, most of which has been rendered homeless by two years of devastating war.
The source said that amnesty and targeted investments in Gaza were being offered as incentives for Hamas, but said that it was unclear whether the Board of Peace would have funds to pay for it.
Trump garnered some $7 billion in pledges in February from countries, including some in the Gulf, before those same countries came under attack by Iran in a widening Middle East war.
The source said that only a small amount of those pledged funds had actually been provided, without specifying sums.
Officer killed in drone strike near Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Baghdad
Natanz enrichment facility targeted in US-Israeli attack, Iran's Tasnim says
The U.S. and Israel launched an attack on the Natanz uranium-enrichment facility on Saturday morning, Iran's Tasnim news agency said.
Putin tells Tehran: Russia stands by Iran
Israel and Iran trade attacks as US sends Marines to Middle East
- Khamenei does not appear at Eid prayers
- Israel air raid sirens warn of incoming missiles from Iran
- US deploying 2,500 Marines to Middle East
- Reuters poll finds Americans expect large-scale ground war
- Trump calls NATO allies 'cowards' for not aiding in Strait of Hormuz
- Iran may let Japanese vessels through Strait of Hormuz, Kyodo reports
- Oil prices surge 50% due to war, impacting global economy
Israel also attacked Beirut, saying it was targeting Hezbollah as it steps up airstrikes targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese militia in the deadliest spillover from the war on Iran since Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of Tehran on March 2.
More than 2,000 people have been killed since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, while Americans appear increasingly concerned at signs the war could expand further as it enters its fourth week.
Vital energy infrastructure in Iran and neighbouring Gulf states has been attacked, sending oil prices up 50% and threatening global economic shock.
Iran targets u.s.-uk base in indian ocean
Israel said Saturday's attacks on Iran included Tehran, Karaj west of the capital and the central city of Isfahan.
Before its strikes on Lebanon, the Israeli military said, it issued evacuation warnings for seven neighbourhoods in the southern suburbs of Beirut. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon and over 1 million displaced in the Israeli attacks.
Air raid sirens in Israel warned of incoming missiles from early morning, sending millions to shelters as the blasts of interceptions rang out from above. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Israel's military said search and rescue teams were headed to impact sites in central Israel and asked the public to avoid gatherings in those areas. Iranian missile attacks have killed 19 people in Israel and the Palestinian territories since the war began.
Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the U.S.-British military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, demonstrating the reach of its weaponry, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. The Wall Street Journal said two intermediate-range ballistic missiles were launched but did not hit the base.
Natural gas prices in Europe surged as much as 35% this week as Iran and Israel hit some of the region's most important gas infrastructure. The EU urged members to lower gas-storage targets and start refilling reserves gradually to curb demand, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
United Airlines UAL.O said it would cut its scheduled flights by 5% in the second and third quarters, planning for prolonged higher oil prices.
The Strait of Hormuz, conduit for around a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, has been effectively closed to most shipping.
Trump on Friday called U.S. allies "cowards" for not helping open the strait.
Several allies, who were not consulted before the war, have pledged to join "appropriate efforts" to ensure safe passage through the strait, but Germany and France have said fighting must stop first. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would speak to Trump this weekend.
Still unseen, Dhamenei issues defiant message
Iran is ready to let Japan-related vessels pass through the narrow waterway, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Kyodo news agency. Japan gets around 90% of its oil shipments via the strait.
The Trump White House, in an effort to increase supply and lower prices, said it would waive sanctions on Iranian oil for 30 days to allow the sale of 140 million barrels on tankers. The administration had previously eased sanctions on a similar amount of sanctioned Russian oil.
As Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr to end the fasting month of Ramadan and Iranians marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued a message of defiance.
Khamenei - who did not appear at Eid prayers and has not been seen in public since the initial Israeli attack that wounded him and killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - said in his statement that Iranians had responded with unity and resistance and "dealt a disorienting blow to the enemy".
Amid Khamenei's long public absence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a press conference on Thursday: "I'm not sure who's running Iran right now. Mojtaba, the replacement Ayatollah, is not showing his face. Have you seen him? We haven't."
Three U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday that 2,500 Marines, along with the amphibious assault ship Boxer and accompanying warships, would deploy to the region, although they did not say what their role would be.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed almost two-thirds of Americans believe Trump will order troops into a large-scale ground war, with only 7% supporting such a move.
Two officials said there had been no decision on whether to send troops into Iran. Sources had told Reuters that possible targets could include Iran's coast or Kharg Island oil export hub.
Trump said on Thursday he was "not putting troops anywhere", when asked about his plans, adding, "If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you."
‘Cowards’ – Donald Trump lashes out at ‘paper tiger’ Nato over Strait of Hormuz
Trump says US considering winding down military efforts in war with Iran
Iranian man arrested for trying to get into UK nuclear submarine base
PA
UK approves US use of British bases to strike Iran missile sites targeting ships
Donald Trump calls NATO 'cowards' over lack of support in Iran war
Trump has been calling for major US allies and others, none of which were consulted or advised on the war, to help secure the safety of shipping through the Iran-controlled Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has roiled global markets, killed thousands and displaced millions since US-Israel strikes began on February 28.
US to deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, officials say
UAE says it dismantled 'terrorist network' funded by Iran, Hezbollah
- Network involved in money laundering, terrorism financing, threatening UAE security
- Lebanon condemns plot, offers cooperation
- Hezbollah denies separate Kuwait allegations, no comment on UAE incident
United Arab Emirates security authorities have dismantled a "terrorist network" allegedly funded and operated by Lebanon's Hezbollah and its backer Iran, arresting its members, the state news agency said on Friday.
Mr Trump claimed reopening the key oil and gas shipping route would be a “simple” military task with “little risk”. He has repeatedly berated countries for failing to respond to his request for support in the strait.
UK military planners have joined the US Central Command to look at options for getting tankers through the strait, which has been effectively closed off by the threat of Iranian attacks in retaliation for the US-Israeli bombing campaign.
Defence sources have stressed the situation was so dangerous that not many nations would be willing to put warships “in the middle of that threat right now”.
It is not clear why Mr Trump believes such military action would involve little risk. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said Nato was a “paper tiger” without the US.
He wrote: “They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices.
“So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”
Meanwhile, Tehran claimed the UK providing its military bases to the US to use is “participation in aggression”.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi delivered the message in a phone call with UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, who told him that British operations in the region were in response to Iran’s own strikes on Gulf countries. She also condemned the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and warned Tehran against targeting UK bases, territory or interests.
In a post in Farsi on Telegram, Mr Araghchi said he told Ms Cooper: “These actions will definitely be considered as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries.
“At the same time, we reserve our inherent right to defend the country’s sovereignty and independence.”
UK prime minister Keir Starmer has granted the US permission for “defensive” action against Iranian missile sites from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Downing Street had earlier defended the UK’s position, saying it was “not getting drawn into the wider war”.
Separately, Iran has also threatened to target recreational and tourist sites worldwide and insisted it was still building missiles.
Its supreme leader issued another defiant statement yesterday, nearly three weeks into US-Israeli strikes that have killed a number of Tehran’s leaders and hammered its weapons and energy industries.
The US, meanwhile, was deploying three more warships and roughly 2,500 additional marines to the Middle East, a US official told the Associated Press.
Iran fired on Israel and energy sites in neighbouring Gulf Arab states as many in the region marked one of the holiest days on the Muslim calendar. Iranians were also marking the Persian new year, known as Nowruz.
With little information coming out of Iran, it was not clear how much damage its arms, nuclear or energy facilities have sustained since the war began on February 28, or even who was truly in charge of the country.
But Iran has showed it is still capable of attacks that are choking off oil supplies and scrambling the global economy, raising food and fuel prices far beyond the Middle East.
Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei praised Iranians’ steadfastness in the face of war in a written statement read on Iranian television to mark Nowruz.
He commended Iranians for “building a nationwide defensive front” and “delivering such a bewildering blow that the enemy fell into contradictions and irrational statements”.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he became supreme leader following the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Israeli strikes at the start of the war. US and Israeli officials suspect the younger Khamenei was wounded.
Iran’s top military spokesman, General Abolfazl Shekarchi, warned yesterday that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide will not be safe for Tehran’s enemies. The threat renewed concerns that Iran may revert to using militant attacks beyond the Middle East as a pressure tactic.
A US official confirmed the further build-up of American forces in the region, saying the USS Boxer and two other amphibious assault ships have deployed along with roughly 2,500 marines.
A White House official said Mr Trump has said he has “no plans” to send troops into Iran, but retains all options.