Iran-US conflict newest: Israel warns Iranians to not use trains as Trump’s deadline to ‘obliterate’ Iran hours away
Israel has warned the Iranian public not to take trains on Tuesday as it will endanger their life, according to a military statement.
“For the sake of your security, we kindly request that from this moment until 9pm Iran time, you refrain from using and travelling by train throughout Iran,” the military posted on its Persian-language account on X.
“Your presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has said he is “not at all” concerned about committing possible war crimes as he again threatened to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants if Tehran does not meet his Tuesday deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8pm EDT.
“The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” the US president told a news conference on Monday at the White House.
But after issuing at least four prior deadlines, questions have been raised over his latest threat.
Iran’s Alireza Rahimi, called on “all young people, athletes, artists, students and university students and their professors” to form human chains around power plants ahead of the threatened strikes.
Tehran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the conflict.
Around 18 per cent of French petrol stations lacking some fuel, says minister
The Strait of Hormuz crisis is affecting European countries with at least 18 per cent of French petrol stations lacking some kind of fuel on Tuesday morning, according to junior energy minister Maud Bregeon.
She told BFM TV that French oil major TotalEnergies had set a ceiling on its retail prices in France, lower than competitions, which led to supply issues at some stations.
Bregeon insisted that there were no issues with supply only logistics due to the changes in demand.
Oil prices climb as Strait of Hormuz deadline looms
Oil prices have climbed again on Tuesday as a deadline set by President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz looms.
The US leader said that he would order attacks on Iranian bridges and power plants if a deal with Tehran was not reached by 8pm EDT (12am GMT/1am BST).
Brent crude futures rose by $1.44 to $111.21 a barrel according to Reuters, while US West Texas Intermediate crude jumped $2.32 or 2.1 per cent to $114.73.
Iran rejects proposal for temporary ceasefire to reopen Hormuz and hands Trump ‘ten-clause response’
Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a “temporary ceasefire”, a senior Iranian official said on Monday after receiving a new proposal from mediators to end the war.
The unnamed official told Reuters that Iran’s leadership is reviewing a plan for an immediate pause in hostilities sent by mediator Pakistan ahead of Donald Trump’s Tuesday deadline for strikes on energy infrastructure.
Tehran does not believe that Washington is ready for a permanent ceasefire, however, and will not accept being pressured to accept deadlines and make a decision, the unnamed source said.
James C Reynolds reports:
Iran’s Koharramabad Airport targeted by US-Israeli strike, says Mehr agency
Koharramabad Airport in the Lorestan region of Iran has been targeted by a US-Israeli strike, according to Mehr news agency.
It serves mainly domestic flights to Tehran and Mashad.
UN Security Council to vote on Strait of Hormuz resolution today
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is to hold a vote on Tuesday on protecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route through which one fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes.
Members of the Council will vote on the proposal which “strongly encourages” states to “coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances, to contribute to ensuring navigational safety”.
The original wording of the resolution had proposed member states could “use all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances” to ensure shipping through the route.
Watch: Donald Trump reveals scale of Iran rescue mission after general urged secrecy
Iranian judiciary chief urges execution verdicts against ‘enemy agents’ to be expedited
Iran’s judiciary chief has asked for cases against individuals accused of assisting Iran’s adversaries to be expedited, according to Mizan news agency.
Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei urged for executions and asset confiscation verdicts to be sped up on Tuesday.
Hundreds of people have been arrested by security forces across Iran since the outbreak of war on 28 February. Many have been accused of sharing sensitive footage to foreign-based opposition channels or for expressing support for attacks on Iran.
Iran claims 14 million have volunteered to fight if US invades
Iranian state television this morning claimed 14 million people had volunteered to fight for the country if there is a ground invasion by the US and Israel.
The claim by state TV, which included no other information or an explanation of how that figure was reached, doubles a 2 April claim by Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf that 7 million had volunteered.
Iran is home to some 90 million people. Iran had conducted a bloody crackdown on nationwide demonstrations in January that killed thousands and saw tens of thousands detained.
State media and text message campaigns have urged people to volunteer.
The government has also called on retired soldiers to express their interest in fighting, while the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force has begun accepting children as young as 12 into its ranks.
After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for the creation of a 20-million-strong Basij force.
Watch: Trump vows to decimate Iran as deadline approaches
UK to host Strait of Hormuz planning meeting
The UK will host a meeting of allied military officers to discuss plans for securing the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the waterway looms.
The US president has given Tehran until 8pm on Tuesday Washington time to end its blockade of the strait or be bombed “back to the Stone Ages”.
The UK government has pledged to stay out of any offensive action against Iran.
Ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, Britain’s Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, outside London, will host a meeting of military planners to discuss long-term measures to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait, a vital shipping route for oil and gas, has been effectively blockaded by Tehran since the outbreak of war, causing major disruption to oil supplies and threatening fuel shortages across the world.
Today’s meeting is expected to focus on plans for an international coalition to make the strait safe for shipping once hostilities have ended.
It follows a meeting of more than 40 nations, chaired by foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, that discussed collective action to increase pressure on Tehran to reopen Hormuz.
Source: independent.co.uk
