US President Donald Trump on Thursday moved his stated deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to April 6, saying Tehran asked for the extension. He also held off on a threat to destroy Iranian energy sites and said that talks were going "very well" despite Iran's denial of any negotiations with Washington. Follow our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.
This liveblog is no longer being updated.
This liveblog is no longer being updated.
Iran Revolutionary Guards report missile and drone strikes on Israel and Gulf sites
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday they had carried out missile and drone strikes the previous day targeting sites in Israel and military facilities in the Gulf used by US forces.
The strikes involved long- and medium-range missiles and "destructive and roaming drones", and targeted sites in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, the Guards said in a statement carried by the IRNA and Fars news agencies.
The statement said a maintenance facility for the US air-defence system Patriot was targeted in Bahrain.
German village thrives on renewable energy amid global price surge
While the world frets about surging energy prices pushed up by the Middle East war, one small German village has been reaping the benefits of its turn to climate-friendly renewables.
Surrounded by wind turbines and studded with solar panels, Feldheim, population 130, boasts its own electricity and heating networks, supplied entirely by cheap local energy, also including biogas.
When it comes to keeping the lights on, "what's happening in the rest of the world doesn't really interest us," 56-year-old Michael Knape, who served as Feldheim mayor for almost a quarter-century, told AFP.
Feldheim, 80 kilometres southwest of Berlin, started its move towards clean renewables in the 1990s after German unification and by 2010 was boasting of its "energy self-sufficiency".
The small village has since attracted attention from across the world as an example of Germany's decades-old energy transition project away from fossil fuels and nuclear power.
Israel carries out strikes on Tehran infrastructure
Israel's military said its forces carried out strikes on "infrastructure" targets in Tehran early Friday, nearly a month into the Middle East war.
A brief military statement said Israeli forces "completed a wide‑scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran".
Pentagon weighs sending up to 10,000 extra troops to Middle East
The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give President Donald Trump more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing Department of Defense officials with knowledge of the planning.
Explosions heard from south Beirut as local media report Israeli strike
Lebanese media reported an Israeli strike hit Beirut's southern suburbs early on Friday, as AFP correspondents heard several explosions from the Hezbollah stronghold, which Israel has repeatedly struck since war erupted on 2 March.
AFPTV footage showed smoke rising from the area after the raid. Israel has previously issued sweeping evacuation warnings for the area, but provided no specific warning in advance of Friday’s strike, which came in the early hours of the morning.
Saudi crown prince meets Zelensky to discuss regional tensions
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Jeddah on Friday and discussed the regional escalation and the Ukrainian crisis, the Saudi state news agency said.
No further details were provided. Earlier this month, Zelensky said he had spoken with the Saudi crown prince and restated Kyiv's offer to help deal with Iranian drones.
Thai cargo ship runs aground off Iran after attack in Strait of Hormuz
A Thai-flagged cargo ship that was hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month has run aground off Iran’s Qeshm Island, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said on Friday.
Thailand said 20 crew members were rescued by the Omani navy, while three were missing after an explosion in the stern of the ship, Mayuree Naree, caused a fire in the engine room.
Japan to ease coal restrictions amid energy crunch
Japan's government is set to announce plans on Friday to temporarily lift restrictions on coal-fired power plants as it seeks to ease an energy crunch caused by the Middle East war, media reported.
The Japanese industry ministry will announce its proposal to boost the use of coal by rolling back rules that were aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions, Jiji Press and other Japanese media reported, citing unnamed sources.
Power suppliers have previously been required to keep the operating rate of coal-fired thermal power stations that emit large amounts of carbon dioxide at or below 50 percent, according to Jiji Press.
But the government now intends to allow full operation of older, less efficient coal-fired plants, the report said, adding the ministry will present the plan at a panel of experts' meeting scheduled for Friday.
Republicans at CPAC back Trump strikes on Iran despite national scepticism
Republicans at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference largely rallied behind US strikes on Iran on Thursday, backing President Donald Trump on an issue that has dented his wider approval ratings and could jeopardise the party’s prospects in the November midterm elections.
Speakers ranging from a prominent evangelist to a former Trump adviser and Iranian political activists took to the stage at the conservative gathering in Grapevine, Texas, to argue the moral case for the war before supporters of Trump’s Make America Great Again movement.
While acknowledging that Americans are concerned about the prospect of a protracted conflict, CPAC senior fellow Mercedes Schlapp used a session featuring two Iranians shot by security forces during 2022 protests to press the case for a war she said would liberate its people.
“The madness needs to stop. We’ve got to make Iran free again – and we are going to make sure America stands strong by their side,” Schlapp, a senior adviser to Trump during his first term, said during the session titled “MAGA vs. Mullah Madness.”
Australia defends role after Trump criticism over Middle East support
Australia on Friday defended its efforts to help the United States and other allies in the Middle East, after President Donald Trump condemned Canberra’s contributions as “not great”.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said Canberra had done all it was asked, suggesting Washington had not formally requested naval support.
“The one request we’ve had from the United States is to provide support for the Gulf states,” Marles told Australia’s Nine News.
“Which is, in fact, what we are doing – and that’s where we see our national interest.”
Australia had deployed a long-range military surveillance plane to help the United Arab Emirates defend against Iranian strikes, Marles said.
Iran denies requesting pause as peace plan response pending
Iran has not requested a 10-day pause on strikes on its energy plants and has yet to deliver a final response to a 15-point plan to end the war, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing peace talk mediators.
US President Donald Trump said earlier on Thursday that he was pausing attacks on Iran’s energy plants for 10 days, which he described as a request from the Iranian government, and added that talks with Tehran were going “very well.”
Stocks slide as oil rises amid renewed Iran war fears
Stocks fell sharply on Thursday, while oil prices rose as doubt once again overtook hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran.
The S&P 500 slumped 1.7% for its worst day since January and is back on track for a fifth straight losing week. That stretches back to before the Iran war began, and it would mark the longest such losing streak in nearly four years.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 469 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq Composite sank 2.4%, leaving it more than 10% below its all-time high set earlier this year.
Trump extends deadline to open Strait of Hormuz to April 6
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would not yet strike Iranian power plants as previously threatened after a request from Tehran, and added that talks with the Islamic republic were "going very well".
"As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 PM, Eastern Time," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
"Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well."
The US president on Saturday had given Iran 48 hours to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its power plants.
On Monday, he then extended the deadline by five days saying talks with Tehran were progressing.
In the 'interest' of all G7 nations to reopen Strait of Hormuz, Rubio says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to reporters shortly before heading to France for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers outside Paris on Friday, saying it was in the "interest" of all G7 members to help get the Strait of Hormuz open and functioning again.
"It's in their interest to help," he said.
Rubio, who skipped the first day of the G7 meeting on Thursday, said there was "progress" in talks with Iran but refused to speculate on when or how they might end.
"There are intermediary countries that are passing messages, and progress has been made," Rubio said, calling it an "ongoing process".
Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – the other G7 members – reiterated their hope for a diplomatic solution to the situation in Iran at the talks on Thursday.
Iran bans sports teams from travelling to countries it deems 'hostile'
Iran has banned national and club sports teams from travelling to countries it considers hostile until further notice, Iranian media reported on Thursday citing the Sports Ministry, which said the move was due to concerns over the safety of Iranian athletes.
"The presence of national and club teams in countries considered hostile and unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice," the ministry said.
The ministry added that the Football Federation and clubs are required to notify the Asian Football Confederation to relocate match venues.
Israel army says more troops needed on Lebanese front
The Israeli military said on Thursday it requires additional troops for deployment in southern Lebanon, where forces are engaged in fighting Hezbollah as part of efforts to establish a buffer zone.
"On the Lebanese front, the forward defensive zone that we are creating requires additional IDF forces," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised briefing, noting that the military is operating simultaneously across multiple fronts, including the West Bank, Gaza and Syria.
"For that, more combat soldiers are needed in the IDF."
Israel opposition leader warns of looming 'security disaster' due to shortage of troops
Israel's main opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the government Thursday of steering the country toward a "security disaster" due to a shortage of combat soldiers.
"The IDF is stretched to the limit and beyond. The government is leaving the army wounded out on the battlefield," Lapid said in a televised statement, echoing a warning delivered a day earlier by military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir to the security cabinet, according to Israeli media reports.
"The government is sending the army into a multi-front war without a strategy, without the necessary means, and with far too few soldiers," Lapid said.
We believe Russia is aiding Iran's military effort against US targets, says French foreign minister
Everything leads us to believe that Russia is aiding Iran's military effort that is being used against American targets, said French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Thursday.
Analysis: Iran will not capitulate, Trump has it all wrong
Senior Researcher in the Iran and Shi'ite Axis Program at the Institute for National Security Studies Danny Citrinowicz tells FRANCE 24 that the trajectory of the war in Iran hinges on competing perceptions of resilience, legitimacy, and leverage - not on battlefield dominance alone.
Yesterday's key developments:
Iran rejected a 15-point US peace plan to end the Middle East war, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying, "We do not intend to negotiate."
US President Donald Trump is ready to "unleash hell" if Iran does not accept a deal to end the nearly four-week Middle East war, the White House warned Wednesday.
The United States claimed that it has hit two-thirds of Iran’s production facilities for missiles and drones, and a similar proportion of its naval production.
