The Israeli military on Sunday announced it had launched new strikes on Tehran after detecting seven new waves of missiles fired from Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to "further expand" the "existing security strip" it occupies in southern Lebanon. Iran's navy chief earlier said it will target the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier as soon as it comes within range. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.
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Trump says Iran has undergone 'regime change'
Trump: do see a deal in Iran, could be soon
Saudi Arabia says intercepted five ballistic missiles headed to Eastern Province
Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said its forces detected and intercepted five ballistic missiles aimed at the kingdom's Eastern Province.
The brief statement posted on X did not specify where the missiles originated.
Since the Middle East war erupted at the end of February, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have been regularly targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign, now in its second month.
Iran accuses US of plotting ground attack despite diplomatic talk
The speaker of Iran's parliament accused the United States on Sunday of plotting a ground attack despite publicly pushing for a negotiated deal, after a US warship with around 3,500 military personnel arrived in the Middle East.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf's comments came after more than a month of aerial bombardments of Iran by US and Israeli forces, and as key regional players held talks in Pakistan
Trump says he wants Iran's oil, could seize Kharg Island, FT reports
US President Donald Trump said he wants to "take the oil in Iran" and could seize the export hub
of Kharg Island, in an interview with Financial Times published on Sunday.
Iran strikes Kuwait power station killing one Indian worker
An Iranian strike on a power station in Kuwait killed one Indian worker and damaged a building at the site, the Gulf state's electricity ministry said Monday.
"A service building at a power and water desalination plant was attacked as part of the Iranian aggression against the State of Kuwait, resulting in the death of an Indian worker and significant material damage to the building," said Fatima Abbas Jawhar Hayat, a spokesperson for the ministry.
Israel parliament approves 2026 budget with increased defence spending
Israel's parliament approved the 2026 budget early Monday, providing for a significant increase in military spending as the country remains engaged in wars on multiple fronts.
Lawmakers passed the budget with 62 votes in favor and 55 against.
Israeli military says it intercepted two drones launched from Yemen
UNIFIL says one peacekeeper killed, one critically injured in southern Lebanon explosion
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said a peacekeeper was killed when a projectile exploded at one of its positions near the southern Lebanese village of Adchit al-Qusayr on Sunday.
Another peacekeeper was critically injured, it said in a statement early on Monday.
"We do not know the origin of the projectile. We have launched an investigation to determine all of the
circumstances," UNIFIL added.
UK's Starmer to host industry leaders for Middle East war talks
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will on Monday convene senior government and military officials alongside energy, shipping, finance and insurance sector leaders to discuss the Middle East war, his office said late Sunday.
The roundtable meeting in Downing Street will examine the impact of Iran's effective closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz, which has driven up oil prices and costs in various sectors around the world.
Participants will include representatives from energy giants Shell, BP and Centrica, shipping firms Maersk and CMA as well as banking executives at HSBC and Goldman Sachs, Starmer's office said.
Senior officials from Lloyd's of London, the world's leading insurance marketplace, will also attend, it noted.
Pakistan says it will host US-Iran talks, while Iran warns US ground troops would be 'set on fire'
Pakistan announced Sunday that it will soon host talks between the US and Iran, though there was no immediate word from Washington or Tehran, and it was unclear whether discussions on the monthlong war would be direct or indirect.
"Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the US have expressed their confidence in Pakistan to facilitate the talks. Pakistan will be honored to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in the coming days,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said after top diplomats from Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met in Islamabad.
Pakistan later said the diplomats had departed for their home countries. The talks were originally scheduled to continue Monday.
Iran's heavy water production plant no longer operational, IAEA says
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Sunday that Iran's heavy water production plant at Khondab, which the country reported had been attacked on March 27, has suffered severe damage and is no longer operational.
The installation contains no declared nuclear material, the UN nuclear watchdog added in a social media post on X.
Israel military says currently striking targets across Tehran
The Israeli military announced it had launched new strikes on targets across Tehran, after it had detected seven new incoming missile salvoes fired from Iran during the day.
"The IDF is currently striking Iranian terror regime targets across Tehran," the military said.
EU says Israel block on Latin Patriarch from Holy Sepulchre is 'violation of religious freedom'
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas denounced a "violation of religious freedom" after Israel stopped the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in the Church of the Sepulchre.
"The decision by Israeli police to bar Jerusalem's Latin Patriarch from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday constitutes a violation of religious freedom and long-standing protections governing holy sites," she said.
"Freedom of worship in Jerusalem must be fully guaranteed, without exception, for all faiths. Jerusalem's multi-religious character must be protected," she added in a social media post.
France, Germany, Italy, UK denounce Israeli move to extend death penalty in statement
The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy and Britain urge Israeli lawmakers to abandon a bill that would significantly expand possibilities to impose the death penalty in Israel, according to a statement shared by the German Foreign Office.
The ministers expressed their "deep concern" over the bill, which could be voted into law next week, the statement said.
"We are particularly worried about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill. The adoption of this bill would risk undermining Israel's commitments with regards to democratic principles," it added.
🎥Qatari news channel AI Araby condemns attack on its office
Iran’s parliamentary speaker has cautioned the United States against launching a ground invasion, warning that Tehran could intensify attacks on US allies, according to state media. Meanwhile, an American-born Israeli soldier has been killed during fighting in southern Lebanon, officials confirmed.
At the same time, senior diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are gathering in Pakistan to advocate for an end to the conflict involving Iran, as the Trump administration awaits Tehran’s official reply to a 15-point peace proposal. France24 correspondent Reza Sayah reports the latest from Tehran, Iran.
Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei thanks Iraq in latest written message
Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has in a written message thanked the people of Iraq for their support in the war against the United States and Israel, Iranian media said on Sunday.
Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war on February 28, has still yet to appear in public after being named and has only issued a handful of written statements.
His failure to appear in person has led to intense speculation over his condition and whereabouts, but state television and some Iranian officials have indicated he is recovering from wounds sustained in an airstrike.
In the a message, Khamenei "expressed his appreciation to the supreme religious authority (in Iraq) and the people of Iraq for their clear stance against aggression against Iran and their support for our country", the ISNA news agency said, referring to the Iraq-based Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, one of the most revered figures in Shia Islam.
The message was delivered following a meeting between the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a Shia party, and the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, it said
Electricity cut in parts of Tehran after attacks on infrastructure, energy ministry says
Electricity was cut in parts of the Iranian capital Tehran and in Alborz province after attacks on infrastructure, Iran's state media cited the country's ministry of energy as saying on Sunday.
Shrapnel hit a part of the electricity grid in Alborz province, causing power to be cut in several areas of Tehran and the city of Karaj. Authorities were working on reinstating it, state media added.
