Hegseth Says He Will Allow Troops To Take Personal Weapons Onto Pbs

Elena Vance

-Apr 4, 2026, 5:41 AM

hegseth says he will allow troops to take personal weapons onto pbs

Hegseth asks the Army’s top uniformed officer to step down during Iran war Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, to step down as the United States wages a war against Iran. Today’s live updates have ended. Follow more live coverage on the Iran war. Major developments we’re following: - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen.

Randy George, to step down, the Pentagon said Thursday without giving a reason for the departure as the United States wages a war against Iran. The ouster, reported earlier by CBS News, is just the latest of more than a dozen firings of top generals and admirals by Hegseth since he took office last year. - In his address Wednesday night, U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S.

forces will keep hitting Iran “very hard” in the next two or three weeks and bring the country “back to the Stone Ages,” even as he touted the success of U.S. operations and argued that all of Washington’s objectives have so far been met or exceeded. - Iran is firing more missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states, with a spokesperson for its military insisting Thursday that Tehran maintains hidden stockpiles of arms, munitions and production facilities.

In Lebanon — where Israel has launched a ground invasion against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants — Israeli strikes have killed 27 people in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said. - The death toll from the war has risen to more than 1,900 people in Iran and over 1,300 people in Lebanon. Thirteen U.S. military members and 10 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Nineteen civilians have been killed in Israel, as well as a number of civilians and soldiers on land and sea in the Gulf region.

Millions of people in Iran and Lebanon have been displaced. Bangladesh implements austerity measures Bangladesh is curtailing office hours and enforcing early closure of malls and shops beginning Friday to handle its energy crisis related to the war. The country’s cabinet ordered 30% spending cuts for fuel and power at government offices, suspended some staff training and stopped purchases of new vehicles, ships and aircraft. Decorative lighting will not be allowed for celebrations.

Bangladesh, a nation of more than 170 million people, is seeking alternative fuel sources and $2.5 billion in external financing for imports, which account for 95% of its fuel. Australia urges weekend motorists to refuel in cities Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen on Friday urged motorists getting away for a long weekend during the Easter holiday to fill up in cities because most of the nation’s fuel shortages are in rural areas.

Among 2,400 gas stations in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, 182 had run out of diesel by Friday. In Australia’s second-most populous state, Victoria, 76 gas stations were out of diesel. In the remaining states ranked by the most populous first, Queensland had 75 stations without diesel, Western Australia had 37, South Australia had 28 and in Tasmania there were seven.

“For those Australians planning a road trip this weekend, given our shortages are predominantly in rural and regional Australia, it makes sense to fill up in the city to help the country if you can,” Bowen said in Sydney. The government, which blamed regional shortages on panic buying and distribution problems, is concentrating on delivering fuel to farmers for planting crops.

Iran claims to be drafting proposal to ‘monitor’ Strait of Hormuz with Oman Thursday’s comments by Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat, quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency, described the proposal as “intended to facilitate and ensure safe passage and provide better services to ships passing through this route.” Iran’s attacks on shipping in the region, as well as reportedly demanding as much as $2 million for passage through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, have created a stranglehold on the route.

It is unclear what the proposal would mean. Oman did not immediately acknowledge it. The strait runs through Iranian and Omani territorial waters but is considered an international waterway that should freely allow ships to pass. “Naturally, when we face an act of aggression, navigation encounters serious problems, and this is the result of the aggressive act,” Gharibabadi said. “We are currently at war and cannot expect pre-war rules to govern wartime conditions.” USS Gerald R.

Ford leaves Croatia The largest American aircraft carrier in service sailed out of Split and “remains poised for full mission tasking in support of national objectives in any area of operation,” the Navy’s 6th Fleet announced. It was unclear where it was going. It went to Croatia after a stop in Souda Bay, Greece, for repairs after a fire in its laundry room. It underwent further repairs in Croatia and saw its sailors take liberty while at port.

The Ford left Norfolk, Virginia, on June 24, 2025, making its deployment one of the longest in Navy history. If it heads to the Middle East, it would have to pass through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. Yemen’s Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have entered the war and begun firing on Israel, meaning the Ford could face fire from them. The USS Abraham Lincoln remains in the Arabian Sea. The U.S.

military’s Central Command said Friday that it “continues to conduct flight operations, both day and night.” The USS George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier departed Norfolk on Wednesday to head to the Mideast. Russian state-run nuclear power company prepares for more evacuations from Iran’s Bushehr plant The state-run news agency Tass quoted Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev as saying Moscow was preparing for “the final wave of evacuations” from Bushehr, which would include more than 200 people.

The company plans to leave a small number of “volunteers” behind to run the reactor. Likhachev said Russia would request a ceasefire from the Americans and the Israelis to allow the evacuation. Russia and Iran say there have been multiple incidents of fire on the plant, but the International Atomic Energy Agency say there has been no damage to the reactor or radiological release from the site. Bushehr took decades to build and finally open, with its power plant connecting to the Iranian grid in 2011 with Russian assistance.

It runs a pressurized-water reactor that generates up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity. That can power hundreds of thousands of homes and other businesses and industries. But it contributes only 1% to 2% of Iran’s power. Latest reports of live fire - Activists early Friday reported strikes around Iran’s capital, Tehran, and the central city of Isfahan. It wasn’t immediately clear what had been hit. - Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported shrapnel in parts of central Israel after a recent Iranian missile attack.

Israel announced a launch of missiles from Iran early Friday. Iranian soccer makes World Cup progress in talks with FIFA chief as war darkens June trip to US A first face-to-face meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino since the U.S. and Israel started a war against Iran on Feb. 28 made genuine progress in soccer diplomacy at the end of a fraught month.

The Iranian soccer federation’s upbeat readout of the meeting in Turkey made no mention of moving World Cup games to Mexico — a subject Infantino has repeatedly shut down for the past two weeks. Infantino also offered tangible help for the squad to prepare for the World Cup in the next two months. Most Iran players are with clubs in the national league that has shut down during the war.

Iran’s World Cup hosts in Arizona said this week that they were pressing on with training camp upgrades plus local and federal security plans — echoing the “stick to the schedule” mantra FIFA has used. The Iranian delegation is due in Tucson no later than June 10. Pentagon not offering a reason for Army chief’s departure amid Iran war Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesperson, said Gen.

Randy George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately.” The ouster is the latest of more than a dozen firings of top generals and admirals by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. As with many of those, Pentagon officials are not offering a reason for George’s departure, which comes nearly five weeks into U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and with no clear timeline from the president on when the war may end.

George has held the post of Army chief of staff, which typically runs for four years, since August 2023, under the Biden administration. He is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and an infantry officer who served in the first Gulf War as well as Iraq and Afghanistan. He was former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s top military aide from 2021 to 2022.

Iran war disrupts US small businesses with shipping complications and higher costs The war is making life more difficult for small business owners across the country, who are grappling with shipping complications, higher costs and consumers tightening their grip on their wallets.

A shoe designer is struggling to import its shoes from Vietnam; a pistachio grower has millions of dollars worth of pistachio exports sitting in the water; a home landscaper in Kansas City is stockpiling fertilizer as prices skyrocket; and a Chicago electronics store owner is facing pain at the pump. Small business owners say the severe supply chain disruptions during the pandemic were worse — but they fear that if the war stretches on for months, it might start to come close.

“The costs are rising, the routes are changing, and capacity is tightening. It’s all happening at the same time, and that’s a perfect storm for small businesses,” said Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association, a trade group for U.S companies that move cargo through the supply chain on all modes of transport.

Strikes on an Iranian bridge killed 8, local authorities say The strikes also wounded 95 people who had gathering under the bridge and along the riverbank to celebrate “Nature Day,” Iran’s state media said, citing authorities in Alborz province. Trump referenced the strike on the B1 bridge, which he called Iran’s biggest, in a social media post saying “much more to follow.” Iranian officials condemned the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The bridge was still under construction.

Hegseth asks the Army’s top uniformed officer to step down while US wages war against Iran U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, to step down, the Pentagon said Thursday, as the United States wages a war against Iran. A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, confirmed that George has been asked to take early retirement from the post of Army chief of staff, which he has held since August 2023.

The ouster of George is just the latest of more than a dozen firings of top generals and admirals by Hegseth since he first took office last year. CBS News was first to report the ouster. JUST IN: Hegseth asks the Army’s top uniformed officer to step down, the Pentagon says, as US wages war against Iran UN to vote on using ‘all defensive means’ to secure navigation in Strait of Hormuz The U.N. Security Council has scheduled a vote at 11 a.m.

EDT Friday on a Bahrain-sponsored resolution authorizing use of defensive means — but not offensive — to secure international navigation in the Strait of Hormuz which has been mostly blocked by Iran. The final draft to be voted on, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, makes significantly waters down earlier proposals. Previous drafts would have authorized countries “to use all necessary means” — U.N. language including possible military action — to secure passage and deter attempts to interfere with international navigation.

The final draft authorizes countries “to use all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances in the Strait of Hormuz and adjacent waters” to secure passage and deter attempts to interfere with international navigation “for a period of at least six months.” Russia and China had strongly opposed the previous drafts authorizing possible offensive action. US oil tops $110 a barrel and stocks recover Stocks overcame early losses to finish Thursday’s trading with slim gains and close out their first winning week since the start of the Iran war.

Oil prices remained elevated, however, at $111.54 for a barrel of U.S. crude, having soared following Trump’s national address late Wednesday, where he vowed the U.S. will continue to attack Iran and failed to offer a clear timetable for ending the conflict. “For markets, a prolonged conflict increases the risk of sustained pressures on inflation, global growth, interest rates, and equity valuations,” wrote Adam Turnquist, chief technical strategist for LPL Financial, in a note to investors.

Blowing up bridges ‘will not compel Iranians to surrender,’ top diplomat says Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday evening that striking civilian infrastructure “only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray”. Araghci’s comments came after Trump shared footage on social media of a section of a bridge collapsing in Iran, threatening more attacks. Araghci’s post on X contained a photo of what appeared to be the same bridge. “Every bridge and building will be built back stronger.

What will never recover: damage to America’s standing,” he wrote. A leading Iranian rights lawyer was detained after giving an interview The daughter of a leading Iranian human rights lawyer is confirming her mom was detained by Iranian intelligence agents in Tehran overnight. Attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh is renowned for defending activists, opposition politicians and women prosecuted for removing their headscarves. She has been imprisoned multiple times. Her activist husband, Reza Khandan, is behind bars in Tehran’s infamous Evin prison. Their daughter Mehraveh Khandan spoke with The Associated Press from Amsterdam.

She said her mother has a heart condition, and she’s worried both because U.S.-Israeli attacks may hit detention facilities and because “our regime became even more brutal after this war started.” Iranian authorities have intensified their crackdown on dissent. Hundreds of people have reportedly been arrested, often for communicating with foreign media.

Days before her arrest, Sotoudeh told an interviewer with a Persian media outlet that the Islamic Republic’s policies “have exposed us to death.” Yemen’s Houthis claim missile attack against Israel The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said this was a joint operation with Iran and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, said in a prerecorded statement that the group’s intervention in the war is “a gradual one”, and they will “deal with future developments according to the enemy’s escalation or de-esclation”.

Earlier Thursday, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen. The Houthis had remained on the war’s sidelines until Saturday, when they claimed a missile attack against Israel. There are growing concerns that the Houthis could start attacking shipping in the Red Sea, as they did during the war in Gaza, or oil facilities in the Persian Gulf, as they did previously during Yemen’s civil war.

Trump sons’ drone venture denies conflicts of interest This latest Trump venture, Powerus, has its sights on $1.1 billion set aside by the Pentagon to build up a U.S. manufacturing base for armed drones to fill a hole left when the Trump administration banned such imports from China. The Florida-based company denied any conflicts when it announced the Trump brothers’ deal. Asked about potential Powerus conflicts of interest specifically, Eric Trump sent the AP a statement last month saying, “I am incredibly proud to invest in companies I believe in.

Drones are clearly the wave of the future.” The company recently raised $60 million from investors and hopes to tap additional financing by doing a “reverse merger” with a Trump company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange that owns a few golf courses. Such a merger allows a private business to quickly go public, shortening the process of filing paperwork and meeting various requirements of a regular initial public offering.

Company backed by Trump sons is pitching drone interceptors to Gulf states being attacked by Iran A drone maker backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. is trying to sell to countries that now depend on the U.S. military led by their father, positioning them to benefit from the war he began. Powerus co-founder Brett Velicovich told The Associated Press that the company is making sales pitches that include drone demonstrations in several Gulf countries to show how its defensive drone interceptors could help them ward off Iranian attacks.

“These countries are under enormous pressure to buy from the sons of the president so he will do what they want,” said Richard Painter, a former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush.

“This is going to be the first family of a president to make a lot of money off war — a war he didn’t get the consent of Congress for.” Pakistan hikes fuel prices by 42% amid global oil price surge linked to Iran war The Pakistani government called Thursday’s increase unavoidable as global oil costs climb because of the Iran war and energy market disruptions. The government raised fuel prices by 137 rupees (49 cents) per liter, after already increasing prices by roughly 20% last month.

Pakistan also announced the price of diesel is going up by 54.9%, or 184.49 rupees ($0.67) per liter. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the Iran conflict has hit Pakistan’s economy hard and that he is trying to bring Washington and Tehran to the negotiating table. War crimes investigation of Israel sought in France The complaint filed Thursday with France’s war crimes unit in Paris involves an Israeli strike on a Beirut apartment building in November 2024, well before the current war.

The International Federation for Human Rights says it killed seven civilians, including the parents of a French-Lebanese artist, Ali Cherri. The human rights group said the strike hit just hours before a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect, and that bombing a civilian building could constitute a war crime under French criminal law and international humanitarian law. Amnesty International said its own investigation found no evidence of a military objective in or near the building, and that civilians received no effective advance warning.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry referred questions to Israel’s military, which did not immediately respond Thursday, but has said it follows international legal norms and strikes only legitimate military targets. War deals a heavy blow to Iraq’s oil-dependent economy Iraq relies on oil revenues for roughly 90% of its budget, and most of it is exported through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the Iran war began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran.

The war also has led to a sharp reduction in the volume of imported goods reaching southern Iraq’s ports, and halted traffic at Iraq’s border with Iran. Unlike other countries in the Middle East touched by the war, Iraq hosts both entrenched Iran-aligned forces and significant U.S. interests, exposing it to attacks from both sides. Iran has offered assurances that Iraqi crude can safely transit the Strait of Hormuz, said Bassem Abdul Karim, the head of Iraq’s Basra Oil Company.

However, because Iraq lacks its own tanker fleet and depends on chartered vessels, shipments ultimately hinge on whether tanker owners are willing to accept the heightened risks. Most are not. US-Israeli strikes on civilian infrastructure threaten to set back Iran ‘generations’ An Iranian human rights activist has described attacks on her area of eastern Tehran. “For two or three nights the sky was full of drones. I constantly saw them,” she said, speaking with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for her safety.

A dissident and former political prisoner, she said U.S.-Israeli strikes are doing growing harm. Trump’s threat to send Iran back to the Stone Age was “offensive” and recalled the brutal 13th century Mongol invasion of Iran, she added. “The truth is: their problem isn’t with the Islamic Republic, it’s with Iran,” she added, pointing to what she said were recent strikes on steel plants, a pharmaceutical company and a landmark Tehran health institute. She described seeing “completely” destroyed homes scattered across the capital, especially in a low-income neighborhood, Resalat.

Iran’s Red Crescent has reported extensive damage to homes and civilian sites. Gulf nations back UN resolution authorizing ‘all necessary measures’ to guarantee shipping through Strait of Hormuz “All necessary measures” is language used by the United Nations that includes military action. At a U.N.

Security Council meeting Thursday, the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council said Iran’s retaliatory attacks on its neighbors had exceeded “all red lines.” Jassim Albudaiwi also stressed that the six GCC nations must be included in any discussions or agreements with Iran on ensuring regional security. Bahrain, the current U.N.

Security Council president and a GCC member, has said it wants a vote Friday on a resolution calling on countries “to use all necessary means” to ensure international transit “in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.” It faces opposition from veto-wielding Russia and China. Dizzying US fuel prices mostly benefit companies that extract and refine crude The near-daily changes in U.S. gas prices have been dizzying for drivers.

Experts say differences in price aren’t typically decided by any individual gas retailer, and most of them aren’t pocketing the extra pennies when prices rise. U.S. gas prices are climbing fast, and drivers are paying the highest pump prices since 2022 as the Iran war shakes oil markets. The national average jumped past $4 a gallon this week. The Energy Information Administration says about half the price covers crude oil, and about 20% goes to refiners. The near-daily changes in U.S.

gas prices are dizzying for drivers, who are left feeling frustrated and cash-strapped as the Iran war pushes up prices worldwide. In his speech on the Iran war, Trump asked Americans for patience. Gulf nations back UN resolution authorizing ‘all necessary measures’ to guarantee shipping through Strait of Hormuz “All necessary measures” is language used by the United Nations that includes military action. At a U.N.

Security Council president and a GCC member, has said it wants a vote Friday on a resolution calling on countries “to use all necessary means” to ensure international transit through the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It faces opposition from veto-wielding Russia and China. Democrats say Trump is losing the war Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, said the president’s speech Wednesday night was “grounded in a reality that only exists in Donald Trump’s mind.” “We are losing this war,” Murphy said.

“We cannot destroy all their missiles or drones, nor their nuclear program. Iran projects more power in the region than they did before the war, especially if they now permanently control the Strait of Hormuz.

We are spending billions we don’t have and losing American lives in a war that is destabilizing the world and making us look feckless.” Iran says strike hit country’s oldest medical research institution Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesperson for Iran’s Health Ministry, said on X that the strikes were “a direct assault on international health security” and called on the World Health Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross to respond.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei on X called it “heartbreaking, cruel, despicable, and utterly outrageous.” Both shared photos of destruction and rubble. Israel’s military said it was not aware of the strikes, and U.S. Central Command did not respond to questions. The Pasteur Institute of Iran is a large laboratory complex that opened more than a century ago and has a staff of more than 1,300 working on the development and manufacture of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals.

The Paris-based Pasteur Network, a global health alliance spanning 32 centers worldwide, did not immediately respond to questions when contacted after business hours. The Institute would not be the first medical facility to be hit during the war, with others, including Tehran’s Gandhi Hospital damaged by shrapnel and debris. Israel has previously claimed Iran struck the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. Lebanon bids farewell to 3 fallen UN peacekeepers The coffins of three Indonesian soldiers serving as U.N.

peacekeepers left Beirut on Thursday after a ceremony honoring their sacrifice, as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies in southern Lebanon. “They lost their lives here in Lebanon, serving under the United Nations flag, serving for peace,” said Major General Diodato Abagnara, UNIFIL head of mission and force commander. Two were killed Monday when their vehicle was hit by an explosion of unknown origin, a day after the third peacekeeper was killed. The U.N. says the deaths are under investigation, and Israel denies involvement.

Trump posts video of bridge collapsing and urges Iran to ‘make a deal’ Trump posted the footage on his social media platform, saying it was Iran’s biggest bridge and threatening “Much more to follow.” Earlier Thursday, Iranian state media reported that the country’s B1 bridge, which is under construction and reportedly the tallest bridge in the Middle East, was attacked. Two semi-officials news agencies reported that two people were killed. It was not immediately clear if the footage Trump shared was of the B1 bridge.

“IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY,” Trump wrote. UN says peacekeepers had to demand Israeli troops take down their flag near UNIFIL station “As you can imagine, the flag undermines the perception of UNIFIL’s impartiality and risks drawing fire towards peacekeepers amid the ongoing clashes that we are seeing,” Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. spokesperson, said Thursday.

The Israeli flag was raised near a peacekeeping position by the village of Kfra Kila in southern Lebanon. This comes just days after three UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed in two separate instances, as Israel invades southern Lebanon and engages in combat with Hezbollah. The investigation into their deaths is ongoing. Austria closes its airspace to US military operations related to Iran Austria’s Defense Ministry cited its neutrality law for rejecting U.S.

requests to use its airspace for ongoing operations The Austria Press Agency quoted a ministry spokesperson on Thursday as saying that there had been “several” requests from Washington, adding that individual cases would be examined in coordination with the Foreign Ministry. The Alpine nation is the latest European country to restrict U.S. military access amid the ongoing U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran.

Rocket of unknown origin falls on UN peacekeeper base in southern Lebanon, Italy’s Defense Ministry says The Italian Defense Ministry said Thursday that no injuries were reported and there was only minor damage to infrastructure. Italy is the second-largest contributor to the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, with some 1,000 to 1,200 soldiers. The base was struck just days after three UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed in two separate instances, as Israel invades southern Lebanon and engages in combat with Hezbollah.

The investigation into their deaths is ongoing. Israel identifies a missile launched toward the country from Yemen The military’s announcement came shortly after a warning about incoming missiles from Iran. The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, unlike Lebanon’s Hezbollah and militant groups in Iraq, had held back for a month into the war before attacking Israel.

Here’s how Iranians are reacting to Trump’s threat to bomb Iran ‘back to the Stone Ages’ That specific line in Trump’s speech Wednesday, which he used in a prior social media post, has stirred anger among Iran officials and the public alike. Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on X that Trump’s comment “reflects ignorance, not strength,” noting that the country’s civilization stretches back more than 7,000 years. Similarly, Seyed Majid Moosavi, the Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Force commander, said on X that Hollywood has misled the U.S.

officials into believing that they can threaten Iran with their “paltry 250-year history.” Some ordinary Iranian people shared similar sentiments. “God willing he himself (Donald Trump) will go back to the Stone Age,” Mahdi Moghaddam, 55, said in an interview in Tehran.

And in letter to Americans on Wednesday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian asked whether such a boast serves “any purpose other than further damaging the United States’ global standing.” Bahrain minister says UN vote on resolution to keep Strait of Hormuz open which faces opposition to take place Friday `God willing’ Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, whose country holds the presidency of the Security Council, said Bahrain looks forward to “a unified position” from its 15 members in the vote, though veto-wielding Russia and China have expressed opposition.

Al-Zayani, the Arab representative on the U.N.’s most powerful body, accused Iran of threatening the global economy by closing the Strait of Hormuz and restricting international navigation through the waterway. These actions violate international law and “endanger energy security and food supplies and global trade,” he said. The Bahrain-drafted Security Council resolution, which is still undergoing revisions, calls on countries “to use all necessary means” —U.N. language that includes military action — to ensure international transit through the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Some Iranians show defiance by dancing and barbecuing The annual public picnic day, called Sizdeh Bedar, which comes from the Farsi words for “thirteen” and “day out,” is a legacy from Iran’s pre-Islamic past that hard-liners in the Islamic Republic never managed to erase from calendars. Many say it’s bad luck to stay indoors for the holiday. (AP video by Mohsen Ganji) The day after Trump said U.S. attacks on Iran would intensify, some Iranians showed their defiance by holding outdoor barbecues and dancing in a park.

Thursday is an annual public picnic day known as Sizdeh Bedar, an ancient tradition marking the last day of Iran’s Nowruz, holidays. The war, now in its second month, has killed more than 1,900 in Iran and left a trail of damage across military sites, universities, cultural landmarks. But even as Trump heralds the killing of the theocracy’s pre-war leaders and the strikes that have degraded its ballistic missile capabilities, some Iranians said Thursday Trump is the one more likely to learn a hard lesson.

“The enemy must know now that this shouldn’t have started, it shouldn’t have attacked and invaded,” said Rasool Azimi, 27, as he was smoking hookah in Tehran’s Mellat park. Oil jumps and Wall Street wavers after Trump vows to escalate attacks on Iran Stocks recovered most of their earlier losses as volatility returned to Wall Street after two days of solid gains. The S&P 500 was down 0.1% after slumping as much as 1.5% in early trading Thursday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 87 points, or 0.2% as of 11:08 a.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Stocks in Europe pared their losses. Oil prices remained elevated although down from earlier highs. The price for a barrel of U.S. crude rose to nearly $114 a barrel at one point. The unsettled trading follows Trump’s failure in his national address to offer a clear timetable for ending the war.

His comments appeared to dim the hopes for a near-term conclusion that had pushed stocks higher through most the week. Bahrain UN proposal to open Strait of Hormuz reaches impasse over China, Russia objections Days of closed-door consultations and high-level talks between Chinese, Russian and Bahraini officials have not yet resulted in a breakthrough on a draft proposal to open the critical waterway.

Moscow and Beijing objected to the latest draft Thursday despite some minor changes, arguing that language authorizing “all necessary means” to protect commercial shipping still goes too far. That is according to a U.N. diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic conversations. “Actions by the UN Security Council should help ease tensions and bring about a ceasefire and the resumption of talks, rather than endorse illegal acts of war, still less add fuel to the fire,” China’s mission to the U.N. posted on X.

Argentina declares Iran’s top diplomat persona non grata, orders departure amid escalating tensions Argentina on Thursday declared Iran’s chargé d’affaires, Mohsen Soltani Tehrani, persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within 48 hours. The decision followed a statement from Iran’s foreign affairs ministry accusing President Javier Milei and Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno of acting under “the influence of the occupying and genocidal Zionist regime and the United States,” and of being complicit in U.S. attacks on Iran.

In late March, Argentina designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. The designation allows authorities to freeze its assets, funds and property and bars it from operating within the country’s financial system.

Argentina has long said that the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association “were planned, financed and carried out with the direct participation of the Iranian regime and operatives of the Revolutionary Guard.” The 1992 bombing killed 29 people and injured more than 200. The AMIA attack killed 85 and wounded more than 300 in Argentina’s deadliest terrorist attack. Trump’s jibes at UK’s Royal Navy strike a nerve The U.K.

has been at the forefront of Trump’s ire since the onset of the Iran war on Feb. 28, when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to grant the U.S. military access to British bases. He has repeatedly lashed out at Starmer and branded the Royal Navy’s two new aircraft carriers as “toys.” For numerous reasons, the Royal Navy is, and has no reason to be, as big as it used it to be. But it’s not as feeble as Trump implies.

In the wake of Russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and with another Middle East war underway, there’s a growing understanding across the U.K’s political divide that defense spending needs to be ramped up. UN experts urge international probe into Israel’s killing of Lebanese journalists Israeli strikes on March 28 killed Ali Shoeib, a correspondent with Hezbollah’s Al-Manar; and two journalists with Al-Mayadeen, the Lebanese pan-Arab television network: reporter Fatima Ftouni and her cameraman brother Mohammed, as they covered the war in southern Lebanon.

The UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said Thursday that the killings must be “promptly, fully and independently investigated by an international body.” Israel’s military said without providing evidence that it had targeted Shoeib for being a Hezbollah intelligence operative. The U.N. experts said working for an outlet an outlet linked to an armed group does not constitute direct participation in hostilities.

“We denounce strongly what has now become a standard, dangerous practice of Israel to target and kill journalists and then claim, without providing any credible evidence, that they were involved with armed groups,” the UN experts said in a press release.

“The only ‘evidence’ … is what they themselves admit is a photoshopped image of Ali Shoeib … a blatant demonstration of their disdain for international law.” Israel has killed at least 259 journalists across regional conflicts since the Gaza war began in 2023, with at least 64 of them appearing to have been directly targeted, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Beijing urges end to war as soon as possible in calls with EU, Germany and Saudi Arabia Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says Beijing is willing to work with the European Union to end the war in Iran as soon as possible. He made the comments in a phone call Thursday with Kaja Kallas, EU’s foreign policy chief. Wang said similar in a separate call with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Wang also told Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan that the most urgent matter is halting the fighting. Kallas said on social media that the EU “supports all diplomatic efforts” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and “calls for de-escalation and restraint.” The Chinese foreign ministry statement said Kallas praised a five-point proposal from China and Pakistan urging hostile acts to end, peace talks to start and the strait to be secured.

Trump used Iran war address to bid for patience from increasingly skeptical Americans Trump used his first major address since launching his war in Iran to assure Americans that all of his military objectives will soon be completed. But Trump finds himself facing both an enemy that refuses to throw in the towel and an increasingly skeptical electorate whose tolerance for the conflict is being stretched. Most Americans believe recent U.S.

military action against Iran has gone too far, and many are worried about affording gasoline, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in mid-March, a couple of weeks after the war started. While Trump is deploying more warships and troops to the Middle East, about 59% of Americans say U.S. military action in Iran has been excessive.

Meanwhile, 45% are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30% in an AP-NORC poll conducted shortly after Trump won reelection with promises that he would improve the economy and lower the cost of living.

UN chief warns that Middle East is ‘on the edge of a wider war’ with dramatic global impacts Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the United States and Israel to stop the war and Iran to stop attacking its neighbors hours after Trump, in his address to Americans, said U.S. air strikes would intensify and gave no clear date for ending the conflict. Guterres told U.N.

reporters Thursday that Iran’s strangling of the Strait of Hormuz is impacting the daily lives of people around the globe who are now facing rising food and energy costs. The secretary-general said diplomatic efforts are underway, but conflicts only end “when leaders choose dialogue over destruction.” “Many aspects of the conflict may be uncertain but one thing is not: If the drums of war keep beating, escalation will only make all of this worse,” Guterres warned.

Katz threatens Hezbollah leader after heavy rocket fire on Israel The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group fired some 80 rockets at Israel on Thursday, including one barrage that damaged an empty kindergarten in the northern town of Nahariya, causing no injuries, Israel’s military said. Images released by Israeli police and rescue services showed blown out windows, mangled metal and a large teddy bear strewn across the yard. The escalated fire began as many Israelis prepared to celebrate the first night of Passover, and amid simultaneous fire from Iran.

Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, warned Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem on Thursday that he and the militant group will “pay a very heavy price for the intensified firing toward Israeli citizens as they sit to celebrate the Passover Seder.” “You will not get to see it, because you will be deep at the bottom of hell,” Katz said. His video statement was released by his office following an assessment with military officials. Israel warns of more incoming missiles from Iran Moments later sirens rang out in Jerusalem and surrounding areas.

This was Thursday’s fifth such warning of Iranian missile fire. Another hospital in Lebanon evacuates as Israeli forces widen invasion Medical and nursing staff were evacuated on Thursday from Salah Ghandour Hospital in the southern province of Bint Jbeil as a precaution over fears of an Israeli ground advance at the western entrance of the city, where the hospital is located, Lebanon’s state news agency said. The move comes as additional waves of Israeli airstrikes hit multiple areas across Bint Jbeil province, including the city and several nearby towns.

Israeli forces have continued widening their invasion along the southern border, pushing deeper into Lebanese territory. The evacuation adds up to five hospitals now closed, according to the Health Ministry. Nine hospitals have been targeted by Israeli strikes so far, the ministry has said. Israeli strikes kill 1,345 since Israel-Hezbollah war began Over the past 24 hours, Israeli strikes killed 27 people and wounded 105, the Lebanese health ministry said Thursday.

The ministry said that overall, strikes have killed 1,345 people, including 125 children and 91 women, since Israel launched intense airstrikes across Lebanon after the Hezbollah militant group fired rockets toward northern Israel in solidarity with Iran on March 2. The strikes have also wounded 4,040 others. Among those killed are 53 health workers, while Israeli strikes have targeted 82 emergency medical service facilities, the health ministry said. So far, more than one million Lebanese have been displaced as Israeli ground forces continue their invasion into southern Lebanon.

Tehran resident deplores Trump’s threat to intensify strikes on Iran An engineer living in Tehran said Trump’s threats to bring Iran back to the Stone Ages show he doesn’t care about the Iranian people. The engineer, who has been in touch with The Associated Press before, said Thursday that Trump’s comments left him feeling “disgusted” and enraged, as it shows intent on destroying not the Islamic Republic regime but the country’s infrastructure and culture. “He really doesn’t care about the people of Iran.

He really doesn’t care about the future,” said the engineer, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals from Iranian authorities for speaking to foreign media. The engineer said he for one is taking the threats seriously, anticipating a ground invasion that will be a “bigger predicament” for the invading troops and will set Iran back years.

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