Trump Gives Iran 48 Hours to Open Strait of Hormuz
Trump, on March 26, stated that he is extending the pause on strikes targeting Iran's energy infrastructure for an additional 10 days, until Monday, April 6, 2026, as part of the ongoing diplomatic talks between the two sides
Washington DC: US President Donald Trump on Saturday issued a stark ultimatum to Tehran, saying Iran has 48 hours to strike a deal or reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz "before all hell will rain down on them".
Trump's message, posted on his Truth Social platform, is a reminder of his 10-day ultimatum given to the Islamic Republic earlier to make progress toward a deal or reopen the vital shipping lane.
"Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out-48 hours before all Hell will rain down on them. Glory be to GOD! President DONALD J. TRUMP," his post read.
In a post on Truth Social, the US President claimed that the announcement comes as per a "request" from the Iranian Government and further stated that the negotiations with Tehran 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 P.M., Eastern Time. Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well," the post read.
Search On For Missing Crew Member After 2 US Planes go down in dramatic turn to Iran war
The search is on for one missing U.S. service member while another was rescued after two U.S. warplanes went down in separate incidents including the first shoot-down since the Iran war began nearly five weeks ago.
The incidents occurred just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the U.S. has “beaten and completely decimated Iran.”
One fighter jet was shot down in Iran, officials said. A U.S. crew member from that plane was rescued, but a second was missing, and a U.S. military search-and-rescue operation was underway.
Separately, Iranian state media said a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defense forces. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation, said it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down.
The war now entering its sixth week is destabilizing economies around the world as Iran responds to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by targeting the Gulf region's energy infrastructure and tightening its grip on oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump Says Downing Of US Jet Won't Affect Iran Talks
US President Donald Trump has asserted that the destruction of an American military aircraft will have no bearing on diplomatic discussions with Iran, according to a report by NBC News.
Dismissing the notion that the event would impede negotiations, the President stated, "No, not at all. No, it's war. We're in war." These remarks represent the leader's first public response to the loss of an American plane during the hostilities, occurring as combat actions and diplomatic initiatives proceed simultaneously.
Trump refused to elaborate on the particulars of the "search-and-rescue efforts," noting the delicate nature of the matter, and expressed dissatisfaction with how the press has reported on the "complex and active military operation."Amidst this diplomatic friction, Tehran has intensified its military claims. Iran asserted it downed an American A-10 aircraft near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera, citing the Tasnim news agency.
The report stated the "aircraft was targeted in waters south of and around the strategic waterway," though the "claim could not be independently verified."The "A-10 is a US ground-attack aircraft designed for close air support missions," particularly against ground forces. In a related development, American forces successfully retrieved a crew member from a US fighter jet brought down over Iran, according to CNN. The individual is reportedly alive, "in US custody and receiving medical treatment."While one person has been recovered, the fate of the second crew member remains uncertain as "search and rescue operations were ongoing." Technical details confirmed the downed plane was an "F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet," typically operated by a two-person team.
CNN's analysis of images released by Iranian media verified that the wreckage matches an F-15, while The Wall Street Journal cited Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, which first reported Friday that the jet had been targeted. IRIB shared a map circling the region where the hunt for the pilots has been conducted.
While the exact crash site remains unconfirmed, geolocated footage from Khuzestan Province showed low-flying aircraft in a formation typical of air-to-air refuelling operations. This marks the first time a US aircraft has been downed over Iran during the current conflict.
US outlet Axios confirmed the rescue mission was underway as Iranian media circulated photographs of debris, including a tail fin appearing to belong to the 494th Fighter Squadron based at RAF Lakenheath. Despite the evidence, the US military and White House have not officially commented on the pilots' status.
These military losses coincide with a diplomatic breakdown, as negotiations aimed at securing a truce have reportedly stalled after Tehran declined to participate in scheduled discussions, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Live Updates
- 4 April 2026 11:03 PM IST
Meloni wraps Gulf tour in UAE, discusses conflict and investments
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni concluded her two-day visit to three Gulf states in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, discussing with the country’s leader additional investments by both countries in energy, defense and security, her office said in a statement.
Meloni is the first EU, G20 and NATO leader to visit the Gulf region since the start of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. She began her two-day visit Friday in Saudi Arabia and visited Qatar earlier Saturday. The start of the mission was unannounced due to security concerns. - 4 April 2026 10:48 PM IST
Iran says Iraq exempt from Strait of Hormuz restrictions
Iran will allow Iraqi shipping to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, despite its broader blockade of the key sea lane at the mouth of the Gulf, its military command said Saturday.
"We announce that our brotherly country of Iraq is exempt from any restrictions we have imposed on the Strait of Hormuz, and these restrictions only apply to enemy countries," spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari told state television. - 4 April 2026 9:58 PM IST
Iran claims its Revolutionary Guard hit two American Black Hawk helicopters
In a briefing Saturday, Iran’s joint military command spokesperson said it hit other enemy targets Friday, including the two helicopters.The AP could not independently verify the claims. Some media outlets in the U.S. have reported the helicopters were hit.Ebrahim Zolfaghari said in a statement carried by state media that it “must be called a black and humiliating Friday for the American and Zionist enemies.” - 4 April 2026 8:29 PM IST
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discusses Iran conflict and NATO’s future with alliance chief Mark Rutte
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte over the phone Saturday where they discussed regional and global issues as well as alliance matters.
According to state-run Anadolu Agency, Erdogan told Rutte the situation in Iran was “heading toward a geostrategic deadlock” and urged the international community to step up efforts to end the war. - 4 April 2026 8:26 PM IST
Japanese-linked tanker carrying liquefied petroleum transits the Strait of Hormuz
A Japanese-affiliated tanker carrying liquefied petroleum passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and left the Persian Gulf, according to media reports.
The Indian-flagged LPG tanker Green Sanvi, owned by the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, became a second case of Japanese-affiliated vessel to have passed through the key waterway since the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran began, the Yomiuri newspaper reported. The tanker headed to India after leaving the Persian Gulf and all crewmembers are safe, Yomiuri said, quoting Mitsui as saying. - 4 April 2026 8:20 PM IST
Israel strikes Tyre in south Lebanon after evacuation warnings
BEIRUT, Lebanon: Israel's military renewed its strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Saturday after issuing evacuation warnings, following attacks on nearby buildings that damaged a hospital in the city.
Israel has carried out strikes across Lebanon and launched a ground invasion in the south after Hezbollah entered the war in the Middle East on the side of its backer Iran on March 2.
The Israeli army struck three buildings it had warned people to evacuate, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA).
An AFP correspondent said that a missile hit an 11-storey building northeast of Tyre, completely destroying it and reducing it to a pile of rubble that covered a nearby gas station.
A second raid on a five-storey building near the city leveled half of it, leaving the other half standing.
The third strike was on the Burj al-Shamali Palestinian refugee camp, southeast of the city.
Tens of thousands of people have left Tyre, but around 20,000 remain, including 15,000 displaced from surrounding villages, despite Israeli evacuation warnings covering most of the city and a broad swathe of the south.
Saturday's Israeli warning followed strikes that wounded at least 11 people, including three civil defence members, and damaged a major hospital, the health ministry in Beirut said.
The director of the Lebanese Italian Hospital told the NNA that it would "remain open to provide the necessary medical care" despite the damage.
Overnight strikes destroyed two buildings nearby, an AFP correspondent saw, shattering windows and also causing suspended ceilings to collapse in the hospital, management said.
A wave of attacks hit the Tyre area on Saturday, including one on its port that struck a small boat and damaged others moored nearby, the correspondent said.
Another Israeli airstrike targeted and completely destroyed a mosque in the town of Baraashit in the Bint Jbeil district, the NNA reported. — AFP
- 4 April 2026 7:35 PM IST
Russia evacuates 198 workers from Iran nuclear plant amid strike: state media
MOSCOW: Russia started a planned evacuation of 198 workers from Iran's Bushehr atomic plant shortly after a US-Israeli projectile hit near the facility, Russian state media said on Saturday.
"As planned, we began the main phase of the evacuation today. About 20 minutes after that ill-fated strike, buses set off from Bushehr station towards the Iranian-Armenian border. 198 people, to be precise -- this is the largest evacuation," Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev was quoted as saying by TASS news agency. — AFP
- 4 April 2026 7:13 PM IST
Exiled Iranians claim loved ones are being detained in Iran
Iran’s government is detaining family members and threatening to seize property of Iranian opposition figures in exile, some tell The Associated Press, in the latest crackdown on dissenting voices as the war rages on.
Activists overseas play a key role in tracking the crackdown, which is complicated by the internet shutdown imposed earlier this year during massive nationwide protests against the Islamic theocracy. Watchdogs say security forces shot and killed thousands of people. - 4 April 2026 7:12 PM IST
Remains of Slain Indonesian UN peacekeepers return to Jakarta
The remains of three Indonesian United Nations peacekeepers, who were killed while on escort duty supporting U.N. operations in southern Lebanon, arrived in Jakarta on Saturday evening, where President Prabowo Subianto led a solemn welcome ceremony.
The caskets were received at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport’s VIP terminal, draped in Indonesia’s red-and-white national flag, as military honor guards stood at attention.Devastated families leaned against the caskets. Wives rested their foreheads on the flags covering the caskets, their sobs breaking the silence of the military honors. - 4 April 2026 5:05 PM IST
Iran’s foreign minister warns attacks on nuclear facilities will “end life” in Gulf cities
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media on Saturday that radioactive fallout from further attacks on the Bushehr nuclear power plant would have disastrous repercussions in regional capitals, not Tehran.
Araghchi accused Western governments of remaining silent regarding repeated attacks on the Bushehr plant, located some 465 miles (750 kilometers south of Iran’ capital.
The facility uses low-enriched uranium from Russia, along with Russian technicians, to supply about 1,000 megawatts of power for Iran. — AP
