US & ‘Israel’ at war with Iran | Day 39 coverage

Iran's Kuwait ambassador urges regional states to find solution before Trump ultimatum

Explosions rocked the Iranian capital on Tuesday, according to the country's Mehr news agency as well as the newspapers Shargh and Ham-Mihan.

An AFP journalist confirmed that a series of blasts were heard coming from the north of the city.

US-'Israeli' strikes early on Tuesday "completely destroyed" a synagogue in Tehran, Iran's Mehr news agency and the Shargh daily reported.

"According to preliminary information, the Rafi-Nia Synagogue... was completely destroyed in this morning's attacks," Shargh wrote.

Judaism is one of Iran's legally recognised minority religions, and the country has a small Jewish community, although many members fled in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Sirens sound to announce end of alert period

Air raid sirens sounded in Eilat and the Arava region after missiles were launched from Iran, according to reports.

'Israeli' media said air defense systems intercepted the missiles over the city, while 'Israeli' Army Radio reported that the projectile fired toward Eilat was a cluster missile.

Air raid sirens blare across Jordan

US- ‘Israeli’ strikes early on Tuesday "completely destroyed" a synagogue in Tehran, Iran's Mehr news agency and the Shargh daily reported.

"According to preliminary information, the Rafi-Nia Synagogue... was completely destroyed in this morning's attacks," Shargh wrote.

Judaism is one of Iran's official religions, and the country has a small Jewish community, although many members fled in the aftermath of the revolution in 1979.

The ‘Israeli’ military warned Iranians Tuesday morning to not use trains across the country or they will put “their lives at risk”.

“Dear citizens, for your safety, please refrain from using or traveling by train across Iran from now until 21:00 Iran time. Being on trains or near railway lines puts your life at risk,” the ‘Israeli’ military’s Farsi-speaking account said on X.

• Following a "triple veto" threat from Russia, China, and France against the use of force, the Council is voting on a significantly weakened text. The latest draft no longer authorizes military action—even defensively—but instead "strongly encourages" states to coordinate naval escorts for commercial vessels.
• The vote is set for 11:00 AM EST, just hours before Trump’s midnight GMT deadline. The US President has threatened the "complete demolition" of Iran’s bridges and power plants within a four-hour window if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened to international shipping.

The UN Security Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a watered-down resolution calling for the unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz -- far from the sponsoring Gulf countries' initial goal of obtaining clearance to free it by force.

The vote is expected at 11:00 am (03:00 GMT), though the outcome is not certain. The text in question has been diluted in recent days in the hope of avoiding rejection.

A draft seen by AFP on Monday no longer mentions authorization to use force -- even defensively.

The vote comes just hours before Donald Trump's 8:00 pm (midnight GMT) deadline for Iran to make a deal or face the US military destroying its power plants and bridges.

Bahrain, with the backing of the United States and other oil-exporting Gulf countries, launched negotiations two weeks ago on a draft that would have given a clear UN mandate to any state wishing to use force to unblock the strait.

Iran has imposed an effective blockade on the critical waterway since the United States and ‘Israel’ launched the war on February 28, sending ripple effects throughout the global economy.

"We cannot accept economic terrorism affecting our region and the world, the whole world is being affected by the developments," Jamal Alrowaiei, Bahrain's ambassador to the UN, said last week.

But objections from several veto-holding permanent members -- including France, Russia and China -- have forced the text to be watered down and the vote delayed multiple times.

French opposition appeared to be lifted by the addition of wording that meant any action would need to be "defensive."

The Security Council adopted a strong resolution against Tehran in mid-March, condemning its blocking of the strait.

The Council must now "swiftly develop the necessary defensive response" to the situation, French Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont said on Thursday.

However, Russia, a long-standing ally of Iran, as well as China could still veto the text. For this reason, a vote scheduled for last Friday was delayed.

The latest draft reviewed by AFP "strongly encourages states...to coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances, to contribute to ensuring the safety and security of navigation, including through the escort of merchant and commercial vessels," rather than explicitly authorizing force.

It also "demands," that Iran "immediately cease all attacks against merchant and commercial vessels and any attempt to impede transit passage or freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."

Additionally, it calls for the end to attacks on civilian water, oil, and gas infrastructure.

"Bahrain and its backers would secure a clear diplomatic rejection of Iran's obstruction of the Strait, even if they fell short of obtaining authorization for the use of force," Daniel Forti, the head of UN affairs at the International Crisis Group, told AFP.

"Meanwhile, China and Russia would succeed in preventing the Council from endorsing a potentially escalatory military response, even if the text sidesteps the roles of the US and Israel in the conflict."

UN Security Council mandates authorizing member states to use force are rare.

During the 1990 Gulf War, a vote allowed a US-led coalition to intervene in Iraq after it invaded Kuwait.

In 2011, NATO obtained the green light to intervene in Libya when Russia abstained from a vote. Moscow later fumed that this had led to the fall of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Authorities have temporarily suspended vehicle movement on the King Fahd Causeway, which connects Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, after what is said was “emergency alerts were issued in the Eastern Province,” according to a statement on X by the King Fahd Causeway Authority (KFCA).

The move coincides with a sharp escalation in regional tensions, as Iran continued its attacks against Gulf countries, which it says is retaliation for ‘Israeli’-US strikes.

Iran also previously threatened to strike critical infrastructure across the region, including bridges, in retaliation.

Saudi air defenses intercepted multiple ballistic missiles targeting the Eastern Province earlier on Tuesday, with debris reported near energy facilities.

The 25-kilometer causeway is a critical transport route connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, serving as the island nation’s only land link to the Arabian Peninsula.

Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported that a Jewish synagogue in central Tehran was damaged after ‘Israeli’ strikes targeted the neighbourhood it was located in.

US President Donald Trump is the “most hawkish person” in his administration over the topic of Iran, according to a US source who spoke to him, cited by Axios.

"The president is the most bloodthirsty, like a mad dog," another US official told Axios.

The report said officials downplayed stories that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or Secretary of State Marco Rubio were encouraging him to escalate against Iran.

"Those guys sound like the doves compared to the president,” the source said.

Trump threatened to target Iranian infrastructure, declaring that Tuesday would be "Power Plant Day and Bridge Day" unless Tehran immediately reopens the Strait of Hormuz.

"If the president sees a deal is coming together, he'll probably hold off. But only he and he alone makes that decision," a senior administration official also told Axios.

However, there is skepticism on whether there is enough time to bridge the gap between the United States and Iran in the mediated negotiations.

"Trump would take a deal if he got one, but it's unclear if the Iranians are ready. It will be extremely tense until Tuesday at 8pm," a source close to Trump said.

Hebrew media reported no injuries or impacts following Iran’s ballistic missile attack targeting southern ‘Israel’.

Iran freed a Japanese national held since January, Tokyo said Tuesday, with Kyodo News reporting that the person was believed to be the Tehran bureau chief of broadcaster NHK.

"The Japanese embassy in Iran has confirmed that a Japanese national who was detained by Iranian authorities on January 20 was released on April 6 local time," government spokesman Minoru Kihara said.

US President Donald Trump delivering a speech at the White House alongside the Easter Bunny

Trump highlights recent achievements of the US military, including the rescue missions of both airmen of the F-15E fighter jet that was downed over Iran.

Footage taken of the skies over southern ‘Israel’s’ Negev shows what appears to be an Iranian ballistic missile with a cluster warhead, after the Islamic Republic’s state television said the military launched a new salvo targeting ‘Israel’.

There are no reports of injuries or impacts following the attack, according to Hebrew media.

This is the first Iranian attack on ‘Israel’ in around 12 hours.

‘Israel's’ military announced a "wave" of air strikes on Iran after US President Donald Trump said that a truce proposal to end the US-‘Israeli’ war on Iran from international mediators was not yet enough.

"A short while ago, the IDF completed an air strike wave with the aim of damaging Iranian terror regime infrastructure in Tehran and additional areas across Iran," the ‘Israeli’ military wrote on its official Telegram channel.

The ‘Israeli’ military said Tuesday morning it detected ballistic missiles launched from Iran targeting the area of Negev.

“Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the statement said.

Sirens were activated in southern ‘Israel’.

A drone "coming from Iran" killed a couple in Iraqi Kurdistan after crashing into their home, local authorities reported early on Tuesday.

The autonomous region's Counter-Terrorism Service said in a statement that the incident took place on Monday "when a bomb-laden drone coming from Iran crashed into a civilian home in...the Dara Shakran subdistrict within Erbil Province".

Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that explosions were heard in parts of the capital Tehran and the City of Karaj.

Saudi Arabia said Tuesday morning that debris from intercepted ballistic missiles fell near energy facilities (without providing a name), and that a damage assessment is underway, according to a statement by the defense ministry.

The statement did not add any more information.

An earlier statement by the ministry said that seven ballistic missiles were intercepted over the Eastern Province.

Fire at the Damavand petrochemical plant in Asaluyeh, in the Bushehr province.

The operator of Iran's largest petrochemical complex said the situation was "under control" after ‘Israel’ on Monday bombed the facility, with the extent of the damage being assessed.

Russia provided Iran with detailed intelligence of 55 critical energy infrastructure inside ‘Israel’, according to a source close to Ukrainian intelligence cited by Hebrew media.

The report by the Jerusalem Post said the information allowed Iran to launch precision missile strikes to target ‘Israel’s’ energy grid.

The report added that the sites provided by Russia are divided into three categories based on their importance.

Level one is the critical ‘Israeli’ production facilities, whose destruction would cripple the energy system of ‘Israel’, such as the Orot Rabin power station, which is listed as a primary target.

Level two is the “Major urban and industrial energy hubs”, located in central ‘Israel’.

Level three is local ‘Israeli’ infrastructure, which include regional substations that support industrial zones and smaller power plants.

The report said that Russia assesses the ‘Israeli’ power grid as one with “high degree of isolation”, telling Iran that damaging a few central sites could trigger a total blackout.

US President Donald Trump says that the military had war plans to destroy all bridges and power plants in Iran over a four-hour period if his peace deal deadline is not met.

Donald Trump's "arrogant rhetoric" on the war on the Middle East is not hindering Iran's soldiers, Tehran's army said, after the US president on Monday threatened to raze Iran's infrastructure.

"The rude, arrogant rhetoric and baseless threats of the delusional US president... have no effect on the continuation of the offensive and crushing operations of the warriors of Islam against the American and Zionist enemies," said a spokesman for the army's Khatam Al-Anbiya central command cited by the national broadcaster.

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