US President Donald Trump yesterday shared a video on social media of a strike on Iran’s tallest bridge in Karaj, which local officials said killed two people. Trump said the under-construction bridge “comes tumbling down” and he warned Iran should “make a deal” before there is “nothing left”.
Meanwhile, video from a missile base near the Iranian city of Isfahan shows major explosions after an apparent air strike One clip, verified by the BBC, shows secondary explosions after the strikes on Wednesday – while another shows the base burning for several minutes.
On Wednesday night, Donald Trump said the US would hit Iran “extremely hard” in the coming weeks – while also saying its objectives would be met soon. In response, Iran warns of “broader” and “crushing” retaliation, while claiming US-Israeli strikes have been “insignificant”.
And in the, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper yesterday hosted discussions on reopening the Strait of Hormuz – and condemned Iran’s “recklessness” In another development, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi discussed the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in a phone call yesterday, BBC reports.
The ministers also discussed the efforts taken by a number of states to de-escalate tensions in the region, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. The ministers also “exchanged views on the progress of discussions in the UN Security Council on ways to ensure the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and overcome other consequences of the unprovoked aggression of the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the statement adds.
Meanwhile, the number of people killed in Lebanon since the start of the conflict in the Middle East has risen to 1,345 – the Lebanese health ministry has said. In its latest report it said 125 children and 53 health sector workers have been killed. A further 4,040 people have also been injured between March 2 and April 2.
And Yemen’s Houthi rebels yesterday said they fired missiles towards Israel as part of a joint operation with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces – the Houthi faction of Yemen’s military – said the group fired a “barrage of ballistic missiles targeting vital Israeli enemy targets”.
It comes after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said a missile had been launched at its territory from Yemen and said it was working to intercept the threat. Meanwhile, sources have told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Gen Randy George to step down, One of the sources told CBS News, external that Hegseth wants someone to replace George who will implement his and President Donald Trump’s vision for the American army.
Hegseth has fired over a dozen senior military officers, according to CBS, and George was expected to hold his position until 2027. He was nominated for the position by former president Joe Biden and confirmed by the senate in 2023. And US oil prices settled more than 11% higher and Brent soared nearly 8% yesterday, as traders worried about prolonged disruptions to oil supply due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Reuters reports that Brent crude futures closed at $7.87, or 7.78%, higher at $109.03 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose $11.42, or 11.41%, at $111.54 per barrel, settling at their biggest absolute price rise since 2020. Earlier in the conflict the cost of a barrel had nearly reached $120.
