Israel warned Friday it will expand its attacks on Iran as Tehran kept firing missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab nations. The U.S. military also continued striking Iran, while President Donald Trump delayed his threat to obliterate Iran’s energy plants over its effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel has moved thousands of troops across the border into Lebanon, where Israeli officials said they want to take control of the entire area south
of the Litani River — some 20 miles (about 30 kilometers) north of the border.
Facing a convulsing stock market, Trump on Thursday extended a deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz until April 6, saying Iran asked for the grace period and that talks were going “very well,” despite the fact Iran continues to publicly insist it is not negotiating with the White House on a 15-point proposal to end the conflict.
The war has killed more than 1,900 people in Iran and nearly 1,100 in Lebanon. Eighteen people have died in Israel, while four Israeli soldiers have also been killed in Lebanon. Thirteen U.S. military members have died, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.
Here is the latest:
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been in contact with Iran’s foreign minister and the U.S. ambassador about his new task force to enable food, fertilizer and humanitarian aid to get through the Strait of Hormuz unhindered, the U.N. said.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres has also spoken to the foreign ministers of Egypt and Pakistan and Bahrain’s U.N. ambassador — but not yet to an official from Israel.
He called Iran’s support for the initiative “pretty critical,” and said the secretary-general plans to speak to Iran’s U.N. ambassador later Friday and will be making more calls.
Dujarric said the U.N. has a lot of past experience in verifying cargo and inspections in conflict zones — in the Black Sea earlier in the Ukraine war, in Yemen and in Gaza.
“We hope that all member states involved will support this” initiative, Dujarric said, stressing that the focus is strictly on meeting humanitarian needs and getting fertilizer to farmers and food to millions of people impacted by the Iran war — not on oil shipments.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said workers at industrial companies in the region either with U.S. shareholders or allied with Israel should leave their workplaces immediately, citing retaliatory operations underway, according to Iranian state media, IRNA.
Meanwhile, Seyed Majid Moosavi, IRGC’s Aerospace Force commander, issued a stark warning on X, threatening retaliatory responses meant to harm interest of United States and Israel in the region.
“You tested us once before; the world has once again seen that you yourselves started playing with fire and attacking infrastructure. This time, the equation will no longer be ‘an eye for an eye’, just wait,” he wrote on X.
The warnings came after the U.S. and Israel launched multiple attacks on industrial and nuclear sites in Iran on Friday, targeting a heavy-water plant and a yellowcake production plant were struck, IRNA reported earlier. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said that the strikes posed no risk of contamination, according to state media.
The United Nations on Friday announced the creation of a new task force focused on addressing the rippling effects the Iran war has had on humanitarian aid and agriculture production getting through the critical waterway.
“While the Secretary-General is committed to making every effort to achieve a comprehensive and durable settlement of the conflict, immediate action is essential to mitigate these consequences,” Stephane Dujarric, the U.N. spokesperson, said during a daily briefing.
The task force will include representatives from the world body’s trade, maritime and commerce agencies, who will focus on developing and proposing technical mechanism to get critical aid through the strait. It will be modeled after similar U.N. initiatives, including the humanitarian operation in Gaza and the inspection and monitoring mechanism for Yemen.
Iran’s judiciary has threatened to seize the property of soccer player Sardar Azmoun, two semiofficial news agencies say.
The celebrity athlete’s assets were on a list of 16 individuals judicial authorities in the northern province of Golestan planned on confiscating, according to the Fars news agency.
The list included Iranian musician Mohsen Yeghaneh, both agencies added.
The announcement follows threats from Iran’s hard-liner judicial chief that authorities planned to seize the assets of celebrities viewed as critical of the government.
Azmoun was dropped from Iran’s national team after a posting on his Instagram account showed a photo of him with political leaders of the United Arab Emirates.
After security forces shot thousands of anti-government protesters in early January, Yeghaneh posted a message on his Instagram saying “every compatriot whose blood is spilled on the ground waters the tree of hatred for the oppressor.”
Saying “I won’t discuss military tactics,” Rubio stressed that most U.S. objectives in Iran are “ahead of schedule,” adding, “We can achieve them without any ground troops.”
Asked again what role aside from ground invasion the troops could play, Rubio said that Trump “has to be prepared for multiple contingencies” and that U.S. forces are available “to give the president maximum optionality and maximum, opportunity to adjust to contingencies should they emerge.”
Thousands of U.S. troops are en route to the region, including at least 1,000 from the 82nd Airborne Division.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says ensuring the Strait of Hormuz remains open to shipping is likely to pose an “immediate challenge” even after the U.S. accomplishes its military objectives in Iran.
Speaking to reporters following a G7 meeting in France, Rubio said Iran may seek to set up a toll on the strait, an act that he said could cause significant economic damage to many nations around the globe.
He said the U.S. would seek international cooperation on a plan to keep the strait open after hostilities end.
“Not only is this illegal, it’s unacceptable. It’s dangerous to the world,” Rubio said of the possibility that Iran would seek to restrict traffic through the strait. “And it’s important that the world have a plan.”
Leaving a G7 meeting in France, Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed reports Friday by TAssociated Press and others that Russia has provided Iran with information to help Tehran target U.S. military personnel and assets in the Middle East as the week-old war rages.
“Look ... let me put it to you this way. There is nothing Russia is doing for Iran that is in any way impeding or affecting our operation or the effectiveness,” Rubio told reporters on the tarmac.
Departing the G7 meeting in France, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that, “if the United States has a military need, whether it is to replenish our stocks or to fulfill some mission in the national interest of the United States, we’re always going to come first when it comes to our weapons.”
American Patriot air-defense missiles have been moved from Europe toward the Middle East as Washington redirects resources to its war on Iran.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Kyiv will “definitely” face shortages of Patriot systems because of the war against Iran.
“If we need something for America and it’s American, we’re going to keep it for America first,” Rubio said. “But as of now, that has not happened.”
“We did not want to see more wars. We wanted actual America-first policies, and Trump was very explicit about that,” Benjamin Williams, a 25-year-old marketing specialist for Young Americans for Liberty, said at the annual convention of the Conservative Political Action Conference. “It does feel like a betrayal, for sure.”
“I’m not happy,” said Auburn University sophomore Sean O’Brien. He said his support for Trump has slipped as he sends U.S. troops into the Middle East. Deploying them into Iran, he said, “would be full betrayal.”
“It seems like the love for him is plateauing. We see our party splitting apart and we’re supposed to be united,” said Tiffany Krieger, a 20-year-old sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh. “I think this issue with the war has put a line through the conservative movement.”
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— “I don’t believe he started a new war. He was acting in response to a 40-year-old war by Iran,” said Joe Ropar, 70, a retired defense contractor from McKinney, Texas. “How long were we supposed to wait? I think he did what he had to do when he had to do it.”
— “You campaign on what you want to do and then the world’s dynamics happen,” said Kelle Phillips, 61, an old author and religious instructor from Frisco, Texas. “I think the difference is if you have someone in the Iranian regime who wants to destroy America. You can’t reason with them.”
— Trump’s short-term goals in Iran shouldn’t concern people adverse to a long slog overseas, and his early campaign opposition to government overthrow was a preference, not an iron-clad promise, said James Scharre, 61. “Trump is a wise leader. He does what works. And I’m for it.”
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Iran state media says its nuclear facilities were attacked Friday, just hours after Israel threatened to “escalate and expand” its campaign against Tehran.
A heavy-water plant and a yellowcake production plant were struck, IRNA reported. Yellowcake is a concentrated form of uranium after impurities are removed from the raw ore. Heavy water is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said the Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex in Arak and the Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd Province were targeted, the agency said. The strikes did not cause any casualties and there was no risk of contamination, it said. Israel also attacked the Arak plant last June.
Word of the attacks came after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed talks on ending the war were going well and gave Tehran more time to open the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has given no sign of backing down.
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Pakistan’s foreign minister said Friday that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a phone call has praised and expressed full support for Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts aimed at ending war in the region.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on X that they discussed the evolving situation in West Asia and its implications for international peace and security.
Dar said he underscored the United Nations’ indispensable role in conflict prevention and resolution and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to diplomacy and dialogue as the only viable path to sustainable peace.
French foreign affairs minister Jean-Noël Barrot says G7 countries have adopted a declaration on Iran calling for an immediate halt to attacks against civilian populations and infrastructure.
“Nothing justifies deliberately targeting civilians during armed conflicts, nor carrying out attacks against diplomatic facilities,” Barrot told a press conference after a meeting with his G7 counterparts outside Paris.
“It also reaffirms the absolute necessity of permanently restoring free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Barrot said.
Barrot said that Rubio, like other participants in these discussions, “wants that once the United States’ military objectives have been achieved, maritime security and freedom of navigation can be ensured in the Strait of Hormuz, as in all international waters around the world.”
The WFP’s estimate for this year is up from a baseline of 318 million across 68 countries previously forecast for 2026. It takes into account data from 53 countries.
The agency cites the spike in energy prices due to the Middle East fighting as having the biggest impact on food prices, with low-income countries especially vulnerable.
Per capita incomes in poorer nations have not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels, and governments finances are tight as food prices have risen by 15% in a dozen countries, and by more than half in Venezuela, Iran and Sudan, the agency said.
Opposition to the war against Iran has more people signing up for “No Kings” protests, where organizers say more than 9 million Americans plan to demonstrate Saturday against the Trump administration.
Bruce Springsteen, who plans to perform “Streets of Minneapolis”, says they’re coming to defend “American democracy, American freedom, our American Constitution and our sacred American dream — all of which are under attack by our wannabe king and his rogue government.”
More than 3,100 events are being organized across all 50 US states, including many in suburbs where resistance against Trump is growing, said Ezra Levin, a cofounder of Indivisible, the activist group spearheading the events.
Other rallies are planned in Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Mexico and Australia. In constitutional monarchies, they’re using “No Tyrants” as their rallying cry.
The pregnant woman was killed by an Israeli strike Friday on the eastern village of Bazalieh that also wounded seven people, the Health Ministry said.
The ministry in Beirut said 26 people were killed and 86 wounded over the past 24 hours, increasing the toll of wounded to 3,315 since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2.
U.S.-Israeli strikes are wreaking widespread damage to civilian sites in Iran’s capital, one month into the war. The head of Iran’s largest bookshop chain, Book City, says at least six branches across Tehran have been damaged.
Ali Jafarabadi said a blast from a nearby strike ripped through their main branch on the capital’s famous Shariati street, shattering the front windows. A metal rod speared through a line of books in his office. He said most of his shops have reopened nevertheless, and the main branch was full of customers this week, reporting strong sales.
“It shows people are craving books, people are craving culture, people are craving a safe space where they can come and connect with each other. That — that is the people of Iran,” Jafarabadi told The Associated Press from Tehran.
More than 5,000 residents of the capital have been wounded, according to Iran’s health ministry, but Jafarabadi said there were no injuries in his shops.
Warplanes were seen flying over the Lebanese capital Friday afternoon as they conducted strikes on its southern suburbs.
The Israeli military said it has begun a wave of strikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut.
Of the total wounded to date, 273 service members have returned to duty, said Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for U.S. Central Command.
That leaves 30 troops wounded and out of action, with 10 still considered seriously wounded, Hawkins said.
The total of 303 is an increase of 13 troops since the last update provided March 24. Earlier in the week, 35 service members were too injured to return to their posts.
Since the war in Iran began, 13 U.S. service members have been killed in combat.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said Friday that it has delivered a batch of medicines to Iran.
The ministry said that 313 metric tons of medicines were carried by rail to Azerbaijan’s border with Iran, where they were handed over to Iranian representatives. It said the supplies have been sent on President Vladimir Putin’s orders.
Earlier this month, an Emergencies Ministry plane delivered 13 metric tons of humanitarian supplies to Iran.
A sharp generational split over the Iran war is opening up at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference.
Younger attendees tell The Associated Press they feel disappointed and even betrayed by Trump’s launch of strikes against Iran. They say his actions clash with his America-first promises.
Older conservatives defend Trump and call the war a pragmatic response to threats. Some younger voters say their support has slipped, and they worry about troops deploying.
Prominent conservatives in the media are also divided. CPAC leaders are pushing for unity with tough midterms ahead. The conference chairman, CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp acknowledged the divisions and said the convention’s annual straw poll will include a question about it, with results released Saturday, the convention’s final day.
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The Health Ministry said the airstrike that destroyed a house in the coastal village of Saksakiyeh also wounded eight people.
Lebanon’s state media reported airstrikes in other parts of south Lebanon including the southern city of Nabatiyeh and villages close to it as well as other towns and villages in the coastal Tyre region.
The strikes came as other parts of south Lebanon witnessed intense clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.
Hezbollah said its fighters fought fierce battles in the villages of Chamaa and Bayada near the Mediterranean coast.
Iran appears to be setting itself up as the gatekeeper for the Strait of Hormuz. The move could cement Tehran’s de facto chokehold over the crucial waterway and formalize its ability to keep its own oil flowing to China.
Iranian communications to the U.N. maritime authority and the experience of ships transiting the strait suggest the creation of something akin to a “toll booth.” Ships must enter Iranian waters and be vetted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. At least two vessels paid for passage using Chinese currency.
Iranian news agencies quoted a lawmaker as saying “parliament is pursuing a plan to formally codify Iran’s sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees.”
Traffic through the strait has fallen by 90%, sending global oil prices skyrocketing and inflicting alarming shortages on Asian nations in particular.
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Wall Street lurched lower in premarket trading and oil prices rose another 2% as Israel launched a new wave of attacks on Iran and Trump extended his deadline for Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz.
Futures for the S&P 500 were down 0.3% early Friday, adding to the 1.7% decline a day earlier. The index is headed for a fifth straight losing week, which would be the longest such losing streak in almost four years.
Futures for the Dow and Nasdaq also fell. Unlike the rally earlier this week, markets appeared skeptical of Trump’s latest claim that talks with Iran were going “very well.”
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Associated Press journalists in the area saw the smoke plumes resembling the controversial substance, which is banned under international law when used in civilian areas.
“This image clearly shows the use of artillery-delivered white phosphorus being dispersed over a wide area,” said Rich Weir, Senior Advisor at Human Right Watch’s Crisis, Conflict and Arms Division. “While the legality of its use here is difficult to ascertain without more information, it’s incendiary effects can can cause devastating injuries.”
Weir said the rights group has documented Israel using the substance “repeatedly unlawfully” in populated areas in Lebanon in other instances.
Israel has maintained that it has used the substance as a smokescreen or to light up areas in line with international law.
