Iran war: Tehran threatens to target houses of US and Israeli officials amid raging conflict

The United States has reported significant progress in its ongoing military campaign, “Operation Epic Fury,” with officials claiming a sharp decline in Iran’s retaliatory capabilities. US Secretary of State Karoline Leavitt stated that Iranian missile and drone attacks have dropped by approximately 90 per cent since the start of the operation.

The border between Iran and northern Iraq's Kurdish region has long been porous, alive with family ties, trade and smuggling.Now families are cut off from loved ones, and traders hesitate to cross.

As tensions between the United States, Israel and Iran continue into a second month, concerns are growing over the political impact on US President Donald Trump. A leading American security expert has warned that the ongoing conflict could weaken Trump’s hold on power if it drags on. Robert Pape, a national security specialist and air power analyst, has suggested that the President is facing a difficult choice.

A Mahan Air civilian aircraft at Mashhad Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport in Iran was reportedly hit during a US military strike, damaging the plane ahead of a planned humanitarian mission. The aircraft was scheduled to fly to New Delhi to collect humanitarian aid including medicines and other relief supplies.

Iran on Monday defied Lebanon's expulsion order for its ambassador by saying he would stay, further increasing tensions in a country in the crosshairs of the latest fighting between the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Israel.

Spain has closed its airspace to US planes involved in the Iran war, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said Monday. Spain had already said the US could not use jointly operated military bases in the country for operations related to the Middle East conflict.

Amid the escalating West Asia conflict, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday said eight Indian nationals have lost their lives while one remains missing in "various incidents" in the region.

US President Donald Trump on Monday issued a stark warning to Iran amid ceasefire talks between the two nations. Trump said the US was holding "serious discussions" with a "new and more reasonable regime" to end the month-long conflict in the Middle East. He said if the talks fail, the US will give a final blow to Tehran by hitting its key energy infrastructure.

Iran has escalated its rhetoric amid the ongoing conflict, warning that it may target the personal residences of American and Israeli leaders.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s joint military command, said on Sunday that the homes of US and Israeli political and military figures could now be viewed as “legitimate targets,” framing the threat as retaliation for alleged strikes on civilian areas in Iranian cities.

A Lebanese army position has come under direct attack by Israel. The strike occurred south of the city of Tyre, along a coastal highway leading to the Israeli border. Several soldiers have been killed.

Iran on Monday confirmed the death of Revolutionary Guard navy chief Alireza Tangsiri. Israel had claimed on Thursday that it killed Tangsiri, a rear admiral in the Iran navy.

A fire broke out on Monday at an oil refinery in the northern Israeli city of Haifa for the second time during the monthlong war with Iran, according to footage from the scene. Video showed flames on a large refinery tank with thick black smoke that was quickly extinguished by Israel's fire and rescue services.

⁠Iraq's Mohamad ⁠Alaa air base, located next to Baghdad International ‌Airport, was hit by rockets earlier today, destroying ⁠an aircraft but causing ⁠no casualties, the country’s Defence Ministry has said. The ⁠ministry added ⁠that authorities are assessing the ‌damage and tracking the source ‌of ‌the attack.

The Syrian army said it detected a large-scale drone attack targeting several of its bases near the Iraqi border at dawn today, SANA news agency reported. The military said it shot down most of the drones, without providing details about the impact of those that were not intercepted.

Israeli media are reporting a fire at the Bazan oil refinery in the northern city of Haifa following a missile attack. The site had already been targeted on March 19 by Iranian strikes as Tehran retaliated for strikes on its energy infrastructure.

Iran confirms the death of Revolutionary Guards Navy commander Alireza Tangsiri.

Israel has issued an early warning in the northern part of the country after a missile launch was detected from Iran.

The Israeli army saod 261 soldiers have been wounded since the start of the war on Iran. It has not released a death toll among soldiers.

The plant is located some 530 kilometers (330 miles) northwest of the capital, Tehran. Firefighters put out a blaze at the site, media reported.

The Kuwait National Guard said it has downed five drones, Kuwait News Agency has reported.

At least three Palestinians have been killed and many wounded in an Israeli air strike southeast of Gaza City, Wafa news agency is reporting. Medical sources reported that the attack took place near the Al-Shafi Mosque in the Zeitoun neighbourhood south of Gaza City.

US President Donald Trump said he's optimistic about a deal with Iran, citing "very good negotiations" and Iran allowing 20 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz as a "sign of respect". Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Trump said, "I do see a deal in Iran, yeah. Could be soon."

"So we've had very good negotiations today with Iran, getting a lot of the things that they should have given us a long time ago. See how it works out, but they're very good, moving along very nicely. And they've destroyed a lot of additional targets today. The Navy's gone, the Air Force's gone, we know that. We've destroyed many, many targets today. It was a big day. And we are negotiating with them directly and indirectly," he said further.

The Israeli military said its air defences were responding to "missiles launched from Iran" on Monday. "A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel," the military statement said. "Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," it added, urging people to take shelter until further notice.

A loud explosion was heard in Baghdad. According to Al Jazeera, it was not the sound of drones but rather the sounds of rockets targeting the US Victory Base, which is about 20km (12.4 miles) west of the capital.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) asserted that there has been a regime change in Iran, citing the decimation of its newly appointed leadership, referring to Mojtaba Khamenei, the current Supreme Leader of Iran and son of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and shifts within the Islamic Republic's power structure amid the ongoing war in the region. "I think we'll make a deal with them. Pretty sure. But it's possible we won't. But we've had regime change if you look already because the one regime was decimated, destroyed. They're all dead. The next regime is mostly dead," Trump said. 

US President Donald Trump has commented on the war on Iran on his Truth Social platform. "Big day in Iran. Many long sought after targets have been taken out and destroyed by our GREAT MILITARY, the finest and most lethal in the World," Trump wrote in a brief post.

Australia has halved its taxes on gasoline and diesel and removed a tax on heavy vehicles to counter the economic impacts of soaring fuel prices. The government announced on Monday it expects the tax reductions will cost federal coffers 2.55 billion Australian dollars ($1.74 billion) over three months. Taxes on gasoline and diesel will be halved to 26.3 Australian cents a liter (68.2 cents a gallon) from Wednesday. The heavy vehicle road user charge of 32.4 Australian cents per liter of diesel (84.1 cents a gallon) that truck and bus operators pay to compensate for the added damage they cause roads will be removed.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday (local time) confirmed that Iran's Khondab Heavy Water Plant has sustained severe damage and is no longer operational following Israeli strikes on the plant amid the West Asia conflict. In a post on X, the IAEA said that its assessment was based on independent analysis of satellite imagery and technical knowledge of the facility. The facility, located near Arak in central Iran, has long been a focal point of international concern due to its potential role in nuclear development, the agency added.

An Iranian strike on an air base in Saudi Arabia appears to have destroyed a US Air Force E-3 Sentry aircraft, vital for its airborne warning and control system, or AWACS, that enables airborne monitoring of up to 120,000 square miles of battlespace. Images of the wrecked aircraft began appearing on social media sites.

The Lebanese group says its fighters have launched attacks on northern Israel and Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon The group said it fired rockets at the town of Metula in northern Israel and at Israeli soldiers and their vehicles to the east of the Khiam detention centre in southern Lebanon.

Brent crude was just over $70 a barrel when the war started on Feb. 28. Prices have spiked by over 50% since.

US President Donald Trump has raised the idea of American forces seizing Iran's Kharg Island, its main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf. The comment by Trump came in an interview published early Monday by The Financial Times. "Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don't. We have a lot of options," Trump told the newspaper. "It would also mean we had to be there (on Kharg Island) for a while."

Asked about Iranian defenses there, he said: “I don’t think they have any defense. We could take it very easily."

The US already launched airstrikes once it said targeted military positions on the island. Iran has threatened to launch its own ground invasion of Gulf Arab countries and new attacks if US troops land on its territory.

Kuwait said an Indian worker has been killed in an Iranian attack on a power and desalination plant, as Gulf states report intercepting drones and missiles. "A service building at a power and water desalination plant was attacked as part of the Iranian aggression against the State of Kuwait, resulting in the death of an Indian worker and significant material damage to the building," said Fatima Abbas Jawhar Hayat, a spokesperson for the ministry.

In a message attributed to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, he expressed his appreciation to senior religious authorities in Iraq for their supportive stance toward Iran during the war, according to two semi-official Iranian news agencies. Since he was named third supreme leader of Iran, Khamenei has made no public appearance, but has conveyed only rare messages. Iran-backed militias in Iraq have claimed responsibility for several attacks on U.S. bases in the country in solidarity with Tehran.

A UN peacekeeper was killed and another critically wounded when a projectile exploded in their position near a village in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL said in a statement very early Monday. The statement said the "origin of the projectile" was unknown.

Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said early Monday the ballistic missiles were apparently targeting its oil-rich Eastern Province.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran has agreed to "most of" the 15-point list of demands that the US conveyed, via Pakistan, to end the war. Asked if Iran responded to those points, the president told reporters aboard Air Force One, "They gave us most of the points. Why wouldn’t they?"

"We're having very good meetings, both directly and indirectly, and I think we’re getting a lot of very important points," Trump continued.