Iran War Updates: Time for Iran to make a deal before it's too late, says Trump in fresh threat to Tehran

US-Israeli strikes destroyed what has been described as the tallest bridge in the Middle East, after Donald Trump warned of bombing Iran “back to the stone age”. Several people were reported injured in the attack.

The bridge, still under construction, was intended to connect the capital Tehran with the western city of Karaj. Standing at around 136 metres, it had been promoted as a major engineering achievement in the region.

In another warning to Iran amid the ongoing conflict, US President Donald Trump has threatened Tehran to make a deal before "it's too late".

"The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow! IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY!" he wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Israel today claimed its forces have killed Jamshid Eshaqi, commander of the Oil Headquarters for the Iranian forces. 

"The Oil HQs enable the continuation of IRGC activities and military buildup through profits from oil sales. Eshaqi led the financial arm of the regime’s forces and oversaw military industries responsible for producing ballistic missiles. Additionally, he worked to allocate funds to finance Iran’s terror proxies across the Middle East," the IDF said in a statement

Amid the escalating Iran–US–Israel war, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed it targeted an Amazon cloud facility in Bahrain, reportedly an Amazon Web Services building, according to Iranian state media and international reports.

However, while Iranian sources have asserted responsibility, independent confirmation remains limited. Reports indicate that a facility in Bahrain caught fire following the strike, though authorities did not officially identify the site as Amazon’s, and the company has not confirmed the attack

Qatar said it had intercepted an attack involving multiple drones launched from Iran on Thursday, according to its Defence Ministry.

In a statement shared on social media, the ministry said, “Our Armed Forces, by the grace of God, successfully intercepted and neutralised all incoming drones.” (thepeninsulaqatar.com)

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal today said that around 10 million Indian citizens are currently residing in the Gulf region, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and that all of them are safe. He added that Indian embassies across the region are in constant contact with nationals to ensure their well-being.

He also confirmed that eight Indian citizens have died in the ongoing conflict, while one person remains missing.

Several people were injured after US-Israeli strikes targeted a major highway bridge linking Tehran and Karaj, reportedly hitting what has been described as the “highest bridge in the Middle East”, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.

The attack also struck multiple locations in Karaj, west of Tehran, as part of the ongoing escalation in the Iran war, with emergency teams deployed and damage reported to key infrastructure. (A News)

The UAE air defences today engaged 19 Ballistic missiles and 26 UAV's launched from Iran. Since the start of the blatant Iranian attacks, UAE air defences have engaged 457 ballistic missiles, 19 cruise missiles and 2,038 UAVs.

The attacks resulted in the martyrdom of 2 members of the armed forces while performing their national duty, in addition to the martyrdom of a Moroccan civilian contracted by the Armed Forces, as well as 9 fatalities of Pakistani, Nepali, Bangladeshi, Palestinian and Indian nationalities. A total of 191 people were also injured, with injuries ranging from minor to moderate and severe, an official statement said.

The injured included nationals of the UAE, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Comoros, Türkiye, Iraq, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Ghana, Indonesia, Sweden and Tunisia. The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country, in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability and safeguards its interests and national capabilities.

Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a direct threat to Naim Qassem, warning of severe consequences over intensified rocket fire targeting Israeli civilians during Passover.

“I have a clear message for Naim Qassem, you and your associates will pay a very heavy price for the increased rocket attacks on Israeli civilians during Passover. You will not live to see it, as you will be deep at the bottom of hell alongside the eliminated members of the axis of evil,” he said.

Amid the ongoing war, Iranian Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Fath Alizadeh, commander of the Fatehin commando unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike. The strike is part of a broader campaign targeting senior Iranian military figures as hostilities between Iran, Israel, and the United States continue to escalate.

Austria has refused all requests from the United States to allow flights over its territory amid the conflict in Iran. This has come as a major snub to the US following Britain's refusal to participate in the conflict.

French President Emanual Macron has taken a dig at his American counterpart Donald Trump and said that the two leaders should not speak every day and should simply calm things down and build lasting peace.

"Six months ago, we were told everything had been destroyed and settled. Clearly, that was not the case. Without international inspectors verifying materials, research, and hidden sites, it is simply not serious. There will always be expertise and potentially hidden facilities unless there is lasting oversight. A few weeks of military strikes cannot resolve the nuclear issue in the long term. Without a diplomatic and technical agreement, the situation could deteriorate again in months or years. The same logic applies to ballistic capabilities — they must be monitored through negotiation," he said. 

Iran once again ripped into Trump's claims to end the conflict in the Middle East, and that its leadership and military have been completely obliterated, with Tehran on Thursday asserting that the war will continue until the US faces "permanent humiliation". The Iranian military rebuked Trump, saying that conflict would persist until the United States faces what it described as "lasting humiliation, regret, and surrender." Click here to read more.

The Ministry of External Affairs said that more than 1,200 Indian nationals have been safely evacuated from Iran amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

Addressing an inter-ministerial briefing in the national capital, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the evacuation is being carried out through Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the Centre closely coordinating efforts on the ground. He added that around 1,200 nationals have been evacuated so far, including 845 students.

Russia on Thursday said that it is willing and ready to contribute to resolving the ongoing conflict in th Middle East between the United States (US), Israel and Iran.

Iran has sought to reassure India over the safety of its interests in the Strait of Hormuz, issuing a message on social media as tensions escalated in the Gulf region.

In a post on X, the official handle of Iran in India said, “Our Indian friends are in safe hands, no worries.” A similar message was shared by the Iranian embassy in Saudi Arabia, which asserted that “only Iran and Oman will decide the future of the Strait of Hormuz,” adding, “You are in safe hands, no worries.”

Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz disruptions have caused severe economic impact, energy instability in region.

The Iranian Embassy in New Delhi said on Thursday that "Our Indian friends are in safe hands, no worries". The remarks come amid the ongoing tensions over the closure of Strait of Hormuz by Iran.

Iran’s army chief, Amir Hatami, has issued a blunt warning to the United States, saying any ground incursion into the country would have catastrophic consequences for invading forces. In remarks broadcast on state television, he said that if US troops entered Iran, “not a single person” among them would survive, underscoring Tehran’s preparedness for further escalation.

“The shadow of war must be lifted from our country, and there must be security for all, because it is not possible for some places to be safe while our people remain unsafe,” he added.

Congress leader Anand Sharma has urged that India should take the lead in mobilising the Global South and strategic-partner countries to collectively work towards the restoration of peace and order in the Middle East.  "The world cannot remain a mute spectator to the collapse of rule based multilateral order and global crisis management mechanism. India has throughout history commanded respect for its moral authority and commitment to peace. There is much at stake, especially the future of the younger generation," he said.

Nearly three dozen nations are set to meet on Thursday in a coordinated diplomatic effort to restore movement through the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial maritime corridor which has remained largely paralysed amid the US-Israeli war against Iran. The closure of this vital oil passage has already rattled global markets, triggering a sharp rise in crude prices. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that the virtual meeting, chaired by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, will focus on identifying "all viable diplomatic and political measures" that can help reopen the waterway, safeguard stranded crew members and resume the shipment of essential commodities worldwide. Click here to read more.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that there is "no dearth of fuel or gas in the country" and India was ready to deal with any energy crisis resulting out of the West Asia conflict. "We are closely monitoring the state of affairs in West Asia and are prepared to deal with any situation," he said.

The Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Mumbai slammed US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over his reiterating US President Donald Trump's remark during the latter's address to the nation, where he stated that Iran would be hit so hard that it would go "back to the Stone Age". In a post on X, sharing a screengrab of Hegseth's "stone age" remark, the Iranian consulate questioned Washington's agenda over their military action against the Islamic Republic, noting that earlier the stance was to make Iran "Great Again", which now shifted.

Moments after US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran's missile programme had been destroyed following the US-Israeli military action against the Islamic Republic for the past month, Iranian forces launched missiles targeting Israel's strategic northern port city of Haifa, according to Iranian state media, Press TV. Following the reports, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the missile launches in a statement on Telegram, noting that defensive systems were actively operating to intercept the threat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government has exempted the import of critical petrochemical products from customs duty to ensure supply stability and provide relief to consumers of final products amid the crisis in West Asia. The duty exemption, which is valid till June 30, will benefit sectors dependent on petrochemical feedstock and intermediates such as plastics, packaging, textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, automotive components and other manufacturing segments. In a statement, the finance ministry said in light of the ongoing conflict in West Asia and the consequent disruptions in global supply chains, the government has decided to provide full customs duty exemption on critical petrochemical products till June 30.

Almost three dozen countries will meet today in an effort to exert diplomatic and political pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been choked off by the US-Israeli war against Iran. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the virtual meeting chaired by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper "will assess all viable diplomatic and political measures we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities".

Thousands of additional American troops are moving toward the Middle East, and Gulf partners are pressing Washington to carry the campaign through to the end. These allies believe Iran has not been sufficiently weakened despite weeks of intense strikes

Maintaining a firm stance, US Donald Trump said Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon, calling the possibility "an intolerable threat." He alleged that Tehran attempted to rebuild its nuclear programme at a new undisclosed site after earlier strikes, though he provided no supporting evidence.

During his White House address today, US President Donald Trump claimed the nation was experiencing unparalleled success under his leadership. "America, as it has been for five years under my presidency is winning - and now winning bigger than ever before," he said, adding, "We're going to finish the job and we're going to finish it very fast."

US President Donald Trump attempted to justify the ongoing military campaign against Iran, saying he wanted to clarify why the conflict was essential for America’s security. However, he offered little new information even as he continues to wield unprecedented executive authority to carry out the operation.

President Donald Trump said US forces will 'finish the job' in Iran soon as 'core strategic objectives are nearing completion' during his prime-time address. Trump claimed significant progress had been made towards achieving his goals in the war with Iran, which are to destroy the country's missile production and Navy, ensure its proxies can no longer destabilise the region and guarantee Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

Oil prices rose more than 4 per cent and Asian stocks fell after US President Donald Trump said in his first national address since the Iran war began that the US will keep hitting Iran very hard. Trump also said the United States will "finish the job" in Iran and that military operations could wrap up soon. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 was down 1.4 per cent to 53,004.81 in early Asia trading on Thursday. South Korea's Kospi lost 3.4 per cent to 5,292.36. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.8 per cent to 25,082.59. US futures were down more than 0.7 per cent.