LIVE: Nato shoots down Iranian missile after it crosses into Turkey

Donald Trump has threatened to blow up Iran’s oil wells and desalination plants unless a deal can be reached to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, the President said the US is in ‘serious discussions’ with a ‘more reasonable regime’ to end the war but said he will take action unless an agreement is made

‘Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet “touched,”’ Trump penned.

Here are the latest developments as the US-Israel war with Iran enters its fifth week:

• Donald Trump has threatened to blow up Iran’s power plants, oil wells, desalination plants and Kharg Island unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened
• His latest remarks come hours after he told The Financial Times he could ‘take Iran’s oil’ and added Kharg Island could be overtaken ‘very easily’
• A power station worker in Kuwait was killed following a missile strike which caused significant damage at the energy site
• An Israeli oil refinery has caught fire after a missile strike
• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirm the death of navy commander Alireza Tangsiri after he was targeted in an Israeli airstrike last week
• Iran has restored electricity across Tehran and nearby areas after strikes damaged power grids and briefly disrupted supply, the deputy energy minister said
• Indonesia has confirmed that one of its peacekeepers was killed in Lebanon where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah
• Attacks are continuing on Gulf states as Saudi Arabia intercepts five ballistic missiles while air defences have also been operating in Dubai
• Pakistan has said it is ready to broker and host ‘meaningful talks’ between the US and and Iran to bring an end to the war
• A teenager has become the sixth Israeli soldier killed in southern Lebanon since fighting broke out with Hezbollah on March 2

Stick with us as we bring you the latest developments throughout the day.

The summons was to protest attacks by militant groups operating from Iraqi territory, Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said on X, demanding Baghdad take steps to stop them.

Kuwait said it has the right to respond to threats against its security and sovereignty.

Iraq has struggled to rein in Iran-backed Iraqi militias that have launched attacks throughout the war. In a letter last week, Kuwait and other Arab states urged Baghdad to prevent such groups from operating in Iraqi territory.

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry has said it is addressing ‘security challenges’ and rejects allowing its territory to be used to attack others, without directly addressing the allegations.

by Eliana Silver, Senior Foreign News Reporter

The economic consequences from the war in the Middle East are being felt far beyond the region, as governments scramble to contain soaring energy costs and growing fears for the global economy.

From fuel rationing and travel curbs to strict emergency policies, countries across Asia, Europe and beyond are imposing drastic measures as the Strait of Hormuz crisis squeezes global supply chains and sends oil and gas prices sharply higher.

In Egypt, authorities have moved quickly to cut energy consumption as costs spiral.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that shops, restaurants and shopping malls will close early each night for at least a month.

‘Shops, shopping centres, restaurants and cafes will all close at 9:00 pm on weekdays,’ he said, adding that on Thursdays and Fridays at the weekend they will be allowed to stay open until 10:00 pm.

Sir Keir Starmer has told business chiefs the UK is working on a ‘viable plan’ for the Strait of Hormuz, adding people will have concerns about energy bills, petrol and food prices ‘uppermost in their minds’.

‘We’re just entering the fifth week of the conflict in Iran, and I wanted to bring all of you together with government to talk through some of the implications.

‘The political position we’ve taken, I think, is straightforward, which is, we’re not going to get drawn into the conflict proper.

‘We will defend British interests and British lives in the region, particularly in the Gulf allied states, and obviously our allies there, and we are working on a viable plan for these Strait of Hormuz, which I want to come back to.’

He then added: ‘So it’s not our war, but it is our duty to protect British citizens.’

Sir Keir Starmer has told business chiefs it must be a ‘joint effort’ to tackle the impact of the war in Iran, saying ‘the Government can’t do it on its own’.

The Prime Minister is hosting a roundtable discussion with business chiefs from the insurance, oil, gas and shipping sectors.

‘This is going to have to be a joint effort. The Government can’t do it on its own. You can’t do it on your own. We’re going to have to work together on this, which is why I want to have a conversation here this afternoon,’ Sir Keir said.

The Iran war has caused serious disruption to global economies and has dimmed the outlook for many that had started to recover from previous crises, the International Monetary Fund has warned.

In a blog published by the global lender’s top economists, the IMF said the war launched by U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28 was causing a global, but asymmetric shock and leading to tighter financial conditions.

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to regional infrastructure had caused the largest disruption to the global oil market in history, according to the International Energy Agency. Much would depend on how long the war lasts, how far it spreads and how much damage it inflicts on infrastructure and supply chains.

The IMF said low-income countries were at particular risk of food insecurity, given higher food and fertilizer prices, and may need more external support at a time when many advanced economies were scaling back their international assistance.

‘Although the war could shape the global economy in different ways, all roads lead to higher prices and slower growth,’ the economists wrote.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered to help with any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following his visit to the Middle East last week.

In a statement posted on X, Zelensky said he spoke to countries in the region and offered to share Ukraine’s expertise it claims was effective in unblocking the Black Sea corridor.

He said: ‘During my recent visits to the Middle East, we raised the issue of unblocking the Strait of Hormuz. This is a painful issue for the entire world because of the energy crisis.

‘Countries in the Middle East know they can rely on our expertise in this area.

‘We discussed it in detail. We shared expertise on our Black Sea corridor and the way it operates. They understand that our Armed Forces have been highly effective in unblocking the Black Sea corridor.

Iran ha said US peace proposals are ‘unrealistic, illogical and excessive’ after it passed a 15-point plan via intermediaries.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told a press conference: ‘Our position is clear. We are under military aggression.

‘Therefore, all our efforts and strength are focused on defending ourselves.’

Soon after Baghaei’s remarks, Donald Trump said the US was in talks with a ‘more reasonable regime’ to end the war in Iran, but issued a new warning over the Strait of Hormuz.

Danish shipping firm Maersk has announced Oman’s port of Salalah, which was hit by a drone at the weekend, would start to reopen from tomorrow.

Omani authorities said one worker was injured and minor damage caused by the strike on the port, which is run by Maersk subsidiary APM Terminals and is one of the key shipping facilities in the Gulf state.

Maersk said the area damaged was ‘limited’ and that the port’s management would take ‘necessary measures’ to progressively build up to full capacity.

Some ‘constraints’ would remain but additional safety and ‘preventive’ measures had been taken because of the strike, it added.

A ballistic missile launched from Iran entered Turkish airspace before being shot down by Nato air defences deployed in the Mediterranean, Turkey’s defence ministry said

The incident marked the fourth such incident since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, following three earlier interceptions by NATO systems earlier this month that prompted Ankara to protest and warn Tehran.

Tehran has denied in the previous three incidents that it authorised such launches and has asked Ankara to form a joint investigation into the matter.

The ministry said all necessary measures were being taken ‘decisively and without hesitation’ against any threat directed at Turkey’s territory and airspace.

by James Gordon, US News Reporter

President Donald Trump is weighing a highly complex and potentially explosive military operation to send US special operations forces deep inside Iran to seize its stockpile of enriched uranium.

The move could drag American troops into hostile territory for days – or even a week – and risk a dramatic escalation of the war. It was reportedly one of many being proposed by the Pentagon.

US officials say the stealth plan would target nearly 1,000 pounds of uranium at either one or two nuclear sites in Natanz and Isfahan.

The objective would be to remove the radioactive substance entirely from Iranian control, eliminating any pathway to a nuclear weapon.

The proposal remains under review, and Trump has not signed off on it. But officials told The Wall Street Journal he is seriously considering the option, even as advisers warn of the dangers to American forces and the possibility of a broader conflict.