Iran US war highlights: Loud explosion over Jerusalem, Israeli building hit by Iran missiles

Iran-US war LIVE updates: Iran’s Fars news agency, citing a source, said there have been no direct or indirect communications with the United States, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s claim of “productive” talks with Tehran.

The report also said Trump stepped back from plans to target Iranian power plants after Tehran warned it would retaliate by striking energy infrastructure across West Asia if its facilities were attacked.

Iran-US war LIVE updates: Global markets reversed course sharply on Monday after US President Donald Trump said he would postpone military strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure, easing fears of a deeper oil supply shock.

The announcement triggered an immediate reaction across financial markets. Brent crude futures fell sharply, the dollar weakened against major currencies, equity markets rallied, and government borrowing costs eased, reflecting reduced risk sentiment following the de-escalation signal, Reuters reported.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi held a call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday, after US President Donald Trump announced Washington's plan of partially pausing the strikes on Iran.

Russia's Lavrov called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities and a political settlement that takes into account the legitimate interests of all parties involved, above all Iran," the Russian foreign ministry said in a readout of the call, which it said was initiated by Tehran.

Iran-US war LIVE updates: Donald Trump said, "I am please to report that the United States of America, and the country of Iran, have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East," Trump said.

"Based on the tenor and tone of these in depth, detailed, and constructive conversations, witch will continue throughout the week, I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy Infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" he added.

Iran-US war LIVE updates: Minutes after the US President Donald Trump annouced a pause in targeting Tehran's energy infrastracture, Iranian state television says: 'US president backs down following Iran's firm warning'

“After the Islamic Republic threatened that in the event of any US attack on Iran's energy infrastructure, it would target the energy infrastructure of the entire region, Trump backed down and stated that he had issued an order to postpone the attack,” Iranian embassy in Kabul said.

Iran-US war LIVE updates: Oman’s foreign minister Badr Albusaidi said the ongoing Middle East war is not of Iran's making.

“Whatever your view of Iran, this war is not of their making,” he said, adding that the economic fallout could get much worse if the hostilities continue.

“This is already causing widespread economic problems and I fear they promise to get much worse if the war continues. Oman is working intensively to put in place safe passage arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.

Iran-US war LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump said Washington and Tehran have held “very good and productive conversations” over the past two days on resolving hostilities in the Middle East.

In a statement, Trump said that based on the “tenor and tone” of the ongoing discussions, he has instructed the US department of war to postpone any planned military strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days.

He added that the pause is conditional on the progress of the talks, which are set to continue through the week.

Iran-US war LIVE updates: A series of loud blasts were heard in Iranian capital Tehran, news agency AFP reported citing its journalist.

It was not immediately what was targeted but the blasts were felt in central Tehran, rattling the windows of buildings in the area, the journalist added.

Iran-US war LIVE updates: The nationwide internet shutdown in Iran entered its 24th consecutive day on Monday, according to the international internet monitoring service NetBlocks.

In a post on X, the watchdog group revealed that the disruption has now surpassed the 552-hour mark.

The ongoing blackout is “among the most severe registered in any country,” it added.

Iran-US war LIVE updates: Photo shows the aftermath of the Israeli airstrike that targeted the Qasmiyeh bridge, located on a main highway linking villages in the Tyre district with others further north, after Israel said the bridge was being used by Hezbollah, in southern Lebanon, taken on March 23, 2026.

Iran-US war LIVE updates: A day after Donald Trump's 48-hour ultimatum for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, Russia called for "political and diplomatic" settlement for the Middle East war.

"We believe that the situation should have transitioned to a political and diplomatic settlement," AFP quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying at a briefing.

"This is the only thing that can effectively contribute to defusing the catastrophically tense situation that has now developed in the region," Peskov added.

Iran-US war LIVE updates: In its latest warning, Iran has threatened to deploy 'naval mines' in the Gulf region if the United Staes and Israel attack its coasts and islands, reported news agency AFP.

Iran US war LIVE updates: Japan foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said that Tokyo is not considering negotiations unilaterally with Iran for vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

“It’s not something we’re considering at this point,” Motegi said Sunday on a Fuji Television program, reported Bloomberg.

He added that Japan is focused on ensuring “conditions where everyone can pass”.

His reply came following a report that Tehran is prepared to grant the access.

Iran US war LIVE updates: Russia said on Monday that strikes near Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant are not safe. US-Israeli strikes near the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran are “extremely dangerous” and Russia has shared its concerns with the United States, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, Reuters reported.

Iran US war LIVE updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the situation in West Asia is “worrying” as the ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran continues to escalate and impact the global economy. Addressing the Lok Sabha, Modi said Parliament had already been briefed on the developments in the region by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri over the past two to three weeks.

Referring to the war that has been ongoing for more than three weeks, the prime minister said the conflict has had an adverse impact on global economic stability as well as people’s lives.

Modi was speaking in Parliament amid growing concerns over the geopolitical and economic fallout of the crisis in West Asia.

Iran US war LIVE updates: As the US-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran entered its fourth week, President Donald Trump allowed the sale of some Iranian oil to contain surging crude prices and floated “winding down” military efforts there.

Trump’s comments came shortly after he ruled out a ceasefire and kept the door open to deploying ground troops, highlighting how the president continues to send wildly divergent signals about his objectives and plans for the US and Israeli war on Iran. The conflict has roiled financial markets and sent energy prices soaring, prompting the US Treasury to take the extraordinary step of allowing the sale of Iranian oil and petrochemical products that have been loaded onto tankers.

“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East,” Trump said in a social-media post on Friday.

Iran US war LIVE updates: An attack on Iran's southern coast and islands will lead to Gulf routes being cut with the laying of sea mines, the country's Defence Council said on Monday according to state media.

The US is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran's Kharg Island, the country's main oil export hub, to pressure Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, according to Axios.

"Any attempt to attack Iran's coasts or islands will cause all access routes in the Gulf (...) to be mined with various types of sea mines, including floating mines that can be released from the coast," the statement read.

Iran US war LIVE updates: Gold more than wiped out this year’s gains, falling for a ninth day as the war in the Middle East added inflationary risk and raised expectations for higher interest rates. Silver tumbled more than 10%.

Spot gold plunged as much as 8.8% to near $4,100 an ounce. Since the conflict began, surging energy prices have raised expectations for rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve and other central banks. This is a headwind for non-yielding gold, which has just posted its biggest weekly drop since 1983.

The Tehran Times newspaper quoted the director of the radio station in Iran’s Bandar Abbas city, where one person was killed in a US-Israeli strike, as saying that the 100 kW AM transmitter belongs to the national broadcaster IRIB’s Persian Gulf Centre.

The station's director was quoted as saying the attack violates international law.

Under international humanitarian law, journalists and media equipment are considered civilian objects and are protected against direct attack, even when used for propaganda purposes.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority is reporting that an investigation into the killing of an Israeli man in northern Israel’s Misgav Am community has led to the conclusion that he was killed by Israeli fire.

“An artillery battery stationed nearby made a mistake while firing artillery into Lebanon, and several of the shells landed inside the kibbutz,” the report said.

The director general of Crisis Management for Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, Majid Farshi, has said that there have been two deadly attacks on the city of Tabriz.

He told the Fars news agency that four people were killed and six were injured in a strike on a residential unit in the Marzdaran area, while two others were killed in a park in Rabe Rashidi.

Brad Cooper, the chief of US Central Command (CENTCOM), says Iran has increasingly targeted civilian sites across the region “out of desperation” as its military capabilities are deteriorating.

“They’re operating in a sign of desperation … In the last couple of weeks, they’ve attacked civilian targets very deliberately, more than 300 times,” he told UK-based channel Iran International.

After Iran threatened power plants across the Mideast, news outlets published a list of such facilities, including the United Arab Emirates' nuclear power plant.

The report by the semiofficial Fars news agency, close to its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, appeared to be an indirect threat to the sites, including desalination plants in the Middle East.

The list also included the UAE's Barakah nuclear power plant, which has four reactors out in the western deserts of the country near its border with Saudi Arabia.

The judiciary's Mizan news agency also published the list.

The threat from Tehran puts at risk both electrical supplies and water in the Gulf Arab states, particularly as the desert nations interconnect their power stations with desalination plants, which are crucial for supplying drinking water.

Iran has issued an indirect threat as its media listed several Mideast electrical and water stations, including a UAE nuclear plant, the Associated Press reported.

Sirens were being heard in northern Israel in what Israeli authorities believe to be a joint attack from Hezbollah and Iran targeting northern Israel at the same time.