US-Iran war highlights: Trump says shoulder-mounted missile shot down US F-15E; sirens blare in Bahrain

Donald Trump has claimed that everyone in the government knows the plan for Iran, answering a question about what comes next in the war.

The US Air Force A-10 Warthog that crashed on Friday was taking part in a mission to rescue the pilot of the fighter jet whose plane was shot down hours earlier, said Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The A-10 was participating in what General Caine called a “sandy” mission in which an attack plane puts itself between the rescue force and the enemy.

The A-10, which flies low and slow over the battlefield, was struck multiple times by the enemy. The pilot flew his damaged plane out of Iran and then ejected from the plane over friendly territory, General Caine said.

Pete Hegseth said that, per Donald Trump’s direction, the United States would launch the largest volume of strikes against Iran since the first day of the war.

Secratary of defence Pete Hegseth invoked the Easter weekend analogy in the pilot rescue operation.

“Shot down on Friday, hidden the whole Saturday and resurrected on Easter Sunday,” Hegseth said.

CIA director John Ratcliffe referred to both “human assets” and “exquisite technologies” to find the missing aviator, and determine he was alone and alive.

Ratcliffe also confirmed that the CIA was behind the deception campaign.

The missing officer was “still invisible to the enemy, but not to the CIA,” he said.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump on Monday stated that Iran “could be taken out in one night” as his deadline for Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz nears. Speaking during a press conference at the Oval Office, Trump stated that the entire country can be taken out in one night, and “that night may be tomorrow.” Read full story here

US Iran war LIVE updates: : Trump on Monday said that he is determined to "finish" the Iran war as he asserted that Tehran must never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons while also suggesting that the conflict could end "very quickly".

He was speaking to reporters during the 2026 White House Easter Egg Roll and said, "Hopefully it would end quickly. We have many alternatives. We could leave right now, and it would take them 15 years to rebuild what they have. But I want to finish it up."

He reiterated his long-standing position on Iran's nuclear programme, stating, "Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They are lunatics - and you can't put nuclear weapons in the hands of a lunatic."

via ANI

US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump said that a proposed 45-day ceasefire with Iran was a "very significant step" but "not good enough" for him to sign, as Iranian officials vowed to keep fighting.

Talk of a ceasefire came as the US and Israel struck targets across Iran, including major petrochemical facilities, while time ticked down to Trump's Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its civilian infrastructure.

Meanwhile Iran continued missile and drone attacks around the region.

Trump said intermediaries between the US and Iran "are negotiating now" on improving the ceasefire proposal, which US media reported was being mediated by Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey.

"It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," he told reporters at the White House.

Trump added that he would still go through with his threat against civilian targets if a deal is not reached.

via AFP

US Iran war LIVE updates: The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday urged governments to respect the rules of war in word and deed after US President Donald Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric against Iran by threatening to rain down "hell" on Tehran. "States must respect and ensure respect for the rules of war in both what they say and what they do," Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement. "The world cannot succumb to a political culture that prioritises death over life."

via Reuters

US Iran war LIVE updates The ministry of external affairs on Monday said over 1,700 Indians have exited Iran via land borders amid West Asia conflict. "Our embassy in Tehran has so far facilitated the movement of 1,777 Indian nationals to exit Iran through Armenia and Azerbaijan," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing.

The Indian nationals are flying back home from Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Jaiswal said the Indians who returned home included 895 students and 345 fishermen.

"The Indian fishermen were employed by various companies in Iran, and they flew home from Armenia on April 4," he said.

via PTI

US Iran war LIVE updates: Following the assassination of Iran Guards intelligence chief Majid Khademi in US-Israel strikes, the IRGC has vowed to avenge the killing. With Khademi's killing, Iran lost yet another top leader to US-Israel strikes in the past one month.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran on Monday rejected the US ceasefire plan and instead counter-proposed its own 10-point plan to permanently end the ongoing West Asia war, as reported by the Iranian state news agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

According to IRNA, the plan, presented by Tehran, outlines comprehensive measures to resolve the conflict, including the cessation of regional hostilities, ensuring secure transit through the Strait of Hormuz, facilitating reconstruction efforts, and the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Iran earlier termed US' 15-point peace plan to end the conflict in West Asia and to open the strategic Strait of Hormuz as “excessively demanding”.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the US proposal - reportedly delivered through mediators - is too onerous and unrealistic for Tehran to accept. The ministry, in a statement, noted that Tehran has now compiled and formalised its own demands, signalling that negotiations will proceed only if these conditions are met.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump on Monday stated that if he had his choice, he would move into Iran and take over the oil. Speaking to reporters at the White House Easter Egg Roll event, the US president was answering a question about MAGA support for the war, where he stated that while Republicans do support his move to go to war with Iran, they would like to see us come back home. Read full story here

US Iran war LIVE updates: Even after Iran rejected his truce plan, US President Donald Trump said the United States has “studied a proposal” for a 45-day ceasefire in the West Asia war, and called it a "very significant step" in the conflict.

"It's a significant proposal, it's a significant step. It's not good enough, but it's a very significant step," Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that intermediaries “are negotiating now”.

Track live updates on Trump's speech here

US Iran war LIVE updates: Israel on Monday said it struck Iran's largest petrochemical complex. “With this strike, the IDF has now targeted Iran’s two biggest petrochemical complexes, rendering more than 85% of Iran’s petrochemical export capacity inoperable.” the Israel Defence Forces said in a statement. It alleged that the site in Asaluyeh, a central production infrastructure had been established for materials used in the manufacture of explosives and propellants for ballistic missiles and additional weaponry. “The site serves as a significant hub for producing essential components for the missile industry of the Iranian terror regime,” it said.

US Iran war LIVE updates: At a White House event, US President Donald Trump said people who do not support the war are ‘foolish’. He said this after a reporter asked him about ‘Americans who are not a fan of the war’.

US Iran war LIVE updates: In a dig at the Iranian regime, US President Donald Trump says it killed 45,000 protesters. “They have killed 45,000 protesters; we don’t do that,” he said. US-Israel attack on Iran came after months of protests in Iran over economic woes and reports of a brutal crackdown on the protests by the clerical regime there.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared a ‘before' and ‘after’ photo depicting how the top leadership of Iran has been eliminated since the war in the Middle East broke out on February 28. “Continuing the Passover cleanings - crushing the Iranian enemy,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Amid the raging war with Iran, US President Donald Trump praised Iran calling them ‘capable fighters’ and ‘tough people’.

At a White House event, Trump said, “The enemy is strong, not so strong like they were about a month ago. They are not too strong at all right now.”

US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran state media said that Tehran's response shows it is rejecting ceasefire proposal and is emphasising on ‘permanent end to war’.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran will continue the war with the United States and Israel for as long as its political leaders deem necessary, the army spokesman said Monday.

"We can continue the war as long as the political authorities see fit," Mohammad Akraminia told ISNA news agency, adding that "the enemy must definitely regret it because, after this war, we need to reach a point of security and not witness another war".

US Iran war LIVE updates: The Israel Defence Forces on Monday said it struck dozens of military industries, launch sites, and operatives from the missile array.

“Overnight, the Israeli Air Force, acting on IDF intelligence, completed a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure belonging to the Iranian terror regime,” it said in a statement, adding that dozens of weapons production sites were targeted.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran will defend itself against the United States and Israel with “all its might,” the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said on Monday. Rejecting ceasefire proposals, Baghaei accused Washington and Tel Aviv of having “no red lines” and disregarding international law. He rejected a reported 15‑point US plan conveyed through intermediaries, describing it as “illogical” and excessive. Baghaei said negotiations were “incompatible with ultimatums and threats to commit war crimes.”

"All our attention must be focused on defending the country," he added.

Read full story here

US Iran war LIVE updates: Amid reports of incoming Iranian missiles, explosions were heard in central and southern Israel on Monday, Al Jazeera reported. The areas where explosions were heard include Jerusalem, the greater Tel Aviv area and Eilat in southern Israel.

The Times of Israel reported Eilat was targeted by drones coming from Yemen. Israel’s Arutz Sheva media reported a “coordinated attack from three fronts: Iran, Lebanon and Yemen”.

US Iran war LIVE updates: The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday warned attacks near Iran's Bushehr atomic power plant "pose a very real danger to nuclear safety and must stop".

The facility, located in the south of the country and equipped with a 1,000-megawatt reactor, has been targeted four times since the US-Israeli war on Iran began.

The latest strike was reported by Iranian state media on Saturday.

Strikes near the operating plant "could cause a severe radiological accident with harmful consequences for people and the environment in Iran and beyond," said Rafael Grossi, director of the UN nuclear watchdog on X.

"A nuclear facility and surrounding areas should never be struck," he added.