Live updates: U.S. journalist to be freed; Trump doubles down on massive attack threats

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged President Donald Trump to extend today's deadline for Iran by two weeks "to allow diplomacy to run its course."

Sharif also asked Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks as a gesture of goodwill.

"We also urge all warring parties to observe a ceasefire everywhere for two weeks to allow diplomacy to achieve conclusive termination of war, in the interest of long-term peace and stability in the region," Sharif wrote on X.

During remarks today, Pope Leo XIV spoke about President Trump's threats against Iran and its people, calling the comments "truly unacceptable."

"There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole, entire population," Pope Leo told reporters in Italy. "And I would like to invite everyone to truly think in their hearts about the many innocent people, so many children, so many elderly, completely innocent, who would also become victims of this escalation of a war that began from the very first days, as we were saying.”

The pope also encouraged the citizens of the countries involved in the war to call their politicians and representatives to ask them to pursue peace.

In a brief phone call with NBC News, President Trump declined to provide any update on the status of ongoing negotiations with the Iranians, but he sharply criticized Iran’s call for young people to line up as human shields around power plants. 

“Totally illegal,” he said. “They’re not allowed to do that.”

As for what motivated him to post this morning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” — a comment that has drawn backlash from around the world — he would only say: “You’ll have to figure that out.”

Amnesty International said that President Donald Trump's "apocalyptic threats" toward Iran where he threatened that "a whole civilization will die tonight," demand global action.

The organization's Secretary General Agnès Callamard said the comments include threats to target civilian infrastructure in Iran and "may constitute a threat to commit genocide" toward its over 90 million people.

"The international community, including the UN Security Council, regional bodies and all states must urgently intervene to avert an impending catastrophe and unequivocally affirm that inciting, ordering or committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide entail individual criminal responsibility under international law," Callamard said.

Kuwait's Ministry of Interior is urging all of its residents to stay home and avoid going out "except in cases of extreme necessity," from midnight until tomorrow at 6 a.m. local time.

"This precautionary measure is taken to ensure everyone's safety, enhance preventative measures, and enable security forces to perform their duties with high efficiency," the ministry said.

The temporary shelter in place order aligns with President Donald Trump's 8 p.m. E.T. deadline.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to NBC News that tonight's deadline for Iran remains in place.

“The Iranian regime has until 8PM Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States," Leavitt said.

"Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do,” she said.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said he doesn't want to see the U.S. attack Iran's civilian infrastructure, marking a rare break with President Trump.

"I am hoping and praying that President Trump, that this really is bluster. I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure," Johnson said in a Monday episode of the "John Solomon Reports" podcast.

"I do not want to see that. We are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them," he added.

As President Donald Trump weighs whether to follow through with his threat to bomb Iran’s critical infrastructure if there is no deal by tonight, the Pentagon prepared options for him that include targets that are used for both military and civilian purposes, according to two U.S. officials. 

Trump has said he would target Iran’s bridges and power plants, including electrical and desalinization facilities, which could amount to a war crime. 

But targeting infrastructure that is considered “dual use” could allow the administration to argue the U.S. is hitting military targets and avoid the technical definition of a war crime. 

Kataib Hezbollah issued a statement today saying it will release American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped in Iraq last week.

The group said Kittleson's release would be "on the condition that she leaves the country immediately."

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After announcing her release, the group shared a video of Kittleson discussing her background as a journalist and saying that the American Consulate in Baghdad had asked her for information on Hashd al-Sha’bi, Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, all Iran-backed Iraqi militias.

U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad in 2025.   AP file

Kittleson can also be seen blaming President Donald Trump and his administration for endangering Americans in the region and asking the men of the militia to free her, promising that she won't do anything to harm their country.

It's not clear if Kittleson made these comments while under duress or of her own volition.

Congressional Democrats are resoundingly condemning President Trump’s post on Truth Social where he said “a whole civilization will die tonight,” with some calling for Congress to return to rein him in, others calling it a war crime, and some even calling for Trump’s impeachment.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Trump "an extremely sick person," adding that, "Each Republican who refuses to join us in voting against this wanton war of choice owns every consequence of whatever the hell this is."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called on Congress to end the war with Iran before "Trump plunges us into World War III," also encouraging Republicans "to put patriotic duty over party and stop the madness."

Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the powerful House Rules Committee, called Trump's comments "pure evil" and "a genocidal threat to commit war crimes," which is illegal under international law.

"@SpeakerJohnson must immediately call Congress back to Washington & rein in this mad president," McGovern wrote on X.

At his news conference in Budapest, Vice President JD Vance hinted that the U.S. could intensify attacks on Iran if it does not come to terms.

“The president of the United States is a man who recognizes leverage, that if the Iranians want to exact a certain amount of pain, the United States has the ability to exact much, much greater pain,” Vance said. “The president doesn’t want to do that. I don’t want to do that. That’s why we’re negotiating so aggressively. But fundamentally, the ball is in the Iranians’ court.”

Vance added that although negotiations have taken some time and suffered from delays in communications, “we feel confident that we can get a response, whether it’s positive or negative, we’re going to get a response from the Iranians by 8 o’clock tonight.”

"I hope they make the right response, because what we really want is we want a world where oil and gas is flowing freely, where people can afford to heat their homes and cool their homes, where people can afford to transport themselves to work," Vance said. "That’s not going to happen if the Iranians are engaged in acts of economic terrorism."

Iran has “got to know we’ve got tools in our toolkit that we so far haven’t decided to use,” Vance added. “The president of the United States can decide to use them, and he will decide to use them if the Iranians don’t change their course of conduct.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said his country "will undoubtedly prevail" ahead of President Donald Trump's 8 p.m. deadline.

"The power of a 'CIVILIZED' nation's culture, logic, and faith in its righteous cause will undoubtedly prevail over the logic of brute force," Baqaei wrote on X, appearing to reference Trump's threat that "a whole civilization will die tonight."

With the hashtag #IranWillWin, Baqaei wrote: "A nation that has every faith in the righteousness of its path shall harness all its capacities and capabilities to safeguard its rights and legitimate interests."

Bret Baier said on Fox News that President Donald Trump called him this morning and said that “8 p.m. is happening” as of now, referencing the threatened strikes on Iran’s bridges and energy infrastructure tonight.

Baier added: “Now, he said if negotiations move forward today and there is something concrete, that could change, but at this hour — he didn’t want to put odds on it — but he said it is moving forward with the plans that we have.”

The U.S. Embassy in Manama, Bahrain, has directed all of their U.S. government employees to shelter in place and recommends the same for all Americans in the country.

"To the extent possible, remain in a secure structure, and stay away from windows," the embassy said in an update. "Have a supply of food, water, medications, and other essential items."

"Iran and its aligned terrorist militias may intend to target American universities in Bahrain. Iran has specifically threatened American universities across the Middle East," the update said.

Three people were killed after an Israeli strike on the Seyed Esmail market in Tehran, Iran, according to official state news agency IRNA and semi-official news agency Fars.

Two people were also wounded in the attack, according to Fars. One of the deceased victims was a 65-year-old man, IRNA reported.

Four shops collapsed as a result of the strike, according to IRNA.

U.S. gas prices rose again today, soaring to a national average of $4.14 a gallon amid Iran's continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the AAA motor club has said.

The increase marks raised costs for drivers by nearly 39 percent since the war began at the end of February. On Feb. 26, the AAA had put the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline at $2.98.

It comes after the national average for a gallon of regular exceeded $4 per gallon earlier this month for the first time since August 2022, according to AAA.

Crude oil prices have been surging beyond $100/barrel as the conflict consuming the Middle East continues, with no clear sign of a ceasefire as President Trump's deadline for Iran to agree to a ceasefire and reopen Hormuz looms.

Two French nationals have been allowed to leave Iran after spending over three years in detention there, French President Emmanuel Macron has said on X.

The pair identified as Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, are on their way to France, Macron said. They had been holed up in French diplomatic premises in Iran since their release from prison in November.

"This is a relief for all of us and, of course, for their families," Macron wrote on X.

Omani authorities helped facilitate their return, Macron said.

Iranian state media has shared photos purporting to show civilians creating "human chains" around sites that could come under threat of attack from Israeli and U.S. forces.

It comes after Iranian officials called on young people across the country to form human chains to protect the Islamic Republic's power plants.

NBC News could not independently verify the photos or the reports of human chains around key sites, including the centuries-old Dezful bridge and the Shahid Rajaee power plant in Qazvin.

Small crowds of people could be seen in the photos published by semi-official Iranian news agency Fars standing outside the sites, reportedly rallying in a bid to deter Israeli and U.S. forces from striking the key areas.

Israel has condemned what it described as a "terrorist attack" on its consulate in Istanbul, with Turkish authorities launching a major investigation into the incident.

"We strongly condemn the terrorist attack on the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul today," Israel's foreign ministry said, thanking Turkish security forces' for "swift action in thwarting this attack."

U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack earlier condemned the incident as an attack on the Israeli consulate after Turkey’s Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said one suspect was dead after three people engaged in an armed clash with police officers in Istanbul.

Cifi described the assailants as “terrorists” and said said one of the individuals was “found to have links to an organization that exploits religion.” He did not say whether the Consulate, which Israel's foreign ministry told The Jerusalem Post was unstaffed, was directly targeted in the incident.

There were some murmurs and chuckles in the room when Vice President Vance, asked if he had any updates on Trump’s Iran deadline, pulled out his cellphone and teased some live information.

“Well, so you asked if there’s new information,” he told the news conference in Budapest. “Unless I have a text message from Steve — Oh, I do have a text message from Steve Witkoff. Wouldn’t you like to know the subject of this message? But no, I need to read it first before I talk about it.”

Vice President JD Vance looks at his phone and comments about an unread message from Steve Witkoff. Pool / Getty Images

Another reporter urged him to read the message from Trump's special envoy, but he did not.

Asked about the U.S.’ latest attacks on Iran’s Kharg Island, Vance said he didn’t think that represented “a change in strategy, or represents any change from the president of the United States.”

President Trump is "openly threatening" to carry out a war crime by vowing to target a "whole civilization" if Iran does not agree to a ceasefire deal and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline tonight, human rights expert Kenneth Roth said.

"Trump is openly threatening collective punishment, targeting not the Iranian military but the Iranian people," Roth, the former executive-director of Human Rights Watch, told NBC News, noting that collective punishment of civilians during armed conflict is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

"Attacking civilians is a war crime. So is making threats with the aim of terrorizing the civilian population," he said, with making threats to carry out war crimes potentially a war crime in and of itself under international humanitarian law.

International law experts have previously told NBC News that Trump's threats to target civilian infrastructure, including desalination plants, represent threats of possible war crimes.

NBC News has reached out to the White House for further comment on Trump's post.

The president said yesterday he was “not at all” concerned about the possibility the U.S. could be committing war crimes. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that the U.S. military would always operate within the “confines of the law.”

Vice President J.D. Vance said during a news conference in Hungary that the war in Iran would conclude “very shortly,” but “the nature of the conclusion is ultimately up to the Iranians.”

He said that negotiations have been focused on the question of “what does this look like afterwards?”

“The president has set a deadline for about 12 hours from now in the United States,” he said, speaking alongside Hungarian leader Viktor Orban. “We’re going to find out, but there’s going to be a lot of negotiation between now and then, and I’m hopeful that it gets to a good resolution.”

The price of U.S. crude oil jumped more than 3% to nearly $116 per barrel, after the first reports that the U.S. struck Kharg Island, from which Iran exports 90% of its crude oil. A U.S. official confirmed the strikes to NBC News, but said the strikes did not involve oil assets.

Brent crude oil also jumped to more than $110 per barrel.

U.S. stock futures also declined to their lows of the morning, with the S&P 500 showing a drop of more than 0.5%, on renewed fears that the new strikes, and Trump's 8 p.m. ET deadline, could heighten already widespread uncertainty and supply issues in global energy markets.

Gas prices topping $6 a gallon at a gas station on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles yesterday. Frederic J. Brown / AFP - Getty Images

President Donald Trump has just threatened that "a whole civilization will die tonight" if a deal with Iran is not reached and the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by his deadline at 8 p.m. ET.

"A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

"I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump said, adding: "However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?"

The president said the world would "find out tonight" in what he described as "one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World."

The comments are his latest threats ahead of the deadline. International humanitarian law experts and officials have characterized his previous threats against civilian infrastructure as threatening war crimes.

Smoke rises from strikes in Tehran today. Atta Kenare / AFP - Getty Images

The U.S. military struck dozens of Iranian military targets on Kharg Island overnight, according to a U.S. official.

The mission included U.S. airstrikes along the northern side of the island and did not include any U.S. troops on the ground, the U.S. official said. They did not strike the oil, but instead hit military bunkers and storage facilities, air defense systems and other military facilities.

The U.S. official stressed these were all military targets and many were targets the U.S. hit previously. Trump said March 13 that the U.S. "totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island"

The island is a key oil export hub for Iran and has previously been mooted as a potential site for a U.S. ground operation.

The official stressed that this was not an oil infrastructure strike, ahead of Trump's deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its infrastructure.

U.S. strikes targets on Iran's Kharg Island

03:12

U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack condemned the incident that unfolded in Istanbul today as an "attack on the Israeli Consulate" in the Turkish city.

Barrack said in a post on X that "attacks on diplomatic missions are attacks on the international order — and an assault on the principles that bind nations together."

It comes after Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said one suspect was dead after three people engaged in an armed clash with police officers in Istanbul that saw gunfire reported ringing out near the Israeli Consulate.

Cifi described the assailants as "terrorists" and said said one of the individuals was “found to have links to an organization that exploits religion.” He did not say whether the consulate was directly targeted in the incident. Israel’s Foreign Ministry told The Jerusalem Post the consulate is currently unstaffed.

Police stand by a cordoned off area outside a building that previously housed the Israeli Consulate after gunman opened fire today in Istanbul. Burak Kara / Getty Images

Nearly 1 in 5 service stations in France had run dry of at least one type of fuel this morning as motorists filled tanks after Easter weekend.

There is no risk of broader fuel shortages and “oil is arriving in France,” government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said, adding that shortages at some pumps resulted from transport difficulties that were being urgently addressed.

Around 18% of service stations were short of at least one fuel type, but 83% of those belong to TotalEnergies, which has capped prices. Weekend lines formed at some of the company’s stations because its fuels are often cheaper than other distributors.

Bregeon said about 900 trucks, hundreds more than a normal day, were traveling to Total stations with resupplies today.

“There are no problems at the refineries. When trucks go to depots, they can load up” with unleaded and diesel, Bregeon said. “We can expect a progressive improvement.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty has spoken with Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and counterparts from Iraq and Pakistan in a bid to de-escalate the war with Iran, the ministry said today.

In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Badr Abdel-Aty met with Witkoff alongside Iraq's Fuad Hussein and Pakistan's Mohammed Ishaq Dar, in talks held yesterday. Jean Arnault, personal envoy of the United Nations' secretary-general for the Middle East was also present, it said.

The ministry said the discussions included "an assessment of the rapidly evolving situation and the efforts being made to reach understandings between the United States and Iran to achieve de-escalation and reduce tensions, given the critical juncture and delicate turning point the region is experiencing."

It said Badr Abdel-Aty "stressed the need for wisdom to defuse tensions and avoid a catastrophic scenario from which no party would be immune" and emphasized the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in reaching an agreement that would spare the region from "widespread repercussions."

A synagogue in Tehran was heavily damaged by a projectile fired in the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran, semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr has reported.

Video published by Mehr appeared to show first responders at the scene, surrounded by rubble.

An excavator removes rubble Tuesday at the site of a strike that destroyed half of the Khorasaniha Synagogue and nearby residential buildings in Tehran. Francisco Seco / AP

Appearing to blame Israel for the strike, Homayoun Sameyah Najafabadi, the Jewish representative in the Iranian Parliament, condemned the incident, telling Mehr, "this action shows that they are opposed to all religions."

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incident.

01:42

Tehran residents Zahra Arghavan and Medir Alishir expressed new fears as the deadline for President Trump’s latest ultimatum approaches. Trump warned in an expletive-laden threat that Iran would be “living in Hell” unless the Strait of Hormuz is opened, giving a deadline for tonight.

Multiple bridges have been struck in Iran, this morning with one attack resulting in the deaths of at least two people, state media has reported.

The Security Deputy of the Governor of Isfahan, Akbar Salehi, said an attack had been carried out at a railway bridge in Kashan in the northern area of Isfahan province, Nour News, an outlet linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, reported. He said two people were killed, with three others injured.

Strikes were also reported on the Tabriz-Zanjan freeway in the northwest and a railway in Karaj in the north.

It comes after a key bridge in the area of Qom, around 80 miles south of Tehran, was reported to have been struck, Iranian television network IRIB reported, citing the deputy of political and security affairs of Qom Governorate.

The Israeli military said it had completed a "wide-scale wave of strikes targeting dozens of infrastructure sites" across Iran. It did not specifically identify bridges as targets in the attack, but said more information would be forthcoming.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard has warned that it will act to deprive the U.S. and its allies of regional oil and gas "for years" if President Trump moves forward with his threat to target civilian infrastructure.

"We have not initiated attacks on civilian targets and will not; however we will not hesitate to retaliate against despicable aggressions on civilian facilities," the IRGC warned in a statement today.

It said it would "act against American infrastructure and its partners in a way that will deprive the Americans and its allies of regional oil and gas for years."

"Regional American partners should know that, until now we have exercised significant restraint for the sake of good neighborliness and have taken precautions in selecting retaliatory targets, but from now on, all such precautions have been removed," it warned.

Explosions have been reported on Iran's crucial Kharg Island, which is home to a sprawling oil facility.

Semi-official Iranian agency Mehr News said multiple strikes had been reported on the island, to which Iran pumps almost all of its crude production through underwater pipelines for export.

Satellite image of Kharg Island. Gallo Images / Getty Images file

The U.S. has already bombed dozens of targets on Kharg, including air defenses, a naval base and mine storage facilities, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has previously said - and the Trump administration has previously warned it would not rule out the possibility of seizing the island, which accounts for more than 90% of Iran's oil exports.

At least one suspect has been killed after three people engaged in an armed clash with police officers in Istanbul that saw gunfire reported ringing out near the Israeli embassy in the Turkish city, officials said.

Police officials gather outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul today, following a shootout between gunmen and police. Yasin Akgul / AFP via Getty Images

Calling the assailants "terrorists," Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said one of the individuals was "found to have links to an organization that exploits religion." He said two of the suspects were brothers, with one having a drug-related record.

Istanbul governor Davut Gul told local media at least one of the suspects was dead and that two police officers were injured.

It comes after Turkey's justice minister said an investigation had been launched into reports of gunfire near the Israeli Consulate in the Besiktas district of Istanbul.

It was not immediately clear whether Israel's consulate was directly targeted. A spokesperson for Israel’s Foreign Ministry had separately told The Jerusalem Post that the incident was under investigation, but said the consulate is currently unstaffed.

An investigation has been launched into reports of gunfire near the Israeli Consulate in the Besiktas district of Istanbul, Turkey's justice minister said today.

Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek confirmed in a post on X reports of gunfire near the consulate. It was not immediately clear whether the consulate was directly targeted.

Gurlek said the Istanbul Chief of Public Prosecutor's Office had "immediately launched" a probe into the reports of gunfire, with a deputy chief public prosecutor and two public prosecutors assigned to the investigation.

A spokesperson for Israel’s Foreign Ministry separately told The Jerusalem Post that the incident was under investigation, but noted that the consulate is currently unstaffed.

Iran’s president has claimed that over 14 million Iranians have volunteered to fight to defend the nation.

In a post on X, Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iranians are prepared to “sacrifice their lives.”

“More than 14 million proud Iranians have so far declared their readiness to sacrifice their lives to defend Iran,” Pezeshkian wrote. “I have also been, am, and will be ready to give my life for Iran.”

Members of Iran's security forces stand guard in Enqelab Square, Tehran during a demonstration in support of the Iranian government on Sunday. Majid Saeedi / Getty Images

At least 18 people were killed, with two children among them, in strikes carried out in Alborz Province in Iran, the local governor's office has said.

"Zionist regime warplanes, with direct American support, cowardly targeted the homes and shelters of our defenseless citizens in Alborz Province," the Political, Security and Social Deputy of the Alborz Province Governor’s Office said, according to the semi-official Iranian Fars News Agency.

It said that at least 24 people were also injured and immediately transferred to medical centers for treatment.

NBC News was not immediately able to confirm the reported strikes, as well as the associated death toll.

China has expressed support for all initiatives aimed at bringing peace to the Middle East, while also welcoming Pakistan’s efforts to mediate in the ongoing war.

“We hope the relevant parties will seize the opportunity for peace, bridge differences through dialogue, and quell the flames of war as soon as possible,” said Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry. 

“China is also willing to continue playing a constructive role toward this end,” he added. 

Meanwhile, in China, gasoline and diesel prices have seen a significant rise, increasing by approximately $61 and $58 per ton, respectively, following regulatory changes.

Israel’s military has confirmed it struck one of the last remaining facilities in Iran responsible for producing essential chemical components used in explosives.

In a statement, the IDF said it hit a petrochemical facility in Shiraz, a city in southwestern Iran. The IDF also reported conducting a “wide-scale airstrike” across multiple locations in the country.

Additionally, the IDF stated it also targeted a significant ballistic missile array site in northwestern Iran.

Majid Saeedi / Getty Images

Majid Saeedi / Getty Images

Majid Saeedi / Getty Images

Images captured by a news agency photographer yesterday reveal the scope of destruction to Tehran inflicted by a joint Israel-U.S. attack on the city.

At least eight people were killed in Israeli airstrikes launched across southern Lebanon overnight, the state-run National News Agency reported today.

The strikes were carried out across swathes of the region and the western Bekaa, "including Wadi al-Hujeir, Tebnine, Maarakeh, Zebdine, Deir al-Zahrani, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Kfardounin, Batouliyeh, Tyre outskirts and Sahmar," the news agency reported.

It said at least eight people were killed across four different areas: three in Maarakeh, one in Zebdine, one in Deir al-Zahrani, and three in Tyredba, with dozens of people injured. The outlet said the strikes also destroyed homes and caused widespread damage.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported deadly strikes.

The assassinations of Iran's top commanders will not deter Tehran's armed forces, the Islamic Republic's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has said.

Expressing condolences in a written statement over the killing of the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence chief, Khamenei said Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi joined a "steadfast line of warriors and fighters."

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Chief Majid Khademi in Tehran in Feb. KHAMENEI.IR / AFP via Getty Images

With Khademi on a growing list of top commanders and leaders killed in Israel and the U.S.'s war against Iran — Khamenei's father Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei among them — he said Iran's armed forces would not be deterred.

"The steadfast ranks of the fighters and strivers on the path of truth in Islamic Iran, and the self-sacrificing armed forces, are so extensive and firmly established that assassination and crime cannot create any disruption in their ideals of struggle," he said.

As President Trump doubles down on his threat to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure if it doesn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his deadline, NBC News military analyst retired Col. Steve Warren and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta discuss where the Trump administration’s military objectives stand in the war that is now in its sixth week.

27:05

The current oil and gas crisis triggered by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is "more serious than the ones in 1973, 1979 and 2002 together," Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, has warned.

Speaking with French newspaper Le Figaro, Birol said the world has "never experienced a disruption to energy supply of such magnitude," according to Reuters.

He said European countries, as well as Japan, Australia and others, would suffer, but emphasized that the countries most at risk were developing nations whose populations will be hard-hit by higher oil and gas prices and rising food prices, as well as the general ramping up of inflation.

It comes as IEA member countries agreed last month to release part of their strategic reserves amid the blockade of Hormuz, through which around 20% of the world's oil flows. Birol said some of this had already been released, but added that the process was still underway.

The King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge linking Saudi Arabia and the island of Bahrain, reopened this morning after closing for hours over possible threats from Iran.

The King Fahd Causeway. Manfred Segerer / IMAGO via Reuters

The King Fahd Causeway Authority made the announcement in a post on X, saying the only route by road between Bahrain and the Arabian Peninsula reopened.

Bahrain’s airport has been closed over the Iranian attacks for weeks.

The hourslong closure came after a ballistic missile attack from Iran targeted Saudi Arabia and may have done damage to energy infrastructure there.

The kingdom has not elaborated on damage from that attack.

An Iranian official has urged young people to gather around power plants across Tehran to send a message to the international community that “attacking public infrastructure” is a “war crime.”

“I invite all our youth, athletes, artists, students, university students, and professors,” Alireza Rahimi said, according to Iranian state television, which identified him as the secretary of the Supreme Council of Youth and Adolescents.

“Gather to tell the world that attacking public infrastructure is a war crime,” he added.

A large political banner on display in Tehran yesterday. Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images

Israel’s military has warned people across Iran to avoid using trains and to stay far away from railway lines.

The IDF said the advisory would remain in effect until 9 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. ET).

“Your presence in trains and near tracks will put your life in danger,” it said in a statement in Farsi on X.

The internet is shut off for most Iranians, making it difficult for many to see the warning.

Pakistan’s “positive and productive” efforts to help stop the war in the Middle East are approaching a “critical, sensitive stage,” Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said. 

“Pakistan[‘s] positive and productive endeavours in Good Will and Good Office to stop the war is approaching a critical, sensitive stage,” Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam wrote in a post on X this morning. 

“Stay tuned for more,” he added, without providing further details or a timeline for updates. Pakistan has been serving as a key intermediary between Iran and the U.S. amid a push for a last-ditch ceasefire.

The King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge linking Saudi Arabia to the island kingdom of Bahrain, closed early Tuesday over threats from Iranian attacks.

The King Fahd Causeway Authority made the announcement on X.

Vehicle movements had been “suspended as a precautionary measure” over Iranian attacks targeting Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, the authority said.

The 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) bridge is the only connection by road for Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, to the Arabian Peninsula.

While there has been no formal threat against the King Fahd Causeway, some hard-liners within Iran have increasingly identified it as a possible target.

That risk likely would grow if Trump carries out his threatened strikes against bridges in Iran.

Trump reveals new details about daring rescue of airman from Iran

02:48

Iran’s military may be badly damaged by the U.S. and Israel’s campaign.

But that damage has exposed a more enduring threat: asymmetric warfare, in which individuals or small groups of militants can pose threats strategic to the American military.

Read the full story here.

The U.S. and Iran appear far apart in diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the war, ahead of President Donald Trump’s deadline for the government in Tehran to either agree to a deal or face a bombardment of attacks on its country’s infrastructure.

Trump threatens Iran with attacks on infrastructure unless deal is struck

02:19

Iran, for its part, has been demanding a permanent end to the war despite Trump’s latest ultimatum. Iran publicly has rejected proposals for a temporary ceasefire that have been shared through intermediaries.

One of those proposals includes a 45-day ceasefire that was recently delivered by Pakistan to both U.S. and Iranian officials, according to two regional officials and a senior White House official.

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