Iran attacks Israel and Gulf states, plays down Trump peace talks claim

The prime minister of Pakistan spoke with Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader about about the Iran war and his country’s efforts to facilitate ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran.

“I reiterated Pakistan’s strong condemnation of the recent attacks on the Kingdom and reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity and unequivocal support for Saudi Arabia in these challenging times,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said of his call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“Appreciating the Kingdom’s restraint, I stressed the urgent need for de-escalation,” he added.

Sharif said he also briefed the crown prince on Pakistan’s “diplomatic outreach efforts for regional peace and stability,” saying the two leaders agreed to remain in close coordination.

About 290 U.S. service members have been injured since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, a U.S. official familiar with operations told NBC News.

Of those, 255 have already returned to duty, while 10 are seriously wounded.

Thirteen U.S. service members have been killed in the conflict, and two more died of noncombat causes.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi encouraged his Iranian counterpart to engage in talks with the U.S. as soon as possible in order to end the war, according to a government readout.

In a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Wang said he hoped that all parties would “seize every opportunity and window for peace to launch a negotiation process as soon as possible.”

“Talking is always better than fighting,” he said.

China, which has close ties with Iran, has criticized the U.S.-Israeli strikes as a violation of Iran’s sovereignty, but it is also highly concerned about Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Gulf states, where China has major commercial interests.

A drone attack targeting a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport caused a fire, the country’s civilian aviation authority said.

“According to initial reports, the damage was limited to property and there were no casualties,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said on X.

Iran has launched attacks against Kuwait following the U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran that began on Feb. 28. Six of the 13 U.S. service members who have died in the conflict were killed in a drone attack in Kuwait.

The Senate declined by a vote of 47-53 to bring a war powers resolution to the floor.

The resolution was “to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.”

The vote tonight was largely along party lines, with Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania the only Democrat to vote against it. On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote yes.

It is the third time the Senate has failed to advance a resolution to rein in Trump’s military action against Iran, which critics say needs congressional approval. Democrats have said they will continue bringing war powers resolutions to the floor until Republicans agree to hold public hearings on Iran.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of national energy emergency in response to the Middle East conflict and what he called an “imminent danger” posed to the Southeast Asian country’s energy supply.

Marcos said a committee has been formed to ensure the orderly movement, supply, distribution and availability of fuel, food, medicines, agricultural products and other essential goods.

In an executive order shared with the media today, Marcos said the conflict had created uncertainty in global energy markets, severe supply chain disruption and significant volatility and upward pressure on international oil prices, “thereby posing a threat to the country’s energy security.”

“The declaration of a state of national energy emergency will enable the government ... to implement responsive and coordinated measures under existing laws to address the risks posed by disruptions in the global energy supply and the domestic economy,” he said.

Iran must end its “unacceptable attacks” against its neighbors, French President Emmanuel Macron said he told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian today.

“I reiterated the absolute necessity of ending the unacceptable attacks against the countries of the region, preserving energy and civilian infrastructure, and restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Macron said in a statement.

“I called on Iran to engage in good faith in negotiations, in order to open a path to de-escalation and provide a framework to meet the expectations of the international community regarding Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program, as well as its regional destabilization activities,” he added.

Macron also said he called on Iran to allow two French nationals, Cécile Kohler and her partner, Jacques Paris, to return to France as soon as possible. Both were jailed in Iran for three years and were released from detention in November, but they have not been allowed to leave the country, Euronews has reported.

People in Israel were told to go to shelters after its military said it identified missiles launched from Iran.

Rocket trails in the sky above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya amid a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks Wednesday. Jack Guez / AFP - Getty Images

The Israel Defense Forces said at around 2:50 a.m. Wednesday local time (8:50 p.m. Tuesday ET): "A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel."

“Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," it said.

The IDF said shortly after 3 a.m. local time that people were allowed to leave shelters but should use caution.

Earlier Wednesday morning local time, the IDF said it was launching strikes against targets in infrastructure in Tehran.

Israeli officials today announced the approval of the allocation of land to build a permanent U.S. Embassy compound in Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the news in a joint statement with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Construction and Housing Minister Haim Katz.

The three leaders touted the approval as a "significant decision that completes an important diplomatic move which began with the bold and historic decision by U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to relocate the United States Embassy there."

Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital and a holy site, but international opinion about the city's status is sharply divided. The United Nations adopted a resolution nullifying Israel's claim.

Canada’s foreign ministry today said it strongly condemns Israel’s plan to occupy territory in southern Lebanon while calling on Iranian proxy Hezbollah to disarm.

"Lebanon’s sovereignty & territorial integrity must not be violated. Hezbollah's attacks on Israel must cease and they must disarm," Global Affairs Canada said in a statement on X.

Aftermath of an IDF airstrike in Nabatieh, Lebanon on Tuesday.  Adri Salido / Getty Images

"Canada reiterates its solidarity with the government of Lebanon and its people," the ministry said. "We urge all parties to protect civilians, refrain from attacks on infrastructure, health workers, and peacekeepers, and act in accordance with international law."

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said the Israeli military will establish a "security zone" inside Lebanon in its military campaign against Hezbollah.

The Israeli Defense Forces said Wednesday morning local time that it has begun new strikes against targets in Iran’s capital city.

"The IDF has begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure," the IDF said in an initial statement.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that a missile launched from Iran fell in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Israeli forces have been targeting Lebanese targets they say are linked with Hezbollah, a militant group and key Iranian regime proxy.

Lebanon has declared Iran's ambassador, Mohammad Reza Shibani, "persona non grata."

Shibani has been given a deadline of Sunday to "leave Lebanese territory," Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said on X.

The ministry later said the move does not mean Lebanon is severing its diplomatic relations with Tehran, The Associated Press reported.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said it was coordinating with Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese militia and political organization with strong ties to Tehran. More than a million people have been displaced in southern Lebanon during the war as Israel strikes what it says are Hezbollah targets in the area.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has highlighted the need to ensure the besieged Strait of Hormuz "remains open, secure and accessible" in a post on X.

Modi said he had received a phone call from Trump. They "had a useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia," Modi said. "We agreed to stay in touch regarding efforts towards peace and stability."

India has been hit especially hard by soaring energy prices brought on by the war.

Maryam Saeedpoor, a conceptual artist in Tehran, sits on the ledge of a rooftop in a constructed self-portrait. In the portrait, taken in the last few weeks, a cloud of black smoke rises behind her as her fuchsia headscarf billows in the wind.

A self-portrait of Maryam Saeedpoor, a conceptual artist in Iran.  Courtesy Maryam Saeedpoor

"Just imagine living in a situation where you truly do not know, at any given second while you are going about your life, what will happen to you. Will that missile or bomb fall on youor on another one of your fellow citizens?" she tells NBC News.

She captures this reality in her artwork, taking vibrant portraits of Iranians against the backdrop of the war consuming the country and region.

In her pieces, couples embrace, sit on blankets with tea laid out, check phones for updates, all while plumes of smoke reach toward the sky around them.

"These days, as I walk through Tehran, I keep seeing the wounds in every corner of my city," Saeedpoor said. "Cafés where I had memories, streets where I spent time with friends, my university, places where I worked, shops I used to buy from, and now they are gone."

Saeedpoor said that conflicting feelings gripped her and that she was "afraid, angry, hopeful and also hopeless."

One of Saeedpoor's pieces.   Courtesy Maryam Saeedpoor

Saeedpoor said she felt "angry at those who started this war, especially at a time when negotiations were taking place between us and the United States." She also felt angry "at some of my own people who believed that a military attack would bring us freedom," she added.

"I have always said: The enemy of our enemy is not necessarily our friend," she said.

Iran says a projectile hit the premises of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“According to Iran, there was no damage to the NPP itself nor injuries to staff, and the condition of the plant is normal,” the international nuclear watchdog said on X.

It said its director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, “reiterates call for maximum restraint to avoid nuclear safety risks during conflict.”

Low-to-middle-income working families in New Zealand will receive an extra 50 New Zealand dollars ($29) a week to help them cope with higher fuel prices, the conservative government said today in its first major fiscal policy response to the Iran war.

“This temporary boost will deliver support to working families who are under significant cost-of-living pressure, without making inflation worse or further driving up government debt,” Finance Minister Nicola Willis said.

Starting April 7, about 143,000 households with children will get the extra money through a boost to the working families tax credit. An additional 14,000 households will also become eligible for a lower credit.

The increase will last for one year or until the price of New Zealand’s most commonly used gasoline falls below NZ$3 a liter ($6.62 a gallon) for four consecutive weeks, Willis said. 

Grief, hope, fear, anger and joy — these are just some of the conflicting feelings that Iranians inside and out of the country told NBC News they're feeling this week as a brief glimmer of optimism for a diplomatic solution began to fade.

"I’m so concerned every day. I’m stressed and sad," said Iranian national living in London who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "But again, we’re very hopeful."

Across the country and among the Iranian diaspora, there are conflicting views on the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran, with some eager to see the regime toppled, while others are outraged by Washington's intervention and widespread bombing.

"What happens actually is that people who were united before are now divided. I had the worst argument ever with my own sister, who supports the former prince of Iran and supports the war," said a person in Iran, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Trump has approved deploying more than 1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The deployment was approved last night, and the orders are being written today for the headquarters, staff and some ground forces, but not the full brigade, the sources added.

The full brigade is over 3,000 troops, while this deployment will be fewer than half that — under 1,500 soldiers. They have not left the U.S. yet but could be sent overseas in the coming days.

The 82nd Airborne is an infantry division specializing in parachute assault.

More than 50,000 U.S. troops are assigned to the Middle East. This number does not include the two Amphibious Ready Group and Marine Expeditionary Units (5,000 each) and the more than 1,000 from the 82nd Airborne Division.

Iranian authorities have arrested 466 people accused of being "traitors linked to hostile groups," according to a police news release cited by the semiofficial news agency ISNA.

Police accused the unidentified people of "disturbing public opinion, disturbing public opinion, spreading fear and anxiety in society, creating a sense of insecurity, supporting the enemy, and encouraging and organizing activities that disrupt security in cyberspace."

Iranian authorities did not detail the alleged digital conduct. The police news release did not specify when or where the accused were arrested.

Trump says U.S. received a 'present' from Iran amid negotiations

01:53

Trump said Iran negotiations are ongoing, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio joining Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in the talks.

"JD’s involved, Marco’s involved, and I'm involved," Trump said at the swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office for Markwayne Mullin as secretary of homeland security.

He also said Iran was "talking sense" and had already made a large concession. "I don't want to say in advance, but they've agreed they will never have a nuclear weapon. They agreed to that," he said.

A woman in her 30s was killed after missiles were fired toward northern Israel, the country's emergency medical service said today.

The spokesperson for Magen David Adom did not identify the woman, who was said to have suffered shrapnel injuries.

“We arrived at a difficult scene. In a ditch on the side of the road, we saw a woman unconscious with severe shrapnel injuries and multi-system trauma. We performed medical assessments, but she had no signs of life and we were forced to pronounce her dead at the scene," said Oren Ne’eman, a paramedic.

In all, 17 people across Israel have been killed since the start of the war with Iran, according to Magen David Adom.

Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has told Trump that Riyadh is concerned about leaving Iran angry and capable of continuing to strike its neighbors in the region, according to a senior Saudi official.

The official said the crown prince also conveyed to Trump that it’s important that Israel stop attacking civilian infrastructure in Iran because a lack of functioning infrastructure postwar risks creating conditions in Iran that could further foment hatred of the U.S. and its allies in the region, which could make them targets of Iranian aggression. The official confirmed that Trump and the crown prince have been talking.

Asked for comment, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, “The White House does not comment on the president’s private conversations.”

The New York Times first reported the details of Crown Prince Mohammed and Trump’s conversations. 

At least one member of the United Arab Emirates military was killed in Bahrain during an Iranian missile attack today, according to the UAE and Bahraini governments.

Bahrain's ministry of defense described the UAE serviceman as a civilian contractor and Moroccan national. He has not been publicly identified.

The attack from Iran also injured five members of the UAE military, the defense ministry said.

Many Iranians "do not trust" President Donald Trump's assertions of diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran, a former Iranian diplomat and nuclear negotiator has said.

"I hope that this time the United States will act sincerely in diplomacy and that this bloody war will come to an end," Seyed Hossein Mousavian said in a message shared with NBC News.

But he noted that some in Iran believed Trump's decision was "tactical" and "intended to allow several thousand U.S. troops to reach the Persian Gulf within the next five days," which he said could lead to an attack on the country's power plants and "pave the way for the occupation" of Kharg Island, a critical hub for Iranian oil production.

At the scene of a missile impact in northern Tel Aviv this morning, the destruction was striking: multiple apartment blocks gutted, glass and debris littering dense streets, and broken windows for blocks around.

More striking still was the casualty count: Despite multiple impacts throughout the heart of the Israeli city, rescue service United Hatzalah reported no deaths and only nine injuries. Four of those injuries were minor, the volunteer service said in a statement, and the other five “were treated for emotional shock at the scene and a mobile clinic.”

A member of an Israeli rescue team responds at the site of the strike in Tel Aviv today. Oded Balilty / AP

Israeli officials at the scene credited the ubiquitous bomb shelters in central Tel Aviv for the relatively few losses.

“Our people know how to behave here. They are going to the shelter in time,” Ron Huldai, the mayor of Tel Aviv, told NBC News as he visited the scene. “And so after having a huge damage, they have only to enjoy their life.”

Israelis take cover in a public bomb shelter during an Iranian missile attack Friday in Tel Aviv. David Silverman / Getty Images

The impact site in the north of the city was from an Iranian missile carrying a 100-kilogram (220-pound) warhead, emergency workers on the scene said. It was a direct hit — it hadn’t been intercepted by Israel’s air defenses.

France's army chief described the U.S. today as an "increasingly unpredictable" ally, appearing to chide the Trump administration for attacking the Iranian regime without giving advance notice to European powers.

“We ‌were surprised by an American ally, who remains an ally, but who is becoming increasingly unpredictable and doesn’t even bother ​to inform us when they decide to launch ​military operations,” Fabien Mandon told a security and defense conference ⁠in Paris, according to Reuters.

The diplomatic ties between France and the U.S. have grown strained during Trump's second term. Trump has repeatedly questioned the utility of the NATO alliance, which includes France, and alarmed European leaders with his talk about seizing Greenland.

In recent days, Trump has lashed out at traditional U.S. allies who rebuffed his demand that they join military operations to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

Lebanon is facing an "existential crisis" amid fears of a long-term occupation by Israeli forces of the country's south, a senior Lebanese politician told NBC News today.

"The amount of destruction in south Lebanon and in Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley is absolutely disastrous," said Michel Helou, secretary-general of the Lebanese National Bloc, a secular and reformist political party. "And that has also pushed a million Lebanese on the roads."

Speaking from Beirut just hours after Israel's defense minister announced the IDF would seek to take control of a "security zone" in Lebanon's south, as well as over remaining bridges over the Litani River that haven't yet been destroyed by Israeli forces, Helou said he felt Lebanon was in a more "desperate situation" than it has been in decades since the Lebanese Civil War.

The site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik today.  AFP - Getty Images

Trump reposted the Pakistani prime minister's offer to host “meaningful and conclusive” talks between the U.S. and the Iranian regime.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump last year.  Suzanne Plunkett / Pool photo/AFP via Getty Images file

Trump did not offer any commentary on the original social media post from Shehbaz Sharif.

German Foreign Minister Johann ​Wadephul said today he believes Trump’s announcement about talks with the Iranian regime could lead to a new juncture in the war.

“Something is happening, and that’s ​a good thing in this ​time when there have been more risks ⁠of escalation than possibilities of bringing ​this conflict under control,” Wadephul told German broadcaster MDR, according to Reuters.

In a social media post yesterday, Trump said Washington and Tehran had held “very good and productive” conversations about a “complete and total resolution of hostilities.” The Iranian government countered that claim, saying no direct or indirect talks had taken place.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said today his country "stands ready and honored" to host "meaningful and conclusive" talks between the U.S. and the Iranian regime.

"Pakistan welcomes and fully supports ongoing efforts to pursue dialogue to end the WAR in Middle East, in the interest of peace and stability in region and beyond," Sharif said in an English-language post on X.

Sharif said the proposed peace talks would be "subject to concurrence" by both Washington and Tehran.

In the post, Sharif tagged X accounts for Trump as well as key Trump administration envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the regime's top diplomat.

Earlier, four sources told NBC News that Pakistan was joining a growing list of countries acting as go-betweens for the U.S. and Iran, with two of those sources saying an in-person meeting could be held in the coming days in Islamabad.

Hassan Fadlallah, a senior Hezbollah lawmaker, said the Iran-backed militant group will fight any Israeli move to occupy southern Lebanon. “We have no choice but to confront this aggression and cling to the land,” he told the Reuters news agency this morning.

Fadlallah's comments came after Israel's defense minister said the country would take control of large parts of southern Lebanon, where it has been destroying bridges and homes in its campaign against Hezbollah.

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich went further yesterday, telling an Israeli radio station that the country should permanently extend its border with Lebanon up to the Litani River.

Smotrich, who leads the Religious Zionist Party, said Israel’s military operation in Lebanon “needs to end with a different reality entirely, both with the Hezbollah decision but also with the change of Israel’s borders.”

Heavy equipment and military vehicles cross from Israel into southern Lebanon today. Jalaa Marey / AFP - Getty Images

Trump’s announcement of peace talks with Iran and the postponement of his self-imposed deadline for striking Iranian power plants fueled the stock market's best day since February and led oil prices to settle.

Brent crude is back up to about $104 a barrel this morning, however, and the main measure of the U.S. stock market, the S&P 500, fell 0.4% to give back more than a third of its climb from yesterday.

02:06

China has raised fuel prices but later reduced the increase to lessen the burden on consumers as global energy costs surge.

Gasoline and diesel prices that had been set to rise by $1 or more per gallon will instead increase by only about 50 cents “to mitigate the impact of the recent abnormal rise in international oil prices on the domestic market,” according to China’s National Development and Reform Commission, the authority regulating energy prices. That brings the average price of gas in China to about $4.70 a gallon.

The price change is still significant for the people who drive China’s 300 million gas-powered cars, prompting long lines to form at gas stations across the country as drivers rushed to fill up before the new prices took effect. Gas prices in China, which relies on Gulf states for much of its oil imports, are up about 20% since the Iran war began on Feb. 28.

China is taking precautionary measures despite its estimated 1.4 billion barrels in oil reserves, which are helping it weather the price shocks better than other Asian countries that have announced energy-conserving measures from switching off building lights to urging people to wear short-sleeved shirts to work.

Iran's military will continue to wage war against the U.S. and Israel until the regime has achieved what it characterized as "complete victory," the commander of the country's armed forces said today, according to the semiofficial Fars news agency.

Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters mocked the U.S., describing it as a "hollow" nation that has been "brought down in front of the world" and left "trying to escape from the war" it started.

"The American president, Trump, after realizing the situation and becoming stuck in the war, has lost hope in his goals and is now seeking help from other countries to get out, which is a historic moment and a great honor for the Iranian people," Aliabadi said, according to the Fars report.

"At this sensitive time, Iran’s armed forces remain loyal to their promise, fully follow the Supreme Leader and commander in chief Mojtaba Khamenei and will continue this proud path with the support of the people until complete victory," Aliabadi said in closing, referring to the regime's new supreme leader.

Aliabadi's statement did not define what the regime considers complete victory over the U.S. and Israel.

The Israeli military is modeling its approach to creating a "security buffer" in southern Lebanon after its operations in some of the hardest-hit areas of Gaza, including the southern city of Rafah, the country's defense minister has said.

Announcing plans for Israel to assume control of the remaining bridges that it has not yet destroyed over Lebanon's Litani River, as well as of a "security zone" in the area south of the waterway, Katz said the IDF was "following the model applied in Rafah and Beit Hanoun in Gaza, in order to create a security buffer and remove threats to Israeli communities."

Katz's comments came as Israeli forces destroyed bridges across the Litani it said were used by Hezbollah operatives to move from north to south and transfer weapons and as homes were razed to the ground across southern Lebanon. Katz said hundreds of thousands of people displaced from southern Lebanon would not be able to return to their homes until the safety of residents of Israel's north was guaranteed.

"The principle is clear: where there is terror and missiles — there will be no homes and no residents, and the IDF will remain in control," he said.

First responders arrive today at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon. Kawnat Haju / AFP - Getty Images

The streets of Tehran were sparsely populated today, though some could be seen eating out at coffee shops, trying their best to make the most of the spring weather even amid the backdrop of bomb-blasted buildings as Israeli strikes continue to rain down on Iran.

Cars could be seen lined up, heading north, with many still looking to get out of the city to mark Nowruz New Year's celebrations, which last 13 days, despite the conflict consuming the region.

While many have sought to mark the Persian New Year, the most important holiday in the Iranian calendar, many shops remained closed across the capital, while armed forces maintained checkpoints on nearby highways with machine guns mounted onto pickup trucks.

Only a few places could be seen still open around Tajrish Square in northern Tehran, with some street vendors trying to sell what they could amid what would have been in better times their busiest time of year.

Shoppers at Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran today.  AFP - Getty Images

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting near Versailles outside of Paris on Friday “to advance key U.S. interests” and “discuss shared security concerns and opportunities for cooperation,” the State Department said.

“Areas of focus will include the Russia-Ukraine war, the situation in the Middle East, and threats across the world to peace and stability,” it said.

Nearly all of the other G7 nations — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — have reacted coolly at best to the U.S.-Israeli military operation against Iran and have declined to participate.

Qatar is not involved in mediating any negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, a spokesman for the country's Foreign Ministry said this morning.

The small but wealthy Gulf state has often acted as mediator in the Middle East, most recently helping to broker a 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

But in response to a question from NBC News at a news conference in Doha, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said his country was not playing a role in negotiations.

"Qatar is not involved in these talks. Our views about any talks, if they exist, are consistent with our very principled position that all conflicts will end on the negotiation table, and we support all of these efforts,” he said.

"I am not privy to the details of the current negotiations, but we stand ready to help, of course, if there is any role for Qatar. But right now, our concern is in supporting these efforts and stopping the attacks on our country."

Lebanon has declared Iran's ambassador to the country persona non grata, revoking his accreditation and ordering him to leave the republic before the end of the month, Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Youssef Raggi said today.

Raggi said in a post on X that Mohammad Reza Sheibani had been ordered to leave Lebanese territory by Sunday.

He said Sheibani had been summoned today to be informed of the decision to withdraw approval of his accreditation.

It comes as the Israeli military continues to attack Lebanon with airstrikes in its campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah. Israel's defense minister announced that Israeli forces would be taking control of remaining bridges over the Litani River, as well as of a "security zone" south of the waterway.

Smoke rises today from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of the southern city of Tyre, Lebanon. Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP - Getty Images

While President Trump talks of finding negotiated peace in the Middle East, Iran launched more missile attacks at Tel Aviv that damaged a residential neighborhood.

The Iranian group firing those missiles, the Revolutionary Guard, dismissed Trump’s claim of diplomatic progress, saying, “contradictory behavior of the deceptive U.S. president does not distract us from the battlefield.” 

02:17

Drone footage shows the extent of damage to residential buildings after an Iranian missile attack on Tel Aviv this morning.

There were no reports of casualties in the attack but Israel said search and rescue teams were deployed to several areas in the central part of the country.

00:36

It’s hard to know the real state of affairs when it comes to negotiations to end the Iran war, the Kremlin said.

“We, like you, are indeed seeing a whole host of conflicting statements from all sides. One contradicts another,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a daily briefing earlier today, when asked if Tehran has signaled to Moscow that it was ready for talks with the U.S.

It comes after Iran disputed U.S. claims of diplomatic advances. It also comes after months of conflicting signals from Moscow, Kyiv and Washington over talks to end the Kremlin's own war.

Israel said last week it struck Iranian naval targets in the Caspian Sea, and Peskov said Russia would take any spillover of the conflict into the sea, which both Russia and Iran border, “extremely negatively.”

Images from the Israeli settlement of Peduel and the Palestinian village of Kifl Haris near Nablus in the occupied West Bank show missile fragments after Iranian attacks.

Maya Levin / AFP via Getty Images

Maya Levin / AFP via Getty Images

Erik Marmor / Getty Images

One missile remnant landed in an elementary school courtyard in the settlement, prompting children to play with it.

Mohamad Torokman / Reuters

Iran has named a former Revolutionary Guard commander as ​the ​secretary of its ⁠Supreme National ​Security ​Council after the killing of his powerful predecessor, state television reported.

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr will replace Ali Larijani, whose death in Israeli strikes last week was a major blow to the ruling clerical regime.

Larijani, 67, was the most senior leader to be killed in the Islamic Republic since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He was largely considered by many to be the country’s de facto leader after Khamenei’s death.

Zolghadr is likely to rise toward the top of Israel's list of assassination targets, with the country seeking to decapitate Iran's leadership.

The Popular Mobilization Forces, a Shia paramilitary group in Iraq, said airstrikes had killed at least 10 people, including its operations commander in the western province of Anbar.

The group said the commander, Saad Dawai al-Baiji, had been killed by a U.S. airstrike targeting its command headquarters.

Since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, some Tehran-backed groups within the PMF coalition have launched drone attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq.

Several hundred Australian fuel stations are out of either gasoline or diesel despite Australian ministers assuring the public the market is well supplied.

New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, has 165 stations without diesel and 298 without at least one type of gasoline, The Sydney Morning Herald said today, as consumers stock up amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Energy minister Chris Bowen confirmed to Parliament that petrol stations in multiple states were facing shortages.

Cars line up to purchase fuel at a service station in Ballina, Australia, yesterday. James D. Morgan / Getty Images

A gas station sign advertises diesel for over three Australian dollars a liter, in Melbourne yesterday. William West / AFP via Getty Images

Bowen also rolled out another relaxation of fuel standards that would allow more diesel into the market after earlier lowering sulphur standards. Bowen has appointed a fuel supply task force that met for the first time today, with the mandate to ensure supply gets to rural areas where it is needed.

The government also released fuel from its reserve and has 30 days of diesel stored.

During an address to the National Press Club in Canberra yesterday, International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol called the storage a “solid number” and outlined fuel conservation measures such as working from home, lowering speed limits and limiting business travel.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned today that it would widen strikes on Israeli troops if the death toll of civilians in Lebanon and in the war-battered Palestinian enclave of Gaza continued to rise.

The IRGC accused Israel of "taking advantage" of the war in the region and the media's focus on Iran to carry out "widespread war crimes against civilians in Lebanon and Palestine."

"The continuation of this process is not tolerable," it said in a statement run by Iranian official state news agency IRNA.

It warned that if the civilian death tolls in Lebanon and Gaza continued to rise, Israeli forces will "come under heavy missile and drone attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."

Israel will assume control of the remaining bridges over the Litani River and a "security zone" in areas to its south, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced today.

Katz did not identify exactly which parts of southern Lebanon would make up the "security zone."

He warned, however, that hundreds of thousands of residents who have been displaced from their homes will not be able to return "until security for northern Israeli communities is ensured."

The development comes after Israel expanded its assault on southern Lebanon, destroying bridges over the Litani and homes in the area amid what it has said is a "limited" ground operation.

"All five bridges over the Litani that were used by Hezbollah for transferring operatives and weapons have been destroyed, and the IDF will control the remaining crossings and the security zone up to the Litani," Katz said during a situation assessment this morning

The designation of southern Lebanon as a "security zone" will deepen fears of a long-term occupation of the area, with experts warning in recent days that such a takeover could be "imminent." Yesterday, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the Litani should be Israel's permanent new border.

Images out of Tel Aviv reveal the scope of damage to the city following an Iranian missile strike this morning. Emergency services were seen responding to the attack, whilst civilians evacuated destroyed buildings.

 Erik Marmor / Getty Images

 Ohad Zwigenberg / AP

 Jack Guez / AFP via Getty Images

 Oded Balilty / AP

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UNESCO has expressed concern about the impact of war on important historical sites in Iran and across the Middle East, saying they have become “collateral damage.”

U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have damaged at least four cultural and historical sites, including palaces and an ancient mosque, raising concerns about the impact of the widening war on protected landmarks that are important to Iranian identity and world history.

The price of oil jumped back above $100 a barrel as optimism over a possible end to the war consuming the Middle East began to fade a little.

The international standard Brent crude added $1.00 to just over $102 a barrel, though global market benchmarks rebounded a little overall.

The price of Brent had sunk by more than 10% yesterday after Trump said he would delay strikes he threatened to launch on Iran's energy infrastructure unless it reopened the Strait of Hormuz. The president attributed the reversal to productive talks with Iran.

Iranian officials disputed his claims of diplomatic progress and accused the president of trying to buy time and manipulate the financial and oil markets to quell mounting outrage over market instability. One senior official acknowledged the country had exchanged messages with intermediaries, however.

At least four people were injured after at least one Iranian missile evaded air defenses and made an impact in Tel Aviv, the Israeli military and first responders said this morning.

The Israeli military said search and rescue forces had been dispatched to several sites in central Israel after receiving reports of impacts in the area.

MDA

Photos shared by Magen David Adom, Israel’s primary emergency service, with NBC News showed a cloud of smoke rising from the ground as first responders arrived at the scene of a strike in Tel Aviv.

"We saw destruction, smoke, and chaos," emergency medical technician Yoel Moshe said this morning. Moshe said at least four people, all in "mild condition," were treated at the scene.

Damage in Tel Aviv today, following an Iranian missile strike.  Obtained by NBC News

Pakistan is joining a growing list of countries acting as go-betweens for the United States and Iran, four sources told NBC News, with two of those sources saying an in-person meeting could be held in the coming days in Islamabad.

A diplomatic source said Pakistan is in conversations with both the U.S. and Iran and is “well poised to play an active role” in discussions to end the war. A Gulf official said Pakistan had been passing messages between the two countries for the past two days.

Read the full story here.