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Israel’s armed forces posted a stark warning on X, urging Iranians to refrain from using trains or approaching railway lines until 21:00 Iran time (17:30 GMT). The message, issued on the military’s Persian‑language account, framed the advisory as a safety measure, hinting at imminent strikes on civilian rail infrastructure before U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz lapses. Trump has publicly threatened to bomb Iran’s bridges and power plants if the strategic waterway remains closed, setting a deadline of Tuesday 8 p.m. EST (01:00 GMT Wednesday). In response, Tehran has pledged “devastating” retaliation against any attacks on its civilian targets. Recent Israeli air operations have intensified. New strikes hit Tehran’s residential districts and a nearby synagogue, and a petrochemical facility on Iran’s side of the South Pars gasfield—shared with Qatar—was also targeted. According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, the conflict, which began on 28 February, has claimed at least 2,076 Iranian lives over more than five weeks. Amid the escalating rhetoric, the King Fahd Causeway linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain was suspended as a precaution against potential Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The 25 km (16 mi) bridge is the sole road link for Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Gulf states report heightened alert levels: alarms sounded in Bahrain and the UAE, and the Saudi Ministry of Defense said it intercepted seven ballistic missiles in its eastern sector. Al Jazeera’s correspondent noted that the Gulf region has borne the brunt of the conflict. On the diplomatic front, the UN Security Council is slated to vote on a watered‑down resolution aimed at unblocking the Strait of Hormuz. The draft, seen by AFP, omits any language authorising force, but Russia and China retain the power to veto. Iran’s blockade has already rattled global energy markets, driving oil and gas prices to record highs and forcing nations to adopt austerity measures. Analysts such as Trita Parsi, vice‑president of the Quincy Institute, argue that President Trump retains the flexibility to extend the deadline without losing credibility, given his historically limited diplomatic leverage. As the deadline looms, the convergence of military warnings, infrastructure closures, and diplomatic maneuvering highlights the fragile balance between coercive pressure and the risk of broader regional escalation.

Iran’s only operational nuclear power station, the Bushehr plant, has endured a series of assaults amid the escalating Israel‑United States campaign against Tehran, sparking alarm over a possible regional nuclear incident.The most recent strike on Saturday resulted in the death of a security guard and damage to an auxiliary building, according to the state‑run Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI).Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asserted that the facility has been "bombed" four times since the conflict erupted on 28 February, accusing the United States and Israel of a "lack of concern" for nuclear safety.Security analysts stress that any bombing of the reactor or its spent‑fuel pools would unleash the radioactive isotope Caesium‑137, a contaminant capable of traveling far via wind and water, rendering soil, food and drinking supplies hazardous for decades and increasing cancer risks for exposed populations.The Bushehr complex, built by Russia and completed in 2011, supplies roughly 1,000 MW to Iran’s grid. It is the Middle East’s first nuclear plant and is slated to host two additional reactors by 2029, with hundreds of Russian technicians on site.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly warned that a direct hit could trigger a “regional catastrophe.” Director‑General Rafael Grossi told the UN Security Council that striking the plant could cause a "very high release of radioactivity" and, if power to the cooling system were cut, could lead to a reactor melt. He called for "maximum restraint," noting that evacuation zones could extend several hundred kilometres, requiring iodine prophylaxis and food‑supply restrictions.Beyond terrestrial fallout, experts highlight the danger of contaminating the Gulf’s shallow waters. Radioactive pollution would devastate marine ecosystems and cripple desalination plants, which lack the technology to filter such material. Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, warned that a simulated Bushehr attack would render the sea "entirely contaminated" and leave the country without water within three days.International law explicitly forbids targeting civilian nuclear installations. Article 56 of Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions bars attacks on "works and installations containing dangerous forces," and the IAEA’s own guidelines prohibit indiscriminate strikes on reactors, fuel storage, or power supplies.Araghchi also criticized the muted Western response, contrasting it with the outcry over Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia plant, which prompted emergency UN sessions, NATO warnings, and statements from the EU, UK and US. In the Bushehr case, the EU has remained silent, while Russia, which maintains a sizable staff at the site, issued a condemnation of the attacks.Historical precedents such as the 2011 Fukushima disaster and the 1986 Chernobyl explosion illustrate the long‑term human and environmental toll of nuclear accidents, underscoring why the safety of Bushehr is viewed as a matter of regional, not merely national, security.

Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif presented a comprehensive peace roadmap in Foreign Affairs on Friday, seeking to move beyond a temporary cease‑fire in the war that erupted on February 28 after coordinated US‑Israeli strikes on Iran. The plan urges Iran to place limits on its nuclear program under international monitoring, including a commitment to never pursue nuclear weapons and to blend its enriched uranium below 3.67 %. This would address the International Atomic Energy Agency’s estimate that Iran holds roughly 440 kg (970 lb) of uranium enriched to 60 %—a level close to the 90 % threshold needed for a bomb. Zarif also proposes a mutual non‑aggression pact with the United States, coupled with the immediate lifting of all US sanctions and United Nations Security Council resolutions against Tehran. To secure regional stability, he suggests forming a regional fuel‑enrichment consortium that would involve China, Russia and the United States alongside Iran and its Gulf neighbours, using West Asia’s sole enrichment facility. Additionally, a broader security framework could include Gulf states, UN Security Council powers and possibly Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey to guarantee freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has largely blocked since the conflict began. Beyond security, Zarif calls for “mutually beneficial trade, economic and technological cooperation” between Iran and the United States, framing the roadmap as a “well‑timed off‑ramp” for President Donald Trump, who recently warned Iran it had 48 hours to negotiate a deal or face “all hell”. Gulf officials reacted sharply. UAE diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash dismissed the proposal as ignoring Iran’s aggressive missile and drone attacks on Gulf infrastructure, calling the strategy “hubris & strategic failure.” Former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani acknowledged the plan’s cleverness but warned that the war has “eroded the trust built over years” and increased regional danger. The United States has offered a 15‑point cease‑fire plan, while Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt continue to push for direct talks, yet no substantive progress has emerged. Should the roadmap gain traction, it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz—through which one‑fifth of global crude oil and natural gas normally flows—alleviate the economic shockwaves rippling through world markets, and reshape the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.

Indonesia formally received the coffins of three United Nations peacekeepers who lost their lives in southern Lebanon as Israel intensified its invasion, a development that underscores the expanding regional fallout of the US‑Israel war on Iran. On Saturday, uniformed officers carried the bodies into a solemn ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto. Following the tribute, Foreign Minister Sugiono urged a comprehensive UN inquiry into the fatalities, stressing that "incidents like this should not happen" and calling for a security guarantee for peacekeeping troops. The three soldiers—Farizal Rhomadhon (28), Zulmi Aditya Iskandar (33) and Muhammad Nur Ichwan (26)—were members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Rhomadhon was killed when a projectile, later attributed by a UN source to fire from an Israeli tank, detonated near his position. A day later, Iskandar and Ichwan perished in an explosion that struck a UNIFIL logistics convoy. Family members expressed deep sorrow. Iskandar’s father, Iskandarudin (60), told reporters from West Java that the loss was especially painful because the troops were deployed for peace, not combat. The government announced that the trio will be interred on Sunday and pledged financial assistance to their families, reflecting Indonesia’s commitment to support the bereaved. In a related incident, UNIFIL reported that three additional peacekeepers were wounded in a blast at a facility near Adeisse; the cause of that explosion remains unidentified, though the injured were confirmed to be Indonesian. Indonesia’s foreign ministry has called on the UN Security Council to convene an urgent meeting of troop‑contributing nations to review and strengthen protection measures for UNIFIL personnel. The tragedy occurs against the backdrop of a broader conflict: the US‑Israel offensive against Iran has spilled into Lebanon after Hezbollah, aligned with Tehran, launched rockets following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on 28 February. Israeli forces have been bombarding Lebanon for weeks, aiming to establish a 30 km (≈18.6 mi) security zone along the border. Key takeaway: The loss of Indonesian peacekeepers highlights the heightened risks faced by UN missions in volatile theaters and intensifies calls for stronger international safeguards amid escalating Middle‑East hostilities.

More than 100 United States‑based international law scholars have signed an open letter denouncing the recent US‑Israeli strikes on Iran as a violation of the United Nations Charter and potentially amounting to war crimes. The letter, released on Thursday, asserts that the campaign – launched on February 28 – proceeded without UN Security Council authorization and without credible evidence of an imminent Iranian threat. According to the scholars, the legal basis for force against another state exists only in self‑defence against an actual or imminent armed attack, or when expressly sanctioned by the Security Council. Iran has not attacked the United States or Israel, and the Security Council did not approve the operation. The experts organize their concerns into four categories: the legality of the war decision, the conduct of hostilities, threatening rhetoric from senior officials, and what they describe as the dismantling of civilian‑protection safeguards within the US defence establishment under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s “gloves‑off” approach. Among the most alarming incidents highlighted is the strike on a primary school in Minab, Iran on the first day of the conflict, which killed at least 175 people, the majority of them children. The letter also cites attacks on hospitals, water treatment facilities, and energy infrastructure, emphasizing that schools, health facilities, and homes have been targeted. The signatories condemn public statements by senior US officials, including a mid‑March remark by former President Donald Trump that the United States might strike Iran “just for fun,” and early‑March comments from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth dismissing “stupid rules of engagement.” They argue that such rhetoric reflects an “alarming disrespect” for international humanitarian law, which is designed to protect civilians and combatants alike. Financially, the letter notes that the war is costing US taxpayers up to $2 billion per day, underscoring the broader economic burden of the conflict. The open letter was co‑authored by prominent legal scholars such as Yale Law School’s Oona Hathaway, former State Department legal adviser Harold Koh, NYU’s Philip Alston, and former Human Rights Watch chief Kenneth Roth. While the authors focus on the United States’ conduct, they warn of a heightened risk of atrocities throughout the region. Emphasizing the need for consistent application of international law, the scholars write: “We urge US government officials to uphold the UN Charter, international humanitarian law, and human rights law at all times, and to publicly make clear US commitment to and respect for norms of international law.”

The United Nations‑backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF) announced on Wednesday that its first foreign troops have landed in Haiti, signalling a new phase in the international effort to tame the country’s spiralling gang warfare.An advance team of soldiers from Chad arrived in Port‑au‑Prince, accompanied by Jack Christofides, a South African UN official appointed to lead the mission’s operations on the ground.The deployment is the initial step of a force slated to expand to 5,500 personnel with a 12‑month mandate. The GSF was authorized by the UN Security Council last September as a replacement for the earlier Kenyan‑led multinational security mission, which has struggled with funding shortfalls, insufficient manpower and limited institutional backing.Unlike its predecessor, which was limited to supporting Haitian police, the new force will have the authority to make arrests and conduct direct operations against groups designated as gangs. The concept was first put forward by the United States and Panama to “neutralise, isolate and deter” criminal networks.During the Security Council vote, twelve members voted in favour of the force, while China, Russia and Pakistan abstained. Russia’s representative, Vassily Nebenzia, criticised the plan as “rushed” and warned that its broad language could enable abuses, noting that the mandate permits the use of force against anyone labelled a gang.Haiti’s recent history of foreign intervention adds a layer of sensitivity to the deployment. Past UN peacekeeping missions have been linked to a cholera outbreak that claimed roughly 10,000 lives after the 2010 earthquake, and UN personnel have faced accusations of sexual assault in earlier decades.Gang control has tightened dramatically since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Analysts estimate that up to 90 % of Port‑au‑Prince is now under gang influence, with around 26 criminal groups operating in the capital. The UN estimates that at least 16,000 people have been killed since 2022 and that more than 1.5 million have been displaced, many facing food insecurity. A recent human‑rights report recorded 5,519 gang‑related deaths and 2,608 injuries between March 2025 and mid‑January 2026, alongside reports of extrajudicial killings and sexual violence.The arrival of the GSF coincides with Haiti’s tentative steps toward a national election scheduled for August, where roughly 300 political parties and groups have registered. Acting Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils‑Aime has recently met with UN officials to discuss the new force’s role in stabilising the country ahead of the vote.

Israel has announced plans to occupy swathes of southern Lebanon, aiming to expand its buffer zone and prevent the return of approximately 600,000 residents. The move has raised concerns of long-term forced displacement and potential war crimes.Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel will control the area up to the Litani River, about 19 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border, and destroy homes along the border. This approach has drawn criticism from Human Rights Watch, which warns that such actions could amount to forced displacement and wanton destruction, both considered war crimes.The conflict escalated after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel on March 2, prompting an Israeli military campaign in Lebanon. The immediate goal is to push Hezbollah back from the border to prevent rocket fire into northern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the military to expand the buffer zone, though specifics remain unclear.The situation on the ground is dire, with over 1,268 people killed in Lebanon by Israeli actions, according to Lebanon's ministry of health. Additionally, 10 Israeli soldiers have been killed by Hezbollah, and two civilians in northern Israel have been killed by Hezbollah rocket fire. The conflict has also resulted in over 1 million displaced people, with many lacking official state shelters.The international community has condemned the violence, with the UN undersecretary-general for peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, calling the attacks on peacekeepers “unacceptable incidents” that must stop. The EU and the UN Security Council have also responded, with the latter holding an emergency session at France's request.

Global markets experienced a significant shift as stock markets in Asia and Europe rose following reports that US President Donald Trump had sent a 15-point framework for peace to Iran. This development sparked hopes of a ceasefire in the Middle East, influencing market sentiment. The price of oil, which had fallen by 4% in early trading to below $100 (£75) per barrel of Brent crude, later recovered to approximately $100. This fluctuation was driven by the prospect of an end to the conflict easing the squeeze on oil supply. The straits of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane through which 20% of global oil supplies transit, had been effectively closed by Iran, causing a significant disruption to oil and gas shipments. Iran's announcement that it would permit “non-hostile” ships to pass safely through the strait of Hormuz helped to reopen this crucial waterway. This move, combined with the potential peace plan, contributed to the positive market sentiment. Stock markets in Asia saw notable gains, with Japan’s Nikkei rising by 2.9%, India’s S&P; BSE Sensex almost 2% higher, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng up by just under 1%. European markets also saw increases, with the FTSE 100 in London up by almost 1%, Germany’s Dax trading 1.6% higher, and France’s Cac 40 climbing by 1.4%. However, Iran’s foreign affairs ministry informed the UN Security Council and the International Maritime Organization that “non-hostile” vessels could pass through the strait, which also poses a risk to global food security due to the disruption of fertiliser supplies. The World Trade Organization warned that this could lead to food price shocks. The conflict's impact on gold prices was also noted, as the metal traditionally seen as a safe haven asset during troubled times experienced a 13% decline to about $4,460 per ounce. Additionally, Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, warned that a prolonged conflict could lead to oil prices rising to $150 a barrel, potentially triggering a global recession.