AJ
Recap of the war between US-Israel and Iran, including the latest political news, and updates on attacks across the regions.
General News:
Top advisors around President Donald Trump have been privately arguing that Iran’s infrastructure, like power plants and road networks, can be treated as legitimate military targets, reported the Wall Street Journal, noting that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and others had been telling Trump that striking these systems would disrupt Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, and even create internal instability that slowed its nuclear process.
According to the WSJ, citing an Israeli official, the US and Israel were likely to be joining up to target the Iranian energy facilities by Monday night, after which Trump first put out a Truth Social full of expletives demanding the Strait of Hormuz reopened, before giving Iran just 48 hours before all hell would rain loose, (yet again). Reuters had also reported that Israel was preparing potential strikes on Iranian infrastructure but was awaiting a green light from the US in order to do so, with officials reportedly saying any attacks could take place within the next week, signalling a possible escalation towards Iran’s oil and energy sector, critical pillars of Iran’s economy.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also took to X to say that as Americans headed off to church to celebrate Easter with family and friends, ‘the President of the United States is ranting like an unhinged madman on social media.”
Republican warmonger Senator Lindsey Graham said on X: “As I have been saying for the last several days, President Trump has intent on restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” stating Trump was deadly serious when it came to his latest ultimatum to Iran: “To say the window on diplomacy is closing would be an understatement. To Iran, choose wisely and quickly.”
Defence Minister Israel Katz attempted to justify the attacks on Iran’s oil, stating the petrochemical industry has generated approximately $18 billion for the IRGC in two years, serving Iran’s weapons production: “As long as missile fire continues against Israeli citizens, Iran will pay painful prices that will erode and collapse its national infrastructure,” he stated, confirming that the IDF struck central petrochemical sites on Saturday following the strikes on steel plants and other national infrastructure, adding that Israel would continue to target Iran’s leadership, security objectives and strategic assets across the country.
Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Islamic Republic posed no threat to the region and had always prioritised strengthening ties with neighbours and the Muslim world, extending a hand of friendship and brotherhood to regional countries, while stating the war was not chosen or started by Iran, and that it is being waged not only against Iran but also against regional security and the ideal of Islamic unity.
Ghalibaf later said on X: “Your reckless moves are dragging the United States into a living HELL for every single family, and our whole region is going to burn because you insist on following Netanyahu’s commands,” adding that the only real solution was to respect the rights of the Iranian people and ending the dangerous game.
UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani wrote to the UN Secretary-General and other international bodies, condemning US and Israeli attacks on the B1 bridge in Karaj and the Mahshahr petrochemical plant as war crimes and state terrorism, stating that the deliberate and systematic targeting of civilians and infrastructure essential for civilian survival – including power, water and energy facilities – constituted a grave violation of international humanitarian law and is intended to spread terror while inflicting widespread suffering.
Deputy of Communications for the Iranian President, Mehdi Tabatabaei, wrote on X: “Out of sheer desperation and rage, Trump has resorted to profanity and raving: this bastard fool, in his madness, has sparked an all-out war in the region and still keeps chanting his boots. The Strait of Hormuz will reopen only when, under a new legal regime, the damages from the imposed war are fully compensated from a portion of the transit toll revenues.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said: “Our armed forces have made it clear that in case Iran’s infrastructure is attacked, we would react in kind – we would target any similar infrastructure that is owned or in any way or manner related to the United States or contributes to their acts of aggression against Iran. This is not a voluntary or a wilful decision, it is self-defence against their illegal act – this is not the American people’s war, it is a war of choice by the United States administration, perhaps on behalf of a genocidal regime in our region.”
Ambassador to Germany Majidi Nii said that four decades of pressure, threats, sanctions and war against Iran had failed, stating that Iran is invincible and, contrary to calculations, has not weakened but continues its path stronger than ever, and reviewing US hostile policies from Carter to Biden, he said each administration entered the field thinking it faced a weak Iran, but reality proved it otherwise.
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said that since the start of the war, 105,125 civilian units had been damaged, including 83,351 residential units and 39,508 commercial-residential units in Tehran, adding that a total of 322 health centres, 763 schools and 55 libraries across 12 provinces had also been hit. Mohajerani condemned the attack on the Delaram Sina psychiatric hospital as war crime, while also confirming the strike on the Mahshahr petrochemical plant killed 5 people and wounded 170, urging Iranians not to fall for ‘false claims’ by the US and Israel.
Thailand’s Iranian Embassy took to X saying: “Judging by how POTUS swears like a teenager, it seems the US has reached the Stone Age sooner than expected,” in response to President Trump’s previous Truth Social which was full of expletives demanding Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz immediately.
Commander of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters Major General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi warned that the armed forces would put any ‘aggressor’ in its place, describing Trump’s threats against Iranian infrastructure as the desperate act of a failing, unbalanced and foolish leader, saying that if the US and Israel attack, Iran would strike all US military infrastructure in the region and Israeli infrastructure without hesitation: “The gates of Hell will be opened on you,” he said.
IRGC announced they had retaliated for the attacks on the Karaj B1 bridge and the Mahshahr petrochemical plants with a first wave of strikes under Wave 96, with targets including a refinery supplying fuel to Israeli fighter jets in Haifa, Exxon/Mobil/Chevron gas facilities in Habshan (UAE), a US petrochemical in Al Ruwais (UAE), a US petrochemical in Sitra (Bahrain), and a US petrochemical in Shu’aiba (Kuwait), warning that if attacks on non-military strikes continued, the second phase would be more crushing and widespread than the first.
Houthi-Led Yemeni Armed Forces military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced a fifth joint military operation with the IRGC and Hezbollah, targeting Lod airport in the Jaffa area and other military objectives in southern Israel using a ballistic missile and drones, stating that the operation was successful and that forces would continue within the resistance axis until victory was achieved.
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al-Zayani held a phone call with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, where they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and coordinate on regional developments amid continued Iranian missile and drone attacks on both Bahrain and GCC countries, as both stressed the importance of joint diplomatic efforts in international forums, including their current non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council.
Other News:
US Satellite imagery company Planet Labs informed a Washington Post investigator that they would no longer be providing satellite images of areas of the Iranian conflict after a request from the Trump administration.
Iranian media reported that people in Mahshahr, Iran, were struggling to breathe due to chemical pollution caused by the US and Israeli bombardment of the petrochemical factories there, as mass evacuations from the city have reportedly been underway.
The US are deploying the bulk of its most advanced stealth long-range cruise missiles for the use in the war with Iran, significantly ramping up its strike capabilities, as officials told Bloomberg they were repositioning much of its inventory of AGM-158 JASSM-ER missiles from global stockpiles to bases supporting operations in the Middle East and Europe, but nearly all the stockpile could be committed to the campaign, leaving a reduced reserve for other regions and contingencies.
Iran’s internet blackout continues to be the longest nation-scale shutdown on record, exceeding 37 consecutive days of total isolation for Iranian civilians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was still claiming to the AP on Sunday that Russia was providing Iran with satellite intelligence, stating that approximately 50-53 energy sites in Israel had been shared, enabling strikes on civilian infrastructure with no military purpose, stating that all of Russia’s experience gained in the war against Ukraine, including Shahed drones, was being transferred to Iran, adding that Ukraine could share its experience of reopening the Black Sea grain corridor using naval drones, but no country has been in touch to request help with the Strait of Hormuz.
Air defences in the UAE intercepted 9 ballistic missiles, 1 cruise missile and 50 drones launched from Iran within a 24 hour period, reported the country’s Ministry of Defence.
Jordan’s Armed Forces intercepted two Iranian missiles and two drones within 24 hours, and authorities responded to 18 incidents involving falling projectiles and debris during the same period, and no injuries were reported, only material damage.
Iraqi’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein thanked Iran for allowing Iraqi tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while reiterating Baghdad’s policy of rejecting the war, in reply to Iran previously stating that their ‘brothers’ can pass without issue.
Assessments from Israeli officials indicated a low likelihood of the US reaching a deal with Iran, while preparing for an ongoing major strike on Iranian energy infrastructure, including ‘new and significant targets,’ according to Channel 14, while i24News stated that Israel and the US had agreed new objectives last Thursday with the participation of the IDF Chief of Staff and the US Central Command Chief.
Several Iranian Kurdish opposition groups denied President Trump’s claims that the US had sent them a lot of guns during Iran’s nationwide anti-government protests in January, which Trump claimed they had then kept.
Mohammed Nazif Qaderi, a senior official from the opposition Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, told Rudaw that the statements by Trump were baseless and they hadn’t received any weapons: “The weapons we have are from 47 years ago, and we obtained them on the Islamic Republic battlefield, and we bought some from the market.”
Kako Aliyar, a member of the Leadership Committee of the Kurdish Iranian opposition party Komala, responded to Trumps claims saying that no weapons had come to their party and they hadn’t received anything or weren’t even aware of the matter: “Previously, this matter was never discussed, and we haven’t talked to anyone about it.”
Iran rejected a proposal to reopen Hormuz in exchange for a temporary ceasefire, according to the WSJ, who stated mediation efforts by Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan to bring Iran and the US back to the negotiation table had so far failed, with Iran refusing to compromise, allegedly declining talks in Islamabad, and calling US demand unacceptable.
Although the IDF has repeatedly said Iran only has a few hundred ballistic missiles remaining out of an original stockpile, IDF sources have now acknowledged the exact number is uncertain, according to The Jerusalem Post, stating the IDF initially stood by the assessment that only several hundred missiles remained but then acknowledged that the exact number is uncertain and not definitively known.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated Moscow emphasised the importance of de-escalation regarding Iran and called on Washington to abandon the language of warnings and deadlines.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General said that Donald Trump’s threat to attack Iranian power stations and bridges was ‘disgusting,’ stating the threats would be a ‘potential wave of war crimes’ because civilians would be the most affected, reported Al Mayadeen.
Passage was granted to 15 ships within 24 hours through the Strait of Hormuz with permission from Iran, but data indicated ship traffic through Hormuz was still 90% lower than before the start of the American-Israeli attacks on Iran, reported Fars News.
Military experts linked to Hezbollah and the IRGC arrived in Ansarullah-controlled areas of Yemen through the port of al-Hudaydah last night to hold talks about providing support and assistance to the Houthis on the ground, reported Aden al-Ghad.
Attacks:
Ballistic missiles were launched by Iran towards Israel at just after 4am on Sunday April 5th, with interception attempts made by David’s Sling near the Golan Heights, and subsequent claims from the IDF that up to 2 ballistic missiles were intercepted with no impacts reported, following which several interceptors self destructed near Safed, northern Israel.
Israeli Environmental Protection Ministry claimed it had fallen in open ground outside a building, causing minor structural damage from blast and shrapnel, adding that no hazardous materials incident had been identified.
Another wave of missiles was launched towards southern Israel, which put Dimona on high alert as interceptions were attempted over Jordan, however the missile made it through to impact in an industrial zone in Neot Hovav.
Initial reports of a launch were detected from Iran targeting northern and southern Israel at just after 6pm local time, with explosions heard in Northern Israel because of interception attempts, followed by reports of debris falls or impact within the Haifa area, which demolished a building, injuring 11 people, at least one critically, as rescuers searched the debris late into the night looking for other casualties. Impact footage of Haifa above, aerial footage of the impact below. As of last night, four people were still unaccounted for and believed to have been trapped under the rubble, reported Jewish Breaking News.
Iranian drones allegedly struck two of Kuwait’s Power and Water Desalination Plants with drones, resulting in significant material damage and the shut down of two power generation units, as footage circulated showed a drone strike on one of the plants, according to the country’s Ministry of Electricity.
NASA Firms data showed that large fires were also burning at US Camp Buehring in Kuwait (the Ali Al Salem Air Base), after Iranian drone attacks, which is used to house US troops in the region, as reports also surfaced stating that Kuwait’s gas infrastructure had come under attack, and Al Jahra in Kuwait reported power cuts.
Later footage showed the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation building ablaze after being struck by Iranian projectiles in the early hours of the morning, causing a massive fire inside the building.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Finance confirmed reports that the main complex of the Ministry had been damaged by an Iranian drone strike.
An Iranian ballistic missile impacted in Bahrain around 5:30am Israel time, reportedly targeting the BAPCO oil storage facility in Sitra, Bahrain soon after sirens and explosions were reported in Manama, Bahrain, and fires were seen raging in various clips and images.
Footage just after dawn appeared to show another cruise missile impact at the Sitra oil depot in Bahrain causing a fire to break out as the smoke cloud from the previous attack was still clearly visible.
While the Bahraini Ministry of Interior initially confirmed they were dealing with a fire that was started by an Iranian missile strike, they reported around an hour later that the fire had been completely extinguished.
Around 10am Israeli time, several fires were also reported in Abu Dhabi’s Borouge petrochemicals factory, with damage being assessed following the attack, which came less than 24 hours after Israeli forces struck Iran’s largest petrochemical facility.
Bahraini Ministry of Interior reported the competent authorities were dealing with several fires that broke out in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, stating operations at the factory had been suspended immediately pending an assessment of the damage, while no injuries had been reported.
An attack by Israel or the USA on an IRIB (official state broadcaster) tower in Dehdasht, southwestern Iran, resulted in multiple casualties being reported.
Downed Plane:
Multiple reports had already surfaced overnight about a daring rescue attempt that had been carried out by US Forces in conjunction with Israeli surveillance, covered by AJ News previously, but since then there had been so many stories published from various sources.
Several sources stated that clashes had broken out as Special Forces Paratroopers (PJs) attempted to pull off a daring raid inside of Iranian territory, but it was unclear just how daring this raid would prove to be until the news reports surfaced about what happened overnight.
Initially, an HH-60 Pave Hawk from the US Air Force was photographed over Yasuj in Iran, leading to reports that the US military had reportedly located the second crew member and were attempting an exfiltration attempt, as clashes between rescue teams and local forces were reported in the areas of Milas in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.
US and Israeli airstrikes also targeted border towns in Ardabil province, including Parsabad, Germi, Aslan Duz and Jafarabad, as several air defence sites and a Basij base in Germi were allegedly hit, but three people were killed and three people were wounded, according to the reports.
Airstrikes were also reported in Isfahan Province soon after, which was believed to be attacks on the missile infrastructure again initially, but later was found out to be distraction fire allowing rescue operations to take place.
Hundreds of special forces troops and dozens of US warplanes and helicopters were deployed to locate the downed F-15E crewmember, with US aircraft striking Iranian convoys to keep them away as forces converged on the airman, triggering a firefight during the rescue, reported the NYT, noting that the airman had used a beacon and secure communications to coordinate with rescuers before being extracted.
A senior Trump administration official told Axios that a specialised US commando force carried out the rescue operation supported by extensive air cover, noting that no US casualties were reported during the mission, adding that the official reported the CIA launched a deception operation inside Iran before the rescue of the downed US airman, spreading false reports that he had already been located and was being moved across the country. The disinformation created confusion among Iranian forces, allowing the CIA to use its capabilities to locate the weapons systems officer in a remote mountainous region of Isfahan, before relaying the precise coordinates to the Pentagon, the US military and the White House, enabling rapid planning for the extraction.
Final reports on the damage assessments from the blown up aircraft at the Iranian airport in Isfahan revealed four MH-6 Little Bird helicopters were deliberately destroyed alongside two MC-130Js Combat King II rescue aircraft, which were allegedly blown up because they had ‘mechanical issues,’ although Iranian forces claim they had caused the explosions of the aircraft.
Trump told Axios the US initially feared a message from the F-15 crewmember downed over Iran was a trap, suspecting Iranian forces using false signals to lure a rescue team in, revealing that the wounded officer survived more than 24 hours in mountainous terrain, hiding in a crevice while Iranian forces and civilians searched for him.
Around 200 special operations troops took part in the rescue mission that needed to happen after the jet was brought down by a shoulder-fired missile, as Trump explained to Axios that Iran ‘got lucky,’ saying that the US Military had ‘beeping information’ about the pilots location.
Trump also noted the officer transmitted a brief message after ejecting – described as ‘Power be to God’ – while a US defence official clarified the phrase was ‘God is Good.’
President Trump noted the pilot was rescued on Friday much more quickly, in daylight, under heavy fire from Iranian forces.
Trump also told NBC that Iran was large and violent, the rescuers were brilliant, and as cool as anyone could be: “The Iranians thought they had him, but it wasn’t even close, and remember, we got two, but couldn’t talk about the first in that it would have highlighted that there was a second,” adding that such a rescue has never happened before in so violent an enemy territory, and it is usually not done because it is ‘considered not doable – such a great military, like no other.’
US Central Command published their first posts since the jet went down, stating that the forces successfully completed the rescues of two American service members from Iran on April 4 after their jet was shot down during an April 2 combat mission, but the service members were safely recovered during separate search and rescue missions, adding that the US strikes into Iran continue as the US Central Command forces dismantled the Iranian regime’s ability to project power beyond its borders.
