Published On 2 Apr 20262 Apr 2026
|Updated: 2 Apr 2026 08:36 PM (GMT)Updated: 2 Apr 2026 08:36 PM (GMT)
Iran has launched a new wave of missiles at Israel after United States President Donald Trump said Washington had “destroyed the Iranian military” and was close to achieving its war objectives.
Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country held no hostility towards the people of the United States, Europe or neighbouring countries.
Here is what we know:
In Iran
- Bridge struck: The US and Israel have stepped up attacks, hitting a century-old medical research centre in Tehran, a bridge near the capital and steel plants, after Trump threatened to bomb Iran back to “the Stone Ages”.
- Stalled diplomacy: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that while Iran has received messages from the US, trust remains “at zero” for any potential negotiations.
- Appeals to Americans: Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on the US public to question Washington’s motives for continuing the war. In an open letter shared by state broadcaster PressTV, he asked whether Trump’s “America First” policy was “truly among the priorities of the US government today”.
- Iran calls US demands ‘irrational’: Iran said on Thursday that Washington’s demands were “maximalist and irrational” and denied any negotiations were under way on a ceasefire to end the war.
War diplomacy
- Immediate ‘reopening’: A UK-led meeting of some 40 countries called for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the UK’s foreign minister said.
- GCC urges UN action: The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) called for the UN Security Council to “take all necessary measures” to protect the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks.
- China condemns: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said US and Israeli attacks on Iran were a violation of international law, Chinese state media reported, as he held calls with his EU, German and Saudi counterparts.
- ‘Wider war’: UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that the Middle East conflict risked spiralling into a wider war, and called for an immediate halt to US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian attacks on its neighbours.