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China offers $200,000 emergency humanitarian assistance to Iran after school attack.
Iran says death toll of US-Israeli strikes reaches 1,230.
Iran's IRGC official says will burn any ship trying to pass through Strait of Horm.
JERUSALEM - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Monday that the country's air force attacked Iran's largest petrochemical facility in Assaluyeh County in the southern Bushehr province.
He said that Israel "has just struck with force the largest petrochemical facility in Iran, located in Assaluyeh," adding that the key site is responsible for about 50 percent of Iran's petrochemical production.
Katz's announcement came in a video statement following reports by Iranian media that energy facilities in the area had been attacked.
Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said that several explosions were heard due to US and Israeli attacks on petrochemical complexes.
Iranian media revealed that the situation is "under control," and the damage from the attack is still being assessed.
The attack followed similar Israeli strikes in March on the petrochemical facilities, which triggered Iranian attacks on oil and gas infrastructure across the region.
TEHRAN -?Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday it has targeted an Israeli-owned container vessel and a US assault ship.
In a statement on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC elaborated on the 98th wave of its attacks against Israeli and US targets, which was launched earlier in the day.
The IRGC identified the container ship as "SDN7," saying it was hit precisely with cruise missiles and caught fire.
It noted that the US amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7), with more than 5,000 forces on board, was forced to retreat to the southern Indian Ocean after being targeted.
The IRGC added that its forces also struck strategic centers in the Israeli city of Haifa as well as petrochemical companies and plants in Be'er Sheva with precision ballistic missiles, adding a gathering place of the Israeli forces was also targeted in Petah Tikva, central Israel.
According to the IRGC, among the other targets hit by missiles and drones were a center for the joint production of unmanned aerial vehicles by the United Arab Emirates and Israel as well as a number of aircraft in the Ali Al Salem Air Base in the Arab state.
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases and assets in the Middle East, and exercising tight control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Explosions occur in area near Assaluyeh Petrochemical Complex in Iran, media
Iran on Monday rejected an expletive-laced ultimatum from United States President Donald Trump to escalate strikes on Iranian power plants and bridges. The threat comes after the US set a Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. As tensions escalate, US and Israeli forces launched a wave of attacks that killed more than 34 people in Iran, which responded with missile fire targeting Israel and its Gulf neighbors.
Facing mounting domestic pressure and growing public anxiety, Trump warned Tehran that failure to reach a deal to reopen the strait would set the country "back to the Stone Age".
"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran," Trump threatened in a social media post, adding that if the strait remained closed, "you'll be living in Hell".
Tehran, however, has shown no sign of backing down from its chokehold on shipping through the strait, which was fully open before the US and Israel launched the war on Feb 28.
Following Trump's threat, Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called the threats of targeting Iran's infrastructure "reckless". "You won't gain anything through war crimes," he wrote on X.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose to $109 in early Monday spot trading, some 50 percent above pre-war levels. On Sunday, OPEC+ — comprising members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia — agreed to a modest output increase of 206,000 barrels per day starting in May.
University targeted
So far, both sides have threatened and struck civilian targets, including oil fields and desalination plants critical to drinking water supplies. Iran's joint military command warned of stepped-up attacks on regional oil and civilian infrastructure if the US and Israel continue to target such Iranian sites, state television reported.
On Monday, Tehran endured another night of heavy bombardment, with strikes hitting the eastern, southern and western districts of the capital. State media reported at least 34 fatalities, including six children. The most high-profile damage occurred at Sharif University of Technology, where campus buildings suffered unprecedented destruction.
Iran also continued its attacks against Israel on Monday, with a missile striking a residential building in Haifa, killing at least two people and wounding four. Across the Gulf, power, desalination and oil facilities were hit in Kuwait, and an oil installation targeted in Bahrain.
In the United Arab Emirates, air defenses engaged incoming missile and drone attacks on Monday morning. A drone strike damaged a du telecommunications building in Fujairah, but no injuries were reported, authorities said. Falling debris from an intercepted attack wounded one person in an industrial area in Abu Dhabi.
The violence came after an intense operation on Friday rescued the missing crew member of an F-15 fighter jet shot down over Iran, involving dozens of aircraft and closing a dramatic and politically perilous chapter in the war.
But before US forces withdrew, they destroyed two C-130 cargo planes and at least two MH-6 Little Bird helicopters after the aircraft became stuck in terrain. Iran claimed it had shot them down, with state media broadcasting footage of the charred wreckage.
Meanwhile, Iran and the US have received a plan to end hostilities that could take effect on Monday and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a source familiar with the proposals told Reuters on Monday. But a senior Iranian official said Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a temporary truce and sees Washington as not ready for a permanent ceasefire.
Under the plan, a ceasefire would take effect immediately to reopen the strait, with 15-20 days to finalize a broader settlement. Tentatively dubbed the "Islamabad Accord", the deal would include a regional framework for the strait, with final in-person talks in Pakistan.
Earlier, Axios reported the US, Iran and a group of regional mediators are discussing terms for a potential 45-day truce that could lead to a permanent end to the war.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, warned on Sunday that any settlement must guarantee unimpeded access through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that a deal failing to curb Iran's nuclear program, missiles and drones would pave the way for "a more dangerous, more volatile Middle East".
cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Monday that its intelligence chief Majid Khademi was killed in US-Israeli strikes.
Khademi was "martyred in the criminal terrorist attack by the American-Zionist enemy... at dawn today," the IRGC said in a statement quoted by local media.
WASHINGTON -- The United States, Iran and regional mediators are discussing a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to "a permanent end to the war," Axios reported on Sunday, citing anonymous US, Israeli and regional sources.
The report said the mediators are discussing the terms of a two-phased deal: the first phase would involve a potential 45-day ceasefire, during which the parties would negotiate a permanent end to the war, while the second phase would focus on reaching an agreement to end the war.
The ceasefire could be extended if more time is needed for talks, it said, noting that fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz and resolving the issue of Iran's highly enriched Uranium could only be the result of a final deal.
United States President Donald Trump has warned that "all hell" will rain down on Iran if no peace deal is reached within 48 hours, as his 10-day deadline for Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz approaches.
Trump's threat came amid intensified strikes in the Middle East over the weekend, just as Christians were commemorating Easter, with energy facilities in the Gulf countries, as well as universities and hospitals in Iran, suffering heavy damage.
Warplanes destroyed a research center which is part of the sprawling Shahid Beheshti University in northern Tehran. The attack on Friday on the Laser and Plasma Research Institute of the elite higher education facility is part of a growing number of civilian sites targeted by the US and Israel in their war on Iran.
Hossein Simaei Saraf, Iranian minister of science, research and technology, told reporters at the research center on Saturday that parts of at least 30 universities have so far been hit by US and Israeli strikes since the start of the war on Feb 28.
Meanwhile, in the latest developments on Sunday, Trump confirmed on his Truth Social account that the US military pulled off "one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history" after a "highly respected colonel" was now "safe and sound" after his plane was shot down over Iran.
The airman was one of two military personnel aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet that was shot down over Iran on Friday. Another crew member was rescued earlier.
The spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of Iran announced on Sunday that Iranian military forces destroyed several US aircraft in southern Isfahan. He said it foiled a desperate attempt by US forces to infiltrate Iran and extract the pilot.
The spokesman said a joint operation successfully intercepted and neutralized the incoming aircraft.
The spokesperson added that the downed aircraft included two Black Hawk helicopters and two C-130 military transport planes, all of which were struck and left burning in southern Isfahan.
Al Jazeera reported on Sunday that several people were killed in Iran's Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province during search operations for the US airman from the downed F-15E jet.
According to Iran's Fars news agency, five people were killed and eight wounded in an attack on the Koh Siah area of Kohgiluyeh County, while four others were killed in the Vazg and Kakan areas of Boyer-Ahmad County.
On Saturday, one person was killed from projectile fragments after the US and Israel strikes targeted a location close to Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that its air force struck more than 120 targets in central and western Iran and that its targets included ballistic missiles, drone production and air defenses, among others.
Raising alarm
"Israel-US have bombed our Bushehr plant four times now. Radioactive fallout will end life in GCC capitals, not Tehran," said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a post on X on April 4.
He also accused the US media of "misrepresenting" Iran's position and reiterated that what Iran cared about are the terms of a "lasting end to the illegal war that is imposed on us".
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, said on X on Sunday he was joining the IAEA in raising the alarm again over the safety of nuclear facilities in Iran.
"The latest incident involving the Bushehr nuclear power plant is a stark reminder: a strike could trigger a nuclear accident, with health impacts that would devastate generations," said Ghebreyesus.
"With every passing day of this escalating conflict, the stakes and threats are raised higher and higher. We must de-escalate now. Peace is the best medicine," he added.
Meanwhile, former IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei urged the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the United Nations to stop "madman" Trump from turning the region into a ball of fire.
Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com
Trump says he believes he can reach a deal with Iran by Monday: Fox News
WASHINGTON - The crew member of the downed US F-15 had been rescued from "deep inside the mountains of Iran" and is "seriously wounded," US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
In another post, he threatened that Tuesday would be "Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one," for Iran, and again urged Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.
He also announced that he will hold a news conference with the military at 1 pm ET (1700 GMT) on Monday, three hours after his "48-hour warning" to Iran expires.
United States President Donald Trump has claimed that "all hell" will rain down on Iran if no peace deal is reached within 48 hours, as his 10-day deadline for Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz approached.
Trump's threat came amid intensified strikes in the Middle East over the weekend, just as Christians were commemorating Easter, with hospitals and universities in Iran, as well as energy facilities in the Gulf countries, suffering heavy damage.
On Sunday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that the US military had pulled off "one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history" and that a "highly respected colonel" was now "safe and sound".
"At my direction, the US Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the world, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine. This miraculous Search and Rescue Operation comes in addition to a successful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday, which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation," said Trump, and vowed to "never leave an American warfighter behind" as he ended with an Easter greeting.
Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday that Iran's armed forces foiled a US attempt to rescue a downed pilot in a coordinated operation south of Isfahan in central Iran.
The spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters of Iran announced that Iranian military forces had destroyed several US aircraft in southern Isfahan and that the incident followed desperate efforts by US forces to infiltrate central Iran and extract the pilot.
The spokesman said a joint operation involving the aerospace and ground forces, volunteer Basij units, and law enforcement successfully intercepted and neutralized the incoming aircraft.
The spokesman also accused Trump of attempting to downplay the incident by claiming in a social media post that a special operation had been carried out to rescue the downed pilot. The spokesperson added that the downed aircraft included two Black Hawk helicopters and one C-130 military transport plane, all of which were struck and left burning in southern Isfahan.
Al Jazeera reported on Sunday that people were killed in Iran's Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province during the search operations for a US airman from the downed F-15E jet.
According to Iran's Fars news agency, five people were killed and eight wounded in an attack on the Koh Siah area of Kohgiluyeh County, while four others were killed in the Vazg and Kakan areas of Boyer-Ahmad County.
On Saturday, one person was killed from projectile fragments after the US and Israel strikes targeted a location close to Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Israel Defense Forces said its air forces struck more than 120 targets in central and western Iran and that its targets included ballistic missiles, UAV production and air defenses.
"Remember the Western outrage about hostilities in Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine?" Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X following Saturday's attacks.
"Israel-US have bombed our Bushehr plant four times now. Radioactive fallout will end life in GCC capitals, not Tehran. Attacks on our petrochemicals also convey real objectives."
Araghchi also accused the US media of "misrepresenting" Iran's position and reiterated that what Iran cared about are the terms of a "lasting end to the illegal war that is imposed on us".
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, wrote on X on Sunday he was joining the IAEA in raising the alarm again over the safety of nuclear facilities in Iran.
"The latest incident involving the Bushehr nuclear power plant is a stark reminder: a strike could trigger a nuclear accident, with health impacts that would devastate generations," said Ghebreyesus.
"With every passing day of this escalating conflict, the stakes and threats are raised higher and higher. We must de-escalate now. Peace is the best medicine," he added.
Meanwhile, former IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei urged the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and United Nations to stop "madman" Trump from turning the region into a ball of fire.
On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait reported energy facilities being targeted by Iranian drones.
Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com
TEHRAN - Several US soldiers died in a military operation to rescue crew members from a downed fighter jet in Iran, Iran's Fars news agency reported Sunday, citing sources.
Iran's revolutionary guards say US aircraft in search of pilot was downed: Tasnim
Trump confirms the rescue of the missing US pilot
WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran has 48 hours to strike a deal on opening up the Strait of Hormuz or face "Hell."
"Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "Time is running out?— 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them," Trump said.
On March 21, Trump threatened to "hit and obliterate" Iranian power plants if the country fails to fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Two days later, however, he postponed strikes on power plants for five days after holding "productive conversations" with Tehran. He later again pushed the deadline back.
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TEHRAN -- Iran has authorized the passage of ships carrying essential and humanitarian goods through the Strait of Hormuz to it ports, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Saturday.
The report cited a letter, dated March 1, sent to Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) by Hooman Fathi, Iran's Deputy Agriculture Minister, as saying that the Iranian government and armed forces have authorized passage by those vessels.
The letter asked the PMO to allow the passage of ships destined for Iranian ports or currently in the Gulf of Oman that carry humanitarian commodities, especially essential goods and livestock inputs, based on the issued protocols.
It added that a list of such ships will be sent for further coordination.
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior officials and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US bases in the Middle East, and exercising tight control over the Strait of Hormuz.
TEHRAN -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said Saturday that it had hit an Israel-linked vessel with a drone, setting it on fire.
The IRGC Navy said in a post on social media platform X that it hit the vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, in a statement on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC confirmed the attack, saying its forces had targeted an Israeli-owned commercial ship in a port in Bahrain.
It said the ship, which was sailing under a third country's flag and identified as "MCS Ishika," was targeted by its Navy's "powerful projectiles" in Khalifa Bin Salman Port during the 95th wave of the attacks against the US and Israeli targets in the West Asia region.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli side.
The statement added that the Israeli targets were in cities including Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan, which were hit "heavily and continuously" by the multiple-warhead Qadr missiles.
The development came amid heightened regional tensions following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began on Feb 28. Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf countries hosting US military assets.
TEHRAN -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Tehran seeks to secure the terms of a "conclusive and lasting" end to the US and Israeli war imposed on the country.
He made the remarks in a post on social media platform X while highlighting one of Iran's main preconditions for an end to the ongoing conflict, and reacting to US media reports that the country has refrained from attending ceasefire talks with the United States in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
"Iran's position is being misrepresented by US media. We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad," Araghchi said.
"What we care about are the terms of a conclusive and lasting end to the illegal war that is imposed on us," he stressed.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Iran has officially told mediators that it is not willing to meet US officials in Islamabad in the coming days and considers US demands unacceptable.
Iran's semi-official Fars news agency early Friday quoted an informed source as saying that Iran had rejected a US proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire sent through a "friendly" country the preceding day.
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US assets in the Middle East.
TEHRAN -- At least five people were injured in US-Israeli attacks on several petrochemical companies in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province on Saturday morning, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
The firms, identified as Fajr 1 and 2, Regal, Amirkabir, Bandar Imam and Buali Sina, were hit at 10:47 am local time (0717 GMT), the report said.
It quoted Valiollah Hayati, Khuzestan's deputy governor for security and law enforcement affairs, as saying that the possibility of further casualties is very high.
He added the Shalamcheh border trade terminal in Khorramshahr city was also attacked and sustained serious damage.
The Mahshahr Special Petrochemical Zone, where the companies are located, has been evacuated, the report said.
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US assets in the Middle East.
WASHINGTON -- US officials confirmed Friday that two US rescue helicopters involved in the search and rescue efforts for an F-15 fighter jet downed earlier on Friday were struck by Iranian fire, according to US media reports.
Crew members aboard the helicopters were unharmed, said an NBC News report, citing a US official.
Meanwhile, a second Air Force combat plane crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, and the lone pilot was safely rescued, reported The New York Times, citing two US officials.
The officials said the A-10 Warthog attack plane went down near the Strait of Hormuz about the same time that the Air Force F-15E was shot down over Iran. One crew member was rescued and search-and-rescue operators are looking for the second airman.
Earlier on Friday, US officials confirmed that a US F-15E fighter was downed in southern Iran. While one crew member was rescued by US forces, the search and rescue mission is ongoing for the two-member crew aircraft.
It is the first known US warplane downed inside Iran since the United States and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran on Feb 28.
TEHRAN -- The Iranian army confirmed that its air defense systems shot down a US A-10 "Warthog" attack plane on Friday over Iran's southern waters near the Strait of Hormuz, with the aircraft crashing into the Persian Gulf.
The announcement, published on the army's website, came shortly after Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said that it had downed a US F-35 fighter jet in central Iranian airspace earlier in the day.
Later Friday, Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that a US Black Hawk helicopter was also hit by a projectile in Iranian airspace while searching for the pilot of the downed US fighter jet.
The United States has not officially commented on Iran's claim yet.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US assets in the Middle East.
