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Middle East crisis live: Trump says he is ‘not at all’ worried about possible war crimes as his deadline nears | US-Israel war on Iran

Published

6 days ago

April 7, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Opening summary

Hello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and its consequences for the region, the world and the global economy.

Donald Trump said he was “not at all” concerned about committing possible war crimes as he again threatened to destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants if Tehran does not meet his Tuesday 8pm ET deadline to reopen the strait of Hormuz.

“I’m not worried about it,” the US president said. “You know what’s a war crime? Having a nuclear weapon.”

Speaking at the White House, Trump refused to say whether any civilian targets would be off-limits. Iran on Monday rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wanted a permanent end to the conflict.

“We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, the head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, told the Associated Press.

At a news conference, Trump said all of Iran could be “taken out” in one night “and that night might be tomorrow night”, referring to Tuesday. Without an agreement with Tehran, he said, “every bridge in Iran will be decimated” by midnight ET (0400 GMT) on Wednesday and “every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again”.

Israel and the US carried out a wave of attacks on Iran on Monday, killing more than 25 people. Iran responded with missile fire on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbours.

People look at a destroyed building within the Grand Hosseiniyeh, with the mosque visible in the background, after it was hit in airstrikes. — People look at a destroyed building within the Grand Hosseiniyeh, with the mosque visible in the background. Officials at the site in Zanjan, Iran, say it was hit by US-Israeli airstrikes at the weekend. Photograph: Francisco Seco/AP

In other key developments:

The UN security council is expected to vote on Tuesday on a resolution to protect commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz but in significantly watered-down form after veto-wielding China opposed authorising force, Reuters is reporting, citing diplomats.
The Israeli military said early on Tuesday it had completed an “air strike wave” aimed at damaging Iranian regime infrastructure in Tehran and additional areas across Iran. It said soon after that missiles were launched at Israel from Iran and defensive systems were operating to incept them.
Israel’s military also said it carried out strikes on three airports in Tehran, targeting several Iranian planes and helicopters.
The World Health Organisation suspended medical evacuations from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah crossing after a contract worker for WHO was killed in Gaza on Monday. Separately, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people outside a school housing displaced Palestinians in central Gaza, health officials said. Before the strikes some Palestinians had clashed with members of an Israeli-backed militia who they said attacked the school, Reuters cited medics and residents as saying.
Oil prices extended their rises on Tuesday amid Trump’s heightened rhetoric against Iran. The head of the IMF, meanwhile, said the war would lead to “higher inflation and slower global growth”.
The head of International Committee of the Red Cross said that “deliberate threats … against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare”. Mirjana Spoljaric said, without singling out any country or leader: “Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law.”
Israel said it struck Iran’s largest petrochemical complex on Monday. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the facility had been “destroyed” and his country was “systematically eliminating the Revolutionary Guards’ money machine”.
The intelligence chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Maj Gen Majid Khademi, was killed in US-Israeli strikes at dawn on Monday, the Guards said.
Saudi Arabia intercepted seven ballistic missiles launched towards its eastern region and debris fell in the vicinity of energy facilities, the defence ministry of said on Tuesday.
Two blasts were reportedly heard near the Erbil airport – which hosts advisers from the US-led anti-jihadist coalition – in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region, an Agence France-Presse journalist said.

Key events

Malaysia’s foreign ministry has said that one of seven Malaysian commercial vessels stranded in the strait of Hormuz has been allowed to pass and is now heading to its destination.

The ministry said this followed diplomatic talks with Iranian officials led by Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. It didn’t give further details.

Malaysia reaffirmed its support for safe and open sea routes under international law and called for continued dialogue to maintain peace and stability in the region.

Iran has rejected a proposed ceasefire deal, state media has reported, confirming earlier reporting that diplomatic negotiations appeared to be faltering a day before Donald Trump’s deadline, in which he has threatened to destroy Iran’s bridges and attack its power plants.

“Iran has conveyed to Pakistan its response to the American proposal to end the war,” the news agency Irna said, without revealing its source or what the US offer contained.

Several countries have been acting as mediators to try to halt more than five weeks of fighting sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

“In this response – set out in ten points – Iran … has rejected a ceasefire and insists on the need for a definitive end to the conflict,” the Iranian state news agency added.

Irna also said Tehran’s demands included “an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, reconstruction, and the lifting of sanctions”.

The New York Times, citing two unnamed senior Iranian officials, reported that Tehran was also seeking guarantees it would not face future attacks, and that Israeli strikes against its ally Hezbollah in southern Lebanon would cease.

Oil prices rose on Tuesday while equities were mixed as investors assessed Donald Trump’s latest deadline for Iran to reopen the strategic strait of Hormuz or be “decimated”.

The US president warned Tehran that its civilian infrastructure would be destroyed if it did not let ships through the waterway, through which a fifth of global crude and gas passes.

Both main oil contracts rose Tuesday, with West Texas Intermediate topping $115 – its highest in a month – and Brent sitting around $111.

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan’s Nikkei index at a securities firm. Photograph: Eugene Hoshiko/AP

Equity markets fluctuated, with Tokyo, Singapore, Manila and Jakarta down while Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Wellington and Taipei rose.

That followed a positive start to the week on Wall Street.

“Financial markets are oscillating in a narrow, uneasy range as traders sized up the countdown to Donald Trump’s Iran deadline,” wrote Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.

Tentative ceasefire optics [were] offering brief relief but never fully offsetting the lingering risk of escalation.

Opening summary

Hello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and its consequences for the region, the world and the global economy.

“I’m not worried about it,” the US president said. “You know what’s a war crime? Having a nuclear weapon.”

“We only accept an end of the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, the head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo, told the Associated Press.

Israel and the US carried out a wave of attacks on Iran on Monday, killing more than 25 people. Iran responded with missile fire on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbours.

People look at a destroyed building within the Grand Hosseiniyeh, with the mosque visible in the background. Officials at the site in Zanjan, Iran, say it was hit by US-Israeli airstrikes at the weekend. Photograph: Francisco Seco/AP

In other key developments:

The UN security council is expected to vote on Tuesday on a resolution to protect commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz but in significantly watered-down form after veto-wielding China opposed authorising force, Reuters is reporting, citing diplomats.
The Israeli military said early on Tuesday it had completed an “air strike wave” aimed at damaging Iranian regime infrastructure in Tehran and additional areas across Iran. It said soon after that missiles were launched at Israel from Iran and defensive systems were operating to incept them.
Israel’s military also said it carried out strikes on three airports in Tehran, targeting several Iranian planes and helicopters.
The World Health Organisation suspended medical evacuations from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah crossing after a contract worker for WHO was killed in Gaza on Monday. Separately, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people outside a school housing displaced Palestinians in central Gaza, health officials said. Before the strikes some Palestinians had clashed with members of an Israeli-backed militia who they said attacked the school, Reuters cited medics and residents as saying.
Oil prices extended their rises on Tuesday amid Trump’s heightened rhetoric against Iran. The head of the IMF, meanwhile, said the war would lead to “higher inflation and slower global growth”.
The head of International Committee of the Red Cross said that “deliberate threats … against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare”. Mirjana Spoljaric said, without singling out any country or leader: “Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law.”
Israel said it struck Iran’s largest petrochemical complex on Monday. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the facility had been “destroyed” and his country was “systematically eliminating the Revolutionary Guards’ money machine”.
The intelligence chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Maj Gen Majid Khademi, was killed in US-Israeli strikes at dawn on Monday, the Guards said.
Saudi Arabia intercepted seven ballistic missiles launched towards its eastern region and debris fell in the vicinity of energy facilities, the defence ministry of said on Tuesday.
Two blasts were reportedly heard near the Erbil airport – which hosts advisers from the US-led anti-jihadist coalition – in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region, an Agence France-Presse journalist said.

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UK News

UK could adopt EU single market rules under new legislation

Published

19 seconds ago

April 13, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

The move has raised questions over parliamentary scrutiny of future rules to deliver planned EU deals.

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UK News

Starmer confirms UK will not support US blockade of strait of Hormuz – UK politics live | Politics

Published

1 hour ago

April 13, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Key events

Badenoch says aligning with single market rules, but staying out of EU, ‘worst of both worlds’

Given how unpopular Brexit has turned out to be, you might think there would be limited appeal for the ‘Brexit betrayal’ counterattack as a response to the story about the government’s plans to align much more with single market rules. (See 9.39am.)

But Reform UK are happy with their old war cry. This is how Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, responded to the Guardian’s story.

Outrageous

Labour plots to deny MPs vote on new EU sell-out

Reform will reverse such a betrayal

Kemi Badenoch has been giving interviews this morning. Asked about the story on Sky News, she said aligning with the EU’s single market rules, while not being a member, would be “the worst of both worlds”. She went on:

It won’t help growth. Why should we be out of the EU, able to make our own choices and not take those decisions?

Remember we are a competitive, competing economy. Taking EU rules without having a vote on them is completely wrong.

If you want to be in the EU, come out and say ‘We want to go back into the EU’. That’s what they’re not brave enough to do.

So they’re picking this weird hybrid, which is the worst of both worlds. It’s not in the EU, it’s not out. It’s just doing whatever the EU is doing.

Government shift on intelligence evidence could revive delayed Hillsborough law

The delayed Hillsborough law could come into force after a shift by the government on forcing intelligence services to give evidence to public inquiries, Peter Walker reports.

Fried nuggets and steamed sponges off menu in school food overhaul in England

Keir Starmer is at a school in Angela Rayner’s constituency this morning (see 9.45am) to promote this government announcement about school food. Raphael Boyd has the story here.

Keir Starmer has joined his former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham on a school visit, the Press Assocation reports. PA says:

The trio joined up on Monday in the Greater Manchester area and put on a united front, despite Rayner previously appearing to challenge Keir Starmer’s leadership and Burnham being blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton byelection.

They all shared a joke as they sat amongst schoolchildren, asking the youngsters about their favourite breakfast foods and favourite sports.

The visit comes after the government announced deep-fried food will be banned from school menus, with sugary treats limited.

Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham at a primary school in Ashton-under-Lyne, north-west England. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AP

Starmer defends proposed law letting Britain align with EU regulations easily, saying ‘closer relationship with Europe’ vital

In his Radio 5 Live interview, Keir Starmer was also asked about this Guardian story by Alexandra Topping and Peter Walker saying “ministers are planning to fundamentally reshape Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote”.

Starmer defended the proposed legislation, saying a closer relationship with the EU was in the national interest. He said:

We’re in a world where there’s massive conflict, great uncertainty, and I strongly believe the UK’s best interests are in a stronger, closer relationship with Europe, whether that’s defence and security, of course, energy … and also our economy …

I think there’s also a sense, 10 years on from the Brexit referendum, that we’ve got to look forward now, not backwards.

Let’s not just have all the old arguments over the last decade. Let’s go forward and recognise that a stronger, closer relationship with Europe is in the UK’s best interest, particularly in a world that is as volatile as it is at the moment and I know that worries a lot of people.

In response to the suggestion that allowing the UK to align with EU regulation using secondary legislation amounted to integration by stealth, Starmer said this would only happen under a bill “voted on in parliament”.

Starmer confirms UK will not support US blockade of strait of Hormuz

Good morning. The parliamentary recess is over, the Iran war disaster isn’t, campaigning is ramping up because the May elections are less than four weeks to go, and there will be plenty for MPs to discuss as they meet in the Commons this afternoon. The full timetable, as usual, is down below.

Keir Starmer is in Greater Manchester this morning, on a visit linked to the English local elections. But he is expected to be in the Commons later giving an update on the UK response to the Iran war, and in an interview on Radio 5 Live a few minutes ago he confirmed that Britain will not join the US in enforcing the new blockade of the stait of Hormuz proposed by Donald Trump.

Asked if the UK would support the US with its blockade, Starmer replied:

We’re not supporting blockade.

Starmer confirmed that the UK does have “minesweeping capability”. He said he would not go into “operational matters”, but he confirmed that Britain has been talking with allies, in a reference to discussions on what could be done to keep the strait open after the conflict between Iran and the US is over.

Having the strait open was a priority, he said.

The strait is shut or not free for navigation in the way it should be. That means that oil and gas is not getting to market. That means the price is going up. That means everybody listening to this is facing higher energy bills. And I don’t want that to happen.

I want their energy bills to be stabilised and lower. And so it is, in my view, vital that we get the strait open and fully open.

I will post more from the interview shortly.

Here is the agenda for the day.

Morning: Keir Starmer is on a visit in Greater Manchester, and is doing an interview with Radio 5 Live.

Morning: Kemi Badenoch is on a campaign visit in Clapham, south London.

10.30am: Anas Sarwar launches Scottish Labour’s manifesto for the Holyrood election.

10.30am: Wes Streeting, the health secretary, gives a speech on NHS funding to the IPPR thinktank.

11am: Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, and Zia Yusuf, the Reform chair, hold a press conference.

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

Noon: The Southport inquiry publishes its phase one report.

2.30pm: Steve Reed, the housing secretary, takes questions in the Commons.

After 3.30pm: Starmer is expected to make a statement to MPs about the Iran war and his tour of the Gulf last week.

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UK News

Deep-fried food banned in new plans for school dinners

Published

2 hours ago

April 13, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

“From talking to parents, head teachers and school governors in my constituency, I know that many are worried about the rising cost of food, and in many cases the current funding just isn’t enough, forcing schools to provide smaller portion sizes and poorer quality food,” she said.

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