Summary

  1. BBC Verify

    Verified video shows damage at university in Tehranpublished at 09:08 BST 7 April

    Rubble and debris at Sharif University of Technology in central TehranImage source, X/VahidOnline

    Emma Pengelly and Ghoncheh Habibiazad

    Verified video shows damage to a building at the Sharif University of Technology in central Tehran following a strike on Monday.

    The footage, filmed before sunrise, shows rubble and debris nearby the university's mosque on Azadi Street.

    Speaking to AP News, economics professor Mohammed Vesal says rockets hit the information centre and the data centre at the university causing an outage of the university's web services.

    Two sources inside Iran also tell the BBC the university's official website was down following the attack.

    Iran's first vice-president, Mohammad Reza Aref, called the strike "a symbol of Trump's madness and ignorance". The US has not taken responsibility for the attack and we have not independently confirmed who was behind the strike.

  2. Bridge linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain reopenspublished at 09:03 BST 7 April

    A large curved concrete bridge is shown crossing a stretch of water, with cars and trucks driving over it.Image source, Getty Images

    Saudi Arabia's only road connection to Bahrain is open again after being closed due to Iranian air strikes.

    As we just reported, authorities closed the King Fahd Causeway "as a precautionary measure" during attacks on nearby energy facilities, due to fears of debris.

    A reopening announcement came five hours later, with authorities posting on social media that vehicle crossings had resumed.

    The causeway is a 15.5 mile series of bridges connecting the two Gulf kingdoms.

  3. Iran continues strikes across regionpublished at 09:01 BST 7 April

    Freya Scott-Turner
    Live reporter

    An impact site in central Israel, seen on Monday morning, after a barrage of Iranian missilesImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    An impact site in central Israel, seen on Monday morning, after a barrage of Iranian missiles

    While the US and Israel launched new attacks on Iran and Lebanon, Tehran has continued its retaliation. Here's a quick round up of some of their attacks reported in recent hours:

    Saudi Arabia: The Ministry of Defence says it has destroyed 18 drones fired at the country during the "past few" hours. Saudi Arabia also closed its King Fahd Causeway - the only road linking it to Bahrain - after Iran threatened to strike its Eastern Province, which houses a US Navy fleet.

    Bahrain: Authorities asked residents to shelter in the nearest safe place overnight as alarm sirens activated.

    United Arab Emirates: The country said it was working to intercept both missiles and drones from Iran overnight. On Monday, the Defence Ministry said that 519 ballistic missiles and 2,210 drones had been fired at the UAE since war broke out.

    Israel: Emergency services shared footage of damage caused in central Israel from what it says was an Iranian ballistic missile. They haven't stated if anyone was injured in that specific attack, but the Ministry of Health reports that 133 people were taken to hospital in the past day.

    Iraq: Two civilians - a husband and wife - have been killed in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, says its president. Kuna news agency says was the result of a drone attack launched by Iran.

  4. Israeli military says it has hit another petrochemical complex in Iranpublished at 08:21 BST 7 April
    Breaking

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has struck a third petrochemical complex in Iran.

    It says it hit the plant - located in Shiraz, in southwestern Iran - on Monday.

    According to the IDF, it was a facility that produced nitric acid used in ballistic missile production.

    It adds that this third attack follows two separate strikes on petrochemical complexes also on Monday. These were on the South Pars petrochemical plant in Asaluyeh, in the south of Iran, and the Marvdasht Petrochemical Complex in the Fars province.

  5. Israel's train travel warning comes as Trump threatens more infrastructure strikespublished at 07:47 BST 7 April

    Daniel De Simone
    Reporting from Jerusalem

    In a post in Farsi on social media this morning, the Israel Defense Forces gave what it described as an "urgent warning to train users and passengers in Iran" (see our previous post).

    The "warning" suggests imminent Israeli airstrikes on the Iranian rail network. But there is a weeks-long internet blackout in Iran, meaning social media posts will be seen by very few people.

    The Iranian rail network is extensive and runs throughout the country. People will almost certainly already be travelling by rail this morning, travelling long distances, or be located near rail stations or lines.

    Overnight, Israel carried out multiple airstrikes in Iran, with "regime infrastructure" described as the target.

    President Trump is threatening to obliterate Iranian civilian infrastructure unless Iran fully opens the Strait of Hormuz by tonight, something widely viewed as constituting a threat to commit war crimes.

    Trump has ignored questions about war crimes, and claimed - without evidence - that Iranian people want the US to “keep bombing".

    But the UN is warning that airstrikes in Iran have already caused high numbers of civilian casualties and extensive damage to homes, schools and health facilities, with strikes on critical infrastructure having disrupted basic services.

  6. Iran sees 'highest rate of attacks' in past 10 days, says observer grouppublished at 07:38 BST 7 April

    Two men stand among rubble of a blown out buildingImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A destroyed building in Tehran, seen on Monday

    As we've just reported, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says that more than 3,500 people have been killed in Iran since the US-Israeli attacks began, including at least 1,665 civilians.

    It says that 49 civilians were killed across Monday 6 April, and 58 others were injured, in an update issued overnight.

    This 24-hour period "marks the highest rate of attacks seen in the last 10 days", it says.

    Monday saw several major attacks across the country, including on a residential building in Baharestan, Tehran's Sharif University, and a petrochemical plant in Asaluyeh, in the southern Bushehr province.

    The HRANA says it compiles its statistics through a combination of field reports, local contacts, medical and emergency sources, civil society networks and open source materials such as photographs, videos and relevant official statements.

  7. More than 13,000 targets hit since war began - US militarypublished at 07:10 BST 7 April

    A boat firing a munition at seaImage source, US CENTCOM/Handout
    Image caption,

    Photograph issued by Centcom on the first day of Operation Epic Fury, 28 February 2026

    As Israel reports hitting more sites in Iran (see previous post), the United States Central Command (Centcom) says it has struck more than 13,000 targets since the war began on 28 February.

    Giving an update on Operation Epic Fury - its code name for the US military operation against Iran - it also says it has damaged or destroyed more than 155 Iranian vessels.

    Centcom says that the targets it has struck include Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) headquarters, air defence systems, ballistic missile sites, and Iranian navy ships and submarines.

    Meanwhile, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says more than 3,500 people have been killed in Iran since the US-Israeli attacks began, including at least 1,665 civilians. We'll have another post on the impact on Iranian civilians soon.

  8. Don't travel by train today, Israeli military warns people in Iranpublished at 06:50 BST 7 April
    Breaking

    A brightly coloured train in TehranImage source, NurPhoto via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    File photo of Tehran railway station, taken before the war

    The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is warning people in Iran not to take the train today.

    In a post shared on the military's Farsi social media account, it tells people in Iran "for the sake of your security" to "refrain from using and travelling by train" throughout the country "until 21:00 Iran time".

    It adds that "presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life".

    It comes as US President Donald Trump threatens to strike civilian infrastructure targets across Iran, if the regime refuses to allow free passage through the Strait of Hormuz by 20:00 EDT Tuesday (01:00 BST Wednesday).

    In updates issued overnight, the Israeli military also said it completed a wave of air strikes targeting "infrastructure in Tehran" linked to the regime, and killed people it said were members of Hezbollah.

    Separately, the military also said it had intercepted missiles launched towards Israel by Iran.

  9. UN Security Council to vote on resolution to protect shipping in Strait of Hormuzpublished at 06:47 BST 7 April

    The UN Security Council - of which the US is a permanent member - meeting last monthImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    The UN Security Council - of which the US is a permanent member - meeting last month

    The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will hold a vote later on the Strait of Hormuz, the key Gulf shipping route that has been effectively blocked for most vessels by Iran throughout the war.

    The vote, which was put forward by the Security Council president, Bahrain, had originally been scheduled for last week but was postponed. It's now on the agenda for 11:00 local time in New York (16:00 BST).

    The resolution text has been amended since its original submission.

    The original wording states that the resolution "authorizes" member states "to use all defensive means necessary and commensurate with the circumstances" to secure transit through the strait.

    The new text says it "strongly encourages" to "coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances, to contribute to" ensuring navigational safety.

  10. 'Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!' Trump's shifting deadlinespublished at 06:37 BST 7 April

    Donald Trump stands next to a wooden doorImage source, Reuters

    As Anthony Zurcher just reported, Donald Trump has set a number of "deadlines" for Iran in recent weeks - before then shifting them. Here's a recap:

    • Deadline 1: On 21 March, Trump said he would "hit and obliterate" power plants, "starting with the biggest ones first", if Iran didn't reopen the waterway within 48 hours
    • Deadline 2: Two days later, he said there had been "very good and productive conversations" between the countries and postponed strikes against energy infrastructure for five days
    • Deadline 3: On 27 March, Trump said he would postpone attacking energy plants for 10 days, "as per [an] Iranian government request", bringing the deadline to 6 April
    • 48-hour warning: On Friday, with the 6 April deadline looming, he warned that Iran had "48 hours" before he unleashed "all hell"
    • Latest threat: In a Sunday post peppered with expletives, Trump reiterated this threat, saying that "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day" - in a later post he said "Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!"
  11. Analysis

    Clock ticks on Trump's Iran ultimatum with little sign of breakthroughpublished at 06:01 BST 7 April

    Anthony Zurcher
    North America correspondent

    Trump looking at a room of reporters from a podiumImage source, Getty Images

    As the final hours tick down, there has been little indication that Iran is ready to agree to Trump's ultimatum.

    This places the American president in a delicate position. If there is no agreement, Trump could extend his deadline – for the fourth time in the past three weeks.

    But backing away after such detailed threats, punctuated with expletives and dire warnings, could undercut his credibility as the war grinds on.

    The other option is for Trump to follow through with his threats. On multiple occasions on Monday, he said that was a course he did not want to pursue.

    While Trump said that the Iranian people were willing to endure the ongoing US military campaign – and, in fact, welcomed the bombs falling on their cities – he also acknowledged that anything the US destroys now would eventually have to be rebuilt and that the US might ultimately contribute to that rebuilding effort.

    Read more here.

  12. ICRC warns against threats of 'indiscriminate warfare'published at 05:38 BST 7 April

    Imogen Foulkes
    Reporting from Geneva

    The International Committee of the Red Cross, the guardian of the Geneva Conventions, has warned against "deliberate threats, whether in rhetoric or in action", describing wars fought without limits as "indefensible, inhumane and devastating."

    The statement comes in the wake of repeated threats from President Trump to attack Iran’s power stations and even its desalination plants.

    Deliberate attacks on infrastructure that is essential to life, such as water and power services, are prohibited under the Geneva Conventions.

  13. More from what Trump said at the White Housepublished at 05:28 BST 7 April

    Here's a recap of what Trump has said at the White House press briefing on Monday, in which he threatened to take out Iran "in one night":

    • Trump said there needs to be a deal that's "acceptable" to him before his Tuesday deadline, and that part of the deal would involve "free traffic of oil"
    • Once the deadline passes, Trump added, Iran would be sent back to the "Stone Ages". "They're going to have no bridges," he said. "They're going to have no power plants"
    • "The entire country can be taken out in one night – and that night might be tomorrow night," he said
    • He expressed optimism that "reasonable" leaders in Iran were negotiating in "good faith", but the outcome remained uncertain
    • When asked about the impact of US targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran, Trumps said Iranians would be "willing to suffer to have their freedom"
    • He said he was very disappointed in Nato countries, especially with the UK, after US allies refused his request to join his Iran mission
    • Speaking on the mission to rescue two US fighter pilots, after their aircraft was downed in Iran last Friday, Trump said not everyone in the military was convinced about the wide-scale efforts - but he "felt it was worth it"
  14. Trump's deadline looms... but some countries have already secured passage through Strait of Hormuzpublished at 05:13 BST 7 April

    US President Donald Trump has threatened to hit Iran hard if it failed to make a deal to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz shipping route by 20:00EDT (00:00GMT) on Tuesday.

    But even before Trump's latest threat, some countries - particularly in Asia - had secured deals with Tehran for their vessels to safely cross the channel.

    In recent weeks - several Asian countries including Pakistan, India and the Philippines - have made agreements with Tehran to let some ships pass through the strait safely.

    China has also acknowledged that their vessels have also used the channel.

    Read more here.

    An Indian oil tanker pictured at seaImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    An Indian tanker that passed through the Strait of Hormuz

  15. Trump threatens to take out Iran if it doesn't open Strait of Hormuz before his deadlinepublished at 05:11 BST 7 April

    Welcome back to our live coverage.

    US President Donald Trump has threatened to take out Iran "in one night" if it fails to make a deal before the deadline he set for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

    Here's what else to know:

    • Trump's deadline for an "acceptable" deal - one that includes the free flow of energy through the Gulf - is set for 20:00, Washington DC time on Tuesday (00:00 GMT Wednesday)
    • "The entire country can be taken out in one night – and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump said on Monday at a press briefing
    • Iran has rejected proposals for a temporary ceasefire, calling instead for a permanent end to the conflict and the lifting of sanctions
    • Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt have all been involved in efforts to mediate
    • The Strait of Hormuz is a key waterway, through which much of the world's oil passes. Since Iran effectively blocked the strait after US-Israeli attacks, countries around the world have been affected by a fuel crisis

    Thanks for joining us as we restart our live coverage of this story. More updates to come - stick with us.

  16. Analysis

    Trump takes triumphant tone, but still searching for meaningful solutions in Iranpublished at 23:59 BST 6 April

    Tom Bateman
    US State Department correspondent

    Donald Trump's news conference with his top military and political officials Monday afternoon felt triumphalist, especially given it was about a rescue operation, but it was perhaps an unsurprising response from the president.

    Trump repeatedly praised himself and his senior leaders for going through with the rescue even though he said some military officials warned it could lead to many casualties. He was prepared to take the risk.

    This was presented as a determination to leave no service member behind, which is indeed the US military ethos, but in reality it will also have been a highly political decision - to throw everything at the operation in order to deny the Iranians the chance to take an American service member prisoner. That would have greatly added to Tehran's leverage over Trump as he grapples with finding meaningful solutions to deal with Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz - beyond threatening annihilation to civilian infrastructure.

    That's likely a big part of the apparent relief felt at the White House and why Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth are presenting the rescue as an embarrassing humiliation for Iran - which on Friday created the thorny dilemma for Trump by shooting down the F-15, damaging many other aircraft and leaving a number of Americans wounded.

    Hegseth at one point drew a parallel between the airman's Easter Sunday rescue to the resurrection of Christ, referring to "a pilot reborn." This war has frequently seen the administration fuse political and military strategy with religious language.

    Even though Trump's rhetoric appeared triumphant, Winston Churchill - an object of the president's admiration - warned after Britain’s Dunkirk evacuation in World War Two: "We must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations."

    We are pausing our live coverage of this story for now, but you can stay up-to-date on the latest developments here: Trump threatens to take out Iran in 'one night' if no deal before deadline

  17. UN humanitarian group warns of worsening situation in Iranpublished at 23:06 BST 6 April

    The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says in its latest update that the humanitarian situation in Iran is worsening as hostilities spread throughout the country.

    Between 17 March and 3 April, civilian casualties rose sharply with reported strikes on airports, hospitals, residential areas, markets, schools, industrial sites, and cultural heritage locations, the group says.

    OCHA says that from the start of the war through 30 March in Iran:

    • Over 2,100 civilians have been killed
    • Over 27,900 people have been injured
    • Over 3.8 million people have been "impacted"

    And, from the start of the war through 1 April, more than 115,000 civilian units have been damaged, it adds.

    OCHA also says, "Strikes on critical infrastructure and industrial sites have disrupted basic services including electricity, water and telecommunications, also leading to increasing immediate and longer term environmental and health risks."

  18. Americans injured in overnight strike in Kuwaitpublished at 22:51 BST 6 April

    Fifteen Americans were injured in an Iranian drone strike on Kuwait's Ali Al Salem Air Base overnight, US officials tell the BBC's US partner CBS News.

    The majority of them have already gone back to work, one of the officials tells the outlet.

    In total, 373 US military personnel have been injured since the war in Iran began - including 330 who have returned to duty and five who remain seriously wounded, a spokesperson for US Central Command tells CBS.

  19. Analysis

    Who is at the helm in Iran's negotiations?published at 22:43 BST 6 April

    Ghoncheh Habibiazad
    Senior reporter, BBC Persian

    Before 28 February, when Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed, he made constant remarks about Iran’s nuclear talks with the US. The latest round was held two days before the war started.

    Iran's nuclear programme has long been a point of contention, leading to extensive international sanctions. The current war began on 28 February, two days after a third round of indirect US-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva.

    Khamenei never travelled with Iran's negotiating team to engage in nuclear talks with the US held in third countries, but the team had often said that they were following his guidelines for negotiating with Washington.

    But his son, Iran’s third Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, is yet to be seen publicly since his succession early last month, although from his messages it seems he’s following the same hardline, anti-West path of his father.

    Iran has not officially announced the names of those within the establishment who are, according to them, "communicating messages via friendly countries" with the US.

    But some officials have been more visible than Iran's Supreme Leader, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was himself involved in several rounds of nuclear talks.

    Another official who has been active is Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Ghalibaf’s account on X has been posting occasional memes recently as well, while he himself was last spotted on state TV on 17 March.

    When it comes to other officials, Iran has a highly complex system of governance. While the president heads the government, there is also a parallel government in the form of the IRGC, an institution whose influence extends far beyond a conventional military role, particularly in wartime.

    Several high-ranking IRGC commanders have been killed during this war and in last summer's conflict. However, officials have repeatedly said that for every commander lost, a replacement is ready to take their place.

  20. Qatari PM says he condemns targeting infrastructure by 'any party' in call with Iranian officialpublished at 22:01 BST 6 April

    Al-Thani, wearing all white, stands and speaks at a podiumImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani

    Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said he condemns the targeting of civilian infrastructure by any party during a call with Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi.

    Qatar's Foreign Ministry wrote on social media that the two leaders spent the call discussing the ongoing escalation and its impacts on the region.

    During the call, Al-Thani reportedly expressed his displeasure at the continued Iranian strikes on Qatar and other neighbouring countries "that have distanced themselves from the war".

    "His Excellency also stressed that targeting civilian infrastructure and the resources of peoples is unacceptable and condemned behavior from any party and under any circumstances," the Foreign Ministry went on to say.