Key events
A former director of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has urged Gulf nations to prevent Donald Trump from turning the region into “a ball of fire”, after the US president’s latest threat to Tehran.
Mohamed El-Baradei, who led the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1997 to 2009, also tagged UN and European Union accounts, as well as French president Emmanuel Macron, in his posts online.
“Nothing can be done to stop this madness?!” he wrote, also tagging the Chinese and Russian foreign ministries.
Trump said Saturday that Iran must make a deal or reopen the vital strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has effectively blocked since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran in February.
“Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them.”
El-Baradei, an 83-year-old former Egyptian vice-president, led the IAEA during the start of the public controversy surrounding Iran’s nuclear program. He and his organisation were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 for their efforts to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
South Korea’s finance minister met with envoys from Gulf countries to shore up energy security and the safety of Korean vessels near the strait of Hormuz, the ministry said on Sunday, as the escalating Iran war disrupts shipping.
In the meeting on Friday, Koo Yun-cheol asked the Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors to ensure a steady supply of oil, liquefied natural gas, naphtha, urea and other critical resources, and to ensure the safety of Korean vessels and crew near the vital strait, the ministry said in a statement.
The envoys said South Korea is a “top priority” nation and pledged to communicate closely with Seoul to ensure stable supply, the statement said.
Like other Asian economies, South Korea relies heavily on energy imports, including through the strait of Hormuz, which was a conduit for 20% of the world’s oil before the US and Israel launched the war in February.
Bahrain’s interior ministry has said civil defence officials are working to contain a fire after an Iranian attack.
It comes as the government in Kuwait says energy infrastructure and water desalination plants were damaged in Sunday morning drone attacks by Iran.
The attacks resulted in “significant material damage and the shutdown of two electricity generating units”, Kuwait electricity and water ministry said in a post on X, adding there were no deaths or injuries.
Iran rejects Trump’s demand to make a deal within 48 hours
Iran has rejected Donald Trump’s demand that the regime cut a deal in 48 hours or face “all hell”.
On Saturday, the US president posted on social media: “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” referring to an ultimatum issued on 26 March.
“Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them.”
Iran’s central military command rejected the ultimatum, with Gen Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi saying Trump’s threat was a “helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action”.
Echoing Trump’s language, he warned that “the gates of hell will open for you”.
Trump later posted a video showing explosions lighting up a night sky along with text that said: “Many of Iran’s Military Leaders … are terminated, along with much else, with this massive strike in Tehran,” without specifying when it took place.
Summary
Welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel and Kuwait early on Sunday, a day after Donald Trump said the Islamic republic had 48 hours to cut a deal or face “all Hell”.
Kuwait and Israel said their air defences were responding to the latest attacks from Iran, part of the war that erupted more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes that triggered retaliation by Tehran.
The war has spread conflict throughout the Middle East and convulsed the global economy. Iran’s forces maintain a tight grip on the strait of Hormuz shipping lane – a vital conduit for oil and gas – and strike economic targets in Gulf neighbours they see as linked to the US-Israeli war effort.
Elsewhere today:
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The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed that Israel attacked Iran’s petrochemical plants after reports from Iranian media saying at least five people were killed in an attack on the Mahshahr petrochemical zone.
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US search and rescue efforts for the missing second crew member of the downed F-15E fighter jet continued into a second day as Iran came under heavy bombing. A pilot had been rescued on Friday after the F-15E Strike Eagle became the first US plane to be downed over Iran during the five-week-long war.
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American and Israeli fighter jets targeted multiple strategic and civilian sites inside Iran’s capital on Friday afternoon, including Shahid Beheshti University, one of the country’s leading academic institutions, Iranian state media reported.
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The death toll in Lebanon has reached 1,422 since the conflict with Israel began on 2 March, according to data from the Lebanese health ministry and reported by the Associated Press. In just the past 24 hours, Israeli strikes have killed 54 people and wounded 156.
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The Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that its air defense forces successfully intercepted eight ballistic missiles and 19 drones over the last 24 hours. However, on Sunday a fire has erupted in the Shuwaikh oil sector complex that houses the oil ministry and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation headquarters, after a drone attack, and Kuwaiti state media reported that two power and water desalination plants sustained “significant material damage” after being attacked by Iranian drones.
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A Lebanese security source at the main crossing between Syria and Lebanon, said they were evacuating the crossing after Israel threatened to attack it. The Israeli military said on Saturday it would strike an area near the Masnaa crossing urging residents to evacuate immediately as it continued its attacks across Lebanon.
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Residents of southern Lebanon’s Kfar Hatta were told on social media by Israel to immediately leave the area, and warned that the Israeli military would soon act “with force” in the area.
