Iran Reports Bushehr Nuclear Plant Hit For Third Time In 10 Days
An Israeli air strike hit near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant late on March 27 but caused no radiation leak or damage to the reactor, Iranian authorities said, the third such incident in 10 days.
Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the facility was continuing to operate normally, the UN watchdog reported on X.
The Israeli military said earlier that it had struck a uranium processing plant and a heavy water reactor and in central Iran but did not mention Bushehr.
Bushehr was also a target of the Israeli military during the 12-day war in June 2025.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi urged "maximum military restraint."
Grossi "again expresses deep concern about recent reports of military activity in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant, says it could cause major radiological incident if reactor were to be damaged...Grossi reiterates call for maximum military restraint to avoid risk of a nuclear accident," the IAEA said.
The Fars state news agency said a projectile hit the plant's compound just before midnight on March 27 and blamed the "American-Zionist enemy."
Fars said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to the Russia-designed facility.
Bushehr, Iran's only nuclear power station, is located some 760 kilometers south of Tehran on the Gulf.
With reporting by Reuters and dpa
Trump: Iran Has 'No Cards' Other Than Hormuz 'Extortion'
Iran has "no cards" other than the use of international waterways for "short term extortion," US President Donald Trump said in a social media post ahead of planned US-Iranian talks.
As Vice President JD Vance headed for Islamabad to lead the US delegation at the talks, Trump suggested that Tehran has few options other than negotiations.
"The Iranians don't seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on April 10, apparently referring to the Strait of Hormuz. "The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!"
Trump has accused Iran of violating the terms of a cease-fire agreement reached on April 7 by maintaining restrictions on shipping through the strait, a key artery for oil and gas shipments from the Persian Gulf.
His Truth Social post came not long after Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who will be part of Iran's delegation, wrote on X that "a cease-fire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets…must be fulfilled before negotiations begin."
Qalibaf Calls For Release Of Frozen Iranian Assets Before US Talks
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who will be a key part of Iran's negotiating team with the United States in Pakistan, has called for the fulfillment of two conditions: "Establishing a cease-fire in Lebanon" and "releasing Iran's frozen assets."
In a message on X, Qalibaf said that these conditions were measures agreed upon by both sides -- which is disputed by the US -- and called for them to be fulfilled before negotiations begin.
Qalibaf is referring to Iran’s demand for the full release of its frozen overseas assets -- primarily billions of dollars in oil revenues and other funds held in foreign banks that have been blocked due to US sanctions.
Since the cease-fire began on April 8, Iranian officials have repeatedly called for a halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, citing it as part of the cease-fire agreement. The United States and Israel have said that Lebanon was not part of the truce.
Vance Departs For Iran Peace Talks In Pakistan
WASHINGTON - US Vice President JD Vance has departed for Islamabad where he will hold negotiations with Iranian representatives aimed at bringing about an end to the war that began with US and Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28.
“We’re looking forward to negotiation. I think it's going to be positive,” he told reporters before leaving Washington.
“As the president of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive," he added.
Vance, who did not take questions from reporters before boarding the plane, added that President Donald Trump had provided “clear guidelines” for the talks.
Trump announced a two-week cease-fire on April 7, hours after threatening that “a whole civilization will die tonight” unless Iran indicated it was ready for substantive talks.
The precise basis for the cease-fire and the talks is unclear. Trump has said Iran is violating the cease-fire by not reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has accused Israel of breaking the truce by continuing its attacks in Lebanon, where it is fighting Hezbollah.
Vance is expected to be accompanied in Islamabad by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Iran has sent parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Amnesty Marks '1,000 Hours' Of Iran's Internet Blackout
Amnesty International marked what it described as the 1,000th hour of Iran's Internet blackout -- though web monitoring group NetBlocks put the figure at 984 hours as of April 10 -- by calling it a human rights violation and demanding immediate restoration of access.
"People in Iran have lived under digital darkness for 1,000 hours," the organization wrote on X. "Access to the internet is a basic human right and indispensable in times of conflict. Authorities must immediately restore internet access."
The Islamic republic cut Internet access on the first day of the US-Israeli strikes on February 28, and has kept it severed for 42 days. On April 7, the blackout surpassed all previous recorded cases to become the longest nationwide Internet shutdown in history.
The cutoff is not total. NetBlocks noted that while the general public is restricted to Iran's domestic National Information Network, the state has whitelisted selected users, allowing them to post on social media and shape narratives reaching the outside world.
That double standard has not gone unnoticed inside Iran. Since the two-week cease-fire took effect on April 8, ordinary Iranians have been quick to point out that the war -- used as the justification for the blackout -- is now on pause, removing the clerical establishment’s stated pretext for maintaining it.
The economic toll is also mounting. A preliminary estimate, based on figures cited by Iranian officials during the 2024 12-day war with Israel, puts losses at roughly 200 trillion rials (approximately $126 million) to the digital economy and around 2,000 trillion rials (approximately $1.26 billion) to the broader economy -- calculated at April 9 open market exchange rates. The calculation does not capture the full scale of ongoing damage.
Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Shot Down Iranian Drones In Middle East
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukrainian personnel have shot down Iranian Shahed drones in the Middle East.
In a X post, the Ukrainian president wrote:
"We sent our military experts to the Middle East, including specialists in interceptor drones and electronic warfare. We demonstrated to some countries how to work with interceptors. Did we destroy Iranian “shaheds?” Yes, we did. Did we do it in just one country? No, in several. And in my view, this is a success."
In late March, President Zelenskyy toured the Middle East, promoting Ukraine’s advanced drone and anti-drone technologies to Gulf Arab states that are increasingly vulnerable to Iranian drones breaching their airspace.
During this trip, Ukraine signed long-term security and defense cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
"In those countries that opened up their air defense systems to us, our experts were able to very quickly advise how to make those systems stronger, " Zelenskyy wrote.
Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine had "shot down drones with jet engines."
He was referring to Ukrainian-made drones intercepting Iranian kamikaze drones with small turbojet engines -- namely the Shahed-238, which Russia also uses under the name Geran-3.
Most Shahed drones are driven by propellers.
"Now it is only a matter of time before we begin mass production of interceptors that will destroy drones with jet engines," Zelenskyy said.
Pakistan Prepares To Host Crucial US-Iran Peace Talks
Top US and Iranian officials are due to gather in Islamabad on April 10 for what could be the most consequential diplomatic encounter between the two countries in over four decades, even as disputes over the Strait of Hormuz and Israel's bombardment of Lebanon continue to cloud prospects for a deal to end the war, which entered a two-week ceasefire on April 8.
US Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner are expected to lead the American delegation. Iran has sent Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf -- who has been vociferous in anti-US statements in recent weeks.
It was not immediately clear whether formal negotiations would begin on April 10 or 11 but Pakistan has declared two days of public holidays in the capital ahead of the talks, as authorities often do for major diplomatic events for security reasons.
The sessions are to be held at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad's heavily fortified Red Zone, where over 10,000 police, paramilitary, rangers, and army personnel have been deployed. Visa conditions have been waived for delegates and journalists arriving for the talks.
Iran's Ex-Foreign Minister Dies Of Wounds Sustained In Israeli Strike
Kamal Kharrazi, Iran's former foreign minister and head of the country’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, has died more than a week after his home in Tehran was targeted in an Israeli strike.
On April 1, Kharrazi's residence was hit in an attack that killed his wife. Kharrazi himself survived but was critically wounded.
Late on April 9, state media confirmed his death by publishing a condolence message from Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref.
Kharrazi was 82 at the time of his death. He spent a decade as head of Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, before serving eight years as ambassador to the United Nations. He then served two consecutive terms as foreign minister under reformist President Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005) and in recent years led the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, which advises the supreme leader on foreign affairs.
Trump Warns Tehran Against Imposing Tolls For Hormuz Shipping
US President Donald Trump rejected comments by Tehran that it would begin charging fees to tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, which is considered a free waterway under international law.
"There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!" Trump posted on April 9 on his Truth Social platform.
Tehran's planned imposition of a toll for ships to pass through the strait will likely be a key point of contention at US-Iran talks set to begin in Islamabad on April 10.
Tehran agreed to reopen the waterway during the two-week cease-fire with the United States, but it has also spoken of a toll system to fund its reconstruction following US-Israeli air strikes. Ships have not previously been charged for passing through the strait.
The European Union, Britain, Greece, and others have denounced Iran's plan to create a waterway toll. Bloomberg reported that shipping companies would be expected to pay up to $2 million per vessel, with half going to Iran and half to Oman.
To read the full story, click here.
Britain's Starmer, In Call With Trump, Speaks Of Need To Restore Hormuz Shipping
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on April 9 spoke with US President Donald Trump on the need to formulate a plan to restore shipping "as quickly as possible" through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, Downing Street said.
"They agreed that now there is a cease-fire in place and agreement to open the strait, we are at the next stage of finding a resolution," the statement said, adding that the call took place while Starmer was in Qatar during a three-day visit to region.
"The leaders discussed the need for a practical plan to get shipping moving again as quickly as possible," Downing Street said. Starmer discussed Britain's efforts to organize partners to form to a "viable plan" on restoring freedom of navigation in the waterway, it said.
During his visit to the Gulf, Starmer rejected the possibility that Tehran could charge for letting ships use the vital Strait of Hormuz.
"Our position is 'open' means open for safe navigation," he told British TV. "That means toll-free navigation and vessels can get through," he added.
Some 20 percent of global supplies of oil and gas transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked, creating a bottleneck of traffic and a worldwide energy crunch.
Starmer said during his Middle East trip that Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon were "wrong." He also criticized Trump's use of threats, saying that he would "never use" such a threat as "a whole civilization will die tonight."
He also condemned Iran for its retaliatory attacks on Gulf states, often targeting oil and natural gas facilities and US-linked military sites.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his frustration with Starmer after he refused a US request to use UK bases for offensive strikes against Iran, although the prime minister later gave permission to use select bases for defensive operations.
State Department Urges Iraq To Prevent Attacks By Iran-Aligned Groups On US-Linked Sites
The US State Department says it has summoned the Iraqi ambassador after a drone struck a major US diplomatic facility, including the ambush of US diplomats, in Baghdad.
"Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau today summoned Iraqi Ambassador Nizar Khirullah to express the U.S. government's strong condemnation of the egregious terrorist attacks by Iran-aligned militia groups launched from Iraqi territory against U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities, including the April 8 ambush of U.S. diplomats in Baghdad," the State Department statement said on April 9.
The US Embassy in Baghdad said earlier that an Iraqi "terrorist militia" group, which it accused of being aligned with Iran, had conducted multiple drone attacks near the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center and Baghdad International Airport.
The State Department said Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau acknowledged the Iraqi security forces' efforts to respond while stressing "the Iraqi government's failure to prevent these attacks."