live Trump to Outline Final Weeks of Iran Operation in Address: Officials

Media outlets close to the Islamic Republic reported that branches of a local cafe network in Tehran have been closed by order of the authorities due to what they described as "suspicious designs" on the cafe's products.

By depicting an empty chair on its paper cups, Cafe Lamiz was allegedly hinting at Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in US-Israeli airstrikes at the start of the war on February 28.

It was later revealed that the design was an older painting by Farshid Mesghali, an Iranian painter and graphic artist. The painting had previously been featured on the poster of the 10th Children and Youth Film Festival, which was held in 1975.

Earlier in the year, Iranian state-affiliated media accused Cafe Lamiz of actions against national security during the January protests.

The protests were the largest in years. A subsequent crackdown by Iranian authorities resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and led to the closure of a number of businesses.

Rosatom, the Russian operator of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in western Iran, has evacuated 163 more of its staff, saying the situation at the facility continues to deteriorate.

On March 27, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Tehran had informed it of another strike that targeted the area near Bushehr. The attack made it the third such incident in the past 10 days.

While no damage to the operating reactor and no release of radiation were reported, the Russian Foreign Ministry called for "unequivocal and firm condemnation" of the attack near the power plant.

"We hope that... the Director General of the IAEA will be able to convey a simple message to the aggressors immediately and unequivocally: 'It is time for you to stop!'," Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

The Russian-built Bushehr plant, on the Gulf coast, is Iran's sole nuclear power plant; it is fueled by uranium produced in Russia, not Iran, and is monitored by the IAEA. Russia has already evacuated some staff, but hundreds remain.

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) said its Al Taweelah production base in the United Arab Emirates was significantly damaged following Iranian missile and drone attacks.

EGA's chief executive, Abdulnasser bin Kalban, reported that a number of the company's employees were injured in the attacks, that targeted Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi. He added that none of the injuries were life-threatening.

"The safety and security of our people is our top priority at EGA at all times," Kalban said in a statement published on March 28. "We are deeply saddened and are assessing the damage to our facilities," he added.

Due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway accounting for a significant share of global supply, most of the aluminium produced in the Gulf -- around one tenth of world trade -- has been unable to be shipped since the start of the war in the Middle East one month ago.

Earlier in the month, Reuters reported that EGA planned to reroute aluminium exports and raw material imports via the Omani port of Sohar.

With reporting by Reuters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has secured defense cooperation agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar during his Gulf visit, amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Qatar’s Defense Ministry announced that Doha and Kyiv signed a defense cooperation agreement which focuses on sharing expertise in countering missiles and unmanned aerial systems.

Earlier in the United Arab Emirates, Zelenskyy met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with both countries agreeing to cooperate in security and defense.

The deals permit Ukraine to share its extensive experience in shooting down Russian drones and missiles with Gulf partners now confronting similar Iranian attacks.

Zelenskyy also signed a defense cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia on March 26.

Ukraine has flatly denied an Iranian claim that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) destroyed a Ukrainian anti-drone weapons depot in Dubai, calling it disinformation.

"This is a lie. We officially refute this information," Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi told reporters on March 28, adding that the Islamic republic "frequently carries out such disinformation campaigns."

The IRGC's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters -- Iran's military central command -- had claimed its aerospace and naval forces carried out a combined operation destroying the facility, which it said was supporting the US military. It also claimed 21 Ukrainian nationals were present at the site at the time. The United Arab Emirates and United States did not immediately comment.

The UAE has borne the brunt of Iran's retaliation in the Persian Gulf, with Emirati air defenses engaging nearly 2,200 drones and missiles since Tehran launched its campaign in response to the US-Israeli operation on February 28, according to local officials.

European intelligence agencies have made an assessment that Russia "is in the final stages of preparing to supply drones to Iran for use in its war with the US and Israel," according to a report in The Guardian, citing an unnamed senior European official.

This follows a recent report by the Financial Times that Russia is completing a "multi-phase delivery of drones, medicine, and food" to Iran.

Iran has previously supplied thousands of Shahed-series kamikaze drones for Russia's war on Ukraine.

According to The Guardian, if this shipment reaches Iran, it "would mark the first evidence of lethal support since the start of the war."

US officials, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and others have said that Russia has shared intelligence with Iran since the beginning of the war, including satellite imagery and targeting data.

The Financial Times reported that the delivery of the drone shipment to Iran would "likely take place by the middle of this week."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the reports of Russia sending drones to Iran were "fake news."

Foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey will meet in Islamabad on March 29-30 to discuss efforts to end the US-Israeli war with Iran, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar wrote on X.

"During the visit, the foreign ministers will hold in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region," a statement posted by Dar said.

Separately, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had spoken on the phone with Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian for “over an hour.”

“I apprised him of Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic outreach -- engaging the United States and brotherly Gulf and Islamic countries -- to facilitate dialogue and de-escalation,” he wrote on X.

Islamabad has emerged as an unlikely diplomatic go-between in the Iran war, facilitating indirect communication between Tehran and Washington as both sides feel out the possibility of a deal.

White House special envoy Steve Witkoff said on March 27 that Washington had a "15-point deal on the table" awaiting a response from Tehran. Senior Iranian officials have denied that any negotiations are under way, though Iran said on March 25 that it was reviewing the US proposal and put forward five conditions for ending the conflict.

Israel's military reported the first missile launch from Yemen since the beginning of the current Middle East war, a potentially troubling development following a threat by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels to join the conflict.

The military said Israeli forces had "identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, aerial defense systems are operating to intercept the threat."

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages in Israel. Local media suggested that the missile may have been intercepted.

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Next Flashpoint In Iran War? The Bab Al-Mandab Strait Off Yemen's Coast

The Houthi rebels in Yemen on March 27 warned they would join the war if US-Israeli attacks continue to hit Iran or if more countries join the conflict.

"We affirm that our fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention," the group said in a statement.

A US-designated terrorist organization that has previously attacked international ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea, the Houthis -- one of Tehran's most potent allies -- have so far stayed out of the war.

But should they enter the fray, it could be a troubling development, especially for global energy markets dependent on regional shipping lanes.

With reporting by AFP

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