Iran leaders join crowds on Tehran’s streets to project control in wartime

April 4, 2026 10:25 AM

Iran leaders join crowds on Tehran’s streets to project control in wartime

After more than a month of being stalked by targeted assassinations, Iran's leadership has adopted a new tactic to show it is still in control - with senior officials walking openly in the streets among small crowds who have gathered in support of the Islamic Republic. In recent days, Iran's president and foreign minister have separately mixed with groups of several hundred people in central Tehran. On Tuesday, state television aired footage of the two posing for selfies, talking to members of ...

One killed, four injured after fires at Habshan gas facility following interception debris

April 4, 2026 10:10 AM

One killed, four injured after fires at Habshan gas facility following interception debris

One person was killed and four others injured after two fires broke out at the Habshan gas facilities following falling debris from a successful air defence interception. The incident occurred amid heightened regional tensions, with air defence systems intercepting incoming projectiles earlier. Falling debris from the interception triggered two separate fires at the Habshan gas complex, prompting an immediate emergency response. During the evacuation of the facility, one Egyptian national died, ...

Kuwait power and desalination plant hit in Iranian attack

April 4, 2026 9:57 AM

Kuwait power and desalination plant hit in Iranian attack

A power and water desalination plant in Kuwait was targeted in an Iranian attack on Friday, resulting in material damage to parts of the facility. The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, Engineer Fatima Abbas Jawhar Hayat, confirmed the incident, stating that technical and emergency teams were immediately deployed under approved response plans. She added that efforts are underway in full coordination with security and relevant authorities to secure...

Missile interceptions, facility fires and injuries signal escalating Gulf tensions amid regional spillover

April 4, 2026 9:53 AM

Missile interceptions, facility fires and injuries signal escalating Gulf tensions amid regional spillover

Operations at ADNOC’s Habshan gas facilities in Abu Dhabi were suspended after debris from an intercepted aerial threat sparked a fire at the site, as tensions continued to spill into GCC countries. Abu Dhabi authorities said emergency teams quickly contained the blaze and no injuries were initially reported. In a separate interception, debris also fell in the Ajban area. Later, authorities reported that 12 people were injured in Ajban, including five Indian nationals and six Nepali nationals,...

Trump’s anger over Iran thrusts NATO into fresh crisis

April 4, 2026 9:39 AM

Trump’s anger over Iran thrusts NATO into fresh crisis

The NATO alliance has in recent years survived existential challenges - ranging from the war in Ukraine to multiple bouts of pressure and insults from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has questioned its core mission and threatened to seize Greenland. But it is the U.S.-Israeli war withIran, thousands of miles from Europe, that has nearly broken the 76-year-old bloc and threatens to leave it in its weakest state since its creation, say analysts and diplomats. Trump, enraged that European countr...

Iran leaves door open for peace talks as hunt for missing US pilot continues

April 4, 2026 5:44 PM

Iran leaves door open for peace talks as hunt for missing US pilot continues

Iranian forces were hunting for a missing U.S. pilot on Saturday from one of two warplanes downed over Iran and the Gulf, raising the stakes for Washington as the war entered its sixth week with scant prospect of peace talks in sight. The incidents show the risks still facing U.S. and Israeli aircraft over Iran, despite assertions by President Donald Trump and his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that U.S. forces had total control of the skies. The prospect of a U.S. service member alive and on ...

Trump proposes ‘historic’ defense spending budget, eyes 10% cut to other federal programs

April 4, 2026 9:31 AM

Trump proposes ‘historic’ defense spending budget, eyes 10% cut to other federal programs

President Donald Trump on Friday requested a 10% cut in non-defense spending for the 2027 fiscal year and a massive $500 billion increase in the military budget, as the U.S. continues its war against Iran. The 2027 budget request comes as the president faces risky choices abroad, with the administration sending U.S. service members to the Middle East, and a weary public at home feeling the economic crunch of skyrocketing gas prices due to the conflict. The request ultimately requires approval ...

Trump says US can take Strait of Hormuz with more time

April 4, 2026 9:26 AM

Trump says US can take Strait of Hormuz with more time

President Donald Trump on Friday said the U.S. can open the Strait of Hormuz with a little more time, as pressure mounts for his administration to find a quick resolution to a war against Iran. "With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL,& MAKE A FORTUNE," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Nearly five weeks after it started ⁠with a joint U.S.-Israeli aerial assault, the war in Iran continues to spread chaos across the region and roil financial markets...

Trump administration unlawfully revoked status of migrants who used Biden-era app, US judge rules

April 1, 2026 11:00 AM

Trump administration unlawfully revoked status of migrants who used Biden-era app, US judge rules

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered President Donald Trump's administration to reverse the termination of the legal status of thousands of migrants who had been allowed to temporarily live in the United States after using an appointment app utilized by Democratic President Joe Biden's administration. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston ruled that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security acted unlawfully in April 2025 when it sent mass emails notifying many of the more than 900,000 pe...

Pakistan, Afghanistan trade fire as Islamabad prepares to host US-Iran talks

March 30, 2026 2:21 PM

Pakistan, Afghanistan trade fire as Islamabad prepares to host US-Iran talks

Afghanistan and Pakistan have traded heavy fire, both sides said, days after they announced a temporary pause in fighting, escalating tensions in the volatile region as Islamabad said it hopes to host potential talks between the U.S. and Iran. The border clashes came on Sunday, the day Pakistan hosted regional powers to discuss de-escalation in the war in the Middle East, with an announcement that Islamabad could host the talks in coming days. Both sides used artillery and heavy weapons to hit...