US-Israel vs Iran War News Updates: ‘Iran wants a deal, I dont’, says Trump

The Kerala government has approached the Centre seeking the authenticity of reports regarding the death of a man from the state in the war-hit region of Israel.

When contacted, the NORKA officials told PTI on Saturday that they received the information from a collective of Keralites working in Israel and therefore approached the Centre to confirm it.

NORKA is a state-run agency that oversees matters related to non-resident Keralites.

According to local media reports, the deceased man was a Thiruvananthapuram native and his cause of death was yet to be ascertained. — PTI

"We welcome the International Energy Agency decision to authorise a coordinated release of strategic petroleum reserves. We will take other steps to stabilise energy markets, including working with certain producing nations to increase output.

We will also work to provide support for the most affected nations, including through the United Nations and the IFIs.

Maritime security and freedom of navigation benefit all countries. We call on all states to respect international law and uphold the fundamental principles of international prosperity and security." — Joint statement by countries on Strait of Hormuz

"We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces.

We express our deep concern about the escalating conflict. We call on Iran to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping, and to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2817." — Joint statement by countries on Strait of Hormuz

Thousands of Iranian worshippers on Saturday converged on Tehran's grand mosque for Eid al-Fitr prayers marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Associated Press footage showed worshippers lining up at Imam Khomeini Mosalla and in its vast courtyard for the prayers as Israel and the United States continued launching massive airstrikes against Iran.

Masoud Alibenam, 50 said its "really a painful feeling" that the Eid prayers are being offered without Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed in the first days of the war. "The leader (Khamenei) is no longer here, and we are offering the prayers in his absence." Worshippers also held funeral services for Gen. Ali Mohammad Naeini, spokesperson for the Revolutionary Guard, who was killed in an Israeli strike Friday. The funeral procession of Amir Hossein Bidi, a pro-government cultural activist also was held after Eid prayers. — AP

Iranian gas supplies resume at 5 million cubic metres, Reuters reported quoting Iraqi state news agency.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said attacks against Iran will “increase significantly” in the coming week. Katz spoke Saturday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering “winding down” military operations in the Mideast even as the United States announced it was sending more warships and Marines to the region and Iran threatened to attack tourist sites worldwide.The mixed U.S. messages came after another climb in oil prices plunged the U.S. stock market, and was followed by a Trump administration announcement that it will lift sanctions on Iranian oil loaded on ships, a move aimed at wrangling soaring fuel prices. — AP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and conveyed Eid and Nowruz greetings. Modi expressed hope that the festive season brings peace, stability, prosperity to West Asia. He also condemned attacks on critical infrastructure in West Asia that threaten regional stability, disrupt global supply chains.

Israel Defense Force (IDF) releases video purportedly showing the impact of an Iranian cluster bomb inside an kindergarten. The IDF said, "Once again, we see how our enemy aims their targets at civilian populations. They try to kill and impact as much as they can.”

Watch the video below:

The Iranian Army on Saturday said it attacked fuel tanks refuelling aircraft at Israel's Ben Gurion airport with drones, the country's state media reported according to Reuters.

Iran's supreme leader has issued another defiant written statement praising Iranians' steadfastness three weeks into the war launched by the United States and Israel.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Friday that US and Israeli attacks were based on an illusion that by killing top leaders they could cause the overthrow of the government.

His written statement, marking the Persian New Year, Nowruz, was read on Iranian television.

He commended Iranians for "building a nationwide defensive front and strongholds across cities, neighbourhoods, and mosques, delivering such a bewildering blow that the enemy fell into contradictions and irrational statements." Khamenei has not been seen in public since succeeding his father, who was killed in strikes on the first day of the war. Israeli and US officials have said the younger Khamenei was wounded in those strikes. — AP

Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Friday said attacks against Turkey and Oman were not carried out by Iran or its allied forces, the Reuters reported.

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd posts, "As global crude prices surge, stability at home matters more than ever. IndianOil has ensured NO increase in regular automotive fuel prices in India, even amid rising international costs. A limited revision applies only to premium petrol XP-95, with minimal impact on overall consumption. Through evolving global conditions, the focus remains clear: consistent supply, responsible pricing, and service you can rely on."

From sudden airspace curbs to elevated fuel prices to high insurance premiums, airlines are grappling with rising complexities in West Asia operations, which are already curtailed amid the escalating conflict in the region.

Airline officials and crew members said the situation is very dynamic and there are a lot of variables while operating flights to the West Asia region.

On Thursday, aviation watchdog DGCA asked airlines to avoid nine airspaces in the region and ensure robust contingency plans as part of safety risk assessments. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to avoid the airspaces of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to an advisory, which will be valid till March 28. — PTI