Moments after US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran’s missile programme had been destroyed following the US-Israeli military action against the Islamic Republic for the past month, Iranian forces launched missiles targeting Israel’s strategic northern port city of Haifa, according to Iranian state media, Press TV.Following the reports, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the missile launches in a statement on Telegram, noting that defensive systems were actively operating to intercept the threat. “A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said.Meanwhile, almost three dozen countries will meet on Thursday in an effort to exert diplomatic and political pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been choked off by the US-Israeli war against Iran.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the virtual meeting chaired by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper “will assess all viable diplomatic and political measures we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities”.The US is not among the countries attending Thursday’s meeting. Trump has said securing the waterway is not America’s job, and told US allies to “go get your own oil”.  — with AgenciesHormuz Strait disruptions have caused huge economic impact, energy instability in region: Navy chiefApril 2, 2026 5:13 pmMumbai: The Strait of Hormuz disruptions have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region, Indian Navy chief Admiral DK Tripathi said on Thursday amid the war in West Asia. The admiral said competition at sea is no longer confined to oil and energy. It is expanding to resources that will shape future growth, he asserted. The West Asia crisis began on February 28 after a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran. PTIIran fires missiles at Israel, Gulf neighbours as Trump talks of winding down West Asia warApril 2, 2026 4:58 pmDubai: Iran fired more missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states on Thursday, demonstrating Tehran’s continued ability to attack even as US President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated and predicted the war would end soon. Iran’s strikes on its neighbours along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world’s energy supplies with effects far beyond West Asia. That has proved to be Iran’s greatest strategic advantage in the war. Britain planned to hold a call with nearly three dozen countries about how to reopen the strait, through which 20 per cent of all traded oil passes in peacetime, once the fighting is over. Trump has insisted the strait, which was open to traffic before the US and Israel launched their war on Iran, can be taken by force – but said it is not up to the US to do that. In his address to the American people on Wednesday night, he encouraged countries that depend on oil passing through Hormuz to “build some delayed courage” and go “take it”. APUK gathers over 30 countries to plot ways of reopening Strait of HormuzApril 2, 2026 11:19 amAlmost three dozen countries will meet Thursday in an effort to exert diplomatic and political pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been choked off by the US-Israeli war against Iran. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the virtual meeting chaired by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper “will assess all viable diplomatic and political measures we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities”.Oil rises and Asian stocks fall after Trump’s addressApril 2, 2026 11:16 amOil rose more than 4% and Asian stocks fell after US President Donald Trump said in his first national address since the Iran war began that the US will keep hitting Iran very hard. Trump also said the United States will “finish the job” in Iran and that military operations could wrap up soon. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was down 1.4% to 53,004.81 in early Asia trading on Thursday. South Korea’s Kospi lost 3.4% to 5,292.36. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.8% to 25,082.59. US futures were down more than 0.7%. Oil prices were sharply higher following Trump’s remarks. Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 5% to $106.22 per barrel. Benchmark US crude rose 4.2% to $104.36 a barrel.Democrats slam Trump speech for failing to offer answers on Iran warApril 2, 2026 11:15 amDemocrats are criticising Trump’s primetime address to the American people on the war in Iran as “incoherent” and as doing little to answer “the most basic questions the American people,” according to statements from two Democratic lawmakers released on Wednesday. Sen Mark Warner noted that Trump owed Americans more answers about a conflict that has driven up prices on gas “alongside rising prices for diesel, fertiliser, aluminum, and other essentials, with consequences that will continue to ripple through the economy for a long time to come” in his statement.Fuel prices in Thailand soarApril 2, 2026 11:15 amFuel prices in Thailand soared again on Thursday after the government further cut subsidies, sending diesel price to over 44 baht ($1.35) per litre, about 12% increase. The surge was the second time in a week, after a majority of fuel prices rose by 6 baht ($0.18) per litre last Thursday.Think tank says Trump leaving Gulf Arab allies in lurchApril 2, 2026 11:13 amA New York-based think tank said Thursday that US President Donald Trump’s speech suggests he “is willing to leave the Strait of Hormuz off the table, leaving other nations to deal with the consequences”. “Trump’s message was that the United States can sustain its own economic and energy ecosystem, while countries dependent on regional exports will either have to buy from the United States or manage the Strait themselves,” the Soufan Center wrote. “While Trump explicitly thanked US allies in the Persian Gulf for their cooperation and allyship, an expedited US withdrawal without securing the Strait will leave many of these countries, whose economies are dependent on energy exports, in the lurch.”It’s unclear where diplomatic efforts standApril 2, 2026 10:30 amThe US has presented Iran with a 15-point plan aimed at bringing about a ceasefire, including a demand for the strait to be reopened and for its nuclear program to be rolled back. Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful. And in a report last week by Iranian state TV’s English-language broadcaster, an anonymous official was quoted as saying Iran had its own demands to end the fighting, including retaining sovereignty over the strait. In the interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi acknowledged receiving direct messages from US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. He insisted, however, that there were no direct negotiations and said Iran has no faith that talks with the US could yield any results, saying “the trust level is at zero.”Humanitarian aid trapped in Hormuz chokehold, global agency head warnsApril 2, 2026 10:27 amOver USD 100,000 worth of IRC humanitarian aid for lifesaving initiatives is trapped in its hub in Dubai. Iran has been cementing its chokehold the Strait of Hormuz in the ongoing war with the United States and Israel, the world’s most important artery for oil shipments. “Thirty percent of the world’s fertilizer goes through there,” said President of the International Rescue Committee David Miliband, fearing a food security crisis in many vulnerable countries where the organisation works. “We are advocating that all the goods in that hub be given safe passage immediately.”Iran has launched its first missile barrage of the day: Israel militaryApril 2, 2026 10:17 amEarly Thursday, Israel’s military said Iran had launched missiles at the country, the first of the day. Sirens sounded the alert in Tel Aviv, central Israel and parts of the occupied West Bank.