Washington: US President Donald Trump said in an expletive-laden social media post on Sunday that the United States will target Iran’s power plants and bridges on Tuesday if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.”Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” Trump said in a Truth Social post, referencing the key shipping lane that Tehran has effectively closed since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran more than a month ago.”Open the F****n’ Strait, you crazy bast*rds, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!” Trump said, ending his Easter morning post with: “Praise be to Allah.”Trump’s threat follows an intense 48-hour rescue operation for two U.S. pilots inside Iran. Trump said in his earlier Sunday social media post that the second pilot rescued was “seriously wounded” and is a “highly respected Colonel.” “The rescue was an Easter Miracle,” Trump said in a text message to Jattvibe News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday before heading to his Washington golf club. “Such a rescue has never happened before in so violent an enemy territory.” The rescued U.S. pilot climbed 7,000 feet up an Iranian mountain to be evacuated, said U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a Pennsylvania Republican and U.S. Army veteran, on “Fox News Sunday,” citing a conversation with a senior Trump administration official. (Agencies)Russia says US should abandon ‘language of ultimatums’ on IranApril 5, 2026 10:41 pmRussia expressed hope on Sunday that efforts to de-escalate the Iran conflict would bear fruit and said the US would contribute by “abandoning the language of ultimatums and returning the situation to a negotiating track.” The Russian Foreign Ministry statement was issued after a conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. It said both sides “called for efforts to avoid actions, including in the UN Security Council, that could undermine the remaining chances for advancing political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.”Trump says deal with Iran possible by Monday, Fox News reportsApril 5, 2026 9:53 pmPresident Donald Trump said a deal with Iran is possible by Monday, and that Iran was negotiating, Fox News reported on Sunday following an interview with the President.Diplomatic efforts continueApril 5, 2026 9:39 pmTrump’s deadline of 9 pm EDT Monday (0100 GMT Tuesday), centres on growing alarm over Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, critical for shipments of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf to Europe and Asia. Oman’s Foreign Ministry said that deputy foreign ministers and experts from Iran and Oman met to discuss proposals to ensure “smooth transit” through the strait. Oman has often served as a mediator between the US and Iran. Egypt said that Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had spoken by phone with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as well as with Turkish and Pakistani counterparts who are helping to mediate. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it had conveyed to Araghchi that Islamabad supports “all efforts aimed at de-escalation.” Islamabad has said that it would soon host talks between the US and Iran.Iraq thanks Iran for allowing oil tankers through HormuzApril 5, 2026 9:39 pmIraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein thanked Iran for allowing Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and reiterated Baghdad’s policy of rejecting war, the foreign ministry said on Sunday. Hussein made the remarks during a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadeq, according to the statement.Several ‘enemy aircraft’ destroyed during US pilot rescue mission, says IranApril 5, 2026 6:34 pmAirstrikes in southwest Iran have killed at least three people and wounded others, according to Iranian state media. The attack took place in the same area where a missing American crew member is believed to be. US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced the rescue of a missing American pilot, describing it as “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history”, amid escalating tensions with Iran. Meanwhile, Iranian military officials said several aircraft were destroyed in the south of Iran’s Isfahan province during a US mission to find a stranded airman.Israeli intelligence helped US airman rescue mission in Iran, says officialApril 5, 2026 4:56 pmIsrael provided intelligence assistance to the United States during an operation to rescue a stranded US airman in Iran and halted its attacks in the area to facilitate the mission, an Israeli security official said.Oman, Iran hold talks on ensuring transit through HormuzApril 5, 2026 4:56 pmOman and Iran have held talks at the deputy foreign minister level to discuss options for ensuring the smooth transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, Oman’s Foreign Ministry wrote on X on Sunday. The talks come after an Iranian official said on Thursday that Iran was drafting a protocol with Oman to monitor traffic in the strait through which around a fifth of global oil supplies travel.Kuwait Petroleum Corp reports damage at units after Iran drone attackApril 5, 2026 4:11 pmKuwait Petroleum Corporation reported “severe material damage” on Sunday after an Iranian drone attack caused fires at its operating units. It said in a statement that no injuries were reported, adding that teams were currently working to contain the fires and prevent it from spreading to other facilities.’Trump justifying bitter defeat’: Iran hits back at US after F-15 crew member rescue operationApril 5, 2026 1:48 pmTehran: Ebrahim Zolfaghari, the Spokesperson of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, on Sunday claimed that the US faced a “bitter defeat” in southern Isfahan after President Donald Trump said that they had rescued the second F-15 crew member, who went missing after Iran downed the jet. While President Trump called it the “most daring” search and rescue operation for the US military, stating that the government will “not leave a warfighter behind”, Iran labelled it as their victory after shooting down one C-130-class aircraft involved in the operation. ANIBahrain’s Gulf Petrochemical Industries says fire under control at units after Iran drone attackApril 5, 2026 1:28 pmBahrain’s Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company said a fire at its operating units after an Iranian drone attack was brought under control, the Bahraini state news agency reported on Sunday. No injuries were reported, with teams currently conducting an assessment of damage from the incident, the news agency said. ReutersFire has broken out at petrochemicals plant in UAE following attackApril 5, 2026 12:40 pmDubai: Authorities say a fire has broken out at a petrochemicals plant in the United Arab Emirates following an attack on Sunday. Abu Dhabi authorities responded to multiple fires at the Borouge petrochemicals plant. They say the fires were caused by falling debris following successful interceptions by air defence systems, but production at the plant has halted. The plant is in Ruwais, near the UAE’s western border with Saudi Arabia. The plant is a joint venture of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. and Borealis of Australia. APRescues were kept secret to avoid risk to the operationApril 5, 2026 12:35 pmDubai: US President Donald Trump said the United States didn’t confirm the rescue of the first aviator from the F-15 fighter jet that was shot down in Iran on Friday “because we did not want to jeopardise our second rescue operation”. In his social media post early on Sunday, Trump said the second aviator “was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour”. APIran executes 2 men who took part in the January protestsApril 5, 2026 12:35 pmDubai: Mizan Online, a media outlet for Iran’s judiciary, said on Saturday that Mohammad Ami Biglari and Shahin Vahedparast had been convicted on charges of taking part in an attack on a military facility, setting fire to it and attempting to reach its arms depot. It said the two men were hanged after the country’s Supreme Court upheld a lower court death sentence. A crackdown on nationwide protests in January resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the arrest of thousands more. APBahrain’s petroleum company says Iranian drone set fire to one of its storage tanksApril 5, 2026 12:34 pmDubai: BAPCO Energies said in a statement on Sunday that the fire was extinguished and that no injuries were reported. It said emergency response teams responded immediately in close coordination with authorities to contain the fire. It added that damage to the storage facilities is now being assessed. APDrone attack strikes government office complex in KuwaitApril 5, 2026 12:32 pmDubai: Kuwait’s Finance Ministry said Sunday’s drone attack resulted in “significant damage” to its office complex in Kuwait City. It said no casualties were reported. Kuwait’s Electricity Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that damage to the facilities was “significant.” The ministry said the attack resulted in two power generation units being taken out of service. No injuries were reported. APIran threatens to disrupt traffic in the second key straitApril 5, 2026 12:17 pmWashington: Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, issued a veiled threat late on Friday to disrupt traffic through a second strategic waterway in the region, the Bab el-Mandeb. The strait, 32 kilometres (20 miles) wide, links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. More than a tenth of seaborne global oil and a quarter of container ships pass through it. “Which countries and companies account for the highest transit volumes through the strait?” Qalibaf wrote. More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began. In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 US service members have been killed. In Lebanon, more than 1,400 people have been killed, and more than 1 million people have been displaced. Ten Israeli soldiers have died there. APTrump renews threatApril 5, 2026 12:12 pmWashington: Trump renewed his threats for Iran to open up the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy shipments that has been choked off by Tehran, by Monday or face devastating consequences, writing on Saturday in a social media post: “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them.” “The doors of hell will be opened to you” if Iran’s infrastructure is attacked, Gen Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi with the country’s joint military command said late on Saturday in response to Trump’s renewed threat, state media reported. In turn, the general threatened all infrastructure used by the US military in the region. But Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, told The Associated Press that his government’s efforts to broker a ceasefire are “right on track” after Islamabad last week said that it would soon host talks between the US and Iran. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said that Iranian officials “have never refused to go to Islamabad”. APDrones hit Gulf energy infrastructureApril 5, 2026 11:59 amWashington: In Kuwait, an Iranian drone attack caused significant damage to two power plants and put a water desalination station out of service, according to the Ministry of Electricity. No injuries were reported from the attack, the ministry said. In Bahrain, the national oil company said that a drone attack caused a fire at one of its storage facilities, which was extinguished. It said the damage was still being assessed and no injuries had been reported. The war began with joint US-Israel strikes on February 28 and has killed thousands, shaken global markets, cut off key shipping routes and spiked fuel prices. Both sides have threatened and hit civilian targets, bringing warnings of possible war crimes. AP‘Most daring operation in US history’: Trump announces rescue of US pilot missing in IranApril 5, 2026 10:05 amUS President Donald Trump on Sunday announced the rescue of a missing American pilot, describing it as “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history”, amid escalating tensions with Iran.Iran war starts pinching US; gas prices, transport costs surgeApril 5, 2026 9:13 amThe war against Iran has started to impact Americans, with Amazon announcing a fuel surcharge for its e-commerce deliveries and some airlines hiking fees for checked-in baggage to offset higher fuel costs.5 varsity professors, 60 students killed since war started: Iranian officialApril 5, 2026 8:49 amIran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simaei Sarraf spoke to reporters Saturday while checking the aftermath of strike on a university research centre in southern Tehran.