Iran, US-Israel War News Live Updates: 1 killed in US-Israel strike on Iran’s Charak port
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) said he and US President Donald Trump are coordination to “crush Iran”. (AP file photo)
US Israel Iran War LIVE: The US-Israeli attack on passenger terminal and civilian infrastructure at Iran’s Gulf port of Charak has left one person dead, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said. Meanwhile, in a video message on Friday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the US Army and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will continue to crush Iran. His message came at a time when US President Donald Trump took to Truth Social and said with “little more time”, the United States of America “can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE”.
US Fighter Jet Shot Down: A local channel of the Iranian state television claimed on Friday that a US fighter pilot ejected from their aircraft over southwestern Iran. Later, a US official confirmed Reuters that the jet was indeed downed and a search is on for the pilot. The governor of Iran’s Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province said whomever captured or killed the crew “would be specially commended,” the Reuters reported citing semi-official Iranian news agency ISNA.
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Ships cross Hormuz: CMA CGM Kribi, sailing under a Malta flag and operated by French shipping company CMA CGM, became possibly the first vessel with links to France to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since Iran effectively closed it, according to the MarineTraffic website cited by the PTI. A Japanese liquefied natural gas tanker has also crossed the Strait of Hormuz, its joint owner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said on Friday.
Resolution on Strait of Hormuz: A day before the United Nations Security Council is set to vote on a resolution introduced by Bahrain to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, French and South Korean Presidents agreed Friday to work together to help reopen the channel, the Associated Press reported. President Emmanuel Macron underscored the need for France and South Korea to cooperate to help reopen the strait and de-escalate Middle East animosities, the news agency reported.
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THE CHOKEPOINT
Iran’s grip on the world’s most critical waterway
The Strait of Hormuz carries one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas in peacetime. Iran’s tight control of the strait has roiled stock markets, sent oil prices skyrocketing, and threatened to raise the cost of basic goods including food. World leaders have struggled to find a way to reopen the waterway.
1/5
of world’s oil & gas transits here in peacetime
5
weeks since Iran began restricting traffic
Sat
UN Security Council vote on Bahrain proposal
UN Security Council: What’s on the table
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Bahrain’s proposal
Would authorise defensive action to ensure safe vessel transit. Initial draft allowed countries to “use all necessary means” to secure the strait.
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Russia, China & France: Against
All three veto-holding members opposed approving the use of force, forcing a revision of the original draft language.
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South Korea & France: Joint stance
Presidents Lee and Macron resolved to “cooperate to ensure safe passage” following Seoul meetings, but offered no specifics.
MARKET SHOCK
Brent crude has surged 50%+ since the war began
Iran’s attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz have sent oil prices to their highest levels in years. The price shock threatens to raise costs for basic goods worldwide, and global stock markets have been roiled since hostilities began on February 28.
$109
Brent crude spot price per barrel (Apr 4)
+50%
Price rise since war began on Feb 28
Why prices keep climbing
⚓
Hormuz still restricted
Iran continues to restrict tanker traffic through the strait, cutting off a fifth of global oil and gas supply from normal transit routes.
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Gulf infrastructure targeted
Iranian attacks on Kuwait’s refinery, UAE’s gas field, and Saudi infrastructure directly reduce regional production and supply confidence.
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No ceasefire in sight
Despite Zarif’s peace proposal and US-Iran contacts, no progress on a deal has been announced, keeping risk premiums elevated.
INFRASTRUCTURE STRIKES
Iran targets water and energy across the Gulf
On Friday, Iran struck Kuwait’s major oil refinery and damaged a desalination plant — the water supply lifeline for Gulf states. Multiple countries reported incoming drones and missiles, revealing the wide geographic spread of Iran’s multi-front offensive.
Strikes reported — Apr 4
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Kuwait — Mina al-Ahmadi refinery
State-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp said firefighters were working to control several blazes after an Iranian attack on the refinery.
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Kuwait — desalination plant
Iran caused “material damage” to a desalination plant — the primary source of drinking water for Gulf states, and now a major war target.
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UAE — gas field shut down
Authorities shut a gas field after missile interception debris rained on it and started a fire.
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Saudi Arabia — drones destroyed; Bahrain on alert
Saudi Arabia said it destroyed several Iranian drones. Sirens also sounded in Bahrain, and Israel reported incoming missiles.
US ESCALATION WATCH
Marines and paratroopers ordered to region — ground offensive feared
Thousands of US Marines and paratroopers have been ordered to the Middle East, fuelling speculation of a ground offensive. President Trump has sent mixed signals — at times saying the US is negotiating an end to the war, at others threatening to expand it.
Trump’s two positions
SIGNAL: NEGOTIATE
US presented Iran a 15-point ceasefire plan; nuclear talks were underway when bombing began
SIGNAL: ESCALATE
Thousands of Marines & paratroopers ordered to region; Trump has threatened to expand the war
“Prolonged hostility will cause a greater loss of precious lives and irreplaceable resources without actually altering the existing stalemate.”
— Mohammad Javad Zarif, former Iranian Foreign Minister, Foreign Affairs magazine, Apr 4, 2026
Sources: Associated Press (Jon Gambrell & David Rising) · Kuwait Petroleum Corp · ACLED · Foreign Affairs magazine
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