Trump halts striking Iranian energy plants for 10 days, indirect talks on

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he will pause planned strikes on Iranian energy facilities for 10 days, claiming that talks between the two sides are "going very well," reported Xinhua.

"As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time," Trump said on social media platform Truth Social.

"Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well," Trump wrote.

U.S.-Iran indirect talks are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said in a social media post on Thursday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that different messages have been exchanged between Iran and the United States through intermediaries over the past few days, while Tehran has held no talks with Washington since the United States and Israel began massive attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

Meanwhile, Trump claimed on Thursday that Iran has allowed 10 "boats of oil" through the Strait of Hormuz, including eight bearing Pakistani flags, touting this as a "present" to the United States amid reported U.S.-Iran "indirect talks."

The development marked proof that Washington had engaged in "very substantial talks" with Iranian negotiators, Trump said at a White House cabinet meeting.

"I guess we're dealing with the right people," Trump added, declining to name who the United States is talking with.

"They said, 'To show you the fact that we're real and solid and we're there, we're going to let you have eight boats of oil, eight boats, eight big boats of oil,'" Trump said. "They were right and they were real."

Iranians also sent two additional boats "to apologize for something they said," Trump claimed.

The president also suggested that taking over Iran's oil supply is "an option."

"I mean, I wouldn't talk about it, but it's an option," Trump said.

Trump added that the raid and forcible seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3 has helped the United States bring in "billions and billions of dollars."

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that the U.S.-Iran "indirect talks" are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan.

"In this context, the United States has shared 15 points, being deliberated upon by Iran ... Brotherly countries of Türkiye and Egypt, among others, are also extending their support to this initiative," the minister said in a post on the social media platform X.

He said that Pakistan remained fully committed to promoting peace and continues to make every effort to ensure stability in the region and beyond.

"Dialogue and Diplomacy is the only way forward," he added.

Israel claims death of IRGC navy commander

The Israeli military killed the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, Alireza Tangsiri, in an overnight airstrike, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed in a statement.

Speaking in a video statement from the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Katz said the attack also killed other senior Navy officials.

He said the attack was "an expression of aid" to the United States in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Tangsiri was "directly responsible for the naval mine attack and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz," according to Katz.

Earlier in the day, Israel's state-owned Kan TV news, citing an Israeli official, said Tangsiri was killed in an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian naval base in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.

The Iranian side has not commented on the claim yet.

On Tuesday, Tangsiri wrote on social media platform X that any vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz must fully coordinate with Iranian maritime authorities.

He said IRGC naval forces had blocked a foreign container ship, identified as the "SELEN," after it failed to comply with required protocols and obtain a transit permit.

The development came amid heightened tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting Feb. 28 that targeted Tehran and other cities, prompting Iranian retaliatory missile and drone attacks against Israel and U.S. targets in the region.

Iranian drones strike sensitive locations in Israel's Haifa port

The Iranian Army on Thursday (local time) stated that it had targeted sensitive locations in Israel's strategic Haifa port with drones late Wednesday night, amid the conflict in West Asia, describing the US-Israeli joint military strikes on February 28 as an "unprovoked war of aggression" against the Islamic Republic, reported ANI, quoting state media Press TV.

In a statement, as reported by Press TV, the Army said it launched a "massive drone attack" against a number of strategic and sensitive sites in the northern port city of Haifa.

The aerial operation was carried out in response to what Tehran termed the US-Israeli enemy's claim that Iran's missile and drone capabilities have been significantly degraded.

"The center for manufacturing and maintenance of various military vessels of the Zionist regime in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that played a key and sensitive role in logistics for the regime's Navy as well as the huge fuel storage facilities for warplanes in Haifa port were, among others, targeted in the recent drone attack by the Islamic Republic's Armed forces," the statement read, as quoted by Press TV.

Separately, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced the launch of the 82nd wave of retaliatory operations against the US and Israel, employing various types of missiles and drones in the region.

In a Thursday statement, as reported by Press TV, the IRGC said this latest wave was launched in retaliation for earlier airstrikes on critical infrastructure and civilian facilities within Iran. It noted that the operations began early Thursday and would continue throughout the day.

According to the statement, designated US interests in the Arifjan and al-Kharj districts of Saudi Arabia, the US Defence Logistics Site (kGL), Patriot radar systems in Bahrain's Sheikh Isa region, support fuel depots for US forces, a hangar for P8 surveillance aircraft, a hangar for MQ-9 Reaper combat drones, and a satellite communications dish for drones at Ali al-Salem airbase were "devastated with a large swarm of kamikaze drones", Press TV reported.

The IRGC said the retaliatory strikes were dedicated to fallen Iranians in the northern provinces of East Azarbaijan, Ardabil, Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan.

It also stated that a military command centre in "the occupied territories", as well as industries linked to the Israeli regime's nuclear programme near the Dead Sea, were struck in an "impact-driven" attack.

Last week, an Iranian ballistic missile struck the Haifa oil refinery complex, a major oil refinery complex in Northern Israel, with Israeli sources confirming the strike, as reported by CNN.

13 killed in Israeli airstrikes on S. Lebanon

At least 13 people were killed and 28 others injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting several towns and villages in southern Lebanon early on Thursday, according to Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center, reported Xinhua.

The center said an airstrike on the village of Harouf in the Nabatieh district killed two people and wounded eight others, while a strike on the municipality of Arabsalim wounded eight people. Two airstrikes on the village of Touline in the Marjayoun district wounded seven people.

A strike on the town of Kounine in the Bint Jbeil district killed three people and injured four others. Another airstrike on the town of Bissariyeh in the Sidon district killed three people and wounded one. An airstrike on a residential and commercial building in a neighborhood in the town of Kfar Remman killed two people, while rescue teams continued clearing rubble and searching for casualties. An airstrike on the Saf al-Hawa area in the city of Bint Jbeil killed three people.

Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli military positions, settlements and Merkava tanks along the border, and carried out strikes on the Kirya complex in Tel Aviv and the Dolphin military intelligence barracks north of Tel Aviv.

Also on Thursday, the Israeli military said in a statement that an Israeli soldier was killed during a clash with Hezbollah members in southern Lebanon, adding that Israeli forces killed "several" militants and were continuing to search for others.

Israel says it has struck 1,000 Iranian weapons production targets

Israel has struck more than 1,000 Iranian weapons production targets as it intensifies attacks on Tehran's military industries, the Israeli military said on Thursday.

"The IDF is intensifying its strikes on the Iranian terror regime's weapons production industries," the military said in a statement.

The campaign is designed to "degrade the Iranian regime's weapons production capabilities," it added, systematically targeting production lines to reduce Iran's manufacturing, development, and research capacity across its military industries.

350 vessels awaiting Iran's permit for passage through Hormuz

More than 350 vessels are waiting for Iran's permission to transit the Strait of Hormuz, 27 days into the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday.

Citing the latest reports and field developments, Fars said the strategic waterway remains closed to the United States, Israel, and their allies, with no vessel allowed to pass without Iran's permission.

According to the report, the vessels have been ordered to power down their systems and remain stationary.

Among the waiting vessels are 25 supertankers, 200 oil tankers, and 70 LNG and CNG carriers, Fars said, adding that without Iran's approval, they can neither proceed nor dock at regional ports, as sea routes remain under the Iranian armed forces' full control.

In a post on social media platform X on Tuesday, Navy Commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Alireza Tangsiri said that any vessel passing through the Strait of Hormuz must fully coordinate with Iran's maritime authorities.

Iran issues "ultimatum" to Bahrain, UAE hotels hosting US troops

Iran has issued an "ultimatum" to hotel owners in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, warning that hosting U.S. military personnel could make their properties legitimate military targets, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Thursday.

Fars reported that U.S. forces have taken refuge in regional hotels following Iranian missile strikes and joint operations with allied militant groups that targeted American military infrastructure across the Middle East. The warning covers any facility hosting foreign military personnel and takes effect immediately if such activity continues.

The report also claimed U.S. personnel have established a presence at civilian sites across the region, including a logistics base near Beirut's old airport and advisory operations at Damascus' Republic Palace, the Four Seasons, and Sheraton hotels. U.S. Marines were reportedly moved this week to Djibouti International Airport via Istanbul and Sofia.

Earlier on Thursday, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi warned hotels in Gulf Arab countries against accepting U.S. military personnel, accusing the soldiers of fleeing their bases and using civilian sites as cover.

"From the outset of this war, U.S. soldiers fled military bases in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) to hide in hotels and offices. They use GCC citizens as human shields," Araghchi wrote on the social media platform X. He compared the situation to hotels in the United States, which he claimed deny bookings to officers who may endanger customers, and urged Gulf hotels to adopt the same practice.

Rocket attack from Lebanon kills man in Israel

A man was killed and another severely injured when a rocket from Lebanon hit the city of Nahariya in northern Israel on Thursday afternoon, according to Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service.

The country's Fire and Rescue Services reported three impacts across the city, one of which caused damage to local gas infrastructure.

Israel said the attack was the most recent of dozens of rockets and several drones fired by Hezbollah since the morning hours.

Earlier in the day, Magen David Adom said at least one direct hit was reported regarding the Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel, while fragments fell in several locations, including Tel Aviv, wounding at least eight people and damaging buildings.

Israel expands ground offensive in Lebanon, Israeli soldier killed

The Israeli military said on Thursday it was expanding its ground offensive in Lebanon, deploying an additional division as it seeks to advance towards the Litani River.

The announcement came a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was establishing an expanded buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

With the 162nd armored division deployed, Israel now has four divisions advancing through villages in the area and engaging Iran-aligned Hezbollah fighters.

"Prior to the troops' entrance, the military struck numerous targets in the area using artillery and Israeli Air Force aircraft," the military said, adding its aim is to "dismantle" Hezbollah military capabilities.

Throughout Thursday, Hezbollah fired about 100 rockets and several drones at Israel. One attack killed a man and wounded several others in the northern city of Nahariya, the first civilian killed by Hezbollah fire since cross-border fighting resumed.

According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, the death toll from Israeli attacks has reached 1,116, including 121 children and 83 women, with more than 1 million people displaced. A further 3,229 people have been wounded.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said on Thursday that one of its soldiers was killed after a Hezbollah anti-tank missile struck his tank in southern Lebanon.

During the same incident, two officers and two soldiers from the 77th Battalion of the 7th Armored Brigade were lightly wounded, the military said in a statement, without providing further details.

Hezbollah said that fierce clashes had taken place along the Lebanese-Israeli border and that its fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli troops and vehicles in the Al-Jame' neighborhood of the border town of Naqoura with a rocket barrage.

The incident came as Israel sent more troops into southern Lebanon, saying it aims to seize territory up to the Litani River.