Day 47: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

This live blog covered developments on Day 47 of the US-Israeli war on Iran. For a recap of Day 46, go here, and for Day 48 updates, click here.

• US-Israel Iran war continues amid ceasefire, ongoing diplomatic efforts
• Trump says the second round of peace talks in Pakistan could happen 
• Israel,  Lebanon move toward direct talks seeking ceasefire, stability
• Strait of Hormuz tensions disrupt oil flow despite partial crossings and talks
• Global markets rise cautiously on hopes of conflict de-escalation and agreement

WHO chief decries strikes on Lebanese hospital and attacks on healthcare

Published: April 15, 2026 | 22:49 GMT | By Web Desk

The World Health Organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says that Lebanon’s Tebnine Government Hospital, one of the busiest trauma management facilities in the south, is facing severe operational strain after being damaged by two consecutive strikes nearby on April 12 and 14, Al Jazeera reported.

The WHO chief reported that 11 workers were injured in the incidents. He noted that the emergency department, including critical equipment such as “ventilators, monitors, stretchers and trolleys,” sustained significant damage, alongside the pharmacy and outpatient clinics. While hospital services continued to function, Tedros confirmed that WHO was “supporting urgent emergency maintenance based on priority needs.”

The statement highlighted a grim trend, noting that since the start of the conflict, WHO had recorded “133 attacks on health care with 88 deaths and 206 injuries.”

Tedros detailed that 15 hospitals and seven primary healthcare centers had been damaged, while five hospitals and 56 primary healthcare centers were forced to close.

He also reiterated his “call for the immediate protection of health care facilities, health workers, ambulances, and patients.”

Tehran weighs next steps in US talks following Pakistani mediation

Published: April 15, 2026 | 22:05 GMT | By AFP

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports that Iran will conduct a formal evaluation to determine whether it will participate in the next round of negotiations with the United States after a scheduled high-level meeting between Iranian officials and a Pakistani delegation led by Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Thursday, Al Jazeera reported.

Tasnim quoted an anonymous “informed” source, who noted that while the ceasefire in Lebanon was viewed as a “positive signal” for Iran’s decision-making process, any further progress remained dependent on US conduct.

The source emphasised that Washington was required to adhere to a “logical framework” for the talks and warned against obstructing the diplomatic path through excessive demands or the violation of commitments made prior to the ceasefire.

Iran supreme leader's adviser threatens to sink US ships in Hormuz strait

Published: April 15, 2026 | 21:12 GMT | By AFP

The military adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that Iran would sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz if the United States decided to "police" the key shipping bottleneck.

The US is imposing a military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran blocked shipping for over six weeks of war in a conflict which is on hold as a fragile two-week ceasefire remains in place.

"Mr Trump wants to become the police of the Strait of Hormuz. Is this really your job? Is this the job of a powerful army like the US?" Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander-in-chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards who was named as a military adviser by Khamenei last month, told state TV.

"These ships of yours will be sunk by our first missiles and have created a great danger for the US military. They can definitely be exposed to our missiles, and we can destroy them," Rezaei, wearing his military uniform, told the state broadcaster.

Trump would 'welcome' end of conflict in Lebanon: US official

Published: April 15, 2026 | 20:04 GMT | By AFP

President Donald Trump would "welcome" an end to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but such an agreement is not part of peace talks with Iran, a senior US administration official said Wednesday.

"The president would welcome the end of hostilities in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

But "this is not something we have asked for nor is it part of the peace negotiations with Iran," the official added.

Israel army chief orders 'Hezbollah kill zone' south of Lebanon's Litani River

Published: April 15, 2026 | 16:50 GMT | By AFP

Israel's military chief of staff said he had ordered areas south of Lebanon's Litani River to be turned into a Hezbollah "kill zone" as troops pressed a major offensive there.

"I have ordered that all of the area of south Lebanon up to the Litani (River) line be turned into a Hezbollah terrorist kill zone," chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on a visit to troops operating in the area.

"We are advancing and striking Hezbollah and they are retreating," Zamir added.

China FM tells Iran Beijing supports 'momentum of peace talks'

Published: April 15, 2026 | 13:57 GMT | By AFP

China's top diplomat told his Iranian counterpart that Beijing "supports maintaining the momentum of the ceasefire and peace talks" in a phone call on Wednesday, as negotiators from Pakistan landed in Tehran to discuss a second round of US-Iran talks.

Peace talks are "in the fundamental interests of the Iranian people and are also the shared hope of regional countries and the international community," Wang Yi said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

He said China was willing to continue to play a "constructive role" towards peace in the Middle East after a first round of Iran-US talks in Islamabad at the weekend failed to reach an agreement.

Iran FM welcomes Pakistani delegation led by Field Marshal Asim Munir

Published: April 15, 2026 | 15:59 GMT | By Web Desk

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed on Wednesday a Pakistani delegation led by Pakistan Army Chief and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, days after  US-Iran talks concluded in Islamabad to end the Middle East war.

Araghchi's Telegram channel posted several photos of him welcoming the Pakistani official, saying: "Munir arrives in Tehran."

The Pakistan military's media wing also confirmed his arrival in Iran, adding that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was also there "as part of the ongoing mediation efforts".

Iran says exchanges with US via Pakistan continue 

Published: April 15, 2026 | 13:57 GMT | By AFP

Iran said that exchanges with the United States via Pakistan had continued following the conclusion of talks over the weekend.

"Since Sunday, when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran, several messages have been exchanged through Pakistan," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing.

"Today, we are very likely to receive a Pakistani delegation as a continuation of the discussions in Islamabad," he added.

The spokesman added that Tehran's right to enrich uranium is "indisputable," although the level of enrichment is "negotiable."

He stated that the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy could not be "taken away under pressure or through war."

"Regarding the level and type of enrichment, we have always stated that this issue is negotiable. We have emphasized that Iran should be able to continue enrichment in accordance with its needs," he added.

Israeli army issues new evacuation call to south Lebanon residents

Published: April 15, 2026 | 06:20 GMT | By AFP

Israel's military on Wednesday issued a fresh evacuation order for residents of south Lebanon as it pressed on with an offensive against Hezbollah militants.

"The airstrikes are ongoing as the Israel Defense Forces operate with significant force in the area. Therefore... we reiterate our urgent appeal for you to evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Zahrani River," it said in a statement.

It is the first evacuation order by the military since direct talks were held on Tuesday in Washington between Lebanon and Israel's ambassadors to the United States.

Military says Hezbollah fires 30 rockets at north Israel

Published: April 15, 2026 | 07:10 GMT | By AFP

Israel's army said Hezbollah militants fired around 30 rockets into northern Israel early on Wednesday, just hours after Washington hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades.

The military detected "approximately 30 launches" towards Israel since the early hours, a spokesman told AFP.

Israeli strike hits vehicle 20 km south of Beirut: Lebanon state media

Published: April 15, 2026 | 06:40 GMT | By AFP

An Israeli strike on Wednesday hit a vehicle in Saadiyat, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Beirut, hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations.

"Enemy aircraft targeted a car in Saadiyat," Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said.

Iranian citizen who was held in France returns: state TV

Published: April 15, 2026 | 05:38 GMT | By AFP

Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari, who was held in France for over a year, has returned home, Iranian state television reported Wednesday, a week after Iran released two French citizens.

"Mahdieh Esfandiari, a Palestinian rights activist, has returned to Iran after her release from prison in France," state television said.

Esfandiari's release came a week after French citizens Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who spent more than three years in Iranian prisons on espionage charges, arrived in France.

Pakistan won't quit US-Iran mediation, says finance minister

Published: April 15, 2026 | 04:46 GMT | By Web Desk

Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said Tuesday that the country's leadership is not giving up on efforts to help the US and Iran negotiate.

"We would very much like to see if we can continue to pursue the dialogue," he said during an interview with the Associated Press on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. "We'll keep at it, and our leadership is at it.”

Aurangzeb said the talks marked the first direct discussion between the two nations in nearly 50 years.

Russia can 'compensate' for China's resource gap from Iran war

Published: April 15, 2026 | 03:56 GMT | By AFP

Russia's foreign minister said that his country could make up for China's energy shortages as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is choked by the US-Israeli war with Iran, Russian state media reported Wednesday.

"Russia can, without a doubt, compensate for the shortfall in resources that has arisen" for China and "other countries that are interested in working with us" Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference in Beijing, in response to a question about the Hormuz blockage.

Iran must commit to 'no nuclear weapon'

Published: April 15, 2026 | 02:43 GMT | By Web Desk

US Vice President JD Vance said Trump told Iran that the United States would "make Iran thrive" if it committed to "not having a nuclear weapon".

At the heart of any renewed US-Iran diplomacy is the dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme, with Trump launching the war under the pretext that the Islamic Republic was developing an atomic bomb — which it denies.

"That's the kind of Trumpian grand bargain that the president has put on the table. Man, we're going to keep on negotiating and try to make it happen," Vance told an event in the US state of Georgia hosted by the conservative group Turning Point USA.

Vance says talks made a ‘ton of progress’ in Pakistan 

Published: April 15, 2026 | 01:46 GMT | By Web Desk

US Vice President JD Vance has said that the negotiations in Pakistan made a "ton of progress," adding that President Donald Trump did not want a small deal; he was looking for a “grand bargain.”

“He [Trump] said that if you're [Iran] willing to act like a normal country, we are willing to treat you economically like a normal country,” Vance said.

Canada, Australia, UK and others call for ‘urgent end to hostilities in Lebanon’

Published: April 15, 2026 | 01:25 GMT | By Web Desk

Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Jordan, Sierra Leone, and Switzerland have issued a joint statement, expressing deep concern about “the worsening humanitarian situation and displacement crisis in Lebanon,” Al Jazeera reported.

The countries welcoming the ceasefire between the US, Israel, and Iran, and countries called for “an urgent end to hostilities in Lebanon,” too.

“Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected from the effects of hostilities. Humanitarian personnel, who dedicate themselves to protecting and assisting the most vulnerable, must be respected and protected,” the statement said

“Attacks that threaten the safety and security of humanitarian personnel must stop. International humanitarian law must be upheld by all parties to the conflict in all circumstances,” it added.

The countries also condemned “in the strongest terms actions that have killed UN peacekeepers and significantly increased the risks faced by humanitarian personnel in southern Lebanon.”

Trump says war on Iran 'very close to over'  

Published: April 15, 2026 | 0:44 GMT | By Web Desk

US President Donald Trump has said that in his view, the US-Israel war on Iran was “very close to over.” 

In response to a question as to why he was referring to the war on Iran in the past tense, the US president said: “I think it’s close to over.” 

“I mean, I view it as very close to over,” Trump said. 

While speaking to Fox News, the US president said that if he were to raise the “stakes” in the war, it would take Iran 20 years to rebuild their country. 

“I think they want to make a deal very badly,” he said.

Rubio meets Egyptian foreign minister, discusses Iran ceasefire

Published: April 15, 2026 | 00:58GMT | By Web Desk

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Al Jazeera reported.

A spokesperson for Rubio said the leaders “discussed the ceasefire with Iran and the importance of securing long-term peace in the Middle East.”

The statement further noted that Rubio “also discussed joint efforts to disarm Hamas, in line with the President’s 20-Point Plan for Gaza, and explored ways to bolster the US-Egypt economic and commercial relationship."

Rubio also “stressed the importance of ongoing US and Egyptian efforts to achieve a humanitarian truce in Sudan,” the statement read.

Guterres expresses enormous admiration for Pakistan

Published: April 14, 2026 | 22:49GMT | By AFP

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed enormous admiration for Pakistan for the peace talks held in Islamabad last week. 

The UN official said it was a very important initiative Pakistan has undertaken to bring peace to the Middle East.