Live updates: Follow the latest news on US-Iran war
Iran and Israel exchanged strikes on Tuesday in some of the most intense fighting since the war began, hours after reports of negotiations between the US and Tehran.
President Donald Trump on Monday said he held “productive conversations” with Iran and had postponed a plan for military strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days. He claimed that 15 points of agreement had been reached.
Iran played down the announcement, but confirmed it had responded to messages received through mediators.
Iranian missiles hit Tel Aviv and areas surrounding the city, injuring at least six people and causing significant damage to buildings. Missile attacks were also reported in Haifa, as well as northern and southern settlements and cities.
Israel's Health Ministry said 4,829 people have been treated in hospital since the war began on February 28, with 12 in serious condition.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned it would launch "heavy missile and drone attacks" against Israeli military positions without hesitation if strikes on civilians in Lebanon and Palestine continued.
Iran also appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as its new security chief, replacing the assassinated Ali Larijani.
Israel, meanwhile, said dozens of fighter jets carried out strikes deep inside Tehran, hitting IRGC command centres and Intelligence Ministry sites. More than 3,000 Iranian targets have been struck since the conflict began, the military added.
Inside Iran, the human cost continues to mount. State media reported at least 208 children have been killed since the outbreak of the war, including 168 who died in an attack on a girls' school in Minab on the first day of the conflict.
A nationwide internet blackout, now in its 25th consecutive day, has left the public cut off from independent information. Authorities have also arrested more than 1,000 people over the course of the month, including 466 in a single sweep on Tuesday, on charges of filming sensitive sites, sharing anti-government content and co-operating with the enemy.
French support
Tuesday's exchange of fire rippled across the region, with Gulf states facing Iranian drone and missile attacks. Saudi Arabia intercepted more than 20 drones over its Eastern Province in a four-hour window. In Kuwait, falling debris from interceptions knocked out seven power transmission lines, causing partial power cuts.
Meanwhile, US equity futures slipped, but Gulf stocks rallied and oil prices surged, after the conflicting messages from the US and Iran over talks reignited geopolitical risk. UN Security Council members are expected this week to begin negotiations on a draft resolution circulated by Bahrain that could authorise the use of force to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
On the diplomatic front, French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin on Tuesday completed a four-day visit to French military bases in Gulf states. Her trip comprised stops in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed received Ms Vautrin in Abu Dhabi. They discussed defence co-operation and the latest escalation in the Middle East, state news agency Wam reported.
“I thanked him for all the measures that have been taken to protect our nationals and our facilities,” Ms Vautrin said. “I saluted the resilience of the United Arab Emirates, confronted with the consequences of a war they did not want. France stands by their side for their defence and remains fully engaged for peace and stability in the Middle East."
Her visit was a signal of support to the French military, which has supported defence operations in the face of Iranian attacks in the region, her office told The National. “She is also reaffirming France's full support, as a reliable and loyal ally, for its regional partners with whom France maintains long-standing ties of trust and defence," a source at her cabinet said.
France has defence agreements with the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar.
