Live! ‘Hell will rain down’: Trump reminds Iran that 48 hours remain of Hormuz deadline

Iran’s embassies in Pakistan and South Africa took a dig at the US over a woman's social media post saying that one of her sons serves as a fighter pilot. In a post on X, she expressed that she has yet to receive any word from him or his unit, adding that her heart remains “heavy with worry.” Here is what the Iran embassies wrote.

Widespread flooding, landslides and lightning strikes triggered by heavy rain and storms across Afghanistan have left 77 people dead and 137 injured over the past 10 days, the country's Disaster Management Authority said Saturday.

More rain has been forecast for the coming days throughout Afghanistan, and the authority warned the public to stay away from river banks and areas prone to flooding.

So far this year, dozens of people have died due to extreme weather in Afghanistan. Earlier this year, heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country.

The recent toll includes 26 people killed over the past 48 hours, the disaster authority said. Overall, 793 homes have been completely destroyed and a further 2,673 have been damaged, while floods and landslides have destroyed 337 kilometres (about 210 miles) of roads, it said.

An Indian LPG tanker carrying roughly half a day’s cooking gas supply has successfully crossed the war-hit Strait of Hormuz, while another vessel from Iran has reached the port of Mangaluru, signalling continued fuel inflows despite regional disruptions.

“LPG vessel Green Sanvi has safely transited the Strait of Hormuz, carrying 46,650 tonnes of LPG cargo with 25 seafarers on board,” a government statement giving an update on West Asia developments said Saturday.

Green Sanvi is the seventh Indian-flagged LPG tanker to have transited the strategic waterway since February 28.

Separately, an LPG cargo from Iran has arrived at Mangaluru and is being discharged, according to the statement.

This perhaps is the first purchase of Iranian energy in seven years.

“LPG vessel Sea Bird carrying around 44,000 tonnes of Iranian LPG berthed at Mangalore, India on April 2 and is currently discharging,” the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a post on X.

The purchase follows United States last month waiving sanctions on Iranian oil and refined products temporarily to ease prices that have skyrocketed since the start of the West Asia conflict.

After the passage of Green Sanvi, 17 Indian flagged vessels remain stranded on the west side of the strait.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said India has emerged solidly from global shocks that recently tested its resilience, an apparent reference to the ongoing military conflict in West Asia.

Addressing the 15th convocation ceremony at IIM-Raipur, Jaishankar said India has managed both domestic and external challenges fairly successfully.

“We are now among the top five economies. No one can dispute that multiple global shocks have recently tested our resilience and India has come through that solidly. We have managed both domestic and external challenges fairly successfully,” he said.

More inclusive growth, representative politics and decisive leadership have created a new foundation from which the country can now harbour higher aspirations, he said.

“We have not only embraced the digital revolution enthusiastically, but actually purposefully applied it through our lives. Even many developed societies have not done so,” the EAM said.

The global order is changing with visible shifts in relative power and influence of countries, and the turbulence in the world is currently structural in many ways, Jaishankar said.

“The politics of some societies find it difficult to come to terms with these changes. New developments in technology, in energy, in military capabilities, in connectivity, and in resources have encouraged risk-taking in an increasingly competitive environment. Everything today is being leveraged, if not actually weaponized,” he said.

The world is then confronted with the prospect of securing itself in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable environment, which has necessitated a larger inclination to hedge, to de-risk, and to diversify, whether it is a business choice or a foreign policy one, he said.

He identified the COVID pandemic, conflicts and climate change as the three challenges in the decade, which impacted daily lives to an unimaginable degree. The pandemic transformed the way everyone worked and lived, while conflicts have left deep impact on even distant societies, which is testimony to how deep globalization has now become, he added.

Outlining the evolving role of India's foreign policy, he said it is increasingly focused on expanding market access for Indian producers, securing critical resources and technologies, and supporting Indian citizens abroad, especially during times of crisis.

It promotes “Brand India” globally, essential to the perception of the country as a reliable and trusted partner, he added.

An apparent Iranian drone damaged the Dubai headquarters of the American tech giant Oracle on Saturday after Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened the firm.

The attack targeted the headquarters, which sits along Dubai's main Sheikh Zayed Road highway. Footage obtained by The Associated Press from outside the United Arab Emirates showed damage to the building. A large hole could be seen in the building's southwestern corner, with the “e” in “Oracle” on a neon sign damaged.

The sheikhdom's Dubai Media Office, which speaks for its government, said a “minor incident caused by debris from an aerial interception that fell on the facade of the Oracle building in Dubai Internet City," adding there were no injuries.

Oracle, based in Austin, Texas, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Guard has accused some of America's largest tech companies of being involved in “terrorist espionage” operations against the Islamic Republic and said they were legitimate targets.