Airstrikes on Iran kill over 25 as Trump's deadline to open Strait of Hormuz looms

Israel and the United States carried out a wave of attacks Monday that killed more than 25 people in IranTehran responded with missile fire on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbours as US President Donald Trumps deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz loomedExplosions rang out into the night in Tehran and lowflying jets could be heard for hours as the capital was poundedThick black smoke rose near the citys Azadi Square after one airstrike hit the Sharif University of Technology groundsTwo people were found dead in the rubble of a residential building in Haifa according to Israeli authorities The search was ongoing for two more even as new Iranian missile attacks hit the northern Israel city early MondayKuwait and the United Arab Emirates both activated their air defence systems to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and drones as Tehran kept up the pressure on its Gulf neighboursIrans regular attacks on regional energy infrastructure and its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz through which a fifth of the worlds oil is shipped in peacetime has sent global energy prices soaringUnder pressure at home as consumers are growing increasingly concerned Trump gave Tehran a deadline that expires Monday night Washington time saying if no deal was reached to reopen the strait the US would hit Irans power plants and other infrastructure targets and set the country back to the stone agesTuesday will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day all wrapped up in one in Iran he threatened in a social media post adding that if Iran did not open the strait youll be living in HellTrumps deadline to open Hormuz strait looms but no signs of Tehran backing offTehran has shown no signs of backing down off of its stranglehold on shipping through the strait which was fully open before Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28 to start the warFollowing Trumps expletivelaced posts on Easter Sunday Irans parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called the threats of targeting Irans infrastructure recklessYou wont gain anything through war crimes Qalibaf wrote on X The only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous gameBrent crude oil the international standard rose to USD 109 in early Monday spot trading some 50 per cent higher than it was when the war startedIran has let some vessels through the strait since the war began but none belonging to the US Israel or countries perceived as helping them Some have paid Iran for passage and the overall flow of traffic is down more than 90 per cent over the same period last yearBeyond Trumps military threats diplomatic efforts are still underway to see if a solution can be reached to open the waterwayOmans Foreign Ministry said that deputy foreign ministers and experts from Iran and Oman met to discuss proposals to ensure smooth transit through the straitEgypt said that Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had spoken with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and with Turkish andPakistani counterparts Russia said that Araghchi also spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey LavrovAirstrikes kill more than 25 across IranOne of Mondays morning airstrikes targeted Tehrans Sharif University of Technology where Iranian media reported damage to the buildings as well as a natural gas distribution site next to the campusIt wasnt immediately clear what had been targeted on the grounds of the university which is empty of students as the war has forced all schools into the country into online classesHowever multiple countries over the years have sanctioned the university for its work with the military particularly on Irans ballistic missile programme which is controlled by the countrys paramilitary Revolutionary GuardA strike near Eslamshar southwest of Tehran killed at least 13 people the semiofficial Fars news agency reported Five others were killed when a residential area in the city of Qom was hit and six more were killed in strikes on other cities the staterun IRAN daily newspaper reportedThree more people were killed when an airstrike hit a home in Tehran Iranian state television reportedWars death toll in the thousandsMore than 1900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began but its government has not updated the toll for daysIn Lebanon which Israel has invaded by ground more than 1400 people have been killed and more than 1 million people have been displaced Eleven Israeli soldiers have died there while targeting Iranianbacked Hezbollah militantsIn Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank more than two dozen people have died while 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 US service members have been killedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever