The United States and Israeli militaries struck the key Iranian oil export terminal of Kharg Island on Tuesday, according to media reports.

“Several explosions have been heard there,” reported the Iranian state news agency Mehr, while US-based Axios reported that military targets on the island were struck.

This came as US President Donald Trump issued another warning, stating that a “whole civilisation will die” in Iran on Tuesday if the country does not agree to a deal before the deadline.

On Sunday, Trump extended his deadline till 8 pm US Eastern Time for Iran to reach a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It would be 5.30 am on Wednesday in India.

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Here are more top updates from the conflict in West Asia:

  • Trump said on Tuesday that while he does not want the Iranian civilisation to “die tonight”, “it probably will”. He added that this was “one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World”. “47 years of extortion, corruption, and death, will finally end,” he wrote on social media. “God Bless the Great People of Iran!”
  • Iran on Tuesday said its response now will be carried out “without any consideration, depriving the US and its allies of oil and gas for years”. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps stated, “If the US army crosses red lines, our response will exceed the region’s boundaries.” Iran on Tuesday reportedly suspended all diplomatic and indirect communications with the US ahead of the deadline.
  • The Indian Embassy in Iran advised Indians in Iran to “stay where they are for the next 48 hours, avoiding all electric and military installations and upper floors of multi-storey buildings, remaining indoors and coordinating any highway movement strictly with the Embassy”. It also advised those staying in hotels booked by the embassy to remain indoors while staying in contact with on-site teams.
  • On Monday, the US president told reporters that Washington had “a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night [US eastern time], where every power plant in Iran will be out of business...”
  • Meanwhile, Iranian officials reported damage to at least two bridges, railway infrastructure and a key highway on Tuesday due to strikes by the US and Israel, reported AFP. Two persons were killed and three were injured in the central city of Kashan, security official Akbar Saleh was quoted as saying by Iran’s IRNA news agency.
  • Train services have been cancelled in Mashhad, in the northeast of Iran, reported Iran’s Fars news agency. This came after the Israeli military warned that Iranians should avoid travelling by train as it “endangers your life”. Trains will cease to operate “until further notice” as a precaution, Mashhad’s governor was quoted as saying.
  • India has cancelled more than 10,000 flights and operations to West Asia have dropped by nearly 70% since the war broke out, an official from the Ministry of Civil Aviation was quoted as saying by CNBC TV 18 on Tuesday. Daily flights to West Asia have fallen to 80-90 from around 300-350 earlier, said the official.
  • Iran has launched more missiles at Israel, said the Israeli military, adding that defence systems were working to intercept them.
  • On Monday, Trump said that a proposal by Tehran to end the conflict was not enough to avoid the US’ planned bombing of Iranian infrastructure unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened, Al Jazeera reported. “It’s a significant proposal,” Trump said. “It’s a significant step. It’s not good enough, but it’s a very significant step”. He added that the intermediaries “are negotiating now”.
  • The Indian embassy in Tehran has so far facilitated the evacuation of 1,777 Indians from Iran to Armenia and Azerbaijan for onward travel to India since the conflict began, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday.
  • The US foreign intelligence service ran a deception effort to confuse the authorities in Iran who were looking for the crew of the US fighter jet that was downed in the country, AFP quoted Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe as having told reporters on Monday. The second airman who was rescued on Sunday was hiding in a mountain crevice until he was rescued.

The war

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran’s action posed an existential threat to Israel. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Iran has retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region and targeting major cities in Gulf countries.

Tehran has also effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterbody connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, for most international commercial vessels, triggering a global energy crisis. About 20% of global petroleum supply passes through the maritime chokepoint.

Israel has been claiming that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance. Tehran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.