New Delhi: As the West Asia crisis reaches a critical flashpoint following Washington's ultimatum to Tehran, India on Tuesday advised its nationals in Iran to stay wherever they are for the next 48 hours.In an urgent advisory, the Indian embassy in Iran urged Indians to remain indoors and strictly avoid military installations, power infrastructure and the upper floors of multi-story buildings.

US President Donald Trump warned that a "whole civilisation will die tonight" if Iran does not meet his 8 pm Eastern Time deadline (5:30 am Indian time, Wednesday) to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

"In continuation of previous advisories, Indian nationals who are still in Iran must stay where they are for the next 48 hours, avoiding all electric, military installations and upper floors of multi-storey buildings, remaining indoors and coordinating any highway movement strictly with the embassy," the mission said.

"Those in embassy-hired hotels should stay put indoors while maintaining regular contact with on-site embassy teams. All are requested to monitor official updates closely," it said.

The embassy said its emergency numbers remain operational.

According to official data, around 9,000 Indians, including students, were in Iran when the conflict began following strikes on Iranian targets by Israel and the US on February 28. Nearly 1,800 Indians have returned to India so far.

Dubai: A Dubai beach was chock full of dogs and their owners milling between the sea, beauty competitions and stalls selling everything a pet owner could want, as revellers at Barkfest paid no heed to the war gripping the Gulf.

Budapest: US Vice President JD Vance warned Tuesday the US has "tools in our toolkit that we so far haven't decided to use" against Iran, adding he was "hopeful" negotiations would avoid them being deployed.

Dubai/Washington : Iran showed no sign of agreeing to U.S. President Donald Trump's demand that it open the Strait of ​Hormuz by the end of Tuesday or suffer massive attacks on its civilian infrastructure, in what would be the biggest escalation yet of the war.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Tehran had ‌rejected a proposal conveyed by intermediaries for a temporary ceasefire. Talks on a lasting peace could begin only after the U.S. and Israel end their strikes, provide a guarantee they will not resume and offer compensation for damages.

Any future settlement must leave Iran in control of the strait, imposing fees on ships that use it, the source said on condition of anonymity.

As the clock ticked down on Trump's deadline to unleash "hell", global markets were largely frozen, hesitant to bet on whether Trump would follow through on his threats or call them off as he has in ​the past.

Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. in Washington (midnight GMT and 3.30 a.m. in Tehran) to end its blockade of Gulf oil, saying he will otherwise destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran within ​four hours.

Iran has rejected his demands and threatened to retaliate against infrastructure belonging to U.S. allies in the Gulf, whose desert cities would be uninhabitable without power or water.

In ⁠the latest attacks overnight, a synagogue in Tehran was destroyed by what Iran described as Israeli air strikes. Footage in Iranian media showed Hebrew-language texts scattered in the debris of the Rafi-nia synagogue.

"The Zionist regime did not spare the community ​during Jewish holidays and attacked one of our ancient and holy synagogues," Homayoun Sameh, who represents the Jewish community in Iran's parliament, was quoted as saying in state media. "The synagogue building was completely destroyed and our Torah scrolls were left under ​the rubble."

Israel's military had no immediate comment. Iran's ancient Jewish community, which numbers in the thousands, is one of the largest in the Middle East outside Israel.

Without waiting for Trump's deadline to expire, Israel threatened Iranian civil infrastructure on Tuesday, warning Iranians in a Persian-language social media post to stay away from railways: "Your presence on trains and near railway lines endangers your life."

'I HOPE IT IS ANOTHER BLUFF'

Inside Iran, residents were still hopeful the threatened escalation could be averted.

"I hope it is another bluff by Trump," Shima, 37, from the central city of ​Isfahan, told Reuters by phone. Like many Iranians, she said she wanted the hardline clerical government removed, "but infrastructure being destroyed and people being unable to build the future of the country is another matter".

Trump has abruptly called off similar threats ​over the past several weeks, citing what he has described as productive negotiations with unidentified figures in Iran, though Tehran has denied any substantive talks have taken place.

The two countries have so far exchanged proposals, with Pakistan acting as the main go-between, but there ‌has been no ⁠sign of compromise, with both sides claiming to have won the war and demanding concessions from their foes to end it.

Iran's ambassador to Pakistan said on Tuesday "positive and productive endeavours" by Islamabad to mediate an end to the war were "approaching a critical, sensitive stage", but gave no further details.

A proposal brokered by Pakistan would call for a temporary ceasefire and the lifting of Iran's effective blockade of the strait, while putting off a broader peace settlement for further talks, according to a source familiar with the plan.

But Iran's 10-point response, as reported by IRNA news agency on Monday, would require a permanent end to the war, the lifting of sanctions and a promise of the reconstruction of Iranian sites damaged by the Israeli-U.S. ​strikes.

It would also include a new mechanism to govern passage ​through the Strait of Hormuz - previously an open international ⁠waterway through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas typically passed. Since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Iran has effectively closed it to nearly all ships apart from its own.

Trump imposed his latest deadline on Iran in a social media message on Sunday that declared "Open the Fuckin' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll ​be living in Hell – JUST WATCH!", language Iranian officials described as desperate or even mad.

'TRUMP-IMPOSED COUNTDOWN CLOCK'

At a press conference on Monday, Trump doubled down: "The entire country can ​be taken out in one night, ⁠and that night might be tomorrow night," he said. "Every bridge in Iran will be decimated... Every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again."

That has left investors tottering between bets either on a quick resolution, or on an escalation that could prolong an unprecedented disruption to energy supplies and hammer the global economy.

"We are back on a Trump-imposed countdown clock and there's no way to predict with any confidence what will happen," said Kyle Rodda, senior markets ⁠analyst at Capital.com. "The ​more intrepid traders might make a bet one way or the other. Others will look to hedge risk or stay out entirely. But there's ​not much market participants can really do but wait and see."

Iran's envoy to the United Nations said Trump's threats were "direct incitement to terrorism and provide clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes under international law". Its top military command said Trump was "delusional."

Houston: The Artemis II astronauts are already the champions of a fresh new era of lunar exploration. Now it’s time to set a new distance record.

Hanoi, Vietnam : Vietnam unanimously elected Communist Party General Secretary To Lam as president for a five-year term, consolidating his control over both the party and the state.

The move departs from Vietnam’s tradition of shared leadership, in which the jobs have typically been held by different people, and echoes power structures in China under Xi Jinping and neighboring Laos.

It has been widely expected since Lam’s reelection as Communist Party head in January, when observers noted that his consolidation of party authority positioned him to assume the presidency as well.

Former central bank governor Le Minh Hung was elected as the country’s prime minister for the next five years.

After being sworn in, the 69-year-old told the National Assembly that his top priority was to maintain peace and stability, which were the foundation for fast and sustainable growth. “We aim to improve people’s livelihoods so all can share the benefits of development,” he said.

This is To Lam’s second time holding both jobs, after briefly doing so in 2024 when his predecessor as party chief, Nguyen Phu Trong, died.

The concentration of power was significant since it meant that Lam had a “stronger mandate and far more political room to push through his agenda than any leaders” since the 1980s, when Hanoi launched reforms to shed a state-run economy in favor of a market-oriented one open to foreigners, said Nguyen Khac Giang, of Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute research center.

“The opportunity is obvious. Faster decision-making, greater policy coherence, and a better chance of pushing difficult reforms at a pivotal moment. But the risk is that concentration of power can move faster than institutional reform,” he said.

Lam’s rise to the top caps the ascent of a career policeman who advanced from Vietnam’s security services to the top of the political system. This was aided by a sweeping anti-corruption campaign launched by his predecessor, which he oversaw as head of the Ministry of Public Security.

As party chief, Lam has led Vietnam’s biggest bureaucratic overhaul since the 1980s, cutting jobs, merging ministries, redrawing provincial boundaries and advancing major infrastructure projects.

He has focused on economic performance and private-sector growth, aiming to move Vietnam beyond the labor- and export-driven model that has helped lift millions from poverty and build a manufacturing-based middle class. The country is targeting 10% or higher annual economic growth over each of the next five years.

Hung, the new prime minister, said that the 10% growth target is meant to help achieve the country’s strategic goals and that the government had identified “strengthening science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as top priorities.”

But challenges remain, especially the immediate task of turning this ambitious vision into reality with the world economy upended by the energy shock from the war in Iran. Vietnam’s economy expanded at an annualized rate of 7.8% in the first three months of the year, up from 7.1% last year but below the 9.1% target and slower than in late 2025.

Giang said that Lam also faces political hurdles for reform buy-in and the challenge of maintaining Vietnam’s pragmatic approach to foreign policy.

Vietnam is facing U.S. pressure over its trade surplus but also has to balance ties with China, its largest trading partner and rival claimant in the South China Sea.

“It has benefited from a careful balancing strategy in foreign policy, but maintaining that position will become harder in a more turbulent world,” he said.

ISTANBUL: Shots were fired outside Israel's consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday and two police officers were wounded, Turkish state television reported.

Commercial network NTV and the DHA news agency reported that three suspects were "neutralised" at the site.

Turkish media reported that the three suspects were armed with rifles and dressed in camouflage outfits while wearing backpacks.

No Israeli diplomat "is currently in Turkish territory", a source close to the case told AFP.

The incident happened around 12:15 pm (0915 GMT), NTV said, broadcasting images of a large police deployment around the consulate, which is located in Istanbul's Levent business district.

Dubai/Washington : Iran said on Monday it wanted a lasting end to the war with the U.S. and Israel, and pushed back against pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while ​U.S. President Donald Trump warned the country could be "taken out" if it did not meet his Tuesday night deadline to reach a deal.

Responding to a U.S. proposal through mediator Pakistan, Tehran rejected a ceasefire and ‌said a permanent end to the war was necessary, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The Iranian response consisted of 10 clauses, including an end to conflicts in the region, a protocol for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, lifting of sanctions and reconstruction, the agency added.

The Pakistani-brokered framework for ending the war proposed an immediate ceasefire, followed by talks on a broader peace settlement to be concluded within 15 to 20 days, a source aware of the proposals said.

Trump, who has threatened to rain "hell" on Tehran if it did not make a deal by 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday (midnight GMT) to open ​the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies, rejected the Iranian response and said his deadline was final.

At a news conference, Trump said Iran could be "taken out" in one night "and that night might be tomorrow night," ​referring to Tuesday. He vowed to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges, brushing off concerns that such actions would be a war crime or alienate Iran's 93 million people.

Without an agreement ⁠with Tehran, Trump said "every bridge in Iran will be decimated" by midnight EDT (0400 GMT) on Wednesday and "every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be used again."

STRIKES ON UNIVERSITY

Iran's top joint military command in turn said ​Trump was "delusional" and called Trump's warnings "rude, arrogant rhetoric and baseless threats," according to a statement by spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaqari on state TV.

After Trump's latest comments, Iran's deputy sports minister, Alireza Rahimi, called on artists and athletes to form human chains at power plants ​across the country on Tuesday.

"We will stand hand in hand to say: Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime," Rahimi said on X.

Iran's envoy the United Nations said on Monday Trump's social media post warning about U.S. strikes on Iranian infrastructure constituted "direct incitement to terrorism and provide clear evidence of intent to commit war crimes under international law."

Independent experts have also said strikes on civilian infrastructure such as power plants and bridges would constitute war crimes. Trump said Iranians are "willing to suffer that in order to have freedom" and the U.S. has intercepted messages asking for bombings.

After the U.S. ​and Israel attacked on February 28, Iran effectively closed Hormuz, a conduit for about a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supply. The waterway’s stranglehold on the global economy has proved a powerful bargaining chip, and Tehran is reluctant to relinquish ​it too easily.

Iran also threatened to avenge a U.S.-Israeli attack early Monday on Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, one of the country's top science institutions, where Iran's WANA news agency said an artificial intelligence data centre and other facilities were damaged.

“Aggressors will see our might” in ‌response to the ⁠Sharif bombing, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X. Iran's science minister has accused the United States and Israel of attacking some 30 universities in the war.

RESCUE MISSION

At the news conference, Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth praised the successful weekend retrieval from Iran of a U.S. airman whose jet was shot down on Friday.

Hegseth, who has faced scrutiny for outspokenly blending his evangelical religious faith with military operations, described the rescue in explicitly Christian terms, comparing it to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The rescue mission came amid rising concern about the nearly six-week-long war's effect on the global economy, including a sharp rise in fuel prices. The conflict has also hit Trump's approval ratings and intensified anxiety among Republicans about November's midterm elections.

Further aerial strikes were reported across the region ​on Monday. Hegseth said Monday would have the most strikes since ​the start of the war, and Tuesday would see ⁠even more.

The Israeli military said early on Tuesday that it completed a wave of airstrikes targeting Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran and other areas across Iran, adding that further details would follow.

A residential area in Iran's capital Tehran was hit in an attack on Tuesday and rescue teams were searching through rubble, Iranian Red Crescent news site reported.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to destroy ​Iran’s infrastructure and hunt down its leaders "one by one." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike on a petrochemical facility in southern Iran was part of dismantling Iran's Revolutionary Guards "money machine".

FIGHTING ​BACK

Iran's attack on an Israeli-linked vessel ⁠and continued strikes on its neighbours underscored the country's ability to fight back despite Trump's repeated claims to have knocked out its missile and drone capabilities.

Israel saw a heavy day of rocket volleys on Monday, with the sounds of sirens and missile interception booms ringing out across the country throughout the day.

Then early on Tuesday, the Israeli military identified missiles launched from Iran toward the Israel. "Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the IDF said.

The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain issued simultaneous public safety alerts on Tuesday, with the UAE ⁠saying its air ​defence systems were dealing with a missile threat, Saudi Arabia activating early warning sirens in its Eastern Region, and Bahrain urging people to head to the ​nearest safe place after sirens were sounded.

Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East in the Iran war, including 3,546 in Iran, U.S.-based rights group HRANA said, and nearly 1,500 in Lebanon.

Seoul : South Korea’s spy agency says it’s now fair to view the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as his heir, its strongest assessment yet on the rising political status of the girl who it believes could extend her family’s rule into a fourth generation.

The girl, dubbed by state media as Kim’s “most beloved” or “respected” child, has accompanied her father to numerous high-profile events since late 2022, sparking outside speculation that she’s being groomed as the North’s future leader.

In a closed-door briefing at the National Assembly Monday, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service director Lee Jong-seok said the girl could be considered Kim’s successor, in response to questions by lawmakers about her political standing, according to Lee Seong Kweun, one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting.

Asked about possible protests by Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong, who has been long regarded as the North’s No. 2 figure, the NIS director responded that she has no substantial powers, lawmaker Lee told a briefing. He cited the NIS as citing unspecified “reliable intelligence.”

It was a stronger assessment by the NIS on the girl’s status. In early 2024, it described the girl as her father’s likely heir, its first official assessment on her possible grooming as the North’s next leader. In February this year, the agency said it believed she was close to being designated as the country’s future leader.

North Korea leader’s young daughter could be in line to lead the secretive nation.

Some observers disagree with the NIS’ assessment, saying North Korea’s extremely male-centered society won’t likely embrace a woman leader. They also said Kim, 42, is too young to name his successor, a development that could weaken his grip on power.

The girl is reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and aged about 13, but North Korea’s state media hasn’t released such personal details. Her reported name is based on an account by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who recalled holding Kim Jong Un’s baby daughter during a trip to Pyongyang in 2013.

Established in 1948, North Korea has been successively ruled by male members of the Kim family. Kim Jong Un inherited power upon his father Kim Jong Il’s death in late 2011. Kim Jong Il took over power after his father and state founder Kim Il Sung died in 1994.

Some of the girl’s recent public appearances included her driving a tank during army training supervised by her father and the pair firing pistols during a visit to a light munitions factory.

During Monday’s briefing, the NIS said North Korean authorities appeared to have organized such events to build up her military credentials and “reduce skepticism about a woman successor,” lawmaker Lee said.

Park Sunwon, another lawmaker who attended the briefing, made similar comments on the NIS’ assessment on the girl’s recent military appearances.

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a watered-down resolution calling for the unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz -- far from the sponsoring Gulf countries' initial goal of obtaining clearance to free it by force.

DUBAI/WASHINGTON: Iran and Israel traded attacks on Tuesday as Tehran defiantly refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept a ceasefire deal on ​the eve of a deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump to agree to his demands or get "taken out."

WASHINGTON: In his news conference on Monday , President Donald Trump threatened to blow up every bridge and power plant in Iran, a declaration so far-reaching that some experts in military law said it could constitute a war crime.

London: Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is receiving medical treatment in Qom city of Iran, The Times UK reported on Tuesday, citing an intelligence assessment.

As per The Times UK, the diplomatic memo is understood to be based on US, Israel intelligence shared with Gulf allies, which suggests that Khamenei is unconscious and being treated for a "severe" medical condition.

The Times said that it had seen the memo, which reveals the location of the supreme leader for the first time. "Mojtaba Khamenei is being treated in Qom in a severe condition, unable to be involved in any decision-making by the regime," the Times reported.

It further noted that the US National Security Agency, which is responsible for processing global intelligence on behalf of the Department of War, has been contacted about the memo along with Iran's representation in Washington, which is based at the Pakistani embassy.

Since the conflict broke out in West Asia, Mojtaba Khamenei has not made any public appearance; messages attributed to him have been run by the Iranian state media. Meanwhile, the report by The Times also noted that the elder Khamenei's body is being prepared for burial in Qom.

The report comes shortly after US President Donald Trump gave an ultimatum to Iran to make a deal before Tuesday, 8:00 P.M ET, warning that there'll be "no bridges, no power plants" after that.

Tehran: Amid escalating tensions and direct threats from the US to target civilian infrastructure, Iran's Deputy Sports Minister, Alireza Rahimi, has called on the nation's athletes and artists to form "human chains" around power plants, a symbolic and physical attempt to deter potential airstrikes following a series of specific ultimatums from US President Donald President Trump.

In a video message, he invited all youth, athletes, artists, students and faculty on Tuesday at 2 PM (local Iran time) to gather near power plants. "These are our wealth and belongings", he said in the message. The call for human shields comes in response to President Trump's recent "8:00 PM deadline" (Washington time, Tuesday night) for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has warned that failure to comply will result in a simultaneous, massive bombing campaign aimed at "each and every one" of Iran's electric generating plants and bridges.

Trump stated on Monday that the goal would be to leave these facilities "burning, exploding, and never to be used again" within a four-hour window.During a White House press briefing, Trump said, "The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night."Trump also gave an ultimatum to Iran to make a deal before Tuesday, 8:00 P.M ET, warning that there'll be "no bridges, no power plants" after that.Trump said that this is a "critical period" and Washington has given Tehran the necessary time to make a deal to put this war to an end."This is a critical period... They asked for an extension of seven days; I gave them 10 days... They have till tomorrow. Now we will see what happens... A lot of people are affected by this. We are giving them until tomorrow, 8 o'clock, Eastern Time. After that, they are going to have no bridges. They are going to have no power plants. Stone ages," Trump said.

"Attacking public infrastructure is a war crime," Rahimi stated on social media. "We will stand hand in hand to say: civilian lives are not targets." Iranian officials at the United Nations have echoed this sentiment, arguing that the US threats constitute "incitement to terrorism" and a violation of international law regarding the protection of civilian life-support systems.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has also voiced "deep concern" after recent projectile strikes landed near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, emphasizing that energy infrastructure should never be a military target.

Geneva: The World Health Organisation suspended medical evacuation from Gaza after a person who was contracted to provide services to the UN agency was killed during a "security incident", said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a statement, said that WHO is "devastated to confirm" the death of the worker. He added that two WHO staff members were present at the incident site but were not injured.

"Following the incident, the WHO suspended today's medical evacuation of patients from Gaza via Rafah to Egypt. Medical evacuations will remain suspended until further notice," he said.

The incident is under investigation by the relevant authorities."We are deeply grateful to our colleagues who work day and night despite the risks to ensure that the people of Gaza can access the health care they need. We call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers. Peace is the best medicine," Ghebreyesus Al Jazeera, citing Gaza's Ministry of Health, reported that more than 1,700 healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses and paramedics, have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. Gaza medical evacuation refers to the coordinated process of transferring severely ill or injured patients out of the Gaza Strip for life-saving, specialised treatment that is currently unavailable due to the near-complete collapse of the local healthcare system.

Earlier, Al Jazeera reported that an Israeli air strike killed at least 10 people and left several others injured near a school housing displaced Palestinians in central Gaza,"At least 10 people were killed and dozens injured, including six in critical condition, by Israeli shelling and clashes east of Maghazi refugee camp," the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said in a statement.

In the midst of the clashes, Israeli drones fired two missiles, killing at least 10 people and wounding several others, the witnesses added.

Washington DC: US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned that, following directions from President Donald Trump, Monday (local time) would see the “largest volume of strikes” since the beginning of Operation Fury. He added that strikes planned for Tuesday would surpass Monday’s if Iran does not agree to a deal to end the conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight,” but said Iran still has time to capitulate ahead of a deadline set for 8 p.m. in Washington. The American leader issued the stark threat Tuesday, about 12 hours ahead of his deadline for Iran to agree to a deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz or face punishing strikes.

Trump on Monday threatened to blow up every bridge and power plant in Iran, an action that would be so far-reaching that some experts in military law said it could constitute a war crime. Trump said that he’s “not at all” concerned about committing war crimes as he continues to threaten destruction.

Two Dead In Attack On Rail Bridge In Central Iran: Regional Official

Two people were killed in a US-Israeli attack on a rail bridge in the central Iranian city of Kashan, a regional official told state media on Tuesday.

"A few minutes ago, the American-Zionist aggressor attacked the Yahya Abad railway bridge in Kashan city," a senior regional security official in Isfahan province, Akbar Salehi, was quoted as saying by Iran's IRNA news agency.

"Two people were martyred and three others were injured in this attack," he added.

Strikes Rock Tehran

New strikes rocked Tehran on Tuesday with Iran showing no sign of backing down as a US deadline loomed for it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or have its civilian infrastructure "decimated", according to President Donald Trump.

Houston: Emerging from behind the moon, the Artemis II astronauts pointed their capsule toward home Monday night after beholding views of the lunar far side never before witnessed and setting a new distance record for humanity.

HOUSTON: With the moon now filling their windows, the Artemis II astronauts kicked off their lunar flyby Monday, taking in magnificent views of the far side never before witnessed while setting a new distance record for humanity.