Iran-Israel live updates: UN reiterates 'urgent' call for de-escalation

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

1826 GMT — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reiterated his "urgent" demand for a de-escalation in the Middle East, his spokesperson has said.

"The secretary general's position is one he stated very clearly on Sunday in his call for maximum restraint. We do not want to see another cycle of an eye for an eye, which is not a policy that will lead to peace," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

Dujarric said Guterres spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and is in contact with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and other Israeli officials.

Guterres “called for the urgent de-escalation of the situation and a renewed focus on bringing peace to the Middle East," added Dujarric.

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1816 GMT — US may have used SM-3 anti-missile interceptors to thwart Iranian attack on Israel: report

While defending Israel against Iran’s weekend attack, the US Navy may have used for the first time anti-missile interceptors that can be fired outside the Earth’s atmosphere, according to a media report.

The War Zone website reported that SM-3 missiles, which are capable of engaging intercontinental ballistic missiles outside of the Earth's atmosphere during the mid-course portion of their flight, may have made their debut in warfare to stop Iran’s attack.

Speaking to the UK-based iNews, Justin Crump, a former British Army officer running a risk intelligence company, said: “Drones are straightforward to knock out, cruise missiles are harder to intercept and ballistic weapons are the hardest."

1747 GMT — Middle East escalation is in no one's interest: Britain to Israel

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has told Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that escalation in the Middle East was in no one's interest in a call after Britain helped Israel repel a direct aerial attack by Iran.

"(Sunak) stressed that significant escalation was in no one’s interest and would only deepen insecurity in the Middle East. This was a moment for calm heads to prevail," Sunak's office said in a readout of the call.

1742 GMT — Middle East skies 'open' to Israeli planes: defence minister

Israeli warplanes are operating everywhere in the Middle East, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said amid rising tensions with Iran.

"The Air Force planes are operating everywhere, the skies of the Middle East are open," Gallant told his army forces in northern Israel.

"Any enemy that will fight against us, we will know how to hit it wherever they are," he added in statements cited by The Times of Israel newspaper.

1725 GMT — EU to begin work on expanding Iran sanctions, Borrell says

Some EU member states have asked for sanctions against Iran to be expanded in response to Tehran's attack on Israel and the bloc's diplomatic service will begin working on the proposal, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said.

Borrell was speaking after an emergency video conference of EU foreign ministers called to discuss the repercussions of the attack.

1614 GMT — Israel's Netanyahu solely responsible for recent Middle East tensions: Erdogan

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli leadership are solely responsible for the recent escalation of tensions in the Middle East, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

"Israel is trying to provoke a regional conflict, and its attack on Iran's embassy in Damascus was the last drop," he told a press conference in Ankara after a cabinet meeting.

He added that new regional conflicts were possible as long as the "cruelty and genocide" in Gaza continued, and called on all parties to act with common sense. He also slammed the West for condemning Iran's attack but not Israel's strike on Iran's embassy.

1513 GMT — Israel's response to Iran will end 'exchange of blows'

When Israel responds to the unprecedented weekend Iranian drone and missile salvoes, it will aim to send a message of deterrence to Tehran while drawing a line under this round of hostilities, a senior Israeli lawmaker has said.

Among Israeli considerations in planning a counter-strike are the war-wariness of Western powers, the risk to aircrews from any sorties against Iran and the need to keep the focus on the more than half-year-long Gaza offensive, Yuli Edelstein said.

"We'll have to react. Iranians will know we reacted. And I sincerely hope that it will teach them a lesson that you can't attack a sovereign country just because you find it doable," said Edelstein, who chairs the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.

But he added: "I sincerely hope that they will understand that it's not in their interest to continue this kind of exchange of blows. We are not interested in a full-scale war. We are not, as I have said, in the business of revenge."

1246 GMT — Not interested in escalation, Raisi to Putin

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has told Vladimir Putin by telephone that Tehran's strikes on Israel were limited and that it was not interested in escalating, the Kremlin has said

President Putin expressed hope that all sides would show reasonable restraint and so prevent a fall towards a confrontation that could have "catastrophic consequences for the entire region," the Kremlin said.

1345 GMT — US expects 'limited scope' Israeli response against Iran: report

The US expects any Israeli military action to be of a "limited scope," amid a military escalation with Iran following an Iranian attack against Israel, according to a report.

Insights from a senior US administration official and an intelligence source that were disclosed to CNN shed light on the dynamics shaping Israel's potential reaction to recent hostilities.

Sources familiar with US intelligence said there are indications that Israel is contemplating a narrow and restricted strike within Iranian territory. The potential response comes in the wake of what Israeli officials perceive as the need for “kinetic action” following the scale of the Iranian attack.

1324 GMT — Iran won't get off 'scot-free' after attack: Israeli army

Israel's army has said that Iran will not get off "scot-free" after it launched an unprecedented wave of missiles and drones at Israel last weekend.

"Iran will not get (off) scot-free with this aggression," military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters at Julis military base while displaying the remains of an intercepted missile.

1308 GMT — US will 'not hesitate' to tighten sanctions on Iran: Yellen

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned in prepared remarks of further sanctions targeting Iran, following its unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend.

"Treasury will not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime's malign and destabilizing activity," according to excerpts of Yellen's speech ahead of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington this week.

1257 GMT — Jordan won't become 'theatre of war' between Israel, Iran: king

When Iran attacked Israel at the weekend, Jordan intercepted multiple missiles and drones, but King Abdullah II has stressed his country must not become "the theatre of a regional war".

If the Gaza war raging since October 7 has created tough challenges for Jordan, it now faces the additional threat of being literally stuck in the middle of a widening Israel-Iran conflict.

Jordan, about half of whose population is of Palestinian origin, is also a close US ally and signed a peace treaty with neighbouring Israel 30 years ago.

1135 GMT — US to come up with spending bills, including sanctions on Iran

US House Speaker Mike Johnson has said spending legislation will be released later as the House prepares to vote on four separate measures providing aid to Israel and Ukraine.

One of the bills will also include additional sanctions on Russia and Iran, Johnson told Fox News in an interview, and lawmakers are trying to include provisions to secure the US border.

1115 GMT — Tel Aviv shifting focus away from Gaza: Jordan

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has said that the international community should stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from "stealing" attention away from Gaza by escalating his confrontation with Iran.

In remarks during a press conference with his German counterpart in Berlin, Safadi said Iran had responded to the attack against its consulate and had announced that it "did not want to escalate further".

"We are against escalating. Netanyahu wants to draw attention away from Gaza and focus on his confrontation with Iran," Safadi added.

1114 GMT — Germany seeks further EU sanctions against Iran drones

Germany's foreign minister has called for the European Union to impose fresh sanctions on Iranian drone technology after Tehran's weekend attack on Israel.

"I campaigned in late autumn together with France and other partners within the European Union for this drone sanctions regime to be extended further.

I hope that we can now finally take this step together," Annalena Baerbock told a press conference in Berlin, ahead of a visit to Israel.

1100 GMT — Japan urges Iran to exercise ‘restraint’ to avoid further escalation with Israel

Japan has urged Iran to “exercise restraint” to avoid further tension in the Middle East following Tehran's retaliatory missile and drone attack on Israel, local media reported.

Speaking with her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian over the phone, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Tokyo is “seriously concerned about Iran's attack and strongly condemns such escalation," demanding it "ensures the safety of navigation" in regional waters, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported citing the Foreign Ministry.

1030 GMT — Israel's war cabinet to meet to discuss Iran: official

Israel's war cabinet will meet soon to discuss the response to Iran's attack over the weekend, an Israeli official said.

No time was set for the meeting, the official said.

It will be the third time that the decision-making cabinet convenes since Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones against Israel on Saturday night.

0830 GMT — Israel urges sanctions in 'diplomatic offensive' against Iran

Israel has launched a "diplomatic offensive" against Iran, calling on 32 countries to impose sanctions against the Revolutionary Guards and their missile programme.

Late on Saturday, Iran carried out an unprecedented direct attack on Israel, using more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, in retaliation for a deadly April 1 air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

0652 GMT — Iran says any action against its interests will get a severe response

Iran will respond to any action against its interests, President Ebrahim Raisi said, according to the Iranian Student News Agency, a day after Israel warned it will respond to Tehran's weekend drone and missile attack.

"We categorically declare that the smallest action against Iranian interests will certainly be met with a severe, widespread and painful response against any perpetrator," Raisi told the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani.

Israel's military Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, said on Monday that Iran's attack on Israel - which was a retaliation after the April 1 bombing of the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus - warranted a response.

0642 GMT — Israel pushing for more sanctions against Iran

Israel's foreign minister said he was urging countries to place sanctions on Iran's missile programme and proscribe its Revolutionary Guard Corps as a "terrorist organisation" after Iran's first-ever direct attack on Israel.

"Alongside the military response to the firing of missiles and drones, I am leading a diplomatic attack against Iran," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a social media post.

Katz said he sent letters to 32 countries and spoke with numerous counterparts, calling on them to "place sanctions on Iran's missile project and declare the Revolutionary Guard a terror organisation, as a way to stop and weaken Iran."

"We must stop Iran now, before it will be too late."

0540 GMT — Iran shuts nuclear facilities after Israel attack

Iran temporarily closed its nuclear facilities over "security considerations" in the wake of its massive missile and drone attack on Israel over the weekend, the head of the UN's atomic watchdog said.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a UN Security Council meeting, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi was asked whether he was concerned about the possibility of an Israeli strike on an Iranian nuclear facility in retaliation for the attack.

"We are always concerned about this possibility. What I can tell you is that our inspectors in Iran were informed by the Iranian government that yesterday (Sunday), all the nuclear facilities that we are inspecting every day would remain closed on security considerations," he said.

The facilities were to reopen on Monday, Grossi said, but inspectors would not return until the following day.

"I decided to not let the inspectors return until we see that the situation is completely calm," he added, while calling for "extreme restraint".

0352 GMT — Iran's aggression against Israel triggered activation of coalition that thwarted attack: Halevi

Iran’s weekend retaliatory attack on Israel triggered the activation of a coalition that repelled the assault, Israeli army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said.

In a video message published by Israeli media, Halevi said the incident "created new opportunities for cooperation" in countering the Iranian attack "across the skies of the Middle East."

The Israeli army “together with the United States Central Command, the British Armed Forces, the French Armed Forces and other partners operated together in real-time in the air, on the ground and at sea,” he added.

He also threatened that Iran will "face the consequences" following its first-ever declared attack inside Israel.

0101 GMT — China says Tehran can 'handle the situation well'

China has said it believed Iran could "handle the situation well and spare the region further turmoil" while safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity, referring to an attack on Iran's embassy in Syria and its retaliatory strike against Israeli targets over the weekend.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian via a phone call on Monday that China appreciated Iran's emphasis on not targeting regional and neighbouring countries, according to the official Xinhua news agency on Tuesday.

Wang also said he noted Iran had described its actions as limited and carried out in self-defence. China strongly condemns and resolutely opposed the embassy attack, and calls the incident "unacceptable", Wang said.

2250 GMT — Saudi Arabia, China discuss Israel-Iran escalation

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has discussed the latest escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran and developments in Gaza in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

During their conversation on Monday, the two leaders also discussed the importance of joint coordination and efforts to prevent the aggravation of the situation, according to a statement by the kingdom's Foreign Ministry.

2130 GMT — Mideast tensions spike oil prices

Oil prices have risen amid heightened tensions in the Middle East after Israel's military chief said his country would respond to Iran's weekend missile and drone attack in reaction to Tel Aviv's strike on Tehran's embassy in Syria amid calls for restraint by allies.

Brent futures for June delivery rose 46 cents, or 0.5%, to $90.56 a barrel. US crude futures for May delivery rose 43 cents, or 0.5%, to $85.84 a barrel.

Oil prices had ended Monday's session lower after Iran's weekend attack on Israel proved to be less damaging than anticipated, initially easing concerns of a quickly intensifying conflict that could displace crude barrels.

For our live updates from Monday, April 15, click here.