LIVE: Khamenei says does not seek war as IRGC rubbishes ceasefire violations

This live blog follows updates for Day 42 of the US-Israeli war on Iran. For a recap of Day 41, go here.

• European Union urges ceasefire as Lebanon violence threatens broader regional truce stability
• Israel intensifies strikes on Beirut suburbs, causing heavy casualties and displacement
• Hezbollah launches rockets toward Israel, citing ceasefire violations and ongoing attacks
• Donald Trump warns Iran on Hormuz shipping, expresses cautious optimism on negotiations
• Iran's supreme leader says does not seek war in written message

TotalEnergies says Saudi refinery shut down

Published: April 10, 2026 | 09:28 GMT | By AFP 

French energy giant TotalEnergies said Friday that it had shut down a major refinery on the eastern Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia after it was damaged during the Middle East war.

The Saudi energy ministry had announced Thursday "multiple attacks" recently on its oil and gas sites, including the SATORP refinery, a joint venture owned by TotalEnergies and the Saudi state-owned Aramco group.

No details on production impacts, nor the type of attack, were disclosed.

TotalEnergies cited only "incidents that occurred during the night of April 7 to 8, causing damage to one of the refinery's two processing trains".

No casualties were reported, and Total said both units were shut down as a precaution while assessing the damage.

Iran hails Spain's ‘principled’ stance against anti-Iran aggression

Published: April 10, 2026 | 07:53 GMT | By Web Desk/AFP 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi praised Spain over its “principled and honorable” stance against the US-Israeli aggression on Iran, stressing that all countries should take an action against "war crimes committed by the aggressors", Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported.

Araghchi expressed these views in a phone call with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.

Meanwhile, accordign to AFP, Spain's foreign minister said on Friday that he had spoken with his Iranian counterpart and urged him to negotiate in good faith during talks with the United States in Islamabad.

"I encourage Iran -- this is what I conveyed to the Iranian foreign minister -- to take part in those negotiations and to participate in good faith," Jose Manuel Albares told the press, adding that he had spoken with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, "the day before yesterday" and had also asked him to halt "all missile and drone launches".

Malaysian PM expresses deep sadness over the passing of Dr Kharrazi 

Published: April 10, 2026 | 07:27 GMT | By Web Desk 

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed that he was deeply saddened by the passing of Dr Kamal Kharrazi, the former foreign minister of Iran. 

In a post on X on Friday, he said, "I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Kamal Kharazi, former Foreign Minister of Iran whose untimely death came from the wounds inflicted by Zionist terrorist attacks."

"I first came to know Dr Kharazi during his years as Iran’s envoy to the United Nations in New York, and our friendship carried through his distinguished tenure as Foreign Minister."

Ibrahim said, "The world has lost an exceptional diplomat and I have lost a dear friend."

"My heartfelt condolences to his family and to the people of Iran. His passing is a reminder of the terrible cost of this conflict. This war must end," he added.

Iranian foreign relations council head Kharrazi succumbs to injuries 

Published: April 10, 2026 | 06:14 GMT | By Web Desk 

Seyed Kamal Kharrazi, the head of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was died on Thursday night after succumbing to severe injuries sustained in an attack by the US and Israel several days ago, Iranian Mehr News agency reported.

The assassination attempt also claimed the life of his wife on the day of the initial strike.

Iranians mourn Supreme Leader 40 days after assassination 

Published: April 10, 2026 | 04:35 GMT | By Web Desk 

Iranians mourned assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei 40 days after his assassination. 

"People from all walks of life flood the streets of Tehran to mourn the 40th day since the assassination of Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the late Supreme Leader of Iran," state-run Press TV reported.

ADB predicts slowing Asia growth as US-Israel war on Iran takes toll

Published: April 10, 2026 | 04:35 GMT | By AFP

The US-Israel war on Iran is expected to drag on Asia's economies over this year and next, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) warned Friday, as it predicted growth to slow to 5.1% across the world’s most populous region.

That prediction could prove optimistic, however, if new evidence suggesting a "more prolonged conflict and more persistent disruptions" bore out, it said.

Growth predictions could fall to as low as 4.7% for 2026 and 4.8% in 2027 should the US-Israel war on Iran drag into the third quarter.

"Most economies in developing Asia and the Pacific will see their growth outlook worsen this year and in 2027," was the bank's stark assessment.

The region's status as a net energy importer left it particularly vulnerable to the war’s fallout, ADB chief economist Albert Park told reporters at an embargoed Thursday new briefing

"Higher energy prices can generate significant income losses," Park said.

"Even after energy prices normalize, supply-chain disruptions, higher producer prices, and tighter financial conditions would prolong stagflationary pressures,” he added.

Air raid sirens across Israel after rocket launches from Lebanon

Published: April 10, 2026 | 04:19 GMT | By AFP

Air raid alerts rang out across Israel early Friday, including in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv and in the southern coastal city of Ashdod following rocket fire from Lebanon.

Continued fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is testing a fragile truce reached between the United States and Iran.

Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire repeatedly on Thursday.

The Israeli army's Home Front Command issued alerts for several areas following Friday's rocket fire, including the Tel Aviv area and southern communities far from the Lebanon border.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but Israeli media reported that air-defense systems had intercepted at least one incoming rocket.

Japan's Takaichi confirms release of more oil reserves

Published: April 10, 2026 | 04:19 GMT | By AFP

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Friday that officials would release an extra 20 days' worth of oil reserves from next month.

The country began tapping its stockpiles, the world's largest, in March as the government looked to temper a spike in prices caused by the hit to supply from the US-Israel war on Iran.

"To ensure the stable supply of crude oil, we will release starting in early May the equivalent of roughly 20 days' worth (of oil) from the national reserves," she said at a meeting held in response to the conflict in the Middle East.

It will be the second release from the state oil reserves, while it has also tapped 15 days worth of private-sector petroleum stockpiles.

Iranian rabbi denounces US-Israeli destruction of Tehran synagogue

Published: April 10, 2026 | 03:17 GMT | By AFP

A rabbi in Iran has denounced Israel after US-Israeli strikes destroyed a historical synagogue in Tehran on Tuesday during the holy week of Passover.

“The Israeli regime’s claim about defending Jews is nothing more than a shameful lie,” Rabbi Younes Hamami Lalehzar said.

Iran has the second-largest Jewish population in the Middle East after Israel.

IMF to cut global growth forecast due to Mideast war

Published: April 10, 2026 | 02:47 GMT | By AFP

The International Monetary Fund will lower global growth forecasts due to the Middle East war, its chief said, warning of the conflict's "scarring effects" despite a fragile ceasefire.

"Even in a best case, there will be no neat and clean return to the status quo ante," IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said.

Georgieva said that — even in the fund's "most hopeful scenario" — spiraling energy costs, infrastructure damage, supply disruptions, and a loss of market confidence meant growth would be less than expected.

The IMF also anticipates having to provide up to $50 billion in immediate financial assistance to countries affected by the war, with food insecurity set to affect at least 45 million people.

"Given the spillovers from the war, we expect near-term demand for IMF balance-of-payments support to rise by somewhere between $20 billion and $50 billion, with the lower bound prevailing if ceasefire holds," Georgieva said.

Trump says Iran ‘doing a very poor job’ of allowing oil through Strait of Hormuz

Published: April 10, 2026 | 01:14GMT | By AFP

The US president has posted another statement on social media, criticising Iran’s approach to allowing oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonourable some would say, of allowing oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said.

“That is not the agreement we have!” he added.

Iran's supreme leader says does not seek war in written message

Published: April 9, 2026 | 21:14GMT | By AFP

Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in his latest written message, said that the Islamic Republic does not want war with the United States and Israel, but would protect its rights as a nation, state television reported.

"We did not seek war, and we do not want it," he said in the message read out on state TV, coinciding with 40 days since his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on February 28, the first day of the war.

"But we will not renounce our legitimate rights under any circumstances, and in this respect, we consider the entire resistance front as a whole," he added, in an apparent reference to Lebanon, where Israel is fighting a war with Tehran's ally Hezbollah.

Khamenei told Iranians that they must "not imagine that taking to the streets is no longer necessary" despite the announcement of the ceasefire.

"Your voices in public squares are undoubtedly influential in the outcome of the negotiations," he said, according to the message broadcast on state TV.

IRGC says it has not launched any missiles during the ceasefire

Published: April 10, 2026 | 00:14| By AFP

The IRGC has said that Iran’s armed forces have “not launched any missiles at any country during the ceasefire hours up to this time”, in a statement carried by Iran’s Fars news agency.

The statement was responding to reports that a drone caused damage at a Kuwait National Guard facility.

“If these reports published by the media are true, it is undoubtedly the work of the Zionist enemy or America,” the IRGC said.

It added that Iran’s armed forces “will boldly announce” in an official statement if they “hit any target.”