The Pentagon has confirmed that 13 US soldiers have been killed and 365 others injured so far in the ongoing war involving Iran. Among the injured are 247 members of the army, 63 navy sailors, 19 marines, and 36 air force personnel. The report was released on April 4, 2026.

According to the Pentagon, seven of the fatalities occurred at the hands of opposing forces, six were killed in Iranian attacks in Kuwait, and one soldier died in Saudi Arabia after being wounded. The report did not clarify whether any crew members from US warplanes downed or attacked by Iranian forces on Friday were included in the casualty figures.

The information was sourced from Xinhua, and further details about the extent of US aircraft losses or additional casualties remain unclear.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have jointly urged an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing Middle East war. According to a Kremlin statement released on Friday, the two leaders made the appeal during a phone conversation, emphasizing the need for a negotiated peace agreement that considers the legitimate interests of all countries in the region.

The conflict began about a month ago following attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, which subsequently spread across the Middle East. The Kremlin warned that the intensifying military confrontation is having negative effects not only regionally but also globally, particularly on energy, trade, and supply chains.

During the same call, Putin and Erdogan also discussed security in the Black Sea region. Russia accused Ukraine of attempting to attack gas transport infrastructure connecting Russia and Turkey. Gazprom reported that a drone attack on the TurkStream gas pipeline was thwarted on Thursday, a route that supplies gas to several European countries including Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia.

Iran has claimed that its air defense forces shot down a US A-10 Warthog fighter jet near the Strait of Hormuz. According to Iranian state television, the aircraft was destroyed through an air defense strike. The incident follows a report from Friday that another US F-15E Strike Eagle jet had crashed inside Iranian territory.

CBS News reported that the A-10 Warthog was participating in a rescue mission for the downed F-15E when it came under attack. It remains unclear whether the aircraft mentioned by Iran and the one cited by CBS are the same. During the rescue attempt, two additional US aircraft were also targeted, and the A-10 pilot ejected into the sea before being rescued. One of two helicopters involved in the operation was hit by small-arms fire, injuring several crew members, though it landed safely. The search for the second F-15E pilot continues.

US President Donald Trump told NBC News that the incident would not affect potential talks with Iran, describing it as part of wartime realities. The White House confirmed that the president had been fully briefed on the situation.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters spokesperson, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, announced that a US warplane was recently shot down using Iran’s new advanced defense system. In a televised statement, he said the aircraft was targeted south of Qeshm Island and crashed into the waters between Qeshm and Hengam islands. Zolfaghari argued that the incident disproves former US President Donald Trump’s claim that the United States had destroyed Iran’s air defense network.

The event is being portrayed as a demonstration of Iran’s growing military capability. It occurred against the backdrop of heightened political and military tension in the Middle East, where US air operations have been active. The report did not include any US response or independent verification of the incident.

The development may further strain US-Iran relations and influence ongoing regional security dynamics if confirmed, though details remain limited.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday for an unannounced visit amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. According to Al Jazeera, she is currently in Jeddah and plans to hold important meetings in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates during her two-day regional trip. This marks the first visit by a European Union leader to Saudi Arabia since the Iran–United States war began on February 28.

Meloni is scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the trip. The visit aims to express Italy’s support for Arab allies facing Iranian attacks and to secure stable energy supplies for Italy amid rising global energy prices. Her engagements in the region are seen as part of efforts to strengthen diplomatic and energy cooperation with Gulf nations.

The visit underscores Italy’s intention to balance solidarity with regional partners and safeguard its national energy interests during a period of heightened geopolitical tension.

Major US media outlets reported that one crew member from an American fighter jet downed over Iran has been rescued. According to AFP from Washington, citing unnamed sources, Axios and CBS News said US special forces recovered one of the two crew members, while search operations continue for the second. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal identified the aircraft as an F-15E model, which typically carries a pilot and a weapons systems officer.

CNN reported that analysis of wreckage photos published by Iranian media also suggested the aircraft was an F-15, though some Iranian sources claimed it was an F-35 stealth jet. US media further noted that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident, but there has been no official comment from the White House or the Pentagon.

Reports added that specialized US forces are conducting rescue operations near the suspected crash site, with social media and Iranian outlets showing low-flying US helicopters and aircraft in the area.

The United Nations Security Council has postponed a scheduled vote on a draft resolution authorizing the use of defensive force to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The 15-member council was expected to vote on Friday morning, but the session was rescheduled Thursday night due to the Good Friday holiday. No new date has been set for the vote.

The draft, backed by the United States, would allow member states to take necessary defensive measures individually or through a voluntary multinational naval coalition to secure navigation in the strait and nearby waters. The proposal follows Iran’s effective control of the strait after U.S.-Israeli attacks, which has disrupted global energy supplies. Diplomats said the text was revised several times to address concerns from Russia, China, and France, removing direct reference to Chapter VII of the UN Charter and emphasizing the defensive nature of any action.

Uncertainty remains over whether Russia and China, both with veto power, will support the measure. Analysts warn that potential vetoes could block the resolution, while energy prices continue to rise due to the disruption.

Azizur Rahman, a day laborer from Shahhanabad village in Thakurgaon’s Ranisankail upazila, was detained by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) in May 2025 while cutting grass near the border. After spending 11 months in Indian prisons and hospitals, he died on March 22, 2026, in a hospital in Islampur, India. His body was repatriated to Bangladesh through the Banglabandha land port on April 3 under government arrangements, following an order signed by a senior assistant secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and family members received the body in the afternoon.

Azizur’s wife, Taskara Begum, alleged that BSF personnel tortured her husband after his arrest, leading to his critical illness and eventual death. The family learned of his death through relatives in India. Local officials confirmed that the body was handed over to the family and buried the same evening at the Shahhanabad graveyard.

The incident has caused deep grief in the local community, highlighting ongoing tensions and human costs along the Bangladesh-India border.

Iranian media have reported that a U.S. fighter jet crashed inside Iran, leaving two American pilots missing. The incident occurred in the western region of the country, and Iranian authorities have announced a reward for anyone who can locate the missing pilots. According to the reports, the pilots ejected and landed in separate areas, prompting U.S. rescue operations.

Iranian sources claim that clashes took place between U.S. forces and Iranian ground troops during the attempted rescue, resulting in American casualties. State television in Iran has called on citizens to assist in finding the pilots and announced a reward of 10 billion tomans, approximately 64,000 U.S. dollars.

If Iran succeeds in capturing the missing pilots, it could mark a significant turning point in the ongoing conflict, as it would be the first instance of U.S. prisoners of war in the confrontation.

A US official has confirmed that an American warplane was shot down in Iranian airspace, according to reports from Axios, Reuters, and The New York Times, as cited by BBC on April 3, 2026. The official, speaking anonymously to Reuters, stated that rescue operations are ongoing to locate the aircraft’s crew. The Wall Street Journal also reported that the United States is conducting an active mission to recover the crew members.

Earlier, Iranian media claimed that a US warplane had been downed and that the United States was attempting to rescue the pilot. Iran has since asserted that the American rescue attempt to recover the pilot has failed. The incident has drawn attention from multiple international outlets, highlighting rising tensions surrounding the event.

Rescue efforts continue as both sides maintain differing accounts of the situation, and no further details about the aircraft type or the number of crew members have been disclosed.

Former Human Rights Watch chief Kenneth Roth has warned that any US attack on Iran’s civilian infrastructure, particularly power plants or water desalination facilities, would amount to a war crime. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Roth said that if former US President Donald Trump carried out his threats to strike such sites, it would clearly violate international humanitarian law.

Roth, now a visiting professor at Princeton University, explained that such attacks would lack legitimate military justification and cause disproportionate harm to civilians. He cited the International Criminal Court’s previous actions against Russian commanders for similar strikes in Ukraine as precedent.

Roth further noted that more than 100 international law experts share this assessment, emphasizing that any such move would undoubtedly be treated as a war crime under international standards.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has described U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to send Iran “back to the Stone Age” as an indication of possible large-scale war crimes. According to Al Jazeera, Pezeshkian said such statements reveal an intent to cause massive destruction, which could be considered a serious violation of international law.

Referring to his discussion with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Pezeshkian noted that he had raised the issue with his Finnish counterpart, who is a legal expert. He added that history contains many examples where silence in the face of crimes has come at a great cost.

The remarks come amid heightened tensions following reports of a U.S. acknowledgment of an Iranian warplane being shot down and warnings that any attack on Iran’s power facilities would constitute a war crime.

Israeli airstrikes have damaged major water supply infrastructure in southern Lebanon, causing widespread disruption to emergency services, according to the South Lebanon Water Establishment. The organization, citing Lebanon’s National News Agency, reported that facilities in Ibl al-Saqi and al-Maysat were hit, leading to significant damage.

The attacks also affected solar-powered systems at the al-Zahiriya station and Eastern Well No. 1 in the Kanarit region. The South Lebanon Water Establishment strongly condemned the strikes, calling them a clear violation of international law and conventions that protect civilian infrastructure.

In its statement, the organization emphasized that targeting essential facilities such as water supply systems contravenes humanitarian principles, which require such infrastructure to remain outside the scope of armed conflict.

Iran has claimed that a United States rescue mission to recover the pilot of a downed American fighter jet has so far failed. According to Iranian media, the country’s air defense system shot down the US aircraft, and images of the wreckage were published by the semi-official Tasnim news agency. The report added that the pilot’s condition remains unclear.

Tasnim stated that the US operation involved Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules aircraft, but the effort did not succeed. The United States has not issued any official comment on the incident. Al Jazeera reported that the authenticity of Iran’s claims could not be independently verified.

The report also recalled that in March, a US F-35 fighter jet was damaged by an Iranian attack and forced to make an emergency landing, highlighting continuing military friction between the two nations.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency has claimed that the country’s air defense system shot down a US warplane in central Iran. The agency published several photos allegedly showing the wreckage of the aircraft. According to the report, markings on the downed plane suggest it belonged to the United States European Command.

Earlier speculation that the aircraft might be an F-35 was not repeated in Tasnim’s latest report. The agency stated that the plane was part of the 48th Squadron based at the US European Command’s Lakenheath Air Base in the United Kingdom, which it claimed had been deployed to the CENTCOM region for operations against Iran. The report also noted that the US European Command operates several advanced fighter jets, including F-35, F-15, F-22, and F-16 models.

As of the time of reporting, US officials had not issued any formal comment regarding the alleged incident.