Iran hasn’t requested a 10-day pause on strikes on its energy plants and is yet to deliver a final response to a 15-point plan to end the war, peace talk mediators said. - WSJ

Trump: "I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports."

JUST IN: U.S. Treasury says President Donald Trump's signature will appear on future U.S. paper currency.

US stocks have their biggest loss since the war with Iran started as the S&P 500 drops 1.7%. - AP

Trump: "As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time."

Trump is leaning toward a major ground operation in Iran, believing it could force the country to capitulate, according to an official from a country mediating between the U.S. and Iran cited by The Times of Israel.

Several Senate Republicans are pressing the White House to declare a national emergency to free up money to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents if lawmakers fail to reach a deal, according to people familiar with the matter. - WSJ

The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security are close to finalizing an agreement that will allow the federal government to use sensitive voter registration data for immigration and criminal investigations, per CBS News.

JUST IN: British author Sarah Ferguson has been stripped of 'freedom of York' by councillors over ties to Jeffrey Epstein. She is the former Duchess of York, and ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, according to Sky News.

Roughly 200 Ukrainian air-defense personnel are now on the ground in the Middle East helping the U.S. and regional partners defend against Iranian drone attacks, according to Ukrainian military officials. - WSJ

The debate among Iranian hardliners over whether Tehran should seek a nuclear bomb in defiance of an escalating U.S.-Israeli attack is getting louder, more public and more insistent, sources in the country say. - Reuters

California lawmakers vote to rename César Chavez Day state holiday to Farmworkers Day after sexual abuse allegations. - AP

JAPAN: A female employee at the Pokémon Center in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, was fatally stabbed by a man, who later died after stabbing himself.

President Trump on Iran: "They want to make a deal. The reason they want to make a deal is they've been beat to shit."

User reports show problems with X/Twitter. - DownDetector

Authorities in Abu Dhabi say debris from the interception of a ballistic missile fell on Sweihan Street, killing two people and injuring three others; several vehicles were damaged.

Oman Air extends cancellations of flights to Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait, Copenhagen, Baghdad until April 15, amid ongoing airspace closures. - AA

A Turkish tanker laden with crude oil was hit in a drone attack in the Black Sea near Istanbul, NTV television reported. The attack on the M/T Altura took place 15 nautical miles away from the Bosporus Strait, NTV reported. (Bloomberg)

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) says she wants President Trump to take Senator Lindsey Graham out of the situation room.

White House deletes cryptic 3-second video posted 1.5 hours ago containing female voice stating "It’s launching soon right?"

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out a series of strikes on various infrastructure sites in multiple parts of Iran.

Second video by the White House:

The White House has posted 2 videos on their X/Instagram in the last hour, here is the first one:

The head of Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom on Wednesday said that preparations are underway for a third stage of evacuation for personnel at Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. - AA

Trump has told associates in recent days that he wants to avoid a protracted war in Iran and that he hopes to bring the conflict to an end in the coming weeks. - WSJ

Trump administration officials are examining what a potential spike in oil prices as high as $200 a barrel would mean for the economy, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign senior officials are studying the possible fallout from extreme scenarios for the Iran war. - Bloomberg

At least 17 dead, 11 rescued after bus carrying over 50 passengers plunged into Padma River in Rajbari, Bangladesh, local media reports; many others feared missing.

The White House has rejected an offer from billionaire Elon Musk to pay TSA workers during a partial government shutdown that has disrupted airport travelers across the country, several sources told CBS News.

BREAKING: A Trump administration official has made new criminal referrals against New York Attorney General Letitia James to federal prosecutors in Miami and Chicago for two cases of possible homeowner's insurance fraud, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to visit Hungary between April 7-8, just days ahead of the country’s election, to show support for the reelection of Prime Minister Victor Orbán. - Politico

Israel vows ‘stepping on the gas’ with Iran strikes amid concerns over Trump’s possible ‘unilateral’ ceasefire push in coming days, Yedioth Ahronoth reports.

Lawmakers are introducing bipartisan legislation to prohibit members of Congress, the president and others in the executive branch from trading in certain prediction markets, according to bill text shared exclusively with POLITICO.

Iran has been laying traps and moving additional military personnel and air defenses to Kharg Island in recent weeks in preparation for a possible US operation to take control of the island, according to multiple people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue. - CNN

Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google were found liable and must pay damages to a 20-year-old woman who alleged that her addiction to the companies’ social media platforms caused her to suffer a mental health crisis, a jury said. - Bloomberg

President Trump’s meeting with Xi in China will now take place in Beijing on May 14–15, White House says.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC): "Just walked out of a House Armed Services briefing on Iran. Let me repeat: I will not support troops on the ground in Iran, even more so after this briefing."

At least 40% of Russia's oil export capacity is at a halt following Ukrainian drone attacks, a disputed attack on a major pipeline and the seizure of tankers, according to Reuters calculations based ‌on market data.

Trump administration officials are working to arrange a meeting in Pakistan this weekend to discuss an off-ramp to the war in Iran, officials told CNN, with current plans for Vice President JD Vance and possibly other top officials to attend, though timing, location and participants remain fluid.

A drone flew into Estonian airspace from Russia and slammed into a chimney at a local power station. - Walla's Guy Elster

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders said he would “absolutely not” support a proposed $200 billion funding request for the Iran war, vowing to introduce a measure to block arms transfers to Israel.

JUST IN: Iraq Defense Ministry says 7 people killed, 13 others injured in U.S.-Israeli strike at military clinic in Habbaniyah area. Search and rescue operations underway.

An Iranian-backed militia carried out an FPV drone strike on Camp Victory in Iraq, hitting multiple targets, including a parked UH-60 Black Hawk.

The Channel 12 broadcaster says Hezbollah has launched 30 projectiles towards Israel in the past hour.

Turkiye, Egypt and Pakistan pushing for U.S.-Iran meeting in Islamabad, reports say. - AJA

Around 2,000 U.S. paratroopers are set to be deployed to the Middle East, the New York Times reports, with officials saying their destination remains unclear but would be within striking distance of Iran.

Iranian demands for an end to the war, according to the WSJ, include the closure of all U.S. bases in the Gulf, guarantees of no further attacks, an end to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah, the lifting of all sanctions on Iran, war damage reparations, and no restrictions on its missile program.

Democrat Emily Gregory will win a special state House election in a Palm Beach district that includes President Donald Trump’s Florida home of Mar-a-Lago. - CNN/VoteHub

CNN: Drones have hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, causing a fire at the site, the country’s civil aviation authority said.

The Israeli military says the air force has launched a new wave of strikes in Tehran, targeting infrastructure sites.

Iran does not want to negotiate with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, they prefer U.S. Vice President JD Vance. - CNN/The Telegraph