Iran war live: 58 recruits killed, 200 wounded in Houthi strikes in Yemen

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has condemned the US war on Iran in a meeting with Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref in Tajikistan.

Li called the US-Israeli attack on February 28 “blatant aggression” conducted in the middle of negotiations and without UN Security Council consultation, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.

He also called for the revival of the now defunct Islamabad memorandum of understanding.

The governor of Shabwa district in central Yemen says the death toll from the Houthi ballistic missile attack on the training facility near Ataq city has now risen to 58.

More than 200 other recruits were wounded in the strikes, with many reportedly in critical condition.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has discussed diplomatic moves to de-escalate rising tension in the region with Mauro Vieira, Brazil’s foreign minister, in a phone call.

Both ministers agreed on the need to ensure “security and stability” in the Middle East, according to Araghchi’s Telegram account.

Iran’s High Council for Human Rights says recent US sanctions pose serious risks to people’s access to healthcare services.

The government-run council, which operates under Iran’s judiciary, said the impact of economic restrictions will go beyond patients and vulnerable groups.

“The humanitarian consequences of these restrictions are not limited to the importation of finished medicines,” a statement carried by state-run IRIB said

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has issued a travel advisory for France, Belgium and Italy and urged citizens to take safety precautions following violent protests there over the weekend.

It told citizens to avoid “high-tension and volatile” areas in the three European states.

A statement also advised Iranians to carry contact details for Iran’s representative offices in France, Belgium and Italy.

Brigadier-General Hossein Mohebbi, spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), has threatened communication cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Seven major undersea cables pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and all of the world’s internet and commercial data depend on them,” Fars news agency quoted Mohebbi as saying.

Yemen’s armed forces say they launched two air strikes on Houthi fighters in Najd Qasim, south of Taiz, and a third targeting a weapons storage facility in Jabal Habshi, west of the strategic city.

In a summary of the day’s developments in the western governorate, the army said fighting continues on various fronts “concentrated in al-Masrakh district, al-Shaqab, and al-Aqroud fronts in the south and Dhubab and the vicinity of Jabal Han west of the city”.

The spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government has warned the Houthis about using ordinary vessels to smuggle weapons.

Turki al-Maliki said such shipments by “traditional” boats threaten Yemen’s security and endanger civilian lives.

He urged all owners of these vessels against engaging with the Houthis in the smuggling of military equipment by sea towards the Yemeni coast to “protect their own lives and their property”.

When asked by a reporter about France’s cost of living turmoil and President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion that the US-launched attack on Iran spawned the current energy crisis, the US leader said he doesn’t believe the comments to be true.

“That’s fake news. Emmanuel is a friend of mine. I told him a long time ago you’re making a mistake in France. You’re letting everybody from the world come in… As you know Paris is going to be a Muslim city soon,” said Trump.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government says the Houthis are striking the major urban centre of Marib after a day of deadly attacks.

“The Houthi terrorist militias, backed by the Iranian regime, are targeting the city of Marib – which is densely populated and home to many displaced people – with several ballistic missiles,” it said on Telegram.

Amnesty International has called on countries to take concrete measures in response to recent Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, describing them as a “central policy of the Israeli state”.

“Once again, Israel’s apartheid system is turning the olive harvest into a season of horror for Palestinian families across the occupied West Bank,” said Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

The US president has addressed the war on Iran while talking to the media.

“We are hitting Iran very hard as you know, economically and militarily,” he told reporters outside the White House.

Trump praised Russia for staying on the sidelines of the conflict saying President Vladimir Putin is “laying off Iran and that’s nice”.

“Russia’s done nothing there that we can see, and that’s very positive.”