Iran War Day 37 — Easter Sunday: “Gates of Hell” Warning, Iran Targets Google & Apple, Missing Pilot Search On , Bab el-Mandeb Threat, April 6 Deadline Tomorrow

Iran Issues “Gates of Hell” Warning — April 6 Deadline Is Tomorrow

As Trump’s energy strike deadline falls tomorrow, Iran’s military turned up the heat dramatically on Saturday. CNN reports that a senior Iranian military commander warned: “The gates of hell will be opened upon you” if the US and Israel continue attacking Iran’s civilian infrastructure. Another Iranian military spokesman added that “the entire region will become hell” if hostilities expand further, saying the idea that anyone can defeat the Islamic Republic “has turned into a swamp that will engulf you.”

Trump, for his part, was equally blunt on Saturday morning. He posted on social media telling Iran that “time is running out” — repeating his threat that Iran’s power plants, oil wells, Kharg Island oil terminal, and possibly even water desalination plants would all be struck if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by 8 PM Eastern time on Monday, April 6. International law experts have already warned that striking water and power infrastructure serving millions of civilians would be a war crime under international law. Senator Lindsey Graham said he “totally” supports the threat. The two sides are locked in a countdown with no clear exit.

“Do not forget: if hostilities expand, the entire region will become hell for you.” — Iran Military Spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari, April 5, 2026

Search for Missing US Pilot Enters Second Day — Inside Iran

One of the most urgent human dramas of this war continues today. NPR reports that the US military’s search for the missing weapons officer from the downed F-15E fighter jet is now in its second day — and the search is taking place inside Iran’s territory. The plane was shot down on Friday in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province of central Iran. The pilot was rescued, but the weapons systems officer ejected from the aircraft and has not been found. US forces are conducting search and rescue operations in the area under extremely dangerous conditions. Iran’s forces are active in the same territory, making any rescue mission high-risk. Iran’s parliament speaker publicly mocked the US over the search, comparing the situation to a massive power claiming victory while asking if anyone can find its pilots.

As the war’s sixth week begins, the Pentagon has updated its casualty count. NPR confirms that 365 US service members have now been wounded in action since the war began on February 28 — and 13 have been killed. The total death and injury toll across the region is far higher: more than 2,076 people killed in Iran, over 1,000 killed in Lebanon, and thousands more injured across the Gulf states.

Iran Names 18 US Tech Giants as Targets — Google, Apple, Meta, Tesla, Boeing

In a dramatic escalation that has sent shockwaves through the global technology industry, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards released a list of 18 major American companies they plan to target across the Middle East. According to TIME and CNBC, the companies named include Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, IBM, Intel, HP, Dell, Cisco, Tesla, Boeing, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Palantir, Spire Solutions and UAE-based AI firm G42. The IRGC’s reasoning is that these companies provide the artificial intelligence and digital tracking technology that helps the US and Israel identify and kill Iranian officials.

The IRGC told all employees of these firms to “immediately leave their workplaces” and warned residents living within one kilometre of any of these companies’ offices in the Middle East to move to a safe location. Trump dismissed the threat, reportedly saying Iran couldn’t hurt these firms “with BB guns” — but the warning is taken seriously by security analysts because Iran already successfully struck Amazon data centres in the UAE and Bahrain earlier in the war, showing its drones can hit commercial infrastructure. The total list of threatened companies covers virtually every major US tech player with a presence in the Gulf — from cloud servers to defence AI platforms.

Iran Hints at Closing the Bab el-Mandeb — A Second Global Shipping Crisis

Iran may be planning to open a new front in its economic war against the West. CNN reports that Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted a pointed series of questions on social media asking: “What share of global oil, LNG, wheat, rice and fertiliser shipments pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait? Which countries and companies account for the highest volumes?” The Bab el-Mandeb is the narrow waterway between Yemen and the Horn of Africa that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden — the gateway to the Suez Canal and Europe.

If Iran were to direct its Houthi allies in Yemen to close the Bab el-Mandeb in addition to the Strait of Hormuz — which Iran already controls — it would simultaneously block both of the world’s most critical oil and trade routes. The economic damage to Europe, Asia and Africa would be catastrophic. Shipping companies, governments and commodity traders took the hint seriously, and oil futures ticked higher on Saturday morning in early Asian trading.

Anti-War Protests in Tel Aviv — Police Arrest 17 Demonstrators

Even inside Israel, public opposition to the war is growing. CNN reports that Israeli police broke up an anti-war protest in Tel Aviv’s HaBima Square on Saturday night, arresting at least 17 people. The protest was initially allowed under a court order permitting 600 attendees, but police said the crowd swelled to nearly 1,000 and moved in to disperse it. Activists carried signs calling for an end to the war with Iran and protesting against the ongoing military campaign in Lebanon. It is a rare sign of domestic dissent in a country that has largely rallied behind the war effort. More protests are expected ahead of Passover this week.

Red Crescent Worker Killed — Fourth Aid Worker to Die in This War

The humanitarian cost of this war reached a grim new milestone on Saturday. CNN reports that an Iranian Red Crescent Society aid worker named Abolfazl Dehnavi was killed in an airstrike in Iran’s Isfahan province. He is the fourth Red Crescent worker to be killed in US-Israeli strikes since the war began. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies issued a strong statement, reminding all warring parties that the Red Crescent symbol represents protected humanitarian personnel under international law. “Ensuring the protection of humanitarians wearing the emblem is not only a moral issue, but an imperative international legal norm,” the IFRC said.

Pope Leo XIV Calls for Peace on Easter — Urges “All Paths of Dialogue”

On this Easter Sunday, Pope Leo XIV — America’s first-ever Pope — continued his sustained campaign against the war. The Times of Israel reports that Pope Leo called Israel’s President Herzog directly to urge him to “pursue all paths of dialogue” to end the Iran conflict, stressing the need to protect civilians and respect international law. The call was made to mark both Passover and Easter. Earlier in the week at Palm Sunday Mass, Leo had told tens of thousands in St Peter’s Square that God “rejects war” and “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.” Today, with bombs still falling across the Middle East, his Easter message carries an even greater weight. The Vatican has become the most consistent international voice against this conflict — even as the US and Israel show no sign of stopping.

Lebanon: 23 Killed Friday, One Million Displaced — No End in Sight

NPR reports that at least 23 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon on Friday alone, as Israel stepped up its military campaign against Hezbollah in the country’s south. Israel’s Defence Minister declared that the approximately 600,000 people forced out of southern Lebanon would not be allowed to return home until Israel decides security has been guaranteed for its own northern residents. More than one million Lebanese — roughly one in six people in the country — have now been displaced from their homes since Israeli operations in Lebanon began on March 2. The humanitarian situation is described as catastrophic, with shelter, food and medical supplies running critically short.

Today is Easter Sunday — a day of resurrection and hope. But for the people of Iran, Lebanon, and the entire Gulf region, this Easter brings only the sound of sirens, the threat of new strikes, and the fear of what Monday’s April 6 deadline will bring. The next 24 hours may be the most important of this entire five-week war. Stay with WorldWire all day for live updates.

Sources

CNNAl JazeeraNPRTIMECNBCCNN — Day 35The HillTimes of IsraelJerusalem PostWikipediaReutersBBC

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