Plumes of smoke were seen rising above Tehran early on Tuesday morning as a new round of airstrikes pummeled the Iranian capital, while Israel also reported it had detected missiles fired from Iran as the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict now enters its 32nd day.
The latest aerial bombardment on Tehran came shortly after daybreak and lasted for about ten minutes, with heavy explosions reported in multiple areas in the east and northeast of the city, resulting in thick clouds of smoke streaming into the sky.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced it had detected missiles being fired from Iran earlier on Tuesday, triggering air raid sirens in multiple locations across central Israel.
The conflict erupted on Feb. 28, after Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East.
The situation shows little sign of de-escalation as Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that a recent truce plan proposed by the United States contains "very excessive, unrealistic and unreasonable" demands.
Smoke seen rising above Tehran after new airstrikes pummel city
Smoke seen rising above Tehran after new airstrikes pummel city
Smoke seen rising above Tehran after new airstrikes pummel city
The 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting concluded in east China's Suzhou on Saturday, yielding fruitful results and laying significant groundwork for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.
The trade ministers' meeting focused on "building an open and predictable regional and multilateral economic and trade order" and "fostering new engines of innovative and dynamic trade and investment cooperation."
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao briefed the media on the meeting's outcomes at a press conference.
Wang said the meeting issued a joint statement titled the Suzhou Statement, and approved the latest edition of the APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services.
All parties agreed to advance policy innovation and reform in services trade, build an open and predictable investment environment, improve regional trade facilitation and supply chain resilience, strengthen standards coordination, and enhance intellectual property protection, Wang told the media.
He also said that substantial progress was made on a framework document for regional digital trade cooperation and the ministers emphasized promoting inclusive AI development, strengthening AI-related trade, and bridging the digital divide to ensure shared benefits from digital transformation.
The minister noted that the outcomes of the meeting demonstrated strong cooperation willingness, highlighted an innovation-oriented approach, and reflected inclusiveness and shared benefits. "The fact that Asia-Pacific economies can come together, uphold the original aspiration of promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation while supporting economic growth and prosperity, and engage in in-depth discussions on the important issue of 'where multilateral and regional economic and trade cooperation is headed,' fully demonstrates that open regionalism and true multilateralism enjoy broad support, and that mutual success and shared development serve the fundamental interests of all economies," Wang said.
2026 APEC trade ministers' meeting concludes with fruitful results
