{"id":32629,"date":"2026-03-23T17:26:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:26:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/32629\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T17:26:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:26:29","slug":"the-latest-trump-says-iran-wants-to-make-a-deal-but-the-islamic-republic-denies-any-talks-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/32629\/","title":{"rendered":"The Latest: Trump says Iran &#8216;wants to make a deal&#8217; but the Islamic Republic denies any talks | Business"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. President Donald Trump has extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-israel-trump-lebanon-march-23-2026-93c6b3234a5e8917aaf599bf85a03044\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saying the U.S. will hold off striking power plants in the country<\/a> for five more days.<\/p>\n<p>Trump also held out the possibility of a resolution to the war, telling reporters that Iran wants \u201cto make a deal,\u201d and claiming U.S. envoys have been holding talks with a \u201crespected\u201d Iranian leader. Shortly after Trump\u2019s social media announcement \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/live\/iran-war-israel-trump-03-22-2026\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hours before the deadline was set to expire<\/a> \u2014 Iranian state television declared that the American leader had backed down \u201cfollowing Iran\u2019s firm warning,\u201d and its parliament speaker denied any negotiations with the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Relief initially ripped through <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/stocks-markets-oil-iran-trump-026e3ab83a6256e36001b85058f92b5d\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">financial markets<\/a> Monday morning as oil prices eased following severe losses prior to Trump\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n<p>Trump also said the U.S. would seek to retrieve Iran\u2019s enriched uranium and end its nuclear program as part of a deal, telling reporters: \u201cWe want to see no nuclear bomb, no nuclear weapon. Not even close to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The death toll has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 U.S. military members, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.<\/p>\n<p>Here is the latest:<\/p>\n<p>Regional heavyweights Turkey and Egypt speak to warring parties in first sign of coordinated mediation<\/p>\n<p>Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan. Turkey has been an intermediary in past talks between Tehran and Washington.<\/p>\n<p>Turkey\u2019s Foreign Ministry declined to comment Monday on whether the country had relayed messages between Iran and the U.S. On Sunday, Turkish officials said Fidan had also spoken to his counterparts from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, and the European Union, as well as with U.S. officials as part of efforts to end the war.<\/p>\n<p>Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Cairo has delivered \u201cclear messages\u201d to Iran focusing on de-escalating the conflict, according to his office. Egypt\u2019s Foreign Ministry said it was making \u201cconstant efforts and communications\u201d with all parties.<\/p>\n<p>British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday that the U.K. was ware of talks between the U.S. and Iran, but told British lawmakers \u201cwe mustn\u2019t fall into the false comfort of thinking that there will necessarily be a quick and early end to this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Red Cross chief warns that striking civilian infrastructure risks war crimes<\/p>\n<p>Without naming specific countries, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, said in a statement that \u201cdeliberate attacks on essential services and civilian infrastructure can amount to war crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said the trend isn\u2019t unique to the region or the current war, \u201cbut what we have seen in recent days in the Middle East risks reaching a point of no return.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Iranian official denies negotiations with the US<\/p>\n<p>Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf denied Monday that Iran is negotiating with the United States to end the war, adding that \u201cfakenews is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump announced on social media before U.S. markets opened Monday that the U.S. is currently holding negotiations with Iran, and that Iran wants to reach a deal to end the war as it enters its fourth week.<\/p>\n<p>Death toll in Lebanon reaches 1,039<\/p>\n<p>The Lebanese Health Ministry said Monday that 10 people had been killed over the past 24 hours.<\/p>\n<p>At least 118 children and 79 women were among those killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the outbreak of a new Israel-Hezbollah war, the ministry said.<\/p>\n<p>The ministry said 90 more people were also wounded, raising the total number of injured to at least 2,876.<\/p>\n<p>Iran built a vast camera network to control dissent. Israel turned it into a targeting tool<\/p>\n<p>The role of Israel\u2019s hijacking of Iran\u2019s street cameras in <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-explosion-tehran-c2f11247d8a66e36929266f2c557a54c\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the killing of the country\u2019s supreme leader<\/a> shows how surveillance systems are increasingly being used for targeting in wartime.<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of millions of internet-connected and poorly secured cameras have been installed above shops, in homes and on street corners across the world. Artificial intelligence now enables militaries and intelligence agencies to search through vast amounts of data to identify targets.<\/p>\n<p>On Feb. 28, Israel vividly demonstrated the potential by locating Iranian leader <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-supreme-leader-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-dead-5b13b69b708c4ed38e8f95f5fb41a597\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a> despite repeated warnings that Iran\u2019s surveillance systems had been compromised, according to interviews and an Associated Press review of leaked data, public statements and news reports.<\/p>\n<p>The use of hacked surveillance cameras among other intelligence to kill Khamenei was described to the AP by an intelligence official with knowledge of the operation and another person who was briefed on the operation. Neither was authorized to speak with the media and both shared information on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-war-security-cameras-surveillance-5f9a1fe5845d94894f3edd50af560d3a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Top EU diplomat says Trump\u2019s halt on striking Iran energy is \u2018very welcome\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think any attacks on infrastructure are causing chaos in the region and really escalating this war even further,\u201d European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at a news conference in Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p>Surging energy prices have pushed EU leaders to consider cost-cutting steps, including expanding renewables, adjusting taxes, pursuing new trade deals and scrapping carbon credits.<\/p>\n<p>Wright says oil prices have not risen high enough to trigger a significant drop in demand<\/p>\n<p>Energy Secretary Chris Wright says disruptions in the global oil market are \u201ctemporary\u201d and says price hikes caused by the Iran war are not yet steep enough to trigger a significant drop in demand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPrices have not risen high enough yet to drive meaningful demand destruction,\u201d Wright said at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston.<\/p>\n<p>Oil prices have climbed to more than $100 a barrel and U.S. gasoline prices surged to nearly $4 a gallon. But Wright said \u201cpragmatic solutions\u201d to release oil from a strategic reserve and allow sanctioned oil already in transit to enter the market should help mitigate the price shocks.<\/p>\n<p>He said Asia has been the most deeply affected by the supply disruptions.<\/p>\n<p>International Energy Agency leader says global economy faces \u2018major, major threat\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Forty energy assets in nine countries have been \u201cseverely or very severely damaged,\u201d Fatih Birol told Australia\u2019s National Press Club on Monday. \u201cNo country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues to go in this direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The oil crises of 1973 and 1979 together lost 10 million barrels per day, causing \u201cmajor economic problems around the world, the recessions. And today, only as of today, we lost 11 million barrels per day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>After Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, gas markets lost about 75 billion cubic meters, and have now lost about 140 BCM as a result of this crisis, he added.<\/p>\n<p>The IEA released a historic 400 million barrels of stockpiled oil \u201cto comfort the markets,\u201d and is consulting with governments in Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East about releasing more, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-war-australia-international-energy-agency-f1e7ccd313263fd63e695f43a2e68165\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Israeli strike kills 1 person near Beirut<\/p>\n<p>Lebanon\u2019s Health Ministry said the Monday afternoon airstrike hit an apartment in Beirut\u2019s southeastern suburb of Hazmiyeh, killing one person.<\/p>\n<p>The Israeli military said it targeted a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard\u2019s expeditionary Quds Force.<\/p>\n<p>UK warship, US carrier remain docked in Greece<\/p>\n<p>The U.K.\u2019s air defense destroyer HMS Dragon was docked at Greece\u2019s Souda Bay naval base, en route to help defend British military bases in Cyprus from Iranian drone or missile attacks.<\/p>\n<p>The ship departed the U.K. on March 3, two days after an apparent Iranian drone launched from Lebanon struck the RAF Akrotiri air base, causing minor damage to an aircraft hangar. No timeline was given for HMS Dragon\u2019s arrival off Cyprus. Reports suggest it had to complete trainings before deployment.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier remains docked at the same naval base in Greece, 10 days after the military said it had a \u201cnot combat-related\u201d fire while operating in the Red Sea. Its departure meant the U.S. has only one aircraft carrier supporting operations against Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Trump stresses that he believes Iran wants a deal \u2018very badly\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll I\u2019m saying is, we are in the throes of a real possibility of making a deal,\u201d Trump said as he wrapped his extended exchange with reporters before boarding Air Force One.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I think, if I were a betting man I\u2019d bet for it. But again, I\u2019m not guaranteeing anything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>More from Trump on Iran\u2019s nuclear program<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said the U.S. would retrieve Iran\u2019s enriched uranium as part of a potential agreement with the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very easy, if we have a deal with them, we\u2019re going down and we\u2019ll take it ourselves,\u201d Trump said as he departed from a weekend in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>Trump said any deal with Iran would include ending the country\u2019s nuclear capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to see, no nuclear bomb, no nuclear weapon. Not even close to it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump claims US has been holding talks with a \u2018respected\u2019 Iranian leader<\/p>\n<p>Trump told reporters Monday his Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner conducted talks Sunday into the evening.<\/p>\n<p>He said talks would continue today.<\/p>\n<p>Trump did not name any official or officials representing Tehran. Trump said the U.S. has not talked to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.<\/p>\n<p>Trump said if a deal is reached with Iran, the U.S. will move to take Iran\u2019s enriched uranium critical to its disputed nuclear program.<\/p>\n<p>UN peacekeepers say their headquarters in Lebanon was struck<\/p>\n<p>The U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said Monday that a building at its headquarters in the coastal town of Naqoura was struck by a projectile. The U.N. said it believes it \u201cwas fired by a non-state actor,\u201d an apparent reference to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.<\/p>\n<p>Hezbollah and Israeli forces have fought at multiple points along the border since Israel launched a renewed ground incursion into southern Lebanon. The UNIFIL statement said that \u201cover the past 48 hours, peacekeepers have recorded intense gunfire and explosions\u201d in the Naqoura area, and \u201cbullets, fragments, and shrapnel have hit buildings and open areas inside our headquarters. &#8230; As a result, peacekeepers have been restricted to shelters to avoid injury.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said peacekeepers have also observed or heard ground combat around the villages of Khiam, Odaisseh, Mays al-Jabal, Markaba and Taybeh.<\/p>\n<p>Russia will evacuate more personnel from Iran\u2019s nuclear plant<\/p>\n<p>The head of Russia\u2019s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said Monday it will evacuate more workers from Iran\u2019s Russia-built nuclear power plant but will also keep some.<\/p>\n<p>Alexei Likhachev, who said last week that Rosatom had 480 workers at the plant in Bushehr, announced that evacuations this week will leave just a few dozen Rosatom workers at the plant.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Likhachev reported a strike hit close to the working nuclear reactor without causing damage or injuries. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had urged the U.S. to avoid hitting the plant, warning it could trigger \u201cirreparable\u201d consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry denies negotiations with US, state-owned IRAN newspaper says<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRemarks by the U.S. president are part of efforts to reduce energy prices and buy time to implement his military plans\u201d the newspaper said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile there have been initiatives by regional countries to de-escalate tensions, Iran\u2019s response has been clear: It did not start the war and all such requests should be directed to Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Global shares jump after Trump announces progress on Iran<\/p>\n<p>U.S. markets reversed course and shot higher before the opening bell and oil futures tumbled after Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz. He said the U.S. would hold off on strikes against Iranian power plants and other energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>Futures for the S&amp;P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 2.6% before the opening bell. Oil prices tumbled as much as 10% at one point. Benchmark U.S. crude slid $8.23 to $90 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, tumbled $9.02 to $103.17 a barrel.<\/p>\n<p>Benchmark Brent crude rapidly fell after Trump\u2019s announcement but rebounded to just over $100 a barrel<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after Trump\u2019s announcement, the Israeli military said it was carrying out another wave of strikes on targets in Iran\u2019s capital, Tehran.<\/p>\n<p>2 Iranian news agencies close to Revolutionary Guard claim no negotiations between Tehran and US<\/p>\n<p>Two Iranian semiofficial news agencies close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed that there had been no negotiations \u2014 direct or indirect \u2014 with Washington as described by Trump.<\/p>\n<p>The Fars and Tasnim news agencies instead portrayed the American president as backing down due to Iran\u2019s threats.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSince the start of the war, messages have been sent to Tehran by some mediators, but Iran\u2019s clear response has been that it will continue its defense until the required level of deterrence is achieved,\u201d Tasnim\u2019s report said. \u201cNo negotiations have taken place and none are underway. &#8230; With this kind of psychological warfare, neither the Strait of Hormuz will return to prewar conditions nor will calm return to energy markets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s postponement of Strait of Hormuz deadline is latest switch<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s announcement of \u201cproductive conversations\u201d with Iran and the postponement of a deadline for the country to reopen the strait is only the latest shift from a leader who has <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-iran-war-oil-sanctions-troops-contradictions-eb10ac163be642ad4d738bab9f0ae2a6\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">often been contradictory<\/a> in his objectives.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s post on his Truth Social platform Monday said he would hold off on strikes for five days amid talks with Iran, roughly 12 hours ahead of the previous deadline he had set.<\/p>\n<p>The president sometimes contradicts himself in the same speech, social media post or even sentence. His mixed signals about the Iran war Friday raised <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-war-powers-exit-strategy-congress-trump-781ef538fbb493cf0973c6a89698f36e\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">more questions<\/a> about <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-iran-war-hormuz-oil-polls-7ece55a7e283d2fa8054f00cfa3ada59\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">his administration\u2019s strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Iran state TV says Trump backed down<\/p>\n<p>Iranian state television offered Tehran\u2019s first reaction to Trump\u2019s decision to extend his deadline for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p>The deadline should have been around 0000 GMT Tuesday. Instead, Trump on Monday said he extended it by five days.<\/p>\n<p>Reacting to the news, Iranian state television said in a graphic on screen: \u201cU.S. president backs down following Iran\u2019s firm warning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Oman working to secure transit through the strait<\/p>\n<p>Oman\u2019s top diplomat says his country, which has long mediated between the U.S. and Iran, is working to secure safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz. He did not elaborate.<\/p>\n<p>Foreign Minister Bad Albusaidi also wrote in a social media post that Iran is not to be blamed for the war.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhatever your view of Iran, this war is not of their making. This is already causing widespread economic problems,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Chinese envoy: \u2018We all know who started this war\u2019<\/p>\n<p>China\u2019s Middle East envoy pinned the blame squarely on the U.S. and Israel for a war he said has dealt a heavy blow to the global economy and shipping lanes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe all know who started this war,\u201d Zhai Jun told reporters in Beijing after a recent trip to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt.<\/p>\n<p>Asked about the biggest obstacle to a ceasefire, he quoted a Chinese saying. \u201cTo untie a belt, the person who tied it is needed,\u201d he said, repeating his government\u2019s call for the U.S. and Israel to halt their military actions immediately and return to negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>Zhai said the ongoing fighting made his delegation\u2019s trip an unusual one, including witnessing missile interceptions above them. \u201cWe heard explosions and sirens for the first time in a real war, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump extends deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for 5 days<\/p>\n<p>Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social website Monday, just hours ahead of a deadline later in the day.<\/p>\n<p>Writing in all capital letters, he said the U.S. and Iran have had \u201cvery good and productive conversations\u201d that could yield \u201ca complete and total resolution\u201d in the war. Talks will continue \u201cthroughout the week,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p>Modi says Iran war straining India\u2019s energy security<\/p>\n<p>Speaking in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday compared the challenges caused by the war to those faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and said India needs to be equally prepared this time.<\/p>\n<p>Modi said the country\u2019s power plants have adequate coal reserves and that all power supply systems are being closely monitored as summer approaches and demand rises. He said India\u2019s fertilizer stocks remain sufficient.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis war is not in the interest of humanity. India is encouraging all sides to end war peacefully,\u201d Modi said.<\/p>\n<p>Explosions rock Tehran<\/p>\n<p>Associated Press journalists heard explosions across multiple points in Iran\u2019s capital, Tehran, on Monday afternoon. It wasn\u2019t immediately clear what was hit.<\/p>\n<p>Iran fired 2 missiles and 36 drones at Bahrain<\/p>\n<p>Bahrain&#8217;s Defense Ministry said the projectiles were fired in the last 24 hours.<\/p>\n<p>The Kremlin warns US against striking Iran\u2019s nuclear power plant<\/p>\n<p>The Kremlin said Monday that any U.S. strikes on Iran\u2019s Russia-built nuclear power plant could trigger \u201cirreparable\u201d consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Asked about Trump\u2019s warning to \u201cobliterate\u201d Iran\u2019s power plants if it doesn\u2019t fully open the Strait of Hormuz, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the \u201ccatastrophically tense\u201d situation in the region could only be settled by political and diplomatic means.<\/p>\n<p>Peskov warned that any strikes on nuclear facilities would be \u201cextremely dangerous and fraught with possibly irreparable consequences,\u201d adding that Russia has \u201cconveyed relevant signals\u201d to the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli military says farmer killed in the north was hit by its own shelling<\/p>\n<p>Ofer \u201cPoshko\u201d Moskovitz was killed on Sunday in Misgav Am, a northern community on the border with Lebanon.<\/p>\n<p>The army said Monday that following an examination it determined that Moskovitz was hit by Israeli artillery fire due to \u201coperational errors,\u201d including directing the fire \u201cat an incorrect angle\u201d and not following protocol.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a result, five artillery shells were fired at the Misgav Am ridge instead of toward the enemy target,\u201d the army said in a statement. It expressed regret over the \u201cvery severe\u201d incident.<\/p>\n<p>Egypt denounces Israel\u2019s strikes on Lebanon\u2019s infrastructure<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe deliberate destruction of infrastructure in Lebanon represents a blatant Israeli policy of collective punishment,\u201d the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a Monday statement.<\/p>\n<p>It criticized Israel\u2019s \u201csystemic and deliberate\u201d strikes, including on bridges on the Litani River in south Lebanon.<\/p>\n<p>Sara Netanyahu flies to US for conference of first spouses<\/p>\n<p>The wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Washington early Monday for a meeting of dozens of first spouses organized by first lady Melania Trump.<\/p>\n<p>According to the prime minister\u2019s office, Netanyahu will be in the states for two or three days and is expected to return to Israel immediately afterward. The White House said the meeting of first spouses will focus on supporting children through the \u201csafe and innovative use of technology.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Israeli airstrike destroys bridge on Litani River in south Lebanon<\/p>\n<p>The strike on the bridge Monday in the southern village of Qaaqaaiyet al-Jisr cut a main link between the southern city of Nabatiyeh and al-Hujair valley region farther south.<\/p>\n<p>The state-run National News Agency gave no further details about the latest strike on a bridge on the Litani river to be destroyed in recent days.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, Israel struck the Qasmiyeh bridge near the southern port city of Tyre.<\/p>\n<p>Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called Israel\u2019s new targeting of bridges in the south \u201ca prelude to a ground invasion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Iran threatens to deploy naval mines across the \u2018entire Persian Gulf\u2019 if a land invasion happens<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s Defense Council issued the statement as concern in Tehran grows about the potential arrival of U.S. Marines to the region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny attempt by the enemy to target Iran\u2019s coasts or islands will, naturally and in accordance with established military practice, lead to the mining of all access routes &#8230; in the Persian Gulf and along the coasts,\u201d the council said.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. has been trying to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, to energy shipments. The Marines could come ashore to seize either islands or territory in Iran to support that mission. Israel also has suggested a ground operation could take part in the war.<\/p>\n<p>Head of National Iranian American Council says striking Iran&#8217;s energy plants is collective punishment<\/p>\n<p>Jamal Abdi, head of the National Iranian American Council, described President Donald Trump\u2019s threat to strike Iran\u2019s energy facilities as a \u201ccollective punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThreatening to bomb Iran\u2019s power plants is a threat to millions of civilians,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is not a \u2018targeted\u2019 strike. This is collective punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Iran war has \u2018far reaching\u2019 impact on millions in Africa and Asia, UN official says<\/p>\n<p>A senior United Nations official said the war in the Middle East has \u201cfar reaching\u201d impact on millions of people particularly in developing countries in Asia and Africa.<\/p>\n<p>A Monday statement by Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the U.N. Office for Project Services, detailed the ripple effects of the war, now in its fourth week, including \u201cexponential price hikes in oil, fuel and gas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur world is the most violent it has been since the Second World War,\u201d he said, calling for diplomacy. \u201cThere is no military solution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He warned that the number of hungry people is likely to increase by tens of millions this year as the widening war threatens remittance flows.<\/p>\n<p>The war also displaced 3.2 million people in Iran and 1 million in Lebanon, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump threat likely would target natural gas electricity generation sites<\/p>\n<p>As Trump\u2019s 48-hour deadline to bomb power-generation sites in Iran over the opening of the Strait of Hormuz approaches, there are several electrical sites that could be targets in the Islamic Republic. About 80% of all power generated in Iran is created at plants powered by natural gas.<\/p>\n<p>Those plants have continued working, even after Israel last week bombed Iran\u2019s South Pars offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n<p>Among the top natural gas plants are Damavand Power Plant, Shahid Salimi Neka Power Plant and Shahid Rajaee Power Plant \u2013 all around Iran\u2019s capital, Tehran.<\/p>\n<p>Knocking those plants offline could affect businesses and homes in Tehran, as well as halt gas stations and other crucial sites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"U.S. President Donald Trump has extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32630,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[328,1284,39,894,1142],"class_list":{"0":"post-32629","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-persian-gulf","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-national","10":"tag-persian-gulf","11":"tag-state","12":"tag-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116279665580733601","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}