\u2022 Read in full: Who are the 82nd airborne division troops being deployed to Iran? What\u2019s in the 15-point plan? Nuclear is key<\/p>\n Iranian diplomats have been handed a 15-point plan to end the war from the US, mediators in Pakistan have said, although the full details of the plan have not been confirmed.<\/p>\n Pakistani officials told the Associated Press news agency that the proposal broadly covered sanctions relief, civilian nuclear co-operation, a rollback of Iran\u2019s nuclear programme, monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, missile limits and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n The Israeli broadcaster Channel 12, meanwhile, reported that the plan stipulated that Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow would be decommissioned and destroyed, that Iran would commit to never trying to obtain nuclear weapons and would abandon the use of proxy militia groups across the Middle East.<\/p>\n The Strait of Hormuz would remain open and be designated a \u201cfree maritime zone\u201d under the terms, the broadcaster added.<\/p>\n In return, Iran would receive US assistance in developing a civilian nuclear power project and all sanctions would be removed.<\/p>\n There are also reports that a possible month-long ceasefire would apply while discussions take place, but this also remains unconfirmed and no details have been given by the White House.<\/p>\n Iran has offered no immediate comment on the terms.<\/p>\n Starmer: We won\u2019t risk energy security by joining war<\/p>\n Sir Keir Starmer said the best way to bring down energy bills was to avoid joining the war in Iran.<\/p>\n In response to questions from Kemi Badenoch about the failure to allow new drilling in the North Sea, the prime minister said that the UK was committed to steering clear of active engagement in the Middle East conflict.<\/p>\n Kemi Badenoch challenged Sir Keir Starmer over Labour\u2019s North Sea oil policy<\/p>\n HOUSE OF COMMONS\/UK PARLIAMENT\/PA<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to de-escalate. That\u2019s why we chose not to join the war,\u201d he told the Commons. \u201cThe most important thing to get energy security is to not join the war.\u201d<\/p>\n Starmer said that the UK had been on the \u201cfossil fuel rollercoaster\u201d since the outbreak of war sent oil and gas prices soaring. He said the Labour government was committed to the greater use of renewable energy, to lessen the UK\u2019s reliance on gas.<\/p>\n Is Tehran listening to Trump\u2019s 15-point peace plan? Trump and Iran have different views on where the negotiations stand as the conflict continues in the Middle East<\/p>\n Another day, another switch from President Trump \u2014 this time his social media account is no longer offering peace in our time but once again demanding \u201cunconditional surrender\u201d.<\/p>\n He has also said he is negotiating with Iran via Pakistani intermediaries. That is not how the Iranians see it. Their official response has been to suggest that US officials are in fact negotiating with each other.<\/p>\n Whether an unconditional surrender is something that is negotiated, logic might suggest otherwise, the 15-point plan Trump\u2019s advisers are said to have sent to the Iranians is, from the point of view of Iran, just that: a demand for unconditional surrender.<\/p>\n \u2022 Trump has a 15-point peace plan. Is Tehran listening?<\/a><\/p>\n Israeli strikes in Iran continue Damage in the Iranian city of Isfahan after a strike<\/p>\n GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s air force has said it had completed several more strikes against targets in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe air force, guided by military intelligence, completed a short time ago several waves of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in Tehran,\u201d the IDF said on X, adding that there would be \u201cfurther details to follow\u201d.<\/p>\n Israeli boy, 14, charged with spying for Iran<\/p>\n A 14-year-old boy in Israel has been charged with spying on behalf of Iran.<\/p>\n The teenager made contact with an Iranian agent on the Telegram app last April and began carrying out tasks for him, earning more than $1,170 in cryptocurrency, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n The boy, who has not been identified because he is a minor, was indicted on Wednesday in the Tel Aviv juvenile court on charges of maintaining contact with a foreign agent and passing intelligence to the enemy, among other offenses.<\/p>\n He is accused of taking videos of the Kirya complex, the headquarters of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), in Tel Aviv, along with other locations. He is also said to have spray-painted a Shia slogan, \u201cwe are committed to the covenant\u201d, across various locations in the city.<\/p>\n Israeli media said that prosecutors did not specify when the alleged offences took place. But they added that the defendant told his Iranian contact that he couldn\u2019t carry out tasks during the school year, and that it would have to wait until the holidays.<\/p>\n Iran claims to have fired missiles at US carrier<\/p>\n Iran fired cruise missiles at the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, its military said in a statement carried by state television, warning of further launches if the vessel and its support ships come in range.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Iranian navy\u2019s Qader cruise missiles [shore-based anti-ship missile] targeted the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier belonging to the US and forced it to change its position,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n Press TV, a state media outlet, published a video which it claimed showed the launches of the missiles, which have a range of 300km (186 miles).<\/p>\n The Iranian news agency IRNA cited Admiral Shahram Irani, the head of the navy, who said the carrier group\u2019s movements were \u201cconstantly being monitored \u2026 and as soon as this hostile fleet comes within range of our missile systems, it will be subjected to powerful strikes by the Iranian navy\u201d.<\/p>\n There was no confirmation from the US of the claims.<\/p>\n Iranian missile shrapnel lands in Jordan<\/p>\n Overnight, shrapnel from Iranian missiles fell near Jordan\u2019s capital, Amman.<\/p>\n The debris landed in an uninhabited area in Marj al-Hamam, southwest of the city, causing no injury or damage, local officials said.<\/p>\n Air raid warnings rang out in Bahrain although there was no reports of impacts.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier said they fired a volley of \u201cprecision-guided\u201d missiles and drones at Israel and bases hosting US forces in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain.<\/p>\n Kuwait airport fuel depot hit by Iranian drones Smoke rises after an attack on a fuel depot at Kuwait International Airport<\/p>\n GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n An Iranian drone attack targeted a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, causing a fire to break out at the site, the country\u2019s civil aviation authority confirmed on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Large plumes of smoke were seen rising from the scene on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said on X that the damage is limited to material losses, with no casualties reported.<\/p>\n \u2018Soldiers will fall victim to Netanyahu\u2019s delusions\u2019<\/p>\n The speaker of Iran\u2019s parliament has warned the US not to test the Islamic republic\u2019s \u201cresolve to defend our land\u201d.<\/p>\n After the United States was reported to be sending more troops to the Middle East, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X: \u201cWe are closely monitoring all US movements in the region, especially troop deployments.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat the generals have broke, the soldiers can\u2019t fix; instead, they will fall victim to Netanyahu\u2019s delusions,\u201d he added, referring to the Israeli prime minister. \u201cDo not test our resolve to defend our land.\u201d<\/p>\n Pakistan delivers US peace plan to Iran<\/p>\n Pakistan has delivered an American proposal to Iran, a senior Iranian source told Reuters, but the venue of any talks between Tehran and Washington to end the war has yet to be decided.<\/p>\n The source, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, did not disclose details of the proposal and whether it was a 15-point framework proposal to end the war. The source also said Turkey was helping to find ways to end the war and \u201ceither Turkey or Pakistan are under consideration as the venue for such talks\u201d.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s ambassador to Pakistan earlier stated that his country was neither directly nor indirectly negotiating with the US, Iranian state media reported.<\/p>\n Reza Amiri Moghadam was quoted as saying, however, that \u201cfriendly countries seek to lay the ground \u2060for dialogue between Tehran \u200band Washington, which \u200bwe hope will \u200bbe fruitful in ending this \u2060imposed war\u201d.<\/p>\n Iran has 400kg of \u2018near-military level\u2019 uranium, UN nuclear chief warns<\/p>\n Rafael Grossi, who as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency oversaw inspections of Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities in recent years, confirmed that Iran still possessed uranium enriched to 60 per cent, \u201calmost a military level.\u201d<\/p>\n He said at least 400kg of the material, which would need to be enriched to 90 per cent to build a warhead, was underground at the Iranian site at Isfahan, but that there was also some at Natanz.<\/p>\n \u201cIran produced it, claiming it was material needed for energy and economic development. But 60 per cent is almost a military level. The Iranians say that those who have the right can do it, and that can\u2019t be denied, but it\u2019s a worrying development. No country in the world that doesn\u2019t possess nuclear weapons enriches to this level.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked what had changed since the 2016 Iran nuclear deal, signed with Britain and other countries, but which Trump withdrew from in 2018, Grossi added: \u201cEverything. In recent years, Iran has developed its nuclear programme impressively. [\u2026] The end of the agreement is, to some extent, the reason for all these wars.\u201d<\/p>\n US and Iran \u2018could hold talks this weekend\u2019<\/p>\n The head of the United Nations\u2019 nuclear monitor has said that \u201cthere could be talks this weekend\u201d between the US and Iran, but said that he was not involved in the conversations, unlike previous talks between the two sides before the war.<\/p>\n Rafael Grossi, of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that he imagined that any new talks would be \u201cbroader\u201d than those in Geneva which focussed on Iran\u2019s nuclear programme. He told the Corriere Della Sera: \u201cThis time, missiles, militias allied to the Islamic Republic, and security guarantees for Iran will also be on the table,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n He said it was \u201cimportant for Iran to protect the principle of nuclear autonomy. But an agreement on this point is possible. A temporary suspension [of Iran\u2019s enrichment of uranium] could be considered\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked what the best and most viable agreement might entail, Grossi replied: \u201cPeace, first and foremost. [\u2026] A diplomatic negotiation is needed; the solution can\u2019t be military. Military pressure has its effects, but Iran still possesses all the capabilities. The nuclear material is still there.\u201d<\/p>\n Spanish PM: Iran war worse than 2003 Iraq invasion<\/p>\n Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, warned that the Middle East war presented a \u201cfar worse\u201d scenario than the invasion of Iraq in 2003.<\/p>\n Sanchez said the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 had failed to achieve its goals and instead made life worse for ordinary people, adding that it led to a sharp increase in fuel and grocery prices, a migration crisis and jihadist attacks in Europe. He warned that the attacks on Iran could have a similar economic impact for millions. \u201cEvery bomb that falls in the Middle East eventually hits \u2014 as we are already seeing \u2014 the wallets of our families,\u201d Sanchez said.<\/p>\n Spain has refused Washington\u2019s requests to use its military bases against Iran, despite President Trump\u2019s threat to sever trade as a result.<\/p>\n Sanchez\u2019s government approved last week a sweeping package worth \u20ac5 billion aimed at cushioning the economic impact of the Middle East war, which included reductions on taxes on fuel. <\/p>\n The FTSE 100 rose back above 10,000, gaining 0.9 per cent to 10,058, with shares in gold miners, financial companies and housebuilders rising. The index ended a four-day losing streak on Tuesday. The more UK-biased FTSE 250 rose 1.3 per cent.<\/p>\n Markets in Germany and France were sharply higher. Earlier, Japanese stocks rose 3 per cent, while markets in Australia and South Korea gained 2 per cent, recouping recent losses but not weeks of declines since the conflict broke out. Gold was buoyed by a weaker dollar, rising 2 per cent to $4,563 an ounce.<\/p>\n The oil price fell sharply and stock markets rallied following reports of a 15-point ceasefire proposal sent by President Trump to Iran, fueling hopes for an easing of supply tensions in the region. \u2022 Read in full: Oil price drops sharply and stocks rally on Trump ceasefire bid UN chief warns over missile strikes near nuclear sites<\/p>\n \u201cStates are flirting with unmitigated catastrophe,\u201d the UN human rights chief said on Wednesday, pointing to strikes around Iran and Israel\u2019s nuclear sites.<\/p>\n \u201cRecent missile strikes near nuclear sites in both Israel and Iran underscore the immense danger of further escalation. States are flirting with unmitigated catastrophe,\u201d Volker Turk said in a video statement as the UN Human Rights Council met to discuss Tehran\u2019s attacks across the Gulf.<\/p>\n Two arrested in Golders Green arson attack<\/p>\n Two men have been arrested in connection to the Golders Green arson attack on Jewish community ambulances.<\/p>\n The Metropolitan Police said the men, aged 47 and 45, were arrested on Wednesday morning at addresses in northwest London and central London. Arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, both men remain in custody at a London police station while officers are carrying out searches at the two addresses.<\/p>\n The arrests are linked to the ongoing investigation into an arson attack at approximately 1.35am on Monday March 23. Four ambulances from Hatzola, a volunteer-led ambulance service operating in the Golders Green area of north London, were set on fire during the incident.<\/p>\n Spanish PM compares Lebanon destruction to Gaza Iranian missiles above the coastal city of Netanya, Israel<\/p>\n JACK GUEZ\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n The Spanish prime minister has said that his Israeli counterpart, Binyamin Netanyahu, \u201cseeks to inflict the same level of damage and destruction\u201d on Lebanon as Israeli forces had wrought on the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n Pedro Sanchez made the comment before the lower house as he explained his government\u2019s stance against the US-Israeli war on Iran.<\/p>\n Sanchez added that Iran\u2019s new supreme leader was more hardline than his predecessor. \u201cMojtaba Khamenei is an equally dictatorial and even more bloodthirsty tyrant than his father,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n EU diplomats say Nato chief has put them in \u2018awkward situation\u2019<\/p>\n Nato\u2019s secretary-general has riled European capitals by supporting Preisdent Trump\u2019s war with Iran, according to a report.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s doing this to make the whole world safe,\u201d Mark Rutte said on Sunday of Trump\u2019s decision to join Israel in bombing Iran. \u201cIt\u2019s only logical that European countries take a couple of weeks to come together,\u201d he added, with reference to the US president\u2019s demand for Nato allies to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n However the remarks have caused frustration in several European capitals, according to the Financial Times, quoting unnamed diplomats. \u201cIt puts us in a really awkward and uncomfortable spot,\u201d one EU diplomat said. \u201cWe want to show willing, but it\u2019s also true that we are not in a position to get involved [in the conflict] in any way.\u201d<\/p>\n Oil falls, stock markets rise on peace talk hopes<\/p>\n Oil has fallen and equity markets have rallied in volatile early trading, after reports that the US had sent a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran, through Pakistan, late last night.<\/p>\n Brent crude was trading 4 per cent lower at about $96.18 a barrel a short while ago, as Trump claimed peace talks with Iran were making progress. An Iranian military spokesman has since mocked US attempts at a ceasefire deal, insisting the US was only negotiating with itself.<\/p>\n Japanese stocks jumped 3 per cent, while markets in Australia and South Korea rose 2 per cent, recouping recent losses but not weeks of falls since the war broke out. The FTSE 100 is forecast to open higher.<\/p>\n Iranian media mock Trump\u2019s \u2018present\u2019 claim<\/p>\n President Trump claimed on Tuesday that Iran\u2019s leadership gave the US a major \u201cpresent\u201d related to oil and gas and the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n Trump said the gift was \u201cworth a tremendous amount of money\u201d, and a \u201cvery significant prize\u201d but added: \u201cI\u2019m not going to tell you what that present is.\u201d<\/p>\n There has been no official Iranian reaction to the remarks but Iranian state media outlets have mocked the claim. The Mehr News Agency jokingly posted footage of Iranian missile strikes on US bases in Iraqi Kurdistan as \u201cthe gift we sent Trump\u201d.<\/p>\n Saeed Jalili, an ultraconservative Iranian politician, commented: \u201cHe who spoke of regime change and the disintegration of Iran now dreams that someone in Iran will talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Esmail Saqab Esfahani, the vice-president for the Energy Optimisation and Strategic Management Organisation, dismissed Trump\u2019s claimed breakthrough, stating that Iran\u2019s negotiating position had likely not changed since before the war. He warned: \u201cNow you are the one who must offer attractive proposals; otherwise, await further surprises on the battlefield.\u201d<\/p>\n The spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran\u2019s top military command, dismissed the idea of talks, warning: \u201cDo not call your defeat an agreement\u201d.<\/p>\n Film director\u2019s home hit in Tehran bombing Damage after airstrikes targeting Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran<\/p>\n AP<\/p>\n The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that the home of an award-winning Iranian director had been bombed during what he called the US-Israeli \u201cwar of whims\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cRemember Abbas Kiarostami, the renowned Iranian director who won the Palme d\u2019Or at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival for his masterpiece Taste of Cherry? Even his HOME was not spared from the bombs of the American-Israeli aggressors,\u201d Esmaeil Baqaei posted on X.<\/p>\n \u201cWas Kiarostami\u2019s home part of the alleged \u2018imminent threat\u2019 to the United States?!\u201d he added, referring to one of Trump\u2019s justifications for the war. \u201cThe truth is that this American-Israeli war of whims is not merely against a state \u2014 it is against a deep-rooted culture, civilisation, and identity,\u201d Baqaei wrote.<\/p>\n Kiarostami, who died in 2016, was one of Iran\u2019s most acclaimed directors whose international work included the 2010 French drama Certified Copy starring Juliette Binoche.<\/p>\n His son Ahmad posted on social media this week that \u201cthe Chizar neighborhood in Tehran was bombed, where both my mother\u2019s and my father\u2019s houses are located \u2026 this morning I learned that my father\u2019s house was damaged.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018We have had a very bad experience with American diplomacy\u2019 A US F-22 Raptor prepares for a combat flight<\/p>\n No one can trust American diplomacy, Iran\u2019s foreign ministry spokesman declared on Wednesday, despite President Trump\u2019s claims that Tehran was negotiating an end to the war.<\/p>\n In an interview with India Today, Esmaeil Baqaei repeated Iran\u2019s complaint that the war started after it last engaged with US officials.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have had a very bad experience with American diplomacy, and while we were in the middle of the negotiation process, we were attacked twice in the span of nine months. This was a betrayal of diplomacy, and it happened not once, but twice,\u201d he said, referring to the 12-day war fought with Israel and America last June as well as the current conflict, which is in its 26th day.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no talks or negotiations between Iran and the United States, and the Iranian armed forces are focused on defending the country\u2019s territory,\u201d Baqaei added.<\/p>\n More than 5,000 Israelis treated for injuries After a missile strike in Bnei Brak, on the eastern outskirts of Tel Aviv<\/p>\n ILIA YEFIMOVICH\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n More than 5,000 people in Israel have required hospital treatment for injuries suffered during strikes from Iran, the country\u2019s health ministry has said.<\/p>\n Although most Iranian missiles launched against the country have been intercepted, at least 16 people have died in the attacks, and in the last 24 hours, 204 people were taken to hospitals.<\/p>\n The ministry says that since the beginning of the war with Iran on February 28, 5,045 people have been admitted to hospitals, 120 of whom remain inpatients.<\/p>\n The ministry does not give a breakdown of the causes of injuries, meaning some may have been injured by debris from interceptions, or as they rushed to the shelter, rather than as a direct result of missile fire from Iran or rocket fire across the northern border from Lebanon.<\/p>\n Iran grants safe passage to Thai tanker<\/p>\n A Thai oil tanker safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz after diplomatic co-ordination between Thailand and Iran, officials said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n In a sign that Iran will selectively let some vessels through, the tanker owned by the Bangchak Corporation crossed the strategic waterway on Monday, but only after negotiations between the Thai foreign minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Iran\u2019s ambassador to Bangkok.<\/p>\n The company and a source in the Thai foreign ministry said no payment was involved.<\/p>\n \u201cI requested that if Thai ships need to pass through the strait, could they assist in ensuring safe passage?\u201d Phuangketkeow told reporters late on Tuesday. \u201cThey responded that they would take care of it and asked us to provide the names of the vessels that would be transiting.\u201d<\/p>\n Another Thai vessel, owned by SCG Chemicals, is awaiting clearance to transit the strait, Phuangketkeow said.<\/p>\n Two weeks ago, the Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree was attacked by a projectile in the strait, causing a fire onboard and forcing the crew to evacuate.<\/p>\n Fresh missile strike hits Iraqi base<\/p>\n A strike in western Iraq targeted the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, a security official said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The incident came a day after a similar attack killed 15 Iraqi fighters \u2014 the deadliest in the country since the start of the Middle East war.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo missiles were fired from a fighter jet\u201d at the same base in Anbar province that was struck on Tuesday, the official said.<\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s strike prompted the government to grant former paramilitaries within the official armed forces a \u201cright to respond\u201d to any attack against them.<\/p>\n Royal Navy leads talks on coalition to reopen Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n Britain is leading talks on a two-stage coalition mission involving warships and autonomous systems to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once the conflict subsides, defence officials say.<\/p>\n A bulk carrier sits anchored at a port in Muscat, Oman, as maritime traffic through the strait has mostly come to a halt<\/p>\n ELKE SCHOLIERS\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n The Royal Navy could deploy a \u201cmothership\u201d equipped with torpedo-shaped drones that can target mines laid by Iran in the narrow strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.<\/p>\n Once free of mines, uncrewed and crewed ships would protect merchant vessels as part of a multinational escorting mission to restore traffic through the chokepoint, officials said.<\/p>\n \u2022 Read in full: Warships and mine-clearing drones could be deployed in the Gulf <\/a><\/p>\n \u2018US is only negotiating with itself\u2019 says Iranian military spokesman<\/p>\n Tehran has claimed the US is \u2018negotiating with itself\u2019<\/p>\n An Iranian military spokesman has mocked US attempts at a ceasefire deal, insisting the US was only negotiating with itself.<\/p>\n Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for the Iranian military\u2019s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, made the statement in a prerecorded video aired on state television.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThe strategic power you used to talk about has turned into a strategic failure. The one claiming to be a global superpower would have already gotten out of this mess if it could. Don\u2019t dress up your defeat as an agreement. Your era of empty promises has come to an end. Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?\u201d<\/p>\n Zolfaghari\u2019s statement came shortly after the Trump administration sent a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran through Pakistan.<\/p>\n \u201cOur first and last word has been the same from day one, and it will stay that way. Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you,\u201d Zolfaghari said. \u201cNot now, not ever.\u201d<\/p>\n Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill at least six<\/p>\n Four people were killed in an \u201cIsraeli enemy raid\u201d on the town of Adloun, and another two in a strike on an apartment in the Mieh Mieh refugee camp that left four wounded, Lebanon\u2019s official National News Agency (NNA) said, citing the health ministry.<\/p>\n In another area of southern Lebanon, an Israeli raid on the town of Habboush killed at least three people and wounded 18 others, the NNA said.<\/p>\n Israel has ramped up its campaign against the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah, whose rocket attacks on March 2 in response to US-Israeli strikes on Iran pulled Lebanon into the regional war.<\/p>\n The Israeli campaign has killed at least 1,072 people in Lebanon, with more than one million people displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.<\/p>\n Israel, which occupied southern Lebanon for nearly two decades until 2000, has said its military would take control of the border area up to the Litani River<\/a>, about 20 miles from the frontier.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard Corps sets high bar in ceasefire talks<\/p>\n The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps<\/a> has consolidated power within the Iranian regime and is making demands of the Trump administration to enter ceasefire negotiations, according to the Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n Citing people familiar with the matter, the newspaper claimed demands included the closure of all US bases in the Gulf, lifting all sanctions on Iran and reparations for attacks on Iran.<\/p>\n Other demands included allowing Iran to collect fees from ships that transit the Strait of Hormuz, an end to Israel\u2019s strikes on Hezbollah and no limits on its missile program. A US official called the demands ridiculous and unrealistic, the paper said. <\/p>\n Cargo ships have largely been unable to pass through the strait since the conflict began<\/p>\n REUTERS<\/p>\n The US has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war that would include strict limits on its nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, according to reports.<\/p>\n Israel struck the Iranian capital Tehran early on Wednesday, Israeli military and Iranian media said.<\/p>\n The Israeli Defence Forces said in a Telegram post that it had launched a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure across Tehran. The Iranian SNN News Agency said the strikes hit a residential area in the city, with rescuers searching the rubble.<\/p>\n Kuwait and Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday they had repelled fresh drone attacks, without stating where they originated. Drones targeted a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, causing a fire but no casualties, Kuwait\u2019s Civil Aviation Authority said.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched a new wave of attacks against locations in Israel including Tel Aviv and Kiryat Shmona, as well as US bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, Iranian state media reported.<\/p>\n Damage at a site struck by a projectile in Bnei Brak, on the eastern outskirts of Tel Aviv<\/p>\n ILIA YEFIMOVICH\/AFP\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n Israel has continued its strikes in southern Lebanon after announcing plans to occupy part of Lebanon.<\/p>\n Israel Katz, the defence minister, said he had ordered the military to establish a \u201csecurity zone\u201d south of Lebanon\u2019s \u00adLitani River to prevent the Shia group from firing into northern Israel.<\/p>\n Katz said the IDF was \u201cfollowing the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoun\u201d, two Palestinian cities reduced largely to rubble during the Gaza war, and would raze houses in Lebanon near the border that were suspected of being used as \u201cterror outposts\u201d.<\/p>\n Israel<\/a> has been hitting sites from the air and launching limited ground operations since March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets from Lebanon to protest against the assassination of Iran\u2019s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n Hassan Fadlallah, an MP representing Hezbollah in the Lebanese parliament, said the group would fight occupation by Israel, describing it as an \u201cexistential threat\u201d to Lebanon.<\/p>\n \u2022 Read in full: Hezbollah clashes divide Lebanese as Israeli troops advance further<\/a><\/p>\n In pictures: missile strikes A building damaged by an Iranian missile in Bnei Brak, Israel<\/p>\n SAEED QAQ\/ANADOLU\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n Smoke rises from Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs following an Israeli strike<\/p>\n REUTERS<\/p>\n Destruction in Tyre, Lebanon<\/p>\n REUTERS\/MANU BRABO<\/p>\n Fears of a global recession<\/p>\n Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, told the BBC that he feared a global recession if Iran remained a threat and oil prices stay high.<\/p>\n There could be \u201cyears of above $100, closer to $150 oil, which has profound implications in the economy \u2026 and a probably stark and steep recession,\u201d Fink said.<\/p>\n BlackRock is the world\u2019s largest asset manager. <\/p>\n Iran death toll surpasses 1,500<\/p>\n More than 1,500 people have died in Iran since the US launched Operation Epic Fury<\/a> on February 28, the country\u2019s health ministry has said.<\/p>\n Damage caused by an airstrike in in Tabriz, northwestern Iran, on Tuesday<\/p>\n MATIN HASHEMI\/AP<\/p>\n The death toll in Lebanon has surpassed 1,000, while 16 have died in Israel. <\/p>\n The US military has lost 13 troops.<\/p>\n Clogged toilets, a fire and no beds: US warship pulled from Middle East<\/p>\n The USS Gerald R Ford, the largest military ship ever built, is undergoing repairs in Greece after withdrawing from the Middle East amid reports of a fire in the laundry room, not enough beds for sailors and clogged toilets.<\/p>\n The fire, which happened earlier this month, lasted more than 30 hours and destroyed much of the berthing. More than 200 sailors were treated for smoke inhalation and two others sustained lacerations.<\/p>\n The withdrawal of the 1,106ft, $13 billion ship comes amid reports of concerns on how it would fare against Iranian drones and attack boats.<\/p>\n \u2022 Read in full: Clogged toilets, laundry room fire and no beds: USS Gerald R Ford in turmoil<\/a><\/p>\n Iran gives US \u2018ridiculous and unrealistic\u2019 demands<\/p>\n Iran is demanding to keep its nuclear programme, the closure of all American army bases in the Gulf, a new system that would allow Tehran to collect fees from ships passing the Strait of Hormuz and a halt to all sanctions the country currently faces, The Wall Street Journal reported. <\/p>\n The Journal reported that those were just a few of the many conditions Iranian officials have communicated to the US as the two countries prepare to hold direct talks. <\/p>\n A US official told the outlet the \u201cridiculous and unrealistic\u201d demands were relayed to the US by Middle Eastern mediators.<\/p>\n Senate votes against war powers measure<\/p>\n The Senate has rejected, for the third time, a resolution to limit President Trump\u2019s military powers in the war with Iran.<\/p>\n The measure, which was spearheaded by Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, sought to make Trump need Congress approval before using military force.<\/p>\n Senator Rand Paul was the only Republican who voted in favour of the resolution. Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat and an Israel supporter, voted against it. <\/p>\n \u201cIf Republicans won\u2019t hold a debate and vote on this illegal, incompletely run war, then Democrats will,\u201d Murphy said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Iran appoints new security chief<\/p>\n Iran has appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, replacing Ali Larijani<\/a>, who was killed in strikes launched by Israel last week.<\/p>\n Zolghadr, 72, was formerly a deputy commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who also served as a deputy interior minister during the former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad\u2019s first term.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s approval rating at lowest since White House return President Trump\u2019s approval rating has fallen to its lowest point since he returned to the White House, hit by a surge in fuel prices and widespread disapproval of the war he launched on Iran, an Reuters\/Ipsos poll has found.<\/p>\n The poll, data for which was collected over the weekend, showed that 36 per cent of Americans approved of Trump\u2019s performance. Last week it was 40 per cent.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s standing within the Republican Party remains mostly strong. Only about one in five Republicans said they disapproved of his overall performance in the White House, little changed from about one in seven last week. But the share of Republicans who disapproved of his handling of the cost of living rose to 34 per cent from 27 per cent last week.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s approval rating was 47 per cent in the first days of his presidency and since last summer had largely held at about 40 per cent.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Kemi](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/52e2b067-9c0b-4fdd-90fe-783faadd8586.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Trump](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/d4bbe661-60b6-4fdb-a814-631b2487087f.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Damage](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/4e37390b-5f58-4160-918a-6804467a9dd0.jpg\")
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Brent crude fell nearly 6 per cent to $94.66 a barrel despite an Iranian military spokesperson mocking the attempts at a ceasefire deal, insisting the US was only negotiating with itself.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Iranian](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/190cd85d-212e-4f79-b25d-d85dc91ba7dd.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Damage](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/f35eb7fd-377c-40e4-bc31-e3f0c8a8df1e.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/64f29553-7d30-4b8c-99d8-302746c27862.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"After](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/11b858e5-c31f-44dd-b9c6-46e830d86128.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Strait](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/2fda616b-7789-4999-a94d-ffa6c05cc494.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Cargo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/325e7645-aaa6-4131-b6de-fdd166dd4f7d.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Damage](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/f4ffa97e-95ab-4b7b-b5ff-63341fc05677.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Iranian](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/b8243dbb-1389-4f0f-8e51-5584d87f26bf.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Smoke](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/2cfa72c9-2ab5-4f0c-9a74-0fb2f1211fcc.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Destruction](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/4c603a49-fec5-47ba-a3f7-dcdc905f47f7.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"First](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/f54f1776-7e95-41c8-b8a4-663a81be6f79.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Donald](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/\/1adef7e4-d970-4f44-b664-3dc3143a0ad4.jpg\")
<\/p>\n