Trump backs Iran deal while raising specter of destruction - War Updates
- 25 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Source: Iran International
Summary
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt discussed possible ways to bring an early and permanent end to the war in the Middle East on Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Israeli actions are creating “visible cracks in the terror regime in Tehran.”
Multiple explosions were reported across Tehran and nearby areas, including near military-linked sites, while fresh strikes were also reported in Isfahan, Khorramabad and Mazandaran.
Iranian officials escalated rhetoric, warning US troops against any ground operation, threatening US-linked companies and universities in the region, and saying any move on Iranian islands would bring heavy losses.
Iran’s nationwide internet blackout entered its 30th day, with connectivity still at about 1% of normal levels, according to NetBlocks on Sunday.
Iran’s parliament speaker said after 30 days of war that Tehran would reject surrender and continue military operations, accusing Washington of pursuing in diplomacy what it failed to achieve in war.
Serious disagreements have emerged between Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and IRGC chief-commander Ahmad Vahidi over how to manage the war and its damaging impact on people’s livelihoods and the economy, sources with knowledge of the matter told Iran International.
US Central Command said Sailors and Marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli arrived in its area of responsibility on March 27, deploying a force that includes roughly 3,500 personnel.
1 hour ago
Explosions reported across several Iranian cities early Tuesday
Reports of loud explosions are emerging from several cities across Iran early Tuesday morning local time, including Qom, Qazvin, Tehran and the Persian Gulf port city of Bandar Abbas.
Earlier in the night, blasts were also reported in Karaj near Tehran, as well as at a petrochemical site in the northwestern city of Tabriz, according to reports circulating from Iran.
Details remain unclear and there has been no immediate official confirmation of the latest incidents.
1 hour ago
Trump warns Iran leaders they could be left with no country
US President Donald Trump said Iran will abandon its nuclear ambitions and hand over its enriched material, warning the country risks losing its future if it refuses.
“They are decimated right now. They’re gonna give up nuclear weapons. They’re gonna give us the nuclear dust. They’re gonna do everything that we want to do,” he said.
“They’re gonna go on and maybe have a great country again. But if they don’t do that, they’re not gonna have a country. They’re not even gonna have a country,” he added.
2 hours ago
US weighing operation to seize Iran’s enriched uranium — WSJ
US president Donald Trump is considering a military operation to seize Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium as part of efforts to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, the Wall Street Journal reported.
According to the report, the plan under discussion would involve US forces entering Iran to secure and remove roughly 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium.
Officials told the newspaper the mission could require troops to operate inside the country for several days or longer.
Trump has not made a final decision, the report said, and is also pressing advisers to pursue a diplomatic option that would require Iran to hand over the uranium as part of a negotiated settlement.
The proposal highlights the extraordinary steps under consideration as the war continues, with Washington weighing both negotiations and direct action to eliminate Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.
3 hours ago
Oil surges toward record monthly jump amid Iran war
Oil prices are on track for a record monthly surge as US-Israeli strikes on Iran show now signs of subsiding.
Brent crude climbed 2.98 percent to $115.93 a barrel early Monday, bringing its gains to more than 62 percent since February 27. That jump exceeds the spike seen after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
US benchmark WTI crude also surged, rising 3.01 percent to $102.64 a barrel. The contract has climbed more than 65 percent since the start of the war.
Analysts warn the rapid rise in oil prices could fuel inflation worldwide and increase the risk of recession if the conflict continues to disrupt supply routes and regional infrastructure.
3 hours ago
Trump says Iran talks going 'extremely well', deal possible soon...????
Donald Trump said the United States sees the possibility of a deal with Iran soon and described negotiations with Tehran as progressing well.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said the administration was “doing extremely well” in negotiations and that Washington was engaging with Iran through both direct and indirect channels.
“Do see a deal in Iran, could be soon,” Trump said, adding that talks were taking place “directly and indirectly” with Iranian officials.
4 hours ago
Trump says US could “take the oil in Iran,” floats seizing Kharg — FT
Donald Trump said the United States could “take the oil in Iran” and raised the possibility of seizing the country’s main export hub, Kharg Island, according to an interview with the Financial Times.
“To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people,” the US president was quoted as saying by FT.
Such a move would involve seizing Kharg Island, through which most of Iran’s crude exports pass.
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” he said, adding that any operation would likely require US forces to remain there for some time.
The comments come as the United States sends thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, including Marines and units from the 82nd Airborne Division.
4 hours ago
Indian worker killed in Iranian attack on Kuwait desalination plant
An Indian worker was killed in an Iranian attack on a power and water desalination facility in Kuwait, the country’s Ministry of Electricity and Water said.
In a statement posted on social media, the ministry said the strike also damaged a service building at the plant.
The reported attack highlights the growing risk to critical energy and water infrastructure across the region as the conflict expands.
5 hours ago
Rights group says a 11-year-old killed 'while on duty' at Tehran checkpoint
An 11-year-old Iranian boy killed in recent fighting has been identified as having been present at a Revolutionary Guard checkpoint in Tehran at the time of his death, according to Iranian media and rights groups.
The child, Alireza Jafari, a fifth-grade student, was killed in what officials described as a drone attack. His name had earlier appeared on casualty lists, but the Basij Teachers Organization later confirmed he died “while on duty” at the site.
His mother told the newspaper Hamshahri that the boy had accompanied his father, who was serving at the checkpoint, because of a reported shortage of personnel.
Rights groups and Iranian outlets reporting the case say teenagers are also sometimes present at such checkpoints.
The report comes as outlets linked to Iran’s security establishment promote a volunteer campaign allowing participants as young as 12 to register for support roles tied to security efforts.
5 hours ago
Top House Democrat accuses Trump of lying about Iran talks
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee accused Donald Trump of fabricating claims about negotiations with Iran as markets reacted to the escalating war and disruptions to global energy supplies.
“Last Sunday, he realized, ‘I’ve got a financial cataclysm in the market,’ so he just made that statement up,” Himes said on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.
The comments came after Trump announced he would push back a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, following threats to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if Tehran failed to comply.
Himes argued the episode showed Iran had gained leverage as the conflict pushed oil prices higher and drove up gasoline costs in the United States.
5 hours ago
US il lobby chief warns of energy crisis if Houthis join maritime disruption
The head of the US oil and gas industry’s top lobbying group warned that attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on shipping could worsen an already fragile global energy situation as the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted by the war.
Mike Sommers, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, said reopening the strait is critical to stabilizing markets but warned that a second maritime front could push the world toward a broader crisis.
“If the Houthis start attacking ships going through the Red Sea, that could really put us on the cusp of a major energy crisis throughout the world,” Sommers told Fox News.
He said the Hormuz shipping route — a key artery for global oil supplies — “has to be reopened, and fast,” warning that the longer the disruption lasts, the higher energy and consumer prices will climb.
