EXPLAINER
Trump claims talks on with Iran, as he holds off on vitality assaults, however Tehran denies any negotiations as US-Israel assaults on Iran, and Iran’s strikes on Gulf nations, proceed.
Published On 24 Mar 2026
The warfare launched by the United States and Israel in opposition to Iran entered its 25th day on Tuesday, as conflicting claims emerged over doable peace talks.
US President Donald Trump stated Washington was holding discussions with Tehran and recommended a broader settlement may very well be reached, however Iranian officers rejected the claims, accusing the US of making an attempt to purchase time because it deploys extra forces to the area.
Recommended Stories
listing of 1 merchandisefinish of listing
Trump additionally ordered the US army to postpone deliberate strikes on Iranian energy vegetation and vitality infrastructure for five days.
Meanwhile, Iran fired a brand new missile barrage at Israel, Gulf international locations reported repeated drone and missile interceptions, and combating intensified in Lebanon and Iraq.
Here is what we all know:
In Iran
- Trump’s claims: Trump claimed that discussions are ongoing with Iran to succeed in a broader peace settlement, stating that “Iran means business.”
- Iran’s denial: Iranian officers firmly rejected these claims, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and parliamentary leaders calling the statements “fake news” and a “big lie”. Iranian officers have accused the US of fabricating these claims to control world oil and monetary markets, and to purchase time as extra US troops deploy to the area.
- US ultimatum: Over the weekend, Trump had issued a 48-hour deadline demanding that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He threatened to “obliterate” Iranian energy vegetation if Tehran didn’t comply. On Monday, the deadline was prolonged for 5 days.
- Strait of Hormuz stays closed: Despite worldwide strain and extreme financial fallout in Asia, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi iterated that Iran’s stance on the Strait of Hormuz had not modified.
- US motivations and political pressures: Niall Stanage, a White House columnist for The Hill, means that Trump could also be on the lookout for an “exit ramp” as a result of the warfare has been domestically unpopular and is inflicting vital financial ache, significantly by means of rising oil and gas costs.
- Iranian suspicion and technique: Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Vall famous that Iranian officers and state media are firmly projecting what he described because the “power of defiance”. Vall defined that Tehran harbours deep suspicion concerning any messaging from Washington, viewing Trump’s claims of peace talks as “manoeuvring” geared toward “winning time”.
- Pro-government rallies: Despite heavy rain and the specter of bombardment, giant crowds of pro-government demonstrators gathered in Tehran and different Iranian cities to denounce the US and Israel.
- Pakistani, Iranian leaders communicate: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated he had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on “the grave situation in the Gulf region”, and promised that Pakistan was dedicated to taking part in “a constructive role in advancing peace”.
In the Gulf
- Missile and drone interceptions in Kuwait: The nation’s air defences responded to a number of incoming missile and drone assaults. Alarms have been sounded not less than seven occasions in a single evening.
- Attacks concentrating on Saudi Arabia and Bahrain: Saudi Arabia intercepted roughly 20 drones concentrating on its Eastern Province, a essential area that homes nearly all of the dominion’s vitality and oil amenities. Additionally, Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior has sounded warning alarms quite a few occasions over the previous 24 hours.
- Regional sentiment throughout the Gulf: Officials and civilians are pleading for dialogue and de-escalation.
- UK sends Gulf air defences: The UK is sending short-range air defence techniques to the Middle East to counter Iranian missile assaults, Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated.
![]()
In the US
- Administration’s stance on Iran peace talks: Following Trump’s claims of getting “productive” conversations with Tehran, the White House has pushed again in opposition to hypothesis concerning an imminent deal. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt cautioned that the scenario is “fluid” and acknowledged that “speculation about meetings should not be deemed as final” till formally introduced.
- Pentagon closes press workplaces: The US Department of Defense is closing its well-known “Correspondents’ Corridor” and relocating press workplaces to an unnamed annex. This resolution comes after a district court docket struck down the Trump administration’s new press credential guidelines, which might have required journalists to signal agreements promising to not publish labeled or unauthorised data.
- Threat stage raised in Mauritania: The US Embassy in Mauritania has issued an elevated risk discover for American residents and embassy employees as a result of a latest risk of “terrorist attacks”.
In Israel
- New missile salvo: Iran fired missiles at Israel early Tuesday, the Israeli army stated, noting that the barrage was aimed on the nation’s north and that its substantial air defences have been “working to intercept the threat”.
- Israeli interceptor system malfunctions: A malfunction in Israel’s “David’s Sling” aerial interceptor system allowed two Iranian ballistic missiles to strike the south of the nation, wounding dozens of individuals over the weekend, the army confirmed.
- Trump-Netanyahu name: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated he had spoken with Trump and that the US president believed the international locations’ army positive aspects in Iran may very well be transformed right into a negotiated settlement that protected Israel’s pursuits.
In Lebanon, Iraq, Syria
- Israel assaults Beirut suburbs: An Israeli assault hit the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs, hours after the Israeli military issued a warning for residents of the realm to evacuate, saying it was “striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut”.
- Lebanon’s escalation: Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto, reporting from Beirut, described a “significant escalation” as Israel expands its floor operations and destroys important infrastructure, resembling bridges. Hitto stresses that this technique is trapping civilians and making it “extremely difficult” for the Lebanese armed forces to ship humanitarian assist to the a couple of million individuals displaced by the warfare.
- Syrian base focused: Syria’s military stated Monday that one in all its bases within the northeast was hit by a missile strike from neighbouring Iraq, whereas an Iraqi official stated a neighborhood armed group was behind the assault.
- Military strikes in Iraq: The US army launched a strike in Iraq’s Anbar province on the headquarters of an Iran-backed armed group. The assault was aimed on the group’s senior commander, Saad Dawai.
- Iraq’s battleground: Nicolas Haque, reporting from Baghdad, characterised Iraq as a secondary battleground the place the US and Iran-backed teams are “battling it out”. Haque famous that the US was partaking in “deliberate but calibrated targets” in opposition to leaders of the Iran-aligned teams, leaving the Iraqi individuals caught within the crossfire.
Oil, vitality markets and Hormuz
- Stranded ships and South Korean turmoil: The closure has extremely affected South Korea, which depends on the Middle East for greater than 70 % of its oil. The disaster compelled the South Korean prime minister to cancel a visit to China to take care of the home financial fallout.
- Japan’s vitality emergency: The scenario can be dire for Japan, as almost 95 % of the nation’s oil flows by means of the Strait of Hormuz.
- Targeting Hormuz ‘economic terrorism’: The chief of the UAE’s state vitality firm ADNOC slammed Tehran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has precipitated a surge in oil costs, as “economic terrorism against every nation”.
