Middle East crisis live: Trump threatens to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s energy infrastructure if ceasefire deal is not reached ‘shortly’

Trump threatens to ‘obliterate’ Kharg Island and Iran’s oil wells if a deal is not reached ‘shortly’

In his latest post on Truth Social, Donald Trump claimed that the US is in “serious discussions” with a “new and more reasonable regime” to end its war on Iran, but threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s strategically crucial Kharg Island if a deal is not reached shortly.

Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet “touched.”

This will be in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime’s 47 year “Reign of Terror.”

As my colleague Lorenzo Tondo notes in this story, last week the US, via Pakistan, which is acting as a mediator, presented Iran with a 15-point ceasefire proposal, including reopening the strait of Hormuz and curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme, but Tehran has rejected the proposals and offered alternatives.

Crucially, Iran wants Israel to stop attacking Iranian allies in the region, something Israel is unlikely to agree to. Tehran also reportedly wants reparations for war damage and the removal of American bases from the Middle East.

Last week after Trump said the US and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations” about ending the war, Iranian officials quickly denied any such talks had occurred. Iran has said the US is secretly plotting a ground attack while displaying a message of diplomacy. The US is reportedly considering plans to occupy or blockade Kharg Island to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait of Hormuz.

Key events

White House continues to insist US and Iran are in talks

The “remaining elements” of the Iranian regime are “increasingly eager to end the destruction and come to the negotiating table, while they still can”, Leavitt claims.

She says that despite the Iranian regime’s “public posturing” and the news media’s “false reporting”, talks between the US and Iran are “continuing and going well”.

Iranian officials have repeatedly denied they are in talks with the US, despite Donald Trump’s claims that the US is having “very good and productive conversations” about ending the war.

Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry, reaffirmed on Monday that Iran has not had any direct negotiations with the US. He said:

What has been discussed are messages we received through intermediaries stating that the US wants to negotiate.

Iran has been clear about its position from the beginning, and we know very well what the framework is that we are considering. The material conveyed to us has been excessive and unreasonable requests.

Leavitt says the US military operation in Iran is “moving ahead successfully and according to plan”.

More than 11,000 enemy targets have been struck to date, she says, adding Iran’s missile and drone attacks are down by about 90% since the start of the war.

“Our military continues to obliterate Iran’s defence industrial base with nearly 70% of their missile, drone and naval production facilities and shipyards damaged or destroyed,” she says.

The US has also “decimated” the navy, destroying more than 150 vessels, including “92% of their largest vessels”, she says.

Iran’s ability to pose future threats in the region has been “significantly reduced”, she adds.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is due to hold a news briefing with reporters shortly, I’ll bring you all the relevant lines once that gets under way.

The commander of the foreign operations branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards issued a rare message on Monday hailing Iranian proxy groups for helping create a “new regional order”.

Esmail Qaani became head of the Guards’ Quds Force after the killing of Qassem Soleimani in a US strike in Iraq in 2020.

His message, just the second attributed to him since the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic began on 28 February, was posted on X under the handle @general_Qaani, although the social media giant then rapidly suspended the account with a note that “X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules.”

The message was also widely published by Iranian news agencies and state television.

Qaani said that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to create a “security belt across the region” but the actions of Tehran-backed militant groups including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen had “exposed the regime’s false promises”.

“Get used to the new regional order,” he said.

Nato says it intercepted Iranian missile heading towards Turkey

Nato has now confirmed that its forces intercepted an Iranian missile heading towards Turkey, following an earlier announcement by the Turkish defence ministry.

“On Monday 30 March, Nato again successfully intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile heading to” Turkey, alliance spokeswoman Allison Hart said.

“Nato is prepared for such threats and will always do what is necessary to defend all allies,” she added.

As thousands of US soldiers and marines arrive in the Middle East, Iran is accusing Washington of privately plotting a ground assault while publicly touting ceasefire talks.

Donald Trump threatened to “obliterate’” Iran’s energy infrastructure, said his “preference would be to take the oil” in Iran and that US forces could seize the regime’s export hub on Kharg Island, while also claiming he was in talks with a new “reasonable regime”.

Yemen’s Houthi forces have also entered the conflict, bringing the threat of further damage to the global economy.

Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian columnist and host of Politics Weekly America, Jonathan Freedland…

Will Trump put boots on the ground in Iran? - The Latest — Will Trump put boots on the ground in Iran? – The Latest

A Lebanese soldier was killed on Monday and five others were wounded after an Israeli attack on an army checkpoint in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army has said.

War in the Middle East is having an uneven impact on global economies but “all roads” lead to higher prices and slower economic growth, an influential economic body has warned.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which advises on policy and gives financial aid to member countries, said it was stepping up support, especially to the most vulnerable economies.

The war’s impact is “both global and highly uneven”, with some countries likely to face a renewed cost-of-living squeeze, IMF economists wrote in a blog post on Monday.

Large energy importers in Asia and Europe are bearing the brunt of higher fuel prices and input costs due to the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz, which has caused shipments of oil and gas to grind to a halt.

Countries like the UK and Italy have been particularly exposed by their reliance on gas-fired power, while France and Spain were relatively protected by their greater use of nuclear and renewable energy sources, according to the IMF.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has voiced hope for working with elements within Iran’s government, saying the United States privately had received positive messages.

Rubio said there were internal “fractures” inside the Islamic republic and that the United States hopes figures with “power to deliver” take charge.

“We are hopeful that that’s the case,” Rubio told the ABC News programme ‘Good Morning America’.

“There are clearly people there talking to us in ways that previous people in charge in Iran have not spoken to us in the past, some of the things they’re willing to do,” he said.

“These people are lunatics. They are insane. They are religious zealots who can never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon because they have an apocalyptic vision of the future,” Rubio added.

G7 ministers pledge ‘all necessary measures’ to ensure stability of energy market

The Group of Seven (G7) economic powers have said they stood ready to take “all necessary measures” to safeguard energy market stability and limit broader economic spillovers from recent volatility.

After an online meeting of finance ministers and central bankers, the G7 also called in a statement on countries “to refrain from imposing unjustified export restrictions on hydrocarbons and related products”.

The statement added that G7 central banks remain strongly committed to maintaining price stability, with monetary policy staying data-dependent.

“We stand ready to take all necessary measures in close coordination with our partners, including to preserve the stability and security of the energy market,” they said in a joint statement.

“We recognise the importance of coordinated international action to mitigate spillovers and safeguard macroeconomic stability.”

Danish shipping firm Maersk announced Monday that Oman’s port of Salalah, which was hit by a drone at the weekend, would start to reopen from Tuesday.

The Oman authorities said one worker was injured and minor damage caused by the strike on the port, which is run by Maersk subsidiary APM Terminals and is one of the key shipping facilities in the Gulf state.

Maersk said the area damaged was “limited” and that the port’s management would take “necessary measures” to progressively build up to full capacity.

Some “constraints” would remain but additional safety and “preventive” measures had been taken because of the strike, it added.

A ballistic missile launched from Iran entered Turkish airspace before being shot down by Nato air and missile defences deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey’s defence ministry said.

The incident marked the fourth such incident since the start of the Iran war, following three earlier interceptions by Nato systems earlier this month that promoted Ankara to protest and warn Tehran.

The ministry said all necessary measures were being taken “decisively and without hesitation” against any threat directed at Turkey’s territory and airspace.

The internet blackout in Iran has entered its 31st day, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks. It said in a post:

It has now been over 720 hours since Iran fell off the global internet with the digital blackout entering its 31st day.

As the shutdown continues into its second month, misinformation and propaganda increasingly fill the void both domestically and internationally.

Those without access to Starlink or alternative ways to communicate – which are often expensive – are cut off, not only from the outside world but the blackout also severely curtails Iranian’s ability to communicate with each other, making mobilisation, for example, much more difficult.

The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said the global oil market is well supplied, with more boats travelling through the strait of Hormuz.

“Over time, the US is going to retake control of the straits and there will be freedom of navigation, whether it is through US escorts or a multinational escort,” Bessent told Fox News.

Iran has all but halted shipping through the strait, using the vital waterway as leverage. Its effective closure has sent oil prices rocketing to more than $100 a barrel.

Iran has said “non-hostile vessels” may transit the waterway if they coordinate with Iranian authorities. It has meant a trickle of cargo ships and tankers – most of them Iranian, but some from Thailand and China – have made it through the strait since the start of the war.

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Donald Trump’s call for countries, including France and the UK, to send warships to help unblock the strait was met with a cool response earlier this month, despite governments around the world being hit by surging energy prices.

The US has eased oil sanctions on Russia and Iran in an attempt to contain soaring energy prices but there are still fears that the economic damage from the war could be so great that it could cause a global recession.

Bahrain’s defence force, meanwhile, said its air defence systems have intercepted and destroyed 398 drones and 182 missiles launched by Iran since 28 February, when US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran triggered Tehran to launch strikes across Gulf countries, which have close ties to Washington and host several American military bases.

The UAE says its air defences have intercepted 11 ballistic missiles and 27 drones launched from Iran so far today. The defence ministry said it has engaged 1,941 drones and 440 missiles since the war began. It said the Iranian attacks have killed 11 people and injured 178 others.

“The Ministry of Defence affirmed that it remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country, in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability and safeguards its interests and national capabilities,” it said in a statement shared on social media.

An industrial building and a fuel tanker in Israel’s northern city of Haifa were hit by debris from an intercepted missile, Israel’s fire and rescue service said on Monday.

It was not immediately clear where the missile was fired from.

Fire at Israeli oil refinery after reported missile attack – video

Israel renewed its bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday while continuing air strikes on Lebanon’s south, one of which targeted an army checkpoint and killed a soldier.

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East conflict when Tehran-backed armed group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on 2 March in revenge for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, the opening salvo in the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic, AFP reported.

Israel has responded with large-scale air strikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive in the south. Lebanese authorities say more than 1,200 people have been killed since the hostilities broke out.

On Monday, two strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, one of them targeting an apartment in a residential building, according to an AFP photographer, who said Hezbollah gunmen imposed a security cordon at the site after the attack.

A security source told AFP that three Hezbollah members were killed in the strike and three others wounded. An eyewitness who declined to be named said victims were evacuated from the site following the strike.