Here's the latest
• Renewed NATO criticism: President Donald Trump suggested in an interview with a British newspaper that the US is considering leaving NATO over what he cast as its lackluster military support for the Iran war.
• Trump address: Trump said the US’ war could be done within two to three weeks, and will deliver an address to the nation tonight. Tehran though says it is prepared for “at least six months” of fighting.
• Latest strikes: Houthi rebels in Yemen said they launched ballistic missiles at southern Israel, in a joint operation with Iran and Hezbollah, as the US and Israel continue to bombard Tehran. Elsewhere, a child was wounded after Iranian missile fragments hit central Israel.
• Market reaction: Oil prices fell and stocks rose today following Trump’s comments on the timeline for ending the war. However, prospects for a quick reopening of the Strait of Hormuz are unclear.
Iran's supreme leader praises Hezbollah in purported message
Iran’s supreme leader has praised the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in a purported message to the group’s leader on Wednesday.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in the message to Hezbollah’s Sheikh Naim Qassem posted on Khamenei’s Telegram channel, emphasized that Iran would continue to support the militant group “for the resistance against” Israel and the US.
Khamenei also purportedly expressed appreciation for the “emotion, love and loyalty” shown by Hezbollah fighters.
More than three weeks after his appointment as Iran’s supreme leader, Khamenei has still not been seen or heard in public.
A source with knowledge of the situation told CNN earlier this month that Khamenei was injured in the attack that killed his father and Iran’s top military commanders. The source said had suffered a fractured foot, a bruised left eye and minor lacerations to his face.
Israel and Hezbollah’s latest conflict began just after the start of the Iran war, when Hezbollah launched rocket and drone strikes against Israel on March 2.
Since then, Israeli forces have occupied areas south of Lebanon’s Litani River and told Lebanese residents to leave the land as part of a broader assault.
At least 1,268 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since March 2, the country’s Health Ministry said in an update on Tuesday.
Israeli forces kill Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon, military says
Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut, the military said on Wednesday.
Israeli naval troops “conducted a strike in Beirut” and “eliminated” Hajj Yusuf Ismail Hashem, the commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front unit, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The Southern Front unit is “responsible for carrying out terrorist activities targeting Israeli civilians” and for “combat operations against IDF soldiers” in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military claimed.
Hashem assumed his role after his predecessor, Ali Karaki, was killed by an Israeli strike on Beirut in September, 2024, along with the former leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah – in a fierce campaign that hollowed out the group’s military leadership.
Israel escalated strikes on the Lebanese capital overnight, where at least nine people were killed and 29 others injured, according to the Lebanese Public Ministry of Health.
Israeli forces have intensified bombing in Lebanon since March 2, following projectiles from the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah into Israel after the US and Israel launched a joint military assault on Iran.
CNN’s Charbel Mallo contributed reporting.
Why Trump's broadsides against NATO are puzzling to its members
President Donald Trump has long questioned whether NATO allies would “be there” if the United States “ever needed them.”
In an interview with the right-leaning Telegraph newspaper, published on Wednesday, the president once again voiced his anger over what he sees as the alliance’s lukewarm support for the US-Israeli war with Iran. He suggested he would reconsider the US’ membership of NATO after the war.
Trump’s stance has puzzled NATO members because the alliance is one of defense, not offense. Article 5 of the NATO treaty enshrines the principle of collective defense, stating that an attack on one is treated as an attack on all.
Article 5 has been invoked only once, in response to the 9/11 attacks against the US. More than 1,100 non-US troops were killed after allies joined the US’ ensuing war in Afghanistan. (Trump has previously disparaged allied efforts in that war.)
Because the US was not attacked by Iran, NATO allies insist that they are not obligated to join US-Israeli operations in the Middle East.
Trump sees things differently. He has repeatedly said that NATO allies should help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping lane for oil that Iran effectively closed in response to the US-Israeli attacks, since those countries buy the oil that ordinarily transits through the strait.
“Build up some courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT,” Trump said Tuesday on Truth Social. “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.”
QatarEnergy confirms oil tanker targeted in missile attack
An oil tanker in Qatari waters north of the country was hit in a missile attack on Wednesday morning, according to QatarEnergy, which has chartered the vessel.
The company’s statement tallies with a report Wednesday of a tanker hit by a projectile 17 nautical miles north of Ras Laffan, Qatar.
“The Company Security Officer reported the tanker has been hit by unknown projectile on the port side causing damage to the hull above water line,” UKMTO, the UK maritime authority, said on its website. “The crew are reported as safe. There is no environmental impact.”
Trump considering leaving NATO, says Iran war could be over in weeks
We’ve just reported on comments made by US President Donald Trump, who suggested in an interview with the right leaning British newspaper the Telegraph that his country is considering leaving NATO over the alliance’s lackluster support for his war with Iran.
Yesterday, Trump said the US military operation could finish “within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer.” Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister said the country is prepared for “at least six months” of war.
If you’re just joining us, here’s what else we’ve been reporting on today:
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended NATO as the most “effective military alliance the world has ever seen,” following Trump’s suggestion the US is considering leaving it.
- Oil prices fell and stocks rose today, after the comments made by Trump yesterday spurred hopes the war with Iran could end this month.
- At least 16 people, including a child, were wounded after Iranian missile fragments hit Israel’s Tel Aviv and Bnei Brak today, authorities said, as the country prepares to mark Passover.
- Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said today they launched “a barrage of ballistic missiles” at southern Israel, in what they said was an operation conducted jointly with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
- Video posted by Iran’s semi-official state media Mehr News shows the aftermath of an attack that happened yesterday on a major Shi’ite religious center and mosque located in the central Iranian city of Zanjan,
CNN’s Elise Hammond, Christian Edwards, Sophie Tanno, Hanna Ziady, Eugenia Yosef, Lex Harvey, Tal Shalev, Nadeen Ebrahim and Manveena Suri contributed to this reporting.
Starmer defends NATO as Trump suggests US could leave the alliance
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended NATO as the most “effective military alliance the world has ever seen,” after US President Donald Trump suggested the US is considering leaving it.
Asked whether the UK’s long-term security relationship with the US is about to change, in reference to Trump’s interview with the Telegraph newspaper published this morning, Starmer said, NATO “has kept us safe for many decades.”
“But I’m equally clear that when it comes to defense and security, and our economic future, we have to have closer ties with Europe.”
Starmer’s comments come after Trump dismissed the military alliance as a “paper tiger” when asked by the Telegraph if he would reconsider US membership after the war with Iran.
Trump also criticized Starmer in the interview for refusing to get involved in the Iran war, saying Britain’s navy was not up to standard.
“You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work,” he said.
Trump suggests US considering leaving "paper tiger" NATO
US President Donald Trump suggested in an interview with a British newspaper that the United States is considering leaving NATO over what he cast as the alliance’s lackluster military support for his war against Iran.
Asked by the right-leaning Telegraph if he would reconsider the US’ membership of NATO after the war, Trump said: “Oh yes, I would say (it’s) beyond reconsideration… I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin knows that too, by the way.”
Members of NATO, a defensive military alliance, have been reluctant to deploy military assets to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial oil shipping lane that Iran effectively closed after the US and Israel attacked it.
Oil prices fall and stocks climb on hopes of an imminent end to the war
Oil prices fell and stocks rose Wednesday, after comments by US President Donald Trump spurred hopes that the war with Iran could end this month.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 2% to trade at $101.8 a barrel, having moved just below the $100 threshold earlier in the day. WTI, the US benchmark, fell 2.5% to $98.8 a barrel.
Some context: Oil is traded as a futures contract, which is an agreement to buy or sell at a specific price on a future date. That means the current price reflects what traders think oil will cost on the delivery date. In the case of Brent, that is in June.
Trump said Tuesday that the United States would be “finished” with its war in Iran in two to three weeks. Later, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran is ready to end the war in exchange for security guarantees, according to state media.
But earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that the country is prepared for at least six months of war.
Stock traders opted for an optimistic scenario Wednesday. South Korea’s Kospi led healthy gains in Asia, closing 8.4% higher. Japan’s Nikkei gained 5.2% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was up 2%. Indexes in London, Paris and Frankfurt were all up in the order of 1.5-2%. US futures also pointed to a stronger open.
However, prospects for a quick reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, ordinarily a conduit for a fifth of global oil supply, are unclear. Trump has suggested that it’s not America’s problem.
“A ceasefire does not equal (oil) supply restoration,” said Neil Crosby, an analyst at Sparta, a market intelligence platform for oil traders. “Physical relief is weeks-to-months away, even in a best case.”
Trump might be ready to walk away — but the rest of the world may pay the price
Donald Trump looks like he’s getting ready to just walk away.
The president is telling US allies — who didn’t join his war in Iran because they got no advance notice, didn’t want it and thought it infringed international law — that they’ll be stuck with the consequences.
“Go get your own oil,” he wrote on Truth Social yesterday, shortly before sources told CNN that the administration can’t promise to restore free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz before declaring mission accomplished.
The president later predicted the war will be “finished” within two to three weeks. “What happens in the Strait, we’re going to have nothing do with,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
Iran has used the choke point at the mouth of the Persian Gulf to halt crucial oil supplies and to hold the global economy hostage. If the war ends with it in control of the critical waterway, it will chalk up a strategic victory.
Amid fresh signs Trump wants the war over, officials seem to be shaping rhetorical cover for him to end it without fixing the aftermath. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday claimed the US had achieved “regime change” in Iran — even though the country is still ruled by repressive Islamic radicals who despise the US.
The latest administration attempts to redefine success reflect unpalatable choices facing Trump more than a month into the war and the growing pressure of a four-to-six-week deadline officials set for its duration.
Blaze at Kuwait airport and death in the UAE: the latest on Iran's attacks in the Gulf
Here is the latest on attacks in the Gulf:
- A Bangladeshi national was killed in Fujairah, UAE, after a piece of shrapnel fell from an intercepted drone, the Emirate’s media office said.
- Kuwait International Airport’s fuel depots were targeted by an Iranian drone attack, causing a “massive blaze,” the country’s Public Authority for Civil Aviation said Wednesday, according to state news agency KUNA. The attack caused “significant damage” to the fuel tanks but no injuries were reported, KUNA reported.
- Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said it was working to extinguish a fire at a company facility after an Iranian drone attack.
- A tanker was reportedly hit by an “unknown projectile” 17 nautical miles north of Doha, Qatar, the UK maritime authority said Wednesday. The crew was safely evacuated.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis say they launched missile attack on Israel
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said on Wednesday they launched “a barrage of ballistic missiles” at southern Israel, in what they said was an operation conducted jointly with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Yemen will continue its attacks on Israel due to the US and Israel’s “escalation” of the war, Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the Houthi forces, said Wednesday in a televised speech.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm that the enemy’s escalation of its aggression, crimes, and attacks against Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and Palestine will only drive free and proud Yemen to further escalation in the coming period until the aggression stops and the blockade is lifted,” he said.
The Israeli military said earlier Wednesday it was working to intercept a missile launched from Yemen toward its territory.
After a month of threats, the Houthi rebels entered the Middle East conflict on Saturday, firing two missiles towards Israel. And in days before that, they have also warned they could close a key waterway at the southern entrance of the Red Sea – raising the prospect of even greater disruption to global shipping and oil supplies. Read more about the Houthis here.
10-year-old critically injured after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel
At least 16 people, including a child, were wounded after Iranian missile fragments hit Israel’s Tel Aviv and Bnei Brak on Wednesday, authorities said, as the country prepares to mark Passover.
The child, a 10-year-old girl, is in critical condition with injuries to her limbs from shrapnel, the Sheba hospital said. The rest of the wounded have moderate or minor injuries, according to Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom.
Iranian state media said the country’s Revolutionary Guards had fired three waves of missiles at Israel within an hour on Wednesday morning.
Israelis and Jews worldwide are preparing to mark the start of Passover on Wednesday evening - a time traditionally filled with travel and family gatherings. The morning hours ahead are among the busiest of the year and heavy traffic follows as families normally drive to festive holiday dinners.
Video shows damage following strike on Iranian mosque
Video posted by Iran’s semi-official state media Mehr News shows the aftermath of an attack Tuesday on the Grand Hosseinieh of Zanjan, a major Shi’ite religious center and mosque located in the central Iranian city of Zanjan,
The attack killed three people and injured several more, according to state media ISNA.
Footage shows significant damage to the structure of the mosque, with rubble and debris on the ground and plumes of smoke.
According to Iranian state broadcaster IRNA, parts of the complex were hit on Tuesday, destroying the administrative and cultural buildings, including the library and the assembly hall.
Fire and huge plumes of smoke captured across Iran following attacks
Photos geolocated by CNN show thick black smoke in Tehran on Wednesday after a new round of airstrikes were reported in the Iranian capital.
Separate images geolocated by CNN show bright orange fires near Mount Soffeh in the central city of Isfahan, following an attack by US bombers on an ammunition depot in the city Tuesday.
Heat signatures from the fires were also recorded by NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) starting from around 1am local time on March 31. NASA tracks worldwide thermal activity, such as active wildfires. FIRMS timestamps do not represent the exact moment the fires began.
Is China positioning itself to become a US-Iran peace broker?
As the war in the Gulf careens into its second month, dragging down the global economy with no off-ramp in sight, questions are deepening around what role China – a global heavyweight and diplomatic partner to Iran – is willing to play.
China’s potential role was in the spotlight this week after Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar visited Beijing Tuesday for talks with its top diplomat Wang Yi – a meeting that comes as Islamabad has stepped up to position itself as a peace broker in the conflict.
In a statement on “restoring peace” released Tuesday, both countries called for an “immediate ceasefire,” peace talks “as soon as possible,” and a lasting, UN-backed peace.
“China and Pakistan support the relevant parties in initiating talks,” the two sides said in their five-point initiative released after what Islamabad described as “hours of engagement” between Dar and Wang.
The initiative is Beijing’s most thoroughly articulated view to date on how the conflict should be resolved. It also calls for the securing of shipping lanes; an end to attacks on civilians and non-military targets; and safeguarding the sovereignty and security of both Iran and the Gulf states.
But that position, expressed in broad strokes, also raises questions about what concrete steps Beijing would take in a future peace process. How deeply it is willing to get involved in a conflict playing out in a volatile region where it’s balancing relationships with partners on both sides?
Read the full article here.
Markets rally after Trump's optimistic statements. Here's the latest.
Markets rebounded late Tuesday and early Wednesday after a series of optimistic comments from Washington about the war in the Middle East possibly ending in a matter of weeks — even as Tehran says it’s prepared for a much longer fight.
Here’s the latest:
- Washington’s claims: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the war could end within two or three weeks if a deal is reached. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said the US is achieving its war objectives earlier than planned, and that “we can see the finish line.” This all came after The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told White House staff that he’d be open to ending the war even without reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
- Tehran’s response: Iran’s foreign minister told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that the country is prepared for at least six months of war, and that Tehran is not in direct negotiations with Washington, contrary to Trump’s claims. However, he said he had messages from Steve Witkoff, the US envoy to the Middle East, and that the US and Iran have communicated indirectly through intermediaries. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country is ready to stop fighting, provided it knows it won’t be attacked again, according to state media.
- Gulf nations attacked: Kuwait International Airport’s fuel depots were targeted by an Iranian drone attack, causing a “massive blaze” on Wednesday, according to state news agency KUNA. Bahrain also worked to extinguish a fire at a company facility after an Iranian drone attack. Meanwhile, a shipping company reported one of its tankers hit by an “unknown projectile” 17 nautical miles north of Doha, Qatar, the UK maritime authority said Wednesday.
- Israel attacked: The Israeli military said it was intercepting a missile launched from Yemen toward its territory on Wednesday morning. Yemen is home to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who entered the Middle East conflict for the first time on Saturday. While the Houthis have yet to claim responsibility for the Wednesday launch, they previously vowed to continue military operations in the coming days.
Missiles launched from Yemen toward Israel, IDF says
The Israeli military was working to intercept a missile launched from Yemen toward its territory on Wednesday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
There have been no reports of injuries at this stage, said Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency service.
Yemen is home to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who entered the Middle East conflict on Saturday by firing missiles at Israel. While the Houthis have yet to claim responsibility for the Wednesday launch, they previously vowed to continue military operations in the coming days.
Trump says war will end in weeks. Iran is prepared for a much longer fight, foreign minister says
Iran is prepared for “at least six months” of war, the country’s foreign minister said in an interview Tuesday, as Trump insists the war could be done within two to three weeks.
“We do not set any deadlines for defending ourselves. We will defend our country and our people as far as necessary and by any means required,” Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera.
“It does not matter what timelines our enemies set for themselves. However, our recommendation is that they bring this war to a complete and permanent end before facing further damage,” he said, noting an end to the war must include peace throughout the entire region.
Araghchi said Tehran is not in direct negotiations with Washington, despite Trump’s claims the US is in “serious discussions” with a “new, and more reasonable regime” in Iran.
“Negotiation is when two countries engage in talks to reach an agreement, and such a thing does not exist between us and the United States,” Araghchi said.
However, Araghchi said he has received messages from Steve Witkoff, the US envoy to the Middle East, and that the US and Iranhave communicated indirectly through intermediaries.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News Tuesday night “there are messages being exchanged” with Iran and that there is “potential for a direct meeting at some point.”
Araghchi said Iran has not responded to the 15-point proposal by the US, contradicting Trump’s claims Sunday that Tehran had agreed to “most of” the list of demands the US conveyed to end the war. An Iranian spokesperson Monday lambasted the demands as “largely excessive, unrealistic and unreasonable.”
“The US president fundamentally needs to change his approach,” Araghchi told Al Jazeera. “One cannot speak to the Iranian people with the language of threats and deadlines.”
Asian stocks track US rally on new hopes for end of war
Asian stock benchmarks jumped on Wednesday, following US markets’ rally to their best trading day in nearly a year on comments from the Trump administration about potentially ending the war soon.
Japan’s benchmark index Nikkei 225 soared 4% at 10:57 am local time, while South Korea’s Kospi surged 6.4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 1.9%.
Billions wiped out: Despite the brief rise on Wednesday, the war with Iran has rocked Asian markets with great volatility over the past month, as Asian countries rely heavily on oil and gas imports from Gulf states.
Since the war began the Nikkei 225 and Kospi have plunged around 10% and 14% since the war began, while Hang Seng has shed 5%.
Trump says war will end in weeks. Iran says it is prepared for a much longer fight
Iran is prepared for “at least six months” of war, the country’s foreign minister said in an interview Tuesday, as Trump insists the war could be done within two to three weeks.
“We do not set any deadlines for defending ourselves. We will defend our country and our people as far as necessary and by any means required,” Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera.
“It does not matter what timelines our enemies set for themselves. However, our recommendation is that they bring this war to a complete and permanent end before facing further damage,” he said, noting an end to the war must include peace throughout the entire region.
Araghchi said Tehran is not in direct negotiations with Washington, despite Trump’s claims the US is in “serious discussions” with a “new, and more reasonable regime” in Iran.
“Negotiation is when two countries engage in talks to reach an agreement, and such a thing does not exist between us and the United States,” Araghchi said.
However, Araghchi said he has received messages from Steve Witkoff, the US envoy to the Middle East, and that the US and Iran have communicated indirectly through intermediaries.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News Tuesday night “there are messages being exchanged” with Iran and that there is “potential for a direct meeting at some point.”
Araghchi said Iran has not responded to the 15-point proposal by the US, contradicting Trump’s claims Sunday that Tehran had agreed to “most of” the list of demands the US conveyed to end the war. An Iranian spokesperson Monday lambasted the demands as “largely excessive, unrealistic and unreasonable.”
“The US president fundamentally needs to change his approach,” Araghchi told Al Jazeera. “One cannot speak to the Iranian people with the language of threats and deadlines.”
