TOP DEVELOPMENTS
Trump administration offers 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran: The Trump administration has offered a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran. The ceasefire plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from Pakistan, who have offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Trump again says talks with Iran underway: President Donald Trump said for a second day that the U.S. was in talks with Iran to end the war as diplomatic efforts picked up Tuesday.
Iranian military mocks Trump's claim: An Iranian military spokesperson mocked U.S. attempts at a ceasefire deal Wednesday, insisting that the Americans were only negotiating with themselves.
US sending more troops: The U.S. military is preparing to call up at least 1,000 more troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to supplement some 50,000 troops already in the region. The Pentagon is also in the process of deploying a pair of Marine Expeditionary Units that will add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region.
JD Vance may lead US talks: Potential peace negotiations with Iran could take place in Pakistan, Islamabad working as mediator.
US-Israeli strikes continue in Iran: US and Israeli attacks on Iran continue, with at least 12 people killed and 28 wounded in one raid in southern Tehran.
Israel strikes Beirut: Seven areas of south Beirut targeted; Lebanon’s death toll reaches 1,039 since March 2.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Wednesday that negotiating with Israel under fire would amount to "surrender" for Lebanon, and urged the government to reverse its ban on the party's military activities.
"When negotiations with the Israeli enemy are proposed under fire, this is an imposition of surrender," Qassem said, rejecting the Lebanese president's initiative to start direct negotiations "with an enemy that occupies our land and carries out daily attacks".
Qassem called on the Lebanese people to embrace "national unity," saying this could be achieved by the government reversing its March 2 decision to ban Hezbollah's military activities.
The UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday condemned Iran's "egregious attacks" on its Gulf neighbours, calling for full and swift "reparation" to all victims of its strikes.
The 47-member council backed a resolution brought by the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Jordan condemning Tehran's actions aimed at closing the Strait of Hormuz, and demanding Iran immediately "cease all unprovoked attacks".
The Israeli military said Wednesday it had struck a submarine development facility in Isfahan, a day after its air force carried out a wave of strikes on the central Iran city.
"As part of the strikes, the IDF, guided by Iraeli navy intelligence, targeted the Iranian terror regime's Underwater Research Centre in Isfahan," the military said.
"The centre is the only facility in Iran responsible for the design and development of submarines and support systems for the Iranian navy," it said, adding that the site also produced various types of "unmanned vessels".
The military had announced on Tuesday it had conducted a "wide-scale wave of strikes" in Isfahan.
Israel launched strikes on south Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, Lebanese state media said, as Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said it kept up its attacks on Israeli troops.
Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Israel, which occupied southern Lebanon for around two decades until 2000, has intensified strikes across Lebanon and sent ground troops into the country's south since the latest bout of fighting began.
Iraq will submit a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council over strikes in its territory, the office of the prime minister said Wednesday, following an attack in the country's west that killed seven security personnel.
"A formal complaint, supported by evidence and detailed documentation, will also be lodged with the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations to affirm Iraq's rights and the rights of its people in the face of these violations," the statement said.
Late Tuesday, Baghdad said it intended to summon the US charge d'affaires and the Iranian ambassador over recent strikes, which have targeted former paramilitaries and Iraqi Kurdish security forces.
Iran fired cruise missiles at the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the military said in a statement carried by state television, warning of further launches when the strike group's ships come in range.
"The Iranian Navy's 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," the statement said.
It cited Navy chief Admiral Shahram Irani, who said the carrier group's movements were "constantly being monitored... 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".
Turkiye has been "playing a role passing messages" between Tehran and Washington, according to a report by Reuters.
Speaking to Reuters, Harun Armagan, a vice chair for foreign affairs in Turkiye’s ruling AK Party, said that the aim of the messages is to de-escalate tensions and pave the way for direct negotiations.
Turkiye has strong ties with both the US and Iran and has been trying to position itself, along with other countries as a potential mediator.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday briefed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman about Islamabad's diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the tenuous West Asia situation.
Sharif, in a statement on X, reiterated Pakistan's strong condemnation of the recent attacks on the Kingdom and reaffirmed Islamabad's unwavering solidarity and unequivocal support for Saudi Arabia in these challenging times.
The UN Human Rights Council is ready to hold a second urgent debate this week linked to the Middle East war, focused on a deadly strike on an Iranian school.
Council president Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro told the United Nations' top rights body that the council bureau had examined a request by Iran, China and Cuba for an urgent debate in connection with the airstrike on a school in the southern city of Minab on the first day of the war on February 28, and "concluded that said urgent debate could be accommodated on Friday".
The council would be asked to validate the decision later Wednesday, he said.
German business morale fell in March due to the fallout from the war in the Middle East, a survey showed Wednesday, as the conflict roils energy and financial markets.
The Ifo institute confidence barometer dropped from 88.4 in February to 86.4 in March as the energy price surge raises fears of higher inflation in Europe's biggest economy.
Strikes around Iran and Israel's nuclear sites risk unleashing an "unmitigated catastrophe", the UN rights chief said Wednesday as the UN Human Rights Council discussed Tehran's attacks across the Gulf.
"Recent missile strikes near nuclear sites in both Israel and Iran underscore the immense danger of further escalation. States are flirting with unmitigated catastrophe," Volker Turk said in a video statement.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned Wednesday that the Middle East war presented a "far worse" scenario than the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
"This is not the same scenario as the illegal war in Iraq. We are facing something far worse. Much worse. With a potential impact that is far broader and far deeper," he told parliament.
Iran has received a 15-point ceasefire proposal from the Trump administration, according to two Pakistani officials who spoke to the Associated Press.
The plan, reportedly conveyed via Pakistan, is said to include a proposed month-long ceasefire to facilitate discussions, along with stringent limits on Tehran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iraq’s Defence Minister said at least seven fighters were killed and 13 injured in an attack in the country’s western Anbar province, as reported earlier, according to the state news agency.
The Israeli military announced on Wednesday it had struck two naval cruise missile production facilities operating under Iran's ministry of defence in Tehran.
"In recent days, the Israeli air force acting on IDF intelligence struck two key naval cruise missile production sites in Tehran," the military said.
It said the facilities were used to "develop and manufacture long-range naval cruise missiles, which are capable of rapidly destroying targets at sea and on land".
The strikes "represent another step in deepening the damage done to the regime's military production infrastructure", the military added.
Last week, the military announced its fighter jets had struck several Iranian naval ships in the Caspian Sea, including vessels equipped with anti-submarine missiles.
A new strike in western Iraq targeted the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, a security official said Wednesday, a day after a similar attack killed 15 Iraqi fighters.
"Two missiles were fired from a fighter jet" at the same base in Anbar province that was struck on Tuesday, the official said.
He reported that there were some casualties, but did not give further details.
Gold has risen more than 2 percent, buoyed by a softer dollar, while a drop in oil prices eased concerns about elevated inflation and higher global interest rates, amid reports of a US plan to end the war.
Spot gold rose 2.1 percent to $4,568.29 per ounce, while US gold futures for April delivery gained 3.8 percent to $4,569.4.
The dollar eased, making greenback-priced bullion cheaper for holders of other currencies.
The Israeli military announced it had begun new wide-scale attacks early Wednesday on Iran targeting government infrastructure, and witnesses reported airstrikes in the northwestern city of Qazvin.
Missile alert sirens began early in the morning in Israel as Iran launched its own attacks, which have been a daily occurrence since Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to start the war.
Iran also kept up the pressure on its Gulf Arab neighbors, with Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry saying it had destroyed at least eight drones in the kingdom's oil-rich Eastern Province, and missile alert sirens sounding in Bahrain.
The head of the International Energy Agency said Wednesday he was "ready to move forward" with an additional release of oil reserves "if and when necessary".
Fatih Birol's comments in Tokyo came after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked the agency "to prepare to implement an additional release in case the situation drags on" with the war in the Middle East.
At least 243 students and teachers have been killed since start of the war on February 28, an official from Iran’s Education Ministry told Al jazeera
Hezbollah said it has intercepted an Israeli jet Tuesday evening during a potential attack on southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese group added that the jet was forced to return after being targeted by surface-to-air missiles.
Qatar’s former PM Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani says GCC states must have a place in any US-Iran negotiations, warning the region’s future should not be shaped without them.
Amid disputed reports about talks between Iran and the US, which Tehran has denied, al-Thani said “GCC states cannot be absent from any table where the contours of the regional future are being drawn”.
In a post on X, he said that the Strait of Hormuz “is not a bargaining chip, nor a pressure tool” and must remain open “without condition or restriction, under any circumstance”.
“Any attempt to impose unilateral control over it, or to turn it into a tool of extortion, represents a direct threat not only to the Gulf Cooperation Council states and the region, but to the global economy as a whole.”
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says he has spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this morning and reiterated Islamabad’s “strong condemnation” of recent attacks on the kingdom.
In a statement on X, Sharif said he praised Saudi Arabia’s “remarkable restraint” in the face of the current crisis and called for an “immediate end to hostilities”, a return to normalcy, and greater unity within the Muslim world.
“I also briefed His Royal Highness on Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach efforts for regional peace and stability,” he said.
A separate statement from Sharif’s office said Prince Mohammed deeply appreciated Pakistan’s peace initiatives and the two leaders agreed to maintain close coordination.
The conversation comes as Pakistan positions itself as a potential host to facilitate talks between the US and Iran amid the ongoing war. Sharif said on Tuesday that Pakistan “stands ready and honoured to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict”.
Lebanese state media reported on Wednesday that Israeli strikes killed at least six people in a town and a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern Sidon area, and three more in another town.
Citing the health ministry, Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said four people were killed in an "Israeli enemy raid" on the town of Adloun, and another two in a strike on an apartment in the Mieh Mieh refugee camp that left four wounded.
In another area of southern Lebanon, the NNA earlier said an Israeli raid on the town of Habboush killed at least three people and wounded 18 others.
An Iranian military spokesperson mocked U.S. attempts at a ceasefire deal Wednesday, insisting that the Americans were only negotiating with themselves.
Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, made the statement in a prerecorded video aired on state television.
“The strategic power you used to talk about has turned into a strategic failure,” he said. “The one claiming to be a global superpower would have already gotten out of this mess if it could. Don’t dress up your defeat as an agreement. Your era of empty promises has come to an end.”
He added: “Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?”
Zolfaghari’s statement came shortly after the Trump administration sent a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran through Pakistan.
“Our 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,” Zolfaghari said. “Not now, not ever.”
The UN nuclear watchdog said Iran informed it that "another projectile hit the premises" of the Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday, without damaging the plant itself.
"IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi reiterates call for maximum restraint to avoid nuclear safety risks during conflict," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had fired missiles at Israel as well as military bases hosting US forces in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday.
A Guards statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB said that "targets in the heart of the occupied territories", meaning Israel, and US military bases in the region "were struck by precision-guided liquid- and solid-fuel missile systems and attack drones".
The price of diesel in Vietnam has more than doubled since the start of the war in the Middle East, according to figures released by the trade ministry on Wednesday.
Diesel prices have skyrocketed about 105 percent from February 26, two days before the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. The government raised the price to 39,660 dong ($1.50) per litre Wednesday, up from 19,270 dong last month, trade ministry figures showed.
The price of 95-octane petrol also jumped nearly 68 percent over the same period, from 20,150 dong to 33,840 dong.
Iraq’s government early Wednesday approved its militias and other members of its security forces to act in self-defense as it faces attacks.
The state-run Iraq News Agency reported the decision.
State-sanctioned, mainly Shiite militias, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, have grown into a powerful political faction within Iraq.
They have been targeted in attacks after Shiite militias have been attacking sites associated with the United States in Iraq as the Iran war rages on.
The move appears aimed at securing the uneasy coalition government now in control in Iraq as it balances competing forces within the country.
The strikes late Tuesday also wounded dozens, the Lebanese health ministry reported.
The overall toll was three dead and 18 wounded in Nabatiyeh province; six dead and five wounded in Sidon province; and 29 wounded in Tyre province.
Since March 2, Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,072 and injured 2,966, including 121 children and 81 women, according to the ministry.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has declared a yearlong national emergency as fuel supplies begin to dwindle amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Oil prices tumbled and stocks rose Wednesday on hopes for a de-escalation of the Middle East war after Washington sent a peace plan to Iran, while Tehran announced it will let "non-hostile" oil vessels through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
After nearly four weeks of conflict, investors jumped on the first signs that hostilities could wind down, though analysts pointed out that the arrival of more US troops in the region suggested the chance of escalation remained.
Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said it has intercepted and destroyed 11 more drones in the country’s eastern region.
The ministry did not provide details on the origin of the drone or whether there were any casualties or damage.
Kuwaiti air defences responded to missile and drone attacks early Wednesday, the army said, as Iran continues strikes on Gulf nations in the nearly four-week regional war.
"Kuwaiti air defences are currently responding to hostile missile and drone attacks," the army posted on X, after authorities had announced drone attacks including one that sparked a fire at the country's main international airport.
The Trump administration has offered a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran, according to a person briefed on the contours of the plan but who was not authorized to speak publicly about it.
The ceasefire plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from Pakistan, who have offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
US President Donald Trump sent a peace plan to Iran as he voiced optimism Tuesday at ending nearly a month of a war, with Tehran announcing that it will let "non-hostile" oil vessels go through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
The tentative signs of a diplomatic solution came despite new violence, with an Iranian missile causing injuries in Israel which in turn pressed on multiple fronts and vowed to seize control of a strip of southern Lebanon.
"They did something yesterday that was amazing actually. They gave us a present and the present arrived today. And it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"That meant one thing to me -- we're dealing with the right people."
Iran, in a message circulated by the International Maritime Organization shortly afterward, assured safe passage to "non-hostile vessels" going through the strait, the gateway for one-fifth of the world's oil.
French President Emmanuel Macron called on Iran on Tuesday to "engage in good faith" in talks to end the war in the Middle East, after a call with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian.
"I called on Iran to engage in good faith in negotiations," Macron posted on X, saying he had also urged an end to "unacceptable" attacks on countries in the region and to "restore freedom of navigation" in the vital Strait of Hormuz, whose effective closure by Iranian forces has sent global oil and gas prices soaring.
Drones hit a fuel tank and sparked a fire at Kuwait International Airport, the Gulf state's civil aviation authority said on Wednesday, reporting no casualties.
Citing preliminary information, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement posted online that the attack had caused only "limited" damage.
"The relevant authorities immediately implemented the approved emergency procedures" and firefighters had been deployed to bring the blaze under control, said agency spokesman Abdullah Al-Rajhi.
Brent crude oil, the global market benchmark, dropped close to six percent Wednesday after US President Donald Trump sent a peace plan to Iran.
At around 0030 GMT, a barrel of Brent crude was down 5.92 percent at $98.30. Benchmark US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, was down 5.01 percent at $87.72.
France’s armed forces chief, Fabien Mandon, told a defence forum in Paris that while ties with Washington remain “very strong,” the US is becoming a less “predictable” ally. He criticised the US for intervening in the Middle East without informing France, saying it “affects our security and interests.”
Speaking at the White House, President Donald Trump claimed, “This war has been won,” asserting that Iran is “wiped out militarily” and would be powerless if the US targeted key sites like the South Pars gas field, according to The Guardian.
US President Donald Trump said the United States received a “very big present” from Iran, describing it as oil- and gas-related and linked to the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking at the White House during the swearing-in of Senator Markwayne Mullin as the new Secretary of Homeland Security, Trump said the gift, which arrived on Tuesday, was “worth a tremendous amount of money” and “very significant,” though he did not reveal further details.
Trump emphasized that the gift is not connected to Iran’s nuclear programme and insisted that the US is “talking to the right people” in Tehran who “want to make a deal so badly.” He claimed Iran had agreed it would never develop a nuclear weapon and described the current US position in Iran as “roaming free over Tehran… we can do whatever we want.”
The president did not clarify whether US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would meet Iranian officials this week. Trump’s comments follow Tehran’s repeated denials that any negotiations with Washington are taking place, with Iranian officials calling such claims “fake news.”
Meanwhile, there are talks about a Pakistan brokered peace talk, which has not been confirmed by Iran.
Iran on Tuesday appointed Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a former Revolutionary Guards commander, as head of the Supreme National Security Council following the Israeli killing of Ali Larijani. Zolghadr, with decades of experience in the Guards and government, is expected to play a key role in Iran’s war efforts against US and Israeli strikes. His appointment was confirmed by President Masoud Pezeshkian and approved by Mojtaba Khamenei.
US-Israeli attacks on Iran have damaged or destroyed more than 82,000 civilian structures across the country, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS).
H ead of the IRCS, Pirhossein Kolivand, has said that, “since the beginning of the war up to now, 82,417 civilian units have been damaged and destroyed in airstrikes.”
“During this period, 281 medical centres including hospitals, clinics and pharmacies have been targeted,” he added.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Islamabad is “ready and honoured” to host meaningful and conclusive talks between the US and Iran to end the ongoing war in the Middle East. The offer comes amid reports of backchannel mediation efforts by Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkiye.
Sharif stressed Pakistan’s commitment to diplomacy and called for restraint in media speculation until official announcements. The US, under Donald Trump, recently paused threatened strikes on Iranian power plants for five days, citing “productive conversations” with Tehran.
Reports indicate Pakistan’s military and intelligence officials, including Field Marshal Asim Munir and ISI chief Lieutenant General Asim Malik, have been acting as intermediaries between Washington and Tehran. Sharif also held talks with Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, urging de-escalation.
The mediation offer comes after the US-Israel strikes on Iran since February 28, which killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and escalated the conflict across the Gulf.
Iran has allegedly begun requesting transit fees from some commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reports. Sources cited by the outlet said payments of up to $2 million per voyage are being requested on an ad hoc basis, creating what is effectively an informal toll.
Some ships are understood to have paid, though details on the process and currency remain unclear, and the system does not appear consistent.
Iran’s embassy in India denied the reports on X, calling them “unfounded” and emphasizing that the claims do not reflect the official position of the Islamic Republic.
The Strait of Hormuz carries around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas exports, making any potential shift in control a key concern for global markets.
Israel says its forces will secure south Lebanon up to the Litani River, around 30 km from the border, amid ongoing airstrikes and ground incursions. Displaced residents will not return until north Israel is secure, Defence Minister Israel Katz says.
Lebanon’s foreign ministry has declared Iran’s ambassador persona non grata, giving him until Sunday to leave. Hezbollah strongly opposed the move, calling on the government to reverse it.
Over three weeks of conflict have killed at least 1,072 people and displaced more than a million. The latest strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs and areas in south and east Lebanon. In Bshamoun, AFP correspondents reported heavy damage to civilian housing; three people, including a three-year-old girl, were killed.
Explosions were also reported north of Beirut, believed to be the interception of an Iranian missile at sea. Israel says it killed a member of the Quds Force linked to Hezbollah near Beirut.
Lebanese authorities have said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are leading Hezbollah’s operations, and recently banned their activities in the country. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed the expulsion of the Iranian envoy as “justified and necessary.”
The United States is preparing to send thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, according to reports by Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, signalling a further escalation of its military presence in the region.
Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that troops from the elite 82nd Airborne Division are expected to be deployed, even as the administration of Donald Trump continues to signal openness to talks with Iran.
The Wall Street Journal said around 3,000 additional troops could be sent, with a written deployment order expected in the coming hours, citing US officials.
It remains unclear where in the region the troops will be stationed or when they will arrive.
The US military referred queries to the White House, which did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The move follows earlier reports of around 5,000 US marines and sailors, along with an amphibious assault ship, being deployed to the region on March 13.
While Trump has repeatedly said he does not want American “boots on the ground” in Iran, he has not ruled out the possibility.
US Vice President JD Vance could lead Washington’s delegation in potential peace talks with Iran in Pakistan, according to a report by The Guardian.
Pakistan’s military leadership is said to be working to broker negotiations, after army chief Asim Munir held a call with US President Donald Trump on Sunday to discuss the conflict.
Diplomatic sources indicated that US-Iran talks could take place in Islamabad as early as this week, though the venue has not been formally confirmed and neither side has agreed publicly.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is believed to be preparing to travel to Islamabad, but there is no confirmation yet on Iranian participation.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday held a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the ongoing conflict in West Asia, which has led to an energy crisis in the country.
Modi said India supports de-escalation and stressed the need to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, secure and accessible after speaking with Trump.
"Received a call from President Trump and had a useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia. India supports de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest. Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world," Modi wrote on X.
He added that both leaders agreed to stay in touch.