The Iran war is a “disastrous mistake” that breaches international law, Germany’s president said on Tuesday in an unusually blunt rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump‘s foreign policy, which he said marked a rupture for German ties with its biggest post-war ally.
In a scathing verbal attack, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whose largely ceremonial role allows him to speak more freely than politicians, took a far more critical line than Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has skirted questions on the war’s legality.
“Our foreign policy does not become more convincing just because we do not call a breach of international law a breach of international law,” Steinmeier, a former foreign minister from the center left Social Democratic Party, said in a speech at the foreign ministry.
Japan will start releasing oil from state reserves on Thursday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday, as concerns over supply mount and oil prices soar amid the ongoing…
from japantoday.com
Donald Trump has claimed the US and Iran have held talks in which the two sides had “major points of agreement”, and speculated that a deal could soon be done to end the war, a claim contradicted by Tehran.
Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) called Trump’s words “psychological operations” that had no impact on Tehran’s fight, while parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said it was “fake news … used to manipulate the financial and oil markets”.
Despite doubts about any direct negotiations, a European official said Egypt, Pakistan and Gulf states were relaying messages. On Tuesday, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said it was time for negotiations with Iran, given the global energy situation was now “critical”.
Speaking in Australia at the conclusion of a new free-trade agreement between the EU and Australia, she said: “The situation is critical for the energy supply allies worldwide. We all feel the knock-on effects on gas and oil prices, our businesses and our societies, but it is of utmost importance that we come to a solution that is negotiated, and this puts an end to the hostilities that we see in the Middle East.”
CNN host Kasie Hunt asked Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen Monday whether he believes Iranian officials over President Donald Trump.
Trump said talks had started between the United States and Iran. Iran, however, denied any such negotiations have taken place. During a discussion on “The Arena,” Hunt asked Van Hollen whether he trusts Iranian officials over the president.
“So you believe the Iranian officials over the president of the United States?” Hunt asked.
IRAN has secretly agreed to give up its nuclear ambitions, Donald Trump has claimed – as the regime denies talks have taken place.
The US president earlier called off a major blitz of Iran’s energy network after holding “very good and productive conversations” with Tehran.
USS Boxer enters the equation: US ‘small carrier’ warship bringing jets, Marines and assault power to Mid The Times of India
from news.google.com
Trump was asked about the sanctions relief, which could possibly produce $14 billion in revenue for Iran, while boarding Air Force One in Florida on Monday.
“We don’t even know if Iran gets that money,” Trump said. “Frankly, I think it’s very hard for them to get it, but you have ships that are out there that load it up with oil.”
Rather than keep it there, I would rather see it go to the system,” the president said. “Any small amount of money that Iran gets is not going to have any difference in this war. But I want to have the system be lubricated.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the easing of sanctions on Iranian oil Friday, as oil supplies have been limited due to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
On Friday evening, President Donald Trump issued Iran’s mullahs a 48-hour deadline: Open the Strait of Hormuz or say goodbye to your power plants.
And then, this morning — just 12 hours before the deadline ended — the president abruptly pulled the plug:
But did you notice the timing?
Trump delivered the ultimatum on Friday evening, after the U.S. markets had closed for the week. And he canceled his ultimatum on Monday morning, just before the U.S. markets reopened.
And the new five-day deadline? Why, it conveniently begins after the U.S. markets close on Friday!
None of this was coincidental.
Meanwhile, Iran quickly claimed victory:
🚨 #BREAKING
Trump, fearing Iran’s response, backed down from his 48-hour ultimatum:
‘I told the Department of Defense not to carry out any attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure for the time being’ https://t.co/XIGrdtIPKE— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) March 23, 2026
President Donald Trump on Monday floated the idea of joint control over the Strait of Hormuz and appeared uncertain about Iran’s current leadership while taking questions from reporters.
Speaking on the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport before departing Florida following a weekend at Mar-a-Lago, Trump was asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins who currently controls the critical waterway.
The president suggested a resolution could be near if ongoing negotiations with Tehran pan out.
President Donald Trump said his two primary negotiators in dealing with Iran met with representatives from the Islamic Republic on Sunday night, hours before he postponed U.S. strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.
Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner spoke with their Iranian counterparts, Trump confirmed to Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, who relayed the information to her audience Monday morning.
Trump’s comments came shortly after Iranian state media reported that there were no “direct or indirect” talks with his administration.
The president said he did not know what the state-run media outlets were talking about and suggested they did not know the latest information, according to Bartiromo.
“It’s hard to get any information there because the U.S. is blowing up so much of their infrastructure,” he told the Fox News host.
Iran launched two missiles at the United Kingdom‘s base in Diego Garcia, missing but exposing greater missile capabilities than previously known.
After the U.K. announced it would allow the U.S. to use its bases for defensive strikes against Iran, Tehran launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, over 2,000 miles away, U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal. Both missiles missed, with one failing and landing in the sea and a U.S. Navy warship firing an SM-3 interceptor at the other, though it’s not known if the interceptor made contact.
The missile launches, though unsuccessful, are hugely significant, likely changing many countries’ calculus regarding Tehran.
An Israeli airstrike on a bridge in Lebanon has left large parts of the southern region disconnected from rest of country.
The Qasmiyeh bridge In Tyre was largely destroyed after Israel struck it on Sunday.
On Monday, an Israeli airstrike destroyed another bridge on the Litani river in the south.
Monday’s strike on the bridge in the southern village of Qaaqaaiyet al-Jisr cut a main link between the southern city of Nabatiyeh and al-Hujair valley region further south.
Hundreds of millions of cameras have been installed above shops, in homes and on street corners across the world, many connected to the internet and poorly secured. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have enabled militaries and intelligence agencies to sift through vast amounts of surveillance footage and identify targets.
On Feb. 28, Israel vividly demonstrated the potential of such systems to be hacked and used against adversaries when Israel tracked down Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with the help of Tehran’s own street cameras – despite repeated warnings that Iran’s surveillance systems had been compromised, according to interviews and an Associated Press review of leaked data, public statements and news reports.
In a lengthy Truth Social post on Friday, President Donald Trump laid out the U.S. objectives for winding down the conflict with Iran and re-opening the vital Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint responsible for handling 20 percent of global oil exports and large quantities of other valuable commodities.
“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran,” the president wrote. He went on to list a number of objectives for the operation, many of which have already been achieved, according to the Pentagon.
The main U.S. indexes were on track to open higher on Monday after President Donald Trump said he would order the military to postpone strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure following “productive conversations” with Tehran.
Iran’s Fars News Agency, however, disputed Trump’s statement, citing a source who said there had been no direct communication with the United States, nor via intermediaries. Israel’s military said it was conducting strikes on Iran.
Still, global markets staged a sharp recovery after Trump’s comments, with Europe’s STOXX 600 and precious metals turning positive, while oil prices fell, signaling improving risk appetite.
A military source says Iran has designed new surprises for the coming days of the war, and that Donald Trump should ‘take his head out of social media for a bit’
from www.mirror.co.uk
Canada and allies say in a joint statement they are willing to “contribute to appropriate efforts” to ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing war in Iran.
In a statement co-signed with the United Kingdom. France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan, the nations “call for an immediate comprehensive moratorium on attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas installations.”
“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait. We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning,” the statement reads.
The statement comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump called upon NATO and other U.S. allies to help secure the Strait from Iranian attacks.
We’ve just heard from Pete Hegseth. He reiterated the claim from Donald Trump that the US president knew nothing about the attack on Iran’s South Pars gasfield.
However, Reuters is reporting that Israel says its attack on the gas facilities was coordinated with the United States.
Israel has not publicly acknowledged responsibility for the South Pars attack. On Wednesday night, Trump said in a social media post that Washington “knew nothing about this particular attack” and that Israel would not attack the gas field further unless Iran again attacked Qatar.
The three Israeli officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said that Israel was not surprised by Trump’s comments.
They described the dynamic as similar to one that played out after Israel struck fuel depots in Iran several weeks ago. After those attacks, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said that in “that particular case those weren’t our strikes”.
Members of Iran’s national women’s football team were greeted with a welcome ceremony upon their return to the Islamic Republic after several of the players had sought asylum in Australia.
“First of all we are so happy to be in Iran, because Iran is our homeland,” midfielder Fatemeh Shaban said.
People in the crowd waved flags, while some players held bouquets of flowers and signed what appeared to be miniature soccer balls. Iranian media had reported that the team returned Wednesday.
In a significant escalation of U.S. military presence in the Middle East, the Pentagon has ordered the deployment of an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and attached Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), totaling roughly 4,000 service members. The latest deployment will include approximately 2,500 Marines and units specializing in amphibious operations, according to a report from Newsmax.
The report, which citied multiple U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in Japan, along with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, were initially redirected toward the region. This was done as part of a broader reinforcement, with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and 11th MEU from the West Coast accelerating their deployment ahead of schedule to join operations.
A RUSSIAN warship and sanctioned oil tanker has sailed through the English channel and is potentially headed for Cuba.
The Russian tanker has crossed the Atlantic with suggestions it could be attempting to break Donald Trump’s oil blockade of the island.
The Islamic Republic of Iran managed to launch a major attack on Qatar’s oil fields that will take years to repair. It is promising to step up its attack on the oil infrastructures of its neighbors. Israel has responded by striking some of their oil fields, a move President Trump appears to disapprove of. As leaders are appointed, they are killed, with two top leaders killed this week alone. The new Supreme Leader is reported to be effectively non-functioning.
While Iranian street soldiers continue to kill and intimidate citizens, they themselves are coming under increasing drone attacks. The pressure to finish the war mounts as the continued shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz is leading to spikes in oil prices and other knock down effects. A coalition of 6 nations has committed to join America’s efforts to open and police the Strait of Hormuz. The nations include Japan, the United Kingdom, and France.
The most alarming news may be the return of the aircraft Gerald R Ford to Greece after a laundry fire broke out that took 30 hours to put out and destroyed 600 bunks. This means the Iran operation is now only supported by one U.S. aircraft carrier. The extent of the damage has not been reported by the Pentagon. The length of its repair was not given, nor was it made clear if the carrier’s escort ships will remain in theater.
Allies Flip, Issue Statement on Strait of Hormuz – RedState
President Donald Trump let allies have it when some rejected sending ships to help with a coalition effort to ensure the safety of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. His last take showed how exasperated he was with our “allies” who weren’t stepping up when he said that maybe the U.S. should just step back and not protect the Strait for others.
That called the allies’ bluff. You then had NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announce that yes, the allies were talking about how they could contribute. What a little pressure from Trump can get. It isn’t just about the Strait itself; it’s about sending a message to Iran and indicating that they are on the wrong side of countries condemning their actions.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Mar 17) said the United States had been informed by most of its NATO allies that they did not want to get involved with the country’s military operation in Iran, a move he described as a “very foolish mistake.”
But Trump gave no indication that he plans to punish NATO allies for their stances, as he took questions from reporters in the Oval Office during the St. Patrick’s Day visit of Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin.
Trump said NATO countries were supportive of the joint US-Israeli war, which has now entered its third week, even as they did not want to get involved.
“I think NATO is making a very foolish mistake,” Trump said. “Everyone agrees with us, but they don’t want to help. And we, you know, we as the United States have to remember that because we think it’s pretty shocking,” he added.
Students and staff at colleges across the United States include relatives of Iran’s political elite, even as Iran’s leaders continue to oppose the United States in public rhetoric. According to reporting from The New York Post, children of senior Iranian officials have studied or taught at prestigious universities including the University of Massachusetts, Union College in New York and George Washington University in Washington, DC.The presence of these individuals in American academic institutions raises questions, given their family connections to the Iranian regime. Critics describe this as a striking contrast between Iran’s public hostility to US and the private choices of its elite to send their children abroad for education and careers.
A U.S. F-35 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing at a U.S. air base in the Middle East after taking fire believed to have come from Iran, according to two sources familiar with the incident.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, said the fifth-generation stealth aircraft was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it had to divert and land.
“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Hawkins said. “This incident is under investigation.”
President Donald Trump bragged that the military might of the United States against Iran had led to members of the Middle Eastern nation’s military abandoning it during a Thursday bilateral in the Oval Office.
“There’s a lot of military defections. You have a lot of military defections in Iran,” Trump said while seated next to the visiting Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. “I don’t blame them.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent prompted Trump’s comments, saying during the bilateral meeting that the U.S is “seeing defections at all levels” in the Iranian military and that the regime will probably “collapse” into itself.
The Pentagon appears to be seeking hundreds of billions of dollars from Congress for the War with Iran.
However, with slim majorities in both chambers and a partisan divide over the conflict, will Republican leaders be able to squeeze that sum out of Congress?
On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported the Pentagon “has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war in Iran.”
