⢠The Pentagon is developing military options described as a 'final blow' against Iran that could include ground forces invasion, according to Axios reporting on March 27.
⢠One plan involves invading or blockading Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal; another would send U.S. forces into Iran's interior to secure highly enriched uranium at nuclear facilities.
⢠The escalation plans emerge as President Trump extended his ultimatum deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to April 6, marking the third delay since initially setting the deadline for March 27.
⢠The US Pentagon is developing plans for a 'final blow' in the Iran war, involving ground troops and massive bombing, as reported by Axios citing two US officials and knowledgeable sources on March 27, 2026.
⢠US Central Command confirmed an Israeli airstrike killed Iran's IRGC Navy commander, amid escalating naval tensions near the Strait of Hormuz.
⢠The Wall Street Journal revealed considerations for deploying 10,000 additional US troops with armored vehicles to the Middle East, coordinating with existing Marines and the 82nd Airborne Division.
Reformâs ability to fundraise is hobbled in a move that draws attention to donations from an overseas billionaireReform UK are no doubt the biggest losers from the governmentâs emergency measures to overhaul political donations.Labour MPs are absolutely delighted that No 10 is at last bringing in changes that will hobble Reformâs ability to raise money from its Thailand-based mega-donor, Christopher Harborne, at the same time as making the electoral system fairer in the eyes of the public. Continue reading...
Government review also recommends donations from Britons abroad be capped potentially at ÂŁ300,000 a yearUK politics live â latest updatesPolitical funding from British citizens living abroad should be capped at between ÂŁ100,000 and ÂŁ300,000 a year and donations in cryptocurrency temporarily banned, a government review has recommended.The findings by Philip Rycroft, a former permanent secretary at the Home Office, will be a blow to Reform UK, which has received about ÂŁ12m in the last year from the Thai-based investor Christopher Harborne and other donations from a number of donors based in Monaco. Continue reading...
Democratic Senate hopeful says experience of being key witness in Trumpâs first impeachment makes him right choice for FloridaAlex Vindman is not a man to hold a grudge. Ask him about the bullying, intimidation and retribution meted out by Donald Trump and Maga acolytes following his appearance as a key witness in the first of the presidentâs two first-term impeachments, and he almost shrugs it off.âFor people that know anything about me, I basically smile all the time,â he says. Continue reading...
The move would be a major escalation in the US-Israel war against Iran. Plus, FBI director admits to buying data tracking Americansâ locationsGood morning.Donald Trump threatened to âmassively blow upâ the worldâs largest gasfield after Israeli strikes on Iranâs South Pars field led Tehran to take revenge on energy facilities across the Middle East.Whatâs happening to oil and gas prices? Brent crude rose by 8% to $116 a barrel. European gas prices jumped, with the Dutch wholesale gas price up 24%.What do we know about the warâs economic cost? The war cost the US $12.7bn by day six â the total is likely to have now exceeded $18bn. Hereâs a visualization of how that has been spent.Could US-Israeli attempts to take out Iranian leaders backfire? Some analysts think so. âIt is not an approach that produces Jeffersonian democrats but hardened resistance fighters. It breeds more resistance,â said Sanam Vakil, an Iran expert at Chatham House.Follow our live coverage here.Who has spoken out? Labor rights activist and co-founder of the UFW Dolores Huerta, 95, released a statement on Wednesday saying: âI have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.â The report also includes the stories of two women, who were daughters of organizers in the movement, who said they were children when the grooming and abuse began. Continue reading...
US president claims Israel will not attack South Pars again â but threatens to destroy âextremely important and valuableâ site if Iran continues to attack gas facilities in QatarMiddle East crisis â live updatesDonald Trump threatened to âmassively blow upâ the worldâs largest gasfield after Israeli strikes on the Iranian site prompted Tehran to step up attacks on energy facilities across the Middle East.Israelâs decision to target the South Pars gasfield on Wednesday marked a major escalation of the war, heightening fears of significant disruption to international energy supplies. Continue reading...
US president says Israel will not launch another attack on the giant gasfield shared by Iran and Qatar, but promises to destroy it if Tehran retaliatesIsrael strikes Iranâs South Pars gasfield hours after forces kill intelligence minister Fighting intensifies between Israel and Hezbollah in southern LebanonWelcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and the broader crisis in the region, and global economy.Donald Trump has threatened to âmassively blow upâ the entire South Pars gas field if Iran carries out any more retaliatory attacks on Qatarâs LNG gas facilities.The Pentagon âhas asked the White House to approve a more than $200bn request to Congress to fund the war in Iran, according to a senior administration officialâ, the Washington Post reports.The oil price climbed towards $110 a barrel on Wednesday as the mounting threat to the Gulfâs oil and gas infrastructure fuelled concerns of more disruption to global supplies, amid the continuing blockade of the strait of Hormuz.QatarEnergy said âsizeable firesâ caused extensive damage at its LNG facilities after Iranian missile attacks in the early hours of Thursday.An attack set a ship ablaze early on Thursday off the UAE coast, authorities said. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said âa vessel has been hit by an unknown projectile, which has resulted in a fire onboardâ.French president Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate moratorium on striking civilian infrastructure, and said civilian populations and their needs must be âprotected from military escalationâ.Three Palestinian women were killed in an Iranian missile attack in the occupied West Bank late on Wednesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, in the first deadly Iranian strike there.A man was killed in central Israel in the latest round of Iranian missile fire, medics say. It brings the death roll in Israel from the war to 15.Republicans in the US Senate blocked a measure that aimed to reign in Donald Trumpâs power to wage war against Iran without congressional authorisation, winning a 53-47 vote. Continue reading...
Reserve Bank of Australiaâs second consecutive increase lifts cash rate target to where it was in February last yearFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Reserve Bank has increased interest rates amid a global energy shock that threatens to push Australian inflation towards 5%.The hike takes the RBAâs cash rate target from 3.85% to 4.1%, back to where it was in February 2025, wiping out the relief offered by two cuts last year. Continue reading...
US supreme court has âransackedâ the country, president argues, in wake of its ruling against his trade agendaDonald Trump has claimed he has âthe absolute rightâ to impose new tariffs after the US supreme court ruled many of the import duties he imposed last year were illegal.The president attacked the court in a late night broadside on Sunday, accusing it of having âunnecessarily RANSACKEDâ the US â and failing to show him sufficient loyalty. Continue reading...