Remarks come as Italian PM suspends defence agreement with Israel amid growing domestic pressure over conflictDonald Trump lashed out at one of his closest allies on Tuesday, saying Italy’s Giorgia Meloni lacked courage in light of her failure to join the US in attacking Iran.“I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” the US president said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Continue reading...
Tehran says it will confront any land attack, as Trump says regime’s export hub on Kharg Island could be taken ‘very easily’. Plus, how Americans can rebuild its once robust peace movementGood morning.Iran has warned the US that it is prepared to confront any ground assault, accusing Washington of secretly planning a land attack while publicly seeking talks, as the war that has killed thousands of people and caused the biggest ever disruption to global energy supplies entered its second month.What has Donald Trump said? In an interview published last night, the US president did little to assuage those concerns, telling the Financial Times that his “preference would be to take the oil” in Iran, and saying of Iran’s crucial export hub on Kharg Island: “We could take it very easily.”This is a developing story. Follow the liveblog here.Why is this important to Cuba? The thousands of barrels of crude would provide significant relief to Cuba, which, according to the president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, has not received any oil imports for three months, leading to strict rationing of gasoline and exacerbating an energy crisis that has resulted in multiple power outages across the country. Continue reading...
Tehran says it will confront any land attack, as Houthi missiles fired at Israel signal further escalation in regionMiddle East crisis – live updatesIran has warned the US that it is prepared to confront any ground assault, accusing Washington of secretly planning a land attack while publicly seeking talks, as the war that has killed thousands of people and caused the biggest-ever disruption to global energy supplies entered its second month.As efforts to find a negotiated conclusion to hostilities inched forward with a meeting of regional powers in Pakistan, there were signs of further escalation over the weekend as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis entered the conflict for the first time, and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said his country was widening its invasion of southern Lebanon. Continue reading...
• Iranian state media reported US and Israeli attacks on the world's largest natural gas field at South Pars and other energy facilities on March 18, 2026.
• The strikes coincide with US deployment of 5,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz to reopen oil routes.
• Escalation threatens global energy supplies, with oil prices surging and political pressure mounting on President Trump.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated Friday that Iran is exercising 'sheer desperation' in counterattacks against the US and Israel, following the crash of a refueling plane in western Iraq that killed six airmen. The incident raises the total US troop deaths in the operation to 13, with officials confirming no hostile fire involvement. Hegseth's remarks precede reports of 2,500 Marines and a warship deploying to the region, signaling escalation. Analysts warn of prolonged conflict risks amid rising casualties and regional instability.
