Escalation represents dangerous spread of war and brings threat of even more damage to the global economyMiddle East crisis â live updatesParents of Iran school bombing victims describe their worst dayThe US-Israeli war with Iran has expanded with the entry of Houthi forces in Yemen, representing a dangerous spread of the conflict and bringing with it the threat of more damage to the global economy.Pakistan has said it would host a meeting of Middle Eastern powers on Monday in an effort to find a regional approach to ending the conflict. But the talks, bringing together foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt did not appear to include any of the warring parties, casting further doubt on persistent US claims of diplomatic progress. Continue reading...
US president says he is extending deadline for strait of Hormuz to reopen to 6 April; Houthis tell Lloydâs List âno reasonâ to prevent Saudi oil using Red Sea routeFull report: Trump extends deadline Analysis: Trump pitches peace plan but military buildups rarely veer to off-rampHello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran and the consequences for the region, the world, and the global economy.Here are the latest developments:Donald Trump said he will extend â once again â his pause on his threat to attack Iranâs energy infrastructure for 10 days until 6 April, claiming that the request came from Tehran and that talks were going âvery wellâ. The US president threatened last Saturday to would strike Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran did not reopen the strait of Hormuz. Then, on Monday he postponed his threat for five days (until Friday), citing âvery good and productive conversationsâ with Iran on ending the war (which Tehran dismissed as âfake newsâ designed to âmanipulateâ the oil markets). Now, heâs pushing that deadline back, again.The price of Brent crude also dropped following Trumpâs latest announcement. Oil prices rose to their highest level this week, with Brent crude trading at roughly $108 a barrel after Trumpâs cabinet meeting earlier on Thursday.Yemenâs Houthis have said there is no need to worry amid fears that if Donald Trump follows through on threats to seize Iranâs Kharg Island, Tehran may ask them to attack shipping in the Red Sea.A day after Tehran dismissed Trumpâs 15-point ceasefire plan, the US president claimed that Iran was âbegging to make a deal,â and that he wasnât the one pushing for negotiations. Earlier, he told Tehran to âget serious soonâ on negotiating a deal to end the war.Trump rejected reports that he was looking for an exit ramp, as oil prices soar and political pressure mounts to avoid the kind of drawn-out Middle East war he once spurned. âI read a story today that Iâm desperate to make a deal,â Trump told reporters. âIâm the opposite of desperate. I donât care.âA US proposal for ending nearly four weeks of fighting is âone-sided and unfairâ, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday.However, Trump said Iran is allowing some oil tankers through strait of Hormuz as a sign of good faith for talks. He said that Iran allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the strategic strait as a âpresentâ to show it was serious about negotiations to end the war.The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give Trump more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, the Wall Street Journal is reporting, quoting defence department officials with knowledge of the planning.The Israel Defence Forcesâ chief of staff has warned that the military will âcollapse in on itselfâ as it faces increasing demands and a growing manpower shortage while fighting on multiple fronts, according to Israeli media reports.A Thai-flagged cargo ship that was hit by unknown projectiles in the strait of Hormuz earlier this month has run aground off Iranâs Qeshm Island, Iranâs Tasnim news agency said on Friday. Continue reading...
⢠The 2026 March Madness men's tournament Sweet 16 begins Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27, with games at four regional sites: Houston (South), San Jose (West), Chicago (Midwest), and Washington D.C. (East).
⢠The Elite Eight follows Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29, setting up the Final Four in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4 and 6, with the championship game on Monday, April 6.
⢠The tournament features 16 teams advancing from the first and second rounds, competing for the right to advance through regionals to the national semifinals and title game.
Energy and oil sites across region would become âlegitimate targetsâ, Tehran saysMiddle East crisis live â latest updatesIran has said it will âirreversibly destroyâ essential infrastructure across the Middle East if the US attacks its energy sites, hours after Donald Trump threatened to âobliterateâ the countryâs power plants if the strait of Hormuz was not opened within two days.As Iranian missiles struck two southern Israeli cities overnight, injuring dozens and shattering apartment buildings, the developments signalled a dangerous potential escalation of the war in the Middle East, which is now in its fourth week. Continue reading...
⢠UK Cabinet ministers confirmed agreement allowing US use of British bases for defensive operations to degrade Iranian missile sites attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
⢠The decision supports collective self-defense amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes against Iranian threats to regional shipping lanes critical for global oil supply.
⢠This bolsters US efforts in the fourth-week war, where Trump claims near-victory but deploys more forces, impacting oil prices and international alliances.
Animal Aid says reclassification of research facilities as key infrastructure could catch even most peaceful actionA charity has filed a legal challenge over a âchillingâ change in the law that restricts protest outside animal testing facilities in England and Wales by reclassifying them as âkey national infrastructureâ.Animal Aid says last monthâs amendment to the Public Order Act could capture even the most peaceful, nonâdisruptive advocacy. It claims the change is unlawful because it goes beyond parliamentâs intention at the time the act was passed. Continue reading...
⢠NCAA March Madness first-round games begin Thursday, March 19, featuring TCU vs. Ohio State at 12:15 p.m. ET in Greenville, S.C., on CBS, marking the start of 48 games over two days.
⢠Additional early contests include Troy vs. Nebraska at 12:40 p.m. on truTV in Oklahoma City and South Florida vs. Louisville at 1:30 p.m. on TNT in Buffalo, N.Y., with evening games like VCU vs. North Carolina at 6:50 p.m..
⢠Tournament schedule spans first round on March 19-20, second round March 21-22, progressing to Final Four on April 4-6 in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted across sites like Portland, Ore., and Oklahoma City.
⢠US military conducted attacks today on Iranian missile installations near the Strait of Hormuz to neutralize threats to transiting ships.
⢠The strikes target sites from which Iran could launch attacks on commercial and military vessels in the critical waterway.
⢠The operation escalates US involvement in the Iran conflict, aiming to secure global oil shipping routes amid heightened tensions.
⢠US Central Command announced military strikes on Iranian missile sites located near the Strait of Hormuz using bunker buster weapons.
⢠The strikes target Iran's military infrastructure and represent an escalation in the three-week conflict between the US and Iran.
⢠The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical global shipping route through which approximately 13 million barrels of oil pass daily.
President Donald Trump announced that US forces obliterated military targets on Iran's Kharg Island, a key oil export terminal, on March 13, 2026, with Iranian media reporting 15 explosions targeting air defenses, naval bases, and airport facilities but sparing oil infrastructure. Trump warned that Iran's oil infrastructure could be next if retaliation escalates, as the two-week war shows no signs of ending amid ongoing missile and drone attacks on Israel and Gulf states. The strikes heighten global energy risks since Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of world oil passes, potentially driving prices higher despite recent reserve releases. US officials are deploying 2,500 more Marines and an amphibious ship to the Middle East to bolster forces.
