Democrats criticize speech as doing little to answer âthe most basic questionsâ of the American people. Plus, how rap lyrics were used to help sentence a man to deathGood morning.Donald Trump declared the month-long US-Israeli war against Iran a success ânearing completionâ in his prime time address to the nation on Wednesday evening â despite the conflict wreaking global economic chaos, damaging transatlantic alliances and hitting his approval ratings.What is the significance of Trumpâs comments on HEU? The apparent decision to leave it appears to conflict with his assertions that a key war aim was to ensure Iran could never make a nuclear bomb.Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.What has Houston said about the rocketâs deployment? Flight controllers confirmed that all four solar arrays, which will provide the spacecraft with continuous electrical power throughout its lunar journey, were deployed successfully. Continue reading...
US president says responsibility for reopening strait of Hormuz rests on countries relying on it; secretary of state says Washington must review whether Nato alliance is still serving the US wellâGet your own oilâ: Trump launches tirade against Europe for not joining Iran warAustraliaâs Treasurer Jim Chalmers has unveiled a suite of Covid-era support measures for businesses struggling with soaring fuel prices, while Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese is set to address the nation in the latest sign the government is preparing for a more severe economic downturn from the war.âThe war in the Middle East is having an extreme impact on the global economy. Australians and Australian small businesses are paying the price for that,â the treasurer told reporters on Wednesday.Two-thirds of Americans believe that the US should work to end its involvement in the Iran war quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by the Trump administration, a Reuters/Ipsos poll has found.Asian markets rose sharply early on Wednesday after US stocks soared to their best day in almost a year on renewed hopes that the Iran war could soon end. South Koreaâs Kospi surged 6.4% in early trading, while Tokyoâs Nikkei 225 rose 4%. Hong Kongâs Hang Seng was up 1.9%, while the Shanghai Composite index was trading 1.4% higher.Thousands of additional US troops are heading to the Middle East. The aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush deployed on Tuesday and is slated to travel to the region along with three destroyers, two US officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 personnel.The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards Israel. It said defence systems were operating to intercept the missile.Iranâs state broadcaster IRIB said areas in northern, eastern and central Tehran were under attack on Wednesday morning. The broadcaster said on Telegram that explosions were heard in the capitalâs north, east and centre, reporting âattacks on Tehranâ without immediately providing more details.A drone attack has sparked a large fire at Kuwait international airport, according to its state news agency, which said no casualties had been reported, while in the last few hours Saudi Arabia has said it intercepted and destroyed two drones. Bahrain also said early on Wednesday that it was working to extinguish a fire at a business facility that resulted from an Iranian attack. A tanker also came under attack off the coast of Qatar early on Wednesday, according to the British militaryâs United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre.Israeli strikes in southern Beirut and a nearby area have killed seven people, according to Lebanonâs health ministry.An American journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad by a suspected Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, the US said. The journalist was identified as Shelly Kittleson, a freelancer, by media advocacy groups as well as Al-Monitor, one of the news outlets for which she worked.The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the United Arab Emirates is preparing to help the US open the strait of Hormuz by force. Citing Arab officials, the newspaper reported the UAE is lobbying for a UN security council resolution that would authorise such action. Continue reading...
⢠President Donald Trump stated on March 31 that the US military campaign against Iran could conclude within two to three weeks, saying 'We'll be leaving very soon' from the Oval Office.
⢠Trump emphasized no diplomatic deal with Tehran is required, insisting the goal is to render Iran unable to develop nuclear weapons and 'put into the stone ages' before withdrawal.
⢠The announcement signals an extension beyond the initial four-to-six week timeline amid reordered Middle East dynamics, disrupted global energy markets, and impacts on Trump's presidency.
⢠President Trump stated at a Thursday cabinet meeting that Iran is "begging to make a deal" to end the war, claiming Iran has offered him "eight big boats of oil" as a goodwill gestureâlater revising the number to 10.
⢠Trump insisted he is not the one pushing for negotiations despite Iran's repeated official denials of direct talks with the United States as the conflict enters its fourth week.
⢠U.S. Special Envoy Steve Woodcock indicated strong signs Iran could be convinced to reach a peace deal, while Trump also criticized NATO allies for failing to send naval assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel and Gulf states targeted and Iran hit by airstrikes as Tehran denies negotiations are taking place to end warMiddle East crisis â live updatesViolence has continued across much of the Middle East, a day after Donald Trump said the US was in âvery goodâ talks with Iran to end the war in the region soon.Iranian barrages targeted Israel, Gulf Arab states and northern Iraq on Tuesday, while Israeli and US warplanes continued to carry out strikes across Tehran and on other targets in the Islamic Republic. Continue reading...
President delays threat against energy infrastructure after Iranâs threats of retaliation, while Tehran denies any talksMiddle East crisis â live updatesDonald Trump has extended by five days his deadline to âhit and obliterateâ Iranâs power stations and energy infrastructure if Tehran does not allow shipping to move freely through the strait of Hormuz, claiming that the US and Iran have held âvery good and productive conversationsâ on an end to the three-week-old war.There was no immediate official reaction from Tehran to Trumpâs announcement, which was made in a post on Truth Social and appeared to avert a potentially massive escalation of the conflict, at least for now. Continue reading...
Move to allow shipments already at sea comes amid a supply crisisUS to send three more warships and thousands more troops, reports sayHow the Iran war has sent shocks rippling across the globeKuwaitâs state oil firm KPC said its Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was hit by multiple drone attacks early on Friday, causing a fire in some units, with no initial casualties reported, the state news agency said.Firefighters responded immediately, with several units shut down as a precaution to ensure workersâ safety. Continue reading...
US president says he told Netanyahu âdonât do thatâ as he distances himself from attack that has angered Gulf alliesThe US-Israeli war against Iran has exposed further divisions between the two countries after an Israeli strike on Iranâs largest gas field angered US allies in the Gulf and prompted Donald Trump to say he knew nothing in advance about the attack â a claim that Israeli officials disputed.Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said he had spoken to Israelâs Benjamin Netanyahu following the strikes on Iranâs South Pars gas field â part of a reserve shared with Qatar â and had told the Israeli prime minister to refrain from further attacks that could escalate a regional war on energy infrastructure. Continue reading...
⢠In a Saturday phone call with NBC journalist Kristen Welker, President Trump claimed Iran sought a ceasefire, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arashi immediately contradicted the assertion, stating Iran has never requested negotiations or a truce.
⢠US and Israeli forces have intensified bombardment of Iranian cities including Tehran, Hamadan, and Isfahan, with Trump warning of additional strikes; 12 US service members have been killed since the war began February 28.
⢠Reuters reports Trump has ignored attempts by Middle Eastern allies to broker negotiations ending the conflict, while the US State Department warned American citizens to leave Iraq immediately amid ongoing military operations.
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...
US president said he did not want to make a deal with Iran yet, while claiming that he might hit Kharg Island again âjust for funâHow have you been affected by the latest Middle East events?Donald Trump has said he is âsurprisedâ that US allies in the Gulf have been targeted by Iran, in an interview with NBC News.The president called these countries âterrificâ, adding that âthey got shot at unnecessarily.â When talking about Iranâs decision to target them, Trump said it was âthe biggest surprise I had of this whole thing.âLebanonâs health ministry said Israeli strikes have killed 826 people, including 65 women and 106 children, since the start of the war. In a statement today, the ministry said 31 paramedics were among those killed. Local health authorities reported this morning that an Israeli strike killed 12 medical staff at a clinic in the southern town of Burj Qalaouiya.At least 15 people were killed when a strike by Israel and the US hit a factory in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, the semi-official Fars news agency said. There were workers inside the factory, which produces heaters and refrigerators, when the strike hit, Fars reported.Iran issued an evacuation warning for three major ports in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, including the busiest in the Middle East, the Associated Press reported. Iran claims the US had used âports, docks and hideoutsâ in the UAE to launch strikes on Iranâs Kharg Island. It urged people to evacuate areas where it said US forces were sheltering.Trump renewed his call for other nations to help secure the strait of Hormuz and said the US will coordinate with them amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. âThe United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help â A LOT,â Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.The Trump administration rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war that started two weeks ago with a massive US-Israeli air assault, according to reporting from Reuters.The Israeli military says it killed two senior officials in Iranâs Khatam al-Anbiya Emergency Command in an airstrike on Tehran. In a post on X, army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said Abdullah Jalali-Nasab and Amir Shariat, described as senior figures in the commandâs intelligence branch, were killed in the attack.Israel informed the US this week that it is running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors as the conflict with Iran continues, Semafor reported on Saturday, citing US officials familiar with the matter.The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr accused news broadcasters of ârunning hoaxes and news distortionsâ amid the war in Iran in a post on X. âBroadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions - also known as the fake news - have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up,â Carr wrote.Formula One has cancelled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia grands prix because of the war, underlining the disruption across the Middle East. The races were due to take place on 12 April in Bahrain and 19 April in Saudi Arabia but the sport was approaching the point at which a decision on cancellation needed to be made to prevent more freight being sent to Bahrain. Continue reading...
The US military reports striking 15,000 targets in Iran since the war began, with President Trump stating forces 'totally obliterated' military sites on Kharg Island vital to Iran's oil network and threatening further action on oil infrastructure. This escalates as Iran reports 43,000 residential and commercial units damaged from US and Israeli strikes. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani detailed the widespread destruction on Saturday. Global oil markets remain volatile with Hormuz disruptions.
US workers are finding it difficult to afford basic necessities as the president claims âthe economy is roaring backâUS workers are still struggling with the cost of living despite Donald Trumpâs campaign promises to fix the US affordability crisis.The Guardian spoke to workers as an exclusive poll showed cross-party concerns about the Trump administrationâs handling of the US economy. Continue reading...
A doctored image circulated on March 14, 2026, purporting to show a Simpsons episode with 'Trump dead' and dates 1946-2026, sparking concerns amid US-Iran war tensions after strikes on Kharg Island. Fact-checks confirm the image is a fabricated hoax, AI-generated or edited, with showrunners stating no such episode exists and similar fakes have spread before. The virality coincides with President Trump's announcement of US attacks on Iran's energy lifeline following joint US-Israel strikes killing Ayatollah Khamenei. Public reactions included fears like 'Can this Simpson prophecy be true?', but experts dismiss it as meme bait on a tense news day.
