Middle East crisis live: Trump vents frustration with allies over strait of Hormuz; Iran denies report of direct contact with US | US-Israel war on Iran

We have more now from Iraq’s interior ministry, which said that a drone hit a hotel in Baghdad without causing casualties or material damages on Monday.

“,”elementId”:”7ebc0a44-7f1b-4ab4-b8a7-f967cba5e204″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Security sources earlier told Reuters a drone hit Al-Rasheed hotel in the Green Zone, which houses governmental buildings and the US embassy, as fire and smoke were seen rising.

“,”elementId”:”1c5de6fa-5c6f-4222-b18f-09e67114c02f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

After examination, it was determined a drone had collided with the hotel’s upper fence, the ministry said, condemning any attempts to target diplomatic envoys in the country.

“,”elementId”:”aa938a99-b601-4dad-bd8d-84959a687da4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Security sources had also earlier told Reuters that two Katyusha rockets were fired at the US embassy in Baghdad.

“,”elementId”:”6b1be6fd-3590-412a-b3c4-28285e445011″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773699455000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”18.17 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773699552000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”18.19 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773699553000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”18.19 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”18.19″,”title”:”No injuries reported after drone hits hotel in Baghdad”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b87b4a8f08b1d7c2e14a29″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n
• \n

  Donald Trump said he will “soon” announce countries that have agreed to help the US reopen the strait of Hormuz, as he criticised his many allies, including Nato and the UK, that have so far declined to get involved. He told reporters in the Oval Office that South Korea, Japan, and China, should be helping the US. He warned that Nato faced a “very bad” future if it didn’t help and said he was “not happy” with the UK.

\n

• \n

  Meanwhile, allies responded by saying “this is not Nato war”, with the EU insisting it has “no appetite” to expand its naval mission to the strait of Hormuz. German chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier said this war “is not a matter for Nato”, while Nato said “allies have already stepped up to provide additional security in the Mediterranean”. The UK prime minister Keir Starmer had earlier resisted Trump’s call to send warships to the strait, saying the UK “will not be drawn into a wider war” but was working “with allies” on a plan to reopen the strait.

\n

• \n

  Trump also said the war would be “wrapped up” soon, saying it wouldn’t be this week but “it won’t be long”. He also suggested he would delay his upcoming trip to China, which was scheduled for the end of March, by “a month or so”. His administration has insisted that this was not to pressure Beijing to help reopen the strait of Hormuz.

\n

• \n

  US vice-president JD Vance deflected and attacked the media when he was asked if he supports Trump’s war on Iran, given his prior criticisms of open-ended US foreign interventionism. It followed US media reports that he had privately expressed scepticism and counselled Trump against striking Iran. Vance accused the media of trying to “drive a wedge” between him and his president, and repeated Trump’s claim that Tehran was close to developing a nuclear weapon. “I trust President Trump to get the job done,” he said.

\n

• \n

  Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi denied recent contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, and said their last contact was prior to the US attack on Iran. He wrote on X: “My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was prior to his employer’s decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran. Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public.” It followed an Axios report that a direct communications channel between Witkoff and Araghchi had been reactivated in recent days, with Araghchi attempting to engage with Witkoff about ending the war.

\n

• \n

  The leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Canada, and Italy issued a joint statement expressing “grave concern” after Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon. They called for meaningful engagement by Israeli and Lebanese representatives to negotiate a sustainable political solution. A significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences, they warned, adding that it could lead to a protracted conflict with “devastating humanitarian consequences”.

\n

• \n

  Earlier on Monday, the IDF had said its ​troops had ​begun what it described as “⁠limited and targeted” ⁠ground operations – a ground invasion – against ‌Hezbollah strongholds in ‌southern Lebanon, and told hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians they cannot return to their homes.

\n

• \n

  It comes as the latest reports indicate that Israeli strikes have killed at least 850 people in Lebanon, including at least 107 children, and have left more than a million displaced.

\n

• \n

  Elsewhere, explosions were reported in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, the highly secure section of the Iraqi capital that is home to diplomatic missions including the US embassy, and international organisations.

\n

• \n

  Operations at the UAE’s Shah gas and oil field are suspended after a fire that broke out due a drone attack. Abu Dhabi authorities said on Monday night that the fire had been brought under control.

\n

• \n

  Qatar said it intercepted a second wave of missiles from Iran following an attack earlier on Monday.

\n

“,”elementId”:”74e6a203-6ef5-4596-93df-8bb4e52695c9″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:false,”summary”:true},”blockCreatedOn”:1773697866000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.51 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773700269000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”18.31 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773699093000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”18.11 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”18.11″,”title”:”The day so far”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b878bc8f08b1d7c2e14a1f”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US president said he would “soon” announce countries that have agreed to help the US reopen the strait of Hormuz amid rising global oil prices, as he acknowledged that many allies have so far declined to do so.

“,”elementId”:”8c82d06c-c0c2-49b2-a052-88090db0e85f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

He told reporters in the Oval Office:

“,”elementId”:”6c0262ad-e51b-43e6-b05d-dc330972098e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

There are a couple, we’ll be announcing some names soon There are some that really were right up front.

\n

“,”elementId”:”91aad4b5-784f-484f-87ba-080ca6466f30″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump added that nations like Japan, South Korea, and China – which get much of their oil through the key waterway – “should be thanking me”.

“,”elementId”:”f239fe25-ee88-4f3c-b8fd-67c4ead03692″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

And they should be not only thanking us, they should be helping us. What does surprise me is that they’re not eager.

\n

“,”elementId”:”501920e2-0d14-444e-b4ab-23dc521a1525″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773697212000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.40 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773697424000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.43 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773697401000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.43 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.43″,”title”:”Trump says he’ll ‘soon’ announce nations helping with strait of Hormuz”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b878058f08fe3cf0eb6411″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump also claimed his war with Iran would be “wrapped up soon”.

“,”elementId”:”92776f9d-b481-45d7-971e-6904e3221854″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Asked if the US could finish the war this week, Trump was vague, telling reporters:

“,”elementId”:”939debe5-aaad-4a66-b04a-147bcf17b051″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

I don’t think so. But it’ll be soon. Won’t be long. We’re gonna have a much safer world when it’s wrapped up. It’ll be wrapped up soon.

\n

“,”elementId”:”6b60aa50-25ef-4571-bba4-d801094a23c3″},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”3585″,”width”:”4478″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/4478.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”3585″,”width”:”4478″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”1601″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”801″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”400″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”112″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”f7faef72-24ab-4c6c-b0ba-58804b734c50″,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=92126e18774dc9ff3a22185ed7719f41″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2cbff8ac8a81617939ff1db1964a19b2″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=65f8047fecb73dde2bcdd48d8a94ff19″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=08cc5c5ca901d1fcc1ed64576c6f2f2c”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=254381f23c9fe1dea12f480874cf962a”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=28c81e5b03c9659c3d260b148889f620″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=8df28ff01f0668c664751217c0e8e6f1″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8b4c1205d6a9519e8fcb6f209b9e07b2″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=00055092d3ad72b4cac20515e7c4f8ea”,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=96a0ef51ac45d93e893dd357b208596a”,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1d991ae9578aa14d18e2f67213911af2″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=28d2f3896cae44ec224420a4c211a3b9″,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9a18766fb5bae93eec64199d1e3de3dd”,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=639601659ff2d03a210accd2e631d96f”,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=92126e18774dc9ff3a22185ed7719f41″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2cbff8ac8a81617939ff1db1964a19b2″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=65f8047fecb73dde2bcdd48d8a94ff19″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=08cc5c5ca901d1fcc1ed64576c6f2f2c”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=254381f23c9fe1dea12f480874cf962a”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=28c81e5b03c9659c3d260b148889f620″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=259ecb5560d637fdaa1e6285e5715dd4″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=be9b573d74d37ed437bb0b1195411853″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3d82a02358311e1ba5ecda8aa55b4ca1″,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=29b9a8e4595908a39a29b144c874d9d5″,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=92126e18774dc9ff3a22185ed7719f41″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2cbff8ac8a81617939ff1db1964a19b2″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=65f8047fecb73dde2bcdd48d8a94ff19″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=08cc5c5ca901d1fcc1ed64576c6f2f2c”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=254381f23c9fe1dea12f480874cf962a”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=28c81e5b03c9659c3d260b148889f620″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=92126e18774dc9ff3a22185ed7719f41″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2cbff8ac8a81617939ff1db1964a19b2″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=65f8047fecb73dde2bcdd48d8a94ff19″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=08cc5c5ca901d1fcc1ed64576c6f2f2c”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=254381f23c9fe1dea12f480874cf962a”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=28c81e5b03c9659c3d260b148889f620″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=85fa5d215f8e79887465801e21987802″,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c11f2e1ff2d5aec0e1d1d917cf020a01″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3b9ed6109be1aa0fbd2e7c5c21aa9f07″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e34d97e5c363f8851c594b081532c593″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=82d1565d5c3c494dd83592101daa3ffa”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ebda7cc741a175dcca57e803219e00b2″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4d4532fb8e967cba0db083a5862a6674″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d958ead6f6203d2f73d3a4e0ce024dcb”,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1c16fffb523ef0265348fff9712ef201″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ee62cb6f4f8a845543ba86ee53a8f169″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0c63965aa13c257d9cce6c515838c1e8″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=75702fd8ce3701a19e834df8d4e9245a”,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=98befafb629efb48bd2d57cc51518936″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6793c3b2a8473c750d74d117a6e6cd411ae45b05/617_0_4478_3585/master/4478.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=5b4088a8f5c96d2111d474ee4851e021″,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Donald Trump smirks as he speaks to reporters”,”caption”:”Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773697029000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.37 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773697161000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.39 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773697162000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.39 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.39″,”title”:”Trump says war will be ‘wrapped up soon'”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b8759d8f08fe3cf0eb63eb”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said that his last contact with US special envoy Steve Witkoff was prior to the US attack on Iran.

“,”elementId”:”d79903c8-0481-4f08-a0e7-ed25f58352ac”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

He wrote on X:

“,”elementId”:”5985d895-fb69-4637-b0f9-5acdcd022a37″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

My last contact with Mr. Witkoff was prior to his employer’s decision to kill diplomacy with another illegal military attack on Iran. Any claim to the contrary appears geared solely to mislead oil traders and the public.

\n

“,”elementId”:”929e01da-b1f5-4111-a7f1-12062839b579″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

It follows an Axios report that a direct communications channel between Witkoff and Araghchi had been reactivated in recent days, with Araghchi attempting to engage with Witkoff about ending the war.

“,”elementId”:”664ca194-f81f-48e2-8219-1c2de31d5a2e”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773696413000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.26 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773700923000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”18.42 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773696782000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.33 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.33″,”title”:”Iran’s Araghchi denies recent contact with US envoy”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b873518f0871bed8f39614″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump also suggested that his trip to China this month to meet with Xi Jinping could be delayed by “a month or so”.

“,”elementId”:”31a0b0da-17b0-406e-98a6-0f33ad5295dc”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

We’re speaking to China. I would love to, but because of the war, I want to be here.

\n

We have requested that we delay it a month or so, and I’m looking forward to meeting with him. We’ve got a war going on. I think it’s important that I be here. So it could be that we delay it a little bit, not much.

\n

“,”elementId”:”bfcc1145-25f8-463e-ad3c-8eaba1c03812″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

His press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier that the trip could be delayed. His treasury secretary Scott Bessent also cast doubt on the trip, but insisted this was not to pressure Beijing to help unblock the strait of Hormuz. He told CNBC:

“,”elementId”:”7e3c30b0-3a50-4114-b3a5-1b8180967293″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

We will see whether the visit takes place as scheduled. But what I do want to parse, and there’s a false narrative out there that if the meetings are delayed, it wouldn’t be delayed because the president’s demanded that China police the straits of Hormuz.

\n

“,”elementId”:”855b550c-5c1d-4e0d-8e66-c82686dda7f4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said: “I think China should help too [to reopen the strait of Hormuz] because China gets 90% of its oil from the Straits.”

“,”elementId”:”55d0a1b0-b204-44ee-8ce8-63a051dc66a6″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773695825000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.17 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773696141000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.22 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773695875000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.17 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.17″,”title”:”Trump to delay trip to China because of Iran war”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b86f548f0871bed8f39600″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Canada, and Italy have issued a joint statement expressing “grave concern” after Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon on Monday.

“,”elementId”:”5bda6888-78df-4f24-a2a8-34c2296663a4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

They call for meaningful engagement by Israeli and Lebanese representatives to negotiate a sustainable political solution.

“,”elementId”:”bfeed566-25bf-4589-936b-6be3a2f99533″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

A significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences, they warn, adding that it could lead to a protracted conflict with “devastating humanitarian consequences”.

“,”elementId”:”696f44b5-1ace-4ea4-806e-96a4c6ad41cb”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

An extract from the statement reads:

“,”elementId”:”2df0d044-09c5-4e20-b065-8c4323dfcc9a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel and the targeting of civilians must cease and they must disarm. We condemn Hezbollah’s decision to join Iran in hostilities, which further jeopardises regional peace and security.

\n

We condemn attacks directed at civilians, civilian infrastructure, health workers and infrastructure, as well as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. These actions are unacceptable, and we call on all parties to act in accordance with international humanitarian law.

\n

A significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences and could lead to a protracted conflict. It must be averted. The humanitarian situation in Lebanon, including ongoing mass displacement, is already deeply alarming.

\n

“,”elementId”:”0dbc8334-7473-4754-8c67-cf3fa2fd1684″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Earlier, the IDF said its ​troops had ​begun what it described as “⁠limited and targeted” ⁠ground operations against ‌Hezbollah strongholds in ‌southern Lebanon.

“,”elementId”:”16d0a8c8-859c-442d-b190-7e772bfd1239″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The latest reports indicate that Israeli strikes have killed at least 850 people in Lebanon, including at least 107 children, and have left more than a million displaced.

“,”elementId”:”e8f7874c-2481-48d2-85a7-61448340f1ff”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

We have more on this story here:

“,”elementId”:”c00a93e3-5145-4174-948e-0ee80bb40cf7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”text”:”Israel’s plan to expand Lebanon ground campaign fuels fears of prolonged occupation”,”elementId”:”ded4083c-1f63-4065-bd49-adc12bc31fa5″,”role”:”thumbnail”,”url”:”https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/16/israel-expansion-lebanon-ground-campaign-fears-prolonged-occupation”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773694804000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.00 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773695371000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.09 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773695362000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.09 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.09″,”title”:”Western leaders ‘gravely concerned’ as Israel launches ground invasion of Lebanon”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b86af88f08fe3cf0eb6383″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Asked if he was “completely onboard” with the US-Israeli war on Iran – given his past scepticism of open-ended US military missions overseas – Vance told reporters he wants the operation to be as “successful as possible”.

“,”elementId”:”d533db72-6525-475e-928b-a47943c9c67f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Pressed on whether he had any hesitation on the current operation, Vance added:

“,”elementId”:”fb11026c-48b9-44dd-a37c-36931c6ed16d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

We have a smart president, whereas in the past we have had dumb presidents, and I trust President Trump to get the job done.

\n

“,”elementId”:”01b63605-9e5f-4e8f-bd5d-577b1def5ae3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

It comes as a number of outlets have reported that Vance counselled Trump against launching strikes on Iran in the lead-up to Trump deciding to go to war.

“,”elementId”:”4a5e0353-e088-4cd8-9d4e-322de61a7f71″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US vice-president also attacked the media, accusing the reporter who asked the question of “trying to drive a wedge” between him and Trump.

“,”elementId”:”a4e2a5b5-34d4-46d2-8002-bba89f4a2ed3″},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”4389″,”width”:”5486″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/5486.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”4389″,”width”:”5486″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”1600″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”800″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”400″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”112″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”c1b27e10-43b9-413a-9f05-6eec68d00b92″,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d4f068f47a83a122bd01895b29e0495a”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=da7ea849b1a299b8a2ee8b1e7b90a611″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e1f321663173f33b7519569684352cec”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8c23ce4ff30766ec30ce79ec145d3245″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=aff5bcb0e63f6b06a8708dedeac640cc”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=81b71a50a80692d69a83c0791be6e78d”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=160d5c892a310ee2b779ea680821f1a8″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b3299985709fa0d90cba39d6af60b1e9″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f515e7be0a37c45f5c489c2f081b8404″,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f7018df694c8908ca11fb4b58ef55e70″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4a0c312be8c3bc9ef3fb88c2cadcc305″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=36b894d78f16d833f3f213b39aa6c57e”,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=775bca5188a13f7ba7d79e1957d34678″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b438723068391d6a007c118545a779e2″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d4f068f47a83a122bd01895b29e0495a”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=da7ea849b1a299b8a2ee8b1e7b90a611″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e1f321663173f33b7519569684352cec”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8c23ce4ff30766ec30ce79ec145d3245″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=aff5bcb0e63f6b06a8708dedeac640cc”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=81b71a50a80692d69a83c0791be6e78d”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f8e0cff5894755ec47bee684d94221e6″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=10f974c1391a7e23b7cc568c294c27ac”,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f7bbd1ee87f3f5e82fa8155e0bde801d”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=03d382f40106a1db772226e9a4ad9ac6″,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d4f068f47a83a122bd01895b29e0495a”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=da7ea849b1a299b8a2ee8b1e7b90a611″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e1f321663173f33b7519569684352cec”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8c23ce4ff30766ec30ce79ec145d3245″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=aff5bcb0e63f6b06a8708dedeac640cc”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=81b71a50a80692d69a83c0791be6e78d”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d4f068f47a83a122bd01895b29e0495a”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=da7ea849b1a299b8a2ee8b1e7b90a611″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e1f321663173f33b7519569684352cec”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8c23ce4ff30766ec30ce79ec145d3245″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=aff5bcb0e63f6b06a8708dedeac640cc”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=81b71a50a80692d69a83c0791be6e78d”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2c1093f06d03d0b3dcfc0c701a4535a2″,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=00af88f0886d04dd238726de41d34578″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4057ca586d5966925a43e5771b17e607″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bb9baa9b0312bc247d25d2d61a953cf4″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=880ae26ae0b58e9f945e9a8675c559b2″,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=421e46aa188ca2adc6339d5cd82197a3″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d0df5ce52e748bcc53a6f5046fb9da6f”,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6439f992cf65ff488e753cde156c9c8b”,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=b5419a698c27f1f81209fceb24a163d4″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=99da59627840e6347ea97951ba697dd2″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3e995bbc620283dd81ea01af4566dda7″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=43eae728bb8e8d97b046f50ea252b8f0″,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ca015458b8698c6a8b3c9575af7fdaf0″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4da830831682f76b6a8942c4a302b55d55f4b870/698_0_5486_4389/master/5486.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9bb051fa947aa073d65b39226d236bbb”,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Donald Trump sitting down with JD Vance standing next to him answering questions from media”,”caption”:”JD Vance and Donald Trump speak to reporters in the Oval Office.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/EPA”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773693688000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”16.41 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773695587000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.13 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773694029000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”16.47 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”16.47″,”title”:”Vance deflects when asked if he’s ‘completely onboard’ with US war on Iran”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b863168f08b1d7c2e1494c”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Qatari defence ministry has said that it was attacked by Iranian missiles on Monday, though most of them were intercepted.

“,”elementId”:”9d8f1d73-9e8a-4eef-810a-ba47a6ce0437″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The attack involved 14 ballistic missiles and several drones, the defence ministry said, noting that 13 of the ballistic missiles were intercepted, as were all of the drones.

“,”elementId”:”4cf865ca-b536-4c83-a655-64e1b59ac880″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

One missile landed in “ an uninhabited area without causing any losses”, the ministry said.

“,”elementId”:”4d80935e-9694-4913-afb0-fe419bbd674a”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773691671000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”16.07 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773693228000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”16.33 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773692977000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”16.29 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”16.29″,”title”:”Qatar intercepted Iranian missile and drone attack, defence ministry says”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b85e0e8f08b1d7c2e1492d”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

A direct communications channel between US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has been reactivated in recent days, Axios reports, citing a US official and a source with knowledge of the matter.

“,”elementId”:”2835b252-7d8c-4014-af7e-4539db6e48cf”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Per Axios’s report, it isn’t clear how substantive the messages passed between Araghchi and Witkoff were, but it’s the first known direct communication between the parties since the war started more than two weeks ago.

“,”elementId”:”fed046e9-d02c-4108-9807-d810a6118bb5″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US official and the source with knowledge told Axios that Araghchi sent text messages to Witkoff that focused on ending the war.

“,”elementId”:”83f66c68-3b1d-445d-8ce2-f7a94d344e4a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

It comes after Drop Site News reported today that Witkoff had sent messages to Araghchi and quoted Iranian officials who claimed the Iranian foreign minister was ignoring his messages.

“,”elementId”:”d6c3397b-af5a-4890-b656-527ea2854ec9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US official told Axios it was Araghchi who was attempting to engage, but said the US “is not talking” to Iran. Neither of the sources spoke in detail about how many texts had been exchanged or about their content.

“,”elementId”:”eccec59e-1b88-43eb-b34b-3615adb6a75e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump said earlier today that Iran had communicated with the US about reaching a deal.

“,”elementId”:”c5e486e0-47fe-4efa-bd5c-f0d63539160a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“They want to make a deal. They are talking to our people … we have people wanting to negotiate, [but] we have no idea who they are,” the US president told reporters.

“,”elementId”:”25e7806a-9158-4efd-b522-d3458f2dd845″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773690383000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.46 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773691200000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”16.00 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773691184000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.59 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.59″,”title”:”Iran and US have been in direct contact in recent days – report”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b854b08f0871bed8f39505″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

An explosion has been heard near the US embassy in Baghdad, Reuters reports.

“,”elementId”:”aa3ad921-1efe-42b7-8358-24b43646c5d4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The agency says a witness reported sirens being sounded in the Iraqi city.

“,”elementId”:”5a28ab60-d9eb-4299-8217-7a2d4fae589c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

We’ll bring you more details as we get them.

“,”elementId”:”675fe70d-01f1-487b-88a5-a00e5e204153″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773687984000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.06 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773688785000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.19 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773688026000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”15.07 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”15.07″,”title”:”Explosion heard near US embassy in Baghdad, reports say”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b850718f08b1d7c2e14895″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Authorities in Abu Dhabi have said they are dealing with a fire at the Shah oil and gas field caused by a drone attack and said that no injuries had been reported so far, per the Abu Dhabi media office.

“,”elementId”:”fc2e445c-77f4-4659-8076-18ec2ec00e9d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Shah field is one of the largest of its kind in the world and is located 230km southwest of the Emirati capital. It is operated by the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). According to ADNOC’s website, the field has a production capacity of around 70,000 barrels of oil per day.

“,”elementId”:”424988dd-5c67-4268-8dc3-c68853d1f379″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773686897000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.48 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773687617000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.00 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773687191000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.53 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.53″,”title”:”Drone strike causes fire at Abu Dhabi oil field, officials say”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b84f148f08fe3cf0eb6271″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

At his press conference earlier, Donald Trump quickly shut down a reporter’s question about the possibility of Israel using a nuclear weapon on Iran if the conflict continues to escalate. The US president said:

“,”elementId”:”fdf8b0d0-6680-45f0-9ec9-6d86a6a4cccb”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

Israel would never do that. You’ve pounded them to hell and you could just leave now, and it’ll take 10 years for them to build back not nearly what they have right now.

\n

“,”elementId”:”104b5fb6-e6b6-4a7e-b2d4-9e3fa01c6a9d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

It comes after one of his advisors, David Sacks, suggested the possible outcome in a podcast interview last week where he expressed concern about the conflict escalating. Sacks said:

“,”elementId”:”11ba29a6-dc29-4990-ab07-ce840434bc27″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

Israel could get seriously destroyed. And then you have to worry about Israel escalating the war by contemplating using a nuclear weapon, which would truly be catastrophic.

\n

“,”elementId”:”a7fdacc8-5a21-4385-9dd0-567d00d3ca2e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Asked if Sacks had shared that assessment with him, Trump replied: “No, he hasn’t.”

“,”elementId”:”5406335c-2e7e-4ce3-b064-075fc8738fce”},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”2312″,”width”:”2889″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/2889.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”2312″,”width”:”2889″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”1601″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”800″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”400″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”112″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”a15e3aa9-f418-41d7-a034-27836a7991c1″,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e6d3ad8bd7c3761d64706b53133423e2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=365269ed785ba7809c92220d2b73ea37″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0bc0597f1cf3d8f6c4c73df57eb6b48b”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e2a452afc9e2f520362c191ad5bd7459″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a54c7aef29fc09b79c994abd496ae226″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=abf1d632921938f77c8881dfc8577c38″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=60bf27cc0c149c3fa0438610d454402b”,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=75f89257c043ab360d71cb1255c7a254″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c23db252a5f75ddcfb647ee97971f202″,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6ee8e470f296dfa94631986ca9da4a5a”,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=78c28634fe143d73cb2ac328c440d5fb”,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=abfcd0bc3d60b56a1590d7c27adacb12″,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=117cd63ddcb1b87d2e7e18ceae3a7dbd”,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7a16c41eb3b1f0c97d35f3389d22b86d”,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e6d3ad8bd7c3761d64706b53133423e2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=365269ed785ba7809c92220d2b73ea37″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0bc0597f1cf3d8f6c4c73df57eb6b48b”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e2a452afc9e2f520362c191ad5bd7459″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a54c7aef29fc09b79c994abd496ae226″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=abf1d632921938f77c8881dfc8577c38″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1cacc497fc58ac5269f6b045b3324c8a”,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ec765d2b02ce4fee7ef8e5e26df5fbe3″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5cd5f311ddea1d0e8ca5213abffa489a”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=948b5b98411f8bbc65d8b3e4d1b591af”,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e6d3ad8bd7c3761d64706b53133423e2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=365269ed785ba7809c92220d2b73ea37″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0bc0597f1cf3d8f6c4c73df57eb6b48b”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e2a452afc9e2f520362c191ad5bd7459″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a54c7aef29fc09b79c994abd496ae226″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=abf1d632921938f77c8881dfc8577c38″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e6d3ad8bd7c3761d64706b53133423e2″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=365269ed785ba7809c92220d2b73ea37″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0bc0597f1cf3d8f6c4c73df57eb6b48b”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e2a452afc9e2f520362c191ad5bd7459″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a54c7aef29fc09b79c994abd496ae226″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=abf1d632921938f77c8881dfc8577c38″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2c9ba4c3f89ba41cc9af4ded0ee4c7e5″,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f777812f74da92e02ba26c27fbbb1e2c”,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3fa871e426082a683f3427f99447cc4a”,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=56f268b121c35c7b72d9d8b51d5b93d9″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=b90f6921c5a18f03a592fccd6c622a66″,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=a1a06eca9dd5e912a0b6a1b444d988eb”,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f4faf04bc31b6c1a9148166d591241e9″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=cd275a2161627d6b082ab05edf9eb402″,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d6cfbc7948ba044fe9e9a2790fd28a75″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=63d3b0c6f8440351953e5dead39f6ac7″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6e1c6e08c17c07e8870996d58c8ef118″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9430683ef4240f333ef7d88252c80818″,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f66457953022ce2ab6c6ca3c2b71d9f7″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f00b55a69a7efde453dee5a4bd032079e63309c6/289_0_2889_2312/master/2889.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7b170dac42876836d1c960c4539b6753″,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Donald Trump pointing as he answers a reporter’s question”,”caption”:”Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in the East Room of the White House.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/EPA”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773686548000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.42 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773686850000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”14.47 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773686758000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.45 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.45″,”title”:”Trump says Israel ‘would never’ use a nuclear weapon on Iran”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b8475e8f08b1d7c2e14818″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Shrapnel from ballistic missiles fired by Iran and debris from the Israeli interceptors that shot them down fell on Monday around Jerusalem’s walled Old City and some of its most sacred Christian, Muslim and Jewish sites, Israeli police have said.

“,”elementId”:”ec645d69-09aa-48be-b48e-7cc6708756df”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

There were no casualties or major damage reported at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque compound or Temple Mount, a flashpoint site that is holy in both Islam and Judaism.

“,”elementId”:”19aac704-c455-4099-86a5-edc31992d44d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The BBC reported that large pieces of shrapnel also fell in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, including close to the British consulate, and close to the Knesset. The local municipality said three people were lightly injured.

“,”elementId”:”30c7f04f-4cd8-4add-807b-d7dbd20ad4a2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Photographs distributed by police and seen by Retuers showed three officers carrying what appeared to be a large metal ring-shaped part of a missile off a red-tiled roof adjacent to the Holy Sepulchre. Another image showed a police cordon around a small area in the Al-Aqsa compound plaza which also houses the golden Dome of the Rock, with small fragments strewn on the floor.

“,”elementId”:”bec345f9-58fc-4b7d-a30c-13132f4833a1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Jerusalem District police, bomb disposal teams, and Border Police units have secured the sites and are currently working to eliminate any remaining risk to the public,” police said in a statement.

“,”elementId”:”a621ff20-f45a-4e7f-991e-6011b503c60d”},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”1536″,”width”:”1920″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/1920.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”1536″,”width”:”1920″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”800″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/1000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”400″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/500.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”112″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”f18caf83-f6ae-4695-b089-9561d244588c”,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d2efc31f3abcd790a25ffd7055228f48″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3f2e827d4c0bd1a958b2b972032ce1cf”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e1a43bab7bdbb851ceff522e175fbb8f”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=cc8dc0a54a25f32ab4b1c93bbeab5990″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=399ffcc9dee6bf6e184db99ceebc0556″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3d8bd28d68f0667b12f26721a957a156″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=bf5e2677e5cbba6ee2ecc9c5d269ceb1″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=dbbe33e2279b749b70774d187b786ed0″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=dbd7bcaa455b0180d813124dcfe0a55b”,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4fc2816b709aa44e6d99d81e7554b167″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f53fd7f0c499d91ae73c0ac6f90d4dcf”,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e5d0ed84579815f5cdffb48bb68a4a59″,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2ef70acf0772a2516cc2dc29759e34ac”,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1f4c1040c3fe5fa0615a1367913928c1″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d2efc31f3abcd790a25ffd7055228f48″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3f2e827d4c0bd1a958b2b972032ce1cf”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e1a43bab7bdbb851ceff522e175fbb8f”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=cc8dc0a54a25f32ab4b1c93bbeab5990″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=399ffcc9dee6bf6e184db99ceebc0556″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3d8bd28d68f0667b12f26721a957a156″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=00cf36f63f810296b9d27f81583f6eba”,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3703dd8c77fb2404c18ed9d053a35cae”,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ff04721e84c6c0a212ffd5251b17892c”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=63861e75c0a83f387346dd1c56b58e52″,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d2efc31f3abcd790a25ffd7055228f48″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3f2e827d4c0bd1a958b2b972032ce1cf”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e1a43bab7bdbb851ceff522e175fbb8f”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=cc8dc0a54a25f32ab4b1c93bbeab5990″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=399ffcc9dee6bf6e184db99ceebc0556″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3d8bd28d68f0667b12f26721a957a156″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d2efc31f3abcd790a25ffd7055228f48″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3f2e827d4c0bd1a958b2b972032ce1cf”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e1a43bab7bdbb851ceff522e175fbb8f”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=cc8dc0a54a25f32ab4b1c93bbeab5990″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=399ffcc9dee6bf6e184db99ceebc0556″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3d8bd28d68f0667b12f26721a957a156″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=238f25a9d8dabe4c4b18f387a342bac9″,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9f94fb40286dd07d84d9e049b2e3537f”,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2928dcfa2276733ef6b85a29d8de57ae”,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=16af03fa759ec0052b69ff2f246ac40c”,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=575414aff446af1f3d273240e415dcf1″,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=fc7397a33aad39c3c77a904cc9d0e303″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=19782ec4f51c1ea393494a324d82b9a4″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=cce630b4c3faa15e4da97adf9c23252e”,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7a5afc54ce30c00aa70cf9060eed1e7b”,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=a653f39801a3e1da6a490f3da792b11b”,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6978abc216675c1ff687c248814a2a61″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6506f7db0d7052d82f0ae68c6207b8f3″,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=69da338896634d960ba0c61249903e4a”,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2c8e59513f9464f6e917a3433776b7b98eaed446/64_0_1920_1536/master/1920.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7e3a9c655b114469c854c932fd8f7962″,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Part of a missile on a rooftop near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, after Israel’s police said they located missile fragments in several locations in the Old City following a missile barrage from Iran.”,”caption”:”Part of a missile on a rooftop near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, after Israel’s police said they located missile fragments in several locations in the Old City following a missile barrage from Iran.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Israel Police/Reuters”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773684574000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.09 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773686463000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”14.41 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773685154000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.19 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.19″,”title”:”Missile shrapnel falls in Jerusalem’s Old City holy sites”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b843ee8f08fe3cf0eb61fb”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

More than one million people in Lebanon have been displaced since war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah two weeks ago, according to the country’s authorities.

“,”elementId”:”5a0355ee-fcfb-4a39-b130-619de8d6f66e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

This comes after the Israeli army said earlier today it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Israel said that before the troops entered into the area, there were strikes against “numerous terrorist targets in order to mitigate threats”.

“,”elementId”:”799712b7-cb67-4b55-8290-543419d325bd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Some 850 people are thought to have been killed in Lebanon, including seven people earlier today in an Israeli airstrike, according to authorities and news reports.

“,”elementId”:”a2f2f54e-79a1-4b04-8316-c202763b88df”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Lebanese authorities said the number of people who had registered as displaced had reached 1,049,328, with 132,742 staying in 600 collective shelters.

“,”elementId”:”81c09ac0-3571-4a08-b7d0-06d00a07b8c2″},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”3663″,”width”:”4580″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/4580.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”3663″,”width”:”4580″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”1600″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”800″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”400″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”112″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”3830021e-8e98-488c-aa5c-2be76f3b1e0b”,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7e115ba1eb39f2fe2de06bb360554ca6″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=01cc1f799a88bd466927626931c6ff1c”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=383ad28e037f50d79f1bc3b8ece51aed”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=18850c304fc83bd6786e552d36353934″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9d4b15501e9dee1fd851707473a0c9ee”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ef59d07c5f117f36c8708c405a81420d”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3934ded345e1d0c4c82de02e637bc3d6″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=30086dd157492e4c3952a62d79f62568″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=889d5d37f4a1d421e396447284423cfd”,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b68e0dd4e5e8792ef09e2f0c0104bb67″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=dc39c475d752f3daae4b7789e42ef5da”,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b6a07120394c1f2c83c5c46729db526a”,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e389d8b82be88aa460e1a5539bfeee1a”,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bc9dc66068a9208ff74b40b45dc4f466″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7e115ba1eb39f2fe2de06bb360554ca6″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=01cc1f799a88bd466927626931c6ff1c”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=383ad28e037f50d79f1bc3b8ece51aed”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=18850c304fc83bd6786e552d36353934″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9d4b15501e9dee1fd851707473a0c9ee”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ef59d07c5f117f36c8708c405a81420d”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3c40f9c5a30f1c267b8687e9ae74f18d”,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e3885ea4f8a7193ac39da3d6b7d2f537″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=141f51838c0a3e72abb33b065e7b3e30″,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e76173f5f84090fe2b7e8801e63134eb”,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7e115ba1eb39f2fe2de06bb360554ca6″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=01cc1f799a88bd466927626931c6ff1c”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=383ad28e037f50d79f1bc3b8ece51aed”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=18850c304fc83bd6786e552d36353934″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9d4b15501e9dee1fd851707473a0c9ee”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ef59d07c5f117f36c8708c405a81420d”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7e115ba1eb39f2fe2de06bb360554ca6″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=01cc1f799a88bd466927626931c6ff1c”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=383ad28e037f50d79f1bc3b8ece51aed”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=18850c304fc83bd6786e552d36353934″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9d4b15501e9dee1fd851707473a0c9ee”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ef59d07c5f117f36c8708c405a81420d”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=162005fb43a3673aa98db8b08042ad9f”,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f15ba3fbe3eed3af96dd44f2ae45d594″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=cadd87228d61154dda6cadbc66f2046a”,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=10ea726c1ac025e74a456eee2af321a0″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c68b32b16ed170b5f85cf23ceab2294b”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ff61a44f61e5e5a4cd314e6632b78c13″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a81b1c18fbc95413327e73108e584b38″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6bade54dbe67137f71005feeb85876f5″,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4cd851b69f71f62cc05e04f57e4fae78″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6304d679b57f688ce6180c06c24c9363″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4406b0b75e394736950c25a10c67eb43″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7d3b5bd18e3b0e7bc4c7ae160719f38f”,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9d0b186f3ce4b0bf65474091044c3dc3″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2e1d0f5c77be894fc9fae016badf25a4841f5df9/374_0_4580_3663/master/4580.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=39fbfd53a90a3228cf57af2008e73d85″,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”A child holds a broom next to displaced people’s tents in Beirut.”,”caption”:”A child holds a broom next to displaced people’s tents in Beirut.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773683694000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”13.54 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773685346000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”14.22 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773683849000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”13.57 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”13.57″,”title”:”More than 1 million people displaced in Lebanon amid Israeli strikes and invasion”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b83f978f08b1d7c2e147d0″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

If you want to listen to the latest developments in the Middle East, today’s edition of The Latest podcast has just been published.

“,”elementId”:”779a2bb6-aa36-4e8e-b094-fcb70dd78e4f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Host Lucy Hough speaks to the our south Asia correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen, about Donald Trump pressuring European allies to protect the strait of Hormuz, warning that Nato faces a “very bad” future if members fail to offer assistance.

“,”elementId”:”2c072245-e006-489f-af37-6fb85962d12c”},{“expired”:false,”assetId”:”SBz-jZJRfYc”,”posterImage”:[{“url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/5bf9ea01d810aef1212d37b27b66c5b625af6572/0_0_1920_1080/1000.jpg”,”width”:1000},{“url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/5bf9ea01d810aef1212d37b27b66c5b625af6572/0_0_1920_1080/500.jpg”,”width”:500},{“url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/5bf9ea01d810aef1212d37b27b66c5b625af6572/0_0_1920_1080/140.jpg”,”width”:140},{“url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/5bf9ea01d810aef1212d37b27b66c5b625af6572/0_0_1920_1080/1920.jpg”,”width”:1920}],”id”:”3c3cf6de-fd2b-4e97-9a64-3018d2aa153c”,”elementId”:”e278574e-3c93-46d6-9af7-98b91fa4e4f5″,”duration”:570,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.YoutubeBlockElement”,”mediaTitle”:”Could Trump blow up Nato over Iran war? – The Latest”,”channelId”:”UCM22zDl9hUpkLBtPsebTwsA”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773682583000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”13.36 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773684481000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”14.08 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773682741000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”13.39 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”13.39″,”title”:”Could Trump blow up Nato over Iran war? – podcast”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b839dc8f08b1d7c2e14737″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump has said he was “not happy” with the UK and “very surprised” over its response to the Iran war.

“,”elementId”:”9bd70d37-e055-49b0-8cf7-3d57f79b2cb3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US president said the UK had turned down a request to send ships over to the Middle East, and suggested that a later offer to send aircraft carriers came too late.

“,”elementId”:”ab085030-3dd8-435f-b310-7bf1f5e4f7ed”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“I think they’ll be involved maybe,” he said. “But they should be involved enthusiastically.”

“,”elementId”:”b2d78acd-9832-4f72-a869-7ba4f6d3420a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

However, Trump, speaking at a White House event, said he had spoken to French president Emmanuel Macron, who he said was willing to help unblock the strait of Hormuz.

“,”elementId”:”d1920e6b-c2b9-4328-8e6e-08ff65fd56c9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Secretary of state Marco Rubio is expected to announce the names of the countries willing to aid the United States.

“,”elementId”:”de3a0ca2-3a05-47c7-9f31-709555ceab66″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

At the same press conference, Trump repeated his call to other countries to help reopen shipping traffic in the strait, saying some countries told him they were on the way and others were “not that enthusiastic” about helping.

“,”elementId”:”32af03db-7e74-4abf-b114-60e4dbfb5583″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US president wants nations to help police the strait after Iran responded to US-Israeli attacks by using drones, missiles and mines to effectively close the channel for tankers that usually transport a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.

“,”elementId”:”1f045b56-181e-405e-a724-cc29a711b6c3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t. Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years. We’ve protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me.

\n

“,”elementId”:”65f2914f-4874-43f8-aa61-eba9b0acdce8″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773681116000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”13.11 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773690528000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”15.48 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773681328000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”13.15 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”13.15″,”title”:”Trump says he is ‘not happy’ with UK and ‘very surprised’ by its response to Iran war”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b82ef58f0871bed8f392ec”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump said the US military has struck over 7,000 targets across Iran, “mostly commercial and military targets”.

“,”elementId”:”46a7dcbe-bd5e-47f9-bd40-02222e6e8071″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Speaking at a press conference, he claimed the US has “achieved a 90% reduction in their ballistic missile launches and a 95% reduction in drone attacks”.

“,”elementId”:”b742d76b-b3eb-4b2f-b9b7-3ca14d41ad8e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

The missiles are trickling in now because they don’t have too many missiles left.

\n

“,”elementId”:”093ace4f-ea90-45f8-a314-b2c32d30631e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

He said the US has also attacked Iran’s missile and drone manufacturing plants.

“,”elementId”:”69e23ae4-c070-4608-bf0c-07097ac9ca3d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

More than 100 Iranian naval vessels have been sunk or destroyed in the last week and a half, he added.

“,”elementId”:”c0bb3d6c-9451-465a-b66b-b71aa754b512″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Follow along here:

“,”elementId”:”bb798caf-6729-4a22-b78e-d61f06d78777″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”text”:”Donald Trump holds press conference about US-Israeli attacks on Iran – US politics live”,”elementId”:”dde51c9e-4d23-480a-90c6-1bc775e362ba”,”role”:”thumbnail”,”url”:”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/mar/16/donald-trump-administration-tariffs-latest-updates”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773678325000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”12.25 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773681534000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”13.18 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773678834000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”12.33 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”12.33″,”title”:”Trump says US has struck over 7,000 ‘mostly commercial and military targets’ across Iran”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Lucy Campbell”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b82c988f08fe3cf0eb6067″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened on Monday to target US companies across the region, calling on employees to evacuate the sites.

“,”elementId”:”0b1fbc17-8a7c-4388-a104-46e8d28185ad”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Employees of American companies… are requested to leave these areas immediately. These areas will soon be targeted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” said the Guards in on their official Sepah News website.

“,”elementId”:”0ec1e2c1-a97e-4b9f-ba3d-04f77dff9fac”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

It was not immediately clear which companies would be targeted but last week, the Tasnim news agency published a list of potential targets on Telegram that included the offices of tech giants such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Nvidia in Gulf countries.

“,”elementId”:”7d5533c5-b1c1-4ebd-957d-a9c809dbd217″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773677720000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”12.15 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773678310000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”12.25 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773678311000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”12.25 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”12.25″,”title”:”Iran threatens to target US companies in the region”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b8269c8f08fe3cf0eb6024″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

European countries have demanded to know more about US president Donald Trump’s plans for the war on Iran and when the conflict might end as they weighed whether to agree to his call to send warships to help shore up security in the Persian Gulf.

“,”elementId”:”6a53d927-a907-40e4-8543-0f99d922f1b1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

As European Union foreign ministers gathered to discuss Trump’s demand, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said it’s important for the US and Israel to define “when they consider the military aims of their deployment to have been reached.”

“,”elementId”:”ae46e6e6-4bd0-4449-848a-75290b68cb7a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“We need more clarity here,” Wadephul told reporters.

“,”elementId”:”72570619-af96-4787-9e62-1074181d18a0″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

German chancellor Friedrich Merz’s spokesperson, Stefan Kornelius, underlined that “it is not Nato’s war. Nato is an alliance to defend the alliance area.”

“,”elementId”:”84a84f4d-0a1a-4f3a-8543-375a126baba8″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Kornelius said that Berlin “took note” of Trump’s comments, but added: “The United States did not consult us before this war, and so we believe this is not a matter for Nato or the German government.”

“,”elementId”:”1228b32d-5106-4fb6-b2a9-aa670a5ce441″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Meanwhile, Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna also said that US allies in Europe want to understand Trump’s “strategic goals. What will be the plan?”

“,”elementId”:”4409ac43-3d81-49ca-8214-1b8727ab6608″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

And Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski invited the Trump administration to go through the proper channels.

“,”elementId”:”9e44e333-b16d-4ff8-9ac0-24abb0b329ce”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“If there is a request via Nato, we will of course out of respect and sympathy for our American allies consider it very carefully,” he said.

“,”elementId”:”1d6da08c-38ec-4813-9149-e53e3bd35f60″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773676189000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”11.49 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773680671000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”13.04 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773676341000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”11.52 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”11.52″,”title”:”Iran war ‘not a matter for Nato’, says Germany’s Merz”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b802e78f086d5b46c03c10″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump’s proposed meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping is not at risk but could be delayed as the US president remains focused on the Iran war, the White House said on Monday.

“,”elementId”:”e9539ed9-006c-4cdd-9d9d-3b3ee150577d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump is due to travel to China from 31 March to 2 April for a highly anticipated meeting between the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies.

“,”elementId”:”ef0e0b6c-9cf8-4760-b07e-9b79c8ecdef3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“I don’t think the meeting is in jeopardy, but it’s quite possible the meeting could be delayed,” spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox News’ Fox + Friends program.

“,”elementId”:”a1e01236-f63d-49f2-9463-923a5832f440″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump told the Financial Times on Sunday he might postpone the meeting if China did not help to unblock the strait of Hormuz.

“,”elementId”:”197aa79f-2d58-4eff-942b-c1bedd84954a”},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”1734″,”width”:”2601″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/2601.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”1734″,”width”:”2601″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1333″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”667″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”333″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”93″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”9ae16d90-03be-4c75-ae1c-245b3b59c592″,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=80bc3c03741858b4d5b91b8baef38118″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bf0099d6df8e5eea8eff588aba7345d1″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=59a3715079669fda8d9c6abf5861dd47″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=24fe6741e6a08962426265ca766dc12d”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=97aae8f6abaafddbe3439cccdbd7a12c”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8c16f7c627a7d9b39eff39edab2e3f89″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d5c1dd89d2892d0c524b654e7400a02d”,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8726fbdd8074332819d8bba33387f455″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=bbe09d6116400467d31ff0c60923948d”,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8a0e556a5608f2ee489767bf017c90b5″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=37337242629d4ebe8a13b6082f1c60d9″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=5abeaaa30946e9df5bfbc466997d7117″,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9bf99afff1a7e5fa65e656f5d70a9089″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=287f9581e4004ba6d3dae0c3e59d3fc1″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=80bc3c03741858b4d5b91b8baef38118″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bf0099d6df8e5eea8eff588aba7345d1″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=59a3715079669fda8d9c6abf5861dd47″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=24fe6741e6a08962426265ca766dc12d”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=97aae8f6abaafddbe3439cccdbd7a12c”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8c16f7c627a7d9b39eff39edab2e3f89″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=339bc377b5e58defb04524068fc26f91″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0e9d0be32189374596d8ee84e2adf019″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1c1da1f2ba1cb82bfa672971fed97109″,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2c04a9dfa86e97a65c68e3e24309042b”,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=80bc3c03741858b4d5b91b8baef38118″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bf0099d6df8e5eea8eff588aba7345d1″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=59a3715079669fda8d9c6abf5861dd47″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=24fe6741e6a08962426265ca766dc12d”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=97aae8f6abaafddbe3439cccdbd7a12c”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8c16f7c627a7d9b39eff39edab2e3f89″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=80bc3c03741858b4d5b91b8baef38118″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bf0099d6df8e5eea8eff588aba7345d1″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=59a3715079669fda8d9c6abf5861dd47″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=24fe6741e6a08962426265ca766dc12d”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=97aae8f6abaafddbe3439cccdbd7a12c”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8c16f7c627a7d9b39eff39edab2e3f89″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=8a397697a542b41b7bd52f674eeef06c”,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1a1054560e2d09a1327a55306c4e7c3a”,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4ef1d47e1c95ad537b798cc7dd91bbe4″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c881f7bbe59c7be13d4f5e2822f8ee1a”,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7043d10eff8385ab67411d424bf2dead”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f3ffe66ea21374560fd4c22c18f8bf21″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=03dfc0bae31d0c61fe06190df7802b9a”,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6b3e061481b164b6757e3b900012075b”,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7f67c1c19333ae001c6214699c600d09″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8f2c38500220c254c1c7e344591ddfd2″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6cfc1cd4b49b15b9a8be185e02bae0a9″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9ecbec140a2d08986e940e313caabcbc”,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=afdf03303caefcc381ab7529e7f5449a”,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c62d6b99dd66497b34a4eeff1511740b142e1db/0_0_2601_1734/master/2601.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0f71e18cee0fc1846199e0e07072863e”,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Donald Trump and Xi Jinping talk after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, on 30 October 2025.”,”caption”:”Donald Trump and Xi Jinping talk after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, on 30 October 2025.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773667047000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”09.17 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773670290000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”10.11 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773667350000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”09.22 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”09.22″,”title”:”Trump’s meeting with Chinese president could be delayed, White House says”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7fba28f08300dbfa3feec”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

It has just gone past 4.30pm in Tehran, and 3pm in Tel Aviv and Beirut. Here is a quick recap of events:

“,”elementId”:”21a950a6-0087-4904-9d5b-30fc515f2e96″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n
• \n

  European countries have resisted Donald Trump’s demand for help to clear the strait of Hormuz, seemingly reluctant to get dragged into the escalating US-Israeli war on Iran.

\n

• \n

  It comes after Donald Trump called on the UK, China, France, Japan, South Korea and other countries to send ships to the world’s busiest shipping route, which has been effectively blockaded by Iran.

\n

• \n

  The US president said it would be “very bad for the future of Nato” if allies don’t help secure the strait.

\n

• \n

  Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, however, told reporters that the strait is only cut off for vessels of the US, Israel and their allies.

\n

• \n

  A oil tanker appears to have cleared the strait of Hormuz and is now sailing to Pakistan, a country Iran has thanked for the “solidarity” it has shown in the face of ongoing US-Israeli attacks.

\n

• \n

  A fire broke out on Monday after a drone attack on an industrial oil facility in the UAE’s Fujairah, officials said.

\n

• \n

  Israel’s military said it had launched a broad wave of strikes on the Iranian cities of Tehran, Shiraz and Tabriz.

\n

• \n

  The Israeli army said it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon – but IDF attacks in Lebanon have killed many civilians and have hit residential neighbourhoods.

\n

• \n

  Debris from an intercepted projectile fell across several cities near Tel Aviv – including Shoham, Rishon LeZion, Lod and Ness Ziona – though authorities reported no casualties

\n

• \n

  The Lebanese health ministry said 850 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since 2 March, when Israel started striking Lebanon following Hezbollah’s firing of rockets towards the country.

\n

• \n

  Iranian drone attacks temporarily shut Dubai airport and hit a key oil facility in the UAE.

\n

• \n

  The UAE was attacked earlier today with six ballistic missiles and 21 drones coming from Iran, according to the defence ministry. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted three drones this morning over the capital Riyadh, without specifying where they came from.

\n

“,”elementId”:”752d35fc-a6d8-422b-ad0c-d8debfdda21f”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:false,”summary”:true},”blockCreatedOn”:1773665186000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.46 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773667040000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”09.17 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773666367000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”09.06 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”09.06″,”title”:”Summary of the day so far…”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7f4068f086d5b46c03b32″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Italy is the latest European country (after the UK, Germany and Greece) to react cautiously to Donald Trump’s demand that allies help open the strait of Hormuz.

“,”elementId”:”4a437dd7-f5cb-4fbf-8690-4e920365363d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, told reporters in Brussels that Italy backs reinforcing EU naval missions in the Red Sea.

“,”elementId”:”2b6e965f-9240-4f7e-8ebf-ac6f8918958d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

But he added: “However, I don’t think these missions can be expanded to include the strait of Hormuz, especially since they are anti-piracy and defensive missions.”

“,”elementId”:”9ec96dfa-a949-48ec-b4dd-8bd86c4b1738″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Luxembourg’s deputy prime minister Xavier Bettel said his country would not give in to “blackmail” from the US to join the war, saying: “With satellites, with communications, we are very happy to be useful. But don’t ask us with troops and with machines.”

“,”elementId”:”f31fbb84-2fb2-44f7-a66a-7b10448a5244″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump’s call for countries, including France and the UK to send warships to help unblock the strait have been met with a cool response despite governments around the world being hit by surging energy prices.

“,”elementId”:”626de1e8-5c0a-40bc-a896-4f79c9c86862″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Any military involvement would see such countries being dragged into the escalating war, which was launched by the US and Israel illegally, according to many legal experts.

“,”elementId”:”f1e6945a-b301-4087-b400-a417c6b9a835″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Aside from its widespread economic toll and grave consequences for regional stability, the war has already had a devastating human cost with a high civilian death toll in both Iran and Lebanon from US-Israeli airstrikes.

“,”elementId”:”8f2c9dbd-af4a-4792-905f-5765ec1cdb9f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump had suggested allies could contribute naval assets such as minesweepers – vessels Europe has more of than America. But European governments have so far resisted the president’s pressure, although this is a fast-moving situation so divergence could happen.

“,”elementId”:”d2e20a83-03ba-4aba-9fc0-00bcb5cd2988″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

As we mentioned in a previous post, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has called for a diplomatic effort to get oil and gas through the strait of Hormuz modelled on an initiative that enabled Ukraine to export its grain to the world.

“,”elementId”:”6fd6905c-fdb8-4a39-9671-063bc0b6629b”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773663238000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.13 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773665164000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”08.46 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773664680000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”08.38 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”08.38″,”title”:”European countries resist Trump’s request to help clear the strait of Hormuz”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7edd58f08300dbfa3fe07″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

A non-Iranian oil tanker transited the strait of Hormuz despite major disruption to shipping in the crucial waterway, monitor Marine Traffic said earlier today.

“,”elementId”:”21ac12c0-c482-4b89-a462-647b4da9bcd4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“The Aframax tanker Karachi, carrying Abu Dhabi’s Das crude, has become the first non-Iranian cargo to transit the choke point while broadcasting its AIS signal, suggesting that select shipments may be receiving negotiated safe passage,” the monitor said.

“,”elementId”:”fb52142a-b6b5-4e4c-bde7-592704fbac22″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Karachi, controlled by Pakistan’s National Shipping Corp., made the dangerous journey on Sunday, according to shipping data analysed by Bloomberg, which reported that the Pakistan-flagged tanker was spotted in the waters off Oman’s Sohar this morning.

“,”elementId”:”27686c1a-15ef-4049-ac9f-a6ee9faf7054″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

At least sixteen tankers have been attacked in the strait of Hormuz since the war started on 28 February and Iran has threatened to lay explosive mines in the waterway.

“,”elementId”:”9099e649-b9f9-4772-af14-c151e2c5eb4e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

But the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told reporters earlier that the strait was only cut off for vessels of the US, Israel and their allies. In a social media post this morning, he thanked the government and people of Pakistan for their solidarity with – and support for – Iran in the face of ongoing US-Israeli attacks.

“,”elementId”:”8982f408-0519-4089-9a3c-3c860b1ffbc1″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773661653000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”07.47 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773662486000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”08.01 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773662486000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”08.01 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”08.01″,”title”:”Non-Iranian oil tanker transits strait of Hormuz , monitor says”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7eb908f086d5b46c03acc”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Speaking at a press conference in Downing Street, the UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he has been clear in his objectives about the war, which has entered its third week. Starmer said:

“,”elementId”:”8470178a-2cbe-4538-8d1f-7e0702b31d61″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

First, we will protect our people in the region.

\n

Second, while taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war.

\n

And third, we will keep working towards a swift resolution that brings security and stability back to the region and stops the Iranian threat to its neighbours.

\n

“,”elementId”:”eaff53a3-29d9-4170-a38c-09be91515d3a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Starmer told journalists he is working with allies on a plan to reopen the strait of Hormuz, having resisted Donald Trump’s demands to send Royal Navy warships to help secure the vital shipping route. He said the UK was working with countries, including European allies, on a “viable plan” to reopen the strait. You can read more in our UK politics live blog.

“,”elementId”:”0a009d64-837c-4f16-a897-96dfdcfc44a6″},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”3089″,”width”:”4634″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/4634.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”3089″,”width”:”4634″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1333″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”667″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”333″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”93″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”74ce213f-61e1-4244-b7ac-08765362bf4e”,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=548bd1aa2ec7105e2477210c6dcc4981″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4b253e75b6eac7ab8d286f6911a644b1″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=da984666d44f9805f3e70bd133fcad61″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=34e6d9bbafddf9478bb0a0463d143535″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2c30d3f66d1b5dd5cc69aafcdfb3d72d”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ce4cbc991bb603a5537720627e917670″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9681a03d1cf398d4a3861d5c4e128e27″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9efe9559362bded952eba0429e83cfb2″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c21131a79637c7b7df755e1f0f84a48a”,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=fdd660c9955288526f783421c1bfecc6″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=66e3d5c8cba1c622573d814ba6a72dc6″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ca7fc82e763288db83f47931b23b8411″,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=cedc5f22435987773ddba64fcd3e7077″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c45566917e8e57e4bfe45b258c42cc91″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=548bd1aa2ec7105e2477210c6dcc4981″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4b253e75b6eac7ab8d286f6911a644b1″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=da984666d44f9805f3e70bd133fcad61″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=34e6d9bbafddf9478bb0a0463d143535″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2c30d3f66d1b5dd5cc69aafcdfb3d72d”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ce4cbc991bb603a5537720627e917670″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f6207d650a3d3cbf738f9d623c7f6343″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=21f9cc6e349ad5aadde3756b8a125676″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=437ec2cd161c4a033f1c9dab84f9c6e3″,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=a5cbffc79969eaac68b44d20ca71f90e”,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=548bd1aa2ec7105e2477210c6dcc4981″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4b253e75b6eac7ab8d286f6911a644b1″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=da984666d44f9805f3e70bd133fcad61″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=34e6d9bbafddf9478bb0a0463d143535″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2c30d3f66d1b5dd5cc69aafcdfb3d72d”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ce4cbc991bb603a5537720627e917670″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=548bd1aa2ec7105e2477210c6dcc4981″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4b253e75b6eac7ab8d286f6911a644b1″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=da984666d44f9805f3e70bd133fcad61″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=34e6d9bbafddf9478bb0a0463d143535″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2c30d3f66d1b5dd5cc69aafcdfb3d72d”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ce4cbc991bb603a5537720627e917670″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9cc543d2b39bc4cb63dcd767e587b969″,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=a38c4b5a64011a4fdee7663f5b4f588a”,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4344cb0134c3b04185c09315efd660d2″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4be1deb1f55637dcb5c03fa550848d97″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f479ab9fb8585803302d85dd7c27d90a”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4b7bd2b2ca5753e5c3544595d171422b”,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d719ffb8d22dc1e158ffa1738b7d40b2″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4e215d9f5964c087b10242441f0b64ed”,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=bfc4997db13e605ea6804020bef683a7″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c5dd2f911d46656d7be51ef66bf64966″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=93d14f0967e0caa4c8b54b73c35e11bb”,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=e096e489c7206346008e215ef4027981″,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=077d3a42996f2f2f3a8a71107fc8c3a3″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/656b21c271c10e2800ea301ce69a266476933398/0_0_4634_3089/master/4634.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3afdb610f2b8dd8ffbc704ac9bee7f0d”,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”The UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference to update the public and journalists about the US-Israeli war on Iran.”,”caption”:”The UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference to update the public and journalists about the US-Israeli war on Iran. “,”credit”:”Photograph: Brook Mitchell/WPA Pool/Getty Images”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773661072000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”07.37 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773661390000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”07.43 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773661390000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”07.43 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”07.43″,”title”:”Starmer says UK ‘will not be drawn into wider war'”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7e7038f08de00c52670e4″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In a statement shared to Telegram this morning, Abbas Araghchi said:

“,”elementId”:”c681d0fd-4190-4407-a417-a0eba1f67dff”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

That we say we don’t want a ceasefire is not because we want war, but because this time this war must end in a way that our enemies will never think of repeating these attacks and this aggression again.

\n I think they have learned a good lesson by now and realised what kind of nation they are dealing with, one that has no hesitation in defending itself and is prepared to continue the war wherever it is and to take it wherever it is.

\n

“,”elementId”:”db715801-b2bf-442d-8042-2dcd7abda642″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773659907000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”07.18 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773660460000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”07.27 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773660461000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”07.27 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”07.27″,”title”:”Iran ‘prepared to continue the war wherever it is’, foreign minister says”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7e58a8f086d5b46c03a79″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Also speaking at a press conference in Tehran, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters that the strait of Hormuz is only cut off for vessels of the US, Israel and their allies.

“,”elementId”:”3e512ce7-317d-49c3-af36-c93498587a0e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“From our perspective it is open,” he said. “It is only closed to our enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”

“,”elementId”:”ab0687a5-e5a7-4a67-a56c-f44f708b92a5″},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”2672″,”width”:”4000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/4000.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”2672″,”width”:”4000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1336″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”668″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”334″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”94″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”9082c515-4cd9-4232-bb19-d5c29034457b”,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5bc7a150262445c054d959de28fbaed4″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bdc098a21dd6f42901aa8a022e85cbfe”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=38818fa229dbcade71cd9f2aa5525874″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b5162de5e223c1a750f94eca09a1fabf”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6551fb608e634ac662d3701ae6f9b3f6″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=020ff4fc256fcba5143c92ef6716bc24″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=fcd9c16b1e3301bb62bdc59801623821″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f9a9e4997b656c9eb4d563f4f4da0a4c”,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ad5fa5a747807cb892bb5578f19fdf4e”,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ac93c9b589e21fddf0a90feeb68f82b0″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=eca3c848909250551541dae76f5deda7″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f849f3076d2b108b9556c23861e27695″,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3eb74fcb52227d145fe6ff6a63a7fc47″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=73b6b1804ab1bbc246257f56702afbf6″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5bc7a150262445c054d959de28fbaed4″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bdc098a21dd6f42901aa8a022e85cbfe”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=38818fa229dbcade71cd9f2aa5525874″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b5162de5e223c1a750f94eca09a1fabf”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6551fb608e634ac662d3701ae6f9b3f6″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=020ff4fc256fcba5143c92ef6716bc24″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=70b3364c9db9e570b5c0469785bfea9b”,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=44ea2ca661c989fbc10c0e12fdd1aa5d”,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=15a71fc16ede8b818ea8f358efe27b3d”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=eb1603fcab10160b0c4fb09c7217b715″,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5bc7a150262445c054d959de28fbaed4″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bdc098a21dd6f42901aa8a022e85cbfe”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=38818fa229dbcade71cd9f2aa5525874″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b5162de5e223c1a750f94eca09a1fabf”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6551fb608e634ac662d3701ae6f9b3f6″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=020ff4fc256fcba5143c92ef6716bc24″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5bc7a150262445c054d959de28fbaed4″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bdc098a21dd6f42901aa8a022e85cbfe”,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=38818fa229dbcade71cd9f2aa5525874″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b5162de5e223c1a750f94eca09a1fabf”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=6551fb608e634ac662d3701ae6f9b3f6″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=020ff4fc256fcba5143c92ef6716bc24″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2c74e94499f07f701f88e850e78b706a”,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=eae0a83f100522408a66f2f45b8edc77″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=95e40d90ed2665996fad8f79728bb6f9″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=81cde456144676a910b385581937d017″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=24383cb6cab41e330627d28856f949a4″,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0b1721c265cddff1085c7fdb067d253b”,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ec5722f65c2def78d23894c16798ca97″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=030a5d868a1d0c187bf9ce6b7c633a95″,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=dd09717e6092e442362fa0af4aff1e9b”,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d9a68b02df8723a60fc698174a966d88″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=58ea0dc6a954767ea9f6d3b9f3d72046″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6eb0aa344db9e9fffd377ccfc1404890″,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c91213bda334755be7ad67fb6ac7bc3f”,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/951014d0ea65fe93411332fa5f653956c7dea9f7/0_0_4000_2672/master/4000.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ad35dbc321c42bd8274a85432ff3126d”,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has vowed to continue fighting against the US and Israel.”,”caption”:”Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has vowed to continue fighting against the US and Israel.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Pierre Albouy/Reuters”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

His comments come after the US president, Donald Trump, said it would be “very bad for the future of Nato” if allies don’t help secure the strait of Hormuz for global oil shipping. No countries have yet committed to sending warships.

“,”elementId”:”194f17d8-7048-41b7-aa4a-9c3e22e0bfae”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Germany said this morning that the US-Israeli war with Iran has nothing to do with ⁠the Nato alliance and said Berlin would not help keep the strait open through ⁠military means, probably summing up the mood felt by a lot of European officials.

“,”elementId”:”6aa9f12c-d782-4f4f-881e-038135b16dea”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773659530000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”07.12 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773663123000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”08.12 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773659747000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”07.15 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”07.15″,”title”:”Iran says strait of Hormuz is closed only to US, Israel and their allies”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7e14a8f086d5b46c03a42″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Reuters news agency has quoted Greece’s government spokesperson as saying his country will not engage in any military operations in the strait of Hormuz.

“,”elementId”:”93f7a7d7-b76c-4baf-b971-21a76e58af5b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

It comes after Donald Trump called on the UK, China, France, Japan, South Korea and other countries to send ships to the world’s busiest shipping route, which is being effectively blockaded by Iran.

“,”elementId”:”c1825c3a-d776-4fe2-ab89-9e2e82b0564b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

But the response to the call has been largely reluctant with countries issuing non-committal statements saying dialogue is ongoing and that they are working with allies, but, crucially for Trump, not agreeing to dispatch any assets into the incredibly dangerous strait.

“,”elementId”:”0532a18e-7eb5-4b74-8c48-bfff0775e09e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Iran has attacked ships and reportedly started to lay mines in the strait, in effect closing it to marine traffic, leading to a huge rise in global oil prices. Last year, about 20m barrels of oil passed through the strait each day.

“,”elementId”:”0c4bbb23-13cf-47c5-8445-7463e38d3670″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.InteractiveBlockElement”,”scriptUrl”:”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/embed/iframe-wrapper/0.1/boot.js”,”alt”:”Map of strait of Hormuz”,”elementId”:”7594ffff-5c4e-4c83-b438-e52f042b577f”,”isMandatory”:false,”url”:”https://interactive.guim.co.uk/uploader/embed/2026/03/kharg_island-zip/giv-32554GYhT5IZzI0oW/”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773658442000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”06.54 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773659029000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”07.03 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773659029000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”07.03 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”07.03″,”title”:”Greece will not engage in military operations in the strait of Hormuz, spokesperson says”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7d3928f086d5b46c039c6″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The IDF said it has launched a wave of “extensive” strikes in Tehran, Iran’s capital; Shiraz; a city in south-western Iran; and Tabriz, in northwestern Iran, “simultaneously”.

“,”elementId”:”d2ddd017-28f6-4e8f-8b15-75389672e663″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Israeli military said it is targeting “infrastructure” of the Iranian regime but many civilians have been killed in their attacks since the war was launched on 28 February alongside the US.

“,”elementId”:”8aa855e9-31b4-4350-a982-2a8664142253″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773654930000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”05.55 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773655640000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”06.07 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773655640000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”06.07 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”06.07″,”title”:”IDF says it has launched ‘extensive’ strikes across Iran”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7c0b98f08de00c5266fe4″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

A fire broke out on Monday after a drone attack on an industrial oil facility in the UAE’s Fujairah, officials have said.

“,”elementId”:”40bc67d3-3616-4cc8-b4e9-f10979ceb732″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Media Office in Fujairah said a drone targeted the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, causing an “advanced” fire. The civil defence teams are trying to control the fire, which did not result in any immediate casualties.

“,”elementId”:”3af13496-f27d-4b2f-b939-2af14594a529″},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”5338″,”width”:”6671″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/6671.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”5338″,”width”:”6671″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”1600″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”800″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”400″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”112″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”5a189340-ba37-44d6-9f72-64e7abd47fa1″,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4e2d7a2926a3bf91606350eaba7da31e”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=edebd316614a864a3a595a2d4f4f2522″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=83927a6875c1f56312c3c14b71a08094″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ebbe71bcf7038a1f020b7ef14dabc017″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d04005c444d0720415692d23714eefd2″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=18cd8349bcf01ec252b77fc3ab361ad9″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=b0b01e06c3f81de94a4003c6fa77d30f”,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c4692f250dc2dd14f923ff382573be7c”,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=dfc738b3bdee7e2eab6b9ed2f1749277″,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d1cf8ad1b0adae9caa51057cd09be274″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5fc19e81e5fd962a8009645990d166dc”,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9b8694ac347f5910cfd728e770aa880e”,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=629fc264cb9bbb3e6dcf7bd667528572″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7b4621a270eb948f163bc720330064af”,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4e2d7a2926a3bf91606350eaba7da31e”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=edebd316614a864a3a595a2d4f4f2522″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=83927a6875c1f56312c3c14b71a08094″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ebbe71bcf7038a1f020b7ef14dabc017″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d04005c444d0720415692d23714eefd2″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=18cd8349bcf01ec252b77fc3ab361ad9″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=af65d29ef3714735c99b752ba5c0fd2a”,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=dabf1ce2015c603a1fa08da75e46361c”,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=951efa57573d205612ab75e0d894105b”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6eac5eec1a4f9488e9e6e3f2f070fc1f”,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4e2d7a2926a3bf91606350eaba7da31e”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=edebd316614a864a3a595a2d4f4f2522″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=83927a6875c1f56312c3c14b71a08094″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ebbe71bcf7038a1f020b7ef14dabc017″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d04005c444d0720415692d23714eefd2″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=18cd8349bcf01ec252b77fc3ab361ad9″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4e2d7a2926a3bf91606350eaba7da31e”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=edebd316614a864a3a595a2d4f4f2522″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=83927a6875c1f56312c3c14b71a08094″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ebbe71bcf7038a1f020b7ef14dabc017″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d04005c444d0720415692d23714eefd2″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=18cd8349bcf01ec252b77fc3ab361ad9″,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=826707c91ea26265cbfabfb475393c5f”,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=b8c7628027420cc2615c6d44a7fad1c3″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=00f6fac853ffaf93b9b7d59081df4a7e”,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9f403effa77a986960338c57ef1c7735″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9532b852b98465def28a0c52e19eeba8″,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=5f0b49d1f29099412672743d4a7e5e12″,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=912e33bcb1d83b359269962aee7589cb”,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=faa47ef6ca0176fd01f362d6e900d913″,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7be7bef1a1089a9b2e3a14b0a64b09ed”,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=414284eb397dd07e43211bba6cafb473″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=497c2bcfc3149cb2c81bc75bb0f62db1″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9f6aa6e23e3f3f94e9f13ccd06032996″,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=309643104e7f7fb7a952e9aef73a1364″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/430f15e820084e42cd7cba7fc0eb9d8b2f690482/164_0_6671_5338/master/6671.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=31c6c019e55ff685f066495dd941866f”,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Satellite image shows smoke rising from UAE’s Fujairah port”,”caption”:”Satellite image shows smoke rising from UAE’s Fujairah port”,”credit”:”Photograph: Nasa Worldview/Reuters”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Fujairah Oil Industry Zone hosts the Middle East’s largest commercial storage ​capacity for refined products.

“,”elementId”:”eba4d6a7-60f5-4636-96cf-4aee25b68058″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

It also serves as a vital global hub for trading and bunkering located outside the strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping channels, which is now effectively closed.

“,”elementId”:”1bf0cf0e-9f9c-460b-8d48-a12e2e68bd21″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Bloomberg reported yesterday that oil-loading operations at Fujairah had restarted after it was targeted by a drone strike on Saturday.

“,”elementId”:”197563ec-ea11-40c0-89a4-9dcb61cc0386″},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“height”:”4000″,”width”:”6000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/6000.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”4000″,”width”:”6000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“height”:”1333″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“height”:”667″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“height”:”333″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“height”:”93″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”26837ffa-bb5c-442a-afbd-b75150186f4a”,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=8e53c86fc535b2cac4ccd6a943a4af17″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=df47762ce1a760ab36e4be943481b3a6″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1afe8cd0674a27dbf2212005c24af57e”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c0330c04489e1c87e7bc559f736c0daa”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9473426a49535a85d6a9c75084a9d0ed”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d3c395e5799743801945592a5113c7fa”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f83c1d408efd2610aeee4550245aaa9b”,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=151ad9f550412863d08af7d64c9f6ab9″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a1dc5edbd0b5e468b4353ca34c3dad6f”,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=6e4508a8bb0c6ef2070181e6749c2bf0″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ad6f3da5054f9c1b17c1dec807a82b5e”,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=07c4d85345dad48207747380c6583e8c”,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=195ad1ccec494b6beb17a7288cc4c51f”,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1d9d9e36d6275cf5cb2992b5620b2a39″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=8e53c86fc535b2cac4ccd6a943a4af17″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=df47762ce1a760ab36e4be943481b3a6″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1afe8cd0674a27dbf2212005c24af57e”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c0330c04489e1c87e7bc559f736c0daa”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9473426a49535a85d6a9c75084a9d0ed”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d3c395e5799743801945592a5113c7fa”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5b743476c17fd16555f04f326ab92d56″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=db0f2f7cce29937ce33cf8db2a32969a”,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ad85ed1df62cd234ce8b56d1b799c3cd”,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=9a641de570de7536c8d0c5c5944928bf”,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=8e53c86fc535b2cac4ccd6a943a4af17″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=df47762ce1a760ab36e4be943481b3a6″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1afe8cd0674a27dbf2212005c24af57e”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c0330c04489e1c87e7bc559f736c0daa”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9473426a49535a85d6a9c75084a9d0ed”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d3c395e5799743801945592a5113c7fa”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=8e53c86fc535b2cac4ccd6a943a4af17″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=df47762ce1a760ab36e4be943481b3a6″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=1afe8cd0674a27dbf2212005c24af57e”,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c0330c04489e1c87e7bc559f736c0daa”,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9473426a49535a85d6a9c75084a9d0ed”,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d3c395e5799743801945592a5113c7fa”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=bcc324fa65c9116f20a2ab1bde2fe392″,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=fd6501373af56198755283d57ebbad68″,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c4bbe2a21a48d95e68c1fea0a8d6c898″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0ab2e2d8b16ec33ef926ed2daf418fcf”,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=613e4e047903875671a1a0b6d98dd1be”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3237a6954ec20a87862cbfe407e3ce9b”,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=713c56cf7224a9c7780cb8a2a8657d6b”,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=337807c5d892152e70734a65421d48a0″,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=21403e290abca032b6ce800074d40e9f”,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7198d5e20a1d7da34d885f970f8c654d”,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7233065d32cf1357bb98622757697e86″,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=4bd62078c98d1033e225d47a254b3d88″,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a7067dc59c0626d458c893133d187fc7″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516f8f07eaabc7e485aa13a4441c37c9e03e7095/0_0_6000_4000/master/6000.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f4bfd10e70176b57355ba5ede0f2ad46″,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”A fire and plume of smoke rise from an oil facility in Fujairah, UAE, on 14 March 2026.”,”caption”:”A fire and plume of smoke rise from an oil facility in Fujairah, UAE, on 14 March 2026.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AP”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773650105000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”04.35 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773656268000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”06.17 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773651118000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”04.51 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”04.51″,”title”:”Fire broke out at UAE’s Fujairah oil industry zone after drone strike – media office”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7b6cd8f08de00c5266fb3″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump is suggesting he may delay his much-anticipated visit to China at the end of the month as he seeks to ramp up the pressure on Beijing to help reopen the strait of Hormuz and calm oil prices that have soared during the Iran war.

“,”elementId”:”bdda8881-8973-4120-94df-c08d916d558b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In his interview on Sunday with the Financial Times, Trump said China’s reliance on oil from the Middle East means it ought to help with a new coalition he is trying to put together to get oil tanker traffic moving through the strait. Trump said “we’d like to know” before the trip whether Beijing will help. “We may delay,” Trump said in the interview.

“,”elementId”:”082abac8-89cf-493b-a4ed-70d8942fe49b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

As Associated Press reports, the uncertainty underscores just how much the US-Israeli strikes on Iran have reshaped global politics in the past two weeks. Calling off the face-to-face visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping could have its own major economic consequences: Relations between Washington and Beijing have been fraught as both sides have threatened the other with steep tariffs over the past year.

“,”elementId”:”08ad8719-a62a-44c8-b810-eda3ba8f5daa”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“,”elementId”:”dee80a58-0fcd-4d32-9908-94f255fba0a8″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773647565000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”03.52 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773647723000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”03.55 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773647723000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”03.55 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”03.55″,”title”:”Trump suggests he may delay China visit as he ramps up pressure over strait of Hormuz”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7a8c38f086d5b46c038de”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Here’s a snapshot of the latest key developments in the US-Israel war on Iran to bring you up to speed.

“,”elementId”:”7ba05f28-cfba-46f9-871d-908997b46bbd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n
• \n

  The Israeli army said on Monday it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. It said that before the troops’ entry into the area, it conducted air force and artillery strikes against “numerous terrorist targets in order to mitigate threats”.

\n

• \n

  Donald Trump warned that Nato faced a “very bad” future if US allies failed to assist in opening up the strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported. Trump has urged a string of countries to send warships to the region but the response has been muted. Japan and Australia have declined to send ships.

\n

• \n

  Flights are “gradually” resuming at Dubai international airport, according to its operator, after a “drone-related incident” earlier sparked a fuel tank fire nearby. No injuries were reported, the city’s media office said.

\n

• \n

  The US has started moving more than 2,000 marines from the Japanese island of Okinawa to the Middle East, according to news reports.

\n

• \n

  Japan said it was beginning the release of its strategic oil reserves after the International Energy Agency indicated earlier that the release would begin in Asia and Oceania before other regions.

\n

• \n

  Oil prices climbed again amid mounting supply fears, with brent crude – the international benchmark – rosing 1.8% to $104.98 a barrel during early trading on Monday.

\n

• \n

  British prime minister Keir Starmer discussed with Trump the need to reopen the strait of Hormuz, a Downing Street spokeswoman said on Sunday. Starmer also spoke with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney about the impact of the strait’s continued closure on international shipping.

\n

• \n

  Italy’s military said there had been a drone attack on the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait hosting Italian and US forces, but that all its personnel were safe.

\n

• \n

  A rocket attack on Baghdad international airport in Iraq wounded five people, Iraqi authorities said. The airport houses a US diplomatic facility.

\n

“,”elementId”:”410654e0-65cf-45ac-8195-af1b3d3762b0″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773643971000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”02.52 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773646615000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”03.36 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773644429000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”03.00 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”03.00″,”title”:”Summary”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7a5ae8f086d5b46c038c1″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Flights are resuming at Dubai International Airport, according to its operator, after a “drone-related incident” sparked a fuel tank fire nearby earlier.

“,”elementId”:”3dbf83f1-69c2-4bbd-a91e-0574ae5596c1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The airport announced on X: “Flights to and from DXB are gradually resuming to selected destinations, following the temporary suspension implemented as a precautionary measure.”

“,”elementId”:”4f8ed892-25fd-4272-ade9-e8974244efcb”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

It advised passengers to check with their respective airlines for updates on specific flights.

“,”elementId”:”bba70d42-b96b-4619-b3f2-60b74bb95201″},{“assets”:[{“url”:”https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2026/03/16/_Drone-related_incident__sparks_fire_in_Dubai___video_loop–42dc671f-268a-40c6-8f12-df7baef78743-1.0.mp4″,”mimeType”:”video/mp4″,”dimensions”:{“width”:1280,”height”:720},”aspectRatio”:”16:9″},{“url”:”https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2026/03/16/_Drone-related_incident__sparks_fire_in_Dubai___video_loop–42dc671f-268a-40c6-8f12-df7baef78743-1.0.m3u8″,”mimeType”:”application/vnd.apple.mpegurl”,”dimensions”:{“width”:1280,”height”:720},”aspectRatio”:”16:9″}],”posterImage”:[{“url”:”https://uploads.guim.co.uk/2026/03/16/_Drone-related_incident__sparks_fire_in_Dubai___video_loop–42dc671f-268a-40c6-8f12-df7baef78743-1.0.0000000.jpg”,”width”:1920}],”activeVersion”:1,”id”:”42dc671f-268a-40c6-8f12-df7baef78743″,”defaultHtml”:”\n\n “,”videoPlayerFormat”:”Loop”,”elementId”:”0d9d0514-647b-43c6-9d43-21975ef7a97d”,”title”:”‘Drone-related incident’ sparks fire in Dubai – video loop”,”duration”:0,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.MediaAtomBlockElement”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Dubai International Airport is usually the world’s busiest airport for international flights. It has faced heavy disruption since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran.

“,”elementId”:”1154b5e5-1ddf-4721-bed7-d30ce891b6d3″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773643182000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”02.39 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773648646000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”04.10 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773643564000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”02.46 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”02.46″,”title”:”Dubai ‘gradually’ resumes flights after nearby drone incident”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b7a3238f08300dbfa3fc07″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Israeli army said on Monday it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

“,”elementId”:”f76ba690-6301-49a6-bfd0-32a2abe48cd5″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The military said in a statement quoted by AFP:

“,”elementId”:”dff24298-de59-4666-b2fd-2a2e9de7404a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

In recent days, IDF troops from the 91st division have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, aimed at enhancing the forward defence area.

\n

This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, in order to remove threats and create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel.

\n

“,”elementId”:”ca7b8f66-a0f9-471c-821f-b6f2753c0cdf”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Israeli military said that before the troops’ entry into the area, the Israel Defence Forces conducted air force and artillery strikes against “numerous terrorist targets in order to mitigate threats in the operational environment”.

“,”elementId”:”2e37a92f-1ba4-40b2-8a65-d94299928d02″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773642531000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”02.28 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773643998000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”02.53 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773643392000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”02.43 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”02.43″,”title”:”Israel military says it has begun ‘limited’ ground operations in Lebanon”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b78daf8f086d5b46c03850″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US has started moving more than 2,000 marines from the Japanese island of Okinawa to the Middle East, according to media reports, soon after Washington began the redeployment of a missile defence system based in South Korea.

“,”elementId”:”f8eb44f8-bfb2-470e-9819-fe90f6616ad4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The marines are reportedly aboard the amphibious assault ship, the Tripoli, whose home port is in Sasebo, south-western Japan.

“,”elementId”:”a743daa6-00fe-4848-af57-18adcb27ba74″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The troops belong to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in Okinawa, which hosts more than half the 50,000 US military personnel based in Japan.

“,”elementId”:”21c6aa73-386c-415d-a24b-3b9a9cf2c621″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Tripoli, equipped with F-35 fighter jets, is expected to take one to two weeks to reach the Middle East.

“,”elementId”:”18dfbd1a-e854-477b-b6ab-ea6e27bd64ed”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The redeployment of US military assets from north-east Asia has raised concerns over Washington’s commitment to the security of Japan and South Korea, amid increased Chinese naval activity in the East and South China seas, and North Korea’s development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.

“,”elementId”:”34c762a2-82b7-4ae7-b9c9-a1974de0139c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The North test-fired around 10 ballistic missiles at the weekend in protest at the start of joint US-South Korea military drills.

“,”elementId”:”0216215b-0fed-49e3-9ffd-04ac262d01b9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Continued next post

“,”elementId”:”1aee7af7-f1e0-4e49-9489-5742c269a233″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773637039000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”00.57 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773637175000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”00.59 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773637176000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”00.59 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”00.59″,”title”:”US moving troops from Japan to Middle East – reports”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Justin McCurry”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2017/12/28/Justin-McCurry.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d290799c20d0d8fc318b2afd8bde8115″,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2017/12/28/Justin_McCurry,_L.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=04d05d2e2ebf2c9d7a58bd145555a76c”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b789318f08300dbfa3fb8a”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Japan said on Monday it was beginning the release of its strategic oil reserves after the International Energy Agency indicated earlier that the release would begin in Asia and Oceania before other regions.

“,”elementId”:”d7486d86-bad3-4f3f-979c-7985e2298133″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

IEA members agreed on March 11 to tap oil stockpiles to cushion the surge in prices caused by the war in the Middle East – by far the largest-ever response of its kind.

“,”elementId”:”4f4a140f-4842-422b-bd9b-fd26190bc232″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Japan, which depends on the Middle East for 95% of its oil imports, said on Monday in a notice in its official government gazette that the level of oil reserves in the country “is being lowered”.

“,”elementId”:”2778428c-d99b-4fb4-80ee-0d6ba5164418″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The AFP news agency also reports that the issuance of the notice compels managers of oil reserves to release part of their stockpile to meet the new standard.

“,”elementId”:”738a863a-b0f7-40f7-87f8-41838c1e67e8″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Many Japanese media interpreted the notice as confirmation the release had already begun.

“,”elementId”:”74564e7f-73f9-4419-8407-6cf79e8c2de9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Minoru Kihara, top spokesperson for the government, said on Monday the country would release 15 days’ worth of private-sector petroleum reserves.

“,”elementId”:”0e3c65ac-a190-47ca-b5f8-fa1e3ad04f97″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Japan’s strategic oil reserves are among the world’s largest and stood at more than 400 million barrels as of December.

“,”elementId”:”5efddd2e-12fd-46aa-a3b3-2e6e78056d01″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773635889000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”00.38 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773637911000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”01.11 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773636139000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”00.42 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”00.42″,”title”:”Japan starts release of strategic oil reserves”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b781f28f08de00c5266e97″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Israel has said its military remains focused on thousands of potential targets in Iran, even as Tehran warned neighbouring nations against further involvement in the expanding regional war.

“,”elementId”:”d67deced-a90f-4b05-8506-da8865b5e7ae”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The stern warning from Iran coincided with reports from Rome that a base in Kuwait, housing both US and Italian personnel, was targeted in a drone strike. Tehran claims it has “ample evidence” that US military installations on neighbouring territory are being used as launch points for the ongoing campaign of airstrikes.

“,”elementId”:”10737980-9c4f-4a53-8989-88c5c7657df1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Israeli military spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin said on Sunday, as the sustained US-Israeli operations entered their third week:

“,”elementId”:”98a4c00c-7784-4c24-8aff-620ed1527b4f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

We still have thousands of targets in Iran, and we are identifying new targets every day.

\n

We are ready, in coordination with our US allies, with plans through at least the Jewish holiday of Passover, about three weeks from now. And we have deeper plans for even three weeks beyond that.

\n

“,”elementId”:”736026db-6aec-415a-9366-4e797e10b64e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In response to the offensive, Iran has continued to threaten the vital strait of Hormuz. This escalating maritime crisis was a primary focus of a Sunday discussion between Donald Trump and British prime minister Keir Starmer.

“,”elementId”:”3ee87b92-1c2c-483c-8fe3-c6acb58b0bad”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump has called for an international coalition to secure the waterway, while Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi used a call with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot to urge other nations to “refrain from any action that could lead to escalation and expansion of the conflict”.

“,”elementId”:”7576b74c-f789-49f6-8403-e764db0b4a9c”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773634034000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”00.07 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773635583000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”00.33 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773635583000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”00.33 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”00.33″,”title”:”Israel says it still has thousands of targets in Iran”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b779e68f08de00c5266e66″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Japan has said it will not send warships “at the moment” to help reopen the strait of Hormuz, after Donald Trump urged countries to join a “team effort” to protect vessels from Iranian strikes.

“,”elementId”:”4266fb03-d373-457d-b150-35f7862c1b49″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The strait has been all but closed since the start of the war, raising global energy supply fears, and the US president repeatedly pressed countries at the weekend to help secure this weekend.

“,”elementId”:”c4b0b253-2bbb-4a64-81e7-08a5edd71ff7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump specifically named China, the UK, Japan, France and South Korea – and earlier warned that Nato faced a “very bad” future if its members failed to step up.

“,”elementId”:”27c92b0f-92e2-49ef-8ad5-8d97a747e19e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Japan’s defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi told the country’s parliament:

“,”elementId”:”79fd1360-0170-44e9-a9ce-14beab022221″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n

In the current Iran situation, we are not at the moment considering issuing a maritime security operation.

\n

“,”elementId”:”4b88c785-e5d3-460f-88be-6b3d1a2d8977″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In the UK, ministers are drawing up plans to send minesweeping drones to the strait, my colleague Kiran Stacey reported earlier, amid concerns in Whitehall that complying with Trump’s demand to send ships could escalate the crisis.

“,”elementId”:”238793ee-c848-473b-b183-7f0cd4d77333″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Australia has also confirmed it will not send ships. “We know how incredibly important that is, but that’s not something we’ve been asked, or we’re contributing to,” transport minister Catherine King told the national broadcaster ABC.

“,”elementId”:”c01f549f-65e1-4936-8bae-7f7ea633710a”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773631974000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”23.32 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773636953000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”00.55 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773632179000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”23.36 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”23.36″,”title”:”Japan and Australia not planning to send ships to help secure strait of Hormuz”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”},{“id”:”69b73c438f08de00c5266c72″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Hello and welcome to our continuing live coverage of the US-Israel war against Iran and the consequences for the region, the world and the global economy.

“,”elementId”:”d77b89d3-ac5e-4e47-8254-def7b2ff862c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Here are the latest developments:

“,”elementId”:”fcb56851-3068-4903-89bf-93dd77b3e051″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n
• \n

  Donald Trump has warned that Nato faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to assist in opening up the strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times has reported. He also said on Sunday that he has demanded about seven countries send warships to keep the strait of Hormuz open, but his appeals have brought no commitments as oil prices soar during the Iran war. The president declined to name the countries heavily reliant on Middle East crude that the administration is negotiating with to join a coalition to police the waterway where about one-fifth the world’s traded oil normally flows. Australia and Japan have declined to send their navies to the strait.

\n

• \n

  Flights were temporarily suspended at Dubai’s airport, previously one of the world’s busiest, after a “drone-related incident” sparked a fire nearby, city authorities said on Monday. The incident impacted a fuel tank, the Gulf financial hub’s media office said, later adding authorities had extinguished the blaze that broke out. The office said no injuries had been reported.

\n

• \n

  Israel said that its military remains focused on thousands of potential targets within Iran, even as Tehran issued a stern warning to neighbouring nations against further involvement in the rapidly expanding regional war.

\n

“,”elementId”:”d395fe39-6bd8-4b67-8256-76c87adf6e29″},{“displayCredit”:true,”_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement”,”role”:”inline”,”media”:{“allImages”:[{“index”:0,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”1948″,”width”:”2433″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/2433.jpg”},{“index”:1,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”isMaster”:”true”,”height”:”1948″,”width”:”2433″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg”},{“index”:2,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”1601″,”width”:”2000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/2000.jpg”},{“index”:3,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”801″,”width”:”1000″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/1000.jpg”},{“index”:4,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”400″,”width”:”500″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/500.jpg”},{“index”:5,”fields”:{“aspectRatio”:”5:4″,”height”:”112″,”width”:”140″},”mediaType”:”Image”,”mimeType”:”image/jpeg”,”url”:”https://media.guim.co.uk/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/140.jpg”}]},”elementId”:”100b6916-4f54-4b97-a302-1633114417af”,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e76504030c64ceaa63fc31c2e84019f3″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1a9591292498010627943c29da32de18″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=35a20f0daaf1b55ddcf12cb050c8d578″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=241005fc8b13eb1988acc6666e4207c6″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=fdb7f07afd0399917f48f4a6503464f0″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=5e5f48b6f5bedef0f5d6fd87f373cc2a”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=b5006d9a9b9135e8775a6abd3477fb95″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=d3de41c762c58b4347ef561340ace4d1″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e4b22c3dfcc990d868923296bfa0159d”,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1f1de46d6116a2190a0128ef3007d11f”,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5a13dc4a56161e815c8bb954527a7862″,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0e8638703e9d3728e2990b68ed0a070b”,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=088ed528f4a9738ab18418883c041b75″,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=352aadd07d3d95891f7fd1c78e9c7599″,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e76504030c64ceaa63fc31c2e84019f3″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1a9591292498010627943c29da32de18″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=35a20f0daaf1b55ddcf12cb050c8d578″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=241005fc8b13eb1988acc6666e4207c6″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=fdb7f07afd0399917f48f4a6503464f0″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=5e5f48b6f5bedef0f5d6fd87f373cc2a”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=26fc3665ae912b0bf39e9b4fffeab65a”,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ee22bab5c794f0f0d5fdb9956dc26405″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c6cf4747521819e862c53c9e01156c73″,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=780&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=815e99c36b8d438a7911770a05295e56″,”width”:1560},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e76504030c64ceaa63fc31c2e84019f3″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1a9591292498010627943c29da32de18″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=35a20f0daaf1b55ddcf12cb050c8d578″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=241005fc8b13eb1988acc6666e4207c6″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=fdb7f07afd0399917f48f4a6503464f0″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=5e5f48b6f5bedef0f5d6fd87f373cc2a”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”halfwidth”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e76504030c64ceaa63fc31c2e84019f3″,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1a9591292498010627943c29da32de18″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=35a20f0daaf1b55ddcf12cb050c8d578″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=241005fc8b13eb1988acc6666e4207c6″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=fdb7f07afd0399917f48f4a6503464f0″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=5e5f48b6f5bedef0f5d6fd87f373cc2a”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”immersive”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=1900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f7af65b01eda4282aeff03704f600ca2″,”width”:1900},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=bd8d9091a8e825d0935ca23448fc1f0d”,”width”:3800},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=1300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=42d80840f7c55c83b461e8583f4ba741″,”width”:1300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=1300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=7b97ad46136f7642621ed5922a1e2a46″,”width”:2600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=1140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=b6aa72cdefb6becc8262c6ab82353c7a”,”width”:1140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=1140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=47c6c9ac3dfdbb39b14a4cef865808bf”,”width”:2280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=980&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=19fa039c3331a34475091877a34349a6″,”width”:980},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=980&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=164b8746dae8673ba191b036a4bb2fde”,”width”:1960},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=740&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f1bb53e391c81e5a3c789163a4439b79″,”width”:740},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=740&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=3a9bd5ceef2111a2002b1a9c9db32f38″,”width”:1480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=660&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=62f3673a73fa6ee3e75f19b0bcea28fb”,”width”:660},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=660&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=450e055a5c9549fa2e2abb105e17e589″,”width”:1320},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=480&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=03260a45510e59a8bf081a6be8fbb6e2″,”width”:480},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/27edd88a9969d441f993ac74a434c1de70e1bb73/884_0_2433_1948/master/2433.jpg?width=480&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=afc1f653bcfb6a40e7d55d12eb4fda77″,”width”:960}]}],”data”:{“alt”:”Smoke rises after airstrikes in Tehran amid the US-Israel war on Iran”,”caption”:”Smoke rises after airstrikes in Tehran in an image from a social media video released on Monday. “,”credit”:”Photograph: Social Media/Reuters”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

\n
• \n

  Oil prices have climbed again amid mounting supply fears after the US struck Iran’s vital Kharg Island oil hub and Trump demanded allies help reopen the strait of Hormuz. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 1.8% to $104.98 per barrel during early trading on Monday. Another weekend of violence across the Middle East compounded concerns over the conflict, and its ramifications for global energy markets.

\n

• \n

  British prime minister Keir Starmer discussed the need to reopen the strait of Hormuz to end disruption to global shipping with Trump, a Downing Street spokeswoman said on Sunday. Starmer also spoke with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, with the leaders discussing the impact of the strait’s continued closure on international shipping, the spokeswoman told Reuters.

\n

• \n

  Italy’s military said there had been a drone attack on the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait hosting Italian and US forces, but said all its personnel were safe. “This morning, Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait was the target of a drone attack that hit a shelter housing a remotely piloted aircraft of the Italian Task Force Air (TFA), which was destroyed,” the chief of the defence general staff, Luciano Portolano, said in a statement.

\n

• \n

  UN peacekeepers said they were fired upon “likely by non-state armed groups” in south Lebanon on Sunday, while a Hamas source said an Israeli strike killed an official from the Palestinian militant group.

\n

• \n

  A rocket attack on Baghdad international airport in Iraq, which houses a US diplomatic facility, wounded five people, Iraqi authorities said. The Iraqi government’s security media cell said “five rockets targeted Baghdad International Airport and its surrounding area, injuring four airport employees and security personnel, and an engineer”.

\n

• \n

  US energy secretary Chris Wright said that there was “a very good chance” gas prices could drop below $3 a gallon by summer, though that is contingent on the Iran conflict’s end. Wright told NBC’s Meet the Press that while US drivers “are feeling it right now” at the pump and “will feel it for a few more weeks”, once the Iran war is over “we’ll go to a world more abundant” and “more affordable” in energy.

\n

• \n

  Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a brief video to mock viral social media rumours suggesting he had been killed. Taking a sip from a steaming cup at a cafe near Jerusalem, he jokingly posted to his official X account, “I’m dead for coffee,” utilizing a Hebrew slang term that equates being “dead” for something with loving it.

\n

• \n

  The World Health Organisation said on Sunday it had released $2 m from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE) to support the health response in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria amid the Middle East crisis.

\n

“,”elementId”:”d7e6436c-7607-4784-8469-a9e833be8e3c”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1773630910000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”23.15 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1773632663000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”23.44 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1773630910000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”23.15 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”23.15″,”title”:”Welcome summary”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Mon 16 Mar 2026 19.23 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Sun 15 Mar 2026 23.15 EDT”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”,”renderingTarget”:”Web”,”serverTime”:1773703588595}”>

Key events