Middle East crisis live: Trump threatens to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s energy infrastructure if ceasefire deal is not reached ‘shortly’
Trump threatens to ‘obliterate’ Kharg Island and Iran’s oil wells if a deal is not reached ‘shortly’In his latest post on Truth Social, Donald Trump claimed that the US is in “serious discussions” with a “new and more reasonable regime” to end its war on Iran, but threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s strategically crucial Kharg Island if a deal is not reached shortly.
double quotation markGreat progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet “touched.”
This will be in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime’s 47 year “Reign of Terror.”
As my colleague Lorenzo Tondo notes in this story, last week the US, via Pakistan, which is acting as a mediator, presented Iran with a 15-point ceasefire proposal, including reopening the strait of Hormuz and curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme, but Tehran has rejected the proposals and offered alternatives.Crucially, Iran wants Israel to stop attacking Iranian allies in the region, something Israel is unlikely to agree to. Tehran also reportedly wants reparations for war damage and the removal of American bases from the Middle East.Last week after Trump said the US and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations” about ending the war, Iranian officials quickly denied any such talks had occurred. Iran has said the US is secretly plotting a ground attack while displaying a message of diplomacy. The US is reportedly considering plans to occupy or blockade Kharg Island to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait of Hormuz.ShareUpdated at 13.50 CESTKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureEgyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said his US counterpart, Donald Trump, is the only person who can stop the war.“I tell President Trump: Nobody can stop the war in our region in the Gulf but you,” Sisi said at the opening ceremony of Egypt’s Energy show Egypes.“Please, Mr. President, please. Please help us stop the war. You are capable of doing so,” he added.Though Egypt is not involved directly in the US-Israeli war on Iran, it is among the most impacted by the conflict’s far-reaching repercussions, including higher oil prices and disrupted shipping routes.The government imposed new nationwide closing times on Saturday for stores, restaurants and cafes, ordering them to shut early as part of measures to conserve energy.View image in fullscreenDonald Trump shakes hands with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a meeting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2026. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/ReutersShareUpdated at 13.52 CESTSpain closes airspace to US planes involved in Iran war, defence minister saysSpain, a Nato member, has closed its airspace to US planes involved in attacks on Iran, the country’s defence minister, Margarita Robles, told reporters in Madrid this morning.“We don’t authorise either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran,” she said.Spanish newspaper El Pais, which first reported the news on Monday, said the closure of the airspace forces military planes to bypass Spain en route to their targets in the Middle East, but it does not include emergency situations, in which case the aircraft will be permitted to transit or land.“We have denied the United States the use of the Rota and Morón bases for this illegal war. All flight plans involving operations in Iran have been rejected. All of them, including those for refuelling aircraft,” Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez, a vocal critic of the US-Israeli war on Iran, was quoted as having said last Wednesday in Congress.View image in fullscreenPedro Sánchez has been one of the most vocal opponents of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, describing them as reckless and illegal. Photograph: Diego Radames/Anadolu/Getty ImagesMilitary sources told El Pais that Spain is also denying airspace access to US aircraft stationed in third countries, including France and the UK.The US president, Donald Trump, has threatened to cut trade with Madrid for denying the American use of Spain’s bases in the war, which many legal experts agree was launched by the US and Israel in violation of international law.ShareUpdated at 12.55 CESTFire erupts at Israeli oil refinery after reported missile attackAn industrial building and a a fuel tanker at the Bazan oil refinery in Israel’s northern city of Haifa were struck by debris from an intercepted missile, the Times of Israel has cited the country’s fire and rescue service as having said.There were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage to production facilities.The Wall Street journal is among those reporting that the oil refinery was hit in by an Iranian missile, though this has not been something we have been able to independently verify.ShareThe Reuters news agency has some comments from Esmaeil Baqaei, who has been speaking to journalists.He said Iran received messages via intermediaries indicating the US’s willingness to negotiate, but deemed American proposals to be “unrealistic, illogical and excessive”.“Our position is clear. We are under military aggression. Therefore, all our efforts and strength are focused on defending ourselves,” he added.ShareNo direct US-Iran negotiations have taken place - Iranian foreign ministry spokespersonEsmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry, has reaffirmed that Iran has not had any direct negotiations with the US, in comments carried by the Tasnim news agency.“What has been discussed are messages we received through intermediaries stating that the US wants to negotiate,” he was quoted as having said.“Iran has been clear about its position from the beginning, and we know very well what the framework is that we are considering. The material conveyed to us has been excessive and unreasonable requests.”View image in fullscreenPakistan hosted a four-way meeting with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt in Islamabad on Sunday. Photograph: Pakistan foreign office/EPAPakistan, seen as a potential mediator between Washington and Tehran, hosted a four-way meeting with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt on Sunday, but nothing significant appeared to emerge from the talks and the war is showing no signs of de-escalation.As my colleague Lorenzo Tondo notes in this story, last week the US presented Iran with a 15-point ceasefire proposal, including reopening the strait of Hormuz and curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme, but Tehran has rejected the plan and offered alternatives. Crucially, Iran wants Israel to stop attacking Iranian allies in the region, something Israel is unlikely to agree to.Last week after Donald Trump said the US and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations” about ending the war, Iranian officials quickly denied any such talks had occurred.ShareUpdated at 12.07 CESTBahrain’s interior ministry said earlier today that a fire that had broken out in a commercial building in Al Dair, a coastal village near Bahrain International Airport, had been extinguished.“No injuries were reported. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire,” it said in a social media post.ShareUpdated at 11.33 CESTHere are some of the latest images being sent to us over the newswires from the Lebanese capital of Beirut following Israeli airstrikes.The Israeli military said in a post on X about an hour ago that it was striking Hezbollah’s “infrastructure” in Beirut.But the IDF’s attacks regularly damage civilian property and hit residential areas, killing many civilians with nothing to do with Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group and political party.View image in fullscreenA damaged building following a targeted Israeli strike in Beirut. Photograph: Mohamed Azakir/ReutersView image in fullscreenSmoke rises among the residential buildings following Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut. Photograph: Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenA portrait of Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, left, as smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, on 30 March 2026. Photograph: Hassan Ammar/APShareUpdated at 11.08 CESTIn its latest update, Israel’s health ministry said that 6,008 injured people have been evacuated to hospitals since the beginning of the war, of whom 121 are currently hospitalised – including one in critical condition, and 16 in serious condition.ShareThe Iranian government has “repeatedly” used cluster munitions delivered by ballistic missiles in attacks on Israel since the US-Israeli war on Iran started on 28 February, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report.HRW said at least four civilians have been killed in the airstrikes, which may amount to war crimes.“Iran’s use of cluster munitions in populated areas in Israel pose a foreseeable and long-lasting danger to civilians,” Patrick Thompson, a researcher in the crisis, conflict and arms division at HRW said.“Cluster munition bomblets are dispersed over a wide area, making them unlawfully indiscriminate in violation of the laws of war.”As my colleague Lorenzo Tondo notes in this story, since the start of the war, Iran’s cluster munitions – which disperse dozens of bomblets mid-air – have tested Israel’s highly advanced, multi-tier missile defence network, including Iron Dome, which is designed to counter threats across ranges, altitudes and speeds, exposing gaps that interception alone has struggled to close.Series of illustrations showing how a cluster bomb splits up to deliver its payload.Share
