Dubai, Mar 24 (AP) Hopes rose that the Iran war could begin winding down as US President Donald Trump said that his government was holding productive talks with Tehran, but fighting showed no signs of slowing, and Iran denied there were talks.
Trump extended his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, saying the US will hold off striking Iranian power plants for five more days to allow US envoys to hold talks with a “respected” Iranian leader.
Iranian officials said that Trump had backed down “following Iran’s firm warning.” Relief ripped through financial markets on Monday as oil prices eased following severe losses prior to Trump’s announcement. Markets have experienced vicious swings since the war began because of uncertainty about how long it may last.
The death toll has risen to more than 1,500 people in Iran, more than 1,000 in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 US military personnel, as well as a number of civilians on land and sea in the Gulf region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.
Here is the latest: Palestinians in the West Bank inspect the trunk of a massive missile that hit near village homes ————————————————————————————————————- The missile, which dwarfed its many onlookers, cratered the ground in the Palestinian village of Haris. It wasn’t clear whether it was an Iranian missile or an Israeli interceptor missile fired by Israeli air defence.
“We are caught between two fires, between Israeli missiles and Iranian missiles, so we do not know,” said Haris resident Hatem Dawood. “We have no shelters to protect our children, nothing at all.” Dawood, who’s also a former member of the village’s governing council, said the missile had fallen on Tuesday morning.
Palestinian paramedics haven’t reported any injuries or deaths from the impact. Israel’s military did not respond to requests for details from The Associated Press.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to France to sell the Iran war to sceptical G7 allies ——————————————————————————————————– He’ll attend a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting near Versailles outside of Paris on Friday “to advance key US interests” and “discuss shared security concerns and opportunities for cooperation,” the State Department said.
“Areas of focus will include the Russia-Ukraine war, the situation in the Middle East, and threats across the world to peace and stability,” it said.
Nearly all of the other G7 nations — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — have reacted coolly at best to the US-Israeli military operation against Iran and have declined to participate.
Blasts heard in Tehran —————————- An Associated Press journalist has heard a huge blast in the northern part of Iran’s capital, Tehran, that shook his home.
Another blast struck near central Tehran, another AP journalist says.
It wasn’t immediately clear what was being targeted, but Israel had said that it was embarking on airstrikes targeting locations in Iran.
Egypt and Jordan condemn Israeli practices in the West Bank ———————————————————————- Egypt and Jordan say the Iran war shouldn’t distract the international community from the Israeli practices in the occupied West Bank.
Israel’s “illegitimate measures” in the West Bank “undermine all chances to achieve just peace,” the Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers said.
The ministers also condemned settler attacks in the West Bank as a “flagrant violation of international law.” The United Arab Emirates reports more missile and drone attacks ————————————————————————– The Emirati Defence Ministry says air defence systems have responded to five ballistic missiles and 17 drones fired at the Gulf nation.
That has brought the number of projectiles fired at the UAE since the start of the war to 372 missiles and 1,806 drones. (AP) SKS SKS
Category: Breaking News
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