U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the idea of American forces seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, its main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf.
“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the Financial Times in an interview Monday. “It would also mean we had to be there (on Kharg Island) for a while.”
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Iran has threatened to mine the Persian Gulf if its territory is invaded. The United States and Israel kept up their attacks Monday on the Islamic Republic, even as there were signs of progress in nascent ceasefire talks. Iran struck a key water and electrical plant in hard-hit Kuwait, part of its ongoing campaign targeting the Gulf Arab states.
Trump also said that Iran had agreed to allow 20 ships carrying oil through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning and continuing over the next few days “out of a sign of respect.”
“I would only say that we’re doing extremely well in that negotiation but you never know with Iran because we negotiate with them and then we always have to blow them up,” he said.
The war has already threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices.
Here is the latest:
Israel passes budget, extending Netanyahu term
Israel needed to pass a budget before April 1 in order to avoid triggering early elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still reserves the right to call early elections before then if he wants.
Israel’s opposition slammed the budget for increasing funding to Israel’s ultra-Orthodox communities at a time when the country is facing soaring costs over its war in Iran and is still reeling from a two-year war in Gaza.
The $270 billion budget, Israel’s largest ever, included a 20% increase for the Ministry of Defense due to the ongoing war against Iran. The ministry’s budget has swollen to $45 billion, forcing cuts in other government ministries.
Lawmakers debate death penalty for attacks against Israelis in West Bank
Israel’s parliament is set to vote on a bill that would make the death penalty the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis.
The parliament began debate on Monday, days before its spring recess. The bill’s passage would mark the culmination of a yearslong push by Israel’s far-right to escalate punishment for Palestinians convicted of nationalistic offenses against Israelis — and victory for Israel’s firebrand minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the religious party that introduced the legislation.
Opponents of the legislation call it racist, draconian and unlikely to deter attacks by Palestinian militants. Rights groups are expected to petition Israel’s Supreme Court against it.
Iran confirms the Revolutionary Guard navy chief was killed
Israel on Thursday had said it killed Alireza Tangsiri, a rear admiral in the navy.
A statement from the Guard on Monday, read on state television, said Tangsiri “joined the ranks of Allah due to the severity of his injuries.”
It praised his efforts, particularly in helping Iran maintain a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. “Every fighter is a Tangsiri, and we will see what surprises they will bring in the days and months ahead,” the statement added.
UAE minister calls for ‘disarmament’ of Iranian missile program
Comments by Noura Al Kaabi, a minister of state at the UAE’s Foreign Ministry, offered another signal that the Emirates wants more than just a ceasefire to stop the war.
In a column published by the state-linked, English-language newspaper The National, Al Kaabi denounced the missile and drone attacks targeting her country and Iran’s chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz.
“We want a normal neighbor,” she wrote. “An Iranian regime that launches ballistic missiles at homes, weaponizes global trade and supports proxies is no longer an acceptable feature of the regional landscape.”
She added: “We want a guarantee that this will never happen again.”
A petrochemical plant was hit in Iran strike, state media say
The plant is located some 530 kilometers (330 miles) northwest of the capital, Tehran.
Firefighters put out a blaze at the site, media reported.
A suspected Israeli airstrike hit Beirut on Monday morning
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Oil prices rise in early Monday trading
The spot price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, was around $115 early Monday, up nearly 60% from Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel started the war with attacks on Iran.
Iranian lawmaker suggests Tehran leave Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
The comment by Alaeddin Boroujerdi to Iranian state television comes after hard-liners in Tehran long have suggested taking the step.
“Why should we accept the restrictions?” Boroujerdi said. “We are not seeking a nuclear weapon anyway. But it’s not like that we are supposed to observe the rules of the game and they bomb us.”
The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is a landmark international accord meant to stop the spread of nuclear arms. Countries that signed it agreed not to build or obtain nuclear weapons and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct inspections to verify they correctly declared their programs. Iran has been restricting IAEA inspections for years and hasn’t let them visit the three enrichment sites bombed by the U.S. in June.
Latest reports of live fire
— Israel’s military said on Monday morning that it was striking ‘military infrastructure’ across Tehran.
— Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens twice on Monday.
— At dawn Monday, Israel’s military said Iran had launched missiles at the country. It was the first such launch from Iran of the day. Sirens went off in the area near Israel’s main nuclear research center, a part of the country that has been targeted repeatedly over the past days.