US Iran War: Trump says US and Iran are discussing 15 points to end war
US President Donald Trump said oil prices would “drop like a rock” if a deal is reached to end the war with Iran, as crude markets remain volatile amid the conflict.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said there was a “very serious chance” of an agreement, while cautioning that nothing was guaranteed. “I’m not guaranteeing anything”.
He also said Washington and Tehran were discussing 15 points to end the war, claiming that Iran giving up nuclear weapons was covered in points “number one, two and three.”
At the same time, Trump said he wanted to see a “very serious form of regime change” in Iran.
20:12 (IST) Mar 23
Israel Iran War News: Iran’s Lorestan province reports 157 deaths in war
At least 157 people have been killed and 2,667 wounded in Iran’s Lorestan province since the start of the war on February 28, the province’s deputy governor said, as reported by Al Jazeera.
20:10 (IST) Mar 23
‘He’s unvailable’: Trump claims he doesn’t consider Mojtaba Khamenei Iran’s leader
US President Donald Trump said Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is “unavailable” and that no one knows what happened to him, while claiming Iran’s leadership has been largely wiped out.
“If we hadn’t bombed Iran with the B2 bombers, they would have had a nuclear bomb within 2 weeks to a month. If they had a nuclear weapon, they would have used it as soon as they got it… We hit them hard last summer, but that doesn’t mean with the right equipment, you cannot dig down and go get it… They still haven’t been able to get it. That was a complete success… They have numerous leader groups; they have all been killed. Khamenei was killed, his son is unavailable. No one knows what happened to him. They haven’t seen him either, so something is going on with him. I don’t really consider him the leader. We do have some leaders left… We think there are some representatives of the country left who will do a good job at governance,” he said.
19:57 (IST) Mar 23
US Iran War: Trump says he wants ‘as much oil in the system as possible’
US President Donald Trump said he wants “as much oil in the system as possible” when asked about the Treasury Department’s decision last week to ease sanctions on Iranian oil stranded at sea.
19:54 (IST) Mar 23
Iran war news: EU welcomes Trump’s announcement on Iran energy infrastructure
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Trump’s announcement that there would be no attack on Iranian energy infrastructure was a welcome development, as European officials continued to push for de-escalation and protection of critical civilian sites.
19:52 (IST) Mar 23
‘You’re fired’: IRGC spokesman mocks Trump in video address to Iran’s ‘enemies’
In a video message addressed to Iran’s “enemies”, a spokesman for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters mocked US President Donald Trump by imitating his catchphrases and speaking style.
19:47 (IST) Mar 23
US Iran War: Trump says US speaking to ‘top person’ in Iran regime; clarifies not Supreme Leader
US President Donald Trump said that Washington was in contact with a “top person” in Iran as part of efforts to end the war, but said the individual was not the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Asked by CNN who the United States was speaking to, Trump did not identify the Iranian official, saying only that it was a senior figure in the regime. He added that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were involved in the talks.
Pressed on whether the US was in touch with Khamenei, Trump said, “No, not the Supreme Leader.”
Trump also said the US had not heard from Khamenei’s son, adding that Washington did not know whether he was still alive.
19:26 (IST) Mar 23
Iran war news: ‘We’d like to make a deal too’: Trump says US and Iran close to agreement after strong talks
Reporter: “Mr. President, Iran’s Foreign Ministry says you’re not telling the truth when it comes to productive conversations and the world.”
Donald Trump, “They’re going to have to get themselves better public relations people. We have had very, very strong talks. We’ll see where they lead. We have major points of agreement. I would say almost all points of agreement. Perhaps that hasn’t been conveyed. The communication, as you know, has been blown to pieces. They’re unable to talk to each other. But we’ve had very strong talks. Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Cush had them. They went, I would say, perfectly. I would say that if they carry through with that, it’ll end that, that problem, that conflict and I think it’ll end it very, very substantially. We have very much in mind our partners in the Middle East. We’ve had great relationships with a lot of them. As you know, a lot of them were surprisingly hit and I was surprised to see it and so was everyone else. But we have, they’re very much in mind in the. So the discussions took place yesterday. They went into yesterday evening. They want very much to make a deal. We’d like to make a deal too. We’re going to get together today by probably phone because it’s very hard to find a country. It’s very hard for them to get out, I guess. But we’ll at some point very, very soon meet. We’re doing a five day period. We’ll see how that goes and if it goes well, we’re going to end up with sett this. Otherwise we just keep bombing our little hearts here.”
19:19 (IST) Mar 23
US Iran War: Trump says US, Iran have ‘major points of agreement’ after strong talks
19:11 (IST) Mar 23
Israel Iran War News: UN peacekeeping headquarters in Lebanon hit by shell
An artillery shell landed inside the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping force in Naqoura, southern Lebanon, UNIFIL said.
The mission added that the projectile was fired by non-state actors and struck its headquarters compound.
19:08 (IST) Mar 23
Iran Israel War News: Hezbollah claims artillery strike on Israeli troop gathering
Hezbollah said it targeted a gathering of Israeli troops near the border town of Markaba in southern Lebanon with artillery fire.
19:05 (IST) Mar 23
US Iran War: Trump says Iran ‘wants to make a deal badly,’ could come within 5 days
US President Donald Trump said that Iran “wants to make a deal badly” and that an agreement could be reached within five days or sooner.
In a telephone interview, Trump said the most recent talks between US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and their counterparts took place on Sunday night.
18:49 (IST) Mar 23
US Iran War: Senior officials from Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan hold talks with US envoy, Iran FM
Senior officials from Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan held separate talks with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, Axios reporter said on X.
18:47 (IST) Mar 23
Israel Iran War News: Trump tells AFP ‘things are going very well’ on Iran
17:44 (IST) Mar 23
Iran war news: Iran says Strait of Hormuz will not return to pre-war conditions, denies negotiations with US
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing an Iranian official, reported that the Strait of Hormuz will not return to pre-war conditions and that energy markets will remain unsettled, while insisting that no negotiations are under way with the United States.
According to Tasnim, the official also said US President Donald Trump had backed away from striking critical Iranian infrastructure under pressure from financial markets, adding that Tehran would continue defending itself until it had restored deterrence.
17:41 (IST) Mar 23
Israel Iran War News: Israeli military says conducting strikes in the heart of Tehran
17:35 (IST) Mar 23
US Iran War: No direct contact with Trump, says Iranian media
Iran’s Fars news agency, citing an unnamed source, reported that there has been no direct contact with US President Donald Trump, “not even through an intermediary”.
The source claimed Trump had backed down after Iran warned it would target power plants in response to any attack.
The report also said Trump had spoken of ongoing talks with Iran, despite the source denying that any such communication had taken place. Reuters and AP reported separately that Trump announced a five-day pause on planned strikes against Iranian power infrastructure, saying the move followed “productive” talks, while Iran has not publicly acknowledged direct negotiations.
17:29 (IST) Mar 23
US Iran War: Brent Crude falls to $96 after Trump delays military action on Iran
Brent crude fell to $96 a barrel after US President Donald Trump ordered a delay in military action against Iran, easing some fears of further disruption to energy supplies.
Oil prices dropped by more than 13 per cent after Trump said he would postpone strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.
By 11:08 GMT, Brent crude futures were down about $17, or 15 percent, at a session low of $96 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate fell $13, or roughly 13.5 percent, to $85.28 a barrel.
The decline followed a sharp surge that had pushed oil above $100 per barrel as Iranian attacks on vessels effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz.
17:26 (IST) Mar 23
Iran war news: Egypt condemns Israel’s strikes on Lebanon’s infra
Egypt has condemned Israel’s strikes on infrastructure in Lebanon, calling them a form of collective punishment.
In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said the deliberate destruction of Lebanese infrastructure reflected a blatant Israeli policy of collective punishment.
The ministry also criticised what it described as systematic and deliberate Israeli strikes, including attacks on bridges over the Litani River in southern Lebanon.
17:20 (IST) Mar 23
US Iran War: Iran’s state TV claims US President ‘backed down’ after Tehran’s firm warning
17:16 (IST) Mar 23
Russia, Iran FMs hold call after US-Iran war talks: Moscow
17:10 (IST) Mar 23
US Iran war: Iran’s Kabul mission says US delayed energy strikes after ‘firm warning’
Iran’s embassy in Kabul said US President Donald Trump had stepped back from plans to target energy infrastructure after what it described as a firm warning from Tehran.
The statement came after Trump said the United States would postpone any military strikes on Iranian power plants and energy facilities for five days while talks continued.
17:03 (IST) Mar 23
Israel Iran war: From 48-hour ultimatum to 5-day pause: Trump cites ‘productive’ US-Iran talks, halts strikes on energy infrastructure
US President Donald Trump on Monday said the United States and Iran have held “very good and productive” talks over the past two days and announced a five-day pause on planned military strikes, signalling a possible de-escalation in the ongoing conflict.
The announcement comes a day after Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran, warning of strikes on its energy infrastructure if Tehran failed to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.