Both the United States and Iran are giving conflicting messages about trying to end the conflict in the Middle East as the rest of the world battle with the consequences of the war. Welcome to AnewZ's coverage of the tensions in the Middle East.
We'll be back tomorrow. You can find a summary of today's key events in the article below.
In a statement on social media, António Guterres urged Tehran to stop launching attacks on regional countries that were not "parties to the conflict."
He added: "My message to the US & Israel is that it’s high time to end the war – as human suffering deepens, civilian casualties mount & the global economic impact is increasingly devastating."
Abbas Araqchi, said on Wednesday that there were no talks being held with the U.S., adding that the exchange of messages through mediators "does not mean negotiations with the U.S."
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the U.S. was engaged in "productive conversations" with Iran.
Russia sought to blackmail the United States by offering to stop sharing military intelligence with Iran if, in return, Washington would cut off Ukraine from its intelligence data, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday.
"I have reports from our intelligence services showing that Russia is doing this and saying: 'I will not pass on intelligence to Iran if America stops passing intelligence to Ukraine.' Isn't that blackmail? Absolutely," Zelenskyy said, speaking from his presidential compound in Kyiv.
The Speaker of Iran's Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has said Tehran will target an unidentified regional country's infrastructure with "relentless attacks," if any Iranian islands are occupied.
In a post on X, Ghalibaf said that Tehran had "data" indicating that the unnamed country, alongside "Iran's enemies," was preparing to occupy an Iranian island.
Speaking at a media briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. was "systematically dismantling" Iran's defence industrial base, which she said woud "prevent future threats" to the Middle East region.
Leavitt said that over the weekend the U.S. dropped several 5,000lb bombs on a underground facility used to store Iranian military equipment, including anti-ship cruise missiles and mobile missile launchers.
U.S. President Donald Trump is ready to hit Iran "harder than they have ever been hit before" if Tehran fails to understand that they have been defeated militarily, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told lawmakers on Wednesday that while France was willing to help secure maritime routes within the framework of international law, it would not be drawn into a conflict.
Five Gulf states and Jordan have released a joint statement demanding that the Iraqi government takes action to stop Iran-alligned militias within the country from carrying out attacks against neighbouring states.
The six countries said the attacks were a "blatant violation" of international law, adding that they reserved the right to respond in "self-defence" to the assaults.
The statement, signed by Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also condemned the activities of "Iran-alligned sleeper cells" within the region, mentioning Hezbollah.
Iran could take action in the Strait of Mandeb, a major global chokepoint between Yemen and Dijibouti, Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported on Wednesday, citing an unnamed Iranian military source.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group has previously launched attacks in the region, where the strategic shipping route is located.
The Iranian government is still studying a U.S. proposition to end the Middle East conflict, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday. The official said the proposal was still under review but Tehran's reaction was not positive.
The comments appear to contradict remarks by Iranian officials, expressing contempt at the U.S. proposal. Earlier, Iranian state news network, Press TV, reported that an unidentified official in Tehran had said Iran had rejected the U.S. proposition.
You can read more about the previous development below:
Meanwhile, two Pakistani sources told Reuters that Iran had yet to reply formally to Washington's proposal. Pakistan delivered the 15-point proposal to Iran on behalf of the U.S.
Kuwaiti low-cost airline Jazeera Airways shifted operations to Saudi Arabia's Al Qaisumah Airport on 11 March after Kuwait's airspace was closed due to the Iran conflict, the airline's CEO said on Wednesday.
He added that Jazeera Airways is currently flying to seven countries from Saudi Arabia, with flights recognised as departing from Kuwait, and said there is no indication when Kuwait's airspace will reopen.
Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Wednesday that Cairo was willing to host any meetings related to Iran that serve the purpose of de-esculation.
Abdelatty said in a press conference that Egypt supported U.S. President Donald Trump's move to negotiate with Tehran.
On Iran's response to the U.S. plan, he said "we have to continue our efforts, it’s all about diplomacy and negotiations".
Iran's initial response to a U.S. proposal to end the Middle East conflict has not been "positive," a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that Tehran is still reviewing it.
The official added that the Iranian government's reply has been delivered to Pakistan to be conveyed to Washington.
Tehran demands recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, as its "natural, legal right," Iran's Press TV cited an official as saying on Wednesday, after Iran reviewed a U.S. proposal to end the war and considered its conditions excessive.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his government was unable to cover all the costs of price rises associated with the Iran conflict on Wednesday.
Answering questions in the German Parliament, he said there were "measures we can consider" but added that "we cannot offset every price trend through tax measures or measures funded from the federal budget".
Earlier, French Finance Minister Roland Lescere said France was more equipped to deal with the shortfall in oil and gas triggered by the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, than "European neighbours."
Naim Qassem, leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese Shia militant group and political party, said on Wednesday that negotiations with Israel while under attack were equivalent to surrender.
He made the remarks in a televised speech read on his behalf shown on a Hezbollah afiliated television station.
Qassem called for unity against Israel and said Hezbollah fighters were prepared to continue "without limit."
The U.S. Navy hopes to expedite the return of two ships capable of clearing mines from Singapore to the Persian Gulf, a senior U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday.
It comes as concerns mount over Iran's threats to plant mines in the Strait of Hormuz to prevent ships passing through it.
Maintenace work the vesses are undergoing in Singapore would be completed as soon as possible to prepare the ships to get "back into the theatre" where they were based, the official, who was speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.
The U.S. "clearly made a mistake," by attacking Iran, Marine Le Pen, parliamentary leader of France's far-right National Rally (RN) said on Wednesday.
“What I see is that the United States clearly made a mistake, thinking the Iranian regime would fall within a few days. It has not fallen. The Iranian regime is extremely strong,” Le Pen told France Inter radio.
Le Pen added that U.S. President Donald Trump’s war goals were “erratic” and questioned the ultimate objective of the conflict, saying that “no one knows” what he seeks to achieve.
Beaches in Israel will remain shut to the public as part of emergency restrictions introduced due to the conflict with Iran, the Ministry of Interior has said. Israel's official bathing season was due to begin on Wednesday (25 March).
Director General of the Ministry of Interior, Israel Ozen, said people should avoid arriving at beaches in a statement on X.
“Bathing beaches will remain closed at this stage to protect human life. We are prepared to enable the opening of the beaches quickly and efficiently as soon as conditions allow, and we call on the public to act responsibly and comply with the guidelines," he said.
Roland Lescere said on Wednesday that France was more equipped to deal with a shortfall in oil and gas triggered by the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, than other countries in Europe.
"France is better prepared, it's less exposed than our European neighbors," Lescure told reporters after a cabinet meeting with President Emmanuel Macron.
Prices for energy, fertilizer and petrochemicals have soared due to Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, costing the world as much as 20 million barrels of oil per day - about a fifth of the global supply of oil and gas.
Shell CEO Wael Sawan said on Tuesday (24 March) that energy shortages could hit Europe by next month.
Kuwait told a UN Human Rights Council meeting on Wednesday that Iranian attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure in the region posed an "extential threat" to international and regional security.
"This aggressive approach is undermining international law and sovereignty," Kuwait's Ambassador Naser Abdullah H. M. Alhayen told the Geneva-based Council.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressed similar concerns about Iran's actions.
UAE ambassador Jamal Jama al Musharakh denounced Iran's "attempt to destabilise the international order through reckless adventures of expansionism."
Countries at the 47-member Council will vote on a motion which condemns Iran's "unprovoked and deliberate" strikes, seeks reparations from Tehran and asks the UN Rights Chief to monitor the situation, a document showed.
Iran defended its actions, saying more than 1,500 civilians had been killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes so far. "We fight on behalf of all of you against an enemy that, if not restrained today, will be beyond containment tomorrow," Iran's Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Ali Bahreini, said, referring to Israel.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has instructed the Foreign Ministry to summon Washington's Chargé d'Affaires in Baghdad following assaults on "military units," the Prime Minister's office said on Wednesday.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched a new wave of attacks against locations in Israel including Tel Aviv and Kiryat Shmona, as well as U.S. bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, Iranian state media reported.
"Has the level of your inner struggle reached the stage of you negotiating with yourself?" the top spokesperson for Iran's joint military command, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, taunted Trump in comments on Iranian state TV.
"People like us can never get along with people like you," he said. "As we have always said ... no one like us will make a deal with you. Not now. Not ever."
There is no public recognition from Iran that it is willing to negotiate with any country, leader or group at all.
Pakistan has delivered a U.S. proposal to Iran, a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Wednesday. The source didn't disclose any details or confirm whether it was the apparent U.S. drafted 15-point plan (see 03:46 update).
Up to now, there has been no confirmation on whether the 15-point plan exists.
A South Korean presidential Blue House official said on Wednesday that non-Middle Eastern LNG is being introduced smoothly, and stable supply of gas to South Korea is possible until the end of this year, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The official cited supplier Qatar as saying no official decision has been made on declaring force majeure on LNG supplies, Yonhap said. South Korea is preparing for potential disruptions to Qatari LNG deliveries, including plans to implement contingency measures. (See 05:56 update).
Internet observatory website NetBlocks says over 600 hours of internet blackout has affected the majority of the public in Iran, as the war goes on.
⚠️ Update: The internet blackout in #Iran has now entered its 26th day after passing the 600 hour mark.
The measure leaves civilians cut off from international networks, violating their right to access information in times of war. pic.twitter.com/2AsPc39EXP — NetBlocks (@netblocks) March 25, 2026
The situation at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant continues to develop along a worst-case scenario, the head of Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, said on Wednesday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday said it had been informed by Iran that a projectile struck the premises of the Bushehr NPP.
Likhachev said the strike, which caused no casualties, occurred at around 1800 GMT on Tuesday and hit an area near an operational power unit.
He added that Rosatom had begun a third phase of personnel evacuation, with one group departing by road towards the Iranian-Armenian border on Wednesday morning and two more groups set to leave shortly.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has urged states to end the Iran conflict, describing the situation in the Middle East as extremely dangerous and unpredictable at the meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting was called by the Gulf states who have been under attack from Iran throughout the conflict.
"This conflict has an unprecedented power to ensnare countries across borders and around the world...States are flirting with unmitigated catastrophe in Middle East, situation 'extremely dangerous and unpredictable'"
"The only guaranteed way to prevent this is to end the conflict, and I urge all states, and particularly those with influence, to do everything in their power to achieve this," he said.
Iran's representative said that countries must "unite against our common energy, Israel".
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the UK Liberal Democrat Party, has said publicly that he thinks Donald Trump is the most corrupt U.S. President ever and alleges that there is insider trading going on in regards to oil prices and the markets.
🚨 WATCH: Ed Davey says Donald Trump is the "most corrupt US president ever"
"On Iran, I think he was manipulating the markets in order to make money for him and his cronies. I think there's a real whiff of insider trading... and we should call him out" pic.twitter.com/h7IryPzNL9 — Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) March 24, 2026
Demonstrations have begun in the Philippines after a national energy emergency was declared earlier today (Wednesday).
Activists have called for an across‑the‑board 1,200 pesos ($20) wage increase to offset rising fuel prices. The current daily minimum wage in Manila is roughly 695 pesos ($12).
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Tuesday (March 24) declared a state of national energy emergency in response to the Middle East conflict and what he called an "imminent danger" posed to the country's energy supply. The Philippines relies heavily on imported fuel.
The emergency declaration, which will be in effect for one year, authorised the government to purchase fuel and petroleum products to ensure timely and sufficient supply.
A Thai oil tanker has safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz following diplomatic coordination between Thailand and Iran, and was not required to pay to escape the blockade, a Thai official said on Wednesday.
Iran has said that ships from hostile states will be targeted if they attempt to pass though the key shipping path.
A Saudi Arabia Defence Ministry spokesperson has confirmed it destroyed a number of drones overnight.
The Pentagon is expected to send thousands of soldiers from the U.S. Army's elite 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, adding to a massive U.S. military buildup.
50,000 troops are already in the region.
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia said they had repelled fresh drone attacks, without stating where they originated. Drones targeted a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, causing a fire but no casualties, Kuwait's Civil Aviation Authority said.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched a new wave of attacks against locations in Israel including Tel Aviv and Kiryat Shmona, as well as U.S. bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, Iranian state media reported.
QatarEnergy said on Tuesday it had determined that it needed to declare force majeure on some of its affected long-term LNG supply contracts, with counterparties including customers in Italy, Belgium, South Korea, and China.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, force majeure is an unexpected event such as a war, crime, or an earthquake which prevents someone from doing something that is written in a legal agreement.
An Iranian military spokesman, according to state media, says the United States is negotiating with itself, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran wants to make a deal to end the war in the Middle East.
The airspace of Bahrain and Kuwait will remain closed until 16:00 GMT. This means that the travel ban, which was imposed due to the military operation in the Middle East, will come into effect for the 26th consecutive day.
Transit of aircraft to third countries is also prohibited in the airspace of these countries. Bahrain allows special flights from Manama airport to neighboring Saudi Arabia along the shortest corridor.
As much as 20 million barrels of oil per day from Middle East producers is being lost to the world due to Iran's effective closure of the shipping chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz.
United Airlines on Tuesday said it may have to raise ticket prices by up to 20%.
Asian countries are having to go down to four day working weeks, reduce car usage and in the case of the Philippines, declaring a national energy emergency.
The acute energy supply shock now hitting Asia, the region most heavily reliant on Middle East supplies, will spread to Europe in April, oil executives and energy ministers said this week at the annual CERAWeek conference in Houston, U.S.
Israel's Channel 2 said the U.S. was seeking a month-long ceasefire to discuss the plan, which includes the dismantling of Iran's nuclear program, ceasing support for proxy groups, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's top joint military command spokesperson says previous energy and oil prices will not return until regional stability is guaranteed by Iran's armed forces.
Southern Cyprus has asked the UK to negotiate new security arrangements for Britain's military bases on the island following Iranian drone attacks earlier this month, the Telegraph reported on Tuesday.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
It has been reported U.S. has sent a peace plan, similar to the one Washington drafted for the Israel-Gaza conflict, has been sent to Tehran to help bring about a constructive end to the war. The New York Times, citing two officials, also said this had happened.
Channel 12 News reports the 15 points are:
These are not confirmed yet, but based on sources.
Reacting to a report that Israel wants to take over Lebanese territory, Canada's Foreign Ministry posted the following on social media platform X:
Canada reiterates its solidarity with the government of Lebanon and its people. We urge all parties to protect civilians, refrain from attacks on infrastructure, health workers, and peacekeepers, and act in accordance with international law. — Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) March 24, 2026
Overnight, leaders from different countries and religions have called for de-escalation and peace as the U.S. and Iran give conflicting accounts of peace talks.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke to the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman overnight and said partners are working on a viable plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and asked him to put an end to attacks against countries in the region and called on the country to engage in good faith negotiations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that his country will continue working with all its resources to establish peace in the Iran war.
Pope Leo expressed concern on Tuesday about a rising tenor of animosity in the expanding Iran war, repeating calls for a ceasefire.
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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on Beijing and Moscow to prevent Washington from continuing to abuse the United Nations Security Council. He made the comment during a phone conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi according to state-owned IRNA news agency.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. was talking to the right people in Iran to make a deal on Tuesday (24 March), as Pakistan's Prime Minister offered to host peace talks between the two countries to bring about an end to the conflict.
Pakistan offered to host talks between Iran and the U.S. to bring about an end to the Middle East conflict on Tuesday (24 March), as U.S. President Donald Trump repeated that Washington was speaking to Tehran, despite the White House downplaying earlier comments by Trump saying the same thing.
A British nuclear-powered submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles has reportedly taken up position in the Arabian Sea, the Daily Mail reported on Saturday (21 March). The deployment gives the UK the ability to carry out long-range strikes if tensions in the Gulf escalate.
The involvement of Yemen’s Houthis has heightened regional tensions as the Iran-aligned group joins the conflict. The U.S. says it is hopeful of holding talks with Iran in the coming days, while Tehran has said that "talking and bombing is intolerable". Welcome to our live coverage of the conflict.
Turkish military personnel participating in NATO’s mission in Iraq have been “successfully” withdrawn from the country, the Turkish Defence Ministry announced on Thursday.
Hamas would have to allow its vast network of tunnels in Gaza to be destroyed as it gives up its weapons over eight months, under a disarmament plan drawn up by the U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.
The four astronauts selected for NASA’s Artemis II mission have arrived in Florida, entering the final phase of preparations for the first crewed journey towards the Moon in more than five decades
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has voiced doubts about the effectiveness of the U.S. and Israeli military campaign in Iran, warning that the conflict risks becoming prolonged and increasingly complex.
More than 372,000 people were left without electricity in Russia’s southern region of Dagestan after heavy rain triggered severe flooding, officials said.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said his government will absorb a 56bn-rupee fuel subsidy to shield people from rising energy costs linked to the Middle East conflict.
The involvement of Yemen’s Houthis has heightened regional tensions as the Iran-aligned group joins the conflict. The U.S. says it is hopeful of holding talks with Iran in the coming days, while Tehran has said that "talking and bombing is intolerable". Welcome to our live coverage of the conflict.
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Hamas would have to allow its vast network of tunnels in Gaza to be destroyed as it gives up its weapons over eight months, under a disarmament plan drawn up by the U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.
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