Welcome to RT’s live coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran and the wider turmoil across the Middle East, which continues to be affected by missile and drone strikes from both sides.
As the war on Iran entered day 32, missiles struck an oil tanker off the coast of Qatar as well as Kuwait’s airport on Wednesday, while US and Israeli airstrikes relentlessly pounded Tehran. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has announced that he’s nearly ready to end the war.
Trump claimed that Iran’s president wanted a ceasefire ahead of his speech to the American people, scheduled for Wednesday. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, however, had earlier stated that the US suggestions for halting the conflict contain “largely excessive, unrealistic, and unreasonable demands,” contradicting Trump’s earlier claims that Iran had agreed to “most of” the requests on the list.
Trump also suggested that the US is considering leaving NATO over what he cast as its lackluster military support for the Iran war.
Here are the latest developments:
- US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has claimed that “regime change in Iran has occurred,” telling reporters that “if Iran is not willing, then the US War Department will continue with even more intensity.”
- Echoing Trump’s criticism of NATO members, Hegseth remarked that “you don’t have much of an alliance if you have countries that are not willing to stand with you when you need them.”
- Iran and the US are engaged in “exchanges of messages” but are not holding any talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi has said.
- The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is slated to go to the Middle East along with three destroyers, two US officials said, as quoted by Associated Press. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 sailors. It comes as thousands of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division have also begun arriving in the Middle East, according to two other US officials.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
01 April 2026
Trump has told Reuters he doesn’t care about enriched uranium in Iran that could potentially be used to build nuclear weapons. In the same interview, however, he claimed that one of his primary goals of the war was to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
Moreover, the objective of preventing a nuclear weapon has been achieved, Trump told Reuters on Wednesday.
According to media reports, Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium that could potentially be used to build nuclear weapons is believed to be buried under the rubble of a mountain facility that was hit during strikes last June. Trump previously said the US would move to take the uranium if it reaches a deal with Iran.
But he said Wednesday that the uranium is “so far underground, I don’t care about that.”
“We’ll always be watching it by satellite,” he added.
Global jet fuel markets are undergoing a sharp repricing as disruptions in the Middle East tighten supply chains and push up costs, analytics firm Kpler has said on X.
Airlines are responding with fuel surcharges and route adjustments, while declining stockpiles and rising import dependence are expected to keep markets volatile, particularly in Europe and Asia, the firm added.
Iran could rename its top football league the ‘Strait of Hormuz League’, Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali has said.
Asked by a reporter about the idea, he said it’s possible the change could be implemented next season.
Republicans are considering cuts to US federal health spending to help fund a budget bill that includes up to $200 billion for the Iran war and immigration enforcement, Axios has reported. The proposals, still in their early stages, are expected to focus on reducing fraud and costs in healthcare programs, but could face political pushback ahead of elections, the outlet wrote.
Footage published by the Iranian Red Crescent on X shows the aftermath of a US-Israeli strike on a residential area in Tehran. Aid workers from the organization are attempting to rescue people buried under the rubble.
Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has told CBS News that Trump “wants out” of the Iran war but “doesn’t know what to do.” He also cast doubt on Trump’s claims of “regime change” in Iran, saying there is no evidence the new leadership has changed its core policies.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has refuted Trump's claims that Iran's president wanted a ceasefire. “No ceasefire proposal has been made by Iran. The five-point plan allegedly proposed by Iran is media speculation,” Araghchi said as cited by IRIB.
The war will continue until the aggressor is punished and full compensation is paid to Iran, he added.
At least 1,318 people have been killed and 3,935 injured in the Israeli invasion and attacks on Lebanon since March 2, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Russia’s ban on gasoline exports has come into force, following a government decision approved last week.
The measure is aimed at “stabilizing” domestic fuel prices and “ensuring priority supply to the internal market.” Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak cited volatility in global oil markets due to the Middle East crisis, while noting strong external demand for Russian energy resources.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has defended Donald Trump’s decision to launch military action against Iran, saying “they were bad” and posed a longstanding threat. In an interview with Axios, Dimon expressed hope the conflict would “turn out well” and lead to “permanent” peace in the Middle East.
The UK’s Royal Navy is not fully ready for war, First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Gwyn Jenkins has reportedly said, admitting the force still has “work to do.”
His remarks come as US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth criticized the “big, bad Royal Navy” for not deploying ships to support operations in Iran, while President Trump called on Britain to buy jet fuel from the US or source it directly from the Strait of Hormuz.
A broker for US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth sought to make a multi-million dollar investment into defense companies prior to the start of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the Financial Times has reported, citing sources.
However, the request was reportedly flagged in the BlackRock investment company and was not fulfilled. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell has dismissed the report as “entirely false and fabricated.”
Steve Bannon, a former White House adviser and one of the architects of the MAGA movement, has urged US authorities to deport Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son, Yair, and send him to the war with Iran.
Yair Netanyahu, 34, has lived in Florida since 2023 and completed his mandatory service in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
“Netanyahu's kid down in Miami, turf him out tomorrow,” Bannon said. “Where’s DHS when you need them? Get him back there. Put a uniform on him. Let's have him in the first wave.”
Some of Netanyahu’s relatives, however, served in the military. Netanyahu's brother Yonatan was a legendary commando officer who died in a counterterrorism mission in Uganda in 1976. His bona fide hero reputation is widely regarded as a key catalyst behind Netanyahu’s ascent to power.
Two-thirds of Americans want the US to end the war on Iran quickly, even if key objectives are not achieved, a Reuters/Ipsos poll has indicated. The survey showed 66% support a swift exit, while 60% disapprove of US military strikes on Iran, reflecting growing public opposition to the conflict.
Trump has reportedly told Reuters the US will be “out of Iran pretty quickly,” but could return for “spot hits” if necessary.
Speaking ahead of a planned address on Wednesday, he claimed US actions have ensured Iran is no longer capable of developing a nuclear weapon.
Tehran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, but has recently signaled it could withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to which it became a signatory in 1968.
Donald Trump has claimed that Iran’s new leadership has requested a ceasefire with Washington. In a post on Truth Social, he said the US would consider the request once the Strait of Hormuz is “open, free, and clear,” adding that military action would continue until then.
US Central Command has released footage allegedly showing American forces striking underground military targets deep inside Iran.
The strikes involved “precision-guided munitions” and were aimed at “degrading” Tehran’s ability to “project power beyond its borders,” according to a statement on X.
US President Donald Trump is set to make a public address later on Wednesday, after claiming Washington could end the conflict within weeks if Iran’s nuclear capabilities are curbed.
Iran has reportedly struck Kuwait International Airport and an oil tanker off the coast of Qatar on Wednesday, according to media reports.
Iran itself has continued to face airstrikes, including on the capital, Tehran.
More than 115,000 civilian units have been damaged or destroyed in recent attacks on Iran, the Red Crescent said in a Telegram update. The sites reportedly include residential, medical, educational, and relief centers, with a significant share located in Tehran province. At least 1,526 people have been rescued from under rubble, the organization added.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has reportedly issued a message of gratitude to Hezbollah’s secretary general, Naim Qassem. In a statement cited by Iranian media, Khamenei praised the Lebanese-based Hezbollah for its “perseverance, steadfastness and patience” against “the most ruthless enemies of the Islamic world,” as he vowed that Tehran will continue to support groups fighting US and Israeli forces across the Middle East.
The IRGC has announced what it has called the 89th wave of ‘Operation True Promise 4,’ stating it has targeted “Israeli positions” and US bases with more than 100 heavy missiles, attack drones, and around 200 rockets. The projectiles were reportedly fired at targets across the region.
Iran continues to increase missile production capabilities and deploy ballistic missile launchers, broadcaster IRIB has reported, adding that some modifications have been made based on recent battlefield experience.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again condemned what he described as “Israel’s war” against Iran, stressing that “the entire world is paying the price.”
“This war is Netanyahu’s war for political survival, yet 8 billion people bear its consequences,” he said. “The massacre network led by Netanyahu must be stopped immediately for the sake of regional peace and humanity.”
RT has taken a look at how Iran is deploying AI to combat the messaging from the US media machine, using a steady stream of viral social media content to mock Trump and the US-Israeli military campaign. For more on that, see the report below:
Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, has put forward four conditions to the US and Israel for ending the war.
Speaking with TASS, he said that the two countries must completely stop “terrorist acts” against Iran, provide “objective and reliable” guarantees against future attacks, fully compensate for war damages, and respect Iran’s jurisdiction in the Strait of Hormuz for the sake of protecting maritime security.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has acknowledged that the war on Iran will “affect the future of our country,” but insisted that Britain is “well-placed” to weather the crisis, and that a “long-term plan” is in the works to mitigate the consequences.
He also reiterated that he has no intention of entering the conflict.
“I know that this is causing huge concern,” he said. “People turn on their televisions, they look at their screens, they see explosions, infrastructure blown up, aggressive rhetoric. They worry that the UK will be dragged into this. We won’t.”
An Iranian drone has reportedly struck storage belonging to the British oil company Castrol in Erbil, Iraq.
Russian intelligence “maintains contact” with the CIA over the Iran crisis, Sergey Naryshkin, the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), has said.
The IDF claims to have killed Hajj Yusuf Ismail Hashem, Hezbollah’s southern front commander, in a strike on Beirut.
The Israeli military described Hashem as “a senior commander with over 40 years of experience and a central figure in the terrorist organization,” adding that he was responsible for directing several units fighting Israel in southern Lebanon and launching rockets towards the Jewish state.
Trump has signaled he is seriously contemplating the idea of withdrawing the US from NATO.
The option, he told the Daily Telegraph, is “beyond reconsideration.”
“I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin knows that too, by the way.”
Russia could offer global solutions for transporting oil and natural gas as energy markets continue to reel amid the Middle East crisis, President Vladimir Putin has said.
“Our partners could leverage Russian logistical routes, which could be advantageous both due to a shorter transportation time and diversification of global transport routes.”
Bettors on the US-based Polymarket platform estimate a 14% chance of Washington withdrawing from NATO before 2027, as the US leadership blasted the bloc over its reluctance to step into the Middle East conflict.
A QatarEnergy fuel tanker has been hit by a missile strike in the country’s territorial waters, the company has reported. None of the crew members on board the Aqua 1 were injured and there is no impact on the environment, the company said.
“Desperate” Asian countries are trying to maximize the benefits from the easing of US sanctions on Russian oil to mitigate the fallout from the energy shock caused by the war on Iran, the Financial Times has reported, citing experts.
”Russia is the no-choice option. If you have someone offering you oil and you are desperate, how can you say no?” June Goh, senior oil market analyst at Sparta Commodities in Singapore, told the paper.
The US and Iran are not holding any negotiations, but are engaged in “exchanges of messages,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi has told Al Jazeera.
“We receive messages from the US, some directly and some through our regional friends. Whenever necessary, we respond.”
The Houthis in Yemen have claimed responsibility for a strike on southern Israel, saying that “a barrage of ballistic missiles” had targeted “sensitive Israeli enemy targets,” and that the operation had been carried out “jointly with our mujahideen brothers in Iran and Hezbollah.”
The Iran war is dimming the outlook for numerous economies that had only just shown signs of a sustained recovery from previous crises, the IMF has said, adding that the “asymmetric” conflict is impacting energy importers more than exporters, and poorer countries more than rich ones.
“Although the war could shape the global economy in different ways, all roads lead to higher prices and slower growth,” the IMF said.
Fourteen Israelis, including an 11-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy, have been wounded after an Iranian missile strike on the central part of the country, emergency services have said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has attended a public rally like Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi, despite earlier US-Israeli strikes that killed a number of top Iranian officials.
The UAE is making preparations to help the US “open the Strait of Hormuz by force,” the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing unnamed Arab officials. The UAE is reportedly lobbying for a UN resolution that would make the option viable.
Another official told the paper that the military assistance could include mine-sweeping efforts and other services. Several of the Gulf states are also said to support a potential US operation to occupy Iranian islands in the region, including Abu Musa, which is claimed by the UAE.
Iranian media have shared footage of what looks like a large fire in Erbil, Iraq.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that Washington “is going to have to reexamine” its relationship with NATO after the Iran war is over. His comments came amid a growing rift with the European nations over the hostilities, with many refusing to support the military campaign.
Rubio said, however, that the decision would “ultimately” be made by US President Donald Trump.
Israeli strikes on Beirut have caused a firestorm on one of the city streets, according to a video circulating online.
Argentina has designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
In a speech last month, Argentine President Javier Milei, a major ally of US President Donald Trump, described the IRGC as “our enemies.”
Milei cited the bombings of the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in the early 1990s, which Argentine authorities linked to the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump would not allow Iran to use talks to manipulate Washington. “He is not going to allow fake negotiations to be used as a delay tactic to buy more time, to buy themselves space… He is not going to fall for their games,” Rubio told Fox News anchor Sean Hannity.
Rubio added that the US remains open to talks, despite negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program in 2025 and this year having been “fruitless.”
Iran has denied Trump’s claims of behind-the-scenes communication following the start of the US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary commission on national security, said that the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen to the US.
“Trump has finally achieved his dream of ‘regime change’ – but in the region’s maritime regime! The Strait of Hormuz will certainly reopen, but not for you; it will be open for those who comply with the new laws of Iran. The 47 years of hospitality are over forever,” Azizi wrote on X.
“We possess the necessary will to end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met, especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said following a phone call with European Council President Antonio Costa.
Costa said he had urged all parties to exercise “de-escalation and restraint,” and called on Iran to “stop the unacceptable attacks on countries in the region and to engage positively on the diplomatic track.”
31 March 2026
President Donald Trump said the US could end the war with Iran in two or three weeks.
“We’ll be leaving very soon,” he told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
Trump said the US had “knocked out tremendous amounts of missile-making facilities” in Iran. “We feel that they, for a long period of time, (have been) put into the stone ages, and they won’t be able to come up with a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Unverified, undated footage circulating on social media appears to show an Iranian missile striking a US military installation.
A total of 348 US military personnel have been wounded in the war, US Central Command spokesman Navy Captain Tim Hawkins told DefenseScoop on Tuesday. Hawkins added that 315 service members have returned to duty, while six remain seriously wounded.
The US has lost 13 service members.
- Six members of the 103rd Sustainment Command were killed on March 1 in an Iranian drone strike on Kuwait’s Port Shuaiba.
- A sergeant with the Space Force was killed on March 1 in an Iranian drone strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
- A KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq on March 12, killing all six on board.
At least three airstrikes were reported in southern Beirut on Wednesday.
Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa earlier condemned Israel’s plan to expand the “security zone” in southern Lebanon as “a clear intention to impose a new occupation of Lebanese territory.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi has reportedly showed up at a rally in Tehran, according to Tasnim news agency. Iranians have continued to attend mass protests against the US and Israel since the beginning of the war a month ago.
A US-Israeli attack has rocked a major steel plant in Isfahan, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
So far, no information has been released about the extent of the damage or number of casualties.
Israel may be able to push a bit deeper into southern Lebanon but is unlikely to hold territory there in the long run, Professor Naim Joseph Salem, an international affairs scholar at the Lebanese Army Military Academy, has told RT. He said “gone are the days when Israel could sweep across its neighboring countries,” noting that despite amassing some 100,000 troops, the IDF has advanced only a few kilometers while facing “very difficult” resistance from a few thousand Hezbollah fighters and will struggle to stay on the ground.
The UAE’s national carrier Emirates has updated its visa guidance to state that Iranian nationals are currently “not eligible to obtain a visa” for travel to the country. Iranian media and expatriates have also reported that residency and tourist visas held by some Iranians outside the UAE have been cancelled in recent days, preventing their re‑entry as bilateral ties worsen following Iranian strikes on Emirati territory.
Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa has said his country will stay out of the US‑Israeli war against Iran unless Syria itself comes under attack and has no diplomatic way out. “Syria will remain outside any conflict,” he reportedly said in a speech at Chatham House in London.
Iraq’s Interior Ministry says a female foreign journalist was kidnapped in central Baghdad on Tuesday evening and that security forces have launched an operation to track down those responsible and secure her release. US‑based outlet Al‑Monitor has identified her as American reporter Shelly Kittleson, saying it is “deeply alarmed” by her abduction and calling for her “safe and immediate release,” while US officials told CNN they are working with Iraqi authorities and “closely tracking” the case.
The EU is facing a “very serious” and prolonged energy crisis due to the war in the Middle East, EU energy chief Dan Jorgensen has warned, according to Politico, urging less travel and saving fuel. “The more you can do to save oil, especially diesel, especially jet fuel, the better we are off,” he reportedly said after an emergency meeting, referring to IEA advice such as working from home where possible, lowering speed limits and boosting public transport and car‑sharing.
Oil and gas prices have spiked since the escalation of the Middle East conflict, triggered by the US-Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliatory attacks across the region, which have effectively closed of the critical Strait of Hormuz to Western shipping. The EU was already grappling with the fallout from its decision to cut energy ties with Russia following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, as well as the costs of its green transition policies. The European Commission says there will be no return to Russian energy, and it will continue to pursue a full phase-out of Russian fossil fuels by 2027.
Israeli MP Ofer Cassif has denounced a new death‑penalty bill approved by the Knesset on Monday, as “genocidal,” telling RT it applies “solely to Palestinians” in the West Bank while explicitly excluding Jewish settlers and “Jewish terrorists.” Citing clauses that would allow executions within 90 to 180 days, he said the law’s intent is “not security, not deterrence, but racial hatred, revenge and genocidal means,” describing it as “industrial killing, another aspect of genocide.”
The IRGC has reportedly claimed it carried out a combined strike on a location housing US pilots and aircrew in Saudi Arabia, hitting a gathering of around 200 people. Several explosions rocked Riyadh on Tuesday, according to AFP, in the latest wave of bombings targeting the Saudi capital amid escalating Middle East tensions.
Why are US drivers paying more at the pump even though America is the world’s biggest oil producer?
• The US produces about 13 million barrels of crude a day, but exports around 11 million and imports roughly eight million
• Gasoline is priced on a global market, so US motorists pay more whenever world oil prices rise, regardless of where the crude comes from
• Much US output is ‘light’ crude, while many refineries are set up for heavier grades, so a large share of fuel still comes from imported oil, whose price has jumped amid the Iran war
Iran is “selling more oil now than before the war, at a price almost three times as high,” while many in Washington still misread its willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz, Trita Parsi, co‑founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, has told RT’s ‘Sanchez Effect’. He warned that a US ground invasion would be a “disastrous mistake” for Trump, arguing the president would lose his own base once American soldiers start dying and risk being trapped in an Iraq‑style quagmire with no clear exit.