White House working to arrange weekend talks as Iran rejects first US proposal

India bought its first cargo of Iranian LPG in years after the US’s temporary withdrawal of sanctions on Tehran’s oil and refined fuels, Reuters reported, quoting industry sources.

India had stopped energy purchases from Iran in 2019 under pressure from Western sanctions. [Al Jazeera]

Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has evacuated a further 163 of its staff from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, according to the Russian state-run RIA news agency.

It quoted Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev as saying about 300 of the company’s staff remained at Bushehr, but more would be leaving.

Russia built the existing nuclear plant at Bushehr and Rosatom is constructing additional units there, although it has suspended building work since the US-Israel war on Iran began last month. [Al Jazeera]

Jordan says Iran has targeted it with five missiles and one drone over the past 24 hours.

According to the media directorate at the military’s General Command, Jordan’s air force intercepted five of projectiles – four missiles and one drone, while air defences were unable to intercept one missile.

Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said the attack resulted in material damage only with no casualties reported. [Al Jazeera]

There have been dozens of drones and several missiles launched at the Gulf region.

In Saudi Arabia since midnight, there have been nearly 30 drones and one ballistic missile, most of them aimed at the Eastern Province. That is quite important because the east of the country is where 70% of Saudi Arabia’s oil and energy reserves are located, and it is also where the country’s major energy infrastructure is concentrated. [Al Jazeera]

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says talks between the US and Iran could take place in Islamabad this weekend, and are likely to go beyond the nuclear issue.

Rafael Grossi told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that the US could push for zero nuclear enrichment in Iran, but said a temporary suspension, potentially lasting five to 10 years, could be workable for both sides. He warned that Iranian nuclear facilities had suffered some damage but nothing decisive, and that the country retains all its nuclear capabilities.

“The solution cannot be military,” he added. [Al Jazeera]

The Lebanese group Hezbollah says it has targeted a logistics base in the northern Israeli community of Kerem Ben Zimra.

It also claimed to have fired missiles towards Israel’s Misgav, Metula, Kiryat Shmona, Dafna and Nahariya, without elaborating on the results. [Al Jazeera]

The UN Human Rights Council has condemned Iran’s “egregious attacks” on its Gulf neighbours, calling for full and swift “reparation” to all victims of its strikes.

The 47-member council backed a resolution brought by the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Jordan condemning Tehran’s actions aimed at closing the Strait of Hormuz, and demanding Iran immediately “cease all unprovoked attacks”. [Al Jazeera]

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has said in a televised speech read on his behalf that negotiating with Israel under fire amounts to imposed surrender and called for unity against Israel.

The speech, aired on a Hezbollah-affiliated television station, said Hezbollah fighters were prepared to continue “without limits”.

Qassem also urged the Lebanese government to lift the ban on the party’s military activities. [Al Jazeera]

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says at least 1,094 people have been killed and 3,119 others wounded since the start of Israel’s expanded offensive on 2 March.

It added that at least 22 people had been killed and 153 others wounded on Wednesday alone. [Al Jazeera]

Both an oil company CEO and Germany’s economic minister have warned that energy shortages could hit Europe starting next month, if the war with Iran does not end.

The conflict in the oil-rich Middle East that started on 28 February has already dented supplies of jet fuel — with diesel and then gasoline set to be next, Shell CEO Wael Sawan said at the CERAWeek energy conference in Texas. [Reuters]

After days of speculations and questions, the Pentagon has now officially confirmed the deployment of some ground troops to the region.

In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson said some elements of the 82nd Airborne Division headquarters, some "division enablers" and the 1st Brigade Combat Team will be deploying to the Middle East.

For security reasons, the spokesperson declined to give further details.

Based in North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne is seen as one of the military's top conventional combat units.

In the case of Iran, they could give the US an option to seize Kharg Island or other key territory. [BBC]

According to Iran’s Press TV, a senior official outlined five conditions for the war to end:

• A complete halt to "aggression and assassinations" by the enemy
• The establishment of concrete mechanisms to ensure that the war is not reimposed on the Islamic Republic
• Guaranteed and clearly defined payment of war damages and reparations
• The conclusion of the war across all fronts and for all resistance groups involved throughout the region
• International recognition and guarantees regarding Iran's sovereign right to exercise authority over the Strait of Hormuz

The 15 proposals sent by the US through Pakistan are “extremely maximalist and unreasonable,” and not in the least “beautiful even on paper” as highlighted by some in the “enemy,” a high-ranking diplomatic source in Tehran told Al Jazeera.

Separately, Iran’s state broadcaster Press TV said, quoting a “senior political-security official”, that Iran has rejected the US proposal.

Press TV hasn’t named the official, nor their rank or title, but reports the official says: "Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met." [BBC, Al Jazeera]

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has said that the US’ war with Iran proves his country made the right decision to keep its nuclear weapons.

 “The present situation clearly proves” that North Korea was justified in rejecting what he described as US pressure and “sweet talk” to give up its nuclear arsenal, Kim told North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly on Tuesday.

He added that North Korea’s nuclear status is now “irreversible,” and that the US has to accept his country as a permanent nuclear power before starting any peace talks.

For North Korea’s leadership, the Iran conflict reinforces a long-held belief that countries without nuclear weapons are exposed to US military power, while those with them can deter it. [CNN]

Australia will temporarily stop Iranians from entering the country on tourist visas on "national security concerns," the country’s Home Affairs minister announced Wednesday, saying temporary visitors from Iran may be “unable or unlikely to depart Australia when their visas expire.”

The block will come into force Thursday and run for six months.

Some Iranians will still be able to travel to Australia, including those on longer-term visas or those with children or spouses in the country. [CNN]

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un told parliament the Iran war proves he was right to keep nuclear weapons, calling US actions “state-sponsored terrorism and aggression.” [CNN]

A pro-Iranian militia in Iraq has posted a minute-long video showing drones flying over a US installation at Baghdad’s international airport.

In the clip, geolocated by CNN, a drone is seen flying low over the compound that houses the US Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center before approaching a radar system and striking it, causing an explosion. A radar system can be seen at the same location of the strike in satellite imagery reviewed by CNN.

Moments later, a second drone flies across the base and approaches a Black Hawk helicopter. The video cuts before it is clear whether the helicopter was hit.

The video was dated 23 March. [CNN]

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticised the United States and Israel’s ongoing military action against Iran during an address to Spanish Congress on Wednesday, describing the attacks as part of an “unjust and illegal war.”

Long a vocal opponent of the war, Sánchez said the US and Israel have “undermined international law, destabilised the Middle East and reignited conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon.”

The Spanish leader further argued that the US and Israel “brought insecurity to Gulf countries

Sánchez also accused the US and Israel of bolstering Russian invasion of Ukraine, as Moscow is benefitting from rising fuel prices and the lifting of sanctions by Washington. [CNN]

The war is continuing to rage across the Middle East, with strikes on sites including the Kuwait international airport, Iraqi joint security base, Israeli communities as well as fuel stations in Lebanon.

US and Israeli strikes hit the historic city of Shiraz, killing 20 civilians, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News reported Wednesday.

An Iranian missile fragment hit a Bedouin community in southern Israel on Tuesday afternoon, according to Israel’s emergency response service, injuring four people. On the same day, emergency officials reported Tuesday that an Iranian missile struck Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military said Wednesday it had struck a series of Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including a command center and other infrastructure, as it moves to cut off southern Lebanon from the north.

The Iraqi ministry of defense said on Wednesday that Habbaniyah base in Anbar province was struck, leading to the death of seven fighters. [CNN]

At least two vessels transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz are understood to have paid extra in exchange for safe passage, according to a report from Lloyd’s List Intelligence, which added that one fee was reportedly $2 million. 

Iran will “absolutely” keep charging countries and vessels a fee for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian official said.

“A series of measures is in place for passage through the Strait of Hormuz due to the war situation imposed on Iran,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, in an interview with India Today on Tuesday night. [CNN]

Iran’s military has suggested the United States might be negotiating with itself as the White House touts talks with Tehran to end the war.

Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaqari taunted the US leadership in a hyperbolic message broadcast on state television on Wednesday, saying the “era of your promises is over.”

“Has the level of your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?” asked Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the unified command of Iran’s armed forces.

US President Donald Trump has expressed optimism a deal was in sight and said that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were “in negotiations right now.” But Tehran has yet to confirm talks, saying only that messages had passed via intermediaries. [CNN]

A fire broke out at Kuwait International Airport after drones hit a fuel tank, according to the country’s civil aviation authority.

The attack resulted in material damage but there are no reports of casualties so far, according to Abdullah Al-Rajhi, the spokesperson for Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Iranian-linked drones have repeatedly attacked the country’s main international airport during the US-Israeli war with Iran. [CNN]

Approximately 1,000 US paratroopers with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division are expecting to deploy in coming days to the Middle East, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The initial elements of the division staff and battalion are expected to begin deploying within a week, one of the sources familiar said; other elements within the brigade are also expecting to deploy at a later date, though those expectations could change as the situation develops.

The brigade will be the “ready unit” in the Middle East, prepared to be called upon if needed, the source said.

Earlier, Reuters reported that 3,000 to 4,000 troops could be deployed to the region, adding to the existing combined US contingent of 50,000 troops.

The US-backed 15-point list of expectations from Iran included limits on Tehran’s defense capabilities, a cessation of support for proxies and an acknowledgment of Israel’s right to exist.

President Donald Trump also shared some specifics on Monday, saying that the US and Iran have reached “major points of agreement.” He also said that the key expectation is Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. The president told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that Iran has committed to not having a nuclear weapon, something they’ve said publicly in the past.

Trump added that the US would also insist on taking possession of Iran’s highly enriched uranium.

Pakistan has delivered a proposal from the United States to Iran, and either Pakistan or Turkey could be venues for discussions to de-escalate the war in the Gulf, a senior Iranian official said on Wednesday.

The comments, by an official speaking on condition of anonymity, were among the few signs that Tehran was willing to consider diplomatic proposals, despite having denied in public that it would negotiate with the administration of President Donald Trump. [Reuters]

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