LIVE: Nato shoots down Iranian missile after it crosses into Turkey

Donald Trump has threatened to blow up Iran’s oil wells and desalination plants unless a deal can be reached to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, the President said the US is in ‘serious discussions’ with a ‘more reasonable regime’ to end the war but said he will take action unless an agreement is made

‘Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet “touched,”’ Trump penned.

Here are the latest developments as the US-Israel war with Iran enters its fifth week:

• Donald Trump has threatened to blow up Iran’s power plants, oil wells, desalination plants and Kharg Island unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened
• His latest remarks come hours after he told The Financial Times he could ‘take Iran’s oil’ and added Kharg Island could be overtaken ‘very easily’
• A power station worker in Kuwait was killed following a missile strike which caused significant damage at the energy site
• An Israeli oil refinery has caught fire after a missile strike
• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirm the death of navy commander Alireza Tangsiri after he was targeted in an Israeli airstrike last week
• Iran has restored electricity across Tehran and nearby areas after strikes damaged power grids and briefly disrupted supply, the deputy energy minister said
• Indonesia has confirmed that one of its peacekeepers was killed in Lebanon where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah
• Attacks are continuing on Gulf states as Saudi Arabia intercepts five ballistic missiles while air defences have also been operating in Dubai
• Pakistan has said it is ready to broker and host ‘meaningful talks’ between the US and and Iran to bring an end to the war
• A teenager has become the sixth Israeli soldier killed in southern Lebanon since fighting broke out with Hezbollah on March 2

Stick with us as we bring you the latest developments throughout the day.

The president confirmed the talks with Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf in an interview with the New York Post published on Monday, as Trump pressures Iran’s government to reach a deal to end the monthlong war.

He told the publication that he’ll ‘let you know that in about a week’ when asked whether the speaker was someone that the US could work with.

Qalibaf, a 64-year-old pilot and former Revolutionary Guard commander, has denied there have been discussions with the US amid reports that he was floated as Washington’s negotiating partner.

‘On Monday 30 March, Nato again successfully intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile heading to’ Turkey, alliance spokeswoman Allison Hart said, following an earlier announcement by the Turkish defence ministry.

‘Nato is prepared for such threats and will always do what is necessary to defend all allies,’ she added.

Spain’s defense minister says the country has closed its airspace to US planes involved in the Iran war.

Spain had already said the US couldn’t use jointly operated military bases in the country for operations related to the conflict.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Monday that the same logic applied to the use of Spanish airspace in the conflict.

Spain’s government under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been Europe’s most critical voice of US and Israeli military actions in the Middle East.

The summons was to protest attacks by militant groups operating from Iraqi territory, Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said on X, demanding Baghdad take steps to stop them.

Kuwait said it has the right to respond to threats against its security and sovereignty.

Iraq has struggled to rein in Iran-backed Iraqi militias that have launched attacks throughout the war. In a letter last week, Kuwait and other Arab states urged Baghdad to prevent such groups from operating in Iraqi territory.

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry has said it is addressing ‘security challenges’ and rejects allowing its territory to be used to attack others, without directly addressing the allegations.

by Eliana Silver, Senior Foreign News Reporter

The economic consequences from the war in the Middle East are being felt far beyond the region, as governments scramble to contain soaring energy costs and growing fears for the global economy.

From fuel rationing and travel curbs to strict emergency policies, countries across Asia, Europe and beyond are imposing drastic measures as the Strait of Hormuz crisis squeezes global supply chains and sends oil and gas prices sharply higher.

In Egypt, authorities have moved quickly to cut energy consumption as costs spiral.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that shops, restaurants and shopping malls will close early each night for at least a month.

‘Shops, shopping centres, restaurants and cafes will all close at 9:00 pm on weekdays,’ he said, adding that on Thursdays and Fridays at the weekend they will be allowed to stay open until 10:00 pm.

Sir Keir Starmer has told business chiefs the UK is working on a ‘viable plan’ for the Strait of Hormuz, adding people will have concerns about energy bills, petrol and food prices ‘uppermost in their minds’.

‘We’re just entering the fifth week of the conflict in Iran, and I wanted to bring all of you together with government to talk through some of the implications.

‘The political position we’ve taken, I think, is straightforward, which is, we’re not going to get drawn into the conflict proper.

‘We will defend British interests and British lives in the region, particularly in the Gulf allied states, and obviously our allies there, and we are working on a viable plan for these Strait of Hormuz, which I want to come back to.’

He then added: ‘So it’s not our war, but it is our duty to protect British citizens.’

Sir Keir Starmer has told business chiefs it must be a ‘joint effort’ to tackle the impact of the war in Iran, saying ‘the Government can’t do it on its own’.

The Prime Minister is hosting a roundtable discussion with business chiefs from the insurance, oil, gas and shipping sectors.

‘This is going to have to be a joint effort. The Government can’t do it on its own. You can’t do it on your own. We’re going to have to work together on this, which is why I want to have a conversation here this afternoon,’ Sir Keir said.

The Iran war has caused serious disruption to global economies and has dimmed the outlook for many that had started to recover from previous crises, the International Monetary Fund has warned.

In a blog published by the global lender’s top economists, the IMF said the war launched by U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28 was causing a global, but asymmetric shock and leading to tighter financial conditions.

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to regional infrastructure had caused the largest disruption to the global oil market in history, according to the International Energy Agency. Much would depend on how long the war lasts, how far it spreads and how much damage it inflicts on infrastructure and supply chains.

The IMF said low-income countries were at particular risk of food insecurity, given higher food and fertilizer prices, and may need more external support at a time when many advanced economies were scaling back their international assistance.

‘Although the war could shape the global economy in different ways, all roads lead to higher prices and slower growth,’ the economists wrote.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered to help with any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following his visit to the Middle East last week.

In a statement posted on X, Zelensky said he spoke to countries in the region and offered to share Ukraine’s expertise it claims was effective in unblocking the Black Sea corridor.

He said: ‘During my recent visits to the Middle East, we raised the issue of unblocking the Strait of Hormuz. This is a painful issue for the entire world because of the energy crisis.

‘Countries in the Middle East know they can rely on our expertise in this area.

‘We discussed it in detail. We shared expertise on our Black Sea corridor and the way it operates. They understand that our Armed Forces have been highly effective in unblocking the Black Sea corridor.