Trump insults ‘strange’ Iranian negotiators as he prepares ‘final blow’ that could include ground forces and massive bombing campaign – live updates

Donald Trump has told ‘strange’ Iranian negotiators to ‘get serious soon’ before they reach a point where there is ‘no turning back’ in a new statement on his Truth Social platform.

The President claimed Tehran is ‘begging’ to make a deal despite publicly rejecting a US proposal to end the war which was passed to Pakistan yesterday.

Here’s Trump’s full post on Truth Social:

Here are the latest developments in the US-Israel war with Iran on Thursday, March 26

• Donald Trump has told Iran’s ‘strange’ leaders to ‘get serious soon’ following a rejected US peace proposal and warned them there could be ‘no turning back’
• Two people were killed and three were wounded by falling debris after air defences intercepted a ballistic missile on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi
• The Israeli military said one of its soldiers, a 21-year-old man, has been killed during its ongoing operations in southern Lebanon
• Russia has denied a report it is shipping drones to Iran and accused the media of spreading ‘lies’
• Oil prices jumped and stock markets fell as the world reacted to Iran rejecting a peace proposal put forward by the US during mediation efforts
• Iran is prepareing a parliamentary bill to charge tolls for ships passing through Strait of Hormuz
• Israel has said high-ranking Iranian navy commander Alireza Tangsiri has been killed in s strike on Iran
• Gulf states continue to come under attack with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait all reporting drones have been intercepted by air defence systems

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

The Pentagon is drawing up miliary options to deliver a ‘final blow’ in Iran which could include deploying ground forces and a massive bombing campaign, it has been reported.

Insiders say a dramatic escalation will grow increasingly likely unless there is a breakthrough in talks and if the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut.

US officials believe another show of force could help Donald Trump by allowing him to declare victory or create further leverage for a peace settlement, according to Axios.

The options are said to include:

• Invading or blockading Kharg Island
• Invading Larak, an island that helps Tehran keep the Strait of Hormuz under control
• Seizing Abu Musa and two smaller islands, which lie near the western entrance to the strait and are controlled by Iran but also claimed by the UAE
• Seizing ships that export Iranian oil on the eastern side of the strait

by Sabrina Penty, Foreign News Reporter

Iranian security forces opened fire on apartment buildings in Tehran after residents were heard chanting anti-regime slogans.

Footage shared by the citizen journalism news site Iran Wire claims to show residents of the capital’s Chitgar neighbourhood chanting ‘down with the IRGC’ – referring to Iran’s secuirty forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Two masked officers could then be seen pointing guns at windows as they fired into the homes of suspected dissidents.

Residents had been chanting anti-regime slogans in response to a pro-government march, with video showing supporters of the Islamic Republic waving flags as they paraded down the street.

It is unclear when the video was taken, but it is believed to have been shot in recent days.

Gulf countries have said they want to be involved in any talks between the US and Iran, insisting that while they had a right to self-defence they preferred diplomacy.

‘We emphasise the necessity of involving the GCC countries in any talks or agreements to resolve this crisis, in a way that contributes to strengthening their security and stability,’ Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem AlBudaiwi said in a televised speech.

AlBudaiwi also said Iran had been asking vessels to pay sums of money to cross the Strait of Homuz.

Uri Greenberg, 21, has been killed in Lebanon

Benjamin Netanyahu has paid tribute to an Israeli soldier who was killed in southern Lebanon.

Israel’s military earlier confirmed Uri Greenberg, a 21-year-old soldier from the Golani Brigade, died during operations to fight Hezbollah militants.

Netanyahu said:

My wife and I, along with all citizens of Israel, share in the deep sorrow of the family of the late Golani Patrol soldier, Sergeant Uri Greenberg, who fell in battle in southern Lebanon.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Uri, who fought bravely and courageously to protect our northern border. May his memory be blessed.

by John-Paul Ford Rojas, Deputy Business Editor

Britain is set to be hit harder than any major advanced economy by a slowdown driven by war in the Middle East, according to a damning new global forecast.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has slashed its UK growth forecast for this year by 0.5 percentage points to just 0.7 per cent.

And it has sharply increased its inflation outlook by 1.5 percentage points to 4 per cent.

In both cases it is the biggest hit for any member of the G7 group of advanced nations, which also includes the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, France and Italy.

Despite the findings, Chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed in a statement responding to the OECD forecast that Labour has put Britain ‘in a better position to protect the country’s finances and family finances from global instability’.

Yet according to the bleak report, Britain will grow more slowly than every G7 country except Italy this year. And inflation will be second highest in the group, behind only the United States.

An American Navy sailor has been injured onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier but his wounds were not ‘combat-related’, the US military has said.

The sailor has been taken ashore to medical care after he was injured during flight operations in the Arabian Sea on March 25.

His wounds are not in a life-threatening condition, officials say.

It comes after details emerged of an Iranian attack on the USS Abraham Lincoln which saw missiles fired repeatedly at the warship.

Iran has vowed to strike the aircraft carrier if it comes within range of its missiles.

Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO again this morning, saying the defensive alliance has done nothing to help with Iran.

The President reiterated the US does not need anything from NATO but added people should ‘never forget’.

Trump has repeatedly lambasted NATO throughout the conflict after nations rejected his calls to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Kremlin has said a report in the Financial Times that it was close to completing a shipment of drones to Iran is ‘lies’.

Russia is a close ally of Iran, but denies having sent military aid to its partner since the United States and Israel began attacking the country in February.

‘There are so many lies being spread by the media… Do not pay attention to them,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to an AFP question.

The Financial Times, which published the report on Wednesday, cited Western intelligence officials as saying that Russia was in the process of delivering drones to Tehran and would complete the shipments by the end of March.

The Washington Post reported earlier this month that Moscow had passed sensitive intelligence to Tehran, including the locations of US warships and aircraft in the region.

Video footage posted on X shows the impact of a terrifying cluster bomb attack which injured six in Kafr Qasim this morning.

The video shows the moment on the cluster munitions struck the city, as a car was completely overturned from the blast.

The lethal cluster bombs release dozens or even hundreds of small ‘submunitions’ or ‘bomblets’ over a wide area.

They are typically dropped from aircraft or fired by artillery, and are banned by many countries due to the high risk of civilian casualties from unexploded remnants.

Iranian outlets have reported that the parliament is seeking to approve a bill which would levy tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

The BBC reported that the head of the parliament’s construction committee said a ‘draft has been prepared but has not reached the stage of a full bill’ and the aim is to ‘provide security for vessels passing’.

It has not yet specified how much the possible tolls will be.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last night in a televised interview on state TV that Iran has so far accepted requests of vessels passing by countries such as ‘China, Russia, Pakistan, Iraq, and India’.

He said Hormuz, from Iran’s perspective, ‘is not completely closed but closed to enemies’.