Israel Strikes Tehran; Trump Says U.S. Negotiating to End War
The semi-official Iranian SNN News Agency reported that one of the strikes struck a residential neighborhood in Tehran, and rescuers were combing through the rubble.
Israel launched strikes on Tehran, Israeli military officials and Iranian media reported, as President Donald Trump said the United States was making headway toward negotiating a halt to the war — with reports that a 15-point proposal has been sent to Tehran.
The Israeli Defense Forces posted on Telegram that it had carried out a wave of strikes against infrastructure across Tehran.
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The semi-official Iranian SNN News Agency reported that one of the strikes struck a residential neighborhood in Tehran, and rescuers were combing through the rubble.
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia said they had intercepted fresh drone attacks, without identifying the attacks’ origin.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had launched a new round of strikes on targets in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Kiryat Shmona, and on U.S. bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, according to Iranian state media.
Israeli emergency service personnel gather at the site of an Iranian missile strike in Tel Aviv
Mr. Trump told reporters the U.S. was engaged in “negotiations” to end the conflict, which has already killed thousands and triggered what economists describe as the worst energy shock in history — sending fuel supplies into shortage and jolting markets.
Markets responded to reports that Washington is seeking a month-long ceasefire and had forwarded a 15-point plan to Iran: stocks rose and oil prices eased on hopes that Persian Gulf oil exports might resume.
At the White House, Mr. Trump said the U.S. was in contact with “the right people” inside Iran and argued that Iranian leaders were eager to reach an agreement.
But Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, dismissed such reports as “fake news.”
15 point plan sent to Iran
The New York Times reported that the U.S. had delivered a 15-point plan to Tehran aimed at ending the war.
Israel’s Channel 12, citing three unnamed sources, said the plan would be discussed during a proposed month-long ceasefire.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to journalists that the U.S. had sent a plan to Iran but would not provide further detail.
Palestinian residents inspect the remains of an Iranian missile that landed in the West Bank
Israeli media reported the plan would seek the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear programme, an end to support for proxy groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. and Israel struck targets in Iran on February 28 after saying talks to curb Iran’s nuclear programme had not made sufficient progress, though Oman — which has acted as a mediator — said the negotiations had seen significant movement.
Since then, Iran has struck countries hosting U.S. forces, attacked Gulf energy infrastructure and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital channel that normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
A plume of smoke and a fragment of concrete rise from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the eastern outskirts of Tyre
Iran has notified the United Nations Security Council and the International Maritime Organization that “non-hostile vessels” may transit the Strait of Hormuz only if they coordinate with Iranian authorities, according to a note seen by Reuters.
The near-shutdown of the waterway, through which roughly 20% of global oil and gas typically passes, has produced an unprecedented shock to energy supplies, sent fuel prices higher, and disrupted international aviation.
Pakistan offers to hold US-Iran talks
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was willing to host talks between the U.S. and Iran aimed at ending the war, a day after Mr. Trump said he had postponed threats to strike Iranian power plants following what he described as “productive” discussions.
Pakistan has longstanding ties with neighbouring Iran and has been cultivating relations with Mr. Trump.
Despite reports of negotiations, the Pentagon is expected to deploy thousands of soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, two people familiar with the plans told reporters, adding to a major U.S. military buildup.
Those forces would join roughly 50,000 U.S. troops already in the region, accelerating Washington’s reinforcement and stoking concerns of a protracted conflict.
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