US-Iran War Live Updates: Iran Rejects US Ceasefire Offer; Govt Reaffirms Strong Oil Reserves In India

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has announced that India’s energy supply remains fully secure, stressing that there is no shortage of petrol, diesel, or LPG anywhere across the country.

According to the ministry, India continues to function as an oasis of energy stability, even amid global volatility. Officials emphasized that:

• India is a net exporter of petroleum products, ensuring that domestic availability of petrol and diesel is structurally secure.
• No retail fuel outlet in the country has been asked to ration supplies, reaffirming uninterrupted access for consumers.
• Crude oil requirements for the next 60 days have already been fully contracted by Indian oil companies, ensuring near‑term continuity in refining and distribution.

The ministry reiterated that India’s robust supply chains, diversified import strategy, and strong refining capacity collectively guarantee consistent and reliable energy availability nationwide.

As Israel continues military operations against Iran and southern Lebanon, violence has also escalated across the occupied West Bank, where both Israeli settlers and Israeli forces carried out multiple assaults and raids this morning, according to reports from the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Wafa said several Palestinians were injured when a group of settlers launched an attack in the northeastern Tubas area, specifically in Safah Tayasir, where dozens of settlers reportedly assaulted residents.

In another incident, settlers entered the town of Imrin, northwest of Nablus, and erected illegal tents on Palestinian land. Israeli forces also carried out a series of raids, including storming the Dheisheh refugee camp south of Bethlehem, where they searched the home of Hassan Abdel Jawad, a journalist with Al-Ayyam newspaper.

Throughout the morning, Israeli forces conducted multiple arrests across several areas of the West Bank, including Ein Sinya, Tulkarem, Aqabat Jabr, Zita Jamma’in, and locations within the Hebron governorate.

The United States embassy in Iraq has issued a new security alert warning that armed groups aligned with Iran have carried out widespread attacks on American citizens and facilities linked to Washington across the country, including in the Kurdish region.

The embassy advised all US nationals to immediately depart Iraq and instructed them not to approach either the US Embassy in Baghdad or the Consulate General in Erbil due to the heightened risk posed by missiles, drones, and rocket attacks affecting Iraqi airspace.

With flights suspended and airspace restrictions still in place, the embassy recommended that departing Americans use overland routes to exit the country. Suggested crossings include borders with Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye.

Asian economies are preparing for severe fuel shortages and possible civil unrest as global oil prices continue their steep upward climb amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Analysts say the region is receiving mixed signals on diplomatic negotiations, and the risk of a major escalation remains high heading into the weekend.

Experts warn that if the conflict deepens—particularly if the United States deploys troops to secure and control the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors—Iran would almost certainly retaliate. Such a scenario could drive crude prices sharply higher, potentially reaching around $120 per barrel, a level described as a possible flashpoint for broader instability.

Japan still has sizeable strategic petroleum reserves it can tap to soften the blow, but other countries in the region—such as the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia—lack comparable buffers. For these nations, surging oil prices translate directly into acute fuel shortages. In worst‑case scenarios, petrol stations could run dry, and airlines may be forced to cancel or ground flights due to lack of supply.

If the crisis persists into mid‑ or late April, observers fear the consequences could escalate dramatically, potentially triggering widespread civil unrest, economic disruption, and humanitarian emergencies in some Asian countries already struggling with inflation and energy insecurity.

Two people lost their lives and three others were injured on Thursday after debris from a ballistic missile—intercepted by air‑defence systems—fell on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, according to the government’s media office.

Officials said the incident also caused damage to several vehicles. The Abu Dhabi Media Office confirmed the casualties and impact in a statement posted on X.

Oman Air has announced that it will continue suspending flights to several Gulf destinations—including Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, and Kuwait—until April 15, citing ongoing regional airspace restrictions. The carrier said that services to Baghdad in Iraq and Copenhagen in Denmark will also remain halted through the same date.

However, the airline confirmed that not all routes remain grounded. Flights to Amman, Jordan, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, are scheduled to resume on April 1, marking a partial restoration of its network as conditions permit.

Israeli emergency medics reported that six people were lightly injured after missiles fired from Iran struck areas in Israel early Thursday. According to a spokesperson from the Magen David Adom emergency service, paramedics treated six individuals suffering minor blast‑related injuries, revising an earlier figure that had listed only two wounded.

The Israeli military stated that its air‑defense systems were activated in response to the incoming missiles and that Home Front Command rescue teams were dispatched to an impact location in central Israel. Over a span of roughly 90 minutes, the military issued three separate updates confirming that multiple projectiles had been launched from Iranian territory toward Israel.

Marine activity around the Strait of Hormuz has come to a near‑halt in the third week of the ongoing conflict, with only minimal vessel movement recorded, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.

Despite the effective shutdown of the crucial waterway, 686 ships remain positioned in the surrounding Gulf region, with the majority—about 400 vessels—waiting just outside the chokepoint in the Gulf of Oman.

The agency also detected eight large “dark ships”, each more than 290 meters long, maneuvering through the Strait without AIS tracking. Among these was a U.S. Treasury‑sanctioned vessel, which was last observed near the UAE’s Khor Fakkan port—a key oil‑tanker hub—on March 16, before switching off its AIS transponder.

Israel’s military said early Thursday that its air‑defence systems were engaging missiles fired from Iran, prompting warning sirens across central Israel, parts of Jerusalem, and areas of the occupied West Bank.

According to the army’s statement, defensive batteries were activated to counter the incoming threat, marking the second such incident in just over 14 hours after a previous missile attack had already been reported.

Australia has announced a six‑month ban on travelers holding Iranian passports, citing concerns that the ongoing Middle East conflict could make it harder for some visitors to return home once their short‑term visas expire. The Home Affairs Department said the turmoil in Iran has heightened the likelihood that temporary visa holders may be unwilling or unable to depart the country at the end of their stay.

Exceptions will be considered individually, including for parents of Australian citizens. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke noted that many visitor visas granted before the recent instability might not have been approved under current conditions, stressing that decisions about long‑term residency should be intentional government choices rather than unintended outcomes of tourism travel.

Eight people were injured in an Israeli strike on the Arab Salim area in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon, according to the country’s Public Health Ministry emergency operations centre, as reported by Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). The attack adds to growing cross‑border tensions as hostilities continue to escalate in the region.

Al Jazeera reported that the Israeli military said one of its soldiers was seriously injured after a mortar round was fired at Israeli forces operating in Lebanon. The soldier has been transported to a hospital for medical treatment, the army stated.

The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defence announced that its air‑defence systems were once again engaging incoming missiles and drones launched from Iran. In a brief statement posted on X, the ministry said that the loud sounds heard in parts of the country were the result of interception operations carried out by UAE defence forces.

This update came just four hours after a similar announcement, indicating a continued pattern of attempted attacks and active defensive responses by the Emirati military.

Taiwan has become the target of a surge in misleading online claims suggesting the island is on the verge of exhausting its natural gas supplies due to disruptions linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict. Officials warn that such disinformation could trigger unnecessary public anxiety and erode trust in the government.

False posts circulating widely on Chinese‑language social media assert that Taiwan has only 11 days of liquefied natural gas (LNG) remaining and could soon face power outages, citing supposed Iranian restrictions on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. AFP fact‑checkers identified roughly two dozen Douyin accounts from mainland China repeating the same scripted narrative, with some users criticizing Taiwan’s shutdown of a nuclear reactor last year or portraying Beijing’s “peaceful reunification” offer as a solution to energy security.

Taiwanese authorities have dismissed the claims, stressing that the island has adequate LNG reserves to cover energy needs through March and April.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has said that Cairo is prepared to host discussions aimed at easing tensions between the United States and Iran.

According to a report by Al Jazeera, he expressed Egypt’s support for President Donald Trump’s efforts to initiate negotiations and voiced hope that the two countries would eventually engage in direct talks.

🔴#BREAKING | Iran Claims It Shot Down American F-18 Jet, Then A US Fact-Check

NDTV's @VishalV054 joins @reetksahni with more details pic.twitter.com/pQXR8hIUNM

— NDTV (@ndtv) March 26, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran is quietly engaging in negotiations despite publicly rejecting any talks. Speaking at a dinner with Republican lawmakers, Trump argued that Iranian officials were unwilling to acknowledge their participation because they fear repercussions from within their own ranks.

According to Trump, Tehran “badly” wants an agreement but is hesitant to say so publicly out of concern that Iranian negotiators could face internal threats. He also suggested that they might be worried about possible U.S. retaliation.

His remarks came shortly after Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly asserted that Iran has “no intention” of entering negotiations.

#WATCH | On the ongoing West Asia conflict, US President Donald Trump says, "We settled 8 wars. We are winning another one... Nobody has seen anything like what we are doing in the Middle East with Iran. They are negotiating, by the way. They want to make a deal so badly, but… pic.twitter.com/iJr1FwBJhE

— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2026

The White House insisted that peace talks with Iran are ongoing, even as Tehran publicly rejected US overtures and issued fresh conditions of its own to end the conflict that’s wreaked havoc across the Middle East and global markets.

President Donald Trump insisted Iran was desperate to make a deal to end the nearly month-long hostilities. “They want to make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it,” Trump told congressional Republicans Wednesday night in Washington.

Asian equities showed little clear direction on Thursday as investors remained cautious amid rapidly evolving developments in the Middle East. The uncertainty followed Iran’s statement that it was considering a U.S.-backed proposal aimed at halting the ongoing conflict in the Gulf region.

Market performance across Asia reflected the unease: Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.6%, whereas South Korea’s benchmark index slipped 1.2%. MSCI’s broad gauge of Asia‑Pacific shares excluding Japan dipped 0.23%, positioning it for an 8.7% monthly decline—its steepest drop since October 2022.

Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar remained strong near recent peaks and looked set to post a 2% monthly gain, reinforcing its role as investors’ preferred haven asset during geopolitical uncertainty.

Israel’s military announced on Thursday that it had carried out extensive strikes across several locations inside Iran, including the central city of Isfahan.

According to a short statement from the Israel Defense Forces, the operation involved a broad series of attacks aimed at what it described as key infrastructure linked to Iran’s security establishment, noting that the mission had been completed across multiple sites throughout the country.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed veteran French diplomat Jean Arnault as his personal envoy to lead the UN’s "efforts on the conflict and its consequences”. He said Arnault will be doing on the ground what he has been trying to do from New York – supporting all efforts for mediation and peace.

Arnault will be in contact with all the parties and will be looking at the war’s impact on civilians in the region and beyond, Guterres said, including the economic turmoil, especially in less developed countries.

The US Central Command said the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is continuing "flight operations against military targets in Iran while sailing in regional waters". The statement comes after the Iranian military said it had fired cruise missiles at the aircraft carrier, forcing it to reposition itself in regional waters.

The Iranian military published a statement listing its operations on the 27th day of the ongoing war. It said it carried out attacks on satellite stations in Israel as well as Middle Eastern bases hosting US troops, including the Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan, Sheikh Isa Base in Bahrain, and the Ali Al Salem and Arifjan bases in Kuwait. It claimed its missiles struck more than 70 locations in Israel, including the cities of Haifa and Dimona, and said it hit a US F-18 aircraft in the skies over Chabahar.

Source: Media Reports