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The conflict in the Middle East entered its 27th day, with efforts underway to bring peace in the region. Operation Epic Fury, the US-led campaign launched on February 28 alongside Israeli efforts, aims to degrade Iran's missile capabilities, naval forces, proxy networks, and nuclear-related infrastructure.
Nearly a month into the war, the Donald Trump administration in the US has called for a truce, a proposal rejected by Tehran. Iran on Wednesday made it clear that it will end the ongoin war only on its own timeline and conditions, dismissing a US-backed proposal as inadequate and disconnected from ground realities.
The Trump administration had offered a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran. The plan was reportedly submitted to Iran by intermediaries from Pakistan, who have offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Meanwhile, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intercepted Iranian missiles and drones as the United Nations sounded the alarm over the consequences of a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said "friendly nations" including China, Russia, and India have been allowed to cross the narrow Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf region.
"We permitted passage through the Strait of Hormuz for friendly nations including China, Russia, India, Iraq, and Pakistan," Araghchi said. The remark was posted late Wednesday on the X account of the Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai.
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 (@ndtv) March 26, 2026
NDTV's @VishalV054 joins @reetksahni with more details pic.twitter.com/pQXR8hIUNM
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.
Oil prices climbed sharply on Thursday as tensions between the United States and Iran intensified, clouding prospects for a near-term resolution to the conflict that has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz. The disruption to one of the world's most critical oil transit routes has sparked fears of a prolonged supply shock and a wider energy crisis.
Iran on Wednesday made it clear that it will end the ongoin war only on its own timeline and conditions, dismissing a US-backed proposal as inadequate and disconnected from ground realities.
The Trump administration had offered a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran. The plan was reportedly submitted to Iran by intermediaries from Pakistan, who have offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
A senior political-security official told Press TV today that these conditions are separate from the demands Iran presented to the other side during the second round of negotiations in Geneva.
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
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