Iran-US war latest: Starmer and Trump discuss opening Strait of Hormuz after president issues 48-hour ultimatum
Iran said on Monday it will lay mines across the entire Persian Gulf if the US goes ahead with plans to attack the country’s coasts or islands.
Washington is said to be considering a blockade or occupation of Kharg Island – Iran’s main oil export hub – to pressure Tehran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios.
But Iran’s Defence Council warned on Monday that “any attempt to attack Iran’s coasts or islands will cause all access routes in the Gulf … to be mined”, casting the entire region into disarray.
Sustained Iranian attacks have already effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, causing the worst oil crisis since the 1970s.
Keir Starmer spoke with Donald Trump on Sunday about the pressing need to open the strait, after the US president threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power network if it fails to reopen the vital waterway by Monday night.
A Downing Street spokesperson said that the leaders agreed that reopening the strait was “essential to ensure stability in the global energy market”, and that they agreed to speak again soon.
US accuses Iran of targeting civilian sites out of ‘desperation’
The Commander of US Central Command says that Iran is targeting civilian sites across the region out of ‘desperation’.
Admiral Brad Cooper told Iran International: “They’re operating in a sign of desperation … In the last couple of weeks, they’ve attacked civilian targets very deliberately, more than 300 times.”
He assessed that Iran was firing far fewer drones and missiles at a time, suggesting they were unable to sustain the onslaught seen at the start of the conflict.
In the interview published early on Monday, Admiral Cooper said they had sunk or severely damaged about 140 vessels since the start of the campaign.
He reasserted that the Strait of Hormuz is “physically open to transit” – but unnavigable due to Iran “shooting at them with drones and missiles”.
Where is the new leader of Iran?
Mojtaba Khamenei was named the new Ayatollah of Iran after his father, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on 28 February, the first day of the war.
Citing an unnamed source, CNN reported on 11 March that Mojtaba suffered a fractured foot and other minor injuries on the first day of the war. An Iranian official also told Reuters he had been lightly injured.
On 13 March, a first public statement attributed to Mojtaba was aired on Iranian TV as a written statement, fueling speculation about his condition.
The Washington Post today reported on social media Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was “injured, isolated, and not responding to messages directed to him.”
Israeli ambassador to U.S. says war with Iran will continue until Tehran’s on its knees’
The U.S.’s exit ramp from the ongoing war with Iran seemed much further away on Sunday as Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. proclaimed that the war would continue in the wake of a new round of devastating attacks in Israel.
John Bowden reports:
Starmer and Trump discuss need to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Keir Starmer and Donald Trump spoke on Sunday about the pressing need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Ahead of the US president’s deadline for Iran to open the waterway or face “obliteration”, the two leaders discussed the pressing need to reopen the waterway responsible for a fifth of global oil and LNG.
A Downing Street spokesperson told the BBC: “The leaders discussed the current situation in the Middle East, and in particular, the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to resume global shipping.
“They agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz was essential to ensure stability in the global energy market. They agreed to speak again soon.”
China and Hong Kong stocks head for worst day in nearly a year as Iran war rattles markets
Stocks in China and Hong Kong are on track for their worst day in nearly a year as the escalating Iran war fans stagflation fears and roils global financial markets.
China’s benchmark Shanghai Composite Index slumped 2.5 per cent at lunchtime, heading for its biggest one-day drop since April 2025, while the blue-chip CSI300 lost 2.4 per cent to a four-month low. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng tumbled 3.5 per cent.
Investors dumped stocks in tech, travel and agriculture on fears of soaring energy costs and weaker demand. Coal, oil and electric vehicle makers were the only sectors to attract inflows, as investors bet on growing energy security concerns.
Goldman Sachs warned that the impact on China hinged on “both the demand and supply situation outside of China,” adding that the path of oil prices depended on “how long the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, which is highly uncertain.” Economists warned the war could spark “bad inflation” in China, squeezing already thin corporate profit margins and putting pressure on jobs and wages.
US embassy in Jerusalem offering chartered buses out of Israel
Beginning on Monday, the US embassy in Jerusalem is offering chartered buses out of Israel, the Guardian is reporting.
The buses to Amman, Jordan, will be offered to US citizens looking to leave Israel.
”Departures are currently available from the Jerusalem area and the Tel Aviv area,” the embassy said. “Travelers are responsible for booking their onward travel, including flights from the Amman airport.”
Photos: Iranian missiles seen over Israel as both sides exchange fresh barrages
Rocket trails are seen over the Israeli coastal city of Netanya during a fresh barrage of Iranian missile attacks in the early hours.
Earlier, Israel also launched a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure in Tehran.
Watch: US releases video said to show strikes on Iran’s drone capabilities
Iran narrows retaliation threat to power plants, walking back desalination warnings
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have said they will target Israel’s power plants and those supplying US military bases if Iran’s electricity infrastructure is attacked — appearing to walk back earlier threats to strike Gulf desalination plants.
“If you hit electricity, we hit electricity,” the Guards said in a statement today. “We are determined to respond to any threat at the same level as it creates in terms of deterrence.”
The statement accused US president Donald Trump of misrepresenting Iran’s intentions, saying Mr Trump had “claimed that the Revolutionary Guards intends to attack the water desalination plants and cause hardship to the people of the countries in the region.”
Mr Trump set a Monday evening deadline on Saturday, warning the US would strike Iranian power plants if Tehran failed to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
US commander says Iran campaign ‘ahead or on plan’ as Israel launches fresh strikes on Tehran
The top commander of US Central Command has said the military campaign against Iran is “ahead or on plan,” as Israel launched what it called a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting Iranian infrastructure in Tehran this morning.
US Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, speaking to Farsi-language network Iran International, said Iran’s rate of fire had slowed significantly since the war began. “At the beginning of the conflict, you saw large volumes in the dozens of drones and missiles. You no longer see that. It’s all one or two at a time,” he said, describing Iran as acting “in a sign of desperation.”
Kuwait and the UAE said their air defences were dealing with Iranian missile and drone attacks early on Monday, while air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain. Saudi Arabia said it destroyed drones in the Eastern Province. An Indian national in Abu Dhabi was injured by shrapnel after a ballistic missile was intercepted near Al Dhafra Air Base.
The war’s death toll has risen to more than 1,500 in Iran, more than 1,000 in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 US military members. Millions have been displaced in Lebanon and Iran.
