The Latest: Trump suggests US could take Iran’s Kharg Island

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U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the idea of American forces seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, its main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf.

“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the Financial Times in an interview Monday. “It would also mean we had to be there (on Kharg Island) for a while.”

Iran has threatened to mine the Persian Gulf if its territory is invaded. The United States and Israel kept up their attacks Monday on the Islamic Republic, even as there were signs of progress in nascent ceasefire talks. Iran struck a key water and electrical plant in hard-hit Kuwait, part of its ongoing campaign targeting the Gulf Arab states.

Trump also said that Iran had agreed to allow 20 ships carrying oil through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning and continuing over the next few days “out of a sign of respect.”

“I would only say that we’re doing extremely well in that negotiation but you never know with Iran because we negotiate with them and then we always have to blow them up,” he said.

The war has already threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices.

Here is the latest:

The Latin Patriarchate said Monday it had “addressed and resolved” issues with Israeli police after they prevented top Catholic leaders from holding Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

The patriarchate said it had secured permission from authorities for Mass at the church during Holy Week, though the liturgies will not be open to the public due to wartime limitations on gatherings over 50 people.

Police on Sunday prevented Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the Custos of the Holy Land from accessing the church, citing security and safety concerns. President Isaac Herzog helped mediate the meeting between the police and the Catholic Church.

“I say to President Trump: no one can end the war in our region, in the Gulf, except you,” Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said in a speech Monday.

“I’m talking to you in the name of humanity and in the name of everyone who loves peace, and you are one of the people who love peace. I’m sending a direct message to you on behalf of the region. There are dangerous consequences in continuing this war any further. Please help us end the war, you’re capable of that,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday the agreements were signed with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan aimed at expanding defense and economic cooperation.

Zelenskyy said the deals foresee strategic cooperation in military technology, energy and trade for at least a decade. He highlighted Ukraine’s interest in strengthening its anti-ballistic capabilities and securing energy supplies, including diesel fuel. In exchange, Ukraine is ready to provide its drone expertise and technology, Zelenskyy said.

He said Ukraine had shared its experience in reopening Black Sea shipping routes using naval drones, suggesting that could help address disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Spain had already said the U.S. could not use jointly operated military bases in the country for operations related to the war.

“This was made perfectly clear to the American military and forces from the very beginning. Therefore, neither the bases are authorized, nor, of course, is the use of Spanish airspace authorized for any actions related to the war in Iran,” Defense Minister Margarita Robles told reporters.

Spain’s government under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is Europe’s most critical voice against the war on Iran launched by the U.S. and Israel. “I think everyone knows Spain’s position. It’s very clear,” Robles said, calling the war “profoundly illegal and profoundly unjust.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei claimed without offering evidence that “America is continuously using its military bases in our neighboring countries.”

“The news published lately about U.S airplanes being damaged in military bases in neighboring countries clearly shows that their land is being used, with or without their consent, by the aggressors against Iran,” Baghaei said. “Therefore, what Iran is doing is defending itself and it’s not considered attacking regional countries.”

Gulf Arab states repeatedly have said the U.S. is not launching attacks from their territory against Iran.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday that a 15-point ceasefire proposal put forward by the United States was filled with “excessive” demands.

“We haven’t had any direct negotiations with the U.S so far,” Esmail Baghaei told a news conference. “What has been communicated to us, whatever you may call it, 15-points or more or less, are a set of very excessive, unrealistic and irrational demands.”

Mohammed Alaa Air Base was hit overnight by 122 mm Grad rockets launched from the outskirts of the capital, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said on Monday.

The attack destroyed an Antonov-132 belonging to the Iraqi air force, the statement said. There were no casualties.

Iranian-backed groups have fired drones and rockets targeting U.S. bases, diplomatic missions and oil facilities.

The strike hit an army position near the coastal city of Tyre. Other troops were wounded, the military said in a statement.

At least 11 Lebanese army soldiers have been killed in Israeli strikes since the latest war between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group erupted earlier this month. Israel did not immediately comment.

Prior to the war, the Lebanese military was gradually deploying in the south in a bid to assert full control. They have not clashed with Israeli ground forces that have invaded Lebanon.

The soldier was killed in southern Lebanon on Sunday.

Israeli troops have invaded Lebanon after Hezbollah launched hundreds of projectiles in the past month toward Israel.

Israel says it needs to establish a security zone in the depopulated south to shield its own northern communities. Lebanese officials say more than 1,200 people have been killed and more than 1 million have been displaced in the country.

The fire erupted Monday at the refinery in the northern Israeli city of Haifa for the second time during the monthlong war with Iran, according to footage.

Video showed flames on a large refinery tank with thick black smoke that was quickly extinguished. It wasn’t clear if a missile strike or debris caused the blaze.

Israel has two refineries. Its strikes on Iran have targeted Iran’s South Pars natural gas field and other petrochemical sites.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said the fire broke out in a commercial building in Al Dair, a coastal village near Bahrain International Airport. There were no injuries. It added that investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire.

“We appreciate Pakistan’s efforts to help de-escalate the situation, support Pakistan in continuing to play a mediating role,” said China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

She told a daily briefing in Beijing that China is ready to coordinate with Pakistan and any other relevant party “to jointly promote peace and cease hostilities to safeguard regional peace and stability.”

Pakistan announced Sunday that it would soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran, though there was no immediate word from Washington or Tehran, and it was unclear whether discussions on the monthlong war would be direct or indirect.

The members of the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq were hanged Monday in Iran, state media and the group said.

The two men were identified as Akbar Daneshvarkar and Mohammad Taghavi. Daneshvarkar had been held for years prior. Amnesty International has said Tehran’s Revolutionary Court convicted the men on charges of armed rebellion against the state “following a grossly unfair trial in October 2024.” It said the men were tortured during interrogations.

Israel needed to pass a budget before April 1 in order to avoid triggering early elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still reserves the right to call early elections before then if he wants.

Israel’s opposition slammed the budget for increasing funding to Israel’s ultra-Orthodox communities at a time when the country is facing soaring costs over its war in Iran and is still reeling from a two-year war in Gaza.

The $270 billion budget, Israel’s largest ever, included a 20% increase for the Ministry of Defense due to the ongoing war against Iran. The ministry’s budget has swollen to $45 billion, forcing cuts in other government ministries.

Israel’s parliament is set to vote on a bill that would make the death penalty the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis.

The parliament began debate on Monday, days before its spring recess. The bill’s passage would mark the culmination of a yearslong push by Israel’s far-right to escalate punishment for Palestinians convicted of nationalistic offenses against Israelis — and victory for Israel’s firebrand minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the religious party that introduced the legislation.

Opponents of the legislation call it racist, draconian and unlikely to deter attacks by Palestinian militants. Rights groups are expected to petition Israel’s Supreme Court against it.

Israel on Thursday had said it killed Alireza Tangsiri, a rear admiral in the navy.

A statement from the Guard on Monday, read on state television, said Tangsiri “joined the ranks of Allah due to the severity of his injuries.”

It praised his efforts, particularly in helping Iran maintain a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. “Every fighter is a Tangsiri, and we will see what surprises they will bring in the days and months ahead,” the statement added.

Comments by Noura Al Kaabi, a minister of state at the UAE’s Foreign Ministry, offered another signal that the Emirates wants more than just a ceasefire to stop the war.

In a column published by the state-linked, English-language newspaper The National, Al Kaabi denounced the missile and drone attacks targeting her country and Iran’s chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz.

“We want a normal neighbor,” she wrote. “An Iranian regime that launches ballistic missiles at homes, weaponizes global trade and supports proxies is no longer an acceptable feature of the regional landscape.”

She added: “We want a guarantee that this will never happen again.”

The plant is located some 530 kilometers (330 miles) northwest of the capital, Tehran.

Firefighters put out a blaze at the site, media reported.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The spot price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, was around $115 early Monday, up nearly 60% from Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel started the war with attacks on Iran.

The comment by Alaeddin Boroujerdi to Iranian state television comes after hard-liners in Tehran long have suggested taking the step.

“Why should we accept the restrictions?” Boroujerdi said. “We are not seeking a nuclear weapon anyway. But it’s not like that we are supposed to observe the rules of the game and they bomb us.”

The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is a landmark international accord meant to stop the spread of nuclear arms. Countries that signed it agreed not to build or obtain nuclear weapons and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct inspections to verify they correctly declared their programs. Iran has been restricting IAEA inspections for years and hasn’t let them visit the three enrichment sites bombed by the U.S. in June.

— Israel’s military said on Monday morning that it was striking ‘military infrastructure’ across Tehran.

— Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens twice on Monday.

— At dawn Monday, Israel’s military said Iran had launched missiles at the country. It was the first such launch from Iran of the day. Sirens went off in the area near Israel’s main nuclear research center, a part of the country that has been targeted repeatedly over the past days.