Israel launches a new wave of strikes on Iran with no sign of diplomatic
breakthrough
[March 27, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL and DAVID RISING
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel launched a new wave of strikes
on Iran on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed talks on
ending the war were going well and gave Tehran more time to open the
Strait of Hormuz, though there have been no signs of Iran backing down.
With stock markets reeling and economic fallout from the war extending
far beyond the Middle East, Trump is under growing pressure to end
Iran's chokehold on the strait, a strategic waterway through which a
fifth of the world's oil is usually shipped.
The United States has offered Iran a 15-point proposal for a ceasefire
that includes it relinquishing control of the strait, but at the same
time has ordered thousands more troops to the region — possibly in
preparation for a military attempt to wrest the waterway from Iran’s
tight grip.
With time running out on a deadline set by Trump for Iran to open the
strait, after which he had threatened to destroy Iran’s energy plants,
he pushed his self-imposed deadline back to April 6 on Thursday, saying
that talks on ending the conflict were going “very well.” Iran, however,
maintains it is not engaged in any negotiations.
Israel’s attack Friday “in the heart of Tehran” targeted sites used by
Iran to produce ballistic missiles and other weapons, the Israeli
military said. It also hit missile launchers and storage sites in
western Iran.
Smoke also rose over Beirut, although Israel did not immediately report
hitting the Lebanese capital, while air raid sirens sounded in Israel as
the military said it was working to intercept Iranian missiles. Iran
kept firing missiles and drones at its Gulf Arab neighbors, with sirens
warning of attacks in Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said it shot down both missiles and
drones targeting the capital, Riyadh.
Kuwait said both its Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City and the Mubarak Al
Kabeer Port to the north, which is under construction as part of China’s
“Belt and Road” initiative, had sustained “material damage” in attacks.
It appeared to be one of the first times a Chinese-affiliated project in
the Gulf Arab states came under assault in the war. Throughout the
conflict, China has continued to purchase Iranian crude.
After Wall Street's worst day since the war began, Asian shares mostly
fell Friday over growing doubts about the chances of de-escalation. Oil
prices rose again, the Brent crude, the international standard, at $107
a barrel in morning trading, up more than 45% since Israel and the U.S.
attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to start the war.
US pushing diplomatic solution but sending more troops to the region
Iran's stranglehold on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, has caused
growing concerns of a global energy crisis, and appears part of a
strategy to get the U.S. to back down by roiling the world economy. A
Gulf Arab bloc said Thursday that Iran is now exacting tolls from ships
to ensure their safe passage through the waterway.
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington had delivered a 15-point
“action list" to Iran for a possible ceasefire, using Pakistan as an
intermediary. The list includes restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program
and re-opening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has rejected the U.S. offer and put forth its own five-point
proposal, which includes reparations and recognition of its sovereignty
over the Strait of Hormuz.
Diplomats from several countries have been trying to organize a direct
meeting between envoys from the U.S. and Iran, possibly in Pakistan.
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Pro-government supporters chant slogans and wave Iranian flags
during a rally, in a square in western Tehran, Iran, Wednesday,
March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday that the
country's foreign minster, Badr Abdelatty, held phone calls the day
before with his Turkish and Pakistani counterparts as part of their
"intensive efforts" to organize the talks.
Abdelatty said he hoped the tri-country effort would result in
"gradual de-escalation efforts that would ultimately lead to the end
of the war."
As the diplomatic efforts went on, a group of U.S. ships drew closer
to the region with some 2,500 Marines. Also, at least 1,000
paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne — trained to land in hostile
territory to secure key territory and airfields — have been ordered
to the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council is to hold closed consultation
on Iran on Friday, according to two U.N. diplomats who spoke on
condition of anonymity because the meeting is not public.
They added that Russia had asked for the meeting on U.S.-Israeli
attacks on civilian infrastructure in the country, that the U.S.,
which holds the Security Council presidency, had scheduled it.
Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council,
said the humanitarian organization's teams in Iran have reported
that “countless homes, hospitals and schools have been damaged or
destroyed,” and that nearly every neighborhood in Tehran has
sustained damage.
“Civilians are paying the highest price for this war — it must end”
he said in a statement.
The International Organization for Migration said Friday that 82,000
civilian buildings, including hospitals and the homes of 180,000
people have been damaged in Iran so far.
“If this war continues, we risk a far wider humanitarian disaster,”
Egeland said. “Millions could be forced to flee across borders,
placing immense pressure on an already overstretched region.”
Deaths continue to climb, primarily in Iran and Lebanon
The Israeli army said Thursday it had deployed the 162nd Division
into southern Lebanon, joining thousands of troops that were moved
there after the war erupted. Israel says the open-ended invasion is
aimed at protecting its northern border towns from Hezbollah attacks
and uprooting the militant group from the area.
Eighteen people have died in Israel, while four Israeli soldiers
have also been killed in Lebanon. Two Israeli soldiers were severely
injured in Lebanon on Friday during an “operational accident,” the
military said.
Authorities said more than 1,100 people have died in Lebanon and
more than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran.
At least 13 American troops have been killed and four people in the
occupied West Bank and 20 in Gulf Arab states have also died.
In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the
conflict, 80 members of the security forces have been killed.
___
Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Giovanna
Dell'Orto in Miami, Fay Abuelgasim in Cairo, Sam Mednick in Tel
Aviv, Israel, Sam McNeil in Brussels and Edith M. Lederer at the
United Nations contributed to this report.
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