Netanyahu: The war is halfway

TT

Updated 02.03 | Published 01.31

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in March. Photo: Ronen Zvulun/AP/TT

Half of the missions in the war against Iran have been carried out, claims Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

– It has definitely passed halfway. But I don't want to set a timetable, he tells Newsmax according to AFP.

US President Donald Trump said at the start of the war, in late February, that the operation would last four to six weeks.

Netanyahu now points out that half of the war's missions do not necessarily correspond to half of the time the war will last. He also says he is convinced that the regime in Iran will fall.

– I believe that the regime will collapse from within. But right now, at this moment, we are working to weaken their military capabilities, he says.
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Hälften av uppdragen i kriget mot Iran har genomförts, påstår Israels premiärminister Benjamin Netanyahu.

– Det har definitivt passerat halvvägs. Men jag vill inte sätta någon tidsplan, säger han till Newsmax enligt AFP.

USA:s president Donald Trump sade vid krigets inledning, i slutet av februari, att insatsen skulle pågå i fyra till sex veckor.

Netanyahu poängterar nu att hälften av krigets uppdrag inte nödvändigtvis motsvarar hälften av den tid kriget kommer pågå. Han säger sig även vara övertygad om att styret i Iran kommer att falla.

– Jag tror att regimen kommer att kollapsa inifrån. Men just nu, i detta ögonblick, arbetar vi med att försvaga deras militära kapacitet, säger han.

 

Italy denies US warplanes landing

TT

Updated 10.51 | Published 10.38

 

American planes parked at the NATO base Sigonella in Sicily, Italy, before the Iran war. Archive photo. Photo: Carmelo Imbesi/AP/TT

American warplanes heading to the Middle East are not allowed to stopover at a base in Sicily, Italy announced according to Corriere della Sera.

The denial risks fueling tensions with the US, the newspaper writes, recalling that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that after the Iran war, the US could be forced to reevaluate its relationship with the NATO defense alliance.

The announcement came after Italy received a travel plan from the US, without Washington DC consulting Italian authorities, and when the warplanes were already in the air, according to the newspaper.

Since the plane in question was neither on a logistics or routine mission, the flight was considered to be outside the bilateral agreement between the countries, and a stopover was therefore denied.

The move comes the day after Spain's Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced that the country's airspace is closed to American aircraft participating in the Iran war.

The Spanish government has previously been among Europe's most critical of Israel's war in Gaza, and now describes the Iran war as illegal.
 

Information: Trump wants to end despite closing Hormuz

TT

Updated 11.29 | Published 01.48

            

            

           US President Donald Trump, photographed outside the White House on Sunday.

           1 / 2Photo: Jose Luis Magana /AP/TT

US President Donald Trump is considering ending the Iran war – without reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to information to The Wall Street Journal.

Meanwhile, attacks continue around the Middle East.

An effort to open the trade route that is so important for global oil trade that Iran has strangled would prolong the conflict by up to six weeks, according to a conclusion that Trump and his advisers are said to have reached.

The US is considering instead focusing on achieving other goals, such as crippling Iran's navy and missile arsenals, and then escalating the fighting, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Officials tell the newspaper that Washington DC would then pressure allies in Europe and the Persian Gulf region to make an effort to open the strait at a later date.

Halfway through?

However, Trump's running mate in the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has a different opinion.

According to him, the war, which has now entered its second month, is half over. However, he tells Newsmax in the US that he does not want to set a timetable for the warfare, which according to initial assessments would last four to six weeks.

At the same time, the war continues to rage, with attacks on Iran and Iranian counterattacks on pro-Western targets in the region.

On Tuesday, fireballs can be seen lighting up the sky in Isfahan, in a film clip shared by Donald Trump. The city, which is located in central Iran, is home to a nuclear facility that has previously been the subject of American attacks. According to information to The Wall Street Journal, it is a large ammunition depot that has been attacked with American, 900-kilogram bunker-busting bombs.

In parallel, a desalination plant on the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz has been attacked and damaged so badly that it is unusable, AFP reports, citing state media.

A pharmaceutical factory, focused on cancer medicine, has also been attacked, according to the regime.

Air raids and explosions

The Israeli military has also struck the “heart of Tehran” on Monday evening and carried out new attacks on Tuesday morning, with reports of power outages as a result. A Shiite Muslim shrine has been hit in northern Iran.

In central Israel, mainly, air raids have been sounded while Iranian missiles are being fought in waves. At least eight people are reported to have been injured, mainly by wreckage from downed missiles.

People have also been injured in Dubai by wreckage. A Kuwaiti oil tanker has been hit in nearby waters and several explosions have been heard there during the day.

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have also reported attacks, and loud bangs have been heard in northern Iraq.
 

30 dead after heavy rain in Afghanistan

TT

Published 2026-03-30 16.35 

          

          Flooding in Afghanistan's capital Kabul. Archive photo. Photo: Massoud Hossaini/AP/TT

In recent days, at least 28 people have died as a result of flooding after heavy rain in Afghanistan. In addition, almost 50 people have been injured.

Storms and heavy rains have led to severe flooding and landslides in parts of the country, according to Afghan authorities, who fear that the death toll may rise.

According to the authorities, around 1,000 families have so far been affected by the storm - which has destroyed 130 homes and caused extensive material damage to another 500 homes.

Afghanistan is vulnerable to extreme weather, and floods cause several deaths annually. Last January, about ten people died in the country in rain and snow storms.

The latest storm is also having consequences in neighboring Pakistan. So far, 17 people have died and more than 50 people have been injured.

Trump's threat to Iran: "Open the Strait of Hormuz - or else..."

Jenny Martorell

Published 2026-03-30 13.34

            

           Trump threatens Iran in a post on Truth Social. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein /AP/TT

If the Strait of Hormuz is not opened, a large number of targets - and an oil island - will be blown up and completely destroyed.

This is the new threat to Iran from the US president.

The US is in "serious talks" with a "new" and more "reasonable" regime to end the war against Iran.

This is how Donald Trump's post on Truth Social begins. Immediately afterwards comes the threat:

“Great progress has been made, but if for some reason an agreement is not reached soon – which it probably will be – and if the Strait of Hormuz is not immediately opened to traffic, we will end our pleasant ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely destroying all their power plants, oil fields and Khargön”.

He continues:

“And possibly desalination plants too!”

Donald Trump has said that he wants the US to “take over Iran’s oil”. Most of the oil comes from Khargön – the US can take it, Trump told the Financial Times recently.

            

          The strategically important island of Kharg.

Economy

IMF on War: “All Roads Lead to Higher Prices”

The International Monetary Fund, IMF, warns that the war the US and Israel are waging against Iran could worsen the prospects for economies that have begun to recover from previous crises, writes Bloomberg.

The IMF points to countries in Africa and Asia that are heavily dependent on oil imports and that already have difficulty accessing supplies.

“All roads lead to higher prices and slower growth,” writes the IMF in a blog post.

The world may also end up in a kind of middle ground where tensions between countries remain and energy becomes too expensive. At the same time, inflation may prove difficult to tackle, with continued uncertainty and a geopolitical risk, writes the IMF. 

 

Iran Approves Bill on Strait of Hormuz Tariffs

Iran’s National Security Committee has approved a bill to impose tariffs on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reports, citing Fars news agency.

If enacted, the bill would explicitly ban Israeli and American ships from passing through the Strait. The ban would also apply to “any country that imposes unilateral sanctions on Iran,” Bloomberg writes.

 

Washington In PANIC: NO Buyers for U.S. Treasuries as $10 TRILLION Due For Refinance In 12 MONTHS

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