LIVE: US says talks 'continue' despite Iran's reported rejection

This live blog follows updates for Day 26 of the US-Israeli war on Iran. For a recap of Day 25, go here.

• Iran says 'non-hostile vessels' can transit Strait of Hormuz: statement to IMO
• Israel military warns Beirut southern suburbs ahead of strikes
• UN nuclear watchdog urges 'maximum restraint' after Iran says strike hit Bushehr plant
• US to deploy elite army brigade to Middle East: reports

Iran speaker warns 'enemies are preparing to occupy' island

Published: March 25, 2026 | 18:27 GMT

Iran's powerful parliament speaker warned on Wednesday of the possible invasion of an Iranian island with the support of an unnamed regional country.

"Based on some intelligence reports, Iran's enemies are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands with support from one of the regional states," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote in an X post.

"Our forces are monitoring all enemy movements, and if they take any step, all the vital infrastructure of that regional state will be targeted with relentless, unceasing attacks."

US says talks 'continue' despite Iran's reported rejection

Published: March 25, 2026 | 18:10 GMT

The United States and Iran are still engaged in peace talks, the White House said Wednesday, despite Iranian state media saying Tehran had rejected Washington's plan to end the war.

"Talks continue. They are productive," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about the Iranian report, adding that there were "elements of truth" to media reports on the details of a 15-point US plan setting out demands on Tehran.

Russia 'deeply outraged' by reported strike on Iran nuclear plant site

Published: March 25, 2026 | 17:31 GMT

Russia said Wednesday it was "deeply outraged" by a reported strike on the grounds of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, which it partially constructed and helps operate.

"We are extremely outraged by this reckless, irresponsible manifestation of a disastrous course," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

A projectile landed within the plant's compound on Tuesday night, Iran's atomic energy organization said, accusing the United States and Israel of being responsible.

Netanyahu says Israel is expanding 'buffer zone' in Lebanon

Published: March 25, 2026 | 16:32 GMT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that his country's forces were expanding a "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon as the military pressed ahead with its campaign against Hezbollah.

"We have created a genuine security zone preventing any infiltration toward the Galilee and the northern border," Netanyahu said in a video statement.

"We are expanding this zone to push the threat from anti-tank missiles further away and to establish a broader buffer zone."

UN chief says Middle East war is 'out of control'

Published: March 25, 2026 | 15:32 GMT

The war in the Middle East is "out of control," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday, warning of more human and economic pain the longer fighting goes on.

"The conflict has broken past the limits even leaders thought imaginable," he told reporters. "The world is staring down the barrel of a wider war, a rising tide of human suffering, and a deeper global economic shock. This has gone too far."

Iran state TV says Tehran rejects US peace plan

Published: March 25, 2026 | 14:58 GMT

Iranian state television, citing an unidentified senior official, said Wednesday that Iran had rejected a peace plan proposed by the United States to end the Middle East war.

"Iran has responded negatively to an American proposal aimed at ending the ongoing imposed war," the official said, according to the English language broadcaster Press TV.

"The end of the war will occur when Iran decides it should end, not when Trump envisions its conclusion."

Russia pulls more staff from Iran nuclear plant after reported strike

Published: March 25, 2026 | 13:25 GMT

Russia has evacuated more staff from Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, the head of Russia's atomic energy agency said Wednesday, after a reported strike on the compound overnight.

"Today, at approximately 7:20 Moscow time (0420 GMT), 163 people left Bushehr for the Iranian-Armenian border," Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev was quoted as saying by the state RIA news agency. "Right now, about 300 remain," he added in comments to reporters, including AFP.

Russia partially constructed the plant on Iran's Persian Gulf coastline and its technicians help operate it.

Hezbollah chief says would be 'surrender' to negotiate with Israel under fire

Published: March 25, 2026 | 13:25 GMT

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Wednesday that negotiating with Israel under fire would amount to "surrender" for Lebanon, and urged the government to reverse its ban on the party's military activities.

"When negotiations with the Israeli enemy are proposed under fire, this is an imposition of surrender," Qassem said, rejecting the Lebanese president's initiative to start direct negotiations "with an enemy that occupies our land and carries out daily attacks".

Qassem called on the Lebanese people to embrace "national unity," saying this could be achieved by the government reversing its March 2 decision to ban Hezbollah's military activities.

US 15-point plan 'conveyed to Iran via Pakistan': officials to AFP

Published: March 25, 2026 | 12:40 GMT

Proposals from the United States to end the war in Iran have been sent to Tehran through Pakistani intermediaries, two senior officials in Islamabad told AFP on Wednesday.

Both confirmed that the 15-point plan to stop the fighting, which has spread across the Gulf and Middle East, had been "conveyed to Iran via Pakistan."

Pakistan is being touted as a possible mediator given its longstanding ties with both neighbouring Iran and the United States, as well as close contacts in the region.

Iraq says will submit formal complaint to UN over strikes

Published: March 25, 2026 | 12:40 GMT

Iraq will submit a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council over strikes in its territory, the office of the prime minister said Wednesday, following an attack in the country's west that killed seven security personnel.

"A formal complaint, supported by evidence and detailed documentation, will also be lodged with the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations to affirm Iraq's rights and the rights of its people in the face of these violations," the statement said.

Late Tuesday, Baghdad said it intended to summon the US charge d'affaires and the Iranian ambassador over recent strikes, which have targeted former paramilitaries and Iraqi Kurdish security forces.

UK to host talks on mission to reopen Strait of Hormuz: reports

Published: March 25, 2026 | 12:29 GMT

Britain and France will chair talks of about 30 countries this week aiming to set up a coalition mission to reopen the key Strait of Hormuz - effectively closed by Iran since the start of the Middle East war - UK media reported Wednesday.

A meeting of chief of defense staffs would take place later this week, the Guardian reported, quoting a defense official. "I anticipate that at some point in the near future there'll be some kind of strait of Hormuz security conference," the official added.

The Times said the UK has offered to host a later summit in southern Portsmouth or London to hammer out details and build the coalition, which would ensure the waterway could be reopened "as soon as the conditions are right," defense officials said.

Israel army says struck Iran's submarine development site in Isfahan

Published: March 25, 2026 | 11:36 GMT

The Israeli military said Wednesday it had struck a submarine development facility in Isfahan, a day after its air force carried out a wave of strikes on the central Iran city.

"As part of the strikes, the IDF, guided by Iraeli navy intelligence, targeted the Iranian regime's Underwater Research Center in Isfahan," the military said.

"The center is the only facility in Iran responsible for the design and development of submarines and support systems for the Iranian navy," it said, adding that the site also produced various types of "unmanned vessels".

The military had announced on Tuesday it had conducted a "wide-scale wave of strikes" in Isfahan.

Iran speaker warns US not to test 'resolve to defend our land'
Published: March 25, 2026 - 10:17 GMT

Iran's parliament speaker on Wednesday warned Washington not to test the country’s determination to defend its territory after the United States was reported to be sending more troops to the Middle East.

"We are closely monitoring all US movements in the region, especially troop deployments. What the generals have [broken], the soldiers can't fix; instead, they will fall victim to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's delusions," said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in an X post in English.

"Do not test our resolve to defend our land."

UN rights council set to hold urgent debate Friday on Iran school strike
Published: March 25, 2026 | 10:07 GMT

The UN Human Rights Council is ready to hold a second urgent debate this week linked to the Middle East war, focused on a deadly strike on an Iranian school.

Council president Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro told the United Nations' top rights body that the council bureau had examined a request by Iran, China and Cuba for an urgent debate in connection with the airstrike on a school in the southern city of Minab on the first day of the war on February 28, and "concluded that said urgent debate could be accommodated on Friday".

The council would be asked to validate the decision later Wednesday, he said.

Iraqi Kurdistan says Tehran said earlier strike on security personnel was 'mistake'
Published: March 25, 2026 | 10:01 GMT

The leader of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region told local media on Wednesday that Tehran acknowledged that a strike that killed six security personnel a day earlier was a "mistake".

On Tuesday, six members of the Kurdistan region's peshmerga forces were killed in a ballistic missile strike, the first deadly attack of its kind since the outbreak of the Middle East war.

Regional President Nechirvan Barzani was quoted by local media as saying that after the attack they contacted Iran, and that Tehran "acknowledged that a mistake was made and have promised to conduct an investigation into the matter".

Strikes near Iran, Israel nuclear sites risk 'unmitigated catastrophe': UN
Published: March 25, 2026 | 9:31 GMT

Strikes around Iran and Israel's nuclear sites risk unleashing an "unmitigated catastrophe", the United Nations rights chief said Wednesday, warning that the Middle East war had created an "extremely dangerous" situation.

Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Turk warned that many of the strikes in the weeks-long war "raise serious concerns under international law".

In particular, Turk cautioned that "recent missile strikes near nuclear sites in both Israel and Iran underscore the immense danger of further escalation".

"States are flirting with unmitigated catastrophe."

Spanish PM says Middle East war 'far worse' than Iraq in 2003
Published: March 25, 2026 | 9:21 GMT

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned Wednesday that the Middle East war presented a "far worse" scenario than the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

"This is not the same scenario as the illegal war in Iraq. We are facing something far worse. Much worse. With a potential impact that is far broader and far deeper," he told parliament.

"This time, it's an absurd and illegal war. A cruel one that sets us back from achieving our economic, social, and environmental goals."

The premier has refused Washington's requests to use Madrid's military bases against Iran, despite US President Donald Trump's threat to sever trade with Spain as a result.

Sanchez said the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 had failed to achieve its goals and instead made life worse for ordinary people, saying it led to a sharp increase in fuel and grocery prices, a migration crisis and militant attacks in Europe.

China shipping giant Cosco says resumes bookings to some Gulf countries

Published: March 25, 2026 | 8:47 GMT

Chinese shipping giant Cosco said on Wednesday that it was resuming new bookings for container shipments to some Gulf countries, after a three-week suspension in response to the Middle East war.

The state-owned, Shanghai-based firm was among several major shipping groups to pause operations in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which one-fifth of the world's oil and gas passes normally.

Iran said in a statement circulated by the International Maritime Organisation on Tuesday that "non-hostile vessels" would be granted safe passage through the waterway.

Cosco "resumed new bookings for general cargo containers for shipments" from the "Far East" to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq "with immediate effect", according to a company statement.

It did not mention shipments travelling in the opposite direction, from the Gulf.

Strike on western Iraq kills seven security personnel: official
Published: March 25, 2026 | 8:20 GMT

A strike on a base in western Iraq killed seven security personnel, the defense ministry said Wednesday, a day after an attack on the same base targeted the former paramilitary Hashed al-Shaabi.

"This resulted in the death of seven of our heroic fighters and the injury of 13 others," the ministry said of the strike in Anbar province, saying it specifically targeted the base's military healthcare clinic. Rescue operations were ongoing, it added.

The base hosts Iraqi police, soldiers from the regular army and Hashed al-Shaabi forces, a security official told AFP.

Iranian military says US is 'negotiating with itself' 
Published: March 25, 2026 | 8:24 GMT 

Iran’s military said that the US is failing in its war and “negotiating with itself” to save face, dismissing reports that talks are underway to end the conflict. 

Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said in a video published by Iranian outlets that the US should not call its setbacks an agreement. 

“Has the level of your internal conflict reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?” he asked, according to the BBC. 

He said that energy and oil prices would not return to previous levels until regional stability is guaranteed by “the powerful hand of our armed forces.”

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to coordinate on Middle East peace efforts
Published: March 25, 2026 | 7:14 GMT

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, briefing him on Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts for regional peace and stability. 

He condemned recent attacks on Saudi Arabia and expressed solidarity with the Kingdom. He also commended Saudi restraint and called for urgent de-escalation in the Middle East. 

Earlier, PM Sharif said Pakistan was prepared to host talks to help end the conflict involving the United States and Iran. “Subject to concurrence by the US and Iran, Pakistan stands ready and honored to be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks for a comprehensive settlement of the ongoing conflict,” he said.

Israel says struck naval missile production site in Tehran
Published: March 25, 2026 | 7:17 GMT
The Israeli military on Wednesday announced it had struck a naval cruise missile production facility operating under Iran's ministry of defense in Tehran.

"In recent days, the Israeli air force acting on IDF intelligence struck two key naval cruise missile production sites in Tehran," the military said.

The Israeli military claimed the facility was used to "develop and manufacture long-range naval cruise missiles, which are capable of rapidly destroying targets at sea and on land". The strikes "represent another step in deepening the damage done to the regime's military production infrastructure", it added.

New strike targets former paramilitaries in western Iraq: security official
Published: March 25, 2026 | 7:10 GMT

A new strike in western Iraq targeted the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, a security official said Wednesday, a day after a similar attack killed 15 Iraqi fighters.

"Two missiles were fired from a fighter jet" at the same base in Anbar province that was struck on Tuesday, the official said.

Tuesday's strike – the deadliest in Iraq since the start of the Middle East war – prompted the government to grant former paramilitaries within the official armed forces a "right to respond" to any attack against them.

Israeli strikes kill 9 in south Lebanon: state media
Published: March 25, 2026 | 5:22 GMT

Lebanese state media reported on Wednesday that Israeli strikes killed at least six people in a town and a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern Sidon area, and three more in another town.

Israel intensified attacks in southern Lebanon days after joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran killed the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Citing the health ministry, Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said four people were killed in an "Israeli enemy raid" on the town of Adloun, and another two in a strike on an apartment in the Mieh Mieh refugee camp that left four wounded.

In another area of southern Lebanon, the NNA earlier said an Israeli raid on the town of Habboush killed at least three people and wounded 18 others.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes.

Middle East war disrupts fertilizer supply, threatens global food security
Published: March 25, 2026 | 3:39 GMT

Disruptions to fertilizer supplies caused by the Middle East war pose a double threat to global food security through scarcity and high prices, a top World Trade Organization official warned in an interview with AFP.

With the war causing the Strait of Hormuz to be closed off, it is choking a vital transit route for oil and gas – and fertilizers.

A third of the world's fertilizers normally transit the strait, and the disruption has prompted multiple warnings about the impact on food production.

Iran Guards say fired missiles at Israel, Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain
Published: March 25, 2026 | 3:14 GMT

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had fired missiles at Israel as well as military bases hosting US forces in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday.

A Guards statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB said that "targets in the heart of the occupied territories", meaning Israel, and US military bases in the region "were struck by precision-guided liquid- and solid-fuel missile systems and attack drones".

Kuwait army says air defenses responding to missile, drone attacks

Published March 25, 2026 | 02:11 GMT

Kuwaiti air defenses responded to missile and drone attacks early Wednesday, the army said, as Iran continues strikes on Gulf nations in the nearly four-week regional war.

"Kuwaiti air defenses are currently responding to hostile missile and drone attacks," the army posted on X, after authorities had announced drone attacks including one that sparked a fire at the country's main international airport.

Fire at Kuwait airport after drones hit fuel tank: aviation agency

Published March 25, 2026 | 01:39 GMT

Drones hit a fuel tank and sparked a fire at Kuwait International Airport, the Gulf state's civil aviation authority said on Wednesday, reporting no casualties.

Citing preliminary information, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement posted online that the attack had caused only "limited" damage.

"The relevant authorities immediately implemented the approved emergency procedures" and firefighters had been deployed to bring the blaze under control, said agency spokesman Abdullah Al-Rajhi.

The Kuwait National Guard meanwhile said in a statement that its forces intercepted six drones early Wednesday, without specifying where they had been shot down.

Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes kill 9 in south

Published March 25, 2026 | 00:48 GMT

Lebanese state media reported on Wednesday that Israeli strikes killed at least six people in a town and a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern Sidon area, and three more in another town.

Citing the health ministry, Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said four people were killed in an "Israeli enemy raid" on the town of Adloun, and another two in a strike on an apartment in the Mieh Mieh refugee camp that left four others wounded.

In another area of southern Lebanon, the NNA earlier said an Israeli raid on the town of Habboush killed at least three people and wounded 18 others.

Oil prices drop more than 5% after Trump sends peace plan
Published: March 25, 2026 | 00:30 GMT

Brent crude oil, the global market benchmark, dropped close to 6% Wednesday after US President Donald Trump sent a peace plan to Iran.

At around 0030 GMT, a barrel of Brent crude was down 5.92% at $98.30. Benchmark US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, was down 5.01% at $87.72.

In Asia markets, Japan's Nikkei index and South Korea's Kospi were up by more than three percent.