Live updates: Iran rejects Trump plan to end war and issues its own demands, state TV reports

Violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank “continues unabated,” the head of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency said as he prepares to leave his post.

The violence by extremist Israeli settlers has spiked as the world focuses on the war in Iran, with the United Nations reporting 25 Palestinians killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers from Jan. 1 to March 15, and new Israeli settlements and other regulations have stoked Palestinian fears of annexation.

“The fact that large groups of settlers storm Palestinian communities, brutalize residents & torch buildings is an outrage in itself,” Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of UNRWA, said in a post on X. “But what is worse is that these egregious acts are accompanied by total impunity.”

Last week, Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir called the rising settler violence “morally and ethically unacceptable.” Several Israeli civil rights and political groups have criticized the government for not doing enough to combat the extremist settler violence.

Lazzarini, whose mandate ends March 31, said the International Court of Justice had ruled that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, “is illegal & must cease.”

ADNOC, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, said in a post on X that CEO Sultan Al Jaber met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance to discuss the energy market disruption caused by the war with Iran.

"We discussed the fact that energy security equals global security, and that restoring free passage through the Strait of Hormuz is the only durable solution to stabilizing global markets," the company said in its post.

"It was good to re-connect with Vice President Vance at this critical moment," the post said.

"We also underscored the strength of UAE–US relations across key sectors," the post said.

Al Jaber is also the UAE's minister of industry and advanced technologies.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., insisted today that the U.S. military does not have "boots on the ground" in the Middle East amid the war with Iran, but urged officials in Tehran to "take note" of the buildup of American troops in the region.

"I think Iran should watch that buildup, and they need to take note of that," Johnson told reporters. He also called on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial oil and gas shipping.

Johnson said he believes the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran is nonetheless nearing an end.

"Operation Epic Fury is almost done. I mean, I think the mission that was very clearly defined in the beginning, the objectives have been met," Johnson said.

In a post on X, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force warned Trump that every threat and ultimatum against the regime in Tehran constitutes an act of war.

Seyed Majid Mousavi added that today's strikes on the Israeli cities of Dimona and Haifa were direct responses to recent threats from the U.S.

Badr Abdelatty, Egypt’s foreign minister, told reporters today that Cairo stood ready to host meetings aimed at ending the war, according to Reuters.

Abdelatty, speaking at a news conference, said Egypt backed Trump’s initiative to negotiate with his counterparts in Tehran. When asked about Iran’s apparent rejection of the U.S. proposal to end the fighting, Abdelatty said: “We have to continue our efforts. It’s all about diplomacy and negotiations.”

The prime minister of Pakistan has also offered to host talks between the U.S. and Iran.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today called on the U.S. and Israel to end the war with Iran and pleaded with the regime in Iran to stop attacking other countries in the Middle East.

“My message to the United States and Israel is that ​it is high time to end the war — as human suffering deepens, ​civilian casualties mount, and the global economic impact is increasingly devastating,” Guterres told reporters, according to Reuters.

“My message to Iran ‌is ⁠to stop attacking their neighbors,” Guterres added.

Guterres said Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, must stop launching attacks into Israel. Israel, for its part, must halt military operations and strikes in Lebanon, he said.

The Israeli assault has devastated civilian areas in the country's south as part of an operation that Israeli officials say is aimed at taking control of large swaths of land for an indefinite period.

“The Gaza model must not be replicated ​in Lebanon,” Guterres said.

Iran has "responded negatively" to the U.S. plan to end the war, according to Iranian state television’s English-language broadcaster, Press TV. It cited an unnamed senior political-security official with knowledge of the details of the proposal. 

Tehran will not allow Trump to dictate the terms or timing of the conflict's resolution, according to the report.

The official detailed five conditions that must be met before Iran agrees to end the war, including a complete halt to "aggression and assassinations" by the U.S. and Israel and recognition of Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial passageway for global oil.

China says that it supports all efforts to de-escalate tensions and called for an end to fighting in the Middle East. 

“China supports all efforts that help ease tensions, de-escalate the situation, and restore dialogue,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a news conference today. 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, yesterday that all parties must “seize every opportunity and window for peace” and called for peace talks to begin “as soon as possible.”

Six in 10 adults say the recent U.S. military action against Iran has gone too far, 26% say it has been about right, and 13% say it has not gone far enough, a new AP-NORC poll has found.

Ninety percent of respondents who identified as Democrats said recent military action has gone too far, compared with 26% of Republicans.

Meanwhile, 62% of respondents oppose deploying U.S. troops on the ground in Iran.

As far as U.S. foreign policy objectives go, 65% say it is extremely or very important to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and 67% say it’s important to prevent U.S. oil and gas prices from rising, according to the poll.

The United States has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war, according to two regional sources and a U.S. official, even as President Trump approves the deployment of more U.S. troops to the region.

The proposal was delivered to Iranian officials through Pakistan, the sources said, but it was not immediately clear if Iran has agreed to any of the points.

The delivery of the plan through Pakistan was first reported by The New York Times.

Trump confirmed the 15 points on Monday and expressed optimism about reaching an agreement.

“They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. That’s number one. That’s number one, two and three,” Trump said, adding that Iran had agreed to that point. “They will never have a nuclear weapon.”

Iran has consistently said it is not pursuing a nuclear weapon.

U.S. stocks rose this morning and global oil prices fell in yet another volatile trading session, as traders and investors were buffeted by constant headlines about the war with Iran.

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange today. Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images

Initially, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures rose more than 1% after reports surfaced that the U.S. had sent Iran a 15-point peace plan. However, unconfirmed reports from Iranian media, which cited an anonymous source, said this morning that Tehran would not accept a ceasefire or hold talks with the United States.

The reports briefly knocked index futures off their pre-market highs and lifted oil prices off their early morning lows.

Despite the apparent setback, stocks opened the trading day higher and the price of U.S. crude oil tumbled more than 4% in morning trading.

Read the full story here.

The Israeli military said it has targeted an Iranian underwater research center in Isfahan.

In a post on Telegram earlier today, the IDF said it carried out strikes on Iran’s “production industries” in the central city of Isfahan yesterday, and the underwater research center hit was the “only facility in Iran responsible for the design and development of submarines and support systems for the Iranian Navy.” It said Tehran produced “various models of unmanned vessels” at the site.

“The strike significantly limits the regime’s ability to manufacture new and advanced submarines for the Iranian Navy, as well as upgrade its existing fleet,” the IDF said.

Photos from Isfahan overnight showed extensive damage in the city.

Murat Sengul / Anadolu via Getty Images

Murat Sengul / Anadolu via Getty Images

Murat Sengul / Anadolu via Getty Images

Funeral ceremonies are held for health workers Ali Jaber and Joud Sulelman in Nabatieh, southern Lebanon today, after they were killed in an Israeli strike in the nearby town of Harouf yesterday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would permanently strengthen its nuclear forces, as he set out policy priorities in a speech to parliament, state media KCNA reported.

Kim said Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear-armed state was irreversible and expanding a “self-defensive nuclear deterrent” was essential to national security, regional stability and economic development, according to the agency. 

“The current world reality, where the dignity and rights of sovereign states are mercilessly violated by unilateral force and violence, clearly teaches what the true guarantee of a state’s existence and peace is,” Kim said in the address Monday to the Supreme People’s Assembly, the communist-run country’s rubber-stamp legislature.

Nuclear weapons had deterred war and allowed the state to focus resources on economic growth, construction and living standards, he added.

Iran’s navy has claimed it fired cruise missiles toward the U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and forced it to change course, according to the official state news agency IRNA.

The action was aimed at demonstrating Iran’s naval dominance in response to threats from “hostile fleets,” the navy said. 

There was no immediate reaction from the Pentagon, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.  

Trump told reporters yesterday the Abraham Lincoln was shot at with more than 100 missiles but that all of them were intercepted. He had previously said that the U.S. has effectively obliterated the Iranian navy.

“The performance and movements of the hostile Abraham Lincoln strike group are constantly being monitored, and it will be targeted as soon as it comes within missile range,” IRNA quoted Iran’s navy chief, Adm. Shahram Irani, as saying. 

Iran’s navy will not rest until it avenges the deaths of sailors killed when the U.S. torpedoed an Iranian warship in international waters earlier this month, Shahram said. 

Kuwait has reported that it shot down multiple drones today, but one hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport. This sparked a fire, the General Civil Aviation Authority said, which firefighters were working to contain.

AP

Gulf Arab states told the U.N. Human Rights Council today they face an existential threat from Iran.

Since the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran last month, Tehran has continued retaliatory strikes on military, energy and civilian infrastructure across the region.

“We are seeing an existential threat to international and regional security. This aggressive approach is undermining international law and sovereignty,” Kuwaiti Ambassador Naser Abdullah H. M. Alhayen told the Geneva-based council earlier today. Other Gulf states also denounced Iran’s actions which they said were designed to spread terror.

Iran defended its actions, saying responsibility for the attacks also lies on those “who facilitated, supported and encouraged them,” said Iranian Ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva Ali Bahreini.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned in a statement released today about the effect on the Gulf States and Jordan, saying strikes and interceptions there have caused “terrible harm to civilians, including dozens of deaths and injuries.”

Many of the strikes in this conflict raise “serious concerns” under international law, he said, which prohibits attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, and attacks on military targets where harm to civilians is disproportionate.

More than 1,000 additional troops from the 82nd Airborne Division are heading to the Middle East, an announcement that came as Trump in the Oval Office said, “We’ve won this, this war has been won.” 

Iran disagrees, and taunted the idea of talks with the U.S. today while saying that oil prices would not return to normal until there is stability in the region.

02:20

NBC News

NBC News

Iranians gather outside a coffee shop and pizza restaurant on Niavaran street in Tehran today, next to the signage of a fake Apple store. A nearby police station was destroyed in recent U.S.-Israeli strikes on the Iranian capital, which is being monitored closely by security guards on the street.

It’s impossible to judge the progress of negotiations between Tehran and Washington to stop the U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran, the Kremlin said, amid many “false” reports. 

Asked about a purported U.S. peace plan in the works to settle the war, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a daily briefing earlier today that “our Iranian friends haven’t passed on this kind of information to us.”

He questioned the reliability of media reports about the plan, as he drew parallels with the 20-point peace plan first suggested by the Trump administration to settle the war in Ukraine last year, which was significantly revamped after several rounds of negotiations.

“You remember the confusion with the plans, the various number of points being mentioned in the plan for a Ukrainian settlement. It’s now fashionable to draw many parallels between the reports,” Peskov said.

“We don’t know how reliable they are. We don’t know whether they correspond to reality or not. There’s so much information out there right now, the lion’s share of which is completely false, that until there’s some official confirmation from official sources, it’s impossible to judge.”

British police arrested two men today in connection with an arson attack on four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity, which authorities are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime.

Four Hatzolah ambulances next to Machzike Hadath Synagogue in London on Monday, after they were set on fire overnight. Leon Neal / Getty Images

The Metropolitan Police said the two men, ages 45 and 47, were arrested in London on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and both men have been taken to a police station in the city for questioning.

Police have not declared the incident to be a terror attack, but are investigating a claim of responsibility by a group with potential links to Iran.

Read the full story here.

Iran is "closely monitoring" all U.S. movements in the region, "especially troop deployments," the powerful speaker of the country’s parliament said this morning.

The statement comes after Trump approved the deployment of more than 1,000 paratroopers to the Middle East. 

"What the generals have broke, the soldiers can't fix; instead, they will fall victim to Netanyahu's delusions," Mohammad Bagher Galibaf wrote in a post on X. 

“Do not test our resolve to defend our land.”

Women living inside Iran share their experiences of daily life with NBC News, a rare insight from the country under fire.

As Tehran is hit with deadly strikes, residents are wary about how the war will unfold, with Iranians both inside the country and living abroad expressing fear for how the fighting will impact the country’s population, and how it might foster divisions.

06:15

Israel said its military struck two key naval cruise missile production sites “in the heart of Tehran,” the Iranian capital.

The sites were operated by Iran’s Ministry of Defense, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which said they were being used to develop “long-range naval cruise missiles” capable of striking targets on land and at sea.

“These were significant strikes that caused extensive damage to the cruise missile array and represent another step in deepening the damage done to the regime’s military production infrastructure,” the IDF said in a statement. 

Oil prices fell more than 5% and world shares gained this morning over the possibility of a de-escalation and talks.

U.S. futures were up 0.9%, while Brent crude, the international standard, fell 5.2% to $94.97 per barrel. It was around $104 yesterday

Benchmark U.S. crude was down 5.3% early to $87.44 a barrel.

Israel launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran in the fourth week of the war in the Middle East with no sign of easing, while a top U.S. military commander urged Iranians to remain in shelters for the foreseeable future.

Images from Tabriz, in the East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran, show the scope of damage from a strike yesterday.

Mati Hashemi / AP

Mati Hashemi / AP

Mati Hashemi / AP

Mati Hashemi / AP

Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said no talks have occurred between Washington and Tehran, according to Iranian state media.

The statement contradicts previous claims by Trump, who said negotiations with Tehran were ongoing. Pakistan has offered to host talks.

“Based on my information, contrary to Trump’s claim, no direct or indirect negotiations have taken place between the two countries so far,” Reza Amiri Moghadam said, according to Reuters.

He added, “Friendly countries seek to lay the ground for dialogue between Tehran and Washington, which we hope will be fruitful in ending this imposed war."

Ships that are “non-hostile” may transit the Strait of Hormuz “if they coordinate with Iranian authorities,” Iran said, suggesting its effective blockade of the crucial shipping route might be eased.

A cargo ship carrying vehicles sails through the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz in the United Arab Emirates, on Sunday.  AP

“Non-hostile vessels, including those belonging to or associated with other States, may — provided that they neither participate in nor support acts of aggression against Iran and fully comply with the declared safety and security regulations — benefit from safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities,” the Iranian mission to the United Nations said in a post on X.

Shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about one-fifth of the world’s supply, have been all but halted by Iran’s threats against vessels seeking to traverse it, sending global energy prices soaring.

Seven Iraqi soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in an airstrike that struck a medical facility early today in the Habbaniyah area of Anbar province, the country’s Defense Ministry said.

“This attack constitutes a blatant and serious violation of all international laws and conventions that prohibit targeting medical facilities and their personnel,” the ministry said in a statement. “This criminal act represents a dangerous escalation that necessitates a firm response and holding those responsible accountable.”

The ministry added that search and rescue teams were continuing to comb through the site.

The Israel Defense Forces said it had identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel this morning as the two sides exchange new attacks. 

“The Home Front Command has sent a precautionary directive directly to mobile phones in the relevant areas,” the IDF said in a statement, urging the public to follow instructions and move to a safe location.

“Leaving a protected space is permitted only after receiving explicit instructions,” the statement added. 

Each day since the start of the war in Iran, U.S. military officials compile a video update for Trump that shows video of the biggest, most successful strikes on Iranian targets over the previous 48 hours, three current U.S. officials and a former U.S. official said.

 Daniel Torok / White House via Getty Images

The daily montage typically runs for about two minutes, sometimes longer, the officials said. It's not the only briefing Trump gets about the war. He’s also updated through conversations with top military and intelligence advisers, foreign leaders and news reports, the officials said.

But the video briefing is fueling concerns among some of Trump’s allies that he may not be receiving — or absorbing — the complete picture of the war, now in its fourth week, two of the current officials and the former official said.

Read the full story here.

A shrug, perhaps even a flash of dismay. But despite the public insults emanating from the White House, those close to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer say there is little chance he will hit back at President Donald Trump over the Iran war.

‘SNL UK’ spoofs Starmer’s relationship with Trump

01:39

The embattled prime minister is still pursuing close coordination with Trump, even after the latest indignity hurled by the president toward London as the conflict threatens havoc on the already stale British economy.

Read the full story here.

Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which commands both the regular military and the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, suggested this morning there are no ongoing peace talks.

“Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?” said Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for the headquarters.

“Our first and last word has been, is, and will be the same from the very first day: Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you,” Zolfaghari said in the video statement aired on state television. “Not now, and not ever.”