Politics
Trump pleads NATO and China for help to reopen Strait of Hormuz
In a brief interview with The Financial Times, Trump said that as the United States has aided Ukraine in the war with Russia, he expects Europe to help on the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure has sent energy prices soaring around the world.
“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,” said Trump, who over the years has criticized the alliance as freeloading on US largesse.
Trump also said an upcoming summit in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could be delayed as he presses for China’s help to open the strait.
“We’d like to know before” the summit, Trump said, noting that China as well as many European countries rely more than the United States on oil flowing from the Gulf.
“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump said.
Trump said separately to reporters travelling with him on Air Force One that the United States was in discussions with “about seven” countries on getting help to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Asked about specific help he was looking for, Trump told the FT he wanted minesweepers as well as “people who are going to knock out some bad actors that are along the (Iranian) shore.”
Uncertainty about how long the war against Iran might last has rattled oil markets, where crude prices have surged over the past two weeks due to the supply risks.
On Sunday, the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate opened 2.5 percent higher at $100.22 a barrel, while the price of Brent, the international benchmark, rose 2.9 percent to $106.11 a barrel.
Flights temporarily suspended at Dubai airport
Flights were temporarily suspended Monday at Dubai’s airport, previously one of the world’s busiest, after a “drone-related incident” sparked a fire nearby, city authorities said.
The incident impacted a fuel tank, the Gulf financial hub’s media office said, later adding authorities had extinguished the blaze that broke out and no injuries had been reported.
Iran calls strikes on Tehran fuel depots ‘ecocide’
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Israeli strikes on Tehran fuel depots constituted “ecocide” due to the long-term risks to residents’ health.
Trump says ‘talking’ to Iran
President Trump said that the United States was in discussions with Iran as the war enters its third week but that Tehran was not ready for a deal to end it. “But I don’t think they’re ready.
But they are getting pretty close,” Trump said. Iran’s foreign minister had denied earlier that any talks with the United States were taking place.
Macron tells Iran attacks on French interests ‘unacceptable’
French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday he had told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian it was “unacceptable” to target French interests, after an Iranian-designed drone killed a French soldier in Iraq’s Kurdistan region last week.
“I called on him to put an immediate end to the unacceptable attacks that Iran is carrying out against countries in the region, whether directly or through proxies, as in Lebanon and Iraq,” Macron said on X after his call with Pezeshkian.
Israel strikes Beirut again
Israel launched a fresh strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs late Sunday as Israel’s military said it was striking Hezbollah infrastructure in the city following earlier raids mainly in the country’s south.
On Sunday morning, an AFP photographer in south Beirut saw empty streets covered with debris and buildings flattened, with smoke still rising from strikes in previous days.
Israel has ‘thousands’ more targets
“We still have thousands of targets in Iran, and we are identifying new targets every day,” Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told a televised briefing.
Trump-Starmer call
US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke about the “importance” of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, currently blocked by Iran, the UK leader’s office said.
Iran hikes wages
Iran’s labour minister has announced a more than 60-percent hike in the minimum wage, local media reported, months after anti-government protests that began over discontent with dire economic conditions.
UN force shot at
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said its peacekeepers were fired upon three times, “likely by non-state armed groups”, in the country’s south, two days after another position was hit.
Baghdad airport hit
Five people were wounded in a rocket attack on the Baghdad airport complex, which houses a US diplomatic facility, Iraqi authorities said.
Rafah crossing to partially reopen
Israel said it would partially reopen Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt on Wednesday, after it closed the key gateway when it launched strikes on Iran.
Oil reserves released
Strategic oil reserves will be released “immediately” in Asia and Oceania, and as early as the end of March in America and Europe, the International Energy Agency said, as governments try to contain the surge in prices caused by the war.
Iran says no talks
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was not interested in talks with the United States, pushing back on Trump’s stance that Tehran wants a deal to end the war.
Israelis injured
At least eight people were injured in Israel following repeated missile launches from Iran, at least two of which contained cluster munitions, according to Israeli authorities.
Italy-US base hit
Italy’s military said there had been a drone attack on the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait hosting Italian and US forces, but said all its personnel were safe.
Lebanon says 850 dead
Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli attacks have killed 850 people in the country during two weeks of war between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, including 66 women, 107 children and 32 health workers, with 2,105 wounded.
Hezbollah missile
Hezbollah said its fighters targeted Israel’s Palmachim air base south of Tel Aviv with “an advanced missile”.
Hamas official killed
An Israeli strike in south Lebanon’s Sidon area killed Hamas official Wissam Taha, a source from the Palestinian militant group told AFP, after state media reported a strike on an apartment.
Overnight strikes in Sidon and nearby Al-Qatrani killed at least four people, Lebanese state media and the government said.
Muslims across the world are celebrating Eid ul Fitr with traditional zeal and fervour, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Families and communities are coming together for prayers, feasts, and charitable giving, reflecting on a month of fasting, spiritual reflection, and devotion. The celebrations are filled with joy, greetings of “Eid Mubarak,” and acts of kindness that highlight the essence of the festival.
Rescuers were searching for the crew and passengers of a Qatari military helicopter that crashed in the Gulf state´s waters after a “technical malfunction”, the government said early Sunday.
“A Qatari helicopter had a technical malfunction during a routine duty, which led to its crash in the regional waters of the State,” Qatar’s defence ministry said in a statement posted to X. “Searching operation for its crew members and passengers is in progress.”
The interior ministry said that several specialised teams have been deployed.
Qatar has not specified where the helicopter was flying or the number of people on board.
While Qatar has been targeted by several strikes since the start of the Middle East war, no connection has been made between this chopper and the conflict triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
- TSA staff shortages disrupt major airport travel.
- ICE agents not specifically trained for TSA duties.
- Democrat calls Trump’s ICE airport plan reckless.
US President Donald Trump threatened to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to US airports on Monday if congressional Democrats do not immediately agree to fund airport safety.
Transportation Security Administration personnel are set to miss a second full paycheck on March 27 amid a partial government shutdown in its 36th day as lawmakers clash over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency for TSA and ICE.
TSA officers have called in sick as paychecks have dried up, and the shortage of security agents has disrupted travel at major airports. More than 400 TSA workers have quit since the partial shutdown began on February 14, NBC News reported on Saturday, citing DHS.
“I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.
In a subsequent post, Trump said the deployment would begin on Monday “if the Democrats do not allow for Just and Proper Security at our Airports, and elsewhere throughout our Country.”
TSA has about 65,000 employees, including 50,000 airport security officers.
ICE, central to Trump admin immigration crackdown
ICE agents are not specifically trained for airport security, which is TSA’s domain. ICE has played a central role in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, drawing criticism from many Democrats, civil liberties advocates and immigration advocacy groups.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, criticised Trump’s proposal as “another reckless, lawless threat to misuse ICE agents.”
“He seems to have no concept of what the limits are on ICE, and I think America would be absolutely appalled to see ICE agents roaming through airports, just as they’ve been breaking down doors at homes,” Blumenthal told reporters in Washington.
Homeland Security historically has shifted resources across agencies during emergency staffing shortages, said Stewart Baker, who was a DHS policy official in President George W. Bush’s administration. Keeping TSA going without paying staff creates “serious trouble” for the agency, Baker said.
Using ICE agents for airport security “may be slower than using trained people, but it would be better than having nobody,” he added.
ICE, along with Customs and Border Protection, has deployed agents over the past few months to multiple areas as part of the crackdown, most recently to Minnesota in an operation that resulted in agents fatally shooting American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Their deaths sparked a backlash and led the Trump administration to adopt a more targeted approach in Minnesota.
Trump this month fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid growing criticism of the administration’s immigration tactics. The US Senate is considering the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, as the next DHS secretary.
Trump has said his immigration policies are intended to curb illegal immigration and improve national security.
Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union said TSA had provided lists of airport travellers to ICE, calling the move a break from TSA’s prior practices.
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