Live! Trump claims talks with Iran’s ‘new regime’, threatens to ‘blow up’ power plants, Kharg

A day after Pakistan claimed it was ready to mediate between the United States and Iran to end the ongoing war, Iran denied Pakistan's involvement in the efforts.

The Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai stated on Monday (March 30) that there have been no direct talks with the US, only excessive and unreasonable demands passed through intermediaries.

"No direct US talks; only excessive, unreasonable demands via intermediaries. US "diplomacy" flips constantly; our stance is clear. Pakistan's forums are their own; we didn't participate. Regional calls to end war are welcome, but remember who started it!" the Consulate General said in a statement.

On Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as deputy prime minister, hosted his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey for several hours of talks in Islamabad.

US President Donald Trump on Monday (March 30) warned Iran that its electric generating plants and Kharg Island would be “blown up and completely obliterated” if a deal is not finalised.

In his post on social media platform Truth Social, Trump said that the action would follow if Iran did not immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump wrote, "The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran. Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet touched.”

Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a written statement on Sunday thanking the Iraqi people for their backing in the conflict against the United States and Israel, according to Iranian media reports.

Khamenei, the son of former leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike on February 28 at the outset of the war, has yet to make a public appearance since assuming his role. So far, he has communicated only through a few written messages.

His absence from public view has fuelled speculation about his health and location. State television and several officials have suggested that he is recovering from injuries sustained in an airstrike.

In his latest message, Khamenei expressed gratitude to Iraq’s top religious authority and the Iraqi people for their firm opposition to aggression against Iran and their solidarity with the nation. The ISNA news agency noted that the statement referenced Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, one of the most influential figures in Shia Islam.

The message was conveyed after a meeting between the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a Shia political party, and Iran’s ambassador in Baghdad. No details were provided about the method of transmission.

Iran's attacks on the energy infrastructure of the region and its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is shipped in peacetime, has sent oil prices skyrocketing and given rise to growing concerns about a global energy crisis.

In early trading, the spot price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, was around USD 115, up nearly 60 per cent from when the US and Israel started the war with attacks on Iran on February 28.

Israel's military on Monday launched a new wave of attacks on Iran, saying it was striking “military infrastructure” across Tehran. Iranian media also reported that one of the facilities of Tabriz Petrochemical was struck in a northern province of the country. They said no hazardous materials had been released.

In Lebanon, which Israel has invaded by ground, an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed and three others wounded when a projectile exploded near a village in the south.

Over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military will widen its invasion, expanding the “existing security strip” in that country's south as it targets the Iran-linked Hezbollah militia.

In Lebanon, officials said more than 1,200 people have been killed and more than 1 million have been displaced. Five Israeli soldiers have also lost their lives.

In Iran, authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel.

In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have died.

In Gulf states, 20 people have been killed. Four have been killed in the occupied West Bank.

Thirteen US service members have been killed in the war.

Sirens sounded at dawn near Israel's main nuclear research centre, a part of the country that has been targeted repeatedly in recent days. Israel's military also said it had taken out two drones launched from Yemen, where the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels entered the war on Saturday with its first missile attack.

Iran kept up the pressure on its Gulf Arab neighbours, as Saudi Arabia intercepted five missiles targeting its oil-rich Eastern Province, Bahrain sounded a missile alert, and a fireball erupted over Dubai as an incoming missile was taken out by defences.

In Kuwait, an Iranian attack hit a power and desalination plant, killing one worker and injuring 10 soldiers, the state-run KUNA news agency reported.

Desalination plants remain crucial to water supplies in the Gulf Arab states, and an Iranian attack previously damaged a desalination plant in Bahrain during the war. The facilities are typically paired with power plants, because of the large amount of energy required to remove salt from the water to make it drinkable.

Israel's parliament on Monday passed its annual budget in a marathon overnight session, ensuring that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government can complete its term until the fall.

Israel needed to pass a budget before April 1 in order to avoid triggering early elections. Netanyahu still reserves the right to call early elections before then if he wants.

Israel's opposition slammed the budget for increasing funding to Israel's ultra-Orthodox communities at a time when the country is facing soaring costs over its war in Iran and is still reeling from a two-year war in Gaza.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called it “the greatest theft in the state's history.”

Netanyahu's government is in the final months of its four-year term and is required to hold elections by the end of October.

The budget passed 62-55. Sirens warning of missiles launched from Iran toward Jerusalem interrupted the discussions three times, according to the parliament's spokesperson.

The USD 270 billion budget, Israel's largest ever, included a 20 per cent increase for the Ministry of Defence due to the ongoing war against Iran. The ministry's budget has swollen to USD 45 billion, forcing cuts in other government ministries.

Recent opinion polls in Israel indicate that while Israelis overwhelmingly support the war, Netanyahu and his political coalition don't appear to be benefiting.

Pushing off elections until the fall could allow Netanyahu to harness momentum from the Iran war once middle-of-the night sirens are a more distant memory for Israelis. But the election would also fall close to the anniversary of the October 7 attack by Hamas.

Iran has confirmed the death of Revolutionary Guard navy chief Alireza Tangsiri. Israel had claimed on Thursday that it killed Tangsiri, a rear admiral in the Iran navy.

A statement from the Guard on Monday, read on state television, said Tangsiri “joined the ranks of Allah due to the severity of his injuries.”

It praised his efforts, particularly in helping Iran maintain a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

“Every fighter is a Tangsiri, and we will see what surprises they will bring in the days and months ahead,” the statement added.