- U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the idea of American forces seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, its main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the Financial Times in an interview Monday. “It would also mean we had to be there […]
- DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump openly mused about seizing Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal in the Persian Gulf and the United States and Israel kept up their attacks Monday on the Islamic Republic, even as there were signs of progress in nascent ceasefire talks. Tehran, meanwhile, struck a key water and […]
- ABOARD AIRFORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday night said he has “no problem” with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering relief to the island, which has been brought to its knees by a U.S. oil blockade. “We have a tanker out there. We don’t mind having somebody get […]
- By Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, March 29 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday hinted at differences among his top aides on their approach to Iran, saying that his intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard was “softer” than him on curbing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Trump, who also suggested that a deal […]
- Senate committee plans Warsh’s Fed nomination hearing as soon as week of April 13, Punchbowl reportsMarch 29 (Reuters) – The Senate Banking Committee is planning to hold its hearing on the nomination of Kevin Warsh as chair of the Federal Reserve as soon as the week of April 13, Punchbowl News reported on Sunday, citing two sources familiar with the planning. Political resistance has held up Warsh’s nomination in the […]
- The Latest: Trump suggests US could take Iran’s Kharg Island
on March 30, 2026 at 6:18 amU.S. President Donald Trump has raised the idea of American forces seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, its main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the Financial Times in an interview Monday. “It would also mean we had to be there (on Kharg Island) for a while.” Iran has threatened to mine the Persian Gulf if its territory is invaded. The United States and Israel kept up their attacks Monday on the Islamic Republic, even as there were signs of progress in nascent ceasefire talks. Iran struck a key water and electrical plant in hard-hit Kuwait, part of its ongoing campaign targeting the Gulf Arab states. Trump also said that Iran had agreed to allow 20 ships carrying oil through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning and continuing over the next few days “out of a sign of respect.” “I would only say that we’re doing extremely well in that negotiation but you never know with Iran because we negotiate with them and then we always have to blow them up,” he said. The war has already threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices. Here is the latest: Israel needed to pass a budget before April 1 in order to avoid triggering early elections. Prime Minister Benjamin 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. The $270 billion budget, Israel’s largest ever, included a 20% increase for the Ministry of Defense due to the ongoing war against Iran. The ministry’s budget has swollen to $45 billion, forcing cuts in other government ministries. Israel’s parliament is set to vote on a bill that would make the death penalty the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis. The parliament began debate on Monday, days before its spring recess. The bill’s passage would mark the culmination of a yearslong push by Israel’s far-right to escalate punishment for Palestinians convicted of nationalistic offenses against Israelis — and victory for Israel’s firebrand minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the religious party that introduced the legislation. Opponents of the legislation call it racist, draconian and unlikely to deter attacks by Palestinian militants. Rights groups are expected to petition Israel’s Supreme Court against it. Israel on Thursday had said it killed Alireza Tangsiri, a rear admiral in the 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. Comments by Noura Al Kaabi, a minister of state at the UAE’s Foreign Ministry, offered another signal that the Emirates wants more than just a ceasefire to stop the war. In a column published by the state-linked, English-language newspaper The National, Al Kaabi denounced the missile and drone attacks targeting her country and Iran’s chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz. “We want a normal neighbor,” she wrote. “An Iranian regime that launches ballistic missiles at homes, weaponizes global trade and supports proxies is no longer an acceptable feature of the regional landscape.” She added: “We want a guarantee that this will never happen again.” The plant is located some 530 kilometers (330 miles) northwest of the capital, Tehran. Firefighters put out a blaze at the site, media reported. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The spot price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, was around $115 early Monday, up nearly 60% from Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel started the war with attacks on Iran. The comment by Alaeddin Boroujerdi to Iranian state television comes after hard-liners in Tehran long have suggested taking the step. “Why should we accept the restrictions?” Boroujerdi said. “We are not seeking a nuclear weapon anyway. But it’s not like that we are supposed to observe the rules of the game and they bomb us.” The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is a landmark international accord meant to stop the spread of nuclear arms. Countries that signed it agreed not to build or obtain nuclear weapons and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to conduct inspections to verify they correctly declared their programs. Iran has been restricting IAEA inspections for years and hasn’t let them visit the three enrichment sites bombed by the U.S. in June. — Israel’s military said on Monday morning that it was striking ‘military infrastructure’ across Tehran. — Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens twice on Monday. — At dawn Monday, Israel’s military said Iran had launched missiles at the country. It was the first such launch from Iran of the day. Sirens went off in the area near Israel’s main nuclear research center, a part of the country that has been targeted repeatedly over the past days. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Trump mulls seizing Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal even as talks show progress
on March 30, 2026 at 6:18 amDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump openly mused about seizing Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal in the Persian Gulf and the United States and Israel kept up their attacks Monday on the Islamic Republic, even as there were signs of progress in nascent ceasefire talks. Tehran, meanwhile, struck a key water and electrical plant in hard-hit Kuwait, part of its campaign targeting the Gulf Arab states. As a diplomatic effort being facilitated by Pakistan toward ending the war moved ahead, Trump said Iran had agreed to allow 20 oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday as “a sign of respect.” At the same time, with 2,500 U.S. Marines now in the region and a similar sized contingent on its way, he raised the idea of taking Iran’s Kharg Island. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t,” he told the Financial Times in an interview published early Monday. “We have a lot of options.” Sirens sounded at dawn near Israel’s main nuclear research center, 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 neighbors, 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 defenses. 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 are 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 military launched a new wave of attacks on Iran, saying it was striking “military infrastructure” across Tehran, and explosions were heard in the Iranian capital. Iranian state media reported a petrochemicals plant in Tabriz, in the north, sustained damage after an airstrike and firefighters had to put out a blaze. In Lebanon, which Israel has invaded by ground, an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed and three others were 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 militant group. 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 $115, up nearly 60% from when the U.S. and Israel started the war with attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. As pressure has grown on Trump to bring an end to the conflict, the U.S. has presented Iran a 15-point plan that includes it agreeing to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. Iran, meantime, has produced a five-point plan with its own terms, including maintaining its sovereignty over the key waterway. Pakistan announced Sunday that it would soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran, though there was no immediate word from Washington or Tehran, and it was unclear whether discussions on the monthlong war would be direct or indirect. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar the talks would be held “in the coming days.” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday that the U.S. was negotiating “directly and indirectly” with Iran, though Iran has insisted that it has not been in any talks with Washington. “We’re doing extremely well in that negotiation but you never know with Iran because we negotiate with them and then we always have to blow them up,” Trump said. Earlier, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, dismissed the talks in Pakistan as a cover to get more U.S. troops into the area. He said Iranian forces were “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever,” according to state media. In the interview with the Financial Times, Trump suggested it could mean a longer-term commitment if the U.S. decided to try and take Kharg Island, saying “it would mean we had to be there for a while.” “I don’t think they have any defense,” he added. “We could take it very easily.” The U.S. already launched airstrikes once that targeted military positions on the island. Iran has threatened to launch its own ground invasion of Gulf Arab countries and mine the Persian Gulf if U.S. troops land on its territory. To get an amphibious invasion force to Kharg would mean transiting the Strait of Hormuz and most of the Persian Gulf. Experts say that holding the island would also be a challenge, because in addition to its missiles and drones, it would be well within artillery range from the Iranian mainland. 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 U.S. service members have been killed in the war. ___ Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville aboard Air Force One, Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami, Florida and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this story. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Trump says he has ‘no problem’ with Russian oil tanker bringing relief to Cuba despite blockade
on March 30, 2026 at 2:18 amABOARD AIRFORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday night said he has “no problem” with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering relief to the island, which has been brought to its knees by a U.S. oil blockade. “We have a tanker out there. We don’t mind having somebody get a boatload because they need… they have to survive,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington. When asked if a New York Times report that the tanker would be allowed to reach Cuba was true, Trump said: “I told them, if a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it’s Russia or not.” Tracking data shows the oil tanker carrying approximately 730,000 barrels of oil, was just off the eastern tip of the island on Sunday night and slated to arrive in the city of Matanzas by Tuesday. Journalists working for Cuban state media also reported the on the boat’s expected arrival, though Cuban officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The vessel, Anatoly Kolodkin, is sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom following the war in Ukraine. Trump, whose government has come at its Caribbean adversary more aggressively than any U.S. government in recent history, has effectively cut Cuba off from key oil shipments in an effort to force regime change. The blockade has had devastating effects on the civilians Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say they want to help, leaving many desperate. Island-wide blackouts have roiled Cubans already grappling with years of crisis, and lack of gasoline and basic resources has crippled hospital and slashed public transport. Experts say the anticipated shipment could produce about 180,000 barrels of diesel — enough to feed Cuba’s daily demand for nine or 10 days. Island-wide blackouts have roiled Cubans already grappling with years of crisis, and lack of gasoline and basic resources has crippled hospital and slashed public transport. Cuba has long been at the heart of geopolitical tug-of-war between the U.S. and Russia, dating back decades. Trump on Sunday dismissed the idea that allowing the boat to reach Cuba would help Russian President Vladimir Putin. “It doesn’t help him. He loses one boatload of oil, that’s all it is. If he wants to do that, and if other countries want to do it, it doesn’t bother me much,” Trump said. “It’s not going to have an impact. Cuba’s finished. They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it’s not going to matter.” He added: “I’d prefer letting it in, whether it’s Russia or anybody else because the people need heat and cooling and all of the other things.” —— Associated Press reporters Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City and Andrea Rodríguez contributed from Havana. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Trump says intel chief Tulsi Gabbard ‘softer’ than him on Iran nuclear issue
on March 30, 2026 at 1:51 amBy Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, March 29 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday hinted at differences among his top aides on their approach to Iran, saying that his intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard was “softer” than him on curbing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Trump, who also suggested that a deal could be near to contain Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, said “yeah, sure,” when asked by a reporter whether he retained confidence in Gabbard, the U.S. director of national intelligence. “She’s a little bit different in her thought process than me,” Trump said aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington after a weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. “But that doesn’t make somebody not available to serve. I would say that I’m very strong on the fact that I don’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon because if they had a nuclear weapon, they’d use it immediately. I think she’s probably a little bit softer on that issue, but that’s okay.” Trump seldom acknowledges debate among top officials over the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, which is entering its second month. Vice President JD Vance has staked out a cautious approach on conflict and some other top Republicans have privately worried about the conflict’s domestic economic and political costs. The Republican president’s administration has given conflicting messages about the state of Iran’s nuclear program. In the run-up to the war, some top administration officials said Iran was weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon, although others — including the president — claimed that another U.S.-Israeli campaign last summer had destroyed its weapons program. Iran has maintained that its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes. Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, told lawmakers earlier this month that the U.S. intelligence community had “high confidence” that it knows where Iran keeps its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. At the time, she declined to discuss in a public session whether the U.S. has the means to destroy it. An official with close ties to Gabbard, Joe Kent, who headed the National Counterterrorism Center, earlier this month resigned over the war, saying Iran posed no imminent threat to the U.S. (Reporting by Steve Holland aboard Air Force One and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Editing by Sergio Non and Stephen Coates) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Senate committee plans Warsh’s Fed nomination hearing as soon as week of April 13, Punchbowl reports
on March 29, 2026 at 10:16 pmMarch 29 (Reuters) – The Senate Banking Committee is planning to hold its hearing on the nomination of Kevin Warsh as chair of the Federal Reserve as soon as the week of April 13, Punchbowl News reported on Sunday, citing two sources familiar with the planning. Political resistance has held up Warsh’s nomination in the Senate, with Fed Chair Jerome Powell remaining in place even as President Donald Trump presses for a successor willing to cut interest rates faster. The uncertainty over the Fed’s leadership has collided with a worsening inflation backdrop, as oil prices have surged following U.S.-backed airstrikes on Iran and as an escalating war in the Middle East disrupts key shipping routes. Traders now have little expectation for a rate cut this year, as higher energy costs feed into broader inflation and limit the scope for easing monetary policy. (Reporting by Costas Pitas, additional reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Sergio Non and Stephen Coates) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
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