2026 Israeli–United States strikes on Iran and elsewhere in region - News and Discussion

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The Royal Navy could charter civilian ships to help clear Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Britain is leading an international coalition of allies, including France and the US, in drawing up options to reopen the narrow shipping lane.

Chartered vessels would act as mine-hunting “motherships”, deploying drones from their decks to seek out and destroy hidden underwater explosives across the Gulf.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the head of the UK’s military, is understood to be considering bolstering the Navy’s mine-hunting fleet by acquiring commercial vessels.

“We’re in day-to-day dialogue with industry,” a defence source said on Tuesday. “Those vessels are literally all over the world.

“You’ve got an opportunity, potentially with some of this capability, to charter vessels and use a much more commercial model around which you can build with White Ensign or international warships offering force protection around it.”

Naval chiefs are also considering converting some of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s (RFA) three Bay-class landing ships, which are all out of action, into potential mine-hunting vessels. “All of those are being explored as we start to bring to life what this could look like with international partners,” a military official added.

[snip]
This is likely to not end well at all. Last stand of the drone advocates?
 
Unless peace talks pan out fast, traders say high prices for specific Mideast crude cargoes will soon cascade to the U.S. and elsewhere.
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From the BBC livestream an hour or so ago:

12:48​


Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth
Image source,EPA
The Pentagon says it will boost production of several defence systems and munitions.

It will "accelerate the production of the precision strike missile," as well as the seekers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad), which is designed to intercept high-altitude missiles, the department says in a statement on its website.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to "put the defence industrial base on a wartime footing," the department says, adding that it will also increase production of navigation systems and electronic warfare solutions.
 
I'd say this is already dead on arrival:
DUBAI/TEL AVIV, March 25 (Reuters) - Pakistan has delivered a proposal from the United States to Iran, and either Pakistan or Turkey could be venues for discussions to de-escalate the war in the Gulf, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday.

The comments, on condition of anonymity, were among rare signs that Tehran might consider diplomatic proposals, despite insisting in public that no talks were under way and it would make no deal with ‌the administration of President Donald Trump.

 
From the Daily Telegraph livestream:
Iran launched a cruise missile attack on a US aircraft carrier despite Donald Trump’s claim that talks to end the conflict had begun.

The Iranian military claimed the strikes had forced the USS Abraham Lincoln to change its position in the Arabian Sea, and warned additional “powerful strikes” would follow once it entered range.

Earlier on Wednesday, a senior Iranian official confirmed that Iran had received a peace plan from the US via Pakistan.

The Trump administration is pushing for talks in Islamabad as early as Thursday, with JD Vance, the vice-president, set to lead negotiations.

On Tuesday, the US submitted a 15-point peace plan to Iran that included demands for Tehran to give up its nuclear programme, end its funding of proxy groups such as Hezbollah, and accept limits on its ballistic missile programme.

In return, Iran would receive full sanctions relief and US assistance to advance its civil nuclear programme.

Iran has denied that any direct peace talks have taken place, telling the US: “You are negotiating with yourselves.”
 
gCaptain story mentioned in the latest What's going on With Shipping video:

EDIT: Also from yesterday;
 
From the BBC livestream:

14:42Breaking​


84235ea3-e168-4601-8945-9467e76fa41f.jpg.webp
Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

Iran’s state broadcaster Press TV says, quoting a “senior political-security official”, that Iran has rejected a US proposal aimed at ending the current war.

Press TV hasn’t named the official, nor their rank or title, but reports the official says: "Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met."

Iranian officials have repeatedly said they want a complete end to the war, not just a ceasefire.

According to Press TV, the official outlined five conditions, including:

  • A complete halt to "aggression and assassinations" by the enemy
  • The establishment of concrete mechanisms to ensure that the war is not reimposed on the Islamic Republic
  • Guaranteed and clearly defined payment of war damages and reparations
  • The conclusion of the war across all fronts and for all resistance groups involved throughout the region
  • International recognition and guarantees regarding Iran's sovereign right to exercise authority over the Strait of Hormuz
Press TV says Washington has been pursuing talks through various diplomatic channels, but Tehran sees the proposals as “excessive”.
 

It's Tom Cooper, with the usual caveats. He tends to rant like Grandpa Simpson. Interesting part about the US-Israel demolishing missile tunnels entries with bunker buster bombs - only for Iran to clean up the entries, roll out and fire the missiles thereafters.
Rinse, repeat... it's gonna be a loooooong war.
 
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Yet another factor influencing developments in the US/Israel war with Iran? Or the other way around?
Traders bet hundreds of millions of dollars on oil contracts just minutes before US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the US would postpone strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure.

Market data reviewed by the BBC shows the volume of trade spiked around fifteen minutes before a social media post by the president announcing the move.

The price of oil fell sharply after the announcement, dropping 14% in a matter of minutes. Traders who bet on the unexpected move would have made money.

Some market analysts say the unusual activity opens up the possibility that the bets may have been placed with prior knowledge of the decision.

The BBC has contacted the White House for comment. A spokesman told the Financial Times that it did not "tolerate any administration official illegally profiteering off of insider knowledge".

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission did not respond to a request for comment. The Securities and Exchange Commission declined to comment.
More at the link.
 
Bloomberg:
US Carrier That Left Mideast Over Fire Has Other Problems
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier arrived at a port in Crete after a fire broke out in its laundry area, forcing it to leave the Middle East and the war against Iran.
The ship has concerns ranging from its operational suitability to the reliability of key systems, including its jet launch and recovery system and radar, with insufficient data available to assess its operational effectiveness.
The Navy's test office found issues including a lack of bunks for sailors, with 159 additional bunks required, and unfunded fixes for combat systems, which could affect the ship's quality of life onboard and performance in combat.
Without paywall: https://archive.ph/NJJpu
 
Iraq gives PMF green light to respond to US/Israeli aggressions "BY ALL MEANS AVAILABLE."

Iraq's Ministerial Council for National Security authorizes the PMF to respond under the principle of the right of response and self-defense.

This was triggered by a US airstrike on the PMF operations headquarters in Anbar province this morning killed Saad al-Baiji, the PMF's Anbar operations commander, along with 14 of his men. 30 total killed and wounded. The strike hit during a security meeting attended by senior commanders.
View: https://x.com/i/status/2036544401401585971

 
Handala Hack has released detailed infrastructure maps and precise coordinates for critical water and electricity nodes across the occupied territories.

The publication includes structural layouts and transmission data for primary energy anchors, including the Eshkol Power Station (1693 MW), the Alon Tavor Power Plant (583 MW), and major solar facilities such as Shams Ma’an and Schneur-Tse’elim. By mapping these high-value industrial dependencies, the group has confirmed that the regime's essential nervous system is now fully recorded within the resistance's strategic target bank.

The statement from Handala Hack emphasizes that these precise coordinates are now synced with regional operational planning. This exposure demonstrates a total breach of the regime's internal infrastructure security.
View: https://x.com/i/status/2035789631556321785
 
On the deployment of US troops

View: https://x.com/i/status/2036151171102974063


The deployment and arrival of US forces are ‘proceeding as planned’, according to a source familiar with the details who spoke to The Jerusalem Post on Monday night.

The reported deployment includes approximately 2,500 Marines, 2,000 sailors, 3 amphibious ships, and 3,000 paratroopers.


View: https://x.com/i/status/2036448821043937346
 
Reuters: Iran military spokesperson says US is negotiating with itself

The United States is negotiating with itself, an Iranian military spokesman ‌said according to state media on Wednesday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran wants to make a deal to end the ⁠war in the Middle East.
A 15-point plan aimed at putting an end to the conflict was drafted by Washington and sent to Tehran, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
"Has the level of your inner struggle reached ‌the ⁠stage of you negotiating with yourself?" Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the unified command of Iran's armed forces, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, ⁠taunted the U.S. leadership.
"People like us can never get along with people like you."
Zolfaqari said ⁠U.S. investments and pre-war energy prices would not return as long as ⁠Washington does not accept that regional stability is guaranteed by Iranian armed forces.

Without paywall: https://archive.ph/JFEj9
 
Pictures taken of Iranian drone operators and their Equipment. According to some sources these pictures have been taken on Kharg Island. The presence of troops equipped with maneuverable anti-personelle drones is meant to deter amphibious operations. Some sources stated that Russian veterans have instructed a cadre of Iranian troops which in turn trained their fellow countrymen. Some go as far as stating the instructors belonged to the well known and highly effective 'Rubicon' Unit. Furthermore there have been mentions to links to 'a mystery country in the east'.
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