Iran rebuffs President Trump's peace plan following attacks on Tehran, outlining its own demands for ending the war. These include war reparations, guarantees against future attacks, and recognition of Iranian sovereignty. Meanwhile, tensions escalate with intensified fighting in Lebanon and US troop deployments.
A woman named looks out from her destroyed apartment in the remains of a residential and commercial building in the Shahrak-e Gharb neighborhood of Tehran, Iran , on March 21. The building was hit on March 16 amid U.
S. and Israeli attacks and resulted in several deaths.Iran's government on Wednesday rejected President Trump's plan for ending the war and vowed to continue fighting until a list of Iran's own conditions are met. Iran's demands include war reparation payments and recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. The back-and-forth proposals came even as Israel is intensifying its fight against Iran and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, and as the Trump administration is sending thousands of Marines and Army troops to the region.Iran has rejected President Trump's plan for ending the war and presented five conditions of its own.The conditions include safeguards against future attacks on Iran, the payment of war reparations to the country and a recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's conditions to end the war: end to aggression by the enemy, concrete guarantees preventing the recurrence of war, clear determination, guaranteed payment of war damages and compensation, comprehensive end to the war across all fronts, incl. against all resistance groups,…included Iran's commitment to never pursuing nuclear weapons and dismantling any existing nuclear capabilities.reflected an early version and that changes had been made since then, though it wasn't clear what the changes were. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. NPR has not seen a copy of the proposal. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that"talks continue, they are productive," when asked about Iran's rejection of the U.S. proposal. Iranian officials have insisted they are not negotiating with the U.S., saying the countries have only exchanged messages via regional intermediaries. Iranian military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari suggested"Have your internal conflicts reached the point of you negotiating with yourselves?" Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said"We do not want a ceasefire," saying it would lead to a vicious cycle of repeated war."We want the war to end in a way that it does not repeat, on our own terms. The damages to the people of Iran must also be compensated," he"stands ready" to facilitate talks between the U.S. and Iran to end the war. He followed his statement by tagging the X accounts of President Trump, as well as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and the Iranian foreign minister.An 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper participates in artillery training during a field exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Aug. 26, 2020. Between 2,000 and 3,000 U.S. Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division have received written orders to deploy to the Middle East, according to a U.S. government official who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The troops are expected to come from the division's Immediate Response Force, which can mobilize worldwide within 18 hours. The deployment, combined with two Marine Expeditionary Units already moving toward the Persian Gulf, could bring 6,000 to 8,000 U.S. ground troops into close proximity to Iran.The Albina Bulk carrier sits anchored at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman, on on March 22. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it would facilitate the"safe passage" of"non-hostile" ships in the Strait of Hormuz, but excluded vessels belonging to the United States, Israel and others engaged in the war with Iran from transiting through it. It followed a letter sent to the U.N. Secretary General, Antonio Guterres on Sunday, asserting that the passage of ships from countries it deemed neutral to the conflict, would be done"in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities." The letter also stated that assets belonging to the U.S., Israel and their allies"do not qualify for innocent or non-hostile passage." Iran's announcement came amid renewed efforts by Washington to discuss an exit strategy from the current conflict and just as thousands of U.S. Marines were ordered to be deployed in the Middle East. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for about 20 percent of the world's global supply of oil, in response to U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, which began on Feb. 28. Iran attacked some 20 ships during the past three weeks of the conflict and blocked the transit of vessels already in the waters, drawing condemnation from U.N. agencies and human rights organizations. Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has also interrupted the global supply of natural gas and fertilizer, with over 1,000 ships, most of them oil tankers, and triggered alarm over the fate of about 20,000 seafarers stranded near the strait. Initially, Trump asked NATO countries to assist in opening the waterway, but was met with rejection. He then gave Iran an ultimatum to open the waterway by March 23, but has since backed out of that deadline, giving Iranian leaders until the end of the week to comply with his demands. Recently Iran has allowed some ships from countries it deems neutral parties to the current conflict, to pass. Based on NPR reporting, ships linked to Pakistan and India have been waved through the Strait and that governments of China and Iraq were in negotiations with Iranian authorities to enable a safe passage of their ships. About 90 percent of crude oil destined for Asia passes through Hormuz. In the letter to the U.N. Security Council member states, Iranian officials also said they had implemented"a set of precautionary measures" and called on countries to comply with them, without specifying what they were. Oil prices have surged globally since Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and continuous attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf countries, with senior international officials warning of the biggest global energy security crisis.Lebanon's health ministry said at least 33 people were killed in the overnight strikes, including a 3-year-old child. Israel's operations in Lebanon have killed more than 1,000 people this month, and displaced more than 1 million, according to Lebanese authorities. Israel began its military operations in Lebanon earlier this month after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in support of Iran following the Feb. 28 U.S.-Israeli attack. On Tuesday, Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, said Israel plans to retain control of the territory south of the Litani River, which would effectively move the Israeli-Lebanese border north by about 10 to 20 miles. Katz threatened to use the"model" of destruction the Israeli military has used in the Gaza Strip in Lebanon, where many residential areas were razed. Paul Khreish, a municipal official in the southern Lebanese village of Ain Ebel, told NPR by phone that he was worried his region"will no longer be Lebanese" by the end of Israel's latest military campaign. Khreish said he was also unsure about whether it was safe to flee, because the roads are regularly being hit by Israeli strikes.said Israel's tactics of forcible displacement and deliberate targeting of civilians in Lebanon risk violating international law and constitute war crimes. Lebanon's relationship with Iran, meanwhile, has deteriorated significantly in the last month because of tensions over Hezbollah. Lebanon's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it had withdrawn the Iranian ambassador's accreditation and demanded he leave the country by Sunday. Lebanon's government has sought international help in disarming Hezbollah, which is still a powerful force in Lebanese politics. Some in Lebanon blame Hezbollah for dragging them into the current war.U.N. estimates the war has cost Arab region $63 billion in economic losses as strikes continue Kuwait says a drone hit a fuel tank at its international airport overnight, causing a large explosion and fire. That airport and others in the region have been attacked multiple times by Iranian drones in the war. In addition to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia says it intercepted more missiles and drones overnight targeting its oil-rich eastern region, with debris falling on homes there. The U.N. human rights chief, Volker Turk, says U.S. and Israeli attacks are hitting homes, hospitals, schools and cultural sites in Iran. He also says Iranian attacks are striking energy and water infrastructure in Gulf Arab countries. "Many of the strikes in this conflict raise serious concerns under international law, which prohibits attacks targeting civilians and their infrastructure," Turk said. The U.N. assesses the war has already caused some $63 billion in economic losses across the Arab region, he added.Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, an alliance of factions now integrated into the regular army, carry the coffin of the Hashd al-Shaabi operations commander for Al-Anbar, Saad Dawai alongside others during a mass funaral in Baghdad on March 24, 2026. Iraq said an attack Wednesday near an army medical center killed at least seven Iraqi soldiers and has complained to the U.S. over the airstrikes. The Iraqi government said a strike hit near a base of Iran-backed paramilitaries in Iraq's western Anbar province. The government didn't identify the attackers but said it had summoned the top U.S. diplomat in the country to formally complain about what it considered a breach of international law. Iraq has a strategic partnership with the U.S. while also hosting powerful Iran-backed militias that are officially part of Iraqi government forces but not entirely under government control. Some of those militias have been targeting U.S. bases in Iraq and Iraq's Kurdistan region. The U.S. and Israel have been launching airstrikes in retaliation for attacks by the Iran-backed Iraqi groups on U.S. positions since the war in Iran began. Iraq's National Security Council said Wednesday it authorized Iran-backed paramilitary forces to respond to any attacks on their positions, potentially giving the green light for attacks on U.S. forces. The move came after airstrikes killed at least 15 fighters from Iran-backed Iraqi groups, including a senior commander, in Anbar province on Tuesday, according to the Iraqi government. The government said attacks also targeted the residence in the city of Mosul of a senior Iraqi official who heads the forces. On Wednesday, the Peshmerga militia forces in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq said six Iranian ballistic missiles struck one of their headquarters near Irbil on Tuesday, killing six fighters. Iraq's government said it summoned the Iranian ambassador to complain about the attack — the first known by Iran on the Iraqi Kurdistan region's forces in the war. Iran has stepped up attacks in the region, including in Irbil, the Kurdish region's capital, where the provincial government said U.S. fighter jets were patrolling.Daniel Estrin contributed reporting from Tel Aviv, Israel, Quil Lawrence from New York, Aya Batrawy from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Lauren Frayer from Beirut, Jane Arraf from Amman, Jordan, Rebecca Rosman from Paris and Alex Leff from Washington.Unpaid TSA workers staff San Diego airport as paid ICE agents arrive at othersKPBS keeps you informed with local stories you need to know about — with no paywall. Our news is free for everyone because people like you help fund it.
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