7 minutes ago, dasaribro said:

This is what other countries have said in response to Trump's request.

UK

At a news conference on Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said conversations aimed at working out a "viable plan" were ongoing with the US, European and Gulf partners, but that we are "not at the point of decisions yet".

Pressed by the BBC on Sunday whether the UK was considering sending drones or ships to the region, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband responded: "You can rest assured that any options that can help to get the strait reopened are being looked at in concert with our allies."

Refusing to be drawn into operational details, Miliband reiterated that "ending the conflict is the best and surest way to get the strait reopened".

Germany

A government spokesman said the war with Iran had "nothing to do with Nato", while Defence Minister Boris Pistorius asked: "What does Trump expect from a handful of European frigates that the powerful US navy cannot do?"

"This is not our war. We have not started it."

France

President Emmanuel Macron last week said he was trying to put together a coalition to escort vessels and guarantee freedom of navigation.

But he said this could only happen once the "hottest phase" of the conflict was over. A few days later, his Defence Minister, Catherine Vautrin, said there were no immediate plans to send vessels into the Strait of Hormuz.

On 14 March, France's foreign ministry said the country's aircraft carrier strike group remained deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean, and its mission remained "defensive".

China

Asked by reporters on Monday whether the country had received a request to send ships and how it would respond, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said: "China once again calls on parties to immediately stop military operations, avoid further escalation of the tense situation and prevent regional turmoil from further impacting the global economy."

Jian also said China was "in communication with relevant parties to work for the deescalation of the situation".

South Korea

On Sunday, the foreign ministry told the BBC the country was "paying close attention" to Trump's remarks and the two countries would continue to "communicate closely and make a decision after careful consideration".

"The Korean government is closely monitoring developments related to the situation in the Middle East and is exploring various measures under comprehensive consideration to protect Korean nationals and ensure the safety of energy transportation routes," the ministry said.

Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back told parliament on Tuesday that sending a warship to the Strait of Hormuz would require parliamentary approval.

Japan

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Monday that she had not received a request to dispatch escort ships.

"The Japanese government is currently examining what necessary measures should be taken. Of course, this will be within the Japanese legal framework, but we are proceeding with consideration as to how we can protect the lives of Japanese vessels and their crews, and what can be done in such regards," she said.

Takaichi is due to meet Trump in Washington DC on 19 March.

European Union

Foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday that "for the time being, there was no appetite" to change the mandate of its current naval mission in the region for now.

"Nobody is ready to put their people in harm's way in the Strait of Hormuz," she told Reuters news agency, adding that "we have to find diplomatic ways to keep this open".

andharu idhe chance ani tatha ki reverse avvalii doola tireddi

12 minutes ago, karna11 said:

andharu idhe chance ani tatha ki reverse avvalii doola tireddi

no..they are just humiliating him because they got the chance now...they will rejoin with him...

13 hours ago, dasaribro said:

here is my A/B analysis on todays nato response...

A

NATO might be thinking this is the time give it back same humiliation to T...but eventually joins with him if it is impacting their economy...if thats their strategy...the outcome is europe hegemony increases over USA... i guess UK and France are in this category...

B

this is the war started by us and israel...so its not a NATO war..so they genuinely rejecting to join the war.. Spain and Germany comes to this category...specially germany having bad history with these kind of wars..it is genuinely staying away...

Here’s what happened today

This live page will be closing soon, but our coverage will continue on a new page.

Here are some of today’s top events:

• Two people have been killed in Israel after suffering severe shrapnel wounds following an attack, the national ambulance service says.

• Iranian state media have confirmed the killings of security chief Ali Larijani and Basij force commander Gholamreza Soleimani. Israel said it carried out both assassinations.

• Officials and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the killings would harden Iran’s resolve against the US and Israel.

• The war continued to spill over into Iraq, with rocket and drone attacks targeting the US embassy in Baghdad.

• The IRGC completed waves of strikes on Israel, Kuwait and the UAE, while Israel said it pummelled Tehran and southern Lebanon, including several neighbourhoods in Beirut.

• The director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, resigned over the war on Iran, saying Tehran posed “no imminent threat”.

• US President Donald Trump railed against NATO countries for declining to send their navies to the Strait of Hormuz and claimed Kent’s resignation was a “good thing”.

11 hours ago, karna11 said:

andharu idhe chance ani tatha ki reverse avvalii doola tireddi

They cannot. Trump will threaten to join hands with Russia.

Pakistan ready to mediate regional tensions, says information minister

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has emphasised his country’s pivotal role as a regional partner with a deep commitment to diplomatic stability in the Middle East during an interview with Al Jazeera.

Minister Tarar expressed a sincere “desire to participate to de-escalate the situation” in Iran and to prevent further instability. Because of these longstanding ties, he said, Pakistan has remained ready to step in and help wherever possible.

“Pakistan is involved in talking with various partners, and we have always wanted for this balance in relations to remain, and I think we are able to play a mediation role with the countries in the region”, he added.

Indian PM Modi speaks with UAE president

Narendra Modi has spoken on the phone with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, about attacks on the Gulf nation, the Indian prime minister said in a post on X.

Modi “reiterated India’s strong condemnation of all attacks targeting the United Arab Emirates, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives and damage to civilian infrastructure.”

The two leaders also agreed on the importance of ensuring freedom and safety of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz”, according to Modi.

“We will continue to work together to restore peace, security, and stability in the region at the earliest possible time,” the Indian Prime Minister added.

Earlier, Modi spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, with the Indian leader saying his “top priority” was the “safety and security of Indian nationals” as well as the “unhindered transit of goods and energy”.

UAE central bank launches resilience package to stabilise banking sector

The United Arab Emirates central bank says it has approved a package aimed at reinforcing the stability of the country’s banking sector.

The central bank said the overall stock of liquidity held by UAE banks at the regulator, combined with their net eligible assets for central bank operations, had reached close to $250bn.

Under the package, banks will gain enhanced access to reserve balances of up to 30 percent of the cash reserve requirement and access to term liquidity facilities in both UAE dirhams and US dollars, it added.

Dubai reports ‘successful’ air defence interceptions

The Dubai Media Office said authorities in the city have confirmed that sounds heard across parts of the city were the result of “successful air defence interception operations”.

The UAE Ministry of Defence also said the country’s air defence systems were “responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran”.

Photos: Fire burns near US Embassy in Baghdad

A fire burns outside the grounds of the US embassy headquarters in Baghdad’s fortified ‘Green Zone’ following an air attack [Ahmad Al-Rubaey/AFP]

[Ahmad Al-Rubaey/AFP]

[Ahmad Al-Rubaey/AFP]

How many people have been killed?

IRGC says deadly Tel Aviv attack ‘revenge’ for killing of Larijani

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says its missiles have “successfully hit more than 100 military and security targets in the heart of [Israeli] occupied territories” in response to the killing of Larijani, his son and aide, according to Fars.

The IRGC said the sites were hit because of the “collapse” of Israel’s “multi-layered and ultra-advanced defense system”, according to the IRGC-affiliated news agency.

As we reported earlier, emergency services in Israel said that a man and a woman were killed from falling shrapnel in Tel Aviv.

Israel said on Wednesday that it had killed Iran’s intelligence minister, the latest high-ranking Iranian official targeted in its air war, as it escalated attacks in Lebanon that health officials said had killed or injured dozens of people.

The Israeli military said in a statement that the Iranian intelligence minister, Esmaeil Khatib, and his ministry had overseen covert operations against Israeli and American targets across the world. Tehran did not immediately comment on the claim that Mr. Khatib had been killed. Israel’s announcement came a day after it said it had killed Iran’s de facto leader, Ali Larijani, whose funeral on Wednesday drew large crowds in Tehran.

Early on Wednesday, the Israeli military intensified its attacks on Lebanon with strikes in Beirut and other major cities, towns and villages. Israeli warplanes and drones flew low over Lebanon, as Israeli troops continued a deeper ground invasion in the south targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

Several Israeli strikes hit central Beirut, away from Hezbollah’s stronghold south of the capital — adding to fears that areas of the capital once considered safe are in danger.

Israel’s strikes came at times without warning. An unannounced Israeli attack on the central Zuqaq al-Blat and Basta areas of Beirut early Wednesday killed at least 10 people and injured 27 others, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Another building in Zuqaq al-Blat was struck later without a warning, igniting a fire on its upper floors.

In the Bachoura neighborhood of central Beirut, the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for a building that it said was used by Hezbollah. Residents fled the area as the morning call to prayer mixed with the sounds of honking cars and the crack of gunfire. Then a missile hit the building and it collapsed in a plume of smoke.

A day earlier, Israel announced that it had killed Mr. Larijani, the head of Iran’s National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, the commander of the powerful Basij militia aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

In retaliation for the killings, which further decimated Iran’s power structure, the Revolutionary Guards said it had struck Israel. Two people were killed by missile fire in Ramat Gan, outside Tel Aviv, and at least one person was injured by shrapnel, Israel’s emergency service said.

Here’s what else we are covering:

• Death toll: At least 1,348 civilians in Iran have been killed since the start of the war on Feb. 28, Iran’s U.N. representative has told the Security Council. In Lebanon, health officials said more than 900 have been killed.. In Israel, at least 14 people have been killed, the authorities said. The Pentagon says that 13 American service members have died since the start of the war.

• Resignation: Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, became the first Trump administration official to quit in opposition to the Iran war. President Trump later told reporters in the Oval Office that Mr. Kent was “weak” on security. Read more ›

• Trump’s comments: Mr. Trump lashed out again on Tuesday at NATO allies who had rebuffed his requests for help opening the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane that has been all but closed because of Iranian attacks, sending oil prices surging. He also said that he was not afraid to put U.S. troops on the ground in Iran.

• Kharg Island: Iran’s main oil export hub, a tiny island at the northern end of the Persian Gulf, presents an appealing target for Mr. Trump, who has often asserted that the United States should pursue oil assets when it goes to war. But an attack would risk sending energy prices even higher. Read more ›

• Iran’s nuclear fuel: Mr. Trump is considering a mission to seize or destroy Iran’s nuclear material. It would be one of the riskiest military operations in modern American history. Read more ›

Russia condemns strike near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant

Russia’s ⁠Foreign ⁠Ministry has condemned a US-Israeli strike near Iran’s Bushehr ⁠Nuclear Power Plant, saying the attack on Tuesday was only metres away from an energy unit.

The ministry’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova called on the US and Israel to halt the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Iran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the attack caused no damage or injuries.