What we know on Day 27 of the US and Israel’s war with Iran: Trump frustrated with Tehran and IRGC navy chief dead

Talks between the United States and Iran are ongoing — though both sides are describing things very differently.

US President Donald Trump kept changing tack on Thursday, initially saying Tehran was "begging" for a deal behind closed doors, before telling reporters at a briefing in the White House, "I don't care" whether they reach one.

However, Iranian Foreign MinisterAbbas Araghchihas refused to characterize the countries' dialogue as a negotiation, instead calling it an "exchange of messages" and describing US overtures for talks as "an admission of defeat."

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Meanwhile, Israel said it killed the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, a key figure behind the near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

And the realities of war are hitting home in the US — with high public dissatisfaction, a new postal surcharge and bipartisan skepticism in Congress. The fallout from the global energy crisis is prompting some Asian countries to take emergency steps.

Here's what to know on Day 27.

What are the main headlines?

• State of possible talks: The White House said talks with Iran are proceeding apace, even after Tehran did not immediately accept a 15-point plan to end the war. The US is working to arrange a meeting in Pakistan to discuss an off-ramp, two administration officials told CNN.

• Trump tells Iran to "get serious soon": The US president shared his frustration on Thursday over Tehran's approach to negotiations, warning that time was running out for a deal. "They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won't be pretty," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

• Iran's response: Earlier, Foreign Minister Araghchi acknowledged that messages had been exchanged with the US through mediators, but he said that Washington's shift in tone — having previously demanded Tehran's "unconditional surrender" — amounted to an acknowledgment of failure.

• Key Iranian commander killed: The commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, Alireza Tangsiri, was killed in an Israeli operation, Israel's defense minister said. Tangsiri was a key figure behind the almost complete blockade of shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

• Two killed in Abu Dhabi: Falling debris from an intercepted ballistic missile killed two people in Abu Dhabi, the city's authorities said Thursday. Three other people were injured when the debris fell on Sweihan Street, a main road on the east side of the city.

• Global economy roils: Inflation is expected to rise in major economies such as the United States, India, China and Britain because of the war in Iran, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development forecast. Economic growth in Europe and Britain is also predicted to stall.

What's happening on the ground?

• Protecting key island: Iran has been laying traps and moving military personnel and air defenses to Kharg Island in preparation for a possible US operation to take control of the island, according to people familiar with US intelligence reporting. Any ground warfare will be far more "dangerous and costly for the enemy," an Iranian army commander cautioned on Thursday.

• Another possible strait: An Iranian military source has warned that Tehran could open additional strategic fronts if the US and Israel undertake military actions against Iranian islands or attempt to pressure the country through naval operations. That could include the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The strait is a vital chokepoint for global trade, particularly oil and natural gas shipments.

• Strikes continue: Attacks are still taking place, with Israel's military saying early Thursday it carried out a wave of strikes across several areas in Iran. There were reports of fragments and debris falling in two Israeli cities, too. And Persian Gulf nations continue fending off attacks, with the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait both reporting interceptions Thursday morning.

What's happening in the US?

• Bipartisan complaints: Members of the House Armed Services Committee said they were unsatisfied with a briefing by Trump administration officials on the war, its objectives and timeline — the latest sign of growing angst even among members of Trump's own party. The frustration arose as lawmakers are bracing for a supplemental request to fund the war effort and restock munitions used so far.

• Public opinion: A new set of polls released Wednesday shows high public dissatisfaction with the war. Some 59% of Americans think the US made the wrong decision in using military force in Iran, and 61% disapprove of Trump's handling of the conflict, according to a new Pew Research survey.

• Timeline: The White House said Wednesday that the US timeline for the war is still four to six weeks and that it's "too soon to say" if the administration is satisfied with new Iranian leadership.

What's happening in the energy markets?

• Markets spooked: Oil prices rose and stock markets fell Thursday, reflecting investors' anxieties over the length of this war, even as the US signals its willingness to talk. Brent crude climbed to almost $106 a barrel. Markets in Asia and Europe fell. Gas prices in the US fell slightly — by a fraction of a penny — for the first time since the war began.

• Emergency measures in Asia: In the face of a deepening energy crisis, several countries are taking emergency steps. South Korea asked its citizens to reduce their electricity use and for gas stations to cooperate with the government's oil price cap. There was panic buying in Thailand after the government said it would reduce its subsidy on oil prices. And the Philippines' energy market regulator said it had suspended the country's wholesale electricity spot market until further notice.

• USPS fee: The US Postal Service will charge an 8% fuel surcharge on packages for the first time, adding to the costs for American consumers and businesses as a result of the war. The surcharge is temporary and will apply only to packages, not letters. Consumers and businesses will start seeing the fee on April 26.

• India's cooking crisis: India is urging households to use more piped natural gas (PNG) in an attempt to allay the energy fallout from the war, which could transform cooking habits for tens of millions of people. Indian households rely heavily on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders as their primary cooking fuel, but much of this is imported from the Middle East. The country's PNG supply doesn't rely so much on imports.

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March 26, 2026

What we know on Day 27 of the US and Israel’s war with Iran: Trump frustrated with Tehran and IRGC navy chief dead

Talks between the United States and Iran are ongoing — though both sides are describing things very differently. ...

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Max Verstappen boots reporter from Japanese GP media session

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen banned a British journalist from a Formula 1 press conference ahead of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

The Red Bull Racing driver refused to speak to reporters in Suzuka on Thursday until Giles Richards of The Guardian left the room.

"I'm not speaking before he's leaving," Verstappen said.

According to Motorsport.com, Verstappen's vexation dates back to a post-race media session following last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In that race, the 28-year-old Dutchman fell two points short of winning his fifth consecutive driver's title following a late-season push.

Richards asked Verstappen about a collision with Mercedes driver George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix on June 1. The collision prompted a 10-second penalty that knocked Verstappen down five places in the finishing order and cost him precious points.

"You forget all the other stuff that happened in my season," Verstappen snapped back at the time. "The only thing you mention is Barcelona. I knew that (question) would come. You're giving me a stupid grin now.

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"I don't know. Yeah, it's part of racing at the end. You live and learn. The championship is one of 24 rounds. I've also had a lot of early Christmas presents given to me in the second half, so you can also question that."

Richards published his own version of the events on Thursday, saying he was "deeply disappointed" that Verstappen gave him the boot and acknowledged that he had "seemingly touched a raw nerve."

"When he saw me he stared, smiled and declared he would not speak until I left. In the course of a brief 30-second exchange, he told me to 'get out' twice. I have never been asked to leave a press conference," Richards wrote.

Richards said his media colleagues were "universally shocked" by the incident.

"Marching orders received I duly departed," he wrote. "Verstappen had been smiling throughout the exchange. Perhaps he was simply enjoying the power dynamic? The day carried on; there are far more serious issues in the world than an F1 driver being cross with you."

Verstappen ranks eighth in the F1 standings through two races after finishing sixth in the March 7 opener at Qatar and 16th at the Chinese Grand Prix on March 15.

--Field Level Media

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March 26, 2026

Max Verstappen boots reporter from Japanese GP media session

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen banned a British journalist from a Formula 1 press conference ahead of this we...

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Retirement not for St. John's coach Rick Pitino; planning to 'stay as long as I can'

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- St. John's coach Rick Pitino might not have plans for his 74th birthday in September, but he'll sooner consider putting them on his calendar than weigh the prospect of retirement.

Pitino has St. John's back in the Sweet 16 with a shot at No. 1 seed Duke in the East Region semifinals on Friday. Win or lose, he's exceedingly confident it won't be his final game as a head coach. That's because he already felt what it was like without basketball in his life for a few years.

"I think the lifestyle that I was leading was certainly, I shouldn't complain about it. But I just missed it every single day I was out of it," Pitino said Thursday as the Red Storm prepare for the Blue Devils. "So I realized there's no reason to try and get out because I knew how much I missed it.

"I'd like to stay in as long as I can. As long as God willing is giving me good health, I'd like to stay in it as long as I can."

St. John's hired Pitino in 2023 and he enters Friday's game with a record of 81-24 and a chance to make his eighth trip to the Final Four with two victories this weekend.

To advance to the Sweet 16, St. John's knocked off Kansas in the second round. Getting to Indianapolis would require taking down a few more of college basketball's so-called bluebloods. Duke is up first and the winner of that matchup draws either Michigan State or UConn on Sunday.

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But Pitino, previously head coach at Kentucky and Louisville before heading to Iona, said the idea of bluebloods having any advantage over the rest of college basketball is history.

That means something coming from a coach who lost the "Christian Laettner Game" to Duke in 1992 at Kentucky and then won a national title with the Wildcats. And if you need more context on his perspective of the eras of the college game, consider Boston University gave Pitino his first (non-interim) Division I head-coaching gig when the 3-point line was only an "experiment" under consideration.

He said the elimination of bluebloods is great for the game.

"All that's gone now. We are an offshoot of professional basketball. I look at it totally different. I think it's great because I just want excellence on the court between the lines. I want to see great players, execution, coaching. We are getting that now," Pitino said.

"For you guys in the media and me as a bystander looking at my non-coaching days, I want to see great basketball with great players. We're getting that now. I think it's awesome.

"I think the fact there are no more blue bloods, I think it's great. Kentucky will always be Kentucky. Duke will always be Duke because of their great, the legacy they left in the game, the history of their game."

--Field Level Media

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March 26, 2026

Retirement not for St. John's coach Rick Pitino; planning to 'stay as long as I can'

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- St. John's coach Rick Pitino might not have plans for his 74th birthday in September, but he...

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Army extends maximum recruitment age to 42, allowing older recruits to join

The U.S. Army is expanding its recruiting pool, raising the maximum enlistment age from 35 years old to 42, according to new service regulations reviewed by ABC News.

The move isn't without precedent. The service lifted the cap to 42 years old in 2006, during the height of the Iraq War, before lowering it back to 35 a decade later.

Bringing the limit back up puts the Army more in line with the Air Force and Navy regulations, which both cap enlistment at 41. The Marine Corps caps recruits at 28 years old, though older applicants can potentially enlist with special permission.

People with autism navigate roadblocks to serving in the military

Two sources familiar with the decision told ABC News the change has been in the works for months and is not tied to the ongoing war with Iran. Instead, it reflects a longer-term effort by the Army to widen the recruiting pipeline amid persistent shortfalls.

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The average age of recruits is going up marginally, going from 21 years old in 2010 to nearly 23 years old last year, service data reviewed by ABC News shows.

Additionally, the Army will now allow enlistments of individuals with only one marijuana-related conviction.

Military officials say recruiting off to strong start in 2025, building on recent trends

The biggest hurdle with recruiting is an increasingly shrinking pool of eligible candidates, according to the Pentagon.

The Pentagon has estimated that only about 23% of young Americans ( between the ages of 17 and 24 years old) are eligible to serve. Much of this is due to academic performance on the military's SAT-style entrance test, obesity and criminal records.

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March 26, 2026

Army extends maximum recruitment age to 42, allowing older recruits to join

The U.S. Army is expanding its recruiting pool, raising the maximum enlistment age from 35 years old to 42, according to ...

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College basketball is in a new era. This year’s Sweet 16 shows the coaching old guard is still thriving

Trying to understand Brad Underwood is not exactly solving the riddle of the sphinx. A knee-bending acolyte of the "Our Fathers of the Unflinching" Church built by Bob Huggins, Underwood is a disciplined, taciturn, hard-nosed coach who long has preferred his players who are molded in his own likeness.

Or at least he used to.

In the past few years, Underwood has come to realize that a bunch of barking alphas may not, in fact, be the best way to build a successful pack. He's also recognized that maybe – just maybe – he has to give a little to get. Perhaps meet his players where they are. Understand how they need to be coached. God forbid, maybe even feel a little empathy for them on occasion.

"I'm still disciplined, and I demand and expect the same things, but maybe tolerant is the right word?" the Illinois coach tellsCNN Sportsof his coaching evolution. "Or communicative. Definitely more communicative. I used to tell guys, 'I need you to pitch the ball ahead because that's how we do it.' Now, I actually explain why."

At 62, it is not an easy old lesson for an old dog like Underwood to master, but it is also the only way he believes he can keep effectively coaching.

"Acceptance is the best word," he said. "Accept the change and then figure it out for yourself."

If that sounds like the first in a 12-step program forbasketball rebirth,well, it sort of is.

This year's Sweet 16is a fascinating case study in the current cross- section of college basketball: A regional semifinal that could very easily be bifurcated by age. On the one side, there are the old dogs: St. John'sRick Pitino, 73;Michigan State's Tom Izzo and Tennessee's Rick Barnes, both 71; Houston's Kelvin Sampson, 70; and Underwood.

On the other, the young bucks: UConn's Dan Hurley and Nebraska'sFred Hoiberg, both 53; Arizona's Tommy Lloyd and Alabama's Nate Oats, both 51; Michigan's Dusty May, 49; Iowa State's TJ Otzelberger, 48; Iowa's Ben McCollum, 44 and Duke's Jon Scheyer, 38.

And then the two tweeners, Texas' Sean Miller and Purdue's Matt Painter, 57 and 55, respectively, but head coaches for so long that you need to tack on some dog years.

The success of the (ahem) more mature coaches flies in the face of the narrative following a spate of recent retirements. In the last eight years, four Hall of Fame coaches (Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim and Jay Wright) have walked away and two likely future Hall of Famers (Tony Bennett and, this year, Greg McDermott) followed them out the door.

The discombobulation of college athletics contributed to their hasty exits.

"I think I was equipped to do the job here the old way. That's who I am," Bennett said at his 2025 retirement press conference.

Which, in turn, crafted a theory that perhaps it was time for a new generation more willing to delve into NIL and navigate the transfer portal to take over.

Instead, here comes the AARP revolution.

Rather than passing the torch, these older guys are reigniting it. Pitino just led the Johnnies to their first regional semifinal since 1999 and Izzo is in his third in four years. Excluding the Covid-19 shutdown, Sampson has made seven consecutive Sweet 16s (not to mention two Final Fours) while Barnes has rolled to four second weekends in a row. Underwood has led Illinois to this point twice in the last three years and Calipari is working on Arkansas' second consecutive Sweet 16.

"You know, you get to be 70, you realize it's a young man's game," Sampson said after Houston disposed of Texas A&M. "But we're still having fun."

Unlocking the secret

Ah, fun. Definitely the word one conjures when thinking of playing for Izzo, Pitino, Barnes, Underwood, Calipari and Sampson.

Fun like traipsing through a meadow of razor-tipped daisies.

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"Well, the guys that played for me at UMass, they say I got soft," Calipari said during the first weekend ofNCAA Tournamentgames. "They look at me and say, 'You are soft.'"

Soft Calipari earned himself a double technical for jawing with Florida coach Todd Golden earlier this month. Maybe not quite the same as being charged by an irate John Chaney threatening to kill him, but not exactly soft, either.

The dangerous misconception here is to presume these coaches have embarked on wholesale makeovers to succeed in modern-day basketball. They have not. With about five minutes left in a Big East Tournament final romp against Connecticut, Pitino's sharp, New York-hewn accent cut through the Madison Square Garden din. "Zuby, get over here," he said, beckoning his Big East Player of the Year, Zuby Ejiofor, to him – he might have added a few other unprintable words. He rattled off some sternly delivered message that left Ejiofor raising his eyebrows as if to say, "Dude, scoreboard."

Izzo this year told guard Kur Teng that he couldn't defend his 99-year-old mother, and most everyone in Spartan green agreed it was the nicest thing Izzo had said to Teng in ages.

Sampson's Houston still plays like schoolyard bullies, there to skin your knees and steal your lunch money, and Barnes – who insists, if he were a football coach, he'd run the Wing T – is still perfectly fine if Tennessee shoots fewer threes and runs its offense off hard screens.

There is, in fact, a beautiful grace that comes along with doing something long enough – and well enough – to realize that you don't have to cater to every new trend to survive. It also helps to have some gravitas. Four national championships and 25 Final Fours allow the older coaches to thumb their noses at convention.

But this era demands some bending. This is more than the one-and-done era, which Calipari mastered; or the advent of the 3-point line, which Pitino owned before everyone else. NIL payment and the portal are wholesale changes in how to construct a roster.

"In what ways are you adaptable, and in what ways are you uncompromising?" Barnes told CNN Sports. "That's the secret."

Playing the new game

It's probably best to think of the six coaches on a spectrum – from most willing to change (Pitino/Calipari) to most rigid (Izzo and Sampson).

Tyson chicken founder John Tyson literally staked his claim to Arkansas with a uniform patch. Pitino hired a TV crew to carve some space and garner some attention in the very crowded New York sports menu. Underwood turned to a behavioral assessment company, Profile, that not only does personality testing but implements AI so that coaches can help refine what it is they're looking for.

"It's been refreshing for me," Underwood said. "It's like reading a new book. The further you get into it, the more you get hooked."

Meanwhile, Barnes may not love the three, but he knows he needs it. Hence why freshman Nate Ament and transfer portal star Ja'Kobi Gillespie (Maryland) earned hefty NIL packages.

Michigan State's starting five is the only one in the entire Sweet 16 to have started at the school they're still attending. (By comparison, not a single Pitino player is a native Johnny). But Izzo also brings two transfers off the bench (and would have added a third if Divine Ugochukwu didn't get hurt).

Sampson boasts that he's only had four transfers in 11 years.

"We just always grow our own food," Sampson said. "We don't go to the grocery store and shop on aisle eight or aisle 10 or aisle 12. We just go in the backyard and pick our beans or get our corn."

But he's also shopping more at Whole Foods than Piggly Wiggly. His 2025 recruiting class, ranked third in the country, included two potential NBA lottery picks in Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr., who also happen to lead the team in scoring and rebounding, respectively.

The caveat to the old-man revolution is that the last plus-60 coach to win a national champion was then 66-year-old Roy Williams in 2017. More, the coaches of the last three title-winning teams (Florida's Todd Golden and Hurley) all come from the current crop of whippersnappers, as do the leaders of each 1-seed in this tourney.

But hey,64-year-old Curt Cignettiwon one for the gimpers in January.

Maybe, the tide is turning. Or more accurately, receding, like a hairline.

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March 26, 2026

College basketball is in a new era. This year’s Sweet 16 shows the coaching old guard is still thriving

Trying to understand Brad Underwood is not exactly solving the riddle of the sphinx. A knee-bending acolyte of the "...

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Growth rate slowed in US metro areas in 2025, with steepest drops along the southern border

Growth rates in U.S. metro areas dropped the steepest in communities along the U.S.-Mexico border last year because ofdeclines in immigrantswhile counties along Florida's Gulf Coast lost residents due toa series of hurricanes, according to new population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Census Counties Metro Population

The estimates showed that a majority of metro areas and counties had slower population gains last year, which the bureau attributed primarily to a slowdown in international migration, compared to the previous year when an influx of immigrants had helped urban areas recover from the COVID-19 pandemic a few years earlier.

The average growth rate for metro areas fell from 1.1% in 2024 to 0.6% in 2025.

The figures, covering one year through July 2025, reflect the initial months of President Donald Trump's second term and the beginning ofhis administration's immigration crackdown, Withan aging Americaand birth rates in the U.S. declining over the past two decades, immigration has become an important source of growth in many communities.

"With so little natural increase, migration determines whether an area grows or declines, particularly in the big metro cores that have continuous domestic out-migration and are dependent on immigration," said Kenneth Johnson, senior demographer at the University of New Hampshire.

Immigrant losses

Three metro areas along the U.S-Mexico border stretching from Arizona to Texas had the steepest drops in population growth rates in 2025, according to the Census Bureau.

The growth rate in Laredo, Texas, dropped from 3.2% to 0.2%. It went from 3.3% to 1.4% in Yuma, Arizona, and declined from 1.2% into negative territory at -0.7% in El Centro, California. All three experienced growth in 2024 because of an influx of thousands of immigrants.

"That pattern suggests a sharper rise-and-fall effect in border regions, where international migration plays a more central role in year-to-year population change," said Helen You, interim director of the Texas Demographic Center.

As in 2024, the top destinations for immigrants in pure numbers in 2025 were counties that are home to Houston, Miami and Los Angeles. But the drop in immigrant numbers in those counties was stark. Nine out of 10 U.S. counties had lower levels of immigration in 2025 compared to 2024, according to the Census Bureau.

urricane migration

Two destructive hurricanes,HeleneandMilton, tore through Gulf Coast counties in Florida in fall 2024, leaving behind tens of billions of dollars in damage. The storms also caused residents to leave, according to the population estimates.

Pinellas County, which is home to St. Petersburg, lost almost 12,000 residents, the second most in the U.S., trailing only Los Angeles County, which has been losing residents all decade. Pinellas County relies on migration for growth because deaths outpace births more than in any county in the U.S.

Taylor County, a tiny community ravaged by the hurricanes in Florida's Big Bend area, had the steepest growth rate decline among U.S. counties last year, with a -2.2% drop.

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But the hurricane migration wasn't limited to Florida. In the Blue Ridge Mountains, the county that is home to Asheville, North Carolina, had more than 2,000 residents leaving in the months after the remnants of Hurricane Helene destroyed homes and cut off power and communications to mountain towns.

Growth leaders

The New York metro area slid from growing by the most people in 2024 to ranking No. 13 in 2025 because of the drop in immigrants.

Instead, two perennial growth powerhouses this decade, the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth metro areas, were at the top of the list, followed by the Atlanta, Phoenix and Charlotte, North Carolina, metro areas.

Several midsize metros in Florida and South Carolina had the largest growth rates. Ocala, Florida, located 80 miles (129 km) northwest of Orlando and known for its horse farms, led the nation at 3.4%. It was followed by: metro Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,which has become a retirement haven; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Lakeland, Florida, located between the much larger metros of Tampa and Orlando; and Punta Gorda, Florida, about 35 miles (56.3 km) north of Fort Myers.

Sunbelt exurban growth

The far-out suburbs were top destinations among those who had moved from somewhere else in the United States.

They were led byCollin County, Texas,outside Dallas; Montgomery County, Texas, outside Houston; Pinal County, Arizona, outside Phoenix; and Pasco and Polk counties outside Tampa.

The rapid growthof far-flung exurbsis an after-effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Census Bureau. Rising housing costs drove people farther from cities, and remote work allowed many to do their jobs from home at least part of the week.

Where the babies are

Even though New York had more people moving out than moving in, births allowed the metro area to gain more than 32,000 residents. The New York metro area led the nation in natural increase, or births outpacing deaths, followed by the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metros.

The metros where deaths outpaced births in the greatest numbers were Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and several Florida communities with large senior populations — the Sarasota, Daytona Beach and Tampa metro areas.

The two Texas metro areas topped the charts in natural increase because of their age structure and the fact that they have gained more people than anywhere in the U.S., You said.

"Decades of domestic and international in-migration have produced relatively young populations, with a large share of residents in childbearing ages, alongside comparatively smaller proportions of senior populations," she said.

Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky:@mikeysid.bsky.social.

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March 26, 2026

Growth rate slowed in US metro areas in 2025, with steepest drops along the southern border

Growth rates in U.S. metro areas dropped the steepest in communities along the U.S.-Mexico border last year because ofdec...

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Iran rejects US ceasefire plan, issues its own demands as strikes land across the Mideast

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran on Wednesday dismissed an American planto pause the war in the Middle Eastand launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, including strikes that hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire.

Iran's defiancecame as Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran and as the United States deployedparatroopers and more Marines to the region.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview on state TV that his government has not engaged in talks to end the war, "and we do not plan on any negotiations." That followed a report from Iranian state TV's English-language broadcaster quoting an anonymous official as saying Iran rejected America's ceasefire proposal and has its own demands to end the fighting.

Earlier, two officials from Pakistan, which transmitted the U.S. plan to Iran, describedthe 15-point proposalbroadly, saying it addressed sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran's nuclear program, limits on missiles and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is shipped.

An Egyptian official involved in themediation effortssaid the proposal also includes restrictions on Iran's support for armed groups. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet released.

President Donald Trump, speaking at a fundraiser Wednesday night in Washington, insisted that Iran still wants to cut a deal.

"They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they're afraid to say it because they figure they'll be killed by their own people," said Trump, who added: "They're also afraid they'll be killed by us."

Iran has long insisted it won't discuss its ballistic missile program or its support of regional militias, which it views as key to its security. And itsability to control passage through the Strait of Hormuzrepresents one of its biggest strategic advantages.

Iran's attacks on regional energy infrastructure, along with its restrictions on the strait, have sent oil prices skyrocketing, putting pressure on the U.S. to find a way to end the chokehold and calm markets.

More U.S. troops are on the way to the Middle East

At least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division will be sent to the Mideast in the coming days, three people with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.

The paratroopers are trained to jump into hostile or contested areas to secure key territory and airfields.

The Pentagon is also sending about 5,000 more Marines trained in amphibious assaults and thousands of sailors to the region.

Most Americans believe the U.S. military action against Iran has gone too far and many are worried about the cost of gasoline, according to anew AP-NORC poll.

The survey indicates that while Trump's approval rating is holding steady, the conflict could be swiftly turning into a major political liability for his Republican administration.

Diplomatic efforts face major challenges

Mediators are pushing for possible in-person talks between the Iranians and the Americans, perhaps as soon as Friday in Pakistan, the Egyptian and Pakistani officials said.

Trump has said the U.S. is"in negotiations right now"and that the participants include special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. Trump has not identified anyone from Iran taking part.

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Press TV, the English-language broadcaster on Iranian state television, cited an Iranian five-point proposal that includes a halt to killings of its officials, safeguards against future attacks on Iran, reparations for the war, the end of hostilities and Iran's "exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz."

Those measures, particularly reparations and its continued chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz, likely will be unacceptable to the White House.

While Iran and Oman both have territory in the strait, its narrow shipping channels areviewed as international watersthrough which all ships can travel.

Anytalks between the U.S. and Iranwould face monumental challenges. It's not clear who in Iran's governmenthas the authority and willingness to negotiate.

Iran remains highly suspicious of the United States, which twice under the Trump administration has attacked during high-level diplomatic talks, including when the war began on Feb. 28.

Israel launches new strikes on Iran — and also comes under attack

The Israeli military said Wednesday it had carried out waves of airstrikes in Tehran, following strikes a day earlier targeting an Iranian submarine development center in Isfahan.

Missile alert sirens sounded in Israel as Iran and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon launched attacks. Hezbollah has fired rockets into northern Israel around the clock since the war began.

Iran also kept up pressure on its Gulf Arab neighbors. Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry said it had destroyed at least eight drones in its oil-rich Eastern Province, and missile alert sirens sounded in Bahrain. Kuwait said it shot down multiple drones but that one hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport.

Meanwhile, six people allegedly linked to Hezbollah were arrested in Kuwait for planning to assassinate Gulf leaders, Kuwait's Ministry of Interior said in a statement. Fourteen associates had fled the country, officials said.

More than 1,500 people have been killed in Iran, its Health Ministry says. Twenty people have been killed in Israel; two Israeli soldiers have also been killed in Lebanon. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed. More than a dozen civilians in the occupied West Bank and Gulf Arab states have also died.

Nearly 1,100 people have died in Lebanon, authorities said. In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militant groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have been killed.

Energy prices fall back but remain high

The news of potential negotiations drove down the price of oil. Brent crude oil, the international standard, was trading around $100 a barrel Wednesday, after nearing as high as $120 earlier last week. That's still up around 35% from the start of the war.

Economists and leaders have warned of far-reaching effects if energy prices remain high — from rising prices on food and other basics to higher rates for mortgages and auto loans.

Iran has allowed a small number of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but has said no ships from the U.S., Israel or countries seen as linked to them can pass.

Madhani reported from Washington, Corder from The Hague, Netherlands, and Ahmed from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Nicholas Riccardi in Washington contributed to this report.

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March 26, 2026

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