APTOPIX Iraq Iran US Israel
Relatives grieve an Iraqi soldier killed in a strike Wednesday on a military clinic in western Iraq's Anbar province, during a mass procession inside the shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf, Iraq, Thursday, March 26, 2026.
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Iran and the United States appear to be at an impasse. The two countries are hardening their positions over ceasefire talks and setting the stage for more potential escalation in the Middle East war as thousands more U.S. troops draw closer to the region. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Thursday extended his deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to April 6, and Tehran tightened its grip on the strait. Israel poured more troops into southern Lebanon to fight the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Sirens over Israel warned of barrages of incoming Iranian missiles, and Gulf nations worked to intercept fire.
Israel’s military says it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel for the first time. The Houthis, a rebel group backed by Tehran that holds Yemen’s capital, did not immediately acknowledge launching the strike early Saturday. Attacks have appeared to intensify in the war in the Middle East including strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and an Iranian missile attack that wounded U.S. service members and damaged planes at a base in Saudi Arabia. The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations on Friday said Tehran has agreed to “facilitate and expedite” humanitarian aid through the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated his desire for Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize ties when the war ends.
