Iran and the United States hardened their positions as diplomacy aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the war in the Middle East appeared to be faltering on Thursday.Tehran moved to formalise its control over the crucial Strait of Hormuz while Washington prepared for the arrival of US combat forces in the region that could be used on the ground in the Islamic Republic.Iran is instituting a “de facto toll booth regime”, industry experts say, with some ships paying in Chinese yuan to pass through the strait, where 20 per cent of all traded oil and natural gas is transported in peacetime.Meanwhile, a strike group anchored by the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli drew closer to the Mideast with some 2,500 Marines. Also, at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne have been ordered to the region.The troop movements don’t guarantee US President Donald Trump will try to use force to compel Iran to open the strait and halt its attacks on Gulf Arab states.Trump previously deployed a large force in the Caribbean before the American military captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January. In the current situation, the US is seen as focused on possibly seizing Iran’s oil terminal at Kharg Island or other sites near the strait.US Navy Adm Brad Cooper, who commands the American military in the region, said his forces have hit more than 10,000 targets since Israel and the US started the war on February 28, destroying 92 per cent of Iran’s largest ships and more than two-thirds of the country’s missile, drone and naval production facilities.”We’re not done yet,” said Cooper, who heads the US Central Command, in a video message. “We are on a path to completely eliminate Iran’s wider military apparatus.” — with AgenciesIsrael says it killed head of Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s navyMarch 26, 2026 4:14 pmIsrael said Thursday it killed Commodore Alireza Tangsiri, the head of Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s navy – the key official overseeing the closure of the strait. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he had been killed along with other senior naval commanders in a strike overnight. Iran did not immediately acknowledge Tangsiri’s killing. APOil climbs and Asian shares fall over Iran war de-escalation uncertaintiesMarch 26, 2026 1:31 pmDubai: Oil prices gained again on Thursday and Asian shares were mostly lower as a de-escalation of the Iran war remains uncertain. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 1.5 per cent to USD 98.72 per barrel. It was below USD 95 on Wednesday. Benchmark US crude was 2 per cent higher at USD 92.16 a barrel. The rise in oil prices came as Tehran on Wednesday dismissed a ceasefire plan by the US, after the Trump administration offered a 15-point proposal to Iran and the American president this week delayed a self-imposed deadline to “obliterate” its power plants in order to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. APParamedic in Israel describes chaos at scene of missile attackMarch 26, 2026 1:28 pmDubai: An Israeli paramedic who arrived first to the scene in Kfar Qasim described it as “chaos”. “We arrived within minutes with intensive care units and ambulances. At the scene there was chaos. We began searching inside the house and saw destruction in the centre of the home. Five casualties who were inside were injured by the blast,” said Tomer Gussman, according to a statement released by Israel’s rescue services. Gussman said the injured were evacuated to the hospital in mild condition. Meanwhile, Israel warned of a third barrage of missiles on Thursday incoming from Iran. APShrapnel from missile interception kills 2 in UAEMarch 26, 2026 12:33 pmDubai: In the United Arab Emirates, authorities in Abu Dhabi said two people had been killed and three others wounded by shrapnel from a ballistic missile interception. APLatest reports of live fireMarch 26, 2026 12:19 pmDubai: A missile alert sounded on mobile phones in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday morning. Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted multiple drones over its oil-rich Eastern Province on Thursday morning. Kuwait reported it was working to intercept incoming Iranian fire early on Thursday morning. Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens early on Thursday morning. The United Arab Emirates air defences early on Thursday also worked to intercept incoming fire. APHeavy strikes reported around IsfahanMarch 26, 2026 12:19 pmDubai: Activists in Iran reported heavy strikes early on Thursday morning around Isfahan, a city some 330 kilometres south of Iran’s capital, Tehran. The pro-reform newspaper Ham Mihan reported online about strikes in the area. Isfahan is home to a major Iranian air base and other military sites, as well as one of the nuclear sites bombed by the United States during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June. APAustralia restricts some Iranians from travelling to the countryMarch 26, 2026 12:18 pmDubai: Australia has temporarily restricted some Iranians from travelling to the country for fear that they would be unwilling or unable to return to their homeland because of the war. The restrictions apply from Thursday for six months to Iranian Visitor (Subclass 600) visa holders. These visas have been issued to more than 7,000 Iranians who intend to visit Australia for tourism, business or to see family. APFuel prices surge in ThailandMarch 26, 2026 12:15 pmDubai: Fuel prices in Thailand surged on Thursday after the government lifted a cap on diesel prices and reduced fuel subsidies. The majority of fuel types rose by 6 baht (USD 0.18) per litre. Diesel prices jumped by about 18 per cent. APIran running a toll booth regime in Strait of Hormuz, experts sayMarch 26, 2026 12:10 pmDubai: Iran is running a “de facto toll booth regime” in Strait of Hormuz, controlling which ships come through and getting payment for their safe passage, a leading shipping intelligence firm said on Thursday. Lloyd’s List Intelligence published an analysis highlighting Iran’s practices through the strait. It described vessels having to provide manifests, crew details and their destination to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The information goes to the Guard’s “Hormozgan Provincial Command for sanctions screening, cargo alignment checks that currently prioritises oil over all other commodities, and for what is described as geopolitical vetting”, Lloyd’s List said. “While not all ships are paying a direct toll at least two vessels have and the payment is settled in yuan,” Lloyd’s List said, referring to China’s national currency. APSirens sound in central IsraelMarch 26, 2026 12:08 pmDubai: Sirens sounded about an hour after sunrise across a large swath of central Israel, including areas around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and in the occupied West Bank. Israel’s military said early on Thursday morning that Iran had launched missiles towards the country. The first such alert of the day came after an unusually long lull of more than 14 hours. Hezbollah rocket fire, however, remained constant overnight in northern Israel, and once reached the Tel Aviv area overnight. APEmirati oil executive calls Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz economic terrorismMarch 26, 2026 12:06 pmDubai: The comment by Sultan al-Jaber, who leads the massive state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, signalled the hardening rhetoric of the United Arab Emirates as the war nears its one-month mark. “Weaponising the Strait of Hormuz is not an act of aggression against one nation,” al-Jaber said in a speech for an event hosted by the Middle East Institute in Washington. “It is economic terrorism against every consumer, every family that depends on affordable energy and food. When Iran holds Hormuz hostage, every nation pays the ransom, at the gas pump, at the grocery store and at the pharmacy. No country can be allowed to destabilise the global economy in this way. Not now. Not ever.” APIran’s parliament working on bill to impose fees on ships in Strait of HormuzMarch 26, 2026 12:04 pmDubai: Iran’s parliament is working on a bill to formalise the fees it is reportedly charging on some ship transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, local media reported. The Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, quoted lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi as saying that “parliament is pursuing a plan to formally codify Iran’s sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees”. “This is entirely natural, just as goods pay transit fees when passing through other corridors, the Strait of Hormuz is also a corridor,” he reportedly said. “We provide its security, and it is natural that ships and oil tankers should pay such fees.” The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, is considered an international waterway open to all shipping. Imposing fees would end that and likely be strongly opposed by the Gulf Arab states, the United States and others. APUN chief says a new envoy will be on the ground promoting mediation to end Iran warMarch 26, 2026 11:08 amDubai: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said his personal envoy, veteran French diplomat Jean Arnault, will lead “UN efforts on the conflict and its consequences”. More than three weeks after Israel and the US launched attacks on Iran, the secretary-general said, “the war is out of control”. “My message is that diplomacy must prevail,” Guterres said. “And diplomacy requires sincere dialogue.” APAttacks by both Iran and its allied groups must stop, Arab countries sayMarch 26, 2026 11:05 amDubai: While most of their previous statements focused primarily on drone and missile fire from Iran, Wednesday’s statement by five Gulf nations and Jordan also condemned Iranian attacks “whether carried out directly or through their proxies and armed factions they support in the region”. In a joint statement, they also urged Iraq to stop militias from launching attacks from its territory and reaffirmed their right to self-defence. The Gulf countries on the statement were Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. APIran’s foreign minister says his government does not plan any negotiations to end the warMarch 26, 2026 11:01 amDubai: In an interview with Iranian state TV late on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said that no talks with the United States have taken place. “No negotiations have happened with the enemy until now, and we do not plan on any negotiations,” he said. APTrump’s potential troop deployment is getting pushback on Capitol HillMarch 26, 2026 10:59 amDubai: At least one Republican lawmaker is making it clear she does not support putting US service members on the ground in Iran following a closed-door briefing with lawmakers overseeing the military. Republican Rep Nancy Mace of South Carolina posted on social media that she would “not support troops on the ground in Iran, even more so after this briefing”. While few other Republicans have taken that stance, the GOP chairs of the committees overseeing the military expressed some frustration that they are not receiving enough information about plans as the war enters a potential escalation. “I am more fearful than ever that we’re on a path to put troops on the ground in Iran,” said Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, adding that “None of the president’s objectives can be accomplished without a physical presence there.” APAt Pentagon Christian service, Hegseth prays for violence against those who ‘deserve no mercy’March 26, 2026 10:57 amDubai: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, hosting his first monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon since the Iran war began, prayed on Wednesday to have “every round find its mark”. Hegseth frequently invokes his evangelical faith as head of the armed forces, depicting a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might. “Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation,” Hegseth prayed during the livestreamed service. “Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.” AP6 people arrested in plot to kill Kuwait leaders, Ministry of Interior saysMarch 26, 2026 10:53 amDubai: Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior says the six people were allegedly linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and were arrested for planning to carry out assassinations of leaders in the Gulf state. The ministry said in a statement that five of those arrested are Kuwaiti citizens. It added that it identified 14 more members of the group who had fled the country: five Kuwaitis, five Kuwaitis whose nationalities have been revoked, two Iranians and two Lebanese. APSirens sound in parts of Tel Aviv and cities in central IsraelMarch 26, 2026 10:50 amDubai: There was no advance warning, as has been customary from Iranian missile salvos, suggesting this was rocket fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has pounded northern Israel constantly throughout this war but rarely reached deeper into the country. Israel’s emergency services said they had received no reports of casualties in the incident early on Thursday morning. APTrump insists Iran is still negotiatingMarch 26, 2026 8:43 amDubai: Speaking at a fundraiser for Republicans in Washington, DC, Trump said Iran is still interested in cutting 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,” Trump said of Iran’s leaders. The president added: “They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us,” before quipping that no one wanted to lead Iran for fear of being assassinated by the United States. AP