Trump says US and Iran in talks after he postpones strikes on power plants

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/iran-war-us-israel-trump-03-23-26 

 

Trump says US and Iran in talks after he postpones strikes on power plants

Trump says US held 'productive conversations' with Tehran, but Iran's foreign ministry denies any dialogue with Washington.

Updated 2:57 PM EDT, Mon March 23, 2026

Israel expands strikes on bridges, homes in Southern Lebanon

00:43

Here's the latest

• Trump postpones strike threat: President Donald Trump told CNN there are 15 points of agreement” between the US and Iran after talks this weekend. He announced earlier he will hold off strikes against Iranian energy sites for five days, after threatening to attack if Tehran did not allow the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

• Iran responds: Iran’s foreign ministry said there was “no dialogue” between Tehran and Washington, according to state affiliated media. Multiple nations have been passing messages between the US and Iran over the last several days to de-escalate the mounting tensions, sources have told CNN.

• Latest strikes: The number of people reported killed in Iran and Lebanon since the start of the conflict is now in the thousands. Several locations across Tehran have been targeted in the latest wave of Israeli attacks, according to Iranian state media.

• Markets react: Oil prices dropped following Trump’s statement. The global oil benchmark tumbled more than 7% to trade below $99 a barrel, having climbed to $114 a barrel earlier in the day.

59 Posts

3 min ago

See how the closure of Strait of Hormuz threatens global supply chains

By CNN staff

While the Strait of Hormuz is vital to the global energy supply, its closure also threatens Gulf countries that rely heavily on imported food. CNN’s Nic Robertson got exclusive access to Jeddah Islamic Port on the Red Sea where officials say cargo could increase by 50% over the next month as shippers are forced to reroute.

Supply chain disruptions loom amid Iran conflict

01:31

29 min ago

Iran says it will not mine the Persian Gulf, warns foreign powers not to interfere

By Mohammed Tawfeeq

Iran’s military spokesperson said Iran has “full” control over the Persian Gulf region, the Strait of Hormuz and waters off Oman, arguing that Tehran does not need to lay mines in the gulf to assert its position.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has full and powerful control over the Persian Gulf region, the territorial waters of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz,” the spokesperson, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, said in remarks carried by Iranian media.

“Therefore, due to sufficient dominance and power, there will be no need for mine-laying in the Persian Gulf, and we will use every possible means to ensure security as necessary,” Zolfaghari added.

He said Iran’s armed forces are capable of ensuring security in the Persian Gulf and warned that countries outside the region “have no right to interfere in this area.”

Earlier this month, CNN reported that Iran had begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, citing two people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue. The strait is a key global energy chokepoint through which about one-fifth of the world’s crude oil passes.

28 min ago

US Embassy in Oman issues shelter in place warning

By Eyad Kourdi and Catherine Nicholls

The US Embassy in Muscat, Oman, has issued a shelter in place warning for the entire country because of “ongoing activity,” without elaborating.

In the security alert, the embassy urged people in Oman to find a secure location in their residence or another building and “have a supply of food, water, medication, and other essential items.”

“In case of an attack, stay away from any debris, and monitor news outlets for official guidance,” it said.

Days after the US-Israeli war with Iran began, the US Department of State ordered non-emergency US government employees their family members to leave Oman, the alert said.

32 min ago

“Special plans” for Tel Aviv and regional allies tonight, Fars news says

By Mohammed Tawfeeq

Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported Monday, citing what it described as informed Iranian sources, that plans are being prepared for potential actions targeting Tel Aviv and some regional allies of the United States and Israel.

“Special plans are arranged tonight for Tel Aviv and some regional allies of the US and Israel, which will completely remove any hope of negotiation from the minds of the aggressors,” a source was quoted as saying by Fars, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Fars said the threat is in response to US President Donald Trump’s claim that the US is engaged in direct talks with Iran, but it did not provide further details about the nature of the alleged “plans.”

According to the same report, Iranian sources also suggested that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz may not return to its pre-war status even if the conflict eventually ends.

The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, through which roughly 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption passes, making stability in the waterway vital for global energy markets.

33 min ago

Israel says it has struck IRGC headquarters and other military infrastructure in Tehran

By Dana Karni and Catherine Nicholls

The Israeli military has said that it struck one of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ main headquarters today, alongside several other military buildings in the capital city of Tehran.

The Israeli Air Force carried out “a wide-scale wave of strikes on Iranian regime infrastructure,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

Earlier today, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said that several locations across Tehran were targeted in Israeli strikes. Meanwhile, the Iranian Red Crescent Society said it was “searching beneath the debris of a residential building in Tehran to find a child.”

The IDF said that Iranian security organization headquarters and “key weapons manufacturing sites” were among the facilities targeted, as well as “additional manufacturing sites and research facilities related to electronics, ballistic missiles, and warheads.”

In a separate statement about the IRGC headquarters it said it struck, the IDF said that the facility was used by the Iranian military “to synchronize unit activities and to conduct situational assessments,” as well as direct the Basij paramilitary force.

“The strike on the headquarters is part of the current operational phase aimed at further degrading core Iranian terror regime systems and security capabilities,” the IDF said, adding that “steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.”

35 min ago

UK summons Iran ambassador over pair charged with helping "foreign intelligence service"

By Catherine Nicholls and James Frater

London has summoned the Iranian ambassador to the United Kingdom in relation to two people charged “on suspicion of providing assistance to a foreign intelligence service,” a spokesperson for the British Foreign Office said in a statement shared with CNN.

Those charged are an Iranian national and an British-Iranian dual national, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said.

Last week, Nematollah Shahsavani, a dual Iranian/British national, and Alireza Farasati, an Iranian national, were charged with “engaging in conduct that is likely to assist a foreign intelligence service,” according to London’s Metropolitan Police.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/30/2366304/-Trump-floods-the-zone-with-chaos-to-get-away-with-murder-literally?

Trump floods the zone with chaos to get away with murder—literally

by Emily Singer

Daily Kos Staff

Friday, January 30, 2026 at 8:01:08p EST

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President Donald Trump is trying to cover all of the horrible things he's doing by overwhelming the public with even more horrible things.

As Americans watch in horror as immigration goons are jailing innocent kids and killing U.S. citizens who dare to exercise their constitutional rights, President Donald Trump is flooding the zone with so much chaotic and horrific news in an effort to overwhelm the public.

Trump has employed the chaos strategy for years, doing so many awful things all at once so his political opponents can’t craft a message to address it all or successfully organize to stop his obvious wrongs.

A photo of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent on Jan. 24, is displayed at the scene of the killing.

But it’s especially terrifying now, as the strategy is an effort to get away with literal murder, financial heist, and election rigging.

Let me explain.

The killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis ginned up so much righteous anger that even Republicans felt the need to criticize Trump, finally saying that they are open to discussing changes to his immigration enforcement tactics. 

It's a shocking development as Republicans have otherwise let Trump do whatever he wants, no matter how evil and lawless.

But as his grip on the GOP faltered this week, Trump unleashed a new torrent of horrors to change the narrative and once again overwhelm his critics.

He had the FBI raid the offices of Fulton County's election officials in Georgia on Wednesday, with agents taking boxes of ballots and voting equipment. It’s part of an obvious quest for Trump to muddy the waters with fake claims of voter fraud to justify making changes to the 2026 elections that could help Republicans steal the midterms.

Then on Thursday, Trump filed a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, seeking $10 billion of your hard-earned tax dollars—yes billion, with a “b”—in damages. Trump says he’s owed that enormous sum because his tax returns—which proved that he's a tax cheat—were leaked during his first term in office. 

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Related | Journalists arrested as Trump team sets fire to First Amendment

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To put that into perspective, $10 billion is one-third of the money needed to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies to millions of Americans for one year. It’s also worth 25 White House ballroom projects, which Trump now estimates will cost $400 million. 

If you think that Trump won't be successful in stealing your cash for his own personal benefit, remember that Trump has turned the Department of Justice into his personal revenge machine that does what he wants, no matter how lawless. 

What’s more, the head of the IRS and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would cut the check. Yes, the same toady who defends Trump's every move.

Then on Friday morning, Trump announced his pick for Federal Reserve chair, choosing Republican sycophant Kevin Marsh, who will likely bend to Trump's will on monetary policy.

He also had the DOJ arrest journalists for covering a protest in a Minnesota church, a gross violation of the First Amendment and his latest despicable perversion of justice to punish his perceived enemies.

Of course, Trump's horrific actions have taken a toll on his popularity. 

A Pew Research Center poll released Thursday found Trump's approval falling to a second-term low of 37%, with even Republican support tumbling.

"Last year, 67% [of Republicans] said they supported all or most of Trump’s plans and policies. Today, 56% do," the poll found.

But if Trump can flood the zone to get away with stealing taxpayer money and changing election rules to rig the midterms, then public opinion won't matter.

We are long past a constitutional crisis.

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13 tags

#DepartmentofJustice#DOJ#DonaldTrump#FederalReserve#ICE#IRS#Minneapolis#Minnesota#DepartmentofHomelandSecurity#ScottBessent#2026midterms#ReneeGood#AlexPretti

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