{"id":371225,"date":"2026-03-29T10:51:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T10:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/371225\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T10:51:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T10:51:11","slug":"us-secretly-plotting-ground-attack-says-irans-parliament-speaker-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/371225\/","title":{"rendered":"US secretly plotting ground attack, says Iran\u2019s parliament speaker \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Main PointsYemen<\/a>\u2019s Houthis launch second attack on Israel<\/a> and vow to continue strikes, as conflict in the Middle East escalates US<\/a> secretly plotting ground attack, says Iran<\/a>\u2019s parliament speaker, in remarks published to mark 30 days since start of US-Israeli warFive killed in US-Israeli strikes on Iranian<\/a> city near Strait of Hormuz, Iran\u2019s state media reportsRegional leaders are set to meet in Pakistan to discuss ending warKey Reads<\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 39 minutes ago<\/p>\n

British Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she does not believe rationing fuel and oil in the face of potential shortages is the first thing the Government should be doing, adding it should be drilling for its own oil and gas in the North Sea.<\/p>\n

Badenoch told Sky News: \u201cRushing out to say the Government should be rationing fuel, that\u2019s not the first thing I would be doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing they should do is start drilling our own oil and gas in the North Sea, it\u2019s important for our energy security, our economic security, our national security \u2013 and they\u2019re not doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BritishBritish Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch. Photograph: Jeff Overs\/BBC\/PA Wire <\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV has said that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have \u201chands full \u200bof blood\u201d, in unusually forceful remarks on Sunday. <\/p>\n

Addressing tens of thousands of people in St Peter\u2019s Square on Palm Sunday, the celebration that opens the holiest week of the year \u200bin the lead-up to Easter for the world\u2019s 1.4 billion Catholics, the pontiff said that Jesus cannot be \u2060used to justify any wars.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who \u200crejects \u200cwar, whom \u200bno one can use to justify war,\u201d Pope Leo, the first US pope, told the crowds. <\/p>\n

\u201c(Jesus) does not listen to \u2060the prayers of those who \u200bwage war, but rejects them, saying: \u2018Even though you \u200bmake many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood\u2019,\u201d he said, citing \u200ca Bible passage.<\/p>\n

Pope Leo did not specifically \u200bname any world leaders, but he has been ramping up criticism of the Iran \u2060war in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

The pope, who \u2060is known for \u200bchoosing his words carefully, has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict and said on Monday that military airstrikes are indiscriminate and should be banned.<\/p>\n

\"PopePope Leo XIV leads a mass for Palm Sunday at St Peter’s square in the Vatican on Sunday. Photograph: Tiziana Fabi\/AFP via Getty Images US secretly plotting ground attack, says Iran\u2019s parliament speaker<\/p>\n

Iranian state media have published a message from Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf marking 30 days since the start of the US-Israeli war.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe enemy openly sends a message of negotiation and secretly plans a ground attack,\u201d Ghalibaf, who has served as speaker of the parliament since 2020, wrote in his message carried by the Tasnim news agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States expresses its desires with a list of 15 points and pursues what it did not achieve in the war.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in a major world war, and we must prepare ourselves for the tortuous and difficult path ahead of us until we reach the summit,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Ghalibaf was previously an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, police chief and mayor of Tehran. Washington reportedly has thought of him as a potential partner and he is reported to be Donald Trump\u2019s preferred choice for leader. <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

How likely is Trump to order a ground invasion of Iran?<\/p>\n

Amid tentative White House efforts at diplomacy to end the war in Iran, US troops have also been arriving in the region to deliver what Donald Trump has hoped could be a knockout blow if he can\u2019t negotiate a ceasefire with Tehran.<\/p>\n

Thousands of US marines aboard navy amphibious ships from the 31st and 11th expeditionary units have been deployed to the Middle East from Asia.<\/p>\n

Another 2,000-odd paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne are also being sent to the theatre \u2013 they are tasked with deploying worldwide within 18 hours of notification and execute parachute assaults, including against a \u201cdefended airfield\u201d to prepare for further ground operations.<\/p>\n

US secretary of state Marco Rubio repeated on Friday that the US believes it will be able to achieve its goals without boots on the ground, but when marines are in position next week, Trump could order an assault to either provide leverage to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or to degrade Iran\u2019s ability to keep the waterway closed by force.<\/p>\n

The lack of heavy armoured units, logistical depth and other elements needed for a protracted military conflict will limit the White House\u2019s ability to escalate the conflict, however, potentially extending a stalemate that could be devastating to the international economy.<\/p>\n

\"KhargKharg Island. Photograph: Planet Labs PBC\/AP <\/p>\n

The most prominent target has been Kharg Island, a coral outcrop of less than 9sq km, off Iran\u2019s coast. The island is the site through which about 90 per cent of Iran\u2019s crude oil exports flow, making it a financial and logistical lifeline for Tehran, the loss of which could mark a significant blow to the regime.<\/p>\n

The US troops being deployed to the region are far fewer than those used in past major operations, including Iraq and Afghanistan. And an assault to take Kharg Island would mark a rare contested amphibious landing by US troops potentially under drone, rocket and artillery fire. US troops would take more than a day to sail into position near the island, giving Iran time to mine the area surrounding the island as well.<\/p>\n

If US troops were able to take the island, it remains unclear how long they would be forced to hold the territory, potentially under fire, before the US could compel Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz or agree to a ceasefire.<\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

Qatari news channel says Tehran office damaged in Israeli strike<\/p>\n

Qatari news channel Al Araby has said in a post on X that an Israeli missile had hit the building housing its office in the Iranian capital of Tehran, causing \u201cextensive damage and halting live broadcasts\u201d. <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n

\u2018Targeted assassination\u2019: Iran condemns Israel\u2019s killing of three journalists in Lebanon<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has condemned Israel\u2019s killing of three journalists in Lebanon on Saturday.<\/p>\n

On his Telegram, Araghchi said the killings amounted to \u201ctargeted assassination\u201d and \u201cflagrant violation of international law\u201d. He said they were a way of silencing \u201cthe voices of those who tell the truth\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ali Shoeib, from the Hizbullah-owned al-Manar television station, Fatima Ftouni and her brother and cameraman Mohammed Ftouni from the channel al-Mayadeen were killed in the Israeli air strike targeting their car yesterday.<\/p>\n

\"AA policeman checks the charred car that was carrying Hizbullah\u2019s al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Shoeib. Photograph: Mohammed Zaatari\/AP <\/p>\n

Israel claimed the attack shortly afterwards, saying the target was Shoeib, whom it accused of being a Hizbullah \u201cterrorist\u201d, without providing any evidence to support its claim. It did not comment on the killing of Fatima or Mohamed Ftouni.<\/p>\n

Israel, which has killed more than 220 journalists since 2023, according to Reporters Without Borders, often claims the journalists it targets are linked to armed groups (such as Hamas) without providing any evidence. <\/p>\n

International humanitarian law is meant to protect civilian journalists during armed conflict and Israel has been accused of clearly violating it, with effective impunity. <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

Regional leaders to meet in Pakistan to discuss ending war<\/p>\n

Regional powers are meeting in Pakistan to discuss how to end the fighting in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Pakistan said Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are sending top diplomats to Islamabad for talks on Sunday. Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said he and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian held \u201cextensive discussions\u201d on regional hostilities. <\/p>\n

\"AA motorcade of Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty arrives at Pakistan’s moreign ministry upon his arrival in Islamabad on Sunday. Photograph: AFP\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n

Kuwait intercepts drone attack<\/p>\n

Kuwait has said its air defence systems intercepted four drones attacking the country this morning. <\/p>\n

In a statement posted to social media earlier, the account for the Kuwait army said that \u201cany explosions that may be heard are the result of air defence systems intercepting hostile targets\u201d, without specifying who was behind the attacks. <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

Syria repels Iraqi drone attack targeting US base, says assistant minister<\/p>\n

Syria\u2019s assistant defence minister said on Sunday that his country\u2019s forces had repelled a drone attack from neighbouring Iraq targeting one of Syria\u2019s last US military bases.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarlier today, the US base in Qasrak, located on our territory, was attacked by four drones launched from Iraqi territory,\u201d Sipan Hamo said on X, adding that \u201cthe drones were shot down without casualties\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hold Iraq responsible and call upon it to prevent the recurrence of attacks that threaten our stability.\u201d<\/p>\n

The attack came a day after Syria\u2019s army said it repelled another drone attack from Iraq aimed at al-Tanf, a base in the southeast which used to house US forces.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, the Syrian military said another base in the northeast was also targeted by a missile attack from Iraq, with an Iraqi official saying a local armed group was behind it. Iraq has arrested four people in connection with that attack.<\/p>\n

Iraq has been pulled into the war since it was sparked by US and Israeli strikes against Iran, with the conflict engulfing much of the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Pro-Tehran Iraqi groups have claimed responsibility for attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, while strikes have also targeted these groups.<\/p>\n

In recent months, American forces have withdrawn from the al-Tanf base, as well as Shadadi in the northeastern province of Hasakeh, and had begun withdrawing from the Qasrak base, also located in Hasakeh. <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

Oman condemns attacks on its territory<\/p>\n

Oman\u2019s foreign ministry said on Sunday that it condemns attacks on its territory, adding that no party has claimed responsibility.<\/p>\n

It said authorities were investigating the attacks\u2019 \u201csources and motives\u201d without providing further details.<\/p>\n

Oman said on Saturday that a worker was injured in a drone attack on the Gulf country\u2019s Salalah port and Danish container shipping group Maersk said later that it temporarily halted its operations at the port after Saturday\u2019s attack. <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

Five killed in US-Israeli strikes on Iran city near Strait of Hormuz, state media reports<\/p>\n

US-Israeli strikes hit a quay at an Iranian port city on Sunday near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, killing five people, Iranian state media reported.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe American-Zionist enemy carried out a criminal attack at the quay of Bandar Khamir, killing five people and injuring four others,\u201d the official IRNA news agency reported.<\/p>\n

\"AA satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz from January. Photograph: Gallo Images\/Orbital Horizon\/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025\/Getty <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

IDF says it has hit Iranian command centres and weapons sites<\/p>\n

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has hit temporary Iranian command centres and weapons production and storage sites in Tehran in a fresh wave of strikes.<\/p>\n

In a post on X, the IDF said the sites targeted included \u201cballistic missile production and storage facilities, aerial defense systems, and observation posts of the Iranian regime\u201d.<\/p>\n

According to the IDF, Iran had moved some command centres to temporary sites. \u201cSeveral temporary command centers were dismantled, including commanders who were operating within the HQ\u2019s,\u201d the IDF said in the post. <\/p>\n

\"SmokeSmoke rises from Israeli artillery shelling on the village of Qlaileh, southern Lebanon. Photograph: Hussein Malla\/AP <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

Iran Guards say strikes on Bahrain and UAE aluminium plants are retaliation for US-Israeli attacks<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards says it launched missile and drone strikes on aluminium plants in Bahrain and the UAE over the weekend in retaliation for a US-Israeli attack on Iranian industrial infrastructure launched from bases in Gulf states.<\/p>\n

The Revolutionary Guards said the strikes were targeting what they described as industries linked to the US military.<\/p>\n

Since the Middle East war erupted at the end of February, Bahrain and other Gulf countries have regularly been targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes in retaliation for the US-Israeli campaign.<\/p>\n

In a statement carried by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, the Revolutionary Guards said they hit an aluminium facility in the UAE and Aluminium Bahrain\u2019s main plant, calling both sites \u201cindustries affiliated with and connected to the US military and aerospace sectors in the region\u201d.<\/p>\n

Aluminium Bahrain, one of the world\u2019s largest aluminium producers, said two employees were wounded in an Iranian strike targeting its facility on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The company, also known as Alba, said the workers suffered minor injuries. <\/p>\n

Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n

War escalates as Yemen\u2019s Houthis launch second attack on Israel and vow to continue strikes <\/p>\n

Good morning and welcome to our continuing coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The war continues to escalate as Yemen\u2019s Iran-backed Houthis<\/a> confirmed a second wave of attacks on Israel since joining the conflict on Saturday. They have vowed to continue strikes in the coming days, posing a threat not just to worsening regional security but also global trade.<\/p>\n

In Iran<\/a>, two powerful explosions shook northern Tehran early on Sunday, an AFP journalist reported. The blasts occurred in the Iranian capital about 7.20am as air defences operated, but it was not yet clear what was targeted.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the US<\/a> is reportedly preparing plans for ground operations in Iran. The Trump administration has already deployed US Marines to the Middle East<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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