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Netanyahu: ‘Iran have the capacity to reach deep into Europe – they’re putting everyone in their sights’Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\nNetanyahu: ‘Iran have the capacity to reach deep into Europe – they’re putting everyone in their sights’Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n
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The Strait of Hormuz remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to “Iran’s enemies”, a top Iranian official said Sunday, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to \u201cobliterate\u201d the Islamic Republic\u2019s power grid<\/a> if the waterway was not “fully open” within 48 hours.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Iran doesn\u2019t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST,\u201d the president wrote on Truth Social on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n Tanker traffic through the waterway \u2014 a vital artery of global commerce \u2014 has ground to a halt amid Iran\u2019s de facto blockade. As a result, oil prices have surged beyond the $100-a-barrel threshold<\/a> and the average cost for a gallon of diesel<\/a> has risen above $5.<\/p>\n Iran’s representative to the International Maritime Organisation, Ali Mousavi, said Tehran was ready to cooperate to improve maritime safety in the Gulf, adding that ships not linked to “Iran’s enemies” could pass through.<\/p>\n On Friday, Trump criticized NATO allies<\/a> for refusing to help secure the strait, though he later claimed it would soon \u201copen itself\u201d and dismissed the waterway as being of little importance to the U.S.<\/p>\n <\/a>Donald Trump claims ‘death of Iran’ on Truth Social <\/p>\n In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump has claimed the \u201cdeath of Iran\u201d while taking aim at the Democrats. <\/p>\n From his Florida golfing retreat, he said: \u201cNow with the death of Iran, the greatest enemy America has is the Radical Left, Highly Incompetent, Democrat Party! Thank you for your attention to this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n The US president claimed victory over Tehran on Friday as the war enters its fourth week, with strikes continuing. Despite this, there has been no regime change and Iran continue to block the Strait of Hormuz with a significant knock-on effect to global trade. <\/p>\n Holly Evans22 March 2026 12:32<\/p>\n <\/a>Former diplomat questions evidence that Iran has longer distance missiles <\/p>\n A top former diplomat has thrown doubt over the credibility of Israel\u2019s claims that Iran has missiles capable of reaching \u201cdeep into Europe\u201d. <\/p>\n Simon McDonald told Times Radio: \u201cThey’re curious. I mean, we know that Iran has been developing a missile programme. They wanted longer and longer range missiles.<\/p>\n \u201cBut frankly, there’s no evidence that they have missiles of this capability apart from an Israeli source. And the Israeli agenda is to get Europe more concerned, more involved, more supportive of what they’re doing. <\/p>\n \u201cBut I note as a fact that Iran hasn’t tried to use a missile with this range, and it is in a pretty desperate state.\u201d<\/p>\n When questioned if the UK could be vulnerable to an attack, he said: \u201cTrue. But I repeat, apart from this Israeli report, I don’t see any evidence that Iran has this capability. <\/p>\n \u201cAnd I also note that in the last three weeks, Israel and the United States have been very specifically targeting Iran’s missile programme. So what capabilities Iran had three weeks ago have been significantly degraded.<\/p>\n Kate Devlin22 March 2026 12:18<\/p>\n <\/a>Trump’s 48 hour threat has caused ‘elevated uncertainty’ in financial markets <\/p>\n “President Trump’s threat has now placed a 48-hour ticking time bomb of elevated uncertainty over markets. If the ultimatum is not walked back, we will likely see a Black Monday reopening of global equity markets in free fall and oil prices spiking significantly higher,” said IG market analyst Tony Sycamore.<\/p>\n Tehran would likely strike Gulf energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which “would deepen and prolong the pain of higher energy prices”, Sycamore said.<\/p>\n Oil prices jumped on Friday and settled at their highest in nearly four years, after Iraq declared force majeure on all oilfields developed by foreign firms, Israel attacked a major gas field in Iran and Tehran responded with strikes on neighbours, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.<\/p>\n Holly Evans22 March 2026 12:04<\/p>\n <\/a>Netanyahu claims Iran have missile capacity to ‘reach deep into Europe’ <\/p>\n Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Iran have the capacity to \u201creach deep into Europe\u201d as he urged other leaders to join the war against Tehran. <\/p>\n He told reporters: \u201cThey fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Diego Garcia. That’s 4,000 kilometers. I’ve been warning all the time. <\/p>\n \u201cThey have now the capacity to reach deep into Europe. They already have fired on European countries, Cyprus. They are putting everyone in their sights.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWhat more proof do you need that this regime that threatens the entire world has to be stopped? Israel and the United States are working together for the entire world. <\/p>\n \u201cAnd it’s time to see the leaders of the rest of the countries join up. I’m happy to say that I can see some of them beginning to move in that direction, but more is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Holly Evans22 March 2026 11:47<\/p>\n <\/a>‘Inevitable’ that US and Israel took action in Iran, Cleverly says <\/p>\n It was \u201cinevitable\u201d that the US and Israel decided to \u201ctake action\u201d in Iran, the shadow housing secretary has said.<\/p>\n Sir James Cleverly told the BBC\u2019s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that Iran is now deploying \u201cvery, very long-range missiles\u201d, but did not say if he believed them capable of hitting the UK as he is not privy to the types of intelligence reports he once was.<\/p>\n This came after his Government counterpart Steve Reed appeared to suggest Israel\u2019s warning that Tehran has developed missiles that could reach Europe is exaggerated.<\/p>\n Sir James said: \u201cWhen I was foreign secretary we were absolutely consistent that our primary focus with regard to Iran was preventing them acquiring a credible nuclear weapon, they were tiptoeing towards that with greater enrichment, so it was inevitable that Israel and the US decided they needed to take action to prevent that from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWe\u2019re relying on other countries to protect British personnel, British nationals and British interests, and that is not the position we should be in.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if Conservatives would retaliate against Iran\u2019s attempt to strike Diego Garcia, he said: \u201cIt\u2019s not about retaliation, it\u2019s about making sure that \u2013 whether it is the UK directly, or our allies, or in conjunction \u2013 we degrade their ability to target us.\u201d<\/p>\n Holly Evans22 March 2026 11:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Iran warns of ‘irreversible damage’ to regional infrastructure if power plants attacked<\/p>\n Critical infrastructure and energy facilities in the Middle East could be “irreversibly destroyed” should Iranian power plants be targeted, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in comments posted on X on Sunday.<\/p>\n His comments come after US President Donald Trump warned that Iranian power plants would be targeted if the Strait of Hormuz is not “fully open” within 48 hours.<\/p>\n Qalibaf said regional infrastructure would become “legitimate targets” should Iran’s facilities be hit, and that its retaliation would increase the price of oil for a while.<\/p>\n Holly Evans22 March 2026 11:16<\/p>\n <\/a>Zelensky says a long war in Iran is a ‘plus’ for Putin<\/p>\n Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has a \u201cvery bad feeling\u201d about how the war in the Middle East will affect Ukraine.<\/p>\n He told BBC\u2019s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: \u201cI have a very bad feeling about the impact of this war on the situation in Ukraine and the focus of America, it\u2019s more on the Middle East than on Ukraine unfortunately.<\/p>\n \u201cTherefore, you see that our diplomatic meetings, trilateral meetings, are constantly postponed. There is one reason: war in Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that US President Donald Trump is \u201cconcentrating on Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n On whether the Kremlin is benefiting from the Middle East war, Mr Zelensky said: \u201cPutin will want a long war. For Putin, a long war in Iran is a plus.<\/p>\n \u201cIn addition to energy prices, it means the depletion of US reserves and the depletion of air defence manufacturers, so we have a depletion of resources.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, it is beneficial for Putin that the resources do not go to Ukraine against whom he has directed his army and is fighting with. He needs to weaken us and this is a long process. The Middle East is one of the ways to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that there will \u201cdefinitely be a deficit\u201d of Patriot missiles available to come to Ukraine\u2019s aid if needed, saying it presents \u201canother challenge\u201d.<\/p>\n Holly Evans22 March 2026 11:08<\/p>\n <\/a>Watch: Iranian missile hits Israeli city near nuclear facility after failed interceptionIranian missile hits Israeli city near nuclear facility after failed interception<\/p>\n Holly Evans22 March 2026 11:03<\/p>\n![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/EEUU-SEGURIDAD_NACIONAL-CIERRE_59561.jpg\")
President Trump has given Iran a 48-hour warning to reopen the Strait of Hormuz (AP)<\/p>\n
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British Gas chief executive says UK should look at resources in the North Sea (Andrew Milligan\/PA) (PA Wire)<\/p>\n