EconoTicker

Channel 12, as cited by The Times of Israel, reported that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff has continued exchanging messages with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the Signal app in recent days, and that Araghchi passed along a message indicating interest in a ceasefire. The report comes as President Donald Trump has said people from Iran want to negotiate, while also saying Washington does not know who is really in charge in Tehran.

The reported backchannel remains contested. Araghchi said in an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation that Iran had not requested a ceasefire and had not sought negotiations with Washington. That leaves a clear gap between the Israeli media report and Tehran’s public position.

Source: Channel 12 via The Times of Israel; Reuters; CBS / Face the Nation.

At least four members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) were reported killed in an airstrike in western Iraq, according to an AFP-cited report. The strike adds to the widening Iraq front of the war, where attacks on Iran-aligned armed groups have intensified in recent days.

The PMF is a state umbrella force that includes several Iran-backed factions, making any strike on its positions regionally sensitive as the conflict continues to spill beyond Iran’s borders.

Source: AFP-cited reporting; Reuters.

The White House has renewed pressure on U.S. allies to take a larger role in securing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying President Donald Trump believes Britain should have acted sooner and wants European allies to do more. The Wall Street Journal reported that Leavitt said Trump was “absolutely right” to demand greater allied burden-sharing as the waterway remains under severe pressure.

The comments come as Keir Starmer has said Britain is willing to work with partners on a collective plan for Hormuz, but does not want to be pulled into a broader war with Iran. Reuters also reported that European governments remain cautious about any expanded naval role, even as discussions over maritime protection continue.

Source: Wall Street Journal; Reuters.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the future of NATO could be at risk if European countries refuse to support his military effort against Iran, according to the Financial Times. His remarks came one day after he appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK to join a coordinated push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that carries about 20% of global oil supply. Trump argued that countries benefiting from the waterway should help secure it, singling out China by noting its heavy dependence on oil flows through the strait. He also said he could delay an upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping as pressure on Beijing increases. The comments followed high-level U.S.-China talks in Paris and added a new diplomatic layer to the growing Hormuz crisis after Iran moved to block the channel in response to U.S. and Israeli attacks.

Source: Financial Times

U.S. President Donald Trump said the White House is in talks with seven countries to help police the Strait of Hormuz and keep trade flowing through the critical waterway, which handles about 20% of global oil supply. Trump said Washington had also approached China, arguing that securing the route would be a limited operation because, in his view, Iran’s remaining firepower had been weakened by recent U.S. and Israeli attacks. He also warned in an interview that NATO members should provide support. But early signs of allied hesitation emerged, with reports indicating that Japan and Australia declined to send warships. Meanwhile, Tehran said it remains ready to fight and insisted the strait will stay closed unless U.S. and Israeli attacks stop, keeping the Hormuz crisis at the center of the regional confrontation.

Source: Financial Times

Several European countries are increasing their military presence in the eastern Mediterranean and around key regional sea lanes, even as they continue to insist they are not entering the war directly. Reuters reported that Italy, Spain, France, and the Netherlands moved to send naval assets to help protect Cyprus, while Britain said it would deploy a destroyer and extra counter-drone helicopters, and had already taken part in defensive operations including shooting down drones.

The buildup has become more visible as the war enters its third week. Reuters also reported that France sent the Charles de Gaulle carrier group and had about a dozen naval vessels in the eastern Mediterranean, while Greece deployed frigates, F-16s, and a Patriot system, Italy sent the frigate Martinengo, Spain sent the Cristobal Colon, and the Netherlands prepared the air-defence frigate HNLMS Evertsen.

Still, the picture is more accurately described as indirect military involvement rather than formal entry into the war. European governments have framed these steps as defensive deployments, maritime-security support, and regional protection against missile and drone spillover. That caution remains visible in the current debate over the Strait of Hormuz: Germany has openly voiced skepticism about expanding the EU’s Aspides mission there, while broader coalition discussions are still unresolved.

One important clarification: the figure of “around 12 warships” is most clearly tied in public reporting to France’s own naval deployment, not to all European countries combined. I did not find a reliable public source confirming the separate claim that these forces amount to 60% of one country’s combat fleet.

Source: Reuters; Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal says the Trump administration is moving toward a multinational plan to help escort commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, as pressure grows to reopen one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. The report fits a broader White House push: Donald Trump has publicly urged countries affected by the disruption — including China, France, Japan, South Korea, and Britain — to help reopen the shipping lanes, while European officials are also discussing naval options.

Still, the operational picture remains fluid. Reuters reported on March 10 that the U.S. Navy had told the shipping industry escorts were not possible for now because the attack risk remained too high. Two days later, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said escorts could begin once it becomes militarily feasible, potentially with an international coalition. That means Washington’s political push appears real, but a full escort mission still depends on battlefield conditions.

Source: Wall Street Journal; Reuters.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, sharply rejected Abbas Araghchi’s claim that attacks on Kharg Island and Abu Musa were launched from UAE territory, calling the accusation part of a “confused policy” that has “misdirected its aim, lost its compass, and forsaken wisdom.” He also said the UAE has the right to defend itself, but is still choosing restraint and looking for a way out for Iran and the region.

The exchange comes as the UAE says it has already come under Iranian missile and drone attacks, while Emirati officials maintain they had tried until the last moment to mediate between Washington and Tehran to prevent the war.

Source: Arab News quoting Gargash’s X post; Reuters; AP.

Britain is reportedly considering sending thousands of interceptor drones to the Middle East, according to The Telegraph. The report says military officials are examining whether the UK-made “Octopus” anti-drone system, built for Ukraine’s defense against Russia, could also be used to strengthen British defenses against Iran’s Shahed drones. Reuters, in a pickup of the report, said it could not independently verify the claim.

The reported review appears to sit within a broader British discussion about how to protect shipping and regional assets as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz intensify. Public reporting indicates UK officials are looking at additional options in the region, but there has been no formal public confirmation of a specific deployment of Octopus systems so far.

Citizen reports from the early hours of Sunday describe multiple explosions, missile-like sounds, and warplane activity in Tehran, Shiraz, and Rudbar, pointing to another tense night inside Iran. These accounts remain unverified field reports, but they suggest simultaneous military pressure and heightened anxiety across several cities.

In Tehran, residents reported 5 to 6 consecutive explosions that shook parts of the capital before dawn. Witnesses in the Baharistan area said they heard five blasts coming from the south of Tehran, accompanied by strong building tremors. Other reports pointed to heavy explosions between 2:20 and 2:50 a.m. in southern districts including Shadabad, Abdolabad, Nematabad, Shahr-e Rey, and Naziabad, while blast sounds were also heard in Gisha and Shahrak-e Gharb. Around 2:30 a.m., residents also reported a powerful explosion in central and eastern Tehran.

In Shiraz, around 12:10 a.m., witnesses reported the sound of a warplane passing overhead near Modarres Boulevard, followed by several explosions. In Rudbar, around 1:00 a.m., residents said they heard a sound resembling a missile launch coming from the direction of the Bijanabad mountains. Local sources also said roads leading to that area had been blocked by security forces since earlier in the day.

Source: Citizen reports from Tehran, Shiraz, and Rudbar

Ynet, citing senior Israeli officials, reported that Iran has stepped up efforts since the outbreak of the war to attack Jews and Israelis abroad, with Israeli officials describing overseas terrorism as an integral part of Tehran’s war with Israel. The same report said Mossad teams have been deployed in multiple countries to identify and disrupt cells linked to Iran. Ynet also cited Combat Antisemitism Movement data showing a 20% rise in antisemitic incidents since the war began, with 137 incidents recorded worldwide in the past week.

The warning comes amid wider international concern over Iran-linked activity targeting Jewish communities. In the UK, police arrested four men on suspicion of Iran-related spying on Jewish-linked sites, while Reuters also reported heightened concern in the U.S. after recent violence targeting Jewish institutions and individuals.

Source: Ynet; Combat Antisemitism Movement; Reuters.

The United States has ordered non-emergency government employees and family members to leave Oman, as security risks rise while the war involving the U.S., Israel, and the Islamic Republic continues. The move was reflected in updated U.S. travel and embassy notices, which said the ordered departure was taken due to safety risks.

The decision signals that Washington now sees the security environment in Oman as deteriorating enough to justify reducing its official footprint there, even though Oman has traditionally been viewed as one of the Gulf’s more stable diplomatic channels. Reuters-linked syndicated reporting also said the measure came amid broader regional escalation and growing concern for U.S. personnel and citizens.

Source: U.S. Embassy Muscat / U.S. Department of State; Reuters-linked reporting.