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President Donald Trump said Friday (March 20, 2026) that the United States was considering "winding down" subject operations against Iran but was not seeking a ceasefire with the Islamic republic.
Iran's caller ultimate leader Mojtaba Khamenei meantime claimed successful a connection to people the archetypal time of the Persian New Year to person delivered a "dizzying blow" to enemies successful the three-week-old West Asia war.
Iran-Israel war updates connected March 20, 2026
Fresh blasts deed Tehran connected Friday (March 20, 2026) and Israel accused Iran of attacking beatified sites successful Jerusalem aft a onslaught near a crater successful the Old City adjacent the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Western Wall and Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
On Wall Street, stocks ended sharply little aft lipid prices changeable up connected fears that lengthy proviso disruptions could pb to a planetary economical downturn.
All 3 large indices were firmly successful the red, with the broad-based S&P 500 down 1.5 percent and the terms of Brent crude, the planetary benchmark, rising 3.3 percent to $112.19 per barrel.
Turkey lashed retired astatine Israel meantime for striking Syrian service camps successful confederate Syria, calling it a "dangerous escalation" and urging the planetary assemblage to intervene.
Syria has truthful acold avoided being dragged into the determination warfare that began connected February 28 erstwhile Israel and the United States began striking Iran, which has deed backmost by firing ballistic missiles and drones astatine countries crossed the region.
Lebanon has besides been targeted by Israeli airstrikes against Iranian state Hezbollah which person near much than 1,000 radical dormant according to the Lebanese wellness ministry.
'We person won'
Mr. Trump, successful a station connected Truth Social, said the United States was "getting precise adjacent to gathering our objectives arsenic we see winding down our large Military efforts successful the Middle East".
The societal media station was the strongest denotation yet from the US president that helium whitethorn beryllium prepared to soon extremity hostilities.
It came soon aft Mr. Trump told reporters astatine the White House that helium was not looking for a truce.
"I deliberation we person won," Mr. Trump said. "I don't privation to bash a ceasefire. You cognize you don't bash a ceasefire erstwhile you're virtually obliterating the different side."
In his post, Mr. Trump said different nations volition person to instrumentality work for securing the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, which has efficaciously been blockaded by Iran and which sees a 5th of planetary crude lipid and liquefied earthy state walk done it successful peacetime.
"The Hormuz Strait volition person to beryllium guarded and policed, arsenic necessary, by different Nations who usage it -- The United States does not!" helium said. "If asked, we volition assistance these Countries successful their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn't beryllium indispensable erstwhile Iran's menace is eradicated."
Mr. Trump besides said the United States wants to speech to Iran but "there's cipher to speech to" due to the fact that of the sidesplitting of Iran's erstwhile ultimate person and different apical officials.
Iran's caller ultimate person has not appeared successful nationalist since being named to win his father, Ali Khamenei.
In a written connection to people Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Mojtaba Khamenei said Iranians person "dealt him [the enemy] a dizzying stroke truthful that helium present starts uttering contradictory words and nonsense".
"At the moment, owed to the peculiar unity that has been created betwixt you our compatriots -- contempt each the differences successful religious, intellectual, taste and governmental origins -- the force has been defeated," Mr. Khamenei said.
The connection of defiance came arsenic Iranians marked a muted Nowruz punctuated by the dependable of large blasts successful eastbound and bluish Tehran.
Shoppers were retired successful unit buying caller apparel and gifts, though pavements were little packed than accustomed for this clip of year, with galore radical having fled north.
Gulf nations targeted
Mr. Trump has repeatedly said helium does not program to nonstop U.S. crushed troops into combat with Iran, but The Wall Street Journal reported connected Friday (March 20, 2026) that an further 2,200-2,500 U.S. Marines were headed to the region.
Mr. Trump would not corroborate a study by the Axios news outlet that helium was considering an concern oregon blockade of Iran's Kharg Island lipid hub to unit Tehran to reopen the strait.
"I whitethorn person a program oregon I whitethorn not," Mr. Trump said erstwhile asked by an AFP reporter.
U.S. forces deed Kharg with strikes that Mr. Trump said had "totally obliterated" each subject targets connected the island, but Washington has truthful acold avoided hitting its lipid infrastructure.
In Jerusalem, the Israeli subject blamed "Iranian rocket fragments" for a blast that deed the Old City. It was not instantly wide if the rocket had been intercepted oregon what its intended people was.
Iranian attacks continued meantime connected vigor infrastructure successful the Gulf.
On Friday (March 20, 2026), drone attacks deed Kuwait's elephantine Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, causing a occurrence that was aboriginal brought nether control, a time aft a nonstop deed connected Qatar's captious Ras Laffan earthy state facility.
The onslaught caused "extensive damage" that Qatar's authorities vigor institution said could outgo $20 cardinal a twelvemonth successful mislaid gross and instrumentality 5 years to repair.
That could pb to precocious vigor prices worldwide that outlast the conflict, expanding ostentation and lowering economical growth.
