As the United States and Israel’s war with Iran nears the end of its third week, President Donald Trump downplayed the possibility of a ceasefire but said the United States is considering “scaling back” its military efforts in the Middle East, insisting that the United States has the upper hand and wants a decisive end to the war.
A new wave of attacks has begun in Tehran as Iranians gather to celebrate the Persian New Year. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would halt attacks on key Iranian energy facilities following President Trump’s angry reaction.
Here’s what you need to know on day 21.
What are the main headings?
Prospects for a ceasefire: President Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday: “We’re not going to have a ceasefire when we’re literally annihilating the other side.” Separately, President Trump said in a social media post on Friday that the United States is considering “reducing” its military activities in the Middle East. However, Iranian officials dismissed the president’s comments as “President Trump’s psychological operation to control the market.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech: A day after Israel attacked Iran’s South Pars gas field, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel would comply with President Trump’s request that Israel refrain from attacking critical Iranian energy facilities. The Southpars Island strike greatly escalated the war and caused a spike in world energy prices.
Israel ‘acted alone’: Prime Minister Netanyahu also said Israel ‘acted alone’ in the attack, seeming to confirm President Trump’s claim that the US had ‘no knowledge’ of the attack beforehand. However, U.S. and Israeli officials familiar with the attack told CNN on Wednesday that the United States was aware of the attack, contradicting claims by both leaders.
US Marines: Thousands more US Marines and sailors are heading to the Middle East. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Boxer Amphibious Ready Group have had their deployment routes changed and accelerated and will now be sent to the Middle East, two U.S. officials told CNN.
Energy prices: Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose to more than $110 per barrel early Friday. Goldman Sachs has warned that energy prices will remain high and could exceed $100 per barrel of oil by 2027.
Strait of Hormuz: The United Nations maritime agency has announced the start of negotiations with countries to establish a humanitarian corridor to free some 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf. The United Nations did not say when talks would begin or whether Iran, across the Strait of Hormuz, would cooperate. Meanwhile, Bahrain has joined EU countries, Japan and Canada in saying it stands ready to support efforts to reopen the strait, becoming the first country in the region to do so. Britain has also sent military planners to work with the US to develop a “workable joint plan” to reopen the vital waterway.
War funding: President Trump may seek $200 billion in new funding from the Pentagon as a “small price” to prepare the military. The administration also bypassed Congress and facilitated billions of dollars worth of arms sales to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, as Gulf allies bear the brunt of Iran’s retaliation for U.S. and Israeli military actions.
Pearl Harbor Joke: When a reporter asked President Trump why he didn’t tell allies like Japan of his intentions to attack Iran, the president, sitting next to the Japanese prime minister in the Oval Office, responded with a joke that was partially about Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II.
Attacks on Iran: A new wave of attacks began in Tehran on Friday, as Iranians gathered to celebrate the Persian New Year. “After a night of heavy shelling, shelling resumed almost at the beginning of the new year,” said a 35-year-old man from Tehran.
US embassy in Iraq targeted: Iran claimed to have targeted the US embassy’s logistics base in Baghdad three times on Friday, according to state broadcaster IRIB news agency. The embassy has been hit by multiple rocket and drone attacks since the war began, with Iranian-backed militias claiming responsibility.
U.S. plane shot down: An F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a U.S. air base in the Middle East after being hit by gunfire believed to be from Iran, officials told CNN. U.S. Central Command said the pilot was in stable condition.
Ground attacks: Iran and other Middle Eastern countries including Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait intercepted drones and missiles on Friday. The attack occurred as Muslims in the region were celebrating Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
High numbers of casualties: More than 18,000 Iranian civilians have been injured since the latest conflict began, state media reported, citing the Iranian Red Crescent. Meanwhile, the death toll in Lebanon surpassed 1,000 on Thursday. Many more people have been killed in the region, including U.S. military personnel and foreign nationals.
Al-Aqsa closed: Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque remained closed Friday, marking the first time since 1967 that a place of worship has been closed during Eid. Israeli authorities closed the mosque for “security reasons” at the start of the war with Iran, a move critics say deprived Palestinians of the opportunity to pray at one of Islam’s holiest sites.
Lebanese fleeing: One-fifth of Lebanon’s population has been forced to flee their homes in just two weeks, with families struggling to find shelter amid the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, U.N. refugee agency officials say.
Description: This article has been updated to reflect that President Donald Trump may ask Congress for up to $200 billion to fund the Iran war.
