The shadow of a new escalation looms over the war in Iran. After US President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Tehran on Saturday evening, threatening to "strike and destroy" Iranian power plants if the Islamic Republic "does not fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours," the Ayatollah regime responded that, in the event of an attack, it is prepared to "irreversibly destroy" vital infrastructure in the entire region, including desalination plants, along with "completely closing" Hormuz, where only a handful of ships have managed to pass in just over three weeks of conflict.

And while tensions are also flaring in Lebanon—where Israel has signaled it will "intensify" its "targeted ground" operations— a timid opening towards diplomacy seems to be coming from the United States : according to Axios, which cites its sources, Donald Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are creating a team to negotiate with Iran on the president's orders, while both countries have voiced their currently irreconcilable conditions for ending the conflict.

Meanwhile, the shipping blockade in Hormuz remains in place, despite Iran's denials, which is considering imposing a $2 million tax on vessels in transit. On other fronts, dozens of injuries have been reported in raids on Dimona and Arad, Israel. And in Lebanon, the IDF's announcement that it intends to intensify "targeted" land operations follows raids on bridges in the south, particularly one that destroyed a strategic junction between Tyre and Sidon. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned that these attacks represent "a dangerous escalation" and "a prelude to a ground invasion."

HERE IS ALL THE NEWS ABOUT THE WAR IN IRAN

Live broadcast on March 23rd:

11:15 a.m. – Kremlin: "Attacks on nuclear sites in Iran would have irreparable consequences."

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia believes any attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities could have irreparable consequences. "We consider attacks on nuclear facilities to be potentially extremely dangerous and capable of causing irreparable consequences. For this reason, the Russian side, taking a highly responsible stance on this issue, has repeatedly expressed its concerns," the Kremlin spokesman was quoted by Tass as saying.

9:50 a.m. – Tehran: "If our coasts are attacked, we will mine the entire Persian Gulf."

The Iranian Defense Council has threatened to lay sea mines to blockade the entire Persian Gulf if Iran's coasts or islands are attacked. " Any attempt by the enemy to attack Iran's coasts or islands will naturally result in the undermining of all access routes and lines of communication in the Persian Gulf and along the coasts with various types of naval mines, including floating mines, " the statement, carried by Fars, read. "In such a case, the entire Persian Gulf would find itself in a situation practically similar to that of the Strait of Hormuz for a long time," Tehran said.

8:00 AM - Israel: "Large-scale Israeli attack on Tehran infrastructure"

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has launched a large-scale attack on Iranian terrorist regime infrastructure in Tehran. Shortly beforehand, the IDF announced on Telegram that it had identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israeli territory. Defense systems have been activated to intercept the threat.

7 a.m. – Trump and Starmer call: "Reopening Hormuz is essential."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump spoke by telephone late yesterday evening, Sunday. A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The two leaders discussed the current situation in the Middle East and, in particular, the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to resume global maritime traffic. They agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is essential to ensuring the stability of the global energy market. They agreed to speak again soon."

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