The Latest: Trump insists Iran is ‘begging to make a deal’ after Tehran dismisses ceasefire plan

Meanwhile, the U.S. was preparing for the arrival of thousands of troops that could be used on the ground in Iran.

The death toll from the war has risen to more than 1,900 people in Iran and nearly 1,100 people in Lebanon, with dozens more killed in Israel and elsewhere in the region. Thirteen US. military members have died. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.

Here is the latest:

Witnesses report more heavy strikes in Tehran

They also said they heard the sounds of what appeared to be fighter jets flying overhead.

Trump Cabinet meeting stays mainly focused on Iran war

Trump’s first Cabinet meeting since the start of the Iran war ran an hour and 40 minutes. But unlike past meetings of this kind, the president kept it largely focused on the war.

Trump usually gives every Cabinet member time to speak, but on Thursday he limited speakers to himself, Vance, Rubio, Hegseth, Bessent, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

Still, Trump weighed in on a few unrelated topics, such as his choice of writing implements, a construction project at the Federal Reserve that he thinks costs too much, and lawsuits pending to stop him from closing the Kennedy Center performing arts venue for a two-year renovation project.

Trump sidesteps question about his deadline for Iran to open Strait of Hormuz

Asked whether he’s sticking to a five-day delay he announced on Monday, Trump said “I don’t know.”

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, the president said it depends on whether his team tells him talks with Iran are “going along” or not.

“We have a lot of time,” Trump said. “It’s a day. In Trump time, a day- you know what it is? That’s an eternity.”

Trump threatened to strike Iranian power plants starting Monday unless the strait was fully reopened. He said the deadline was pushed back to negotiate a deal.

Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill another 22 people and wound 110 in the past 24 hours

The total number of people killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war has risen to 1,116, with 3,229 wounded, Lebanon’s health ministry said Thursday.

The death toll includes 121 children and 83 women. More than 1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon by the conflict.

The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired missiles across the border into Israel on March 2, two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. Israel has since launched widespread airstrikes and a ground invasion of Lebanon.

Missile fire from Lebanon killed an Israeli man in a city on the northern coast

Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service says a man in his 30s was killed by shrapnel from a missile strike in Nahariya following a barrage from Lebanon.

It said medics treated a man in his 50s who was in moderate to serious condition, and three people who were lightly wounded.

Ukraine’s president arrives in Saudi Arabia after offering anti-drone help

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Saudi Arabia on an unannounced visit, days after revealing that Ukraine is helping five countries in the Middle East counter attacks on their territory by drones amid the Iran war.

Ukraine has grown into one of the world’s leading producers of cutting-edge, battle-tested drone interceptors that are cheap and effective.

“Arrived in Saudi Arabia. Important meetings are scheduled,” the Ukrainian leader said on X Thursday along with video of his arrival. “We appreciate the support and support those who are ready to work with us to ensure security.”

Zelenskyy said last week that Ukrainian officials are helping Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan with drone expertise and helping build a defense system.

Trump says US ‘doesn’t need the Hormuz Strait’

Asked by a reporter how close he was to marshaling a coalition of partners to help protect tankers moving through the strait, Trump said the U.S. has “so much oil — our country is not affected by this.”

The narrow waterway typically sees a fifth of the world’s oil exit the Persian Gulf through it to reach customers worldwide, particularly in Asia, and blockages there have sent oil prices near $120 per barrel at times.

And although it’s true that the United States doesn’t get a massive percentage of its oil from resources moving through the strait, the price of oil is set on the global market.

Iran’s stranglehold on the waterway has raised prices at the pump for drivers the world over. The nationwide average price of gas is up more than a dollar from just a month earlier.

Trump is not ready to seek suspension of federal gas tax to help ease prices at the pump

Asked by a reporter about that option during the Cabinet meeting, Trump said, “we’ve thought about it, I guess” and suggested that states suspend their taxes on fuel.

He segued into talking about the stock market and was asked again about the possibility of suspending the federal gas tax, which is 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel fuel. That does not include state taxes, which often are higher.

Trump cannot suspend the federal tax on his own; Congress would have to approve.

But he indicated he wasn’t ready to go that route at the federal level at this time.

“It’s something we have in our pocket if we think it’s necessary,” Trump said.

Trump calls the German president’s condemnation of his actions in Iran ‘inappropriate’

In a speech on Tuesday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Trump’s aggression against Iran was a “dangerous mistake” in violation of international law.

Taking questions from reporters during Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, Trump likened Steinmeier’s statement to the U.S. assistance to Ukraine in its war with Russia, which he said was “not our war, we helped, but Ukraine’s done well.”

Trump, who as he campaigned for a second term said repeatedly he could swiftly end the Russia-Ukraine war, added, “if I can solve that, it will be a great honor to do it. I wish it could have gone faster.”

Trump claims Iran allowing Pakistan-flagged tankers through strait in sign of good faith for talks

Trump earlier this week cryptically said that Iran “gave us a present.” He revealed the gift during Thursday’s Cabinet meeting.

Trump said that Iranian officials, with whom the U.S. is engaging in back-channel talks, are allowing “eight boats of oil” to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting it was an apparent act of good faith for negotiations.

“Well, I guess we’re dealing with the right people,” said Trump, who indicated the tankers are operating under Pakistani flags.

Israeli military says it has sent another division into Lebanon, expanding its operation against Hezbollah

The announcement comes a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is expanding an area it controls along southern Lebanon’s border with Israel, as Israeli troops push through more villages in the area and fight with Iran-allied Hezbollah militants.

Israel has moved several thousand troops into southern Lebanon in recent weeks in what it says is a defensive move to protect its northern border communities from Hezbollah rocket and drone fire.

Israel occupied southern Lebanon from 1982 until 2000. Hezbollah was formed in the 1980s as a guerrilla force fighting that occupation.

Sirens in Israel

Sirens sounded across central Israel and Jerusalem after the military reported a missile launch from Iran.

Senior Hezbollah official condemns Lebanese government’s decision to expel Iranian ambassador

Mahmoud Qamati made the remarks at a protest beside Iran’s Embassy in the southern suburbs of Beirut, where dozens of people gathered waving Hezbollah and Iranian flags.

“Ambassador (Mohammad Reza) Sheibani, the ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran, will stay in Lebanon and will not leave Lebanon no matter how much you try,” Qamati said in a speech, condemning Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, a staunch opponent of Hezbollah, who made the decision to order the diplomat to leave.

“Don’t play with fire, because this fire will burn you, your people, and those behind you,” Qamati said.

Hezbollah is Iran’s key ally in Lebanon, and since the group’s inception in 1982 it has relied heavily on Tehran for weapons and financial support.

Bessent says Strait of Hormuz not a ‘choke point’ and that tanker ship traffic will increase

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Iran, by restricting oil and natural gas shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, is “trying to take control of the global economy through a choke point that we believe does not exist.”

Bessent’s phrasing was misleading, as the Strait of Hormuz is critical for global shipments of oil and natural gas, especially for Asia, and energy prices have increased since the war with Iran began.

Still, Bessent said that more tankers are making it through the Strait of Hormuz.

“I am confident that shipping traffic will continue to increase on a daily basis, even before we secure” the strait, Bessent said.

Explosions boom in Tehran

Witnesses heard repeated explosions across most parts of Iran’s capital, along with the activation of air defense systems. Very large blasts are also being reported.

Trump’s son-in-law says US negotiators ignore Iranians’ public statements

Speaking at a Saudi investment summit in Florida, Jared Kushner on Thursday echoed sentiments made by his negotiating partner Steve Witkoff in dismissing Iranians’ public statements, saying it’s often different than what is being communicated behind closed doors.

“The one thing with the Iranians, and we’re seeing this even now, is you have to ... just ignore a lot of what they say publicly, because I think that their statements are usually more for their domestic audiences,” Kushner, who has been volunteering as a U.S. peace envoy, told the audience at a Future Investment Initiative summit in Miami.

His comments came shortly before Witkoff spoke at Trump’s Cabinet meeting, where he said that despite Iranians assertions that there is no communication with Washington during the ongoing war, the U.S. has presented a 15-point “action list” where there is a “possibility” for a deal between the longtime adversaries.

Did Rubio do a Chuck D callback while talking about Iran?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a noted fan of 1990s rap.

During Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, his remarks appeared to borrow a bit from Public Enemy’s “Welcome to the Terrordome.”

Chuck D raps in the track off of the eponymous album “Fear of a Black Planet,” “I got so much trouble on my mind/ I refuse to lose/Here’s your ticket/Hear the drummer get wicked/The crew to you to push the back to Black.”

Rubio, Trump’s chief diplomat, offered, “But every day the Department of War lets the drummer get wicked over every portion of Iran that has these military capabilities, and the results are going to bear fruit for the world,” Rubio said.

Iran is ready for ‘any scenario’, ambassador says

The top Iranian envoy to U.N. institutions in Geneva has warned in an interview that any attempt by Israel and the United States to mount a ground invasion of Iran would be a “big” mistake.

Ali Bahreini says Iran is winning the war, and has forced the U.S. and Israel to back off their initial goals. He says those have now been reduced to trying to keep the Strait of Hormuz open for shipments to countries dependent on oil from the Persian Gulf.

Bahreini also says Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is “safe” and running the country. Khamenei has not been seen or directly heard from since he was named to replace his slain father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Asked why Khamenei hasn’t been seen, the ambassador cited “security arrangements which are very necessary for this particular time.”

Hegseth says Iran conflict will be part of Trump’s legacy

“This is stuff for the history books; This is stuff for legacy,” the U.S. defense secretary said during a Cabinet meeting Thursday.

As part of his praise for the decision to engage in the conflict, Hegseth claimed that Iran had “a modern military” but that “never in recorded history has a nation’s military been so quickly and so effectively neutralized.”

Hegseth says Iran war is ‘unlike Iraq’

The U.S. defense secretary said Thursday that the war in Iran is “unlike Iraq. This isn’t a tie. This is not parity. This is not chaos. This is success. Pure American success.”

Hegseth spoke as he sat next to Trump at a Cabinet meeting. Hegseth noted that the war’s objectives “remain clear: No nukes, no navy, and complete dismantling of their missile program and defense industrial base.”

Trump noted that the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows, remained effectively closed because of the war, although the president predicted the waterway will open up.

US Vice President JD Vance says the destruction of the Iranian military gives the US ‘options’

Addressing the Cabinet, Vance asserted that the “conventional military” in Iran has been “effectively destroyed” during the war.

Echoing Trump, Vance said Iran no longer has a navy and “they don’t have the ability to hit us like they could of even a few weeks ago.”

“And what that does is that gives us options,” Vance said.

He did not go into detail about those options.

Trump envoy confirms a 15-point ceasefire plan was presented to Iran, indicates a strong possibility a deal can happen

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said the U.S. has presented a 15-point “action list” to Iran, delivered through Pakistan as a framework for a possible peace deal.

It’s the first time the Trump administration has confirmed the 15-point plan.

Witkoff made the comment Thursday at a Cabinet meeting. He added that Trump directed Witkoff to “maintain confidentiality” as the administration reached out, citing sensitive diplomatic discussions.

“If a deal happens, it will be great for the country of Iran, the entire region and the world at large,” he said.

US commander says killing of Iranian naval chief sends force into ‘irreversible decline’

The top U.S. commander in the Middle East on Thursday hailed an Israeli strike that Israel earlier said killed Iranian naval commander Alireza Tangsiri.

Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, said Tangsiri’s killing put Iran’s navy on a path toward “irreversible decline” after weeks of U.S. and Israeli strikes that he said destroyed most of its larger ships and stripped it of much of its ability to project power.

He warned that the United States would keep striking naval targets in Iran. Though the U.S. claims to have destroyed most of Iran’s naval capabilities, it has smaller boats capable of laying mines and anti-ship cruise missiles that can be launched from ashore.

Iran did not immediately acknowledge Tangsiri’s killing.

Palestinians mourn another man killed after car flips into valley

Palestinians on Thursday mourned a man killed a day earlier during an attack by Israeli soldiers and settlers.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said it responded Wednesday to reports of beatings and tear gas. Witnesses told The Associated Press they’d been trying to return to the village of Umm al-Kheir but were blocked by a closed military gate and came under fire.

Israel’s military said a group of vehicles had fled a checkpoint and then lost control, veering off road. It said in a statement that forces fired warning shots in the air as part of an effort to apprehend those in the vehicles. It did not say whether anyone was apprehended.

Israel has erected hundreds of new military gates and checkpoints over the past two and a half years, as part of a broader effort that Palestinians say is to stifle their movement in the occupied West Bank. Violence — often fatal — has surged in the territory as attention and scrutiny has shifted elsewhere.

Trump says he’ll announce actions on Friday to help US farmers

The president told his cabinet he plans to roll out a “variety” of policies “to support American farmers,” as the war with Iran has increased the cost of fertilizer during planting season.

Trump emphasized that he previously supported farmers by giving them $12 billion in aid when the agricultural sector faced blowback last year after his tariffs started a trade war.

Trump insists Iran is ‘begging’ to make a deal

The president, speaking at the start of a Thursday cabinet meeting, said he wanted to “set the record straight” that he isn’t the one pushing for a deal.

“They’re begging to make a deal, not me,” Trump said.

Iranian officials have denied that they’re negotiating with the U.S. as the war continues in its fourth week. Trump insisted they are.

“Anybody would know they’re talking,” he said. “They’re not fools, they’re very smart actually in a certain way. And they’re great negotiators. I say they’re lousy fighters but they’re great negotiators.”

Houthi leader reiterates support for Iran and calls for solidarity protests

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi reiterated the group’s condemnation against the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, describing it as “unjustifiable,” and called for solidarity protests on Friday in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital.

During a lengthy televised speech posted on Telegram on Thursday, the Iran-backed Houthi leader said the Iran war destabilized the region and impacted the global economy, accusing the U.S. and Israel of ignoring such consequences.

Al-Houthi didn’t mention whether the armed rebel group would fight alongside Iran but said “any developments in the fight that necessitate a military response will be met with complete trust in God and reliance upon Him.”

“Our position is clear and unequivocal against America and Israel, and hold no hostile intentions towards any Muslim country,” he added.

Since the war began nearly a month ago, Houthis maintained their support for Iran through statements and protests, despite playing an active role in the Israel-Hamas war when they upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion worth of goods passed each year before the war.