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A desalination plant on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the strategic Strait of Hormuz has been rendered inoperable following an airstrike, Iranian media reported on Tuesday (March 31, 2026), amid escalating hostilities in the region.&nbsp;According to the ISNA news agency, the facility was “completely out of service” and could not be repaired in the short term. The report cited Health Ministry official Mohsen Farhadi but did not specify when the strike occurred.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/a-tourist-place-or-secret-network-what-s-hidden-under-iran-s-qeshm-island-1774447540088">A tourist place or SECRET network - What's hidden under Iran's Qeshm Island?</a>&nbsp;Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had earlier said that a strike targeted Qeshm on March 7, accusing the US of carrying out a “blatant and desperate crime” from its military base in Bahrain. Qeshm, the largest Iranian island in the Gulf, stretches roughly 100 km across the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy corridor. While the island has gained popularity as a tourist destination in recent years, known for its UNESCO-listed rock formations and clear waters, analysts note it is also heavily militarised.&nbsp;The reported strike is part of a broader pattern of attacks on desalination facilities since the conflict began on February 28 following US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Regional tensions have since intensified with retaliatory actions. Bahrain reported an Iranian strike on a facility on March 8, which appeared to be in response to the Qeshm attack a day earlier. Kuwait also said on Monday (March 30) that an Iranian strike hit a desalination and electricity plant, an allegation Tehran denied, instead blaming Israel.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/-blood-will-run-why-iran-will-fight-to-defend-its-persian-gulf-islands-what-is-their-strategic-importance-1773311621673">'Blood will run..’: Why Iran will fight to defend its Persian Gulf islands, what is their strategic importance?</a>&nbsp;The targeting of desalination infrastructure has raised concerns across West Asia, one of the world’s driest regions, where such facilities are critical for water supply. Desalinated water accounts for a significant share of drinking water across the Gulf - including about 42 per cent in the United Arab Emirates, 70 per cent in Saudi Arabia, 86 per cent in Oman, and 90 per cent in Kuwait, according to a 2022 report by the French Institute of International Relations.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump on Monday (March 30) warned that Washington could escalate its campaign further, threatening to “obliterate” Iran’s power infrastructure, oil facilities and “possibly all desalination plants.”&nbsp;

An airstrike has disabled a key desalination plant on Iran's Qeshm Island, worsening water scarcity and regional tensions as President Trump threatens to further target Iran's critical infrastructure.

A desalination plant on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the strategic Strait of Hormuz has been rendered inoperable following an airstrike, Iranian media reported on Tuesday (March 31, 2026), amid escalating hostilities in the region. According to the ISNA news agency, the facility was “completely out of service” and could not be repaired in the short term. The report cited Health Ministry official Mohsen Farhadi but did not specify when the strike occurred. Also read: A tourist place or SECRET network - What's hidden under Iran's Qeshm Island? Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had earlier said that a strike targeted Qeshm on March 7, accusing the US of carrying out a “blatant and desperate crime” from its military base in Bahrain. Qeshm, the largest Iranian island in the Gulf, stretches roughly 100 km across the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy corridor. While the island has gained popularity as a tourist destination in recent years, known for its UNESCO-listed rock formations and clear waters, analysts note it is also heavily militarised. The reported strike is part of a broader pattern of attacks on desalination facilities since the conflict began on February 28 following US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Regional tensions have since intensified with retaliatory actions. Bahrain reported an Iranian strike on a facility on March 8, which appeared to be in response to the Qeshm attack a day earlier. Kuwait also said on Monday (March 30) that an Iranian strike hit a desalination and electricity plant, an allegation Tehran denied, instead blaming Israel.

An airstrike has disabled a key desalination plant on Iran's Qeshm Island, worsening water scarcity and regional tensions as President Trump threatens to further target Iran's critical infrastructure.

Airstrike knocks out key Iran desalination plant on Qeshm Island, makes it ‘completely out of service’

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday (March 31) said "the last job anyone wants right now is leadership of the IRGC and a top position in the Iranian regime," as the US military killed several senior leaders in Tehran in decapitation strikes as the war in West Asia enters its second month.&nbsp;He referred to the Iranian regime as the "new regime" and said change has occurred in Tehran, while suggesting that "if Iran is wise, they'll cut a deal." The Defence Secretary reiterated his warning, saying, "If Tehran doesn't make a deal, the war will continue with more intensity."&nbsp;Hegseth also said he made an unannounced trip to West Asia over the weekend and visited troops that are part of the military operations. However, he refrained from disclosing his place of visit for security reasons.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/india-is-a-reliable-trustworthy-partner-senior-eu-lawmaker-angelika-niebler-1774955853921">India is a reliable, trustworthy partner: Senior EU Lawmaker Angelika Niebler</a>&nbsp;"The trip was an honour," and "witnessed the best of America," Pete Hegseth said, as he, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, held a briefing on Iran after 12 days.&nbsp;Hegseth claimed that the "past 24 hours saw the lowest number of enemy missiles fired by Iran," as the US has decimated its supporting infrastructure and missile and drone facilities, resulting in weakening Tehran's capacity to launch these weapons. "The upcoming days will be decisive. Iran knows that, and there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it," he added.&nbsp;On the issue of negotiations with Iran, the Pentagon chief talks about ending the Iran war, and making progress even as the more than month-long US-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic continued.&nbsp;&nbsp;"They are very real. They are ongoing, they are active, and I think, gaining strength," Hegseth said.&nbsp;&nbsp;(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)

Hegseth also said he made an unannounced trip to West Asia over the weekend and visited troops that are part of the military operations. However, he refrained from disclosing his place of visit for security reasons.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday (March 31) said "the last job anyone wants right now is leadership of the IRGC and a top position in the Iranian regime," as the US military killed several senior leaders in Tehran in decapitation strikes as the war in West Asia enters its second month. He referred to the Iranian regime as the "new regime" and said change has occurred in Tehran, while suggesting that "if Iran is wise, they'll cut a deal." The Defence Secretary reiterated his warning, saying, "If Tehran doesn't make a deal, the war will continue with more intensity." Hegseth also said he made an unannounced trip to West Asia over the weekend and visited troops that are part of the military operations. However, he refrained from disclosing his place of visit for security reasons. Also Read: India is a reliable, trustworthy partner: Senior EU Lawmaker Angelika Niebler "The trip was an honour," and "witnessed the best of America," Pete Hegseth said, as he, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, held a briefing on Iran after 12 days. Hegseth claimed that the "past 24 hours saw the lowest number of enemy missiles fired by Iran," as the US has decimated its supporting infrastructure and missile and drone facilities, resulting in weakening Tehran's capacity to launch these weapons. "The upcoming days will be decisive. Iran knows that, and there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it," he added. On the issue of negotiations with Iran, the Pentagon chief talks about ending the Iran war, and making progress even as the more than month-long US-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic continued. "They are very real. They are ongoing, they are active, and I think, gaining strength," Hegseth said. (Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)

Hegseth also said he made an unannounced trip to West Asia over the weekend and visited troops that are part of the military operations. However, he refrained from disclosing his place of visit for security reasons.

'If Iran is wise, they'll cut a deal': Hegseth claims regime change has occurred in Tehran

A new Covid variant from South Africa is slowly spreading in the United States, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said. The SARS-CoV-2 BA.3.2 variant has been reported in 23 countries as of February 11, according to the health agency. &nbsp;BA.3.2 first appeared in South Africa in November 2024. Scientists have warned that it has the ability to evade all immune defences. It believes the 2025-2026 Covid vaccines are not effective against the strain. The spike protein in this Covid variant has undergone about 75 mutations, which means the vaccines trained to recognise and fight the spike protein are unable to do so. CDC says this could lead to a rise in the number of infections, although not necessarily making them severe. CDC has been tracking the strain through its Traveller-Based Genomic Surveillance program. Till mid-March, BA.3.2 has reportedly been detected in six travellers who travelled to the US, and in over two dozen patients across 29 states and Puerto Rico.<h2>First case of BA.3.2 Covid strain in the US&nbsp;</h2>The strain of the Covid virus has also been detected in 260 wastewater sites, which is the first sign that a strain is spreading its roots in a region. However, CDC data shows that only about half a per cent of recent virus sequences have had the strain present. The first case of the BA.3.2 strain was confirmed in the US in June 2025 in a traveller from the Netherlands. "BA.3.2 represents a new lineage of SARS-CoV-2, genetically distinct from the JN.1 lineages (including LP.8.1 and XFG) that have circulated in the United States since January 2024," according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/epstein-files-bill-gates-pandemic-preparedness-geneva-2015-1770631357216">Epstein files reveal 2015 email linking Bill Gates, Jeffrey Epstein to global pandemic preparedness conference</a>&nbsp;BA.3.2 cases saw a spike in Europe around September last year, and roughly 30 per cent of all cases in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands comprised this strain. But it has not become a dominant strain, which could be because it does not bind well to human cells compared to other variants. This is preventing it from spreading at a fast pace. Experts say that even if the new strain has the ability to evade protection offered by current vaccines, they are still important to prevent severe disease. In India, no cases of the BA.3.2 strain have been officially reported yet. &nbsp;

The SARS-CoV-2 BA.3.2 variant of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in several states in America. The CDC has warned that the variant has undergone about 75 mutations and can evade the protection offered by the vaccines. 

A new Covid variant from South Africa is slowly spreading in the United States, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said. The SARS-CoV-2 BA.3.2 variant has been reported in 23 countries as of February 11, according to the health agency. BA.3.2 first appeared in South Africa in November 2024. Scientists have warned that it has the ability to evade all immune defences. It believes the 2025-2026 Covid vaccines are not effective against the strain. The spike protein in this Covid variant has undergone about 75 mutations, which means the vaccines trained to recognise and fight the spike protein are unable to do so. CDC says this could lead to a rise in the number of infections, although not necessarily making them severe. CDC has been tracking the strain through its Traveller-Based Genomic Surveillance program. Till mid-March, BA.3.2 has reportedly been detected in six travellers who travelled to the US, and in over two dozen patients across 29 states and Puerto Rico. First case of BA.3.2 Covid strain in the US The strain of the Covid virus has also been detected in 260 wastewater sites, which is the first sign that a strain is spreading its roots in a region. However, CDC data shows that only about half a per cent of recent virus sequences have had the strain present. The first case of the BA.3.2 strain was confirmed in the US in June 2025 in a traveller from the Netherlands. "BA.3.2 represents a new lineage of SARS-CoV-2, genetically distinct from the JN.1 lineages (including LP.8.1 and XFG) that have circulated in the United States since January 2024," according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Also Read: Epstein files reveal 2015 email linking Bill Gates, Jeffrey Epstein to global pandemic preparedness conference BA.3.2 cases saw a spike in Europe around September last year, and roughly 30 per cent of all cases in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands comprised this strain. But it has not become a dominant strain, which could be because it does not bind well to human cells compared to other variants. This is preventing it from spreading at a fast pace. Experts say that even if the new strain has the ability to evade protection offered by current vaccines, they are still important to prevent severe disease. In India, no cases of the BA.3.2 strain have been officially reported yet.

The SARS-CoV-2 BA.3.2 variant of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in several states in America. The CDC has warned that the variant has undergone about 75 mutations and can evade the protection offered by the vaccines.&nbsp;

COVID-19 strain Cicada, that has undergone about 75 mutations, spreading in the US

The dollar is heading for its strongest monthly performance since October 2024, driven by the Middle East conflicts, which have disrupted energy markets, unsettled economic outlooks, and pushed investors towards the leading reserve currency of the world. The US position as the top global oil producer has further strengthened the dollar amid a rise in energy prices and weakening global growth expectations.&nbsp;“The dollar rallied as a safe haven bid on weakening global growth expectations,” said Noah Buffam, strategist at CIBC Capital Markets, Bloomberg reported. Since the disruption to global energy markets, investors have favoured the dollar, particularly the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which highlighted the dependence on oil and natural gas imports of Europe and Japan.<h3>Forecasts of the US currency</h3>Traders, positioned for dollar weakness before the war, quickly reversed course. They now hold over $7 billion in bullish bets in the derivatives market, marking the highest since December. Some Wall Street banks that include JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which had a small view of the dollar heading into the year, are now reconsidering their stance on the US currency. However, volatility in global risk sentiment and news headlines continues to complicate forecasts exceedingly.&nbsp;Amid speculations of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates this year has now foundered as updated inflationary fears drive traders to reconsider. Additionally, the risk of a rising dollar dominates the outlook into year-end in the options market. “The dollar’s haven virtues have revived since the start of the Iran war as it quickly became clear this wasn’t a local conflict with fading FX impact. Dollar bulls can lean on elevated risk aversion, though the price action has underwhelmed so far, which is consistent with our view that the US’ unpredictable geopolitical stance boosts the case for diversification strategies," Bloomberg Intelligence confirmed.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-us-iran-war-escalates-red-sea-cable-threat-raises-fear-of-internet-disruption-in-india-1774877905277">As US-Iran war escalates, Red Sea cable threat raises fear of internet disruption in India</a>

Some Wall Street banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which had a small view of the dollar heading into the year, are now reconsidering their stance on the US currency. 

The dollar is heading for its strongest monthly performance since October 2024, driven by the Middle East conflicts, which have disrupted energy markets, unsettled economic outlooks, and pushed investors towards the leading reserve currency of the world. The US position as the top global oil producer has further strengthened the dollar amid a rise in energy prices and weakening global growth expectations. “The dollar rallied as a safe haven bid on weakening global growth expectations,” said Noah Buffam, strategist at CIBC Capital Markets, Bloomberg reported. Since the disruption to global energy markets, investors have favoured the dollar, particularly the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which highlighted the dependence on oil and natural gas imports of Europe and Japan. Forecasts of the US currency Traders, positioned for dollar weakness before the war, quickly reversed course. They now hold over $7 billion in bullish bets in the derivatives market, marking the highest since December. Some Wall Street banks that include JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which had a small view of the dollar heading into the year, are now reconsidering their stance on the US currency. However, volatility in global risk sentiment and news headlines continues to complicate forecasts exceedingly. Amid speculations of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates this year has now foundered as updated inflationary fears drive traders to reconsider. Additionally, the risk of a rising dollar dominates the outlook into year-end in the options market. “The dollar’s haven virtues have revived since the start of the Iran war as it quickly became clear this wasn’t a local conflict with fading FX impact. Dollar bulls can lean on elevated risk aversion, though the price action has underwhelmed so far, which is consistent with our view that the US’ unpredictable geopolitical stance boosts the case for diversification strategies," Bloomberg Intelligence confirmed. Also read: As US-Iran war escalates, Red Sea cable threat raises fear of internet disruption in India

Some Wall Street banks, including JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which had a small view of the dollar heading into the year, are now reconsidering their stance on the US currency.&nbsp;

Dollar climbs to strongest month since October 2024 as West Asia war shakes global markets

An attack on a desalination plant in Iran, and the US President Donald Trump's threats and Iranian counterthreats, are increasing the risk that water-purifying facilities could be sitting ducks in the ongoing war. For nearly a century, desalination plants, which make the salty water in the region drinkable, have been the lifeline of the Gulf region. Any attack on them would render millions of people without water. Several desalination plants are operated by European and Asian companies, once again giving a global dimension to the Iran-US-Israel war. Here is what you should know about the consequences of a water war:<h2>Desalination is a lifeline for millions of people across the Gulf region</h2>In a region where natural freshwater is virtually non-existent due to an arid climate, minimal rainfall and depleted aquifers, desalination is the lifeline of the Gulf region.In the UAE, nearly 42 per cent of drinking water comes through desalination plants , and up to 90 per cent in some emirates. The percentage is around 70 per cent in Saudi Arabia. For Qatar, it is 99 per cent of municipal and drinking water. For Kuwait, it is 90 per cent and for Oman, 86 per cent.<h2>Desalination plants also support industry and agriculture</h2>The GCC member countries produce nearly 40 per cent of the world’s desalinated water.Without desalination plants, major cities like Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait City, Muscat and Basra wouldn't be able to sustain current populations.The daily per capita demand of up to 500 litres of water relies on desalinated seawater.Amid population booms and climate change, dependence on desalination has increased for industry, agriculture and for holy sites like Hajj in Saudi Arabia.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/-water-war-trump-threatens-to-blow-up-iran-s-desalination-plants-how-could-retaliation-leave-gulf-cities-thirsty-1774938407674">'Water war': Trump threatens to blow up Iran’s desalination plants. How could retaliation leave Gulf cities thirsty?</a><h2>Sitting ducks: Attacks on desalination plants can lead to a humanitarian catastrophe</h2>Most desalination plants in the region are highly visible and large, located along coasts.&nbsp;Many are located directly across the Gulf from Iran, within easy range of its missiles and drones.In spite of their importance, which everyone knows, careless threats are being made against desalination plants by both sides in the Iran war.&nbsp;A disruption would cause an immediate humanitarian catastrophe, including dehydration and halted services.The long-term consequences could include economic collapse and potential mass displacement.More than 90 per cent of Gulf desalinated water comes from just 56 large plants. A single-point failure could cut supply to millions within days.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indian-national-dies-in-iranian-attack-on-kuwait-power-plant-india-government-mea-embassy-response-1774828034256">Kuwait confirms death of Indian national in 'Iranian attack' on power, desalination plant; MEA yet to respond</a><h2>Desalination plant attacks are not new, but are rising</h2>Already, several Iranian and Gulf desalination plants have faced direct or indirect strikes. Iran has accused the US of hitting a Qeshm Island plant along the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting water supplies for 30 villages.Bahrain reported an Iranian drone damaging one of its plants, while at least one person died in a similar attack in Kuwait.Damage was reported at the UAE’s Fujairah F1 and Kuwait’s Doha West from missiles, drones or debris. Iran has explicitly threatened “irreversible destruction” of Gulf water infrastructure in retaliation for any further strikes on its energy or water systems by adversaries.This is not the first time. In the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq damaged Kuwait’s desalination plants. Houthi rebels of Yemen have targeted desalination plants of adversaries in the recent past.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-iran-war-iranian-drone-damages-desalination-plant-in-bahrain-1773007153294/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-iran-war-iranian-drone-damages-desalination-plant-in-bahrain-1773007153294/embed</a><h2>The global angle: Dozens of desalination plants are maanged or operated by foreign firms</h2>While up to 80 to 90 per cent of overall Gulf desalination infrastructure is state-owned or operated, dozens of desalination plants in the region have foreign co-ownership or are operated by foreign firms.Leading players include ENGIE from France, which operates 13 plants across the region with 5.8 million m³/day total output.&nbsp;Spain's Acciona/GS Inima operates and manages multiple plants in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.Veolia from France, Mitsubishi and JERA from Japan, and PowerChina are also among the companies operating in the region.

Callous threats by both the US and Iran are putting Gulf desalination plants at risk. Attacks on these plants, deliberate or accidental, could cut water supplies for millions. A humanitarian crisis in the short run, and economic collapse in the long term, could be the results

An attack on a desalination plant in Iran, and the US President Donald Trump's threats and Iranian counterthreats, are increasing the risk that water-purifying facilities could be sitting ducks in the ongoing war. For nearly a century, desalination plants, which make the salty water in the region drinkable, have been the lifeline of the Gulf region. Any attack on them would render millions of people without water. Several desalination plants are operated by European and Asian companies, once again giving a global dimension to the Iran-US-Israel war. Here is what you should know about the consequences of a water war: Desalination is a lifeline for millions of people across the Gulf region In a region where natural freshwater is virtually non-existent due to an arid climate, minimal rainfall and depleted aquifers, desalination is the lifeline of the Gulf region. In the UAE, nearly 42 per cent of drinking water comes through desalination plants , and up to 90 per cent in some emirates. The percentage is around 70 per cent in Saudi Arabia. For Qatar, it is 99 per cent of municipal and drinking water. For Kuwait, it is 90 per cent and for Oman, 86 per cent. Desalination plants also support industry and agriculture The GCC member countries produce nearly 40 per cent of the world’s desalinated water. Without desalination plants, major cities like Dubai, Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait City, Muscat and Basra wouldn't be able to sustain current populations. The daily per capita demand of up to 500 litres of water relies on desalinated seawater. Amid population booms and climate change, dependence on desalination has increased for industry, agriculture and for holy sites like Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Also read: 'Water war': Trump threatens to blow up Iran’s desalination plants. How could retaliation leave Gulf cities thirsty? Sitting ducks: Attacks on desalination plants can lead to a humanitarian catastrophe Most desalination plants in the region are highly visible and large, located along coasts. Many are located directly across the Gulf from Iran, within easy range of its missiles and drones. In spite of their importance, which everyone knows, careless threats are being made against desalination plants by both sides in the Iran war. A disruption would cause an immediate humanitarian catastrophe, including dehydration and halted services. The long-term consequences could include economic collapse and potential mass displacement. More than 90 per cent of Gulf desalinated water comes from just 56 large plants. A single-point failure could cut supply to millions within days. Also read: Kuwait confirms death of Indian national in 'Iranian attack' on power, desalination plant; MEA yet to respond Desalination plant attacks are not new, but are rising Already, several Iranian and Gulf desalination plants have faced direct or indirect strikes. Iran has accused the US of hitting a Qeshm Island plant along the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting water supplies for 30 villages. Bahrain reported an Iranian drone damaging one of its plants, while at least one person died in a similar attack in Kuwait. Damage was reported at the UAE’s Fujairah F1 and Kuwait’s Doha West from missiles, drones or debris. Iran has explicitly threatened “irreversible destruction” of Gulf water infrastructure in retaliation for any further strikes on its energy or water systems by adversaries. This is not the first time. In the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq damaged Kuwait’s desalination plants. Houthi rebels of Yemen have targeted desalination plants of adversaries in the recent past. https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-iran-war-iranian-drone-damages-desalination-plant-in-bahrain-1773007153294/embed The global angle: Dozens of desalination plants are maanged or operated by foreign firms While up to 80 to 90 per cent of overall Gulf desalination infrastructure is state-owned or operated, dozens of desalination plants in the region have foreign co-ownership or are operated by foreign firms. Leading players include ENGIE from France, which operates 13 plants across the region with 5.8 million m³/day total output. Spain's Acciona/GS Inima operates and manages multiple plants in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Veolia from France, Mitsubishi and JERA from Japan, and PowerChina are also among the companies operating in the region.

Callous threats by both the US and Iran are putting Gulf desalination plants at risk. Attacks on these plants, deliberate or accidental, could cut water supplies for millions. A humanitarian crisis in the short run, and economic collapse in the long term, could be the results

Playing with fire, this time over water: Desalination, the lifeline of Gulf, could be Iran war targets if better sense does not prevail

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that the teenage boy involved in the Scott Mills sexual offences investigation was under the age of 16. Mills was interviewed under caution in 2018 regarding historical allegations of serious sexual offences. The investigation, which started in 2016, was closed in 2019 after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) concluded there was insufficient evidence to pursue charges.&nbsp;The allegations, first reported by the Mirror, are said to have taken place between 1997 and 2000. On Monday (March 30), the BBC said that Mills had been dismissed over issues relating to his personal conduct. The broadcaster has not provided further details, and it remains unclear whether the earlier police investigation contributed to the decision.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/why-bbc-dismissed-scott-mills-from-radio-2-shocking-email-reveals-details-1774874648753">Why BBC dismissed Scott Mills from Radio 2? Shocking email reveals details</a>&nbsp;The BBC declined to comment further but confirmed: “Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC.” It is understood that Tony Hall, who was director general at the time, was unaware of the allegations. Mills’ final show aired on Tuesday, 24 March, where he signed off as usual. The following day, Gary Davies stepped in, noting he was covering for Mills. Davies and OJ Borg will temporarily host the breakfast show.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-us-war-trump-expands-military-footprint-in-west-asia-50-000-us-troops-in-position-report-1774949406407/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-us-war-trump-expands-military-footprint-in-west-asia-50-000-us-troops-in-position-report-1774949406407/embed</a>&nbsp;Jeremy Vine described the situation as “a terrible shame” and admitted he was still processing the news. Mills, 53, had worked at the BBC for over 25 years and became Radio 2’s breakfast host in January 2025. His reported salary placed him among the broadcaster’s top earners. His departure marks another reputational challenge for the BBC, following recent high-profile controversies involving other presenters.<h2>Who is Scott Mills?</h2>Scott Mills is a well-established radio personality who has been a familiar voice in British broadcasting for many years. Born in Eastleigh, Hampshire, he started his radio career at the age of 16. He was educated at Shakespeare Infant School and Crestwood College before moving to London to pursue greater opportunities in the industry. Mills got his early break at Power FM, where he became one of the youngest regular presenters in commercial radio. He later expanded his experience by working at stations in Bristol and Manchester, as well as Heart FM in London.

Scott Mills sex abuse claims: Teen boy at centre of probe was under 16, police say

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that the teenage boy involved in the Scott Mills sexual offences investigation was under the age of 16. Mills was interviewed under caution in 2018 regarding historical allegations of serious sexual offences. The investigation, which started in 2016, was closed in 2019 after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) concluded there was insufficient evidence to pursue charges. The allegations, first reported by the Mirror, are said to have taken place between 1997 and 2000. On Monday (March 30), the BBC said that Mills had been dismissed over issues relating to his personal conduct. The broadcaster has not provided further details, and it remains unclear whether the earlier police investigation contributed to the decision. Also Read: Why BBC dismissed Scott Mills from Radio 2? Shocking email reveals details The BBC declined to comment further but confirmed: “Scott Mills is no longer contracted to work with the BBC.” It is understood that Tony Hall, who was director general at the time, was unaware of the allegations. Mills’ final show aired on Tuesday, 24 March, where he signed off as usual. The following day, Gary Davies stepped in, noting he was covering for Mills. Davies and OJ Borg will temporarily host the breakfast show. https://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-us-war-trump-expands-military-footprint-in-west-asia-50-000-us-troops-in-position-report-1774949406407/embed Jeremy Vine described the situation as “a terrible shame” and admitted he was still processing the news. Mills, 53, had worked at the BBC for over 25 years and became Radio 2’s breakfast host in January 2025. His reported salary placed him among the broadcaster’s top earners. His departure marks another reputational challenge for the BBC, following recent high-profile controversies involving other presenters. Who is Scott Mills? Scott Mills is a well-established radio personality who has been a familiar voice in British broadcasting for many years. Born in Eastleigh, Hampshire, he started his radio career at the age of 16. He was educated at Shakespeare Infant School and Crestwood College before moving to London to pursue greater opportunities in the industry. Mills got his early break at Power FM, where he became one of the youngest regular presenters in commercial radio. He later expanded his experience by working at stations in Bristol and Manchester, as well as Heart FM in London.

The BBC sacked Scott Mills amid allegations investigated by police, though no charges were brought due to insufficient evidence

Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf has slammed the US President Donald Trump for passing on “wishes” as “news”, at the same time planning an attack against Iran. He warned that the so-called “news” is just a “pump” and "dump" scheme and dismissed the US diplomatic signals as “fake news”"Heads-up: Pre-market so-called "news" or "Truth" is often just a setup for profit-taking. Basically, it's a reverse indicator. Do the opposite: If they pump it, short it. If they dump it, go long. See something tomorrow? You know the drill," wrote Ghalibaf in a post on XHe warned Washington against any escalation, claiming it would be a ‘big mistake’, and threatened that “if they hit one”, they would be hit with several. This comes as a response to US President Donald Trump's claim that Ghalibaf was the “insider” figure who was involved in negotiations with the US.&nbsp;"Iran's enemies pass off their wishes as ‘news’ while simultaneously threatening our nation—they're dead wrong. If they strike once, they'll get hit several times back."&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-gulf-countries-fund-iran-war-leavitt-1774944463207">Donald Trump may ask Gulf Nations to fund Iran war, says Karoline Leavitt</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">دشمنان ایران، آرزوهای خود را به عنوان «خبر» جا می‌زنند و در همان حال ملت ما را تهدید می‌کنند، غلط می‌کنند. یکی بزنند، چندتا میخورند. مردم ایران إن‌شاءالله تحت هدایت رهبر معظم انقلاب، دشمن را پشیمان می‌کنند و به حقوق حقهٔ خود خواهند رسید. <a href="https://t.co/pejsw844Ex">https://t.co/pejsw844Ex</a>&mdash; محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) <a href="https://twitter.com/mb_ghalibaf/status/2038700993731301449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

On March 29, ISNA reported, quoting Ghalibaf as saying that Iranian forces are on alert for a potential US ground operation and that the United States and its regional partners would face severe consequences if they proceeded. He also mocked the US President Donald Trump for failing to persuade European countries to join the war against Iran. He further added that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will not return to the pre-war situation.&nbsp;On the other hand, White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that US President Donald Trump was confident that the new regime in Iran is “more reasonable” and has enough grip on power.&nbsp;"When the President says "more reasonable," again, these folks are appearing more reasonable behind the scenes privately in these conversations than perhaps some of the previous leaders who are now no longer on planet Earth because they lied to the United States and they strung us along in negotiations, and that was unacceptable to the President, which is why many of the previous leaders were killed," said Leavitt in a press briefing on Monday, March 30. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Iran’s Mohammad Ghalibaf accuses Trump of spreading “fake news” and warns of retaliation, as tensions escalate between Washington and Tehran.

Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf has slammed the US President Donald Trump for passing on “wishes” as “news”, at the same time planning an attack against Iran. He warned that the so-called “news” is just a “pump” and "dump" scheme and dismissed the US diplomatic signals as “fake news” "Heads-up: Pre-market so-called "news" or "Truth" is often just a setup for profit-taking. Basically, it's a reverse indicator. Do the opposite: If they pump it, short it. If they dump it, go long. See something tomorrow? You know the drill," wrote Ghalibaf in a post on X He warned Washington against any escalation, claiming it would be a ‘big mistake’, and threatened that “if they hit one”, they would be hit with several. This comes as a response to US President Donald Trump's claim that Ghalibaf was the “insider” figure who was involved in negotiations with the US. "Iran's enemies pass off their wishes as ‘news’ while simultaneously threatening our nation—they're dead wrong. If they strike once, they'll get hit several times back." Also Read: Donald Trump may ask Gulf Nations to fund Iran war, says Karoline Leavitt

Iran’s Mohammad Ghalibaf accuses Trump of spreading “fake news” and warns of retaliation, as tensions escalate between Washington and Tehran.

Iran's Ghalibaf slams Trump calls pre-market 'news' a 'pump' and 'dump' scheme

Countries grappling with fuel shortages amid the escalating Middle East conflict have just two choices – buy from the United States or secure supplies themselves via the Iran-blocked Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, also taking a dig at allies who snubbed his call to join the war.&nbsp;"All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the US, we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT," he said in a social media post.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kadyrov-s-forces-ready-for-iran-deployment-as-us-israel-campaign-intensifies-tehran-media-1774954410377">Kadyrov’s forces ‘ready’ for Iran deployment as US-Israel campaign intensifies: Tehran media</a>&nbsp;“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself. The USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!” he added.<h2>'France has been very unhelpful, US will remember'</h2>Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/-why-would-any-us-president-consider-pakistan-as-host-mary-millben-calls-out-trump-for-letting-terrorist-country-mediate-in-iran-war-1774946583563">‘Why would any US President consider Pakistan as host?’: Mary Millben calls out Trump for letting ‘terrorist country’ mediate in Iran war</a>&nbsp;The American president also slammed France for refusing to allow military supply flights to Israel to cross its airspace. "The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory. France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the “Butcher of Iran,” who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!" he wrote in another post on Truth Social.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/netanyahu-says-peace-deal-between-us-iran-won-t-stop-israel-s-war-on-hezbollah-in-lebanon-report-1774944810213">Netanyahu says peace deal between US, Iran won't stop Israel’s war on Hezbollah</a><h2>Strait of Hormuz</h2>Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz - a crucial chokepoint that carries nearly 20 per cent of the world’s oil - shortly after the US launched a limited military operation on February 28. The move sparked a severe fuel crunch and sent crude prices soaring past $100 a barrel, up from about $75 earlier.&nbsp;Despite issuing strong warnings and urging allies to send naval forces to secure the route, Donald Trump has so far failed to reopen the strait. Major allies have yet to respond positively to the call for deployment.&nbsp;

Trump told allies to buy US oil or "take" it themselves from the Iran-blocked Strait of Hormuz, criticising nations like the UK for refusing to join the military conflict.

Countries grappling with fuel shortages amid the escalating Middle East conflict have just two choices – buy from the United States or secure supplies themselves via the Iran-blocked Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, also taking a dig at allies who snubbed his call to join the war. "All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the US, we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT," he said in a social media post. Also read: Kadyrov’s forces ‘ready’ for Iran deployment as US-Israel campaign intensifies: Tehran media “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself. The USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!” he added. 'France has been very unhelpful, US will remember' Also read: ‘Why would any US President consider Pakistan as host?’: Mary Millben calls out Trump for letting ‘terrorist country’ mediate in Iran war The American president also slammed France for refusing to allow military supply flights to Israel to cross its airspace. "The Country of France wouldn’t let planes headed to Israel, loaded up with military supplies, fly over French territory. France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the “Butcher of Iran,” who has been successfully eliminated! The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!!!" he wrote in another post on Truth Social. Also read: Netanyahu says peace deal between US, Iran won't stop Israel’s war on Hezbollah Strait of Hormuz Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz - a crucial chokepoint that carries nearly 20 per cent of the world’s oil - shortly after the US launched a limited military operation on February 28. The move sparked a severe fuel crunch and sent crude prices soaring past $100 a barrel, up from about $75 earlier. Despite issuing strong warnings and urging allies to send naval forces to secure the route, Donald Trump has so far failed to reopen the strait. Major allies have yet to respond positively to the call for deployment.

Trump told allies to buy US oil or "take" it themselves from the Iran-blocked Strait of Hormuz, criticising nations like the UK for refusing to join the military conflict.

‘Just take it’: Trump says countries have 2 options amid Iran war, either ‘buy oil from US’ or go get from Strait

Angelika Niebler, Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with India, described her Delhi visit as highly productive and expressed strong optimism about India-EU ties. In an interview with WION's Sidhant Sibal, Niebler said India, EU are “on the same page right now.” She highlighted progress on security and defence cooperation alongside efforts to build a strategic partnership.&nbsp;She particularly praised India as a trustworthy and reliable partner. “For us, the European Union, India is such a trustworthy partner,” Niebler said. She added that India is “a stable country and a very reliable partner” that offers “continuity” in a rapidly changing world.On the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Niebler said the European Parliament is scrutinising the deal in a “very positive spirit.” She stressed the benefits of opening markets for nearly 2 billion people, which would boost prosperity for citizens in both India and the EU. She hopes the agreement can be finalised by the end of the year.&nbsp;During her India visit, the senior EU lawmaker, along with her lawmaker delegation, met Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar &amp; Trade Minister Piyush Goyal.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/who-is-william-walsh-indigo-names-him-ceo-following-pieter-elbers-exit-1774953878993">Who is William Walsh? IndiGo names new CEO following Pieter Elbers’ exit</a><h2>How were your meetings here in Delhi?</h2> We are happy to be here. We are a delegation of 11 members of the European Parliament, and we had these really excellent talks with our counterparts. It was very important to talk to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha as Europeans believe in parliamentary democracy, and for that, it is very important for us to engage with our counterparts in the Lok Sabha. We are right now scrutinizing the free trade agreement with India. It was also important to talk to Dr Jaishankar and Mr. Goyal and to address some issues which are of interest for both of us.&nbsp;<h2>How do you see, as a chair, the India-EU relationship?</h2>Well, I'm very positive now, and we are so happy. I think it's really an EU-India moment, or even, I have to say, it's not only a moment. I think we are on the same page right now. A lot of things are happening. It's not only working together on the economic fields, but we also agreed on a security and defence cooperation, and there is an agenda being established that we go for a strategic partnership. Also, aligning with members in the parliament, this is important for us. So it's the moment right now. And if you look at what's happening in the world, &nbsp;I think it's a sort of blessing in the sky that we'll find out. Let's look at where we have common interests. Let's look at where we can move forward together. I think it's the right moment. We Europeans, like India, are looking for trustworthy partners in the world. For us, the European Union, India is such a trustworthy partner.&nbsp;<h2>Trustworthy partner. You also mentioned the free trade agreement that has been a big focus in the India-EU relationship. When it comes to the Parliament processes or procedures, what can one expect?</h2> It's our duty, actually, to carefully scrutinise the terms of the agreement. That's what we are actually doing now. But we are all in a very positive spirit. We know that it's now the time for moving forward, for looking for these really reliable partners in the world, and this is the spirit by which we are now engaging. I think you know, when we are both opening the market now for 2 billion people, when we get rid of the obstacles and barriers in this big market, this is to the benefit for the prosperity of citizens in India as well as in the European Union.<h2>I know there are parliamentary processes. There are parliamentary procedures. Scrutiny is part of the parliamentary processes. But any timeline you're looking at, one could expect that approval can be given.</h2> Parliament is parliament, you know. Every parliamentarian is an individual, of course. But looking at the strategic importance also of this partnership, I think we should head for at the end of the year, maybe finalising the agreement. That would be, I think, a good signal coming out also from the European Parliament, and coming back to our delegation. You know, we had only 11 members compared to the size of the European Parliament. We are 720 members of the European Parliament.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is a small number, but looking at the diversity of our delegation, the 11 members are coming from different member states, from different cultures and traditions. We are all speaking different languages. We all belong to different political groups, so we have a broad range of colleagues, also attending the meetings yesterday and today. And that's why I'm really confident that we will positively support what has been agreed upon. Let me stress, it's the first step. So I think we should move on, and I hope for the future of our people. You know, we care about the citizens here in India and in our member states at home. So I think it needs to be done now, and we want to move on.<h2>My last question to you, how do you see India, EU relationship, as a factor of stability at a time when there are so many wars and conflicts happening, your continent has the war, which is in fourth or fifth year. Now we have a war in West Asia that has dramatically increased the cost of energy across the world, and here in Asia, it's deeply impacting the lives of common people. So how do you see India, EU relationship as a factor of stability? How do you see the rise of India as well?</h2> Well, actually, I think India is on its rise, so it will become one of the leading powers in the world. For us, I think, as you know, we both rely on parliamentary democracy. You know, this is important for us as parliamentarians. We see that aligning the policies, also on a global scale, is a good step forward. We realise that India is following a policy of multi-alignment, which is good. We do the same, actually. We also look out and look for other partners. India is a stable country and a very reliable partner. They are not; they are not jumping from one issue to another. You can see there is continuity, and that is very important for us. You know, to look for stability, also in this world, where things are changing so rapidly.

Angelika Niebler praised India as a trustworthy and reliable partner. “For us, the European Union, India is such a trustworthy partner,” she said.

Angelika Niebler, Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with India, described her Delhi visit as highly productive and expressed strong optimism about India-EU ties. In an interview with WION's Sidhant Sibal, Niebler said India, EU are “on the same page right now.” She highlighted progress on security and defence cooperation alongside efforts to build a strategic partnership. She particularly praised India as a trustworthy and reliable partner. “For us, the European Union, India is such a trustworthy partner,” Niebler said. She added that India is “a stable country and a very reliable partner” that offers “continuity” in a rapidly changing world. On the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Niebler said the European Parliament is scrutinising the deal in a “very positive spirit.” She stressed the benefits of opening markets for nearly 2 billion people, which would boost prosperity for citizens in both India and the EU. She hopes the agreement can be finalised by the end of the year. During her India visit, the senior EU lawmaker, along with her lawmaker delegation, met Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar & Trade Minister Piyush Goyal. Also Read: Who is William Walsh? IndiGo names new CEO following Pieter Elbers’ exit How were your meetings here in Delhi? We are happy to be here. We are a delegation of 11 members of the European Parliament, and we had these really excellent talks with our counterparts. It was very important to talk to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha as Europeans believe in parliamentary democracy, and for that, it is very important for us to engage with our counterparts in the Lok Sabha. We are right now scrutinizing the free trade agreement with India. It was also important to talk to Dr Jaishankar and Mr. Goyal and to address some issues which are of interest for both of us. How do you see, as a chair, the India-EU relationship? Well, I'm very positive now, and we are so happy. I think it's really an EU-India moment, or even, I have to say, it's not only a moment. I think we are on the same page right now. A lot of things are happening. It's not only working together on the economic fields, but we also agreed on a security and defence cooperation, and there is an agenda being established that we go for a strategic partnership. Also, aligning with members in the parliament, this is important for us. So it's the moment right now. And if you look at what's happening in the world, I think it's a sort of blessing in the sky that we'll find out. Let's look at where we have common interests. Let's look at where we can move forward together. I think it's the right moment. We Europeans, like India, are looking for trustworthy partners in the world. For us, the European Union, India is such a trustworthy partner. Trustworthy partner. You also mentioned the free trade agreement that has been a big focus in the India-EU relationship. When it comes to the Parliament processes or procedures, what can one expect? It's our duty, actually, to carefully scrutinise the terms of the agreement. That's what we are actually doing now. But we are all in a very positive spirit. We know that it's now the time for moving forward, for looking for these really reliable partners in the world, and this is the spirit by which we are now engaging. I think you know, when we are both opening the market now for 2 billion people, when we get rid of the obstacles and barriers in this big market, this is to the benefit for the prosperity of citizens in India as well as in the European Union. I know there are parliamentary processes. There are parliamentary procedures. Scrutiny is part of the parliamentary processes. But any timeline you're looking at, one could expect that approval can be given. Parliament is parliament, you know. Every parliamentarian is an individual, of course. But looking at the strategic importance also of this partnership, I think we should head for at the end of the year, maybe finalising the agreement. That would be, I think, a good signal coming out also from the European Parliament, and coming back to our delegation. You know, we had only 11 members compared to the size of the European Parliament. We are 720 members of the European Parliament. This is a small number, but looking at the diversity of our delegation, the 11 members are coming from different member states, from different cultures and traditions. We are all speaking different languages. We all belong to different political groups, so we have a broad range of colleagues, also attending the meetings yesterday and today. And that's why I'm really confident that we will positively support what has been agreed upon. Let me stress, it's the first step. So I think we should move on, and I hope for the future of our people. You know, we care about the citizens here in India and in our member states at home. So I think it needs to be done now, and we want to move on. My last question to you, how do you see India, EU relationship, as a factor of stability at a time when there are so many wars and conflicts happening, your continent has the war, which is in fourth or fifth year. Now we have a war in West Asia that has dramatically increased the cost of energy across the world, and here in Asia, it's deeply impacting the lives of common people. So how do you see India, EU relationship as a factor of stability? How do you see the rise of India as well? Well, actually, I think India is on its rise, so it will become one of the leading powers in the world. For us, I think, as you know, we both rely on parliamentary democracy. You know, this is important for us as parliamentarians. We see that aligning the policies, also on a global scale, is a good step forward. We realise that India is following a policy of multi-alignment, which is good. We do the same, actually. We also look out and look for other partners. India is a stable country and a very reliable partner. They are not; they are not jumping from one issue to another. You can see there is continuity, and that is very important for us. You know, to look for stability, also in this world, where things are changing so rapidly.

Angelika Niebler praised India as a trustworthy and reliable partner. “For us, the European Union, India is such a trustworthy partner,” she said.

India is a reliable, trustworthy partner: Senior EU Lawmaker Angelika Niebler

Iranian media have reported that Chechen military units aligned with Ramzan Kadyrov have declared their readiness to deploy to Iran if the US launches a ground invasion, signalling a potential widening of the already volatile conflict. As per the reports, the forces loyal to Kadyrov have framed the ongoing US-Israel military campaign against Iran as a “religious war,” describing any possible intervention as a “jihad” - a battle between good and evil - in defence of the Islamic Republic.&nbsp;The development comes amid escalating tensions and speculation that the US, under President Donald Trump, may be preparing for a ground offensive after weeks of aerial bombardment reportedly failed to achieve decisive results.&nbsp;The conflict, which began on February 28, has rapidly escalated. Iranian accounts claim the war was triggered during indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington and involved high-profile assassinations, including that of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, alongside senior commanders and civilians.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/netanyahu-says-peace-deal-between-us-iran-won-t-stop-israel-s-war-on-hezbollah-in-lebanon-report-1774944810213">Netanyahu says peace deal between US, Iran won't stop Israel’s war on Hezbollah in Lebanon: Report</a>&nbsp;Tehran has since responded with sustained military action, reportedly launching dozens of missiles and drone strikes targeting Israeli military infrastructure as well as US bases across the Persian Gulf region. Iranian officials say the armed forces have conducted at least 86 waves of retaliatory attacks, marking one of the most intense phases of confrontation between the two sides in recent years.<h2>Ukraine angle raises geopolitical stakes</h2>Adding to the complexity, Iran has also accused Ukraine of directly supporting US and Israeli operations. In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN Security Council, Iran’s envoy Amir Saeid Iravani alleged that Kyiv has deployed “hundreds of experts” to assist in the campaign.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/could-trump-s-attempt-to-seize-iran-s-kharg-island-risk-troops-lives-and-still-fail-to-end-the-war-1774944317534">US attempt to seize Kharg Island risk troops’ lives &amp; still fail to end war</a>&nbsp;The reported involvement of Ukrainian personnel is being viewed by analysts as a potentially significant escalation, linking the conflict more closely to the broader geopolitical rivalry involving Russia and the West amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.&nbsp;While there has been no independent confirmation of Chechen troop mobilisation or Ukrainian deployment, the claims underscore growing fears that the conflict could expand into a wider, multi-front confrontation involving multiple state and non-state actors.&nbsp;

Chechen forces pledged to support Iran against a potential US ground offensive, framing the conflict as a "holy war," while Tehran accused Ukraine of assisting US-Israeli military operations.

Iranian media have reported that Chechen military units aligned with Ramzan Kadyrov have declared their readiness to deploy to Iran if the US launches a ground invasion, signalling a potential widening of the already volatile conflict. As per the reports, the forces loyal to Kadyrov have framed the ongoing US-Israel military campaign against Iran as a “religious war,” describing any possible intervention as a “jihad” - a battle between good and evil - in defence of the Islamic Republic. The development comes amid escalating tensions and speculation that the US, under President Donald Trump, may be preparing for a ground offensive after weeks of aerial bombardment reportedly failed to achieve decisive results. The conflict, which began on February 28, has rapidly escalated. Iranian accounts claim the war was triggered during indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington and involved high-profile assassinations, including that of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, alongside senior commanders and civilians. Also read: Netanyahu says peace deal between US, Iran won't stop Israel’s war on Hezbollah in Lebanon: Report Tehran has since responded with sustained military action, reportedly launching dozens of missiles and drone strikes targeting Israeli military infrastructure as well as US bases across the Persian Gulf region. Iranian officials say the armed forces have conducted at least 86 waves of retaliatory attacks, marking one of the most intense phases of confrontation between the two sides in recent years. Ukraine angle raises geopolitical stakes Adding to the complexity, Iran has also accused Ukraine of directly supporting US and Israeli operations. In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN Security Council, Iran’s envoy Amir Saeid Iravani alleged that Kyiv has deployed “hundreds of experts” to assist in the campaign. Also read: US attempt to seize Kharg Island risk troops’ lives & still fail to end war The reported involvement of Ukrainian personnel is being viewed by analysts as a potentially significant escalation, linking the conflict more closely to the broader geopolitical rivalry involving Russia and the West amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. While there has been no independent confirmation of Chechen troop mobilisation or Ukrainian deployment, the claims underscore growing fears that the conflict could expand into a wider, multi-front confrontation involving multiple state and non-state actors.

Chechen forces pledged to support Iran against a potential US ground offensive, framing the conflict as a "holy war," while Tehran accused Ukraine of assisting US-Israeli military operations.

Kadyrov’s forces ‘ready’ for Iran deployment as US-Israel campaign intensifies: Tehran media

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly said senior US officials that any future agreement between Iran and the US would not stop Israel’s war in Lebanon. His statement come as US President Donald Trump sent peace plan to Tehran and representatives of Gulf nation held talks in Pakistan regarding the end of war. Israel-US joint attack on Iran killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting Hezbollah to strike Tel Aviv, in what they described as an attack to avenge the death of Khamenei. In response, Israel launched a massive operation on Hezbollah in Lebanon, resulting in the killing of over 1,238 people. It must be noted that Hezbollah ​was founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982 and is widely seen as the spearhead of Iran's regional alliance of armed actors.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hezbollah-rejects-israel-talks-as-iran-demands-halt-to-strikes-on-lebanese-proxy-iranian-regime-rules-out-us-negotiations-1774493786655">'Imposition of surrender...': Hezbollah rejects Israel talks as Iran demands halt to strikes on Lebanese proxy</a><h2>What Netanyahu said?</h2>The Israel Hayom daily reported that Netanyahu conveyed the message during recent closed-door talks with senior officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration. According to the report, Netanyahu said that any agreement reached between the United States and Iran would not apply to the Lebanese front.“Israel will continue to take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate Hezbollah even if there is an agreement between Trump and Iranian officials,” the report said. Netanyahu believes Israel now has an opportunity to significantly improve its security situation by pushing Hezbollah beyond the Litani River. The newspaper also said Netanyahu rejected a French proposal to halt the war against Hezbollah in exchange for French President Emmanuel Macron’s commitment to help resolve the situation. A senior Israeli official quoted by the newspaper said the United States had accepted Israel’s position. “Lebanon does not matter to President Trump,” the official said.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/is-israel-using-white-phosphorus-in-lebanon-hezbollah-amid-iran-war-alarming-allegations-surfaces-1773128944896">Is Israel using white phosphorus in Lebanon amid Iran war? Alarming allegations surfaces</a><h2>What we know about US-Iran peace deal?</h2>US President Donald Trump has sent a 15-point peace plan to Iran that includes giving up of nuclear weapon and enriched uranium as well as ceasing of support to regional proxies like Hezbollah. He has claimed that he is dealing with completely new set of people who are “reasonable.” Reiterating that the Iran war is “ahead of schedule”, Trump said there can be a deal with Tehran “pretty soon.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Iran has firmly denied any involvement in Pakistan’s proposal to host direct talks between the United States and Iran. The Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai clarified on Monday (March 30) that no direct negotiations with the US have taken place. Instead, it said only excessive and unreasonable demands have been conveyed through intermediaries. "No direct US talks; only excessive, unreasonable demands via intermediaries. US "diplomacy" flips constantly; our stance is clear. Pakistan's forums are their own; we didn't participate. Regional calls to end war are welcome, but remember who started it!" the Consulate General said in a statement.<h2>What Lebanon said about Israel-Hezbollah conflict?</h2>Earlier, the Lebanese government said that members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are commanding Hezbollah's operations. It blamed IRGC for dragging Lebanon in the ongoing war with Israel. It said that IRGC members “entered the country illegally” and are managing Hezbollah's military operation in Lebanon. Lebanese government also banned Hezbollah and its military activities in the country after its attack on Israel. It urged the Israeli administration to talk to the government and end hostolities.&nbsp;&nbsp;However, Hezbollah rejected the reports of negotiation with Israel. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected any possibility of negotiation with Israel stating that it would mean “surrender” for Lebanon. This was in response of attempts made by the Lebanese president’s to start direct talks between the group and Israel. Qassem also urged the Lebanese government to reverse its ban on the group's military activities. In a televised speech read on his behalf, Naim Qassem said, “When negotiations with the Israeli enemy are proposed under fire, this is an imposition of surrender,” Qassem said, adding, that negotiations cannot happen ”with an enemy that occupies our land and carries out daily attacks.” Qassem called on the Lebanese people to embrace “national unity."&nbsp;<h2>What Iran said abiut Hezbollah?</h2>Iran in its guarantees to end the war included that Israel halts its strikes on Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, the Wall Street Journal reported. Iran has told intermediaries that Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire agreement with ​the United States and Israel, six regional sources familiar with Iran's position told Reuters. Iran's Press TV also cited an Iranian official saying Tehran wanted any deal with the United States to secure an end to the war both on Iran and other "resistance groups" in the region. The ​six regional sources, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Tehran ⁠had informed mediators as early as mid-March that it sought a deal that would also stop Israel's attacks on Hezbollah.&nbsp;(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)

Benjamin Netanyahu signalled Israel will continue its war against Hezbollah even if a US-Iran deal is reached. Donald Trump pushes a peace plan, while Iran demands halting strikes on its allies.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly said senior US officials that any future agreement between Iran and the US would not stop Israel’s war in Lebanon. His statement come as US President Donald Trump sent peace plan to Tehran and representatives of Gulf nation held talks in Pakistan regarding the end of war. Israel-US joint attack on Iran killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting Hezbollah to strike Tel Aviv, in what they described as an attack to avenge the death of Khamenei. In response, Israel launched a massive operation on Hezbollah in Lebanon, resulting in the killing of over 1,238 people. It must be noted that Hezbollah was founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982 and is widely seen as the spearhead of Iran's regional alliance of armed actors. Also Read: 'Imposition of surrender...': Hezbollah rejects Israel talks as Iran demands halt to strikes on Lebanese proxy What Netanyahu said? The Israel Hayom daily reported that Netanyahu conveyed the message during recent closed-door talks with senior officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration. According to the report, Netanyahu said that any agreement reached between the United States and Iran would not apply to the Lebanese front. “Israel will continue to take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate Hezbollah even if there is an agreement between Trump and Iranian officials,” the report said. Netanyahu believes Israel now has an opportunity to significantly improve its security situation by pushing Hezbollah beyond the Litani River. The newspaper also said Netanyahu rejected a French proposal to halt the war against Hezbollah in exchange for French President Emmanuel Macron’s commitment to help resolve the situation. A senior Israeli official quoted by the newspaper said the United States had accepted Israel’s position. “Lebanon does not matter to President Trump,” the official said. Also Read: Is Israel using white phosphorus in Lebanon amid Iran war? Alarming allegations surfaces What we know about US-Iran peace deal? US President Donald Trump has sent a 15-point peace plan to Iran that includes giving up of nuclear weapon and enriched uranium as well as ceasing of support to regional proxies like Hezbollah. He has claimed that he is dealing with completely new set of people who are “reasonable.” Reiterating that the Iran war is “ahead of schedule”, Trump said there can be a deal with Tehran “pretty soon.” Iran has firmly denied any involvement in Pakistan’s proposal to host direct talks between the United States and Iran. The Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai clarified on Monday (March 30) that no direct negotiations with the US have taken place. Instead, it said only excessive and unreasonable demands have been conveyed through intermediaries. "No direct US talks; only excessive, unreasonable demands via intermediaries. US "diplomacy" flips constantly; our stance is clear. Pakistan's forums are their own; we didn't participate. Regional calls to end war are welcome, but remember who started it!" the Consulate General said in a statement. What Lebanon said about Israel-Hezbollah conflict? Earlier, the Lebanese government said that members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are commanding Hezbollah's operations. It blamed IRGC for dragging Lebanon in the ongoing war with Israel. It said that IRGC members “entered the country illegally” and are managing Hezbollah's military operation in Lebanon. Lebanese government also banned Hezbollah and its military activities in the country after its attack on Israel. It urged the Israeli administration to talk to the government and end hostolities. However, Hezbollah rejected the reports of negotiation with Israel. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected any possibility of negotiation with Israel stating that it would mean “surrender” for Lebanon. This was in response of attempts made by the Lebanese president’s to start direct talks between the group and Israel. Qassem also urged the Lebanese government to reverse its ban on the group's military activities. In a televised speech read on his behalf, Naim Qassem said, “When negotiations with the Israeli enemy are proposed under fire, this is an imposition of surrender,” Qassem said, adding, that negotiations cannot happen ”with an enemy that occupies our land and carries out daily attacks.” Qassem called on the Lebanese people to embrace “national unity." What Iran said abiut Hezbollah? Iran in its guarantees to end the war included that Israel halts its strikes on Iran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, the Wall Street Journal reported. Iran has told intermediaries that Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire agreement with the United States and Israel, six regional sources familiar with Iran's position told Reuters. Iran's Press TV also cited an Iranian official saying Tehran wanted any deal with the United States to secure an end to the war both on Iran and other "resistance groups" in the region. The six regional sources, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Tehran ⁠had informed mediators as early as mid-March that it sought a deal that would also stop Israel's attacks on Hezbollah. (Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)

Benjamin Netanyahu signalled Israel will continue its war against Hezbollah even if a US-Iran deal is reached. Donald Trump pushes a peace plan, while Iran demands halting strikes on its allies.

Netanyahu says peace deal between US, Iran won't stop Israel’s war on Hezbollah in Lebanon: Report

Nearly 70 per cent of Australian under-16s who had social media accounts before a landmark law banned it are still accessing them. The government is probing Meta, TikTok, Google, Snap and other tech firms over alleged failures to enforce the ban. The probe covers platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.<h2>Australia's stringent law banning social media for teens</h2>The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, in force since December, designates Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit and several other platforms as “age-restricted”, requiring them to prevent under-16s from holding accounts. Penalties of up to A$49.5 million, or US$33.9 million, could be imposed on companies for non-compliance.Under the law, the entire onus is on the platforms, as there is no penalty for children or parents if under-16s try to access social media using circumventions such as VPNs.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-a-global-first-australia-s-under-16-social-media-ban-takes-effect-1765286627973">In a global first, Australia’s under-16 social media ban takes effect</a><h2>Law enforcement is lax, reveals survey</h2>However, the new eSafety Compliance Report and Survey, based on compulsory information from platforms and interviews with nearly 900 parents, found that implementation is far from perfect.In the survey, 31 per cent of parents said their children still had at least one social media account after the ban. Among children who previously used Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok, about 70 per cent retained access. Platform-specific data showed similar trends, with 63.6 per cent of children keeping Facebook accounts, 69.1 per cent on Instagram, 69.4 per cent on Snapchat, 69.3 per cent on TikTok, and 48.5 per cent on YouTube.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/australia-bans-under-16-social-media-accounts-millions-removed-within-days-1768537233396/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/australia-bans-under-16-social-media-accounts-millions-removed-within-days-1768537233396/embed</a><h2>Tech firms doing bare minimum, says minister</h2>Australia’s communications minister, Anika Wells, said the companies were doing “the absolute bare minimum”, adding that “none of this is even difficult for big tech, who are innovative billion-dollar companies”.Calling the update unacceptable, she said firms must comply: “If these companies want to do business in Australia, they must obey Australian laws.”Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-bans-under-16s-from-social-media-but-youtube-warns-it-could-make-them-less-safe-wion-explains-1764746581502">Australia bans under-16s from social media, but YouTube warns it could make them less safe. Here's how</a><h2>Australia's eSafety Commission blames weak enforcement</h2>The eSafety Commission of Australia said overall account ownership declined, but a substantial proportion of children under 16 retained social media accounts, attributing this partly to weak enforcement systems. “The most common reason children still had their social media accounts was that they had not yet been asked by the platform to verify their age,” it said.Some platforms allow repeated age-verification attempts and encourage underage users to try verification despite declaring an age below 16.<h2>‘Deliberate resistance’</h2>Technologies such as facial age estimation were deemed unreliable, especially near the age threshold, with concerns that some 14- and 15-year-olds could be classified as over 16.Wells argued such shortcomings reflected deliberate resistance, with companies attempting to “throw doubt on any regulation”.<h2>Meta says age verification is tough</h2>For its part, Meta said age verification is an industry-wide challenge, citing “natural error margins” at the 16-year limit. It instead advocated stronger controls at the level of app stores and operating systems, including parental approvals.According to the government, 4.7 million social media accounts were removed or restricted shortly after the ban. However, ongoing access by minors has raised doubts about the policy’s effectiveness.

Australia is probing Meta, TikTok, Google and others as most under-16s retain social media access despite a ban. Weak enforcement and ineffective age verification systems threaten to defeat implementation of the landmark law, in effect since December

Nearly 70 per cent of Australian under-16s who had social media accounts before a landmark law banned it are still accessing them. The government is probing Meta, TikTok, Google, Snap and other tech firms over alleged failures to enforce the ban. The probe covers platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. Australia's stringent law banning social media for teens The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, in force since December, designates Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit and several other platforms as “age-restricted”, requiring them to prevent under-16s from holding accounts. Penalties of up to A$49.5 million, or US$33.9 million, could be imposed on companies for non-compliance. Under the law, the entire onus is on the platforms, as there is no penalty for children or parents if under-16s try to access social media using circumventions such as VPNs. Also read: In a global first, Australia’s under-16 social media ban takes effect Law enforcement is lax, reveals survey However, the new eSafety Compliance Report and Survey, based on compulsory information from platforms and interviews with nearly 900 parents, found that implementation is far from perfect. In the survey, 31 per cent of parents said their children still had at least one social media account after the ban. Among children who previously used Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok, about 70 per cent retained access. Platform-specific data showed similar trends, with 63.6 per cent of children keeping Facebook accounts, 69.1 per cent on Instagram, 69.4 per cent on Snapchat, 69.3 per cent on TikTok, and 48.5 per cent on YouTube. https://www.wionews.com/videos/australia-bans-under-16-social-media-accounts-millions-removed-within-days-1768537233396/embed Tech firms doing bare minimum, says minister Australia’s communications minister, Anika Wells, said the companies were doing “the absolute bare minimum”, adding that “none of this is even difficult for big tech, who are innovative billion-dollar companies”. Calling the update unacceptable, she said firms must comply: “If these companies want to do business in Australia, they must obey Australian laws.” Also read: Australia bans under-16s from social media, but YouTube warns it could make them less safe. Here's how Australia's eSafety Commission blames weak enforcement The eSafety Commission of Australia said overall account ownership declined, but a substantial proportion of children under 16 retained social media accounts, attributing this partly to weak enforcement systems. “The most common reason children still had their social media accounts was that they had not yet been asked by the platform to verify their age,” it said. Some platforms allow repeated age-verification attempts and encourage underage users to try verification despite declaring an age below 16. ‘Deliberate resistance’ Technologies such as facial age estimation were deemed unreliable, especially near the age threshold, with concerns that some 14- and 15-year-olds could be classified as over 16. Wells argued such shortcomings reflected deliberate resistance, with companies attempting to “throw doubt on any regulation”. Meta says age verification is tough For its part, Meta said age verification is an industry-wide challenge, citing “natural error margins” at the 16-year limit. It instead advocated stronger controls at the level of app stores and operating systems, including parental approvals. According to the government, 4.7 million social media accounts were removed or restricted shortly after the ban. However, ongoing access by minors has raised doubts about the policy’s effectiveness.

Australia is probing Meta, TikTok, Google and others as most under-16s retain social media access despite a ban. Weak enforcement and ineffective age verification systems threaten to defeat implementation of the landmark law, in effect since December

Is Australia's teen social media ban failing? Meta, TikTok, Google, Snap, others face probe as access continues for most under-16s

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has backed the idea that US President Donald Trump might be “interested” in asking the Gulf Countries to cover the cost of the US-Israel war on Iran. Leavitt was addressing a press briefing on Monday, March 30, when she was asked whether Arab countries should pay for the war, and she suggested that President Donald Trump has similar ideas, while adding that talks with Iran were progressing well.&nbsp;"I think it's something the President ​would be quite interested in calling them to do," Leavitt said. "It's an idea that I ⁠know that he has and something that I think you'll hear more from him on."<h2>Gulf War model</h2>The proposal is built on the model of the Gulf War, when the US led a global coalition of 34 nations to “liberate” Kuwait from Iraq. The expense of the war was roughly $54 billion and was borne by the regional and global allies. The majority came from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, in cash and “in-kind” support such as fuel and transportation. The United Arab Emirates also provides significant financial help, along with Japan and Germany. The US government reportedly had to pay zero cost of the war.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pentagon-denies-hegseth-insider-trading-iran-war-report-1774941035786">Pentagon denies reports linking Pete Hegseth's broker to defence investment</a><h2>US-Iran war</h2>The US government, however, went to war this time without any coordination with the allies, other than Israel. The war has already resulted in significant damage to US bases across the region as well as US embassies. According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, the US has raised to $16.5bn by day 12. However, the exact cost estimation of the 31-day war is not reported. The White House is seeking another $200 bn from Congress to fund the war in Iran. US conservative commentator and a Trump loyalist, Sean Hannity, has said that any ceasefire deal should involve Iran paying the cost of the war. Iran, however, has floated the idea of reparations from the US in exchange for any possible truce.&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Who pays for the Iran war? White House says US President Donald Trump is open to asking Gulf nations like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to step up and share the financial burden <a href="https://t.co/uv0XeTwXAA">pic.twitter.com/uv0XeTwXAA</a>&mdash; WION (@WIONews) <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews/status/2038880092617896107?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Trump may ask Gulf countries to fund the US-Iran war, reviving a Gulf War-style model, as costs surge and White House seeks $200 billion.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has backed the idea that US President Donald Trump might be “interested” in asking the Gulf Countries to cover the cost of the US-Israel war on Iran. Leavitt was addressing a press briefing on Monday, March 30, when she was asked whether Arab countries should pay for the war, and she suggested that President Donald Trump has similar ideas, while adding that talks with Iran were progressing well. "I think it's something the President would be quite interested in calling them to do," Leavitt said. "It's an idea that I ⁠know that he has and something that I think you'll hear more from him on." Gulf War model The proposal is built on the model of the Gulf War, when the US led a global coalition of 34 nations to “liberate” Kuwait from Iraq. The expense of the war was roughly $54 billion and was borne by the regional and global allies. The majority came from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, in cash and “in-kind” support such as fuel and transportation. The United Arab Emirates also provides significant financial help, along with Japan and Germany. The US government reportedly had to pay zero cost of the war. Also Read: Pentagon denies reports linking Pete Hegseth's broker to defence investment US-Iran war The US government, however, went to war this time without any coordination with the allies, other than Israel. The war has already resulted in significant damage to US bases across the region as well as US embassies. According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, the US has raised to $16.5bn by day 12. However, the exact cost estimation of the 31-day war is not reported. The White House is seeking another $200 bn from Congress to fund the war in Iran. US conservative commentator and a Trump loyalist, Sean Hannity, has said that any ceasefire deal should involve Iran paying the cost of the war. Iran, however, has floated the idea of reparations from the US in exchange for any possible truce.

Trump may ask Gulf countries to fund the US-Iran war, reviving a Gulf War-style model, as costs surge and White House seeks $200 billion.

Donald Trump may ask Gulf Nations to fund Iran war, says Karoline Leavitt

Wrong White House? Over the weekend, rockstar Kid Rock experienced an unexpected moment when he saw a military helicopter right outside his house. While the rockstar greeted the Army men inside with salutes and applause, this unexpected moment prompted the Army to launch an investigation.&nbsp;Musician Kid Rock, an ardent Trump supporter, has found himself in the headlines after he shared a video of himself saluting an AH-64 Apache helicopter that was seen hovering near his Nashville residence.<h2>Helicopter hovers over Kid Rock's house, investigation launched</h2>On March 29, Rock. whose real name is Robert Ritchie, shared a video from his Tennessee house showing two helicopters hovering over the outdoor swimming pool o his house, which he has named, ‘Southern White House.’&nbsp;Sharing the video, Rock, in the caption, took an apparent dig at the California government and California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, writing,''This is a level of respect that shit-for-brains Governor of California will never know. God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her. 🇺🇸''

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is a level of respect that shit for brains Governor of California will never know. God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her. 🇺🇸 🙏 <a href="https://t.co/iD5mmkaXv1">pic.twitter.com/iD5mmkaXv1</a>&mdash; KidRock (@KidRock) <a href="https://twitter.com/KidRock/status/2037987671671292134?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The clip has gone viral across the internet. While it has triggered a huge conversation, at the same time, people are discussing the rockstar's house, which is a replica of the US President’s White House. The clip also shows a Statue of Liberty replica.<h2>The Army launched an investigation</h2>&nbsp;The video of helicopters hovering outside the musician's house has sparked widespread criticism, with people raising questions about how taxpayers’ money is being used. As the video went viral, the US Army launched an investigation into the incident to verify compliance with regulations and airspace rules.&nbsp;An Army officer told CBS News that the AH-64 Apache helicopters were conducting a training flight. However, they are investigating how the helicopters were flying near Kid Rock's house.&nbsp;Maj. Montrell Russell, a spokesman for the Army, said that a review is underway to assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements.&nbsp;"Army aviators must adhere to strict safety standards, professionalism, and established flight regulations," Russell said. "An administrative review is underway to assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements. Appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found."&nbsp;Maj. Jonathon Bless, a spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division, revealed that an investigation is ongoing &nbsp;"to review the circumstances surrounding this activity."&nbsp;"The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell maintain strict standards for aviation safety, professionalism, and adherence to established flight regulations," he said in a statement. "We take all concerns regarding aircraft operations and their impact on the surrounding community seriously."

It was not a casual day when Kid Rock saw an ARMY helicopter hovering outside his home. On Saturday, the rockstar had two AH-64 Apache helicopters outside his house, which is a replica of The White House.

Wrong White House? Over the weekend, rockstar Kid Rock experienced an unexpected moment when he saw a military helicopter right outside his house. While the rockstar greeted the Army men inside with salutes and applause, this unexpected moment prompted the Army to launch an investigation. Musician Kid Rock, an ardent Trump supporter, has found himself in the headlines after he shared a video of himself saluting an AH-64 Apache helicopter that was seen hovering near his Nashville residence. Helicopter hovers over Kid Rock's house, investigation launched On March 29, Rock. whose real name is Robert Ritchie, shared a video from his Tennessee house showing two helicopters hovering over the outdoor swimming pool o his house, which he has named, ‘Southern White House.’ Sharing the video, Rock, in the caption, took an apparent dig at the California government and California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, writing,''This is a level of respect that shit-for-brains Governor of California will never know. God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her. 🇺🇸''

It was not a casual day when Kid Rock saw an ARMY helicopter hovering outside his home. On Saturday, the rockstar had two AH-64 Apache helicopters outside his house, which is a replica of The White House.

Did US chopper fly near the wrong ‘White House’? Army probes incident at Kid Rock’s home

American singer and political commentator Mary Millben, on Tuesday (March 31), sparked a controversy after she strongly criticised Pakistan’s potential role in mediating peace talks between the US and Iran amid the ongoing war. Her remarks came after a televised interview involving Bret Baier and Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, where the idea of Pakistan acting as a diplomatic intermediary was discussed.&nbsp;Calling the interview bizarre, Millben questioned the US over considering Pakistan as a host country for mediating the peace deal between Washington and Tehran. She further recalled Islamabad’s role in the 9/11 terror attack and termed Pakistan as the key problem in the world of terrorism.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/could-trump-s-attempt-to-seize-iran-s-kharg-island-risk-troops-lives-and-still-fail-to-end-the-war-1774944317534">Could Trump's attempt to seize Iran’s Kharg Island risk troops’ lives and still fail to end war?</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Bizarre interview today between my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/BretBaier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BretBaier</a> and the Pakistani Ambassador to U.S. Why would any U.S. President consider Pakistan as a host country for meditating a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran? Not forgetting Pakistan’s role in 9/11, verified in global terrorism,…&mdash; Mary Millben (@MaryMillben) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMillben/status/2038751913290907907?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Taking to X, the American singer wrote, “Bizarre interview today between my friend Bret Baier and the Pakistani Ambassador to US. Why would any US President consider Pakistan as a host country for mediating a peace deal between the US and Iran?"&nbsp;“Not forgetting Pakistan’s role in 9/11, verified in global terrorism, and harboring Bin Laden. Pakistan, a terrorist country, hosting Iran, another terrorist country, in conversations of peace with the US? The Pakistani Government is delusional. They are trying to make themselves relevant without understanding they themselves are a key problem in the world of terrorism," she added.&nbsp;Millben, while referring to Pakistan as a terrorist country, slammed the US administration for getting cosy with Islamabad and hoped that the next US President would resume a genuine relationship with India, as New Delhi is Washington’s strongest democratic partner.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pentagon-denies-hegseth-insider-trading-iran-war-report-1774941035786">Pentagon denies reports linking Pete Hegseth's broker to defence investment</a>&nbsp;The sharp response amid Pakistan’s efforts to position itself as a potential mediator for US-Iran talks, with Islamabad highlighting its ties to both Tehran and Gulf states. However, Iran rejected Pakistan’s offer to host possible talks, signalling that Islamabad is unlikely to play a formal mediating role in efforts to end the ongoing war.

Mary Millben criticised the US for potentially using Pakistan as a mediator with Iran, labelling Islamabad a "terrorist country" while advocating for a stronger, genuine democratic partnership with India.

American singer and political commentator Mary Millben, on Tuesday (March 31), sparked a controversy after she strongly criticised Pakistan’s potential role in mediating peace talks between the US and Iran amid the ongoing war. Her remarks came after a televised interview involving Bret Baier and Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, where the idea of Pakistan acting as a diplomatic intermediary was discussed. Calling the interview bizarre, Millben questioned the US over considering Pakistan as a host country for mediating the peace deal between Washington and Tehran. She further recalled Islamabad’s role in the 9/11 terror attack and termed Pakistan as the key problem in the world of terrorism. Also read: Could Trump's attempt to seize Iran’s Kharg Island risk troops’ lives and still fail to end war?

Mary Millben criticised the US for potentially using Pakistan as a mediator with Iran, labelling Islamabad a "terrorist country" while advocating for a stronger, genuine democratic partnership with India.

‘Why would any US President consider Pakistan as host?’: Mary Millben calls out Trump for letting ‘terrorist country’ mediate in Iran war

&nbsp;Kharg Island, a small outcrop on the opposite side of the Persian Gulf from US bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, is the centre of Iran’s oil industry, handling around 90 per cent of its exports. Its strategic importance has placed it at the centre of US considerations, as President Donald Trump weighs whether American forces could seize the island to pressure Tehran. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t,” Trump said, signalling that military options remain under review.&nbsp;Analysts, however, warn that targeting such a critical hub risks wider economic disruption and could further unsettle global energy markets. In a post on Truth Social, Trump also threatened to strike Iran’s broader infrastructure, including desalination plants, warning that if a deal to end the war is not reached and the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened, the United States would “blow up and completely obliterate” Iran’s power plants, “oil wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalination plants), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched’.”<h2>A risky operation for US forces</h2><h2>&nbsp;</h2>Military experts, quoted by the Associated Press caution that any ground operation would expose US troops to significant danger. Kharg Island lies close to Iran’s mainland, placing forces within range of missiles, drones and artillery. &nbsp;Seizing Kharg Island could escalate the conflict, said Danny Citrinowicz, according to AP, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies. Iran and its proxies, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels, could intensify retaliation by laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz and launching drone strikes on targets across the Arabian Peninsula, from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea. “It will be hard to take. It will be hard to hold,” Citrinowicz said of Kharg Island. “And it might damage the economy, but not in a way that will force the Iranians to capitulate.”&nbsp;ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/-water-war-trump-threatens-to-blow-up-iran-s-desalination-plants-how-could-retaliation-leave-gulf-cities-thirsty-1774938407674/1774938407675">Water war': Trump threatens to blow up Iran’s desalination plants. How could retaliation leave Gulf cities thirsty?</a>&nbsp;Even inserting troops “would be risky and carry the potential for casualties,” wrote AP, quoting Caitlin Talmadge of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also noted the difficulty of sustaining a presence so near Iranian defences.<h2>Limited impact on ending the war</h2><h2>&nbsp;</h2>Kharg Island is about 33 kilometers (21 miles) off Iran’s coast. The US has already struck multiple targets on the island which includes air defenses, a radar site, the airport and a hovercraft base. Despite its strategic value, experts question whether capturing Kharg Island would alter the course of the conflict. The move could damage Iran’s economy, but may not compel Tehran to concede or end hostilities. One analyst described the idea as “a military mission in search of a strategic rationale,” highlighting uncertainty over what tangible outcome such risks would deliver. Others suggest alternatives, such as naval blockades, could exert pressure with fewer risks to personnel.&nbsp;ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/plastic-crisis-how-the-iran-war-is-choking-petrochemical-supply-chains-and-driving-price-shock-across-asia-1774528638873">Plastic crisis? How the Iran war is choking petrochemical supply chains and driving price shock across Asia</a>&nbsp;Seizing the island could provoke retaliation across the region, including attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and shipping routes. Iran and its allies have already demonstrated their ability to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, raising the prospect of a broader conflict. At the same time, a US Navy ship carrying about 2,500 Marines has recently arrived in the Middle East, while at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division are expected soon, alongside another 2,500 Marines being deployed from California, underscoring the scale of the potential escalation.&nbsp;<h2>A high-cost calculation</h2><h2>&nbsp;</h2>Kharg Island offers clear leverage over Iran’s oil exports, but the costs of capturing and holding it could be substantial.Experts warn that US troops would be highly vulnerable on Kharg Island due to its close proximity to the Iranian mainland, from where missiles, drones and artillery could be launched, leaving only a limited window for American forces to intercept incoming attacks even with air and naval support. As the conflict intensifies, the question is not only whether the island can be taken, but whether doing so would meaningfully change the outcome.

Iran and its proxies, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels, could intensify retaliation by laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz and launching drone strikes on targets across the Arabian Peninsula, from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea.

Kharg Island, a small outcrop on the opposite side of the Persian Gulf from US bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, is the centre of Iran’s oil industry, handling around 90 per cent of its exports. Its strategic importance has placed it at the centre of US considerations, as President Donald Trump weighs whether American forces could seize the island to pressure Tehran. “Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t,” Trump said, signalling that military options remain under review. Analysts, however, warn that targeting such a critical hub risks wider economic disruption and could further unsettle global energy markets. In a post on Truth Social, Trump also threatened to strike Iran’s broader infrastructure, including desalination plants, warning that if a deal to end the war is not reached and the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened, the United States would “blow up and completely obliterate” Iran’s power plants, “oil wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalination plants), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched’.” A risky operation for US forces Military experts, quoted by the Associated Press caution that any ground operation would expose US troops to significant danger. Kharg Island lies close to Iran’s mainland, placing forces within range of missiles, drones and artillery. Seizing Kharg Island could escalate the conflict, said Danny Citrinowicz, according to AP, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies. Iran and its proxies, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels, could intensify retaliation by laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz and launching drone strikes on targets across the Arabian Peninsula, from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea. “It will be hard to take. It will be hard to hold,” Citrinowicz said of Kharg Island. “And it might damage the economy, but not in a way that will force the Iranians to capitulate.” ALSO READ: Water war': Trump threatens to blow up Iran’s desalination plants. How could retaliation leave Gulf cities thirsty? Even inserting troops “would be risky and carry the potential for casualties,” wrote AP, quoting Caitlin Talmadge of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also noted the difficulty of sustaining a presence so near Iranian defences. Limited impact on ending the war Kharg Island is about 33 kilometers (21 miles) off Iran’s coast. The US has already struck multiple targets on the island which includes air defenses, a radar site, the airport and a hovercraft base. Despite its strategic value, experts question whether capturing Kharg Island would alter the course of the conflict. The move could damage Iran’s economy, but may not compel Tehran to concede or end hostilities. One analyst described the idea as “a military mission in search of a strategic rationale,” highlighting uncertainty over what tangible outcome such risks would deliver. Others suggest alternatives, such as naval blockades, could exert pressure with fewer risks to personnel. ALSO READ: Plastic crisis? How the Iran war is choking petrochemical supply chains and driving price shock across Asia Seizing the island could provoke retaliation across the region, including attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and shipping routes. Iran and its allies have already demonstrated their ability to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, raising the prospect of a broader conflict. At the same time, a US Navy ship carrying about 2,500 Marines has recently arrived in the Middle East, while at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division are expected soon, alongside another 2,500 Marines being deployed from California, underscoring the scale of the potential escalation. A high-cost calculation Kharg Island offers clear leverage over Iran’s oil exports, but the costs of capturing and holding it could be substantial.Experts warn that US troops would be highly vulnerable on Kharg Island due to its close proximity to the Iranian mainland, from where missiles, drones and artillery could be launched, leaving only a limited window for American forces to intercept incoming attacks even with air and naval support. As the conflict intensifies, the question is not only whether the island can be taken, but whether doing so would meaningfully change the outcome.

Iran and its proxies, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels, could intensify retaliation by laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz and launching drone strikes on targets across the Arabian Peninsula, from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea.

Could Trump's attempt to seize Iran’s Kharg Island risk troops’ lives and still fail to end war?

Eric Trump, the son of US President Donald Trump, unveiled the first renderings of his father's presidential library and museum on Monday (March 30), offering a glimpse into an ambitious waterfront project planned for downtown Miami.&nbsp;Sharing the designs on social media platform X, Eric Trump said that he had “poured my heart and soul” into the project alongside his team at the Trump Organisation. He described the development as a “landmark on the water” that would serve as a lasting tribute to his father.<h2>Towering design with signature features</h2>According to a promotional video released on the project’s website, the library is envisioned as a sleek skyscraper bearing the “Trump” name in gold lettering near its top. A spire at the peak is designed to illuminate in red, white and blue, reflecting the colours of the US flag.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 FIRST LOOK: The Donald J. Trump Presidential Library is officially here. Over the past six months, I have poured my heart and soul into this project with my incredible team at <a href="https://twitter.com/Trump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Trump</a>. This landmark on the water in Miami, Florida will stand as a lasting testament to an… <a href="https://t.co/azV1hx0HG2">pic.twitter.com/azV1hx0HG2</a>&mdash; Eric Trump (@EricTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricTrump/status/2038773279788331022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pentagon-denies-hegseth-insider-trading-iran-war-report-1774941035786">Pentagon denies reports linking to Pete Hegseth's broker to defence investment</a>&nbsp;The entrance will feature a gold presidential seal and lead visitors into a complex that includes a full-sized Air Force One display. Additional military aircraft are set to be showcased on an upper level. Plans also include a grand auditorium anchored by a large golden statue of Trump with his fist raised, a replica of the Oval Office, and an opulent ballroom adorned with gold detailing.&nbsp;The design has been prepared by Bermello Ajamil, a Miami-based engineering and architecture firm. The project will be built on a 2.63-acre plot that previously belonged to Miami-Dade College. The institution’s board of trustees voted last year to transfer the land to the state of Florida, which subsequently transferred it to the Donald J Trump Presidential Library Foundation. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had proposed dedicating the land for the library ahead of the board’s decision.<h2>What about the legality?</h2>But the transfer process drew legal scrutiny. Local historian and activist Marvin Dunn filed a lawsuit alleging that the trustees violated transparency laws by approving the move without a public hearing. The suit also cited a county appraisal valuing the land at more than $67 million.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/netanyahu-reopened-jerusalem-religious-sites-for-church-leaders-after-us-intervention-leavitt-confirms-1774939186542">Netanyahu reopened Jerusalem holy sites after US intervention? Leavitt says...</a>&nbsp;A circuit judge initially blocked the transfer temporarily but later dismissed the complaint after the board conducted a new vote during a public meeting, clearing the way for the project to proceed. The project has also raised questions over plans to include an aircraft reportedly accepted by the Trump administration as a gift from Qatar, which had sparked ethical and security concerns at the time.&nbsp;

Eric Trump unveiled renderings for Donald Trump’s presidential library in Miami, featuring a skyscraper design, military aircraft, and golden statues, despite facing previous legal challenges regarding land transfer transparency.

Eric Trump, the son of US President Donald Trump, unveiled the first renderings of his father's presidential library and museum on Monday (March 30), offering a glimpse into an ambitious waterfront project planned for downtown Miami. Sharing the designs on social media platform X, Eric Trump said that he had “poured my heart and soul” into the project alongside his team at the Trump Organisation. He described the development as a “landmark on the water” that would serve as a lasting tribute to his father. Towering design with signature features According to a promotional video released on the project’s website, the library is envisioned as a sleek skyscraper bearing the “Trump” name in gold lettering near its top. A spire at the peak is designed to illuminate in red, white and blue, reflecting the colours of the US flag.

Eric Trump unveiled renderings for Donald Trump’s presidential library in Miami, featuring a skyscraper design, military aircraft, and golden statues, despite facing previous legal challenges regarding land transfer transparency.

From golden statue to aircraft - inside Donald Trump’s library and museum built on 2.63-acre of land

Pentagon denied reports that US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth's broker tried to make large investments in defence stocks in the build-up to the US-Israel war on Iran. The Pentagon has demanded that the newspaper “immediately” retract the report in the Financial Times. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell has said that the allegations were “false and fabricated” and were designed to “mislead” the public.“This allegation is entirely false and fabricated. Neither Secretary Hegseth nor any of his representatives approached BlackRock about any such investment,” Parnell said in a post on Social Media. Sean Parnell asserted that "neither Secretary Hegseth nor any of his representatives approached BlackRock about any such investment".Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/gulf-countries-urge-trump-continue-iran-offensive-war-1774933358915">Gulf Nations urge Donald Trump to continue Iran offensive amid war concerns</a><h2>What were the allegations?</h2>According to the Financial Times report published on Monday, March 30, 2026, a broker at Morgan Stanley reportedly contacted BlackRock just days ahead of the US-Israel attack on Iran on February 28 to discuss a multi-billion-dollar investment for a high-profile client. The proposed investment was in the iShares Defence Industrials Active ETF, whose holdings include Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. The purchase reportedly did not go through because the fund was unavailable for purchase at that time. Neither BlackRock nor Morgan Stanley has commented on this matter. Several reports suggest that even if the investment had been made, it would have incurred losses as shares of both the defence fund have actually declined 13 per cent, since the war with Iran.<h2>Why is the development important?</h2>The development occurs as the US President Donald Trump is seeming;y shifting the blame of the US-Israeli war on Iran to the Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth. This also comes as there were huge amount of approximately $2bn in speculative trade instruments on March 23, &nbsp;minutes before Donald Trump’s Iran truce announcement. This fuelled speculation of insider trading against individuals close to the Trump administration.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pentagon rejects Financial Times report alleging broker linked to Pete Hegseth sought defence ETF investments before Iran war, calls claims false.

Pentagon denied reports that US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth's broker tried to make large investments in defence stocks in the build-up to the US-Israel war on Iran. The Pentagon has demanded that the newspaper “immediately” retract the report in the Financial Times. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell has said that the allegations were “false and fabricated” and were designed to “mislead” the public. “This allegation is entirely false and fabricated. Neither Secretary Hegseth nor any of his representatives approached BlackRock about any such investment,” Parnell said in a post on Social Media. Sean Parnell asserted that "neither Secretary Hegseth nor any of his representatives approached BlackRock about any such investment". Also Read: Gulf Nations urge Donald Trump to continue Iran offensive amid war concerns What were the allegations? According to the Financial Times report published on Monday, March 30, 2026, a broker at Morgan Stanley reportedly contacted BlackRock just days ahead of the US-Israel attack on Iran on February 28 to discuss a multi-billion-dollar investment for a high-profile client. The proposed investment was in the iShares Defence Industrials Active ETF, whose holdings include Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. The purchase reportedly did not go through because the fund was unavailable for purchase at that time. Neither BlackRock nor Morgan Stanley has commented on this matter. Several reports suggest that even if the investment had been made, it would have incurred losses as shares of both the defence fund have actually declined 13 per cent, since the war with Iran. Why is the development important? The development occurs as the US President Donald Trump is seeming;y shifting the blame of the US-Israeli war on Iran to the Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth. This also comes as there were huge amount of approximately $2bn in speculative trade instruments on March 23, minutes before Donald Trump’s Iran truce announcement. This fuelled speculation of insider trading against individuals close to the Trump administration.

Pentagon rejects Financial Times report alleging broker linked to Pete Hegseth sought defence ETF investments before Iran war, calls claims false.

Pentagon denies reports linking Pete Hegseth's broker to defence investment

"We are currently engaging with our customers in India who have expressed interest in the ARBEL weapon system, which significantly improves the firing accuracy of handheld weapons. We see strong potential for future integration of ARBEL into Israeli guns that are made in India. ARBEL can be produced in India as part of our broader strategy," Shuki Schwartz, CEO of Israel Weapon Industries(IWI) told WION's Sidharth.MP, regarding the potential for further Indo-Israeli collaboration in handheld weapons. IWI has been a major supplier of assault rifles, submachine guns, light machine guns, pistols, sniper rifles, and optical equipment to forces under the Indian Defence Ministry and the Home Ministry.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/france-s-hammer-missile-to-be-made-in-india-details-here-1763997078086">France's HAMMER missile to be made in India. Details here</a>&nbsp;IWI describes ARBEL as a computerized weapon system based on a complex algorithm that “knows” when the shooter is on target, and hits the target quickly and accurately. "ARBEL compensates and mitigates shooting errors typical of combative scenarios: heavy breathing, fatigue, stress, flinching," reads the product brochure. ARBEL increases lethality by 2-3 times, it adds.&nbsp;&nbsp;By intelligently moderating the rate of fire in real time, the ARBEL NEGEV(ARBEL system integrated with the NEGEV Light Machine Gun) narrows the cone of fire, boosts hit probability, and enhances overall effectiveness against both stationary and moving targets. This gives the operator the suppressive power of a Light Machine Gun(LMG) combined with rifle-level accuracy, creating a decisive tactical advantage in close and mid-range engagements, the firm says.IWI is in the process of delivering 41,000 NEGEV LMGs for the Indian Army. Recently, 2,000 NEGEV guns made at an Indo-Israeli joint venture's facility in Madhya Pradesh were supplied to the Indian Army. More than 50% of the NEGEV LMG is produced locally in India, including critical components such as the barrels, added Shuki Schwartz.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/iaf-trainer-plane-crashes-in-chennai-pilot-safe-1763116358598">IAF trainer plane crashes in Chennai; pilot safe</a>&nbsp;Weighing about 7.95kgs, the Negev LMG can fire about 650-700 rounds per minute. This weapon can be fired in semi-automatic for accurate, fast-controlled fire in Close Quarter Battle(in confined spaces); and in automatic mode for maximum firepower. They are equipped with Tritium night sights which are self-illuminating aiming devices that help low-light or night time operations. A wide range of optical devices and accessories can be fitted onto the standardized mounting system known as Picatinny rail. This weapon can be mounted on helicopters, vehicles, naval vessels, for different use cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to IWI, upgrading the regular NEGEV to ARBEL NEGEV is a simple and easy replacement of the regular grip with less than 900gram for a ARBEL NEGEV grip. The firm says ARBEL NEGEV's built–in fire control system releases the rounds according to the operational scenario – increases hit probability while saving ammunition during combat. Indian army has been using the NEGEV guns for well over five years, and the latest order for 41,000 guns is expected to be completed within the planned timeframe, said the firm.&nbsp;

Israel Weapon Industries is exploring ARBEL system integration in India, boosting accuracy of handheld weapons. With local production of NEGEV Light Machine Gun underway, India-Israel defence ties strengthen through advanced, locally made combat systems.


"We are currently engaging with our customers in India who have expressed interest in the ARBEL weapon system, which significantly improves the firing accuracy of handheld weapons. We see strong potential for future integration of ARBEL into Israeli guns that are made in India. ARBEL can be produced in India as part of our broader strategy," Shuki Schwartz, CEO of Israel Weapon Industries(IWI) told WION's Sidharth.MP, regarding the potential for further Indo-Israeli collaboration in handheld weapons. IWI has been a major supplier of assault rifles, submachine guns, light machine guns, pistols, sniper rifles, and optical equipment to forces under the Indian Defence Ministry and the Home Ministry. Also Read: France's HAMMER missile to be made in India. Details here IWI describes ARBEL as a computerized weapon system based on a complex algorithm that “knows” when the shooter is on target, and hits the target quickly and accurately. "ARBEL compensates and mitigates shooting errors typical of combative scenarios: heavy breathing, fatigue, stress, flinching," reads the product brochure. ARBEL increases lethality by 2-3 times, it adds. By intelligently moderating the rate of fire in real time, the ARBEL NEGEV(ARBEL system integrated with the NEGEV Light Machine Gun) narrows the cone of fire, boosts hit probability, and enhances overall effectiveness against both stationary and moving targets. This gives the operator the suppressive power of a Light Machine Gun(LMG) combined with rifle-level accuracy, creating a decisive tactical advantage in close and mid-range engagements, the firm says. IWI is in the process of delivering 41,000 NEGEV LMGs for the Indian Army. Recently, 2,000 NEGEV guns made at an Indo-Israeli joint venture's facility in Madhya Pradesh were supplied to the Indian Army. More than 50% of the NEGEV LMG is produced locally in India, including critical components such as the barrels, added Shuki Schwartz. Also Read: IAF trainer plane crashes in Chennai; pilot safe Weighing about 7.95kgs, the Negev LMG can fire about 650-700 rounds per minute. This weapon can be fired in semi-automatic for accurate, fast-controlled fire in Close Quarter Battle(in confined spaces); and in automatic mode for maximum firepower. They are equipped with Tritium night sights which are self-illuminating aiming devices that help low-light or night time operations. A wide range of optical devices and accessories can be fitted onto the standardized mounting system known as Picatinny rail. This weapon can be mounted on helicopters, vehicles, naval vessels, for different use cases. According to IWI, upgrading the regular NEGEV to ARBEL NEGEV is a simple and easy replacement of the regular grip with less than 900gram for a ARBEL NEGEV grip. The firm says ARBEL NEGEV's built–in fire control system releases the rounds according to the operational scenario – increases hit probability while saving ammunition during combat. Indian army has been using the NEGEV guns for well over five years, and the latest order for 41,000 guns is expected to be completed within the planned timeframe, said the firm.

Israel Weapon Industries is exploring ARBEL system integration in India, boosting accuracy of handheld weapons. With local production of NEGEV Light Machine Gun underway, India-Israel defence ties strengthen through advanced, locally made combat systems.

Israel Weapon Industries offers to make ARBEL weapon tech in India

The White House said on Monday (Mar 30) that the United States has raised concerns with Israel over restrictions on access to holy sites in Jerusalem during the Christian Holy Week. Speaking at a presser, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the US raised the issue with the Israeli authorities and they are implementing security measures to reopen the sites throughout Holy Week. Leavitt was referring to Israeli Police's restriction on Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday Mass.&nbsp;“I did speak with Secretary Rubio this morning, and we did express our concerns with Israel with respect to these holy sites being shut down. We want worshipers to be able to access these holy sites. We understand Israel is working on security measures to reopen the sites throughout Holy Week, and that’s something we appreciate,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/netanyahu-allows-catholic-leaders-to-pray-at-jerusalem-after-backlash-but-blames-iran-1774827812647">'Iran has repeatedly targeted...': Netanyahu allows Catholic leaders to pray at Jerusalem after backlash</a><h3>What Netanyahu said?</h3>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Mar 30 said that the Latin Patriarch would get "full and immediate access" to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In his statement, Netanyahu blamed Iran in an attempt to justify the ban imposed by Israeli Police. "I have instructed the relevant authorities that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, be granted full and immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem," Netanyahu shared a post on X. The Israeli PM blamed Iran for the security related decision. "Over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles," he wrote.&nbsp;<h2>How EU and the Catholic Church reacted?</h2>After Israel's initial ban, EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said that it is a “violation of religious freedom. “Freedom of worship in Jerusalem must be fully guaranteed, without exception, for all faiths. Jerusalem’s multi-religious character must be protected,” she added in a social media post. The Catholic Church in its statement said that for the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. "This incident is a grave precedent and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world, who, during this week, look to Jerusalem,” the statement said.

The White House raised concerns with Israel over restricted access to Jerusalem holy sites during Holy Week. PM Benjamin Netanyahu later allowed entry, amid criticism from the EU and the Catholic Church.

The White House said on Monday (Mar 30) that the United States has raised concerns with Israel over restrictions on access to holy sites in Jerusalem during the Christian Holy Week. Speaking at a presser, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the US raised the issue with the Israeli authorities and they are implementing security measures to reopen the sites throughout Holy Week. Leavitt was referring to Israeli Police's restriction on Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday Mass. “I did speak with Secretary Rubio this morning, and we did express our concerns with Israel with respect to these holy sites being shut down. We want worshipers to be able to access these holy sites. We understand Israel is working on security measures to reopen the sites throughout Holy Week, and that’s something we appreciate,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. 'Iran has repeatedly targeted...': Netanyahu allows Catholic leaders to pray at Jerusalem after backlash What Netanyahu said? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Mar 30 said that the Latin Patriarch would get "full and immediate access" to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In his statement, Netanyahu blamed Iran in an attempt to justify the ban imposed by Israeli Police. "I have instructed the relevant authorities that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, be granted full and immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem," Netanyahu shared a post on X. The Israeli PM blamed Iran for the security related decision. "Over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles," he wrote. How EU and the Catholic Church reacted? After Israel's initial ban, EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said that it is a “violation of religious freedom. “Freedom of worship in Jerusalem must be fully guaranteed, without exception, for all faiths. Jerusalem’s multi-religious character must be protected,” she added in a social media post. The Catholic Church in its statement said that for the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. "This incident is a grave precedent and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world, who, during this week, look to Jerusalem,” the statement said.

The White House raised concerns with Israel over restricted access to Jerusalem holy sites during Holy Week. PM Benjamin Netanyahu later allowed entry, amid criticism from the EU and the Catholic Church.

Netanyahu reopened Jerusalem religious sites for Church leaders after US intervention? Leavitt confirms

The Iran war is hitting the US where it hurts most: its own economy. In recent days, American markets have wiped out more than a trillion dollars in value, with indices hitting eight-month lows between March 26 and 30. Here are five key indicators showing that President Donald Trump’s Middle East outing is proving costly for American consumers and corporations, causing oil-price-driven inflation and a financial market rout.<h2>$1.2 trillion wiped off markets in a single day</h2>According to compiled data, at least $1.2 trillion was wiped off US markets in a single day. The S&amp;P 500 fell by 1.66 per cent, erasing around $1 trillion, while the Nasdaq dropped 2.09 per cent, losing about $600 billion, and the Dow fell by 1.2 per cent, shedding $300 billion. Late March is seeing some of the heaviest sell-off days.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/gulf-tensions-explode-as-iran-hits-sets-ablaze-kuwaiti-oil-tanker-al-salmi-near-dubai-amid-war-with-us-and-israel-1774936019011">Gulf tensions explode as Iran hits, sets ablaze Kuwaiti oil tanker Al-Salmi near Dubai | Watch video</a><h2>US recession looming, according to prediction markets; corporate profits hit</h2>On the prediction website Polymarket, the odds favour a 37 per cent chance of a US recession by the end of 2026. This reflects crowd-sourced sentiment on war-driven risks to the American economy and businesses.Corporate profits are being affected, and these costs are being passed on to consumers, leading to inflation as well as delays in investment and hiring. These factors are pushing recession odds to 37 per cent.This represents real wealth destruction for 401(k)s, pensions and businesses. The financial conditions of both consumers and businesses are worsening faster than any Federal Reserve move could offset.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-willing-to-end-iran-war-without-reopening-strait-of-hormuz-1774923738453">Trump willing to end Iran war without reopening Strait of Hormuz: New report makes EXPLOSIVE claims</a><h2>US oil prices up by more than $50 a barrel</h2>The pressure of the war is slowly showing up at the pump. WTI crude was trading near $57 per barrel in late December. Now it is flirting with $106 a barrel, a surge of around $50. Brent crude is similarly between $100 and $110, marking one of the sharpest monthly price spikes on record.The national average gasoline price is up 30 per cent in March, reaching $4 per gallon. Prices of diesel, jet fuel, and petrochemicals are also rising.Supply-side shocks are occurring due to threats to the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian production and infrastructure risks, and its retaliatory targeting of Gulf energy infrastructure. Despite the US being a net oil exporter, oil prices represent a far greater cost of the war for it, outpacing its military spending. This is because the country still imports refined products and faces global pricing.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-iran-war-rubio-says-talks-with-iran-ongoing-vows-hormuz-will-open-one-way-or-another-wion-1774942167548/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-iran-war-rubio-says-talks-with-iran-ongoing-vows-hormuz-will-open-one-way-or-another-wion-1774942167548/embed</a><h2>No cash for discretionary spending: US consumer economy takes a hit</h2>Consumer spending accounts for nearly 70 per cent of US GDP. Higher energy costs are hitting household spending, particularly on discretionary items such as travel and shopping, as disposable incomes are squeezed.Demand is softening, with economists at Goldman Sachs and elsewhere raising 2026 inflation forecasts while trimming growth outlooks.<h2>Business margins are getting crushed</h2>Sectors linked to energy supply—such as transport, manufacturing, agriculture, and retail—are facing higher input and logistics costs.In essence, this resembles the classic oil shocks of the 1970s.This may become a key reason why Trump would want to end the war quickly, allowing oil flows to normalise through diplomacy or de-escalation.

The Iran war is battering the US economy, wiping out $1.2 trillion in market value in a single day. The oil price shocks are increasingly looking like the 1970s. Inflation is creeping in,  and recession risks are looming

The Iran war is hitting the US where it hurts most: its own economy. In recent days, American markets have wiped out more than a trillion dollars in value, with indices hitting eight-month lows between March 26 and 30. Here are five key indicators showing that President Donald Trump’s Middle East outing is proving costly for American consumers and corporations, causing oil-price-driven inflation and a financial market rout. $1.2 trillion wiped off markets in a single day According to compiled data, at least $1.2 trillion was wiped off US markets in a single day. The S&P 500 fell by 1.66 per cent, erasing around $1 trillion, while the Nasdaq dropped 2.09 per cent, losing about $600 billion, and the Dow fell by 1.2 per cent, shedding $300 billion. Late March is seeing some of the heaviest sell-off days. Also read: Gulf tensions explode as Iran hits, sets ablaze Kuwaiti oil tanker Al-Salmi near Dubai | Watch video US recession looming, according to prediction markets; corporate profits hit On the prediction website Polymarket, the odds favour a 37 per cent chance of a US recession by the end of 2026. This reflects crowd-sourced sentiment on war-driven risks to the American economy and businesses. Corporate profits are being affected, and these costs are being passed on to consumers, leading to inflation as well as delays in investment and hiring. These factors are pushing recession odds to 37 per cent. This represents real wealth destruction for 401(k)s, pensions and businesses. The financial conditions of both consumers and businesses are worsening faster than any Federal Reserve move could offset. Also read: Trump willing to end Iran war without reopening Strait of Hormuz: New report makes EXPLOSIVE claims US oil prices up by more than $50 a barrel The pressure of the war is slowly showing up at the pump. WTI crude was trading near $57 per barrel in late December. Now it is flirting with $106 a barrel, a surge of around $50. Brent crude is similarly between $100 and $110, marking one of the sharpest monthly price spikes on record. The national average gasoline price is up 30 per cent in March, reaching $4 per gallon. Prices of diesel, jet fuel, and petrochemicals are also rising. Supply-side shocks are occurring due to threats to the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian production and infrastructure risks, and its retaliatory targeting of Gulf energy infrastructure. Despite the US being a net oil exporter, oil prices represent a far greater cost of the war for it, outpacing its military spending. This is because the country still imports refined products and faces global pricing. https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-iran-war-rubio-says-talks-with-iran-ongoing-vows-hormuz-will-open-one-way-or-another-wion-1774942167548/embed No cash for discretionary spending: US consumer economy takes a hit Consumer spending accounts for nearly 70 per cent of US GDP. Higher energy costs are hitting household spending, particularly on discretionary items such as travel and shopping, as disposable incomes are squeezed. Demand is softening, with economists at Goldman Sachs and elsewhere raising 2026 inflation forecasts while trimming growth outlooks. Business margins are getting crushed Sectors linked to energy supply—such as transport, manufacturing, agriculture, and retail—are facing higher input and logistics costs. In essence, this resembles the classic oil shocks of the 1970s. This may become a key reason why Trump would want to end the war quickly, allowing oil flows to normalise through diplomacy or de-escalation.

The Iran war is battering the US economy, wiping out $1.2 trillion in market value in a single day. The oil price shocks are increasingly looking like the 1970s. Inflation is creeping in, &nbsp;and recession risks are looming

$1.2 trillion erased in a single day, US recession looming – 5 ways the Iran war is hitting America where it hurts most: its own economy

A Swedish man on Monday has been charged with exploiting his "vulnerable" wife to have sex with nearly 120 men for money with aggravated pimping, several rapes and assaults. The 62-year-old suspect was arrested in October 2025 after his wife reported his act to police in northern Sweden. Since then, he has been held in custody. The man was accused of creating online advertisements, scheduling meetings, keeping guard and forcing his wife to perform sexual acts online to attract more clients. Based on the charges, the man had made money for years from compelling his wife to perform sexual acts, according to a report by the AFP. He was also accused of using violence and intimidation, allegedly exploiting the woman’s drug addiction while supplying her with substances. The prosecutor described the situation as “ruthless exploitation.”&nbsp;Along with charges of aggravated pimping, the man, who denies all allegations, faces eight counts of rape. These include an incident involving a client, as well as multiple cases where the woman was allegedly forced to perform sexual acts on herself for online videos. Prosecutor Ida Annerstedt told AFP that the woman, considered to be in a vulnerable state, had to some extent agreed to engage in sex work. However, she had refused to do so with certain individuals or under specific conditions. "There are certain boundaries she has had. When he hasn't respected them, when he has steamrolled her after she has said 'no', those are the situations when he is charged with attempted rape, or rape," Annerstedt told AFP.<h3>Warnings &amp; unleashing ‘the monster’ threat</h3>The man was also charged with four attempted rapes and four assaults, along with threatening his wife, including warnings about unleashing "the monster". The whole incidents were reported to have taken place between August 11, 2022, and October 21, 2025. A trial of the accused is set to start on April 13. Annerstedt confirmed that officials had identified nearly 120 people suspected of having bought sexual services. In response to the incident, twenty-six men have been charged with buying sex related to the case, and other individuals are being probed. Silvia Ingolfsdottir, the woman’s lawyer, told AFP that the charges stem from the “serious and aggravated crimes” her client has endured. In a text message, she said, "She now hopes to obtain justice." According to public broadcaster SVT, the accused had previously been a senior member of the Hells Angels biker group. The case has drawn significant attention across Sweden. In February, Sweden’s Minister for Gender Equality, Nina Larsson, stressed that men must “stop buying and selling women’s bodies.” She described media coverage of the so-called “Swedish Pelicot case” as shocking and disturbing in a post on X. Under Swedish law, purchasing sex is illegal, while selling it is not; however, facilitating or enabling such transactions is also prohibited.&nbsp;Also read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/charlie-kirk-murder-trial-bullet-used-to-kill-him-did-not-match-rifle-used-by-tyler-robinson-reports-1774926313093"> BIG twist in Charlie Kirk murder trial: Bullet used to kill him did NOT match Tyler Robinson's rifle, claims court filings</a>

The arrested individual was accused of using violence and intimidation, allegedly exploiting the woman’s drug addiction while supplying her with substances. The prosecutor described the situation as “ruthless exploitation.”

A Swedish man on Monday has been charged with exploiting his "vulnerable" wife to have sex with nearly 120 men for money with aggravated pimping, several rapes and assaults. The 62-year-old suspect was arrested in October 2025 after his wife reported his act to police in northern Sweden. Since then, he has been held in custody. The man was accused of creating online advertisements, scheduling meetings, keeping guard and forcing his wife to perform sexual acts online to attract more clients. Based on the charges, the man had made money for years from compelling his wife to perform sexual acts, according to a report by the AFP. He was also accused of using violence and intimidation, allegedly exploiting the woman’s drug addiction while supplying her with substances. The prosecutor described the situation as “ruthless exploitation.” Along with charges of aggravated pimping, the man, who denies all allegations, faces eight counts of rape. These include an incident involving a client, as well as multiple cases where the woman was allegedly forced to perform sexual acts on herself for online videos. Prosecutor Ida Annerstedt told AFP that the woman, considered to be in a vulnerable state, had to some extent agreed to engage in sex work. However, she had refused to do so with certain individuals or under specific conditions. "There are certain boundaries she has had. When he hasn't respected them, when he has steamrolled her after she has said 'no', those are the situations when he is charged with attempted rape, or rape," Annerstedt told AFP. Warnings & unleashing ‘the monster’ threat The man was also charged with four attempted rapes and four assaults, along with threatening his wife, including warnings about unleashing "the monster". The whole incidents were reported to have taken place between August 11, 2022, and October 21, 2025. A trial of the accused is set to start on April 13. Annerstedt confirmed that officials had identified nearly 120 people suspected of having bought sexual services. In response to the incident, twenty-six men have been charged with buying sex related to the case, and other individuals are being probed. Silvia Ingolfsdottir, the woman’s lawyer, told AFP that the charges stem from the “serious and aggravated crimes” her client has endured. In a text message, she said, "She now hopes to obtain justice." According to public broadcaster SVT, the accused had previously been a senior member of the Hells Angels biker group. The case has drawn significant attention across Sweden. In February, Sweden’s Minister for Gender Equality, Nina Larsson, stressed that men must “stop buying and selling women’s bodies.” She described media coverage of the so-called “Swedish Pelicot case” as shocking and disturbing in a post on X. Under Swedish law, purchasing sex is illegal, while selling it is not; however, facilitating or enabling such transactions is also prohibited. Also read: BIG twist in Charlie Kirk murder trial: Bullet used to kill him did NOT match Tyler Robinson's rifle, claims court filings

The arrested individual was accused of using violence and intimidation, allegedly exploiting the woman’s drug addiction while supplying her with substances. The prosecutor described the situation as “ruthless exploitation.”

Horrifying! Swedish man accused of coercing wife into sexual act with nearly 120 men: More details inside

Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are asking the US President Donald Trump to continue its offensive operation against Tehran until its military capability is completely reduced. According to them, the military capability of Iran has not been weakened enough by the month-long US-led bombing. According to AP reports, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have urged Trump in private conversations to continue the bombing of Iran until regime change or a significant change in Iran's behaviour. According to the US's traditional allies, this offers a historic opportunity to cripple the Clerical rule of Iran. The report suggests that these officials spoke in condition of anonymity.&nbsp;&nbsp;While Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, is seeking to decrease Iran's ballistic missile capability, the clerical regime. It serves the interests of the Kingdom in the region. On the other hand, it remains wary of the attacks on its energy infrastructure. “Iran respects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and considers it a brotherly nation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, along with a picture of a damaged American aircraft at a Saudi air base. According to the reports The UAE is perhaps the most hawkish country that is pushing for a ground invasion; Kuwait and Bahrain also favour these options.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mohamad-safa-un-resignation-nuclear-threat-iran-allegations-1774872383427">‘Nuclear winter’ warning: UN diplomat steps down, cites safety concerns</a><h2>Gulf countries are hesitant about the US's capability to defend the empire</h2>Interestingly, Gulf Countries, at the start of the US-Israel strike on Iran, had complained about the lack of information and time for preparations. They also suggested that the US had overlooked the warnings about how a destabilisation in the region could lead to devastating consequences.&nbsp;The US is in a situation where it has an off-ramp now, and many in the Trump administration are pushing for it. While Trump himself is sending out dubious messages, Iran's leadership and military capability are “decimated”, and it is willing to settle. At the same time, he is also threatening to attack the country if it does not agree on a deal. Trump is finding it hard to rally support domestically, as almost 3000 are dead and oil prices have reached around $115 per barrel.None of the Gulf states wanted the war with Iran in the first place. Just days before it began, they were flying officials to Washington in a last-ditched attempt to prevent it. Something that was clearly ignored. After the bombing began, reports emerged that Qatar's stockpile of Patriot interceptor missiles could last as little as 4 days. Yet, America refused to help restock them“Saudi Arabia’s fighting back hard. Qatar is fighting back. UAE is fighting back. Kuwait’s fighting back. Bahrain’s fighting back,” said Trump on Sunday aboard Air Force One. Gulf countries are stuck in a situation where they want to confront the Clerical Government in Iran, but they are not confident about the US empire and its commitment to defending them. Meanwhile, the Gulf states are unified in calling for a de-escalation of the Middle East war, says Qatar, as Tehran launched new strikes against its neighbours. "Our understanding is that there is a very unified position in the Gulf on calling for the de-escalation and an end to the war," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a regular news briefing.<h2>&nbsp;</h2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Gulf allies privately urge Donald Trump to continue bombing Iran, even as fears over regional instability and oil surge grow.

Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are asking the US President Donald Trump to continue its offensive operation against Tehran until its military capability is completely reduced. According to them, the military capability of Iran has not been weakened enough by the month-long US-led bombing. According to AP reports, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have urged Trump in private conversations to continue the bombing of Iran until regime change or a significant change in Iran's behaviour. According to the US's traditional allies, this offers a historic opportunity to cripple the Clerical rule of Iran. The report suggests that these officials spoke in condition of anonymity. While Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, is seeking to decrease Iran's ballistic missile capability, the clerical regime. It serves the interests of the Kingdom in the region. On the other hand, it remains wary of the attacks on its energy infrastructure. “Iran respects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and considers it a brotherly nation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, along with a picture of a damaged American aircraft at a Saudi air base. According to the reports The UAE is perhaps the most hawkish country that is pushing for a ground invasion; Kuwait and Bahrain also favour these options. Also Read: ‘Nuclear winter’ warning: UN diplomat steps down, cites safety concerns Gulf countries are hesitant about the US's capability to defend the empire Interestingly, Gulf Countries, at the start of the US-Israel strike on Iran, had complained about the lack of information and time for preparations. They also suggested that the US had overlooked the warnings about how a destabilisation in the region could lead to devastating consequences. The US is in a situation where it has an off-ramp now, and many in the Trump administration are pushing for it. While Trump himself is sending out dubious messages, Iran's leadership and military capability are “decimated”, and it is willing to settle. At the same time, he is also threatening to attack the country if it does not agree on a deal. Trump is finding it hard to rally support domestically, as almost 3000 are dead and oil prices have reached around $115 per barrel. None of the Gulf states wanted the war with Iran in the first place. Just days before it began, they were flying officials to Washington in a last-ditched attempt to prevent it. Something that was clearly ignored. After the bombing began, reports emerged that Qatar's stockpile of Patriot interceptor missiles could last as little as 4 days. Yet, America refused to help restock them “Saudi Arabia’s fighting back hard. Qatar is fighting back. UAE is fighting back. Kuwait’s fighting back. Bahrain’s fighting back,” said Trump on Sunday aboard Air Force One. Gulf countries are stuck in a situation where they want to confront the Clerical Government in Iran, but they are not confident about the US empire and its commitment to defending them. Meanwhile, the Gulf states are unified in calling for a de-escalation of the Middle East war, says Qatar, as Tehran launched new strikes against its neighbours. "Our understanding is that there is a very unified position in the Gulf on calling for the de-escalation and an end to the war," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told a regular news briefing.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Gulf allies privately urge Donald Trump to continue bombing Iran, even as fears over regional instability and oil surge grow.

Gulf Nations urge Donald Trump to continue Iran offensive amid war concerns-Report

Iran struck and set ablaze a fully loaded Kuwaiti crude tanker near Dubai on Monday (Mar 30) in what may be one of the most serious maritime attacks since the US-Israel war against Iran began on February 28. The vessel, the Al-Salmi, transiting the waters under a Kuwait flag, was hit while anchored in Dubai's port area. The attack may have resulted in an "oil spill in the surrounding waters," warned Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) in a statement. Here's all we know.<h2>Iran attacks fully loaded oil tanker near Dubai</h2>According to reports, the vessel, the Al-Salmi, flagged by Kuwait, was hit while anchored in Dubai's port area. The strike damaged the hull and ignited a fire onboard. Dubai authorities later confirmed the fire had been extinguished, but Kuwait Petroleum Corp flagged the possibility of an oil spill in surrounding waters, warning that emergency and firefighting teams had been scrambled to contain the situation."Emergency response and firefighting teams were immediately mobilised and are currently working to contain and control the situation in close coordination with the relevant authorities," said KPC, warning of an "oil spill in the surrounding waters". Videos from the scene show the oil tanker engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke billowing high into the sky.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Iran is consistent in its promises According to media reports, a ship that attempted to exit the Strait of Hormuz without Iran&#39;s permission was attacked. <a href="https://t.co/hmUjCw7cMM">pic.twitter.com/hmUjCw7cMM</a>&mdash; 🇷🇺 STANISLAV KRAPIVNIK 🇷🇺 (@STANISKRAPIVNIK) <a href="https://twitter.com/STANISKRAPIVNIK/status/2038765386955387093?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This was not an isolated incident. Since late February, a string of merchant vessels have come under attack by missiles and explosive drones, both aerial and maritime, across the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Monday's strike, however, felt different in scale. Al-Salmi was fully laden, and hitting it this close to Dubai, a major commercial and logistical hub, marks a geographic escalation.<h2>Where was Kuwaiti tanker Al-Salmi headed?</h2>According to Reuters, Al-Salmi crossed the Strait of Hormuz in late February, around the time the first strikes on Iran took place. It later called at Saudi Arabia's Khafji port and Kuwait's Mina Al Ahmadi terminal before heading east to the UAE, fully loaded and reportedly bound for China's Qingdao — at times flagging Chinese cargo.The attack happened the same day Trump issued his most explicit threat yet against Iranian infrastructure, warning he would "completely obliterate" Iran's electrical plants, oil wells, Kharg Island, and possibly desalination facilities if a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz isn't reached soon. Global oil prices have already been climbing steadily since the conflict began, and news of Monday's tanker strike pushed markets further.Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.

Has Iran just escalated the war at sea? A fully loaded  Kuwaiti oil tanker was set ablaze near Dubai, raising fears of a major spill and wider disruption to global shipping.

How serious is this attack? Scroll down to read more.

Iran struck and set ablaze a fully loaded Kuwaiti crude tanker near Dubai on Monday (Mar 30) in what may be one of the most serious maritime attacks since the US-Israel war against Iran began on February 28. The vessel, the Al-Salmi, transiting the waters under a Kuwait flag, was hit while anchored in Dubai's port area. The attack may have resulted in an "oil spill in the surrounding waters," warned Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) in a statement. Here's all we know. Iran attacks fully loaded oil tanker near Dubai According to reports, the vessel, the Al-Salmi, flagged by Kuwait, was hit while anchored in Dubai's port area. The strike damaged the hull and ignited a fire onboard. Dubai authorities later confirmed the fire had been extinguished, but Kuwait Petroleum Corp flagged the possibility of an oil spill in surrounding waters, warning that emergency and firefighting teams had been scrambled to contain the situation. "Emergency response and firefighting teams were immediately mobilised and are currently working to contain and control the situation in close coordination with the relevant authorities," said KPC, warning of an "oil spill in the surrounding waters". Videos from the scene show the oil tanker engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke billowing high into the sky.

Has Iran just escalated the war at sea? A fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker was set ablaze near Dubai, raising fears of a major spill and wider disruption to global shipping.How serious is this attack? Scroll down to read more.

Gulf tensions explode as Iran hits, sets ablaze Kuwaiti oil tanker Al-Salmi near Dubai | Watch video

Ninety-four point one per cent of India's banking and financial services firms claim to use artificial intelligence to improve operational efficiency. Only 19.1 per cent of those same firms track whether it is actually contributing to revenue. That gap - between adoption and accountability - is not an Indian problem. It is a global one. And it sits at the centre of what may be the most consequential technology deployment in the history of modern finance. Globally, one in every four banks is actively using AI to gain competitive advantage, with the rest still marooned in fragmented, inconclusive pilots, according to the Boston Consulting Group, cited in a 2026 Backbase industry report. The World Economic Forum projects total AI spending in financial services will reach $97 billion by 2027. McKinsey puts the potential annual value addition to global banking at $340 billion. And yet, the majority of the world's financial institutions cannot demonstrate - in measurable terms - what their AI investments are actually delivering. The revolution, it turns out, is real. Proving its value is another matter entirely.<h2>THE MEASUREMENT PARADOX</h2>Take a look at India's BFSI sector, that has moved faster on AI adoption than almost any other regulated industry globally. Seventy-eight per cent of Indian financial firms are already exploring generative AI tools. Forty-seven per cent have multiple AI use cases live in production, according to a November 2025 report by EY and the Confederation of Indian Industry. AI-related mentions in private sector bank annual reports grew six-fold between FY2015-16 and FY2022-23. In public sector banks, the growth was threefold - significant, but half the pace, constrained by slower procurement cycles and tighter compliance frameworks, according to the RBI's October 2024 Bulletin. By June 2023, eleven of twelve public sector banks had deployed AI-powered customer service chatbots, per a 2025 analysis in the International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research. But the measurement data tells a structurally different story. Only 19.1 per cent of BFSI firms track AI's contribution to revenue. More than a third - 36.8 per cent - do not measure AI's revenue impact at all. And 44.1 per cent are unsure whether such tracking even exists within their own organisations, according to a March 2026 survey of 32 firms covering approximately 1.3 lakh employees by KNOLSKAPE. Only 47.1 per cent measure return on investment from AI initiatives. Only 57.4 per cent link AI learning programmes to business performance outcomes. The workforce powering these deployments is also largely unprepared. Only 31 per cent of India's BFSI workforce is ready for the digital and AI transition, the same KNOLSKAPE survey found. The sector's top workforce development priority for 2026 is leadership capability, followed immediately by AI readiness - in an industry simultaneously claiming 94.1 per cent AI adoption. That is not an irony. That is a warning sign.<h2>THE DEMO ROOM PROBLEM - WHY PILOTS STALL</h2>Understanding why the gap between adoption and accountability persists requires looking inside the institutions attempting the transition. Rohit Yadava, Chief Operating Officer of enterprise AI firm Aziro, has worked directly within BFSI and audit deployments and identifies the failure point precisely. “In live BFSI and audit environments, AI agents are being used best in narrow, rules-influenced workflows where there is high volume, repetitive review, and a need for faster turnaround,” Rohit said. “In lending, agents can extract borrower data from documents, cross-check it against internal systems, identify missing information, and prepare a case summary for an underwriter. In claims, they can classify claim types, detect mismatches across forms and supporting evidence, and route exceptions for manual review. In audit functions, agents are useful for collecting evidence, mapping records to controls, summarising deviations, and helping teams prioritise what to investigate first.” The capability, Rohit Yadav is clear, already exists. What fails is the infrastructure around it. “The shift from pilots to real deployments happens when enterprises stop asking whether the model works and start asking whether the workflow works,” he said. “In the pilot stage, teams often test AI on sample data, isolated tasks, or controlled prompts. That is useful, but it does not reflect production reality. Real deployment means the AI has to work with messy inputs, variable document quality, system dependencies, approval logic, and business accountability.” He identifies five non-negotiable requirements for reliable AI deployment at scale: clean integration with enterprise systems including loan platforms, ERP tools, document stores, and audit infrastructure; strong data grounding so agents operate from approved internal sources rather than generic model memory; orchestration logic defining what the agent can do, when to seek additional information, and when to escalate to a human; full observability covering logs, prompts, outputs, latency tracking, and escalation points; and governance encompassing access control, versioning, compliance capability, and rollback. “At scale, the real challenge is not generating responses,” he added. “It is maintaining consistency, traceability, and acceptable performance across thousands of transactions and edge cases.”<h2>THE TRUST GAP</h2>Sajal Gupta, Co-founder and Director of AI infrastructure firm Fexo, frames the structural problem in terms of what he calls an existential requirement - not a technology choice. “For the BFSI and audit sectors, AI is not a luxury - it is an existential requirement,” Sajal Gupta said. “Finance, especially in India, is now governed by thousands of distinct document formats - from Annual Reports, GST and ITRs to varied bank statements to internal databases to regulatory policy documents - all of which must be reconciled. Relying on human reviewers for millions of data points leads to fatigue-driven errors, which, in a regulated environment, are viewed as a legal catastrophe." He points to the market pressure compounding that internal failure risk. “While traditional due diligence used to take weeks, the market now demands that initial assessments happen in hours or days to remain competitive,” he said. “Generative AI is expected to add up to $340 billion in annual value to the global banking sector. The transition to AI agents is no longer a fancy technology to adopt - it is the new imperative required to keep costs low enough to compete with digital-first fintechs.” The reason most institutions are failing to make that transition, Sajal Gupta argues, is that they are attempting it with the wrong tools. “The last two years were mostly experimentation and piloting of AI in different workflows and use cases,” he said. “Now, a transition from experimental AI pilots to agentic ecosystems is in progress - moving away from simple text generation toward autonomous, multi-step workflow execution.” Bridging what he calls the Trust Gap - the distance between a system that performs in a demo and one that can be relied upon in a regulated workflow - requires four specific architectural layers. First, a unified, governed data foundation with automated quality checks and digital provenance tracking, so that every data point's origin, transformation, and usage is auditable. Second, a shift from large cloud-based language models toward smaller, specialised models - typically under 14 billion parameters - that run fully on-premise, keeping sensitive data within institutional firewalls and complying with the RBI framework, GDPR, and the EU AI Act. Third, a multi-agent orchestration mesh in which supervisor agents coordinate specialised sub-agents handling distinct tasks such as AML investigation, treasury functions, or retail support. Fourth, deterministic guardrails - what Gupta describes as a Triangulation Engine - that act as a compliance check on probabilistic AI outputs before they reach a regulated decision. “The Trust Gap is the primary barrier preventing experimental AI from becoming operational reality in regulated finance,” Gupta said. “Production systems use a Triangulation Engine - deterministic rules acting as a guardian, ensuring every output is auditable and legally defensible. Organisations that use specialised evaluation and governance tools move nearly six times more AI systems to production.”<h2>INDIA'S REGULATORY ARCHITECTURE</h2>India's financial regulator has moved to get ahead of the deployment wave. In August 2025, the Reserve Bank of India’s Committee on Financial Sector Regulation of Emerging and Evolving AI - the FREE-AI Committee - published India’s first comprehensive AI governance blueprint for the financial sector, addressing IT outsourcing risk, technology governance, and operational resilience. The framework identifies four AI risk categories: model hallucinations, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, data privacy breaches, and threats to systemic financial stability. It mandates a Right to Explanation - requiring that any automated financial decision carry a plain-language justification accessible to the consumer, a provision Sajal Gupta specifically identifies as something only generative AI can reliably produce at scale. The framework also requires 100 per cent transaction monitoring and continuous reporting, formally ending sampling-based compliance. KPMG's September 2025 analysis noted India had established binding AI governance in financial services ahead of many developed markets.<h2>THE GLOBAL RACE</h2>The competitive context gives the urgency a sharper edge. In the United States, generative AI adoption in commercial banking surged from 10 per cent in production in 2023 to 47 per cent by 2025 - a near five-fold acceleration in two years. US AI banking spend reached $19 billion in 2024, forecast to hit $54 billion by 2028. China has moved at even greater scale. The country's core AI industry reached 1.2 trillion yuan - approximately $173.9 billion - in 2025, with over 6,200 active AI companies, according to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in a March 2026 release. Total AI investment reached between $84 billion and $98 billion in 2025, up 48 per cent year-on-year, per Bank of America analysis. China's AI banking automation market stood at $3.43 billion in 2025, projected to reach $23.8 billion by 2033, according to Grand View Research. But up to 80 per cent of China's newly built AI compute infrastructure was reportedly idle as of March 2025 - a striking overcapacity concern flagged explicitly by the United States Federal Reserve in an October 2025 report. Europe has chosen governance over velocity. The EU AI Act - the world’s first comprehensive AI regulation - came into force in 2025, with prohibited systems banned from February. In November 2025, the European Parliament voted 426 to 182 against introducing new AI-specific financial regulations, directing regulators to apply existing law instead. The European Parliament's ECON Committee identified the same four AI risk categories as India's RBI: hallucinations, cybersecurity, data privacy, and systemic stability - a convergence that signals emerging global regulatory consensus. India sits in a position that is simultaneously promising and precarious. It has headline adoption numbers that match or exceed the United States. It has a binding regulatory framework that rivals Europe's in ambition. It has practitioners deploying agentic systems in live lending, audit, and claims environments right now. But it carries an 81 per cent measurement gap, a 31 per cent workforce readiness figure, and a public sector banking system advancing at half the pace of its private counterparts.<h2>THE $23 TRILLION QUESTION</h2>McKinsey's Global Banking Annual Review 2025 put a precise number on what is at stake for any institution that fails to close that gap. Agentic AI could disrupt $23 trillion in global consumer deposits currently sitting in near-zero rate accounts, enabling digital-first challengers to compete directly for retail deposits that traditional banks have long treated as permanently captive. Venture investment by banks into AI companies declined 17 per cent in 2025, according to the Evident Insights Banking AI Index - a recalibration from hype-driven spending toward disciplined deployment. But the leader-laggard divide is accelerating: the top ten banks on the Evident AI Index increased their AI scores at more than double the rate of the average institution in 2025. AI-focused product launches across more than 10,000 banks and fintechs between late 2022 and mid-2025 represented only approximately three per cent of all product launches globally, per McKinsey Panorama - suggesting that even within an industry claiming transformation, the actual deployment footprint remains narrow. Rohit Yadava's framing may be the most honest summary of where the industry actually stands. “Trust is built when the AI becomes predictable to operate,” he said. “Enterprises adopt AI more confidently when it behaves like a governed system inside the process - not like an impressive but loosely controlled layer on top of it.” That is the distance most of the world’s banks still have to travel. The money is committed. The technology is capable. The regulatory frameworks are arriving. What remains is the harder work - making AI not just deployable, but provable, measurable, and trusted at the scale the $340 billion promise actually requires.

 From Mumbai to Manhattan, banking's AI revolution is real. Proving it is another matter when potential annual value addition to global banking is expected at $340 billion, yet the majority cannot demonstrate what AI is actually delivering .

Ninety-four point one per cent of India's banking and financial services firms claim to use artificial intelligence to improve operational efficiency. Only 19.1 per cent of those same firms track whether it is actually contributing to revenue. That gap - between adoption and accountability - is not an Indian problem. It is a global one. And it sits at the centre of what may be the most consequential technology deployment in the history of modern finance. Globally, one in every four banks is actively using AI to gain competitive advantage, with the rest still marooned in fragmented, inconclusive pilots, according to the Boston Consulting Group, cited in a 2026 Backbase industry report. The World Economic Forum projects total AI spending in financial services will reach $97 billion by 2027. McKinsey puts the potential annual value addition to global banking at $340 billion. And yet, the majority of the world's financial institutions cannot demonstrate - in measurable terms - what their AI investments are actually delivering. The revolution, it turns out, is real. Proving its value is another matter entirely. THE MEASUREMENT PARADOX Take a look at India's BFSI sector, that has moved faster on AI adoption than almost any other regulated industry globally. Seventy-eight per cent of Indian financial firms are already exploring generative AI tools. Forty-seven per cent have multiple AI use cases live in production, according to a November 2025 report by EY and the Confederation of Indian Industry. AI-related mentions in private sector bank annual reports grew six-fold between FY2015-16 and FY2022-23. In public sector banks, the growth was threefold - significant, but half the pace, constrained by slower procurement cycles and tighter compliance frameworks, according to the RBI's October 2024 Bulletin. By June 2023, eleven of twelve public sector banks had deployed AI-powered customer service chatbots, per a 2025 analysis in the International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research. But the measurement data tells a structurally different story. Only 19.1 per cent of BFSI firms track AI's contribution to revenue. More than a third - 36.8 per cent - do not measure AI's revenue impact at all. And 44.1 per cent are unsure whether such tracking even exists within their own organisations, according to a March 2026 survey of 32 firms covering approximately 1.3 lakh employees by KNOLSKAPE. Only 47.1 per cent measure return on investment from AI initiatives. Only 57.4 per cent link AI learning programmes to business performance outcomes. The workforce powering these deployments is also largely unprepared. Only 31 per cent of India's BFSI workforce is ready for the digital and AI transition, the same KNOLSKAPE survey found. The sector's top workforce development priority for 2026 is leadership capability, followed immediately by AI readiness - in an industry simultaneously claiming 94.1 per cent AI adoption. That is not an irony. That is a warning sign. THE DEMO ROOM PROBLEM - WHY PILOTS STALL Understanding why the gap between adoption and accountability persists requires looking inside the institutions attempting the transition. Rohit Yadava, Chief Operating Officer of enterprise AI firm Aziro, has worked directly within BFSI and audit deployments and identifies the failure point precisely. “In live BFSI and audit environments, AI agents are being used best in narrow, rules-influenced workflows where there is high volume, repetitive review, and a need for faster turnaround,” Rohit said. “In lending, agents can extract borrower data from documents, cross-check it against internal systems, identify missing information, and prepare a case summary for an underwriter. In claims, they can classify claim types, detect mismatches across forms and supporting evidence, and route exceptions for manual review. In audit functions, agents are useful for collecting evidence, mapping records to controls, summarising deviations, and helping teams prioritise what to investigate first.” The capability, Rohit Yadav is clear, already exists. What fails is the infrastructure around it. “The shift from pilots to real deployments happens when enterprises stop asking whether the model works and start asking whether the workflow works,” he said. “In the pilot stage, teams often test AI on sample data, isolated tasks, or controlled prompts. That is useful, but it does not reflect production reality. Real deployment means the AI has to work with messy inputs, variable document quality, system dependencies, approval logic, and business accountability.” He identifies five non-negotiable requirements for reliable AI deployment at scale: clean integration with enterprise systems including loan platforms, ERP tools, document stores, and audit infrastructure; strong data grounding so agents operate from approved internal sources rather than generic model memory; orchestration logic defining what the agent can do, when to seek additional information, and when to escalate to a human; full observability covering logs, prompts, outputs, latency tracking, and escalation points; and governance encompassing access control, versioning, compliance capability, and rollback. “At scale, the real challenge is not generating responses,” he added. “It is maintaining consistency, traceability, and acceptable performance across thousands of transactions and edge cases.” THE TRUST GAP Sajal Gupta, Co-founder and Director of AI infrastructure firm Fexo, frames the structural problem in terms of what he calls an existential requirement - not a technology choice. “For the BFSI and audit sectors, AI is not a luxury - it is an existential requirement,” Sajal Gupta said. “Finance, especially in India, is now governed by thousands of distinct document formats - from Annual Reports, GST and ITRs to varied bank statements to internal databases to regulatory policy documents - all of which must be reconciled. Relying on human reviewers for millions of data points leads to fatigue-driven errors, which, in a regulated environment, are viewed as a legal catastrophe." He points to the market pressure compounding that internal failure risk. “While traditional due diligence used to take weeks, the market now demands that initial assessments happen in hours or days to remain competitive,” he said. “Generative AI is expected to add up to $340 billion in annual value to the global banking sector. The transition to AI agents is no longer a fancy technology to adopt - it is the new imperative required to keep costs low enough to compete with digital-first fintechs.” The reason most institutions are failing to make that transition, Sajal Gupta argues, is that they are attempting it with the wrong tools. “The last two years were mostly experimentation and piloting of AI in different workflows and use cases,” he said. “Now, a transition from experimental AI pilots to agentic ecosystems is in progress - moving away from simple text generation toward autonomous, multi-step workflow execution.” Bridging what he calls the Trust Gap - the distance between a system that performs in a demo and one that can be relied upon in a regulated workflow - requires four specific architectural layers. First, a unified, governed data foundation with automated quality checks and digital provenance tracking, so that every data point's origin, transformation, and usage is auditable. Second, a shift from large cloud-based language models toward smaller, specialised models - typically under 14 billion parameters - that run fully on-premise, keeping sensitive data within institutional firewalls and complying with the RBI framework, GDPR, and the EU AI Act. Third, a multi-agent orchestration mesh in which supervisor agents coordinate specialised sub-agents handling distinct tasks such as AML investigation, treasury functions, or retail support. Fourth, deterministic guardrails - what Gupta describes as a Triangulation Engine - that act as a compliance check on probabilistic AI outputs before they reach a regulated decision. “The Trust Gap is the primary barrier preventing experimental AI from becoming operational reality in regulated finance,” Gupta said. “Production systems use a Triangulation Engine - deterministic rules acting as a guardian, ensuring every output is auditable and legally defensible. Organisations that use specialised evaluation and governance tools move nearly six times more AI systems to production.” INDIA'S REGULATORY ARCHITECTURE India's financial regulator has moved to get ahead of the deployment wave. In August 2025, the Reserve Bank of India’s Committee on Financial Sector Regulation of Emerging and Evolving AI - the FREE-AI Committee - published India’s first comprehensive AI governance blueprint for the financial sector, addressing IT outsourcing risk, technology governance, and operational resilience. The framework identifies four AI risk categories: model hallucinations, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, data privacy breaches, and threats to systemic financial stability. It mandates a Right to Explanation - requiring that any automated financial decision carry a plain-language justification accessible to the consumer, a provision Sajal Gupta specifically identifies as something only generative AI can reliably produce at scale. The framework also requires 100 per cent transaction monitoring and continuous reporting, formally ending sampling-based compliance. KPMG's September 2025 analysis noted India had established binding AI governance in financial services ahead of many developed markets. THE GLOBAL RACE The competitive context gives the urgency a sharper edge. In the United States, generative AI adoption in commercial banking surged from 10 per cent in production in 2023 to 47 per cent by 2025 - a near five-fold acceleration in two years. US AI banking spend reached $19 billion in 2024, forecast to hit $54 billion by 2028. China has moved at even greater scale. The country's core AI industry reached 1.2 trillion yuan - approximately $173.9 billion - in 2025, with over 6,200 active AI companies, according to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in a March 2026 release. Total AI investment reached between $84 billion and $98 billion in 2025, up 48 per cent year-on-year, per Bank of America analysis. China's AI banking automation market stood at $3.43 billion in 2025, projected to reach $23.8 billion by 2033, according to Grand View Research. But up to 80 per cent of China's newly built AI compute infrastructure was reportedly idle as of March 2025 - a striking overcapacity concern flagged explicitly by the United States Federal Reserve in an October 2025 report. Europe has chosen governance over velocity. The EU AI Act - the world’s first comprehensive AI regulation - came into force in 2025, with prohibited systems banned from February. In November 2025, the European Parliament voted 426 to 182 against introducing new AI-specific financial regulations, directing regulators to apply existing law instead. The European Parliament's ECON Committee identified the same four AI risk categories as India's RBI: hallucinations, cybersecurity, data privacy, and systemic stability - a convergence that signals emerging global regulatory consensus. India sits in a position that is simultaneously promising and precarious. It has headline adoption numbers that match or exceed the United States. It has a binding regulatory framework that rivals Europe's in ambition. It has practitioners deploying agentic systems in live lending, audit, and claims environments right now. But it carries an 81 per cent measurement gap, a 31 per cent workforce readiness figure, and a public sector banking system advancing at half the pace of its private counterparts. THE $23 TRILLION QUESTION McKinsey's Global Banking Annual Review 2025 put a precise number on what is at stake for any institution that fails to close that gap. Agentic AI could disrupt $23 trillion in global consumer deposits currently sitting in near-zero rate accounts, enabling digital-first challengers to compete directly for retail deposits that traditional banks have long treated as permanently captive. Venture investment by banks into AI companies declined 17 per cent in 2025, according to the Evident Insights Banking AI Index - a recalibration from hype-driven spending toward disciplined deployment. But the leader-laggard divide is accelerating: the top ten banks on the Evident AI Index increased their AI scores at more than double the rate of the average institution in 2025. AI-focused product launches across more than 10,000 banks and fintechs between late 2022 and mid-2025 represented only approximately three per cent of all product launches globally, per McKinsey Panorama - suggesting that even within an industry claiming transformation, the actual deployment footprint remains narrow. Rohit Yadava's framing may be the most honest summary of where the industry actually stands. “Trust is built when the AI becomes predictable to operate,” he said. “Enterprises adopt AI more confidently when it behaves like a governed system inside the process - not like an impressive but loosely controlled layer on top of it.” That is the distance most of the world’s banks still have to travel. The money is committed. The technology is capable. The regulatory frameworks are arriving. What remains is the harder work - making AI not just deployable, but provable, measurable, and trusted at the scale the $340 billion promise actually requires.

From Mumbai to Manhattan, banking's AI revolution is real. Proving it is another matter when potential annual value addition to global banking is expected at $340 billion, yet the majority cannot demonstrate what AI is actually delivering.

$340 bllion annual growth, $23 trillion at risk: Globally banks stuck in AI’s demo room

Thirty-eight years ago, a 41-year-old Donald Trump, on camera, disclosed his strategy against Iran, and the world remained blind to it, till now. In an old interview, the now-US president said, plainly, that the United States should sail into Iranian waters and take their oil. This week, with American forces actively engaged in a war with Iran, Trump posted that clip himself. In the clip, Trump can be heard pushing for an aggressive strategy against Iran's oil infrastructure: "You go in... you take the oil... Let Iran fight their own war. You take their oil".Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/-war-crime-iran-says-us-strike-hit-aid-plane-headed-for-india-what-we-know-1774928474110">‘War crime’: Did US target an Iranian plane headed to India on humanitarian mission? — what we know</a><h2>Grab it, keep it: Trump disclosed his Iran oil strategy almost four decades ago</h2>In December 198,7 when Iran was targeting oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-Iraq War, a young Donald Trump gave an interview to Barbara Walters on ABC's 20/20. The businessman's strategy for dealing with Iranian aggression was characteristically blunt: "Why couldn't we go in and take over some of their oil, which is along the sea?" When Walters pushed back on the risks, escalation, and military entanglement, he didn't blink. "You go in... you take the oil... Let Iran fight their own war."He went further. If Iran attacked the US again, Trump argued, the response should be to seize one of their major oil installations and keep it. "Grab it and keep it, and get back your losses," he said. "You get in trouble with weakness."He even waved off concerns about Soviet intervention: "I don't think they would."Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jd-vance-says-he-ll-get-to-the-bottom-of-ufo-files-also-he-thinks-aliens-are-demons-1774680082168">JD Vance says he'll get to the bottom of UFO files. Also, he thinks aliens are demons | Watch</a>Watch it here:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">New media post from Donald J. Trump (TS: 30 Mar 14:06 ET)​​​‍​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​‌‍​​‌‍​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​​​​​​​‌‍​​​‌‍​​​​‌‍ <a href="https://t.co/aDp4Al2pBD">pic.twitter.com/aDp4Al2pBD</a>&mdash; Commentary: Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpTruthOnX/status/2038684002689917407?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

&nbsp;<h2>Why did Trump share the video now?</h2>The fact that Trump chose to share this clip now, in the middle of an active conflict, feels less like nostalgia and more like a statement of intent. Or at minimum, a reminder that his approach to Iran hasn't fundamentally changed in nearly four decades.It comes as in a separate Truth Social post, the POTUS said negotiations were underway with what he described as a "more reasonable" faction within Iran's new leadership, and that progress toward ending military operations had been made. However, the olive branch came wrapped in a threat.If a deal isn't reached shortly, and if the Strait of Hormuz isn't reopened, Trump said the US would "blow up and completely obliterate" Iran's electrical generating plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island — the country's main crude export hub. "We will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island," he said.Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.

Did Donald Trump revive a 1987 plan to “grab Iran’s oil”? An old interview clip shared by Trump is resurfacing amid the ongoing war, showing a long-standing hardline stance. Scroll down to watch the video.

Thirty-eight years ago, a 41-year-old Donald Trump, on camera, disclosed his strategy against Iran, and the world remained blind to it, till now. In an old interview, the now-US president said, plainly, that the United States should sail into Iranian waters and take their oil. This week, with American forces actively engaged in a war with Iran, Trump posted that clip himself. In the clip, Trump can be heard pushing for an aggressive strategy against Iran's oil infrastructure: "You go in... you take the oil... Let Iran fight their own war. You take their oil". Also read | ‘War crime’: Did US target an Iranian plane headed to India on humanitarian mission? — what we know Grab it, keep it: Trump disclosed his Iran oil strategy almost four decades ago In December 198,7 when Iran was targeting oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-Iraq War, a young Donald Trump gave an interview to Barbara Walters on ABC's 20/20. The businessman's strategy for dealing with Iranian aggression was characteristically blunt: "Why couldn't we go in and take over some of their oil, which is along the sea?" When Walters pushed back on the risks, escalation, and military entanglement, he didn't blink. "You go in... you take the oil... Let Iran fight their own war." He went further. If Iran attacked the US again, Trump argued, the response should be to seize one of their major oil installations and keep it. "Grab it and keep it, and get back your losses," he said. "You get in trouble with weakness." He even waved off concerns about Soviet intervention: "I don't think they would." Also read | JD Vance says he'll get to the bottom of UFO files. Also, he thinks aliens are demons | Watch Watch it here:

Did Donald Trump revive a 1987 plan to “grab Iran’s oil”? An old interview clip shared by Trump is resurfacing amid the ongoing war, showing a long-standing hardline stance. Scroll down to watch the video.

‘Take the oil’: Did Trump REVEAL his Iran war strategy decades ago? POTUS shares interview clip from 1987 | Watch video

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$340 bllion annual growth, $23 trillion at risk: Banks stuck in AI’s demo room

Take the oil: Trump REVEALED his Iran war plan in 1987, video resurfaces | Watch