An Iranian health official says the death toll from the war in Iran has reached at least 1,937 people.
Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian gave the figure to the pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera on Thursday, March 26. He said 240 of the dead were women and 212 were children.
More than 24,800 others have been wounded so far, he added. Iran has not offered any official death toll figures in days.
Trump tells Iran via social media to ‘get serious soon’ on negotiations to end the war
US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that Iranian leaders should engage “before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NOT TURNING BACK.”
The post comes a day after Trump insisted a deal is near. He said again that Iran is “‘begging’ us to make a deal” after the US pitched a 15-point ceasefire plan that Iran rejected.
Trust in Trump remains high among Republicans, poll shows
About three-quarters of Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of the presidency, and a similar 70 per cent approve of how he’s handling Iran.
Many Republicans continue to have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of trust in the president to make the right decisions on foreign issues. About half place a high level of trust in him when it comes to the use of military force outside the U.S. Roughly the same percentage of Republicans have a high level of trust on his dealings with adversaries and allies.
Sharon Fuller, 68, is a firm backer of the president and approves of his handling of the job, as well as the war in Iran.
A retired hospital analyst from Ocklawaha, Florida, Fuller expressed some reservations about the war but called Trump a “huge patriot” and said she’s been impressed with how the stock market has done since he became president again.
“I don’t really agree with the war, but on the other hand, I think it’s a necessity at this point,” she said.
Young designer in Tehran speaks of growing ‘hopelessness’
Iran’s internet shutdown is badly hurting many businesses, as well as limiting access to news of the war inside the country. A designer in her mid-twenties says her fashion products company is “on the verge of closing” as online sales have ground to a halt.
She added a nearby strike had damaged her apartment in central Tehran. Speaking on condition of anonymity, she shared with The Associated Press a photo of her street showing it filled with debris and broken glass from the blast wave.
She said she had gone to stay at her parent’s house where she felt safer.
“I don’t leave the house much except to buy necessities. The checkpoints are still in place and every night, a few supporters of the government hold rallies throughout the city. To be honest, I don’t dare go near the damaged or dangerous areas,” she added, referring to security checkpoints set up across the capital.
Iran has repeatedly restricted internet access since security forces shot thousands of anti-government protesters in early January. Rampant inflation has also throttled the economy. The designer said she has been forced to live on her small savings.
“I think we’ve experienced everything bad possible. We’ve seen it all, from the terrible atmosphere of January and the killings and arrests to the war.”
Egypt’s top diplomat is in Lebanon for talks
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut on Thursday amid a swirl of diplomatic discussions about the Iran war.
Abdelatty said that, in shuttling messages between Iran and the United States, Egypt has noted a mutual “desire for calm, for the exploration of negotiations” on both sides. But he warned the talks have not yielded “specific conclusions.”
When asked about Egypt’s role in mediating between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, he told reporters that Egyptian diplomats were voicing to all parties their opposition to Israeli occupation and destruction of civilian infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
He said the goal was to prevent the region “from sinking into a state of chaos from which it cannot emerge.”
More booms and debris reported in occupied West Bank
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, residents say they’re increasingly confronting missile debris after it’s intercepted by Israel’s air defenses. Debris was reported Wednesday and Thursday, including in Silwad, Ramallah and Beitin as well as in Israeli settlements.
Palestinians in the West Bank lack the siren alerts and shelter infrastructure that most of Israel has relied on to limit wartime fatalities, leaving communities exposed to missiles and debris. In Beitin, Bahjat Mousa Haj said he heard a boom and later learned through social media that debris had fallen nearby Thursday morning. Nobody was killed. Emergency crews tended to the missile fragment’s husk in a nearby field.
Last week, shrapnel struck a beauty salon near Hebron, killing four women. Despite the dangers, bystanders have filmed interceptions and gathered around the fallen fragments and scorched casings, drawn by a mix of curiosity and disbelief.
Official says Iran ‘charging fees’ for safe passage through Strait
The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council says Iran is charging fees for ships to safely transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi is the first top official to accuse Iran of charging for safe passage through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all natural gas and oil once passed.
“They closed the Strait of Hormuz and imposed fees for passing through it, which is an aggression and a violation of the United Nations agreement on the law of the sea,” al-Budaiwi said.
Al-Budaiwi oversees the GCC, a bloc of six Gulf Arab nations including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
He spoke during a news conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
(With inputs from AP)
