By Mariamne Everett
23 Mar 2026
- Donald Trump says the US and Iran have held “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East”.
- Iran has not officially commented on Trump’s comment but the semi-official Mehr news agency has denied there was a dialogue between Tehran and Washington.
- Earlier, Iran’s National Defence Council says any attempt to attack the Iranian coast or islands will cause “all communication lines in the Persian Gulf to be mined” as a deadline imposed by US President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz expires today.
- Israeli forces blow up the Qasimiyah Bridge over the Litani River, a key crossing out of southern Lebanon, in an attack that President Joseph Aoun, a former general, says is a “prelude to ground invasion”.
- Visit our live tracker for the latest casualty figures from across the region.
Continue reading at: aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026
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