Countries Like the UK Should Seize Fuel at Strait of Hormuz, Trump Says
In a post on Truth Social, former US President Donald Trump suggested that countries such as the UK should develop the "courage" to go to the Strait of Hormuz and "just take" fuel.
"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," Trump said, criticizing countries that "refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran."
He added that these countries could purchase "jet fuel" from the US, where there is "plenty," if they are running low on supplies.
"Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!" Trump concluded his social media post.
More details are forthcoming.
Israeli airstrikes killed at least five people in the Gaza Strip in two separate attacks on Tuesday, according to health officials. An airstrike killed at least three people in Jabalia, northern Gaza, while two others were killed in a separate strike in the southern city of Khan Younis, medics reported.
Gaza’s health ministry stated that at least 72,285 Palestinians have been killed and 172,028 injured in Israeli attacks since 7 October 2023.
Since a ceasefire took effect in October 2025, at least 709 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to the ministry, whose figures the UN generally considers reliable.
Most casualties have been civilians, and the actual death toll is likely higher due to many still buried under rubble across Gaza.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine are scheduled to provide an update on the military campaign shortly.
This comes as Trump described Iran as having been "decimated" by the US-Israeli conflict.
Updates on the Middle East crisis will continue to be provided on this live blog.
Trump appears to remain resentful toward European countries that recently declined to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, despite his warnings that NATO faces "a very bad future" if members do not assist in reopening this vital waterway.
He has particularly criticized UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with whom he once had cordial relations, calling him "no Churchill" after Starmer refused to allow the use of UK bases for initial US-Israel strikes on Iran.
In a rare divergence from London's usual alignment with Washington on foreign policy, Starmer has insisted the UK would not participate in "regime change from the skies," strongly rebuking the US-Israeli assault on Iran, widely viewed as illegal.
However, as the war escalates, the UK has confirmed authorization for the use of British military bases to strike Iranian missile launchers targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, expanding from previous strikes limited to Iranian sites threatening British allies and interests in Gulf states.
Our graphics team has produced a map showing the location of the Kuwaiti oil tanker Al-Salmi, which was hit near Dubai, reportedly by an Iranian strike on Tuesday.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reported that the Al-Salmi was struck in an Iranian attack while anchored at Dubai port in the UAE, causing a fire onboard and damage to the vessel.
Malaysian tankers permitted to transit the Strait of Hormuz will be exempt from any tolls imposed by Iran, Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Tuesday.
Malaysia announced over the weekend that tankers owned by petroleum giant Petronas, Sapura Energy, and maritime firm MISC were awaiting clearance to safely navigate the narrow waterway, which Tehran has effectively closed as leverage in the ongoing war initiated by the US and Israel on 28 February.
"No, this is a complete no... The Iranian ambassador (to Malaysia) has mentioned this, no toll being imposed on Malaysian vessels," Loke told reporters.
"We are a friendly party. We have a good diplomatic relationship with the Iranian government."
Loke noted that passage will take time due to many ships stranded and anchored in the strait.
Iran has allowed a limited number of ships from nations it considers "non-hostile," such as Thailand, China, Pakistan, and India, to pass through.
An Iranian parliamentary committee recently approved a proposal to collect tolls on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz but stated that ships from the US, Israel, and countries sanctioning Iran would be barred.
We previously shared images following US-Israeli airstrikes on the Husseiniya Azam, a key Shia religious site in the Iranian city of Zanjan, which reportedly sustained damage to parts of its dome and minarets. Additional information is now available.
State television reported that the site "was damaged following the enemy’s morning attack on Ferdowsi Street" in Zanjan, an industrial provincial capital about 200 miles northwest of Tehran.
The airstrikes killed at least four people and injured 26 others, according to ISNA news agency citing Ali Sadeghi, a provincial deputy governor.
Dubai’s media office stated authorities are responding to an "incident caused by debris from a successful interception that fell on residential houses in southern Dubai, resulting in property damage and minor injuries to four Asian nationals."
Israel Prepared for Weeks of Continued Attacks on Iran, Military Spokesperson Says
According to , an Israeli military spokesperson said Israel is prepared for "weeks" more fighting in its war on Iran, which began on 28 February with joint US-Israeli airstrikes that killed the late Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters the decision to continue is ultimately political but added:
"We are prepared to keep operating for weeks to come. We have the targets for that, the munition for that, the manpower for that, and it’s up to the leadership to decide."
His remarks followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement that the assault on Iran was "definitely beyond the halfway point," later clarifying he referred to "missions" rather than time.
Amnesty International reported that as of 27 March, at least 1,900 people have been killed in Iran due to Israeli and US attacks.
New legislation in Israel makes the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the occupied territories found guilty of intentionally carrying out deadly attacks deemed terrorism by military courts.
Those sentenced to death will be held in separate facilities with visits restricted to authorized personnel, and legal consultations conducted only via video link. Executions will be carried out within 90 days of sentencing.
Israel has rarely applied the death penalty, with the last execution being that of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1962.
The law allows courts to impose the death penalty without prosecutor requests and without unanimity, permitting a simple majority decision. Military courts can also hand down death sentences, with the defense minister able to submit opinions.
For Palestinians under occupation, the bill restricts appeals or clemency options, while prisoners tried inside Israel may have sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
The foreign ministers of the UK, Germany, France, and Italy expressed "deep concern" over the Israeli bill, now law, imposing the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of fatal terror attacks.
In a joint statement shared on X by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, they said:
"We, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom, express our deep concern about a bill that would significantly expand the possibilities to impose the death penalty in Israel and that could be voted into law next week.
We are particularly worried about the de facto discriminatory character of the bill. The adoption of this bill would risk undermining Israel’s commitments with regards to democratic principles.
The death penalty is an inhumane and degrading form of punishment without any deterring effect. This is why we oppose the death penalty, whatever the circumstances around the world. The rejection of the death penalty is a fundamental value that unites us.
We urge the Israeli decision makers in Knesset and government to abandon these plans."
The statement was published a day before the law passed its final reading in the Knesset by 62 votes to 48 on Monday. The measure has been condemned as discriminatory by European countries and rights groups.
Iran’s internet blackout has entered its 32nd day, according to internet monitoring group NetBlocks.
"Iran’s internet blackout has entered day 32 with most users cut off from the outside world for over 744 hours.
Extended digital isolation is bringing new challenges for Iranians, from expired domains and accounts to unpatched servers on a degrading national intranet.
Those without access to Starlink or alternative ways to communicate – which are often expensive – are cut off, not only from the outside world but the blackout also severely curtails Iranian’s ability to communicate with each other, making mobilisation, for example, much more difficult."
Israel’s emergency services reported this morning that eight people with minor injuries were evacuated to hospitals in the Tel Aviv area after police reported falling munitions fragments following an alert for incoming Iranian missiles.
Six of the injured were treated in Bnei Brak, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said its relief teams have been conducting search and rescue operations following a US-Israeli airstrike on the Husseiniya Azam in Zanjan.
The UAE’s defence ministry stated about half an hour ago that its air defences were intercepting Iranian missile and drone attacks, explaining the sounds heard across various parts of the country.
A US-Israeli attack on the Iranian city of Mahallat last night at about 11pm local time killed 11 people and injured 15 others, according to the Tasnim news agency citing a deputy security officer.
Four residential units were "completely destroyed" in the attack, which also killed three children, the report said; this has not yet been independently verified.
Iranian Parliamentary Committee Approves Toll Plan for Strait of Hormuz
Iranian state media reported that an Iranian parliamentary committee approved a proposal to collect tolls on vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait will be closed to ships from the US, Israel, and countries that have imposed sanctions on Iran, according to a Telegram post from Fars news agency, which said Iran will have a "sovereign" role in implementing the new system.
The proposal, approved by Iran’s parliament security committee, reportedly requires agreement from other countries bordering the strait. The toll amount remains unclear.
US President Joe Biden warned yesterday that if no deal is reached with Iran, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, US forces would destroy "all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!)."
The closure of the strait has caused global energy prices to surge, including in the US, where farmers face higher fertilizer costs and falling commodity prices.
Two container vessels owned by Chinese shipping giant Cosco, the CSCL Indian Ocean and the CSCL Arctic Ocean, have successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz as they exited the Gulf, according to ship tracking data.
The vessels passed near the Iranian-controlled island of Larak and are bound for Port Klang in Malaysia.
Iran has effectively blocked the vital waterway but allowed limited passage for ships from nations it considers "non-hostile," such as Thailand, China, Pakistan, and India.
