Trump says US will be 'leaving soon'

President Donald Trump said the US could leave Iran in the next two to three weeks even if the Strait of Hormuz remains shut.

Plus, Marco Rubio said the US is going to have to "reexamine" its relationship with NATO.

Here are some of the major headlines in the US-Israeli war with Iran on April 1, 2026:
Iran foreign minister says 'no negotiations' with US ongoing
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that there no negotiations are being held with the United States and that his country has not responded to a reported 15-point US proposal to end the war.

"We receive messages from the American side, some direct and some through our friends in the region, and whenever necessary, we respond to these messages," Araghchi told Al Jazeera in an interview that aired Wednesday.

Araghchi said the contacts with the US did not mean that Iran was in negotiations with Washington, the Qatari media network reported.

"There are no grounds for negotiations," he said, adding that some messages had been exchanged directly with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Araghchi went on to say that there was "no truth" to the claim of negotiations with any party in Iran, Al Jazeera reported.

"All messages are conveyed through the Foreign Ministry or received by it, and there are communications between security agencies," Al Jazeera quoted him as saying.

Diplomatic efforts to end the war were recently launched, involving Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan.

Last week, the US sent a 15-point ceasefire plan to Tehran via Pakistan.

Iranian media had reported Tehran offering a five-point counterproposal calling for an end to what it deemed the US-Israeli "aggression" and for guarantees that the US and Israel would not resume hostilities.

However, Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that Tehran has not responded to the US proposal nor has it "submitted any proposals or conditions."
US sends 15-point ceasefire proposal to Iran via Pakistan
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14 wounded after Iranian missile fire: Israel medics
Israel 's emergency personnel said 14 people were wounded in the latest missile attack from Iran.

"EMTs and paramedics are providing medical treatment and evacuating to hospitals 14 casualties," the Magen David Adom emergency medical service said in a statement, including an 11-year-old girl in a serious condition with shrapnel injuries.

The military said it had "identified missiles launched from Iran towards the territory of the State of Israel" for the first time in about 20 hours, with missile alerts sounded across central and northern Israel.

Israeli media reported that cluster bombs, which explode mid-air and scatter bomblets across a wide area, were used in the attack.

Iran and Israel have previously accused each other of using cluster munitions.

More than 100 states have signed the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions , which bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of cluster bombs, though neither Iran nor Israel is a party to it.

WATCH — Why reopening the Strait of Hormuz by force is so dangerous
Iran is calling the shots on the global choke point that is the Strait of Hormuz .

What would it actually take to force the narrow waterway open again?

DW speaks to security analyst Megan Sutcliffe about the risks.

Israel strikes Tehran, intercepts missiles from Iran
Israel's military has said that it struck Iran's capital Tehran on Wednesday.

"A short while ago, the IDF completed a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure sites of the Iranian terror regime in Tehran," the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Telegram.

Iran's state television reported "attacks on Tehran," and explosions being heard in the city's north, east and center early Wednesday.

Israel's military also said that it was intercepting a new missile attack from Tehran, reported to be the first in 20 hours.

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel," the Israeli military said, adding that its defensive systems were "operating" to intercept the threat.

Two Israeli strikes kill at least seven in Beirut area
At least seven people were killed in two Israeli strikes in the Beirut area, the Lebanese Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

An Israeli air raid on south Beirut's Jnah area killed at least five people and wounded 21 others, according to the health minister.

In a separate statement, the ministry reported that another strike that hit a vehicle in Khaldeh, just south of the capital, killed two people and wounded three others.

Israel's military said it had targeted a "senior Hezbollah commander" and another member of the group in two separate strikes "in the Beirut area," without identifying them or giving details on the exact locations.

Lebanese authorities say the Middle East war has so far claimed more than 1,200 lives and displaced over one million people.

Tanker hit by projectiles near Qatar, UK agency says
A tanker was hit in the waters off Qatar by two projectiles, a British maritime security agency said on Wednesday.

The vessel ​was struck about 17 ​nautical ‌miles (31 kilometers) north of Qatar's Ras Laffan, causing damage above the waterline, the United Kingdom ​Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

One projectile triggered a fire that has since been extinguished, while another remained unexploded in the vessel's engine room, the agency said.

It added that all crew members aboard the tanker were safe.

There was no immediate information on the source of the projectiles.

The UKMTO said that authorities were probing the incident.

Iran has been regularly firing missiles and drones at countries across the Gulf in retaliation against the US-Israeli bombing campaign.

'Large' fire at Kuwait airport after Iran drones target fuel tanks: authority
An Iranian drone attack at the Kuwait International Airport triggered a massive blaze at fuel tanks, the Gulf country's civil aviation authority said early Wednesday.

"Kuwait International Airport has been subjected to blatant attacks by drones launched by Iran and the armed factions it supports," said Abdullah Al Rajhi, the spokesperson of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, according to the state-run Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

He added that "fuel storage tanks...

were targeted, resulting in a large fire at the site."
The spokesperson said that no casualties were reported and emergency services had been deployed.

Emirates, Etihad announce UAE is barring Iranian travelers
The United Arab Emirates has barred Iranians from entering or transiting the country as the war rages, three major airlines said Wednesday.

Long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, as well as the lower-cost airline FlyDubai, made the announcements on their websites .

Entry rules can sometimes be opaque in the autocratic United Arab Emirates, but the airlines’ websites all display the order.

It said holders of 10-year Golden Visa residency permits could still enter the country.

UAE authorities have offered no official comment.

Rubio says US will have to 'reexamine' relationship with NATO
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington "is going to have to reexamine" its relationship with NATO once the Iran war has ended.

"I think there's no doubt, unfortunately, after this conflict is concluded, we are going to have to reexamine that relationship.

We're going to have to reexamine the value of NATO in that alliance for our country," Rubio told the Fox News cable network.

He added that it would "ultimately" be a decision for President Donald Trump to make.

The top US diplomat said he had been "one of the strongest defenders of NATO" while he was in the US Senate because he "found great value in it."
Much of that value was in having military bases in Europe that allowed the US military "to project power into different parts of the world," Rubio said.

"If now we have reached a point where the NATO alliance means that we can't use those bases, that in fact we can no longer use those bases to defend America's interests, then NATO is a one-way street ," he added.

Trump has regularly lashed out at NATO allies throughout the conflict as many of them (NATO has 32 member states, of which 30 are European nations) have broadly resisted calls to enter the war.

France has called for a diplomatic solution to the war, joining Germany and the UK in pressing the US to pursue negotiations with Iran since the onset of the conflict.

In his remarks to Fox News, Rubio also said the war was nearing its end and that the US can "see the finish line".

"It's not today, it's not tomorrow, but it is coming," the secretary of state added.

Standoff in Iran: Is Trump pulling NATO into war?

Trump to address the nation on Iran on Wednesday
US President Donald Trump will deliver a national address at 9:00 pm Wednesday night (0100 GMT Thursday) related to the war against Iran, the White House said.

"TUNE IN: Tomorrow night at 9PM ET, President Trump will give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote Tuesday evening on X.

The announcement came after Trump said earlier that the US could end its military offensive against Iran in two to three weeks.

The US president also said it will be up to other countries to secure the Strait of Hormuz and keep the strategic waterway open.

Trump says US will leave Iran within two to three weeks
US President Donald Trump said the US will be done with its war in Iran "within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job.

But we want to knock out every single thing they have."
Despite repeatedly listing four or five objectives for the war, Trump said he "had one goal: They will have no nuclear weapon and that goal has been attained." He did not explain how he felt that goal had been reached.

He added the US may strike a deal with Iran before the next few weeks are up but said, if not, "We'll hit some bridges, got a couple of nice bridges in mind.

But if they come to the table, that'll be good."
Trump also said Washington will have nothing to do with reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

His comments come after he criticized US allies for not doing more to help secure shipping in the strait.

Plus, the Iranian foreign minister said in an interview with news network Al Jazeera on Tuesday that Iran had not responded to a 15-point proposal sent by the US to end the war.

Abbas Araghchi said he had received a direct message from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, but denied the countries were negotiating.

The Day with Brent Goff: Trump tells allies, 'Go get your own oil!'
Thank you for joining us.

Here's a recap of major events before we launch our live updates on April 1:
President Donald Trump said the US will be "leaving soon," adding that Washington could be done with its war with Iran within two to three weeks.

Trump signaled the US will leave the region even if the Strait of Hormuz remains almost fully closed off to the rest of the world.

The US "will not have anything to do with" what happens next in the strait, Trump said, adding that the responsibility for opening the vital waterway will rest with countries that rely on it.

Trump will address the nation overnight on Wednesday (0100 GMT) to deliver an "important update on Iran," the White House said.