explainer
While President Trump talks about diplomacy, concerns are growing about a ground invasion of Iran as U.S. troops arrive in the region.
Published: March 30, 2026
The overnight US-Israeli strike hit Tehran and other cities, including targeting power infrastructure in the Iranian capital. This is because the conflict caused upheaval in global stock and oil markets.
According to Iranian authorities, the attack caused a power outage, which was later restored.
“I want to take the oil from Iran,” President Donald Trump said in an interview after Tehran accused the United States of planning a ground attack despite the country’s public push for a deal. On Sunday he said: “I am confident we will make a deal with them (Iran).”
Trump’s comments came after Pakistan, which hosted talks on Sunday to de-escalate the war, said it was preparing to host meaningful talks in the coming days.
Here’s more on what’s happening on Monday:
In Iran
- A powerful explosion was heard in Tehran. Fars news agency reported that another explosion occurred in the city of Ray, part of the Greater Tehran metropolitan area.
- The Israeli military said on Monday that it was currently attacking Iranian government infrastructure “across Tehran.”
- Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf previously said the United States was planning a ground invasion while also sending a message about the possibility of negotiations. Tehran is ready to respond if U.S. troops are deployed, he said Sunday.
- Supporters of the Iranian government continued nightly protests across the country on Sunday despite the risks posed by ongoing US and Israeli airstrikes, Fars reported.
- The semi-official Tasnim news agency said two people were executed in Iran on charges of collaborating with Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), an Iranian opposition group backed by the United States and Israel.
- Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said: “In the past 24 hours, attacks have been reported in Karaz, Shiraz, Qom, Abadan and Tabriz. Power infrastructure near Tehran was also targeted, causing a power outage that lasted several hours, but the government said it had been restored.” In Tabriz, the petrochemical division was reported to have suffered damage.
- According to Fars, a fire at a Tabriz petrochemical plant has been extinguished. It said the fire was “completely extinguished” and the situation at the factory was “completely under control.”
- Since February 28, US-Israeli attacks on Iran have killed more than 2,000 people and targeted thousands of civilians.
diplomatic efforts
- Possible Pakistan meetings: Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Sunday that talks between regional foreign ministers had addressed ways to bring an early end to the war and the possibility of U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad.
- Israeli attacks continue: Citing an unnamed Israeli official, Reuters reported that there was no intention to scale back attacks on Iran ahead of talks between Washington and Tehran and that Israel would continue attacks against “military targets.” However, Israel continued to target civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, across Iran.
in the gulf
- Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Ministry of Defense announced that five ballistic missiles heading to the eastern region were intercepted.
- Kuwait: The Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said service buildings and one of its power and desalination plants were targeted in what it described as “Iran’s sinful aggression against the state of Kuwait.” The Kuwait National Guard shot down five drones, Kuwait News Agency reported.
- Kuwait said Monday that an Indian worker was killed in an Iranian attack.
- Bahrain: Authorities in the Gulf state sounded warning sirens for the third time in the past four hours, telling residents to “remain calm and go to the nearest safe place.”
In America
- “I want to take the oil” from Iran, Trump told the Financial Times, adding that the United States could seize Iran’s export hub on Kharg Island.
- In the interview, Trump claimed that Iran had already undergone a “regime change” by killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials on the first day of the war.
in israel
- Agricultural giant ADAMA said its Makhteshim plant in southern Israel was hit by an Iranian missile or missile debris on Sunday, but no injuries were reported. ADAMA, part of the Chinese-owned Syngenta Group, said the extent of damage to the plant was not immediately known.
- Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride reports that missile and drone activity increased in Amman, Jordan, starting Sunday and continued into the early hours of Monday.
Lebanon, Iraq, Gaza Strip
- Lebanon: Israeli forces continued operations in Beirut’s southern suburbs, ordering residents to evacuate their homes. It claimed to have targeted Hezbollah military bases in the area, but provided no evidence.
- Iraq: A source at Baghdad International Airport told Al Jazeera that explosions came from the capital after repeated attacks targeting US military support facilities in the area, known as the Victory Base Complex.
- Gaza Strip: At least three Palestinians were killed and several wounded in an Israeli airstrike southeast of Gaza City, Wafa news agency reported.
Oil, food and gas crisis
- Oil price rise: According to oilprice.com, the price of Brent crude oil rose 2.98% to $115.93 per barrel as of midnight (GMT) on Monday, up more than 62% from February 27 and hitting the highest since Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.
- Southeast Asian countries buy Russian oil: The United States has announced a 30-day sanctions relief waiver for Russian oil, allowing other countries to purchase it amid global supply shortages. Accordingly, Southeast Asian companies, such as Vietnam’s Vinh Son Oil Refinery and Petrochemical, are purchasing Russian oil.
- Asian Market Slide: Indonesia’s main stock index, the Jakarta Composite Index, showed a slight recovery last week and then fell again. Malaysia’s FTSE Bursa Malaysia Top 100 Index was also down about 1.5% from the previous session.
