The war in the Middle East ramped up on Thursday as Israel launched a wave of strikes targeting Iranian infrastructure in the central city of Isfahan, while Iran fired two rounds of missiles at central Israel causing destruction and injuries.
Israel was also under attack from a wave of rockets from Lebanon, and an Israeli soldier in Lebanon was killed.
On Wednesday night, President Trump again claimed Iran "so badly" wanted to make a deal with the U.S., despite Tehran's rejection of a 15-point proposal to end the war. Iran says it doesn't plan on negotiating with the U.S. at all, and that it has its own conditions.
Meanwhile Germany's defense minister called the war "a catastrophe for the world's economies" and slammed the U.S. for having "no exit strategy."
Here are more updates on day 27 of the Iran war.
To jump to specific areas of coverage, use the links below:
Thursday strikes | Negotiation claims | Kharg Island | Germany slams the U.S. | Oil prices | UAE affected
Iran, Hezbollah and Israel trade strikes
NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv spoke to two military officials who told him Israel wants to keep fighting and is hoping for weeks more of war in Iran.
A person briefed on the operation told NPR the Israeli military is speeding up its targeting in Iran over the next 48 hours, focusing on trying to hit Iran's arms factories as much as possible — in case a ceasefire is declared.
The Israel Defense Forces said on X it had completed a "wave of extensive strikes in Isfahan…targeting infrastructure."
But Israel was also under attack Thursday, with air sirens sounding in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and the IDF saying rescue crews were en route to the location of a strike at the center of the country.
The IDF reported a soldier on the ground in Lebanon had been killed, naming him as 21-year-old Sergeant Ori Greenberg.
Israel says its airstrikes continue in southern Lebanon, in advance of what Israeli officials say will be a "prolonged" ground invasion targeting Hezbollah militants.
The Iran-backed group continues to fire rockets into northern Israel and Israeli officials say a civilian woman was killed by that rocket fire this week.
Israeli officials say they plan to take Lebanese territory up to the Litani River, which runs 10 to 20 miles north of border with Israel. Hezbollah says it targeted a group of Israeli soldiers inside that area, with a drone.
Trump repeats negotiation claims
In remarks at a Republican fundraising dinner on Wednesday night, the president insisted Iran was looking to do a deal but didn't want to admit it because they were afraid their citizens would turn on them.
"We're winning so big. Nobody's ever seen anything like we're doing in the Middle East with Iran. And they are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they're afraid to say it because they figure they'll be killed by their own people," he said. "They're also afraid they'll be killed by us. There's never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran."
Under a proposed U.S. plan Iran would end its nuclear program, stop supporting proxy militias in the Middle East, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and limit its missile program. In exchange Iran would get relief from sanctions.
But Iran rejected the proposal, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the country wants to end the war only on "our own terms." Iran has given five conditions: "end to aggression by the enemy, concrete guarantees preventing the recurrence of war, clear determination, guaranteed payment of war damages and compensation, comprehensive end to the war across all fronts, incl. against all resistance groups, recognition of Iran's sovereignty over Strait of Hormuz."
Iranian officials have insisted they are not negotiating with the U.S., saying the countries have only exchanged messages via regional intermediaries.
Pakistan has emerged as a potential mediator for talks and there's a question over whether the U.S. and Iran could hold talks in coming days.
An official in Islamabad, not authorized to speak publicly, told NPR that the Pakistani interior minister had held a secret meeting with the Iranian ambassador in Pakistan today.
Will U.S. forces seize Kharg Island?
The Pentagon is set to deploy up to 3,000 paratroopers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.
NPR's international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam reports it comes as President Trump weighs whether to seize Kharg Island, Iran's main oil processing facility.
Analysts say such an operation would be risky for US service personnel.
The U.S. military says it has hit more than ten thousand targets so far in the air campaign on Iran.
German minister slams U.S.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius gave a frank assessment of the war in remarks on a trip to Australia.
"To make it crystal clear, this war is a catastrophe for the world's economies," he told reporters.
"What really concerns me the most about that war is there was no consultation, there is no strategy, there is no clear objective and the worst thing from my perspective is that there is no exit strategy," he said.
He also criticized Washington's changing demands of Europe, noting the U.S. had asked Europe to ramp up its defense spending and told it to focus on its own backyard.
"That was before the war started against Iran. Now, the arguments are different. Now they are saying: 'Where are you, you are cowards, you don't help us,'" Pistorius said.
He was referring to Trump calling NATO allies cowards after they declined his request to help the U.S. reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Pistorius said while Germany would not be getting involved in the war, they could help secure the vital economic waterway once a ceasefire is agreed.
Oil prices higher amid Strait standoff
Two government-affiliated Iranian news agencies, Tasnim and Fars, reported Iran's parliament is planning to formalize fees for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
About one-fifth of the world's oil passes through the Strait, but Iran has essentially blocked most traffic since the start of the war.
The Strait, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, is considered an international waterway for ships to access freely. But Iranian media reported lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi as saying that "parliament is pursuing a plan to formally codify Iran's sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees."
Oil prices edged higher in Asia trading, with Brent crude trading around $100 a barrel. Asian and European stock markets also opened lower on Thursday.
UAE's stable reputation at risk
On Thursday morning alerts sounded in the United Arab Emirates. Two people were killed in Abu Dhabi by falling debris after a successful missile interception, officials said.
Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry announced the interception of a drone in the Eastern Province, while Kuwait and Bahrain also reported attacks.
Airlines in what used to be one of the globe's busiest regions for air travel continue to suffer. Oman Air announced flight cancellations to numerous regional countries as well as parts of Europe until April 15.
Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv, Lauren Frayer in Beirut, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Diaa Hadid in Mumbai, Jackie Northam, and Kate Bartlett contributed to this report.
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