Iran received a 15-point proposal from the U.S. to reach a ceasefire in the war, two Pakistani officials said Wednesday. The Pakistani officials described the proposal broadly as touching on sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, monitoring by the In ternational Atomic Energy Agency, missile limits and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. The Trump administration reportedly offered the plan to Iran as the U.S. appears to seek an end to the war even while more troops head to the Middle East. The plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from the government of Pakistan, which has offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran, a person briefed on the plan’s contours but who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The U.S. military is preparing to deploy at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in the coming days, according to three people with knowledge of the move who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans. Here is the latest: Lebanese army says missile that burst north of capital was Iranian-made, likely not targeting the country The Lebanese military said after collecting shrapnel fragments that scattered across several towns north of Beirut that it resembled a Qadr 110, an Iranian-made medium-range ballistic missile that had “smaller rockets attached to it.” It said the missile burst at high altitude, suggesting it wasn’t targeting Lebanon. “As for the cause of its explosion, it was likely either a technical malfunction or an interceptor missile,” the military said. “The military command notes that there are no interceptor missile platforms located within Lebanese territory.” Qadr 110 missiles are capable of striking any targets in the Mideast, including Israel. The incident horrified Lebanese residents as fragments scattered across towns and villages in the Keserwan district north of Beirut, and far from the epicenter of the conflict. France says Gulf damage cuts oil supply by 11 million barrels a day France’s Finance Minister Roland Lescure said Wednesday that 30% to 40% of refining capacity in the Gulf has been damaged or destroyed, leading to an oil crisis especially in some Asian countries. “As a result, we are now facing an oil market where 11 million barrels per day are missing,” he said. Lescure said he had talks with his counterpart in Qatar, where 17% of gas production capacity has now been destroyed as a result of the attacks carried out on the facilities. “It will take year — around three years — to restore them,” Lescure said. In addition, it will take months to relaunch some gas facilities that have been shut down in emergency by Qatar, he said. France is relatively preserved regarding a shortage of gas supplies, Lescure noted, because the country relies on gas for less than 5% of its electricity, which is mostly produced by nuclear plants. Turkey presses ahead with efforts to de-escalate Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday discussed the “trajectory” of the war and efforts to halt attacks during telephone calls with his Syrian, Qatari and Uzbek counterparts, ministry officials said. Turkey has been holding a series of talks with neighboring and regional countries to push for de‑escalation and to open the way for negotiations to end the conflict. Tehran resident says Trump’s threats spread ‘anger and confusion’ in Iran as bombs fall A Tehran resident says President Trump’s threats to strike Iranian power plants earlier in the week have spread “anger and confusion” in Iran. “There have been some days when the bombings are so intense you can’t do anything,” the 26-year-old university graduate student said, adding his friends mostly stayed home. He spoke on condition of anonymity out of security fears. He said the U.S. leader’s comments have deepened fears that the strikes will move toward targeting civilian infrastructure and “innocent civilians.” He described seeing serious damage to residential sites in his area of western Tehran, including an apartment building and pharmacy. “I wake up sometimes from the sounds of bombardment but I manage to sleep somehow or I immediately text my friends to see if they are ok. It’s stressful,” he said. Iran’s government has almost entirely cut links with the global internet. The student said he and his friends were relying on the national government-controlled network to use domestic ride hailing and messaging apps, but connections to that system were also not reliable. — Amir-Hussein Radjy Lebanon mourners bury paramedic killed in Israeli airstrike Mourners gathered Wednesday in the coastal city of Tyre in southern Lebanon to bury a paramedic killed in an Israeli airstrike. Ahmed Ibrahim Deeb was a first responder with the civil defense team affiliated with the Amal Movement, a Shiite political party allied with Hezbollah. Amal spokesperson Alwan Sharafeddine said he was killed by a strike in his hometown, Shohour, to the east of Tyre, while on a motorcycle heading to his civil defense post for work. He was buried in a temporary grave because the fighting has made it too risky to hold funerals in some hometowns. “He was one of the young men from the town who refused to be displaced and insisted on remaining steadfast on their land,” Sharafeddine said. Lebanon’s health ministry said Wednesday that Israeli strikes have killed 42 paramedics since the resurgence of war between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2. Israeli fireman says cluster munitions pose unique challenges Lt. Edgar Blum at the Ramat Gan fire department told The Associated Press that fire fighters have had to adapt their response because Iran is using cluster munitions. Instead of a team arriving at the site of a missile strike and identifying the most damaged houses, now they must decide which areas across a much larger space have been hardest hit and send separate crews to each spot. “The challenge is to understand if you have five places that have been hit, which of the scenes needs more attention. You asses by the biggest fire, the biggest threat and where the most amount of people are,” he said. He also reminds his teams that cluster munitions don’t always explode, so firefighters have to keep their distance, especially at night when it’s hard to see. Republicans and Democrats prioritize keeping gas prices low Keeping the price at the pump down is a goal uniting Americans in both parties. About two-thirds of Americans in a new AP-NORC poll say keeping U.S. oil and gas prices from rising should be an “extremely” or “very” important foreign policy goal for the U.S. However, they are just as likely to say it’s important to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, a juxtaposition that could be difficult for the White House to manage. About three-quarters of Republicans and about two-thirds of Democrats say it’s highly important to prevent U.S. oil and gas prices from going up. Slightly fewer than half of U.S. adults, 45%, are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30% in an AP-NORC poll conducted shortly after Trump won reelection with promises that he would improve the economy and lower the cost of living. AP-NORC poll: Most Americans say US military action in Iran has gone too far A new AP-NORC poll finds most Americans believe recent U.S. military action against Iran has gone too far and many are worried about affording gasoline. As the war continues in its fourth week, the survey indicates that while President Donald Trump’s approval rating is holding steady, the conflict could be turning into a major political liability for his Republican administration. About 59% of Americans say U.S. military action has been excessive. Meanwhile, 45% are “extremely” or “very” concerned about affording gas in the next few months, up from 30% shortly before Trump took office. However, there is significant support for Trump’s objective of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Russia nuclear head says workers leaving Iran plant The head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom says more of its workers are being evacuated from Iran’s Russia-built nuclear power plant following another strike on its territory. Alexei Likhachev said last week that Rosatom had 480 workers at the plant in Bushehr. He announced another group left Wednesday and more will be pulled out later this week. He said Rosatom will reduce the number of workers to a minimum until the situation normalizes. Likhachev late Tuesday reported another strike on the plant’s territory close to the working nuclear reactor following an attack last week. He said there were no injuries, but noted the situation was developing according to a “negative scenario.” US and Iran talks could be held in Pakistan, IAEA head says The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said there might be talks between Iran and the United States soon in Pakistan. “I think there could be talks this weekend in Islamabad, Pakistan,” Rafael Mariano Grossi told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera without elaborating. Iraq says it will file sovereignty complaint to UN Khalid al-Yaqoubi, security advisor to Iraq’s prime minister, says his country will file a sovereignty complaint to the United Nations Security Council. He told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Iraqi security forces have lost 80 members and 150 have been wounded since the Middle East war began Feb. 28. Al-Yaqoubi said the U.S. has violated Iraq’s airspace, while Iran is to blame for attacks against Kurdish forces in the country’s north. “We are against the aggression on Iran because it is not justified,” he said about the war that was launched by the U.S. and Israel. He said the security forces include Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Force, a coalition of Iran-backed militia that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military. South Korea downplays gas worries linked to Qatar plant strikes South Korean trade official Yang Ki-wook said Wednesday his country has likely secured enough gas through the end of the year from alternative sources. Yang estimated Iran’s recent attacks on two Qatari liquefied natural gas plants damaged about 20% of the country’s capacity andi it may take three to five years to restore affected supply. Yang says South Korea has not received direct communication from QatarEnergy following media reports it declared force majeure on long-term natural gas contracts with South Korea and other nations. Israel issues flurry of missile alerts Israel issued a flurry of alerts around midday Wednesday as Iran targeted large parts of the country with multiple ballistic missiles. Police and rescue services said they were treating several sites impacted by debris from either missiles or interceptors. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Drone and rocket fire from Lebanon also continued unabated toward communities in northern israel. Egypt foreign minister speaks with US and EU officials Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Wednesday told U.S. envoy Massad Boulos there needs to be “concerted regional and international efforts to de-escalate the situation.” He warned of the war’s severe economic repercussions. Egypt imposed fuel price hikes in March and has announced measures including reducing official overseas trips and tightening fuel consumption across sectors. Abdelatty also spoke with European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas and called for coordination between Egypt and the EU while seeking a diplomatic solution to the war. Central bank head says European businesses may raise prices faster European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde said Wednesday that businesses in Europe might be quicker to raise prices in response to the Iran war due to bitter memories of energy price inflation after Russia invaded Ukraine. She said the inflation that peaked in 2023 in double digits “left a mark” and firms “may be faster than last time” to change price tags. The last time was 2022, when inflation hit double digits in Europe after Russia cut off most natural gas supplies over the war, sending gas and electricity prices higher. The Iran war has sharply increased oil prices, raising fuel, travel and manufacturing costs. Lagarde said the big question is how long the higher oil prices last. Analyst says ceasefire talks making progress An Islamabad-based senior security analyst with knowledge of the ongoing ceasefire talks said Wednesday that discussions facilitated by Pakistan’s top political and military leadership were making quiet but swift progress. “There has been significant and rapid progress in these indirect talks between the United States and Iran, which are being facilitated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and some senior Pakistani officials,” Syed Muhammad Ali said. Ali said Iranian leaders remain deeply distrustful due to what he described as “decapitation strikes” on their political, military and intelligence leadership. They would agree to direct talks in Pakistan only if firm U.S. guarantees are provided to halt attacks, Ali said. China says it supports efforts to de-escalate tensions China on Wednesday said it supports all attempts to de-escalate the tensions in the Middle East and start peace talks. “A ceasefire and an end to hostilities are the top priority, and dialogue and negotiations are the way forward,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in Beijing. Lin said China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that all parties should “seize every opportunity and window for peace” so peace talks can start as soon as possible. “We support all efforts conducive to de-escalating the situation and resuming dialogue”, he added when asked about Pakistan as an intermediary between the U.S. and Iran. Hezbollah says it fired missiles at Israeli warplane Hezbollah said Wednesday its air defense units fired surface-to-air missiles toward an Israeli warplane that was conducting strikes over southern Lebanon on Tuesday evening. Hezbollah said the plane was forced to withdraw, adding it was the first time the group fired surface-to-air missiles against an Israeli warplane since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war broke out March 2. Hezbollah last week said it shot down an Israeli drone over the southern village of Baraachit. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Iran also has claimed use of a new surface-to-air missile system during the war. Airstrike on western Iraq military clinic kills 7 troops Iraq’s Ministry of Defense says an airstrike on a military clinic in the Habbaniyeh area of Anbar province killed seven troops and wounded 13. The ministry gave no further details about Wednesday’s strike, saying rescue teams remain at the site. The ministry condemned the attack, calling it a violation of international law and affirming its right to respond. Japan’s prime minister and IEA head discuss oil reserves Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked International Energy Agency head Fatih Birol to consider an additional coordinated release of some global oil reserves if Middle East tensions drag on. Takaichi on Wednesday called for flexibility from Birol, who is in Japan as part of a regional trip to discuss the Iran war’s fallout. The release of 400 million barrels of oil from the reserves of IEA member countries is only 20% of their stocks and a significant amount remains, Birol said. “We are ready to move forward, but I very much hope that it will not be necessary,” he said, while recommending energy conservation steps including working from home. Birol said dozens of energy installations have been damaged and will take time to come back online. Egyptian official describes 15-point plan ‘like a comprehensive deal’ An Egyptian official involved in mediation efforts between Iran and the United States described the 15-points put forward by the Americans as “like a comprehensive deal” to reach a ceasefire in the war. The official said the proposal includes restrictions on Iran’s missile program and its arming of armed groups, as well as allowing traffic to flow through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. However, the proposal “is being treated” as a base for further negotiations between the nations, added the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the yet-publicized details of the proposal. He said Iranian officials remain “very skeptical” of the Trump administration. The official likened the 15-point plan to Gaza ceasefire’s 20-point plan, meaning it requires “immense efforts to hammer out the details if there is an agreement from both sides to sit down and negotiate.” Mediators were pushing for a possible in-person negotiation between the Iranians and the Americans, perhaps as soon as Friday in Pakistan, according to the Egyptian official and the two Pakistani officials who shared that the proposal had been submitted to Iran. However, that would require the Americans to immediately start traveling from the U.S. to reach there in time. Meanwhile, Iranian officials likely remain worried about the Israelis, whose airstrikes in the war have killed officials up to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. ___ CORRECTION: This post corrects a quote by the Egyptian official who said “hammer out” the details, not “hamper” the details. Iran receives 15-point US ceasefire proposal Iran received a 15-point proposal from the U.S. to reach a ceasefire in the war, two Pakistani officials said Wednesday. The Pakistani officials described the proposal broadly as touching on sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, missile limits and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they weren’t authorized to release the details. Iran has insisted it isn’t engaged in negotiations with the U.S. and a military spokesman mocked America over its diplomatic efforts Wednesday. Israel warns against gatherings for Jewish holidays Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Israelis and Jews against celebrating Passover or other upcoming Jewish and Israeli holidays in public, open spaces without security. The country’s National Security Council also warned against participating in Jewish events or frequenting Jewish sites in countries that border Iran, including Azerbijian, Turkey and the Gulf countries. The warning is similar to others issued in recent years, especially since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Missiles target Israel’s central and southern cities Israelis were woken three times early Wednesday by sirens warning of incoming missiles. The Iranian attacks triggered alerts in parts of central Israel, the southernmost city of Eilat and the southern city of Dimona, near a facility key to Israel’s long-suspected atomic weapons program. There were no reported injuries or damage, with the missiles likely intercepted or falling in open areas. In the north, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets toward Israeli communities in multiple overnight volleys with no known injuries, the Israeli military said. On Tuesday, a woman was killed by shrapnel while driving on a northern Israel road. She is the war’s first Israeli death caused by fire from Lebanon. ...read more read less