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Trump Suggests US Could Seize Iran’s Kharg Island

FILE PHOTO: A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS
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Trump Suggests US Could Seize Iran’s Kharg Island

FILE PHOTO: A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS

US President Donald Trump has raised the idea of American forces seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, its main oil terminal in the Arabian Gulf.

“Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options,” Trump told the Financial Times in an interview Monday. “It would also mean we had to be there (on Kharg Island) for a while.”

The US president compared the potential move to Venezuela, where the US intends to control the oil industry "indefinitely" following the capture of leader Nicolas Maduro in January.

"To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: 'why are you doing that?' But they're stupid people," he told the newspaper.

Iran has threatened to mine the Arabian Gulf if its territory is invaded. The United States and Israel kept up their attacks Monday on Iran, even as there were signs of progress in nascent ceasefire talks.

Trump also said that Iran had agreed to allow 20 ships carrying oil through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning and continuing over the next few days “out of a sign of respect.”

“I would only say that we’re doing extremely well in that negotiation but you never know with Iran because we negotiate with them and then we always have to blow them up,” he said.

The war has already threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices.

According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon was preparing plans for weeks of ground operations -- potentially including raids on sites near the strait -- though Trump has yet to approve any deployment.

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World

Report: Spain Closes Airspace to US Planes Involved in Iran War

Spanish new First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo (L) is sworn-in next to King Felipe VI (2R) and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) at Zarzuela Palace, in Madrid, Spain, 27 March 2026. (EPA)
Spanish new First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo (L) is sworn-in next to King Felipe VI (2R) and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) at Zarzuela Palace, in Madrid, Spain, 27 March 2026. (EPA)
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Report: Spain Closes Airspace to US Planes Involved in Iran War

Spanish new First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo (L) is sworn-in next to King Felipe VI (2R) and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) at Zarzuela Palace, in Madrid, Spain, 27 March 2026. (EPA)
Spanish new First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo (L) is sworn-in next to King Felipe VI (2R) and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) at Zarzuela Palace, in Madrid, Spain, 27 March 2026. (EPA)

Spain ‌has closed its airspace to US planes involved in attacks on Iran, a step beyond its previous denial of use of jointly-operated military bases, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Monday, citing military sources.

The closure of its airspace, which forces military planes to bypass NATO member ‌Spain en route ‌to their targets ‌in ⁠the Middle East, does ⁠not include emergency situations, El Pais added.

The Spanish Ministry of Defense did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

"This decision is part of the decision ⁠already made by the Spanish government ‌not to ‌participate in or contribute to a ‌war which was initiated unilaterally and ‌against international law," Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said during an interview with radio Cadena Ser when asked if the decision ‌to close Spain's airspace could worsen relations with the United ⁠States.

Spanish ⁠Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been one of the most vocal opponents of the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, describing them as reckless and illegal.

President Donald Trump has threatened to cut trade with Madrid for denying the US use of Spain's bases in the war.

World

Israeli Parliament Passes Budget, Allowing Netanyahu to Avoid Early Elections

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
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Israeli Parliament Passes Budget, Allowing Netanyahu to Avoid Early Elections

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool

Israel’s parliament on Monday passed its annual budget in a marathon overnight session, ensuring that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government can complete its term until the fall.

Israel needed to pass a budget before April 1 in order to avoid triggering early elections. Netanyahu still reserves the right to call for early elections before then if he wants.

Israel’s opposition slammed the budget for increasing funding to Israel’s ultra-Orthodox communities at a time when the country is facing soaring costs over its war in Iran and is still reeling from a two-year war in Gaza.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid called it “the greatest theft in the state’s history.”

“The government of gluttony and evasion carried out a nocturnal heist,” former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is expected to challenge Netanyahu in upcoming elections, wrote on X.

Opposition parties were especially furious over a last-minute amendment providing an additional $250 million to ultra-Orthodox schools. Anger has increased at the ultra-Orthodox community for its refusal to allow its young men to serve in the military while it is stretched to its breaking point and is in desperate need of additional soldiers. Military service is mandatory for most Jews.

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the budget for “taking care of all Israeli citizens, without exception.”

Netanyahu’s government is in the final months of its four-year term and is required to hold elections by the end of October. Israeli governments rarely last their full terms, though the budget’s passage means Netanyahu, whose popularity has dropped since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, is now likely to complete his term.

The budget passed 62-55. Sirens warning of missiles launched from Iran toward Jerusalem interrupted the discussions three times, according to the parliament's spokesperson. The session took place in the building's auditorium, rather than the plenum, because it is located closer to a bomb shelter.

The $270 billion budget, Israel’s largest ever, included a 20% increase for the Ministry of Defense due to the ongoing war against Iran. The ministry's budget has swollen to $45 billion, forcing cuts in other government ministries.

Recent opinion polls in Israel indicate that while Israelis overwhelmingly support the war, Netanyahu and his political coalition don’t appear to be benefiting.

Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel each day, disrupting the lives of millions of anxious and exhausted voters. Israel’s war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon also is intensifying, while the disruption of the flow of oil from the Arabian Gulf has upended the global economy.

Pushing off elections until the fall could allow Netanyahu to harness momentum from the Iran war once middle-of-the night sirens are a more distant memory for Israelis. But the election would also fall close to the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, the worst in Israel's history.

Israel’s military recently extended its wartime guidelines for civilians, which prevent large gatherings and encourage people to stay within a certain distance of bomb shelters, for an additional week. This means the wartime guidelines will include at least the first part of the weeklong Passover holiday, which starts on Wednesday.

World

Taiwan Opposition Leader Accepts Xi’s Invitation to Visit China

Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun speaks at a Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club event in Taipei, Taiwan March 23, 2026. (Reuters)
Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun speaks at a Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club event in Taipei, Taiwan March 23, 2026. (Reuters)
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Taiwan Opposition Leader Accepts Xi’s Invitation to Visit China

Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun speaks at a Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club event in Taipei, Taiwan March 23, 2026. (Reuters)
Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun speaks at a Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club event in Taipei, Taiwan March 23, 2026. (Reuters)

The leader of Taiwan's main opposition party accepted an invitation from Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit in April, her party and Chinese state media reported Monday.

Kuomintang (KMT) chairperson Cheng Li-wun, who took up her role in November, has insisted on meeting Xi before she makes an official trip to the United States, drawing criticism from inside and outside her party that she is too pro-China.

The KMT advocates closer relations and more exchanges with China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.

Cheng "gladly accepted" the invitation to lead a delegation to China, her party said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua report.

Cheng "looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, promote cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides," the statement said.

Xinhua said the delegation would visit "the Chinese mainland" from April 7-12, but did not specify where or if Cheng would meet with Xi, which she has been publicly pushing for.

The KMT statement also offered few details.

There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng-Xi meeting could trigger voter backlash in Taiwan's district elections later this year.

While the KMT has long supported friendlier relations with Beijing, Cheng has been accused by President Lai Ching-te's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of doing Beijing's bidding by stalling the government's defense spending plans.

But speaking to foreign media last week, Cheng said talks with Xi would carry "significant symbolic meaning" and could be a "foundation" to peaceful relations across the Taiwan Strait.

"I do not believe a single meeting can resolve all the issues that have been accumulating for nearly a century," Cheng said.

"But... I hope I can successfully build such a bridge."

Taiwan's parliament is debating proposals for special defense spending that are aimed at boosting the island's military capabilities against a potential Chinese attack.

Lai's government has proposed NT$1.25 trillion ($39 billion) in spending on critical defense purchases, including US arms, while the KMT wants to allocate NT$380 billion for US weapons with the option for more acquisitions.

While the KMT supported having stronger defenses, Cheng said last week that more military spending alone would not achieve peace with China.

"There must also be political efforts. Political efforts are... the key," Cheng said.

China severed high-level communications with Taiwan in 2016 after Lai's predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, who also belongs to the DPP, took power.

Chinese leaders detest Lai, who Beijing calls a "separatist".