They are begging for a deal because they have been made shit
Hezbollah missile attack kills Israeli civilian in Nahariya; Iran rejects US 15-point peace proposal, counters with own 5-point plan demanding reparations and end to all hostilities. Trump extends deadline to April 6 for Iran to open Strait of Hormuz, threatens destruction of Iranian power grid; US plans deploying 10,000 additional troops to Middle East.
- One Israeli killed, 25 wounded in Hezbollah missile strike on Nahariya on March 26
- Trump extends ultimatum to April 6 for Iran to open Strait of Hormuz; threatens destruction of Iranian power grid
- Iran rejects U.S. 15-point peace proposal, counters with 5-point plan demanding reparations and end to all hostilities
- Oil prices up 50% since war began on February 28; Brent crude above $101 per barrel
- U.S. plans to deploy 10,000 additional troops to Middle East; Pentagon evaluating diversion of Ukraine-bound weapons
One month into the US-Israel offensive against Iran, diplomatic efforts stall as Trump extends ultimatums while military operations intensify across the Middle East, with casualties mounting and regional allies drawn into the conflict.
A month into the war, the Middle East is locked in a grinding stalemate. Diplomacy has stalled. The missiles keep coming. On Thursday, March 26, a Hezbollah rocket struck the Israeli coastal town of Nahariya, killing Uri Peretz, a 43-year-old man, as he sat in a parked car. Twenty-five others were wounded in the same barrage—one critically, thirteen lightly, eleven in shock. It was one death among many, but it was concrete, immediate, and it illustrated the war's refusal to pause for negotiation.
Donald Trump has been extending deadlines like a landlord granting extensions to a tenant he suspects will never pay. His latest: April 6. That is when, he says, the United States will destroy Iran's electrical grid if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept a ceasefire. The previous deadline had been 48 hours. Before that, another. Trump claims Iran is "begging for a deal" because it has been "made shit" by American and Israeli strikes. He says Iran allowed ten oil tankers through the strait this week as a "gift"—a gesture, he believes, of serious intent. Whether it was or whether it was theater, no one can say with certainty.
Iran's response has been to reject the American 15-point peace proposal delivered through Pakistan and counter with its own five-point plan. Iran demands an end to what it calls aggression, a mechanism guaranteeing neither Israel nor the United States will restart the war, financial compensation, and a cessation of all hostilities on every front—meaning Israel must stop fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon and possibly Hamas in Gaza. These are not the demands of a nation ready to surrender. They are the demands of a nation that believes it still has leverage.
Meanwhile, the machinery of war grinds on. Israel launched fresh waves of strikes against Tehran and Iranian military installations in Kermanshah and Dezful, firing roughly 70 missiles at ballistic launch sites and air defense systems. Smoke rose over Beirut as Israeli jets struck the southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. Hezbollah itself fired more than 100 projectiles into northern Israel on Thursday alone. The Houthis of Yemen, through their leader Abdelmalik al Houthi, signaled they would not hesitate to intervene militarily if the situation demanded it—a direct threat to close the Bab al Mandeb strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, another chokepoint for global commerce. Kuwait's main port was hit by Iranian drones. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait both reported new drone attacks. The Pentagon is considering deploying 10,000 additional troops to the region, including ground forces and armored vehicles, to give Trump more military options.
The economic tremors are spreading. Oil prices have climbed nearly 50 percent since the war began, with Brent crude trading above $101 a barrel—far above the roughly $70 it cost before February 28. Wall Street has turned red. The S&P 500 fell 1.74 percent on Thursday. The Nasdaq dropped 2.38 percent. European markets fell across the board—Frankfurt down 1.50 percent, London 1.33 percent, Paris 0.98 percent. The uncertainty is the thing: no one knows if this ends in weeks or months or years. Trump says four to six weeks. Everyone else is hedging.
The diplomatic fractures are widening too. Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to France for a G7 foreign ministers meeting, where he faced skepticism from NATO allies over the American strategy in Iran. Rubio was unapologetic. "I work for the Americans," he said. "When we needed help, we didn't get positive responses from NATO." NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte revealed that Trump had not informed allies of the coming strikes against Iran because he wanted to "keep the campaign secret" and feared leaks. France, meanwhile, convened military leaders from 35 countries by videoconference to discuss a future coalition to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities end—a tacit acknowledgment that no one believes this is ending soon.
Hezbollah's leader, Naim Qassem, rejected any negotiations with Israel. "When negotiations with the Israeli enemy are proposed under fire, this is an imposition of surrender," he said. The Lebanese government filed a complaint with the UN Security Council over Israeli bombardment. The Vatican's secretary of state appealed for a ceasefire to allow Easter observances in Jerusalem. Iran banned its national sports teams from traveling to "hostile" countries, citing security concerns, which throws into question whether Iran will even participate in the World Cup being held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The UN human rights chief demanded an investigation into the February 28 bombing of an Iranian school in Minab that killed students and teachers. The investigation is ongoing. Justice, he said, must be done.
Trump, standing in the White House with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other senior officials, spoke with the confidence of a man who believes the outcome is already decided. "We are extremely, really, very advanced," he said. "They are terrible fighters, but they are great negotiators, and they are begging for a deal." Whether that assessment reflects reality or wishful thinking will become clear in the coming weeks. For now, the war continues. The deadlines extend. The missiles fly. And Uri Peretz is dead in Nahariya.
Citas Notables
When negotiations with the Israeli enemy are proposed under fire, this is an imposition of surrender.— Naim Qassem, leader of Hezbollah, rejecting direct talks with Israel
They are terrible fighters, but they are great negotiators, and they are begging for a deal.— Donald Trump, describing Iran's position after one month of war
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Trump keep moving the deadline? It seems like he's signaling weakness, not strength.
He's trying to thread a needle. He wants to look tough—threatening to destroy Iran's power grid—while also appearing willing to negotiate. Each extension buys time for diplomacy while keeping the military option credible. But yes, it also suggests he's not sure Iran will fold.
Iran rejected the 15-point proposal and countered with its own demands. That doesn't sound like a nation that's been "made shit," as Trump put it.
It doesn't. Iran's five-point plan—demanding reparations, guarantees against future war, an end to all hostilities—reads like a nation that still believes it has cards to play. Trump may be right that Iran's military has been degraded, but degraded doesn't mean defeated. Iran can still close the strait, still arm proxies, still make the war expensive.
What about the allies? Rubio seemed dismissive of NATO concerns.
There's real friction there. NATO allies worry the U.S. is acting unilaterally, without coordination, and that the war could spiral into something much larger. Rubio's response—"I work for Americans"—is honest but also tells you something: the Trump administration is prioritizing its own strategic goals over alliance management. That's a choice with consequences.
The oil price spike—50 percent since the war started. That's hitting everyone.
Exactly. The global economy is hostage to this conflict now. Every time there's a new strike or a new deadline, markets twitch. That's why France is already organizing a coalition for post-war maritime security in the strait. Everyone's assuming this doesn't end cleanly or quickly.
Hezbollah refusing to negotiate. The Houthis threatening to intervene. It feels like the war is expanding, not contracting.
It is. What started as a U.S.-Israel operation against Iran is pulling in proxies and regional actors. Hezbollah sees negotiations as surrender. The Houthis see an opportunity to raise their profile. The more actors involved, the harder it is to control the endgame. That's the real risk now.