Overview
- Trump, who on Thursday pushed his deadline to April 6 to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, said talks are going very well and warned he will hit Iran’s energy grid if shipping stays blocked.
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the strait is closed to vessels tied to U.S. and Israeli partners and turned back ships, with reports describing a de facto toll-and-approval system that has choked transit.
- Israel on Friday struck sites in the heart of Tehran linked to missile production and hit launchers and depots in western Iran, as Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed operations will escalate and expand.
- The Pentagon is drafting options that include seizing key islands and targeting oil infrastructure and, according to multiple reports, is weighing up to 10,000 more troops as Marines and 82nd Airborne units arrive forward.
- New strikes damaged two Kuwaiti ports, Brent crude traded around $107 a barrel, and aid groups reported widespread hits on homes and hospitals in Iran, deepening fears of a larger humanitarian emergency.