US-Iran war live updates: Trump hits out at allies who rebuffed his calls for help to secure Strait of Hormuz; Israel continues to pound Iran and Lebanon

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Welcome to our rolling coverage of the war in the Middle East, which continues to rage on multiple fronts.

Here’s a recap of the latest key developments:

• Israel escalated its air and ground offensive against the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, targeting Beirut and surrounding suburbs.
• Trump told media he was “disappointed” that America’s allies had rebuffed his calls to send warships to escort merchant vessels in and out of the Strait of Hormuz.
• Earlier on Monday, several European allies including Germany, Spain and Italy ruled out participating in any mission in the Gulf, at least for now. Other countries were more circumspect, with Britain and Denmark saying they would consider ways they might help the US.
• Australia confirmed on Monday AEDT it would not send a warship to the Middle East as US President Donald Trump warned that NATO faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to assist in opening up the Strait of Hormuz.
• At Dubai international airport, flights resumed on a limited basis after it was shut down due to a drone attack.
• Trump’s highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping could be postponed due to the war, the White House said.

Trump said he spoke with Emmanuel Macron yesterday and believes the French President is likely to assist in the Strait of Hormuz.

He rated Macron an eight out of 10 on cooperation.

“Not perfect,” Trump said. “But it’s France. We don’t expect perfect.”

He went on to say that the US didn’t really need other countries’ help to protect the Strait, but he was asking because he wanted to find out how they would react.

“I’ve been saying for years that if we ever did need them, they won’t be there. Not all of them, but they won’t be there.”

Trump reiterated his disappointment with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for not contributing two aircraft carriers at the outset of the war against Iran.

Donald Trump’s highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping could be postponed as the US president remains focused on the Iran war, the White House said on Monday.

Any delay in Trump’s scheduled March 31 to April 2 China trip risks magnifying tensions between Washington and Beijing, as the Iran crisis has joined trade and Taiwan among the spectrum of issues separating the world’s two biggest economies.

Reuters

Trump has lashed out at America’s allies who have rebuffed his calls to send ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

“Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t,” Trump said while taking questions in Washington, DC, today.

“Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years. We’ve protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me.”

“They said we’d rather not get involved, sir ... I know that we’ll protect them, and if we ever needed help, they won’t be there for us.”

Trump added: “We’ve already taken care of Iran” and urged other nations “to come and help us with the strait”.

The Israeli military said on Monday it had launched a “broad wave” of attacks on Beirut and Tehran.

A thick plume of smoke could be seen rising from the Mehrabad airport in Tehran following an airstrike.

Massive explosions were heard in Beirut as Israel launched new attacks on the Lebanese capital. Israel said it was striking infrastructure related to the Iran-linked Hezbollah militia group.

The Israeli army has issued evacuation orders for many neighbourhoods in Beirut as well as southern Lebanon.

The strikes have displaced more than 800,000 Lebanese, and its estimated at least 850 people have been killed.

Welcome to our rolling coverage of the war in the Middle East, which continues to rage on multiple fronts.

Here’s a recap of the latest key developments:

• Israel escalated its air and ground offensive against the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, targeting Beirut and surrounding suburbs.
• Trump told media he was “disappointed” that America’s allies had rebuffed his calls to send warships to escort merchant vessels in and out of the Strait of Hormuz.
• Earlier on Monday, several European allies including Germany, Spain and Italy ruled out participating in any mission in the Gulf, at least for now. Other countries were more circumspect, with Britain and Denmark saying they would consider ways they might help the US.
• Australia confirmed on Monday AEDT it would not send a warship to the Middle East as US President Donald Trump warned that NATO faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to assist in opening up the Strait of Hormuz.
• At Dubai international airport, flights resumed on a limited basis after it was shut down due to a drone attack.
• Trump’s highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping could be postponed due to the war, the White House said.