Categories: World News

Iran Death Toll Surpasses 1,900 as U.S. Pushes for Negotiations

TEHRAN — Iran’s deputy health minister announced on Thursday that the death toll from the ongoing war in Iran has reached at least 1,937 people, providing the first official casualty figure in days as the conflict shows no signs of abating.

Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian disclosed the numbers to Al Jazeera on March 26, specifying that among the deceased are 240 women and 212 children. He added that more than 24,800 individuals have been wounded. The update comes after a prolonged silence from Iranian officials regarding official casualty counts, which had not been publicly updated for several days.

Trump Issues Ultimatum on Social Media

As the humanitarian toll mounts, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iranian leadership on his Truth Social platform, urging them to engage in negotiations “before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NOT TURNING BACK.”

The statement follows Trump’s assertion earlier this week that a deal was imminent, despite Iran’s rejection of a 15-point U.S. ceasefire proposal. Trump reiterated his claim that Iran is “‘begging’ us to make a deal,” signaling a hardening of the administration’s stance.

Domestic Support for Trump’s Iran Policy Remains Strong

Amid the escalating crisis, a new poll indicates that trust in the president remains high among Republican voters. Approximately 75% of Republicans approve of Trump’s overall job performance, with a similar margin 70% approving of his handling of the situation in Iran.

The survey also reveals that a significant portion of Republicans place “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of trust in Trump regarding foreign policy decisions. Roughly half express high confidence in his approach to using military force abroad, as well as his management of relationships with both U.S. allies and adversaries.

Sharon Fuller, a 68-year-old retired hospital analyst from Ocklawaha, Florida, exemplifies this sentiment. A firm Trump supporter, Fuller expressed reservations about the war but defended the president’s actions. “I don’t really agree with the war, but on the other hand, I think it’s a necessity at this point,” she said. “He’s a huge patriot.” She also noted her approval of the stock market’s performance since Trump’s return to office.

‘Hopelessness’ in Tehran as War and Economic Crisis Grip Capital

Inside Iran, the convergence of war, economic hardship, and severe internet restrictions is creating a climate of despair. A young fashion designer in her mid-twenties, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, told the Associated Press that her company is “on the verge of closing” because online sales have ground to a halt.

The designer, who lives in central Tehran, also described the physical toll of the conflict. A recent nearby strike damaged her apartment, leaving her street littered with debris and shattered glass from the blast wave. She has since moved to her parents’ house for safety.

“I don’t leave the house much except to buy necessities,” she said, noting the presence of security checkpoints throughout the capital and nightly pro-government rallies. “To be honest, I don’t dare go near the damaged or dangerous areas.”

Her struggles are compounded by rampant inflation and the country’s repeated internet blackouts, a tactic Iranian authorities have employed since security forces clashed with anti-government protesters in early January. Forced to rely on dwindling savings, she summed up the pervasive mood: “I think we’ve experienced everything bad possible. We’ve seen it all, from the terrible atmosphere of January and the killings and arrests to the war.”

Egypt Shuttles Messages Between U.S. and Iran

Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict continued Thursday as Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut. Abdelatty revealed that Egypt has been shuttling messages between Tehran and Washington and has detected a mutual “desire for calm, for the exploration of negotiations” on both sides. However, he cautioned that the talks have yet to yield “specific conclusions.”

When asked about Egypt’s mediation role between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, Abdelatty reiterated Cairo’s opposition to Israeli military actions in southern Lebanon, emphasizing the goal of preventing the region “from sinking into a state of chaos from which it cannot emerge.”

West Bank Residents Face Growing Danger from Missile Debris

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, residents face a new and unexpected threat: falling debris from missiles intercepted by Israel’s air defense systems. Reports of debris emerged Wednesday and Thursday in several locations, including the towns of Silwad, Ramallah, and Beitin, as well as in Israeli settlements.

Unlike most of Israel, which has extensive siren systems and bomb shelters, Palestinian communities in the West Bank lack such infrastructure, leaving them vulnerable. In Beitin, resident Bahjat Mousa Haj described hearing a loud boom Thursday morning and later learning via social media that missile fragments had landed nearby. While no one was killed in that incident, last week, shrapnel from an interception struck a beauty salon near Hebron, killing four women. Despite the risks, bystanders often gather around the fallen debris, drawn by a mix of curiosity and disbelief.

Gulf Official Accuses Iran of Levying ‘Fees’ in Strait of Hormuz

Adding to the regional tensions, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, accused Iran of imposing fees on ships for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a critical maritime chokepoint through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil supply once transited.

“They closed the Strait of Hormuz and imposed fees for passing through it, which is an aggression and a violation of the United Nations agreement on the law of the sea,” al-Budaiwi said during a news conference in Riyadh. He is the first top official to make such an allegation. Al-Budaiwi oversees the GCC, a bloc of six Gulf Arab nations that includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.