Friday, March 27, 2026

Kremlin issues chilling 'nuclear war' warning and blames Trump's 'gross' error


Kremlin issues chilling 'nuclear war' warning and blames Trump's 'gross' error


Donald Trump could spark a "nuclear conflict" in the Middle East with the "biggest war" yet to come, warned the Kremlin.

The former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev — now a senior security official — claimed Trump had made a “gross” strategic error in taking on Iran.


Gulf states could respond to the crisis by seeking their own “nuclear shield”, dramatically increasing the risk of a wider conflict, he predicted.

Medvedev warned: “The likelihood of a nuclear conflict there, unfortunately, has increased as a result of this unprovoked, extremely dangerous war that the United States has started.”

For four years to 2012, Medvedev’s finger was on the Russian nuclear trigger as the country’s president. He blamed the United States for what he called an “unprovoked, extremely dangerous war”, accusing Washington and Israel of behaving like a “bull in a china shop” and pushing the region towards catastrophe.

“Probably the biggest war in the Middle East could still be ahead,” he said. “And then the Middle East will turn into a long-term... hotbed of instability, which could continue there for centuries.”


Those holding money or engaged in oil supply in the Middle East “need to think very hard about what to do next”, he said. He spoke as Russia is accused of supplying Iran with battle-tested drones and intelligence on targeting in support of Tehran, a charge Moscow denies.

“From a prosperous region, as a result of this behaviour of the United States together with Israel, which behaved like a bull in a china shop, something irreparable could happen,” he claimed. “I think this is the price of a gross mistake, a strategic mistake of the White House.”

He warned “the consequences will be fatal - for all participants because getting involved in such a ground operation at a great distance from the very same United States of America, threatens with approximately the same consequences as what happened in Vietnam, when Washington got involved in a foreign country, located a thousand miles away, and for 10 years could not find a decent way out of this conflict.”

The US now faces “a very difficult situation here", he said. “Especially since Iran has repeatedly said that in this case, its hands will be untied."


Iranian, Russian Foreign Ministers Discuss Middle East Crisis


Iranian, Russian Foreign Ministers Discuss Middle East Crisis
Sputnik


Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the situation in the Middle East, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. 
"During the telephone conversation, Araghchi and Lavrov discussed and exchanged views on the development of the situation in the region, as well as the consequences of the ongoing military aggression of the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran," the ministry said in a statement. 
Araghchi told Lavrov that the Strait of Hormuz is open to ships from countries not associated with US and Israeli aggression against Iran, the statement added.

Israel issues global terror warning for Passover travel as Iran threats escalate


Israel issues global terror warning for Passover travel as Iran threats escalate

Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) on Wednesday warned Israelis living or traveling abroad to take increased precautions during the upcoming Passover and Shavuot holidays due to rising security threats from Tehran and its terrorist proxies amid the ongoing war with the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

“The National Security Council reaffirms its assessment that the Iranian regime will work more vigorously to carry out terrorist attacks abroad against Israeli/Jewish targets.” 

The NSC emphasized that any gathering of Jews and Israelis abroad during the Jewish holidays represents “a potential target for attack by terrorist elements.”

Due to the elevated security risk, the NSC urged Jews and Israelis abroad to avoid organizing Passover events in open public spaces. It also suggested that Israelis avoid traveling to countries geographically close to Iran, such as Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Arab Gulf states like the United Arab Emirates.

Additionally, the NSC reiterated its warning against traveling to the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula unless flying abroad via Taba Airport. This popular tourist destination for Israelis has, for years, been affected by lawlessness and the presence of ISIS-linked Islamist extremists.

The NSC linked its security warnings to recent anti-Jewish attacks around the world, including attacks on a synagogue and the torching of a Jewish-owned car in Belgium, antisemitic attacks in the Netherlands, and the torching of four Jewish ambulances in London. 

The Belgian government recently decided to deploy military personnel to protect the country’s increasingly threatened Jewish minority amid growing antisemitic attacks in the country. 

“The safety of every citizen must be guaranteed,” the Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken stated, emphasizing that “antisemitism and hatred against Jews will never be tolerated.”

The ayatollah regime has for years used terrorist proxies and terrorist cells to carry out terrorist attacks worldwide against Jews, Israelis and dissident Iranian expats. 

U.S. and European authorities warned earlier this month that the Tehran regime could activate terror sleeper cells worldwide amid the ongoing war, where the Islamic Republic has suffered severe military blows. 

“Iranian operations abroad are definitely part of the regime’s toolkit for responding to attacks, including war,” Middle East terrorism expert and former FBI official Matthew Levitt warned

“The regime carries out such attacks wherever it can, including in Europe," Levitt added.

The Israeli Ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, also issued a warning of potential terror attacks in German cities. 


"I think everything is possible with these terrorists," Proser said. "That means we have to prepare ourselves well for it, always sleep with one eye open."


Katz warns strikes on Iran to intensify amid unrelenting missile fire at civilian areas


Katz warns strikes on Iran to intensify amid unrelenting missile fire at civilian areas


Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Friday that Israel would ramp up its strikes on Iran in the coming days, citing continued Iranian ballistic missile fire at civilian targets in Israel, despite US President Donald Trump’s apparent efforts to bring the hostilities to a halt.

His announcement came after the Israel Defense Forces announced earlier in the day that the Israeli Air Force had bombed a key Iranian naval missile and mine production site, as well as ballistic missile factories and air defense systems.

Iran, in turn, kept up its attacks on Israel and the Gulf states, after issuing a less-than-warm response on Thursday to Trump’s proposed deal to end the war. Despite this, diplomats from several interested countries suggested that indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran were still on the table.

“The prime minister and I warned the Iranian terror regime to stop the missile fire toward the civilian population in Israel,” Katz said during an assessment with military officials. “Despite the warnings, the fire continues, and therefore IDF strikes in Iran will intensify and expand to additional targets and domains that assist the regime in building and operating weapons against Israeli civilians.”

He warned that Tehran would “pay heavy and increasing prices for this war crime,” according to remarks provided by his office.

The majority of ballistic missiles launched at Israel by Iran have had cluster bomb warheads, which indiscriminately spread dozens of small munitions over a wide area.

The munitions do not have their own propulsion or guidance and simply fall to the ground, where they are designed to explode on impact. Some of the submunitions do not explode upon hitting the ground, and can then still pose a danger to anyone who happens upon them.

The use of cluster bombs is prohibited under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, although neither Iran nor Israel is a party to the agreement.

Key naval weapons site targeted

Earlier on Friday, the IDF said the Air Force had bombed Iran’s “most central” facility for producing naval weapons, located in Yazd, central Iran.

The facility, the military said, was used by Iran to plan, develop, assemble and store “advanced missiles intended for launch from cruise vessels, submarines and helicopters toward mobile and stationary maritime targets.”

“This is a site where most of the missiles and naval mines are developed by the Iranian navy forces,” the military said.

It said the strike, carried out following intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorate and Naval Intelligence Division, “constitutes a significant blow to the production capabilities of the naval forces.”

The strike marked yet another setback for Iran’s naval operations, after Israel killed the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ navy on Thursday, as well as other top officers.

Also on Friday, the IDF said the Air Force had bombed dozens of military targets in Iran overnight, including ballistic missile launch sites and Iranian soldiers whom it said had been preparing to carry out fire on Israel.

Also overnight, the IAF struck several ballistic missile launch sites — including one belonging to the IRGC — air defense systems, and surveillance posts of the IRGC and Iranian army, the military said.

The IDF said it also identified Iranian soldiers from Iran’s ballistic missile array at a building in Tehran. “Minutes after the identification, the Air Force struck and eliminated the soldiers who were planning to advance fire toward the State of Israel,” the military said.

Israel, Gulf face renewed fire

Meanwhile, after a nearly eight-hour lull, Iran renewed its ballistic missile fire on Israel on Friday morning, setting off sirens across southern Israel shortly before 11 a.m.

Another round of rocket fire, several hours later, set off alerts across central Israel, the Jerusalem area and the West Bank.

No injuries were reported in either attack, and in both instances, initial IDF assessments suggested that the missiles had been intercepted by air defenses.

Nor were the Gulf states spared from Iranian attacks on Friday, as both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were hit with drones and missile fire.

Sirens also warned of attacks in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as Iran warned civilians across the region to distance themselves from US forces in the area.

Kuwait’s port authority said in a statement on X that the country’s main commercial port, the Shuwaikh Port, was targeted at dawn “by enemy drones, preliminary reports revealed material damage but no human casualties.”

Hours later, the country’s Mubarak Al Kabeer Port also came under attack by drones and cruise missiles, causing “material damage” but no injuries, authorities said.

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US said mulling ‘final blow’ options if Iran talks fail, including sending troops to seize key assets


US said mulling ‘final blow’ options if Iran talks fail, including sending troops to seize key assets
Lazar Berman,
Nava Freiberg


The US is working on options for a “final blow” to Iran that could see American ground troops deployed on Iranian soil, as well as a major bombing effort, the Axios outlet reported Thursday, citing two US officials and two sources with knowledge of the matter.

The sources said that if attempts to negotiate an end to the conflict with Iran do not bear fruit, and the Iranians continue to hamper shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the US could initiate a major strike that would serve a dual purpose — improving the American position in possible further talks with Tehran, and potentially allowing US President Donald Trump to end the war unilaterally with an ostensible victory image.

The officials told Axios that four options are under discussion.

The first would entail seizing or blockading Kharg Island, Iran’s key hub for the export of oil.

A second would be to take Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, which houses Iranian bases and radars that track ships transiting Hormuz, and hosts small boats that can attack civilian ships. Tehran has largely blocked the passage of oil through the vital strait in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks, pushing up global energy prices.


A third possibility would be to invade Abu Musa Island in the eastern Persian Gulf, which gives Iran control over ships leaving the Gulf. The island — and the nearby Greater and Lesser Tunb islands — are held by Iran but claimed by the United Arab Emirates, a key US and Israeli ally.

Finally, the US could simply block or take control of ships exporting Iranian oil.


According to Axios, there are also plans under consideration for US troops to seize Iran’s 450-kilogram stockpile of highly enriched uranium, believed to sit under bombed-out nuclear facilities deep inside Iran. Alternatively, the US could further strike the sites from the air to ensure that Iran can’t reach the material.

Trump has not decided on any of the courses of action, said the sources.

The report came as sources familiar with US intelligence told CNN that Iran was raising military defenses on Kharg Island in anticipation of a possible US operation to seize the territory.

Tehran has been laying traps, moving military personnel and boosting air defenses amid fears of an American plan to take control of the island, which handles about 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil exports, according to the report.

A source familiar with the planning said that a significant number of troops would be needed to take the island, putting its size at about a third that of Manhattan.

US officials and military experts have warned of significant casualty risks, saying the island is heavily fortified with layered defenses and that Iran had recently reinforced it with additional shoulder-fired, surface-to-air guided missile systems known as MANPADS, sources told CNN.

The report came as the Trump administration said it had made progress with Iran on a 15-point US plan for ending the conflict, though Tehran has publicly reacted coldly to the proposal.


Regardless of the talks’ progress, the US has deployed 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division and 5,000 Marines toward the Gulf, with the Marines traveling on the USS Tripoli, an assault ship that could play a key role in a potential attack on Kharg, according to an NBC report.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, reported to be the “top man” in Tehran with whom Trump has been in indirect negotiations, warned on Wednesday that Iran was preparing for such an assault, writing on X that “based on some intelligence reports, Iran’s enemies are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands with support from one of the regional states.” Ghalibaf did not name the state.

“Our forces are monitoring all enemy movements, and if they take any step, all the vital infrastructure of that regional state will be targeted with relentless, unceasing attacks,” he said.

Meanwhile, Trump said Thursday Iran must “get serious soon” if it wants to salvage talks.

In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump said that Iran had been “militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback,” and was “begging” for a deal.


Calling Iranian negotiators “very different and ‘strange,'” he added: “They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty.”

The US president went on to attack the NATO military alliance, saying its member states “have done absolutely nothing to help with the lunatic nation [of Iran], now militarily decimated.”

Writing in all caps, Trump said the US “needs nothing from NATO, but ‘never forget’ this very important point in time!”

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