Iran War Live Updates: Trump Says U.S. and Iran Held ‘Very Good’ Talks on Ending Conflict

 

Iran War Live Updates: Trump Says U.S. and Iran Held ‘Very Good’ Talks on Ending Conflict

President Trump said the two countries had “productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.” Iran did not immediately comment.

Updated

March 23, 2026, 6:50 a.m. ET53 minutes ago

Aaron Boxerman Julian BarnesIsabel Kershner and Ravi Mattu

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/23/world/iran-war-oil-trump

 

Here’s the latest.

Residents reported blackouts across large parts of Tehran, the Iranian capital, after heavy airstrikes struck multiple areas of the city early Monday. The outages came shortly after Israel announced it would target infrastructure in Iran.

 

With the war now in its fourth week and showing little signs of easing, the threats underscored the growing risk to civilians across the Middle East. More than 2,000 people have been killed, most of them in Iran and Lebanon. The head of the International Energy Agency warned Monday that the global energy crisis caused by the conflict was now worse than the oil shocks in 1973 and 1979 combined.

 

Iranian state media reported explosions across Tehran on Monday, and residents described power outages after sustained strikes in the city’s eastern, western and northern regions.

 

President Trump warned over the weekend that the United States would strike Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route, was not fully reopened by Monday night Eastern time. Iran dismissed the ultimatum and threatened to retaliate against energy facilities in countries hosting American troops and desalination plants that are a lifeline for much of the region.

 

Iranian officials said the strait would be “completely closed” if Mr. Trump were to carry out his threat.

 

The price of oil is up more than 50 percent since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February and set off a wider conflict in the region. That price hike is in large part because of Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Markets tumbled across Asia on Monday amid concerns about the ongoing disruption to critical energy supplies.

 

Fatih Birol, the head of the International Energy Agency, told the National Press Club in Australia on Monday that global policymakers had yet to appreciate the depth of the energy turmoil. He said that oil shocks in the 1970s had led to a loss of 10 million barrels per day, whereas daily losses from the current crisis have hit 11 million barrels.

 

Mr. Trump, at times, has suggested that the war might end soon, although his statements have frequently been contradictory. Israeli officials have consistently told the public to expect a protracted conflict that could last weeks.

 

Here’s what else to follow today:

 

Israeli air defenses: Israel’s military faced scrutiny on Sunday about Iranian missiles that hit Dimona, a city eight miles away from Israel’s main nuclear facility, and the nearby city of Arad on Saturday night. More than 10 people were seriously injured and dozens more hurt in the strikes, renewing concerns that Israel might be holding back on using its most sophisticated air defenses to avoid depleting them.

 

Attacks in Lebanon: Israel’s military chief said on Sunday that its campaign against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed armed group in Lebanon, had “only just begun,” adding that Israeli forces were preparing to push deeper into that country. Israel Katz, Israel’s defense minister, ordered the military to step up the demolition of bridges and houses in Lebanon, deepening fears that Israel is preparing for a long-term occupation in the country’s south.

 

Death tolls: Iran’s U.N. ambassador said that at least 1,348 civilians had been killed in the country since the start of the war — a toll that has not been updated for over a week. On Friday, a Washington-based group, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, reported that at least 1,398 civilians had been killed. More than 1,000 people in Lebanon have been killed, the authorities there said on Thursday. At least 15 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on Israel, officials have said. The American death toll stood at 13 service members.