Live updates: Trump says 'very good' Iran talks, hints at 'total resolution'

Israel announced strikes on government infrastructure in Tehran on Monday.

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Last updated: Monday, March 23, 2026 6:16PM GMT
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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes, and his son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen to succeed him. Iran is responding with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Iran is also attempting to block some shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

ByMichelle Stoddart ABCNews logo
Mar 23, 2026, 11:28 AM GMT

Trump says no Iran energy attacks for 5 days, cites 'productive' talks

President Donald Trump said Monday he had instructed the Pentagon "to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions."

President Donald Trump listens to a reporter's question during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office of the White House, on St. Patrick's Day.
President Donald Trump listens to a reporter's question during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office of the White House, on St. Patrick's Day.

Trump said Washington and Tehran "have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East."

The president had threatened to strike Iranian power plants on Saturday unless Tehran ended its efforts to block commercial shipping from transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. That deadline was set to expire on Monday evening.

Trump said Monday that U.S.-Iran talks would "continue throughout the week."

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Mar 23, 2026, 11:11 AM GMT

4 Gulf states report fresh Iranian drone, missile strikes

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait all reported fresh Iranian attacks on Monday.

People sit along the corniche area on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2026.
People sit along the corniche area on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Abu Dhabi on March 20, 2026.

The UAE Defense Ministry said in a post to X that its forces intercepted an unspecified number of Iranian missiles and drones. In Abu Dhabi -- one of the country's seven constituent emirates -- the official government media office said one Indian national was injured by "debris falling in the Al Shawamekh area following the successful interception of a ballistic missile."

The Saudi Arabian Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted several Iranian drones over the country's eastern region on Monday. Iran also fired two ballistic missiles toward the Riyadh region, the ministry said, one of which was intercepted and the other of which fell in an uninhabited area.

Bahrain's Defence Force said in a post to X on Monday morning that it had intercepted another 32 Iranian drones and two ballistic missiles.

In Kuwait, the Defense Ministry said in a post to X in the early hours of Monday that air defenses were responding to "hostile missile and drone attacks."

ByJoe Simonetti ABCNews logo
Mar 23, 2026, 10:58 AM GMT

Iran threatens to lay mines across Persian Gulf if land invasion launched

In a statement issued on Monday and published by the semi-official Fars news agency, Iran's Defense Council threatened to deploy naval mines across the "entire Persian Gulf" in response to any land invasion.

In this image provided by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Feb. 16, 2026, shows the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's drill in the Persian Gulf.
In this image provided by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Feb. 16, 2026, shows the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's drill in the Persian Gulf.

The council issued the statement ahead of the potential arrival of a force of U.S. Marines in the region.

"Any attempt by the enemy to target Iran's coasts or islands will, naturally and in accordance with established military practice, lead to the mining of all access routes" in the "Persian Gulf and along the coasts," the council said.

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Mar 23, 2026, 7:26 AM GMT

State Department tells Americans worldwide to 'exercise increased caution'

In a notice on the U.S. State Department official website, the agency is advising Americans worldwide, "and especially in the Middle East," to "exercise increased caution."

"Americans abroad should follow the guidance in security alerts issued by the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate," the statement reads.

The State Department is warning that U.S. diplomatic facilities, including those outside of the Middle East, "have been targeted."

The agency warns that groups in support of Iran "may target other U.S. interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and/or Americans throughout the world."