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Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including a report claiming that the Pentagon is preparing military options for a "final blow” in the Iran war, drones targeting a Turkish-operated oil tanker near Istanbul with no reported casualties, and the death toll in Gaza from the Israeli war nearing 72,300 according to Health Ministry data.

TOP STORIES​​​​​​​

• Pentagon getting ready for huge 'final blow' in Iran war: Report

The Pentagon is preparing military options for a "final blow" in the Iran war involving the use of ground forces and massive bombing, according to a report by the Axios news site citing two US officials and two sources with knowledge of the matter.

The report said a "dramatic military escalation" is expected if there is no progress in talks between Tehran and Washington.

The sources said that options such as invading the strategically important islands of Kharg, Larak, Abu Musa and others along with a blockade of ships carrying Iranian oil east of the Strait of Hormuz are on the table.

• Drone targets Turkish-operated oil tanker near Istanbul, no casualties reported

A foreign-flagged, Turkish-operated crude oil tanker was targeted in a drone attack in the Black Sea near Istanbul, Türkiye’s transport minister said, adding that no casualties were reported among the crew.

The vessel was struck, with the engine room as the apparent target, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said during a live broadcast on 24TV.

The minister also noted that there were 27 Turkish crew members on board at the time of the incident, all of whom were reported safe.

• Gaza death toll from Israeli war nears 72,300, Health Ministry says

The Palestinian death toll from Israel’s two-year war on the Gaza Strip has risen to 72,267 since October 2023, said the Health Ministry.

A ministry statement said that hospitals received two bodies and 17 wounded people over the past 24 hours, including one person who died from previous injuries.

It did not specify the circumstances of the latest casualties, but Palestinian officials say Israeli forces have carried out daily violations of the ceasefire in place since Oct. 10, 2025.

​​​​NEWS IN BRIEF

• Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said that civil defense teams extinguished a fire at a facility in Muharraq near the capital Manama with no injuries reported.
• Rockets launched from Lebanon toward central Israel were intercepted, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.
• Hezbollah said it clashed with Israeli forces using light and medium weapons as well as rocket-propelled projectiles on the road to the town of Qantara in southern Lebanon.
• The United Arab Emirates said its air defense systems were attempting to intercept missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched from Iran.
• South Korean ships can go through the Strait of Hormuz, but only after coordination with Tehran, said Iran’s ambassador in Seoul.
• Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was set to ask a US federal judge to dismiss narco-terrorism charges, arguing that Washington has interfered with his ability to mount a legal defense, said US press reports.
• Belarus and North Korea signed a treaty of “friendship and cooperation” during a visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to Pyongyang, where he met with leader Kim Jong Un.
• Oman Air said flights to seven destinations will remain cancelled until April 15 due to ongoing regional airspace closures, while services to Amman and Dammam are set to resume on April 1.
• Two people were killed and three others injured when debris from an intercepted ballistic missile fell in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, authorities said.
• China called on all parties to the conflict in the Middle East to promote the “end of the war,” warning of more casualties if the conflict continues.
• The US social media company X experienced outages affecting thousands of users worldwide, according to outage tracker Downdetector.
• The Israeli military announced the death of a soldier in combat in southern Lebanon after notifying his family.
• Seven people were injured after missile shrapnel fell in central and northern Israel following a barrage of Iranian launches, according to Israeli media reports.
• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it carried out a new wave of drone attacks targeting US-linked military and logistical sites in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
• An Israeli official claimed that a Revolutionary Guards commander responsible for closing the Strait of Hormuz was killed in an airstrike in Iran’s southern city of Bandar Abbas.
• Several Palestinians, including an elderly man, were injured in an attack by Israeli occupiers in the northern West Bank, said a local official.
• The UK defense secretary pushed back on Israeli claims that Iran has the ability to target European countries including Britain, saying there was “no assessment of Iranian plans to strike London.”
• Around 1,900 commercial vessels have been stranded in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the start of US and Israeli attacks against Iran on Feb. 28.
• A US-Israeli strike targeted a building at the Isfahan University of Technology on March 6, causing material damage but no casualties, the Iranian Students' News Agency reported.
• The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) kept its 2026 global growth forecast unchanged at 2.9% but revised down its 2027 outlook to 3% as tensions in the Middle East drive up energy prices and disrupt supply chains.
• Saudi Arabia said its air defenses had intercepted and destroyed three drones over the Eastern Province as Iranian strikes continued to hit Gulf countries in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks.
• Reports that German auto firm Volkswagen will produce weapons for Israel at its plant in Osnabruck, western Germany were met with alarm by local residents.
• US President Donald Trump said America’s NATO allies have done “absolutely nothing” to help with the Iranian “lunatic nation, now militarily decimated.”
• US President Donald Trump called Iranian negotiators “different and strange,” urging them to “get serious” about a US peace proposal.
• Pakistan confirmed its direct role in relaying messages between the US and Iran towards ending the war in the Middle East.
• Israel’s defense minister claimed that the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has been killed in an airstrike.
• The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) warned that Iranian attacks on Gulf countries and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have “crossed all red lines,” raising alarm over global economic consequences.
• A new barrage of Iranian missiles targeted Israel, triggering air raid sirens across central regions, Jerusalem and parts of the north and causing damage and injuries, according to Israeli media reports.
• At least five people were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting multiple areas in southern Lebanon, Lebanese media reported.
• US President Donald Trump allegedly showed a classified map he acquired during his first term in office to a group of passengers on a 2022 private plane flight, The Washington Post reported, citing a prosecution document.
• Eight Palestinians were injured in attacks by Israeli occupiers in the northern West Bank, including assaults on an ambulance crew, according to Palestinian officials.
• China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned of "immeasurably serious consequences" if nuclear sites are targeted in the Middle East.
• Brent crude oil futures rose more than 5.2% to exceed $107 per barrel, extending gains as the Middle East conflict continued to fuel fears of a prolonged supply disruption and keep markets on edge.
• The United Arab Emirates said its air defenses had intercepted 15 ballistic missiles and 11 drones from Iran as a regional escalation continued to rage on.
• The Israeli army renewed its warning to residents in southern Lebanon to evacuate areas south of the Zahrani River as Tel Aviv continued its offensive in the Arab country.
• Israeli forces carried out artillery shelling using phosphorus munitions targeting towns in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).
• Three people were injured in a direct hit in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya following a barrage from Lebanon, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.
• US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the death of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy commander by an Israeli airstrike.
• President Donald Trump signaled uncertainty about whether the US is willing to strike a deal with Iran, even as he claimed that Tehran is eager to negotiate.
• US President Donald Trump said additional charges could be brought against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
• Baghdad rejected any attacks targeting Gulf states or Jordan, saying the security of Arab countries is “an integral part” of Iraq’s national security.
• Türkiye voiced deep concern over an attack in the Black Sea targeting the crude oil tanker ALTURA, which is operated by a Turkish company.
• A new wave of explosions struck Tehran as the US and Israel continued a joint offensive against Iran.
• At least 22 people were killed and 110 others injured in Israeli airstrikes, taking the death toll to 1,116 since March 2, the Health Ministry said.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a “growing amount of energy” is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz as indirect contacts between the US and Iran showed progress.
• The leader of Yemen’s Houthi group said his movement “is not neutral” in the ongoing war between Iran, the US and Israel, warning that his group will intervene militarily if regional developments dictate it.
• A young Palestinian man was killed and three of his family members were seriously injured in an attack carried out by Israeli occupiers in Bethlehem, according to a statement by the Jerusalem Governorate Media Office.
• US President Donald Trump said he is delaying his deadline to bomb Iran's energy infrastructure until April 6, citing progress in negotiations.
• The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned that military strikes near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant could trigger a major radiological accident with wide-reaching consequences.
• Iran’s Ministry of Sports and Youth announced that national teams and clubs will not participate in competitions held in countries it considers “hostile” until further notice, the Iranian official news agency IRNA reported.
• More than 30 rockets were launched from southern Lebanon toward the northern Israeli city of Haifa and the Krayot area within minutes, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Brent crude oil climbs to $104 per barrel as Mideast conflict continues

Brent crude oil climbed to $104 per barrel after losing more than 2% on Wednesday, with West Texas Intermediate trading near $92 amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.