Trump says we're 'blowing up the whole country' if Iran doesn't make deal in 48 hours

Two C-130 aircraft were lost during the operation, an official said.

Last Updated: April 6, 2026, 1:24 AM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Mar 31, 2026, 2:41 AM EDT

Fire on attacked Kuwaiti tanker extinguished, Dubai authorities say

Authorities in Dubai said emergency responders extinguished a fire involving a Kuwaiti oil tanker in the emirate's waters, which burned for several hours following a drone attack.

The incident began after a drone struck the vessel, identified as Anchorage "E." Maritime firefighting teams were deployed to bring the fire under control, the Dubai Media Office said in posts to social media.

Damage to the Kuwait-flagged Al-Salmi crude oil tanker, following a reported strike, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, March 31, 2026.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation/via Reuters

Officials said no injuries were reported and all 24 crew members aboard the tanker were accounted for.

-ABC News' Jason Volack and Joe Simonetti

Mar 30, 2026, 7:29 PM EDT

Tanker struck by 'unknown projectile' off Dubai coast: UKMTO

A tanker was struck by an "unknown projectile" off the coast of Dubai on Monday, sparking a fire, according to a maritime security alert.

The incident occurred about 31 nautical miles northwest of Dubai, near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre.

A Kuwaiti crude oil tanker was damaged in the strike, according to the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. The tanker was fully loaded at the time, the company said. 

All crew members are safe, and no environmental impact has been reported, according to the UKMTO.

The incident is under investigation, according to the UKMTO, which advised vessels to "transit with caution."

Mar 30, 2026, 4:32 PM EDT

Trump 'would be quite interested' in calling Middle East allies to pay for war, Leavitt says

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she thinks President Donald Trump "would be quite interested in calling" on Middle East allies like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to pay for the costs of the war in Iran.

“I won't get ahead of him on that. But certainly it's an idea that I know that he has, and something that I think you'll hear more from him on,” she said in response to a reporter’s question at Monday’s White House briefing.

-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart

Mar 30, 2026, 12:31 PM EDT

Trump says US dealing with a 'whole new set of people' in Iran

President Donald Trump told the New York Post on Monday that the U.S. is talking to new leaders in Iran, without providing more details.

President Donald Trump talks to members of the media aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, March 29, 2026.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP

“There has been total regime change because the regimes of the past are gone and we’re dealing with a whole new set of people,” Trump said. “And thus far, they’ve been much more reasonable.”

The president also said the U.S. response to Iranian strikes on an Israeli oil refinery would be seen soon.

“You’ll see shortly,” Trump told the paper when asked about his response.

Trump added that the U.S. is waiting to see if Iran’s Parliamentary Leader Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will work with the U.S., and he claimed that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was “seriously injured.”

“We’re gonna find out,” Trump told The Post when asked about Ghalibaf. “I’ll let you know that in about a week.”

“Nobody’s heard from him,” Trump said of the younger Khamenei. “He’s very seriously injured.”


Asked if he was still alive, Trump said that he “probably” was.

“We don’t know. We think probably yes, but in extraordinarily bad shape,” he said.

-ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr

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