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The conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran has escalated with a series of attacks on Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran, and other locations such as Tabriz, Isfahan, and Karaj. These attacks occurred even as US President Donald Trump claimed that Washington was engaged in productive conversations with Tehran to end the war.Iranian media reported that Israeli-US strikes targeted two gas facilities and a pipeline, hours after Trump postponed planned attacks on power infrastructure. The attacks resulted in partial damage to facilities in central Iran, including a gas administration building and a gas pressure regulation station in Isfahan.A leading scholar and professor at a science university in Tehran, Saeed Shamaghdari, was killed alongside his two children in an attack on his residence north of the capital. Iran's English-language news channel Press TV identified Shamaghdari as a teacher at the engineering department of the Iran University of Science and Technology.The head of Iran's emergency service, Jafar Miadfar, reported that 208 children have been killed since the war began on February 28, with 168 of them dying in the US missile strikes on a girls' school in Minab city. Rights groups have called for an investigation into the Minab attack as a potential war crime.More than 1,500 civilians have been killed across Iran, according to the Iranian government. The US-Israel war on Iran has expanded across the Middle East, leading to a spike in oil prices and triggering a global energy crisis.Despite the escalation of violence, Iran's Foreign Minister Abass Araghchi has held calls with several countries, including Egypt, Pakistan, and Oman, in an attempt to open a diplomatic channel. However, senior Iranian officials have denied that Iran is engaged in talks with the US, contradicting Trump's claims of productive conversations.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has emphasized the need for a negotiated solution to the conflict, warning that the situation is critical for energy supplies and condemning Iran's efforts to block energy exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

The article's author, Adolfo Franco, suggests that Donald Trump can declare victory in Iran and argues that he should. The piece likely explores the strategic implications of such a declaration and its potential impact on US-Iran relations and the broader Middle East region.

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Residents of Tehran have voiced their skepticism regarding Trump's diplomatic efforts in the context of war, highlighting a deep-seated distrust towards the US approach. The sentiment among Tehran's population reflects a broader geopolitical tension between Iran and the United States.The diplomatic endeavors by Trump's administration have been met with caution by the Iranian public, who are concerned about the implications of these efforts on their country's sovereignty and regional influence.

Anthropic, a leading artificial intelligence company, has taken the US Department of Defense to court in a bid to overturn a ban on its AI model being used by the military and government contractors. The ban was imposed after Anthropic refused to allow its Claude AI chatbot to be used for domestic mass surveillance and fully autonomous lethal weapons.The dispute centers on the company's concerns about the use of its technology for purposes that could potentially infringe on civil liberties and international humanitarian law. Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, has expressed concerns about AI being used in authoritarian ways, which has led to tensions with the US government and former President Donald Trump, who has labeled the company a "RADICAL LEFT, WOKE COMPANY".In a federal court in northern California, Judge Rita Lin presided over a hearing for a temporary injunction sought by Anthropic. The company's lawsuit claims that the government's actions are unprecedented and unlawful, and that they violate Anthropic's First Amendment rights. The government, on the other hand, argues that its decision to bar the use of Anthropic's technology is a legitimate exercise of its authority.The case has significant implications for the use of AI in military and government operations, and could set a precedent for the regulation of AI technology in the US. Anthropic's technology is deeply intertwined with government operations, including in the military, where it is reportedly being used to select and analyze targets of missile strikes in Iran. The company's AI model has been used by various government agencies over the past year, making it a challenging task to disentangle federal agencies from its use.

Dario Fo, born 100 years ago, was a multifaceted genius who seamlessly blended politics and comedy in his works. As a dramatist, actor, director, and designer, he brought satire to the masses, achieving a global reach with plays like Accidental Death of an Anarchist and Can't Pay? Won't Pay!, which justly earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1997.Fo's background was marked by his involvement in wartime resistance against the Nazis in northern Italy, where he helped smuggle Allied soldiers across the border to Switzerland. His career in entertainment began with a weekly TV variety show that attracted huge audiences, but was abruptly ended due to his refusal to accept censorship.Fo's theatre company, Nuova Scena, gave the first performance of Mistero Buffo, his one-man show that satirized the Catholic Church. The show was condemned by the Vatican as 'the most blasphemous show in the history of television.'Fo's plays injected new life into political theatre, with Accidental Death of an Anarchist being a notable example. The play derived from a real-life case of a railway worker falsely accused of planting bombs and who 'fell' out of a police HQ window. The play's 2023 revival at the Sheffield Crucible, which transferred to the West End, showcased its timeless relevance, with Daniel Rigby's performance being 'breathlessly funny.'Fo's works provided actors with memorable roles, such as Griff Rhys Jones' virtuoso performance in Trumpets and Raspberries. His approach to comedy was rooted in tragedy, using laughter as a means to make audiences confront problems like cruelty, injustice, and oppression.Throughout his career, Fo faced significant harassment, including 45 prosecutions from the Italian police, and physical intimidation from both the Catholic Church and the Communist Party. Despite this, his legacy as a master of merging politics and comedy endures.

Ella Baron, a renowned cartoonist, has created a thought-provoking cartoon for The Guardian, focusing on Donald Trump's peace negotiations with Iran. The cartoon, published on March 24, 2026, offers a visual commentary on the complex dynamics between the United States, Israel, and Iran.The illustration is part of The Guardian's series of opinion cartoons, which provide a unique perspective on current events. This particular cartoon by Ella Baron delves into the delicate balance of power in the Middle East and the challenges of achieving peace in the region.The cartoonist's work often sparks important discussions and reflections on US foreign policy and its implications for global relations. By visually representing the intricacies of international diplomacy, Ella Baron's cartoons encourage readers to think critically about the Middle East and North Africa conflict.

Pakistan's military leadership has been playing a crucial role in attempting to broker negotiations between the US and Iran. The country's army chief, Asim Munir, recently had a call with US President Donald Trump to discuss the conflict. Diplomatic sources indicate that the US and Iran could meet for negotiations in Islamabad as early as this week to discuss an end to the war, which began almost a month ago. While Islamabad has yet to be officially confirmed as the venue, sources suggest that Tehran prefers Islamabad. Pakistani sources mention that US Vice-President JD Vance is being considered as a probable chief negotiator from the US side, rather than Trump's Middle East envoy Witkoff or Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Vance is viewed as a sceptic of the US decision to bomb Iran and has largely kept quiet on the conflict. After the phone call between Trump and Munir, Pakistan's Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday. According to an official readout of the call, they agreed on the urgent need for de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy. Sources suggest that Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, is likely to lead any talks from the Iranian side. However, Ghalibaf has dismissed reports of talks between the two sides as 'fake news'. An Iranian diplomatic source confirmed that talks are expected this week but expressed 'zero trust' in Washington. They stated that Iran would not accept Witkoff and Kushner as negotiators for any discussions. Negotiations between the US and Iran were ongoing when the US began its bombing campaign. The Iranian regime views these negotiations as an attempt by the Trump administration to deceive Iran into thinking it wanted a diplomatic solution while planning to attack. On Monday, Trump indicated that he would be willing to halt US strikes, claiming that 'strong talks' were being held between Iranian officials and Witkoff and Kushner. Trump told reporters that they had 'very, very strong talks' and that they had 'major points of agreement, I would say, almost all points of agreement'. The US president has given a five-day deadline to an ultimatum he gave over the weekend, threatening to 'obliterate' Iran's power plants and energy infrastructure if they did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route currently being blockaded by Iran's military. Trump's announcement of talks helped boost markets, bringing oil prices sharply down to below $100 (£75) a barrel, the lowest in days.

The ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran has sparked concerns about the motivations behind Donald Trump's continued military actions. Kenneth Roth, a Guardian US columnist and former executive director of Human Rights Watch, draws a striking parallel between Trump's approach and that of Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War. Nixon's quest for 'peace with honor' in Vietnam led to years of devastation, resulting in over 20,000 American soldiers killed and a significantly higher toll among Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian civilians. Similarly, Trump's conflict with Iran appears to be driven by a desire to assert dominance and protect his political reputation, rather than a clear military objective. The article questions the rationale behind Trump's continued bombing of Iran, citing claims that Iran's ballistic missile capacity has been functionally destroyed and its nuclear program 'obliterated.' With 7,000 Iranian protesters killed in January, the Trump administration's call for regime change seems unlikely to succeed. The current fixation on Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20% of the world's oil and gas, has led to soaring petroleum prices. Trump's threat to destroy Iran's electrical infrastructure by the end of the week, unless Tehran agrees to allow the strait to reopen, raises concerns about war crimes and humanitarian consequences. Roth suggests that a de facto ceasefire, where Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu stop bombing, could be a more fruitful path to deescalation. However, Trump's desire for 'unconditional surrender' and the Iranian regime's insistence on lifting sanctions and affirming its right to nuclear enrichment complicate negotiations. The article concludes that Trump's pursuit of 'honor' and 'victory' in the conflict may come at a significant cost to the people of Iran, the global economy, and the United States itself, echoing the lessons of the Vietnam War.