The Independent67%
Iran-US war latest: Tehran says army is ‘waiting’ for US ground invasion and vows to set Trump’s troops ‘on fire’ 0%
By Vishwam Sankaran0% Tara Cobham0% Maira Butt53%
3/29/2026, 1:04:31 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 29 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Emotion, Unattributed Quote, and Appeal to Authority, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 39% saturation with 544 hits. Analysis detected 2,586 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,395 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 0% and a BS Rank of 0% (0 of 16,813 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 100.00% of the article peer group.
Iranian armed forces are waiting for a ground invasion by US troops and are ready to “set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever” speaker of Iran’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
Ghalibaf accused the US of speaking of negotiations in public while planning a ground invasion in private, according to state media.
It follows speculation that Pentagon officials are preparing for potential ground operations in Iran, which could last for weeks, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.
Thousands of US marines arrived in the region aboard the USS Tripoli on Saturday, according to US Central Command.
“The America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group/31st Marine Expeditionary Unit composed of about 3,500 Sailors and Marines in addition to transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets,” wrote US Central Command.
However, secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Friday that the US could achieve its goals without a ground invasion.
Meanwhile, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have said they carried out a second attack on Israel in less than 24 hours and vowed to continue military operations in the coming days.
Diplomats meet to discuss ending war but progress uncertain as strikes continue
Top diplomats from key regional powers are meeting in Pakistan to discuss how to end the fighting in the Middle East, but there were few signs of progress as Israel and the US kept up strikes on Iran, and Tehran responded by firing missiles and drones across the region.
Pakistan said foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt are participating in the talks in Islamabad.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held "extensive discussions" on regional hostilities.
More than 3,000 people have been killed throughout the month-long war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, triggering Iran's attacks on Israel and neighbouring Gulf Arab states.
The US and Israel are not participating in the Islamabad talks.
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, dismissed the talks as a cover while the US sends additional troops to the Middle East.
Anger at Iran war is growing among ‘more-right wing White House staffers,’ insider claims
As the Iran war stretches into its second month, anger is mounting among some White House officials, according to a new report.
Discontent over the Middle East conflict is concentrated among younger, “more-right wing” staffers, an unnamed source with knowledge of the matter told Politico.
“They’re very frustrated,” the individual said.
“They didn’t love the war to start with, and since it began, the constantly contradictory messaging from the president himself, is just brutal, brutal for staff to deal with and making their life really hard.
He puts his people in a really tough position, especially people who are public-facing.”
Royal Navy fits ship with advanced minehunting drones ahead of possible Hormuz deployment
The Royal Navy is preparing to equip one of its landing ships with advanced minesweeping drones, as ministers explore options to facilitate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
RFA Lyme Bay is slated for a refit that will integrate high-tech equipment, transforming it into a “mothership” capable of deploying both underwater drones and crewless minehunting boats.
This upgrade is understood to be central to the Navy's strategy for utilising autonomous minehunters to clear the critical Strait of Hormuz, should such an operation become necessary.
The UK is currently collaborating with international allies to develop military plans for re-establishing access through the strait, a vital shipping artery for global oil and gas supplies that has been effectively blockaded by Tehran.
A defence source said: “Whilst no decisions have yet been taken on whether these capabilities will be sent to the Strait of Hormuz, this preventative step gives ministers options should they be needed to help resume the normal flow of merchant shipping.”
Oil prices on track for record monthly surge amid Iran war chaos
The price of Brent crude is on track to break records this month, surging by 51 per cent according to LSEG data.
The previous monthly record was held in September 1990 when the price of crude rose by 46 per cent amid Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, leading to the first Gulf war.
On Friday, the price of oil closed at $112 a barrel amid conflicting comments by the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, which has held up millions of barrels of oil since the outbreak of war on 28 February.
'Avoid Yemeni water at all times' warns EU maritime security body
Ships have been warned to avoid entering Yemeni territorial waters as the Houthis could resume “attacks on merchant ships” in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the European Union's maritime security body has warned.
The European Union Naval Force Aspides has advised ships to avoid Yemeni territorial waters amid an increased risk of attack.
In a report published on Saturday, it assessed the threat level as “high” for Israeli-linked vessels and as “medium” for vessels not linked to Israel or the United States.
In pictures: War enters fifth week as strikes across Middle East continue
The US-Israeli war against Iran has entered its fifth week as attacks continued across the region.
On Sunday, a funeral was held for three journalists killed in southern Lebanon by Israeli strikes.
Pope Leo says God rejects prayers of leaders who wage war
Pope Leo XIV said on Sunday that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood”, in unusually strong remarks amid the ongoing war in Iran.
Addressing tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square on Palm Sunday, the pontiff said that Jesus cannot be used to justify any wars.
“This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he said.
“Jesus) does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: 'Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood',” he said, quoting a Bible passage.
Two Australian states make public transport free as soaring fuel prices hit commuters
The governments of Tasmania and Victoria have made public transport free from this week amid rising fuel costs in the country.
Tasmanian state premier Jeremy Rockliff said on X that buses and ferries would be free until 1 July 2026.
“From tomorrow, Tasmanian public transport will be free.
We'll be keeping it free until 1 July,” Mr Rockliff said.
The decision was taken to ease the cost of living, he said.
“We know the rising cost of fuel is impacting the family budget, and that's why we have again taken strong and decisive action to protect Tasmanians,” the premier said in a joint statement with Kerry Vincent, the minister for infrastructure and transport.
Russian spy satellites photographed Chagos military base for Iran, says Zelensky
Russian spy satellites photographed the UK-US based on Diego Garcia “in the interests of Iran”, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
The pictures were taken after Iran launched two ballistic missiles at the site, according to the leader.
Images of bases in the Middle East housing American and British troops were also taken.
The Ministry of Defence has previously said it is “highly likely” that Russia shared intelligence with Iran even before the outbreak of war last month.
In a post on X, Zelensky said he had received an intelligence briefing on Saturday setting out Russian satellite activity.
He said: “On March 24, they imaged the US–UK joint military facility on Diego Garcia located in the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
They also captured pictures of Kuwait International Airport and parts of the infrastructure of the Greater Burgan oil field.
“On March 25, they took pictures of the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
The Shaybah oil and gas field in Saudi Arabia, Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar were all imaged on March 26.
“There are no Ukrainian facilities on this list.
But who is helping whom when sanctions are lifted from an aggressor that earns daily revenue and provides intelligence for strikes against American, Middle Eastern, UK, and US–UK bases and so on?”
Analysis
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