Updated March 25, 2026 at 1:43 PM EDT
Iran's government on Wednesday rejected President Trump's plan for ending the war and vowed to continue fighting until a list of Iran's own conditions are met. Iran's demands include war reparation payments and recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Although the response may be a blow to the U.S. proposal, it signaled the opening of some sort of negotiating between the two countries as the war approaches the one-month mark.
Israel is determined to keep fighting Iran and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Here's what else to know about the latest developments in the conflict.
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Ceasefire proposal | U.S. paratroopers | Iranian reaction | Strait of Hormuz Hezbollah | War damage
Iran makes a counterproposal demanding reparations
Iran has rejected President Trump's plan for ending the war and presented five conditions of its own.
Multiple Iranian diplomatic offices shared the government's demands on social media after Iran's state Press TV first reported them, citing an Iranian senior political security official.
The demands include safeguards against future attacks on Iran, the payment of war reparations to the country and a recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Press TV said the U.S. proposal had been "delivered via a friendly regional intermediary." The Associated Press reported earlier that Pakistan — which has warm ties with both the U.S. and Iran — gave Iran the message.
The U.S. proposal, as first reported by The New York Times and Israel's Channel 12, included Iran's commitment to never pursuing nuclear weapons and dismantling any existing nuclear capabilities.
A person briefed on the proposal told NPR that the summary published by Channel 12 reflected an early version and that changes had been made since then, though it wasn't clear what the changes were. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. NPR has not seen a copy of the proposal.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said on social media his country "stands ready" to facilitate talks between the U.S. and Iran to end the war. He followed his statement by tagging the X accounts of President Trump, as well as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.
— Alex Leff, Daniel Estrin and Emily Feng
Up to 3,000 U.S. paratroopers will deploy to the Middle East
Between 2,000 and 3,000 U.S. Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division have received written orders to deploy to the Middle East, according to a U.S. government official who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The troops are expected to come from the division's Immediate Response Force, which can mobilize worldwide within 18 hours.
The deployment, combined with two Marine Expeditionary Units already moving toward the Persian Gulf, could bring 6,000 to 8,000 U.S. ground troops into close proximity to Iran — a build-up that comes as Trump has alternatively said he does not plan to put boots on the ground, while also saying he will not rule it out.
— Quil Lawrence
Iranian official mocks negotiation claims
Iranian officials continue to deny that talks are underway, even as President Trump has publicly said U.S. officials are negotiating over the ceasefire plan.
In a recorded video statement aired on Iranian state television Tuesday, Iranian military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari said there were no talks between the United States and Iran.
"The strategic power you used to talk about has turned into a strategic failure," Zolfaghari said. "The one claiming to be a global superpower would have already gotten out of this mess if it could. Don't dress up your defeat as an agreement. Your era of empty promises has come to an end."
He added: "Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?"
"Our first and last word has been the same from day one, and it will stay that way: Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you," Zolfaghari said. "Not now, not ever."
Iran says it will allow the passage of "non-hostile" ships through Strait of Hormuz
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it would facilitate the "safe passage" of "non-hostile" ships in the Strait of Hormuz, but excluded vessels belonging to the United States, Israel and others engaged in the war with Iran from transiting through it.
The announcement was made by Iran's mission in the United Nations on X.
It followed a letter sent to the U.N. Secretary General, Antonio Guterres on Sunday, asserting that the passage of ships from countries it deemed neutral to the conflict, would be done "in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities."
The letter also stated that assets belonging to the U.S., Israel and their allies "do not qualify for innocent or non-hostile passage."
Iran's announcement came amid renewed efforts by Washington to discuss an exit strategy from the current conflict and just as thousands of U.S. Marines were ordered to be deployed in the Middle East.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for about 20 percent of the world's global supply of oil, in response to U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, which began on Feb. 28. Iran attacked some 20 ships during the past three weeks of the conflict and blocked the transit of vessels already in the waters, drawing condemnation from U.N. agencies and human rights organizations.
Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has also interrupted the global supply of natural gas and fertilizer, with over 1,000 ships, most of them oil tankers, and triggered alarm over the fate of about 20,000 seafarers stranded near the strait.
Initially, Trump asked NATO countries to assist in opening the waterway, but was met with rejection. He then gave Iran an ultimatum to open the waterway by March 23, but has since backed out of that deadline, giving Iranian leaders until the end of the week to comply with his demands.
Recently Iran has allowed some ships from countries it deems neutral parties to the current conflict, to pass. Based on NPR reporting, ships linked to Pakistan and India have been waved through the Strait and that governments of China and Iraq were in negotiations with Iranian authorities to enable a safe passage of their ships. About 90 percent of crude oil destined for Asia passes through Hormuz.
In the letter to the U.N. Security Council member states, Iranian officials also said they had implemented "a set of precautionary measures" and called on countries to comply with them, without specifying what they were.
Oil prices have surged globally since Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and continuous attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf countries, with senior international officials warning of the biggest global energy security crisis.
Lebanon says more than 30 people killed in overnight strikes
Israel's military continued to pound Beirut and its southern suburbs, saying it was targeting sites belonging to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Lebanon's health ministry said at least 33 people were killed in the overnight strikes, including a 3-year-old child. Israel's operations in Lebanon have killed more than 1,000 people this month, and displaced more than 1 million, according to Lebanese authorities.
Israel began its military operations in Lebanon earlier this month after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in support of Iran following the Feb. 28 U.S.-Israeli attack.
On Tuesday, Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, said Israel plans to retain control of the territory south of the Litani River, which would effectively move the Israeli-Lebanese border north by about 10 to 20 miles.
Katz threatened to use the "model" of destruction the Israeli military has used in the Gaza Strip in Lebanon, where many residential areas were razed.
Paul Khreish, a municipal official in the southern Lebanese village of Ain Ebel, told NPR by phone that he was worried his region "will no longer be Lebanese" by the end of Israel's latest military campaign. Khreish said he was also unsure about whether it was safe to flee, because the roads are regularly being hit by Israeli strikes.
In its latest report, Human Rights Watch said Israel's tactics of forcible displacement and deliberate targeting of civilians in Lebanon risk violating international law and constitute war crimes.
Lebanon's relationship with Iran, meanwhile, has deteriorated significantly in the last month because of tensions over Hezbollah.
Lebanon's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it had withdrawn the Iranian ambassador's accreditation and demanded he leave the country by Sunday.
Lebanon's government has sought international help in disarming Hezbollah, which is still a powerful force in Lebanese politics. Some in Lebanon blame Hezbollah for dragging them into the current war.
— Lauren Frayer
U.N. estimates the war has cost Arab region $63 billion in economic losses as strikes continue
Kuwait says a drone hit a fuel tank at its international airport overnight, causing a large explosion and fire. That airport and others in the region have been attacked multiple times by Iranian drones in the war.
In addition to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia says it intercepted more missiles and drones overnight targeting its oil-rich eastern region, with debris falling on homes there.
The U.N. human rights chief, Volker Turk, says U.S. and Israeli attacks are hitting homes, hospitals, schools and cultural sites in Iran. He also says Iranian attacks are striking energy and water infrastructure in Gulf Arab countries.
"Many of the strikes in this conflict raise serious concerns under international law, which prohibits attacks targeting civilians and their infrastructure," Turk said.
The U.N. assesses the war has already caused some $63 billion in economic losses across the Arab region, he added.
— Aya Batrawy
Daniel Estrin contributed reporting from Tel Aviv, Israel, Quil Lawrence from New York, Aya Batrawy from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Lauren Frayer from Beirut and Rebecca Rosman from Paris.
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