Sunday 08 / March / 2026
New York: US President Donald Trump has said he is not interested in negotiating a deal with Iran to end the war.
In remarks to reporters on Air Force One on Saturday evening, Trump added peace talks could be a moot point if the joint US-Israeli campaign achieves its objectives of crippling Tehran's leadership and destroying the country's military capabilities.
"At some point, I don't think there will be anybody left, maybe, to say, 'We surrender,'" Trump said.
Strike on girls' school in Minab
Use the slider to reveal the extent of the damage to a girls' elementary school in Minab, southern Iran.
Iran says at least 175 people, including many schoolchildren, were killed when a girls' elementary school in Minab was hit in an airstrike last Saturday.
Foreign media have been unable to verify Tehran's claims about the strike on the girls' school, which was reportedly close to sites that are controlled by the IRGC.
Israel has said it was "not aware" of the reported strike. The White House has pushed back against allegations that the US military was responsible, while the Pentagon has said that it is investigating the matter.
According to reports in US media, however, American military investigators believe that US forces were likely behind the strike.
If a US role were to be confirmed, the strike would rank among the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of US conflicts in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday accused Iran of being behind the strike.
"We think it was done by Iran. Because they are very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Trump's shifting Iran goals highlight war's weak legal basis
From targeting Iran's nuclear program to hinting at regime change, President Donald Trump keeps moving the goal posts for the US military campaign against Iran. The conflict lacks a clear legal basis under international law, experts say.
Ukraine's Zelenskyy says he spoke with Saudi crown prince about downing Iranian drones
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about Iranian drones as Tehran uses them to target US and Israeli assets across the Middle East in retaliation for their assault on Iran.
"Ukraine has been fighting against (Iranian-made) 'Shaheds' for years, and everyone acknowledges that no other country in the world has such experience," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
Zelenskyy, whose own existential four-year defensive battle against Russian invaders has shifted from the headlines with this new conflict, said he had spoken about drone defense with the leaders of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE shortly after Israel and the US launched their war against Iran.
Zelenskyy has also said Ukraine will assist the United States by providing specialists to counter Iranian Shaheds.
"We are ready to help," he said, "and expect that our people will also receive the necessary support."
Germany removes staff from embassy in Tehran
Germany has temporarily evacuated staff from its embassy in Tehran, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
Staff members were temporarily relocated from the country given the threat level, the ministry said, adding that the embassy remains accessible.
"The temporary relocation follows a reduction that was already carried out as a precautionary measure in mid-January," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Consular support had been significantly restricted due to a reduction in staff, and the visa office was temporarily closed, the ministry added.
