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Middle East crisis live: US insists Iran has not rejected proposal to end war amid mounting confusion

Leavitt is then asked about Trump’s repeated comments recently that regime change has been achieved in Iran. “Has it not?” she cuts in. “Their entire leadership has been killed, and nobody has really seen or legitimately heard from this alleged new leader, so wouldn’t you say there’s been a change in the regime?” She goes on: “There’s been a change in the regime leadership, which is what the president said, so thank you for confirming he is right.” Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in the initial US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on 28 February, was named supreme leader earlier this month. He was injured in that attack, and has not been seen or heard in public since, though written statements have been released in his name, fuelling speculation about the extent of his injuries. Trump has speculated he could even be dead, and had previously expressed his disapproval of him as leader.

Italy’s tourism minister resigns amid turmoil from referendum failure

Italy’s embattled tourism minister has resigned, heeding a call to step down as the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, strives to restore credibility after a bruising defeat in a referendum that has thrown her far-right government into turmoil. The resignation on Wednesday of Daniela Santanchè, a prominent and brash member of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, came after the prime minister took the unusual step of calling in a public statement for the minister to go. Italy’s constitution states that prime ministers can propose a government minister to the president, who in turn makes the appointment, but they do not have the power to unilaterally sack one. Meloni and the justice minister, Carlo Nordio, have rejected calls from some opposition leaders to themselves resign over the referendum on judicial reforms, which marked the first major political setback for the prime minister, who since coming to power in October 2022 has led one of the most stable governments in the history of the Italian republic. But since the results came in on Monday two justice ministry officials have fallen on their swords. Andrea Delmastro, the justice ministry undersecretary and a member of Brothers of Italy, resigned after it was revealed – days before the judiciary referendum – that he had held shares in a restaurant with links to the mafia. Giusi Bartolozzi, the chief of staff to Nordio, also resigned on Tuesday. Bartolozzi, who faces the possibility of being sent to trial over Italy’s release and repatriation last year of a Libyan general wanted for alleged war crimes, caused a furore during the referendum campaign by likening the judiciary to a “firing squad” that needed to be eliminated. Santanchè, who is involved in several legal proceedings over allegations of fraud and false accounting relating to her business activities, had until Wednesday afternoon resisted pressure to do the same. But, in a statement addressed to Meloni, Santanchè said she was quitting, adding she had been unwilling to resign immediately because she didn’t want to be made a “scapegoat” for the referendum defeat. “I have no problem saying: ‘I obey’ in doing what you ask,” she said, adding that she won’t hide “a bit of bitterness” over the outcome of her ministerial career. Santanchè denies any wrongdoing in relation to the legal proceedings. Meloni, who travelled to Algeria on Wednesday for talks with leaders on boosting gas supplies from the north African country, has been urged by opposition parties to urgently address in parliament “the evident political crisis” embroiling her government. Italians turned out in force to reject amendments to the country’s post-fascism constitution that would have ushered in changes to how judges and prosecutors are recruited and governed, including separating their career paths, establishing two governing councils selected by lottery and creating a court to handle disciplinary matters. Meloni’s government said the reforms were essential for impartiality, to weed out what she called the leftwing political “factions” ruling the judiciary. Opponents said the proposals were a highly partisan project that would weaken the power and independence of judges and prosecutors. In reaction to the defeat, Meloni said her government would “move forward, as we always have done, with responsibility, determination and respect towards the Italian people and Italy”. But the credibility of her leadership is being tested ahead of general elections in 2027. Italian prime ministers usually pressure ministers to resign behind the scenes rather than making public statements. Santanchè, known for her brash style, has been under investigation since 2023 and until the referendum fallout had enjoyed the support of Meloni despite persistent calls from the opposition to resign. The prime minister’s unusual move this week revealed her newfound weakness, said analysts. “In the history of the Italian republic, I don’t believe a prime minister has ever been forced to admit their political impotence with a press release,” said Enrico Borghi, a politician with the centrist Italia Viva party. “This clearly shows that, beneath the surface, there are tensions and rather significant clashes within [the ruling coalition].” Borghi added: “We have gone from the narrative of the strongest prime minister in Europe and the one who created a bridge between Brussels and Washington, to the prime minister who cannot even get rid of an overwhelming presence within their executive.” The outcome of the referendum generated a record turnout and has galvanised the opposition, which is seeking to build a credible challenge to Meloni in time for the next general election. Elly Schlein, the leader of the Democratic party, which in recent recent years has gained significant wins in regional elections as part of the “large camp” alliance including the Five Star Movement, said the referendum turnout marked “a splendid” moment for Italian democracy. “With such a high turnout, there was a clear political message that the Meloni government must listen to and reflect upon,” she told reporters at Rome’s foreign press association. “She must start dealing with the real priorities for Italians, such as health, education and jobs.” Analysts say that while Meloni might be tempted to cut her losses and seek a new mandate through early elections, she is unlikely to do so given the war in the Middle East and economic pressures. “Our base case therefore shifts to elections in the first half of 2027, with a rising probability that the next parliament proves fragmented, if not outright hung,” said Francesco Galietti, the founder of Policy Sonar, a political consultancy in Rome.

Frederiksen to lead talks on forming new Danish government – as it happened

… and on that note, it’s a wrap for today! Social Democrat leader Mette Frederiksen has been tasked with leading talks to find a majority in the next Danish parliament, the first attempt to form a new government after last night’s election (16:39, 17:22). Frederiksen’s Social Democrats came first in last night’s parliamentary election, but both her leftwing bloc and the opposing rightwing parties failed to obtain a parliamentary majority. She will now lead the exploratory talks with the Green Left, and the Danish Social Liberal Party, and two other parties, which potentially could get her up to 84 votes in the next parliament, still short of 90 required for majority (17:37). The process is likely to take weeks and the outcome is far from guaranteed as getting other parties to join would require significant manifesto concessions or put at risk the support of other groups (11:23, 13:24, 16:20). Earlier today, Frederiksen stressed the urgency of the task to form the new government, as “the world is not waiting for us out there and it has only become more unsettled since the election was called” (11:23). The government formation process was formally triggered by Frederiksen’s resignation this morning. She will continue in post until the new government is confirmed (10:55). If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com. I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

‘We want peace’: Iranians try to maintain semblance of normal life as conflict drags on

The days after Nowruz, the Persian New Year, are usually a bustling time in Tehran, with spring arriving, trees blossoming, businesses reopening after the holidays, and people returning to work and school. This year, however, Iranians are trying to maintain a semblance of ordinary life against the constant backdrop of explosions, airstrikes – and a conflict many fear may drag on for weeks or months. “More and more, people are starting to normalise this war,” said Farhad, a photography editor in Tehran. “It’s difficult, but we’re adapting and trying to return to our daily lives as much as possible. There’s no alternative. We’re tired. We just want peace.” Explosions lit up the city’s skyline overnight on Wednesday as Israel launched fresh airstrikes, but by the morning, joggers were exercising again in the sprawling Pardisan Park. Schools and universities remain closed since the start of the war, but shops, restaurants and cafes are slowly reopening. Aylar, a 39-year-old human rights worker who spent the first weeks of the war sheltering in her apartment with her cats, said that she had paid for an expensive VPN to try to circumvent the internet blackout imposed by Iranian authorities so she can talk to relatives abroad. “On the same day, I also went for coffee and chocolate cake with friends on what felt like a sunny spring day. These conflicting realities are bizarre,” she said. Iran’s official death toll has frozen at around 1,500 for days, but the real figure may be more than 3,000, with many more injured, according to the Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been tracking attacks and casualties across the country. And while many Iranians have managed to stay in their homes away from attacks, others have found themselves dangerously close to the violence. Azadeh, a 46-year-old researcher and cinematographer who returned to Iran after finishing her PhD in Turkey, said she was outside with her pregnant sister when a strike hit. “It was just 200 metres from us. I held her tightly in my arms to protect her from shrapnel and in that moment, I felt so helpless,” she said from her home in Tehran. “Every time I hear the sound of an explosion, I feel fear. But I also feel such a responsibility towards my family, my sister and my elderly grandmother. I want to protect them from this war. Since the attack, I’ve lived in constant fear.” With schools and universities still closed, many international students have chosen to leave Iran for the time being. “There’s been a huge exodus,” said Hasina, a 26-year-old Afghan medical student, who undertook a train and bus journey from Tehran back to Afghanistan to wait out the war. “It was sad and scary to leave, and it was difficult to return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. At the border, many of us women got into trouble with the Taliban because we arrived without a male guardian. I hope to be back in Iran soon,” she said from the western Afgahanistan city of Herat, near the Iranian border, adding that being with her family there was, for now, still better than “hiding from bombs in Tehran”. For many Iranians the future is uncertain. Some voiced concerns that without significant political change, the conflict could become a recurring reality. “We went through the 12-day war with Israel last year, and now we’re under attack again,” said Abbas, a 41-year-old man in Tehran. “I worry this could become a pattern.” That uncertainty is further compounded by deep divisions within society, and Tehran remains polarised. Most Iranians, regardless of their political affiliation, oppose the war but some have welcomed it, seeing the violence as the best chance for the fall of the Islamic Republic. In the hours after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was announced, some Tehranis climbed onto their roofs in spontaneous scenes of celebration, shouting “azadi” (freedom) into the night, while elsewhere, government supporters gathered in the streets to mourn, holding vigils and reciting prayers. But as attacks across the country have intensified, pro-government supporters have gathered on streets and in public squares every evening, chanting “God is great, Khamenei is the leader” and “death to America, death to Israel”. “Our society is divided. Some believe this war could lead to a free, democratic government backed by the US, while others dismiss this, pointing to the failures of the US across the region,” said Farhad. “At the same time, many are suffering and being killed. Why aren’t there anti-war protests in the US? It seems that nobody cares.”

UK drivers: are fuel price increases making you cut back?

We’d like to speak to people in the UK who are cutting back on fuel use after the increase in petrol and diesel prices linked to the war in Iran. Are you taking fewer journeys or using alternative modes of transport? Are you still travelling to work the same number of days a week? Have you cited fuel costs as a reason to work from home? If you drive a vehicle as a job, how much have you seen your typical fuel bill increase by? And are there ways that you can conserve fuel, such as planning routes more carefully? If you are a business owner with a fleet of vehicles, how are you managing your costs? We’d like to hear from you. If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.

Iran gives negative response to US ceasefire plan amid push for talks

Iranian officials expressed initial disapproval of a US ceasefire plan on Wednesday, even as intermediaries suggested direct talks between the two could start as early as this weekend. Representatives from Pakistan who reportedly delivered the US plan to Iran told the Associated Press that it was a 15-point proposal that would include sanctions relief for Iran, dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme, restricting its use of missiles and reopening the strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about 20% of the world’s oil. An Egyptian official also suggested it would restrict Iran’s support for armed groups across the Middle East. Some of these proposals proved to be intractable sticking points in negotiations before the war began. A senior Iranian official speaking to Al Jazeera described it as “extremely maximalist and unreasonable”, while other officials said the country was still reviewing the proposal, despite viewing it as too favourable to US demands. Iran had previously scoffed at the diplomatic effort and mocked the US president, Donald Trump, claiming Washington was negotiating with itself. Overnight and on Wednesday, Tehran launched even more attacks on Israel and Gulf countries, including an attack that sparked a huge fire at Kuwait international airport, while Israel continued its bombardment of Iran. “Our first and last words have been the same from day one, and it will stay that way: someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you,” said Lt Col Ebrahim Zolfaghari, an Iranian military spokesperson. Many parts of the 15-point-plan were not new and were the subject of negotiations prior to the US-Israel war with Iran. Iran had previously refused to compromise on its ballistic missile programme or regional proxy network, which it sees as key to its self-defence in front of the militarily superior US and Israel. Egyptian and Pakistani officials suggested that in-person negotiations between the US and Iran could begin as quickly as Friday in Pakistan while other sources suggested Turkey as a venue for talks. Trump said that the US was currently in negotiations with a party in the Iranian government who is engaging with his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the US vice-president, JD Vance. It was reported that Kushner and Witkoff had suggested a one-month ceasefire during negotiations. It was unclear who exactly the US negotiating team was in contact with, as officials from Iran’s foreign ministry and military denied Trump’s statements that negotiations were taking place. Iranian officials are skeptical of coming back to the negotiation table with the US, after the country was attacked twice before while in the middle of discussions. The US attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel last summer and launched its latest conflict while progress was reportedly being made towards a comprehensive deal between the two parties. Israel and the US have also killed much of Iran’s senior leadership, including more pragmatic figures such as the secretary of the supreme national security council, Ali Larijani, creating concerns for the safety of its Iranian interlocutors, some of whom Israel has threatened to kill. “We have a very catastrophic experience with US diplomacy,” the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, told India Today on Tuesday. Pressure has been growing domestically for Trump to find an end to the war in Iran, as Iranian attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and the virtual blockade of the strait of Hormuz has sent prices soaring across much of the world. Oil prices fell after news of the 15-point-plan broke on Wednesday, as investors hoped for an end to the greatest energy crisis in decades. About 59% of Americans say that the US war in Iran has “gone too far”, according to a new poll. Trump’s approval rating has dropped to an all-time low of 36% owing to the increase in fuel prices and the war in Iran, according to a poll by Reuters. Israel, by contrast, has sought to keep fighting as it tries to degrade the Iranian regime further. Israeli officials were reportedly surprised by the US ceasefire plan. As diplomacy sputtered forward, the US continued to amass troops in the Middle East. At least 1,000 troops from the 82nd airborne division will be sent to the region, according to the Associated Press, as well as 5,000 more marines and thousands of sailors. The deployment of the additional troops comes as the Trump administration is weighing plans to invade Iran’s Kharg Island to pressure it to reopen the strait of Hormuz. The island holds 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports. The 82nd airborne division is specialised in flying into contested areas and securing them. Israel continued to strike Iran on Wednesday, announcing the completion of several waves of airstrikes in Tehran, as well as the targeting of a submarine development centre in Isfahan. Iran responded in kind with ballistic missile launches targeting Israel, with missile sirens activating multiple times on Wednesday. It also targeted Arab Gulf states and Saudi Arabia said it destroyed at least eight drones in the eastern part of the country where oil infrastructure is located. Israel continued to pound Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, as well as engaging in ground fighting with the group south of the Litani River. The Israeli army had been slowly advancing northwards despite fierce resistance, with soldiers posting videos in the previously contested towns of Taybeh and Khiam. Israel also continued to target civilian infrastructure such as bridges and gas stations, as well as killing two medical workers in the city of Nabatieh, south Lebanon on Tuesday. Human rights groups warned that Israel’s striking of civilian targets, even if some had an affiliation with Hezbollah, could constitute war crimes. Hezbollah continued to fire rockets and drones into northern Israel throughout the day. A woman was killed in northern Israel by Hezbollah fire on Tuesday night, an attack that injured two others as well. The woman was the first person killed by Hezbollah in Israel since the group launched rockets at Israel on 2 March, triggering an Israeli military campaign. So far Israeli strikes have killed 1,094 people and wounded 3,119 in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The Iranian health ministry reports that at least 1,500 people have been killed in Iran. According to Israel, 20 people have died in the war, including two soldiers in Lebanon. At least 13 US military personnel have been killed, as well as more than a dozen people across the occupied West Bank and Gulf states.

Skeleton of Three Musketeers hero d’Artagnan may have been found

More than three-and-a-half centuries after a musket ball to the throat put an end to decades of exemplary swashbuckling, the French soldier who inspired Alexandre Dumas and went on to be immortalised on the stage and screen – not to mention as a plucky cartoon dog – may rise again. Workers repairing a church in the Dutch city of Maastricht have discovered a skeleton that could belong to the 17th-century Gascon nobleman Charles de Batz-Castelmore – better known as d’Artagnan – whose exploits led Dumas to make him the hero of the Three Musketeers. The real-life d’Artagnan was a spy and musketeer for King Louis XIV who died during the siege of Maastricht in 1673. Three hundred and fifty-three years later, the longstanding mystery of where the warrior came to be buried may finally have been solved, thanks to a set of bones found under a collapsed church floor. Wim Dijkman, a retired archaeologist from Maastricht who has spent 28 years searching for the musketeer’s final resting place, was called to the Church of St Peter and St Paul in the Wolder district of the city after the deacon told him a skeleton had turned up. “A section of the floor in the church had subsided, and during the repair work, we discovered a skeleton,” Deacon Jos Valke told the local L1 Nieuws broadcaster. “I immediately called Wim because he has been working on d’Artagnan for more than 20 years.” Valke said several clues pointed to the skeleton belonging to the famous musketeer. “He lay buried under the altar in consecrated ground,” he said. “There was a French coin from that time in the grave. And the bullet that killed him was lying at chest level, exactly as described in the history books. The indications are very strong.” The skeleton has been removed from the church and is now in an archaeological institute in Deventer. A DNA sample taken from the skeleton on 13 March is being analysed in a laboratory in Munich. It will then be tested alongside DNA samples provided by descendants of d’Artagnan’s father to determine whether there is a match. Dijkman said that while he understood the news value of the possible discovery, he was anxiously waiting for the lab results. “It is an incredibly exciting story, after all,” he told L1 Nieuws. “This is about the most famous and well-known person linked to Maastricht. [But] I’m always very cautious, I’m a scientist.” Interest in the potential discovery is certainly not limited to Maastricht. Dijkman said: “All kinds of analyses and investigations are under way both domestically and abroad. It has truly turned into a top-level investigation. We want to be absolutely certain that it is d’Artagnan.” The soldier achieved huge posthumous fame after Dumas published the Three Musketeers in 1844. Dumas had taken inspiration from an earlier book on the musketeer, Mémoires de M. d’Artagnan, which was written in 1700 by the French soldier and writer Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras. Dumas’s book has been adapted for the screen numerous times over the past century, with d’Artagnan being played by actors including Douglas Fairbanks, Michael York, Chris O’Donnell, Logan Lerman and François Civil. The character was also reimagined as the eponymous, sword-wielding beagle in the early 1980s animated series Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds. Agence France-Presse contributed to this report

Denmark’s prime minister given first chance at forming government after election

Denmark’s outgoing prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has been given the first shot at forming another coalition government after an election which saw her leftwing bloc and the opposing rightwing parties fail to win a parliamentary majority. A statement released by the Danish palace on Wednesday said Frederiksen had been asked to see if she could pull together a new majority involving her Social Democrats, who had their worst general election since 1903 but remain the biggest force in parliament. The path ahead is not straightforward and the coalition talks could last for weeks. Earlier on Wednesday, Frederiksen said voters had handed leaders a “troublesome” result but that a “government must be formed”. Speaking in a debate involving the 12 party leaders in Copenhagen, she added: “The world is not waiting for us out there, and it has only become even more restless than when the election was called.” Frederiksen had said she would start exploring the possibility of forming a left-leaning government with the support of Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s centre-right Moderates. The failure of the left-leaning “red bloc” and right-leaning “blue bloc”, which won 84 seats and 77 seats respectively, to get a majority in the 179-seat parliament left the Moderates, with 14 seats, in a potentially powerful position to play a key role in forming a new coalition, putting Rasmussen, a committed centrist, in the position of kingmaker. In his election night speech he appealed to Frederiksen and Troels Lund Poulsen, the leader of the liberal Venstre party, with whom he has been in coalition for more than three years, to “come down from the trees” and join him in the centre ground. “What is clear – with all conceivable reservations – I think is that there is no red majority to the left of us, and there is no black-blue majority to the right of us,” he said, to cheers. Rasmussen was the foreign minister in the last government and has twice been prime minister. Frederiksen addressed her party at the Social Democrats’ gathering at Christiansborg in the early hours of the morning, saying the results were not as good as she had hoped but were “OK”. “We reach out for responsibility – even when it comes at a price. I am still prepared to take on the job as Denmark’s prime minister. There is just no indication that it will be easy,” she said. Poulsen said he was still a candidate for prime minister and ruled out forming a coalition with the Social Democrats. He told supporters: “We need a new government. And that’s also why I’m happy that Venstre has become the largest blue party.” Coalition negotiations are expected to take weeks. Among the election’s biggest winners was the Green Left, which for the first time became the second largest party in Folketing, the Danish parliament. They are believed to have benefited from leftwing voters deserting the Social Democrats after their three years in a centrist coalition, during which time Frederiksen doubled down on her hardline stance on immigration. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the far-right Danish People’s party (DPP) increased its support since the last election from five to 16 seats. The number is still far from the party’s peak levels of support in 2015, when it won 37 seats and 21% of the vote. Naaja Nathanielsen, a high-profile minister from the Greenlandic party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), won one of the Arctic island’s two seats in the Danish parliament. The other was won – for the first time – by a representative of the independence party Naleraq, meaning that a critic of the Copenhagen-Nuuk union will be sitting in parliament at crucial time in the kingdom’s history. Naleraq secured 24.6% of the vote in Greenland, a sharp increase from 12.2% in the 2022 election. “It is a very clear signal that the status quo is not acceptable,” the party’s new MP, Qarsoq Høegh-Dam, told Reuters.