At 7:03 PM – Trump says 34 ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday
Donald Trump assured on his Truth Social platform that 34 ships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz the day before, “by far the highest number since the beginning of this unjustifiable closure” by Iran.
The American president ordered a blockade of Iranian ports from 2:00 PM GMT, following the failure of talks with Tehran in Pakistan.
At 6:27 PM – Israel claims to have hit 150 Hezbollah targets in 24 hours
The Israeli army announced that it had targeted about 150 Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon in the last 24 hours, “in many areas,” on the eve of planned negotiations between Israel and Beirut in Washington. The army also stated that it had dismantled “terrorist cells” of the pro-Iranian movement, “which were trying to carry out a terrorist attack against Israeli army soldiers.”
At 5:54 PM – China makes ceasefire maintenance its absolute priority
China’s foreign minister declared that maintaining the ceasefire between the United States and Iran is the “absolute priority” to achieve a resolution to the conflict. He emphasized the importance of preventing hostilities and preserving the ceasefire momentum.
At 5:28 PM – More than 250 Hezbollah fighters killed
The Israeli army confirmed the killing of five Hezbollah commanders during massive simultaneous strikes in Lebanon last Wednesday, along with over 250 fighters from the Iranian-backed movement. Lebanese authorities reported more than 350 deaths and over 1200 injuries during the unprecedented raids since early March.
At 4:35 PM – Any Iranian warship forcing the blockade will be destroyed, according to Trump
Donald Trump threatened to destroy any “fast attack ship” from Iran forcing the American blockade imposed on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.
For more news updates, please visit La Croix’s website.
/2026/03/18/engrais-69ba46bcb3d63091379728.jpg "War in the Middle East: It is becoming too expensive to produce due to the rise in fertilizer prices, laments")
