Iran war live: Marco Rubio tells Al Jazeera Trump prefers diplomacy
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Iran war live: Marco Rubio tells Al Jazeera Trump prefers diplomacy
AL Jazeera-March30th2026
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview that President Donald Trump prefers diplomacy as a way to end the conflict with Iran, and direct talks with Tehran are ongoing through intermediaries.
- Trump earlier threatened to target Iran’s civilian energy infrastructure including power plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- A fire broke out at the critical Bazan oil refinery in the northern Israeli city of Haifa following a missile attack.
- Kuwait says an Indian worker has been killed in an Iranian attack on a power and desalination plant as Gulf states report intercepting drones and missiles.
- Visit our live tracker for the latest casualty figures from across the region.
Rubio says status of Iran new supreme leader is uncertain
Asked by Al Jazeera about his thoughts on Iran’s new Supreme Leader Khamenei, Marco Rubio says his status remains unclear.
“We don’t even know he’s in power. I know they say he’s in power. No one has seen him. No one has heard from him is very opaque right now. It’s not quite clear how decisions are being made inside of Iran,” Rubio said
Dubai announces one-billion-dirham economic support package amid Iran war
Dubai has approved economic facilitation measures worth 1 billion dirhams ($272.26m) to support the business sector, with implementation set to begin on April 1 for a period of three to six months, Dubai Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed has posted on X.
The support measures aim to enhance the flexibility of the emirate’s economy, strengthen preparedness and enable businesses and families to navigate current economic conditions, as the emirate comes under frequent drone and missile attacks from Iran.
US ‘committed to finishing the job’ in Iran, Rubio says
The US secretary of state says the war on Iran was launched in order to protect the Middle East from turmoil and danger.
“Imagine five years from now, or three years from now, when they had more missiles, more drones, what they would have been willing to do to their neighbours and to us, that was intolerable. That’s why this needed to be done,” Rubio told Al Jazeera.
“Now the United States is committed to finishing the job. We’re working very closely with all of our allies… These are strong, stable countries in the region. These are our allies. These are our friends, and we’re going to continue to be there and support them as they face this onslaught.”
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