Iran accuses US of plotting ground assault while publicly seeking talks

Tehran says it will confront any land attack, as Houthi missiles fired at Israel signal further escalation in region Middle East crisis – live updates Iran has warned the US that it is prepared to confront any ground assault, accusing Washington of secretly planning a land attack while publicly seeking talks, as the war that has killed thousands of people and caused the biggest-ever disruption to global energy supplies entered its second month. As efforts to find a negotiated conclusion to hostilities inched forward with a meeting of regional powers in Pakistan, there were signs of further escalation over the weekend as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis entered the conflict for the first time, and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said his country was widening its invasion of southern Lebanon. Continue reading...