Thousands of Iranians held Eid al-Fitr prayers on Saturday to mark the end of the Ramadan fast, against the backdrop of war with the United States and Israel, which reportedly carried out a strike on Iran's Natanz nuclear site.

Iran's supreme leader traditionally leads Eid prayers but Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who came to power earlier this month after his father was killed in a US-Israeli strike, has remained out of the public eye.

By Pesha Magid and Rami Ayyub

JERUSALEM, March 21 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's Board of Peace has presented Hamas with a written proposal on how it could lay down its weapons, two sources said, a step the Palestinian militants have thus far refused to take as the U.S. president pushes on with his plan for Gaza's future.

The proposal, first reported by NPR, was submitted to Hamas during meetings in Cairo over the past week, one of the sources said. The talks were attended by Nickolay Mladenov and Aryeh Lightstone, the two sources familiar with the matter said.

By Alex Lawler and Arathy Somasekhar

March 21 - The war in the Middle East has triggered a nightmare scenario for the global energy system, slashing so much supply that consumers around the world must both pay up big and lower consumption.

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel along the Iranian coast, has stopped the passage of 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas since the U.S. and Israel began airstrikes on Iran on February 28.

By Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Samia Nakhoul and Maya Gebeily

BEIRUT, March 21 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) rebuilt Hezbollah's military command after it was mauled by Israel in 2024, plugging gaps with Iranian officers before restructuring the Lebanese group and laying plans for the war it is now waging in support of Tehran, two people familiar with these IRGC activities said.

By Guy Faulconbridge and Marina Bobrova

MOSCOW, March 21 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putincongratulated Iranian leaders on Nowruz and said Moscow remained a loyal friend and reliable partner to Tehran, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

The extent of Moscow's support for Iran, though, is in dispute. Some Iranian sources have said that they have had little real help from Moscow in the biggest crisis for Iran since the U.S.-backed Shah was toppled in the 1979 revolution.

Israel launched fresh strikes on Tehran and Beirut on Saturday after US President Donald Trump said he was considering "winding down" military operations against Iran following three weeks of war.

After Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight, the Israeli military said it had carried out strikes on what it called "regime targets" in Iran's capital, which has been under bombardment since a US-Israeli attack started the war on February 28.

March 20 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the aim of Donald Trump's Board of Peace to fund and deliver the basics of a Gaza reconstruction plan to rebuild Palestinian homes and infrastructure, Politico reported on Saturday.

-“There is an objective there that was defined, approved by the Security Council, and we are cooperating actively with structures created by the Board of Peace,” Guterres told the news outlet in an interview.

By Jana Choukeir, Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - The Israeli military struck Iran and Beirut on Saturday as the U.S. was sending thousands more Marines to the Middle East and President Donald Trump accused NATO allies of cowardice over their reluctance to help open the Strait of Hormuz.

More than 2,000 people have been killed since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, while Americans appear increasingly concerned at signs the war could expand further as it enters its fourth week.

March 21 (Reuters) - The Israeli military said early on Saturday it was striking Hezbollah targets in Beirut, after issuing an evacuation warning for seven neighborhoods in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israel has been stepping up airstrikes against Lebanon in the third week of its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah.

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday gave a 30-day authorization for the delivery and sale of crude oil and petroleum products of Iranian-origin loaded vessels, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Jasper Ward; Editing by Chris Reese)