By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - The United States will be "out of Iran pretty quickly" and could return for "spot hits" if needed, President Donald Trump told Reuters on Wednesday, hours before he was scheduled to make a primetime address to the nation.

Trump also said he would express his disgust with NATO for what he considers the alliance's lack of support for U.S. objectives in Iran. He said he is "absolutely" considering an attempt to withdraw the United States from NATO.

Whenever war rocks northern Israel, residents of Kiryat Shmona live their lives to the rhythm of rocket sirens. Young people have left the city, and those who remain feel neglected by the government.

Some mere three kilometres (nearly two miles) from Lebanon, this northern town is living through its second war in less than three years, not counting Israel's 12-day war with Iran last June, or the war with Hamas in Gaza.

By John Irish and Sam Tabahriti

PARIS/LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - Tensions between the United States and NATO allies flared up as President Donald Trump said he was considering pulling the U.S. out of the military alliance due to its European members' refusing to send ships to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.

NATO, which includes European countries, the United States and Canada, was formed in 1949 with the aim of countering the risk of Soviet attack and has been the cornerstone of the West's security ever since.

WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - Iran's new leader has just asked the United States for a ceasefire, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.

"We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion," he said.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey, writing by David Ljunggren, Editing by Louise Heavens)

Palestinian shops and public institutions were closed across the occupied West Bank Wednesday in protest of an Israeli law passed earlier this week permitting the execution of Palestinians convicted of deadly terror attacks.

In the Palestinian territory's main cities of Hebron, Ramallah, and Nablus, most stores were closed with their shutters down at midday, AFP journalists reported.

Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party had called for a general strike the previous day.

By Paolo Laudani

MADRID, April 1 (Reuters) - Spanish police launched an investigation on Wednesday into Islamophobic and xenophobic chants during Tuesday's friendly against Egypt which also drew sharp criticism from Spain's football officials and the government.

At the RCDE Stadium near Barcelona, the home ground of LaLiga club Espanyol, Spain supporters chanted "who doesn't jump is a Muslim" during the World Cup warm-up match which ended in a goalless draw.

In the security crackdown ordered by Iranian authorities since the start of the war, an unsettling new sight on the streets of Tehran has put residents on edge: teenagers armed with machine guns.

During the first weeks of the war against the United States and Israel, checkpoints sprang up around the capital, often comprising police or military vehicles, with traffic cones and barriers blocking the roads.

LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - British police said on Wednesday they had arrested three more men in connection with an arson attack on Jewish community ambulances in north London last month.

The ambulances were set on fire on March 23 in what British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as a "deeply shocking antisemitic arson attack".

SARAJEVO, April 1 (Reuters) - Bosnians woke with heavy heads and light hearts on Wednesday, buoyed by their soccer team's dramatic playoff shootout win over Italy that sent them to the World Cup finals for only the second time.

Celebrations went late into the night on Tuesday after teenager Esmir Bajraktarevic squeezed his penalty past Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure a shock victory over the four-times world champions and a place in this year's global showpiece tournament in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that the global instability caused by the war in Iran means Britain should align more closely with the European Union on security and economy, following criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump.

At a press conference aimed at easing public concern over rising energy costs, Starmer said the impact of the war would "define us for a generation" and could be similar to the rise in energy prices in the 1970s.