Iran’s deputy foreign minister has warned the US it faces another Vietnam if it puts boots on the ground in the war.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, speaking in his office in Tehran, told me that Iran was willing to fight as long as needed and the country was not currently focused on a diplomatic solution.

The deputy FM was not ruling out negotiations but made it clear it was for America, and its allies, to come forward with a proposal that ends the conflict once and for all.

But, when asked about the possibility of US troops on the ground, his message for Donald Trump was clear: “Just read what happened in Vietnam.”

Iran war latest: Trump threatens NATO

American soldiers, he said, could face a similar fate in Iran: “They understand those that dragged them into this war can drag them also into a quagmire.”

His defiance comes after two weeks of devastating conflict that has left nearly 1,500 Iranians killed in the war with the US and Israel and millions of Iranians displaced.

It has also claimed nearly 1,000 non-Iranian lives. This includes at least 886 people killed in Lebanon, 30 in Iraq, seven in the United Arab Emirates, six in Kuwait, 12 in Israel, four in Syria, two in Oman, two in Saudi Arabia, and two in Bahrain.

Thirteen US service members have also died, as well as one French soldier.

Watch Sky News’ full interview with Iran’s deputy foreign minister

Mr Khatibzadeh also blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for dragging the US into the war.

“They should think twice when dealing with Iran and not take advice by those who don’t know Iran, who wanted for decades to win a war against Iran with American taxpayers and American soldiers’ blood.

“Netanyahu and the Israeli regime has its own agenda to make this war a win for them at the expense of everyone.”

As for the health of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the deputy foreign minister insisted he was “healthy and in charge” despite him not making a public appearance yet.

Ben Needham was aged 21 months when he disappeared on the Greek island of Kos in 1991

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The mother of a boy who went missing in 1991 is anxiously waiting for a DNA test on a man who could be him. Ben Needham from Sheffield, disappeared on the Greek island of Kos on July 24, 1991, aged 21 months.

Now over 20 years later, Kerry Needham has seen his photos which bear an ‘uncanny’ resemblance to her family. According to the Mirror, she says the images sent to her also look like her missing son’s age progression image.

His family, including Kerry’s parents and two brothers, had moved to Kos before he went missing to start a new life.

Despite one of the longest missing person investigations in British history – including two excavations at the farmhouse where he was last seen – his whereabouts remain unknown. Recently police in the US have been investigating claims of a sighting, amid claims he could have been illegally adopted but their investigation had stalled.

Illegal adoption in the US during the 1980s and 1990s has been connected to international child trafficking scandals. Private adoption agencies and lawyers often bypassed regulations, matching stolen children with American parents.

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Now Kerry has been contacted by a woman claiming her boyfriend could be one of those illegally adopted children. She wrote to Kerry, saying her adopted boyfriend ‘looks exactly like this future drawing’ and explained he was ‘supposedly adopted in 1993’.

“He has always had questions about his adoption and his adopted parents.” She claimed they wouldn’t give him his birth certificate and acted “insane” when he asked.

“I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, especially Kerry’s, but I feel like he is Ben. He is really hoping so as well… There are too many coincidences to ignore this.”

Reacting to the development, Kerry said: “This is another mystery email from a similar area and sounds pretty genuine. This man was adopted. I’m not going to sit here and get my hopes up but there are similarities. There are things not quite right about it, it can’t be ignored. It probably isn’t Ben but this is again out of the blue and again it’s America.

“More and more lately there have been some bizarre links with the US. He has agreed to have his DNA taken but doesn’t want any publicity.”

Now Kerry may be facing weeks of waiting for Interpol to arrange the DNA test.

“The next step is to hopefully obtain a DNA sample through a request via Interpol. This process can take time, but we are grateful that things are now moving forward again and that there is still a path towards getting the answers we’ve all been hoping for.

“Out of respect for his privacy and well-being, we won’t be sharing any personal details about him. What matters most is making sure he feels supported and protected throughout this process.

“We want him to know that he is not alone in this. We will continue to do everything we can to support him and help guide this process in the most respectful and careful way possible.

“Thank you to everyone who continues to follow, care, and offer support to our family. We’ve been here many times before. It’s an anxious time, you are on edge, waiting.

“We have been down this road before and I feel for the person in question as they have not been down this road before. He must be nervous.”

Kerry urges anyone to take a look at Ben’s website and the photos to see if they can help put an end to her nightmare, which began 35 years ago in July..

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PC Rhys Gravell-Williams was in London when he jumped into action

A Welsh police officer saved a woman’s life when he kicked down her door and saved her from a fire in a London hotel. PC Rhys Gravell-Williams, from Brecon, was staying in London to help the Metropolitan police cover Palestine Action protests when he jumped into action.

The 36-year-old was asleep in his hotel room in early September when he woke at 3am to the sound of fire alarms going off in his hotel room.

He said: “At first I thought it was just protocol and that someone must be smoking. It was such a big hotel I thought someone had just triggered the activation alarm.

“Then as time went by I heard people rushing down the hallway so I got changed, came out of my door, and looked up to my right-hand side. They said: ‘There is a fire in this hotel room’.

“The door was on the emergency latch – it was open a couple of inches. I pushed the door open slightly and started shouting to hear if there were any voices.

“There was no response but there was a massive amount of water from the sprinklers coming from the ceiling and coming out underneath the door. There was also a lot of steam so I wasn’t too sure if there was a fire or not.”

The police officer asked staff whether they had an emergency key but they did not. He then made the decision to enter the room to preserve life as he believed there was someone in there due to how it had been blocked. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here.

PC Gravell-Williams said the staff didn’t want to damage the door but he said the damage could be replaced and his intincts kicked in prompting him to kick the door down.

As him and another officer tried to find their way through the pitch-black room they had to contest with “steam and sprinklers going off everywhere”.

When he got into the main room he found a woman during an apparent suicide attempt. He leapt into action and led her out down the fire escape.

PC Gravell-Williams said his actions had just been “natural instinct”.

After his heroic rescue he then completed a 24-hour shift.

Reflecting on when he met up with his colleagues afterwards he said: “When they saw me, because of the sprinkler system and the dirt, I was absolutely stinking and soaking.

“When I have come back to Wales at my home station I got a good reception. I think what happened spread like wildfire if I am honest.”

Hours after the rescue he was sitting with colleagues when Metropolitan Police commissioner Mark Rowley approached their table to personally recognise PC Gravell-Williams’ actions.

He said Mr Rowley told him: ‘I just want to congratulate you on what happened this morning.”

PC Gravell-Williams added: “Following that the assistant chief, who is also gold command, came up and asked me to come down to meet everyone but I couldn’t as I was being deployed.

“Mark Rowley said he would be writing a letter to the chief constable at Dyfed-Powys and he would be passing on his thanks and that he would be recommending me for a commendation.

“It caught me off-guard. I never expected to meet him – it felt like a big achievement. I think it was my proudest moment.”

Chief constable Ifan Charles of Dyfed-Powys Police praised the officer for his “exemplary bravery and quick thinking”.

He added: “Demonstrating unwavering commitment to duty PC Gravell-Williams thereafter continued his shift, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the community.

“This remarkable display of dedication and resilience reflects the highest standards and PC Gravell-Williams serves as an inspiring example to all.”

Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled or delayed Monday as powerful storms swept across the eastern half of the country and a partial government shutdown affecting airport security screeners dragged into a second month.

The disruptions come at an already challenging time for air travel, in part because the shutdown that began Feb. 14 has strained staffing at some security checkpoints. At the same time, airports are crowded with spring break travelers and fans heading to March Madness games, the annual NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments.

Flight delays and cancellations piled up Monday at some of the nation’s largest airports, including those in New York, Chicago and Atlanta. The storm system that dropped snow by the foot in the Midwest was barreling toward the East Coast with dangerously high winds and the potential for “producing strong and long track tornadoes,” the National Weather Service warned Monday.

More than 3,600 flights scheduled to fly into, out of or within the U.S. on Monday have been called off, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. Roughly 6,800 other U.S. flights were delayed.

Kelly Price, who was trying to get home to Colorado after a family vacation in Orlando, Florida, said her Sunday night flight wasn’t canceled until early Monday.

The storms are also unfolding just as airport security screeners missed their first full paycheck over the weekend. The current partial government shutdown affects only the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Transportation Security Administration. It is the third shutdown in less than a year to leave TSA workers temporarily without pay. Once the government reopens, employees will have to wait for back pay.

Democrats in Congress have said Homeland Security won’t get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Some airports have reported longer security lines because of staffing shortages as more TSA workers take on second jobs, can’t afford gas to get to work or leave the profession altogether. Homeland Security has said more than 300 TSA agents have quit since the start of the shutdown.

The airport in Austin, Texas, shared a video on X taken at 5:30 a.m. local time showing the security line spilling out of the airport.

“We continue to recommend arriving 2 1/2 hours before your domestic flight,” Austin-Bergstrom International Airport said.

Travelers flying out of Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans on Sunday and Monday were also advised to arrive at least three hours early.

“Due to impacts from the federal government’s partial shutdown, there continues to be a shortage of TSA workers at the security checkpoint,” the airport said on X.

Also over the weekend, the CEOs of the nation’s top airlines — including Delta, American, United and Southwest — implored Congress to restore funding to Homeland Security and embrace a bipartisan solution that would ensure pay for federal aviation workers during future government shutdowns.

“It’s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid,” the executives wrote in an open letter to Congress.

“The plans for Jennings Park are exciting and long overdue.”

Major Stormont funding could be set to for a Newry sports hub on grounds named after legendary Northern Ireland goalkeeper Pat Jennings.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s active and healthy communities committee agreed on Tuesday to apply for Department for Communities funding but discussed a report on the project budget behind closed doors away from the public.

A business case for the Newry sports hub was approved in 2024 for the development of playing fields for football, rugby and GAA at Jennings Park.

READ MORE: Concerns raised at NI council over number of closed-door debates.

READ MORE: Popular breakwater pier could be closed to the public after 50 years over £350,000 repair bill.

A council officer said: “DfC Department for Communities has launched a funding grant for grassroots football facilities.

“Officers have looked at it and identified Jennings Park Newry as part of the multi-hub that meets the criteria set out by the funders in ‘Stream 2’.

“If the committee agrees, officers will submit an application before the deadline later this year on 29 April.”

Earlier this month, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons announced the next milestone in the Northern Ireland Football Fund with the pilot stage of the Grassroots Facilities Programme.

The pilot will be allocated an indicative budget of £9million with the first awards payable to applicants as early as this financial year. Applicants can apply for funding awards between £500,000 and £1.5million.

In November 2023, a statue of the former Arsenal and Spurs goalkeeper was unveiled outside Newry Town Hall with Jennings and his family in attendance as well as former stars of soccer, Liam Brady, Gerry Armstrong and Ledley King paying tribute to one of the greatest keepers of all time.

Newry Sinn Fein councillor Aidan Mathers added:”I am happy to propose this. The plans for Jennings Park are exciting and long overdue. It is vitally important that communication around the progress of this initiative is shared especially by the people who are going to be affected by it.”

Stream 2 of the DfC funding scheme is open to councils applying for a grassroots football facility or councils applying in partnership with a grassroots football club.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The concession has been in place for a number of years, allowing highly skilled shearers to work in the UK during the sheep shearing season.

The Home Office announced in January that it would be ending the concession. However, this prompted concern in the sector and in Northumberland due to a gap in the workforce.

Ensuring that sheep are shorn in a timely manner is vital to safeguard the animal’s welfare, as it prevents issues with heat stress and fly strike.

Shearers from New Zealand have been coming to stay in the Coquet Valley for more than 30 years.

Last year, six shearers from New Zealand stayed in Coquetdale for three months and sheared nearly 90,000 sheep across farms stretching from the Scottish Borders to County Durham.

Following criticism, the Home Office has confirmed the concession would be extended for one more year.

However, the industry has been told it will need to create a “fully sustained” UK workforce in the future.

A spokesman said: “The sector has been supported for 14 years to enable it to train up British workers, reduce reliance on migrant labour, and provide a fully sustained workforce within the UK,” said a spokesman.

“A final extension has been provided to the sector. We now expect the sector to complete its transition to using domestic labour.”

Northumberland MPs Joe Morris and David Smith, who represent the rural Hexham and North Northumberland constituencies respectively, welcomed the news.

In a joint statement, the Labour MPs said: “This is good news. We know how important these shearers are for local farms and we’ve been speaking with the Government about the visa scheme since the first announcement.

“After we raised this with the Home Office we’re very pleased that the Government has listened and continued the scheme for one more year. Thank you to the farmers who first raised this issue with us.”

Rothbury councillor Steven Bridgett had written to both MPs urging them to lobby the Government to reinstate the concession.

He said he was “pleased”that the Government had withdrawn the proposals for the coming year.

However, he added he was “disappointed” not to have received any response to his letter from either MP.

Most coffee shops will give you a discount if you bring in a reusable coffee cup, as it reduces the number of takeaway cups that end up in landfill. Disposable coffee cups can’t be recycled with paper and cardboard, because they have a plastic inner coating. Given that Britons drink almost 100 million cups of coffee per day (according to the British Coffee Association), that’s a lot of waste.

One way to reduce your footprint is by investing in one of the best reusable coffee cups or travel mugs (some of which double as reusable water bottles). Costing between £5 and £40, they come in a range of materials, shapes and sizes. Often, the coffee tastes better than in the cardboard-plastic cups. Plus if you make your brew in a coffee machine at home, you can take it on the go. 

The best reusable coffee cups: At a glance:

How to choose a reusable coffee cup

We like a stainless steel, leak-proof cup that holds under 500ml – compact enough to be tossed into a work bag or carried on a morning commute without fear of leaks or bulk. Of course, personal preference plays a big part in choosing the right reusable coffee cup.

The market now offers an impressive range of sustainable options, with most falling into two broad categories. The first includes cups with thermal linings that keep coffee hot for hours, ideal for those who sip slowly throughout the day or face long journeys between refills.

The second type lacks insulation, meaning the coffee needs to be enjoyed relatively quickly, much like a traditional mug or takeaway cup. The latter are typically cheaper and lighter, and many coffee lovers argue they provide a better drinking experience since the liquid cools to a comfortable temperature more quickly.

How we test reusable coffee cups

He was involved in two altercations, one being while on bail

A violent 18-year-old drug dealer has been jailed after a firearm was discharged in a Peterborough park. The teenager was sent to prison after being involved in two altercations, one being while on bail.

Hamdard Khan, was part of a group involved in an altercation in Central Park in the early hours of March 9 last year. It was reported a firearm had been discharged and police arrived to discover a folding lock knife and five spent firearm casings.

Khan was identified from CCTV footage and his home in Thistlemoor Road, New England, Peterborough, was searched. Officers discovered cocaine and heroin worth £1,310, more than £400 in cash, 60 blank firing rounds that matched those found at the scene, a machete and an extendable baton.

Khan, now of Scotswood Crescent, Leicester, was charged with possession with intent to supply crack cocaine, supplying heroin and supplying cocaine. While on court bail, on November 26, Khan and another man, Rihaem Khan, 23, were involved in an altercation with a group of people in Geneva Street, Peterborough.

Pieces of wood were used during the melee, a knife was seen and the older man was captured on CCTV throwing multiple punches, before picking up a brick from the ground. Two people suffered minor injuries, one requiring hospital treatment for a cut to his head.

Hamdard Khan admitted the drug offences and an additional count of affray following the incident in November. On Friday, March 13, at Cambridge Crown Court, he was jailed for 26 months. At the same hearing Rihaem Khan, of no known address, was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, having previously admitted affray.

DC Nik Loizou said: “This was a worrying incident for local residents, with a firearm being discharged in a popular public place.

“Hamdard Khan was clearly involved in supplying class A drugs, with the evidence giving him little choice but to plead guilty. These substances lead to addiction and misery, as they destroy lives and contribute to crime in the city.”

Ripon Grammar School, in Clotherholme Road, has shared its intention to open its doors again after having to close today (March 16) for a gas leak.

The school posted a notice on its official Facebook page on Sunday evening, letting parents and students know that the building would be closed until the site was made safe.

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This afternoon, the school has updated their page to let people know that following work by gas engineers, the leak has been isolated and made safe.

They said: “Catering facilities, however, will be limited while repair work continues, so could students please bring a packed lunch to school tomorrow. Thank you, once again, for your cooperation.”

The school added that boarding students would be able to return to their houses this evening, with separate arrangements for catering.