An explosion at a dry dock in New York City’s Staten Island killed one ​person and injured 36 others on Friday, ‌as the blast occurred while firefighters were on the scene responding to a fire and attempting to rescue ​two people who were trapped, officials said.

Two ​firefighters were hospitalized, including a fire marshal who ⁠suffered a fractured temple and a brain ​bleed and was intubated, officials said. The other ​firefighter was in serious condition but had shown improvement, officials said, Reuters reported.

“This was a complex, fast-developing emergency situation,” New York Mayor ​Zohran Mamdani told reporters.

“First responders did what they ​always do: they ran towards danger so others could escape ‌to ⁠safety.”

Officials did not provide details about the person who died except to say it was a civilian.

A comprehensive investigation would begin once the fire ​was completely ​extinguished, Mamdani ⁠said.

Firefighters had responded to reports of a fire in a basement and ​two workers trapped and were on ​scene when ⁠the explosion occurred, officials said.

The incident took place in the Richmond Terrace section of the borough of ⁠Staten ​Island, a part of New ​York City that is across the harbor from Manhattan.

The United States will be sending an additional 5,000 troops ​to Poland, U.S. President Donald Trump said on ‌Thursday.

Trump, in a Truth Social post, cited his relationship with Poland’s conservative nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, as the reason behind his decision ​to send additional troops.

The announcement comes two days ​after U.S. Vice President JD Vance told reporters a ⁠U.S. troop deployment to Poland had been delayed.

The U.S. ​had been reviewing its troop presence in Europe and had ​long been expected to scale it back following demands from Trump that NATO take a larger role in the defense of Europe.

“Based ​on the successful Election of the now President of ​Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship ‌with ⁠him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” Trump said in the post.

Trump hosted Nawrocki at the White ​House in May ​last year ⁠and backed him at a crucial moment ahead of the Polish election in which Nawrocki ​went on to defeat the candidate of Polish ​Prime ⁠Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-European, centrist party.

He met Nawrocki again at the White House in September, and said at the time that ⁠the ​U.S. could increase its troop presence ​in Poland and pledged to secure the country’s defense.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States was ready to proceed with further attacks ​on Tehran if Iran did not agree to a peace deal, but suggested Washington could wait a few days to “get the right answers.”

Speaking to reporters, Trump said the situation was “right on the ‌borderline” and could escalate quickly, Reuters reported.

Six weeks after he paused Operation Epic Fury for a ceasefire, talks to end the war have shown little progress, while soaring gasoline prices have weighed on the president’s approval ratings.

“Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” he said at Joint Base Andrews. Asked how long he would wait, Trump said, “It could be a few days, but it could go very quickly.”

Iran warned against renewed attacks. “If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region ​this time,” the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.

Trump reiterated his determination not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. “We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens. Either have a deal or ​we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won’t happen,” Trump told reporters earlier in the day. “Ideally I’d like to see few ⁠people killed, as opposed to a lot. We can do it either way.”

He spoke with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who welcomed the extension of the ceasefire and told Trump he thought a “reasonable solution” was possible, Ankara said.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer ​Qalibaf, Iran’s top peace negotiator, said in an audio message on social media that “obvious and hidden moves by the enemy” showed the Americans were preparing new attacks.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran remained open to negotiations, but added in an X ​post, “forcing Iran to surrender through coercion is nothing but an illusion.”

‘SUSPICION OVER AMERICA’S PERFORMANCE’

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran was pursuing negotiations “with seriousness and good faith, but it has strong and reasonable suspicion over America’s performance.”

In the latest diplomatic push, the interior minister of Pakistan – which hosted the only round of peace talks so far and has since been the conduit for messages between the sides – was in Tehran on Wednesday.

Baghaei said Washington and Tehran continued to exchange messages through the Pakistani minister’s mediation.

Iran submitted a new offer to the U.S. this ​week. Tehran’s descriptions suggest it largely repeats terms previously rejected by Trump, including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Trump on ​Tuesday said he had been an hour away from ordering attacks this week in response to requests from several of Iran’s Gulf neighbours.

CHINESE TANKERS CROSS STRAIT

Iran has largely shut the Strait of Hormuz to all ships apart from its own since the U.S.-Israeli attacks ‌began on February ⁠28, causing the biggest disruption to global energy supplies in history. The U.S. responded last month with its own blockade of Iran’s ports.

Iran on Wednesday released a map showing a “controlled maritime zone” at the strait and said transit would require authorization from the newly created authority. It says it aims to reopen the strait to friendly countries that abide by its terms. That could potentially include fees for access, which Washington says would be unacceptable.

Two giant Chinese tankers laden with a total of around 4 million barrels of oil exited the strait on Wednesday. Iran had announced last week, while Trump was in Beijing for a summit, that it had agreed to ease rules for Chinese ships.

South Korea’s foreign minister said on Wednesday a ​Korean tanker was crossing the strait in cooperation with Iran.

Shipping ​monitor Lloyd’s List said at least 54 ships had ⁠transited the strait last week, about double the previous week. Iran said 26 ships had crossed in the past 24 hours, still only a fraction of the 140 per day before the war.

PRESSURE TO END WAR

Trump is under pressure to end the war, with soaring energy prices hurting his Republican Party ahead of congressional elections in November.

“Investors are keen to ​gauge whether Washington and Tehran can actually find common ground and reach a peace agreement, with the U.S. stance shifting daily,” said Toshitaka Tazawa, an analyst at Fujitomi ​Securities.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told ⁠Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that he viewed elevated yields and headline inflation as “transient” and they will subside when the conflict ends.

“The strait will open, and we’ll normalize energy prices,” he said.

The U.S.-Israeli bombing killed thousands of people in Iran before it was suspended in a ceasefire in early April. Israel has also killed thousands more and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes in Lebanon, which it invaded in pursuit of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Iranian strikes on Israel and neighbouring Gulf states have ⁠killed dozens of ​people.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said when they launched the war that their aims were to curb Iran’s support for regional militias, ​dismantle its nuclear programme, destroy its missile capabilities and make it easier for Iranians to topple their rulers.

But Iran has so far retained its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, and its ability to threaten neighbours with missiles, drones and proxy militias. Its clerical rulers, who put down a mass ​uprising at the start of the year, have faced no sign of organised opposition since the war began.