US claims it’s ‘winning’ Iran war after 15,000 strikes, says new supreme leader ‘likely disfigured’ (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

13 March 2026

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has lashed out at the media for not being positive enough about the ongoing US-Israeli attack on Iran. Speaking at a press briefing, Hegseth insisted that the US has been “decimating the radical Iranian regime’s military in a way the world has never seen before,” and dismissed the assessments that Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz for shipping. 

“The only thing prohibiting transit in the Straits right now is Iran shooting at shipping. It is open for transit, should Iran not do that,” Hegseth stated.

Another Iranian missile with a separating warhead has been spotted deploying in the skies above Tel Aviv, Newsmax correspondent Zach Anders has reported. Over a dozen explosions were heard to the south of the city during the attack, he wrote on X.

Ankara will not be drawn into the Israeli-US war on Iran, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Earlier today, Türkiye said a third ballistic missile allegedly shot from Iran had been shot down.

“During this process, we are engaging in all preventative actions against any threats towards our airspace, just as we did last night,” Erdogan said.

He added that the government’s overriding aim is to keep Türkiye from being pulled into the widening regional conflict.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen has urged Congress not to fund the Trump administration’s assault on Iran.

“The best way to protect our troops, end the killing of school children and civilians, reduce skyrocketing oil and gas prices, and stop wasting billions of taxpayer dollars is to cut off the funding,” he wrote on X.

In the US system, Congress is responsible for allocating funds for the federal government, which includes the Pentagon. Since Trump’s Republican Party controls both the Senate and the House of Representatives, it is unlikely that Democrats will be able to successfully defund the war.

There have been no indications that Iran is “any closer” to creating nuclear weapons, Naeem Salik, Executive Director at the Strategic Vision Institute of Pakistan, has told RT on the sidelines of the Valdai forum. 

“As far as Iran is concerned, just last June we heard that we [the US] have decimated their nuclear facilities and their capability, and they have been set back by many years. And suddenly you hear that they are just one week away from making a nuclear weapon. One of those two claims is going to be wrong, both cannot be correct,” he stated.

The US Department of State has offered a bounty of up to $10 million for information on Iran’s top leadership, promising “reward and relocation” for informants. The department urged the potential tipsters to contact it through its “Tor-based tipline” or Signal messenger.

Trump has dismissed the idea that Ukraine plays a role in helping defend against Iranian drone threats.

“We don’t need their help in drone defense,” Trump said. “We know more about drones than anybody. We have the best drones in the world.”

According to Zelensky, the reality on the ground looks different. Last week, he claimed that 11 countries had tapped Kiev for help in how to counter Iranian drones, but without mentioning the US, however.

Allegations that the IAEA had something to do with information about Iran having nuclear weapons are false and incorrect, Tariq Rauf, ex-head of Verification and Security Policy at the IAEA, has told RT.

The IDF has claimed it killed two top Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon “who were responsible for rocket fire on Israel.”

The strike took out Rahif Ali Qassem, the chief of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile unit in the Badr regional division, and Mohammad Baqer Ahmad Ali, the unit’s “firepower management commander,” the IDF said.

The IDF has claimed that Hezbollah is launching most of its rocket and drone attacks on Israel from deeper within southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, Lebanese government figures show that nearly 700 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since February 28.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been “wounded,” US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has claimed.

During a news conference at the Pentagon, Hegseth said Khamenei is “likely disfigured.”

The Pentagon chief did not provide evidence for his assessment, and Iran has not given any details about Khamenei’s condition. Iranian leaders also did not immediately respond to Hegseth’s claims.

Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, has ridiculed Pentagon chief Hegseth’s claim that Iranian leaders are hiding “like rats,” highlighting that several top officials, including President Pezeshkian, had made public appearances at a rally in Tehran.

”Mr. Hegseth! Our leaders have been, and still are, among the people. But your leaders? On Epstein’s island!” he wrote on X, referring to the late sex offender who had close ties to many politicians in the US and alleged connections to Israel's Mossad spy agency.

Conditions to end the war in the Middle East include reparations, security guarantees to Iran and recognition of its sovereignty, Tehran's envoy to Russia Kazem Jalali has told RT.

“The countries and the people who are suffering from the rise in oil prices must pay attention to the root problem in the region,” he added.

Vladimir Zelensky is less than happy about the impact the US-Israeli war on Iran is having on his country. The politician claimed the situation is “not good for Ukraine.”

“It's understandable that the attention of the world [is] moving to [the] Middle East. It's not good for us,” Zelensky told students in Paris during a speech at Sciences Po university.

While the world is watching the Middle East burn, at least 23 Russian civilians have been killed in Ukrainian strikes, some with the use of Western-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

RT has been closely monitoring these developments, documenting a pattern of strikes that have targeted civilians and infrastructure across Russian regions.

Several dozen people have reportedly been killed in Friday’s Israeli attacks on Beirut, as well as southern and eastern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese National News Agency. Multiple airstrikes were reported across the country throughout the day as Israeli warplanes targeted residential areas and hit several vehicles.

The death toll from Israeli attacks since February 28 has risen to more than 634 people, including nearly 100 children, Al Jazeera has reported citing local officials, while more than 800,000 people are believed to have been forcibly displaced by the Israeli attacks.

The Israeli Defense Force says it has identified missile launches from Iran heading towards Israel. In a statement on X, the IDF said its defense systems are operating to intercept the threat but requested that the public exercise “responsibility” and follow government directives to enter safe spaces and remain in them until further notice.

UAE air defenses are responding to incoming Iranian missile and drone threats, the country’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.
In a post on X, it stated that the sounds being heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting missiles and drones.
The UAE National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority has urged citizens to remain in a safe location and wait for updates.

US CENTCOM has announced that all six crew members of the US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker have been confirmed dead after the aircraft went down in “friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury” over western Iraq.

CENTCOM has not released any new details about the incident, stating it is still under investigation, but stressing that it was not due to friendly or hostile fire. The identities of the deceased are being temporarily withheld.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, were among the top Iranian officials marching through Tehran on Friday for the annual Quds Day rally.

Iranian Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Araghchi also attended the march and shared footage from the rally on social media, writing that “Iranians will ALWAYS stand firm and NEVER cower before cowardly attacks.”

During the march, which was dedicated to support for Palestine and opposition to Israeli control of Jerusalem, the US and Israel conducted several airstrikes on the Iranian capital, with at least one missile landing near the rally. One person was reportedly killed in the attack.

Iran has granted India safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran’s ambassador in New Delhi, Mohammad Fathali, has confirmed in a statement to RT.

“You will see it within two or three hours,” he said on Friday, adding that “Iran and India are friends” and share the same interests.

France and Italy have reportedly opened negotiations with Iran in hopes of receiving guarantees of safe passage for their ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the talks.

French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin had previously ruled out Paris sending naval vessels to the strategic waterway.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has claimed that Israel and the US are “winning” and have hit over 15,000 targets inside Iran since the war broke out.  

During a press briefing on Friday, he claimed that Iran’s military capability has been dramatically degraded and that its ballistic missile production has been eliminated, adding that Tehran is now using what is left of its munitions. 

Hegseth stated that Iran’s missile volume has decreased by 90% while the frequency of one-way attack drones is down 95% since the conflict kicked off.

The secretary also claimed that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been seriously wounded and is “likely disfigured.”

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi has stated that issue of Iran’s nuclear program has always been “problematic” and has accused the country of restricting the agency’s inspections, noting “serious concerns” over Tehran’s accumulation of weapons-grade uranium.

”To put them to rest, Iran needs to give us the necessary access, transparency, and credible assurances to the international community,” Grossi said on Friday, expressing regret over the “unfortunate” situation that has unfolded.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has blasted Washington’s decision to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian oil sales, demanding an explanation from the US about what “factors led the US government to make this decision,” arguing that there “is currently a price problem, but not a supply problem.”

Merz stated that the decision came as a surprise to the G7 group, which had strongly urged US President Donald Trump against easing pressure on Moscow.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere also objected to Washington's move on Friday, insisting that energy sanctions on Russia not be eased.

Israel has attacked a residential district in the city of Saida in the south of Lebanon. RT’s correspondent has shared videos of the aftermath of the airstrike.

Eyewitnesses say Israeli aircraft carried out several strikes on the al-Hibba neighborhood, which was completely shrouded in smoke after the attack.

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that the US Navy would be willing to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz if needed, echoing remarks made on Friday by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

At the same time, Trump insisted that oil tankers should “show some guts” and sail through the strait anyway, insisting there is “nothing to be afraid of” and that Iran has “no navy and we sunk all their ships.”

Iran had previously attacked several ships attempting to pass through the narrow waterway and has vowed to keep the strait closed for as long as the war continues.

The US Navy will escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Sky News on Friday, noting that some ships are already able to pass through the chokepoint, indicating that the straits have not been mined.

”My belief is that as soon as it is militarily possible, the US Navy, perhaps with an international coalition, will be escorting vessels through,” Bessent said.

Just the day before, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Washington was not ready to escort the ships because all of its military assets were focused on “destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and the industry that supplies them.” However, he suggested that the US Navy could be ready for escort operations by the end of the month.

More videos circulating online show US and Israeli airstrikes during the government-organized Quds Day rally in Tehran. The event is held on the last Friday of Ramadan to show solidarity with Palestinians and oppose Israeli control of Jerusalem.

Red Crescent rescue workers are providing help to those injured in US-Israeli airstrikes on the Javadiyeh and Beryanak areas of Tehran on Friday.

The head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, Pirhosein Kulivand, said the houses that were struck were residential. Rescuers are currently trying to find survivors under the rubble.

US CENTCOM has confirmed the loss of a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker in “friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury” over western Iraq. Four of the six crew members on board the refueling aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue.

CENTCOM said the circumstances of the incident are still under investigation but stressed that the loss of the aircraft was not the result of “hostile or friendly fire.”

It also confirmed that another KC-135 was damaged in the incident but was able to land safely in Tel Aviv.

Mohammad Mokhber, adviser to slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was seen raising his fist in defiance while US-Israeli bombs fell nearby during a government-organized Quds Day rally in Tehran. Chants of resistance grew louder despite the strikes.

Moscow has welcomed Washington’s waiver on Russian oil sanctions, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating the move will help stabilize global energy markets and that the interests of the two countries are aligned in this respect.

RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij has documented the damage sustained in the Arab village of Zarzir in north Israel after an Iranian missile strike. Some 60 people have reportedly been injured in the attack.

A missile strike in Qods, near Tehran, has killed two children and injured 17 other people, including ten women, according to a statement from the Tehran Province emergency service. 

Iranian media outlets have shared images of mass demonstrations on the occasion of Quds Day, an annual event showing support to the cause of Palestinian statehood held on the last Friday of Ramadan.

The IDF has released a video purportedly showing locations and photos of targets it recently struck in Beirut, described as part of “terrorist infrastructure” helping fund Hezbollah activities.

The White House’s Rapid Response social media team has branded CNN “fake news” for airing part of an Iranian TV broadcast reporting the first address of the country’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

The network brushed off the criticism, saying the remarks were “a critical component in helping audiences understand where this conflict is heading.”

Inconsistent public statements by US officials on Washington’s goals and expectations of how long the war with Iran will last reflect a “complex tug-of-war inside the White House,” Reuters has reported, citing interviews with an adviser to President Donald Trump and other insider sources.

Trump is being pulled simultaneously by aides fearing political and economic fallout from the hike in gas prices, war hawks demanding demonstrations of American force, and populists accusing him of breaching campaign promises to avoid foreign military entanglements.

“He is allowing the hawks to believe the campaign continues, wants markets to believe the war might end soon, and his base to believe escalation will be limited,” the adviser told Reuters.

Two foreign nationals have been killed in Oman in a drone incident, local media have reported, citing security sources. Unmanned aircraft struck the Al Awhi industrial zone, resulting in the deaths of expat workers and causing injuries to others.

The IDF said it struck a bridge over the Litani River in Lebanon, which it claimed was being used by Hezbollah to stage attacks against Israeli forces and civilian targets. The report stated that the militant group had recently placed rocket launchers near the Zrarieh Bridge.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has questioned US President Donald Trump over rising fuel costs, asking who he meant by “we” making “a lot of money” from soaring gas prices.

The rapid US use of expensive munitions, such as long-range Tomahawk missiles, is raising concerns about their availability and replenishment, the Financial Times has reported, citing insider sources.

It is a “massive expenditure of Tomahawks,” one source told the newspaper. “The Navy will be feeling this expenditure for several years.”

The Pentagon is expected to ask Congress to approve as much as $50 billion in additional spending due to the rising cost of the operation against Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that during Oman-mediated talks with the United States, Tehran proposed formally committing that it would not pursue or develop nuclear weapons, but the offer was rejected because US negotiators failed to “grasp the technical details.”

The Israeli military has carried out a new wave of large-scale strikes across western and central Iran over the past 24 hours, targeting more than 200 sites it described as part of the country’s missile and weapons infrastructure.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said dozens of fighter jets conducted around 20 coordinated strike waves guided by military intelligence, hitting ballistic missile launchers, air-defense systems and production facilities.

The operation is part of Israel’s ongoing “Operation Roaring Lion,” which it says aims to curb missile fire toward Israeli territory.

President Donald Trump has claimed it is a “great honor” for him to be killing “deranged scumbags” in Iran, reiterating that the US has “unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time.”

“We are totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise, yet, if you read the Failing New York Times, you would incorrectly think that we are not winning,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. “They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them. What a great honor it is to do so!”

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said there was no credible intelligence suggesting that Moscow was in any way helping Tehran in its retaliatory strikes against the US and Israel.

“There’s no indication that we can talk about publicly that the Russians are participating with the Iranians. And, in fact, Steve Witkoff has said that the Russians told him that they are not,” Whitaker told Fox News. “But even if they are, it’s certainly not helpful because the Iranians are getting their butts kicked by the United States.”

President Donald Trump spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin earlier this week and received assurances that Russia was not sharing intelligence with Iran about the location of US military assets, according to special envoy Steve Witkoff.

A suspected Iranian drone has allegedly been intercepted over the Dubai International Financial Centre, with videos circulating online showing smoke and some damage to at least one of the city’s buildings.

“Authorities confirm that debris from a successful interception caused a minor incident on the façade of a building in central Dubai. No injuries have been reported,” the Dubai Media Office said in a post on X.

Despite multiple attacks on oil tankers earlier this week, President Donald Trump has reiterated his claim that vessels seeking to traverse the Strait of Hormuz must “show some guts” and simply go through.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. They have no Navy and we sunk all their ships,” the president claimed in an interview with Fox’s Brian Kilmeade scheduled to air Friday.

Several powerful explosions were felt in the Iranian capital Tehran, with residents of the city’s eastern districts “reporting their houses shaking,” according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.

One of the attacks reportedly hit the Red Crescent Society’s relief post at the Tehran-Qom toll station, injuring three aid workers. “We came to the side and I was thrown off the ground by the third wave,” one of the wounded told Mehr News.

The lifting of US sanctions will affect some 100 million barrels of Russian oil currently in transit, according to President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.

“The United States recognizes the obvious: without Russian oil, the global energy market cannot remain stable,” Dmitriev wrote in a Telegram post. “Against the background of the growing energy crisis, further easing of restrictions on Russian energy sources looks increasingly inevitable, despite the resistance of part of the Brussels bureaucracy.”

Dmitriev traveled to the US at Putin’s request to attend a working group meeting on economic cooperation between Moscow and Washington and to discuss “the current crisis in global energy markets.” Earlier on Thursday, he thanked US special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and White House senior adviser Josh Gruenbaum for a “productive meeting.”

At least 30 people were injured after a suspected missile strike hit a building in Zarzir in northern Israel’s Galilee region, according to Israeli media reports. Emergency crews rushed to the scene as rescue teams searched the damaged structure and treated the wounded.

Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that two people were hurt by shrapnel while most others sustained minor injuries from shattered glass. Six victims, including two children aged 12 and 13, were taken to hospital for treatment.

Tehran has released footage of the 44th wave of missiles launched as part of its retaliatory Operation True Promise 4, allegedly targeting Israeli military positions in Kiryat Shmona and Haifa, as well as US assets across the region, including those linked to the US Fifth Fleet.

An umbrella group of Iran-allied armed factions in Iraq has claimed that it not only downed a KC-135 but also targeted a second US refueling aircraft. The Pentagon insists none of its jets were lost due to enemy fire.

“The Islamic Resistance fighters in Iraq targeted with the appropriate weapons during the past twenty-four hours a second KC-135 aircraft belonging to the American occupation in western Iraq, the crew of which managed to escape after being injured and made an emergency landing at one of the enemy airports,” the group said in a statement.

The militants also claimed that the entire crew of the first Stratotanker has been killed, as the Pentagon has yet to reveal details of the ongoing search and rescue operation or even say how many people were on board.

The US Department of War has not revealed the type of the second aircraft involved in the “incident,” but according to CBS News it was another KC-135 tanker that eventually landed in Israel. An unverified photo, allegedly taken at a Tel Aviv airfield and circulated by Sabereen News, appears to show some damage to the jet’s tail.

President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed that a French soldier was killed in a drone attack on a military base in Iraq’s Erbil region, which also left at least five others wounded.

“Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion of the 7th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins from Varces died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq,” Macron wrote on X. “To his family, to his brothers in arms, I want to express all the affection and solidarity of the Nation.”

The French president condemned the strike as “unacceptable,” distancing Paris from the broader regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

“The war in Iran cannot justify such attacks,” he said, insisting that the French military presence in Iraq “is part of the strict framework of the fight against terrorism.” Over 900 French troops are deployed in the country as part of the US-led mission launched over a decade ago to “degrade and destroy” the Islamic State terrorist group.

The French leader did not specify who was responsible for the attack, but according to the Kurdish regional government, the attack on a Peshmerga base was carried out by pro-Iran militant groups.

The US Treasury has temporarily lifted its sanctions on Russian oil shipments that had been loaded on tankers before March 12, to address the global energy crisis triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

The notice from the Office of Foreign Assets Control authorized almost “all transactions… that are ordinarily incident and necessary to the sale, delivery, or offloading of crude oil or petroleum products of Russian Federation origin loaded on any vessel” – including sanctioned tankers. Any transaction or activity involving Iran will remain banned. The waiver is set to last until April 11. 

Brent futures soared above the $100 mark on Thursday, despite the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) decision to release 400 million barrels from its emergency reserves. Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, also warned that the strategically important Strait of Hormuz would remain shut to hostile nations, following several attacks on tankers overnight.

Russia had 130 million barrels loaded on tankers at sea as of March 6, according to data analytics firm Kpler. However, India has since reportedly purchased some 30 million barrels of that oil, after the US granted it a separate 30-day waiver last week.

The French military has confirmed that six of its troops were wounded and taken to the nearest hospital following a drone attack on a military base in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.

French soldiers are not involved in the US-Israeli attack on Iran and were merely “engaged in training activities on counterterrorism with Iraqi partners,” a member of the general staff told AFP.

Saudi Arabia’s air defenses have intercepted at least 29 drones that breached the country’s airspace over the past two hours, according to multiple brief statements by the Defence Ministry.

The Pentagon has yet to share any details about the scale of its rescue operation in Iraq. Meanwhile, pro-Iranian militia sources claimed that US special forces and at least two Boeing CH-47 Chinooks are involved, sharing an unconfirmed video of the search operation.

12 March 2026

Israel’s Home Front Command has directed residents to seek shelter in a protected space and remain there until further notice, after the military detected a new salvo of missiles fired from Iran. “Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said in a statement.

The intelligence arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has urged its “Arab brothers” across the region to report the locations of US troops, claiming that Americans are using them as human shields.

“We are forced to identify and target the Americans. Therefore, it is better not to shelter them in hotels and to stay away from their locations,” the statement said.

The IRGC claimed that to minimize US losses, ahead of the attack, Washington moved some 11,000 of its soldiers from US bases to hotels and private accommodations.

“It is your Islamic duty to accurately report the hiding places of American terrorists and send the information to us on Telegram,” it added.

Just hours before the crash, US Central Command was bragging about the KC-135 Stratotanker’s capabilities, posting photos of mid-air refueling of a US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet somewhere over the Middle East.

The crash of the KC-135 Stratotanker has become the fourth officially confirmed loss of a US manned aircraft over the past 13 days of the ongoing Operation Epic Fury.

Three F-15E Strike Eagles were downed in a “friendly fire” incident over Kuwait on March 1, according to the Pentagon. Reports suggest that they may have been engaged by a Kuwaiti F/A-18 Hornet, after analysis of the footage showed no signs of Patriot or other ground-based air defense fire.

US officials have also confirmed the loss of at least 11 MQ-9 Reaper drones in Iranian airspace. American manned aircraft continue to mostly resort to cross-border stand-off strikes, despite President Donald Trump’s claims of complete air superiority over Iran.

The Pentagon has yet to confirm the type of the second aircraft involved in the “incident” over Iraq. According to CBS News, flight tracking data suggests that a KC-135 tanker had declared an emergency and landed in Tel Aviv earlier on Thursday.

The status of the crew of the crashed Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker remains unknown, according to CBS News. The Pentagon only said that “rescue efforts are ongoing.”

A US Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft has crashed in western Iraq during the ongoing Operation Epic Fury against Iran, US Central Command has announced, stating that the incident was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.

The US Department of War said two aircraft were involved in the incident. One went down in “friendly airspace,” while the second landed safely. No further details on the condition of the crew have been released.

The KC-135 is an aerial refueling tanker aircraft that has been a staple of the US Air Force for decades, providing mid-air refueling support to US strategic bombers during both the ongoing campaign and last year’s strikes on Iran.

Six French soldiers were reportedly wounded in a strike targeting a Peshmerga base in the Makhmour district of Iraq, which hosts US-led coalition forces, according to Erbil Governor Omed Xoshnaw. Paris has yet to comment on the reports.

Local outlet Sabereen News shared several videos purportedly showing the base on fire following the attack.

“This is all the movement of the terrorist militias in Iraq and we reiterate that the Iraqi government [is] not taking it seriously,” Xoshnaw stated, as cited by The New Region. “If these outlaws are part of the Iraqi government, then they are responsible. If they are not, then their security apparatus has a duty [to rein] these groups in.”

Attacks by Tehran-aligned militias in the region have intensified following US and Israeli strikes against Iran. The incident follows a similar attack on Wednesday night, when an Italian military site in Erbil was targeted. No casualties were reported in that strike.

The Israeli PM revealed he has spoken ⁠with US President Donald Trump nearly every day throughout the war. Netanyahu echoed Trump’s assessment that the campaign has been going better than expected.

“Iran is no longer the same Iran,” he stated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held his first press conference since the war started on February 28, reiterating his call on Iranians to topple their country’s government. West Jerusalem can only create the “conditions” for a “regime change,” while “at the end of the day, it depends on you. It is in your hands,” he told Iranians.  

Asked about Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, and the head of Lebanon-based Hezbollah, Netanyahu appeared to have reiterated his death threats, stating he would not take out any “life insurance” on them.

Hezbollah has released footage depicting its fighters launching kamikaze drones and firing missiles at Israel. 

The Lebanese Shiite militant group has intensified its strikes on Israel in recent days in a show of solidarity with Iran.

US sailors have been injured in a fire aboard an aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which is supporting the Iran war. The fire originated in one of the ship's laundry spaces, and the cause was “not combat-related and is contained,” the US Naval Forces Central Command reported on Thursday. While the warship’s propulsion plant was not damaged, two crew members suffered “non-life-threatening” injuries, the US military reported in a statement on X.

The strike group led by USS Gerald R. Ford is currently operating in the Red Sea in a support capacity for the strikes on Iran, according to the statement.

The Iranian military has launched numerous “lethal ballistic missiles against the Axis of Satan” as part of Operation True Promise 4, with more barrages expected to follow soon, local media has reported.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy “launched two crushing waves of missile and drone attacks on the American fifth fleet HQ” in Mina Salman, Bahrain, on Thursday, Press TV has reported. According to the Iranian media outlet, “strategic targets, including LIDS [Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat] systems, fuel tanks, and assembly centers for soldiers, were accurately hit as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.”

The Iranian Supreme National Security Council secretary, Ali Larijani, has ridiculed US President Donald Trump’s hopes of a “speedy victory” over the Islamic Republic.

“While starting a war is easy, it cannot be won with a few tweets,” the Iranian official wrote in a post on X on Thursday. He added that Tehran “will not relent until making [the US president] sorry for this grave miscalculation.”

At least 687 people were killed and 1,774 injured in Israeli strikes on Lebanon between March 2 and March 12, the country’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center has reported. According to the Lebanese authorities, 98 children and 18 paramedics were among the victims.

On Wednesday alone, Israeli attacks on Beirut, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley claimed the lives of 64 people, leaving another 142 injured.

Overly optimistic projections regarding the economic fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran are “wrong,” Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has said.

“There will be lasting economic damage as supply-side shocks affect oil, gas, fertilizer, agriculture, and many other markets,” he wrote in a post on X on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink claimed to Fox News that the conflict is unlikely to result in lasting economic damage, despite the surge in oil prices above $100 per barrel.

“Do I believe oil is going be reverting back to where it was? Maybe even lower,” Fink said.

The wife of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is alive, the country’s Fars news agency has claimed. According to the media outlet, the initial report about the death of Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh “was incorrect.” 

Shortly after the first US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which killed Khamenei, several media outlets had claimed that his spouse had perished in the February 28 attack as well.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said it struck a missile launcher in southern Lebanon that was allegedly involved in the recent bombardment of Israeli territory.

The IDF also claimed to have killed Ali Musallam Tabaja, a commander of the ‘Amal Hassan’ Division in Lebanon, which, according to the Israeli military, is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has called out Israel over strikes on “Iranian historical monuments dating as far back as the 14th century,” including UNESCO World Heritage sites.

“It’s natural that a regime that won’t last a century hates nations with ancient pasts,” he wrote on X on Thursday, referring to Israel.

“But where’s UNESCO?” Araghchi said, adding that the UN’s agency’s “silence is unacceptable.”

Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom is not considering withdrawing from the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant project in southern Iran, Rosatom's head Alexey Likhachev has said. The project remains among the corporation’s priorities, and “it’s definitely not the right time to walk away,” he stated.

According to Likhachev, more than 450 Rosatom employees are currently at the site and are “in relative safety.”

In his first public statement to the nation, Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, expressed gratitude to “our brave fighters who... with their crushing blows, have blocked the enemy’s path and made them abandon the illusion of being able to dominate our dear homeland and possibly dividing it.”

Khamenei vowed to “demand compensation from the enemy,” adding that if the US and Israel refuse to provide restitution, “we will seize as much of their assets as we deem appropriate, and if that is not possible, we will destroy the same amount of their assets.”

He urged neighboring countries to “clarify their position regarding the aggressors against our beloved homeland and the murderers of our people,” and called on them to close the US bases as soon as possible, as quoted by Iranian media.

RT’s Tehran bureau chief, Hami Hamedi, reports that US-Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 1,300 people and injured over 12,000 in the past 13 days, citing Iranian officials. In Tehran, 1,300 homes were damaged, with residents temporarily housed in hotels.

Hamedi noted attacks on industrial zones in Parand and across eastern, southern, and western Tehran. “Over the past two days, the majority of attacks have been concentrated on eastern Tehran, as more military units are located in that area,” he said, adding that most attacks hit civilian areas rather than military sites.

Watch Hamedi’s report below.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has called out the European Union's complicity in the attacks on Iran by its “indifference and acquiescence in the face of US and Israeli aggression, brutalities, and atrocities.”

On Wednesday, the EU imposed a fresh batch of sanctions on 19 Iranian officials and entities over what it described as “serious human rights violations.” The restrictions include travel bans and asset freezes, among other measures.

Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has issued his first public statement since assuming the post, vowing that the Islamic Republic would seek retribution for the “blood of martyrs,” as quoted by local media on Thursday. He also called for national unity in the face of external pressure.

Several Western media outlets have claimed that the new supreme leader sustained serious injuries in the wave of US-Israeli attacks that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the conflict on February 28.

Iranian authorities have dismissed the reports, insisting that Mojtaba Khamenei is in good health.

Speaking separately to CNN, Wright has dismissed fears that the de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could push oil to $200 per barrel, calling it “a short-term energy disruption.”

“I would say it’s unlikely… But I’m not going to speculate on short-term trading; that’s driven more by psychology than actual oil flows. The world is very well supplied right now,” he said, even as all 34 IEA members agreed on Wednesday to a record 400-million-barrel release from emergency reserves to try to curb prices already hovering just above $100 per barrel.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said the Navy is not ready to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

“It’ll happen relatively soon but it can’t happen now,” Wright told CNBC. “We’re simply not ready. All of our military assets are focused on destroying Iran’s offensive capabilities and the industry that supplies them.”

He added the Navy could be ready by the end of the month and said the issue is under discussion with defense officials.

The Israeli Army claims it “eliminated” Hezbollah’s Radwan Force southern Lebanon commander Abu Ali Riyan, who is responsible for operations, recruitment, and weapons. The IDF said it has also killed over 100 Hezbollah militants and destroyed more than 60 Radwan Force command centers in southern Lebanon.

The Radwan Force is Hezbollah’s special operations unit.

US CENTCOM has released new unclassified footage purportedly showing strikes on Iranian military installations, captioned: “We are eliminating Iran’s ability to threaten American forces and regional partners through lethality and precision.”

Iran’s leadership remains largely intact and is not at risk of collapse despite nearly two weeks of relentless US and Israeli bombardment that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders and officials, Reuters reports, citing US intelligence sources.

They claim a “multitude” of intelligence assessments offer “consistent analysis that the regime is not in danger” of collapsing and “retains control of the Iranian public.”

Israeli officials have also acknowledged in closed discussions that there is no certainty the war – which many experts suggest is aimed specifically at regime change in Iran – will lead to the clerical government’s collapse, a senior Israeli official told the outlet.

The Middle East conflict sparked by unprovoked US-Israeli strikes on Iran has caused “the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market,” the International Energy Agency has said in its monthly report.

A day earlier, its members agreed to release a record 400 million barrels from emergency reserves to counter the shock.

The IEA estimates the war will cut global oil supply by 8 million barrels per day this month – nearly 250 million barrels in total. Flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which is now under a de facto Iranian blockade, have fallen by more than 90%, the agency said. It has also lowered its global consumption growth forecast by roughly 25% amid the worsening crisis.

Local officials interviewed by CBS have downplayed the warning. One called it “not actionable.” Another dismissed it as “unverified.” California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X he remains “in constant coordination with security and intelligence officials” on threats to the state, including those linked to the Middle East conflict.

“While we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency,” he said.

The FBI has warned the California authorities that Iran planned drone raids launched from an unidentified vessel off the West Coast, according to an alert reviewed by US media.

ABC News reported that the memo was circulated to California agencies in recent days, though its contents publicly surfaced on Wednesday. It said that in early February, Iran “allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California” in the event of a US strike on the country.

The Israeli Army has said it struck Iran’s Taleghan nuclear facility, a key site inside the Parchin military complex around 30 km (20 miles) southeast of Tehran. 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has urged the US and Israel “to stop aggression and return to the negotiating table,” insisting that Iran has the right to self-defense against unprovoked attacks.

She warned that the US-Israeli “military gamble” has destabilized the entire Middle East.

“We are concerned about the uncontrolled growth of this conflict… We need to put an end to this humanitarian – and now environmental and radiological – disaster threatening the entire region. We must return to the search for diplomatic solutions,” she said at a press conference, adding that Russia will continue efforts to bring a swift end to the crisis.

Many Americans struggle to understand why wars are fought or what their objectives are, a legal and media analyst told RT, commenting on the wider fallout from the US strikes on Iran. He criticized the use of softened language such as “boots on the ground” or “skirmish” and urged officials and the media to simply “call it war” while clearly explaining its goals and costs.

He added that public awareness often only increases when conflicts begin to affect daily life, including through rising fuel prices or disruptions to digital infrastructure. Americans will quickly learn “where the Strait of Hormuz is” if energy costs surge, he said, warning that future conflicts could target lifestyles rather than physical assets. 

Only one in four Americans approve of ​the strikes on Iran that have plunged the Middle East into chaos, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll; 43% of respondents disapproved and 29% were not sure.

Israel is targeting paramedics and emergency responders assisting people in southern Lebanon, RT’s local bureau chief, Steve Sweeney, reports, noting that at least 15 paramedics and civil service workers have been killed and 30 wounded in the past ten days.

Sweeney and his crew were the first international media team to visit the city of Nabatieh, where one of the latest Israeli missile strikes destroyed an entire residential building, killing two girls and a young man, while two others remained trapped under the rubble for two days.

Watch his report below. 

Iran’s PressTV has released footage reportedly showing the IRGC Navy striking the US Safe Sia in the northern Persian Gulf. The vessel was targeted after reportedly ignoring repeated orders to reverse course.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned against any attempt to invade the country’s islands.

“Any aggression against Iranian islands will shatter all restraint,” Ghalibaf wrote on X. “We will abandon all restraint and make the Persian Gulf run with the blood of invaders.”

Iran controls roughly 30 islands in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, including Kharg Island, its main oil export terminal, and Hormuz Island, strategically located at the Strait of Hormuz’s narrowest point, allowing Tehran to monitor and target ships entering or leaving the Gulf.

The Israeli military has been ordered to expand operations in Lebanon, Defense Minister Israel Katz has said, allegedly following a heavy overnight rocket barrage by Hezbollah.

Katz warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that if Lebanon cannot prevent Hezbollah attacks, Israel “would do it ourselves,” according to a statement from his office.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has outlined three conditions to end the conflict. In a post on X, he wrote that the only way to end the war was through recognition of Iran’s “legitimate rights,” reparations for damage from US-Israeli strikes, and “firm international guarantees against future aggression.”

Twelve medical centers in Tehran, including emergency facilities, have been damaged in US-Israeli strikes, Governor General Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian told Mehr News Agency.

He said patients had been quickly moved to other hospitals and medical services in the capital continue uninterrupted.

“Targeting residential areas, medical centers, and service infrastructure in Tehran is a clear violation of international rules and protocols,” he added.

One of the major medical centers in Tehran, Gandhi Hospital, suffered significant damage during airstrikes, with its in vitro fertilization (IVF) department reportedly completely destroyed and critical services disrupted, according to state media and hospital officials.

Iranian retaliatory strikes have left 179 people injured in Israel in the past 24 hours, with most in “mild condition,” the Israeli Health Ministry said, bringing total Israeli injuries since the conflict began to 2,745. Reported fatalities range from 13 to 18.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has vowed “retribution” for the US-Israeli strike on Tehran’s state-owned Bank Sepah, which handles military and IRGC payrolls.

“Iran’s national infrastructure is under attack. This time, a branch of my country’s oldest bank was bombed while full of employees… Our Powerful Armed Forces will exact retribution for this crime,” he wrote on X.

Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the Khatam ol Anbia joint command, earlier threatened strikes on US- and Israeli-linked banks in the Middle East in response to the attack.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has accused German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of “siding with the aggressor” after Wadephul expressed solidarity with Israel.

“It is the Israeli regime that has attacked Iran and killed Iranian civilians – including 168 innocent children in #Minab alone,” Baqaei wrote on X. “This is how one ends up on the wrong side of history: by overlooking injustice and atrocities.”

PressTV has released a video purportedly showing Iranian drone strikes on Israeli Palmahim and Ovda airbases, as well as the Shin Bet headquarters. 

Explosions have been reported in central Dubai, with smoke said to be rising over a residential area, AFP has said.

The Israeli Army has issued an evacuation warning for people in the western Lebanese town of Qasr Nabba.

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has called for Trump’s impeachment and prosecution for war crimes over the Minab school strike that killed 168 children, citing reports that outdated US targeting information on a nearby naval base likely caused the attack.

“Trump should be impeached. [Secretary of War Pete] Hegseth should be fired. And the Administration must be held accountable in international courts for their heinous war crimes,” Tlaib wrote on X.

China has ordered an immediate ban on refined fuel exports for March to prevent a domestic shortage, according to media reports citing sources.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is said to have issued the directive during a meeting with refinery executives, covering gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel shipments.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has confirmed that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was injured in US-Israeli strikes but is recovering.

“He’s injured but fine,” Baghaei told Italy’s Corriere Della Sera. “I don’t know when he’ll give his first speech. There were three or four candidates, but the Assembly of Experts chose him according to the Constitution.”

Earlier media reports, citing sources, said Khamenei was wounded in the legs on the first day of the strikes that killed his father, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which may explain why he has yet to appear publicly or on video since assuming the top post.

A missile struck an Italian military base in Erbil, Iraq, overnight, Italy’s Defense Ministry has said.

“A missile hit our base in Erbil. There are no casualties or injuries among Italian personnel. They are all fine,” the ministry wrote on X.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said troops took shelter in a bunker and are “well and safe,” condemning the attack. Italy has roughly 300 troops in Erbil training Kurdish security forces.

The strike on the school in Iran’s Minab that killed 168 children was likely caused by US forces using outdated targeting data about a nearby naval base, two sources briefed on the preliminary investigation have told CNN.

The February 28 strike occurred as US forces targeted a nearby Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facility, according to initial findings. US CENTCOM reportedly generated the strike coordinates using outdated information from the Defense Intelligence Agency, contributing to the error, the sources claimed.

Responding to a request for comment, a Defense Intelligence Agency spokesperson said the incident is still under investigation and referred further inquiries to the Pentagon.

Russia’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, has called the Security Council vote on a Russian-drafted resolution on the Middle East crisis “a theater of the absurd.”

“This vote is a litmus test and, pardon the expression, a gut check... It isn’t even double standards. It’s surrealism, a theater of the absurd, and simply shameful. We will constantly remind you of this when, in other situations, you pose as champions of international law,” he told the council.

The Security Council has adopted a resolution drafted by Bahrain condemning Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Gulf states hosting US military assets, without mentioning the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. A Moscow-backed resolution focused on humanitarian concerns and calling on all sides to halt military actions was rejected.

Ali Youssef Farahat, mayor of the Lebanese town of Nimaria, has told RT’s Steve Sweeney about a devastating Israeli strike on March 8. Farahat said he heard gunfire followed by “a terrible explosion.”

“It seems less frightening now, but when you were there seeing everything happening during the strike, it was a horrifying sight,” he said, adding that two girls and a young man later died from their injuries, and that a family was trapped under the rubble for nearly two days.

“The fact is that this territory is completely civilian. Ordinary people live here,” Farahat said, accusing Israeli forces of falsely claiming they target only military sites.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency claims Hezbollah struck the headquarters of the Shayetet 13 at an Israeli base in Atlit, south of Haifa.

Media reports say a smoke plume has been seen at Bahrain International Airport.

All 32 members of the International Energy Agency (IEA) have agreed to a record release of 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves in response to supply disruptions caused by the Middle East crisis.

The US will provide the largest share, releasing 172 million barrels from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve, with drawdowns set to begin next week and continue over about 120 days. Japan will release 80 million barrels, South Korea 22.46 million, and Germany about 19.5 million, while other members also said they will be aligning with the IEA plan.

The 400-million-barrel release is the largest in the agency’s history – more than double the volume deployed during the 2022 energy crisis – but has so far failed to curb the price surge, with oil climbing above $100 per barrel overnight.

Western banks have begun closing Middle East branches after Iran threatened to target financial institutions in retaliation for a strike on a major bank in Tehran earlier this week.

America’s Citibank told AP it will close all branches except one in the UAE, citing the “evolving situation,” without further details. Reports citing an internal memo say staff in Dubai were told to evacuate offices and work from home until further notice.

Reuters earlier reported that the UK’s Standard Chartered has begun evacuating its Dubai offices. Separate reports citing customer notices say HSBC has closed branches in Qatar.

Separately, Dmitriev posted a photo on X that he said shows the Strait of Hormuz, with firefighters battling flames on a small boat and an oil storage facility burning in the background. “What does this picture of the Strait of Hormuz mean for oil markets?” he wrote.

Earlier, he warned that the escalating Middle East conflict could push oil prices above $200 per barrel.

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has traveled to the US to discuss the global energy crisis triggered by Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following US-Israeli strikes.

“Many countries, primarily the US, are beginning to better understand the systemically important role of Russian oil and gas in ensuring global economic stability, as well as the ineffectiveness and destructive nature of sanctions against Russia,” he wrote on social media after the trip.

Dmitriev, who also heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said the sides discussed projects that could help restore Russia-US relations.

Crude oil prices have surged by over 15% in a single day, and are hovering over $100 per barrel, despite the International Energy Agency’s announcement of the largest-ever release of strategic reserves and President Donald Trump’s attempts to calm the markets.

Iraqi authorities have halted all operations at the country’s oil terminals following an attack on two tankers at the Basra port complex. Farhan al-Fartousi, director-general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, announced the suspension in a statement carried by the state-run Iraqi News Agency. 

According to al-Fartousi, the attack targeted vessels engaged in a STS (ship-to-ship) oil transfer near Umm Qasr port. Rescuers recovered one body and evacuated 38 crew members from the stricken vessels.

The official said it remains unclear whether the ships were hit by aerial drones, seaborne drones, or missiles. While all oil terminals have been completely suspended, commercial ports throughout Iraq continue to operate normally, he added.

A container ship was struck by an unknown projectile approximately 35 nautical miles north of Jebel Ali in the UAE, sparking a small fire, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The agency reported that all crew are safe and there has been no environmental impact, though darkness is currently preventing a full damage assessment. Authorities are investigating the incident and have advised vessels to transit the area with caution.

Oman has evacuated all vessels out of its main oil export terminal at Mina Al Fahal outside the Strait of Hormuz in a “precautionary” move, Bloomberg reports, citing a port agent’s notice.

The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority says air defenses are actively responding to a new missile threat. Authorities have urged the public to stay in safe shelters and follow official information channels for further warnings and updates.

Firefighting ships from Iraq’s Basra region successfully extinguished the blazes that engulfed two tankers earlier tonight, an Iraqi port official told Al Jazeera. A video circulated online reportedly shows the vessels Dhulfiqar and Um Qasr responding to the incident.

President Donald Trump has declared that Iran is “being absolutely decimated” and is “pretty much at the end of the line,” downplaying the impacts of Iran’s retaliatory strikes on countries hosting US bases in the region and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

“They’ve got no navy. They’ve got no Air Force. They’ve got no anti-aircraft capabilities, anything. They have no systems of control. We’re just riding free range over that country. We could take apart their electric capacity within one hour and it would take them 25 years to rebuild it,” he said.

“And now we’re going to look very strongly at the straits. The straits are in great shape,” the US president claimed, even though traffic through the strategic waterway has dropped by over 80% since the beginning of the war.

The death toll from the Israeli airstrike on the Ramlet al-Bayda waterfront area has risen to eight people, with 31 others wounded, Al Jazeera reports citing the Lebanese health ministry.

Iraq’s Ministry of Oil has called for the protection of vital maritime routes after attacks on two foreign oil tankers in the country’s territorial waters killed at least one person.

“The incidents involving oil tankers in maritime routes represent a worrying indicator of escalating tensions in a region vital to the global economy and energy supplies,” the ministry said.

Iranian media claim that the unidentified “facility” targeted in Bahrain earlier tonight was actually a US-run Muharraq Air Base. Unverified footage circulated by Press TV shows several fuel tanks on fire. The Bahraini Interior Ministry previously said that “the competent authorities are taking the required procedures.”

Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted and destroyed more than 20 drones targeting its eastern oil fields, including multiple attacks on the Shaybah facility, according to the Defense Ministry.

The US will begin releasing oil from its strategic reserves next week to contain crude prices that rocketed to their highest levels in years, Energy Secretary Christopher Wright said in a statement.

“President Trump authorized the Department of Energy to release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, beginning next week. This will take approximately 120 days to deliver based on planned discharge rates,” Wright said, accusing the previous administration of leaving America’s oil reserves “drained and damaged.”

“We’re going to be doing it very quickly – and then we’ll fill it up,” Trump told reporters in an attempt to calm the markets after Brent briefly fell on the news but has since shot back to over $90. Following reports of attacks on two oil tankers off Iraq, Brent crude futures nearly crossed $100.

The estimated cost of war against Iran has exceeded $11.3 billion in just the first six days of bombings, Pentagon officials told US lawmakers at a classified briefing earlier this week, a congressional source told The Hill. The Pentagon declined further comments, with a spokesperson saying that the true cost of Operation Epic Fury won’t become clear “until the mission is complete.”

The US Department of War has touted Operation Epic Fury and military assets deployed against Iran in a new video with a Brazilian phonk soundtrack.

“US forces remain centered on very clear military objectives for eliminating Iran’s ability to project power against America and its neighbors,” CENTCOM said in a post on X, as massive fires at several oil facilities and tankers continue to burn into the night.

Bahrain has accused Iran of striking an oil facility. “The Iranian aggression targeted fuel tanks at a facility in Muharraq Governorate, and the competent authorities are taking the required procedures,” the Interior Ministry said in a post on X.

One crew member was killed and 38 others were safely rescued following the attacks on two oil tankers in the port of al-Faw, according to an Iraqi army spokesman.

“Two oil tankers were subjected to a cowardly act of sabotage… within Iraqi territorial waters,” Lieutenant General Saad Maan told the Iraq News Agency (INA), without naming the culprit.

Meanwhile, an unnamed Iraqi security official told Reuters that initial investigations suggest Iranian explosive-laden boats were behind the attacks. Tehran had previously closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping by “non-friendly nations,” but has not claimed responsibility for the latest incident.

The Israeli strike on Beirut’s Ramlet al-Baida seafront killed at least six people, a security source told Reuters. RT journalist Ali Rida previously described the aftermath as horrific.

The US Central Command has published a new video showing strikes on several aircraft and claiming that the “Iranian regime is losing air capability day by day.” It is unclear if the footage was recent, or recorded during the early days of the US-Israeli campaign that has now entered its 13th day.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia explained Moscow’s decision to abstain, stating that the draft resolution was “extremely unbalanced” and failed to serve the goals of maintaining international peace and security.

While expressing understanding and regret over the situation facing Middle Eastern states, Nebenzia stressed that addressing attacks on regional countries “in isolation from the root causes of the current escalation – namely the aggression of the US and Israel against Iran – is impossible and unjust.”

He criticized the resolution for confusing “cause and effect,” noting that it entirely omits any condemnation of attacks on Iranian territory and those who carry them out. Nebenzia also pointed out that Tehran has consistently framed its retaliatory actions as targeting US military assets in the region, not the Gulf states themselves, exercising its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

The Russian ambassador cautioned that “unscrupulous actors, primarily those who started this war,” could interpret the vote as a “blessing” to continue their aggression against Iran.

One of the recent Israeli strikes on Beirut reportedly targeted the Ramlet al-Baida public beach, where dozens of displaced families who had nowhere else to go had set up makeshift shelters over the past week. 

Officials have yet to confirm the death toll, but RT journalist Ali Rida, who reported from the scene, described the aftermath as chaotic and horrific.

“Just moments ago on Thursday morning, a drone strike targeted displaced people on the beach,” Rida said. “These are the people who fled from the southern suburbs, from Dahieh and from South Lebanon, who took refuge on this beach. They had tents and they had just chairs and they had only stayed in their vehicles and their cars just to stay safe because they considered this place a safe area for them.”

According to Rida, the strike came without warning. “A drone strike targeted them, targeted a bunch of people staying there having just their night getting ready for another day of fasting and the holidays of Ramadan, and a drone strike just hit directly between them, in the middle of them.”

“The scenes were awful,” he continued. “People were shattered. We couldn’t take footage to respect their situation. There were, of course, people dead from the strike. There were people wounded. And you can see the chaos. A lot, a lot of ambulances are trying to clear the wounded from the scene.”

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution drafted by Bahrain that condemns Iran for its retaliatory attacks on Gulf states hosting American military assets – while omitting any mention of the US-Israeli strikes against Iran. Thirteen of the 15 council members voted in favor of the document with Russia and China abstaining.

The resolution, backed by Gulf countries, “condemns in the strongest terms” Iranian attacks on the territories of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan, describing them as a violation of international law. It also demands that Tehran “immediately cease” its attacks and condemns any actions aimed at obstructing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN denounced the resolution as a “blatant misuse” of the international body, pointing to its silence on US and Israeli strikes targeting Iran.

11 March 2026

The IDF says it has launched a major aerial campaign against Hezbollah infrastructure across Lebanon, with ground troops guiding airstrikes that dismantled dozens of launchers ready to fire and killed numerous Hezbollah operatives.

Within a 30-minute window, the IDF allegedly struck 10 “terror structures” in the Dahieh area of Beirut, targeting intelligence headquarters, a Radwan unit command center, and other military facilities. The IDF says it is acting in response to Hezbollah’s decision to “deliberately attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime.”

A suspected Iranian drone struck a high-rise building in Dubai, UAE, shortly after residents received emergency alerts on their cell phones urging them to seek shelter in the nearest secure building and stay away from windows.

“Civil Defence teams have brought a minor fire in the building under control. No injuries have been reported so far,” Dubai Media Office said in a post on X.

The IRGC has claimed full control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and has vowed to continue its attacks on US military bases in the Middle East.

“The Strait of Hormuz is under constant surveillance by our forces. Our enemies have no right to pass through it, and our attacks will continue broadly using missiles and drones,” said IRGC spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari.

“A large number of American forces have been killed and wounded in attacks on US bases,” he added. The Pentagon has confirmed that only seven US service members have died and approximately 140 have been wounded during the conflict with Iran so far.

The crew has been safely evacuated from at least one of the distressed vessels off Iraq, according to monitors and videos of the rescue operation.

Two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil have come under “unidentified attacks” and been set on fire inside Iraqi territorial waters, a port official told Reuters.

The IDF has announced yet another “wide-scale wave of strikes in Tehran,” just hours after the IRGC launched its own retaliatory strikes on Israel in coordination with Hezbollah.

A second oil tanker is reportedly on fire in the northern Persian Gulf near the port of Umm Qasr in Iraq’s Basra province. Footage shared by witnesses shows the vessel engulfed in flames and leaking burning oil.

An oil tanker has reportedly been hit by a drone in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Basra, Iraq, according to local channels. Videos shared online show massive bursts of fire engulfing an unknown vessel.

The IRGC has published footage showing ballistic missiles soaring into the sky as it launched a new wave of attacks – in coordination with Lebanon’s Hezbollah – against Israel and US military assets in the region.

“Over the past 11 days, our military has virtually destroyed Iran,” President Donald Trump told a rally in Hebron, Kentucky. “We don’t wanna leave early, do we? We gotta finish the job!”