The Israeli military is planning at least three more weeks of strikes against Iran with “thousands of targets” remaining, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military spokesperson Effie Defrin has told CNN.
“We are ready, in coordination with our US allies, with plans through at least the Jewish holiday of Passover [from April 1 to 9]... And we have deeper plans for even three weeks beyond that.”
Strikes have continued for a sixteenth day in Iran, Israel, and across several Middle Eastern countries after the United States and Israel began an air campaign against Iran on February 28th. At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured in Iran; 15 killed and more than 3,138 others wounded in Israel; 826 killed in Lebanon and dozens others killed in some Gulf nations. The US military has confirmed it suffered 13 fatalities from Iranian attacks across the region.
Here are the latest developments as RT continues to bring you up to date:
Iran’s Kharg Island was “totally demolished,” but “we may hit it a few more times just for fun,” US President Donald Trump has stated, raising fears of a deeper shock to global energy supplies if the infrastructure on Iran’s main oil export hub is damaged.
Rising global energy prices linked to the latest Middle East escalation could benefit the US, the FT reports. If the average oil price reaches $100 per barrel this year, annual profits for US oil producers could climb to $63.4 billion, according to estimates from Rystad Energy. Crude prices are driving up energy costs, and the Wall Street Journal notes that America’s status as a major oil producer helps shield its economy.
Tehran mocked Washington for “begging” for help, after its security umbrella promised to regional allies has “proven to be full of holes.” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi urged neighboring states hosting US military bases to “expel foreign aggressors,” who are “inviting rather than deterring trouble.”
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
15 March 2026
Italy’s military has said there was a drone attack today on the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait, which hosts Italian and US forces, but says all its personnel are safe.
According to the Italian military, the drone struck a shelter used by the Italian Task Force Air. Even though the Italian military didn’t name the exact aircraft involved, it could have been the MQ-9A Predator B, a key asset for the Italian Air Force in international theaters.
The incident follows a drone attack on an Italian military site in Erbil in northern Iraq, where Italy also maintains a presence. No injuries were reported in that attack either; however, Rome subsequently withdrew about 300 troops in response.
The US Central Command has released aerial footage of strikes on different Iranian military installations.
Tehran has “never” asked for a ceasefire or negotiations with the US in its ongoing war, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said. Earlier Trump claimed that the Islamic Republic appeared ready to make an agreement on terms unsuitable to Washington.
”We are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes,” Araghchi says in an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation.
He also denied the assessment that this is “a war of survival” for Iran, saying the country is “stable and strong enough.”
The UK MOD has said Typhoon and F-35 jets carried out deployment across Qatar and Cyprus “in defense of British interests.”
It added that the sorties were also sent in defense of allies across Qatar, Cyprus, the UAE, Jordan and Bahrain.
Iranian intelligence has arrested 18 domestic operatives linked to an Israeli media network, the Tasnim news agency has reported, citing the relevant ministry.
The accused were reportedly sending images of sites targeted by US and Israeli attacks, along with the positions of emergency responders, rescue teams, and checkpoints, to the enemy. Another 21 people are facing legal action, the Intelligence Ministry added.
The Iranian authorities said the crackdown would continue, and warned that anyone acting as a “fifth column” for the enemy during the conflict would face the severest penalties under national security laws.
The Russian Consulate General in the Iranian city of Isfahan has temporarily halted its operations due to the ongoing situation in the country.
Consular services will resume at a later date, and further updates will be provided once the situation allows, the diplomatic mission said in a post on Telegram.
An Israeli strike in the Sidon area of southern Lebanon has claimed the life of Hamas official Wissam Taha, a Palestinian source told AFP. The attack reportedly hit an apartment in a northern district of Sidon, a city that hosts Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp and has been targeted by Israel in previous months.
The bodies of 84 sailors who served on the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, a multi-purpose naval destroyer, have arrived at the Martyrs’ Hall at Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery in Tehran.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has denied reports that West Jerusalem plans to hold direct talks with Lebanon in the coming days. The minister also dismissed claims that Israel had informed the United States it was running critically low on missile interceptors.
Rising global energy prices linked to the latest escalation of the Middle East conflict could ultimately benefit the US, the Financial Times has reported.
If the average oil price reaches $100 per barrel this year, annual profits for US oil producers could climb to $63.4 billion, estimates from research firm Rystad Energy suggest, as cited by the newspaper.
While higher crude prices are also pushing up gasoline, diesel, and consumer costs in the US, The Wall Street Journal notes that the country’s position as one of the world’s largest oil producers helps shield its economy from the worst effects seen in past oil crises.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has reported it launched a series of missile strikes against targets linked to Israeli air operations and military infrastructure. According to the statement cited by Tasnim, the attack involved several types of ballistic missiles, including Khorramshahr missiles with two-ton warheads, Kheibar Shekan, Qadr, Emad, and for the first time in the campaign the Sejjil solid-fuel strategic missile.
The IRGC said the strikes were aimed at command and decision-making centers, defense-industry infrastructure, and locations where Israeli forces were gathered in what it described as the “heart of the occupied territories.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot discussed the latest developments in the Middle East during a Sunday phone call, according to Tasnim news agency.
Araghchi called on other countries to “refrain from any actions that could lead to the escalation or expansion of the conflict,” Tasnim cited the Iranian Foreign Ministry as saying.
The UK is “intensively looking” at ways to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has told Sky News.
Miliband added that there are a range of things London can do, including the use of autonomous mine-hunting equipment.
Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has reported that 125 missiles and 211 drones have been intercepted over the kingdom since the US and Israel began launching coordinated strikes against Iran in February.
Hundreds of people have gathered at Imam Khomeini Square in the center of Tehran for a pro‑government rally. Participants reportedly chanted “Allahu Akbar” and calls for unity, as well as exhortations to resist enemies.
Israel’s security and defense personnel, including the special police unit Lahav 433 and Gilat Defense, a satellite communications center, were targeted by powerful drone strikes early today, the Iranian Army has said, as cited by Tasnim news agency.
The strikes were reportedly conducted in response to Israeli attacks on Iranian personnel.
Lahav 433 is considered Israel’s equivalent of federal police, while Gilat Defense works with the US Department of Defense and NATO on military satellite communications.
Hezbollah infrastructure across Lebanon has been struck, including several launch sites from which the organization’s operatives had planned imminent attacks, Ynet reported, citing the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Command centers of the Radwan Force in Beirut, from which operatives advanced terror operations, were reportedly targeted and destroyed.
The Qatar Grand Prix, a Formula One motor racing event, has been rescheduled from April to November, according to MotoGP, which organizes the racing.
“MotoGP confirms that the Qatar Grand Prix, originally scheduled for April, has been postponed to November 8 due to the ongoing geopolitical situation in the Middle East,” the organization said on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Formula One and its governing body, FIA, said the Grands Prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will not happen in April due to safety concerns related to the Middle East conflict.
Mohammed al‑Bukhaiti, senior political official and spokesperson for Yemen’s Ansar Allah, told RT that “all options are on the table” regarding the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key maritime chokepoint carrying over 12% of global trade. He said Yemen could target countries involved in aggression against Iran and Lebanon if compelled, while non-belligerent nations like China and Russia would not be affected. Al-Bukhaiti highlighted full coordination among the Axis of Resistance, including Yemen, Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq, and warned that previous US and Israeli efforts to secure maritime routes had failed, with future interference likely to incur heavy losses.
The official described the Bab al-Mandab “card” as a strategic measure to protect regional allies, adding that Yemen’s missile and aerial capabilities have strengthened and that any actions would be announced in due course.
The end of the war is contingent on guarantees against repetition and reparations, while no concrete peace initiative has yet been proposed, Abbas Araghchi also said. He confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to all except US and allied ships, and that Iran’s government and military remain unified. Diplomatic communications continue with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and neighboring countries, and the Supreme Leader is reportedly in full health, fully managing the crisis.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that Tehran is ready to form a regional committee to investigate recent attacks, stressing that Iranian strikes have only targeted US bases and interests. He accused Israel of possibly attacking civilian targets in Arab countries in order to sabotage relations with Iran and clarified that no civilian or residential areas have been targeted by the Islamic Republic.
Araghchi also warned that if Iranian energy facilities are attacked, privately owned US facilities in the region could be targeted in response.
At least 108 injured people have been hospitalized as a result of the conflict with Iran within the past 24 hours, according to Israel’s Health Ministry, as cited by The Times of Israel newspaper.
Video footage shows aftermath of the latest Iranian strike in Israeli city of Holon.
At least 153 health facilities across Iran have been damaged by US‑Israel strikes, Tasnim news agency has reported, with investigations showing that out of the affected units, 56 comprehensive health service centres represented the largest share.
Residential areas in Shiraz, the capital of Iran’s Fars province, were attacked in US-Israeli strikes early Sunday morning, Iran’s Tasnim news agency has reported.
The “inhumane” attack, which occurred in a southeastern part of the metropolis, reportedly resulted in the destruction of several residential units belonging to workers and individuals being supported under the Welfare Organization, and caused injuries to innocent residents.
Shiraz, often called the City of Wine, is home to the UNESCO-listed Eram Garden.
More than 15 people were killed in a US-Israeli attack on an industrial unit in Isfahan, home to one of the Islamic Republic’s key nuclear facilities, Mehr has reported. Akbar Salehi, Deputy for Security and Law Enforcement of Isfahan Province, told the news agency that the missile strike targeted a factory producing heating and cooling equipment, and that several workers were present at the site during the assault, resulting in both fatalities and injuries.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that Tehran had no involvement in the latest reported drone attack on Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, the IRGC urged Saudi officials to investigate the source of the strike – ten drones reportedly targeted Riyadh and the kingdom’s Eastern Province of Al-Sharghiyeh.
A senior Iranian security official told RT that the news published by Reuters regarding ceasefire proposals and mediators was rejected, declaring the information released to be completely wrong and far from reality.
Reuters had earlier reported, citing Iranian and regional sources, that several Middle Eastern countries were attempting to mediate between Tehran, Washington and West Jerusalem in order to explore a possible ceasefire. According to the report, Iran had been approached through intermediaries and regional channels to discuss halting the fighting, while both sides signalled little willingness to begin talks as the conflict continues to escalate. Sources familiar with the matter told the news agency that the efforts had been rebuffed by the US administration as well.
The supply chain disruptions triggered by coordinated US-Israel strikes on Iran and subsequent retaliation have sent shockwaves through global fertilizer markets, raising concerns over tightening supplies and rising food inflation risks. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a key route for energy and agricultural inputs — has reportedly fallen by about 75%, disrupting flows of fertilizer feedstocks such as ammonia and urea.
As the Middle East is a major exporter of nitrogen fertilizers, higher natural gas prices, freight costs, and logistical constraints are pushing up production costs and threatening fertilizer availability ahead of key planting seasons, potentially worsening food security in import-dependent regions.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he’s not ready to make a deal with Iran. Talking to NBC News over the phone, Trump stressed that “the terms aren’t good enough yet.”
The closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between the Horn of Africa and the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula will be a primary option for Yemen’s Islamic militant Ansarullah group (Houthis) if it decides to help Iran in its war against the US and Israel, according to a senior Yemeni commander.
“Once the decision to intervene is made, the first measure could be the official declaration of a naval blockade against the United States and the Zionist regime,” Abed al-Thawr said on Saturday, as quoted by Iranian Press TV.
Hezbollah has said it launched rockets at Israeli troops at the Calf Hill site north of the Kfar Yuval settlement. The group also reported artillery fire targeting soldiers at the Jibia point opposite the Lebanese border town of Meiss el-Jabal.
The Israeli military has not confirmed any casualties or damage in the strikes, as footage circulated by Press TV allegedly shows air defenses attempting to intercept the rockets.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that it targeted Israel as well as US military facilities in the region overnight, including the Harir airbase near Erbil in Iraq and the Ali Al Salem and Arifjan bases hosting American troops in Kuwait.
President Trump has dismissed Ukraine‘s Vladimir Zelensky’s offer to assist with countering Iranian drones in the Middle East.
“We don’t need help,” Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC News , adding that Zelensky is the “last person we need help from.”
Since the launch of US-Israeli strikes on Iran late last month, Zelensky has repeatedly signaled his readiness to get involved in the conflict, claiming that Washington has appealed for help defending American assets stationed in the Gulf against Iranian retaliatory attacks. On Friday, he again claimed that without Kiev’s “expertise,” Washington will not be able to “stabilize the situation.”
Air raid sirens have sounded across central Israel as a missile attack from Iran triggered “loud explosions” in several areas, according to Israeli broadcaster Channel 12.
Reports said debris fell in parts of the region, while Israel’s ambulance service treated four people who were injured while heading to shelters.
Dubai authorities have confirmed successful air defense interceptions of unidentified projectiles in the Marina and Al Sufouh areas.
At least 30 drones have been intercepted over Riyadh and Eastern regions of Saudi Arabia overnight, according to the Ministry of Defense.
The Department of War has published a video of a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress taking off for a night mission against Iran. “Strikes from US forces continue to be unpredictable, dynamic, and decisive,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
The IDF has detected a new barrage of missiles launched from Iran toward Israel, warning citizens to seek shelter as air defense systems are “operating to intercept the threat.”
A senior Yemeni Houthi military commander has warned that the group could block another strategic waterway to assist Iran in fighting off the ongoing US-Israeli attack, according to Press TV.
“Once the decision to intervene is made, the first measure could be the official declaration of a naval blockade against the United States and the Zionist regime,” Abed al-Thawr said on Saturday. “Merchant vessels and warships, including aircraft carriers, destined for US soil and the occupied territories could therefore be stopped.”
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a vital maritime chokepoint through which an estimated 10% of global seaborne oil trade passes. The Houthis had previously imposed a similar naval blockade on Israeli-owned or Israeli-affiliated ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s military campaign there.
The spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has accused the United States and Israel of deploying a rebranded copy of Iran’s Shahed-136 drone – designated “Lucas” – to carry out attacks on civilian infrastructure in regional countries as part of a deliberate false-flag operation aimed at framing the Islamic Republic.
“As the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly announced, it only targets the objectives, centers, and interests of the United States and the Zionist regime, and assumes full responsibility for any location it targets by issuing an official statement,” the spokesman declared.
However, there was a series of “suspicious attacks” in recent days on facilities in friendly neighboring countries, including Turkey, Kuwait, and Iraq, which Western media outlets immediately attributed to Iranian forces, the spokesman said.
Iran’s top military command has issued a warning to civilians in neighboring states, urging them to stay away from American soldiers and US-owned military and industrial facilities.
“Our deadly drones are searching point by point for the hiding places of terrorist US soldiers in the region, and upon obtaining intelligence they will precisely strike each and every American terrorist in the area,” a spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said.
“We ask the people living near industrial areas in which Americans are shareholders, or individuals who are close to the hiding places of American terrorist soldiers, to move away from those areas to avoid being harmed.”
President Trump has claimed that Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Washington’s regional allies hosting US military bases were “the biggest surprise I had of this whole thing.”
“I was very surprised,” Trump told NBC News, claiming that the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and others “got shot at unnecessarily.”
The US Central Command has shared new footage of its sorties, saying American forces “continue to degrade Iranian military capability.”
Formula One has announced that the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will not take place in April due to the ongoing war in the region, confirming the decision in a statement on Sunday.
“While alternatives were considered, no substitutions will be made in April,” Formula One’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), said in a statement.
Both races are regular fixtures on the Formula One calendar, with Bahrain initially scheduled as the fourth Grand Prix this season on April 10-12, followed by the Saudi race a week later. The Formula 2, Formula 3, and F1 ACADEMY rounds have also been cancelled.
The IRGC has shared new footage of its strikes against US and Israeli positions, showing drones taking off from undisclosed locations.
14 March 2026
President Trump has claimed that Iran’s Kharg Island was “totally demolished” in the US bombing raid on Saturday – but suggested “we may hit it a few more times just for fun.”
“We’ve totally decimated it,” the president told NBC News. “Except, as you know, I didn’t do anything having to do with the energy lines, because having to rebuild that would take years.”
The island, located in the northern Persian Gulf approximately 30 kilometers (20 miles) off the coast of mainland Iran, hosts a vital oil terminal responsible for almost 90% of the country’s maritime oil exports.
Tehran threatened to turn all US-linked oil infrastructure across the Middle East into a “pile of ashes” if Washington targets its oil facilities. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps acknowledged that the island’s military infrastructure was damaged but dismissed Trump’s claims of its complete destruction.
The Israeli Home Front Command has instructed residents to seek shelter in a protected space and remain there until further notice, after the military detected several missile launches from Iran. “Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said.
Switzerland has rejected at least two US requests to fly spy planes through its airspace, while approving a maintenance flight and two transport aircraft flights scheduled for Sunday, citing its neutrality laws amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.
“The law of neutrality prohibits overflights by parties to the conflict that serve a military purpose,” the federal government in Bern said in a statement Saturday. Permitted flights include humanitarian and medical transports, including the evacuation of the wounded.
For future requests, the council said it will only approve flights “demonstrably unrelated to the conflict” and will reject requests that exceed “normal traffic levels” if their purpose cannot be determined.
Several drones struck Kuwait International Airport – which serves as a major U.S. air logistics hub and hosts the 387th Air Expeditionary Group – and damaged its radar system, according to the country’s civil aviation authorities.
“Kuwait International Airport was targeted this evening by several drones, which damaged the airport’s radar system,” spokesperson for Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Abdullah Al-Rajhi, said in a statement on X.
Authorities did not provide details on the extent of the damage, after videos circulated by pro-Iranian sources showed over two dozen explosions in the area.
The US Victoria base near Baghdad International Airport has reportedly come under a missile strike, with videos circulated by local pro-Iranian sources showing fire and smoke rising from the facility.
Israel allegedly informed Washington that it is running critically low on long-range missile interceptors and is “coming up with solutions to address” the shortage as the war with Iran stretches into its 16th day, US officials told Semafor.
While the official insisted that American stockpiles remain sufficient, reports suggest Washington is quietly redeploying assets from other regions. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said this week that US air defense weapons stationed at Osan Air Base may have been transferred to the Middle East, acknowledging Seoul’s opposition but noting it cannot “fully enforce” its position.
President Donald Trump has touted a “virtually unlimited” US munitions supply, even as observers caution that stockpiles are lower than desired. The Pentagon maintains it has “everything it needs” to execute its missions, but its Gulf allies are reportedly facing shortages, forced on a daily basis to intercept hundreds of missiles and cheap drones targeted at US bases on their territory.
The Strait of Hormuz remains open for international shipping, except for vessels belonging to the United States, Israel, and their allies, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, Alireza Tangsiri, has said.
“The Strait of Hormuz has not been militarily blocked and is merely under control,” the statement said.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi similarly told US media earlier in the day that the strategic waterway is closed only to hostile nations.
“It is only closed to the tankers and ships belonging to our enemies, to those who are attacking us and their allies. Others are free to pass,” Araghchi said.
“The touted US security umbrella has proven to be full of holes and inviting rather than deterring trouble. The US is now begging others, even China, to help it make Hormuz safe,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on X, calling on “brotherly neighbors to expel foreign aggressors, especially as their only concern is Israel.”
President Trump has promised to “coordinate” with foreign states that agree to send their military vessels to the Strait of Hormuz “so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well.”
“The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both militarily, economically, and in every other way, but the countries of the world that receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In a previous post, the US president said: “Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others that are affected by this artificial constraint will send ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a nation that has been totally decapitated.”