US President Doanld Trump has proclaimed the “death of Iran,” adding that now, “the greatest enemy America has is the Radical Left, Highly Incompetent, Democrat Party!” Meanwhile, Iranian missiles continue to rock Israel.
Strikes on the cities of Dimona and Arad in Southern Israel have left 36 people hospitalized, including 19 children. Visiting one of the sites, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “miracle” that no one was killed and urged residents to shelter when they hear a warning siren.
At least 1,444 people have been killed and 18,551 injured by US-Israeli attacks on Iran since February 28, Iran’s Health Ministry has said.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes killed 15 people in Israel and seven US service members at bases in the region. A further six US service members were killed in a crash involving a refueling aircraft.
Here are the latest developments:
- US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike power plants in Iran unless the Strait of Hormuz is reopened within 48 hours.
- Iran has kept the crucial waterway largely closed to vessels linked to the US and Israel since the outbreak of the war on February 28. The Hormuz disruption – affecting a route carrying roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies – has already pushed crude prices higher and heightened concerns over a prolonged global supply shock.
- The IRGC has released a statement, saying that should the power plants be targeted, the Strait of Hormuz will be “completely” closed and won’t be reopened until the facilities are rebuilt.
- Saudi Arabia has declared several Iranian embassy staff, including the military attaché, as persona non grata, ordering them to leave the country within 24 hours due to Tehran’s ongoing attacks on the Gulf region.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
22 March 2026
Israeli Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir has approved plans to “advance targeted ground operations and strikes” against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Israeli army earlier destroyed bridges over the strategic Litani River in southern Lebanon, a stronghold of the pro-Palestinian armed group, which has been firing rockets at northern Israel in support of Iran.
At least 1,029 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since March 2, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
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Iran’s military has warned of major retaliation if Trump follows through on his threat to attack Iranian power plants. Retaliation could be critical to all the Gulf countries.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has claimed the Strait of Hormuz is “not closed,” adding that “ships hesitate because insurers fear the war of choice you initiated – not Iran,” probably referring to the US and Israel.
Israel carried out two attacks on southern Lebanon’s Qasmiyeh Bridge, which links Tyre with the rest of the country. RT team in Lebanon has been working in the area as the attacks occurred.
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas has held a phone call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today, an EU official told Reuters.
Iranian missiles were able to evade US-made Patriot air-defense systems in Qatar, according to an official briefed on the attack as cited by the Financial Times.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has claimed the Strait of Hormuz is “not closed,” adding that “ships hesitate because insurers fear the war of choice you initiated – not Iran,” probably referring to the US and Israel.
EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas has held a phone call with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi today, an EU official told Reuters.
She also held separate calls with counterparts from Türkiye, Qatar, and South Korea “on the war in the Middle East, attacks on energy infrastructure, and the urgent need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.”
According to media claims, Kallas previously said that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for the world’s oil supply, was a priority for Europe.
Iran managed to evade US-made Patriot air-defense systems during the attacks on QatarEnergy’s Ras Laffan complex, according to an official briefed on the attack.
Iran’s Mehr TV has stated on X, “Say goodbye to electricity.” The accompanying map displays power plants located not only in Iran but also in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, all situated on the Persian Gulf coastline.
“The distance from the coast to many of these infrastructures is less than 50 kilometers, all of which are within the reach of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Mehr TV added.
Attacks have targeted US troops at Iraqi Victory Camp, about 20 km (12 miles) west of Baghdad, according to Al Jazeera.
It’s unclear whether local air defenses known as C-RAM were activated, the outlet added.
NATO recently announced a temporary withdrawal of its troops from the country, possibly due to increasing attacks by Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq.
White House officials have reportedly told their Israeli counterparts that a potential US operation in the Strait of Hormuz will take several weeks, Israeli Channel 12 has reported.
US officials have informed their Israeli counterparts that a change in strategy is necessary. They emphasized that Washington will not permit Iran to hold the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil flows, hostage. According to the network, US officials stated, “We will use this to make them collapse from within.”
Britain is vulnerable to a potential Iranian missile attack, former military chiefs have warned the Telegraph.
The comments come after Tehran attempted to target the joint British-US Diego Garcia military base located on the Chagos Islands, which is 2,400 miles from Iran. One missile was intercepted by a US warship, and the second failed in flight.
It was the first confirmed use of long-range ballistic missiles by Iran.
A senior defense source “with knowledge of the UK’s integrated air defense systems” told The Telegraph that Britain would struggle to fend off such a long-range bombardment: “It’s woeful… combating ballistic missiles are long-learned skill sets – and the UK’s set of those skills is, sadly, very, very low.”
“The worry here is that if Iran was to launch a ballistic missile that was heading our way, unlike Israel, unlike America, unlike Diego Garcia, we have no defences against that in this country,” Sean Bell, a former air vice-marshal, told the BBC.
A total of 134,377 people are currently in 644 Lebanese shelters, according to the country’s authorities.
Nearly one in five people in Lebanon – more than one million people – have been displaced after Israel renewed its attacks on Lebanon this February.
The RT team is reporting from the Lebanese town of Khiam, where clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah are taking place.
The RT team is reporting from the Lebanese town of Khiam, where clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah are taking place.
The Israeli military has initiated new waves of air raids across southern Lebanon following their announcement of “limited and targeted ground operations” on Monday aimed at Hezbollah positions.
The Iranian military has targeted “the aerospace industries of the Zionist regime and the location of US reconnaissance aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base” in Saudi Arabia, according to Tehran.
An explosion in Bahrain on March 9 was likely caused by a US Patriot interceptor missile, according to an analysis by academic researchers examined by Reuters.
Both Bahrain and Washington blamed an Iranian drone attack for the blast, which reportedly injured 32 people, including children. On the day of the attack, US Central Command said on X that an Iranian drone had struck a residential neighborhood in Bahrain.
Responding to questions from Reuters, Bahrain acknowledged that a Patriot missile actually was involved in the explosion.
Iran has arrested 23 people in central-western Markaz Province who are alleged to be “agents” of Israel, Al Jazeera wrote, citing Iran’s Intelligence Ministry. The people reportedly shared coordinates of military sites with an international media platform it claims is linked with Israel, and worked to foment “street unrest.”
The war on Iran can go on since there’s “plenty of money to fund [it],” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has claimed. However, Washington needs more money to continue bombing, he added.
The Pentagon has requested $200 billion in additional funding for the Iran war, the Associated Press said earlier, citing sources. However, it faces stiff opposition in Congress, with Democrats and even some Republicans questioning the need after large defense appropriations last year.
Bessent defended the request without confirming the amount. He also dismissed a question about possible tax increases as “ridiculous” and said that was “not at all” under consideration.
Early indications suggest that the war will be the most expensive for the US since the long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The first six days of the Iran war cost more than $11 billion, according to media estimates.
The supply of liquefied natural gas from the Gulf is set to come to an abrupt halt in the next 10 days, when only a few final tankers from the region will reach their destinations because of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory strikes.
Qatar, which produces a fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas, had to stop exports after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively blocked to most international shipping. Doha has since suffered enormous damage to its giant Ras Laffan LNG plant, which was attacked by Iranian missiles this week, sending gas prices in Asia and Europe soaring.
Countries reliant on imports to power their economies will have to pay sky-high prices to compete for LNG supplies from the US and elsewhere, the newspaper adds.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that the “Strait of Hormuz is open to all except those who violate our soil.” Further commenting on the US-Israeli aggression against his country in a post on X on Sunday, Pezeshkian added that the “illusion of erasing Iran from the map shows desperation against the will of a history-making nation.”
RT correspondent Ali Rida was not far from the Qasmiya Bridge on the Litani River in southern Lebanon when Israeli warplanes struck it earlier on Sunday. “We heard two huge blasts, and fighter jets were roaring overhead for a few minutes,” he reported on the ground.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz previously said that the IDF would “destroy all the bridges over the Litani River” to prevent Hezbollah from moving militants and weapons into southern Lebanon.
“President Trump isn’t just going to send strongly-worded letters” regarding Iran’s nuclear program, US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, has told Fox News. He added that the US president is adamant that Tehran “can never have a nuclear weapon, and he’s going to do everything in his power to stop it.”
The Iranian missile attack has caused damage to the cities of Bat Yam and Holon in Israel, according to local media. However, no injuries have been reported.
The IRGC has released a statement indicating that if power plants are targeted, the Strait of Hormuz will be “completely” closed and will not be reopened until the facilities are rebuilt.
Additionally, the statement claims that Israel’s power plants, energy infrastructure, and information and communication technology will be “extensively targeted,” as cited by Al Jazeera. It also warns that similar companies in the region with American shareholders will be “completely destroyed.”
Iran’s Press TV has published footage purportedly showing the aftermath of an Iranian retaliatory missile strike on Tel Aviv amid a new wave of launches by the Islamic Republic’s military.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has discussed by phone ways to end the ongoing conflict between Iran, the US and Israel with representatives of the Islamic Republic, Egypt, and the US, as well as the EU, Reuters has reported, citing an anonymous Turkish diplomatic source.
Three people have been killed and another three injured in recent Israeli strikes on the town of as-Sultaniyah in southern Lebanon, the country’s National News Agency has reported, citing the Health Ministry. One more person perished and four sustained injuries in a separate Israeli attack on the town of as-Sawana located in the same region, according to the outlet.
Since March 2, at least 1,024 people have lost their lives, with 2,740 more being injured in Israeli strikes, Lebanese authorities have estimated.
The IDF has announced that its forces have launched a “wave of extensive strikes” targeting Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian has reported that Israeli warplanes “struck the Qasmiya Bridge on the Litani River in southern Lebanon.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz earlier announced that he had instructed the IDF to “immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River” to prevent Hezbollah from moving militants and weapons into southern Lebanon.
RT has obtained an eyewitness video purportedly showing the moment a rocket fired by Hezbollah hit a house in northern Israel. The Lebanese Shiite militant group and the IDF have intensified cross-border fire in recent days.
US President Donald Trump has proclaimed the “death of Iran,” adding that now, “the greatest enemy America has is the Radical Left, Highly Incompetent, Democrat Party!”
Death and suffering caused by the US-Israeli aggression against Iran are a “scandal to the whole human family,” Pope Leo has said, once again calling for an immediate ceasefire.
“We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, the defenseless victims of these conflicts,” the pontiff said during his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “dragging the war out because its end would necessitate elections and a change in government,” Yair Golan, the chairman of The Democrats party has said.
“Netanyahu has turned national security into a tool for his political survival,” the former general charged.
The next general elections in Israel are scheduled to take place by October.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the National Security Committee of the Iranian parliament, has told local media that “for some ships which cross [the Strait of Hormuz], for whatever reasons, Iran is charging them $2 million.”
“Now, because war has costs, naturally we must do this and take transit fees from ships passing through” the strategically important waterway, the lawmaker reportedly said.
US President Donald Trump has demanded that Gulf states pay “approximately $5 trillion if they want this war to continue, and if they want it to stop, they must pay $2.5 trillion to the United States for what has been accomplished over the past period,” Omani journalist Salem Al-Jahouri has told BBC Arabic, citing “certain leaks.”
“The Gulf Cooperation Council states are facing pressure, both military and financial pressure,” he claimed.
US military spending in its war against Iran has exceeded $27 billion, according to data from the Iran War Cost Tracker website.
The website’s page is reportedly using data from a classified Pentagon briefing reported by The New York Times on March 11. According to the newspaper, the US spent $11.3 billion in the first six days of the war with Iran. At the time, Senator Chris Coons also stated that the overall cost of the military operation “significantly exceeds the reported figure” and estimated that the war was costing Washington more than $1.5 billion per day.
Iran War Cost Tracker’s analysis also shows that the US spent over $10 billion on air defense systems alone in the first 48 hours of the war.
At least two children were killed in a US-Israeli strike on residential buildings in the city of Tabriz a few days ago, local media has reported, citing the authorities. Fars News and several other media outlets have published disturbing footage showing rescuers pulling the children’s remains from under the rubble.
On February 28, during the first wave of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, a suspected US Tomahawk cruise missile struck the Shajarah Tayyebeh girls’ school in the city of Minab, killing at least 175 people, mostly schoolchildren.
According to UNICEF, since the start of the conflict, at least 214 children have lost their lives in Iran, with more than 1,190 sustaining injuries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged world leaders to commit their countries to the joint Israeli-US military campaign against Iran, saying Tehran’s reported missile launch toward the UK-US base on Diego Garcia showed it could strike further than previously thought. He claimed Iran had the capacity to reach “deep into Europe” and was seeking to “blackmail the entire world” by disrupting the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has denied responsibility for the reported attempted strike, with an unnamed senior Iranian official telling Al Jazeera that Tehran was not behind the incident. Earlier UK Housing Secretary Steve Reed said there was no intelligence indicating Iran was preparing to target Europe.
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a bulk carrier reported an explosion from an unidentified projectile near its position off the UAE, with all crew members safe. The incident occurred about 15 nautical miles north of Sharjah, and vessels in the area were advised to exercise caution as authorities investigate.
The National Disaster Management Authority in Abu Dhabi said air defense systems in the city were responding to a missile threat.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that if power plants and infrastructure in Iran are targeted, “the critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and oil facilities throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets and will be destroyed in an irreversible manner,” warning that oil prices would remain high “for a long time.”
In the same post, he added: “And throw down what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have made.”
US Central Command has claimed Iran had been assembling close-, short- and medium-range ballistic missiles at the Kuh-E Barjamali facility, releasing before-and-after photos from March 1 and March 7 that it said showed the site was now “out of commission.”
The IDF said Home Front Command search-and-rescue forces had been operating for hours at missile impact sites in central Israel alongside emergency services. Authorities urged the public to avoid gathering near the areas and to continue following life-saving instructions issued during alerts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich inspected damage caused by an Iranian missile strike in the southern city of Arad on Saturday, where residential buildings were heavily hit and dozens of people were reported wounded.
The IDF said it had killed nine Hezbollah members in southern Lebanon, releasing footage that it said showed an assassination strike targeting the militants.
Several videos appear to show widespread destruction in central Israel following an Iranian missile strike, with damaged residential buildings, shattered windows and debris scattered across streets in Tel Aviv and Petah Tikva, where emergency crews were deployed to multiple impact sites.
Earlier the IDF said it had detected missiles launched from Iran toward Israeli territory, with air-defense systems operating to intercept the threat.
A senior British cabinet minister has said there is no evidence that Iran is targeting Europe, as London sought to distance itself from US President Donald Trump’s ultimatum over the Strait of Hormuz.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed told Sky News on Sunday that Trump was “perfectly capable of speaking for himself” after threatening to “obliterate” Iranian power plants unless Tehran reopened the key shipping route within 48 hours.
Reed added that Britain saw no intelligence suggesting Iran was preparing missile strikes against European countries, stressing the UK would not be “dragged into the war” while continuing to protect its interests in the region and work with allies to de-escalate tensions.
An escalating confrontation between the US and Iran risks drawing Washington into a prolonged Middle East conflict resembling its past wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, security analysts and former officials have warned.
The Financial Times reported that further troop deployments and expanded military operations against Tehran could lead to mission creep, mounting costs and an unclear exit strategy, with experts noting that Iran’s regional allies and asymmetric capabilities could complicate efforts to secure a swift or decisive outcome.
Israeli protesters gathered near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem to demonstrate against the government’s war policy.
Chanting slogans, beating drums and holding signs condemning the leadership, some demonstrators wore prisoner costumes and masks depicting Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Several protesters were later detained by police as the rally continued.
Iran’s air defenses targeted what officials described as an “invading” enemy F-15 fighter jet over the country’s southern coastal region near Hormuz Island, the Joint Air Defense Headquarters claimed in a statement. According to the Army’s public relations office, ground-to-air missile systems were activated after the aircraft was intercepted in Iranian airspace.
Russia’s envoy to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, has warned that continued US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities risk triggering a nuclear disaster.
Qatar’s Interior Ministry said six people have been found dead after a helicopter crashed in the country’s territorial waters, with one person still missing.
In a statement on X, the ministry said search and rescue teams had located six of the seven people on board and were continuing intensive efforts to find the remaining passenger. Earlier reports, citing the Defense Ministry, said the crash was caused by a technical malfunction.
The Israeli military said a deadly Hezbollah attack on the northern community of Misgav Am, near the Lebanese border, earlier on Sunday was carried out with rocket fire rather than an anti-tank guided missile, after an initial assessment.
According to Israeli rescue services, a rocket launched from Lebanon struck two vehicles, killing one man. Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for the strike, saying it had targeted Israeli troops in the area
Hamas has welcomed the Iranian missile strikes on southern Israel, calling them a “natural response” to what it described as “Zionist-American aggression” and the “mass killings and genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
The militant group's spokesman Abu Ubayda said the group was watching “with the utmost honor” the “powerful missile attacks” that targeted areas “deep in the occupied territories,” adding that Israel “does not understand except the language of force and reciprocity.” He also portrayed Iran as being on the “front line of defending the entire Islamic Ummah” and urged Muslims worldwide to “stand against their true enemy” and work jointly toward the “liberation of Palestine.”
A large-scale demonstration took place in London condemning the war against Iran and Lebanon, coinciding with the British government’s decision to allow the US to use UK military bases to help protect ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
RT spoke to protesters who gathered in the city to oppose London’s involvement in the escalating conflict and warn about the risks of deeper military engagement.
Israel’s Health Ministry has said over 300 people were taken to hospitals over the past 24 hours following strikes from Iran and Lebanon. Since the fighting began, a total of 4,564 people have been hospitalized.
Saudi Arabia and the United States are working to keep Yemen’s Houthi movement out of the war against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US and regional officials. Saudi officials are maintaining diplomatic contacts with the group, while Washington and Israel are seeking to avoid actions that could provoke Houthi involvement and widen the conflict.
Analysts cited by the newspaper, including New America fellow Adam Baron, warned that any Houthi entry into the fighting could raise the stakes by threatening shipping routes linked to the Red Sea and Suez Canal and increasing pressure on Saudi Arabia to become more directly involved.
The movement has repeatedly voiced support for Tehran since US-Israeli strikes began on February 28, warning it was ready to escalate and could intervene if the conflict widens.
Iran is ready to cooperate with the International Maritime Organization to enhance maritime safety and protect seafarers in the Gulf, its representative to the UN maritime agency Ali Mousavi said, according to Mehr news agency. He added that the Strait of Hormuz remained open to shipping except for vessels linked to what he described as Iran’s “enemies,” saying transit could continue through coordination with Tehran.
Mousavi said diplomacy remained Iran’s priority but stressed that a full cessation of what he called aggression and the rebuilding of mutual trust were essential, blaming US and Israeli military actions for the current tensions in the strategic waterway.
While all eyes are now on Iran, Israel is also stepping up the pressure on the Palestinians.
In the West Bank, four civilians, including two children, were killed when Israeli forces opened fire on their family car, leaving two young boys injured and orphaned.
RT brings you their tragic story.
One man was killed in a suspected anti-tank missile attack on the northern Israeli border community of Misgav Am, first responders said.
The Magen David Adom spokesperson Eli Bin said two vehicles caught fire and a man’s body was recovered from one, while the Israeli military said it had identified fire from Lebanon toward the area, adding that there was damage and casualties and that the incident was under investigation.
A spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters warned that if the country’s fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked, “all energy, information technology and desalination facilities belonging to the United States and the regime in the region will be targeted.”
The warning follows threats by US President Donald Trump to destroy Iranian power plants if shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is not restored.
Japan could consider deploying its Self-Defense Forces for minesweeping operations in the Strait of Hormuz if a ceasefire is reached in the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said in an interview with Fuji TV on Sunday. He stressed the idea was “purely hypothetical,” adding such a step might be considered if naval mines were obstructing navigation.
His comments came after Tokyo ruled out sending troops to help secure the vital shipping route despite calls from Trump for greater allied support. Japan relies on the strait for about 90% of its oil imports.
The Israeli military said its ground offensive in southern Lebanon was continuing, with raids on several Hezbollah sites and at least 10 militants killed. The statement came as reports of heavy fighting emerged around the Lebanese border towns of Khiam and Taybeh, while Hezbollah said it had carried out at least 12 overnight attacks on Israeli positions.
The military also released a photo showing weapons it claimed were located by Israeli troops during operations in the area.
In a separate statement, the IDF said a launch from Lebanon toward a community along Israel’s northern border had been identified, adding that there was damage and wounded and that the incident was under review.
Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, southern Israel, said dozens of people wounded in overnight missile strikes in Dimona and Arad were brought to its emergency department, including several in serious condition. Hospital officials said at least 60 injured were evacuated from Dimona and 115 from Arad, with reinforced medical teams activated to treat casualties, some with severe injuries.
A memorial ceremony was held in Vancouver, Canada, to honor victims of the deadly strike on an elementary school in the Iranian city of Minab.
The February 28 bombing of Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school came on the first day of the unprovoked US-Israeli attack on Iran, killing at least 175 people, almost all of them children.
Iran’s police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said at a rally in Tehran on Saturday that the European Union could ask Iran for help defending Greenland if it was unable to protect the island itself, referring to Trump’s long-running push for greater US control over the strategically important Arctic territory.
Trump has stepped up efforts to bring the Danish autonomous island under US authority since last year, at one point mocking its defences as consisting of “two dog sleds.” He has argued Washington needs Greenland for national security, saying it faces threats from China and Russia, both of which have rejected the claim.
The annexation push has led to a growing diplomatic rift between Washington and its European NATO allies.
The Israeli military said Iran had launched a fresh wave of missiles toward the country a short while earlier, adding that air defenses were working to intercept the incoming threat.
Smoke was seen rising over the city of Holon, south of Tel Aviv, following what were reported to be Iranian missile strikes.
A British nuclear-powered submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles has reportedly taken position in the Arabian Sea, according to the Daily Mail, citing unnamed defense sources.
The report said the Royal Navy’s Astute-class submarine HMS Anson could be used to carry out long-range strikes in the event of further escalation involving Iran. Britain’s Ministry of Defense has yet to comment on the claim.
Iran denied targeting a joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, Al Jazeera reported citing a senior Iranian official, after Britain accused Tehran of firing ballistic missiles toward the remote installation.
The reported incident came as regional tensions escalated, with London saying it would limit its role to defensive support despite allowing the United States to use UK bases for strikes on Iran.
The United Arab Emirates said its air defenses were responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran, adding that interception systems had been activated and three drones were destroyed in the country’s eastern region.
Senior Iranian officials said recent missile strikes near the southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona marked a turning point in the conflict, with IRGC Aerospace Force chief Maj. Gen. Seyed Majid Moosavi claiming on X that Tehran now held “missile dominance” over Israeli airspace.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also said any failure by Israel to intercept projectiles in the “highly protected” Dimona area signalled “entering a new phase of the battle.”
Iranian ballistic missile strikes on Saturday hit residential areas in Arad and Dimona near Israel’s main nuclear research centre, injuring more than 100 people and causing significant structural damage.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said on Sunday its fighters had carried out more than 20 attacks against what it described as “enemy bases” in Iraq and across the region over the past 24 hours, using dozens of missiles and drones.
The group has claimed hundreds of such attacks in recent days, following joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began in February and subsequent Iranian missile and drone attacks on Israeli and US-linked sites across the Middle East.
Iran’s military said it had intercepted and downed a US-Israeli armed drone over Tehran before it could carry out combat operations, according to Tasnim news agency, adding that air defences had destroyed 127 advanced enemy drones since the start of the recent conflict.
Earlier, the Israeli military announced a new wave of strikes on the capital, with residents reporting loud explosions in eastern and western parts of the city. Footage appears to show red-tinged skies and thick smoke rising over parts of Tehran following overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Iranian capital.
Footage appears to show extensive destruction in the southern Israeli city of Arad after an Iranian ballistic missile struck residential areas on Saturday, wounding dozens and damaging multiple buildings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “very difficult evening” and urged the public to follow Home Front Command instructions, adding that Israel was determined to continue striking its enemies “on all fronts,” in posts on X on Saturday.
Earlier Iran fired ballistic missiles at southern Israeli towns including Dimona and Arad, with impacts reported near Israel’s main nuclear research facility.
The US Treasury Department’s decision to lift sanctions on Iranian oil already loaded onto vessels will not stabilize the oil market in the long term, Finn Andreen, an expert at the US-based libertarian Mises Institute, told RT.
Andreen described the measure as “a sign of weakness,” arguing that the affected shipments are part of the so-called shadow fleet of tankers, which has already been evading US sanctions on Iran. “It is very unlikely that these 140 million barrels are just sitting in the ocean,” he said.
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had struck “a strategic research and development facility” at Tehran’s Malek-Ashtar University, which it claimed was used “to develop nuclear weapon components and weapons.”
The IDF said the Israeli Air Force acted on “precise intelligence” in targeting the site, describing the strike as “an additional step in the continued effort to degrade” Iran’s capability to advance toward obtaining nuclear arms, and adding it “will not allow the Iranian terror regime to obtain nuclear weapons.”
The Israeli military have released a satellite image showing a Tehran campus complex with one building highlighted, which it claims was part of a research facility linked to alleged nuclear weapons development.
Earlier Iranian officials confirmed that strikes had targeted the Natanz enrichment facility, saying technical assessments showed no radioactive leakage, while Tehran has also maintained that its nuclear program is civilian in nature and not aimed at developing nuclear weapons.
Drone footage shows the aftermath of an Iranian ballistic missile strike in Arad, Israel, where rescue teams continue clearing the rubble.
Israel has declared a state of emergency after an Iranian missile struck the southern city of Arad.
Authorities said at least 88 people were injured, up from earlier estimates, with 19 in serious condition.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened within 48 hours.
21 March 2026
Iran will retaliate forcefully if the United States attempts to seize Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran, told RT.
“If the United States wants to intensify the war, I think the Iranian retaliation will be far more massive than before,” Marandi said.
He pointed to Iran’s missile strikes on energy infrastructure in Qatar and other Gulf states in response to an Israeli airstrike on Iran’s South Pars gas field.
Marandi said further military action in the Gulf would lead to a “long-term crisis” due to the destruction of energy sites and disruptions to shipping. “The Iranians are far more prepared for such a scenario,” he added.
Security camera footage from an Israeli apartment captures the moment of an Iranian missile strike.
Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said missile strikes on Saturday targeted several US outposts, including Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Prince Sultan Air Base in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia, and Victory Base in Baghdad.
Missiles were also fired at Tel Aviv, Rishon LeZion, and refueling aircraft at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, he said.
The Israeli Air Force and the Home Front Command have opened an investigation into the failure of air defenses to intercept an Iranian missile that struck a residential building in Arad.
Health officials have raised the number of wounded in the attack to 64, as first responders continue to clear the rubble.
At least 30 people were wounded in the Arad area in southern Israel, Israel’s National Emergency has said.
The Times of Israel reported that the injuries were caused by the impact of an Iranian ballistic missile in the city.
People in Tehran have gathered in support of the armed forces, protesting the US-Israeli attacks at the capital.
Others in Tehran hold Eid al-Fitr prayers after overnight air strikes on the city.
A funeral was also held for IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike.
Two Israeli reservists have been wounded by a Hezbollah mortar attack in northern Israel, The Times of Israel has reported, citing the Israeli military.
The two soldiers were hospitalized with shrapnel injuries following the attack earlier today, according to the report.
Israel’s military chief, Eyal Zamir, has stated that Iran’s recent attack on the US-UK military base at Diego Garcia involved the use of “a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometers [2,500 miles].”
Tehran is rolling out a new 10mn rial banknote, its highest-ever denomination. Banks this week began distributing the new note, which is worth about $7.
The new bill features a vignette of the 9th-century Jameh Mosque of Yazd, while the back displays an image of the 2,500-year-old Bam Citadel.
Iran’s central bank stated that the new denomination was introduced to “ensure public access to cash.” It also noted that electronic systems (such as debit cards, mobile banking, and internet banking) will remain the primary platforms for financial transactions.
Trump is considering various options for the deployment of US troops within Iran. This includes potentially enhancing passage in the Strait of Hormuz by stationing troops at Iranian ports or on small islands in the Persian Gulf to reduce threats to vessels, according to a report by NBC News.
The options also include conducting an operation to retrieve highly enriched uranium from Iran or deploying troops to seize Iranian oil facilities. The aim would be to disrupt a crucial financial lifeline and force concessions from Tehran, according to the network’s sources.
Footage shared by Israeli media reportedly shows the moment a missile struck Israel’s southern city of Dimona.
In the footage, a large munition streaks down from the air before a loud blast is heard.
According to Israel’s Kan broadcaster, at least 20 people in the city were injured, including a 10-year-old.
Imam Ali Hospital in Andimeshk in southern Iran has been severely damaged in a recent US-Israeli strike, with several units put out of operation, Fars news has reported.
Meanwhile, Pirhosein Kulivand, head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, has estimated that since the start of the US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic late last month, 266 medical facilities have been targeted. On top of that, dozens of ambulances have come under attack, with twelve medical professionals and one Red Crescent representative killed, according to Kulivand
“We consider these to be violations of human rights and we update our statistics daily, sending it to the esteemed prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, the president of the Red Cross Committee, the president of the Red Cross Federation, the secretariat of the United Nations Human Rights Council, and all international organizations, so that we can carry out our legal follow-ups,” Kulivand added.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the BRICS alliance, which India currently chairs, should “play an independent role in halting aggression against Iran.”
In a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pezeshkian also proposed establishing a regional security framework made up of West Asian countries “aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region through regional cooperation without foreign interference.”
“Expressing deep concern over the escalation of tensions and conflict in West Asia, the Prime Minister of India strongly condemned any attacks on energy infrastructure in the region, noting that such actions pose serious threats to global food and energy security and to agricultural exports worldwide. He also emphasized the importance of ensuring the continued security of the Strait of Hormuz and the freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf,” the Iranian Embassy in India wrote in a statement.
The CIA, Mossad and other intelligence agencies still have no clear picture as to the physical condition, whereabouts and the role in Iran’s power structure of recently-elected Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to Axios. The publication says that despite Khamenei not releasing any video address to date, both the US and Israeli intelligence services believe that he is alive.
Earlier this month, Iranian authorities confirmed that the supreme leader had sustained some injuries in the first wave of the US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28, which killed his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei. Contrary to media claims, the senior official “is in excellent health” and remains “in control of the situation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last Sunday.
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis has bemoaned an apparent lack of “strategic articulation of the strategy” by the Trump administration regarding the US campaign against Iran.
The Republican lawmaker said that while he generally supports the military action, “the real question is: What ultimately are we trying to accomplish?” as quoted by AP.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that the ongoing US-Israeli aggression against Iran is bound to have grave ramifications that will reverberate for a long time to come.
The leaders of 22 countries, including the UK, France, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates, have issued a joint statement on the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. The signatories “condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces.”
The joint statement urges Tehran to cease the laying of mines and drone and missile attacks on commercial vessels attempting to pass through the strategically important waterway.
“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait,” the signatories said.
The IDF has claimed to have conducted a “wide-scale strike sortie in Tehran,” attacking dozens of targets, including ballistic missile production facilities. According to the Israeli military, the strikes have significantly degraded Iran’s capacity to manufacture key missile components.
Iranian air defense forces destroyed an Israeli F-16 fighter jet early on Saturday, IRNA media outlet has claimed, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) public relations department.
According to Iran’s Fars News, it was the third enemy warplane struck in Iranian airspace since late February, when the US and Israel launched their campaign against the Islamic Republic.
The Israeli Air Force, in turn, has confirmed that a “surface-to-air missile launch was detected toward an Israeli fighter jet,” with no damage inflicted on the warplane.
The US military has struck more than 8,000 targets in Iran since the start of the conflict late last month, Chief of the US Central Command, Brad Cooper, has estimated. According to the admiral, these have included 130 Iranian vessels as well as “thousands of Iranian missiles [and] advanced attack drones.”
“Iran’s combat capability is on a steady decline as our offensive strikes ramp up,” Cooper claimed.
Russia has condemned the attack on Iran’s Natanz enrichment facility, calling it a “blatant violation of international law,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
The “irresponsible actions” of the US and Israeli militaries are creating risks of a “catastrophe” that could affect the entire Middle East, she warned.
Three weeks into the war, the US death toll continues to rise. The US military has confirmed 13 fatalities from Iranian attacks across the region. Additionally, one service member died of a “health-related incident” in Kuwait.
Earlier today, Iran fired missiles towards a joint US-UK base on the island of Diego Garcia after warning that British lives were “in danger” there. Even though the missiles didn't hit the base, it still marks a sharp escalation in regional tensions.
Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, is located around 4,000 km from Iran. It is a critical hub for American military operations across Asia since the base hosts long-range bombers and key strategic assets.
The strike comes shortly after the UK reportedly allowed the US to use the base for operations against Iran.
RT has previously published a feature covering the Diego Garcia story.
Iraq’s National Intelligence Agency has reported in a post on X that its headquarters in Baghdad was attacked by “outlaw entities” on Saturday morning, resulting in the death of an officer.
Iran was “unsuccessful” in targeting the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, a UK official source told AFP, after the Wall Street Journal reported that Tehran had fired two ballistic missiles at the facility.
The source said the “unsuccessful targeting of Diego Garcia” occurred before London announced it would allow the United States to use some British bases to strike Iranian sites linked to attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi has claimed that the Trump administration is misleading the American public when it says Iranian military capabilities have been badly degraded. He cited the recent downing of a US F-35 fighter jet by Iranian air defense as evidence to the contrary. “USS Gerald Ford turns back, and USS Abraham Lincoln drifts farther away,” the Iranian diplomat added in a post on X on Friday, without elaborating.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is “putting British lives in danger by allowing UK bases to be used for aggression against Iran.” In a post on X on Friday, the Iranian diplomat suggested that Starmer is going against the wishes of the “vast majority of the British People [who] do not want any part in the Israel-U.S. war of choice on Iran.” Tehran will exercise its right to self-defense in light of these recent developments, Araghchi warned.
The UAE said its air-defense systems intercepted three ballistic missiles and eight drones launched from Iran on Saturday.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said strikes against Iran would intensify this week, warning that “the intensity of the strikes that the IDF and the US military will carry out… will significantly escalate.”
Israel is “determined to continue leading the offensive… to decapitate its commanders and thwart its strategic capabilities,” he said, adding the country “will not stop until all war objectives are achieved.”
Following the US-Israeli aggression, “Iran now would have even more incentive to develop a nuclear bomb than it did before,” Peter Kuznick, director of nuclear studies at American University, has told RT. He noted that the previous supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, had issued a religious injunction against the development of nuclear weapons in Iran – a decision his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei could revise.
According to Kuznick, the US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic, as well as the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by American commandos in January and the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, have served as a lesson to all other nations that nuclear weapons are the sole security guarantee against US power projections.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had been informed by Iran that the Natanz nuclear site was attacked on Saturday, adding that no increase in off-site radiation levels had been reported.
The Natanz enrichment facility was previously reported damaged earlier in the current conflict, with the International Atomic Energy Agency confirming in early March that strikes had affected buildings and infrastructure at the site.
Earlier this week a projectile destroyed a structure about 350 meters from the reactor at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant. The IAEA said the reactor and staff were unharmed while warning that attacks near nuclear facilities risk violating key wartime nuclear safety principles.
Iran’s army said its drones targeted Israeli military infrastructure in the “occupied territories” at dawn on Saturday, including fuel depots and refueling aircraft deployment sites at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, claiming the strikes were meant to disrupt fighter jet refueling and airport operations.
“Despite the intense censorship by the Zionist enemy, the repeated strikes… have severely disrupted refueling of military aircraft, airport operations, and flights,” the statement said, warning drone operations would continue “until the threat against the dear Iranian nation is eliminated.”
Iran’s state television has released footage purportedly showing an Iranian Army drone strike targeting military infrastructure at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Israel’s Home Front Command has said search-and-rescue teams are operating at the impact site of a strike they claim hit a kindergarten in central Israel.
Education Minister Yoav Kisch also cancelled Passover holiday camps in 18 municipalities after a reported strike hit a daycare in Rishon Lezion, local media said, adding the decision was brought forward following the incident.
Iran’s armed forces have vowed the war will continue until further attacks on the country are “removed from criminals’ agenda,” saying recent “unprecedented” strikes demonstrate Tehran’s “high hand in the enemy’s permeable skies.”
The IDF said its troops identified several armed Hezbollah militants during a targeted ground operation in southern Lebanon overnight, eliminating one fighter in a ground engagement and three others with tank fire after directing an Israeli Air Force strike on militants who had opened fire. The military added that no Israeli troops were injured in the clashes.
The IDF also said the Israeli Air Force struck several Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut based on military intelligence, vowing to continue operations against the group, which it accused of joining the war with the backing of Iran, and stressing it would not allow harm to Israeli civilians.
Lebanon’s Health Minister Rakan Nasser Eldine said the death toll from Israeli strikes has surpassed 1,000, with thousands more wounded, and warned that medical facilities have been heavily affected.
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said the Natanz enrichment complex was hit in a renewed Israeli-US attack on Friday morning. In a written statement, the agency said the strike targeted the Martyr Ahmadi Roshan facility, calling the action a violation of international law and commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as well as nuclear safety regulations.
The organization added that technical teams had carried out specialized assessments to determine whether any radioactive contamination had been released in the surrounding area. “Based on the obtained results… no radioactive material leakage has been reported at this complex, and no danger threatens the residents of the surrounding areas of this site,” the statement said, noting that prior precautions and monitoring systems had been in place.
The IDF said Home Front Command search and rescue teams were being deployed to missile impact sites in central Israel, urging the public to avoid gathering near the locations and to continue following official safety guidelines.
A potential Western ground operation against Iran would amount to a “suicide mission,” former CIA analyst Larry Johnson has warned, arguing that any large-scale invasion would face overwhelming logistical and geographic obstacles. Speaking to RT, he said the US would need to deploy “an army of about 3 million” to defeat Iran’s forces — far beyond its current capabilities — adding that even limited troop deployments would be unable to achieve “any meaningful objective.”
Johnson also dismissed recent US claims of battlefield success, accusing Trump of being “detached from reality” and questioning the logic of declaring victory while the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked. He warned that inserting Western light infantry into Iran would likely result in “a massacre of Western forces,” stressing that sustaining troops in combat conditions there would be nearly impossible due to stretched supply lines and Iran’s rugged terrain.
Iraq has declared force majeure on oilfields developed by foreign companies after disruptions to tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz effectively halted crude exports, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing two Iraqi oil ministry officials familiar with the matter.
The move comes as escalating regional tensions have made it difficult for tankers to load and depart from the country’s main southern export terminals, forcing operators to curb production as storage capacity fills. Southern output has reportedly fallen sharply from around 3.3 million barrels per day to roughly 900,000 bpd, with some crude being redirected to domestic refineries.
Iran has fired ballistic missiles toward the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, about 4,000 km from Iranian territory, the Wall Street Journal reported citing US officials. According to the report, the missiles did not hit the facility — one is believed to have failed during flight while a US Navy warship attempted an interception.
Iranian media framed the launch as a demonstration of Tehran’s long-range strike capability. Mehr News Agency said the move showed the reach of Iranian missiles was “beyond what the enemy previously imagined.”
Video posted by Iran’s Tasnim news agency appears to show significant damage to residential and commercial buildings in Tel Aviv following an Iranian missile strike.
An Israeli strike that narrowly missed an RT journalist team in southern Lebanon was a “rogue action” that violated international law and reflected a broader pattern of targeting media workers, according to Christopher Helali, international secretary of the American Communist Party. The incident showed a “deliberate targeting of journalists,” he told RT stressing that clearly identified media personnel are protected civilians under the Geneva Conventions and “are not to be bombed” while reporting from conflict zones.
On Thursday, RT correspondent Steve Sweeney and his cameraman Ali Rida Sbeity were injured in what appeared to be a deliberate Israeli airstrike on their filming position, despite wearing clearly labeled press uniforms. Helali warned Israel acts with “impunity,” arguing that continued strikes on civilian infrastructure and reporters risk escalating tensions and silencing independent coverage. “If nobody will hold you accountable, what’s the point of the law?” he said, adding that such incidents could make journalists “even stronger and more dedicated” to their work.
The US has evacuated additional personnel from its embassy compound in Baghdad following recent rocket and drone attacks on American diplomatic facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed officials
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Iran’s leadership on the occasion of Nowruz, describing Tehran as “a loyal and reliable partner of the Russian Federation,” according to a message released by the Kremlin’s press service.
Shrapnel from Iranian missiles hit the Rishon LeZion area south of Tel Aviv during the latest barrage, damaging several buildings and triggering emergency response operations, Israeli media reported. Rescue teams said they received multiple reports of injuries caused by falling debris as air raid sirens sounded across parts of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
Footage allegedly shows scenes of widespread destruction in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas following Israeli-American airstrikes.
A major fire reportedly broke out at the US Victory base in Baghdad following a drone attack.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the organization is exploring ways to help restore safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting a framework similar to the Black Sea grain corridor. In an interview with Politico, he said his “main objective” was to see whether conditions could be created in the strategic waterway comparable to earlier efforts to keep global trade moving amid hostilities.
The Black Sea deal, agreed in 2022 between Russia and Ukraine with UN and Turkish mediation, created a monitored safe shipping corridor that enabled tens of millions of tonnes of Ukrainian agricultural cargo to leave ports during the conflict, although Moscow later withdrew from the arrangement, saying its own food and fertiliser exports continued to face obstacles. Guterres added that the UN is engaging Gulf states and European officials on possible de-escalation and maritime security measures.
United Airlines is preparing for a prolonged period of elevated oil prices, with Chief Executive Scott Kirby telling staff he expects crude to stay above $100 a barrel until the end of 2027 and could spike as high as $175, according to a Reuters report.
Jet fuel prices have nearly doubled since late February, potentially increasing the carrier’s annual fuel bill by about $11 billion, prompting plans to cut less profitable flights and keep services to Tel Aviv and Dubai suspended.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington will temporarily allow the sale of Iranian crude already stranded at sea to ease supply pressures. Writing on X, he said the Treasury was issuing “a narrowly tailored, short-term authorization” that would “quickly bring approximately 140 million barrels of oil to global markets… helping to relieve the temporary pressures on supply.”
He stressed the measure is “strictly limited to oil that is already in transit and does not allow new purchases or production,” adding the US would continue to maintain “maximum pressure” on Iran while working to expand global energy supply and stabilize markets.
Trump has downplayed Iran’s remaining military role in the conflict, saying its actions now largely amount to disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“From a military standpoint, all they’re doing is clogging up the strait,” Trump said on Friday, arguing that securing the vital energy route would be a relatively straightforward task.
Describing efforts to reopen the waterway, he said it was “a simple military maneuver… but you need a lot of help. You need ships, you need volume,” while criticizing NATO allies for failing to support the operation.
He added that major energy-dependent nations should take responsibility for the route, suggesting that “at a certain point, it will open itself.”
Trump has claimed US forces have effectively defeated Iran militarily, rejecting calls for a ceasefire while speaking to reporters outside the White House on Friday.
“Oh, I think we’ve won,” Trump said, adding that US strikes had “knocked out their Navy, their Air Force… their anti-aircraft. We’ve knocked out everything.”
He insisted Iran was no longer capable of mounting a meaningful military response. “We’re roaming free… From a military standpoint… they’re finished,” he said.
Trump also ruled out pausing the conflict during the same exchange with journalists. “Well, look, we can have dialogue, but I don’t want to do a ceasefire. You know, you don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side.”
Kuwait’s military has said its air defense systems were responding to a missile and drone attack on Saturday morning, as Iran continues to strike Gulf nations.
Footage aired by Press TV appears to show the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, with visible damage to buildings and debris scattered across the area.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced the 70th wave of its ongoing retaliatory Operation True Promise 4, saying more than 55 locations linked to US forces and Israel across the region were targeted in the latest phase, and releasing footage it said showed missile and drone strikes.
In a statement on Saturday, the force described the opening moments of the strikes as marked by “loud explosions, bursts of fire, and columns of smoke,” adding that attacks were carried out using Qiam and Emad missile systems alongside drones as part of what it called a strategy of “gradual attrition.”
According to the IRGC, five US military installations — including al-Kharj in Saudi Arabia, al-Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates, Ali al-Salem in Kuwait, Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain — were among the targets, while Aerospace Force units also focused on strategic areas in Haifa and Tel Aviv. The Corps warned it would continue to strike the “origin of any aggression” against Iran’s sovereignty, saying its forces had prepared for a further stage of confrontation.