The war in West Asia entered its third week as the United States and Israel intensified strikes on Iran, with Tehran retaliating as both sides targeted each other’s military, diplomatic and strategic infrastructure.
The conflict, triggered by the Feb. 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread across the region, roiling energy markets and driving up oil prices as Tehran maintains a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a route for about 20% of global oil exports, while both sides threaten to target each other’s oil infrastructure.
TOP DEVELOPMENTS
Citizens in ‘grave danger’: Iran told the United Nations on Monday it would not submit to “lawless aggression” and said its citizens were in “grave danger” from US and Israeli strikes.
Strikes on Iranian cities: Israel’s military said it launched a broad wave of strikes on the Iranian cities of Tehran, Shiraz and Tabriz, more than two weeks into the war.
US ‘fine’ with some Hormuz traffic: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington is “fine” with some Iranian, Indian and Chinese ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are seeing more and more of the fuel ships start to go through. The Iranian ships have been getting out already, and we've let that happen to supply the rest of the world. We've seen Indian ships go out now... we believe some Chinese ships have gone out,” he told CNBC.
UK weighs options: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London was working with allies on a “viable” plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, adding Britain would take “the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies” but “will not be drawn into the wider war.”
Germany says ‘not NATO’s war’: Germany said the conflict has “nothing to do with NATO” and is “not NATO's war,” with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s spokesman saying “NATO is an alliance for the defence of territory” and “the mandate to deploy NATO is lacking.”
Hormuz crossing: A non-Iranian oil tanker transited the Strait of Hormuz with its AIS transponder active despite disruption to shipping, monitor MarineTraffic said. “The Aframax tanker Karachi, carrying Abu Dhabi's Das crude, has become the first non-Iranian cargo to transit the chokepoint,” it said.
Iran warning: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was ready to take the war as far as necessary. “I think by now they have learned a good lesson and understood what kind of nation they are dealing with, one that does not hesitate to defend itself and is ready to continue the war wherever it may lead, and take it as far as necessary,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a short video on Sunday making light of rumours on social media that he was dead.
"I'm dead for coffee," he said sarcastically on his official X account as he received a steaming cup at a cafe outside Jerusalem, employing a colloquial Hebrew expression meaning to love something to death.
He then raised his hands to the camera, asking, "Do you want to count the number of fingers?" -- a reference to speculation on social media that his latest televised address was generated by AI as he appeared to have six fingers on one hand.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) threatened on Sunday to kill Netanyahu, as the war against the Islamic republic led by Israel and the US entered its third week. "IRGC vows to pursue and kill 'child-killer' Netanyahu if he is still alive," Iran's IRNA news agency said in a post on X.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said its peacekeepers were fired upon three times, "likely by non-state armed groups", in the country's south, two days after another position was hit.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was not interested in talks with the United States, pushing back on President Donald Trump's stance that Tehran wants a deal to end the war.
"We are stable and strong enough. We are only defending our people," Araghchi told CBS's 'Face The Nation', in an interview aired on Sunday.
"We don't see any reason why we should talk with Americans, because we were talking with them when they decided to attack us... There is no good experience talking with Americans."
"We never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation," Araghchi said.
He added that Iran was ready to talk to countries who want to negotiate for selected oil tankers to pass through the key Strait of Hormuz export route. "I cannot mention any country in particular, but we have been approached by a number of countries who want to have a safe passage for their vessels," he said.
A rocket attack on Baghdad International Airport, which houses a US diplomatic facility, wounded five people on Sunday, Iraqi authorities said.
The Iraqi government's security media cell said "five rockets targeted Baghdad International Airport and its surrounding area, injuring four airport employees and security personnel, and an engineer".
It added that rockets struck the airport and a water desalination plant, while others crashed near a prison where Islamic State group (IS) suspects are detained and an Iraqi airbase next to the US diplomatic facility.
Security forces seized the launchpad used for the attack in the al-Radwaniya area southwest of Baghdad, the authorities added.
Director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett was speaking on CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday. “The latest number I was briefed on was 12,” Hassett said.
Pentagon estimates provided to Congress said the war would cost $11.3 billion in its first week. Hassett did not specify the time frame for the $12 billion in spending.
Asked whether the U.S. will need to request more money from Congress, Hassett responded: “I think right now we’ve got what we need, whether we have to go back to Congress for more is something that I think that Russ Vought and OMB will look into.”
OMB is the United States Office of Management and Budget.
The Israeli military said it still has thousands of targets to hit across Iran, with new ones identified every day, as the war entered its third week on Sunday.
"We have a precise plan. We still have thousands of targets in Iran, and we are identifying new targets every day," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised briefing.
The military’s statement says the territory’s crossing with Egypt will open Wednesday for “limited” movement in both directions: people only, not cargo.
It says procedures will be the same as before the crossing closed. Israel closed Gaza’s crossings on the first weekend of the Iran war. Rafah has been critical for medical evacuations abroad.
Iran on Sunday warned other countries against getting involved in its war with the United States and Israel, as Rome reported a base in Kuwait hosting US and Italian troops was hit by a drone attack. It also came after Tehran sent a stern message to its neighbours that it had "ample evidence" US bases on their territory were being used to launch attacks.
Iran's warning to keep out of the war came a day after President Donald Trump had called on other countries to work with the US to secure the vital Strait of Hormuz, whose closure since the conflict broke out has thrown energy markets into turmoil.
Arguing that the US security umbrella in the region was "inviting rather than deterring trouble", Tehran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi on X urged neighbouring countries "to expel foreign aggressors."
"This war will end when we are certain that it will not be repeated and that reparations will be paid," Araghchi told Arabic-language news platform Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
The drone attack at the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait destroyed an unmanned aircraft belonging to Italy, but caused no casualties, the Italian military said.
Rome's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, sought to play down the attack -- the second on an Italian base in the Middle East this week -- insisting: "We are not at war with anyone."
Iraqi authorities meanwhile said rockets wounded five people at Baghdad's airport, which houses a US diplomatic facility.
Iran: Over 1,200 killed and 10,000+ injured, according to Iran’s health ministry. HRANA estimates 1,825 dead, including 1,276 civilians and at least 200 children.
Israel: 14 killed, including 12 civilians in Iranian missile strikes and two soldiers in combat in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon: 850 killed in Israeli strikes since the war with Hezbollah began, including 66 women and 107 children; 2,105 wounded.
Gulf states: 26 killed, including 13 civilians and US service members, according to regional authorities and CENTCOM. (Kuwait - 6, UAE - 6, Saudi Arabia - 2, Bahrain - 2, Oman - 3, US military personnel - 7)
Iraq: At least 49 killed, including Iran-backed fighters, foreign troops and civilians in strikes and related incidents.
Jordan: 28 injured by falling debris from Iranian missiles and drones; no deaths reported.
Syria: Eight injured by falling debris from exchanges of fire between Iran and Israel.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron by phone to discuss regional developments, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Pezeshkian told Macron that Tehran’s actions are within its right to self-defence and warned that any support by other countries, including France, for those attacking Iran would be seen as direct participation in the war, according to Iran’s official website cited by Tasnim.
Israeli military, in a statement on Sunday, said the targets it struck in western and central Iran over the past day included command centers and weapons storage and production sites.
Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on ARD television Sunday: “Will we soon be an active part of this conflict? No.”
Wadephul said that “we will only get security for the Strait of Hormuz… if there is a negotiated solution.”
He said he is skeptical about expanding the European Union’s naval mission in the Red Sea, Operation Aspides, to the Strait of Hormuz because it hasn’t been effective in its current area.
Wadephul added: “It is completely clear that Europe always gives constructive support when it comes to securing sea routes, but I see neither an immediate necessity nor above all Germany participating.”
President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has demanded about seven countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, but his appeals have brought no commitments as oil prices soar during the Iran war.
The president declined to name the countries heavily reliant on Middle East crude that the administration is negotiating with to join a coalition to police the waterway where about one-fifth the world’s traded oil normally flows.
“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory,” Trump said about the strait, claiming the shipping channel is not something the United States needs because of its own access to oil. Trump spoke while answering reporters’ questions as he flew back to Washington from Florida aboard Air Force One.
“It would be nice to have other countries police that with us, and we’ll help. We’ll work with them,” Trump said. Previously he had appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain.
Iran has said the strait is open to all except the United States and its allies.
Oil prices kept rising as markets opened Sunday, with both benchmarks higher as the war in the Middle East disrupts global supplies.
At around 0015 GMT, the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was up 0.01 percent at $98.72 a barrel, while the price of Brent, the international benchmark for oil, was up 0.6 percent to $103.76.
With Gulf states slashing production and oil tankers stuck in the Gulf, oil prices have risen 40 to 50 percent since the United States and Israel first attacked Iran on February 28.
Investors fear the higher costs will slow economic growth and stoke inflation.
The Strait of Hormuz, which usually sees passage of 20 percent of global oil and gas exports, remains effectively shut.
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States was in discussions with Iran as the war enters its third week but that Tehran was not ready for a deal to end it.
"Yes, we're talking to them," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, without detailing the nature of such talks, when asked if there was any diplomacy under way to end a conflict that has spread across the Middle East and roiled global markets.
"But I don't think they're ready. But they are getting pretty close," Trump said.
Trump said he was not sure he wanted to make a deal to end the war "because first of all nobody even knows who you're dealing with, because most of their leadership has been killed."
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khameini and dozens of other Iranian officials died on the first day of the US-Israeli attacks on February 28.
Trump insisted however that "they want to make a deal badly".
Iran's foreign minister said on Monday that Israeli strikes on Tehran fuel depots constituted "ecocide" due to the long-term risks to residents' health.
"Israel's bombings of fuel depots in Tehran violate international law and constitute ecocide," Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X.
"Residents face long-term damage to their health and well-being. Contamination of soil and groundwater could have generational impacts," the post added.
A drone-related incident sparked a fire near Dubai's international airport, city authorities said on Monday, as Iran targets the Gulf financial hub in the Middle East war that began late last month. Flights were temporarily suspended.
"A drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport (DXB) affected one of the fuel tanks," the Dubai Media Office posted on X.
"Dubai Civil Defence teams are currently working to bring the fire under control," the media office said, adding there had been no reports of injuries.
A drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport (DXB) affected one of the fuel tanks. Dubai Civil Defence teams are currently working to bring the fire under control. No injuries have been reported so far.
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 16, 2026
Saudi Arabia has intercepted more than 60 drones since midnight, according to a tally of defence ministry figures released on Monday.
The Saudi defence ministry posted a series of statements on X describing the interception of a total of 61 drones in the east of the country in the early hours of Monday morning.
Japan said on Monday it was beginning the release of its strategic oil reserves after the International Energy Agency indicated earlier that the release would begin in Asia and Oceania before other regions.
IEA members agreed on March 11 to tap oil stockpiles to cushion the surge in prices caused by the war in the Middle East -- by far the largest-ever response of its kind.
Japan, which depends on the Middle East for 95 percent of its oil imports, said Monday in a notice in its official government gazette that the level of oil reserves in the country "is being lowered."
The issuance of the notice compels managers of oil reserves to release part of their stockpile to meet the new standard.
Many Japanese media interpreted the notice as confirmation the release had already begun.
The United Arab Emirates' air defence systems were intercepting Iranian missiles and drones on Monday, the Gulf nation's defence ministry said.
"UAE air defences are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran," the UAE Ministry of Defence posted on X.
Flights were gradually resuming at Dubai airport on Monday, previously the world's busiest for international flights, the airport operator said, after a "drone-related incident" sparked a fuel tank fire nearby, as Iran kept up its Gulf attacks.
"Flights to and from DXB are gradually resuming to selected destinations, following the temporary suspension implemented as a precautionary measure," Dubai Airports said in a statement on X.
A Palestinian civilian was killed on the outskirts of the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi when a missile hit their car on Monday, authorities said, as Iran pressed on with strikes on the Gulf following US-Israeli attacks.
"Authorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi responded to an incident in the Al Bahia area involving a missile strike on a civilian vehicle, which resulted in the death of one Palestinian national," the Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a statement.
Beijing said on Monday it is in talks with Washington over a visit by US President Donald Trump expected this month.
"China and the United States are maintaining communication regarding President Trump's visit to China," Lin Jian, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, told a press conference, without addressing Trump's recent pressure on NATO allies and China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Washington has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, although Beijing has yet to confirm those dates in line with its usual practice.
The war in West Asia entered its third week as the United States and Israel intensified strikes on Iran, with Tehran retaliating as both sides targeted each other’s military, diplomatic and strategic infrastructure.
The conflict, triggered by the Feb. 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread across the region, roiling energy markets and driving up oil prices as Tehran maintains a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a route for about 20% of global oil exports, while both sides threaten to target each other’s oil infrastructure.
TOP DEVELOPMENTS
Drone attack sparks fire near Dubai airport: Flight operations were temporarily suspended at the Dubai airport on Monday after a "drone-related incident" sparked a fire nearby. The incident impacted a fuel tank, no casualties were reported. The fire has been extinguished and flight operations have resumed.
Iran intensifies strikes across Gulf: Gulf countries hosting US military bases reported drone attacks on Monday with Saudi Arabia intercepting over 60 drones since midnight. A drone attack on oil infrastructure on the Fujairah oil industry zone on the UAE's east coast sparked a large fire.
Blasts in Tehran: Explosions hit the Iranian capital, hours after Israel said it conducted large-scale overnight strikes.
EU moots naval mission: EU foreign ministers will Monday discuss extending the bloc's Red Sea naval mission to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, said the bloc's top diplomat Kaja Kallas.
Iran slams attacks on Tehran's fuel depots as 'ecocide': Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Israeli strikes on Tehran fuel depots constituted "ecocide" due to the long-term risks to residents' health.
UN forces attacked in Lebanon: As Israel intensified attacks on Lebanon, the United Nations Interim Force said its peacekeepers were fired upon three times, "likely by non-state armed groups," in the country's south, two days after another position was hit.
Trump seeks NATO help: President Donald Trump said Sunday that NATO faces a "very bad" future if US allies fail to help open the Strait of Hormuz. He also said an upcoming summit in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping could be delayed as he presses for China's help to open the strait.
Trump says 'talking' to Iran: US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States was in discussions with Iran, but that Tehran was not ready for a deal to end it. "But I don't think they're ready. But they are getting pretty close," Trump said.
'Ready for a long war': Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Iran was not interested in talks with the US and is "ready for a long war," pushing back on Trump’s claim.
Netanyahu posts video amid death rumours: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video from a café dismissing viral claims of his death, joking “I’m dying for coffee” and displaying his hands after AI-generated images online suggested he had more than 10 fingers.
Oil reserves released: Strategic oil reserves will be released "immediately" in Asia and Oceania, and as early as the end of March in America and Europe, the International Energy Agency said, as governments try to contain the surge in prices caused by the war.
The Israeli military said on Monday it had begun what it described as "limited ground operations" against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
"In recent days, IDF troops from the 91st division have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, aimed at enhancing the forward defence area," the military said in a statement.
"This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area, in order to remove threats and create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel," it said.
"Prior to the troops' entry into the area, the IDF conducted strikes using both artillery and the Israeli Air Force", it added.
Explosions hit the Iranian capital on Monday, an AFP journalist reported, hours after Israel said it conducted large-scale overnight strikes.
The blasts were heard in central Tehran as air defence systems were activated, the journalist said. It was not immediately clear what was targeted.
The city was rocked by heavy explosions overnight, the reporter added.
Israel's military said on Monday it had launched a broad wave of strikes on the Iranian cities of Tehran, Shiraz and Tabriz, more than two weeks into the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.
"The IDF has just begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in Tehran, Shiraz, and Tabriz", the military said in a statement.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed discussed on Monday Iran's retaliatory strikes on the Gulf and expressed solidarity and sympathy in their second call since a public row in late December.
The de facto Saudi ruler and the UAE's president discussed "the continued and blatant Iranian attacks targeting countries in the region," according to a statement published by Emirati news agency WAM.
"Both sides stressed the need for the immediate cessation of military escalation... underscoring the importance of prioritising serious dialogue and diplomatic means," it added.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said his country does not see a role for the NATO defence alliance in addressing the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran, reported Al Jazeera.
"I don’t see that NATO has made any decision in this direction or could assume responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz. If that were the case, then the NATO bodies would address it accordingly," Wadephul said before a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.
The Iranian women's football team will depart from Malaysia on Monday on a flight bound for Oman, a top Asian football official confirmed, after more team members withdrew their asylum bid in Australia.
The team arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport shortly before 5.00 pm (0900 GMT), AFP correspondents saw.
Dressed in their national colours, players disembarked from a tour bus before heading towards the check-in at the airport.
Most team members declined to speak to reporters, but one member told AFP "I am missing my family."
More than 550 Indian nationals have been evacuated from Iran through Armenia as New Delhi steps up efforts to assist its citizens amid the escalating conflict in West Asia.
According to Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, the evacuations were coordinated by the Indian embassy in Tehran, which assisted citizens with visas and immigration formalities at the land borders. Apart from those who crossed into Armenia, around 90 Indian nationals have also entered Azerbaijan from Iran with the embassy’s support.
The MEA earlier said around 9,000 Indian nationals are currently in Iran, including students, seafarers, businesspersons, professionals and pilgrims. New Delhi has been advising those who wish to leave the country to travel to Armenia or Azerbaijan to facilitate their onward journey to India.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that a plan the UK is working on with allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz during the West Asia conflict would not involve NATO.
"Let me be clear, that won't be and it's never been envisioned to be a NATO mission," Starmer told reporters.
He also said that UK won't be drawn into the wider war and UK's priority is the safety of its citizens in the region.
His comments came after President Donald Trump said NATO faces a "very bad" future if US allies fail to help open the key oil transport route.
Diplomatic talks with Iran are only possible if it ceases its attacks, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman said, as Tehran presses its missile and drone campaign against Gulf states.
"If they stop the attacks, then we can find a way out with diplomacy. But as long as our countries are being attacked, this is not the time to establish committees, it's the time to take a very principled position (on) protecting our countries and for them to stop attacking us immediately," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.
A Pakistani oil tanker transited the Strait of Hormuz with its automatic transponder system activated, despite major disruption to shipping in the crucial waterway from the Middle East war, said the monitor Marine Traffic on Monday.
Since the disruption due to the war, "the Aframax tanker Karachi, carrying Abu Dhabi's Das crude, has become the first non-Iranian cargo to transit the chokepoint while broadcasting its AIS signal, suggesting that select shipments may be receiving negotiated safe passage," Marine Traffic said on X.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the country is 'fine' with some Iranian, Indian and Chinese ships going through the Strait of Hormuz.
"We are seeing more and more of the fuel ships start to go through. The Iranian ships have been getting out already, and we've let that happen to supply the rest of the world. We've seen Indian ships go out now ... we believe some Chinese ships have gone out," he told CNBC.
"That should start ramping up before there are any of the flotillas or protective armadas in the Gulf. So we think that there will be a natural opening that the Iranians are letting out. And for now, we're fine with that. We want the world to be well supplied," Bessent added.
A new video of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu interacting with civilians in the country has been posted on his official X handle. This comes amid social media speculations about his death.
שומרים על ההנחיות ומנצחים ביחד >> pic.twitter.com/HC5w3PqKuV
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 16, 2026
AFP journalists heard a loud blast over Jerusalem on Monday after the military detected incoming missiles.
The attack came after Israel said it had launched a broad wave of strikes on several Iranian cities, including the capital, Tehran.
International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol said Monday more strategic oil stocks could be released if necessary to limit the fallout of from the near complete blockage of supplies through the Strait of Hormuz owing to the war on Iran.
"In terms of government stocks and industry stocks held under government obligation, if you combine them, there will be still over 1.4 billion barrels remaining, which means we can do more later as and if needed," Birol said in a video statement.
He added that further releases of stocks could only constitute a "buffer" against the current choking off of supplies which has forced Gulf producers to slash production.
"The single most important thing for a return to stable flows of oil and gas is the resumption of transit through the Strait of Hormuz" Birol said.
Further releases from strategic reserves are "not a lasting solution" as economies and consumers reel from the effects of curtailed oil supplies, he added.
US President Donald Trump said he will hold a "news conference" on Monday as the war he ordered against Iran continues for a third week.
Trump frequently takes questions from reporters so it was not immediately clear if the latest event had a specific topic.
"News Conference today," Trump announced on his Truth Social Platform, adding it would take place just before a meeting at the White House on the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Trump, who has come under criticism for mixed messaging on the goals of the Iran war, has indicated he may delay a planned summit in China as he scrambles to try and get other countries to help reopen the strategic Straits of Hormuz.
Sri Lanka announced a shorter work week to conserve its scarce fuel reserves as it prepares for a prolonged war in the Middle East, officials said Monday.
Commissioner-General of Essential Services Prabath Chandrakeerthi said state institutions will operate only four days a week starting Wednesday. The new austerity measures will also apply to schools and universities and will remain in place indefinitely.
"We are also asking the private sector to follow suit and declare every Wednesday a holiday from now on," Chandrakeerthi told reporters after an emergency meeting chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
"We must prepare for the worst, but hope for the best," Dissanayake told senior officials, according to one who attended the meeting.
Dissanayake said essential services, including hospitals, ports and emergency services will continue to operate as usual. The government is also suspending all public ceremonies and asking civil servants to work from home where possible to limit fuel use.
Iran vowed at the United Nations on Monday that it would not submit to "lawless aggression", and said its citizens were in "grave danger" from US and Israeli strikes.
"The most urgent and fundamental human rights issue concerning Iran is the imminent threat to the lives of 90 million people whose lives are in immediate and grave danger under the shadow of reckless military aggression," said Ali Bahreini, Iran's ambassador to the UN in Geneva.
Bahreini called it "an aggression that is carried out by some of the most lawless and unscrupulous actors on the international stage." He said that if such "reckless militarism" was met with indifference, "Iran will most certainly not be the last country to suffer such treatment."
Turkey on Monday condemned Israel's ground operation in Lebanon, cautioning against "another humanitarian catastrophe" unfolding in West Asia. "We firmly condemn the Israeli ground operation in Lebanon, which is worsening instability in the region," the ministry said in a statement.
"The implementation by the (Benjamin) Netanyahu government of genocidal and collective punishment policies, this time in Lebanon, will lead to yet another humanitarian catastrophe in the region," it said.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened on Monday to target US companies across the region, calling on employees to evacuate the sites.
"Employees of American companies... are requested to leave these areas immediately. These areas will soon be targeted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," said the Guards in on their official Sepah News website.
It was not immediately clear which companies would be targeted but last week, the Tasnim news agency published a list of potential targets on Telegram that included the offices of tech giants such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Nvidia in Gulf countries.
The UAE's state-owned energy giant ADNOC halted the loading of oil into storage tanks at their Fujairah facility, a source with knowledge of the operations told AFP Monday, following repeated strikes on the energy installation.
"ADNOC oil loading at Fujairah is suspended," the source told AFP.
Fujairah is home to a major port where Iranian attacks have already targeted oil storage tanks. The port is also home to a key oil export terminal just at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said all those previously appointed to government positions by his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will remain in their posts.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was chosen to replace his father, who was killed in the initial wave of US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei’s statement Monday was carried on several semi-official news sites.
US President Donald Trump criticized US allies on Monday for their lukewarm response to his call to help protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the US war against Iran.
"For 40 years, we're protecting you, and you don't want to get involved," Trump told reporters on Monday.
"We strongly encourage the other nations to get involved with us and get involved quickly and with great enthusiasm," he added.
Trump: "Numerous countries have told me they're on the way. We have some countries where we have 45,000 soldiers protecting them from harm's way. 'Do you have any mine sweepers?' 'We'd rather not get involved, sir.' I said, 'For 40 years we're protecting you and you don't want to… pic.twitter.com/z4V9y7vDul
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 16, 2026
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned Monday that an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon was an "error" which would "further exacerbate the already highly tense humanitarian situation" in the country.
"We urgently call on our Israeli friends: Do not take this path -- it would be an error," Merz said after Israeli military announced what it described as "limited ground operations" in Lebanon.
US President Donald Trump stepped up the pressure on Britain and France on Monday, saying he expected them to help secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the war against Iran.
Trump said he had talked with French President Emmanuel Macron about it and his response had been "an eight, not perfect."
"I think he's going to help," Trump said, adding that he also believed Britain would be involved in a Hormuz mission.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that he does not know whether Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still alive, adding that Washington was unclear whom it could negotiate with in Tehran.
"We don't know... if he's dead or not," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"A lot of people are saying that he's badly disfigured. They're saying that he lost his leg -- one leg -- and he's, you know, been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he's dead. Nobody's saying he's 100 percent healthy. You know he hasn't spoken."
"We don't know who we're dealing with" in Iran, Trump said. "We don't know who their leader is."
Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group said it launched an attack on Monday targeting the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, where Israeli first responders reported a man was wounded.
Hezbollah said in a statement that its fighters targeted Nahariya "with a barrage of rockets and a swarm of attack drones". Israel's Magen David Adom first responders said that paramedics in the area were treating a man "in mild to moderate condition suffering from blast injuries".
Two drones targeted a major southern Iraqi oil field late Monday, an oil ministry spokesperson told AFP, after the second attack in four days.
Majnoon oil field was "targeted by two drones, one hit a telecommunication tower," oil ministry spokesperson Saheb Bazoun said, adding that there had been no damage.
A security official confirmed the attack and said the second drone had targeted the offices of an American firm operating at the site.
A resident of Tehran was driving on Monday when the strike destroyed the nearby station, which appeared to have been abandoned days ago, and heavily damaged neighborhood shops.
“The blast was so strong it shook our eardrums. The cars in front of me were almost completely destroyed. Even the cars dozens of meters behind were rendered unusable because stones and debris from the street and buildings fell on them,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the government.
He quickly drove in reverse to get away. Others abandoned their cars, he said. “The situation felt like the end of the world,” he said.
The government sealed off the area and detained anyone trying to photograph it.
“They weren’t supposed to go after all these other countries in the Middle East,” Trump said, echoing a comment he made to NBC News over the weekend.
“Nobody expected that,” Trump said Monday. “We were shocked.”
Iran has long warned that, if attacked, it would retaliate on the entire Middle East, targeting the oil infrastructure that made its Gulf Arab neighbors fantastically wealthy.
A Tehran resident said workers paid by the day were struggling especially hard because of the war. The internet blackout also hammered businesses that relied on online sales.
“Money has become scarce, people cannot buy things, and businesses are being damaged,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the government.
The streets were busier than at the beginning of the war, he said, because people were growing desperate and needed to earn money.
Stores still had food. Fuel was not in short supply. Utilities were still functioning. And people could still withdraw money from banks, he said. But people were deeply anxious as the attacks persisted, he said.
