A fourth week of fighting in West Asia has seen the United States and Israel trade fire with Iran, with strikes expanding to military, diplomatic and energy targets across the Gulf. Triggered by the February 28 US-Israeli strikes, the conflict has spread across the region, roiling energy markets and pushing up oil prices as Tehran blockades the Strait of Hormuz, while Israel has intensified attacks on Lebanon with a ground invasion targeting Hezbollah.
TOP DEVELOPMENTS
Trump threatens to strike Iran's power plant: US President Donald Trump threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it fail to open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, just barely a day after talking about “winding down” the war.
Iran warns of retaliation: Iran on Sunday threatened to attack key infrastructure across the Middle East if US President Donald Trump follows through on his vow to hit Iran's power plants.
1,400 killed in Iran: Iranian authorities say over 1,400 people have been killed and more than 200 cities have been hit in the ongoing US-Israeli attack against the country.
Iran hits Israeli nuclear town: Iran attacks southern Israel, wounding dozens in the cities of Dimona and Arad, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it a “difficult evening of battle”.
Nations ‘ready’ to secure Hormuz: Twenty-two countries condemned Iran’s attacks on Gulf shipping and the Hormuz blockade, expressing “readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage. The US was not among the signatories.
Israel vows intensification: Defence Minister Israel Katz warned the US and Israel would intensify strikes on Iran from Sunday.
According to Iran's atomic energy organisation, the US and Israel targeted a plant at Natanz in Isfahan province, which hosts underground centrifuges to enrich uranium for Iran's disputed nuclear programme and was already damaged in last year's June war.
"Following the criminal attacks by the United States and the usurping Zionist regime against our country, the... Natanz enrichment complex was targeted this morning," the agency said, in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency.
No leakage of nuclear materials was reported, it added.
The US military said on Saturday that Iran's ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz has been "degraded" by the bombing this week of an underground facility where it stored cruise missiles and other weaponry.
With Iran mostly closing off the Strait, the gateway for one-fifth of the world's oil, the US military has brought out some of the heaviest bombs in its arsenal to penetrate adjacent missile sites.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said it had dropped multiple 5,000-pound bombs on a "hardened" underground facility located along Iran's coast that it used to store anti-ship cruise missiles, mobile missile launchers and other equipment.
"We not only took out the facility, but also destroyed intelligence support sites and missile radar relays that were used to monitor ship movements," Cooper said in video message posted on X.
"Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz is degraded as a result, and we will not stop pursuing these targets," he added.
Iranian state TV said a missile attack on the Israeli town of Dimona, home to a nuclear facility, was a "response" to an earlier strike on its own nuclear site at Natanz.
Iran's atomic energy organisation had said earlier in the day that the "Natanz enrichment complex was targeted this morning", though there was "no leakage of radioactive materials reported", according to a statement carried by local media.
The missile strike in Dimona wounded at least 39 people, according to Israeli emergency services.
Israel is only at the halfway point in the war with Iran, the military’s chief of staff said on Saturday, as the country entered the fourth week of war against Iran.
“Dear citizens of Israel — we are at the midway point, but the direction is clear,” Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said.
“In about a week, on Passover, the Festival of Freedom, we will continue to fight for our freedom and our future.”
Top envoys for the Group of Seven advanced economies and the European Union on Saturday urged an "immediate and unconditional" end to Iran attacks against allies in the Middle East.
"We call for the immediate and unconditional cessation of all attacks by the Iranian regime," the foreign ministers for Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as the EU foreign policy chief said in a joint statement.
The Israeli military said Saturday that its forces had struck a facility embedded within a Tehran university that was allegedly being used to develop components for nuclear weapons.
"The Malek-Ashtar University facility was utilised by the Iranian terror regime's military industries and ballistic missiles array to develop nuclear weapon components and weapons," the military said.
"The Malek-Ashtar University was subordinate to the Iranian Defence Ministry, and is sanctioned internationally due to its activities and efforts over the years to advance the Iranian nuclear program and to develop ballistic missiles," the military added.
Iran targeted Diego Garcia Island with a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile, Israel’s military said. This refers to missile with at least two rocket engines, one allowing the missile to reach space, and the other propels it to its target, at a range of up to 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles).
“These missiles are not intended to strike Israel. Their range extends to the capitals of Europe — Berlin, Paris, and Rome are all within direct threat range,” Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Saturday evening.
The US announcement that it will lift sanctions on Iranian crude stranded at sea is an attempt to manipulate the market, since there is no such oil, Iran’s Oil Ministry spokesperson, Saman Ghodousi told Iran’s state media.
“At present, Iran essentially has no crude oil left in floating storage or any surplus available for supply to other international markets, and the US Treasury Secretary’s remarks are solely intended to reassure buyers and manage the market psychologically,” he said late Friday.
The UN nuclear watchdog on Saturday issued a call for "maximum military restraint" after Israel said an Iranian missile struck the southern town of Dimona, home to a nuclear facility.
"The IAEA is aware of reports of an incident in the city of Dimona, Israel, involving a missile impact and has not received any indication of damage to the nuclear research center Negev," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a post on X.
"Information from regional States indicates that no abnormal radiation levels have been detected," it added.
Earlier in the day, IAEA head Rafael Grossi had repeated a "call for military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident", the agency posted on X following attack on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility.
"The IAEA has been informed by Iran that the Natanz nuclear site was attacked today. No increase in off-site radiation levels reported," it added.
Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns wounded more than 100 people on Saturday, medics said, after Israeli air defence systems failed to intercept the projectiles.
The two direct hits tore open the fronts of residential buildings and carved craters into the ground.
Iranian state TV said the missile attack on Dimona, which houses a nuclear facility, was a "response" to an earlier strike on its own nuclear site at Natanz.
"The air defence systems operated but did not intercept the missile, we will investigate the incident and learn from it," military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin wrote on X.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday gave Iran a 48-hour deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure.
"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Since the US and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28, Iran has effectively closed the strait in retaliation.
In response, Iran's military said it would retaliate by targeting "all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region."
Israel’s Home Front Command has closed schools and banned gatherings of more than 50 people in the country’s south until Tuesday, following the Iranian missile strikes in the area, according to the Kan broadcaster.
The restrictions cover the Negev, Lachish and the Dead Sea areas, Kan reported.
It added that large gatherings can only be held if participants can reach a protected area in case of an incoming missile alert.
Earlier, the Education Ministry announced that there would be no classes throughout the country on Monday.
The Israeli military says it has “just begun a wave of strikes” targeting the Iranian government infrastructure in Tehran.
This comes after Iranian missile attacks wounded more than 100 people in southern Israel.
Tehran said its assault was in retaliation for strikes on its Natanz nuclear facility.
Iran’s military has threatened to attack all energy infrastructure linked to the US and Israel in the Middle East if its power plants are targeted.
Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central command, said that Iran will also attack desalination plants and information technology infrastructure linked to the US and Israel.
The warning came after Trump threatened to attack Iranian power plants if Iran failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.
The Saudi Ministry of Defence says it has intercepted and downed four more drones over the Eastern Province.
The statement came hours after it announced shooting down a ballistic missile over Riyadh.
The United Arab Emirates said it was responding to incoming aerial attacks from Iran on Sunday.
"UAE air defences are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran," the defence ministry said in a statement explaining "the sounds heard are the result of the Air Defence Systems intercepting missiles and drones".
A ministry spokesperson said three drones had been intercepted and destroyed in the country's eastern region.
The Israeli government must be held “accountable” and should answer questions about its assessment of the military capability of Iran, after claiming that it is already running out of weapons following the joint US-Israeli strikes, an Israeli peace activist and politician said.
In a statement posted on X, Yariv Oppenheimer of Israel’s Peace Now advocacy organisation wrote that authorities “are not telling” the Israeli public about how the country’s interceptors failed against Iran’s latest strikes.
“They’re not telling us how many missiles were fired at Israel, how many missiles managed to hit their targets, how many launchers were actually destroyed, and how many launchers and missiles are still left,” Oppenheimer said.
The activist and politician issued the statement following Iran’s strike on Dimona and Arad, which left over 100 people injured including children.
“Enough with deceiving the public and telling it what it wants to hear. Speak the truth,” Oppenheimer said in a separate post on X.
לא מספרים לנו
— יריב אופנהיימר (@yarivop) March 21, 2026
האם זה כשל ביירוט או כלכלת מיירטים
לא מספרים כמה טילים נורו לישראל
כמה טילים הצליחו לפגוע במטרות
כמה משגרים באמת הושמדו
וכמה משגרים וטילים עוד יש
קו דק בין צורך מבצעי וביטחון שדה, לאינטרס פוליטי ושליטה בנרטיב.
The Iranian military has announced intercepting and downing a US-Israeli armed drone in the skies of Tehran before it could carry out any combat operations, according to the Tasnim news agency.
“Since the beginning of the recent imposed war, 127 advanced drones of various types belonging to the enemy have been targeted and destroyed by the country’s air defence,” the military was cited as saying.
The Israeli military says Iran has launched a new wave of missiles towards the country a short while ago.
It said in a statement that its air defence systems are working to intercept the incoming threat.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Sunday that one of two Japanese nationals detained in Iran has been released and will be returning to Japan.
Motegi, speaking on a Fuji Television talk show, said the person had been detained since last year and was released on Wednesday. He said the person took a flight from Azerbaijan which was scheduled to arrive in Japan on Sunday.
Motegi said another Japanese national who was arrested earlier this year is still in custody.
The Israeli Army Radio is reporting that some 150 injured individuals arrived at the Soroka Medical Center following the Iranian strikes in Dimona and Arad.
It cited the centre’s director, Dr Zachi Slutzky.
Several blasts could be heard from Jerusalem on Sunday, AFP journalists said, after the Israeli military warned of incoming missile fire from Iran towards central Israel.
Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical service said there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Sri Lanka raised fuel prices by 25 percent on Sunday, the second increase in two weeks, as the country prepared for more impact from the war in the Middle East.
Regular petrol was increased to 398 rupees ($1.30) per litre, up from 317 rupees, while diesel, the fuel commonly used for public transport, rose by 79 rupees to 382.
Iran on Sunday threatened to attack key infrastructure across the Middle East if US President Donald Trump follows through on his vow to "obliterate" the Islamic republic's power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz swiftly reopens.
Iran's military operational command responded that if the country's facilities were hit, "all energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US" in the region would be targeted.
Blasts were heard and air raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem on Sunday, AFP journalists said, after the Israeli military warned of incoming missile fire from Iran.
The army issued several alerts saying it had identified that "missiles were launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel".
Iran's official IRNA news agency said on Sunday that a drone attack targeted a military base near the Baghdad International Airport.
The "military base, located near Baghdad International Airport, has again been the target of drone strikes," IRNA wrote, referring to a compound that was used in the past by the US military.
Iran’s envoy to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) said that foreign ships would be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, provided they coordinate with Iranian authorities for safety and security measures.
According to Mehr news agency, Ali Mousavi said that the international obligations must be accompanied by respect for “Iran’s territorial integrity and rights”.
He further said that Iran is ready to cooperate with the IMO and countries to improve maritime safety and protect seafarers.
"The Strait of Hormuz is only closed to Iran’s enemies," Mousavi added.
He also said that the US and Israel's war was at the “root of the current situation” in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Rescuers were searching for the crew and passengers of a Qatari military helicopter that crashed in the Gulf state's waters after a "technical malfunction", the government said early Sunday.
While Qatar has been targeted by several strikes since the start of the Middle East war, no connection has been made between this chopper and the conflict triggered by US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Israeli first responders said rocket fire from Lebanon killed one person on Sunday close to Israel's northern border.
The ZAKA 360 emergency response unit said a person was pronounced dead after a strike on their vehicle "carried out by a rocket fired from Lebanon".
Local firefighters said flames had engulfed two vehicles after a "direct hit".
US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy has said that President Donald Trump has "lost control of the war" against Iran and is in a "panic mode".
Chris Murphy, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is among a growing group of lawmakers criticising the US-Israel military operation in Iran, now in its fourth week.
The remark comes after Trump threatened to "obliterate" Iran's power plants if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
This is not the first time Murphy has criticised Trump, as earlier he had described the military operation as "Trump's insane war",
A US-operated Patriot air defence system likely launched the interceptor missile linked to a pre-dawn blast in Bahrain that injured dozens of civilians and damaged homes, about 10 days into the Iran war, according to an analysis reviewed by Reuters news agency.
Iran, as a 'response' to the attack on Natanz nuclear enrichment complex, struck Israel’s southern city of Dimona – home to the country’s main nuclear facility – and nearby Arad. Around 180 have been reported to be injured.
Qatar said on Sunday six people have been confirmed killed in a Qatari helicopter crash in the Persian Gulf nation's territorial water.
The Interior Ministry said one person is still missing from from the crash, which took place the day before.
The Defence Ministry blamed "technical malfunction" for the helicopter crash.
The Interior Ministry's statement didn't clarify the nationality of the dead or say if they were civilian or military.
The Israeli military said it intends to target the Qasmiyeh Bridge, a key coastal bridge in southern Lebanon, to prevent the movement of fighters and weapons.
This move could isolate the southern Lebanon from the rest of the country.
The Defence Ministry of UAE said it had intercepted four ballistic missiles and 25 drones on Sunday. The ministry added that the country has intercepted 345 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,773 drones since the war began.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said that over 81,000 civilian units have been damaged in joint US-Israel strikes across Iran.
Targeting schools, medical centres and aid workers is a violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, it added.
Israel's military said that Iran had fired more than 400 ballistic missiles at Israel since the start of the Middle East war, with around 92 percent of them intercepted.
The figures were announced a day after Iranian missiles struck two towns in southern Israel, leaving around 175 people needing medical treatment.
"Iran has fired over 400 ballistic missiles. We have had great interception rates. We have approximately a 92 percent successful interception rate," Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists.
Hezbollah commander and two other members have been killed in Lebanon, said Israeli military.
The military gave a statement saying, Abu Khalil Barji, described as a commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, has been killed in an air strike.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the army had been ordered to destroy more bridges over the Litani river being used by Hezbollah in south Lebanon and to step up the demolition of houses.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I instructed the IDF to immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terrorist activity, in order to prevent Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from moving south," Katz said in a statement.
He said the military was also instructed to "accelerate the demolition of Lebanese houses in the contact villages in order to thwart threats to Israeli communities".
Israel's military struck a key bridge in south Lebanon, an AFP correspondent said, after Israel's defence minister said the army had been ordered to destroy more bridges over the Litani River.
The AFP correspondent saw smoke rising from the site north of the city of Tyre after the bombardment of the Qasmiyeh bridge, located on a main highway linking villages in the Tyre district with others further north, after Israel had said the bridge was being used by Hezbollah.
Iran’s military on Sunday warned it could completely shut the strategic Strait of Hormuz if US President Donald Trump targets the country’s power plants, reported AFP. Trump had given Iran 48 hours to reopen the strait, which has been largely closed since the war began on February 28 following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The Khatam Al-Anbiya operational command, quoted by state TV, said Iran would also target Israel’s power plants, energy, and ICT infrastructure, as well as facilities in countries hosting US bases or companies with US shareholders.
The strait, a vital passage for 20% of the world’s oil and LNG, is operating at roughly 5% of pre-war traffic, according to analytics firm Kpler. Some friendly-country vessels have been allowed through, but Iran has attacked others for ignoring warnings.
Iranian lawmakers are reportedly considering tolls on shipping, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warning traffic “will not return to its pre-war status.”
Iran has claimed it intercepted and targeted a US F-15 fighter jet near Hormuz Island after the aircraft allegedly violated Iranian airspace amid ongoing US-Iran-Israel tensions.
According to a post on X by the Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai, the incident took place hours earlier over Iran’s southern coast near the strategic strait. The post said the “enemy F-15 fighter jet” entered Iranian airspace, prompting a response from Iran’s air defence systems.
Hours ago, an enemy F-15 fighter jet violating Iranian airspace over the southern coasts near Hormuz Island was intercepted and targeted by the Army’s air defense system using a surface-to-air missile.#Iran#AirDefense#Hormuz#BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/aZxUzcE3rz
— Consulate General of the I.R. Iran in Mumbai (@IRANinMumbai) March 22, 2026
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Sunday slammed Israeli strikes on bridges and other infrastructure in the country's south, calling such attacks a "prelude to a ground invasion".
Aoun "condemned Israel's targeting and destruction of infrastructure and vital facilities in southern Lebanon, particularly the Qasmiyeh bridge over the Litani River and other bridges", a presidency statement said.
"These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, and are considered a prelude to a ground invasion," Aoun said, hours after Israel's defence minister said the army had been ordered to destroy more bridges allegedly being used by Hezbollah.
Iran has warned it will “irreversibly destroy” key infrastructure across the Middle East if the US attacks its energy sites, following US President Donald Trump’s threat to “obliterate” Iranian power plants should the Strait of Hormuz remain closed.
On Saturday, Trump gave Iran 48 hours, until shortly before midnight GMT on Monday, to reopen the strategic strait, a crucial route for global oil shipments, warning that the US would strike Iranian power plants, “starting with the biggest one first,” if the passage was not restored.
Speaking on Sunday, Ali Mousavi, Iran’s representative to the International Maritime Organization, said the strait remained open to all shipping except for vessels linked to “Iran’s enemies,” with transit possible under security arrangements coordinated with Tehran.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington can comfortably fund a potential war on Iran without raising taxes. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Bessent added that a supplemental Pentagon budget request, reportedly around USD 200 billion, would support the military’s future capabilities.
He noted that President Donald Trump has built up the military in both his terms and wants to ensure it remains well supplied. Bessent did not confirm the exact USD 200 billion figure.
The proposed funding faces opposition in Congress, with Democrats and some Republicans questioning the need after last year’s large defence appropriations.
Israel’s military says it has detected another barrage of missiles fired from Iran toward Israeli territory, marking one of multiple salvos in recent days, Israeli media reported. Sirens are expected to sound in parts of the country in response to the threat, and air‑defence systems have been activated.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC News that the administration’s approach to the war on Iran may involve both escalation and de-escalation. Responding to questions on whether President Donald Trump was winding down the conflict or escalating it, as the US reportedly sends three more amphibious assault ships and around 2,500 additional marines to the region, Bessent said:
"They are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate."
Pressed on whether US troops would be used to secure the Strait of Hormuz or for other operations, Bessent declined to disclose military plans, adding:
"As President Trump always does, he is leaving all options on the table. We had a very successful bombing campaign against the military installations at Kharg Island, the nexus for all the Iranian oil supply. What could happen with Kharg Island, we’ll see."
Lebanese authorities have reported power outages in the southern municipality of al-Kharayeb following Israeli strikes on the Qasmiyeh Bridge, Al Jazeera reported.
The strikes reportedly damaged local electricity networks, cables, and the main electricity supply line to al-Kharayeb, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. Repair teams are expected to begin restoring power tomorrow.
Qasmiyeh Bridge, targeted in the strikes, is a key route along Lebanon’s coastal highway, Al Jazeera noted.
Israel's military will expand its ground operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, its army chief said Sunday, warning that the offensive against the group was still in its early stages.
"The operation against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation has only begun... This is a prolonged operation," Zamir said in a statement.
"We are now preparing to advance the targeted ground operations and strikes according to an organised plan," he added.
