&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Israel-Iran war highlights: UK hits back at Iran's attack after missiles fired at Diego Garcia")
US-Iran-Israel war LIVE | The conflict in West Asia has entered its 22nd day on March 21. Hostilities began on February 28 when the US and Israeli military launched strikes on Iran, killing Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and several other top Iranian officials. The operation was named ‘Epic Fury’ by the US and ‘Lion’s Roar’ by Israel. The attacks came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and ongoing talks over Iran’s nuclear program.
In retaliation, Iran launched attacks on Israel and US military bases in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Azerbaijan. Iran has ruled out any possibility of a ceasefire, while US President Donald Trump has claimed victory multiple times, suggesting that the objective is nearly met. Meanwhile, Israel has expanded its operations in Lebanon, targeting Iran’s ally Hezbollah and has ruled out diplomacy with Lebanon government.
Following Khamenei’s death, Iran has named his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the Islamic Republic's new supreme leader. While the new leader has made several statements, he has not made any public appearances. Since then, rumours have circulated about his health, with claims that he was injured in the strikes that killed his father.
Amid the escalating tensions in West Asia, Iran has shut down the Strait of Hormuz and warned that any vessel attempting to pass could be targeted and set on fire, with several oil tankers being hit in recent days. In recent days, at least 3 India-flagged LPG tankers have crossed the strait after discussions with Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz is the only maritime outlet for ports located in the Persian Gulf. Its blockage has significantly affected global energy supply, triggering a sharp rise in oil prices.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday that it has carried out wide-scale air strikes in Tehran, hitting dozens of targets. The IDF said the Israeli Air Force struck sites overnight used to produce critical components for ballistic missiles, including a complex belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
A storage site for components used in missile manufacturing and a complex belonging to the Ministry of Defence responsible for producing rocket fuel were also struck. Another site used to produce ballistic missile parts was also hit. The IDF added that it also struck several Iranian defence systems across Tehran.
The Jordanian army said on Saturday that 240 missiles and drones had targeted the kingdom since the Middle East war began last month, most of which were intercepted.
"The total number of missiles and drones fired towards the kingdom since the start of the war has reached 240," the army said in a statement.
"The Royal Air Force successfully intercepted and destroyed 222 missiles and drones, while 18 missiles and drones were not intercepted by the air defences," it added.
Russia condemned reported strikes on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility earlier Saturday, saying they created a risk of "catastrophe" in the Middle East.
Multiple explosions were reported in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, on Thursday, according to AFP, as Iran intensified its aerial operations across Gulf nations. Air defence systems were seen intercepting two missiles, while several blasts shook the city shortly after warning sirens were triggered. The strikes are part of Iran’s retaliatory actions targeting Bahrain and other nearby countries following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began on February 28.
The United Kingdom has strongly responded to what it described as Iran’s reckless attacks after Tehran launched intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The Ministry of Defence said Iran was effectively holding the Strait of Hormuz “hostage,” warning that its strikes in the Gulf pose a threat to British interests and its allies. This comes after Donald Trump criticised Keir Starmer for not moving quickly enough to permit the US to use British bases for strikes against Iranian missile activity in the region.
The UN atomic watchdog stated on Saturday that it is examining Iran’s report claiming that the Natanz nuclear facility was targeted during the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi reiterated his appeal for military restraint, warning that any escalation could increase the risk of a nuclear accident. "The IAEA has been informed by Iran that the Natanz nuclear site was attacked today. No increase in off-site radiation levels reported," the agency said on X.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that the United States and Israel would intensify their strikes on Iran in the coming week starting Sunday.
Thousands of Muslims held Eid al-Fitr prayers in Iran on Saturday to mark the end of the Ramadan fast against the backdrop of the Middle East war, state television footage showed.
Iran, a majority-Shia nation, marked the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan a day after most other Muslim countries, which are mainly Sunni.
The Islamic republic's supreme leader traditionally leads the Eid prayers but Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since his appointment earlier this month, did not attend.
The Israeli military, in a statement, said, “During an operational mission of the Air Force in Iranian airspace, a surface-to-air missile launch was identified toward an Israeli fighter jet. The crew acted in accordance with procedures, no damage was caused to the aircraft, and the mission was completed as planned.”
Also highlighted, since the beginning of the war, several attempts have been made to strike Israeli fighter jets in Iranian airspace, and the aircrews successfully countered the threat. The Air Force will continue to fly and strike wherever required across Iran and will complete its missions under threat in every operational sortie.
The United States and Israel struck Iran's Natanz nuclear facility on Saturday, the Islamic republic's atomic energy organisation said.
"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 organisation said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency.
It added that there was "no leakage of radioactive materials reported" in the area in central Iran.
Baghdad drone attack kills Iraqi intelligence service officer: statement
An upscale Baghdad neighbourhood came under drone attack Saturday morning, with one drone targeting an Iraqi security service building, reported AFP
Worshippers in Tehran held a funeral procession for Ali Mohammad Naini, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman. He was killed in strikes launched by the US and Israel.
Bangladesh is pushing to secure loans of around $2 billion from multilateral agencies for tackling energy security concerns amid soaring global fuel prices driven by the Mideast war. The government has already taken several measures to curb fuel consumption, including halting production at most fertiliser factories. The government has now adopted a three-pronged approach to ensure sustainable energy supply, the prime minister's finance and planning advisor Rashed Al Titumir said Saturday. "Part of that is securing loans," Titumir told AFP. "The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has committed $1.3 billion, while the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has pledged $500 million as budget support," Al Titumir said, adding the government was pursuing the loans for early disbursement. The government may also approach the World Bank. "As we want to keep foreign currency reserves intact, we have limited options other than seeking loans," Al Titumir said. The government is also exploring alternatives for sourcing energy from "North America, South America or Africa".
Iran, in a chilling warning on Friday (Mar 20), said that the UK was "putting British lives in danger" by allowing the US to use its bases. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he was caught off guard by what he called the United Kingdom's delayed response in allowing American forces to use British bases for strikes on Iran. "I was a little surprised," Trump told reporters, adding that London "should have acted a lot faster." The remarks came as Downing Street confirmed that UK ministers had approved expanded access for US operations, specifically targeting Iranian missile systems seen as a threat to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
United Airlines announced Friday that it was scaling back its flight capacities because of soaring jet fuel costs, which the airline anticipates will keep rising as the war in the Middle East continues.
Benchmark crude prices have surged to around $100 a barrel in the past three weeks, and United chief Scott Kirby said "our plans assume oil goes to $175 a barrel and doesn't get back down to $100 a barrel until the end of 2027."
If prices stay at current levels, United's fuel bill would balloon by an extra $11 billion this year, Kirby said in a statement to employees.
In response, the airline will cut flights on routes that are no longer profitable at current fuel prices, representing "about five points of this year's planned capacity in the short term," Kirby said.
But for now passenger demand remains strong, Kirby said, and United will not cut jobs or costs, or delay investments, and it still plans to take delivery of around 120 new planes this year.
Iran, in a chilling warning on Friday (Mar 20), said that the UK was "putting British lives in danger" by allowing the US to use its bases. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he was caught off guard by what he called the United Kingdom's delayed response in allowing American forces to use British bases for strikes on Iran. "I was a little surprised," Trump told reporters, adding that London "should have acted a lot faster." The remarks came as Downing Street confirmed that UK ministers had approved expanded access for US operations, specifically targeting Iranian missile systems seen as a threat to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
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Iran reportedly fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean. This comes as the United Kingdom approved the United States to use its bases for launching strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz. Following a meeting on Friday (Mar 20), UK ministers agreed that the US use of British bases could now be expanded to include protecting ships in the strategic waterway in the Gulf.
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US President Donald Trump on Friday ruled out reaching a ceasefire agreement with Iran, saying Washington has the upper hand in the three-week-old war.
"I don't want to do a ceasefire. You know you don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side," Trump told journalists at the White House.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Saturday announced the execution of the 70th wave of its retaliatory Operation True Promise 4, saying the latest phase targeted more than 55 locations occupied by the US and the Israeli regime across the region.
In a statement on Saturday, the IRGC described the opening moments of the latest phase as marked by "loud explosions, bursts of fire, and columns of smoke" throughout the targeted areas.
According to the statement, five US military installations were targeted during the operation, namely 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.
The Corps said the strikes were carried out using Qiam and Emad missile systems alongside attack drones, describing this stage of the reprisal as part of a broader strategy of "gradual attrition."
The Israeli military said it launched strikes on "regime targets" in Tehran early Saturday, after reporting several rounds of Iranian missile fire at Israel. A brief Israeli military statement on Saturday said forces were "striking Iranian terror regime targets in Tehran" following an earlier air raid targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon's capital Beirut.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday (Amar 21) issued a chilling ultimatum to residents of Ras Al-Khaimah, warning of "imminent strikes" linked to the emirate's alleged role in operations against Iranian-controlled islands. It asked Ras Al-Khaimah residents to leave, warning that the city could become a target "in the near future." This comes as companies have already started evacuating the Dubai financial district amid Iranian threats against US and Israel-linked economic targets, including banks, following reported strikes on an Iranian financial institution. Reports suggest that major firms, including Citigroup, Deloitte and PwC, have either shut offices or asked employees to leave.
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Iran is willing to help Japanese ships sail a vital route for global fuel supplies, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Kyodo News in an interview published on Saturday.
Japan depends on crude oil imports from the Middle East, most of which transits the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has effectively closed the strait in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes, sending countries reliant on the shipping lane scrambling for alternative routes and tapping reserves.
In a telephone interview with Kyodo News on Friday, Araghchi denied closing the passageway, insisting instead that countries attacking Iran face restrictions, while others were being offered assistance.
Kuwait's military said its air defence systems were responding to a missile and drone attack on Saturday, as Iran continues to strike Gulf nations.
"Kuwaiti air defences are currently responding to hostile missile and drone threats," an army statement said.
Lebanese state media said an Israeli airstrike hit a house in a southern town early on Saturday, killing one person and wounding two others.
"Israeli fighter jets launched a heavy strike at dawn on a house in the town of Ghandouriyeh... resulting in one martyr and two wounded people who were pulled from under the rubble," the official National News Agency said.
Israel's military said early Saturday that its air defences were operating to intercept a new wave of missiles launched by Iran.
"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the Israeli military said on its official Telegram account.
Israel's military issued a warning Friday to residents of Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, to evacuate ahead of strikes.
"The IDF continues to operate and strike Hezbollah's terrorist military infrastructure throughout the suburbs with increasing force," said the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee on his official Telegram channel.
US President Donald Trump said Friday he was considering "winding down" military operations against Iran and that the Strait of Hormuz would need to be "guarded and policed" by other countries who use the vital waterway.
"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
"The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it -- The United States does not!" he said.
Iran on Friday said it had no surplus crude oil to offer to international markets, after the US treasury secretary said Washington could lift sanctions on Iranian oil at sea.
"Currently, Iran basically has no surplus crude oil left on the water or for supply in other international markets, and the US treasury secretary's statement is solely aimed at giving hope to buyers," Iranian oil ministry spokesman Saman Ghoddoosi wrote on X.