US-Israel-Iran war Day 21 highlights | ‘Enemy being defeated,’ says Mojtaba Khamenei in Nowruz message

Israel's foreign ministry on Friday accused Iran of an attack on the “holy sites of Jerusalem” after an impact near the walls of the Old City following a missile warning.

“The Iranian attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,” Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian gift” for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Friday that the enemies of the Islamic Republic were being defeated in the war against the US and Israel in a written message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

“At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you, our compatriots, despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural, and political origins, the enemy has been defeated,” said Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public after being named to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that the country considers “our eastern neighbors to be very close to us”. Khamenei said Iran values the relationship with these countries despite the attacks, which he said is fostered by shared culture and religion. “Each of these elements can strengthen good relations, and we are eager for this,” he said.

Khamenei also blamed Israel for recent attacks on Oman and Turkey without providing any evidence.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO again, condemning alliance members for not wanting “to help open” the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait with periodic attacks on oil tankers and other shipping. Trump has criticised Nato members for failing to offer warships to help patrol the strategic waterway.

Trump wrote in a social media post, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

US stocks fell on Friday as traders kept monitoring the Iran war. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 163 points lower, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% amid reports that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

The market wobbled after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes overnight, while Tehran also launched new attacks against energy sites in the Gulf. On top of that, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

A senior official in the Iranian armed forces has warned that the country's enemies won't be safe in tourist centres around the world. 

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said that the high numbers of Iranian officials being killed in American and Israeli strikes “is not a sign of the enemy’s strength; rather, it stems from desperation, helplessness, and malice.”

Iranian officials “live with the people and among the people,” he said.

NATO said Friday it was "adjusting" its mission in Iraq, after officials in the country said the non-combat force had been temporarily withdrawn due to the war in the Middle East.

Iran's military threatens to hunt down US and Israeli officials even on vacation, AFP reported. 

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorise the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Israel launched a new wave of heavy airstrikes on Tehran on Friday, as Iranians mark Nowruz (the Persian New Year) amidst the ongoing conflict.

The United States and Israel struck 16 Iranian cargo vessels in port towns on the Gulf on Friday, local media reported, saying the ships were burnt.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar greets his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot ahead of a meeting in Jerusalem. France's foreign minister arrived in Israel after visiting Lebanon.

CCTV images show flashes of light and smoke rising from the area of an oil refinery in the northern port city of Haifa on Thursday (Mar 19). Israeli media reported Thursday that the refinery had been hit following a military warning of incoming missiles launched from Iran

Special non-scheduled commercial flights for people from Kuwait to resume today. Flights to six Indian cities will take off from Saudi Arabia's Qaisumah Airport as Kuwait's airspace remains closed: Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf).
 

PM spoke to 5 world leaders yesterday: Oman, Malayisa, France, Jordan, and Qatar. PM put India's position and priority to dialogue, he condemned attacks on energy structure: MEA

Maritime security firm Ambrey says the US-Israeli strike targeted Bandar Lengeh port in Iran. No casualties or damage to merchant vessels has been reported.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is working to keep his country out of the regional conflict raging across the West Asia. In a statement following the Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan, Sharaa said "we are trying to keep Syria as far as possible from any conflict."

Most production facilities are operating; the remainder are in the process of being restarted. An Iranian strike on the Haifa refinery damaged external infrastructure owned by a third party that is essential to operations; it is expected to return to operations within a few days.

In the latest attack on Iran,Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, was killed, as announced by Iranian state TV on Friday (Mar 20). The news broke shortly after news agency Fars quoted him saying that the country'smissile production continues despite the war with Israel and the US.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his British counterpart Yvette Cooper in a phone call that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

It was not clear when the call with Cooper took place.

"These actions will certainly be regarded as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries," said Araghchi, according to a statement released Friday by the foreign ministry.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.

Naini "was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn", the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called Friday for the enemies of his nations to have their “security” taken away, in his latest message to the public.

Khamenei made the remarks in a statement issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, after Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Khamenei hasn’t been seen since he was named as supreme leader, succeeding his father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.

American and Israeli officials have suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States.

"Our missile industry deserves a perfect score... and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production," Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, quoted by the Fars news agency.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles".

Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at an airport in the island's south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

"They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said 'no'," Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka maintains close ties with the United States, its biggest export market, and Iran which is a key buyer of tea, its main export commodity.

Israel carried out strikes on towns in southern Lebanon, causing multiple injuries, state media reported on Friday.

"Israeli enemy fighter jets struck at dawn, targeting the towns of Bafliyeh and Hanine in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts," the official National News Agency (NNA) reported, adding that Israeli forces had hit five other towns in the south of the country.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say missile production continue during war.

According to Kuwaits KPC, Mina AL-Ahmedi refinery has been hit by drone attack. Some units shut down to ensure safety.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran.

A missile alert sounded in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.

The Islamic Republic of Iran said that the video of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was published for the first time.

The war has severely disrupted air traffic over Gulf countries, which have carved out a niche as a stopover for long flights between the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Many European travellers have found themselves stranded in Asia, unable to pass through the key hubs of Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi -- the respective headquarters of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

"It is a bit of a wake-up call to show how dependent the European continent is on Gulf carriers," the chief executive of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, told a press conference of the Airlines for Europe (A4E) association.

The European Central Bank cut its growth forecast and raised inflation forecasts for this year as it warned of the energy price shock from the Mideast war.

ECB staff now see eurozone GDP growth reduced to 0.9 percent in 2026, and raised inflation projections to 2.6 percent for the year.

With the Iran war entering its third week, the Trump administration is in hot water for reportedly requesting a staggering $200 billion in emergency funding. Amid concerns about the staggering bill of the Iran war, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Mar 20) sought to downplay the costs, dismissing the bill as a "small price" to keep the US military "tippy top."

Read more here

The UN's maritime body called for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran.

Following two days of urgent talks in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the "safe maritime corridor" should be established as "a provisional and urgent measure".

Six Western allies, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, earlier stated they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz". Paris, Rome and Berlin later stressed any initiative would take place only after a ceasefire was reached.

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Crude prices fell more than two per cent on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war with Iran could finish sooner than many feared.

Traders also welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks that Israeli forces would not target any more of Tehran's energy infrastructure.

Both main oil contracts sank, though Brent remains at about $105 and West Texas Intermediate at about $93.

On Thursday, Brent jumped almost six per cent to hit $119 a barrel before falling back to around $109.

Gold and silver prices shed more than six per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, as rising inflation fears dampened expectations for near-term interest rate cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework -- once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended -- to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.

A military statement said Israeli forces had "begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that they had targeted US forces in the UAE's Al-Dhafra air base as well as sites in Israel with missiles and drones.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that within less than two hours, its forces had "intercepted and destroyed" 10 drones in the country's east and another in the north.

Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile fire early Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drone attacks.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.

The ministry earlier said air raid sirens were activated.

In Kuwait, an army statement said air defences were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats", while the UAE state media reported "incoming missile and drone threats from Iran".

UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said Friday.

The alleged network had "sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country's financial stability" as part of "a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran", the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus. The report included mug shots of five detained suspects.

Israel's foreign ministry on Friday accused Iran of an attack on the “holy sites of Jerusalem” after an impact near the walls of the Old City following a missile warning.

“The Iranian attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,” Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian gift” for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Friday that the enemies of the Islamic Republic were being defeated in the war against the US and Israel in a written message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

“At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you, our compatriots, despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural, and political origins, the enemy has been defeated,” said Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public after being named to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that the country considers “our eastern neighbors to be very close to us”. Khamenei said Iran values the relationship with these countries despite the attacks, which he said is fostered by shared culture and religion. “Each of these elements can strengthen good relations, and we are eager for this,” he said.

Khamenei also blamed Israel for recent attacks on Oman and Turkey without providing any evidence.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO again, condemning alliance members for not wanting “to help open” the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait with periodic attacks on oil tankers and other shipping. Trump has criticised Nato members for failing to offer warships to help patrol the strategic waterway.

Trump wrote in a social media post, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

US stocks fell on Friday as traders kept monitoring the Iran war. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 163 points lower, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% amid reports that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

The market wobbled after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes overnight, while Tehran also launched new attacks against energy sites in the Gulf. On top of that, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

A senior official in the Iranian armed forces has warned that the country's enemies won't be safe in tourist centres around the world. 

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said that the high numbers of Iranian officials being killed in American and Israeli strikes “is not a sign of the enemy’s strength; rather, it stems from desperation, helplessness, and malice.”

Iranian officials “live with the people and among the people,” he said.

NATO said Friday it was "adjusting" its mission in Iraq, after officials in the country said the non-combat force had been temporarily withdrawn due to the war in the Middle East.

Iran's military threatens to hunt down US and Israeli officials even on vacation, AFP reported. 

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorise the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Israel launched a new wave of heavy airstrikes on Tehran on Friday, as Iranians mark Nowruz (the Persian New Year) amidst the ongoing conflict.

The United States and Israel struck 16 Iranian cargo vessels in port towns on the Gulf on Friday, local media reported, saying the ships were burnt.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar greets his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot ahead of a meeting in Jerusalem. France's foreign minister arrived in Israel after visiting Lebanon.

CCTV images show flashes of light and smoke rising from the area of an oil refinery in the northern port city of Haifa on Thursday (Mar 19). Israeli media reported Thursday that the refinery had been hit following a military warning of incoming missiles launched from Iran

Special non-scheduled commercial flights for people from Kuwait to resume today. Flights to six Indian cities will take off from Saudi Arabia's Qaisumah Airport as Kuwait's airspace remains closed: Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf).
 

PM spoke to 5 world leaders yesterday: Oman, Malayisa, France, Jordan, and Qatar. PM put India's position and priority to dialogue, he condemned attacks on energy structure: MEA

Maritime security firm Ambrey says the US-Israeli strike targeted Bandar Lengeh port in Iran. No casualties or damage to merchant vessels has been reported.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is working to keep his country out of the regional conflict raging across the West Asia. In a statement following the Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan, Sharaa said "we are trying to keep Syria as far as possible from any conflict."

Most production facilities are operating; the remainder are in the process of being restarted. An Iranian strike on the Haifa refinery damaged external infrastructure owned by a third party that is essential to operations; it is expected to return to operations within a few days.

In the latest attack on Iran,Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, was killed, as announced by Iranian state TV on Friday (Mar 20). The news broke shortly after news agency Fars quoted him saying that the country'smissile production continues despite the war with Israel and the US.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his British counterpart Yvette Cooper in a phone call that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

It was not clear when the call with Cooper took place.

"These actions will certainly be regarded as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries," said Araghchi, according to a statement released Friday by the foreign ministry.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.

Naini "was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn", the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called Friday for the enemies of his nations to have their “security” taken away, in his latest message to the public.

Khamenei made the remarks in a statement issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, after Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Khamenei hasn’t been seen since he was named as supreme leader, succeeding his father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.

American and Israeli officials have suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States.

"Our missile industry deserves a perfect score... and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production," Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, quoted by the Fars news agency.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles".

Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at an airport in the island's south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

"They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said 'no'," Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka maintains close ties with the United States, its biggest export market, and Iran which is a key buyer of tea, its main export commodity.

Israel carried out strikes on towns in southern Lebanon, causing multiple injuries, state media reported on Friday.

"Israeli enemy fighter jets struck at dawn, targeting the towns of Bafliyeh and Hanine in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts," the official National News Agency (NNA) reported, adding that Israeli forces had hit five other towns in the south of the country.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say missile production continue during war.

According to Kuwaits KPC, Mina AL-Ahmedi refinery has been hit by drone attack. Some units shut down to ensure safety.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran.

A missile alert sounded in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.

The Islamic Republic of Iran said that the video of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was published for the first time.

The war has severely disrupted air traffic over Gulf countries, which have carved out a niche as a stopover for long flights between the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Many European travellers have found themselves stranded in Asia, unable to pass through the key hubs of Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi -- the respective headquarters of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

"It is a bit of a wake-up call to show how dependent the European continent is on Gulf carriers," the chief executive of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, told a press conference of the Airlines for Europe (A4E) association.

The European Central Bank cut its growth forecast and raised inflation forecasts for this year as it warned of the energy price shock from the Mideast war.

ECB staff now see eurozone GDP growth reduced to 0.9 percent in 2026, and raised inflation projections to 2.6 percent for the year.

With the Iran war entering its third week, the Trump administration is in hot water for reportedly requesting a staggering $200 billion in emergency funding. Amid concerns about the staggering bill of the Iran war, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Mar 20) sought to downplay the costs, dismissing the bill as a "small price" to keep the US military "tippy top."

Read more here

The UN's maritime body called for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran.

Following two days of urgent talks in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the "safe maritime corridor" should be established as "a provisional and urgent measure".

Six Western allies, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, earlier stated they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz". Paris, Rome and Berlin later stressed any initiative would take place only after a ceasefire was reached.

<div class="iframely-embed"><div class="iframely-responsive" style="height: 140px; padding-bottom: 0;"><a href="https://x.com/aaigoaairport/status/2034809863910695008" data-iframely-url="https://iframely.net/hFsPh2PF?theme=dark"></a></div></div><script async src="https://iframely.net/embed.js"></script>

Crude prices fell more than two per cent on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war with Iran could finish sooner than many feared.

Traders also welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks that Israeli forces would not target any more of Tehran's energy infrastructure.

Both main oil contracts sank, though Brent remains at about $105 and West Texas Intermediate at about $93.

On Thursday, Brent jumped almost six per cent to hit $119 a barrel before falling back to around $109.

Gold and silver prices shed more than six per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, as rising inflation fears dampened expectations for near-term interest rate cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework -- once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended -- to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.

A military statement said Israeli forces had "begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that they had targeted US forces in the UAE's Al-Dhafra air base as well as sites in Israel with missiles and drones.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that within less than two hours, its forces had "intercepted and destroyed" 10 drones in the country's east and another in the north.

Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile fire early Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drone attacks.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.

The ministry earlier said air raid sirens were activated.

In Kuwait, an army statement said air defences were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats", while the UAE state media reported "incoming missile and drone threats from Iran".

UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said Friday.

The alleged network had "sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country's financial stability" as part of "a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran", the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus. The report included mug shots of five detained suspects.

Israel's foreign ministry on Friday accused Iran of an attack on the “holy sites of Jerusalem” after an impact near the walls of the Old City following a missile warning.

“The Iranian attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,” Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian gift” for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Friday that the enemies of the Islamic Republic were being defeated in the war against the US and Israel in a written message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

“At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you, our compatriots, despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural, and political origins, the enemy has been defeated,” said Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public after being named to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that the country considers “our eastern neighbors to be very close to us”. Khamenei said Iran values the relationship with these countries despite the attacks, which he said is fostered by shared culture and religion. “Each of these elements can strengthen good relations, and we are eager for this,” he said.

Khamenei also blamed Israel for recent attacks on Oman and Turkey without providing any evidence.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO again, condemning alliance members for not wanting “to help open” the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait with periodic attacks on oil tankers and other shipping. Trump has criticised Nato members for failing to offer warships to help patrol the strategic waterway.

Trump wrote in a social media post, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

US stocks fell on Friday as traders kept monitoring the Iran war. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 163 points lower, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% amid reports that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

The market wobbled after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes overnight, while Tehran also launched new attacks against energy sites in the Gulf. On top of that, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

A senior official in the Iranian armed forces has warned that the country's enemies won't be safe in tourist centres around the world. 

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said that the high numbers of Iranian officials being killed in American and Israeli strikes “is not a sign of the enemy’s strength; rather, it stems from desperation, helplessness, and malice.”

Iranian officials “live with the people and among the people,” he said.

NATO said Friday it was "adjusting" its mission in Iraq, after officials in the country said the non-combat force had been temporarily withdrawn due to the war in the Middle East.

Iran's military threatens to hunt down US and Israeli officials even on vacation, AFP reported. 

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorise the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Israel launched a new wave of heavy airstrikes on Tehran on Friday, as Iranians mark Nowruz (the Persian New Year) amidst the ongoing conflict.

The United States and Israel struck 16 Iranian cargo vessels in port towns on the Gulf on Friday, local media reported, saying the ships were burnt.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar greets his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot ahead of a meeting in Jerusalem. France's foreign minister arrived in Israel after visiting Lebanon.

CCTV images show flashes of light and smoke rising from the area of an oil refinery in the northern port city of Haifa on Thursday (Mar 19). Israeli media reported Thursday that the refinery had been hit following a military warning of incoming missiles launched from Iran

Special non-scheduled commercial flights for people from Kuwait to resume today. Flights to six Indian cities will take off from Saudi Arabia's Qaisumah Airport as Kuwait's airspace remains closed: Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf).
 

PM spoke to 5 world leaders yesterday: Oman, Malayisa, France, Jordan, and Qatar. PM put India's position and priority to dialogue, he condemned attacks on energy structure: MEA

Maritime security firm Ambrey says the US-Israeli strike targeted Bandar Lengeh port in Iran. No casualties or damage to merchant vessels has been reported.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is working to keep his country out of the regional conflict raging across the West Asia. In a statement following the Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan, Sharaa said "we are trying to keep Syria as far as possible from any conflict."

Most production facilities are operating; the remainder are in the process of being restarted. An Iranian strike on the Haifa refinery damaged external infrastructure owned by a third party that is essential to operations; it is expected to return to operations within a few days.

In the latest attack on Iran,Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, was killed, as announced by Iranian state TV on Friday (Mar 20). The news broke shortly after news agency Fars quoted him saying that the country'smissile production continues despite the war with Israel and the US.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his British counterpart Yvette Cooper in a phone call that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

It was not clear when the call with Cooper took place.

"These actions will certainly be regarded as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries," said Araghchi, according to a statement released Friday by the foreign ministry.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.

Naini "was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn", the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called Friday for the enemies of his nations to have their “security” taken away, in his latest message to the public.

Khamenei made the remarks in a statement issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, after Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Khamenei hasn’t been seen since he was named as supreme leader, succeeding his father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.

American and Israeli officials have suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States.

"Our missile industry deserves a perfect score... and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production," Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, quoted by the Fars news agency.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles".

Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at an airport in the island's south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

"They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said 'no'," Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka maintains close ties with the United States, its biggest export market, and Iran which is a key buyer of tea, its main export commodity.

Israel carried out strikes on towns in southern Lebanon, causing multiple injuries, state media reported on Friday.

"Israeli enemy fighter jets struck at dawn, targeting the towns of Bafliyeh and Hanine in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts," the official National News Agency (NNA) reported, adding that Israeli forces had hit five other towns in the south of the country.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say missile production continue during war.

According to Kuwaits KPC, Mina AL-Ahmedi refinery has been hit by drone attack. Some units shut down to ensure safety.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran.

A missile alert sounded in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.

The Islamic Republic of Iran said that the video of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was published for the first time.

The war has severely disrupted air traffic over Gulf countries, which have carved out a niche as a stopover for long flights between the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Many European travellers have found themselves stranded in Asia, unable to pass through the key hubs of Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi -- the respective headquarters of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

"It is a bit of a wake-up call to show how dependent the European continent is on Gulf carriers," the chief executive of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, told a press conference of the Airlines for Europe (A4E) association.

The European Central Bank cut its growth forecast and raised inflation forecasts for this year as it warned of the energy price shock from the Mideast war.

ECB staff now see eurozone GDP growth reduced to 0.9 percent in 2026, and raised inflation projections to 2.6 percent for the year.

With the Iran war entering its third week, the Trump administration is in hot water for reportedly requesting a staggering $200 billion in emergency funding. Amid concerns about the staggering bill of the Iran war, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Mar 20) sought to downplay the costs, dismissing the bill as a "small price" to keep the US military "tippy top."

Read more here

The UN's maritime body called for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran.

Following two days of urgent talks in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the "safe maritime corridor" should be established as "a provisional and urgent measure".

Six Western allies, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, earlier stated they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz". Paris, Rome and Berlin later stressed any initiative would take place only after a ceasefire was reached.

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Crude prices fell more than two per cent on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war with Iran could finish sooner than many feared.

Traders also welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks that Israeli forces would not target any more of Tehran's energy infrastructure.

Both main oil contracts sank, though Brent remains at about $105 and West Texas Intermediate at about $93.

On Thursday, Brent jumped almost six per cent to hit $119 a barrel before falling back to around $109.

Gold and silver prices shed more than six per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, as rising inflation fears dampened expectations for near-term interest rate cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework -- once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended -- to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.

A military statement said Israeli forces had "begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that they had targeted US forces in the UAE's Al-Dhafra air base as well as sites in Israel with missiles and drones.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that within less than two hours, its forces had "intercepted and destroyed" 10 drones in the country's east and another in the north.

Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile fire early Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drone attacks.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.

The ministry earlier said air raid sirens were activated.

In Kuwait, an army statement said air defences were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats", while the UAE state media reported "incoming missile and drone threats from Iran".

UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said Friday.

The alleged network had "sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country's financial stability" as part of "a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran", the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus. The report included mug shots of five detained suspects.

Israel's foreign ministry on Friday accused Iran of an attack on the “holy sites of Jerusalem” after an impact near the walls of the Old City following a missile warning.

“The Iranian attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,” Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian gift” for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Friday that the enemies of the Islamic Republic were being defeated in the war against the US and Israel in a written message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

“At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you, our compatriots, despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural, and political origins, the enemy has been defeated,” said Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public after being named to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that the country considers “our eastern neighbors to be very close to us”. Khamenei said Iran values the relationship with these countries despite the attacks, which he said is fostered by shared culture and religion. “Each of these elements can strengthen good relations, and we are eager for this,” he said.

Khamenei also blamed Israel for recent attacks on Oman and Turkey without providing any evidence.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO again, condemning alliance members for not wanting “to help open” the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait with periodic attacks on oil tankers and other shipping. Trump has criticised Nato members for failing to offer warships to help patrol the strategic waterway.

Trump wrote in a social media post, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

US stocks fell on Friday as traders kept monitoring the Iran war. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 163 points lower, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% amid reports that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

The market wobbled after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes overnight, while Tehran also launched new attacks against energy sites in the Gulf. On top of that, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

A senior official in the Iranian armed forces has warned that the country's enemies won't be safe in tourist centres around the world. 

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said that the high numbers of Iranian officials being killed in American and Israeli strikes “is not a sign of the enemy’s strength; rather, it stems from desperation, helplessness, and malice.”

Iranian officials “live with the people and among the people,” he said.

NATO said Friday it was "adjusting" its mission in Iraq, after officials in the country said the non-combat force had been temporarily withdrawn due to the war in the Middle East.

Iran's military threatens to hunt down US and Israeli officials even on vacation, AFP reported. 

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorise the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Israel launched a new wave of heavy airstrikes on Tehran on Friday, as Iranians mark Nowruz (the Persian New Year) amidst the ongoing conflict.

The United States and Israel struck 16 Iranian cargo vessels in port towns on the Gulf on Friday, local media reported, saying the ships were burnt.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar greets his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot ahead of a meeting in Jerusalem. France's foreign minister arrived in Israel after visiting Lebanon.

CCTV images show flashes of light and smoke rising from the area of an oil refinery in the northern port city of Haifa on Thursday (Mar 19). Israeli media reported Thursday that the refinery had been hit following a military warning of incoming missiles launched from Iran

Special non-scheduled commercial flights for people from Kuwait to resume today. Flights to six Indian cities will take off from Saudi Arabia's Qaisumah Airport as Kuwait's airspace remains closed: Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf).
 

PM spoke to 5 world leaders yesterday: Oman, Malayisa, France, Jordan, and Qatar. PM put India's position and priority to dialogue, he condemned attacks on energy structure: MEA

Maritime security firm Ambrey says the US-Israeli strike targeted Bandar Lengeh port in Iran. No casualties or damage to merchant vessels has been reported.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is working to keep his country out of the regional conflict raging across the West Asia. In a statement following the Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan, Sharaa said "we are trying to keep Syria as far as possible from any conflict."

Most production facilities are operating; the remainder are in the process of being restarted. An Iranian strike on the Haifa refinery damaged external infrastructure owned by a third party that is essential to operations; it is expected to return to operations within a few days.

In the latest attack on Iran,Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, was killed, as announced by Iranian state TV on Friday (Mar 20). The news broke shortly after news agency Fars quoted him saying that the country'smissile production continues despite the war with Israel and the US.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his British counterpart Yvette Cooper in a phone call that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

It was not clear when the call with Cooper took place.

"These actions will certainly be regarded as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries," said Araghchi, according to a statement released Friday by the foreign ministry.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.

Naini "was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn", the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called Friday for the enemies of his nations to have their “security” taken away, in his latest message to the public.

Khamenei made the remarks in a statement issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, after Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Khamenei hasn’t been seen since he was named as supreme leader, succeeding his father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.

American and Israeli officials have suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States.

"Our missile industry deserves a perfect score... and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production," Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, quoted by the Fars news agency.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles".

Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at an airport in the island's south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

"They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said 'no'," Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka maintains close ties with the United States, its biggest export market, and Iran which is a key buyer of tea, its main export commodity.

Israel carried out strikes on towns in southern Lebanon, causing multiple injuries, state media reported on Friday.

"Israeli enemy fighter jets struck at dawn, targeting the towns of Bafliyeh and Hanine in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts," the official National News Agency (NNA) reported, adding that Israeli forces had hit five other towns in the south of the country.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say missile production continue during war.

According to Kuwaits KPC, Mina AL-Ahmedi refinery has been hit by drone attack. Some units shut down to ensure safety.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran.

A missile alert sounded in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.

The Islamic Republic of Iran said that the video of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was published for the first time.

The war has severely disrupted air traffic over Gulf countries, which have carved out a niche as a stopover for long flights between the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Many European travellers have found themselves stranded in Asia, unable to pass through the key hubs of Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi -- the respective headquarters of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

"It is a bit of a wake-up call to show how dependent the European continent is on Gulf carriers," the chief executive of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, told a press conference of the Airlines for Europe (A4E) association.

The European Central Bank cut its growth forecast and raised inflation forecasts for this year as it warned of the energy price shock from the Mideast war.

ECB staff now see eurozone GDP growth reduced to 0.9 percent in 2026, and raised inflation projections to 2.6 percent for the year.

With the Iran war entering its third week, the Trump administration is in hot water for reportedly requesting a staggering $200 billion in emergency funding. Amid concerns about the staggering bill of the Iran war, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Mar 20) sought to downplay the costs, dismissing the bill as a "small price" to keep the US military "tippy top."

Read more here

The UN's maritime body called for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran.

Following two days of urgent talks in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the "safe maritime corridor" should be established as "a provisional and urgent measure".

Six Western allies, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, earlier stated they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz". Paris, Rome and Berlin later stressed any initiative would take place only after a ceasefire was reached.

<div class="iframely-embed"><div class="iframely-responsive" style="height: 140px; padding-bottom: 0;"><a href="https://x.com/aaigoaairport/status/2034809863910695008" data-iframely-url="https://iframely.net/hFsPh2PF?theme=dark"></a></div></div><script async src="https://iframely.net/embed.js"></script>

Crude prices fell more than two per cent on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war with Iran could finish sooner than many feared.

Traders also welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks that Israeli forces would not target any more of Tehran's energy infrastructure.

Both main oil contracts sank, though Brent remains at about $105 and West Texas Intermediate at about $93.

On Thursday, Brent jumped almost six per cent to hit $119 a barrel before falling back to around $109.

Gold and silver prices shed more than six per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, as rising inflation fears dampened expectations for near-term interest rate cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework -- once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended -- to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.

A military statement said Israeli forces had "begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that they had targeted US forces in the UAE's Al-Dhafra air base as well as sites in Israel with missiles and drones.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that within less than two hours, its forces had "intercepted and destroyed" 10 drones in the country's east and another in the north.

Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile fire early Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drone attacks.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.

The ministry earlier said air raid sirens were activated.

In Kuwait, an army statement said air defences were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats", while the UAE state media reported "incoming missile and drone threats from Iran".

UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said Friday.

The alleged network had "sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country's financial stability" as part of "a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran", the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus. The report included mug shots of five detained suspects.

Israel's foreign ministry on Friday accused Iran of an attack on the “holy sites of Jerusalem” after an impact near the walls of the Old City following a missile warning.

“The Iranian attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,” Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian gift” for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Friday that the enemies of the Islamic Republic were being defeated in the war against the US and Israel in a written message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

“At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you, our compatriots, despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural, and political origins, the enemy has been defeated,” said Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public after being named to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that the country considers “our eastern neighbors to be very close to us”. Khamenei said Iran values the relationship with these countries despite the attacks, which he said is fostered by shared culture and religion. “Each of these elements can strengthen good relations, and we are eager for this,” he said.

Khamenei also blamed Israel for recent attacks on Oman and Turkey without providing any evidence.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO again, condemning alliance members for not wanting “to help open” the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait with periodic attacks on oil tankers and other shipping. Trump has criticised Nato members for failing to offer warships to help patrol the strategic waterway.

Trump wrote in a social media post, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

US stocks fell on Friday as traders kept monitoring the Iran war. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 163 points lower, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% amid reports that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

The market wobbled after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes overnight, while Tehran also launched new attacks against energy sites in the Gulf. On top of that, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

A senior official in the Iranian armed forces has warned that the country's enemies won't be safe in tourist centres around the world. 

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said that the high numbers of Iranian officials being killed in American and Israeli strikes “is not a sign of the enemy’s strength; rather, it stems from desperation, helplessness, and malice.”

Iranian officials “live with the people and among the people,” he said.

NATO said Friday it was "adjusting" its mission in Iraq, after officials in the country said the non-combat force had been temporarily withdrawn due to the war in the Middle East.

Iran's military threatens to hunt down US and Israeli officials even on vacation, AFP reported. 

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorise the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Israel launched a new wave of heavy airstrikes on Tehran on Friday, as Iranians mark Nowruz (the Persian New Year) amidst the ongoing conflict.

The United States and Israel struck 16 Iranian cargo vessels in port towns on the Gulf on Friday, local media reported, saying the ships were burnt.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar greets his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot ahead of a meeting in Jerusalem. France's foreign minister arrived in Israel after visiting Lebanon.

CCTV images show flashes of light and smoke rising from the area of an oil refinery in the northern port city of Haifa on Thursday (Mar 19). Israeli media reported Thursday that the refinery had been hit following a military warning of incoming missiles launched from Iran

Special non-scheduled commercial flights for people from Kuwait to resume today. Flights to six Indian cities will take off from Saudi Arabia's Qaisumah Airport as Kuwait's airspace remains closed: Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf).
 

PM spoke to 5 world leaders yesterday: Oman, Malayisa, France, Jordan, and Qatar. PM put India's position and priority to dialogue, he condemned attacks on energy structure: MEA

Maritime security firm Ambrey says the US-Israeli strike targeted Bandar Lengeh port in Iran. No casualties or damage to merchant vessels has been reported.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is working to keep his country out of the regional conflict raging across the West Asia. In a statement following the Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan, Sharaa said "we are trying to keep Syria as far as possible from any conflict."

Most production facilities are operating; the remainder are in the process of being restarted. An Iranian strike on the Haifa refinery damaged external infrastructure owned by a third party that is essential to operations; it is expected to return to operations within a few days.

In the latest attack on Iran,Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, was killed, as announced by Iranian state TV on Friday (Mar 20). The news broke shortly after news agency Fars quoted him saying that the country'smissile production continues despite the war with Israel and the US.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his British counterpart Yvette Cooper in a phone call that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

It was not clear when the call with Cooper took place.

"These actions will certainly be regarded as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries," said Araghchi, according to a statement released Friday by the foreign ministry.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.

Naini "was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn", the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called Friday for the enemies of his nations to have their “security” taken away, in his latest message to the public.

Khamenei made the remarks in a statement issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, after Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Khamenei hasn’t been seen since he was named as supreme leader, succeeding his father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.

American and Israeli officials have suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States.

"Our missile industry deserves a perfect score... and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production," Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, quoted by the Fars news agency.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles".

Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at an airport in the island's south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

"They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said 'no'," Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka maintains close ties with the United States, its biggest export market, and Iran which is a key buyer of tea, its main export commodity.

Israel carried out strikes on towns in southern Lebanon, causing multiple injuries, state media reported on Friday.

"Israeli enemy fighter jets struck at dawn, targeting the towns of Bafliyeh and Hanine in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts," the official National News Agency (NNA) reported, adding that Israeli forces had hit five other towns in the south of the country.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say missile production continue during war.

According to Kuwaits KPC, Mina AL-Ahmedi refinery has been hit by drone attack. Some units shut down to ensure safety.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran.

A missile alert sounded in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.

The Islamic Republic of Iran said that the video of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was published for the first time.

The war has severely disrupted air traffic over Gulf countries, which have carved out a niche as a stopover for long flights between the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Many European travellers have found themselves stranded in Asia, unable to pass through the key hubs of Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi -- the respective headquarters of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

"It is a bit of a wake-up call to show how dependent the European continent is on Gulf carriers," the chief executive of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, told a press conference of the Airlines for Europe (A4E) association.

The European Central Bank cut its growth forecast and raised inflation forecasts for this year as it warned of the energy price shock from the Mideast war.

ECB staff now see eurozone GDP growth reduced to 0.9 percent in 2026, and raised inflation projections to 2.6 percent for the year.

With the Iran war entering its third week, the Trump administration is in hot water for reportedly requesting a staggering $200 billion in emergency funding. Amid concerns about the staggering bill of the Iran war, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Mar 20) sought to downplay the costs, dismissing the bill as a "small price" to keep the US military "tippy top."

Read more here

The UN's maritime body called for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran.

Following two days of urgent talks in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the "safe maritime corridor" should be established as "a provisional and urgent measure".

Six Western allies, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, earlier stated they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz". Paris, Rome and Berlin later stressed any initiative would take place only after a ceasefire was reached.

<div class="iframely-embed"><div class="iframely-responsive" style="height: 140px; padding-bottom: 0;"><a href="https://x.com/aaigoaairport/status/2034809863910695008" data-iframely-url="https://iframely.net/hFsPh2PF?theme=dark"></a></div></div><script async src="https://iframely.net/embed.js"></script>

Crude prices fell more than two per cent on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war with Iran could finish sooner than many feared.

Traders also welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks that Israeli forces would not target any more of Tehran's energy infrastructure.

Both main oil contracts sank, though Brent remains at about $105 and West Texas Intermediate at about $93.

On Thursday, Brent jumped almost six per cent to hit $119 a barrel before falling back to around $109.

Gold and silver prices shed more than six per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, as rising inflation fears dampened expectations for near-term interest rate cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework -- once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended -- to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.

A military statement said Israeli forces had "begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that they had targeted US forces in the UAE's Al-Dhafra air base as well as sites in Israel with missiles and drones.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that within less than two hours, its forces had "intercepted and destroyed" 10 drones in the country's east and another in the north.

Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile fire early Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drone attacks.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.

The ministry earlier said air raid sirens were activated.

In Kuwait, an army statement said air defences were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats", while the UAE state media reported "incoming missile and drone threats from Iran".

UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said Friday.

The alleged network had "sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country's financial stability" as part of "a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran", the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus. The report included mug shots of five detained suspects.

Israel's foreign ministry on Friday accused Iran of an attack on the “holy sites of Jerusalem” after an impact near the walls of the Old City following a missile warning.

“The Iranian attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,” Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian gift” for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Friday that the enemies of the Islamic Republic were being defeated in the war against the US and Israel in a written message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

“At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you, our compatriots, despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural, and political origins, the enemy has been defeated,” said Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public after being named to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that the country considers “our eastern neighbors to be very close to us”. Khamenei said Iran values the relationship with these countries despite the attacks, which he said is fostered by shared culture and religion. “Each of these elements can strengthen good relations, and we are eager for this,” he said.

Khamenei also blamed Israel for recent attacks on Oman and Turkey without providing any evidence.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO again, condemning alliance members for not wanting “to help open” the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait with periodic attacks on oil tankers and other shipping. Trump has criticised Nato members for failing to offer warships to help patrol the strategic waterway.

Trump wrote in a social media post, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

US stocks fell on Friday as traders kept monitoring the Iran war. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 163 points lower, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% amid reports that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

The market wobbled after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes overnight, while Tehran also launched new attacks against energy sites in the Gulf. On top of that, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

A senior official in the Iranian armed forces has warned that the country's enemies won't be safe in tourist centres around the world. 

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said that the high numbers of Iranian officials being killed in American and Israeli strikes “is not a sign of the enemy’s strength; rather, it stems from desperation, helplessness, and malice.”

Iranian officials “live with the people and among the people,” he said.

NATO said Friday it was "adjusting" its mission in Iraq, after officials in the country said the non-combat force had been temporarily withdrawn due to the war in the Middle East.

Iran's military threatens to hunt down US and Israeli officials even on vacation, AFP reported. 

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorise the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Israel launched a new wave of heavy airstrikes on Tehran on Friday, as Iranians mark Nowruz (the Persian New Year) amidst the ongoing conflict.

The United States and Israel struck 16 Iranian cargo vessels in port towns on the Gulf on Friday, local media reported, saying the ships were burnt.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar greets his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot ahead of a meeting in Jerusalem. France's foreign minister arrived in Israel after visiting Lebanon.

CCTV images show flashes of light and smoke rising from the area of an oil refinery in the northern port city of Haifa on Thursday (Mar 19). Israeli media reported Thursday that the refinery had been hit following a military warning of incoming missiles launched from Iran

Special non-scheduled commercial flights for people from Kuwait to resume today. Flights to six Indian cities will take off from Saudi Arabia's Qaisumah Airport as Kuwait's airspace remains closed: Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf).
 

PM spoke to 5 world leaders yesterday: Oman, Malayisa, France, Jordan, and Qatar. PM put India's position and priority to dialogue, he condemned attacks on energy structure: MEA

Maritime security firm Ambrey says the US-Israeli strike targeted Bandar Lengeh port in Iran. No casualties or damage to merchant vessels has been reported.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is working to keep his country out of the regional conflict raging across the West Asia. In a statement following the Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan, Sharaa said "we are trying to keep Syria as far as possible from any conflict."

Most production facilities are operating; the remainder are in the process of being restarted. An Iranian strike on the Haifa refinery damaged external infrastructure owned by a third party that is essential to operations; it is expected to return to operations within a few days.

In the latest attack on Iran,Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, was killed, as announced by Iranian state TV on Friday (Mar 20). The news broke shortly after news agency Fars quoted him saying that the country'smissile production continues despite the war with Israel and the US.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his British counterpart Yvette Cooper in a phone call that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

It was not clear when the call with Cooper took place.

"These actions will certainly be regarded as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries," said Araghchi, according to a statement released Friday by the foreign ministry.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.

Naini "was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn", the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called Friday for the enemies of his nations to have their “security” taken away, in his latest message to the public.

Khamenei made the remarks in a statement issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, after Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Khamenei hasn’t been seen since he was named as supreme leader, succeeding his father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.

American and Israeli officials have suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States.

"Our missile industry deserves a perfect score... and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production," Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, quoted by the Fars news agency.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles".

Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at an airport in the island's south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

"They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said 'no'," Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka maintains close ties with the United States, its biggest export market, and Iran which is a key buyer of tea, its main export commodity.

Israel carried out strikes on towns in southern Lebanon, causing multiple injuries, state media reported on Friday.

"Israeli enemy fighter jets struck at dawn, targeting the towns of Bafliyeh and Hanine in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts," the official National News Agency (NNA) reported, adding that Israeli forces had hit five other towns in the south of the country.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say missile production continue during war.

According to Kuwaits KPC, Mina AL-Ahmedi refinery has been hit by drone attack. Some units shut down to ensure safety.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran.

A missile alert sounded in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.

The Islamic Republic of Iran said that the video of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was published for the first time.

The war has severely disrupted air traffic over Gulf countries, which have carved out a niche as a stopover for long flights between the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Many European travellers have found themselves stranded in Asia, unable to pass through the key hubs of Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi -- the respective headquarters of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

"It is a bit of a wake-up call to show how dependent the European continent is on Gulf carriers," the chief executive of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, told a press conference of the Airlines for Europe (A4E) association.

The European Central Bank cut its growth forecast and raised inflation forecasts for this year as it warned of the energy price shock from the Mideast war.

ECB staff now see eurozone GDP growth reduced to 0.9 percent in 2026, and raised inflation projections to 2.6 percent for the year.

With the Iran war entering its third week, the Trump administration is in hot water for reportedly requesting a staggering $200 billion in emergency funding. Amid concerns about the staggering bill of the Iran war, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Mar 20) sought to downplay the costs, dismissing the bill as a "small price" to keep the US military "tippy top."

Read more here

The UN's maritime body called for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran.

Following two days of urgent talks in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the "safe maritime corridor" should be established as "a provisional and urgent measure".

Six Western allies, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, earlier stated they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz". Paris, Rome and Berlin later stressed any initiative would take place only after a ceasefire was reached.

<div class="iframely-embed"><div class="iframely-responsive" style="height: 140px; padding-bottom: 0;"><a href="https://x.com/aaigoaairport/status/2034809863910695008" data-iframely-url="https://iframely.net/hFsPh2PF?theme=dark"></a></div></div><script async src="https://iframely.net/embed.js"></script>

Crude prices fell more than two per cent on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war with Iran could finish sooner than many feared.

Traders also welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks that Israeli forces would not target any more of Tehran's energy infrastructure.

Both main oil contracts sank, though Brent remains at about $105 and West Texas Intermediate at about $93.

On Thursday, Brent jumped almost six per cent to hit $119 a barrel before falling back to around $109.

Gold and silver prices shed more than six per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, as rising inflation fears dampened expectations for near-term interest rate cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework -- once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended -- to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.

A military statement said Israeli forces had "begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that they had targeted US forces in the UAE's Al-Dhafra air base as well as sites in Israel with missiles and drones.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that within less than two hours, its forces had "intercepted and destroyed" 10 drones in the country's east and another in the north.

Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile fire early Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drone attacks.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.

The ministry earlier said air raid sirens were activated.

In Kuwait, an army statement said air defences were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats", while the UAE state media reported "incoming missile and drone threats from Iran".

UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said Friday.

The alleged network had "sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country's financial stability" as part of "a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran", the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus. The report included mug shots of five detained suspects.

Israel's foreign ministry on Friday accused Iran of an attack on the “holy sites of Jerusalem” after an impact near the walls of the Old City following a missile warning.

“The Iranian attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,” Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian gift” for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Friday that the enemies of the Islamic Republic were being defeated in the war against the US and Israel in a written message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

“At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you, our compatriots, despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural, and political origins, the enemy has been defeated,” said Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public after being named to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that the country considers “our eastern neighbors to be very close to us”. Khamenei said Iran values the relationship with these countries despite the attacks, which he said is fostered by shared culture and religion. “Each of these elements can strengthen good relations, and we are eager for this,” he said.

Khamenei also blamed Israel for recent attacks on Oman and Turkey without providing any evidence.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO again, condemning alliance members for not wanting “to help open” the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait with periodic attacks on oil tankers and other shipping. Trump has criticised Nato members for failing to offer warships to help patrol the strategic waterway.

Trump wrote in a social media post, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

US stocks fell on Friday as traders kept monitoring the Iran war. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 163 points lower, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% amid reports that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

The market wobbled after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes overnight, while Tehran also launched new attacks against energy sites in the Gulf. On top of that, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

A senior official in the Iranian armed forces has warned that the country's enemies won't be safe in tourist centres around the world. 

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said that the high numbers of Iranian officials being killed in American and Israeli strikes “is not a sign of the enemy’s strength; rather, it stems from desperation, helplessness, and malice.”

Iranian officials “live with the people and among the people,” he said.

NATO said Friday it was "adjusting" its mission in Iraq, after officials in the country said the non-combat force had been temporarily withdrawn due to the war in the Middle East.

Iran's military threatens to hunt down US and Israeli officials even on vacation, AFP reported. 

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorise the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Israel launched a new wave of heavy airstrikes on Tehran on Friday, as Iranians mark Nowruz (the Persian New Year) amidst the ongoing conflict.

The United States and Israel struck 16 Iranian cargo vessels in port towns on the Gulf on Friday, local media reported, saying the ships were burnt.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar greets his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot ahead of a meeting in Jerusalem. France's foreign minister arrived in Israel after visiting Lebanon.

CCTV images show flashes of light and smoke rising from the area of an oil refinery in the northern port city of Haifa on Thursday (Mar 19). Israeli media reported Thursday that the refinery had been hit following a military warning of incoming missiles launched from Iran

Special non-scheduled commercial flights for people from Kuwait to resume today. Flights to six Indian cities will take off from Saudi Arabia's Qaisumah Airport as Kuwait's airspace remains closed: Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf).
 

PM spoke to 5 world leaders yesterday: Oman, Malayisa, France, Jordan, and Qatar. PM put India's position and priority to dialogue, he condemned attacks on energy structure: MEA

Maritime security firm Ambrey says the US-Israeli strike targeted Bandar Lengeh port in Iran. No casualties or damage to merchant vessels has been reported.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is working to keep his country out of the regional conflict raging across the West Asia. In a statement following the Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan, Sharaa said "we are trying to keep Syria as far as possible from any conflict."

Most production facilities are operating; the remainder are in the process of being restarted. An Iranian strike on the Haifa refinery damaged external infrastructure owned by a third party that is essential to operations; it is expected to return to operations within a few days.

In the latest attack on Iran,Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, was killed, as announced by Iranian state TV on Friday (Mar 20). The news broke shortly after news agency Fars quoted him saying that the country'smissile production continues despite the war with Israel and the US.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his British counterpart Yvette Cooper in a phone call that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

It was not clear when the call with Cooper took place.

"These actions will certainly be regarded as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries," said Araghchi, according to a statement released Friday by the foreign ministry.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.

Naini "was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn", the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called Friday for the enemies of his nations to have their “security” taken away, in his latest message to the public.

Khamenei made the remarks in a statement issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, after Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Khamenei hasn’t been seen since he was named as supreme leader, succeeding his father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.

American and Israeli officials have suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States.

"Our missile industry deserves a perfect score... and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production," Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, quoted by the Fars news agency.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles".

Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at an airport in the island's south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

"They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said 'no'," Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka maintains close ties with the United States, its biggest export market, and Iran which is a key buyer of tea, its main export commodity.

Israel carried out strikes on towns in southern Lebanon, causing multiple injuries, state media reported on Friday.

"Israeli enemy fighter jets struck at dawn, targeting the towns of Bafliyeh and Hanine in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts," the official National News Agency (NNA) reported, adding that Israeli forces had hit five other towns in the south of the country.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say missile production continue during war.

According to Kuwaits KPC, Mina AL-Ahmedi refinery has been hit by drone attack. Some units shut down to ensure safety.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran.

A missile alert sounded in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.

The Islamic Republic of Iran said that the video of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was published for the first time.

The war has severely disrupted air traffic over Gulf countries, which have carved out a niche as a stopover for long flights between the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Many European travellers have found themselves stranded in Asia, unable to pass through the key hubs of Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi -- the respective headquarters of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

"It is a bit of a wake-up call to show how dependent the European continent is on Gulf carriers," the chief executive of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, told a press conference of the Airlines for Europe (A4E) association.

The European Central Bank cut its growth forecast and raised inflation forecasts for this year as it warned of the energy price shock from the Mideast war.

ECB staff now see eurozone GDP growth reduced to 0.9 percent in 2026, and raised inflation projections to 2.6 percent for the year.

With the Iran war entering its third week, the Trump administration is in hot water for reportedly requesting a staggering $200 billion in emergency funding. Amid concerns about the staggering bill of the Iran war, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Mar 20) sought to downplay the costs, dismissing the bill as a "small price" to keep the US military "tippy top."

Read more here

The UN's maritime body called for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran.

Following two days of urgent talks in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the "safe maritime corridor" should be established as "a provisional and urgent measure".

Six Western allies, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, earlier stated they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz". Paris, Rome and Berlin later stressed any initiative would take place only after a ceasefire was reached.

<div class="iframely-embed"><div class="iframely-responsive" style="height: 140px; padding-bottom: 0;"><a href="https://x.com/aaigoaairport/status/2034809863910695008" data-iframely-url="https://iframely.net/hFsPh2PF?theme=dark"></a></div></div><script async src="https://iframely.net/embed.js"></script>

Crude prices fell more than two per cent on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war with Iran could finish sooner than many feared.

Traders also welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks that Israeli forces would not target any more of Tehran's energy infrastructure.

Both main oil contracts sank, though Brent remains at about $105 and West Texas Intermediate at about $93.

On Thursday, Brent jumped almost six per cent to hit $119 a barrel before falling back to around $109.

Gold and silver prices shed more than six per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, as rising inflation fears dampened expectations for near-term interest rate cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework -- once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended -- to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.

A military statement said Israeli forces had "begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that they had targeted US forces in the UAE's Al-Dhafra air base as well as sites in Israel with missiles and drones.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that within less than two hours, its forces had "intercepted and destroyed" 10 drones in the country's east and another in the north.

Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile fire early Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drone attacks.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.

The ministry earlier said air raid sirens were activated.

In Kuwait, an army statement said air defences were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats", while the UAE state media reported "incoming missile and drone threats from Iran".

UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said Friday.

The alleged network had "sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country's financial stability" as part of "a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran", the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus. The report included mug shots of five detained suspects.

Israel's foreign ministry on Friday accused Iran of an attack on the “holy sites of Jerusalem” after an impact near the walls of the Old City following a missile warning.

“The Iranian attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,” Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian gift” for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Friday that the enemies of the Islamic Republic were being defeated in the war against the US and Israel in a written message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

“At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you, our compatriots, despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural, and political origins, the enemy has been defeated,” said Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public after being named to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that the country considers “our eastern neighbors to be very close to us”. Khamenei said Iran values the relationship with these countries despite the attacks, which he said is fostered by shared culture and religion. “Each of these elements can strengthen good relations, and we are eager for this,” he said.

Khamenei also blamed Israel for recent attacks on Oman and Turkey without providing any evidence.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO again, condemning alliance members for not wanting “to help open” the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait with periodic attacks on oil tankers and other shipping. Trump has criticised Nato members for failing to offer warships to help patrol the strategic waterway.

Trump wrote in a social media post, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

US stocks fell on Friday as traders kept monitoring the Iran war. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 163 points lower, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% amid reports that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

The market wobbled after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes overnight, while Tehran also launched new attacks against energy sites in the Gulf. On top of that, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

A senior official in the Iranian armed forces has warned that the country's enemies won't be safe in tourist centres around the world. 

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said that the high numbers of Iranian officials being killed in American and Israeli strikes “is not a sign of the enemy’s strength; rather, it stems from desperation, helplessness, and malice.”

Iranian officials “live with the people and among the people,” he said.

NATO said Friday it was "adjusting" its mission in Iraq, after officials in the country said the non-combat force had been temporarily withdrawn due to the war in the Middle East.

Iran's military threatens to hunt down US and Israeli officials even on vacation, AFP reported. 

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorise the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Israel launched a new wave of heavy airstrikes on Tehran on Friday, as Iranians mark Nowruz (the Persian New Year) amidst the ongoing conflict.

The United States and Israel struck 16 Iranian cargo vessels in port towns on the Gulf on Friday, local media reported, saying the ships were burnt.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar greets his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot ahead of a meeting in Jerusalem. France's foreign minister arrived in Israel after visiting Lebanon.

CCTV images show flashes of light and smoke rising from the area of an oil refinery in the northern port city of Haifa on Thursday (Mar 19). Israeli media reported Thursday that the refinery had been hit following a military warning of incoming missiles launched from Iran

Special non-scheduled commercial flights for people from Kuwait to resume today. Flights to six Indian cities will take off from Saudi Arabia's Qaisumah Airport as Kuwait's airspace remains closed: Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf).
 

PM spoke to 5 world leaders yesterday: Oman, Malayisa, France, Jordan, and Qatar. PM put India's position and priority to dialogue, he condemned attacks on energy structure: MEA

Maritime security firm Ambrey says the US-Israeli strike targeted Bandar Lengeh port in Iran. No casualties or damage to merchant vessels has been reported.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is working to keep his country out of the regional conflict raging across the West Asia. In a statement following the Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan, Sharaa said "we are trying to keep Syria as far as possible from any conflict."

Most production facilities are operating; the remainder are in the process of being restarted. An Iranian strike on the Haifa refinery damaged external infrastructure owned by a third party that is essential to operations; it is expected to return to operations within a few days.

In the latest attack on Iran,Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, was killed, as announced by Iranian state TV on Friday (Mar 20). The news broke shortly after news agency Fars quoted him saying that the country'smissile production continues despite the war with Israel and the US.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his British counterpart Yvette Cooper in a phone call that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

It was not clear when the call with Cooper took place.

"These actions will certainly be regarded as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries," said Araghchi, according to a statement released Friday by the foreign ministry.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.

Naini "was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn", the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called Friday for the enemies of his nations to have their “security” taken away, in his latest message to the public.

Khamenei made the remarks in a statement issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, after Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Khamenei hasn’t been seen since he was named as supreme leader, succeeding his father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.

American and Israeli officials have suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States.

"Our missile industry deserves a perfect score... and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production," Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, quoted by the Fars news agency.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles".

Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at an airport in the island's south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

"They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said 'no'," Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka maintains close ties with the United States, its biggest export market, and Iran which is a key buyer of tea, its main export commodity.

Israel carried out strikes on towns in southern Lebanon, causing multiple injuries, state media reported on Friday.

"Israeli enemy fighter jets struck at dawn, targeting the towns of Bafliyeh and Hanine in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts," the official National News Agency (NNA) reported, adding that Israeli forces had hit five other towns in the south of the country.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say missile production continue during war.

According to Kuwaits KPC, Mina AL-Ahmedi refinery has been hit by drone attack. Some units shut down to ensure safety.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran.

A missile alert sounded in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.

The Islamic Republic of Iran said that the video of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was published for the first time.

The war has severely disrupted air traffic over Gulf countries, which have carved out a niche as a stopover for long flights between the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Many European travellers have found themselves stranded in Asia, unable to pass through the key hubs of Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi -- the respective headquarters of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

"It is a bit of a wake-up call to show how dependent the European continent is on Gulf carriers," the chief executive of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, told a press conference of the Airlines for Europe (A4E) association.

The European Central Bank cut its growth forecast and raised inflation forecasts for this year as it warned of the energy price shock from the Mideast war.

ECB staff now see eurozone GDP growth reduced to 0.9 percent in 2026, and raised inflation projections to 2.6 percent for the year.

With the Iran war entering its third week, the Trump administration is in hot water for reportedly requesting a staggering $200 billion in emergency funding. Amid concerns about the staggering bill of the Iran war, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Mar 20) sought to downplay the costs, dismissing the bill as a "small price" to keep the US military "tippy top."

Read more here

The UN's maritime body called for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran.

Following two days of urgent talks in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the "safe maritime corridor" should be established as "a provisional and urgent measure".

Six Western allies, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, earlier stated they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz". Paris, Rome and Berlin later stressed any initiative would take place only after a ceasefire was reached.

<div class="iframely-embed"><div class="iframely-responsive" style="height: 140px; padding-bottom: 0;"><a href="https://x.com/aaigoaairport/status/2034809863910695008" data-iframely-url="https://iframely.net/hFsPh2PF?theme=dark"></a></div></div><script async src="https://iframely.net/embed.js"></script>

Crude prices fell more than two per cent on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war with Iran could finish sooner than many feared.

Traders also welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks that Israeli forces would not target any more of Tehran's energy infrastructure.

Both main oil contracts sank, though Brent remains at about $105 and West Texas Intermediate at about $93.

On Thursday, Brent jumped almost six per cent to hit $119 a barrel before falling back to around $109.

Gold and silver prices shed more than six per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, as rising inflation fears dampened expectations for near-term interest rate cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework -- once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended -- to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.

A military statement said Israeli forces had "begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that they had targeted US forces in the UAE's Al-Dhafra air base as well as sites in Israel with missiles and drones.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that within less than two hours, its forces had "intercepted and destroyed" 10 drones in the country's east and another in the north.

Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile fire early Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drone attacks.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.

The ministry earlier said air raid sirens were activated.

In Kuwait, an army statement said air defences were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats", while the UAE state media reported "incoming missile and drone threats from Iran".

UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said Friday.

The alleged network had "sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country's financial stability" as part of "a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran", the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus. The report included mug shots of five detained suspects.

Israel's foreign ministry on Friday accused Iran of an attack on the “holy sites of Jerusalem” after an impact near the walls of the Old City following a missile warning.

“The Iranian attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,” Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian gift” for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Friday that the enemies of the Islamic Republic were being defeated in the war against the US and Israel in a written message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

“At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you, our compatriots, despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural, and political origins, the enemy has been defeated,” said Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public after being named to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that the country considers “our eastern neighbors to be very close to us”. Khamenei said Iran values the relationship with these countries despite the attacks, which he said is fostered by shared culture and religion. “Each of these elements can strengthen good relations, and we are eager for this,” he said.

Khamenei also blamed Israel for recent attacks on Oman and Turkey without providing any evidence.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO again, condemning alliance members for not wanting “to help open” the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait with periodic attacks on oil tankers and other shipping. Trump has criticised Nato members for failing to offer warships to help patrol the strategic waterway.

Trump wrote in a social media post, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

US stocks fell on Friday as traders kept monitoring the Iran war. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 163 points lower, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% amid reports that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

The market wobbled after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes overnight, while Tehran also launched new attacks against energy sites in the Gulf. On top of that, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

A senior official in the Iranian armed forces has warned that the country's enemies won't be safe in tourist centres around the world. 

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said that the high numbers of Iranian officials being killed in American and Israeli strikes “is not a sign of the enemy’s strength; rather, it stems from desperation, helplessness, and malice.”

Iranian officials “live with the people and among the people,” he said.

NATO said Friday it was "adjusting" its mission in Iraq, after officials in the country said the non-combat force had been temporarily withdrawn due to the war in the Middle East.

Iran's military threatens to hunt down US and Israeli officials even on vacation, AFP reported. 

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorise the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Israel launched a new wave of heavy airstrikes on Tehran on Friday, as Iranians mark Nowruz (the Persian New Year) amidst the ongoing conflict.

The United States and Israel struck 16 Iranian cargo vessels in port towns on the Gulf on Friday, local media reported, saying the ships were burnt.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar greets his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot ahead of a meeting in Jerusalem. France's foreign minister arrived in Israel after visiting Lebanon.

CCTV images show flashes of light and smoke rising from the area of an oil refinery in the northern port city of Haifa on Thursday (Mar 19). Israeli media reported Thursday that the refinery had been hit following a military warning of incoming missiles launched from Iran

Special non-scheduled commercial flights for people from Kuwait to resume today. Flights to six Indian cities will take off from Saudi Arabia's Qaisumah Airport as Kuwait's airspace remains closed: Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf).
 

PM spoke to 5 world leaders yesterday: Oman, Malayisa, France, Jordan, and Qatar. PM put India's position and priority to dialogue, he condemned attacks on energy structure: MEA

Maritime security firm Ambrey says the US-Israeli strike targeted Bandar Lengeh port in Iran. No casualties or damage to merchant vessels has been reported.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is working to keep his country out of the regional conflict raging across the West Asia. In a statement following the Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan, Sharaa said "we are trying to keep Syria as far as possible from any conflict."

Most production facilities are operating; the remainder are in the process of being restarted. An Iranian strike on the Haifa refinery damaged external infrastructure owned by a third party that is essential to operations; it is expected to return to operations within a few days.

In the latest attack on Iran,Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, was killed, as announced by Iranian state TV on Friday (Mar 20). The news broke shortly after news agency Fars quoted him saying that the country'smissile production continues despite the war with Israel and the US.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his British counterpart Yvette Cooper in a phone call that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

It was not clear when the call with Cooper took place.

"These actions will certainly be regarded as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries," said Araghchi, according to a statement released Friday by the foreign ministry.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.

Naini "was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn", the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called Friday for the enemies of his nations to have their “security” taken away, in his latest message to the public.

Khamenei made the remarks in a statement issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, after Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Khamenei hasn’t been seen since he was named as supreme leader, succeeding his father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.

American and Israeli officials have suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States.

"Our missile industry deserves a perfect score... and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production," Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, quoted by the Fars news agency.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles".

Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at an airport in the island's south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

"They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said 'no'," Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka maintains close ties with the United States, its biggest export market, and Iran which is a key buyer of tea, its main export commodity.

Israel carried out strikes on towns in southern Lebanon, causing multiple injuries, state media reported on Friday.

"Israeli enemy fighter jets struck at dawn, targeting the towns of Bafliyeh and Hanine in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts," the official National News Agency (NNA) reported, adding that Israeli forces had hit five other towns in the south of the country.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say missile production continue during war.

According to Kuwaits KPC, Mina AL-Ahmedi refinery has been hit by drone attack. Some units shut down to ensure safety.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran.

A missile alert sounded in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.

The Islamic Republic of Iran said that the video of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was published for the first time.

The war has severely disrupted air traffic over Gulf countries, which have carved out a niche as a stopover for long flights between the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Many European travellers have found themselves stranded in Asia, unable to pass through the key hubs of Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi -- the respective headquarters of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

"It is a bit of a wake-up call to show how dependent the European continent is on Gulf carriers," the chief executive of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, told a press conference of the Airlines for Europe (A4E) association.

The European Central Bank cut its growth forecast and raised inflation forecasts for this year as it warned of the energy price shock from the Mideast war.

ECB staff now see eurozone GDP growth reduced to 0.9 percent in 2026, and raised inflation projections to 2.6 percent for the year.

With the Iran war entering its third week, the Trump administration is in hot water for reportedly requesting a staggering $200 billion in emergency funding. Amid concerns about the staggering bill of the Iran war, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Mar 20) sought to downplay the costs, dismissing the bill as a "small price" to keep the US military "tippy top."

Read more here

The UN's maritime body called for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran.

Following two days of urgent talks in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the "safe maritime corridor" should be established as "a provisional and urgent measure".

Six Western allies, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, earlier stated they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz". Paris, Rome and Berlin later stressed any initiative would take place only after a ceasefire was reached.

<div class="iframely-embed"><div class="iframely-responsive" style="height: 140px; padding-bottom: 0;"><a href="https://x.com/aaigoaairport/status/2034809863910695008" data-iframely-url="https://iframely.net/hFsPh2PF?theme=dark"></a></div></div><script async src="https://iframely.net/embed.js"></script>

Crude prices fell more than two per cent on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war with Iran could finish sooner than many feared.

Traders also welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks that Israeli forces would not target any more of Tehran's energy infrastructure.

Both main oil contracts sank, though Brent remains at about $105 and West Texas Intermediate at about $93.

On Thursday, Brent jumped almost six per cent to hit $119 a barrel before falling back to around $109.

Gold and silver prices shed more than six per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, as rising inflation fears dampened expectations for near-term interest rate cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework -- once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended -- to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.

A military statement said Israeli forces had "begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that they had targeted US forces in the UAE's Al-Dhafra air base as well as sites in Israel with missiles and drones.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that within less than two hours, its forces had "intercepted and destroyed" 10 drones in the country's east and another in the north.

Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile fire early Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drone attacks.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.

The ministry earlier said air raid sirens were activated.

In Kuwait, an army statement said air defences were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats", while the UAE state media reported "incoming missile and drone threats from Iran".

UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said Friday.

The alleged network had "sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country's financial stability" as part of "a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran", the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus. The report included mug shots of five detained suspects.

Israel's foreign ministry on Friday accused Iran of an attack on the “holy sites of Jerusalem” after an impact near the walls of the Old City following a missile warning.

“The Iranian attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,” Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian gift” for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Friday that the enemies of the Islamic Republic were being defeated in the war against the US and Israel in a written message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.

“At the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you, our compatriots, despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural, and political origins, the enemy has been defeated,” said Khamenei, who is yet to appear in public after being named to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that the country considers “our eastern neighbors to be very close to us”. Khamenei said Iran values the relationship with these countries despite the attacks, which he said is fostered by shared culture and religion. “Each of these elements can strengthen good relations, and we are eager for this,” he said.

Khamenei also blamed Israel for recent attacks on Oman and Turkey without providing any evidence.

President Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO again, condemning alliance members for not wanting “to help open” the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strait with periodic attacks on oil tankers and other shipping. Trump has criticised Nato members for failing to offer warships to help patrol the strategic waterway.

Trump wrote in a social media post, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

US stocks fell on Friday as traders kept monitoring the Iran war. The Nasdaq Composite lost 1.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 163 points lower, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% amid reports that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

The market wobbled after Iran and Israel exchanged strikes overnight, while Tehran also launched new attacks against energy sites in the Gulf. On top of that, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the Pentagon was sending thousands of additional Marines to the Middle East.

A senior official in the Iranian armed forces has warned that the country's enemies won't be safe in tourist centres around the world. 

Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, a spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said that the high numbers of Iranian officials being killed in American and Israeli strikes “is not a sign of the enemy’s strength; rather, it stems from desperation, helplessness, and malice.”

Iranian officials “live with the people and among the people,” he said.

NATO said Friday it was "adjusting" its mission in Iraq, after officials in the country said the non-combat force had been temporarily withdrawn due to the war in the Middle East.

Iran's military threatens to hunt down US and Israeli officials even on vacation, AFP reported. 

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorise the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality.

Israel launched a new wave of heavy airstrikes on Tehran on Friday, as Iranians mark Nowruz (the Persian New Year) amidst the ongoing conflict.

The United States and Israel struck 16 Iranian cargo vessels in port towns on the Gulf on Friday, local media reported, saying the ships were burnt.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar greets his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot ahead of a meeting in Jerusalem. France's foreign minister arrived in Israel after visiting Lebanon.

CCTV images show flashes of light and smoke rising from the area of an oil refinery in the northern port city of Haifa on Thursday (Mar 19). Israeli media reported Thursday that the refinery had been hit following a military warning of incoming missiles launched from Iran

Special non-scheduled commercial flights for people from Kuwait to resume today. Flights to six Indian cities will take off from Saudi Arabia's Qaisumah Airport as Kuwait's airspace remains closed: Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf).
 

PM spoke to 5 world leaders yesterday: Oman, Malayisa, France, Jordan, and Qatar. PM put India's position and priority to dialogue, he condemned attacks on energy structure: MEA

Maritime security firm Ambrey says the US-Israeli strike targeted Bandar Lengeh port in Iran. No casualties or damage to merchant vessels has been reported.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is working to keep his country out of the regional conflict raging across the West Asia. In a statement following the Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan, Sharaa said "we are trying to keep Syria as far as possible from any conflict."

Most production facilities are operating; the remainder are in the process of being restarted. An Iranian strike on the Haifa refinery damaged external infrastructure owned by a third party that is essential to operations; it is expected to return to operations within a few days.

In the latest attack on Iran,Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, was killed, as announced by Iranian state TV on Friday (Mar 20). The news broke shortly after news agency Fars quoted him saying that the country'smissile production continues despite the war with Israel and the US.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his British counterpart Yvette Cooper in a phone call that any US use of British bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.

It was not clear when the call with Cooper took place.

"These actions will certainly be regarded as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of relations between the two countries," said Araghchi, according to a statement released Friday by the foreign ministry.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.

Naini "was martyred in the criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn", the Guards said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called Friday for the enemies of his nations to have their “security” taken away, in his latest message to the public.

Khamenei made the remarks in a statement issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, after Israel killed Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Khamenei hasn’t been seen since he was named as supreme leader, succeeding his father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the first day of the war on Feb. 28.

American and Israeli officials have suggested that Mojtaba Khamenei was hurt in the war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that the Islamic republic has continued to produce missiles despite the war with Israel and the United States.

"Our missile industry deserves a perfect score... and there is no concern in this regard, because even under wartime conditions we continue missile production," Guards spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said, quoted by the Fars news agency.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles".

Sri Lanka refused permission to the United States to station two of its warplanes at an airport in the island's south in early March, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

"They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti to the Mattala International Airport from March 4 to 8 and we said 'no'," Dissanayake said.

Sri Lanka maintains close ties with the United States, its biggest export market, and Iran which is a key buyer of tea, its main export commodity.

Israel carried out strikes on towns in southern Lebanon, causing multiple injuries, state media reported on Friday.

"Israeli enemy fighter jets struck at dawn, targeting the towns of Bafliyeh and Hanine in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts," the official National News Agency (NNA) reported, adding that Israeli forces had hit five other towns in the south of the country.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards say missile production continue during war.

According to Kuwaits KPC, Mina AL-Ahmedi refinery has been hit by drone attack. Some units shut down to ensure safety.

At least 16 US military aircraft have been lost since the start of the war with Iran.

A missile alert sounded in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.

The Islamic Republic of Iran said that the video of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was published for the first time.

The war has severely disrupted air traffic over Gulf countries, which have carved out a niche as a stopover for long flights between the United States, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Many European travellers have found themselves stranded in Asia, unable to pass through the key hubs of Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi -- the respective headquarters of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

"It is a bit of a wake-up call to show how dependent the European continent is on Gulf carriers," the chief executive of Air France-KLM, Benjamin Smith, told a press conference of the Airlines for Europe (A4E) association.

The European Central Bank cut its growth forecast and raised inflation forecasts for this year as it warned of the energy price shock from the Mideast war.

ECB staff now see eurozone GDP growth reduced to 0.9 percent in 2026, and raised inflation projections to 2.6 percent for the year.

With the Iran war entering its third week, the Trump administration is in hot water for reportedly requesting a staggering $200 billion in emergency funding. Amid concerns about the staggering bill of the Iran war, US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Mar 20) sought to downplay the costs, dismissing the bill as a "small price" to keep the US military "tippy top."

Read more here

The UN's maritime body called for the creation of a safe shipping "corridor" in the Gulf to evacuate stranded vessels and seafarers, after an emergency meeting that also condemned Iran.

Following two days of urgent talks in London, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said the "safe maritime corridor" should be established as "a provisional and urgent measure".

Six Western allies, including Britain, France, Germany and Japan, earlier stated they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz". Paris, Rome and Berlin later stressed any initiative would take place only after a ceasefire was reached.

<div class="iframely-embed"><div class="iframely-responsive" style="height: 140px; padding-bottom: 0;"><a href="https://x.com/aaigoaairport/status/2034809863910695008" data-iframely-url="https://iframely.net/hFsPh2PF?theme=dark"></a></div></div><script async src="https://iframely.net/embed.js"></script>

Crude prices fell more than two per cent on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war with Iran could finish sooner than many feared.

Traders also welcomed US President Donald Trump's remarks that Israeli forces would not target any more of Tehran's energy infrastructure.

Both main oil contracts sank, though Brent remains at about $105 and West Texas Intermediate at about $93.

On Thursday, Brent jumped almost six per cent to hit $119 a barrel before falling back to around $109.

Gold and silver prices shed more than six per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, as rising inflation fears dampened expectations for near-term interest rate cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country planned to talk with permanent members of the UN Security Council about establishing a UN framework -- once the ongoing exchange of fire had ended -- to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We have initiated an exploratory process, and we will see in the coming days whether it stands a chance of succeeding," he told reporters in Brussels following a European summit.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Tehran, following Iranian missile fire at Israel overnight.

A military statement said Israeli forces had "begun a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency that they had targeted US forces in the UAE's Al-Dhafra air base as well as sites in Israel with missiles and drones.

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Saudi Arabia's defence ministry said that within less than two hours, its forces had "intercepted and destroyed" 10 drones in the country's east and another in the north.

Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile fire early Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said, while Saudi Arabia intercepted drone attacks.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain's interior ministry said that shrapnel from an "Iranian aggression" caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in no injuries.

The ministry earlier said air raid sirens were activated.

In Kuwait, an army statement said air defences were "responding to hostile missile and drone threats", while the UAE state media reported "incoming missile and drone threats from Iran".

UAE authorities have arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, state media said Friday.

The alleged network had "sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country's financial stability" as part of "a pre-established strategic plan in coordination with external parties linked to Hezbollah and Iran", the official WAM news agency said, citing the UAE State Security Apparatus. The report included mug shots of five detained suspects.