US-Iran-Israel War LIVE Update: Trump Urges Allies To Keep Hormuz Open Amid Gulf Attacks

The situation in Iraq has seen a marked escalation. In one notable example, we understand that a missile hit the US Embassy in Baghdad on Saturday morning and damaged part of the air defence system.

Beyond that attack, there has been a growing number of strikes targeting US bases and interests across the country. The US Embassy has issued an alert urging American citizens to leave Iraq immediately, and there are reports of Iraqi armed factions offering rewards of up to $100,000 for information on Americans in the country.

The frequency of these attacks is clearly increasing, and they are not limited to Baghdad. Across Iraq and in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, US forces at bases and airports have come under fire. We had one French soldier killed when a base was hit.

There is a real concern now that there is an escalation, and Iraq is finding itself in the middle of it.

The Saraya Awliya al-Dam group says it carried out the attacks in response to the US and Israel’s killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the deaths of its fighters.

The attacks included a US site in the northern city of Erbil and at the Victoria Base at the Baghdad airport, it added.

Dubai is scrambling to preserve its image as a safe haven despite Iran’s onslaught, with influencers rallying behind the government’s message as authorities crack down on those sharing footage of strikes.

For decades, the Gulf was seen as an oasis of safety in a tumultuous Middle East, with the United Arab Emirates branding itself the safest country in the world and boasting of its very low crime rates.

But that image has now been shattered.

Iran has fired over 1,800 missiles and drones at the Emirates, more than any other country targeted by Tehran in the conflict, upending its aura of tranquillity despite its air defence intercepting a vast majority of the projectiles.

-AFP

Israeli forces have launched an air raid on an apartment building in the Sharhabil area of the southern city.

We will bring you more when we have it.

Source: Al Jazeera

The Saudi Ministry of Defence says it has intercepted and destroyed seven drones in Riyadh and the eastern regions.

Earlier, the ministry said it had intercepted three drones in eastern parts of the country.

Source: Al Jazeera

Iraq will travel to Mexico for a 2026 World Cup playoff match despite calls for it to be postponed due to the West Asian war, the country’s football association said on Saturday (March 14, 2026).

“The national team will depart at the end of the week to Mexico via a private plane,” said Iraq football association president Adnan Dirjal in a statement, adding they had contacted FIFA to help facilitate the trip during the conflict in the region that has hampered flights.

The match date is set as 31st March as of now.

Source: AFP

The United Arab Emirates has the right to defend itself against Iran’s ongoing strikes but chooses restraint, a senior UAE official has said, as Tehran continues its retaliatory attacks across the Gulf.

“The UAE has the right to defend itself against this imposed terrorist aggression, but it is still prioritising reason and logic, continuing to exercise restraint and seeking a way out for Iran and the region,” presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said late Saturday (March 14, 2026) on X.

The UAE “made sincere efforts until the very last moment to mediate between Washington and Tehran to avoid this war”, he wrote.

Source: AFP

The State Department has ordered all nonemergency government employees and family members of all of its workers to leave Oman due to “safety risks”.

Source: Al Jazeera

British Prime Minister ‌Keir Starmer may send thousands ⁠of interceptor drones to ‌West Asia, ‌The Telegraph ‌reported ⁠on Saturday (March 14, 2026). 

Military ⁠officials are examining whether the “Octopus” interceptor ‌anti-drone drone system, which is manufactured ‌in the U.K. for Ukraine to ⁠use against Russia, ‌can also be used to bolster British defences ‌against Iran’s Shahed drones, the report said.

Reuters ⁠could not ⁠immediately verify the ‌report.