US-Israel-Iran: IRGC Claims It Attacked Israel Military, Iran Says Strait Of Hormuz 'Closed For Enemies’

A Liberian-flagged ship, Smyrni, carrying 1.35 lakh metric tonne crude oil for the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) reached Mumbai on Sunday, becoming the second India-bound ship to safely navigate across the Strait of Hormuz amid the escalating war in the Middle East.

Multiple rockets and drones hit the Baghdad International Airport -  which houses a US diplomatic facility. At least five people have been wounded, reported news agency AFP.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video of himself getting a cup of coffee and chatting with his aide, after rumours that he was dead or injured were aired by Iranian ⁠state media and spread online in Iran.

In a statement, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says that its “peacekeepers were fired upon, likely by non-state armed groups, on three separate occasions while conducting patrols around their bases in Yatar, Dayr Kifa, and Qallawiyah.” “The fire in Yatar hit as close as five meters from the peacekeepers

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has spoken with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth, reiterating Tokyo’s position about the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East, according to the NHK broadcaster.

During the call, Hegseth briefed Koizumi on the latest situation in the region, and assured him that the war on Iran would bring no changes to the presence of US forces in Japan.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday (March 15) accused Iran of using artificial intelligence as a “disinformation weapon” to misrepresent its wartime successes and support.

“AI can be very dangerous, ‌we have to be very careful with it,” Mr. Trump said to reporters on Air Force One shortly ⁠after he made a post on his Truth Social platform where he accused Western media outlets without evidence of “close coordination” with Iran to spread AI-generated “fake ‌news.” 

Source: Reuters

The surviving crew of the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree dry bulk vessel, which was struck by “two projectiles” near the Strait of Hormuz, have returned to Bangkok.

Photos published by the Associated Press news agency showed several of the Thai crew members emerging from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in the Thai capital.

Three crew members were ⁠reported missing and were believed to be trapped in the engine room following the attack.

The Thai news outlet Khaosod English earlier reported that the crew members of the ship were rescued by the Omani navy.

Dubai Police have announced temporary road closures on Airport Road and the Airport Tunnel, urging drivers to use alternative routes while emergency operations continue.

Earlier, the Dubai Media Office said civil defence teams had “successfully contained the fire resulting from impact to one of the fuel tanks in the vicinity” of Dubai International Airport.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has ordered the arrest of 35 individuals, including 19 Indians, for posting videos on social media that contained misleading or fabricated content amid the Middle East war that began late last month after US-Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Iran. 

Authorities in the UAE said the suspects will face an expedited trial after a probe revealed they used digital platforms to circulate manipulated footage and narratives linked to ongoing regional tensions.

The Dubai Emirates flight was redirected and returned to Thiruvananthapuram Airport following tensions in the UAE airspace.

Flights were temporarily suspended at Dubai’s airport, previously one of the world’s busiest, after a “drone-related incident” sparked a fire nearby, city authorities said on Monday.

A fifth member of Iran’s women’s national football team has withdrawn her asylum claim and left Australia for Iran, the latest in a series of reversals involving players who had initially sought refuge during the Women’s Asian Cup tournament.

That leaves just two Iranian women still in Australia on humanitarian visas following a flurry of activity by immigration officials after the team’s exit from the tournament.

The women were granted asylum after claiming a fear of persecution if they returned to their war-stricken homeland following the players’ refusal to sing Iran’s national anthem during the opening match against South Korea. The action sparked backlash from hardliners back home, including one state media presenter who called them “wartime traitors.”

Saudi Arabia has intercepted more than 60 drones since midnight, according to a tally of Defence Ministry figures released on Monday (March 16).

The Saudi Defence Ministry posted a series of statements on X describing the interception of a total of 61 drones in the east of the country in the early hours of Monday (March 16) morning.

Source: AFP

The Iranian Red Crescent Society says the latest air raids on Tehran have damaged one of its clinics and an aid relief post.

Footage posted online by the group showed broken glass and damaged equipment strewn on the floor. This follows reports of several explosions in the city after Israel announced it had launched a new wave of attacks on Tehran.

Several hospitals and other health facilities have been damaged by strikes across Iran since the US-Israel attacks began on February 28.

The ‌disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is an “abject lesson” in the risks of relying ⁠on fossil fuels, and underscores the case for governments to wean their economies off oil and gas, the UN climate secretary will ‌tell EU policymakers on Monday (March 16).

Source: Reuters

President Donald Trump urged NATO partners and China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the critical conduit for crude that Iran has effectively closed, as major economic players began releasing oil reserves on Monday (March 16) to ward off supply disruptions.

Global oil prices have surged by 40 to 50% after Iran choked off the waterway and attacked energy and shipping industry targets in the Gulf in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Source: AFP

Japan has started to release oil from private-sector stockpiles to stabilise supply as the war on Iran continues to disrupt tanker traffic from the Middle East, according to the broadcaster NHK.

The fuel released amounts to 15 days of consumption, NHK reported.

“Oil-related companies in Japan hold reserves equivalent to 70 days. The government has a separate stockpile and is expected to release one month of supply later in March,” it said.

Japan holds emergency oil reserves equivalent to 254 days of consumption, comprising national stockpiles (146 days), private sector reserves (101 days) and joint stockpiles with producing countries (seven days), about 470 million barrels in total.

On Sunday, the International Energy Agency announced that countries in Asia Oceania will release 108.6 million barrels “immediately”.

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol says “unprecedented additional volumes of oil” will be brought to the market from March 16. But he stresses, “opening the Strait of Hormuz is vital for a return to stable flows”.

The Israeli military said on Monday (March 16) it had begun what it described as “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

“In recent days, IDF troops from the 91st division have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, aimed at enhancing the forward defence area,” the military said in a statement.

Source: AFP

The Iranian men’s football team is still planning to play in the upcoming World Cup in North America, Asian football officials said Monday (March 16), despite a warning that they may be at risk.

President Donald Trump warned the team on Thursday (March 12) that their “life and safety” could be at risk, should they attend this summer’s football extravaganza, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. “As far as we know, Iran is playing,” said Windsor Paul John, the Asian Football Confederation’s general secretary.

Source: AFP

Authorities in Abu Dhabi are responding to “an incident involving a missile falling on a civilian vehicle in Al Bahyan area”, according to the city’s media office.

The incident resulted “in one casualty of Palestinian nationality,” it said in a post on X.

Source: Al Jazzera

One person was killed when a missile struck a civilian car on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi on Monday, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

A Palestinian national died in the attack in the Al Bahia area.

“Authorities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi responded to an incident in the Al Bahia area involving a missile strike on a civilian vehicle, which resulted in the death of one Palestinian national,” the Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a statement.

The strike happened as Iran continued missile attacks on the Gulf following U.S.-Israeli attacks.

-AFP

The European Union is weighing two types of naval missions to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“It is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, and that’s why we are also discussing what we can do in this regard from the European side,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief.

She made the announcement ahead of a gathering of the bloc’s foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.

Rising prices for energy and fertilisers has brought the war in Iran to the top of their agenda, she said.

Kallas said the EU could expand its Aspides naval mission to protect shipping in the Red Sea up into the Persian Gulf or form a “coalition of the willing” with member nations contributing military capacity on an ad hoc basis.

-AP

A fire broke out on Monday after a drone attack on an industrial oil facility in Fujairah, one of the United Arab Emirates’ seven emirates, authorities said.

The Media Office in Fujairah said a drone targeted the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, causing an “advanced” fire.

No casualties were reported.

-AP

A Chinese government spokesperson gave no direct answer when asked about US President Donald Trump’s request for military support from several countries to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

According to AP, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian instead repeated China’s calls for an end to the fighting, while pointing to the impact on energy and goods trade.

Trump told the Financial Times he wants an answer from China before his planned trip to Beijing in about two weeks, saying “we may delay” the visit if no reply comes.

Lin said China and the US have kept up communication regarding Trump’s visit.

“Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–US relations,” he said at the daily briefing in Beijing.

The Israeli military says it has destroyed about 70% of Iran’s missile launchers in the first two weeks of the war.

According to AP, military spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani told reporters on Monday that although Iran is still launching missiles at Israel, the number of launches has dropped sharply.

He said Israel has carried out around 7,600 strikes in Iran, destroying 85% of Iran’s air defences and hitting several nuclear sites.

Shoshani added that the war will continue “for as long as needed” and that Israel has thousands more targets ready to strike.

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed three people, including two paramedics, early on Monday.

According to AP, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that one person died in an Israeli airstrike on a home in the village of Kfar Sir.

The agency said paramedics from the Islamic Health Society, Hezbollah’s health arm, then arrived at the scene, after which a second strike hit.

That strike killed the two paramedics and wounded one other person.

The Israeli military says it has sent additional ground troops into Lebanon for a “limited and targeted operation.”

According to AP, military spokesman Lt Col Nadav Shoshani said the deployment aims to defend Israeli border communities from attacks by the Hezbollah militant group.

Shoshani said Hezbollah has moved hundreds of fighters from its elite Radwan unit towards the border since the group entered the war two weeks ago.

He said Israel carried out artillery and airstrikes on several sites before sending in the troops.

Earlier in the war, Israel increased its ground troop presence inside Lebanon to try to stop attacks on its northern border towns.

Bahrain’s Defence Ministry says its air defence systems responded to attacks early on Monday morning.

According to AP, the ministry reported that four missiles and three drones were fired.

Britain is providing £5 million ($6.6 million) to humanitarian organisations in Lebanon.

According to AP, the money is meant to supply food, water and shelter for more than 800,000 people displaced by Israel’s offensive against the militant group Hezbollah.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she is “gravely concerned about the developing conflict in Lebanon and the scale of the humanitarian impact.”

She condemned Hezbollah’s strikes on Israel and described the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese people by Israeli operations as “completely unacceptable.”

Cooper said the UK is working with European allies and the US to stop the conflict from escalating.

China has called for all parties to immediately cease military operations in response to recent comments by US President Donald Trump.

According to BBC, when asked about Trump’s threat to delay a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping unless Beijing helps secure the Strait of Hormuz, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said “head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations”.

He added that the two sides have maintained communication regarding President Trump’s visit.

In response to a question about Trump calling for warships to be sent to the Strait, Lin Jian said recent tensions have disrupted trade routes and undermined regional and global peace.

“China reiterates its call for all parties to immediately cease military operations,” the spokesperson said, adding “we are committed to promoting de-escalation”.

Indian airlines have cancelled 4,335 flights and foreign carriers 1,187 flights because of the West Asia conflict.

According to PTI, Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu told the Rajya Sabha on Monday that these cancellations stem from airspace closures in the region amid the escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.

Replying to a supplementary query during Question Hour, the minister said the safety of airline operations remains the top priority.

“Regarding the cancellations that have happened because of airspace closure in West Asia, almost till now, in a cumulative, Indian carriers have cancelled up to 4,335 flights, and foreign carriers have cancelled up to 1,187 flights,” Mr Naidu said.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said it will be important for the US and Israel to define when they consider the military aims of their deployment to have been reached.

According to AP, before meeting EU colleagues in Brussels on Monday, Wadephul said he told his US and Israeli counterparts “we need more clarity here.”

He also said the Iranian government poses a significant danger to the region, the freedom of shipping and the global economy, and “this danger definitely must not continue.”

Wadephul said he would back sanctions against those responsible for blocking the Strait of Hormuz, without giving further details.

He added that once there is clarity on the US-Israeli aims, it will be time to define a security architecture for the whole region, which will involve speaking to Iran.

India has evacuated more than 550 of its nationals from Iran through Armenia.

According to PTI, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar thanked the government and people of Armenia on Monday for facilitating the land-border transit.

New Delhi has been urging Indian nationals stuck in Iran to cross into Armenia for onward travel to India because of the escalating conflict in West Asia.

Mr Jaishankar, who is currently visiting Brussels, said on social media: “Thank the Government and the people of Armenia for facilitating the safe evacuation of over 550 Indian nationals from Iran so far. Appreciate their support in these challenging times.”

Israel’s military says it destroyed an aircraft used by Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, during an overnight strike at Mehrabad International Airport.

According to BBC, the aircraft had also been used by senior Iranian officials and military personnel to arrange weapons purchases and coordinate with allied countries.

A German Government Spokesperson, according to Al Jazeera, said that the ⁠war ⁠in Iran has nothing to do with ⁠the NATO defence alliance, adding that Germany ‌would not take part in the war nor in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open through ⁠military means.

“As long ⁠as this war continues, there will be no participation, ⁠not even in ⁠any effort ⁠to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by military ‌means,” said the government spokesperson.

In addition, Greece also said that will not ⁠engage in ⁠any military operations ‌in the Strait of Hormuz, ⁠government spokesman ⁠Pavlos ⁠Marinakis said.

The Israel Defense Forces says it has begun a “wide-scale” wave of strikes targeting infrastructure linked to the Iranian regime in several cities, including Tehran, Shiraz and Tabriz.

In a post on the messaging app Telegram, the IDF said the strikes were aimed at infrastructure connected to Iranian authorities.

According to BBC, the update was published at 15:52. The United States and Israel have continued carrying out strikes on Iran, with reports of heavy bombing in Tehran overnight.

Countries in the Gulf region have also reported further Iranian attacks overnight.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the country will not be drawn into a wider war after Trump warned that the future of NATO could be at stake unless allies, including the UK, provide military support in the region.

Starmer said the UK’s priority remains protecting its citizens in the region while taking necessary steps to defend itself and its allies.

⁠The ⁠European Union has announced 458 million ⁠euros  ($525m) in humanitarian aid ⁠for the Middle East, in response to the conflicts in ‌the region such as the US-Israeli war with Iran and the Israeli attacks ⁠in Lebanon.

“In a ⁠war-torn Middle East, the European Union ⁠is stepping up while ⁠others step ⁠back,” said Hadja Lahbib, the EU’s commissioner in ‌charge of humanitarian crises.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi expressed gratitude to the government and people of Pakistan for their strong solidarity with Iran during the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel.
“On this blessed and spiritual day, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the government and people of Pakistan for their full-throated expression of solidarity and support with the people and government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of aggression from the United States and the Zionist regime,” he said.

Diplomatic talks with Iran would only be possible if it stops its attacks, a spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry said, as Tehran continues missile and drone strikes across Gulf states.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said meaningful negotiations cannot take place while such attacks persist and called for an immediate halt to the escalation.

“If they stop the attacks, then we can find a way out through diplomacy. But as long as our countries are being attacked, this is not the time to establish committees; it is the time to take a principled position to protect our countries and for them to stop attacking us immediately,” he said

“We are aware that the matter is being discussed bilaterally among several countries. However, we have not had any such bilateral discussion so far,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for Ministry of External Affairs, said during a press briefing in New Delhi on Monday, March 16.

He was responding to a question on whether ships from the Indian Navy could be committed to a potential operation in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a Monday statement, the ministry recalled the government’s decision which prohibits “the military and security activities of Hezbollah.”

It added that the ministry’s position in the matter is clear in which “no armed group operating outside the authority of the state” will be permitted to draw Lebanon further into instability in service of agendas that run counter to Lebanon’s national interests.

The ministry was apparently referring to Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer.

The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL said Sunday that peacekeepers were fired upon, “likely by non-state armed groups” on three separate occasions while conducting patrols around their bases in three villages in southern Lebanon.

The U.N. peacekeeping force did not say Hebzollah was behind the attacks.

-AP

Shrapnel from an interception of an Iranian Missile fell on the rooftop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, according to the Patriarchate. That’s just meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the spot where Christian tradition holds that Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

There were no immediate reports of injuries from the impact.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced that it carried out strikes against the Israeli military’s Southern Command and facilities belonging to the Israeli defense firm Rafael, as part of the 56th round of attacks in the ongoing conflict.

The IRGC also reported that it targeted the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, while its drone unit conducted strikes on positions held by armed opposition groups in Erbil, located in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

- Al Jazeera.

The Israeli Home Front Command said sirens sounded in the western part of the border with Lebanon following projectile fire.

Meanwhile, Israel has ordered evacuations on an unprecedented scale across vast areas of Lebanon since the war began, and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the displaced “will not return” until northern Israel is no longer threatened.

- Al Jazeera.