The US leader wants a broad international response to Iranian retaliatory attacks on US and Israeli-linked shipping in the waterway
Published 13 Mar, 2026 20:55
| Updated 15 Mar, 2026 00:10© CENTCOM
RT’S LIVE COVERAGE OF THE US-ISRAELI WAR WITH IRAN HAS MOVED HERE
US President Donald Trump has demanded China, Japan and other nations deploy their naval units to the Strait of Hormuz to protect maritime traffic from Iranian strikes. Trump simultaneously reiterated his claims that Iran had been “totally decapitated” and its military capability had been “destroyed 100%.” At the same time, the US leader said it was still “easy” for Tehran to send a “drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close-range missile” against shipping.
Earlier in the day, Trump threatened to order strikes on Iran’s main oil export hub on Kharg Island unless Tehran halts attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of a deeper shock to global energy supplies. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it has “executed a large-scale precision strike” on the island, targeting military facilities “while preserving the oil infrastructure.”
Iran has insisted the installations on the island had not sustained heavy damage, while the country’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it maintains “full and precise control” over the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC also threatened retaliation against American “hideouts” in the Gulf states.
The escalation follows new reports by Iranian media claiming that a US oil tanker was attacked and set on fire near Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
Here are the latest developments as RT continues to bring you up to date:
- Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it has carried out additional strikes on Israel in coordination with Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, according to Iranian media. A number of countries across the Gulf reported intercepting aerial strikes from Iran overnight, including Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Israel also reported coming under fire and intercepting rockets and missiles.
- Iraqi officials said a missile hit a helipad at the US Embassy in Baghdad, while pro-Iranian sources claimed a kamikaze drone attack damaged an air-defense radar system.
- The Israeli military said its air force struck more than 200 targets across western and central Iran over the past 24 hours, including missile launchers, air‑defense systems and weapons production sites.
- The US has deployed about 10,000 AI‑enabled Merops interceptor drones to the Middle East to help counter Iranian aerial attacks, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told Bloomberg. The systems were developed under a Pentagon program and were previously tested in Ukraine.
- The US military confirmed that all six crew members aboard a refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq were killed.
- The Wall Street Journal reported that five US Air Force tanker aircraft at a base in Saudi Arabia were damaged in an Iranian missile strike and were undergoing repairs.
- European powers led by France have been reportedly consulting partners in the Middle East and Asia about a possible naval mission to escort commercial tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also said on Friday that the US Navy would “soon” begin escorting commercial vessels through the waterway to help ensure safe passage, without giving details on timing or conditions.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
Show latestShow oldest
-
14 March 2026
20:51 GMT
Six individuals have been arrested in Bahrain for allegedly spreading misinformation on Iranian strikes in the country, the kingdom’s Interior Ministry has announced.
“Six people were arrested and referred to the public prosecution for posting videos about the effects of the Iranian aggression, praising its hostile actions and spreading false news,” the ministry stated.
- 20:45 GMT
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf has taunted the US leadership, daring them to launch a ground invasion of the country. He mockingly suggested that the best way to fix the damage inflicted on American assets across the region would be to “throw the infantry into the meat grinder.” The speaker also took personal jabs at US secretary of war and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, branding him a “Tele-General.”
Target status:✅Radars✅Batteries✅Refueling Tankers✅Military Bases✅DronesSo what do you think Tele-General Hegseth? obviously the best strategy now is to throw the infantry into the meat grinder.They're sending poor boys to fix what generals broke. Go die for Israel!
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) March 14, 2026
- 20:23 GMT
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky are expected to discuss “drone cooperation” next week, Israeli outlet Ynet has reported. Earlier in the day, a top Iranian lawmaker, Ebrahim Azizi, warned Tehran would consider Ukraine a legitimate target over its cooperation with West Jerusalem.
“By providing drone support to the Israeli regime, failed Ukraine has effectively become involved in the War and, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, has turned its entire territory into a legitimate target for Iran,” Azizi wrote on X.
Zelensky has actively sought to play a role in the Middle East conflict and has claimed he reached deals with some Gulf states to sell them anti-drone equipment and provide experienced anti-air teams. He has also said Washington reached out to Kiev for help. US President Donald Trump has contradicted that however, saying no Ukrainian assistance is required.
- 20:15 GMT
Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued an evacuation warning for US and Israeli-linked industrial sites across the region, declaring the installations legitimate targets for long-range strikes. It comes after several civilian plants were attacked by US-Israeli forces inside Iran, resulting in civilian deaths and material damage.
- 19:44 GMT
Israeli pilots have minimized their time in Iranian airspace in recent days after an F-15 jet was damaged during a bombing run, an informed Iranian source has told RT. The incident apparently damaged morale, the source claimed.
- 19:25 GMT
The Lanaz refinery, located to the southeast of the Iraqi city of Erbil, has reportedly been hit by an unknown projectile. The impact caused a major explosion and subsequently a blaze at the facility, multiple videos circulating online suggest.
- 18:26 GMT
At least 14 health workers have been killed over the past 24 hours in southern Lebanon amid the continuing Israeli attacks, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
The bulk of the victims, 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses, were killed in a strike on the Bourj Qalaouiyeh primary healthcare center, the agency has confirmed, according to its chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus. The latest incidents are a part of what the agency regards as a continuing assault on Lebanon’s healthcare system, he noted. The WHO has verified a total of 27 attacks on health facilities in the country since March 2.
- 17:35 GMT
Hundreds of anti-war and pro-Palestine protesters marched through the streets of Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday, demanding a halt to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Footage from the scene shows the demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags and displaying placards reading ‘Terrorist Trump’ and ‘Stop killing children.’
The activists condemned the attack on Iran as an unjustified “imperialist action,” arguing the hostilities risk plunging the entire Middle East into war. The protesters urged the US and Israel to halt their campaign, apologize, and pay compensation to the victims, largely echoing the conditions laid out by Tehran.
- 16:50 GMT
The US-Israeli attack on the industrial city of Isfahan in central Iran has left 15 people dead and several others injured, according to local media.
Further details about the target and casualties were not immediately available.
- 15:51 GMT
Countries around the world are preparing contingency economic plans as oil prices surge amid US-Israeli strikes affecting energy supply routes, Yaroslav Lissovolik, the founder of BRICS-plus Analytics and Russian International Affairs Council member has told RT. The disruption has raised fears of inflation, slower economic growth, and possible recession in several regions.
Europe and parts of Asia are also facing rising energy costs, which could threaten economic recovery after recent downturns.
Crude briefly topped $110 a barrel this month, the highest level since the pandemic.
”It shows that conflicts like this undermine the status quo, also regarding [the] dollar[…]. This is something that could lead to yet another impulse to the process of lower use of the dollar and greater use of national currencies amongst the developing economies,” Lissovolik added.
More
-
13 March 2026
20:57 GMT
European countries thought they would get more support for Ukraine by backing the war against Iran, but instead, the conflict resulted in sanction relief for Russian oil imports, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said.
Except for Spain and a few other nations, European countries and the European Union condemned the US-Israeli attack on Iran, which legal scholars have deemed unlawful, by criticizing the Iranian government.
The U.S. spent months on bullying India into ending oil imports from Russia. After two weeks of war with Iran, White House is now begging the world—incl India—to buy Russian crude.Europe thought backing illegal war on Iran would win U.S. support against Russia.Pathetic. pic.twitter.com/fbkrXpXa9P
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 13, 2026
”Europe thought backing illegal war on Iran would win US support against Russia,” Araghchi wrote in a post on X. “Pathetic.”
- 21:07 GMT
The Pentagon has approved sending a Marine expeditionary unit and additional warships to the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reported citing three unnamed US officials. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has approved a request from US Central Command for the additional assets, including the amphibious assault-ready expeditionary unit, which typically consists of some 5,000 Marines and sailors.
- 21:21 GMT
Sirens have blared in Tel Aviv as the Home Front Command instructed residents to seek shelter in a protected space and remain there until further notice. The IDF said it detected several missile launches from Iran – hours after Israel announced a new wave of strikes against Tehran.
“Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said.
- 21:47 GMT
Israeli shells reportedly hit a United Nations peacekeeping base near the border village of Mays al-Jabal in southern Lebanon, landing inside the Nepalese battalion’s compound, according to state-run National News Agency.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or comments from UNIFIL, Nepal, or Israel.
Earlier this week, Ghana urged the international community to condemn another missile attack that injured four of its soldiers serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.
Ghana’s foreign minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, described last Friday’s bombing as “an attack on multilateralism” and “every principle that the UN Charter exists to defend.”
- 22:10 GMT
Qatar has ordered evacuations from “a number of specified areas as a temporary precautionary measure, in the interest of public safety until the threat has subsided.”
The Interior Ministry has urged everyone to “rely on official sources for information and to adhere to the issued instructions” – but did not immediately provide any specifics or a list of affected areas.
The Ministry of Interior announces that the relevant authorities are evacuating a number of specified areas as a temporary precautionary measure, in the interest of public safety until the threat has subsided.The Ministry urges everyone to rely on official sources for…
— Ministry of Interior — Qatar (@MOI_QatarEn) March 13, 2026
- 22:19 GMT
At least six Iranian civilians have been killed and seven others injured in a suspected Israeli attack on a village in the central Markazi province, according to Fars news.
- 22:35 GMT
Tehran is allegedly considering allowing oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz if their cargo is traded in Chinese yuan, rather than US dollars, an unnamed senior Iranian official told CNN.
Responding to a question from an RT India correspondent earlier on Friday, Iran’s ambassador to India, Mohammad Fathali, highlighted converging interests between the two countries and when asked directly whether India would receive safe passage through the strait, he replied: “Yes, because India is our friend.”
The United States has been aggressively defending the petrodollar system, utilizing a combination of financial sanctions and military-backed pressure since its establishment in the 1970s. President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused BRICS nations of seeking to undermine the US dollar’s dominance in global trade. Moscow argues Washington itself undermined its currency by using it as a weapon, while Russia and its partners were merely forced to seek alternatives.
- 23:00 GMT
At least 13 civilians, including children, were killed by Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Friday evening, according to local health officials.
The death toll over the past two weeks has risen to more than 773 people, including over 100 children, and nearly 2,000 injured.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said one of the strikes hit an emergency point operated by the Islamic Health Authority and the Islamic Risala Scouts, killing two rescuers and wounding at least five others. The state-run National News Agency said another six people, including a young girl, were killed when Israeli warplanes struck a house in the city of Nabatieh. Three more people were killed in the border city of Bint Jbeil , while two children were killed in the coastal town of Ghazieh.
- 23:06 GMT
The Nepalese consulate in Beirut has condemned the Israeli attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) outpost hosting a Nepalese battalion, calling it a serious breach of international law.
“The Nepalese soldiers participating in UNIFIL have served for many years with a spirit of commitment and discipline to promote peace and stability in southern Lebanon,” the consulate said. It is unclear if anyone was injured or killed.
🚨BREAKING |Israeli shells struck the Nepali battalion headquarters of UNIFIL in Mays Al-Jabal, southern Lebanon, wounding several peacekeepers & setting parts of the compound on fire.The Nepalese consulate in Beirut confirmed & condemned the attack targeting the Nepali… pic.twitter.com/h2ggyymZNy
— Hala Jaber (@HalaJaber) March 13, 2026
- 23:23 GMT
The US has conducted a bombing raid on Iran’s “crown jewel,” Kharg Island, which handles 90% of the country’s oil exports, President Donald Trump announced in a new post on Truth Social.
“Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island,” Trump wrote.
The US president claimed that he has chosen not to wipe out Iran’s oil infrastructure on the island “for reasons of decency” – as Brent futures spiked above $103 on Friday. Washington has been struggling to cushion the global economic impact of the war by releasing crude oil from strategic reserves and even temporarily lifting sanctions on Russia.
“However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision,” he stated.
READ MORE:
How Russia’s crisis diplomacy lifted sanctions and infuriated Zelensky
More