Israel reportedly launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iran on Friday (20 March), a day after U.S. President Donald Trump told it not to repeat its strikes on Iranian natural gas infrastructure, which sharply escalated the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Here’s how the situation in the Middle East unfolded throughout the day:
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Israel could be ready to end the war on Iran once the United States completes its military operations, replying “I think so” when asked about the possibility.
He also said a “lot of help” was needed to secure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, adding it “would be nice” if countries such as China and Japan became involved.
Trump further criticised the United Kingdom, saying it should have acted faster in offering support for U.S. military action against Iran.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it carried out strikes targeting sites in Israel, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, according to a statement carried by state media.
The Guard said it hit Tel Aviv, Acre and Haifa Bay in Israel, as well as Ali al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait and Prince Sultan Air Base southeast of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
There has been no immediate confirmation of the claims from the countries involved.
Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down three additional drones in the Eastern Province, bringing the total number intercepted in the area over the past several hours to 12.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has condemned attacks across the Gulf, warning of growing humanitarian and public health impacts.
Tedros said missile strikes in countries including the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Kuwait have caused deaths and injuries, while attacks on energy facilities risk worsening health conditions across the region.
During a meeting in Geneva with UAE ambassador Jamal al-Musharakh, he also highlighted the role of the WHO’s Dubai-based logistics hub in delivering medical supplies amid the escalating conflict.
The United States could “take out” Iran’s Kharg Island at any time if ordered, the White House said, after reports the Trump administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade the key oil hub.
Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the U.S. military has the capability to strike the island whenever the president decides.
Kharg Island, located about 30km off Iran’s coast, handles roughly 90% of the country’s crude oil exports.
The island was hit by U.S. strikes over the weekend, though Iranian officials said exports continue normally and no casualties were reported. President Donald Trump has warned that Iran’s oil infrastructure could be targeted if it continues to block the Strait of Hormuz.
The family of British couple Lindsay and Craig Foreman, detained in Iran, said they are being used as “human shields” during the U.S.-Israeli war and accused the UK government of failing to secure their release.
The pair were sentenced to 10 years in prison last year on espionage charges, which they deny. Their family said a blast near Tehran’s Evin prison damaged parts of Craig Foreman’s ward, forcing inmates to take cover.
Joe Bennett, the couple’s son, described harsh conditions in detention, saying they are held in overcrowded cells and living in constant fear amid ongoing drone activity.
Bennett also criticised the British government, saying his parents feel abandoned and that support has been “almost non-existent” beyond basic assistance. London has condemned the sentence as “totally unjustifiable” and says it continues to press for their release.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said Sri Lanka rejected requests from both the United States and Iran in late February to avoid taking sides ahead of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
Speaking in parliament, he said the U.S. sought permission for two fighter jets stationed near Djibouti to land at Mattala International Airport, while Iran requested a goodwill visit for three naval vessels. Both requests were denied.
The decision came just days before the war began.
Earlier this month, a U.S. submarine strike on the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off Sri Lanka’s southern coast killed dozens of sailors.
Authorities later recovered 84 bodies, rescued 32 sailors, and said others remain missing.
Days later, Sri Lanka evacuated 208 crew members from a second Iranian vessel, IRIS Bushehr, after it requested assistance while returning from naval drills in India.
Iraq has declared force majeure on all oilfields operated by foreign companies as the Middle East war disrupts navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Energy officials say the U.S.-Israeli attacks and Iran’s response have prevented most of Iraq’s crude exports from moving.
In peacetime, Iraq exports between 3.3 and 3.5 million barrels per day, with oil revenues accounting for nearly 90% of the country’s budget.
The British government on Friday (20 March) approved the use of military bases in the UK by the United States to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites targeting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
A Downing Street statement said ministers met to discuss the Iran war and Tehran’s blockage of the strategic waterway.
The agreement allows U.S. forces to conduct defensive operations aimed at degrading missile sites and capabilities used to attack commercial vessels in the strait.
Israeli warplanes carried out an air strike on a house in southern Lebanon’s Deir ez-Zahrani, hitting the site where ambulance staff and residents had rushed to assist victims of an earlier attack.
Paramedics and local residents were wounded in both bombings, according to the National News Agency. The injured were being transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.
No immediate comment has been made by the Israeli military regarding the incident.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a Nowruz message stating that Iran does not seek war with its neighbours and reaffirming that it has no ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons, according to state media.
In his address, Pezeshkian said the country’s difficulties stem from “the interference of enemies” rather than any regional ambitions.
“Our dear neighbours who surround us, you are our brothers… We have come to resolve all these differences with you,” he said.
He proposed that “to establish peace and stability in the region, a regional security structure be formed from Islamic countries” and added that Iran does not require the involvement of external powers in the region.
Pezeshkian also emphasised that Iran’s Supreme Leader has declared nuclear weapons religiously forbidden and that no officials are permitted to pursue plans to obtain them.
Ukraine has sent specialist teams to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan to help intercept Iranian drones and advise on air-defence systems amid the ongoing Iran war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said local forces are dealing with ballistic missiles, while Ukrainian experts are focusing on waves of Iran’s Shahed drones. He added that 228 Ukrainian specialists are currently operating in the region.
“We are working with the Middle East – with leaders, at the technical level, and with ministries of defence. In general, we are preparing serious arrangements and agreements,” Zelenskyy said.
His security council secretary, Rustem Umerov, has visited all five countries this week, outlining steps for “long-term security cooperation” without providing further details.
The exiled son of Iran’s last shah, Reza Pahlavi, has issued a Nowruz message calling for a “free” and “prosperous” Iran.
In the statement, Pahlavi described the past year as one of “national solidarity” and “great sacrifices,” saying it brought the country closer to what he called a “final victory” over the Islamic Republic.
Framing the situation as a “patriotic battle,” he praised those who have died opposing the authorities and pledged continued support for their families.
Pahlavi added that tens of thousands of Iranians have been lost in what he described as a “struggle” against the ruling system.
The UK’s Foreign Minister, Yvette Cooper, warned Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call against targeting UK bases, territory, or interests, according to a statement from the Foreign Office.
The call followed an Iranian statement in which Araghchi reportedly said any U.S. use of British military bases for attacks would be considered “participation in aggression” against Iran.
Cooper told Araghchi that UK operations in the region are defensive, responding to Iranian actions against Gulf partners. She also stressed that the UK seeks a swift resolution to the conflict.
The United States is sending thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran enters its third week, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday (20 March).
No decision has been made to send troops into Iran itself, but the deployments aim to build capacity for potential future operations in the region.
The USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, along with its Marine Expeditionary Unit of roughly 2,500 Marines and accompanying warships, is departing from the U.S. West Coast about three weeks ahead of schedule. This would bring two MEUs to the region, adding to the 50,000 U.S. troops already deployed.
Officials did not detail the exact role of the new forces. The units can be used for a range of operations, including air strikes from shipborne aircraft or ground deployments if required.
Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS Ford, which recently suffered a laundry-room fire, is heading to Souda Bay, Crete, for repairs. The USS Bush will temporarily replace the Ford, which has been at sea for more than nine months.
Poland has evacuated its troops from Iraq amid the escalating Middle East conflict, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz announced.
The move was carried out in coordination with NATO allies.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland will not participate in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, citing no direct threat to national security, though officials were aware of planned strikes through allied channels.
First responders have been dispatched to Jerusalem’s Old City after a missile impact from Iran’s latest barrage, according to witnesses. A parking lot in the area was damaged, but there are no reports of injuries so far.
In a Truth Social post, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration that key allies have not stepped up to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, calling some “cowards” and warning “we will remember.”
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of Sri Lanka on Friday said that his country rejected a request from the U.S. on 26 February to allow its two fighter jets to land at Mattala International Airport.
He also said that the country received a separate request the same day from Iran seeking permission for three naval vessels to make a goodwill visit, which he said was also denied.
He explained that the government denied both to avoid taking sides as signs of escalating conflict emerged internationally.
The president made it clear that granting access to either country could have compromised Sri Lanka’s neutral stance and risked drawing the country into a distant conflict.
This month, A U.S. strike on the Iranian warship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean killed 104 Iranian sailors, off the southern coast of Sri Lanka.
French President Emmanuel Macron has ruled out the nation being part of “any use of force" to open access to the Strait of Hormuz.
He said, "We will not participate in any use of force to open the strait in the context of the ongoing war and bombings."
He said this during a briefing with reporters late on Thursday, at the heels of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan, indicating willingness in a joint statement of support for efforts to ensure safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
Macron explained that France is ready to join other nations with the responsibility of escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz with "coordination and deconfliction” with Iran.
The United Arab Emirates said its air defence forces on Friday intercepted four ballistic missiles and 26 drones launched from Iran.
This brings the total number of ballistic missiles intercepted since the start of the attacks to 338 and the drones to 1,740, the UAE Defence Ministry added.
The Israeli army has confirmed the killing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) spokesperson General Ali Mohammad Naeini. The army said Naeini was killed in an overnight air attack.
Bahrain announced that it intercepted and destroyed 242 drones and 141 missiles since the start of Iranian attacks on its territory amid an ongoing regional escalation.
Bahrain’s air defence systems continue to confront successive waves of such attacks, the army wrote on the U.S. social media company X.
The Trump administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran's Kharg Island to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported on Friday, citing four sources with knowledge of the issue.
The Kuwait Army has said it's currently dealing with missile and drone attacks in a post on X. The statement warns people to adhere to "security and safety instructions" issued by relevant authorities.
Reuters
Soaring freight costs are squeezing generic drugmakers' margins and could soon trigger a supply shortage, trade group Medicines UK has warned.
Chief Executive Mark Samuels said Britain was "one step away" from medicine shortages if instability persisted, with stockpiles providing only a temporary buffer.
"If the conflict continues for the longer term, then I think manufacturers will cease being able to absorb the costs, and then we'll either have some price rises for the NHS or we'll have a failure to supply. Probably a mixture of both," Samuels told Reuters in an interview late on Thursday (19 March).
In a statement on X, Beirut's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its "strongest condemnation" of the terrorist plot that targeted the UAE.
"Lebanon expresses its full solidarity with the sisterly United Arab Emirates, which has always stood with it in times of hardship and difficulty," it added.
Earlier, UAE authorities said they had dismantled a "terrorist network" funded and operated by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iran, and arrested its members.
Plans set to be announced by the Spanish government on Friday will reduce VAT on fuel products from 21% to 10% as part of measures to protect consumers from the economic blow of the Middle East conflict, SER radio station reported, citing sources familiar with the plans.
Madrid also intends to suspend the excise duty on hydrocarbons, which would lead to an immediate reduction in the price of diesel and petrol of between 0.30 euros and 0.40 euros ($0.35-$0.46) per litre, the SER report added.
A spokesperson for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its deputy of public relations, Ali Mohammad Naini, has been killed in strikes launched by the U.S. and Israel, Iranian state TV reported on Friday.
Members of Iran’s women’s football team were welcomed with a ceremony in Tehran upon their return.
Seven team members had been granted asylum in Australia over safety concerns after remaining silent during the national anthem before an Asian Cup match, which took place just days after the first wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Five of those who had sought asylum in Australia subsequently changed their minds and decided to return home. Two players are still in Australia and have been pictured training with a local A-League club.
China’s foreign ministry urged all sides involved in the Gulf conflict on Friday to ensure a stable and unimpeded oil supply, in comments on the United States weighing the lifting of sanctions on some Iranian oil.
However, the ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, did not specify any countries.
His remarks came after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday the United States might remove sanctions on Iranian oil stranded on tankers at sea in a bid to hold down oil prices.
A large number of worshippers gathered in the Middle East on Friday, despite rising tensions and the U.S.-Israel-Iran war, to perform Eid al-Fitr prayers marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
People arriving at the historic site lined up in long rows and exchanged greetings to celebrate the holiday.
Eid al-Fitr marks the conclusion of Ramadan and begins with a special prayer in mosques and open-air areas.
The Israeli military struck infrastructure sites belonging to the Syrian government overnight in response to attacks against Druze civilians in Sweida, the Israeli military said on Friday.
The Israeli military said it targeted a command centre and weapons in military compounds in southern Syria and said it will not tolerate harm toward the Druze population, adding it will continue to operate to defend them and monitor developments in the region.
United Arab Emirates authorities said on Friday they had dismantled a "terrorist network" funded and operated by Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran, and arrested its members.
According to the state news agency, the network was involved in "money laundering, financing terrorism and threatening national security." There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah or Iran.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) proposed measures to ease oil price pressures on consumers, including working from home, avoiding air travel when alternatives exist, and reducing highway speed limits by at least 10 kilometres per hour.
"We have recently launched the largest ever release of IEA emergency oil stocks-and I am in close contact with key governments around the world, including major energy producers and consumers, as part of our international energy diplomacy," said IEA executive director Fatih Birol in a statement.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with Donald Trump, days after the U.S. President’s appeals for allies to help secure the conflict‑hit Strait of Hormuz drew limited responses.
Before the meeting, Trump stated he believes Japan “is stepping up to the plate,” without providing further details.
Takaichi described the situation as a “very severe security environment” and noted the “huge hit” to the global economy, while expressing confidence that Trump could find a resolution.
U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said that 3,134 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the war. It said 1,369 of those were civilians, including at least 207 children.
The group says its data comes from field reports, local contacts, medical and emergency sources, civil society networks, open source materials and official statements.
The latest figures reported by state media last week put the toll at 1,270 people. Iran's ambassador to the UN said on 6 March that at least 1,332 people had been killed since the war began.
IFA’s Disciplinary Committee on Thursday found the Israel Football Association (IFA) guilty of multiple “grave and systemic” discrimination violations but stopped short of imposing major sanctions.
FIFA imposed a fine of 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,000) and ordered the display of a 'Football Unites the World- No to Discrimination' banner at three home matches.
Kuwait's state oil firm KPC said its Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was hit by multiple drone attacks early on Friday, causing a fire in some units, with no initial casualties reported, the state news agency said.
Firefighters responded immediately, with several units shut down as a precaution to ensure workers' safety.
Qatar said Thursday that Iranian missile attacks on the Ras Laffan Industrial City reduced the country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity by 17%, with the damage expected to cost about $20 billion a year in lost revenue and take up to five years to repair.
European Union leaders called on Thursday (19 March) for temporary measures to mitigate the impact of a surge in energy prices caused by the Iran war, with electricity tax cuts, lower grid fees.
At the end of a summit in Brussels, the EU leaders said the European Commission should work closely with them on temporary and targeted measures to mitigate the impact of imported fuel and electricity price hikes.
Saudi Arabia said Friday that it intercepted and destroyed 20 drones that entered the country's airspace overnight.
The Defence Ministry said in separate statements that 19 drones were intercepted in the eastern regions and one in the Al-Jawf region.
Leading European countries, along with Japan and Canada, said they are ready to support efforts to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and help stabilise global energy markets.
In a joint statement, they strongly condemned recent Iranian attacks on commercial vessels and civilian energy infrastructure, as well as actions effectively restricting access to the strategic waterway.
Bahrain said that shrapnel from an Iranian attack caused a fire to break out at a company warehouse.
The Interior Ministry said civil defence teams extinguished the blaze without any injuries.
Explosions were reported in Tehran on Friday, as air defence systems were activated in response, according to local outlet Jamaran. No details were available on which parts of the city were affected or the cause of the blasts.
In a separate statement, a spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces said: "The IDF has just begun a wave of strikes against the infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran."
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