President Donald Trump said the U.S. was considering "winding down" its military operation against Iran, as Iran and Israel traded attacks on Saturday (21 March) and Iranian media said the nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz had been attacked.
Here’s how the situation in the Middle East unfolded throughout the day:
Britain will not be using its bases in Cyprus for any offensive action in the Iran crisis, the Cypriot government spokesperson said, citing a phone call between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.
"The British Prime Minister reiterated ... that the security of the Republic of Cyprus is fundamental to the United Kingdom and, to that end, a decision has been taken to enhance the means contributing to the preventive measures already in place," the spokesperson said in a written statement.
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have joined 20 other countries in expressing "readiness" to help secure the Strait of Hormuz shipping, the UAE's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
The countries "condemn in the strongest terms" recent Iranian attacks on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, as well as strikes on civilian infrastructure, and the "de facto closure" of the Strait of Hormuz, the statement read.
The Israeli army said that it carried out airstrikes targeting ballistic missile production sites belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the capital Tehran.
In a statement, the army said its air force carried out “a wide-scale strike sortie”, targeting facilities used to produce ballistic missiles.
An Iranian man and a Romanian woman have been charged after attempting to enter Britain's nuclear submarine base in Scotland, Police Scotland said on Saturday.
The two, who British media have called suspected Iranian spies, were arrested on Thursday.
Police Scotland said the Iranian man, 34, and the Romanian woman, 31, are due to appear at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on 23 March.
U.S. Central Command claimed that more than 8,000 of Iran's military targets, including 130 vessels, had been hit, marking "the largest elimination of a navy over a three-week period since World War II."
"Just two days ago, the U.S. Army launched the longest field artillery strike in Army combat history using precision strike missiles. The strike took out Iranian military infrastructure, demonstrating the U.S. military's unmatched reach and lethality," Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. CENTCOM said.
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the Israeli and U.S. attacks against Iran 'will be stepped up significantly' in the coming days.
He added that Israel is determined to "continue leading the attack against the Iranian terrorist regime, to behead its commanders and to thwart its strategic capabilities," until all threats to Israel and U.S. interests in the region are removed.
The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned an attack on Iran's Natanz enrichment facility that occurred on Saturday.
"This is a blatant violation of international law," the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that the Natanz nuclear enrichment site was attacked on Saturday, the agency said in a post on X.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X on Saturday that he had spoken with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Modi condemned attacks on critical infrastructure in the Middle East region, while also reiterating the importance of ensuring that shipping lanes remain open and secure.
Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the Natanz nuclear enrichment site was attacked on Saturday, the agency said in a post on X. No increase in off-site radiation levels was reported.
An officer was killed after a drone launched by "outlaw groups" struck near the Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Baghdad on Saturday, the National Intelligence Service said in a statement.
No further details were immediately provided regarding casualties or damage
The U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran’s Natanz uranium-enrichment facility on Saturday morning (21 March), according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
Tasnim said no radioactive leaks were reported and that residents living near the site were not at risk.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Tehran was not seeking conflict with neighbouring or Muslim countries, calling them “brothers.”
“To Islamic countries and our dear neighbors: you are our brothers, and we are not engaged in any conflict with you. The only beneficiary of our disagreements is the Zionist entity,” Pezeshkian said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Iranian leaders on Nowruz and said Moscow remained a loyal friend and reliable partner to Tehran, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
"Vladimir Putin wished the Iranian people to overcome the harsh trials with dignity and stressed that in this difficult time Moscow remains a loyal friend and reliable partner of Tehran," the Kremlin said.
Iran is ready to let Japan-linked vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies, Kyodo news reported.
Tehran has started talks with Tokyo about possibly opening the strait, Iran’s Foreign Minister told the Japanese news agency in a phone interview on Friday.
Japan depends on the Middle East for around 95% of its oil supplies and gets around 90% of its oil shipments via the strait, which Tehran has largely closed during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
The European Commission has urged EU states to lower natural gas-storage targets and start refilling reserves gradually to curb demand, after the war in Iran disrupted key suppliers and triggered a surge in energy prices, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
According to the newspaper, citing a letter, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen instructed member states to reduce their gas storage filling targets to 80% of capacity, 10 percentage points below the official EU targets.
The guidance, which is recommended to be implemented early in the season, aims to provide certainty and reassurance to market participants.
Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the U.S.-U.K. military base in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported on Saturday (21 March).
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Iran had launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward the base but that they did not hit it.
Mehr said targeting the base was a "significant step ... that shows that the range of Iran's missiles is beyond what the enemy previously imagined".
President Donald Trump said on Friday (20 March) the U.S. was getting very close to meeting its objectives as it considers winding down its military efforts in the Iran war and called on countries that use Strait of Hormuz to guard and police it "as necessary."
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