Washington [DC], March 21 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) said the US is not seeking a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict involving Iran, asserting that military operations remain a priority. 'We can have dialogue, but I don't want to do a ceasefire. You don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side...
Much of the damage was caused in initial retaliatory strikes by Iran in the week after the US and Israel launched its operation.
The Persian new year and the end of the holy month of Ramadan were marked by continuing strikes in the region as the war reached the end of its third week.
Trump says US getting close to meeting objectives in Iran war President Donald Trump said on Friday the US was getting very close to meeting its objectives and called on countries that use the Strait of Hormuz to guard and police it "as necessary. " "The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it - The United States does not! " Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A ground aggression against Iran is a redline and Tehran will have a great surprise for US President Donald Trump in response, an Iranian military official said.
'Punish Iran': Saudi Arabia and UAE inch closer to supporting US-Israeli war Earlier this month, Elbridge Colby, a senior official in the US Department of War, held a call with Saudi Arabian Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, who is also the brother and top adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Iran’s attacks on US bases in the Gulf were heating up, and the US needed expanded access and overflight permissions. Saudi Arabia agreed to open King Fahd Air Base in Taif, in Western Saudi Arabia, to the Americans, multiple US and western officials familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye.
US military readies plan for ground troops in Iran: Report The US Department of War has produced detailed plans involving the use of ground troops in the war on Iran, CBS News reported on Friday, citing unnamed officials. The plans include options for the president in scenarios where Iranians are captured and detained, as well as how to handle paramilitary forces. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CBS that it's normal procedure for the Pentagon to ensure President Donald Trump has several options at his disposal, and that it "does not mean the president has made a decision" to deploy soldiers anywhere.
The Israeli military said it had killed the spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and Iran warned that it could target American and Israeli military personnel.
Iran says will ‘exercise our legitimate right to self-defence’ Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the country will “exercise our legitimate right to self-defence” in response to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to allow the US to use UK bases to carry out strikes on Iranian missile sites targeting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on social media, Araghchi said “the vast majority of the British people” do not want to get involved in the US-Israel war on Iran. Araghchi said by allowing UK bases to be “used for aggression against Iran”, Starmer is “putting British lives in danger” as “Iran will exercise its right to self-defence”.
US military readies plan for ground troops in Iran: Report Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 03/20/2026 - 18:37 President Donald Trump has not yet made a decision on the matter, the White House says A US Marine Corps F-35C Lightning II prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, in support of the US-Israeli war on Iran, from an undisclosed location, on 7 March 2026 (US Navy via Reuters) Off The US Department of War has produced detailed plans involving the use of ground troops in the war on Iran, CBS News reported on Friday, citing unnamed officials. The plans include options for the president in scenarios where Iranians were captured and detained, as well as how to handle paramilitary forces. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CBS that it's normal procedure for the Pentagon to ensure Donald Trump has several options at his disposal, and that it "does not mean the president has made a decision" to deploy soldiers anywhere.
Tehran [Iran], March 21 (ANI): Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed it carried out strikes on multiple targets across Israel, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, Al Jazeera reported.
London [UK], March 21 (ANI): The United Kingdom has approved expanded access for the United States to use British military bases for strikes targeting Iranian missile sites linked to attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reported.
Swiss law prohibits selling war materiel to countries involved in armed conflict, a policy the country has already cited to block sales to Israel and Iran.
New Delhi [India], March 21 (ANI): Austrian aerial warfare analyst and historian Tom Cooper criticised the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling it a 'stupid war' initiated by Israel and supported by the United States, while assessing the aerial campaign and Iranian retaliation. In an interview with ANI, Cooper said the conflict was aimed at reshaping the political and diplomatic landscape of West Asia.
Beirut [Lebanon], March 21 (ANI): At least 20 people were killed and 57 others injured in Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Friday, Al Jazeera reported, citing the country's Disaster Risk Management Unit. The latest fatalities have pushed the total death toll from Israeli strikes since March 2 to 1,021, as per figures released by the National News Agency.
Downing Street said ministers approved the expansion after accusing Iran of "reckless strikes".
‘I may have a plan, I may not’: Trump on attacking Kharg Island While leaving the White House on Friday afternoon, Trump was asked about plans to have US forces further target Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, which is vital to Iran’s oil network. “I may have a plan I may not”, he responded but said he wouldn’t tell reporters one way or the other. “It’s certainly a place that people are talking about.
'Punish Iran': Saudi Arabia and UAE inch closer to supporting US-Israeli war Submitted by Sean Mathews on Fri, 03/20/2026 - 17:29 The kingdom has given the US wider access to new bases, but experts say joining offensive operations opens 'can of worms' Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the US-Saudi Investment Forum at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on 19 November 2025 (Brendan Smialowski/AFP) Off Earlier this month, Elbridge Colby, a senior official in the US Department of War, held a call with Saudi Arabian Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman, who is also the brother and top adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Iran’s attacks on US bases in the Gulf were heating up, and the US needed expanded access and overflight permissions. Saudi Arabia agreed to open King Fahd Air Base in Taif, in Western Saudi Arabia, to the Americans, multiple US and western officials familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed not to be dragged into the war with Iran, but his government described its new position as essentially defensive.
The war with Iran is costing America. That money, the Opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof argues, could be better spent ending childhood malnutrition, screening for cancer or providing free college tuition.
