Iran-Israel war updates on March 16, 2026: Trump upset as U.S. partners reject call for Hormuz warship escorts

The United Arab ‌Emirates’ General Civil Aviation ⁠Authority announced the temporary ‌and full closure of ‌the ‌country’s ⁠airspace, ⁠as “an exceptional precautionary measure”, amid rapidly ‌evolving regional security developments, the state news ‌agency reported on Tuesday.

UAE’s ⁠defence ministry said ‌earlier on Tuesday it was responding to incoming ‌missile and drone threats from ⁠Iran. 

- Reuters

Israel’s military said on Tuesday that missiles launched from Iran were heading towards its territory, calling on people in affected areas to head to shelters.

“A short while ago, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the military posted on Telegram.

- AFP

President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday urged U.S. ‌diplomats abroad to push allies to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon-based Hezbollah as terrorist groups, citing elevated risk ⁠of attack, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.

The directive, dated March 16 and signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was ‌sent to all U.S. diplomatic and consular posts worldwide. It asks U.S. diplomats to deliver the message to their counterparts “at ‌the highest appropriate level” and no later than March 20, adding ‌that ⁠the advocacy efforts to get these groups blacklisted should be ⁠coordinated with Israeli counterparts.

The Trump administration is attempting to rally reluctant allies - many of whom were not briefed ahead of the U.S.-Israeli air war that started two weeks ago - to support its military operation.

- Reuters

Iran’s ‌Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi ⁠said on ‌Monday in ‌a ‌post ⁠on ⁠X that his ‌last contact with U.S. envoy ‌Steve Witkoff was ⁠prior to ‌the U.S. attack on ‌Iran.

- Reuters

Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli troops in the town of Khiam, the first claimed operation in the town since Israel said it launched a limited ground operation in Lebanon.

In a statement, the group said that it “targeted a gathering of Israeli enemy army soldiers in Khiam... with a rocket salvo”.

Since March 2, Hezbollah has repeatedly announced targeting Israeli forces and vehicles inside Khiam, the first point into which Israeli forces advanced after the war began

- AFP

Operations at ‌the United Arab Emirates’ ⁠Shah gas field have ‌been suspended ‌while ‌damage is ⁠being assessed ⁠following a drone attack, Abu ‌Dhabi’s media office said on Monday.

Authorities ‌contained and brought the fire ⁠caused by the attack ‌under control, the media office added ‌in a post on X.

- Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump ‌on Monday said he ⁠told Britain’s Prime Minister Keir ‌Starmer that the U.S. ‌doesn’t ‌want ⁠that ⁠country’s aircraft carriers, his latest criticism of ‌the British leader over a perceived ‌lack of support for the U.S. campaign ⁠against Iran.

“I don’t ‌want them anymore. I don’t want them ‌after we win,” Trump told reporters at ⁠the White House.

- Reuters

Around 200 U.S. military personnel have been wounded in seven countries across the Middle East since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran, a U.S. military spokesman said Monday.

“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and more than 180 troops have already returned to duty,” while “10 are categorized as seriously wounded,” said Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesman for US Central Command.

- AFP

U.S. Vice ‌President JD Vance said on ⁠Monday that he trusts ‌President Donald Trump ‌when it ‌comes ⁠to his ⁠handling of the war on ‌Iran.

“We have a smart president, whereas ‌in the past we have ⁠had dumb presidents, and ‌I trust President Trump to get the ‌job done,” Vance told reporters at the ⁠White House.

- Reuters

A fire broke out late Monday on the roof of a hotel in Baghdad’s Green Zone, witnesses told AFP, with the interior ministry saying there were no casualties or damage after a “projectile” landed on the building.

Two Iraqi security sources said a drone attack had targeted the US embassy, located in the same area as the al-Rasheed Hotel, inside the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses diplomatic missions and government institutions.

The luxury hotel also houses several other diplomatic missions. Its street was blocked by a large security deployment, with firefighters and ambulances present, according to an AFP correspondent.

- AFP

‌A direct communications channel between ⁠U.S. envoy ‌Steve Witkoff ‌and ‌Iranian ⁠Foreign Minister ⁠Abbas Araghchi has ‌been reactivated in recent ‌days, Axios reported on Monday, ⁠citing a ‌U.S. official and a ‌source with knowledge of the ⁠matter.

- Reuters

Iraq’s powerful armed group Kataeb Hezbollah on Monday said its senior security commander Abu Ali al-Askari had been killed, without providing details on the circumstances of his death.

The group’s leader Ahmad al-Hamidawi, also known as Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, said “we announce the martyrdom of Haj Abu Ali al-Askari”, without providing any details on how and when he was killed.

A security official told AFP that “Abu Ali al-Askari is Abu Ali al-Amiri, the commander who was killed in a strike on Baghdad on Saturday”.

- AFP

Iran vowed at the United Nations on Monday that it would not submit to “lawless aggression”, saying 90 million citizens were in “grave danger” from US and Israeli strikes.

At the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where countries were discussing the rights situation in Iran, UN experts highlighted Tehran’s deadly crackdown on protesters in recent months and warned that repression would likely worsen amid the Middle East war.

Iran’s ambassador Ali Bahreini hit back, insisting the focus instead should be on the aggression against his country, “carried out by some of the most lawless and unscrupulous actors on the international stage”.

“The most urgent and fundamental human rights issue concerning Iran is the imminent threat to the lives of 90 million people whose lives are in immediate and grave danger under the shadow of reckless military aggression,” he told the council.

- AFP

Berlin airport said Monday that no flights would operate on March 18 due to a strike by airport staff over a pay dispute.

The airport said in a statement that “on Wednesday, 18 March 2026, no scheduled passenger flights will be possible at Berlin Brandenburg Airport”.

It advised passengers with flights on that day to “contact your airline or tour operator for information on rebooking and alternative travel options”.

Around 445 arrivals and departures serving around 57,000 passengers had been scheduled for the day.

- AFP

Israel is not seeking a “perpetual war” with Iran, and would discuss a diplomatic way out of the war if Iran “changes course”, said Reuven Azar, Israel’s Ambassador to India. He, however, denied that Israel’s goals had changed due to Tehran’s retaliatory strikes. 

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Israel doesn’t seek ‘perpetual war’ with Iran, says Envoy, suggests diplomatic options remain

Israel's envoy states the nation seeks diplomatic solutions with Iran, not perpetual war, amid ongoing regional tensions.

Shrapnel from ballistic missiles fired by Iran and debris from the Israeli interceptors that ‌shot them down fell on Monday around Jerusalem’s ⁠walled Old City and some of its most sacred Christian, Muslim and Jewish sites, ‌Israeli police said.

There were no casualties or major ‌damage reported at the Church ‌of ⁠the Holy Sepulchre or the ⁠nearby hilltop plateau known to Muslims as Al-Aqsa compound and to Jews as Temple Mount, ‌a flashpoint site that is holy to both faiths.

Photos distributed by police showed three officers carrying what ‌appeared to be a large metal ring-shaped part of a missile off a red-tiled ⁠roof adjacent to the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus’ ‌crucifixion and burial and a popular pilgrimage site.

- Reuters

South Africa has no reason to cut ties with Iran, its director general ‌of foreign affairs said, after the new U.S. ambassador was quoted as saying the country’s association with the Islamic Republic was an impediment to good ⁠relations with Washington.

In an interview with Reuters over the weekend, Zane Dangor, director-general of the department of international relations, also rejected some other Trump administration demands, such as dropping South Africa’s genocide case against ‌Israel, scrapping Black empowerment laws or accepting a refugee programme for whites. - Reuters

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group said it launched an attack on Monday (March 16) targeting the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, where Israeli first responders reported a man was wounded.

Hezbollah said in a statement that its fighters targeted Nahariya “with a barrage of rockets and a swarm of attack drones”. Israel’s Magen David Adom first responders said that paramedics in the area were treating a man “in mild to moderate condition suffering from blast injuries”.- AFP

Ali Larijani, head of Tehran’s Supreme National Security Council, addressed Islamic Governments in a letter posted on X. He said, “Iran will continue along the path of resistance against the greater and lesser Satans (the United States and Israel). However, is the conduct of Islamic governments not in contradiction with the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him), who stated: “If you do not respond to the cry of a Muslim, you are not a Muslim.” What kind of Islam is this?”

Iran’s new Supreme Leader has appointed the former chief of the Revolutionary Guards as a military adviser, local media reported on Monday (March 16, 2026).

“General Mohsen Rezaei was appointed as military adviser by the order of commander-in-chief Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei,” Mehr news agency reported.

Other media also reported the appointment.

Mr. Rezaei, 71, previously headed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological arm of Iran’s military. He has since held several senior positions within Iran’s political system.- AFP

Iran Foreign Minister in a post on X, said “Reports claim that some neighboring states which host U.S. forces and permit attacks on Iran are also actively encouraging this slaughter. Stances should be promptly clarified.”

A drone attack caused a fire in a building in the north of the UAE on Monday (March 16), authorities said, amid a slew of nationwide attacks that disrupted Dubai’s airport, hit an oil hub and killed a civilian.

“A building in the emirate of Umm Al Quwain was targeted by a drone, causing a fire but resulting in no injuries,” the Umm Al Quwain Government Media Office said in a statement published by the official WAM news agency, without naming the building.- AFP

Missiles and drone attacks struck across the UAE on Monday (March 16), with a drone-related incident sparking a fuel tank fire near Dubai airport that disrupted travel, while a missile killed a civilian in Abu Dhabi.

In the eastern emirate of Fujairah, a drone attack on oil infrastructure sparked a fire, days after an AFP journalist saw smoke rising from a major Emirati energy installation in the emirate.

The attacks came a day after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview that rockets had been launched from the UAE to attack Kharg Island. UAE officials have denied the claim.- AFP

Iran vowed at the United Nations on Monday (March 16) that it would not submit to “lawless aggression”, saying its citizens were in “grave danger” from U.S. and Israeli strikes.

At the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, where countries were discussing the rights situation in Iran -- notably following its deadly crackdown on protesters in recent months -- Tehran said the focus instead should be on the war in West Asia.

“The most urgent and fundamental human rights issue concerning Iran is the imminent threat to the lives of 90 million people whose lives are in immediate and grave danger under the shadow of reckless military aggression,” said Ali Bahreini, Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva.- AFP

Indian LPG carrier ‘Shivalik’, carrying about 40,000 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas, reached Mundra Port in Gujarat on Monday (March 16, 2026) evening.

The carrier arrived at the port after safely transiting out of the Strait of Hormuz late last night/early this morning. -ANI

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday (March 16, 2026) that a plan the U.K. is working on with allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz during the West Asia war would not involve NATO.

“Let me be clear, that won’t be and it’s never been envisioned to be a NATO mission,” Mr. Starmer told reporters.

His comments came after President Donald Trump said NATO faces a “very bad” future if U.S. allies fail to help open the key oil transport route.- AFP

Israel pushed into new parts of southern Lebanon on Monday, deploying troops to target Hezbollah positions as it intensified its campaign against the ⁠Iran-backed militant group.

In a briefing, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters that soldiers were in “new locations that our troops were not operating yesterday”. He described the latest ground ‌operations as “limited and targeted”, declining to say how deep into Lebanon the troops would advance, or if soldiers would take up new positions.

Israel’s military, ‌which has occupied five positions in southern Lebanon since a November 2024 ‌ceasefire ⁠with Hezbollah, sent additional forces into the country after Hezbollah fired ⁠a salvo of rockets on March 2, dragging Lebanon into an expanding regional war. Hezbollah said its attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader on February 28, the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. Israel has ‌responded with an intensive bombing campaign on Lebanon.

More than 800 people in Lebanon have been killed, and more than 800,000 have been driven from their homes, many from the south as well as from areas near the capital, Beirut.

- Reuters

Iran has not requested ‌a ceasefire, Foreign Minister Abbas ⁠Araghchi said on Monday, according to ‌the semi-official Students News ‌Network, and ‌wants to ⁠ensure that ⁠any end to the war with Israel ‌and the U.S. is definitive.

Mr. Araghchi said that the ‌Strait of Hormuz is only closed ⁠to “enemies and those supporting ‌their aggression”.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that states not party to ‌the war have been able to transit ⁠their vessels through ⁠the strait with coordination ‌and permission from Iran’s armed forces.

- Reuters

India has not ⁠had any conversation with ‌the U.S. ‌about ‌helping ⁠ships ⁠pass through the Strait of ‌Hormuz - a key artery of ‌the global crude ⁠oil trade - a spokesperson ‌for India’s Foreign Ministry ‌said on Monday.

- Reuters

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

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told reporters Monday (March 16, 2026) that while Iran continues to fire missiles at Israel, the number of launches has been greatly reduced.

He says Israel has carried out some 7,600 strikes in Iran, knocking out 85% of Iran’s air defences and targeting a number of Iranian nuclear sites.

Mr. Shoshani says the war will go on “for as long as needed” and says Israel still has thousands of targets it is prepared to strike.

- AP

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says one person was killed by an Israeli airstrike early Monday (March 16, 2026) on a home in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir.

The agency says another strike occurred after paramedics from the Islamic Health Society, Hezbollah’s health arm, arrived at the scene. The agency says the second strike killed two paramedics and wounded another person.

- AP

India has evacuated over 550 of its nationals from Iran through Armenia, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar thanking Yerevan on Monday (March 16) for facilitating the land-border transit.

New Delhi has been urging Indian nationals stuck in Iran to cross over to Armenia for subsequent travel to India in view of the escalating conflict in West Asia.

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

- PTI

Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu on Monday (March 16) informed the Rajya Sabha that Indian airlines have cancelled 4,335 flights and foreign carriers 1,187 flights so far in the wake of the West Asia conflict.

The escalating conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran has significantly disrupted flight operations due to airspace closures in the West Asia region. Replying to a supplementary query during Question Hour, the Minister asserted that the safety of airline operations is the topmost 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.

- PTI

A drone attack on oil infrastructure on the UAE’s east coast sparked a fire on Monday (March 16), authorities said as Iran presses its campaign of strikes against Gulf states.

“A large fire broke out in the Fujairah Oil Industries Zone as a result of being targeted by a drone, with no injuries reported,” Fujairah authorities said, adding “efforts continue to bring it under control”.

The site sits on the UAE’s Gulf of Oman coast, beyond the Strait of Hormuz, which has effectively been closed by Iran.

- AFP

Oil ‌loading operations have been ⁠suspended in ‌the United ‌Arab ‌Emirates ⁠port ⁠of Fujairah on Monday (March 16), two ‌sources told Reuters, after ‌a drone attack ⁠sparked a fire in ‌the emirate’s petroleum ‌industrial zone.

- Reuters

EU member states will discuss ‌what can be done ⁠from the European side to ‌keep the Strait of Hormuz ‌open, the ‌EU’s ⁠foreign policy ⁠chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday (March 16).

“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,” she said, ‌speaking to journalists ahead a EU foreign affairs ⁠meeting in Brussels. 

- Reuters

A Palestinian civilian was killed on the outskirts of the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi when a missile hit their car on Monday (March 16), authorities said, as Iran pressed on with strikes on the Gulf following U.S.-Israeli attacks.

“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.

- AFP

Iran’s head of the Judiciary said on Monday (March 16) there should be no leniency or delay in issuing verdicts against those affiliated with Israel and the United States.

“We must not delay or show leniency in executing final verdicts against those who, during wartime and unrest, committed crimes and were affiliated with the aggressor enemy,” said Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, according to Tasnim News Agency.

- 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.

- AFP

Flights were gradually resuming at Dubai airport on Monday (March 16), previously the world’s busiest for international flights, the airport operator said, after a “drone-related incident” sparked a fuel tank fire nearby, as Iran kept up its Gulf attacks.

“Flights to and from DXB are gradually resuming to selected destinations, following the temporary suspension implemented as a precautionary measure,” Dubai Airports said in a statement on X.

-AFP

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.

- AFP

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.

- AFP

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).

- Reuters

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.

- AFP

Japan and Australia said on Monday (March 16) they were not planning to send navy vessels to the Middle East to escort ships ‌through the Strait of Hormuz, after U.S. President Donald Trump called on allies to create a coalition to reopen the vital waterway.

“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory because it is their territory,” Mr. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on the way from Florida to Washington. “It’s the place from which ‌they get their energy.”

Trump demands others help secure Strait of Hormuz, Japan and Australia say no plans to send ships

Trump urges allies to secure the Strait of Hormuz, but Japan and Australia refuse to send naval support amid rising tensions.

- Reuters

An Emirates flight bound for Dubai with 325 passengers on board returned to Kochi in Kerala four hours after take-off on Monday (March 16, 2026) morning following the sudden closure of the Dubai airport.

The flight, EK 533, had left at 4.30 a.m. and landed back at 8.30 a.m. Airport sources said the closure was prompted by a “security incident.”

West Asia conflict: Dubai airport closure forces Emirates flight back to Kochi

Emirates flight from Kochi returns four hours later due to Dubai airport closure amid ongoing West Asia conflict.

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 (March 16).

Fire breaks out in vicinity of Dubai International Airport after drone attack

Fire from a drone attack near Dubai International Airport leads to temporary flight suspensions, authorities confirm safety measures.

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 (March 16).

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.” 

Trump accuses Iran of using AI to spread disinformation

Trump accuses Iran of weaponising AI for disinformation, citing misleading claims about military successes and public support rallies.

- Reuters

U.S. ‌President Donald Trump is working ⁠to assemble ‌a ‌coalition ‌of ⁠countries ⁠to reopen the Strait of ‌Hormuz and is hoping ‌to announce it ⁠later this ‌week, Axios reported on Sunday ‌(March 15, 2026), citing four sources.

- Reuters

Japan has no plan to dispatch naval vessels to escort vessels in West Asia, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Monday, after ⁠U.S. President Donald Trump called on allies to protect tankers traversing through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have ‌not made any decisions whatsoever about dispatching escort ships. We are ‌continuing to examine what Japan can ‌do independently ⁠and what can be done ⁠within the legal framework,” Ms. Takaichi told parliament.

-Reuters

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

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Netanyahu posts video in response to Iran rumours that he is dead

Netanyahu counters Iranian rumors of his death with a lighthearted video, enjoying coffee and affirming his commitment to Israel.

Flights have been temporarily suspended at Dubai’s international airport for safety reasons, the city’s aviation authority said on Monday, shortly after a drone incident sparked a fire nearby.

“Dubai Civil Aviation Authority announces the temporary suspension of flights at Dubai International Airport as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff,” Dubai’s media office posted on X.

-AFP

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that NATO faces a “very bad” future if U.S. allies fail to help open the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil transport conduit effectively shut by Iran in the West Asia war.

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Trump says NATO faces ‘very bad’ future if allies don't help open Hormuz

Trump warns NATO's future is at risk if allies don't assist in opening the Strait of Hormuz amid rising oil prices.