Trump Seeks Warships To Open Hormuz Strait
US Prez says Iran military is 100% destroyed
Washington, March 14: US President Donald Trump stepped up calls to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz, saying war ships will “hopefully” be sent to the area near Iran’s coast to help commercial vessels sail through safely. His comments on Truth Social — which didn’t provide a timeline — came hours after he ordered a strike on military sites on Kharg Island, from which Iran exports almost all its oil, upping the ante in a Middle East war that’s raged for more than two weeks. As he urged nations to send ships to the strait, he added that “the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shore line, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!” The president said military facilities on the Persian Gulf island had been “obliterated,” adding that he chose not to hit oil infrastructure “for reasons of decency.”
He threatened to do just that should Iran “do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz.” “Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” he wrote in his latest post. He gave little detail beyond saying he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK would also send war ships. He stated that even though Iran’s military was “already destroyed 100%,” it was “easy” for Tehran to continue threatening ships with drones, mines and shortrange missiles.
Live Updates
- 14 March 2026 11:58 PM IST
Iran top diplomat says 'no problem' with supreme leader after reported injuries
Iran top diplomat says 'no problem' with supreme leader after reported injuries
WASHINGTON, United States, March 14, 2026 (AFP) - Iran's foreign minister said Saturday that there was "no problem" with the Islamic republic's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who US officials say was wounded.On Friday, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said he believed Khamenei, who took power after his father was killed in a strike at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, "is wounded and likely disfigured."Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told MS NOW's Ayman Mohyeldin "there is no problem with the new supreme leader. He sent his message yesterday, and he will perform his duties."Iranian officials have previously confirmed reports that the new leader is wounded but have given no further detail.Khamenei, 56, has not been seen in public since the airstrike that killed his father and predecessor as supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and several key family members.But on Thursday, he issued a written statement, in which he said his wife, sister, her child and his brother-in-law were killed. He vowed to avenge the deaths since the start of the war with the United States and Israel.He also emphasized Iran's potential to cause havoc across the region by squeezing oil supplies and using regional proxies. - 14 March 2026 11:37 PM IST
Iran launches new wave of missiles at Israel: Iranian state TV
Iran launches new wave of missiles at Israel: Iranian state TV
TEHRAN, March 14, 2026 (AFP) - Iran launched a new wave of missiles towards Israel on Saturday, Iranian state TV reported.Tehran has launched repeated salvos at Israel since the Middle East war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. - 14 March 2026 11:06 PM IST
Missile strike on Isfahan industrial area kills 15: Iran media
Missile strike on Isfahan industrial area kills 15: Iran media
TEHRAN, March 14, 2026 (AFP) - A US-Israeli missile attack on an industrial area of Isfahan killed at least 15 people, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Saturday."The attack targeted a factory that produces heating and cooling equipment" and was in operation at the time of the strike, Fars reported. Saturday is a working day in Iran.AFP was not able to verify the toll. - 14 March 2026 9:55 PM IST
Non-essential crew of Iranian ship IRIR Lavan depart India; ship remains docked in Kochi
Non-essential crew of Iranian ship IRIR Lavan depart India; ship remains docked in Kochi
New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI) India has repatriated the non-essential crew members of an Iranian warship that docked in Kochi on March 4 amid the escalating military conflict between Iran and the US.Over 50 of the 183 crew members have stayed back as the ship, IRIS Lavan, remains in Kochi, people familiar with the matter said.External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the ship's non-essential crew members, as well as several stranded Iranian nationals, left India on board a chartered flight arranged by Tehran.The sailors left India by a Turkish airline aircraft. The aircraft landed in Kochi late last night after picking up the bodies from Colombo of over 80 Iranian sailors of another warship that was sunk by the US submarine off the coast of Sri Lanka on March 4.The Iranian ship IRIS Lavan remains in Kochi since March 4. The ship had developed urgent technical issues and was granted emergency docking approval on March 1 following a request from the Iranian side.It is learnt that the Iranian sailors of IRIS Lavan will travel to Iran by road from Yerevan, Armenia's capital city.The repatriation of the crew members came as New Delhi makes efforts to ensure safe passage for over two dozen Indian-flagged merchant vessels currently stationed on either side of the Strait of Hormuz."Owing to the widespread flight disruptions on account of the conflict (in West Asia), several Iranian nationals were stranded in India. The Iranian authorities arranged a chartered flight to take back these stranded nationals, including Iranian nationals visiting India as tourists," Jaiswal said at a media briefing."The flight took off from Kochi last night. The passengers also included the non-essential crew of IRIS Lavan which remains docked in Kochi," he said. - 14 March 2026 9:27 PM IST
West Asia crisis: India in touch with key players to safeguard its energy security
West Asia crisis: India in touch with key players to safeguard its energy security
New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI) Against the backdrop of spiralling hostilities in West Asia, India on Saturday said it has remained in touch with all key players, including the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, the US and Israel, with a primary focus on safeguarding its energy security.External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that besides advocating for dialogue and diplomacy, India has consistently underlined the necessity of ensuring the unimpeded transit of goods and energy supplies through the region.Aseem Mahajan, an additional secretary in the ministry, said five Indian nationals have lost their lives and one remains missing in the ongoing conflict. He said around 1,72,000 Indians have returned to India since February 28, the day the hostilities began."We have also called for avoiding targeting civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, across the region. We believe that these are the priorities of a large part of the global community since the impact of the conflict is being felt globally," Jaiswal said.Global oil and gas prices have surged after Iran has virtually blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).West Asia has been a major source of India's energy procurement."As you would be aware, we are dealing with a very complex situation concerning the active conflict zone," Jaiswal said."Nevertheless, we have remained in touch with all important interlocutors, including all the Gulf Cooperation Council members, Iran, the US and Israel at various political and diplomatic levels in an effort to take up with them and underline our priorities, especially concerning our energy security," he said.Both Jaiswal and Mahajan made the remarks at a media briefing.The external affairs ministry spokesperson also made a mention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's phone conversations with a number of his counterparts in West Asia in the last few days.The external affairs minister and our embassies have also been in close touch with their interlocutors, he said."As a result of these multiple contacts with all concerned, some ships destined for India have been able to cross through the Strait of Hormuz."Two Indian ships Shivalik and Nanda Devi crossed the Strait of Hormuz and are now headed to ports in India," Jaiswal said."Several of our ships remained in the Gulf region," he said."We propose to continue to remain in touch and coordinate with all concerned countries to ensure a safe and unimpeded transit for them in an effort to ensure our energy security," he added. - 14 March 2026 9:15 PM IST
Trump urges other nations to send ships to secure Hormuz
Trump urges other nations to send ships to secure Hormuz
WASHINGTON, United States, March 14, 2026 (AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Saturday urged other nations to send ships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the critical chokepoint for global oil supplies disrupted by the Mideast war.
Trump, who has said the United States will soon start escorting tankers through the strait, posted on Truth Social that "Many countries, especially those who are affected by Iran's attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe."
The US president added: "Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area."
Iranian strikes have all but halted maritime traffic in the strait, through which a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass. It is just 54 kilometers (34 miles) wide at its narrowest point.
With oil prices spiking, Trump was asked Friday when the US Navy would begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. "It'll happen soon, very soon," he said.
- US bombing the shoreline -
In his post on Saturday, Trump asserted that Iran's military capability had been eliminated but he conceded that it was still able to attack the strait.
"We have already destroyed 100% of Iran's Military capability, but it's easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are," he wrote.
As he urged nations to send ships to the strait, he added that "the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!"
On Friday, the US military heavily bombed targets on Iran's Kharg Island, which handles almost all of Iran's crude exports, and Trump threatened to hit the island's oil infrastructure, which was spared in the strikes, "should Iran, or anyone else" interfere with passage of ships through the strait.
US allies have been reluctant to provide military support to the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, but they have mobilized warships in response to the widening conflict.
On Monday, President Emmanuel Macron visited a French aircraft carrier dispatched to the Mediterranean and said France and its allies are preparing a "defensive" mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
And on Tuesday, a UK warship left port in southern England en route to the eastern Mediterranean to "bolster British defences in the region" after a drone attack on Britain's Akrotiri base in southern Cyprus.
- 14 March 2026 9:13 PM IST
Iran lets two gas tankers sail to India through Hormuz, sources say
Iran lets two gas tankers sail to India through Hormuz, sources say
NEW DELHI, March 13 (Reuters) - Iran has allowed two Indian-flagged liquefied petroleum gas carriers to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, a rare exception to the Iranian blockade that has disrupted global energy supplies.
The Indian-flagged LPG tanker Shivalik crossed the Strait under escort from the Indian Navy, said two of the sources, and the second vessel, Nanda Devi, was expected to clear in the next few hours.
Since the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign on Iran, Tehran has largely halted traffic through the strait, which runs past its coast and normally supplies around 20% of global oil and seaborne liquefied natural gas.
Iran has said it will not permit any supplies for the United States or its allies to leave the strait, but India has sought exemptions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday he had spoken to Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and discussed the transit of goods and energy from the Gulf.
India has also given safe harbour to 183 Iranian sailors from a vessel that docked after the war broke out. The vessel was one of three that had participated in exercises in India; one of the others was sunk by a U.S. torpedo off Sri Lanka.
India is reeling under its worst gas crisis in decades with the government cutting supplies for industries to shield households from any shortage of cooking gas.
Shivalik and Nanda Devi are owned by state-run Shipping Corp of India.(SCI.NS), opens new tab
Shivalik, which had arrived in Qatari waters on February 25, last reported its position on March 12 as within the exclusive economic zone waters up to 24 miles off the United Arab Emirates, according to tracking data on MarineTraffic.
Nanda Devi was last seen on Friday in Iranian waters close to the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, according to MarineTraffic data. It had called at Qatar’s Ras Laffan anchorage on February 27 before sailing to UAE waters, the data showed.
Separately, a crude tanker is expected to arrive in India on Saturday carrying Saudi Arabian oil after sailing through the Strait around March 1, according to two of the sources and data from Lloyd's List Intelligence.
The Liberia flagged Smyrni crude oil suezmax tanker, which can carry a maximum capacity of 1 million barrels, is expected to arrive at an Indian port for state refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL.NS), opens new tab.
India's foreign ministry, navy, Shipping Corp and HPCL did not respond to Reuters emails sent out after business hours.
India consumed 33.15 million metric tons of cooking gas last year, with imports accounting for about 60% of demand. About 90% of those imports came from the Middle East.
On Thursday India said 24 Indian-flagged vessels were stuck in the Gulf area past the narrow strait.
- 14 March 2026 9:09 PM IST
UAE says consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan targeted for second time in a week
UAE says consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan targeted for second time in a week
DUBAI, March 14, 2026 (AFP) - The UAE slammed the targeting of its consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan for the second time in a week, the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement Saturday."The United Arab Emirates expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the treacherous terrorist attack by a drone, which targeted the UAE Consulate General in Iraqi Kurdistan, for the second time in a week, and resulted in the injury of two security personnel and caused damage to the consulate building," it said.Iraq's Kurdistan regional government later denounced the attack, labelling it "a terrorist act that threatens the sovereignty of Kurdish and Iraqi territory".It urged Baghdad to fulfil its responsibility and put an end to the activities of "armed groups and militias targeting residents" in the Kurdistan region and across Iraq.Iraq, long a proxy battleground between the United States and Iran, had said it did not want to be dragged into the war, which began on February 28 when Israel and the US launched strikes against Iran, but it has not been spared.It was drawn into the conflict from the outset, with strikes blamed on the US and Israel targeting Iran-backed groups, which have since claimed attacks on US bases in Iraq, including Kurdistan, and the wider region.On Monday, Kurdish counterterrorism forces said US-led coalition forces had "downed three explosive-laden drones over Erbil", the capital of the Kurdistan region, with one falling near the UAE consulate. - 14 March 2026 8:51 PM IST
Tehran threatens Middle East's busiest port as Iran war enters its third week
Tehran threatens Middle East's busiest port as Iran war enters its third week
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran openly threatened a neighboring country's non-U.S. assets for the first time Saturday, warning people to immediately evacuate the busiest port in the Middle East and two others in the United Arab Emirates as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran entered its third week.A missile struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, and debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hit an oil facility in the UAE, further increasing global anxiety about oil supplies.Iran threatened to attack cities in the UAE, home to Dubai and one of the world's busiest airports, saying the U.S. used “ports, docks and hideouts” there to launch strikes on Iran's Kharg Island , without providing evidence. It urged people to evacuate areas where it said U.S. forces were sheltering, naming Dubai's Jebel Ali port — the Mideast's busiest — as well as Abu Dhabi's Khalifa port and Fujairah port.Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbors during the war, but it said it was targeting U.S. assets, even as hits or attempts were reported on civilian ones such as airports and oil fields.Associated Press images showed a fire in the Fujairah port that broke out after what authorities said was a drone interception, and smoke rising over the embassy compound in the Iraqi capital.On Friday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. “obliterated” military sites on Kharg Island, home to the main terminal that handles Iran’s oil exports. He warned that Iran's oil infrastructure could be next if Tehran continues to interfere with the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz , where vessels are backed up and where one-fifth of global oil supplies usually transit.Iran’s parliamentary speaker has warned that such strikes would provoke a new level of retaliation.Trump said Saturday on social media that he hopes China, France, Japan, South Korea, the U.K. and others send warships to keep the strait “open and safe.”Iran continued to launch missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf Arab states, and U.S. and Israeli warplanes pummeled military and other targets across Iran . Lebanon's humanitarian crisis deepened, with nearly 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced , as Israel launched waves of strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.Marines and an assault ship will add to US forces A U.S. official said Friday that 2,500 more Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli are being sent to the Middle East, adding to the military’s largest buildup of warships and aircraft in the region in decades. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.Marine Expeditionary Units are able to conduct amphibious landings but also specialize in bolstering security at embassies, evacuating civilians and providing disaster relief. The deployment doesn't necessarily indicate that a ground operation will take place. The Wall Street Journal first reported the Marine deployment.The Tripoli was spotted by commercial satellites sailing near Taiwan, putting it more than a week away from the waters off Iran.Earlier in the week, the Navy had 12 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and eight destroyers, in the Arabian Sea. The total number of U.S. service members on the ground in the Middle East isn't clear.US strikes a key Iranian island after Tehran warning The U.S. strikes on Kharg Island targeted military sites, Trump said on social media.On Saturday, Iran’s joint military command reiterated its threat to attack U.S.-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructures” in the region if the Islamic Republic's oil infrastructure is hit.Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency said the Kharg Island strikes caused no damage to oil infrastructure. It said they targeted an air defense facility, a naval base, the airport control tower and an offshore oil company’s helicopter hangar.U.S. Central Command said it destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers and other military sites.Israel earlier announced another wave of strikes in Iran targeting infrastructure, and said its air force had hit more than 200 targets in the last 24 hours, including missile launchers, defense systems and weapons production sites.Another attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad No one immediately claimed responsibility for the strike on the embassy's helipad. The embassy complex, one of the largest U.S. diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones fired by Iran-aligned militias.There was no immediate comment from the embassy. On Friday, it renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against U.S. citizens, interests and infrastructure and “may continue to target them.”___Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel; Magdy from Cairo and Toropin from Washington. Associated Press writers Sally Abou AlJoud, Kareem Chehayeb and Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; Will Weissert at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland and Tia Goldenberg in Washington contributed to this report. - 14 March 2026 7:40 PM IST
Israel presses strikes as Lebanon says 26 paramedics killed since war began
Israel presses strikes as Lebanon says 26 paramedics killed since war began
BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 14, 2026 (AFP) - Israel kept up strikes on Lebanon on Saturday as Beirut said 26 paramedics had been killed since the latest war erupted between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah this month.French President Emmanuel Macron said the Lebanese government was ready to engage in "direct talks" with Israel and offered to host negotiations in Paris, warning that "everything must be done to prevent Lebanon from descending into chaos."Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war last week when militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem said Friday that his group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel.Israel's military said it had struck "approximately 110 Hezbollah command centres" since the regional conflict broke out.Lebanese health authorities said an overnight Israeli strike killed 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses working at a healthcare centre in the southern town of Burj Qalawiya.The Israeli army said Saturday that a day earlier it struck Hezbollah operatives "who were bringing rockets into a weapons depot" in Majedel, around seven kilometres (four miles) from Burj Qalawiya.Lebanon's health ministry accused Israel of repeatedly "targeting ambulance crews while they were performing rescue duties", while the Israeli military accused Hezbollah of using ambulances militarily.Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee warned that Israel would act "in accordance with international law against any military activity" by any Hezbollah use of medical facilities or ambulances.Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the Burj Qalawiya strike hit an Islamic Health Committee facility, but a statement from the Hezbollah-affiliated organisation did not identify the site as theirs.- 'No safety' -On Saturday, an Israeli strike hit an apartment building in a northern Beirut suburb that had been targeted a day earlier, with state media also reporting strikes in the country's south.An AFP correspondent in the Nabaa-Burj Hammoud area saw rescue workers at the scene and damage including a hole in a building, outside Hezbollah's strongholds in the capital's southern suburbs.The health ministry said the strike killed one person and wounded four others.The same building had been struck on Friday without causing casualties.Burj Hammoud is a densely populated, mixed area known for its large Armenian-Lebanese community.Levon Ghazalian, 42, who lives in the building next door, said "it's the first time this happens" in the area, which was spared in the previous conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024."All the neighbours are afraid," he told AFP, staring at the scene with his daughter.Hanadi Hachem, 50, who was in her pyjamas, said "there's no safety anymore... you never know where a strike will come from".She said she and some family members were sleeping in their car out of fear.In the suburbs of the southern coastal city of Sidon, state media reported a strike targeted an apartment in the Haret Saida area.An AFP correspondent there said the strike hit a residential building in the densely populated area, causing a fire.- UN peacekeepers -On a visit to Lebanon that began on Friday, UN chief Antonio Guterres called on Israel and Hezbollah to "stop the war" and launched a $325 million humanitarian appeal to support Lebanon, where hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.Guterres met army chief Rodolphe Haykal on Saturday, Lebanon's military said, discussing the need to adhere to a 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, and for the army to implement its plan to disarm the militant group.On Friday, the NNA said Israeli fire hit a UN base hosting Nepali peacekeepers in the southern border town of Mais al-Jabal.Kandice Ardiel, spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, told AFP Saturday that one of the peacekeepers' positions near Mais al-Jabal was hit, "likely by heavy machine gun fire", sparking a fire, with one peacekeeper lightly wounded."We have launched an investigation. We remind all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers at all times," she said, without identifying the source of the gunfire.
