112 killed in Iran's Kurdistan, Trump urges other nations to send ships to secure Strait of Hormuz

Iran threatens US companies in region if energy facilities hit, Trump says Iran 'totally defeated', 'wants a deal' he won't accept: Washington sending 2,500 marines to Gulf: Lebanon says Israeli strike on health centre kills 12 medics: US offers $10m reward for Iran leader information

Published: 09:25 AM, 14 Mar, 2026
Featured News, Middle East
112 killed in Iran's Kurdistan, Trump urges other nations to send ships to secure Strait of Hormuz
Caption: Smoke rising from the US Embassy in Baghdad after an air attack.
AFP

Iran launches new wave of missiles at Israel on Saturday night as Iran's armed forces had threatened on Saturday to destroy US-linked oil infrastructure after President Donald Trump said the United States had bombed Iran's oil hub Kharg Island. 

The military's Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement cited by Iranian media that oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that cooperated with the United States would "immediately be destroyed and turned into a pile of ashes" if Iran's energy facilities were attacked.

The announcement, reported by Iran's Fars and Tasnim news agencies, was in "response to statements" made by the US president who had earlier said in a social media post that strikes had "obliterated" military targets on Kharg Island.

Trump had also threatened to hit the island's oil infrastructure if Tehran did not allow passage for ships via the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally pass.

Kharg Island, located around 30 kilometres off the Iranian mainland, handles roughly 90 percent of Iran's crude exports, according to a recent JP Morgan note.

The war has sparked chaos in global markets and sent oil prices soaring.

Missile strike on Isfahan industrial area kills 15

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.

Trump urges other nations to send ships to secure Strait of Hormuz

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."

Iran threatens US companies in region if energy facilities hit: FM

Iran will target the facilities of American companies in the region if its energy facilities are attacked in the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday.

"Iran will respond to any attack on its energy facilities," state television quoted him as saying after US attacks on military infrastructure on Iran's crude oil export hub of Kharg Island.

"If Iranian facilities are targeted, our forces will target American companies' facilities in the region, or companies in which the US holds shares," he warned, while vowing that Tehran would "act cautiously to ensure that densely populated areas are not targeted".

Drones cause damage, injuries near US base in Kuwait

Two drones targeted an airbase in Kuwait housing US military staff, injuring Kuwaiti personnel and causing damage, the defence ministry said on Saturday.

"Three members of the armed forces sustained minor injuries" after the attack on Ahmed Al-Jaber Air Base, spokesperson Brigadier General Saud Al-Otaibi said in a statement. The base is near Camp Arifjan, a major US facility.

Lebanon says Israeli strikes since March 2 have killed 826 people

Lebanon's health ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes have killed 826 people, including 65 women and 106 children, since the start of the war with Hezbollah, adding that 2,009 others were wounded.

A ministry statement said 31 paramedics were among the dead, raising an earlier toll after the bodies of additional health workers were found following an overnight strike that authorities said hit a healthcare centre in the country's south.

Iranian strikes have all but halted maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving investors and governments globally nervous about the risk of dwindling energy supply and higher inflation.

 

112 killed in US-Israel attacks on Iran’s Kurdistan

At least 112 people have been killed so far in US-Israel attacks on Iran’s Kurdistan province, according to a local official quoted by the Tasnim news agency.

Head of the Kurdistan Provincial Emergency Department, whose name was not provided by Tasnim, also said at least 969 people were injured in the attacks.

Twenty-seven people are currently hospitalised in standard wards, while five are in intensive care units, the official said.

- UAE energy hub hit -
Smoke could be seen rising Saturday from the direction of a major United Arab Emirates energy installation, in what appeared to be the latest strike targeting the Gulf's petroleum facilities hours after the US struck Iran's Kharg Island oil hub.

An AFP journalist said clouds of dark black smoke were seen coming from Fujairah, which is home to a major port and oil export terminal where Iranian attacks have already targeted an oil storage and trading hub.

- Tehran warns UAE residents -
Iran's military warned that it considers ports in the UAE to be legitimate targets and urged residents to "evacuate" port areas, in a statement carried by state TV.

Tehran "considers it its legitimate right to defend its national sovereignty and territory by striking American enemy missiles located in ports, docks and US military hideouts", the military's central operational command, Khatam Al-Anbiya, said.

US attack on warship will not go unanswered: Iran army chief

Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army Amir Hatami has warned that the killing of 104 crew members from the IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean “will not go unanswered”, reported Al Jazeera.

“The crew of the Dena destroyer had completed a peaceful mission and were targeted while on their way back to Iran,” he was quoted as saying by Iran’s IRNA news agency, adding that the sailors were attacked despite not being engaged in a direct battle.

Iran says 56 cultural sites damaged

At least 56 of Iran’s cultural sites, including museums and historic monuments, have suffered “serious structural damage” due to US-Israeli attacks since the start of the war, according to the country’s Culture Ministry, Al-Jazeera reports.
In a statement carried by the ISNA news agency, the ministry also said Tehran province tops the list, with 19 damaged monuments.

Trump says Iran 'totally defeated'

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has been "totally defeated" in the US-Israeli military campaign against the country and wanted a deal he would not accept, despite Iranian officials pledging to continue the fight.

"The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal - But not a deal that I would accept!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating.

Trump's comments came after he said that Washington had heavily bombed military targets on Iran's oil hub Kharg Island and the US Navy would soon begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

But as the US strikes on Iran persisted, Tehran launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks on Israel and its Gulf neighbours.

Meanwhile, several top Iranian officials joined a defiant pro-government rally in Tehran on Friday, marching alongside demonstrators waving banners reading "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."

Iran's top diplomat said this week that talks remain off the table and attacks would continue for as long as necessary.

"I don't think talking with the Americans would be on our agenda anymore," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told PBS News this week, adding Tehran had a "very bitter experience" during previous negotiations with the US.

New supreme leader wounded, likely disfigured, Hegseth claims

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is wounded and likely disfigured, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said according to Reuters, questioning Khamenei’s ability to govern after nearly two weeks of US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

“We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured. He put out a statement yesterday. A weak one, actually, but there was no voice and there was no video. It was a written statement,” Hegseth told a briefing.

“Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father — dead. He’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run and he lacks legitimacy.”

- Baghdad strikes -

Explosions rocked Iraq's capital Baghdad on Saturday after two strikes targeted the powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hezbollah, killing two members including a "key figure", security sources told AFP.

The sources did not identify who was behind the strikes, but since the start of the war, several attacks that targeted Iran-backed fighters across Iraq have been blamed on the US and Israel.

- Trump says US to escort tankers 'very soon' -

Trump told reporters Friday that the US Navy would start escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz "very soon" to restore oil exports as he struggles to tackle soaring energy prices.

- Iran targets Israel -

Iran launched a fresh round of missiles towards Israel, state media reported just after midnight on Saturday in Tehran, but Israeli rescue workers said there were no reported casualties following the strikes.

Israel's military said it had identified missiles from Iran and "was operating to intercept the threat," as air raid sirens in multiple areas sent people into shelters.

- Lebanon says health centre hit -

An Israeli strike on a healthcare centre in southern Lebanon killed 12 medical personnel, the Lebanese health ministry said.

The ministry said the attack was "the second against the health sector in a few hours", following a strike on Sawaneh that killed two paramedics affiliated with Hezbollah and its ally Amal.

Israeli strikes have killed at least 773 people in Lebanon since March 2, according to the health ministry.

- Hezbollah defiant -

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said his group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel, as the latter threatened to make Lebanon pay an "increasing price" in damage to infrastructure.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when the Tehran-backed militant group attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.

Israeli strikes continued Friday, including an attack that killed eight people in a south Lebanese village near the port city of Sidon, according to the health ministry.

- US bulking up military presence -

The United States appears to be reinforcing its Middle East deployment by sending an amphibious assault ship and Marines to the region, The Wall Street Journal reported.

CNN reported that the deployment includes an Expeditionary Unit, which are typically made up of 2,500 Marines and sailors.

- 'Iran oil infrastructure intact' -
Iran's Fars news agency, citing sources on Kharg Island, a crucial hub for Tehran, said there had been no damage to oil facilities after President Donald Trump said US strikes had destroyed only military targets there.

Trump had threatened in a social media post to target oil infrastructure on the island if Tehran continues to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has, in turn, threatened to target US-linked oil infrastructure.

- Israeli strikes -
The Israeli army told people in an industrial zone in the west of Iran's northern city of Tabriz to leave ahead of military operations on Saturday.

"Urgent warning to all people located in the industrial area west of Tabriz," the Israeli military posted on X, adding it would "continue to operate in the area in the coming hours".

Meanwhile, an Israeli strike hit an apartment building in a northern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut and targets in the country's south, local media said Saturday.

An overnight Israeli strike killed a dozen medical staff at a clinic in south Lebanon, health authorities said earlier Saturday, after Iran-backed Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem said his group was ready for a long confrontation with Israel.

Israeli strikes have killed at least 773 people in Lebanon since March 2, according to the health ministry.

Israeli defence minister says war with Iran entering 'decisive phase'

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said Saturday the war with Tehran was entering a "decisive phase", praising US strikes on what Washington called military targets on Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub.

"The global and regional struggle against Iran, led by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is escalating and entering the decisive phase that will continue as long as necessary," Katz told military top brass in a televised statement.

- Oil stays above $100 -

Oil prices stayed over $100 a barrel Friday while stock markets slid as investors worry about an extended crisis that could fan inflation and hammer the global economy.

The price of Brent crude, the international crude benchmark contract, closed at $103.14 a barrel, having soared by more than 42 percent since the start of the conflict.

- US offers $10m reward for Iran leader info -

The US State Department offered a $10-million reward for information about Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and other top officials.

- F1 races cancelled -

Formula One races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia will be cancelled or rescheduled as war engulfs the region, a source with knowledge of the matter told AFP.

The Bahrain race is currently scheduled for April 10 to 12, and Saudi Arabia a week later.

- Israel has carried out 7,600 strikes on Iran-

Israel's military said it had carried out around 7,600 strikes across Iran and 1,100 in Lebanon since launching its joint operation with the United States.

- Israel hit -

Smoke could be seen rising from two locations around Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv, an AFP journalist saw, after blasts were heard following a warning that missiles were fired from Iran.

Qatar intercepts two missiles

Qatar said on Saturday it intercepted two missiles, after blasts were heard in the capital Doha and authorities said they had evacuated some key areas.

Interceptors were seen downing two projectiles over the Qatari capital's downtown area and blasts were heard, according to AFP journalists, as Iran presses on with its retaliatory air campaign against Gulf states.

The country's defence ministry said in two separate posts on Saturday that its military had "intercepted" a missile attack targeting the country.

Earlier, the interior ministry said in a statement it was "evacuating several key areas as a temporary precautionary measure, within the framework of ensuring public safety until the danger has passed".

In Doha's central Musheireb district some residents received phone alerts telling them to "evacuate the area immediately... to the nearest safest place as a temporary precaution".

Scores of residents and some hotel guests in Musheireb rushed into underground car parks for shelter, an AFP journalist witnessed.

Law enforcement were out on the streets and some areas were cordoned off in Musheireb, which hosts a country office for US tech giant Google and the US payments firm American Express.

Drone hits US embassy in Baghdad

A drone struck the US embassy in Baghdad on Saturday, an Iraqi security official said, as an AFP journalist saw smoke rising from the complex.

"A drone hit the embassy," the official said, with a second security source confirming that an attack had targeted the diplomatic mission.

The attack took place shortly after two Iran-backed fighters were killed in strikes on Iraq's capital, according to several sources.

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