War in the Middle East: latest developments

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2026-03-21T20:21:30+05:00 AFP

Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war on Saturday:

UAE closes hospital  

UAE authorities have ordered an Iranian state-linked hospital in Dubai to close, three employees told AFP, in another sign of the deteriorating ties between the Gulf neighbours.

Iran, Israel claim strikes  

The Revolutionary Guards said they "struck" an Israeli F-16 over central Iran.

Israel's military said earlier a surface-to-air missile was launched at one of its warplanes in Iran, but it was not clear if the statements referred to the same incident.

Israel also said its forces struck Iranian factories making components for ballistic missiles.

Iran sites 'degraded 

The head of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, said bunker-busting bombs were dropped on an underground Iranian coastal facility this week, and "Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz is degraded as a result".

Hormuz closure condemned  

Twenty-two countries, including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and South Korea, jointly condemned Iran's attacks on ships in the Gulf and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, the countries, which also included Gulf nations Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, expressed "our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait".

The United States was not among the signatories.

Nuclear site hit  

Iran's atomic energy body said US-Israeli strikes hit the Natanz nuclear facility previously used for uranium enrichment, but "no leakage of radioactive materials" was reported.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, called for "military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident", while Russia condemned the strikes, saying they risked "catastrophe" in the Middle East.

Iran gas to Iraq  

Iraq said limited amounts of gas deliveries have resumed from Iran, after a strike on an Iranian facility caused a three-day stoppage.

Diego Garcia targeted

 Iran "unsuccessfully" tried to hit the UK-US Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean, a UK official source told AFP.

The Wall Street Journal had reported that Iran had fired two ballistic missiles at the base, which is around 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres) from Iranian territory and which is being used by US bombers.

Israel threatens intensification  

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that the United States and Israel would intensify their strikes on Iran starting Sunday.

"The intensity of the strikes to be carried out by the IDF and the US military against the Iranian terror regime and the infrastructure on which it relies will rise significantly," Katz said in a statement.

Wartime Eid  

Thousands of Muslims held Eid al-Fitr prayers in Iran to mark the end of the Ramadan fast against the backdrop of the Middle East war, state television footage showed.

Iran, a majority-Shia nation, marked the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan a day after most other Muslim countries, which are mainly Sunni.

Drone kills Iraq intelligence officer 

An Iraqi officer was killed in a drone attack targeting an Iraqi intelligence services building in an upscale Baghdad neighbourhood, the agency said.

Iran warns UAE 

Iran's military warned the UAE against allowing attacks from its territory on two disputed islands in the Gulf, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The Abu Musa and the Greater Tunb islands, which are controlled by Iran but claimed by the UAE, have long been a source of dispute between the two countries.

Israel slammed on Syria  

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry condemned Israeli strikes on Syrian army camps as "aggression", joining other Arab nations and Turkey in calling on the international community to intervene.

Hormuz offer to Japan  

Iran is willing to help Japanese ships sail the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global fuel supplies, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Kyodo News in an interview published on Saturday.

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