Iran missiles on Jerusalem, at least 6 explosions. Trump: '48 hours before all hell breaks loose'. Israel-linked ship hit

Israel hit Iranian petrochemical plants after targeting steel installations used to produce basic materials for weapons. This was announced in a video by the prime minister of the Jewish state, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Il primo ninustro di Israele Benjamin Netanyahu. REUTERS/Amir Cohen TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo

Israeli forces destroyed - in the last 24 hours - 17 surveillance cameras connected to the main headquarters of the UN blue helmets in southern Lebanon. This was reported by a UN security official quoted by Afp as saying that "17 cameras at the headquarters were destroyed by the Israeli army" in the coastal resort of Naqura. Unifil spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel stated that "the cameras appear to have been destroyed by some sort of laser", adding that "Israeli soldiers are present in Naqura and have carried out massive demolitions of buildings in the village this week".

The shooting down of 2 US military jets yesterday by Iran constitutes a rather rare attack for the US, which has not occurred in over 20 years. Retired Air Force Brigadier General Houston Cantwell, a former F-16 fighter pilot, reports that the last time a US warplane had been shot down by enemy fire in combat was a A-10 Thunderbolt II during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. Yesterday, Iran shot down a US F15-E Strike Eagle fighter jet; according to US officials, one military pilot was rescued, while a search is still underway to find a second soldier. Iranian state media also reported that a US A-10 attack aircraft crashed after being hit by Iranian defence forces.

At least six explosions were heard in late afternoon in Jerusalem after a new missile launch from Iran was intercepted. This was reported by the Afp, recalling that in the course of the day five people had been injured in Tel Aviv and central Israle in an Iranian missile attack.

"Last night, the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of the late Major General Qasem Soleimani, a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, were arrested by federal agents following Secretary of State Marco Rubio's revocation of their Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) status," reads the US State Department statement. The Rubio-led department then accuses Asfar Soleimani: "During his stay in the United States, he has promoted Iranian regime propaganda, celebrated attacks on American soldiers and military facilities in the Middle East, praised Iran's new supreme leader, denounced America as the 'Great Satan,' and expressed his unconditional support for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, an organisation designated as terrorist." "Afshar Soleimani spread this pro-Iranian terrorist regime propaganda while leading a lavish lifestyle in Los Angeles, as evidenced by his frequent posts on his recently deleted Instagram account," he further denounces.

The State Department adds that earlier this month Rubio also revoked the legal status of Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani, daughter of former Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, and her husband Seyed Kalantar Motamedi. "Both Ardeshir-Larijani and Motamedi are no longer in the United States and are barred from entering it in the future," the US administration emphasised, concluding that it "will not allow our country to become a haven for foreign nationals who support anti-American terrorist regimes."

The disappearance of a US pilot, after the F-15 fighter jet he was on board was shot down over Iranian territory, is raising serious concerns in Washington, where the memory of the hostage crisis of 1979 is still vivid. The fear is that the serviceman could be captured and used as negotiating leverage by Tehran, replicating a pattern that has become routine for Tehran since the Islamic Revolution, comments the New York Times. The 1979 crisis represented a watershed in the relations between the two countries: 52 US citizens were detained for 444 days in the US embassy in Tehran, in the midst of the Islamic Revolution. The episode is still considered a political and diplomatic trauma for the US and continues to influence the American reading of Iranian moves. This explains the urgency of the search operation, a real race against time on the part of the American forces and, according to Iranian sources, also of the Tehran departments, which have reportedly offered rewards for handing over the pilot to the authorities.

At the time, the hijackers' initial demands included the extradition of the shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, then in the US for medical treatment, as well as the return of his assets and an end to US support for his regime. As the crisis dragged on, the demands expanded to include the release of frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of sanctions and Washington's commitment not to interfere in Iran's internal affairs. The crisis was resolved with a deal facilitated and hosted by Algeria, whereby the US effectively agreed to all of Tehran's demands in exchange for the release of the hostages, who returned just after Ronald Reagan took office in January 1981. Since then, the Iranian government has repeatedly used the detention of foreign nationals as a means of pressure, holding - sometimes for years - mainly American and European citizens, often demanding money in return or the return of its own detainees abroad. Hostages have also been used as propaganda tools and negotiating leverage.

There are Chinese companies that provide Iran with useful and usable intelligence information that exposes US forces: however, reports the Washington Post, these would be 'private companies' and, in fact, the Chinese Communist Party would be trying to 'keep their distance'. When the war in Iran broke out five weeks ago, social media 'investigators' active on Western and Chinese platforms reported a wave of viral posts detailing equipment on US bases, the movements of US naval strike groups, and other meticulous analyses.

Iran prefers diplomacy, but the United States and Israel have already attacked the Islamic republic twice during negotiations. This was denounced by Mojtaba Ferdowsipour, head of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Cairo.

"We always stick to diplomacy during crises. We were at the negotiating table in 2025, but then the US and Israel attacked us. After that, there was progress towards reaching an agreement, but then the attacks were repeated," Ferdowsipour said.

Russia has initiated the evacuation of 198 employees from Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant after this morning's attacks. Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev said that 'the main wave of evacuation of Rosatom personnel from Iran began today as planned'. According to the Tass news agency, buses with '198 people' left 'about 20 minutes after' the attack in the area of the plant.

According to an analysis by the New York Times, there are four options on the table for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, supported by various international actors and including the Italian proposal to open a humanitarian corridor. According to the American newspaper, Rome is counting on a diplomatic and multilateral solution, under UN auspices, to guarantee at least the safe passage of essential goods. The plan, described by Italian officials at the 40-nation breakfast meeting for the Strait of Hormuz, 'was not endorsed by the envoys present at the meeting, which ended without a concrete plan for reopening the strait,' the analysis reads. The proposal is part of a broader approach combining diplomatic pressure and military means, supported by several European countries and open to the involvement of actors such as China to influence Tehran. Other options include that of naval escorts, promoted in particular by Emmanuel Macron's France and also supported by the United States: the idea is to accompany commercial ships with military units of the respective countries. The third concerns the strait minesweeping, proposed mainly by Germany and Belgium, ready to send minesweepers to remove any ordnance. The last option is air support, advocated by the United States, which is asking its European allies to contribute fighters and drones to intercept possible Iranian attacks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned of continued US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and the resulting "radiation risk". "They have targeted the Bushehr nuclear plant as many as four times," Araghchi said in a post on his X account, stressing, "Any radiation would not only destroy Tehran, but also the capitals of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council countries."

The second American pilot who has been talked about since anF-15 was shot down in the skies over Iran yesterday has not been captured. This was stated by the Iranian authorities. A unit of the Guardians of the Revolution in the southern province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad and the governor of the province deny that the second American crew member of the F-15 was captured, reports the BBC. And, the British network reports, the first pilot was not rescued by US forces, while the American media write that he was rescued. The governor spoke of an 'enemy tactic'. CNN continues to report that the fate of a US soldier is unknown after what happened yesterday. The New York Times writes of a race against time by the US military to locate him. Sources speak of operations by the US forces to locate and extract the soldier, while the official Iranian media have offered a reward to those who find him. They urge the population, the BBC reports, to 'capture the pilot alive'.

The Revolutionary Guardians, the Iranian Pasdaran, claim a drone attack on a vessel "in the Strait of Hormuz" that they describe as "connected" to Israel. "A drone hit a vessel" that is "connected" to Israel "in the Strait of Hormuz" and "the vessel is on fire," they claim in a message posted on X, adding that the "Msc Ishyka" was hit.

An Indian ship carrying LPG has successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz and is on its way to India. This was announced by the Ministry of Transport in Dehli, adding that there are only seventeen other ships in the Persian Gulf region, flying the Indian flag, with a total of 460 crew members on board.

India, which imports most of its oil and gas needs, managed to negotiate with Tehran for the passage of some of its ships.

The Iranian authorities have issued permits for transit through the Strait of Hormuz to ships carrying essential goods and humanitarian aid. This was reported by the Tasnim news agency, quoted by Al-Jazeera. The authorisation applies in particular to ships bound for Iranian ports or those located in the Sea of Oman, the agency points out.

Israeli embassies in the Middle East will become legitimate targets should Iranian diplomatic offices be attacked by the Jewish state, Tehran's military leadership has announced. "Should any kind of attack or aggression be perpetrated against an embassy or diplomatic post of Iran, all embassies of this regime [Israel, ed.] in the region would become legitimate targets of the Iranian armed forces and would be subject to bombardment," the Iranian military statement read.

"Iran's position is misrepresented in the US media. We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and we have never refused to go to Islamabad. What we are interested in are the conditions for a definitive and lasting end to the illegal war being imposed on us'. This was written on X by the Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had officially informed the mediators of its unwillingness to meet US officials in Islamabad in the coming days.

Oil exports from the Iranian island of Kharg, located in the Persian Gulf, have not decreased in the last few days, and indeed "have increased with an even higher quality": this was stated by the number one of the Iranian Parliament's Energy Committee, Moussa Ahmadi, in statements quoted by the Isna news agency, in the context of the ongoing war between Israel, the US and Tehran. Recently, the US president, Donald Trump, threatened to attack Kharg if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz to the transit of ships and a Washington-Tehran agreement is not reached. "Currently, due to the energy prices in the world oil market, our oil export is in a better situation and is sold at an affordable price. Iran has special customers for its oil,' Ahmadi argued.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been informed by Iran that a projectile hit an area near the Bushehr nuclear power plant this morning, the fourth such incident in recent weeks. This was stated in a post on X, in which it reported the "deep concern" of Aiea director general Rafael Grossi over the incident, which however did not cause "any increase in radiation levels". "Nuclear power plant sites or neighbouring areas must never be attacked," Grossi reiterates, recalling that "auxiliary buildings may contain vital safety equipment" and renewing his call for "maximum military restraint to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident".

A vote at the United Nations Security Council on a draft resolution submitted by Bahrain for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz has been postponed until next week. This was reported by CNN, citing Reuters, recalling that the vote, initially scheduled for yesterday, had then been postponed to today. Diplomatic sources pointed out that there is still no new date for the vote that was postponed to next week. The draft resolution, if adopted, would authorise countries to use 'all necessary defensive means' to guarantee transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a formulation that China, Russia and even France do not like. This would be tantamount to "legitimising the illegal and indiscriminate use of force, which would inevitably lead to a further escalation of the situation and serious consequences", Chinese representative to the UN Fu Cong said on Thursday.

After a break of almost 10 hours, the Israel Defence Forces detected a new ballistic attack from Iran, heading towards the centre of Israel. This was reported by Times of Israel. Meanwhile, this morning a projectile struck the northern town of Kiryat Shmona without sirens sounding. According to rescuers, the impact damaged a road, with shrapnel hitting nearby houses and cars, but causing no injuries. The IDF has launched an investigation into the incident.

Five people were injured in explosions reported at a petrochemical site in southwestern Iran. This was reported by the Iranian media, as reported by the Guardian. Earlier, the Fars news agency had spoken of a "US and Israeli attack" in the Petrochemical Special Economic Zone in Mahshahr, in the province of Khuzestan. According to the Tasnim news agency, several facilities were hit. Damage was reported in the Bandar Imam Petrochemical Complex. The deputy governor of Khuzestan, Valiollah Hayati, spoke of a 'very high probability of casualties, dead and wounded, due to the attack'.

On Friday, Iran shot down a US fighter jet flying over the centre of the country. A crew member was rescued while the US military was conducting a search and rescue operation. Israel also helped Washington. This is the first time the US has lost an aircraft on Iranian territory during the war that broke out on 28 February. Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari of the Iranian Joint Military Command stated that 'the jet was completely destroyed and further search operations are still ongoing'.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied any responsibility for the drone attack on the US embassy in Riyadh on 3 March, saying it was the work of Israel. Al Jazeera reports. The statement came after the publication of an article in the Wall Street Journal which claimed that the Iranian attack was more devastating than the Saudi authorities admitted.

One person was killed in a raid by the United States and Israel against the Iranian nuclear power plant in Bushehr. This was reported by the Tasnim news agency, according to which the attack - the fourth against the plant since the beginning of the war on 28 February - has caused no damage to the main parts of the plant and its operation has not been compromised. The victim is a security guard at the plant.

"The Strait of Hormuz has become a strategic advantage for Iran under the new security conditions and it will never return to the status it had before" of the start of US and Israeli military operations against the Islamic Republic. These are the words of the spokesman for the presidency of the Iranian Parliament, Abbas Goudarzi, who in recent days announced the start of a process to impose payment for transit through the Strait of Hormuz. In statements reported by the Iranian news agency Tasnim, Goudarzi assures that "the management of this important route is in the hands of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran" and that "no country will have the right to transit it without the permission of Iran", which "will defend this strategic position with all its military power".

"The US and Israeli attack" affected three companies. This was reported by the Iranian Fars agency after reports of explosions in the Petrochemical Special Economic Zone in Mahshahr, in Iran's Khuzestan province. At the moment 'the extent of the damage is unknown', reports another Iranian agency, the Tasnim. According to Al-Jazeera, reporting from Fars, there is smoke rising from the area.

The damage inflicted by an attack attributed to Iran on the US embassy in Riyadh in the middle of the night on 3 March was "more extensive than previously reported", writes the Wall Street Journal, citing current and former US officials. In the raid, during which at least two drones struck the US embassy compound, a 'secure part' of the diplomatic compound 'was successfully penetrated', the newspaper writes. Usually, 'several hundred people' work in that area during daylight hours. Three floors of the building were 'heavily damaged', the Wsj adds. Initially, the Saudi Defence Ministry had spoken of an incident with 'limited fire' and 'minor damage'.

A second oil tanker belonging to a Turkish ship owner crossed the Strait of Hormuz today, Ankara's Minister of Transport, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, told CNN Turk. "At the time of the outbreak of the conflict, there were fifteen ships belonging to Turkish ship owners in the Strait. Two of these fifteen ships passed through,' the minister concluded without giving further details. According to Al-Jazeera reports, Iran could set up three different categories of countries to regulate access to the Strait of Hormuz: for 'friendly' nations, transit would be free, 'neutral' nations would have to pay a toll while 'hostile' nations would be banned from any passage.

A new spokesman for the Guardians of the Revolution, the Iranian Pasdaran. Hossein Mohabi was chosen for the post after his predecessor was killed during the US and Israeli military operations against Iran, which began on 28 February. This was announced by the Iranian Fars news agency, reporting on the appointment after the 'martyrdom' of Ali Mohammad Naini, whose 'elimination' was confirmed by Israel on 20 March.

According to Dubai authorities, debris from two drones hit the façades of two buildings in the metropolis, one of which belonged to the US technology company Oracle. No injuries were reported and the situation was quickly brought under control. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards threatened to attack Oracle and 17 other US companies, accusing them of being involved in 'terrorist espionage' operations in Iran. Previous Iranian drone attacks caused damage to three Amazon Web Services facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Recognition of the peaceful nuclear programme is one of the conditions demanded by Iran for an end to the ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States, diplomatic sources in Tehran quoted by Russian news agencies as saying. "Among the conditions for ending the war is a lasting peace in our region, not a ceasefire, because we have already had bitter experience of that. A certain mechanism to maintain a lasting peace includes condemnation of the aggressors, reparations, compensation for material damage, lifting of all sanctions, and respect for Iran's right to a peaceful nuclear power,' the sources continued. As for the progress of the conflict, 'on the thirty-fifth day of the war, Iran remains fully governable, despite the assassination of political and military leaders. The army is reacting,' they concluded.

According toAl-Jazeera, Iran could establish three different categories of countries to regulate access to the Strait of Hormuz. For 'friendly' nations, transit would be free of charge, 'neutral' nations would have to pay a toll while 'hostile' nations would be banned from any passage. Currently, the Strait - through which much of the oil destined for Europe transits - is controlled by Iran, which has allegedly mined part of it; Tehran has allowed transit to a few oil tankers, some of which would pay a toll.

FOTO D'ARCHIVIO: Navi da carico nel Golfo, nei pressi dello Stretto di Hormuz, viste dalla zona settentrionale di Ras al-Khaimah, vicino al confine con la provincia di Musandam dell'Oman, sullo sfondo del conflitto tra Stati Uniti, Israele e Iran, negli Emirati Arabi Uniti, 11 marzo 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/Foto d'archivio

Two men have been put to death in Iran on charges of terrorist activities: Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian, accused of 'belonging to the exiled dissident group the People's Mojahedin Organisation (MKO) and of setting up armed groups to carry out bomb attacks in the country in order to undermine national security'. According to a statement by the judiciary, the two 'had identified sensitive and strategic locations and had launched explosive devices there'. Both were hacked this morning in Tehran. In the past few days, Iran has executed four other people accused of belonging to the MKO and conducting terrorist activities.

There are 365 US military personnel wounded since the 28 February launch of Operation Epic Fury against Iran. This was announced by the Pentagon in a new update in the last few hours, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Among the wounded were 247 Army soldiers, 63 Navy, 36 Air Force and 19 Marines. Thirteen, as already known, were killed.

Mohammad Ghalibaf, head of Iran's parliament, said, "How many global shipments of oil, LNG, wheat, rice, fertiliser transit through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait?" In a post on X, Ghalibaf also added: "Which countries and which companies have the highest numbers transiting the Strait?" A threat, not too veiled, concerning another strategic area for international maritime traffic, after the Strait of Hormuz. Yemen, the Houthi land that Tehran has been accused of supporting for years, lies at the mouth of Bab el-Mandeb.

Several explosions were heard in areas to the north of Tehran this morning. This was reported by Al Jazeera reporters.