All you need to know about Day 15 of US-Israeli war on Iran

This live blog follows updates for Day 15 of the US-Israel war on Iran. For a recap of Day 14, go here.

• Smoke seen rising from direction of UAE energy facility: AFP journalist
• Iran urges UAE residents to stay away from ports
• Macron thanks Iraqi PM for 'measures' to safeguard French forces
• Iran says museums and historic sites damaged in war
• Pentagon moving additional marines, warships to Middle East: Wall Street Journal

UAE has 'right to defend itself' but chooses 'restraint': senior official

Published: March 14, 2026 | 23:46 GMT

The United Arab Emirates has the right to defend itself against Iran's ongoing strikes but chooses restraint, a senior UAE official has said, as Tehran continues its retaliatory attacks across the Gulf.

"The UAE has the right to defend itself against this imposed terrorist aggression, but it is still prioritising reason and logic, continuing to exercise restraint and seeking a way out for Iran and the region," presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said late Saturday on X.

The UAE "made sincere efforts until the very last moment to mediate between Washington and Tehran to avoid this war", he wrote.

US embassy attacked in Baghdad, strikes hit Iran-backed fighters

Published: March 14, 2026 | 22:47 GMT

The US embassy in Baghdad was hit by an attack following strikes that killed three members of a powerful Iran-backed group in the capital, security sources said.

Two security officials told AFP the embassy complex was struck by a drone.

The US embassy did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment on the incident.

Drone attack on military base at Baghdad airport: security sources

Published: March 14, 2026 | 22:34 GMT 

A drone attack late on Saturday targeted the Baghdad airport complex, which houses a military base and a US diplomatic facility, two security sources told AFP.

One security source told AFP that drones "targeted the military base" but were brought down just outside the complex, which previously housed US-led coalition troops, while a second source said a crashed drone sparked a huge fire outside.

Iran Guards say targeted US forces at Saudi base with missiles

Published: March 14, 2026 | 22:15 GMT 

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said late on Saturday they had launched a missile salvo at US forces stationed at a major base in Saudi Arabia's Al-Kharj.

The Guards said the Prince Sultan Air Base was being used to equip "F-35 and F-16 fighter jets and is the storage place for fuel tankers".

'No French plan' to stop war in Lebanon: France

Published: March 14, 2026 | 21:23 GMT 

France's foreign ministry said Saturday there was "no French plan" to stop the fighting in Lebanon between Israeli forces and Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

"France has supported the Lebanese authorities' openness to direct talks with Israel and has offered to facilitate them," said a ministry statement sent to AFP.

"But it is for the parties, and only the parties, to set the agenda for these talks," it added.

A Lebanese official told AFP Saturday that it was preparing to form a delegation to negotiate with Israel in a bid to stop the war with Hezbollah.

Earlier Saturday, US news site Axios cited three sources in a report saying that France had drawn up a proposal to end the war, one that involved Lebanon recognising the state of Israel.

Trump says other countries 'must take care' of Hormuz

Published: March 14, 2026 | 20:23 GMT 

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said countries that rely on oil carried through the Hormuz strait should take responsibility for keeping the passage open - with American help.

"The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help - A LOT!" he said on social media.

"The US will also coordinate with those Countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well."

'Several drones' strike Kuwait international airport: aviation authority

Published: March 14, 2026 | 20:14 GMT

Several drones struck Kuwait's international airport and hit its radar system but did not injure anyone, the country's civil aviation authority said.

"Kuwait International Airport was targeted by several drones this evening, which struck its radar system," the authority said. "Thankfully, no injuries were recorded."

Six arrested for filming, spreading 'false news' on attacks in Bahrain: ministry

Published: March 14, 2026 | 20:07 GMT 

Bahrain's interior ministry said that six people were arrested for allegedly posting videos and spreading misinformation about Iranian attacks on the country.

"Six people were arrested and referred to the public prosecution for posting videos about the effects of the Iranian aggression, praising its hostile actions and spreading false news," the ministry said.

Iran FM calls on neighbors to 'expel' US forces from Mideast

Published: March 14, 2026 | 16:39 GMT 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called neighboring countries to expel US forces from the Middle East.

The US security umbrella in the region "has proven to be full of holes and inviting rather than deterring trouble," the top diplomat posted on X, adding that Iran called on its neighbours "to expel foreign aggressors".

Iran launches new wave of missiles at Israel: Iranian state TV

Published: March 14, 2026 | 15:54 GMT 

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.

Missile strike on Isfahan industrial area kills 15: Iran media

Published: March 14, 2026 | 15:28 GMT 

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.

Drones cause damage, injuries near US base in Kuwait: ministry

Published: March 14, 2026 | 14:39 GMT 

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.

Turkiye says fears Netanyahu might commit 'new genocide' in Lebanon

Published: March 14, 2026 | 14:31 GMT

Turkiye expressed deep concern Saturday over Israel's ongoing strikes on Lebanon over concerns it would commit "a new genocide" under the guise of fighting Hezbollah.

"We are frankly concerned (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is moving toward a new genocide under the pretext of fighting Hezbollah," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, urging the international community to "take immediate action".

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

Published: March 14, 2026 | 14:03 GMT

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".

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

Published: March 14, 2026 | 13:32 GMT

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."

Blasts heard over Jerusalem after army detects missiles from Iran

Published: March 14, 2026 | 13:10 GMT

Explosions rang out over Jerusalem on Saturday, AFP reporters heard, shortly after the Israeli military warned that it had detected incoming missiles from Iran.

As the Middle East war triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Tehran entered its third week, the military said its "defense system is operating to intercept the threat".

Lebanon says Israeli strikes have killed 26 paramedics since March 2

Published: March 14, 2026 | 12:52 GMT

Lebanon's health ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes had killed 26 paramedics and wounded 51 others since conflict erupted between Israel and Hezbollah.

It came after Lebanese authorities said an overnight Israeli strike killed 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses working at a healthcare centre in the southern town of Burj Qalawiya, following another strike on the town of Sawaneh that left two paramedics dead.

The ministry statement also accused Israel of repeatedly "targeting ambulance crews while they were performing rescue duties", after the Israeli military on Saturday accused Hezbollah of using ambulances militarily.

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

Published: March 14, 2026 | 11:48 GMT

Israel's Defense 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.

Smoke seen rising from direction of UAE energy facility: AFP journalist

Published: March 14, 2026 | 10:52 GMT

Smoke was rising from the direction of a major UAE energy installation on Saturday, 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.

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

Local authorities, in an online statement, said debris falling after a successful drone interception had caused a fire, without specifying the location.

The incident comes hours after President Donald Trump said the US military had bombed targets on Iran's Kharg Island -- which handles almost all of Iran's crude exports -- and threatened to hit the island's oil infrastructure.

Drone strikes hit the UAE's Fujairah energy installations earlier this month, with falling debris from an intercepted drone sparking a blaze, authorities said.

Iran urges UAE residents to stay away from ports

Published: March 14, 2026 | 10:45 GMT

Iran's military warned Saturday that it considers ports in the United Arab Emirates to be legitimate targets and urged residents to avoid them, 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" in the UAE, the military's central operational command, Khatam Al-Anbiya, said.

The statement urged civilians to "evacuate" port areas.

Macron thanks Iraqi PM for 'measures' to safeguard French forces

Published: March 14, 2026 | 10:40 GMT

President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said he had expressed gratitude to the Iraqi prime minister for taking measures to protect French forces, after a drone strike killed a French soldier in Iraq's Kurdistan region.

"Yesterday, I spoke with the Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani," Macron said on X, writing in French and Arabic.

"I thank him for his commitment to getting to the bottom of this attack and to strengthening measures to protect our forces, who are present in Iraq to fight, alongside the Iraqis, against the scourge of terrorism."

Arnaud Frion, 42, was killed and six other French soldiers were wounded on Thursday evening in a drone attack in the Erbil region of Iraqi Kurdistan. He is the first French soldier to die since the start of the war in the Middle East.

"We will continue our coordination and our efforts to promote the country's stability and sovereignty, as well as regional de-escalation," Macron said.

Iran says museums and historic sites damaged in war

Published: March 14, 2026 | 10:35 GMT

Iran's cultural heritage and tourism ministry said Saturday at least 56 museums and historic sites across the country have been damaged, as the Middle East war entered its 15th day.

In Tehran, US-Israeli strikes damaged the UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in the early days of the conflict, local media reported.

The palace complex is one of the oldest sites in the Iranian capital and once served as the residence of the Qajar dynasty.

The ministry said Tehran has recorded the highest number of damaged monuments, with 19 suffering varying levels of harm.

The vast Naghsh-e Jahan Square, a 17th-century architectural jewel in the heart of the central Iranian city of Isfahan, has also been damaged.

In the port of Siraf, in Bushehr province, several houses were hit in the historic quarter, home to many century-old buildings.

UNESCO, the UN's culture agency, told AFP on Friday it was concerned about hundreds of historic sites in Iran, Israel, and Lebanon that have been damaged or threatened by the war.

Pentagon moving additional marines, warships to Middle East: Wall Street Journal

Published: March 14, 2026 | 10:15 GMT

The Pentagon is moving additional Marines and warships to the Middle East as Iran steps up its attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing three US officials. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a request from US Central Command, responsible for American forces in the Middle East, for an element of an amphibious ready group and attached Marine expeditionary unit, typically consisting of several warships and 5,000 Marines and sailors, the WSJ report stated, citing the officials.

The Japan-based USS Tripoli and its attached Marines are now headed for the Middle East, it added. 

Marines are already in the Middle East supporting the Iran operation, the officials were quoted by the report as saying.

Israeli strikes north Beirut suburb, south Lebanon

Published: March 14, 2026 | 08:30 GMT

An Israeli strike hit an apartment building in a northern Beirut suburb that had been targeted a day earlier, Lebanese state media said on Saturday, also reporting strikes in the country's south.

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.

An AFP correspondent in northeast Beirut 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 state-run National News Agency said, "an Israeli strike targeted the Nabaa-Burj Hammoud area for a second day."

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.

Iranian media reports no damage to Kharg oil infrastructure after US strike

Published: March 14, 2026 | 08:30 GMT

No oil infrastructure was damaged in US strikes on Kharg Island, Tehran's crude export hub in the Gulf, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

The Fars news agency, citing sources on the island, reported there had been no damage to oil facilities after President Donald Trump said US strikes had destroyed only military targets.

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

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

According to Fars, the US operation "tried to damage the army's defences, the Joshan naval base, the airport control tower and the helicopter hangar of the Iran Continental Shelf Oil Company."

Kharg Island, a scrubby stretch of land in the northern Gulf around 30 kilometers (19 miles) off the Iranian mainland, handles roughly 90% of Iran's crude exports.

Hamas urges Iran to stop 'targeting neighbouring' countries

Published: March 14, 2026 | 08:30 GMT

Palestinian movement Hamas on Saturday called on Iran to refrain from targeting neighboring countries, while affirming Tehran's right to defend itself against Israel and the United States.

"While affirming the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to respond to this aggression by all available means in accordance with international norms and laws, the movement calls on the brothers in Iran to avoid targeting neighbouring countries," Hamas said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia says drone intercepted in country’s east
Published: March 14, 2026 | 07:30 GMT

A drone has been intercepted in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia, according to a statement on X by the Kingdom's defense ministry.

The statement did not provide any further details.

Iranian media reports no damage to Kharg oil infrastructure after US strike

Published: March 14, 2026 | 06:00 GMT

No oil infrastructure was damaged in US strikes on Kharg Island, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

Fars news agency, citing sources on the ground, reported there had been no damage to oil facilities after President Donald Trump said US bombardment of the island had destroyed military targets.

Trump had threatened in a social media post to target oil infrastructure on the island, a crucial hub for Iran, if Tehran continued to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli military tells residents in parts of Iran's Tabriz to leave 

Published: March 14, 2026 | 05:30 GMT

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".

Internet shutdowns in Iran since US-Israeli strikes late last month triggered a war in the Middle East meant that residents were unlikely to be able to access online evacuation warnings.

Trump says Iran 'totally defeated', 'wants a deal' he won't accept

Published: March 14, 2026 | 04:20 GMT

US President Donald Trump said Saturday 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.

Drone attack takes place on US embassy in Baghdad: Iraqi security source

Published March 14, 2026 | 03:45 GMT

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.

Iran threatens US-linked oil targets after Trump says Kharg bombed

Published March 14, 2026 | 02:33 GMT

Iran's armed forces 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.

New explosion heard in Baghdad: AFP journalist

Published March 14, 2026 | 01:39 GMT

An explosion was heard in Iraq's capital Baghdad on Saturday, an AFP journalist reported, hours after a missile struck a powerful Iran-backed group in the city.

Residents in the Zayouna district in eastern Baghdad told AFP that the force of the blast shook their houses.

Explosions were heard earlier in Baghdad, which appeared to be a missile strike on a house used by the powerful Iran-backed group Kataeb Hezbollah, killing "a key figure" and wounding two others, according to a security source.

Washington orders some US diplomatic staff to leave Oman

Published March 14, 2026 | 00:51 GMT
 

The United States told its non-emergency US government employees in Oman and their family members to leave the Gulf country as war rages in the Middle East.

The State Department updated its advisory to warn Americans of "safety risks," noting "there has been an ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran and significant disruptions to commercial flights."

Two people were killed by a drone in northern Oman, state media reported Friday, as Iran continues its retaliatory attacks on neighboring countries.

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