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Associated Press
- March 15 2026 08: 58
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Gulf states reported fresh missile and drone attacks on Sunday, after Tehran threatened to expand its attacks and called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates, as Iranian attacks there, part of a wider war with the United States and Israel, enter their third week.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates warned people they were working to thwart impending attacks, a day after Iran called for the evacuation of ports, threatening non-US assets of a neighboring country for the first time.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support ContributeIran earlier accused the United States of using “gates and shelters” in the United Arab Emirates to launch attacks on Kharg Island, home to the main terminal handling Iran’s oil exports, without providing evidence. The UAE and other Gulf states that host US bases have denied allowing the use of their territory or airspace for military operations against Iran.
Iranian attacks have killed at least a dozen civilians in Gulf states, most of them migrant workers. At least 13 members of the US military have been killed since the war began, including seven in combat and six who died in a plane crash over Iraq last week.
US President Donald Trump said he hopes allies will send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon deepened, with over 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced, as Israel launched waves of attacks against Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants.
Israel says it still has thousands of targets to hit in Iran
Photo from the archive
Photo: Associated Press
Israeli military spokeswoman Effie Defrin said in a televised address that Israel still has thousands of targets to strike in Iran.
"We are identifying new targets every day," Defrin said, according to Reuters. "The IDF will continue to strike Iran and Hezbollah until we eliminate the threat and achieve the objective of the operation."
The Israeli military, meanwhile, said it had hit over 200 targets in the last 24 hours, including command centers and weapons depots.
Iran's new leader allegedly sent to Moscow for surgery
Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has reportedly been flown to Moscow for leg surgery. The surgery was offered to him personally by Russian President Vladimir Putin. "The Sun" reports.
The reports come at a time when there have also been rumors that Mojtaba Khamenei has died.
Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported that the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on the first day of Israeli and US attacks on Iran, has been secretly taken out of Iran in a top-secret operation.
The newspaper said the evacuation was carried out with the utmost secrecy and that the new Iranian leader was flown to Moscow on a Russian military plane.
Khamenei then reportedly underwent a "successful" surgery at one of Putin's presidential palaces.
The report is unconfirmed, but Al-Jarida said its information came from a "high-level source close to the new Iranian supreme leader."
The source claimed that Khamenei was injured in one of the first explosions of Operation Epic Fury.
His wounds required a well-equipped and specialist hospital, which was impossible while Iran continues to be bombed by the US and Israel.
Putin reportedly proposed the treatment of Mojtaba Khamenei during a phone call on Thursday, with Khamenei flying to Russia that evening.
Iran's Foreign Minister Says Tehran Has Never Asked for a Ceasefire or Negotiations
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran "has never asked for a ceasefire or negotiations."
Araghchi's statement comes after claims by US President Donald Trump that Iran wanted a deal but he was not willing to agree to one "because the terms were not good enough."
"We don't see any reason why we should talk to the Americans, because we were talking to them when they decided to attack us," Araghchi told CBS News. "This is a war chosen by President Trump and the United States, and we will continue to defend ourselves."
He has also spoken about closing the Strait of Hormuz.
He says Iran is "open to countries that want to talk" about the safe passage of ships through Hormuz.
Without naming specific countries, he said Iran has been contacted by a number of countries that want safe passage through Hormuz.
Reportedly dead, Netanyahu posts video: I'm dying, for a coffee
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reacted with a post on the social network "X" after conspiracy theories began circulating on social networks, claiming that he was killed by an Iranian attack, reports "NDTV".
In a video posted on "X", Netanyahu is seen posting a coffee and mocking the allegations.
"I'm dying...for a coffee," he said. "You know what? I'm 'dying' for a lot of people. The way they're behaving is fantastic."
In that video, Netanyahu also raised both hands and pointed his fingers.
Earlier, a video from Netanyahu's Thursday press conference appeared in several posts on social media, claiming that he has six fingers on one hand. These images were generated using artificial intelligence.
"Do you want to count my fingers? You can see them...there they are," Netanyahu said.
אומרים שאני מה? צפו >> pic.twitter.com/ijHPkM3ZHZ
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) March 15, 2026
Israel is planning at least three more weeks of attacks on Iran
Photo: Associated Press
The Israeli military is planning for at least another three weeks of its campaign against Iran, considering there are still "thousands of targets" to be hit, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) military spokeswoman Effie Defrin told CNN on Sunday.
"We have thousands of objectives ahead. We are prepared, in coordination with our American allies, with plans that go at least until the Jewish holiday of Passover, about three weeks from now. And we have deeper plans for another three weeks after that," Defrin said.
According to the IDF, since the start of the campaign against Iran on February 28, the Israeli air force has carried out around 400 waves of attacks in western and central Iran, focusing on destroying infrastructure and targeting fire, defense and production unit operatives.
Israeli officials say the US and Israel have already struck thousands of targets since the start of the war.
Defrin told CNN that the IDF is "not working to a certain timeline or deadline," but rather to achieve its goals, which are "severely weakening the Iranian regime."
He has also said that the major US-Israeli offensive against Iran pushed Hezbollah in Lebanon to join the conflict, in contrast to their decision to stay out during the 12-day war last summer.
According to Israeli officials, Israel's military operations in Lebanon may continue even after the end of the war in Iran.
Iran: We will pursue and kill Netanyahu
Iranian state media reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has vowed to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr reports that the IRGC will "continue to pursue and kill him by force."
The IRGC also claims that during its 52nd wave of attacks, targets in Israel and three US bases in the region were destroyed.
On the other side The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say they continue to strike the infrastructure of the Iranian-backed militant group, Hezbollah, in Lebanon.
According to the IDF, several launch bases in the Al-Qatrani area of Lebanon were hit on Saturday, while Hezbollah was said to have planned to "launch rockets" from these locations.
The IDF also announced that it had struck the command centers of Hezbollah's Radwan force in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Iranian top diplomat: Open to any proposal that includes a complete end to the war
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the Arab newspaper Al-Araby al-Jadeed that mediation efforts are being undertaken by Iran's neighbors to reduce tensions and propose "ideas for ending the war."
He gave no indication whether any progress has been made.
Araghchi also stressed that Iran's attacks on its Arab neighbors are limited to US bases and assets. He said Tehran is ready to establish a joint committee with its neighbors to investigate these attacks.
Iran says new supreme leader is in good health
Mojtaba Khamenei
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Alaraby Aljadeed that the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamene, is "in good health" and "fully in control of the situation."
Mojtaba has not appeared publicly since his appointment on March 8.
His first public address was broadcast by state media on March 12, read by a news anchor.
In this address he says that Iran welcomes any "regional initiative that leads to a just end to the war" and that the Strait of Hormuz is "open to all except American and allied ships."
Araghchi said that "so far there is no specific initiative on the table to end the war."
Israel issues new evacuation order in parts of Beirut
Photo: Associated Press
Israel has warned several areas in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, to evacuate "immediately" ahead of Israeli military action.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Avichay Adraee said the warning applies particularly to residents of Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, Lilaki, Hadath, Burj al-Barajneh, Tahwitat al-Ghadir and Chiyah.
He added that the IDF will not hesitate to strike "anyone who is near Hezbollah operatives."
“You are endangering yourself and your life… evacuate the area immediately,” he wrote on X.
Switzerland denies permission for two US military flights
Photo: Associated Press
Neutral Switzerland said it refused permission for two flights by US reconnaissance aircraft "in the context of the war in Iran."
The government said late Saturday that Switzerland's neutrality law prohibits flights over the country by parties to a conflict that have a military purpose related to that conflict. However, the law allows humanitarian and medical transit, as well as flights unrelated to the conflict.
Switzerland said it had given permission for two US carrier aircraft to pass over the country on Sunday and for a newly serviced aircraft to transit on Tuesday.
Iran: US and Israel are using copies of our drones to attack neighboring countries
Photo: Associated Press
Iran's joint military command accused the "enemy" on Sunday of using Iranian-made drones to attack neighboring countries and blaming Tehran, state media reported.
Iran commonly uses the term "enemy" to refer to the United States and Israel.
The statement said that copies of Iran's Shahed-136 drone, known as LUCAS, were used to strike "insignificant targets in regional states," including attacks in Turkey, Iraq and Kuwait. No evidence was provided.
The military command also stated that Iran openly shares its objectives, which it describes as American and Israeli interests, and called for trust and cooperation from countries in the region.