Iran live updates: White House calls on other nations to secure Strait of Hormuz

Dubai officials earlier said a drone impact had started a fire near the airport.

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Last updated: Monday, March 16, 2026 6:10PM GMT
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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to succeed him.

Iran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

Smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.
Smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

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Mar 10, 2026, 12:44 PM GMT

Iran not 'more formidable' than US expected, Caine says

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Tuesday that while Iran was "adapting" during the conflict, Tehran's military was not "more formidable" than the U.S. had expected.

"I mean, I think they're fighting and I respect that, but I don't think they're more formidable than what we thought," he said.

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Mar 10, 2026, 12:43 PM GMT

Iran campaign not 'endless nation building,' Hegseth says

The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran are not part of an "endless nation-building" effort, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Washington.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Washington.

"This is not 2003. This is not endless nation building under those types of quagmires we saw under Bush or Obama," Hegseth said during a Pentagon press briefing. "It's not even close. Our generation of soldier will not let that happen again."

Hegseth added that President Donald Trump would not allow such open-ended conflict, saying he "very clearly ran against those kinds of never ending nebulously scoped missions. Those days are dead."

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Mar 10, 2026, 12:13 PM GMT

Tuesday to mark 'most intense' US strikes in Iran, Hegseth says

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that U.S. strikes on Tehran would continue to amplify, meaning Tuesday's aerial strikes would mark "the most intense" of the 10-day conflict.

"Iran stands alone and they are badly losing on day 10 of Operation Epic Fury," Hegseth said. "We are winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objectives, which are the same as the day I gave my first briefing here on Operation Epic Fury."

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Mar 10, 2026, 10:48 AM GMT

Hegseth, Caine to address reporters on Iran

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are scheduled to hold a press conference at 8 a.m. ET on Tuesday, according to the Department of Defense.