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.

Mar 15, 2026, 8:05 PM GMT

Iraq says 5 rockets targeted Baghdad airport

Iraq's Security Media Cell, an office of the prime minister, said that five rockets targeted Baghdad airport Sunday, injuring five people.

"At exactly 19:00 this evening, Baghdad International Airport and its surroundings came under attack by 5 rockets, resulting in injuries to 4 airport staff and security personnel, in addition to an engineer, with varying degrees of wounds," the statement said.

The rockets struck numerous areas including on the grounds of the Baghdad Central Prison, which is near the former American base Camp Victory on the airport grounds, according to the statement.

"Competent authorities have begun taking the necessary legal measures, alongside tightening security procedures around the targeted areas," the statement said.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule

Mar 15, 2026, 6:08 PM GMT

IRGC declares it continues efforts to 'pursue and kill' Netanyahu

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened that it will continue attempts to find and kill Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"If the criminal Zionist Prime Minister is alive, we will continue to pursue and kill him with force," the IRGC said in a statement Sunday.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

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Mar 15, 2026, 10:06 PM GMT

CENTCOM calls Iranian claims US targeted Gulf countries a 'lie'

U.S. Central Command said Sunday that Iranian claims that the U.S. is using one-way drones to attack Gulf countries is a "lie."

"The Iranian regime's foreign minister claims that the United States is using one-way attack drones to attack Gulf countries and shifting the blame to Iran. LIE," a CENTCOM post on X on Sunday morning said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed in an interview Sunday with the media outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that "the Americans had developed a drone similar to the Iranian 'Shahed' drone called 'Lucas,' which is used to target objectives in Arab countries." Araghchi said the information is currently being reviewed.

The U.S. military has deployed its own one-way attack drones known as LUCAS, for Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, in its attacks on Iran.

"Iranian forces have launched thousands of drones AND missiles at its neighbors, indiscriminately targeting civilian hotels, commercial airports, residential communities and economic infrastructure. U.S. attack drones are only targeting Iranian military capabilities to eliminate threats posed to the region. TRUTH," the CENTCOM post also said.

-ABC News' Cindy Smith and Somayeh Malekian

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Mar 15, 2026, 9:58 PM GMT

War with Iran 'will certainly' end in next few weeks: Secretary Wright

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday that the war with Iran will come to an end in the next few weeks, and possibly sooner, amid concerns about high gas prices.

"I think that this conflict will certainly come to an end in the next few weeks," Wright told ABC News "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz. "Could be sooner than that, but the conflict will come to the end in the next few weeks."

Wright's comments come as Americans are seeing increasingly high gas prices as a result of the war. One major piece of leverage Iran maintains is its control over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime passageway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman through which around 20% of the world's oil supply passes.

Iran has effectively closed the strait, sending crude oil prices skyrocketing and leading to higher gas prices in the U.S.