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A man stands atop the rubble as smoke rises from a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) - Sputnik International

LIVE UPDATES: Middle East Tensions Mount After Strikes on Iran – Day 16

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The Middle East remains on edge as the conflict triggered by the February 28 US–Israeli strikes on Iran enters its 16th day.
The attacks, which targeted multiple Iranian sites and killed senior Iranian officials, sparked a major regional escalation and a wave of retaliatory missile and drone operations by Iran against Israeli and American positions across the Middle East.
Follow Sputnik's live updates for more!
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17:49 GMT 15.03.2026
US Victory Base in Baghdad Attacked by Drones, Rockets - Source
The US's Victory military base near Baghdad International Airport has come under rocket and drone attack, a source in the Iraqi security forces told Sputnik on Sunday.
"A logistics center of the US Victoria military base near Baghdad airport was attacked by three drones and several rockets, which were shot down by air defense forces. No information on casualties has been received yet," the source said.
15:43 GMT 15.03.2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on during a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at Zinaida Morozova's Mansion in Moscow, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Ramil Sitdikov/Pool Photo via AP) - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.03.2026
World
Iran Ready to Defend Itself, Not Asking for Ceasefire, Negotiations - Foreign Minister
15:38 GMT 15.03.2026
Iranian Missile Fragments Hit US Consul's House in Israel - Reports
Fragments of an Iranian missile struck the house of the US consul in Israel, the Israeli broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday.
On Sunday, Tel Aviv and central Israel came under repeated rocket fire from Iran.
14:01 GMT 15.03.2026
Situation at Iranian NPP Bushehr Raises Main Concerns for IAEA – Grossi
The situation around Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) raises the main concerns amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said on Sunday.
Grossi told Russian newspaper Kommersant that nuclear facilities should never be attacked under any circumstances. He added that the agency's primary task is to asses the implications of potential strikes, while previous strikes had mostly targeted sites posing limited nuclear safety risks.
The IAEA director general further reaffirmed that Bushehr NPP should not be affected.
13:50 GMT 15.03.2026
Iran's Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in Good Health, Controls Situation - Foreign Minister
Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is in good health and has full control of the situation, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday.
Araghchi has earlier promised that the public would soon see the country's new supreme leader and added that he is doing well.
"The leader of the revolution [Mojtaba Khamenei] is feeling well and he has full control of the situation," Araghchi told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper.
13:49 GMT 15.03.2026
US Military Did Not Strike Oil Facilities on Iran's Kharg Island – Energy Secretary
The US military did not strike Iranian oil infrastructure on Kharg Island, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday.
"The United States did not target their energy infrastructure in Kharg Island," Wright said in an interview with ABC News.
The secretary added that US military strikes targeted only military infrastructure on the island.
13:23 GMT 15.03.2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks in a joint press briefing with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.03.2026
World
Iran to Welcome Any Regional Initiative to End Conflict – Foreign Minister
13:13 GMT 15.03.2026
US Using UAVs Similar to Iranian Shahed Drones to Strike Arab States- Iranian Top Diplomat
The United States uses drones similar to Iranian Shahed drones to strike targets in Arab countries, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday.
"The Americans have developed a drone similar to our ‘Shahed’. They named it ‘Lucas.’ They use it to strike targets in Arab countries," Araghchi told Al Araby Al Jadeed newspaper.
13:12 GMT 15.03.2026
Strait of Hormuz Must Be Safe for All or for No One - Iranian Ambassador to Russia
The Strait of Hormuz must be safe for everyone or for no one, Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali told Sputnik.
"The Strait of Hormuz must either be safe for everyone, or it will not be safe for anyone. This is completely clear and transparent to us, and we have also stated this to the entire world," Jalali said.
10:15 GMT 15.03.2026
US Has Sunk More Than 65 Iranian Ships Over Past 2 Weeks - White House
The United States has sunk more than 65 Iranian vessels, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
"This operation has been just two weeks in, we have totally annihilated the Iranian regime's navy, we've wiped out nearly all of their ballistic missile threats. In fact, ballistic missile attacks from Iran right now are down 90%, their drone capabilities are down 95%. We have sunk more than 65 of their naval ships, we have hit more than 6,000 targets across the country," Leavitt told Fox News on Saturday.
09:49 GMT 15.03.2026
Israel Launches Large-Scale Wave of Strikes on Infrastructure in Western Iran - IDF
Israel has launched a large-scale wave of strikes against infrastructure in western Iran, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday.
"A short while ago, the IDF began a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in western Iran," the IDF said on Telegram.
09:02 GMT 15.03.2026
The Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, June 15, 2025. - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.03.2026
World
Israel Tells US It Faces Severe Shortage of Interceptor Missiles - Reports
09:01 GMT 15.03.2026
France to Keep Navy in Mediterranean Despite US Calls for Aid in Hormuz Strait - Ministry
France's only aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, will stay in the Eastern Mediterranean, despite a recent call by US President Donald Trump for several countries to send their ships to ensure security in the Strait of Hormuz, the French Foreign Ministry said.
On Saturday, Trump called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and other countries to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
Paris’s stance on the situation in the Middle East has not changed and remains defensive in nature, the ministry added.
07:48 GMT 15.03.2026
The Strait of Hormuz - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.03.2026
World
Trump Urges Countries Importing Oil Through Strait of Hormuz to Secure Strait
07:47 GMT 15.03.2026
IDF Says Detects Missile Launches From Iran, Air Defense Systems Activated
Israel has detected missile launches from Iran, and its air defense systems are active, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday.
"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the IDF said on Telegram.
07:46 GMT 15.03.2026
At Least 3 People Killed in Israeli Drone Strike on House in Lebanon's Saida - Source
An Israeli drone attacked a residential building in the southern Lebanese city of Saida, killing at least three people were killed and injuring six others, a source in the Lebanese ambulance service told Sputnik.
"An Israeli drone attacked a building in a residential area of ​​Saida. According to preliminary reports, at least three people were killed and six were injured. Rescuers are still working at the scene," the source said.
07:46 GMT 15.03.2026
US Behind Deaths of Children at School in Southern Iran - Iranian Ambassador to Russia
There is no doubt about US involvement in the deaths of children at a school in Minab in southern Iran, Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali said in an interview with Sputnik.
"There is no doubt that it was an American attack. Now everyone is saying it was carried out with a Tomahawk missile, and these missiles belong to the US. There are some rumors that Iran launched the attack itself, but US senators have said that Iran does not have such missiles. It is absolutely clear that the Americans launched the attack," the ambassador said.
According to Jalali, it makes no difference whether the attack was intentional or not.
"These were children who, accompanied by their mothers and fathers, went to school in the morning with hopes and dreams and wanted to return home in the afternoon. This crime is a severe blow for all Iranians," the ambassador added.
07:45 GMT 15.03.2026
Saudi Air Defense Systems Shot Down 10 Drones Over Riyadh - Defense Ministry
Air defense systems shot down 10 drones in the skies over Riyadh, the Saudi Defense Ministry said.
"Ten drones were intercepted and destroyed in the skies over Riyadh and the Eastern Province," the statement says.
07:44 GMT 15.03.2026
Air Raid Sirens Sounded Three Times in 10 minutes in Tel Aviv Due to Iran's Attack
Air raid sirens sounded three times in 10 minutes in Tel Aviv after the Israeli army had reported detecting missile launches from Iran, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
Loud explosions, presumably from air defense systems, were heard over the city after the sirens had sounded.
According to Israel's missile warning system, the sirens were activated across a significant portion of central Israel, as well as in the West Bank.
07:43 GMT 15.03.2026
Consequences of Israeli and US strikes on Tehran - Sputnik International, 1920, 14.03.2026
World
LIVE UPDATES: Middle East Tensions Mount After Strikes on Iran – Day 15
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