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A man photographs the rubble of buildings destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) - Sputnik International

LIVE UPDATES: Middle East Tensions Mount After Strikes on Iran – Day 17

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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 17th 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.
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18:12 GMT 16.03.2026
Trump Claims Oil Prices, Inflation to Come Down 'Very Rapidly' Once Iran Conflict Settled
The price of oil and inflation rates will come down "very rapidly" once the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is settled, US President Donald Trump claimed on Monday.
On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods, Chevron CEO Mike Wirth and ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance told White House officials that the halt of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could further push up global oil prices and continue to create instability in global energy markets.
"I can tell you that when this is over, oil prices are going to go to go down very, very rapidly. So is inflation so is everything else," Trump claimed ahead of a meeting with members of the Trump Kennedy Center Board.
18:12 GMT 16.03.2026
IDF Claims to Have Hit Iranian Space Complex
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed on Monday it had destroyed a complex that Iran allegedly used to develop weapons for destroying satellites in space.
"The Israeli Air Force, acting on precise IDF intelligence, dismantled a space-related compound belonging to the Iranian terror regime that was used to develop attack capabilities against satellites, posing a threat to Israel's satellites and to space assets of other countries around the world," the IDF wrote on Telegram.
18:12 GMT 16.03.2026
Trump Claims US Does Not Know If Iran's New Leader Alive or Not
US President Donald Trump said on Monday his administration has no information on new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's condition.
"We don't know, Peter, if he's dead or not," Trump told reporters.
18:11 GMT 16.03.2026
Trump Complains Over Allied Countries' Refusal to Send Minesweepers to Hormuz Strait
US President Donald Trump on Monday complained about countries that the United States has "protected" for decades, not wanting to send their minesweepers to the Strait of Hormuz.
"Numerous countries have told me they're on the way, some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren't. Some are countries that we've helped for many, many years, ... We want to know: 'Do you have any mine sweepers?' 'Well, we'd rather not get involved, sir' ... For 40 years, we're protecting you, and you don't want to get involved in something that is very minor," Trump complained.
On March 14, the US president called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and other countries to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz. France and several other nations are working on a joint mission to ensure safe passage of tankers through the waterway amid the conflict in the Middle East, The Financial Times reported on Sunday. Trump admitted he didn't believe NATO allies were willing to stand up for the US, in contrast to Washington's commitment to supporting the alliance.
16:41 GMT 16.03.2026
Former IRGC Commander Appointed Military Adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader - Reports
The former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohsen Rezaei, has been appointed military adviser to new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the Mehr news agency reported on Monday.
The supreme leader himself ordered to appoint Rezaei his adviser, the report said.
Prior to his appointment, Rezaei served as member of the Expediency Discernment Council, the highest advisory body in Iran, and commanded the IRGC.
16:05 GMT 16.03.2026
In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) fires a Tomahawk land attack missile Saturday, April 14, 2018, as part of the military response to Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons on April 7.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 16.03.2026
Military
US Used 10% of Ready-to-Fire Tomahawk Arsenal in First 3 Days of Iran Operation - Reports
15:20 GMT 16.03.2026
Israel Not Ruling Out Sending Navy Alongside US to Reopen Hormuz Strait - Envoy to UN
Israel is not ruling out sending its navy to support the United States in reopening the Strait of Hormuz amid the military campaign against Iran and expects other countries to do the same, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said on Monday.
"I didn't rule out anything. I said we understand the need to support the effort of the US and it should be a global effort," Danon told reporters when asked about possibility of sending navy by Israel to support the US's plans.
Danon stressed that the halt of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is a problem not only for Israel and the US.
"I expect other countries to realize that they cannot hide," Danon said.
14:49 GMT 16.03.2026
Israeli Envoy to UN Threatens to 'Restrain Hezbollah' Unless Lebanon Does it Itself
Israel will "restrain Hezbollah" if the Lebanese government fails to do so, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said on Monday.
"Our message to the Lebanese Government is simple: Step up, step in. Since the ceasefire in November 2024, the Lebanese Government has not done what it needed to do to dismantle Hezbollah. Lebanon must restrain Hezbollah now, or we will," Danon told reporters at a UN stakeout.
14:38 GMT 16.03.2026
Trump Says He Will Strike Iran's Kharg Island Again
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would hit Iran's Kharg Island again.
"Kharg Island is out of commission except for the pipes, which I left. I didn't want to hit the pipes because, you know, it's years of work to put them together ... I'll knock the hell out of it," Trump said in an interview with PBS.
The president also noted that it would take years to rebuild infrastructure, so he purposefully left "100 yards" around "anything having to do with oil" there.
Earlier in the day, Axios reported, citing sources, that Trump is considering seizing Iran's Kharg Island, which would require US troops on the ground.
14:37 GMT 16.03.2026
Trump Claims Iran 'Not Ready' for Deal But Wants it
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States is doing "very well" in its military campaign and claimed that Iran wants to make a deal but is "not ready."
"They [Iran] want to make a deal but they're not ready to make a deal in my opinion," Trump said in an interview with PBS.
He added that oil prices would drop once the war in the Middle East ends, saying he does not believe "it will be long."
14:35 GMT 16.03.2026
EU Must Be Ready to Support Members Amid Middle East Escalation – Energy Commissioner
The European Union must be prepared to provide additional support to energy sectors of its member states should the situation in the Middle East deteriorate further, European Commissioner for Energy Dan Joergensen said on Monday.
"We, in the European Union, are not dependent on getting fuel, either gas, or oil from the region. So, we do not have a security of supply issue, but we have a price issue when world market prices go up. Of course, that also affects us ... We need to be also prepared because this situation can escalate even further and we need to be ready for also deploying short-term measures to … help member states in that situation," Jorgensen told journalists ahead of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.
13:47 GMT 16.03.2026
13:34 GMT 16.03.2026
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Washington - Sputnik International, 1920, 16.03.2026
World
Trump Calls on European, Arab Allies to 'Do More' to Open Strait of Hormuz - White House
13:30 GMT 16.03.2026
Conflict Around Iran Could Lead to Suspension of Projects Between Iran, Russia - Tehran
The conflict around Iran could have temporarily halted the implementation of projects between Iran and Russia, but both sides will do everything possible to fulfill them, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday.
"There are projects in various areas of cooperation, and some of them may have been delayed due to the current circumstances and the military situation. Officials from both countries are making efforts to utilize the full potential of the memoranda and agreements to continue bilateral relations," Baghaei said during a briefing.
13:30 GMT 16.03.2026
Two People Killed in Strike on Iraqi Militia Headquarters – Reports
A strike on the headquarters of Iraq's Shiite militia, Popular Mobilization Forces (al-Hashd al-Shaabi), killed two people and injured one, Al Jazeera broadcaster reported on Monday, citing a source in the Iraqi security services.
The headquarters of the movement is located in the Jurf Sakhar area in the Babylon province in the center of the country, the report said.
13:28 GMT 16.03.2026
Qatari Air Defense Forces Repel New Missile Attack - Defense Ministry
Qatar's air defense forces repelled a new missile attack on its territory, the Qatari Defense Ministry said on Monday.
"The Ministry of Defense of State of Qatar announces that armed forces intercepted missile attack which targeted State of Qatar," the ministry said on X.
12:19 GMT 16.03.2026
US Expects Traffic in Strait of Hormuz to Gradually Resume - Bessent
The United States expects traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to gradually resume and believes the process has already begun, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday.
"We are seeing more and more of the fuel ships start to go through. The Iranian ships have been getting out already, and we've let that happen to supply the rest of the world. We've seen Indian ships go out now … So that should start ramping up before there are any flotillas or protective armadas in the Gulf. So we think that there will be a natural opening [of the Strait of Hormuz] that the Iranians are letting out," Bessent told CNBC.
Washington is satisfied with this development, Bessent added.
10:14 GMT 16.03.2026
IDF Says Detected Another Missile Launch From Iran, Air Defense Systems Intercepting It
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday that it had detected another missile launch from Iran, and air defense systems were working to eliminate the threat.
"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.
09:48 GMT 16.03.2026
IDF Announces New Series of Attacks on Infrastructure of Iranian Gov't in Tehran, Shiraz
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday the start of a new series of attacks on the infrastructure of the Iranian government in Tehran, Shiraz and Tabriz.
"The IDF has just begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime in Tehran, Shiraz, and Tabriz," the IDF wrote on Telegram.
09:16 GMT 16.03.2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi listens to speeches as he attends the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, June 21, 2025.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 16.03.2026
World
Iran to Fight US Until Trump Realizes Conflict With Iran Was Mistake – Top Diplomat
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