US Iran war highlights: Iran fires missiles towards Israel, explosive drone lands near US embassy in Baghdad

US-Iran war LIVE updates: Iran’s nationwide internet blackout has entered its 17th day, according to internet monitoring watchdog NetBlocks.

“Over the last day a decline has been tracked in reserved telecoms network infrastructure, further reducing VPN availability and sending some whitelisted users and NIN services offline,” NetBlocks said.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja ⁠Kallas says she has discussed with UN Secretary General ⁠Antonio Guterres the idea of freeing up transport of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz by replicating ⁠a deal that gets grain out of Ukraine during wartime.

“I had talks with Antonio Guterres about whether it was possible to also have the same kind of initiative like we had [with] the Black Sea Initiative,” Kallas said before a meeting of top EU diplomats in Brussels.

Several Israeli media outlets are reporting that at least one Iranian missile has struck central Israel, although it remains unclear if the impact was from shrapnel or a direct strike.

Following an air raid alert that sounded across central and southern Israel, the Haaretz newspaper reported that there had been an “impact” in central Israel, but no injuries were reported at this time.

The Times of Israel newspaper, citing Israel’s rescue services, said there were at least “two impacts … reported in central Israel”, adding that there are “no immediate reports of injuries in the attack”.

Israeli Army Radio, citing an Israeli military source, reported that an Iranian missile fell in the area around Tel Aviv.

The head of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Iran’s Tehran province has been quoted by Iran’s Mehr news agency as saying that 503 people have been killed in the province since the US-Israeli war started in the country.

About 5,700 people were also injured in the area since February 28, Mohammad Esmaeil Tavakoli added.

The Israeli military said on Monday it had destroyed a plane used by Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at Tehran's Mehrabad airport overnight.

It said the aircraft had been used by senior Iranian officials and military figures to travel domestically and internationally and coordinate with allied countries.

Mehrabad is one of Tehran's oldest airports, now serving domestic and regional flights. In addition to being the busiest civilian domestic airport, it is a dual-use facility housing Air Force assets.

A fire has broken out at an industrial zone in the UAE’s Fujairah after a drone strike, the emirate’s media office has said.

The civil defence teams are trying to control the fire, and no injuries have so far been reported, it added.

Beijing said on Monday it is in talks with Washington over a visit by US President Donald Trump expected this month.

"China and the United States are maintaining communication regarding President Trump's visit to China," Lin Jian, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, told a press conference, without addressing Trump's recent pressure on NATO allies and China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump had threatened to delay the visit if China did not help in the matter.

Washington has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, although Beijing has yet to confirm those dates in line with its usual practice.

At least five people have been killed and seven others injured after separate strikes carried out by US and Israel forces in the Iranian province of Markazi, according to the Mehr news agency.

In the first attack, a residential area surrounding the city of Arak was hit, killing at least four people, the report said, quoting a Markazi provincial official.

The report said there is a possibility that the number of fatalities could rise.

In the second attack, a residential building in Markazi’s city of Mahallat was hit, killing one person and injuring seven others.

Ambassador of Israel to India, Reuven Azar, says that Iran is doubling down on its position as the conflict entered its third week. Speaking in New Delhi at a press conference, the Envoy also did not commit to a timeline for a possible end to the conflict.

"We are not specifying exactly how long it will take because it depends on many factors...At the outset, both US and Israel talked about a few weeks. It also depends on the opportunity Iran has to change course. Right now, it doesn't seem that they are changing course. On the contrary, they are doubling down. They are digging in. But the situation can change in the future. We are hearing different rumours about differences within the Iranian decision-making process. So, this can take more time...We can have a diplomatic way out of this if the Iranians decide that they want to cooperate with the international community," he said.

Azar said that the purpose was not to invade Iran but to give the Iranians a chance to take over and effect change from the current Islamist regime.

"Neither the United States nor Israel has the intention of invading Iran...We want to give the Iranian people a situation in which they can actually put pressure for a change in policy or for a change of the regime. We are going to see whether this happens or not, but are resolute in putting a focus on that. It not only serves the Iranian people, but it also serves our aim of creating a more stable future in the region. I think it also serves the general interest in the region, of the Gulf countries and also of the international community, to see a West Asia or Middle East which is much more stable and freer from the terrible threats that the Iranians were planning to build or they were actually building."

Iran's head of the judiciary said on Monday there should be no leniency or delay in issuing verdicts against those affiliated with Israel and the United States.

"We must not delay or show leniency in executing final verdicts against those who, during wartime and unrest, committed crimes and were affiliated with the aggressor enemy," said Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, according to Tasnim news agency.

He added that it was "necessary to accelerate the review and resolution of cases involving elements accused of threatening public security."

Authorities have in recent weeks carried out sweeping raids across Iran, arresting in the last few days hundreds of people suspected of cooperating with Israel and the United States, local media reported.

One person has been killed by a missile attack on a civilian car in Abu Dhabi, a statement from local authorities said.

The Israeli military said on Monday it had begun what it described as "limited ground operations" against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

"In recent days, IDF troops from the 91st division have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, aimed at enhancing the forward defence area," the military said in a statement.

Countries responding to Trump’s proposed Strait of Hormuz naval coalition:

France: Refused to join.

Australia: Declined participation.

Japan: Refused deployment.

United Kingdom: Reluctant.

South Korea: Reviewing the proposal.

China: Rejecting military involvement.

US fighter jets have reportedly struck military facilities on a mountain near the Chabahar Free Trade Zone, according to the Voice of America’s Persian language service.

The sound of intense explosions was heard in the area behind the zone, the report said.

The Chabahar Free Trade Zone is located in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan Province near the border with Pakistan.

Emirates Airlines has announced it will “operate a limited schedule” after 10 AM (local time) today.

This comes after Dubai airport was temporarily closed and all flight operations suspended after a drone hit a fuel tank and set it on fire.

“Unfortunately, some flights from today’s schedule have been cancelled,” the Emirates update also read.

The Israeli Air Force carried out three air strikes on the city of Khiam in southern Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage following the early morning strikes.

US President Donald Trump, in an interview with the Financial Times, has suggested that his much-anticipated summit with Xi Jinping in China at the end of this month could be delayed.

He’s also said he thinks Beijing should help reopen the Strait of Hormuz since it gets 90 per cent of its oil from the region.

Japan has started to release strategic oil reserves in a move to cushion surging fuel prices amid the ongoing US-Israeli attack on Iran.

The released fuel amounts to 15 days' worth of consumption, according to NHK.

Japan’s strategic oil reserves stand at more than 400 million barrels as of December, according to estimates.

The country holds reserves equivalent to 254 days of domestic consumption.

Meanwhile, oil-related companies, which maintain a separate stockpile, hold reserves equivalent to 70 days' worth.

UAE air defences are currently responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran, the country's ministry of defence said in a statement.

“MOD asserts that the sounds heard are the result of the Air Defence Systems intercepting missiles and drones,” it said on X.

Al Jazeera Arabic has reported an explosion in the province of Nineveh in northern Iraq.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society has said that the latest air raids on Tehran have damaged one of its clinics and an aid relief post.

Footage posted online by the group showed broken glasses and damaged equipment strewn on the floor. This comes after reports of several explosions in the city after Israel announced launching a new wave of attacks on Tehran.

The Saudi Ministry of Defence has announced intercepting three waves of drones in the country’s east.

It said 12 were destroyed in the latest wave, while six were shot down before that. Another five were intercepted earlier.

New intelligence from the US suggests that Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had misgivings about his son succeeding him, CBS News reported, citing sources.

It reported that Khamenei had concerns about his son Mojtaba Khamenei ever taking power, as he was perceived as "not very bright" and "unqualified" to be a leader.

Sources also told the publication that the late supreme leader was aware that his son had "issues in his personal life".

The Dubai Airports has announced the diversion of some flights from the Dubai International Airport (DXB) after a drone attack sparked a fire near the facility.

It said the flights will be sent to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) in Jebel Ali.

The exiled son of Iran’s last shah, who was ousted by the 1979 revolution, has called on Iranians around the world to stage protests to mark an important date in the Persian calendar before the Spring Festival later this week.

“I call on all Iranians abroad to gather on Charshanbeh Suri in front of the regime’s embassies around the world and shout with one voice: the Iranian nation will not rest until Iran is liberated and the Islamic Republic is consigned to history,” the US-based Reza Pahlavi wrote on X.

Charshanbeh Suri is an ancient Iranian ritual rooted in Zoroastrianism. It involves rituals such as lighting fireworks and jumping over small bonfires to symbolically rid oneself of negativity, sickness, and bad luck.

“By celebrating the glorious tradition of Charshanbeh Suri, we welcome Nowruz and the spring of Iranian freedom, and we show the world that the day of Iran’s liberation draws near,” Pahlavi added.