US-Iran war highlights: Parts of Doha ‘evacuated’; Iran hits 5 US Air Force planes on Saudi base

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs Al-Jamous neighbourhood on March 6, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)

US-Iran war highlights: The United States is deploying additional soldiers and warships in the Middle East two weeks into the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, several reports said on Friday. The Wall Street Journal citing US officials said USS Tripoli and its attached Marines were en route to the region. The New York Times reported that around 2,500 Marines aboard as many as three ships were headed for the Middle East.

A huge explosion rocked a central square in Tehran hours after the Iranian government held a rally in support of the Palestinians and call for Israel's demise. The fresh blast in the Iranian capital comes after Israel warning that it would target central Tehran, Associated Press reported.

The explosion rocked the Ferdowsi Square area, where thousands had gathered for an annual Quds Day rally in which they chanted "death to Israel" and "death to America."

Meanwhile, several blasts were also heard in Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv, AFP reported, following a warning from the military that missiles had been fired from Iran.

"The IDF (military) identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the Israeli army said.

Several huge explosions were heard across central Tehran on Friday, the state media reported. It also added that the strikes had hit an area not far from where a pro-government demonstration was being held.

Crowds gathered in Tehran and other major cities to mark Quds Day, the last Friday of Ramadan, in support of the Palestinian cause.

US President Donald Trump issued a new threat online to Iran, writing: “Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today.”

Trump made the post on Friday on his Truth Social website, saying that “Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is no longer, missiles, drones and everything else are being decimated, and their leaders have been wiped from the face of the earth.”

“They’ve been killing innocent people all over the world for 47 years, and now I, as the 47th President of the United States of America, am killing them,” Trump wrote. “What a great honor it is to do so!”

US aircraft down in Iraq

A US military KC-135 aircraft on Thursday went down in Iraq, the Central Command said in a statement. The US military said all six crew members of the refueling aircraft were dead. The crash brings the US death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members, with the seven others killed in combat.

Iran's new Supreme Leader defiant

Iran’s new leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first public statements Thursday, resolving to keep fighting, promising more pain for Gulf Arab states and threatening to open “other fronts” in a war that has already disrupted world energy supplies, the global economy and international travel.

The stance revealed by the Supreme Leader came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country's attacks were creating conditions for the Iranian population to topple the government.

“It is in your hands,” Netanyahu said at a news conference, addressing the Iranian people. “We are creating the optimal conditions for the fall of the regime.”

Since the start of the war, US and Israeli strikes have targeted security checkpoints in Iran to undermine the government’s ability to suppress dissent, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, the US-based independent monitoring group known as ACLED.

Saudi Arabia intercepts drones

Saudi Arabia intercepted dozens of drones entering its airspace, the defence ministry said Friday, as Iran carries out attacks on oil-rich Gulf countries in response to US-Israeli strikes.

"Twelve drones were intercepted and destroyed after entering Saudi airspace," a ministry spokesperson posted on X, after authorities reported at least 16 other drones were also shot down.

Oil prices down

Oil prices dropped on Friday morning after the US issued a 30-day license for countries to buy Russian oil and petroleum products currently stranded at sea, easing supply concerns.

Brent futures dropped 71 cents, or 0.71%, to $99.75 a barrel by 0123 GMT, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 88 cents, or 0.92%, to $94.85.

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Mar 14, 2026, 06:59:21 IST

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