Iran war news highlights: Mojtaba Khamenei issues fresh message days after Trump says ‘don’t know if he’s alive’

The Israeli military said early on Sunday that one of its soldiers was killed during combat in southern Lebanon.

Attacks on Gulf countries have not ceased, with 1 person injured in Oman when its Salalah Port was targeted by drones.

Six were injured when three fires broke out in the UAE's Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi – KEZAD, caused by falling debris following the interception of a ballistic missile.

Kuwait International Airport was subjected to several drone attacks, damaging the airport's radar system, although no casualties were reported.

Iranian forces' threat to ships in the crucial Strait of Hormuz has driven up insurance premiums that underpin the global freight industry.

After the fighting broke out on February 28, some insurers served so-called cancellation notices for war risk policies to "reassess... and then reinstate that cover at adjusted terms", the International Union of Marine Insurance said in a statement.

Despite the name, "a 'Notice of Cancellation' does not necessarily end the cover. War cover remains available for owners and operators wishing to take it."

Executives in London -- the world's top shipping insurance market -- insisted that captains were avoiding the route to protect their crews, not because they could not get insured.

(AFP)

Seafarers' helplines say they are overwhelmed with messages from crews stuck in the Gulf by the Middle East war, desperately seeking repatriation, compensation and onboard supplies.

"Writing to urgently inform you that our vessel is currently facing a critical situation regarding provisions and one crew member's health conditions," read an email from one seafarer on March 24 to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF)'s Seafarer Support team.

"Immediate supply of food, drinking water, and basic necessities is required to sustain the crew," said the message to the team's helpline.

The ITF said it had received more than 1,000 emails and messages from seafarers stuck around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region since the war erupted with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

UAE media is reporting that the situation in the country is now safe, as residents have received the all-clear message after missile interceptions.

The market capitalisation of defence stocks on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose about a month after US-Israeli air strikes on Iran, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing bourse data.

According to Yonhap, defence giant Hanwha Aerospace saw its market capitalisation increase 11.7 per cent to 68.8 trillion won ($45.1 billion) from 61.6 trillion won ($40.8 billion) over the cited period.

Aerospace company LIG Nex1’s market value also surged 44.4 per cent, while military and aviation company Hanwha Systems Co. rose 9.2 per cent.

Israel's Channel 12 is reporting that the Israeli military has intercepted an Iranian missile and that the attack set off sirens in the Negev and Dead Sea regions in southern Israel.

Hezbollah has claimed that it has carried out a missile attack on Israel’s Mahava Alon base and fired drones at the Berea base, both near the northern city of Safad, on Sunday morning.

The Lebanese armed group also said it fired three salvoes of rockets at Israeli troops and vehicles in the Al-Malikiyah site in northern Israel.

The group said its fighters targeted an Israeli armoured force in Deir Siryan in southern Lebanon as well.

UAE authorities have said that the country's air defences were dealing with a missile threat.

“Please remain in a safe place and follow the warnings and updates on official websites,” NCEMA UAE said in a statement.

In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry urged citizens to take shelter and "remain calm" after warning sirens were sounded across affected areas.

In a post on X, the Ministry said, "The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place ."

An Iranian missile and drone assault on March 27 targeted Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, injuring several US military personnel and damaging critical aircraft assets, including an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) plane and aerial refuelling tankers, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Iran’s Press TV has listed the various sites targeted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Iranian army and Tehran’s allies in the Middle East on Saturday.

It said the IRGC “used long-range and medium-range solid and liquid-fueled systems and attack drones to target several industries belonging to the Israeli-American enemy” in Israel and other locations.

It claimed the IRGC shot down a US MQ9 drone and also hit an F-16 fighter jet.

The Iranian army, meanwhile, targeted an electronic warfare and radar centre, operated by the Israeli defence technology company, Elta, at the Israeli military aerospace complex in the port city of Haifa, as well as a fuel storage centre at David Ben Gurion Airport.

The ceramics hub at Gujarat's Morbi makes up 90 percent of India's total production and is one of the world's largest ceramic manufacturing centres, exporting tiles to countries like the United States and Thailand.

But several plants have been forced to suspend operations due to LPG shortage.

The industry at Morbi provides direct and indirect employment to nearly a million people, according to government statistics.

More than 400 plants have closed after the gas supply chain was "broken", Manoj Arvadiya, head of the local manufacturing industry association, told AFP.

Keeping the kilns hot means plants operate around-the-clock -- and emergency shutdowns can damage machinery.

Residents in the UAE have received an all clear message from the authorities after missile interceptions. According to the authorities quoted by Khaleej Times, the situation is now safe.

Two Australian states will temporarily offer free public transport to ease the effects of rising fuel costs, as prolonged hostilities in the Middle East increase supply risks.

Residents in Victoria will not be charged for public transport for one month from March 31, according to an emailed statement from the state government. Tasmania will remove fares for buses and ferries from March 30 to July 1, its administration said in a media release.

Australia faces elevated fuel supply risks, with several hundred service stations reporting shortfalls, and disruptions in delivery reported in the agriculture and mining sectors. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday that near-term supply is secure, as he sought to reassure skittish households and businesses.

Authorities in Dubai have said that the sounds heard across parts of the city were the result of successful air defence interception operations.

“Please rely on official sources for updates,” the Dubai Media office said in a statement.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has denounced a drone attack on the residence of Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, in Duhok.

According to a report by Press TV, the IRGC blamed US and Israel for the attack and described it as an assassination attempt and a “clear act of terrorism”.

The IRGC said the aggression follows a pattern of “cowardly assassinations” of senior Iranian officials by the US and Israel, and said the “malicious efforts” were aimed at undermining peace, stability, and regional cooperation between the Kurdish region and neighbouring countries.

The drone attack took place early on Saturday and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has ordered an investigation.

Malek Shariati, a member of Iran’s parliament has announced that a bill had been submitted demanding that Tehran withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

In a post on X, Shariati said that the bill has been referred to the deputy of laws in parliament.

Demands have grown for Iran’s withdrawal from the NPT as the US and Israel continued to launch multiple strikes on Iran’s nuclear energy facilities including in Bushehr.

Shariati said he is also pushing for a repeal of an Iranian law, which serves as a framework for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which US President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in office.

Al Jazeera Arabic is reporting that air raid sirens are sounding in Kuwait and that this is the second time the alarms have gone off since midnight local time.

Earlier, the Kuwaiti army said there were some 15 drone attacks on the country on Saturday and that they caused a fire to break out at the airport.

Iran's exiled Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi, on Saturday (local time), asserted that the transition from the current regime in the Islamic Republic will be done in an "orderly" manner, noting that the regime in Tehran must go "in its entirety" amid escalating conflict in the region.

Speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Texas, Pahlavi credited US military operations against the Islamic Republic--referred to as "Midnight Hammer" and "Epic "Fury"--for significantly weakening the ruling establishment and claimed that these operations had resulted in the killing of key leadership figures, including the former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the destruction of a substantial portion of Iran's missile capabilities and nuclear infrastructure.

Pahlavi praised US President Donald Trump and American forces for their role, stating that their actions had given "millions of Iranians a fighting chance" to end decades of what he described as repression and instability under the Islamic Republic.

"Operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury have done something extraordinary. The killing of Khamenei and many of his henchmen, the destruction of more than 80 per cent of the regime's ballistic missile arsenal, and the obliteration of the nuclear sites have levelled the playing field. This did not happen by accident. It happened because of President Trump's resolve and the courage of American troops. On behalf of millions of Iranians, we thank them," Pahlavi said.

Calling for decisive action, Pahlavi warned that leaving any part of the current regime intact would prolong instability, adding that the leadership cannot be trusted to deliver peace or reform.

"If we do not finish the job and leave a rump of the regime in place, the threat posed by this Islamic Republic will not be solved. It will only be made worse. Those who have spent 47 years sewing chaos cannot be trusted to bring about stability. Terrorists cannot be trusted to bring peace. If they are left in place, they will bring only more of the instability, chaos, and destruction they have brought for 47 years," he said.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that some 3,500 additional troops have arrived in the Middle East on board the USS Tripoli.

The sailors and marines are with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and arrived in the region on March 27, along with “transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets”.

The deployment comes even as Trump claims that negotiations are under way to end the war on Iran. The US military is also expected to deploy thousands more soldiers from its 82nd Airborne Division.

Huge crowds of protesters rallied across the United States on Saturday against President Donald Trump, venting their fury over what they see as his authoritarian style of governing, his hardline immigration policies and the war with Iran.

Organizers said "at least 8 million people gathered today at more than 3,300 events across all 50 states," from big cities and small towns. US authorities provided no national crowd estimate.

It was the third time in less than a year that Americans have taken to the streets as part of a grassroots movement called "No Kings," the most vocal and visual conduit for opposition to Trump since he began his second term in January 2025.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Sunday issued a stern warning that American and Israeli universities in the West Asian region could be considered legitimate targets in retaliation for the US and Israeli strikes on Iranian academic institutions and heritage infrastructure.

In a statement broadcast by Iranian state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) on Telegram, the IRGC condemned recent attacks on Iranian universities, including what it described as a bombardment of the University of Science and Technology in Tehran, and accused US-Israeli forces of targeting Iranian educational infrastructure.

"The American-Zionist aggressor forces have targeted Iranian universities for the umpteenth time by bombing the Tehran University of Science and Technology," the statement read, as quoted by IRIB.

The statement warned that all universities affiliated with the United States and Israel in West Asia are "legitimate targets" unless specific conditions are met.

The IRGC also urged staff, faculty, students and residents near American and Israeli university campuses in the region to stay at least one kilometre away to protect their safety and also demanded that the US government officially condemn the bombing of Iranian universities by noon on Monday, March 30 (Tehran time), if it wants those institutions to be spared from retaliation.

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) on Sunday confirmed that its industrial facility was targeted in an Iranian attack on Saturday, according to a statement reported by the Bahrain News Agency (BNA).

In its statement, Alba said that two employees sustained minor injuries, adding that the safety and security of its workforce remain its top priority.

The company further noted that it is currently assessing the extent of damage to its facilities while continuing efforts to maintain operational resilience and ensure employee safety.

"The safety and security of Alba's people remain its top priority, and the Company confirms that two of Alba's employees sustained minor injuries," the statement read as quoted by BNA.

Alba said it will provide further updates as more information becomes available.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it targeted the Ein Shemer Airfield and the Regavim military camp in northern Israel with “a salvo of high quality missiles”.

The Lebanese armed group said the attacks took place at 11:45pm local time on Saturday and were in retaliation for Israel’s continued attacks on and forced displacement of Lebanese civilians as well as its demolition of Lebanese homes.