Iran war updates: Tehran urges Middle East countries to ‘expel’ US military

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We will be closing this live page soon, but before we do, here are some of today’s top developments:

• Missiles have hit multiple sites across central Iran’s Isfahan province, with at least 15 people reported killed.
• As Iran hits back, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says his country will attack the facilities of US companies in the Middle East if its energy infrastructure is targeted, and appeals to Gulf neighbours to “expel foreign aggressors”.
• US President Donald Trump says allies who rely on Gulf oil must help keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
• US-Israeli attacks have damaged nearly 43,000 civilian units, of which 36,500 were residential, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS).
• At least 56 of Iran’s cultural sites, including museums and historic monuments, have suffered “serious structural damage” since the start of the US-Israel war, according to the Culture Ministry.
• Lebanon’s Ministry of Health says the death toll from Israeli attacks has reached 826, with 2,009 people wounded since March 2, as strikes continue to intensify across the country.
• The US Embassy in Baghdad is asking all US citizens to leave Iraq immediately.

A video shows an Iranian woman recording a message to people in the US, explaining the meaning behind “Allahu akbar” (“God is great”) to deconstruct Islamophobic narratives of the term.

Moments into the recording, a presumed US-Israeli strike causes an explosion behind her.

Watch the video below:

The US president has given a telephone interview to NBC, during which he claimed that Iran “wants to make a deal” but he is not ready for one “because the terms aren’t good enough yet”.

Trump also dismissed concerns about the increasing gas prices and repeated that he is working with other countries on a plan to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Here are some of his other comments:

• Trump questioned whether Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, is “even alive”.
• He said he was “surprised” that Iran decided to attack other regional countries, and added that the US attacks on Iran’s Kharg Island “totally demolished” most of the island, but that “we may hit it a few more times just for fun”.
• The US president said it is not clear whether Iran has dropped mines in the Strait of Hormuz. “We’re going to be sweeping the strait very strongly, and we believe we’ll be joined by other countries who are somewhat impeded, and in some cases, impeded from getting the oil,” he added.

Iraq’s Justice Ministry says the surrounding areas of Baghdad International Prison and the Central Airport Prison have been subjected to repeated attacks in recent days.

The Iraqi News Agency quoted ministry spokesperson Ahmed Laibi as saying that some of the attacks occurred “very close to the prison”.

“The most severe strikes occurred on Saturday, with six strikes from 6pm (15:00 GMT) until now, some close to the prison, which raises concerns regarding the potential impact on the security of the prison housing high-risk terrorist inmates,” he said.

Laibi also said that “the fall of projectiles near the prison site is cause for concern, regarding their potential effect on our precautionary measures and security plans for protecting the prison or damaging its infrastructure”.

We understand that earlier tonight, there was a drone strike on the Lanaz oil refinery, just on the outskirts of Erbil. That triggered a fire, and authorities say they have suspended activities there as they assess the damage.

This refinery is responsible for the production and distribution of oil and is a key part of the energy infrastructure. So even if there is limited damage, it does have major consequences.

It is significant because we have seen an increased number of attacks taking place across the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, including against bases that host US forces and a hotel, among others.

But what we haven’t seen targeted is the oil infrastructure. Kurdish authorities will want to make sure that those facilities are secure, because oil production, distribution and export make up a major backbone of the economy here.

The Kurdish authorities here have condemned any attacks that have taken place and have called on the Baghdad government to rein in the armed groups that are carrying out attacks.

We have a new update from the Defence Ministry of Saudi Arabia.

In a short statement, the ministry said two drones had been intercepted and destroyed in the kingdom’s Eastern province.

Hundreds of peace activists and demonstrators have marched in central Seoul in protest against the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Watch our video below:

With Israel threatening its biggest ground invasion of Lebanon since 2006, a diplomatic track is opening up.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deployed his most trusted fixer, Ron Dermer, to essentially head up the Lebanon brief. The expectation is that, on the US side, it would be Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Talks could well begin within days – direct, head-to-head talks – possibly in Paris or Cyprus.

There has also been reporting that the French have proposed a peace plan that would see Hezbollah disarmed as one of the core demands, and would also see Lebanon recognise Israel – an unprecedented development – as a requirement for ending the war. However, the French Foreign Ministry has recently denied that reporting.

Lebanese officials say they are ready for direct talks with Israel. Having said that, parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, from the Amal party – a Shia party allied with Hezbollah – has said there should be a ceasefire before any talks. That could prove a complication.

Two more Iranian female footballers and a member of their support staff have reportedly withdrawn requests for asylum in Australia, which were granted over fears they might be punished upon their return home after the team refused to sing Iran’s national anthem at the Asian Cup tournament.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported the three had “given up on their asylum application in Australia and are currently heading to Malaysia”, posting a picture of the women allegedly boarding a plane.

Read more here.

At the moment, we just have President Trump putting out social media posts, quite a lot of them today, about countries sending warships to guarantee passage through the Strait of Hormuz – but no official plan.

We haven’t seen Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth or the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, coming out and telling us about anything more in detail, so we don’t know if this is something that President Trump has just thought of today or if this is something that is more considered.

In a previous Truth Social post, the US president talked about the countries that could be part of that plan: China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK.

We know, obviously, that a lot of the oil that flows through the Strait of Hormuz does go to China and other Asian countries. The keyword, I think, in that post is “hopefully” they will send ships to the area.

So this is something that could be in its infancy, and could be a sort of a cry for help at the moment from President Trump.

He mentioned as well, interestingly, in the same message, that it is easy for Iran to send a drone, drop a mine or deliver a close-range missile, even if they have military inferiority. That’s not an admission but a recognition that it is relatively easy for Iran to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz if it wants to.

The United Arab Emirates has accused Iran of “moral bankruptcy” after Iranian accusations that US attacks on the strategic Kharg Island originated from the Gulf state.

In a post on X, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said the country has the right to defend itself but “continues to prioritise reason and logic, maintaining restraint and seeking an exit for Iran and the region”.

He also said that Tehran’s policy is confused has and entrenched its isolation.

The US said on Friday that it had attacked military installations on Kharg Island, a key oil hub that handles about 90 percent of Iran’s exports.

Fragments from Iranian missiles fell in areas near Tel Aviv in central Israel after air defence systems intercepted incoming projectiles.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported debris landed in the cities of Lod and Ness Ziona near Tel Aviv following interceptions of missiles launched from Iran.

Air raid sirens sounded across several areas in central and southern Israel as explosions were heard from interception attempts, the channel added.

The broadcaster said police and emergency crews were dispatched to the sites where the debris fell to assess damage.

Loud explosions were heard in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and missile fragments fell in the Palestinian area of Masafer Yatta after Iranian missiles were intercepted, witnesses told the Anadolu news agency.

No immediate reports of injuries were issued.

Israel informed the United States this week that it’s running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors as the conflict with Iran rages, a news report says.

The US news website Semafor cited unidentified US officials familiar with the matter as its sourcing. Al Jazeera could not immediately verify the report.

The US has been aware of Israel’s low capacity for months, the report said, adding it is not running low on interceptors of its own.

The Trump administration has warned news outlets could have their broadcasting licences revoked over critical reporting on the war against Iran while accusing the media of “distortions”.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said in a social media post that broadcasters must “operate in the public interest” or else lose their licences.

“Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news — have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up,” Carr wrote.

The warning is the latest apparent threat from Carr, who has repeatedly attracted scrutiny for statements that appear to pressure broadcasters to conform with Trump’s priorities.

Read more here.