Iran receives ‘highly unreasonable’ US peace proposals as Pentagon amasses troops: As it happened on March 29

29 March 2026

The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed Iran’s Khondab heavy water production plant “sustained severe damage and is no longer operational,” as cited by Al Jazeera.

”The installation contains no declared nuclear material,” the IAEA stated.

Israel confirmed that it bombed the Khondab reactor on Friday. The IAEA based its findings on independent satellite imagery analysis as well as its own knowledge of the facility.

Netanyahu prevented Catholics from celebrating Palm Sunday without any explanation, Spain’s PM Pedro Sanchez has said in a post on X.

Israeli police prevented senior Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, barring them from celebrating one of the most important services in the Christian calendar, church authorities have said in a joint statement.

Footage has emerged of the aftermath of Iranian missiles striking the Emirates Global Aluminum Al-Taweelah facility, located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where a heavy fire was observed yesterday.

The UAE’s state-owned aluminum conglomerate, Emirates Global Aluminum, commented on the attack on Saturday, stating that its Al-Taweelah production base suffered “significant damage” from the Iranian strikes.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has met with Jordanian King Abdullah II for talks “to discuss regional developments.”

Kiev has been attempting to utilize its experience in intercepting Russian drones to assist Gulf nations, and has reached agreements to collaborate on defense initiatives with Gulf states.

Ukrainian anti-drone experts have been deployed to the region since Iran began responding to US-Israeli aerial bombardments that started more than one month ago.

Some areas of Tehran have experienced power outages following the US strikes, according to IRIB. Despite this, crowds have gathered in the streets chanting “Allahu Akbar.”

Power industry operational teams are still working to reconnect electricity in the remaining affected areas as quickly as possible, according to the RT team in Tehran.

Iran has received proposals from the United States through mediators, but Tehran thinks they’re “highly unreasonable,” Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, has said. The mediators in question are Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The foreign ministers of these countries met in Islamabad for peace negotiations earlier Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he has ordered the expansion of Israel’s security buffer zone in southern Lebanon “in order to finally thwart the threat of invasion and to keep the anti-tank missile fire away from our border.”

The IDF has advanced further into southern Lebanon in recent weeks, occupying the territory south of the Litani River, which they have urged Lebanese residents to evacuate.

In recent days, the Israeli military has destroyed several bridges over the river, which divides Lebanon, as part of a larger offensive in the south.

The American embassy in Doha has warned US citizens to be prepared for any attacks and said it’s reducing consular services.

”We recommend  that all Americans in Qatar  remain vigilant and be prepared to  duck and cover  in a secure location if the Qatari authorities issue an alert,” the statement says.

The death toll continues to climb in Lebanon as the Israeli army continues its invasion. More than 1,200 people have been killed over the past four weeks, the Lebanese authorities have said.

The toll includes 124 children, with more than 3,500 people wounded, the Health Ministry added in a statement.

On Saturday and Sunday alone, 49 people were killed, including ten rescue workers and three journalists.

Four people were injured from falling debris in the Beersheba area in southern Israel, following the Iranian attack there, Ynet has reported.

Nine others are being treated for anxiety, according to Israel’s emergency service.

A chemical plant was hit by an Iranian missile in the attack earlier today, with authorities warning residents nearby to remain indoors because of fears over a hazardous leak.

The Philippines should boot US military bases out of the country because they will be used “for the US to wage its illegal and genocidal wars in the Middle East, what it did in Venezuela, what it’s doing in Palestine with Israel,” Philippines Congressman Antonio Tinio has told RT.

“This will be used in the war with China that the US is preparing. US troops and weapon systems, more advanced weapon systems, including missile systems that can reach mainland China itself,” he added.

Trump’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has admitted it is “difficult to understand or justify” the authorities prohibiting the celebration of mass by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

“Israel has indicated it will work with the Patriarch to accommodate a safe means of carrying out Holy Week activities,” he wrote in an X post.

Ten Kuwaiti military personnel were injured in an Iranian attack on an army camp in the country, according to a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense.

The statement said the injured are receiving medical treatment and that there was also “material damage at the site.”

Over the past 24 hours, 14 ballistic missiles and 12 drones have been detected in Kuwaiti airspace, according to the spokesman.

A summit between the foreign ministers of Egypt, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, held in Islamabad, Pakistan, has ended, according to CNN.

The meeting was reportedly attended by Pakistan’s intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Muhammad Asim Malik, one of the Pakistani officials who has engaged with American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to mediate the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

A senior UAE official has demanded that Iran pay compensation for the damage its strikes have caused to the country.

“Any political solution addressing Iran’s aggression against the Gulf Arab states must include clear guarantees to prevent future attacks,” Anwar Gargesh, adviser to the Emirati president, wrote on X on Sunday.

Iran has demanded compensation from the US and Israel for war damage from the conflict, which is now in its 30th day.

At least 250 students and teachers have been killed and 600 educational facilities targeted since the US-Israeli war on Iran began, IRNA news agency has said, citing Iran’s Education Ministry.

184 students and teachers have also been wounded in the attacks.

France has denounced two attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Israel, accusing the militia of escalating tensions in the Middle East by entering the US-Israeli war on Iran.

”The Houthis should abstain from all attacks,” French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said, accusing the rebels of being “irresponsible.”

The Iranian media outlet IRIB has mocked US CENTCOM for denying Tehran’s claims that it damaged an E-3 AWACS aircraft.

An Iranian missile has hit a chemical plant in southern Israel 9km (4 miles) south of the city of Beersheba.

The authorities have warned residents nearby to remain indoors because of fears over a hazardous leak.

The emergency service also reported one person was wounded in the strike.

Six people have been killed following a US-Israeli attack in a residential area in Iran’s village of Osmavandan, the Mehr news agency has reported.

Two people were killed immediately following the attack earlier today, and four others died later in a hospital from their injuries.

Five residential houses were completely destroyed, and 22 others suffered severe damage in the attack, according to the agency.

The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Egypt have begun peace negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has said.

It comes as the four countries have emerged as mediators between the US, Israel and Iran.

Denying entry of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is “unacceptable,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has said in a post on X.

Italy’s position is “always in defense of freedom of religion,” he added, claiming that he intends to summon the ambassador of Israel tomorrow over the incident.

Israeli police prevented senior Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, barring them from celebrating one of the most important services in the Christian calendar, church authorities have said in a joint statement.

A Lebanese military source has told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces “are advancing their invasion in multiple areas of southern Lebanon.”

The troops have reportedly bypassed Aitaroun and reached the outskirts of Wadi al-Salouqi, while also entering the town of al-Bayada in the western sector and establishing positions there.

Israeli forces have also reportedly advanced towards the Litani River from outside the town of Qantara near al-Muhaysibat and have reached one of the river branches in the eastern sector.

A US military camp in Jordan was targeted by drone strikes, according to a statement released by the Iranian Army.

”The equipment warehouse and camp of the terrorist American army at the Al-Azraq base in Jordan have been struck by army drones,” the Islamic Republic's military claimed.

Earlier Saturday, the Jordanian army said that it had intercepted and destroyed 242 missiles and drones out of the 262 launched toward the kingdom since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Iranian military forces said they carried out drone strikes early Sunday on a US-linked facility at Al-Azraq airbase in eastern Jordan, targeting what they described as logistics warehouses and troop accommodation areas. In a statement carried by Iranian military channels, the army claimed the base serves as a key operational hub for American forces and their allies in the region, used to support air operations and coordinate actions against Iran.

The statement framed the strike as part of Iran’s ongoing military response in the escalating conflict, describing US forces in the region as “terrorist” and vowing continued attacks on strategic targets.

Going Underground host Afshin Rattansi has spoken to Dennis Kucinich, former US congressman from Ohio and ex-mayor of Cleveland, about the drivers behind the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration’s justification for the conflict. He also discusses the war’s impact on India and the wider Global South, risks of a ground invasion including potential losses on Kharg Island, shifts away from the petrodollar, and Iran’s unused counter-strike capabilities.

Israeli police prevented senior Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, barring them from celebrating one of the most important services in the Christian calendar, church authorities have said in a joint statement.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land said Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the Custos of the Holy Land, Francesco Ielpo, were stopped en route and forced to turn back despite traveling privately. The statement described the move as a “grave precedent” and a “grossly disproportionate measure,” saying it marked the first time in centuries that the heads of the Church had been prevented from holding Palm Sunday Mass at the site, and raised concerns over freedom of worship.

Ealier this month the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound Jerusalem was closed by Israeli authorities during Eid al-Fitr, preventing worshippers from marking the end of Ramadan at one of Islam’s holiest sites. The shutdown, imposed following the war with Iran, forced Palestinians to pray outside the Old City and marked the first time since 1967 that Eid prayers were barred at the mosque.

The UAE said it had intercepted 16 ballistic missiles and 42 drones launched from Iran on Sunday, adding that since the start of the war Tehran has fired 414 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,914 drones at the country.

In a later post on X, the Defense Ministry said its air defense systems were actively engaging incoming missiles and UAVs, adding that sounds heard in parts of the country were the result of interception operations against ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US and Israel of eroding international law during a call with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar, citing continued strikes on infrastructure, schools and hospitals.

In a post on X, Araghchi urged regional and global actors to take action, as foreign ministers from Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met in Islamabad in a bid to de-escalate the situation.

The United Arab Emirates has reportedly revoked all residency permits for Iranian citizens, including so-called “golden visas” granted to investors, according to Iran’s Tehran Times.

The outlet said Abu Dhabi had effectively seized Iranian assets worth about $530 billion through the move, though the claim has not been officially confirmed by UAE authorities.

Qatari broadcaster Al Araby TV said an Israeli strike hit the building housing its office in Tehran, causing extensive damage and forcing the suspension of live broadcasts.

“An Israeli missile targets the Al Araby TV channel building in the capital, Tehran… extensive damage and the suspension of live broadcasting,” the channel said in a post on X, adding that the strike directly hit its facilities in the Iranian capital and disrupted operations.

Footage from inside the office showed broken windows, shattered glass and debris, while images from outside showed streets littered with rubble and damage to surrounding buildings.

The Israeli military said it carried out a wide wave of overnight strikes in Tehran targeting sites it claimed were linked to Iran’s missile and air defense programs, including production and storage facilities for ballistic missiles.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the attacks hit a central site used by Iran’s Defense Ministry to produce key missile components, as well as facilities for missile and UAV engines and weapons storage, adding the strikes were aimed at degrading Iran’s military production capabilities.

Smoke is seen rising from the US Victory Base complex near Baghdad International Airport, as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said earlier its air and naval forces had carried out strikes on American positions across the region, including the complex.

Iran’s Health Ministry said the death toll from the ongoing war has risen to 2,076, including 216 children. 26,500 people have been injured, among them 1,767 children, as the conflict enters its second month.

The ministry added that 336 health and emergency centers have been damaged in the fighting, underscoring the growing strain on the country’s medical infrastructure.

Bahrain said it has intercepted 174 missiles and 391 drones launched from Iran since the start of the war, adding that its air defenses had been operating at a high state of readiness to protect civilian areas and critical infrastructure.

The United Arab Emirates has said any agreement to end the conflict must include reparations from Iran, calling for accountability over attacks on Gulf states and guarantees to prevent future escalation.

Anwar Gargash, a senior presidential adviser, said a political settlement must go beyond a ceasefire to ensure long-term regional security, including “clear guarantees to prevent future violations” and adherence to the “principle of non-aggression.” He accused Tehran of having “deceived its neighbors about its intentions before the war” and later revealing “premeditated aggression,” adding that compensation for damage to civilian and vital infrastructure should be part of any final deal.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday it had launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes against US and Israeli-linked targets across the Middle East, including bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq.

The IRGC said its air and naval forces struck facilities it identified as US positions at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, Prince Sultan Air Base near Al-Kharj in Saudi Arabia, and Victory complex near Baghdad. It added that further strikes targeted sites in Israel, Iraq, and the Gulf, including Tel Aviv, Erbil, and the US Fifth Fleet, and claimed high-value US military equipment was destroyed.

Hezbollah said it struck Israeli targets on both sides of the border, claiming a direct hit on a Merkava tank near Beit Lif in southern Lebanon with a rocket, and reporting a separate barrage fired at a military-industrial site near Acre in northern Israel.

“Liar Trump will turn US troops into food for the sharks of the Persian Gulf,” Iran’s military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari has said. He described the American president as an “unbalanced and deceitful individual” who has inflicted “extensive damage” on the people of the US, Europe and countries worldwide, particularly in West Asia.

A grieving Iranian mother urged accountability at the UN Human Rights Council for what she described as a “grave breach” of international law following an airstrike on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab, where she said she lost two of her children.

In a video released by the Iranian Embassy in Russia, she called on the international community to ensure a full investigation and deliver justice “not for revenge, but so that no other parent endures such a loss.” The February 28 strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh school, which came on the opening day of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, killed more than 175 students and staff.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society said on Sunday that airstrikes across the country have caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, with more than 102,000 civilian units affected. The organization reported that this includes over 80,000 residential properties and nearly 21,000 commercial units across multiple provinces.

Critical services have also been hit, with 296 health and emergency facilities and around 600 schools damaged. The Red Crescent added that its own operations have been impacted, citing damage to 18 centers, 48 operational vehicles, and three relief helicopters used jointly with emergency medical services.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iranian forces are ready for the arrival of US troops, warning of a harsh response to any ground incursion. In remarks carried by Islamic Republic News Agency, he accused Donald Trump of duplicity, saying: “The enemy openly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly plotting a ground attack.”

“Our men are waiting for the American soldiers to enter on the ground to set fire to them,” he added.

The EU’s Red Sea naval mission, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, said it is monitoring developments following what it described as increased Houthi backing for Iran, adding it has updated guidance for commercial vessels and urged closer coordination with maritime security channels.

It said forces remain on alert to safeguard shipping lanes, as Yemen’s Houthi movement announced it had entered the war on Saturday, claiming strikes on multiple Israeli military targets in coordination with Iran and Hezbollah.

Russia’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev said warnings of a looming global energy crunch were now coming to fruition.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its aerospace force carried out a joint missile and drone strike on the Al-Kharj base in Saudi Arabia, claiming it destroyed at least one E-3 AWACS surveillance aircraft and inflicted serious damage on other aircraft at the site.

In a statement, the IRGC said the attack was conducted in response to what it described as hostile actions by US forces, including the earlier destruction of refueling aircraft.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of San Francisco on Saturday as part of the nationwide “No Kings” protests against the policies of Donald Trump.

Public unity and defiance during the first month of the war had “empowered the missiles” launched against Iran’s enemies, with crowds rallying behind slogans rejecting compromise and surrender, in a show of resilience against the United States, Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said.

He said the period, marked by mourning for slain leaders and commanders, had turned grief into resolve, with citizens pledging loyalty to the country’s leadership and supporting military operations.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there has been no decision on Russia joining US President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace,” a US-backed initiative linked to post-war governance plans for Gaza.

He said the idea has become less relevant following the ongoing war in Iran. “There is no solution for this… we see that in general, while the war is going on, [it is] less relevant than it was at the beginning,” he told TASS, adding that any consideration would have to wait until the conflict ends.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US-Israeli operation against Iran will likely have long-term, “devastating consequences” for the global economy and regional geopolitics. Is too early to fully assess the fallout and that “we just need to be patient and see what the consequences will be,” he told TASS.

Saraya Awliya al-Dam (Brigades of the Guardians of Blood), affiliated with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, released footage on Sunday that it said showed attacks targeting US interests in the region.

A US-Israeli airstrike hit a residential area in Shaft County in northern Iran, leaving one person dead and five others injured, local authorities have said.

A deputy security official in Gilan Province said the strike targeted the village of Othmavandan. Emergency crews are continuing search and debris removal operations as response efforts remain underway.

Iran’s foreign minister has condemned the killing of three journalists from Al-Manar and Al-Mayadeen, describing the incident as a deliberate attack following what he called a “terrorist” strike by Israeli forces.

Araghchi said the killings “is not only a deep loss for the media community… but also a serious alarm for the global conscience,” calling the incident a “targeted assassination” and “an obvious attempt to ‘assassinate the truth’.” 

He added that Israel has “a long history of targeting media personnel,” describing the strike as a “blatant violation of international laws” and warning that “the repetition of such crimes clearly indicates the continuation of a hostile approach aimed at restricting freedom of expression.”

The Israeli military said it carried out what it described as its first cross-border ground operation from the Syrian side of Mount Hermon, with troops moving through snow-covered terrain into the Mount Dov area in southern Lebanon, and posted photos and video of the mission.

It said Alpinist Unit forces crossed on foot to conduct reconnaissance and locate what it called militant infrastructure, while additional troops remain deployed in a defensive posture. Mount Dov, also known as the Shebaa Farms, is a disputed area claimed by Lebanon but occupied by Israel.

Footage by Iranian media appears to show Iranian Red Crescent teams assisting residents after airstrikes hit a residential area in Gilan province in northern Iran.

Footage by Iranian media appears to show civil defense teams pulling a young girl from the rubble of a damaged residential building in Tehran after it was hit during US-Israeli strikes.

A missile fragment has struck a private home near the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, injuring residents and causing significant damage.

Footage from the scene shows a large crater beside the property, with debris strewn across the area and inside the home. The blast wave heavily damaged parts of the building and nearby vehicles.

Thousands have marched through central London as part of the “No Kings” protests, joining a wave of demonstrations across the United States and Europe against the war in Iran and policies of Donald Trump, with rallies also reported in cities including Washington, New York, Paris and Rome, as well as in smaller towns.

The US believes it has destroyed roughly one-third of Iran’s missile arsenal as the conflict with Israel enters its second month, according to five people familiar with US intelligence who spoke to Reuters. The status of another third remains unclear, though strikes likely damaged or buried missiles in underground facilities, the sources said.

The assessment suggests that Iran retains a significant missile stockpile and could recover some assets after the fighting. That contrasts with US President Donald Trump’s claim that Tehran has “very few rockets left.”

The Israeli military said it carried out a new wave of airstrikes in Tehran on Saturday, targeting what it described as temporary command centres and weapons production sites, as Iranian officials accused the US and Israel of expanding attacks on the country’s infrastructure and civilian areas.

The Israeli military said a soldier was killed during fighting in southern Lebanon, as ground operations against Hezbollah intensify along the border.

The soldier, identified as Sergeant Moshe Yitzchak HaCohen Katz, 22, was killed in an attack that also left three other troops moderately wounded.

Iranian state media published footage showing damage at the University of Science and Technology in Tehran after what authorities said was a US-Israeli strike on one of the country’s leading academic institutions on Saturday.

At least 701 attacks were recorded across Iran on Saturday, with 74% of the strikes taking place in Tehran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). This marks the highest number of attacks recorded in a single day since the beginning of the war.
HRANA added that at least 1,551 Iranian civilians have been killed in the conflict to date, including at least 236 children.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian army carried out coordinated strikes on Saturday targeting Israeli and US-linked facilities across the region, including an electronic warfare and radar center operated by Israeli defense firm Elta at a military aerospace complex in the port city of Haifa, as well as a fuel storage center at Ben Gurion Airport, according to Press TV.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said that its combined missile and drone strikes on two industrial facilities in the Gulf linked to the US military and aerospace sectors were a direct response to strikes on two Iranian steel plants earlier this week.

The Emirates Aluminum (EMAL) in the UAE and the Aluminum Bahrain (ALBA) plant both acknowledged the attacks, but have yet to confirm the scale of the damage.

The Corps described EMAL as home to the world’s longest aluminum production line, while noting that ALBA operates with American investment and shareholding and plays a “significant role in supplying the military-industrial production of the US terrorist army.”

The IRGC emphasized that Iran’s response to threats and acts of aggression “will no longer follow a mere ‘eye for an eye’ approach,” warning that “beyond any level of aggression, a decisive blow will be delivered to the military and economic structure of the enemies.”

Several photos circulated by open-source intelligence analysts online appear to show a “total loss” of an E-3G “Sentry” Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Aircraft in an Iranian ballistic missile strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

“The strike appears to have purposefully targeted the most important part of the E-3, that being the rear of the aircraft which holds its rotating radar dome, containing several sensitive instruments including antennas for the E-3’s AN/APY-2 Surveillance Radar System,” OSINTdefender wrote in a post on X.

The Pentagon has yet to officially confirm the scale of the damage from the reported attack, but US media previously reported that at least 12 US servicemembers were injured and “several” refueler aircraft damaged in the strike.

The Department of War is also deploying a third aircraft carrier group to the US Central Command’s area of responsibility to potentially join combat operations against Iran, according to recet US media reports.

The USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier group completed training earlier this month that certifies its readiness for major combat operations, CBS News reported on Friday. CNN added that it is unclear if the Bush will join or replace either of the two US aircraft carriers already in the region.

Two carrier strike groups – led by the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln – spearheaded the US attack on Iran last month, until the Ford suffered an alleged “non-combat” fire aboard and retreated for repairs to a naval port in Souda Bay in Crete.

Three guided missile destroyers assigned to the Bush group – USS Ross, USS Donald Cook and USS Mason – have all reportedly departed their home ports to join Operation Epic Fury earlier this week.

The Israeli Home Front Command has once again instructed residents to seek shelter, three hours after permitting everyone to leave protected spaces. 

“Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat,” the IDF said after detecting the second wave of missiles from Iran overnight.

In the meantime, another US amphibious ready group – comprising the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Comstock, and the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland – is also reportedly moving to the region.

The vessels departed San Diego in mid-March, with their deployment reportedly accelerated by three weeks. The group is equipped with F-35B fighter jets, helicopters, and landing craft, as well as at least 2,500 Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Earlier on Saturday, the US Central Command announced that the USS Tripoli, along with the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group/31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, had arrived in its “area of responsibility.” 

The deployment includes around 3,500 US sailors and Marines. The amphibious assault ship serves as the group’s flagship and is equipped with transport and strike aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and other tactical assets.

The US Department of War is drafting plans for weeks of potential ground operations in Iran, according to US officials who spoke with the Washington Post on condition of anonymity.

Any ground mission would fall short of a full-scale invasion, officials have insisted, instead involving raids by Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops. They described the prospective timeline as lasting “weeks, not months.”

Potential objectives could include the seizure of Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub, or raids into coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz to destroy weapons capable of targeting commercial and military shipping.

President Donald Trump has yet to approve any of the Pentagon’s plans. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it is the Pentagon’s role to make preparations to provide the commander in chief with “maximum optionality.”

Air defense systems across the Gulf region have been activated as several countries reported intercepting missiles and drones in the early hours of Sunday.

In Kuwait, authorities confirmed that air defenses were responding to an incoming missile and drone attack, a day after the country’s airport was struck by multiple drones, resulting in significant damage to its radar system.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry reported that sirens had been activated and urged citizens and residents to remain calm and proceed to the nearest shelter.

Earlier, the Dubai Media Office also said air defenses intercepted projectiles, causing loud sounds heard across parts of the city.

Aluminium Bahrain has confirmed that its facility was damaged and two employees sustained minor injuries in an Iranian attack on Saturday. The company said it is currently assessing the extent of the damage while focusing on maintaining operational resilience and the safety of its workforce, according to a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency.

Earlier, Iranian state media listed Alba among several regional industrial sites targeted by Iranian forces in retaliation for Israeli strikes on two Iranian steel plants.

Tehran promised an “eye for an eye” response against any attacks, and vowed to destroy all US and Israeli-linked oil and gas facilities should US President Donald Trump deliver on his threat to erase Iran’s energy infrastructure.

Trump repeatedly walked back his threat, citing alleged “talks,” and repeatedly shifted the deadline, most recently extending it by another 10 days to April 6.

28 March 2026

The IRGC set a deadline of 12:00pm Tehran time on Monday, March 30, for the United States to issue an official condemnation of the strikes on Iranian universities – including the latest strikes on the Isfahan University of Technology and the University of Science and Technology in Tehran.

The statement warned that if Washington fails to do so, two yet-to-be-named universities will be struck in retaliation. The corps advised all staff, faculty, students, and residents within a one-kilometer radius of any US or Israeli-linked universities to evacuate the area to ensure their safety.

The IRGC further cautioned that if the US wants to prevent additional retaliatory strikes beyond those two, it must stop Israel from attacking Iranian universities and research centers. “Otherwise, the threat remains valid and will be carried out,” the statement added.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared American and Israeli universities in the Middle East legitimate targets in retaliation for continued attacks on Iranian academic institutions, according to a statement published by the IRGC’s public relations office.

The warning, labeled as Notification No. 50, comes after what the IRGC described as repeated US-Israeli bombings of Iranian universities, including the latest strikes on Tehran’s University of Science and Technology.

“The reckless rulers of the White House should know that from now on, all universities of the occupying regime and American universities in the West Asia region are legitimate targets for us until two universities are struck in retaliation for the Iranian universities that have been destroyed,” the IRGC said.

The Israeli airstrikes on Tehran allegedly hit a residential area in the capital’s Saadat Abad neighborhood, with search and rescue teams looking for survivors under the rubble of a heavily damaged building, according to Press TV’s correspondent Moeen Amini reporting from the scene.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has accused the US and Israel of “deliberately” attacking the country’s educational facilities and research centres, including the Isfahan University of Technology and the University of Science and Technology in Tehran.

“The American-Israeli aggression against Iran continues to reveal its true objective: to cripple our country’s scientific foundation and cultural heritage by systematically targeting universities, research centers, historical monuments, and prominent scientists," the ministry’s spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei wrote in a post on X.

According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, the US and Israel have damaged or destroyed at least 600 schools and 281 medical facilities, as well as more than 85,000 civilian structures including 64,583 homes since late February.

In the first days of the military campaign, a suspected US Tomahawk cruise missile razed the Shajarah Tayyebeh girls’ school, killing at least 175 people, most of them children.

Earlier on Saturday, Yemen’s Houthi armed forces announced their formal entry into the war against the US-Israeli axis, declaring support for Iran and other “resistance” factions in the region.

According to Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the first salvo of ballistic missiles from Yemen targeted “sensitive Israeli military sites in the southern occupied territories,” and was timed to align with operations carried out by Iran and Hezbollah.

The Houthis cited ongoing military escalation, strikes on infrastructure, and "atrocities" committed in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and Gaza as justification for the move, vowing that retaliatory actions would persist until aggression against all resistance fronts comes to an end.

Iraqi air defenses intercepted two drones headed for the US embassy in Baghdad, according to security officials cited by AFP. The unmanned aircraft were brought down outside the Green Zone, the heavily fortified district that hosts government buildings and foreign missions.

In a separate incident, a drone crashed inside Iraq’s Majnoon oilfield in Basra province but did not detonate, Reuters reported, citing the Iraqi defence ministry.

Yemen’s Houthis claim to have launched a second missile attack on Israel, according to a prerecorded statement from military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree aired by the group’s Al-Masirah satellite television.

Saree said the Iranian-backed rebels targeted multiple sites in southern Israel, timing the attack to coincide with operations from Iran and Hezbollah. He did not identify the specific locations.

The launch came hours after the Houthis’ first missile attack against Israel since the war began a month ago.

RT’s Tehran bureau chief Hami Hamedi reports that heavy attacks targeted multiple areas of the Iranian capital in the past hour. In northern Tehran, a multi-story building located across from the Press TV building was reportedly struck. Hamedi, whose home is nearby, said he felt a strong blast wave but the media building itself remains intact.

Israel has conducted a third raid against unspecified targets across Iran, the IDF said in a statement, promising to release more details soon.

“A short while ago, the IDF completed a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting dozens of infrastructure sites belonging to the Iranian terror regime across Tehran,” the military said.