Iran live updates: White House calls on other nations to secure Strait of Hormuz

Dubai officials earlier said a drone impact had started a fire near the airport.

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Last updated: Monday, March 16, 2026 6:10PM GMT
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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to succeed him.

Iran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

Smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.
Smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.

ByMichelle Stoddart ABCNews logo
Mar 09, 2026, 8:27 PM GMT

Trump says Iran war is 'very complete, pretty much'

President Donald Trump said in a phone interview with CBS News on Monday that the war with Iran is "very far ahead of schedule," before adding that the war "is very complete, pretty much."

"They have no Navy, no communications, they've got no Air Force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including their manufacturing of drones. If you look, they have nothing left. There's nothing left in a military sense," Trump said, according to CBS News.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday that "we haven't even really begun to start that effort of the campaign, which is going to showcase even more how we will execute on those objectives."

ByWill Gretsky ABCNews logo
Mar 09, 2026, 8:25 PM GMT

Trump, Putin discuss Iran in phone call: Kremlin

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran as well as Ukraine in a phone call on Monday, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.

ByChris Looft ABCNews logo
Mar 09, 2026, 7:14 PM GMT

US missile seen near Iranian girls' school

A newly surfaced video appears to show a U.S.-made missile hitting a building in Iran adjacent to a girls' school where local officials say 168 people were killed, experts told ABC News.

A newly surfaced video appears to show a U.S.-made missile hitting a building in Iran adjacent to a girls' school where local officials say 168 people were killed.

The eyewitness video was first posted Sunday morning by the Iranian outlet Mehr News, and then shared online by Trevor Ball, a former U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician, who now works as a researcher with the investigative group Bellingcat.

Ball said in a post on X that the video showed a U.S.-made Tomahawk missile.

Full story here.

ByNicholas Kerr ABCNews logo
Mar 09, 2026, 5:52 PM GMT

Trump says he's 'nowhere near' decision on ground operation in Iran

President Donald Trump told the New York Post on Monday that he was "nowhere near" a decision on potential ground operations in Iran.

"We haven't made any decision on that. We're nowhere near it," Trump said.

Trump also reiterated to the Post that he was "not happy" with the newly selected Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei.

Asked what his plans were for Iran's new leader, Trump told the Post, "Not going to tell you. I'm not happy with him," he said.

Trump also waived off concerns about spiking oil prices.

"I have a plan for everything, okay?" Trump said in the interview.

"I have a plan for everything. You'll be very happy," he said.