US-Israel-Iran War Highlights: Strait of Hormuz On Brink As Iran Vows To Block Shipping Lane

Here's a summary of the situation so far today

1. Iran and Hezbollah have stepped up attacks on Israel, with Iran threatening to completely close the Strait of Hormuz if the US targets its power plants.
2. President Donald Trump has given Iran a 48-hour deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to "obliterate" its power plants if it doesn't comply.
3. Iran's parliament speaker has warned that Tehran will retaliate against US and Israeli energy and infrastructure in the region if attacked.
4. Israeli leaders have visited areas struck by Iranian missiles, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming Israel and the US are achieving their war goals.
5. The war has killed over 2,000 people, rattled the global economy, and sent oil prices surging.
6. Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have intercepted Iranian strikes, while the international community is being asked for more support.

With this, we have reached at the end of the US-Israel-Iran live blog for today. Join us tomorrow morning for fresh updates. 

Thank you and good night!

Iran said strikes hit a hospital in Andimeshk. Its health ministry said patients and doctors were evacuated to another city. Iran's death toll in the war has surpassed 1,500, state media reported, citing the ministry. In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian strikes. More than a dozen civilians in the occupied West Bank and Gulf Arab states have been killed in strikes. 
 

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius says joint efforts to secure trade routes through the Strait of Hormuz can come only after a ceasefire is achieved. Pistorius urged Iran to ensure freedom and safe passage in the strait. He made the comments on Sunday during a trip to Japan for talks with his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi.
 

(Source: AP)

Rachel VanLandingham, a professor at Southwestern Law School, says plants that are confirmed to be dual-use — meaning they also benefit the military — can be targeted only if the strategic advantage outweighs the harm it causes to civilians.

Causing excessive suffering to civilians makes it a war crime under international law, said VanLandingham, a retired lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force who served chief legal adviser for international law at US Central Command.

Trump said on Saturday that he would give Iran 48 hours to open the vital Strait of Hormuz or face a new round of attacks. He said the US would destroy “various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!”

VanLandingham said: “It could be lawful, but the way he said it sounds awful because he doesn't provide any kind of nuance.”
 

(Source: AP)

Abbas Araghchi called on 'independent nations” to pressure both the US and Israel to stop their war against Iran. The top Iranian diplomat says any efforts to end the war should include 'guarantees' that the US and Israel won't once again attack the Islamic Republic, according to the state-run news agency IRNA.

Iran needs guarantees that its “sovereignty and national security won't be violated again,” according to IRNA. Araghchi's comments came in a phone call Saturday with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the news agency said.

Abbas Araghchi called on 'independent nations” to pressure both the US and Israel to stop their war against Iran. The top Iranian diplomat says any efforts to end the war should include 'guarantees' that the US and Israel won't once again attack the Islamic Republic, according to the state-run news agency IRNA.

Iran needs guarantees that its “sovereignty and national security won't be violated again,” according to IRNA. Araghchi's comments came in a phone call Saturday with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the news agency said.

Qatar's Interior Ministry says rescuers found the body of a seventh person who initially had been missing. The Defence Ministry said four Qatari forces and three Turkish nationals — including a military officer and two civilians — were on board the helicopter that crashed Saturday in Qatari territorial waters. All seven people on board have now been accounted for.

In a statement broadcast by Iranian media, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it will "completely close" the Strait of Hormuz if the US targets Iranian energy infrastructure.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump warned the US will “obliterate” Iran's power plants if it doesn't fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, prompting Tehran to say it would respond to any such strike with attacks on US and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets.

Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany, said that he spoke to US President Donald Trump on the situation in Iran, Israel, and Ukraine.

"This afternoon, I discussed the situation in Iran, Israel, and Ukraine with US President Donald Trump. We agreed to remain in close contact. Our exchange will be continued soon," he wrote on X

Ich habe heute Nachmittag mit US-Präsident Donald Trump die Situation in Iran, Israel und in der Ukraine besprochen. Wir haben verabredet, weiter in engem Kontakt zu bleiben. Unser Austausch wird bald fortgesetzt.

— Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) March 22, 2026

The Kuwaiti Civil Aviation Authority has announced the submission of a formal protest to ICAO due to Iran's serious violations and aggressions.

Benjamin Netanyahu visited arenas in  Arad and Dimona and said that Israel will recover and rebuild after recent attacks, urging citizens to follow safety instructions and stay safe during alerts.

In a post, Netanyahu wrote, "I arrived today at the arenas in Arad and Dimona – whatever was damaged, we will restore and rebuild, and on a grand scale. I ask of you, my brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel: heed the instructions of the Home Front Command and enter the protected spaces upon the alert. With God's help, we will all safeguard our lives." [sic]

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns of escalating Middle East war risks after strikes hit Iran's Natanz nuclear site and Israel's Dimona facility. No radiation leaks reported, but attacks on nuclear sites threaten public health and environment. He urges restraint and de-escalation to prevent nuclear incidents.

The war in the Middle East has reached a perilous stage with strikes reportedly hitting the Natanz Enrichment Complex in Iran, and the Israeli city of Dimona, where a nuclear facility is located.
@iaeaorg is looking into incidents reported yesterday in southeastern Iran, and in… pic.twitter.com/gJdQd1eOqS

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 22, 2026

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said the recent missile attacks on Diego Garcia shows that Iran has the capacity to reach deep into Europe and poses danger to the entire world.

Netanyahu was visiting the southern Israeli city of Arad which faced Iranian missile strikes on Saturday evening when he also said his country and the US are fighting together on behalf of everyone.

“If you want proof that Iran endangers the entire world, the last 48 hours have given it. In the last 48 hours, Iran targeted a civilian area. They're using that as a mass murder weapon."

“Luckily, no one was killed, but that's due to luck, not their intention. Their intention is to murder civilians,” Netanyahu said.

The United Arab Emirates expressed its solidarity and deepest condolences to the sisterly State of Qatar and the friendly Republic of Turkey following the martyrdom of seven people in a helicopter crash in Qatari territorial waters. The crash, which occurred due to a technical malfunction during a routine mission, was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement. 

The Ministry extended its sincere condolences and sympathies to the families of the martyrs, members of the Qatari Armed Forces and the joint Qatari-Turkish forces, as well as to the government and people of Qatar and the Turkish government and people, on this tragic loss.
 

الإمارات تتضامن مع قطر وتركيا وتُعزّي في استشهاد سبعة أشخاص بتحطّم طائرة مروحيةhttps://t.co/qVWkI6aHkl pic.twitter.com/nV19hAyMOY

— MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) March 22, 2026

MB Ghalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker, warned that if Iran's power plants and infrastructure are targeted, they'll consider critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and oil facilities across the region as legitimate targets.

In a post on X, he wrote, "Immediately after the power plants and infrastructure in our country are targeted, the critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and oil facilities throughout the region will be considered legitimate targets and will be destroyed in an irreversible manner, and the price of oil will remain high for a long time. And throw down what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have made." [sic]

بلافاصله پس از هدف قرار گرفتن نیروگاه‌های برق و زیرساخت در کشورمان، زیرساخت‌های حیاتی و زیرساخت‌های انرژی و نفت در سراسر منطقه اهداف مشروع تلقی شده و به نحو بازگشت‌ناپذیر منهدم خواهند شد و قیمت نفت برای مدت‌ها بالاتر خواهد رفت. وألقِ ما في يمينك تَلْقَفْ ما صَنَعوا.

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) March 22, 2026

Iran thanks India for kindness and humanity. People in Kashmir donated everything from cash, jewellery, copper ware for Iran amid the Israel-US war against the country.

We will never forget your kindness and humanity.
Thank you, India. https://t.co/hiYnIEfN3D

— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) March 22, 2026

Israeli settlers rampaged through multiple Palestinian villages overnight Saturday and into Sunday, smashing cars, setting fires and wounding several men in the latest flare-up of violence in the occupied West Bank. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported attacks in at least six communities on Sunday.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said at least three Palestinians in the village of Jalud suffered head wounds from beatings and were hospitalised after confronting settlers, who were also reported injured.

Israel's military said it was not able to intercept missiles that hit Dimona and Arad, the largest cities near the Negev Desert nuclear centre. It was the first time Iranian missiles penetrated Israel's air defence systems in the area.

Israel's hard-line national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited Arad on Sunday, saying that Israel is in a "historic battle" against Iran and that it must "continue until victory". Israel is believed to be the only Middle East nation with nuclear weapons, though its leaders refuse to confirm or deny their existence. The UN nuclear watchdog said on X it had not received reports of damage to the Israeli centre or abnormal radiation levels.\

(Source: AP)

Iran recently fired cluster bombs at Israel, targeting central Israel. This escalation is part of the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, with both sides trading strikes on each other's nuclear development sites.

The Ministry of Defense of State of Qatar announces that, as part of search and rescue operations for the crew and passengers of the helicopter that crashed at dawn today, Sunday, in the State's regional waters, the following have been confirmed martyred: 

• Captain (Pilot) Mubarak Salem Daway Al-Marri
• Sergeant Fahad Hadi Ghanem Al-khayarin
• Corporal Mohammed Maher Mohammed from Qatar Armed Forces
• Major Sinan Taştekin from Qatar - Turkey Joint Forces
• Suleiman Cemra Kahraman
• Ismail Anas Can
• Turkish civilian collaborators
• passengers on the helicopter. 

The search  operation for Captain (Pilot) Saeed Nasser Samekh, from Qatar Armed Forces, is still in progress, the ministry of Defense, Qatar said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on more countries to join the war against Iran, according to KAN News. Netanyahu claimed that Iran had targeted holy sites in Jerusalem. He said the time has come for other countries to join the fight against Iran.

The Israel Defense Force said that they have eliminated Walid Muhammad Dib, a senior official in Hamas’ financial array in Lebanon 

Dib operated under Hamas’ central financial ministry, transferring funds to depts. in Judea & Samaria, Lebanon and  additional countries, as well as recruiting terror operatives from Syria and Lebanon, wrote IDF on X

Seyed Ali Mousavi, Iran's envoy to the International Maritime Organization, said in remarks carried by two Iranian news agencies that navigating the strait is possible for "everyone except enemies" -- indicating Tehran would determine which vessels are allowed passage. Iran has already approved the passage of ships through the waterway to China and elsewhere in Asia.

Mehran Kamrava, Professor of Government at Georgetown University in Qatar, told PTI, "A classic escalation trap; Israelis-Americans did not expect Iran to bounce back and them deny a quick, decisive victory."

Iran has 98 operational natural gas power plants, according to Bloomberg data. The largest ones are the Damavand combined cycle power plant, southeast of Tehran; the Ramin power plant north of Ahvaz; and the Kerman facility in Chatroud.

Shortly after Trump threatened to 'obliterate' Tehran's power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened within 48-hours, Iran warned to attack key infrastructure across the Middle East.

“Following previous warnings, if Iran's fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked by the enemy, all energy, information technology, and desalination infrastructure belonging to the US and the regime in the region will be targeted,” Iran's military operational command said in a statement.

The US sends two more warships and more than 4500 marines to the Middle East region, NDTV reported.

Iran launched a new set of missiles towards Iran on Sunday, according to IRIB

On Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Tehran had informed it that the Natanz nuclear site was attacked. The IAEA said in a statement on X that there were no reports of an increase in off-site radiation levels at the site, which is one of Iran’s key enrichment facilities.

Israel has claimed to kill 10 Hezbollah fighters in Southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported.

"We support the right of the countries unjustifiably attacked by Iran or by Iranian proxies to defend their territories and protect their citizens. We reaffirm our unwavering support for their security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity," G7 said.

In a statement issued on Saturday (local time), G7 said, "the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, express support to our partners in the region in the face of the unjustifiable attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies."

They added, "We condemn in the strongest terms the regime’s reckless attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Iraq, in line with UNSC Resolution 2817. The Iranian regime’s unjustifiable attacks against these states also threaten regional and global security."

S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, held a telephone conversation with Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, where they discussed on regional and international developments amid tensions in the Middle East, said the Embassy of Iran in India.

Speaking on Hormuz Strait closure," Araghchi stressed that normalisation of the situation depends on the cessation of attacks and aggression by the aggressors, and that any halt to the war must be accompanied by guarantees preventing the recurrence of such aggressions," the post read.

Telephone Conversation Between the Foreign Ministers of Iran and India

Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, held a telephone conversation with Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, during which they… https://t.co/RkB4wn0qX8

— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) March 21, 2026

The Bushehr nuclear plant is Iran's first commercial nuclear plant. The construction of the facility started after Tehran and Moscow signed a pact, according to reports.

Trump’s threat to strike Iran’s largest power facilities may be a reference to the Bushehr nuclear plant, Bloomberg reported.

Iran has 98 operational natural gas power plants, according to Bloomberg data. The largest ones are the Damavand combined cycle power plant, southeast of Tehran; the Ramin power plant north of Ahvaz; and the Kerman facility in Chatroud.

Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi clarified that it is not planning to conduct unilateral negotiations with Iran to secure passage for its vessels through the Strait of Hormuz amid reports that Tehran is prepared to grant access.

“It’s not something we’re considering at this point,” Bloomberg quoted Motegi as saying Sunday on a Fuji Television program. Instead, Japan is focused on ensuring “conditions where everyone can pass."

After the United States temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil at sea, Indian refiners are planning to resume purchasing crude from Iran, news agency Reuters reported on Saturday, citing traders. 

Iran has set six conditions to end the war with the United States and Israel, according to the International GroupTasnim News Agency and Al-Mayadeen News Network, citing a senior Iranian security and political official.

In a broadcast interview with the Japanese agency Kyodo, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is "open."

In a post on X, Netanyahu said, "This is a very difficult evening in the campaign for our future. Just a short while ago, I spoke with the Mayor of Arad, Yair Maayan, and asked him to convey, on behalf of all Israeli citizens, our prayers for the peace of the injured. I have instructed the Director General of my office to provide all the necessary assistance together with all government ministries."

He added, "I strengthen the emergency and rescue forces operating in the field right now, and I call on everyone to heed the instructions of the Home Front Command. We are determined to continue to strike our enemies on all fronts."

After Trump warned to attack Iran's power plants, the Iranian Army has responded, saying that it will attack all energy infrastructure owned by the US in the region if Tehran's fuel and energy infrastructure is targeted, Al Jazeera reported.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned, "If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!"