Updated on: Mar 18, 2026 12:29:22 PM IST
US Iran war: The killing of Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani prompted Tehran to launch a barrage of missiles at Israel.
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Before Iran’s confirmation of Larijani’s killing, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz had announced that the Iranian security chief had been “eliminated” in an overnight raid that also killed General Gholam Reza Soleimani, the commander of the country’s paramilitary Basij unit.
On the Iranian officials’ deaths, Trump said, “Their leaders are gone. It’s an evil group.”
Meanwhile, the United States said late Tuesday that it hit Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz with “multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions”. The US Central Command said that the Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites “posed a risk to international shipping in the strait”.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran informed the global nuclear watchdog that a projectile hit the premises of its Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday evening.
India-flagged oil tanker reaches India
A second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached India early on Tuesday after sailing safely from the Strait of Hormuz warzone. The tanker reached Gujarat’s Kandla port at around 2:30am on Tuesday morning, the government confirmed.
The first ship, Shivalik, had reached Gujarat’s Mundra port on Monday.
The two ships were reportedly carrying about 97, 712 tonnes of LPG – equivalent to a day’s requirement of cooking gas in India.
The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways also said that efforts were underway to ensure the safe passage of the remaining 22 Indian-flagged vessels, carrying 611 seafarers, which are still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. The ministry said the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) is closely monitoring operations in coordination with shipowners, agencies and Indian embassies.
Global crisis and oil prices
Oil prices surged as Iran confirmed the death of its security chief, Ali Larijani, as the US-Israel-Iran war further intensified and escalated the tensions across the Middle East region.
The US benchmark West Texas Intermediate traded near $96 per barrel, after surging almost 3 per cent on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Brent settled above $103, Bloomberg reported.
Trump’s National Counterterrorism chief resigns
US President Donald Trump is facing an internal crisis, with backlash from within his country over the strikes and war against Iran. Latest in the series is the resignation of Joe Kent, the head of the US National Counterterrorism Centre, who advised Trump on “terror” threats. Kent said Iran “posed no imminent threat” to the US, asserting that Washington “started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”.
Trump reacted to Kent’s resignation and called it a “good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat”. He called Kent a “nice guy”, who he said was “very weak on security”.
Israel strikes Lebanon
Israeli strikes reportedly hit central Beirut and the city’s southern suburbs early on Wednesday, with the Lebanese media reporting that the raids came without warning.
One strike hit an apartment in the central Zuqaq al-Blat neighbourhood, where the Israeli forces hit a Beirut branch of the Hezbollah-linked financial firm Al-Qard Al-Hassan last week.
Follow all the updates here:
Mar 18, 2026 12:29:22 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian nuclear doctrine unlikely to change, says Araghchi
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera it is unlikely that Iran would change its stance against the development of nuclear weapons.
Araghchi also cautioned that the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is yet to publicly express his view on the matter.
Mar 18, 2026 12:19:52 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE: Israel strikes ‘command centres’ in Tehran, announces ‘wide-scale airstrike’
US Iran war LIVE: The Israeli Air Force announced that it completed a “wide-scale airstrike in Tehran”, confirming that “command centres of the Iranian terror regime were attacked” during the regime.
“As part of a wide-scale airstrike in Tehran yesterday (Tuesday), the Air Force struck, guided by Military Intelligence, command centers, sites of the ballistic missile array, and additional infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime,” it said in a post on X.
“In parallel, several air defense systems were attacked with the aim of expanding the Air Force’s air superiority over Iranian skies. The completed strikes are part of the phase of deepening the damage to the core arrays of the Iranian terror regime and its foundations,” it added.
Mar 18, 2026 12:15:43 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE: Iraq resumes Kirkuk crude exports via Ceyhan after Baghdad-KRG deal, says report
US Iran war LIVE: Crude exports from Iraq’s Kirkuk fields to Turkey’s Ceyhan port have resumed via pipeline, Reuters reported, citing North Oil Company sources. This comes after Baghdad and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) agreed on Tuesday to restart flows.
The KRG confirmed the same and said in a statement that the two sides would form a joint committee to prepare for resuming oil exports, with revenue to be returned to the federal treasury.
Mar 18, 2026 11:51:02 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE: Saudi downs hostile drone approaching Embassies district
US Iran war LIVE: Saudi Arabia’s ministry of defence said that a hostile drone was downed during an attempt to approach the Embassies District. The development comes amid the increasing attacks on Gulf nations in the wake of the ongoing US-Iran war.
Mar 18, 2026 11:38:26 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE: US must be held accountable, says Iranian foreign minister
US Iran war LIVE: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that the ongoing war is not Iran’s war. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said that Iran did not start the war.
“The United States started it and is responsible for all the consequences of this war — human and financial — whether for Iran, for the region, or for the entire world,” Araghchi said.
“The United States must be held accountable,” he added.
Mar 18, 2026 11:18:37 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE: Tehran targets wherever American forces assemble, says Araghchi
US Iran war LIVE: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera in an interview that Iran targets wherever the US forces assemble, including near urban areas.
Mar 18, 2026 11:09:39 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE: At least 200 US army personnel killed, over 3,000 injured in 1st week of war, claims Iran
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran has reportedly claimed that at least 200 US military personnel were killed and more than 3,000 were injured in the first week of the war.
A senior Iranian intelligence official told state media outlet Press TV that the US lost 150 missile launch platforms and 23 Patriot air defense systems, adding that a total of 37 aircraft and helicopters were also destroyed.
Additionally, 43 per cent of US weapons stockpiles have also reportedly been obliterated.
Mar 18, 2026 10:57:39 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: UN maritime body to hold emergency talks on Middle East shipping
US Iran war LIVE updates: The International Maritime Organisation will begin an “extraordinary session” on Wednesday to discuss shipping in the Middle East region, as the US-Iran war escalates.
The London-based UN agency is set to consider adopting resolutions during the two-day gathering at its headquarters. The council could vote on Thursday on the several proposed resolutions.
Mar 18, 2026 10:45:51 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: UAE to be lenient with tax rules for expats leaving amid conflict, says report
US Iran war LIVE updates: The United Arab Emirates is reportedly set to show leniency on tax rules for expats leaving to avoid the ongoing Iran conflict, the Financial Times reported.
Mar 18, 2026 10:32:01 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatari defence ministry says it intercepted missile attack
US Iran war LIVE updates The Qatari defence ministry confirmed that its “armed forces have intercepted a missile attack” that “targeted the country” on Wednesday.
The official statement comes amid the escalating attacks across Gulf countries in the wake of the US-Iran war.
Mar 18, 2026 10:19:43 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran Guards hit ‘100 Israeli strikes’ to avenge Ali Larijani’s killing
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has reportedly struck more than 100 targets in Israel’s Tel Aviv city in retaliation for the killing of its security chief Ali Larijani.
In a statement, the IRGC announced hitting the targets during the 61st wave of its ongoing retaliatory mission, Operation True Promise 4, in the face of the ‘American-Israeli aggression’.
“The hostile objects were targeted using multi-warhead Khorramshahr-4 and Qadr missiles as well as Emad and Kheibar Shekan projectiles as a means of avenging the martyrdom of Dr Larijani, the former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC),” the statement read.
Mar 18, 2026 10:01:28 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Blast heard in Beirut after Israeli warning
US Iran war LIVE updates: A blast was heard in central Beirut after Israel issued a warning of an imminent strike and called on residents to evacuate the region.
“The enemy targeted the threatened building in Bashoura”, a central Beirut neighbourhood, the official National News Agency reported.
Mar 18, 2026 9:53:31 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Several airlines cancel more flights to Middle East as conflict escalates
US Iran war LIVE updates: Several global airlines cancelled more flights to Middle Eastern countries, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, adding to the tensions of the tens of thousands of stranded passengers.
Carrier operators, including Air Baltic, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, Delta airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Finnair, IndiGo, Malaysia airlines, Qatar Airways, and Japan airlines, cancelled their flights to several Gulf nations.
Mar 18, 2026 9:42:15 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Tehran executes man accused of spying for Israel, says report
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran reportedly executed a man accused of spying for Israel. The man was identified was Kurosh Keyvani.
Keyvani was found “guilty of providing Israel’s spy agency, Mossad, with pictures and information about sensitive locations in Iran,” Mizan news agency reported.
Mar 18, 2026 9:40:21 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Israeli airstrikes hits Beirut’s Bachoura
US Iran war LIVE updates: After strikes on two areas in central Beirut, another Israeli strike hit the Lebanese capital’s Bachoura neighbourhood on Wednesday, Reuters reported, citing a witness, who also said that a loud explosion was heard in the area.
Mar 18, 2026 9:17:19 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: 2 killed in Israel by Iranian missile
US Iran war LIVE updates: Two people were killed near Israel’s commercial centre Tel Aviv after an Iranian missile attack, medical teams said on Wednesday. The country’s rail operator also halted services after shrapnel struck a station in the city.
Officials said falling projectiles hit several locations across central Israel during the overnight attack. Air raid sirens sounded across the region following another day of intense Israeli strikes in Iran and Lebanon.
With these deaths, the number of people killed in missile strikes on Israel since the Middle East conflict began late last month has risen to 14.
Mar 18, 2026 9:08:03 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Global repercussions of war ‘will hit all’, says Iranian foreign minister
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that the global repercussions of the ongoing US-Iran war and the wider regional conflict will affect everyone.
“Wave of global repercussions has only begun and will hit all – regardless of wealth, faith, or race,” Araghchi posted on X. He also attached a copy of the US National Counterterrorism Centre director’s resignation announcement, triggered by the war, in his X post.
“A rising number of voices – (including) European and U.S. officials – exclaim that the war on Iran is unjust. More members of the international community should follow suit,” his post added.
Mar 18, 2026 8:49:53 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Conflict continues to spill to Gulf nations; Booms heard in Doha
US Iran war LIVE updates: As the ongoing US-Iran war continues to spill to the Gulf nations, booms were reportedly heard in Qatar’s Doha, according to Reuters.
Mar 18, 2026 8:35:42 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: UAE pledges 18 million barrel crude to South Korea, says envoy
US Iran war LIVE updates: South Korean presidential envoy to the Middle East, Kang Hoon-sik, said on Wednesday that the United Arab Emirates has pledged to supply South Korea with 18 million barrels of additional crude oil and a shipment of naphtha, Reuters reported.
Mar 18, 2026 8:25:02 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: UN watchdog says no damage to Iran nuclear power plant hit by projectile
US Iran war LIVE updates: The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Wednesday that Iranian authorities reported a projectile impact on Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant.
IAEA posted on social media that it has” been informed by Iran that a projectile hit the premises of the Bushehr NPP on Tuesday evening.”
“No damage to the plant or injuries to staff reported,” it added.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi “reiterates his call for restraint during the conflict to avoid any risk of a nuclear accident”, the statement stated.
Mar 18, 2026 8:21:58 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Oil prices surge as Iran confirms security chief Ali Larijani’s death
US Iran war LIVE updates: Oil prices surged on Wednesday as Iran confirmed the killing of security chief Ali Larijani. Brent reportedly traded above $103 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was near $96 per barrel.
Mar 18, 2026 8:20:29 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: 6 killed in Israeli strikes on central Beirut, says Lebanon
US Iran war LIVE updates: Lebanon said that two Israeli strikes on central Beirut early Wednesday killed at least six people, with local media reporting raids on Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah’s stronghold in the city.
One strike hit an apartment in the central Zuqaq al-Blat neighbourhood, and the other hit the central Basta district.
Mar 18, 2026 8:10:10 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Strait of Hormuz situation won’t return to ‘pre-war status’, says Tehran
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will not return to its “pre-war state”.
“The Strait of Hormuz situation won’t return to its pre-war status,” his X post read.
His remarks come against the backdrop of the ongoing US-Iran war, which has majorly impacted the global oil flow.
Mar 18, 2026 8:06:33 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Israel warns of strike on central Beirut area; urges residents to evacuate
US Iran war LIVE updates: The Israeli military warned of an imminent attack on central Beirut early on Wednesday and urged the residents to evacuate the neighbourhood.
In a statement on social media, the Israel Defense Force’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee issued “an urgent warning to residents of…Bashoura neighbourhood”, saying Israeli forces would operate against a Hezbollah facility there.
Mar 18, 2026 8:03:24 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: ‘War proceeding very well,’ says Trump
US Iran war LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the ongoing US-Israeli military operation against Iran is going “very well”.
“The war is proceeding very well… We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon… They would have used it very gladly… We did a good job… Every time you see somebody with no legs, no arms, a face that’s been really so badly damaged, lives destroyed, 95% chance it came right out of Iran,” Trump said.
The US President said that it would take ten years for Iran to rebuild the damage it incurred.
Mar 18, 2026 8:01:15 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian projectile hits Australian airbase in UAE, says PM Albanese
US Iran war LIVE updates: Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said on Wednesday that an Iranian projectile struck near an Australian airbase in the United Arab Emirates, informing that no personnel were injured.
“There was minor damage to an accommodation block and a medical facility due to a small fire that was created as a result of that projectile hitting on a road leading up to that base,” Albanese told reporters in Tasmania.
Mar 18, 2026 7:57:43 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Drone attack hits US embassy in Iraq
US Iran war LIVE updates: An explosion was reportedly heard in Baghdad early on Wednesday, with Iraqi officials reporting a drone and rocket attack targeting the US embassy.
The latest blast comes just hours after multiple blasts were heard across the Iraqi capital, where a witness told news agency AFP he saw detonations likely caused by air defences intercepting projectiles over the embassy.
Another witness reportedly saw a fire on the edge of the embassy grounds from her balcony, and a security official said the blaze was caused by a drone.
Mar 18, 2026 7:43:38 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: US plans to mass produce one-way LUCAS attack drones used in Iran war
US Iran war LIVE updates: The Trump administration is reportedly planning to mass-produce one-way LUCAS attack drones, which the US forces deployed in the ongoing war with Iran in the Middle East.
The LUCAS drone — or Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System — is a US version of Iran’s kamikaze drone, and is manufactured by the US company SpektreWorks, Bloomberg reported.
Mar 18, 2026 7:27:03 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran rejects de-escalation proposal as Israeli strikes kill Larijani
US Iran war LIVE updates: As Israeli airstrikes killed Iranian security chief Ali Larijani, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, rejected de-escalation offers conveyed to the foreign ministry for “reducing tensions or ceasefire with the US”.
Mojtaba said it was not “the right time for peace until the United States and Israel are brought to their knees, accept defeat, and pay compensation”.
Mar 18, 2026 7:16:37 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Israel strikes central Beirut as Middle East conflict widens
US Iran war LIVE updates: Israeli strikes reportedly hit central Beirut and the city’s southern suburbs early on Wednesday, with Lebanese media reporting that the raids came without warning.
Mar 18, 2026 7:12:26 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: IAEA says Iran informed about strike in Bushehr nuclear plant’s premises
US Iran war LIVE updates: Global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said it was informed by Iran that a projectile hit the premises of the Bushehr nuclear power plant on Tuesday evening.
Mar 18, 2026 7:10:26 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: US hits Iranian missile sites near Strait of Hormuz
The US military on Tuesday said it hit Iranian missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz with some of its most powerful bombs.
The US Central Command took to X and said, “US forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz.”
“The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait,” it added.
Mar 18, 2026 7:08:33 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Tehran vows to avenge security chief Ali Larijani’s killing
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian army chief Amir Hatami on Wednesday vowed to avenge the killing of security chief Ali Larijani in an Israeli airstrike and threatened to launch a “decisive and regrettable retaliation”.
“Iran’s response to the assassination of the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council will be decisive and regrettable,” Hatami said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that it had launched missiles at central Israel “in revenge for the blood of martyr Dr Ali Larijani and his companions”.
Mar 18, 2026 7:03:07 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Tehran hits Israel with cluster warhead missiles
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran on Wednesday hit Israel with missiles carrying cluster warheads in retaliation for the killing of its security chief Ali Larijani.
The missiles targeted Tel Aviv, with medics saying that two people were killed in the attack.
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