Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced on March 20, 2026, that U.S.-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman, Ali Mohammad Naini, describing the attack as a “criminal cowardly terrorist act” by the “American-Zionist side.” The Guards’ statement, posted on their Sepah News website, marked the latest escalation in the ongoing conflict. Meanwhile, drone attacks targeted Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery, with Gulf state authorities citing retaliatory measures against Iran. Israel launched airstrikes on Tehran on the same day, coinciding with Iranians celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The attacks, described by the Israeli military as targeting “infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime,” came amid a war that has destabilized the global economy and drawn Arab neighbors into the conflict. Earlier, an Iranian missile strike on Haifa’s oil refineries caused temporary power disruptions but no significant damage, according to Israel’s Energy Ministry. The war’s economic fallout was evident in energy markets. Dutch wholesale gas prices fluctuated on March 20, with the TTF hub trading around 61.88 euros per megawatt-hour, after surging to a 2023 high the previous day. QatarEnergy reported that missile strikes on its Ras Laffan LNG facilities had damaged 17% of its export capacity, potentially delaying the North Field LNG expansion. Analysts warned that the attacks could prolong energy shortages and reshape global pricing for years. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, condemned U.S. use of British bases, calling it “participation in aggression” against Iran. The call with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper remained unconfirmed in timing.#qatarenergy #iran_revolutionary_guards #israeli_military #ali_mohammad_naini #kwait_mina_al_ahmadi
Iran Threatens Oil Blockade Until Attacks Cease, Trump Warns of Escalation Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared on Tuesday they would prevent any oil shipments from the Middle East if U.S. and Israeli attacks continued, prompting President Donald Trump to vow intensified strikes against Iran. The escalation of threats came amid rising tensions over the ongoing conflict, with crude oil prices dropping and global stock markets rebounding following Trump’s confidence in a swift resolution to hostilities. Trump asserted that the U.S. had significantly damaged Iran’s military infrastructure and predicted the war would end before the initial four-week timeline he outlined, though he did not specify what victory would entail. He also warned that U.S. strikes could escalate sharply if Iran sought to block tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route that handles one-fifth of the world’s crude supply. “We will hit them so hard that it will not be possible for them or anybody else helping them to ever recover that section of the world,” Trump stated at a press conference. Iran’s leadership, however, remained defiant. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) vowed to halt Middle East oil exports unless attacks ceased, a stance that has already disrupted global oil flows. The Strait of Hormuz, a lifeline for Gulf oil producers, has been effectively shut down, forcing producers to halt pumping as storage facilities near capacity. Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil exporter, warned of “catastrophic consequences” for global markets if the conflict persisted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his country’s goal of dismantling Iran’s clerical regime, stating, “Our aspiration is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny.#iran #donald_trump #strait_of_hormuz #benjamin_netanyahu #iran_revolutionary_guards
Israel-Iran war LIVE: Some countries contacted Tehran for ceasefire, Iran's Deputy FM says; Trump says operations 'very complete' U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on March 9, 2026, that military operations in Iran could be nearing an end, describing the conflict as “very complete” and progressing ahead of schedule, according to a CBS News report. The statement came as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced plans to escalate their missile attacks, vowing to increase the force and frequency of strikes while expanding the range of their weapons. State media cited commander Majid Mousavi, who stated that all missiles launched from now on would carry warheads weighing at least one ton. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin shared proposals to end the war in West Asia “quickly” during a phone call with Trump, according to the Kremlin. The leaders also discussed the situation in Ukraine and Venezuela, with Putin emphasizing the impact of global oil market dynamics. France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced preparations for a “defensive” mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil trade. Oil prices surged past $114 per barrel, the highest level since 2022, as tensions escalated and supply risks loomed. Iran’s Foreign Ministry dismissed calls for ceasefire talks, stating that negotiations were impossible while the country faced attacks. The Revolutionary Guards also warned that the Strait of Hormuz remained unsafe as long as hostilities continued. In a separate development, the Israeli military claimed to have struck six military airfields in Iran, targeting infrastructure and aircraft used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The strikes reportedly included attacks on Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, where 16 Revolutionary Guards aircraft were destroyed.#iran #trump #strait_of_hormuz #russia #iran_revolutionary_guards
Israeli Strikes Target Iran's Security Bases as Kuwait Reports US Jets Crash Israeli military forces launched strikes against key security and intelligence facilities in Iran on March 1, according to reports. Smoke plumes were observed rising from the capital, Tehran, following the missile attacks. The strikes, which targeted infrastructure critical to Iran’s defense and intelligence operations, marked a significant escalation in the ongoing regional tensions. Separately, Kuwait’s foreign ministry issued a statement confirming that two U.S. fighter jets had crashed in the Persian Gulf. The incident, which occurred during a joint military exercise, raised concerns about the safety of coalition operations in the region. The crash site was reportedly near the border between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, though details about the cause of the accident remained unclear. The developments coincided with volatile movements in global energy markets. Oil prices surged as fears of further conflict in the Middle East intensified, while stock markets across the region experienced sharp declines. Investors reacted to the potential for prolonged instability, with energy sector shares leading the downturn. Analysts noted that the combination of military actions and geopolitical uncertainty was driving the market volatility. The Israeli strikes followed a series of attacks attributed to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which had targeted Israeli facilities in recent weeks. The conflict has drawn international attention, with calls for de-escalation and diplomatic engagement. Meanwhile, the U.S. military’s involvement in the region, including the reported crash of its jets, has added another layer of complexity to the already fragile situation.#persian_gulf #us_military #iran_revolutionary_guards #israeli_military #kuwait_foreign_ministry
