- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement on the war, saying that the leverage of closing the Strait of Hormuz should be used, and that attacks on Iran’s Gulf Arab neighbors will continue. Khamenei did not appear on camera. Israeli intelligence assessed that he was likely wounded in the war’s opening salvo. Khamenei also called on Gulf Arabs to “shut down” U.S. bases, saying promised U.S. protection is “nothing more than a lie.”
- Israel’s military said it had begun a new wave of strikes in Beirut on Thursday. It came less than two hours after the military warned residents of a large swath of southern Beirut to evacuate north. Over 800,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced over the past 10 days in the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, part of the wider Iran war.
- The price of a barrel of Brent crude oil briefly topped $100 a barrel early Thursday, just days after it spiked near $120 in the latest jolts to financial markets and the global economy as a whole.
- The U.N. refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced by the ongoing war. It said most have fled from Tehran and other major cities toward the north of the country or rural areas.
White House considers waiving Jones Act requirements during Iran war
The 1920s law is often blamed for making gas more expensive. It requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be moved on U.S.-flagged vessels, and is designed to protect the American shipbuilding sector.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that temporarily waiving the requirement could “ensure vital energy products and agricultural necessities are flowing freely to U.S. ports.” The action has not been finalized, she said.
UN chief renews call for end to war, return to negotiations
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the U.S.-Israeli military strikes, followed by Iran’s retaliatory attacks, have caused “immense suffering” and pushed the region to a breaking point.
“And as always, the most vulnerable are being hurt first and worst,” Guterres said. “De-escalation and dialogue are the only way out.”
He made the comments in the Turkish capital where he received the country’s peace prize on behalf of global U.N. staff.
Russia and China clash with US and its allies over Iran’s nuclear ambitions
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz told the U.N. Security Council that Iran is the only country without nuclear weapons to produce and accumulate uranium enriched up to 60%, which is near weapons-grade.
The United Kingdom’s acting ambassador, James Kariuki, said there is “no credible civilian justification” for Iran possessing more than 400 kilograms (about 880 pounds) of highly enriched uranium, adding the stockpile erodes confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and led to the “snapback” of U.N. sanctions last September.
But Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the U.S. and its allies of whipping up “hysteria” about Iran seeking a nuclear weapon to justify “yet another military venture against Tehran” and escalate tensions.
China’s U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong said Iran has repeatedly reaffirmed it does not seek nuclear weapons and that its “sincerity should be taken seriously.”
Israel strikes a building near downtown Beirut
Residents watch as smoke rises from a nearby building during an Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Smoke rises from a building targeted by an Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises from a building hit by a targeted Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
The building is in a busy residential and commercial district in central Beirut, close to the prime minister’s office, the U.N. building and foreign embassies.
The strike came soon after Israel’s Arabic-language spokesperson issued a warning on X for residents to evacuate 300 meters (1,000 feet) away from the building, saying it was near a Hezbollah facility that the military would soon “act against.”
This was the first strike in central Beirut of the current conflict that came with a warning.
The building didn’t immediately collapse after an initial strike. As people approached after the first hit, an Israeli drone launched a warning strike to disperse the crowds again ahead of a second anticipated strike.
UK says drones wounded US personnel at a base in northern Iraq
British military officials say several U.S. personnel were injured in drone strikes in northern Iraq on Wednesday night, without specifying if the wounded were American troops.
Brig. Guy Foden said a number of drones hit a base in Erbil that houses both British and American troops.
Another officer, Lt. Gen. Nick Perry, said there were no British casualties, while the U.S. sustained some casualties but “nothing too serious.”
Democratic senator wants hearings on why Trump attacked Iran
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin told reporters during a teleconference Thursday that she’s demanding Republican Majority Leader John Thune hold public hearings with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
She said he constituents deserve to know why Trump decided to attack Iran, but the president has been unable to articulate a clear reason.
She and five other Democratic senators have filed war powers resolutions to block unauthorized strikes in Iran, she said, calling the conflict “illegal” and “a war of choice.” She went on to accuse Trump of having no exit strategy.
Trump says it’s not ‘appropriate’ for Iranian team to attend World Cup
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup,” Trump wrote on his social media site Thursday, “but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
This appears to depart somewhat from the message he relayed Tuesday evening at the White House to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who later publicly said that Trump assured him the Iranian players and coaches would still be welcome.
On Thursday, the White House did not immediately clarify what the president meant by “their own life and safety,” such as whether he anticipated threats against them while in the United States.
Iranian leaders said this week that it’s “not possible” for the country to participate in this year’s World Cup.
A new wave of Israeli strikes in Beirut
Israel’s military said it began the strikes Thursday after warning residents of a large swath of southern Beirut to evacuate north earlier in the day.
US State Department says demand for evacuation flights is going down
The State Department said the vast majority of the 47,000 Americans who have left the region did so commercially without government help, although by the end of Thursday it will have completed roughly 50 free charter evacuation flights for Americans.
The department said that about 32,000 Americans in the region had reached out for either security information or travel assistance and that all of them had been contacted by phone, text or email. However, it said that most offered seats on the charter flights have declined them, preferring to arrange their own travel or to remain in the Middle East.
The department said it would adjust its charter flight planning depending on the demand for seats.
