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.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes and his son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen to succeed him. Iran is responding with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Iran is also attempting to block some shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
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Israeli forces preparing to 'deepen the maneuver' in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it's planning to "deepen" its military actions against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"We are now preparing to deepen the maneuver and strikes according to an orderly plan. We will not stop until the threat is removed from the borders and long-term security is ensured for the residents of the northern region," the IDF said.
"It is a long battle, and we are prepared for it," the IDF added.
Further details about the operation were not provided.
Mar 22, 2026, 3:38 PM EDT
Strait of Hormuz 'is not closed,' Iranian foreign minister says
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Araghchi on Sunday reiterated the Iranian message that the Strait of Hormuz "is not closed" as President Trump imposed a deadline for Iran to stop its attacks on the strait or face strikes on energy infrastructure.
"Strait of Hormuz is not closed. Ships hesitate because insurers fear the war of choice you initiated — not Iran," Araghchi wrote on X. "Ships hesitate because insurers fear the war of choice you initiated — not Iran. No insurer — and no Iranian — will be swayed by more threats. Try respect."
Tankers sail in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman's Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026.
Reuters
"Freedom of Navigation cannot exist without Freedom of Trade. Respect both — or expect neither," Araghchi further said in his Sunday post.
"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!" Trump said in a post on his social media platform Saturday.
-ABC News' Victoria Beaule
Mar 22, 2026, 12:04 PM EDT
Iran says Strait of Hormuz open to all except 'enemies,' state media, Iranian president say
The Strait of Hormuz is open to everyone aside from Tehran’s "enemies," Iran’s representative to the International Maritime Organization, Ali Mousavi, told the semi-official Mehr News Agency on Sunday.
"Passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz is possible with coordination for security and safety arrangements," Mousavi told Mehr in an interview published on Sunday.
"Iran is ready to cooperate with the IMO and countries to improve maritime safety and protect mariners," Mousavi said, according to the report.
Later Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian echoed that statement in a post on X, saying in part "the Strait of Hormuz is open to all except those who violate our soil. We firmly confront delirious threats on the battlefield."
In weeks since the joint U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran began, Tehran has claimed attacks on several ships transiting through the strait and in the gulfs on either side of it.
Mar 22, 2026, 10:24 AM EDT
'Iran endangers the entire world,' Netanyahu says
During a visit Sunday to the site of an Iranian missile strike in Arad, in southern Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were "proof that Iran endangers the entire world."
“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 doing 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.
An infographic titled 'Diego Garcia Base' created in Ankara, Turkey, on March 21, 2026. The island, the largest in the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean, has hosted a joint US-UK military presence since the 1970s and serves as a base for long-range bombers and other strategic assets.
Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images
Netanyahu also noted Friday morning's reported launch of two ballistic missiles at a joint U.S.-U.K. military base on the island of Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, some 2,000 miles south of Iran. Neither of the missiles struck the base, nor is it clear how far the missiles traveled.
"I've been warning all the time. They have now the capacity to reach deep into Europe," Netanyahu said, in part. "They are putting everyone in their sights."
"What more proof do you need that this regime that threatens the entire world has to be stopped?" Netanyahu said. "Israel and the United States are working together for the entire world. And it's time to see the leaders of the rest of the countries join up."
