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Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. (See blog post below)
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. (See blog post below)

live Baghdad Blasts Target Iran-Allied Groups, US Embassy

Updated

As the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL deliver ongoing updates and analysis.

Key Takeaways:

  • The United States has offered up to $10 million for information on new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
  • The Pentagon is sending the USS Tripoli and the 31st MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) to the Middle East.
  • US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth says an officer from outside of US Central Command has been appointed to investigate a deadly strike on a girls' school in Iran
  • Trump said in a social media post that air strikes have decimated Iran "militarily, economically, and otherwise."
  • US Central Command reported on March 13 that four crew members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft died in a crash in western Iraq.
23:19 1.3.2026

Trump: We Will Continue at 'Full Force' Until Mission Completed

US President Donald Trump vowed on March 1 to press ahead with military operations against Iran at "full force," saying the campaign would continue until Washington achieves all of its objectives.

In a six-minute video address posted on Truth Social, Trump acknowledged that more American casualties are likely following the deaths of three US service members in what he described as a war launched to counter Iran's nuclear aspirations.

“Sadly, there will likely be more [casualties] before it ends,” Trump said. “That’s the way it is.”

He added that the United States would “avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization."

To read the full report, click here.

22:02 1.3.2026

Iran Military Strikes Could Take 4 Weeks, Says Trump

US President Donald Trump has said in an interview with the British Daily Mail newspaper that the military operation against Iran, which has been launched with the participation of Israel, could last up to four weeks.

"It's always been a four-week process. We figured it will be four weeks or so," he said in a telephone interview from his Florida residence.

Noting that Iran is a large country, Trump added that military strikes will “take four weeks -- or less."

21:35 1.3.2026

UAE Closes Embassy In Tehran

The United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry has announced that it has closed its embassy in Tehran and withdrawn its ambassador and all members of its diplomatic staff from Iran in response to Tehran's attacks on its territory.

A statement released by the ministry described the Islamic republic's "aggressive actions" against civilian targets, including residential areas, airports, ports, and service facilities, which endangered the lives of civilians, as a "dangerous and irresponsible escalation of tension" and a violation of international law.

Abu Dhabi has also warned that Iranian attacks are "pushing the region down very dangerous paths."

In response to US and Israeli attacks, Iran targeted the UAE and other Persian Gulf countries with missile and drone attacks on February 28 and March 1.

21:19 1.3.2026

Zelenskyy: Kyiv 'Ready' To Share Experience In Countering Iran's Missiles And Drones

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country is ready to share its experience in countering Iranian ballistic missiles and Shahed drones with countries that helped Kyiv to repel Russia's invasion, as Tehran continued to attack countries in the Gulf region.

"The situation in the Middle East shows how difficult it is to provide 100 percent protection against missiles and Shahed drones," he said in a video statement on March 1, as Iran has launched air attacks on Israel, United Arab Emirates, and other countries throughout the day.

"Everyone can now see that our experience in defense is, in many respects, irreplaceable. We are ready to share this experience and help those nations that helped Ukraine," Zelenskyy added.

Tehran has long been an ally of Russia, supplying it with military equipment and technology and fueling Moscow's war effort against Ukraine. Zelenskyy said earlier that Russia's military had used at least 57,000 Shahed drones in attacks on his country, including against its civilian and energy infrastructure.

Now, the Iranian authorities should blame themselves for the consequences, including for killing "tens of thousands of their own citizens just in recent months" and "fueling" wars in the region, Zelenskyy said.

"The Iranian people have long effectively been alone against violence -- against the Iranian regime.... It is important that American determination -- the determination of everyone in the world -- truly works."

21:00 1.3.2026

How The Middle East Conflict Could Affect The War In Ukraine

Hanna Notte
Hanna Notte

Attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran and the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will likely have little effect on the battlefield in Ukraine, but it may make Russian President Vladimir Putin “even more adamant that he has to come out on top” in the full-scale war he launched four years ago, Hanna Notte, an expert on Russian-Iran ties, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Read the interview here.

20:39 1.3.2026

Israel And Iran Exchange New Strikes After Khamenei Death

Footage shows smoke rising across Tehran as Israel reportedly targeted central locations of the capital with strikes. Iran retaliated with missile strikes against US and Israeli targets.

Israel And Iran Exchange New Strikes After Khamenei Death
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19:50 1.3.2026

Before And After Strikes On Iranian Missile Base

Satellite images taken by Planet Labs PBC reveal the damage inflicted on an Iranian missile base in northwestern Tabriz. The base was hit on February 28 as the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran, killing the country's supreme leader and top military figures.

Check out the before and after satellite images.

18:52 1.3.2026

Iran's Naval Headquarters 'Largely Destroyed,' Trump Says

US President Donald Trump said the United States "largely destroyed" Iran's naval headquarters and sank nine of Tehran's navy ships.

18:23 1.3.2026

Iran Wants To Talk, Trump Tells Atlantic In Interview

US President Donald Trump has told The Atlantic magazine in an interview that the Iranian leaders who have emerged after air strikes killed several senior officials want to hold talks.

"They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They ‌should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long," Trump said in the interview from his Florida residence.

He gave no details on who he had been in touch with or when such talks would take place.

18:00 1.3.2026

Trump Says That 48 Iranian Leaders Have Been Killed

US President Donald Trump said that 48 Iranian leaders have been killed.

"Nobody can believe the success we're having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it's moving along rapidly," Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

Officials from US Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, announced that three US military personnel have been killed in action and five seriously wounded. The announcement gave no details where and how the personnel were targeted saying only that several other troops “sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are in the process of being returned to duty.”

From our latest news wrap.

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