Zelenskyy Says Ukrainian Anti-Drone Teams Working In Gulf Countries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 11 that Ukrainian counter-drone experts had begun work in three Gulf countries that have been targeted by Iranian attacks.
Kyiv has offered to share its experience in shooting down Russian drones to help Gulf states that are being targeted by the same Iranian-designed drones that Russia is using against Ukraine.
"Three teams have been dispatched -- powerful teams of experts, military personnel, engineers, and various individuals. Today, [they] are communicating and cooperating and have begun their work," Zelenskyy told reporters.
The Ukrainian president's spokesman also separately confirmed that the three countries include Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
A senior official told AFP that another Ukrainian team was also in Jordan, but did not provide further details.
Ukraine uses a combination of cheap interceptor drones, electronic warfare devices to jam signals, and anti-aircraft guns to shoot down Russian drones.
Kyiv has proposed substituting its interceptor drones for expensive air defense missiles that Gulf states currently use to shoot down Iranian drones.
Russia Evacuates 150 Personnel From Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant, 450 Remain
Russia's state nuclear corporation evacuated about 150 personnel from the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran overnight, the head of Rosatom said on March 11.
Aleksei Likhachev said it was the second round of evacuations since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, but that some 450 Rosatom personnel remain at the site.
Likhachev said the situation was tense, with some "strikes and explosions" occurring close to the plant on the Persian Gulf, but that so far "the participants in the conflict have refrained from direct attacks" on the site.
Bushehr, which has one reactor, is Iran's only operational nuclear power plant. Rosatom is building two more reactors there, but Likhachev said last week that construction work had halted.
With reporting by Interfax and Reuters
Fuel Tanks At Omani Port Struck By Drones
Omani state media reported March 11 that fuel tanks at the country's port of Salalah were targeted by a drone attack.
The official Oman News Agency, citing a security source, said several drones were shot down while others attacked fuel tanks in the port of Salalah. The agency said there were no casualties in the attack.
Private maritime security company Vanguard Tech announced the suspension of operations at the port after an attack on its southern part.
Images of flames spreading from fuel tanks at the Port of Salalah have been released.
Maersk International Shipping also announced that it had suspended all operations at the port of Salalah until further notice.
Following the attack, Oman's state news agency reported that Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said had spoken to Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian over the phone, expressing his country's dissatisfaction and condemnation of the ongoing attacks on Omani soil.
Oman is considered a country close to the Islamic republic and played a mediating role in recent negotiations between Iran and the United States. However, since the start of the war, this country has also been the target of Iranian drone and missile attacks.
Images Show Military, Security Presence In Tehran
Images posted on social media, verified by RFE/RL, on March 11 show the movement of military vehicles with heavy weapons throughout Tehran.
These images also document the deployment of military forces with weapons throughout the Iranian capital.
Satellite Images Reveal Damage At Iranian Facilities After US-Israeli Air Strikes
Before-and-after satellite images show the scale of damage from US-Israeli strikes at multiple Iranian missile and aircraft facilities. The images showed significant damage to buildings and infrastructure in Khorgu and Kerman, as well as destroyed F-14 and F-7 aircraft at an Isfahan airbase.
Iranian Officials Knock Down Rumors Over Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's Health
Iranian officials went on the offensive on March 11 to knock down rumors over newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's state of health, saying he was injured in the air strikes that killed his father and other family members but is "safe and sound."
Mojtaba Khamenei was announced as the country's new supreme leader on March 8 following the death of his father in a bombing raid on February 28.
The 56-year-old has not been seen since the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, nor has he made any public statements, giving rise to speculation he too may have died or been seriously injured in the attacks.
To read the full report, click here.
US Military Urges Iranian Civilians To Avoid Ports
US Central Command warned Iranian civilians on March 11 to avoid port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating, saying the Islamic republic is using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz for military activity.
In a statement, CENTCOM urged civilians --including dockworkers, port staff, and commercial ship crews -- to stay away from areas where naval vessels and military equipment are present.
"US forces urge civilians in Iran to immediately avoid all port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating," the command said.
It added that ports used for military purposes could lose protected civilian status under international law and become legitimate military targets.
"The US military takes every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians but cannot guarantee civilian safety near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes," the statement said.
Is The US Considering Seizing Iran's Kharg Island?
Iran's Kharg Island, the country's main oil export outlet, could be a target for the United States, experts say, in a move that could cut off the revenues that sustain Tehran's sanctions-hit economy.
But the possible capture of the tiny island in the Persian Gulf, which handles around 90 percent of all Iranian oil exports, would mark a major escalation in the US-Israeli war on Iran. It is also unlikely to land a fatal economic blow to the Islamic republic, experts say.
To read the full report, click here.
Iran Says 'Under No Circumstances' Will Play In World Cup
Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali announced on March 11 that Iran cannot participate in the FIFA World Cup that will be held this year in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Donyamali told Iranian state TV that after the killing of Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader of the Islamic republic, in attacks by the United States and Israel, "Under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup."
"Our sons are not safe, and fundamentally there are no conditions for participating in these competitions," he said, referring to the players of the national soccer team.
Hours earlier, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced he had met with US President Donald Trump, who he said told him he welcomes Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup.
Referring to the news of players from Iran's women's soccer team seeking asylum while in Australia, Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian football federation, said on March 10, that a "similar scenario" could happen with the men's national team at the World Cup.
"No reasonable person would support sending Iran's national soccer team to the United States," he said.
IRGC Claims Strike On Liberian-Flagged Vessel
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it had struck a Liberian-flagged vessel in the Strait Of Hormuz that it claimed was owned by Israel.
Tehran has indicated it considers the ships transferring oil to the United States, Israel, and "their partners" as "legitimate" targets.
"We won't allow even one liter of oil to reach the US, Zionists, and their partners. Any vessel or tanker bound to them will be a legitimate target," said Iran's military command spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari on March 11.