Ukraine Says It Has Deployed Anti-Drone Units In 5 Middle Eastern Countries
Ukraine’s national security chief said the country has deployed military units in five Middle Eastern countries to counter Iranian drones and protect critical and civilian infrastructure.
Rustem Umerov wrote on X on March 20 that Ukrainian units had been stationed in these countries and that further steps had been outlined for “developing long-term security cooperation” with each of them, including "preparing practical solutions for air defense based on Ukraine's experience."
“Work is also underway to expand coverage areas,” he added.
Umerov visited the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan this week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously said the country was ready to help counter Iranian loitering munitions, or so-called kamikaze drones.
Following its war with Russia, where Moscow has made extensive use of Iranian-designed drones. Ukraine has developed capabilities to counter such systems.
Swiss Government Halts Export Permits For Weapons Headed To US
The Swiss government says it is halting the issuance of licenses for weapons that are bound for export to the United States, citing the country's neutrality doctrine.
"On 20 March, the Federal Council examined the implications of applying the principle of neutrality to exports to the states involved in the Iran conflict," the government said in a statement.
"The export of war materiel to countries involved in the international armed conflict with Iran cannot be authorized for the duration of the conflict," it added. "Existing licenses and exports of other goods will now be regularly reviewed by an interdepartmental group of experts, particularly with regard to their compatibility with neutrality."
UAE Says It Intercepted Missiles And Dozens Of Drones In Latest Attacks
The United Arab Emirates said its air defense systems intercepted four ballistic missiles and 26 drones launched from Iran on March 20 as regional tensions continue.
Since the start of what it described as "blatant Iranian aggression," the UAE said it has intercepted 338 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,740 drones.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said in a post on X that the attacks have killed two members of the armed forces and six foreign nationals, while 158 people have been injured.
It added that the country's defense systems "remain fully prepared and ready to deal with any threat" and vowed to protect the country’s sovereignty and security.
Historic Sites Closed For Persian New Year Ceremonies
The head of Iran’s national heritage sites said the tomb of famed Persian poet Hafez, the ancient city of Persepolis, and other historic landmarks would be closed for Norouz ceremonies today, when such sites are usually open to large crowds of visitors.
According to Iranian media, Farhad Azizi said on March 20 that the decision was due to the country’s “current situation,” RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.
According to the official, museums under the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism will also remain closed during Norouz, the Persian New Year.
At the same time, the head of the Hegmataneh World Heritage site -- an ancient Median-era complex dating back to the 7th century BC -- said it would also be closed during Norouz.
In a separate report, the governor of Isfahan said 21 historical sites in the province had suffered serious damage during the war, with total losses estimated at $500 million.!
Israeli Air Defense Soldier Arrested On Suspicion Of Spying For Iran
Israeli authorities said they had arrested a reserve soldier who served in the country’s air defense system, known as the “Iron Dome,” on suspicion of passing information to Iran.
The soldier was identified as Raz Cohen, a 26-year-old resident of Jerusalem.
Authorities say that he had been in contact with Iranian intelligence agents for several months and, under their direction, carried out various security-related tasks, including transferring sensitive information.
The Times of Israel reports that the soldier had been recruited via Telegram and had passed on coordinates of bases and the names of responsible personnel.
Iraq Pulled Into Iran War As Tehran Expands The Battlefield
- By Frud Bezhan
Since the United States and Israel launched their bombing campaign against Iran, Tehran has expanded the battlefield across the Middle East.
That includes in Iran’s western neighbor, Iraq, where Tehran’s proxy forces have carried out almost daily attacks against US targets, including diplomatic and military facilities, triggering retaliatory American air strikes.
Iran itself has carried out waves of missile and drone strikes in Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region in the north, where Iranian Kurdish opposition groups operate camps and offices.
The intensifying violence has threatened to destabilize Iraq, a Shi’ite-majority country of some 46 million people that is still recovering from years of insecurity following the US-led invasion in 2003 and the long conflict it set off.
“The chances of Iraq being pulled deeper into the Iran war are extremely high,” said Colin Clarke, executive director of the Soufan Center, a New York-based think tank.
“That's partly a result of Tehran's influence, especially over the past two decades, where the regime has become in many ways inextricably linked with Iraqi militias.”
Read more here.
UK Couple Being Used As 'Human Shields' In Iran, Says Family
The family of a British couple imprisoned in Iran say the pair are being used as “effective human shields” amid the US-Israeli war, as they renewed criticism of the UK government’s efforts to secure their release.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman are being held in harsh conditions in Tehran’s Evin prison, their son Joe Bennett said, according to Reuters.
"My parents are living under a 'drone of drones', the constant, maddening buzz of 600 machines in the sky," Joe Bennett, Lindsay Foreman's son, said in a statement.
"They are sharing small rectangular cells with rats and cockroaches, sleeping on metal bunks without mattresses in a state of constant physical pain."
The couple were arrested in January 2025 while passing through Kerman during a round-the-world motorcycle trip. They were later sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges, which they and their family deny.
Bennett said Britain’s support had been “almost non-existent,” leaving the family feeling abandoned, though the government has called the sentence “totally unjustifiable” and pledged to continue pressing for their release.
Reuters said the Foreign Ministry's press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran Enters Persian New Year With Families Cut Off By Internet Blackout
Iran is entering Norouz, the Persian New Year, under a prolonged Internet blackout that has now stretched into its third week -- exceeding 480 hours of disruption, Internet connectivity monitor NetBlocks said on March 20.
"With international connectivity cut and domestic service limited, many families are unable to contact loved ones when it's most needed," NetBlocks said in a post on X on March 20.
The Islamic republic cut Internet access across Iran in the early hours of February 28, shortly after the start of US and Israeli attacks. Connectivity from inside the country has dropped to around 1 percent since the conflict started.
Experts and rights groups say Internet shutdowns in Iran can limit information leaving the country and help authorities control the narrative during unrest or conflict.
Iran Warns UK Over Bases
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has told his British counterpart, Yvette Cooper, that any US use of UK bases would be seen as "participation in aggression" against the Islamic republic.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Araqchi discussed the matter in a phone conversation with Cooper, although it was not clear when the call took place.
He also criticized the UK for allowing the use of its military bases by the US, saying such actions would be seen as participating in aggression and would be “recorded in the history of relations between the two countries,” according to a Foreign Ministry statement released on March 20.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Say Spokesman Killed
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said on March 20 that US-Israeli strikes had killed their spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.
The IRGC said in a statement on its Sepah News platform that Naini "was martyred" in a "criminal cowardly terrorist attack by the American-Zionist side at dawn."
IRGC did not provide further details about the attack that led to the killing of the senior commander, but the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later said that Naini had been "eliminated."
"In his role as the IRGC's main propagandist for the past 2 years, he disseminated the regime's terrorist propaganda to its proxies across the Middle East in order to influence and advance terror attacks against Israel," the IDF said on its X account.
Just hours earlier, the Fars news agency, which is close to the IRGC, had published comments from Naini, quoting him as saying as saying the country was continuing with "missile production even under wartime conditions, and there are no particular problems with our stockpiles."
Naini, a brigadier general, was described in the statement as having “transformative ideas and effective models in the field of soft warfare.”
The 68-year-old had previously been active in the IRGC’s political-security and media sectors, and was considered one of the figures close to the Revolutionary Guards' command structure.