Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the US-UK military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Saturday.The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Iran had launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles toward the base but that they did not hit it.Mehr said targeting the base was a “significant step …that shows that the range of Iran’s missiles is beyond what the enemy previously imagined”.It’s unclear how close the missiles came to the base, which is about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres) from Iran.Iran currently has a self-imposed limit on its ballistic missile program, limiting their range to 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles).That puts all of the Mideast and some of Eastern Europe in range, but Diego Garcia would be far beyond it.The Diego Garcia air base is home to about 2,500 mostly American personnel and has supported US military operations from Vietnam to Iraq, Afghanistan and strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.Diego Garcia is part of the Chagos Islands, a remote archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean off the tip of India. The islands have been under British control since 1814.They are at the centre of a UK spat with President Donald Trump over Britain’s plans to hand sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius. Britain would then lease back the Diego Garcia base.More US military might to the Middle EastMarch 21, 2026 10:58 pmEven as President Donald Trump said the US was close to winding down the war, the administration announced it was sending three more warships to the Middle East with about 2,500 additional Marines. It was the second time in the week that the administration said it was deploying more forces to the conflict. The military says some 50,000 are supporting the war effort. Trump has ruled out sending in ground troops, though his administration has hinted at a possible deployment of special forces or similar units. The Marines being sent to the region are an expeditionary unit designed for quick amphibious landings, but their deployment does not mean a ground invasion is certain. Analysts have suggested it may require the presence of US forces on the ground to ultimately secure the strait.Israel denies responsibility for attack on Natanz nuclear facilityMarch 21, 2026 10:24 pmIran’s official news agency Mizan said there was no leakage after the strike on the Natanz nuclear facility, nearly 220 kilometres southeast of Tehran. The UN nuclear watchdog has said the bulk of Iran’s estimated 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium is elsewhere, beneath the rubble at its Isfahan facility, with a lesser amount at Natanz. Israel’s military said it was “not aware” of a strike by it there. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on X it was informed by Iran about the strike and was looking into the incident. The Natanz facility was hit in the first week of the war and several buildings appeared damaged, according to satellite images. Natanz also was targeted in the 12-day war last June.Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants clash in LebanonMarch 21, 2026 10:23 pmIsrael’s military said its forces were conducting a “targeted ground operation” on Saturday with the support of Israeli aircraft and at least four militants were killed. Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops in the southern village of Khiam. Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than 1 million, according to the Lebanese government. Hezbollah’s civilian assets also have been targeted.Immediate cessation of US-Israeli aggression needed to end war, Iran’s president says to PM ModiMarch 21, 2026 9:15 pmBengaluru: Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that there needs to be an “immediate cessation” of what he described as US-Israeli aggression to end the war and wider regional conflict, Iran’s embassy in India said in an X post on Saturday. Pezeshkian spoke with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi by phone earlier in the day. Pezeshkian told Modi that there should be guarantees to prevent a recurrence of such “aggression” in the future. He also called on the BRICS bloc of major emerging economies to play an independent role in halting aggression against Iran. The Iranian president proposed a regional security framework comprising West Asian countries to ensure peace without foreign interference, according to the country’s embassy in India. In a separate post on X earlier on Saturday, Modi said he condemned attacks on critical infrastructure in the Middle East in the discussion with Pezeshkian. The Indian Prime Minister further reiterated the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation and ensuring shipping lanes remain open and secure. Reuters22 countries urge Iran to cease attacks, reopen the Strait of HormuzMarch 21, 2026 6:43 pmDubai: 22 countries on Saturday urged Iran to cease attacks and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Countries including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, the UK, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea and Australia have condemned Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels as well as oil and gas facilities in the region. “The effects of Iran’s actions will be felt by people in all parts of the world, especially the most vulnerable,” they said in a joint statement Saturday. APBahrain says Patriot missile system involved in March 9 blast over residential areaMarch 21, 2026 5:26 pmDubai/Washington: A Patriot air defence system was involved in the interception of an Iranian drone over a residential area of Bahrain on March 9, Bahrain’s government told Reuters on Saturday, describing an incident that led to civilian injuries. The interception prevented a drone strike and saved lives, the spokesperson said. The US military had previously said an Iranian drone had struck a residential neighbourhood on March 9, injuring civilians. ReutersBritain condemns ‘reckless attacks’ after Iran fires missiles at UK-US base in Indian OceanMarch 21, 2026 4:43 pmDubai: Britain has condemned “Iran’s reckless attacks” after its military fired missiles at the UK-US air base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. UK officials have not given details of the attempted strike, which was unsuccessful. It’s unclear how close the missiles came to the base, which is about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres) from Iran. The Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that Iran’s “lashing out across the region and holding hostage the Strait of Hormuz, are a threat to British interests and British allies”. APIsraeli defence minister says attacks against Iran will ‘increase significantly’ next weekMarch 21, 2026 4:43 pmDubai: Defence Minister Israel Katz said that attacks against Iran will “increase significantly” in the coming week. Katz spoke on Saturday, hours after US President Donald Trump said he was considering “winding down” military operations in the Mideast. “This week, the intensity of the attacks that the IDF and the US military will carry out against the Iranian terrorist regime and against the infrastructures on which it relies will increase significantly,” Katz said in a video statement. APPrime Minister Modi speaks to Iran’s PezeshkianMarch 21, 2026 4:43 pmBengaluru: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X on Saturday that he had spoken with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian. Modi condemned attacks on critical infrastructure in the Middle East region, while also reiterating the importance of ensuring that shipping lanes remain open and secure. “Appreciated Iran’s continued support for the safety and security of Indian nationals in Iran,” Modi added. ReutersIran says its Natanz nuclear facility has been hit in an airstrikeMarch 21, 2026 3:29 pmDubai: Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility was hit Saturday in an airstrike, the official Iranian news agency Mizan reported. There was no radiation leakage, it said. Natanz, Iran’s main enrichment site, was hit in the first week of the war and several buildings appeared damaged, according to satellite images. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said that “no radiological consequence” was expected from that earlier strike. APIran’s president calls for ‘Islamic Assembly of the Middle East’March 21, 2026 2:47 pmOn the occasion of Nowruz and Eid al-Fitr, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday said that the country does not seek conflict with Islamic nations. Denouncing the need for foreign presence in the region, he urged the formation of an ‘Islamic Assembly of the Middle East’ and said that the countries should “not fall into the traps set by our enemies”. The Iranian president, in his message, said that Tehran does not seek turmoil in the region and added that it does not aim to interfere in the internal matters of the countries. He urged the neighbours to come together to resolve the differences and attacked Israel for being responsible for the “turmoil, instability, acts of genocide, terrorism, and sabotage in the region”. ANIUnited Airlines prepares for oil to reach USD 175 a barrelMarch 21, 2026 2:00 pmDubai: The airline’s CEO said the company is also preparing for oil not to return to USD 100 a barrel until the end of next year. Scott Kirby said in a message to United employees on Friday that jet fuel prices that have more than doubled in the last three weeks already would cost the airline USD 11 billion a year if they remain where they are now. The price of Brent crude has zigzagged from roughly USD 70 per barrel before the Iran war began to as high as USD 119.50 this week. Of United’s worst-case assumption, Kirby said, “I think there’s a good chance it won’t be that bad, but … there isn’t much downside for us to preparing for that outcome.” APIsrael strikes targets in Tehran and BeirutMarch 21, 2026 2:00 pmDubai: The Israeli military said early Saturday it was striking targets in Tehran. The announcement came shortly after the military said it had begun a wave of strikes targeting Hezbollah positions across the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon. Hours earlier, the army renewed evacuation warnings for seven neighbourhoods in Beirut’s suburbs, prompting some residents to fire gunshots to alert families who had returned to flee. No casualties were immediately reported. APSirens sound in IsraelMarch 21, 2026 1:58 pmDubai: Sirens sounded in Israel Saturday morning as the military said it was responding to a missile attack from Iran. APIran holds funeral service for Revolutionary Guard spokespersonMarch 21, 2026 1:58 pmDubai: Iran held funeral processions on Saturday for Revolutionary Guard spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini, who was killed a day earlier in an Israeli strike, according to Iran’s state-run media. Iran’s state TV and other semiofficial outlets aired footage showing funeral prayers they said were for Naini. APIran targets US-UK base in Indian OceanMarch 21, 2026 1:49 pmDubai/Washington: Israel said Saturday’s attacks on Iran included Tehran, Karaj west of the capital and the central city of Isfahan. ReutersIsrael, Iran trade attacks as US sends Marines to Middle EastMarch 21, 2026 1:48 pmDubai/Washington: Israel and Iran attacked each other on Saturday as the U.S. was sending thousands more Marines to the Middle East and President Donald Trump accused NATO allies of cowardice over their reluctance to help open the Strait of Hormuz. Israel also attacked Beirut, saying it was targeting Hezbollah as it steps up airstrikes targeting the Iran-backed Lebanese militia in the deadliest spillover from the war on Iran since Hezbollah fired on Israel in support of Tehran on March 2. Reuters‘Call got disconnected’: Family claims UP man killed in Riyadh missile attackMarch 21, 2026 11:54 amSitapur: A 26-year-old man was killed in a suspected missile attack in Riyadh, his family alleged on Saturday, claiming that they were yet to give an official confirmation. Ravi Gopal from Baghain village in Mahmudabad Police Station limits had been working as a driver in a plastic factory in the Saudi capital since September 2025, his family said. Ritu, his wife, said Ravi last spoke to the family on March 18 around 9.30 pm. “The call got disconnected after about 20 minutes, and when we tried calling back, we found the phone switched off. We also tried contacting his friends there, but could not reach anyone,” she said. PTIA wave of executions is feared in Iran after 3 young men were hanged this weekMarch 21, 2026 11:46 amBeirut: A 19-year-old star wrestler and two other young men were hanged in Iran this week, raising alarm among rights groups that a wave of executions may be underway as authorities facing relentless attacks from the US and Israel seek to squelch public dissent. The three men are the first to be executed from among the tens of thousands who were arrested during a January crackdown on nationwide protests. Rights groups say more than 100 others could face death sentences. APIran ready to let Japanese vessels transit Hormuz, Kyodo reportsMarch 21, 2026 11:44 amTokyo: Iran is ready to let Japanese-related vessels pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies, Kyodo news reported, citing Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. Tehran has started talks with Tokyo, including with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, about possibly opening the strait, Araqchi told the Japanese news agency in a phone interview on Friday. Japan’s foreign and trade ministries and the Prime Minister’s Office did not pick up calls from Reuters on Saturday seeking comment on the report. “Iran is, of course, ready to support the passing of Japan-related vessels through the Strait of Hormuz,” if Japan seeks its reopening of the strait, Araqchi told Kyodo. APIsrael continues a wave of strikes against Hezbollah militantsMarch 21, 2026 11:41 amDubai: The Israeli military said early Saturday that it began a wave of strikes targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Smoke was seen rising, fires broke out, and loud explosions were heard across parts of central Beirut, hours after the Israeli army renewed evacuation warnings for seven neighbourhoods. APIran threatens attacks beyond the Middle EastMarch 21, 2026 11:40 amDubai: Iran’s top military spokesperson, Gen. Abolfazl Shekarchi, warned Friday that “parks, recreational areas and tourist destinations” worldwide will not be safe for the country’s enemies. The threat renewed concerns that Tehran may revert to using militant attacks beyond the Middle East as a pressure tactic. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei praised Iranians’ steadfastness in the face of war in a written statement read on Iranian television to mark Nowruz. Khamenei has not been seen in public since he became the supreme leader following Israeli strikes that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and reportedly wounded him. APUS lifts sanctions on Iranian oil at sea amid soaring pricesMarch 21, 2026 8:47 amWashington: The United States has announced the temporary lifting of sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil stranded at sea in an effort to cool down soaring global crude prices. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the temporary measure will make available 140 million barrels of Iranian oil to global markets. “This temporary, short-term authorisation is strictly limited to oil that is already in transit and does not allow new purchases or production,” Bessent said in a long post on X. PTITrump says US near completion of its goalsMarch 21, 2026 7:59 amDubai: In his social media post, the president said, “We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East.” That seemed at odds with his administration’s move to bolster its firepower in the region and request another $200 billion from Congress to fund the war. AP