The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims responsibility for targeting 27 American military bases in Iraq and across the region over the past 24 hours. One police officer is killed in a drone strike on the headquarters of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service in Baghdad.
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March 21, 2026 (Saturday)
1.4 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
Israeli and U.S. jets strike the Natanz nuclear facility, according to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
The United States Central Command says that its military has struck over 8,000 targets in Iran, including 130 Iranian Navy vessels, since the start of the war.
Iran fires two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean. However, neither missile hits the base, with one of the missiles failing in-flight, and the other having been intercepted by a United States warship using a SM-3 interceptor.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian calls for a ceasefire during a phone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also calls for the BRICS to play a role in a ceasefire.
Middle East Eye reports that the United Arab Emirates told the U.S. that they are prepared for the war to last up to nine months.
Russia launches attacks in Zaporizhzhia against energy infrastructure, causing smoke contamination.
Two people are killed and another is injured in an Ukrainian artillery strike in Belgorod Oblast, Russia.
Disasters and accidents
Two people are killed in an explosion when a tipper truck and a tank truck collide outside of a gas station on the Lekki-Epe Expressway in Ajah, Lagos State, Nigeria. Several surrounding buildings were destroyed in the initial blast and the ensuing fire.
230 people are rescued, ten of whom are hospitalized for hypothermia, during floods and storms in Hawaii, United States. Around 5,500 people are evacuated ahead of a second storm.
Politics and elections
In South Australia, the Labor Party wins a landslide victory over the Liberal Party. One Nation also secures second place in first-preference votes.
March 20, 2026 (Friday)
2.6 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
Government forces arrest three men suspected of participating in the February attacks and mass abductions in two villages in Kaiama, Kwara State, Nigeria. The suspects are cooperating with authorities to locate the kidnapping victims.
Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announces the withdrawal of Polish forces from Iraq, stationed there as part of the CJTF–OIR joint task force against the Islamic State, citing the regional threat from Iran.
Belgium says that it will consider participating in securing the Strait of Hormuz if a ceasefire is in place and if the operation is conducted within a clear international framework.
A second marine expeditionary unit of 2,200 Marines is being sent to the region.
United States Air Force general Alexus Grynkewich announces that NATO has withdrawn troops from Iraq and will relocate from the Middle East to Europe amidst the Iran war.
A drone strike from the Rapid Support Forces targets the Sudanese town of Al Dabbah including a local power station, causing a power outage in the area and injuring three people.
Ceasefire mediators in Cairo give Hamas and all armed groups in the Gaza Strip 90 days to hand over their weapons in the coming months including their missiles and rocket launchers along with their tunnel network.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is ready to help the passage of vessels from Japan in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Army launches strikes against strategic aerial refueling aircraft stationed at the Ben Gurion Airport.
Israeli forces strike Syrian military sites, including command and control centres and supply depots, in the south of the country, claiming to respond to alleged Syrian government attacks on the local Druze population.
U.S. president Donald Trump says that the United States is considering "winding down" military operations in Iran as "we are getting very close to meeting our objectives" and urges the countries that "use" Hormuz to safeguard the Strait.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer allows the United States to use British bases to strike Iranian targets near the strait to lift the blockade.
Arts and culture
Filaret Denysenko, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate since 1995, dies at the age of 97.
Business and economy
Philippine Airlines announces it will halt flights to the Middle East including Doha and Dubai until April 30 with an additional cancellation of PR 685 until May 1.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announces that the U.S. will temporary lift sanctions on Iranian oil at sea in a effort to ease energy supply pressures. The temporary relief will last for 30 days until April 19.
The U. S. Energy Department says it has awarded contracts to loan a first batch of 45.2 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).
Disasters and accidents
A passenger plane crash lands at Wilson Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. The Kenya Airports Authority confirms that the crew and all 39 passengers were unharmed.
Fourteen people are killed and 60 more injured in a large fire at a car parts plant in Daejeon, South Korea.
International relations
Law and crime
American actor Kevin Spacey settles out of court with three men at the High Court of Justice in London, England, who accused Spacey of sexually assaulting them between 2000 and 2013.
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