Iran Watch

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that “we don’t see any reason why we should talk with Americans” as President Trump has claimed Iran is seeking a deal to end the war between the U.S. and Iran.

“We never asked for a ceasefire, and we have never asked even for negotiation,” Araghchi said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

As the war entered its third week, Mr. Trump has claimed in recent days that Iran wants to reach a deal. The president said in a post on Truth Social late Friday that Iran “is totally defeated and wants a deal – But not a deal that I would accept!” On Saturday, he told NBC News that “Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet.”

But Araghchi said “we are ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes,” saying “this is what we have done so far, and we continue to do that until President Trump comes to the point that this is an illegal war with no victory.”

This is a developing story.

A U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft has gone down in Western Iraq.

Recovery efforts are underway.

Right now, it is not believed that the crash was caused by hostile or friendly fire.

Here’s what we know so far:

U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT CRASH — WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:

– Two KC-135 refueling aircraft involved
– One crashed in western Iraq
– The second landed safely in Israel
– Six people were aboard the crashed aircraft
– Search and rescue operations underway
– Incident not caused by hostile…

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) March 12, 2026

President Donald Trump said the replacement for the deceased Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, hasn’t been killed, although he implied he was seriously injured.

The statement, made in an interview with Fox News set to air on Friday morning, was first reported by Fox and other sources on Thursday night.

The announcement comes after much speculation that the new supreme leader had also been killed in one of the airstrikes that led off the joint U.S./Israeli campaign against Iran on Feb. 28.

President Donald Trump campaigned on ending endless wars, not starting them. Just over a year into his second term, he is delivering this on his terms. The U.S.–Israeli 2026 military campaign against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, which began following Iran’s reckless provocations in the wake of the 12-Day War, has already achieved its strategic goals. With only a small number of remaining nuclear facilities left to neutralize and the Strait of Hormuz on track to be fully secured within the coming weeks, the United States stands ready to proclaim mission accomplished and swiftly conclude major combat operations.

U.S. Central Command has confirmed that the military lost a plane as “Operation Epic Fury” continues in the Middle East.

CENTCOM put out a statement on Thursday and shared the news on X:

U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the…

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has released video footage showing American strikes destroying the Iranian regime’s outdated aircraft on the ground as the U.S. military continues its campaign against the Islamic Republic.

“The Iranian regime is losing air capability day by day,” CENTCOM wrote in a post on X.

“U.S. forces aren’t just defending against Iranian threats, we are methodically dismantling them,” the command added.

The post included a video showing several Iranian planes being destroyed.

Iranian missiles and drones attacked at least five vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, signaling a major escalation by Iran in the war. The attacks resulted in the virtual closure of the strait to normal maritime traffic.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the newly appointed supreme leader of Iran, was notably absent from a rally held in Tehran celebrating his appointment, raising fresh questions about the stability of the regime following the recent war with the United States and Israel.

Thousands of supporters gathered Monday at Enghelab Square for the event, which was organized to mark the transition of power after the death of longtime ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

But the man the crowd came to celebrate never appeared.

The Iranian military released footage of missile launches from what it described as a wave of heavy, multi-warhead projectiles targeting Iraq, Bahrain, and Israel. Interceptions were seen in the skies over Israel though reports have emerged of a hit on Tel Aviv.

President Trump revealed during a press conference at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that the U.S. government knows the locations of suspected Iranian sleeper cell operatives and is closely monitoring them as Operation Epic Fury unfolds in the Middle East.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, reportedly issued his first public “statement” Thursday as swirling rumors claimed he is gravely wounded, possibly in a coma and even missing part of a leg after the U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed his father and shattered Tehran’s leadership.

The message was not delivered in person. Instead, Iranian state TV aired a lengthy statement read by an anchor while an image of Khamenei was displayed on screen.

In the statement, Khamenei vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed to shipping and promised retaliation.

Iran is escalating its war on the world by attacking multiple oil tankers, sending oil prices skyrocketing.

Iran’s actions came despite a Truth Social warning from President Donald Trump on Tuesday that, “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.”

In the early hours of Thursday, three oil tankers were set ablaze, according to CNBC, following three ships attacked on Wednesday.

Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has almost completely stopped in the days since the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran.

Iran sits above this strategic waterway, which is a vital route for exports of oil, gas and other commodities from the Persian Gulf, and has targeted tankers in the area.

Its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned ships not to sail through the passageway, saying that vessels “could be at risk from missiles or rogue drones”, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

President Donald Trump has just announced that Iran’s navy and air force have now been completely destroyed following a series of U.S.–Israeli strikes.

On Wednesday, Trump revealed that the Iranian regime’s military capabilities have been significantly weakened during the conflict that began in late February.

Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House aboard Air Force One, Trump said the strikes had dealt major blows to Tehran’s military infrastructure and leadership.

Markets on Wall Street retreated and oil prices jumped another five per cent again early Thursday as the war in Iran approached its second week with no indication that the United States and Israel were ready to scale back their attacks.

Futures for the S&P 500 lost 0.5 per cent before the opening bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were 0.6 per cent lower. Nasdaq futures were also down 0.5 per cent. On Wednesday, the Dow declined 0.6 per cent to its lowest level the year.

Oil prices initially shot more than nine per cent higher as supply concerns worsened with Iranian attacks on commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. campaign of airstrikes in Iran is now in its 13th day.