Iran Watch

Members of Iran’s national women’s football team were greeted with a welcome ceremony upon their return to the Islamic Republic after several of the players had sought asylum in Australia.

“First of all we are so happy to be in Iran, because Iran is our homeland,” midfielder Fatemeh Shaban said.

People in the crowd waved flags, while some players held bouquets of flowers and signed what appeared to be miniature soccer balls. Iranian media had reported that the team returned Wednesday.

In a significant escalation of U.S. military presence in the Middle East, the Pentagon has ordered the deployment of an Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and attached Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), totaling roughly 4,000 service members. The latest deployment will include approximately 2,500 Marines and units specializing in amphibious operations, according to a report from Newsmax.

The report, which citied multiple U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in Japan, along with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, were initially redirected toward the region. This was done as part of a broader reinforcement, with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and 11th MEU from the West Coast accelerating their deployment ahead of schedule to join operations.

Students and staff at colleges across the United States include relatives of Iran’s political elite, even as Iran’s leaders continue to oppose the United States in public rhetoric. According to reporting from The New York Post, children of senior Iranian officials have studied or taught at prestigious universities including the University of Massachusetts, Union College in New York and George Washington University in Washington, DC.The presence of these individuals in American academic institutions raises questions, given their family connections to the Iranian regime. Critics describe this as a striking contrast between Iran’s public hostility to US and the private choices of its elite to send their children abroad for education and careers.

A U.S. F-35 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing at a U.S. air base in the Middle East after taking fire believed to have come from Iran, according to two sources familiar with the incident.

Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, said the fifth-generation stealth aircraft was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it had to divert and land.

“The aircraft landed safely, and the pilot is in stable condition,” Hawkins said. “This incident is under investigation.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent prompted Trump’s comments, saying during the bilateral meeting that the U.S is “seeing defections at all levels” in the Iranian military and that the regime will probably “collapse” into itself.

The Pentagon appears to be seeking hundreds of billions of dollars from Congress for the War with Iran.

However, with slim majorities in both chambers and a partisan divide over the conflict, will Republican leaders be able to squeeze that sum out of Congress?

On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported the Pentagon “has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war in Iran.”

Iran’s regime is being accused of sending a chilling message to its own people after reports that a 19-year-old wrestling champion was executed for protesting.

Saleh Mohammadi, a rising star in Iranian wrestling, was put to death Thursday in what activists say was a public hanging, despite warnings from the United States and pleas from members of the Iranian-American wrestling community.

Human rights advocates blasted the move as another brutal crackdown by the government tied to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As Iran’s military lobs missiles at former friends and longtime enemies, there is a vacuum at the top of its government, according to a new report.

Mojtaba Khamenei was selected to replace his father, Ali Khamenei, as Iran’s supreme leader after the elder Khamenei was killed in a Feb. 28 attack by Israel.

Mojtaba Khamenei has been reported as being wounded in the attack, with the degree to which he was injured varying greatly depending on the source of the report.

🚨 HOLY SMOKES. Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent just revealed MAJOR DEFECTIONS are happening to the Iranian regime, and he’s watching their bank accounts

“We’re starting to see defections at Treasury. We now know where the Iranian leadership bank accounts are, and those are being… pic.twitter.com/uwHPTK4oxZ

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 19, 2026

Report: Iranian President Pezeshkian Wants to Resign

But there’s no one to whom he can submit that resignation. Perhaps he doesn’t want to go “meet” all his erstwhile terrorist colleagues. Israel Channel 14 is reporting that Iran’s President Pezeshkian wants to resign: @DBalazada reports that President Pezeshkian intended to submit his resignation to the Supreme Leader today following the elimination of Ali Larijani. However, he was informed by the IRGC that a meeting with Mojtaba Khamenei is currently not possible (David).

Pezeshkian was elected president in 2024.

The obvious question: Is there really a new Ayatollah with all his faculties to whom he could resign? More from Channel 14: Pezeshkian is reportedly “exceptionally angry” at the Revolutionary Guards, accusing them of “reckless” conduct. He claims the failure to protect Ali Larijani was not negligence, but a deliberate move to ensure his elimination. The IRGC is reportedly “very pleased” with Larijani’s death, having already prepared an “elimination dossier” on him and his brother. The bottom line – Iran is transitioning into an extremist military regime where Mojtaba Khamenei acts as a mere “puppet” of the Revolutionary Guards, who completely control the country (Channel 14).

Hours ago, U.S. forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the… pic.twitter.com/hgCSFH0cqO

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 17, 2026

Hours ago, U.S. forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles in these sites posed a risk to international shipping in the strait.

To fully understand what this means, let’s take a look at the battlespace.

Clearing Hormuz: the battlefield pic.twitter.com/TFFsHx2OBy

— streiff (@streiffredstate) March 18, 2026

Iran’s state television published a threat on Wednesday saying the Islamic Republic would be attacking oil and gas infrastructure in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates amid a new wave of strikes on its Persian Gulf neighbours and Israel.

Iran used some of its latest missiles to evade air defences and kill two people near Tel Aviv, as the war in the Middle East showed no signs of slowing.

The threat to oil and gas infrastructure resembled other attack warnings put out by Iran during the war, copying the style used by the Israeli military. Iran specifically threatened Saudi Arabia’s Samref Refinery and its Jubail Petrochemical Complex. It also threatened the U.A.E.’s Al Hasan Gas Field and the petrochemical plants and a refinery in Qatar.

President Donald Trump is temporarily suspending a key U.S. shipping rule as the Iran conflict tightens its grip on global energy markets.

The White House confirmed Wednesday that Trump issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act, the century-old law requiring goods shipped between U.S. ports to travel on American-built, American-owned vessels crewed mostly by U.S. citizens.

The move is aimed at easing pressure as oil prices surge and supply routes get squeezed.

“President Trump’s decision to issue a 60-day Jones Act waiver is just another step to mitigate the short-term disruptions to the oil market as the U.S. military continues meeting the objectives of Operation Epic Fury,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on X. “This action will allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to U.S. ports for sixty days, and the Administration remains committed to continuing to strengthen our critical supply chains.”