2026/03/19CENTCOM Says Karaj Missile Plant Was Ballistic Assembly Site Before U.S. Strike
U.S. Central Command said Iran had used the Karaj Surface-to-Surface Missile Plant to assemble ballistic missiles before Operation Epic Fury , describing those missiles as a threat to Americans, neighboring countries, and commercial shipping . In a statement released with before-and-after imagery, CENTCOM said the March 1, 2026 image showed the facility before U.S. strikes, while the March 11, 2026 image showed the same site after it was hit by American precision munitions . The statement is a U.S. military claim and presents the Karaj facility as part of Washington’s broader campaign to degrade Iran’s missile infrastructure during the war. Independent verification from Iranian authorities was not included in the cited reports. Source: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM); reporting citing the CENTCOM release.
2026/03/19Prince Pahlavi Calls New Executions “Desperate Killings”
Prince Reza Pahlavi condemned the latest executions in Iran as “desperate killings” by the Islamic Republic, according to coverage of his reaction and a social-media post surfaced in search results today. In that post, he referred to the executed men as “children of Iran” and said they had joined those who refused to surrender to tyranny. Iran International separately reported that Iran’s judiciary-affiliated outlet Mizan announced the execution of Mehdi Ghasemi, Saleh Mohammadi, and Saeed Davoudi on Thursday, while the post attributed to Pahlavi also named Danial Keramati and Mohsen Azimnia among those executed. Pahlavi said the Islamic Republic would not be able to extinguish the demand for freedom and declared that Iran will be free . Source: Iran International; social-media post attributed to Reza Pahlavi surfaced in search results.
2026/03/19Israel Says It Struck Over 130 Military Targets in Iran
The Israeli military said it attacked more than 130 targets in western and central Iran over the past 24 hours, as its campaign against the Islamic Republic continued. According to Israeli statements cited by regional media, the targets included ballistic missile launchers, unmanned aircraft assets, and air defense systems , and the strikes were carried out with military intelligence support. Israel said the operation is intended to degrade Iran’s missile capabilities and expand its air superiority over Iranian territory. The details remain based on Israeli military claims, and the cited reports did not indicate independent verification from Iranian authorities. Source: Israeli military statement; Times of Israel; Iran International.
2026/03/19Pre-Dawn Air Defense Activity Reported Across Iranian Cities
Fresh citizen reports indicate that air-defense activity and military movement continued into the early hours of Friday across several Iranian cities. According to messages cited by Iran International , residents reported loud explosions and air-defense fire in western, central, and southern Tehran , including around Kargar-e Jonoubi , while people in Yazd and Bandar Abbas also reported the sound of fighter jets and explosions overhead. The outlet presented the accounts as incoming public reports, meaning the exact incidents and timing remain part of open-source wartime reporting rather than independently verified official disclosures. The reports suggest that, even after nearly three weeks of war, overnight defensive activity and aerial movements remain active across multiple urban areas, underscoring the continuing security pressure inside the country. This is an inference drawn from the pattern of reported sounds and locations, not a formal confirmation from Iranian authorities. Source: Iran International; citizen reports / open-source wartime reporting.
2026/03/19Turkey Border Traffic Slows as Iran Tightens Exit Rules
Turkish officials say cross-border traffic from Iran has fallen noticeably as Tehran restricts some of its own citizens from leaving for Turkey, even as the war approaches its third week. Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said arrivals from Iran were down by nearly a quarter , while Turkish authorities also said there has been no large refugee surge at the border so far. Turkey says it is continuing to monitor the roughly 500-kilometer border and its three official crossings , after Ankara and Tehran suspended day-trip crossings earlier in March. Reuters earlier reported that Turkish authorities had prepared contingency plans for a possible inflow, including buffer zones, tent camps, and capacity for as many as 90,000 people , but recent official statements indicate that movement has actually eased rather than accelerated. Turkey also remains host to more than 74,000 Iranian residence permit holders and around 5,000 recognized refugees . Source: Reuters; AP; Hürriyet Daily News.
2026/03/19Washington Weighs Internet Access for Iranians, Keeps Regional Plans Vague
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington is working on the possibility of helping provide internet access to people in Iran, suggesting that access to information is becoming part of the broader U.S. response during the conflict. He also declined to say whether American forces could leave the Middle East after the threat from the Islamic Republic is reduced, stressing that future decisions will depend on U.S. national interests and that Washington will not publicly signal its next moves in advance. The remarks came during a Pentagon briefing as the war and its regional implications continue to intensify. Source: Pentagon briefing; Iran International; Reuters.
2026/03/18Rouhani Mourns Larijani as Tehran Confirms Two Senior Deaths
Former Iranian president Hassan Rouhani was reported to have described Ali Larijani as a “bright face in service to Iran and Islam” in a message issued after Larijani’s death. The tribute came as Iranian media, cited by Reuters, confirmed Larijani was killed , while Reuters also reported separately that Iranian state media confirmed the death of Gholamreza Soleimani , the commander of the Basij force. The message, as circulated, also reportedly referred to the loss of senior officials as a blow to hopes for managing the country. The exact Rouhani wording in the text you shared was not independently verified in the Reuters reports I reviewed. The reported message also said Rouhani called Gholamreza Soleimani a “hero commander.” Given Soleimani’s role at the head of the Basij, the remark adds another layer to the political reaction inside Iran after one of the biggest blows yet to the Islamic Republic’s wartime security leadership. The deaths of both Larijani and Soleimani have now been reported as confirmed by Iranian media through Reuters. Source: Reuters; Iranian media reports.
2026/03/17Mexico Opens the Door for Iran’s World Cup Matches
Mexico says it would have no problem hosting Iran’s 2026 World Cup matches if FIFA approves a venue change. President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico is open to the idea as Iran’s football authorities continue talks with FIFA over moving the team’s games out of the United States because of security concerns. The issue has become more politically charged after Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said Tehran had explored the Mexico option but suggested it was unlikely to happen , while Donald Trump said Iran’s participation was technically possible but “not appropriate” under current security conditions. FIFA has confirmed discussions are ongoing but has not committed to changing the schedule or venues. Source: Reuters.
2026/03/17Dublin Rally Echoes Support for Pahlavi
According to footage circulated by Iran International , a group of Iranians living in the Republic of Ireland gathered outside the Embassy of the Islamic Republic in Dublin on Tuesday, March 17 , chanting: “Dare miad Pahlavi, zaje bezan ajnabi” . The video points to continued diaspora mobilization around anti-regime messaging and support for Reza Pahlavi . I did not independently verify the footage beyond its circulation by Iran International. The gathering also fits a broader pattern seen in Ireland in recent weeks. The Irish Times reported in February that Iranian protesters in Dublin had already been chanting in support of Pahlavi during demonstrations calling for political change in Iran. Source: Iran International / circulated footage; The Irish Times.
2026/03/17Israel Reports New High-Value Strikes, but Key Details Remain Unconfirmed
Israeli officials say a new wave of strikes targeted senior figures tied to the Islamic Republic’s security structure. According to Reuters , a strike targeted Ali Larijani , but his fate remains unclear and there is still no confirmed public report that he has died. Separately, AP reported that Israel says it killed Gholamreza Soleimani , the head of Iran’s Basij militia. However, that claim had not been publicly acknowledged by Iran in the reporting reviewed here. As for the claim that two Hamas commanders were targeted in Qom , I did not find independent confirmation from major wire services in the material reviewed before replying. At this stage, that part should be treated as an unconfirmed battlefield report . Source: Reuters; AP; Israeli media reports.
2026/03/16Explosions Reported West of Tehran as Karaj and Shahriar Come Under Fresh Pressure
Iranian media reported that explosions were heard in Karaj on Monday evening , adding to signs that areas west of Tehran remain under strike pressure as the war deepens into its third week. A CGTN pickup of Mehr said explosions were heard in Tehran and Karaj on March 16 . Reports specifically linking both Karaj and Shahriar to the Monday-evening incident continue to circulate in Iranian and opposition-linked media, but I did not find a major wire-service confirmation of the Shahriar element before replying. The strongest publicly available parallel I found was an earlier Iran International summary of Iranian media reports from another Monday-night wave, which said Basij and IRGC sites in Karaj, Nazarabad, Andisheh, and Shahriar had been reported hit. Source: Mehr, via CGTN; Iran International.
2026/03/16Israel Says It Hit Iranian Intelligence Site Inside Power Company Building
The Israeli military said it struck an Iranian intelligence command center in Tehran on Monday, adding that the facility belonged to Iran’s Intelligence Ministry and was embedded inside a building belonging to Iran’s electricity company . Israel said the strike was part of a broader effort to deepen pressure on the Islamic Republic’s core security and command systems. Public reporting I reviewed confirms the Israeli claim about the intelligence center and the electricity company building , but I did not find an independent major-wire confirmation of the more specific location reference to Jaleh Square before replying. Source: Israeli military, as reported by The Times of Israel.
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