March 13-15: U.S. & Israel Retreat From Immediate Iran Regime-Change Goal
Between 13 and 15 March 2026, Trump and Netanyahu publicly scaled their war aim down from toppling Tehran now to merely crippling it and hoping Iranians finish the job later.
Global & US Headlines
394 stories · Page 7 of 40
U.S. Flattens 90 Iranian Military Sites on Kharg Island but Leaves Oil Terminals Standing
On 14 Mar 2026, U.S. aircraft bombed more than 90 Iranian military installations on Kharg Island—Iran’s main crude-export hub—while deliberately sparing the oil loading docks and storage tanks, pending Tehran’s behaviour in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump Warns of Strike on Kharg Island Oil Facilities After Bombing Military Sites
On 14 Mar 2026, following U.S. air-raids that destroyed military assets on Iran’s Kharg Island, President Donald Trump threatened to next hit the island’s oil export infrastructure unless Tehran stops disrupting tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Sinks 16 Iranian Mine-Layer Boats Amid Iran’s Shipping Strikes That Freeze Strait of Hormuz
On 11 March 2026, U.S. forces destroyed 16 Iranian vessels poised to lay mines just hours before Iran-linked projectiles and drones crippled three commercial ships, effectively pausing almost all traffic through the world’s busiest oil chokepoint.
U.S. Airstrike Obliterates Military Sites on Iran’s Kharg Island, Oil Hub Spared—for Now
On 14 March 2026, President Trump ordered CENTCOM to bomb every Iranian military installation on Kharg Island—vital to 90 % of Tehran’s oil exports—while warning the island’s oil terminals will be next if Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz.
Mojtaba Khamenei Installed as Iran’s Supreme Leader After Father’s Assassination
Following late-February U.S.–Israeli air-strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s leadership fast-tracked the elevation of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, signaling continuity of the clerical system amid an active war.
Khamenei’s First War-Time Message Threatens Formal Closure of Hormuz
On 12 March 2026, newly-installed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei broke weeks of silence by ordering Tehran to treat shutting the Strait of Hormuz as bargaining power against ongoing U.S.–Israeli strikes, jolting oil markets past $100 a barrel.
Drone Strike in Iraqi Kurdistan Kills French Officer, First French Casualty of Iran-Linked 2026 War
On 13 March 2026 a kamikaze drone hit a Franco-Kurdish base in Makhmour near Erbil, killing Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion and wounding six other French soldiers—France’s first combat death since the regional war erupted after last month’s US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Wounded Mojtaba Khamenei Threatens Permanent Strait of Hormuz Closure in First Post-Succession Statement
On 12 March 2026, newly installed (and war-injured) Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first public message, ordering the Strait of Hormuz kept shut and warning that every U.S. base in the region will be struck unless vacated, framing it as vengeance for February’s U.S.–Israeli strikes that killed his father.
Iran Blocks Hormuz and Strikes Dubai, Forcing Record 400-Million-Barrel Emergency Oil Release Plan
On 11 Mar 2026 Iran widened the war by droning Dubai’s airport and hitting at least three merchant ships, effectively freezing the Strait of Hormuz and vowing to target regional banks, triggering the IEA’s proposal for an unprecedented 400-million-barrel drawdown of strategic reserves.
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