Iran live updates: 2,200 Marines headed to Middle East

This does not mean the Marines will be used for an invasion or ground force.

March 13, 2026, 11:51 AM

Pentagon updates on US plane crash in Iraq, war with IranABC News contributor Mick Mulroy discusses the briefing held by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.ABCNews.com

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Iranian state television confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen on Sunday to succeed him.

Iran is responding to the operation with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

A Marine expeditionary unit with 2,200 Marines aboard three U.S. Navy amphibious ships is being ordered to the Middle East, according to two U.S. officials.

The 31st MEU is permanently deployed to Japan and operates in the INDO-PACOM region, but it is now being ordered to head to the Middle East.

Its deployment does not mean that the unit is going to be used as a ground force for use in Iran, but it offers land, amphibious and aviation assets that can be available to military commanders if needed.

=This particular MEU also includes a squadron of F-35 fighter jets and a squadron of MV-22 tilt rotor Osprey aircraft.

https://abcnews.com/amp/International/live-updates/iran-live-updates/?id=130893022

Trump says regime change in Iran will happen but not ‘immediately’

2 hours ago

US President DonaldTrump said on Friday regime change in Iran could eventually occur though it may not happen immediately, citing the Iranian authorities’ violent repression of protesters as a major obstacle to a popular uprising.

Speaking on Fox News Radio's The Brian Kilmeade Show,Trump said security forces loyal to the Islamic Republic routinely shoot demonstrators in the streets, making it difficult for unarmed civilians to challenge the regime despite growing pressure from the ongoing conflict.

“They literally have people in the streets with machine guns, machine-gunning people down if they want to protest,” Trump said, referring to Iran’s security forces.“That’s a pretty big hurdle to climb for people that don’t have weapons.”

Trump said that while change inside Iran will eventually happen, it is unlikely to occur quickly under such conditions.

“It’ll happen,” he said, “but it probably will be — maybe not immediately.”

The US president made the remarks while discussing the internal situation in Iran amid the escalating war between Iran, Israel and the United States.Trump argued that the regime maintains control largely through force, describing the security forces as an “evil group of people” who shoot protesters “right through the head.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps warned on Thursday that opponents could face a blow “even stronger than January 8,”signaling the possibility of a renewed and harsher crackdown if street protests resume.

More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during a two-day crackdown on nationwide protests on January 8–9.

Trump said the presence of armed units on the streets makes it extremely difficult for ordinary Iranians to take action against the government.

“You’re talking about people that go out shooting protesters,” he said. “So when someone says go out and protest, that’s a pretty high standard.”

The comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the current conflict will create conditions for political change inside Iran.

Trump said continued military pressure on Iran's regime could weaken the authorities over time.

“They’re going to be in worse shape as time goes by,” Trump said, adding that US and Israeli strikes have severely damaged Iran’s military capabilities.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603139429

MARCH 13, 2026

Trump: I guess Putin may be helping Iran a little bit

By REUTERS

Today, 5:20

US President Donald Trump says he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin may be helping Iran a “little bit” in an interview with Fox News Radio.

“I think he might be helping him (Iran) a little bit, yeah, I guess. And he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?Trump told “The Brian Kilmeade Show.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/trump-i-guess-putin-may-be-helping-iran-a-little-bit/

Trump Says US 'Not At All' Focused on Seizing Iran's Enriched Uranium, Might be in Future

NAMPA / Sputnik

2026-03-13

WASHINGTON, March 13 (RIA Novosti) - President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States is "not at all" focused on seizing Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles, but might be in the future. "No, not at all … we're not focused on that.

But at some point we might be," Trump told Fox News when asked whether the US military had plans to seize Iran's alleged 400 kilogram stockpile of enriched uranium​​​….

https://www.nampa.org/text/22887596

NATO intercepts third Iranian missile heading toward Turkey

It was unclear whether Tehran was directly targeting Turkey or whether the missile was intended to cross Turkish airspace en route to another target.

MARCH 13, 2026 2:11 PM CET

BY FERDINAND KNAPP

NATO defense systems in the eastern Mediterranean on Friday shot down another missile launched from Iranthat was heading toward Turkish airspace, the third such interception in a little over a week.

"On Friday morning, NATO again successfully intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile heading to Turkey," the defense alliance said in a post on X. "NATO remains vigilant and stands firm in its defense of all allies," it added.

It remained unclear whether Iran was directly targeting Turkey or whether the missile was intended to cross Turkish airspace en route to another destination. Tehran claimed that the first two intercepted missiles did not come from Iran.

The two previous interceptions took place: on March 4; and on Monday. No casualties have been reported so far.

Tehran warned European countries on March 3 that supporting the U.S. and Israel would be met with retaliation, after Iran fired weapons toward Cyprus earlier. The expanding conflict started with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.

"All necessary measures are being taken decisively and without hesitation against any threat directed at our country's territory and airspace," Ankara said after the downing on Friday. "Consultations are being conducted with the relevant country to clarify all aspects of the incident," the Turkish defense ministry said in a statement.

The incidents put Ankara in a dilemma. Iran is Turkey's neighbor and is considered a "brotherly" country by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Ankara, which has the second-biggest army in NATO, opposes the war in the region.

Erdoğan held a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday to discuss the situation, a day after the second missile was shot down.

A statement by the Turkish government on the conversation with Pezeshkian said: "Saying that Turkey doesn’t approve of unlawful interventions against Iran and Iran’s targeting of the brotherly countries in the region,President Erdoğan stated that targeting the brotherly countries benefits no one and that these must all stop."

However, the statement added: "Pointing out that Turkey is being adversely affected by a conflict it is not party to,President Erdoğan underscored that violation of the Turkish airspace, for whatever reason, cannot be excused and that Turkey will continue to take all the necessary measures against such violations."

https://www.politico.eu/article/nato-intercepts-third-iran-missile-toward-turkey/

Iran MP says Khamenei Jr survived two attacks

7 hours ago

An Iranian lawmaker said Mojtaba Khamenei, the new leader of the Islamic Republic, has survived two attacks in recent days.

Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi, a member of parliament representing Jahrom, saidMojtaba was present during an attack on the Supreme Leader’s residence alongside Ali Khamenei but escaped what he described as an “assassination attempt,”according to the state news agency IRNA.

Another attack, Rezaei Kouchi said,targeted a hospital where the “third leader of the Islamic Republic” was present, adding that the United States and Israel failed to achieve their objective.He did not identify the hospital or provide details about the location of the alleged strike.

US President Donald Trump told Fox News that Iran’s new leadermay have been wounded during the first day of US and Israeli attacks.

“I think he probably is. I think he’s damaged, but I think he’s probably alive in some form,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News Radio host Brian Kilmeade.

Mojtaba Khamenei released his first message on Thursday, but no images or recordings of him have been publishedsince his appointment nearly a week ago, fueling speculation about his condition.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603133644

US offers up to $10 million for information on Khamenei Jr, other officials

1 hour ago

The US State Department’s Rewards for Justice programhas offered up to $10 million for informationabout Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khameneias well as senior officialsand figures linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

A banner published by the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service lists thewanted officials and figures as Mojtaba Khamenei, his slain father's deputy chief of staff Ali Asghar Hejazi, and top security official Ali Larijani.

Other names in the list include Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military adviser to the Supreme Leader, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, and Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Four additional positions are referenced without names in the banner: the secretary of the Supreme Defense Council, the head of the Supreme Leader’s military office, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader.

According to the text on the banner, these individuals are described as key leadersinvolved in commanding and directing different branches of the IRGC, which it says are responsible for planning, organizing and carrying out operations globally.

The Rewards for Justice program says individuals with information about these figures or about senior IRGC commanders and their affiliated networksmay contact the program through encrypted messaging platforms or through a communication channel based on the Tor network.

The banner says that eligible information could lead to a reward of up to $10 million.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603132741

Newt Gingrich highlights HIGH-STAKES nuclear threat to America

Newt Gingrich warns of surging Iranian terror threats within the U.S., blaming the ongoing 28-day DHS shutdown on 'unpatriotic' Democrat partisanship. He highlights Iran's strategy to disrupt oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz, causing crude prices to soar to $95 a barrel. Gingrich urges decisive military action to secure the Strait and counter Iran's aggressive tactics, criticizing attempts to frame defense efforts as 'adventurism

5:53

https://youtu.be/Br4MmnQcmLs

>>24376727 TED CRUZ DECLARES SAYING “CHRIST IS KING” IS ANTI-SEMITIC AND ANTI-JEW.PN

It’s worthwhile to listen to his words of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Ted Cruz is bought by the dark side, he always has been. And may he meet Jesus and be told he has rejected the Son of God, Jesus to be bought and sold by Israel!

Honestly the House and Senate should punish his betrayal of America and Jesus

>>24377470.He is also a reincarnated False Prophetthat’s what money and power does to them

==Man arrested for selling rifle to ODU shooting suspect

Elissa SalamyNORFOLK, Va. -

Old Dominion University Shooting: FBI raid suspect's home==

Court records show that less than two years after Mohamed Bailor Jalloh was released from federal prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State, he opened fire in a classroom at Virginia’s Old Dominion University on Thursday before ROTC students subdued and killed him.

A person has been arrested for allegedly selling a rifle to Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a convicted ISIS supporter who opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University on Thursday.

What we know:

Kenya Chapman is charged with making false statements while purchasing a firearm and dealing firearms without a license.

Chapman told agents in an interview that he stole the gun from a car in Newport News, Virginia, about a year before the shooting and recently sold it to Jalloh. Chapman said he met Jalloh at work and that Jalloh told him he needed the gun for protection as a delivery driver, according to court papers. Chapman told agents he knew Jalloh had spent some time behind bars but denied knowing he had a previous felony conviction.

Chapman told agents he had no idea the man would commit the attack, the affidavit says.

The backstory:

On Thursday, one person was killed and two others injured after a shooting at Old Dominion University.

Officials say Mohamed Bailor Jalloh yelled "Allahu akbar" before opening fire in a classroom. ROTC students subdued and killed him.

Officials say Jalloh had a gun with an obliterated serial number, potentially complicating investigators’ efforts to determine how the man with a previous felony conviction obtained a firearm, according to a law enforcement official.

Dig deeper:

Jalloh pleaded guilty in October 2016 to providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

A federal judge sentenced him in 2017 to an 11‑year prison term, with credit for time served dating back to his July 2016 arrest.

He was released from federal custody on Dec. 23, 2024. It remains unclear why he was freed early. Federal inmates can earn time off their sentences for several reasons, but it’s not yet known whether any applied in Jalloh’s case.

According to Fox News, Jalloh was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone.

According to the Justice Department, Jalloh met members of ISIS during a trip to Africa. When he returned to the U.S., one of the ISIS members he met connected Jalloh to a contact who was actually an FBI source.

Officials said Jalloh told the source that he had "thought about conducting an attack all the time, and that he was close to doing so at one point," like the 2009 attack at Fort Hood in Texas that killed 13 and wounded 32 others.

Federal officials arrested Jalloh in July 2016, after purchasing a rifle at a gun dealership in Northern Virginia.

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/person-arrested-selling-rifle-odu-shooting-suspect

==Ukrainian Companies Prohibited From Exporting Shahed Interceptor Drones

Waves of Iranian Shahed drone attacks across the Middle East have spurred widespread interest in Ukrainian interceptors.==

HOWARD ALTMAN

PUBLISHED MAR 13, 2026 2:56

The makers of the Ukrainian Sting interceptor drone told The War Zone that despite growing interest in the Middle East for their product,they are not yet allowed to sell them outside the country. Other Ukrainian drone manufacturers, like SkyFall, are also reportedly interested in providing interceptors to the region.

In Ukraine, the small drones have proven to be a far cheaper alternative to munitions like Patriot interceptors and even far less advanced missiles for downing Shahed drones which have caused widespread destruction across Ukraine. Since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, that country has been firing Shaheds across the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility (AOR). That includes a March 1 strike on Kuwait that killed six U.S. Army soldiers.

“Our priority is Ukraine’s defense,” Wild Hornets spokesman Alex Roslin told us on Thursday. “Exports of drones are not permitted at this time.”

However, “the Ukrainian government is engaged in bilateral discussions with partner countries about supplying drones,” he added.

Should the law change, Wild Hornets has the capacity to provide drones to foreign nations, Roslin explained.

“As part of those discussions, the Wild Hornets are ready to fulfill whatever need may fall on us to help Ukraine’s strategic partners if called on to do so.”

There seems to be a willingness to make key changes to the law to make it happen. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukrainian military experts were in the Middle East to share their experience after four years of bombardment by Russian Shaheds and that 11 nations are interested in obtaining these interceptors and other counter-drone systems.

It is no surprise that there would be wide interest in counter-drone drones. With a price tag of roughly between $1,000 and $2,500 a piece, they are a small fraction of the cost of the multi-million dollar Patriot interceptors or even less expensive types, still costing a million dollars or more, being used by the U.S. and allies.

Beyond cost, the interceptor drones, 3-D printed weapons that look like 1950’s-era toy rockets, are far easier and quicker to produce than surface-to-air missiles.

Small enough to fit inside a backpack, they can reach speeds of up to 173 miles an hour, according to Wild Hornets. Some of Ukraine’s interceptors “combine thermal imaging with radar tracking and AI-assisted guidance, with a human operator taking manual control for the final seconds of the intercept,” Military Times noted. Sting interceptors are manually operated by pilots, Roslin stated.

https://www.twz.com/news-features/ukrainian-companies-prohibited-from-exporting-shahed-interceptor-drones

(May Z meet his actual Karma)

https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2032520445568680278?s=20

Trump Tells G7: Iran ‘On the Verge of Surrender’

MARCH 13, 2026

On Friday, March 13, Reuters, citing Axios and its own sources, reported that U.S. President Donald Trump told G7 leaders during a video summit that “the Islamic Republic is on the verge of surrender.”

Axios reported that three officials from G7 member nations confirmed Trump’s claim that the Islamic Republic is “on the brink of surrender.”

The Reuters report also states that during the call, President Trump praised the results of U.S. and Israeli military operations against the Islamic Republic, stating: “The regime’s leadership is in such a state of turmoil that no one is in a position to formally announce a surrender.”

https://iranwire.com/en/news/150371-trump-tells-g7-iran-on-the-verge-of-surrender/

i24NEWS

International

IDF chief of staff briefed military leadership Iran war is expected to go on at least until April | LIVE BLOG

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth: 'Today will be the highest volume of US strikes yet'

Day 14 of Iran war: A combined barrage from Iran and Lebanon was fired overnight Thursday into Friday at northern Israel. 58 people were injured when a structure was hit in the village of Zarzir; one in moderate condition and the rest lightly injured.

An American refueling aircraft operating as part of the operation in Iran crashed in Iraq due to an aviation accident. Read more from Thursday here.

March 13, 2026

05:18 PM

IAF carries out raid against regime targets

https://x.com/i/web/status/2032545468673097971

04:35 PM

Iran denies launching attack on Turkey, blames 'Israel or U.S'

https://x.com/i/web/status/2032553515113967922

03:38 PM

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem: Hezbollah is engaged in a 'war for its survival' with Israel and 'will not surrender'

In a televised speech for Iranian "Quds Day" and his second speech since Hezbollah resumed attacks on Israel, Qassem said: "Defeat and surrender do not exist in our vocabulary. We will remain steadfast in the field, no matter the sacrifices and demands. We will not back down, because this is a matter of our very existence."

02:26 PM

WATCH: Residential building in the central Israeli town of Shoham hit by a cluster munition from an Iranian missile

https://x.com/i/web/status/2032522807691591730

02:17 PM

WATCH: Iranian ballistic missile’s warhead separates and releases cluster munitions over central Israel

https://x.com/i/web/status/2032518306180055510

01:42 PM

U.S. offers rewards of up to $10 million for information on Mojtaba Khamenei and top IRGC leaders

https://x.com/i/web/status/

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/artc-30-injured-from-strike-on-building-in-the-village-of-zarzir-after-barrage-to-nothern-israel-live-blog

Iran International English

@IranIntl_En

A video released by Iranian state media shows a location near a gathering and march by government supporters in Tehran was struck on Friday.

https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/2032391822849310816?s=20

Iran International English

@IranIntl_En

“Trump cannot understand that the Iranian nation is brave, strong and determined,” Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said during a government-backed Quds Day rally.

6:55 AM · Mar 13, 2026

·

12.7K

https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/2032410121628770732?s=20

IAEA trying to broker new US, Iran nuclear deal: Report

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi said on Friday that the IAEA is trying to arrange a new nuclear deal between the US and Iran, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

Grossi said he hopes for the resumption of negotiations on a long-term solution to the Iranian nuclear program.

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2026/03/13/iaea-trying-to-broker-new-us-iran-nuclear-deal-report-

Clerics question Khamenei Jr’s leadership role

10 hours ago

Iran new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s physical condition and inability to maintain regular communication with officials have prompted criticism and political maneuvering among some ruling clerics, according to information received by Iran International.

Ali Asghar Hejazi, deputy chief of staff to the former Supreme Leader, and Alireza Arafi, a member of the Guardian Council and a member of Interim Leadership Councilare among clerics who have raised concerns about Mojtaba Khamenei’s health and managerial capacity, sources told Iran International.

They are pushing for authority at the top of the Islamic Republic to return to a temporary leadership council.

Hejazi and Arafi are also among influential clerics who have criticized the growing power of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the increasing dominance of its commanders over government decision-making during the war.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603132154

Divisions between political officials and ruling clerics on one side and Revolutionary Guards commanders on the other have deepened following the killing of Iran’s former leader, particularly after Mojtaba Khamenei was introduced as the new head of the Islamic Republic.

Cuba Just Did What?

March 13, 2026 | Sundance |

Earlier today CBS reported that Cuba had released 51 political prisonersas an outcome of pressure from the Trump administration upon the Cuban communist regime headed by Miguel Díaz Canel. You can read the CBS report HERE.

Hours later, Communist Leader Miguel Díaz Canel, appears on state television in Cuba to announce that theCuban government has entered direct negotiations with the government of the United States. [SOURCE]

TranslateMom

@TranslateMom

Automated by @montakaoh

“Whenever we have been in tense situations in relations with the United States, efforts appear to seek channels for dialogue.” The video on Cuba–US talks is now ready with English captions and translations attached right here.

— made by TranslateMom

Do these talks signal a real shift in Cuba–US relations?

(https://x.com/TranslateMom/status/2032544233870020858?s=20

Early stages. So, for now we just watch what unfolds. However, if President Trump and Secretary Rubio manage to take down the dictatorial regimes of Venezuela, Iran and Cuba all in 2026…Jumpin’ ju-ju bones, that would be remarkable.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/03/13/cuba-just-did-what/

USAO Jeanine Pirro Responds to Activist Judge James Boasberg Blocking Grand Jury Testimony to Review Federal Reserve Fraud

March 13, 2026 | Sundance | 56 Comments

Well known activist Judge James Boasberg [SEE HERE], the same judge who granted illegal searches and seizures of congressional phone data, the same judge who has a long history of corrupt rulings to defend the interests of the DC power structures, ruled today [pdf Ruling Here] that USAO Jeanine Pirro is blocked from grand jury testimony surrounding fraud perpetrated by the Federal Reserve Board.

Boasberg ruled today that taxpayer funds used by the Federal Reserve to indulge themselves are exempt from investigative review. The ruling elite must never be challenged, and Judge Boasberg proudly stands in place to preserve and protect the interests of Washington DC. USAO Jeanine Pirro is very angry. WATCH:

LIVE: Jeanine Pirro Holds Press Briefing On Investigation Of Fed Chair Jerome Powell

20:15

https://www.youtu.be/8pZxpRtmb90

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/03/13/usao-jeanine-pirro-responds-to-activist-judge-james-boasberg-blocking-grand-jury-testimony-to-review-federal-reserve-fraud/