LIVE: Pentagon Chief Says US Intensifying Strikes on Iran
All of the wounded were Bahraini citizens and there were four "serious cases", including children, the health ministry said in a statement
US attacks on Iran will hit a new intensity Tuesday and the war will continue as long as President Donald Trump decides, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.
"Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran," Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon more than 10 days into the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.
As for a timeline for the war, Trump "gets to control the throttle. He's the one deciding," Hegseth said.
"It's not for me to posit whether it's the beginning, the middle or the end," the defense secretary said.
What to know:
- The Government of India has invoked the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, to regulate the availability, supply, and equitable distribution of petroleum, petroleum products, and natural gas across the country. What does this mean?
- Hotels and restaurants across India are likely to stop their services in a few days as the oil distribution companies have halted supply of LPG cylinders for commercial operations following a government notification to prioritize domestic supply.
- A United States missile strike has reportedly hit an educational facility in the central Iranian city of Khomeyn, according to Al Jazeera, citing reports from Iran's Mehr News Agency. The site has been identified as the Dr Hafez Khomeyni School.
- US President Donald Trump said Monday that he will waive some sanctions on oil to boost supply and bring down prices, due to market turmoil over war in the Middle East.
-Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran's late supreme leader, has been named his successor, Iranian state TV announced early on Monday, as the war that began a little over a week ago with his father's killing took a dramatic turn. Read more about him here.
- India favours peace and return to dialogue and diplomacy and advocates de-escalation, restraint and ensuring safety of civilians, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday on the widening West Asia conflict.
- The U.S. military announced a seventh American service member has died of injuries sustained during an Iranian attack on troops stationed in Saudi Arabia.
Live Updates
- 9 March 2026 4:45 PM IST
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Iran firing cluster munitions daily at Israeli’s densest cities, military says
Iran has been using cluster munitions against Israel on a “nearly daily basis,” an Israeli military spokesperson said Monday. He said Iran had fired similar missiles at Israel during the 12-day war last June.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said that the cluster munitions fired at Israel so far have targeted Israel’s most “densely populated civilian areas” in Jerusalem and central Israel.
- 9 March 2026 4:11 PM IST
Indian National Injured in Iranian Missile Attack in Israel
An Indian national in Israel was injured after shrapnel from an Iranian missile struck him in the neck, officials said on Monday. The man, who was injured on Sunday, underwent surgery at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv and is now in stable condition. "He arrived yesterday in critical condition with a neck injury. The medical team at Ichilov fought to save his life, and he underwent a long surgery. Thankfully, he is now stabilising," a spokesperson for the hospital told reporters.
- 9 March 2026 3:58 PM IST
Kremlin congratulates Khamenei on becoming Iranian leader
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to congratulate him on becoming Iran’s new leader.The message, published on the Kremlin’s website Monday, reaffirmed Moscow’s “unwavering support for Tehran,” and said that “Russia has been and will remain a reliable partner of the Islamic Republic.”“At a time when Iran is opposing armed aggression, your tenure in this high post will undoubtedly require great courage and dedication. I am sure that you will honorably continue your father’s work and unite the Iranian people,” Putin’s message read. - 9 March 2026 3:39 PM IST
Mojtaba Khamenei is referred to as an ayatollah
In naming Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader, the Assembly of Experts and Iranian state media referred to him as “ayatollah,” one of the highest titles given to clerics within Shiite Islam. Khamenei’s father, Ali, similarly became an ayatollah with his appointment as supreme leader in 1989. - 9 March 2026 3:35 PM IST
Israel reports a man was killed in an Iranian missile attack
The man was killed in an attack that targeted central Israel.
It marked the first death from missiles in Israel in a week.
- 9 March 2026 2:55 PM IST
US and Iran spar over status of Iranian warship sunk by submarine
The United States and Iran have offered sharply different accounts of the sinking of an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.
Washington has rejected Tehran’s claim that the warship IRIS Dena was unarmed when it was sunk in a submarine attack near Sri Lankan waters on March 4.
In a statement Sunday on X, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command called Iran’s assertion that the vessel was unarmed “false.”
Iranian officials say the vessel was operating in a noncombat role as it returned home after taking part in a naval exercise in India.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said last week the warship was “unarmed.”
- 9 March 2026 2:46 PM IST
Israel says it is carrying out strikes in Beirut
Israel said Monday it has carried out airstrikes in Beirut.
The Israeli army earlier Monday said it would operate against targets associated with the Hezbollah-linked financial institution al-Qard Al-Hasan. It repeated the warning to residents of Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburb to flee.
- 9 March 2026 2:45 PM IST
Israel identifies another launch on northern Israel
Israel has identified another launch on northern Israel shortly after a previous warning of an incoming missile attack from Iran on Monday.
