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# Israel launches 'wide-scale' strikes on Iran as Trump says US not ready to make deal to end war

US Citizens Warned to Leave Iraq

BBC News

## Summary

- Israel launches "wide-scale" strikes on targets in western Iran, the Israeli military says

- Iran and Israel traded strikes overnight, while missile and drone interceptions have been reported in Gulf states

- Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump says Iran wants to make a deal to end the war, but he doesn't want to yet "because the terms are not good enough"

- Any hopes the US may have had that its massive firepower would somehow force Iran to sue for peace on Washington's terms have been frustrated, writes our security correspondent

- In an interview with NBC, Trump adds the US has "totally demolished" Kharg Island - Iran's critical oil export hub - but that "we may hit it a few more times just for fun"

- Elsewhere, UK says it is discussing a "range of options" to secure the Strait of Hormuz after the US called for countries to help secure the shipping lane

## Live Reporting

Edited by Matt Spivey and Rorey Bosotti, with Jon Donnison in Jerusalem, Frank Gardner in Riyadh, Barbara Plett Usher in Doha, Nick Beake in Dubai and Wyre Davies in Lebanon

1. ### Iran launches another wave of strikes at Israel published at 17:27 GMT 14 March
   17:27 GMT 14 March Breaking

   The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warns that another round of Iranian missiles has been detected - the sixth wave of strikes targeting the country on Saturday.

   Three rounds came within less than two hours earlier this afternoon.

   Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat, the IDF says, before asking the public in affected areas to seek shelter.

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2. ### Strikes continue as war enters third week - here's what you need to know published at 17:22 GMT 14 March
   17:22 GMT 14 March

   Imogen James
   Live reporter

   Strait of Hormuz:

   - US President Donald Trump has asked for a host of nations, including the UK and China, to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping channel through which about 20% of the world's oil usually passes
   - A number of ships - 16, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations - have been attacked while operating in or near the passage since the war started on 28 February
   - On Thursday, Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to keep blocking the strait. On Saturday, Trump said "one way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!"

   Strikes continue:

   - There have been several instances of strikes launched between Israel and Iran throughout Saturday. Sirens and explosions were heard in Jerusalem, with two minor injuries reported from earlier strikes in Eilat
   - In Iran, a woman told the BBC all her thoughts were "focused on survival" - new images show damage to both countries
   - Fatemeh Mohajerani, a spokesperson for the Iranian government, said more than 200 students and teachers have been killed since the start of the war, and that 120 schools have been "severely damaged"
   - In Lebanon, the death toll has risen to 826, according to state media

   Oil facilities:

   - The UAE port of Fujairah was targeted by a strike earlier on Saturday, causing a large fire. It's a key location for the refuelling of ships and one of the largest oil storage facilities in the region
   - Meanwhile, the US has said more than 90 military targets on Iran's Kharg Island have been destroyed. The vital island in the northern Gulf is the terminal for close to 90% of the Iran's oil exports
   - Tehran responded, saying its oil facilities there remain intact, with the country's foreign minister warning his country would respond to attacks on Iranian energy facilities by targeting US companies in the region
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3. ### UK MoD responds to Trump calling for ships to be sent to Strait of Hormuz published at 17:12 GMT 14 March
   17:12 GMT 14 March

   "As we've said previously, we are currently discussing with our allies and partners a range of options to ensure the security of shipping in the region," a UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson says.

   - As a reminder: Trump posted on Truth Social earlier, saying he wanted allies - including the UK - to help keep the shipping channel "open and safe". Iran has been threatening certain ships passing through the region, leading to a standstill. Here's why the strait is important.
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4. ### With no evidence this war is ending yet, Trump's call to send ships to Strait of Hormuz may be premature published at 16:39 GMT 14 March
   16:39 GMT 14 March

   Jonathan Beale
   Defence correspondent

   President Trump’s call for allies to send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open may be premature - especially as there’s no evidence that this war is ending.

   The reality is that even the US Navy is currently not escorting tankers through this narrow shipping lane.

   At present it appears too dangerous - with a number of tankers trying to transit already having been hit.

   President Macron has said France is willing to send warships to the Gulf as "purely an escort mission". But he also said that would only be after the most "intense phase of the conflict had ended".

   As well as France, Trump suggested Japan, China, South Korea and the UK could send warships to escort shipping.

   Yet only last week, Trump stated that the US did not need the UK to send an aircraft carrier to the region "after we’ve already won".

   The Royal Navy has two aircraft carriers. Though one of them, HMS Prince of Wales, has been placed on high readiness, she’s due to sail to the North Atlantic.

   The Navy has no other warships in the region - though the destroyer HMS Dragon is now on her way to provide additional air defences for Cyprus.

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5. ### Debris and destruction as Iran and Israel exchange strikes published at 16:35 GMT 14 March
   16:35 GMT 14 March

   Iran and Israel are continuing to fire missiles at one another.

   Earlier, we reported that sirens were sounding in Jerusalem while someone in east Tehran told our BBC Persian colleague more strikes were beginning in the Iranian capital.

   Here are some of the latest images we're seeing come out of both countries:

   Image source, Reuters
   Image caption,

   A man in Tehran climbs the stairs in his apartment block, which has been partly reduced to rubble

   Image source, Reuters
   Image caption,

   Meanwhile, a pet cat looks on from rubble

   In central Israel, images show debris on the street and a car damaged by Iranian strikes.

   Earlier today, we also shared photos from the city of Shoham, where strikes took the roof off a building in a residential area.

   Image source, Reuters
   Image caption,

   Debris on the street following a strike in central Israel

   Image source, EPA
   Image caption,

   The site of a strike in Shoham

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6. ### Iran's foreign minister: We will respond to attacks on our energy facilities published at 16:13 GMT 14 March
   16:13 GMT 14 March

   Iran's foreign minister says his country will respond to any attack on Iranian energy facilities by targeting US companies in the region, according to the Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.

   Abbas Araghchi is quoted as saying: "If Iranian facilities are targeted, our forces will target facilities of American companies in the region or companies in which the United States has shares.

   "We will definitely respond to these attacks, while at the same time acting with caution so that densely populated areas are not targeted."

   It comes hours after the US military targeted Kharg Island - critical to Iran as it's thought about 90% of its oil exports pass through the island.

   An Iranian news agency later said the US had targeted air defences, a naval base, an airport control tower and a helicopter hangar - it added there had been no damage to oil infrastructure.

   Media caption,

   Watch: Why Kharg Island is a lifeline for Iran

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7. ### 'All my thoughts are focused on survival': Iranian woman on life since US-Israeli strikes began published at 15:56 GMT 14 March
   15:56 GMT 14 March

   Faren Taghizadeh
   BBC Persian

   I spoke to Sadaf (not her real name) on Friday night. She's from Karaj, Iran.

   She tells me she's mentally and emotionally "wrecked". Most of her day is spent checking the news and trying to get in contact with people she knows. "My life is basically paralysed," she says.

   "Creatively and artistically there’s almost nothing in my mind right now - which I guess is natural, because all my thoughts are focused on survival."

   Physically, she says she feels "okay", other than headaches.

   The war has impacted friends and neighbours, too.

   "Our upstairs neighbour said their relative’s house was in the east, and it got destroyed. They had a bird and a cat - both of them died," she says.

   Meanwhile, a friend with elderly relatives was left with broken windows, and no electricity and gas for several hours after a strike.

   She also knows people in eastern Tehran. "They've had it pretty rough there," she says.

   Image source, Reuters
   Image caption,

   People in Tehran gather at the site of an air strike

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8. ### Strikes start again in Tehran published at 15:37 GMT 14 March
   15:37 GMT 14 March Breaking

   Ghoncheh Habibiazad
   Senior reporter, BBC Persian

   A source in east Tehran tells me strikes have started again on the Iranian capital.

   We'll bring you further updates on this when we get them.

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9. ### Initial reports suggest no casualties in Israel after latest wave of Iranian strikes, IDF says published at 15:29 GMT 14 March
   15:29 GMT 14 March

   The Israeli military says people can now stop sheltering following the latest round of Iranian strikes.

   A little earlier, the Israeli Defense Forces urged people to take shelter after it detected new attacks.

   Search and Rescue forces are now working in several locations in central Israel after reports of "fallen projectiles", it says.

   "According to initial reports, there are no casualties," a spokesperson from the Fire and Rescue Services says. "Teams are continuing searches at all locations. No trapped individuals have been reported," they add.

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10. ### Ships attacked near the Strait of Hormuz - a reminder published at 15:14 GMT 14 March
    15:14 GMT 14 March

    Image source, Royal Thai Navy

    In its latest update on 12 March, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said, since 28 February, it had received 20 reports of incidents affecting vessels operating in and around the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman.

    Sixteen of those ships have been attacked, it adds, and four cases of suspicious activity recorded in the area.

    The Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree, was hit while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday morning, the ship's owner told BBC Verify.

    Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz in his first public statement on Thursday.

    Verified footage showed two tankers on fire in Iraqi waters at the north of the Gulf late on Wednesday and UKMTO reported the ships had been "struck by an unknown projectile".

    Safesea Vishnu, a US-owned vessel heading to India, is one of the most recent boats to have been attacked.

    It was hit by an "unmanned speed boat carrying explosives" which "rammed into it, resulting in a major fire onboard", Indian authorities said.

    - The Strait of Hormuz has become a sticking point in the US-Israel war with Iran. US President Trump vowed a short while ago to get the Strait "open and safe", "one way or the other". He called on the UK and other nations to join the US in sending ships to help secure the shipping lane
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11. ### Israeli military says more strikes launched from Iran published at 14:55 GMT 14 March
    14:55 GMT 14 March

    More missiles have been launched towards Israel from Iran, the Israeli Defense Forces say.

    In a recent update, the IDF adds that defence systems are working to intercept the threat and the public has been asked to enter shelters.

    It follows a series of strikes in rapid succession launched from Iran towards Israel a short while ago.

    Sirens sounded in Jerusalem, Israel, and injuries have been reported in Eilat in southern Israel.

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12. ### Strait of Hormuz: What is it and why is it important?published at 14:40 GMT 14 March
    14:40 GMT 14 March

    As we've just reported, US President Donald Trump says "one way or the other" the US will get the Strait of Hormuz "open and safe".

    The Strait of Hormuz is a key trade artery through which around 20% of the world's oil passes.

    Since the beginning of the conflict, numerous ships have been reported to have come under attack in the area and Iran's new supreme leader on Thursday said that Iran should keep using the "lever of blocking" the Strait.

    About 3,000 or so ships usually sail through the corridor each month. In 2025, about 20 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait per day.

    It is deep enough for the world's biggest crude oil tankers, and is used by the major oil and gas producers in the Middle East – and their customers.

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13. ### Trump says US will open Strait of Hormuz 'one way or the other'published at 14:22 GMT 14 March
    14:22 GMT 14 March Breaking

    US President Donald Trump says that "one way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!"

    In a post on his platform Truth Social, he writes that he hopes China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK will send warships to the key shipping channel so it can "no longer be a threat" by Iran.

    He adds that many countries will be sending warships to keep the key shipping channel "open and safe".

    In the meantime, he says, the US will be "bombing the hell out of the shoreline and continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water".

    He claims the US has "destroyed 100% of Iran's military capability" but says it's still "easy" for them use drones, mines and close-range missiles.

    Iran's representative in Geneva, Ali Bahrani, said Trump's claims about eliminating Tehran's capabilities are "based on fabricated lies".

    In our next post, we'll bring you a reminder of what you need to know about the Strait of Hormuz.

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14. ### More than 200 students and teachers killed in Iran since start of war published at 14:11 GMT 14 March
    14:11 GMT 14 March

    Ghoncheh Habibiazad
    Senior reporter, BBC Persian

    Image source, Iranian Red Crescent Society/Reuters
    Image caption,

    Iranian Red Crescent aid workers at a residential site damaged by strikes in Javadiyeh district, Tehran, as 10,000 properties have been damaged in the city

    Fatemeh Mohajerani, spokesperson for the Iranian government, says more than 200 students and teachers have been killed since the start of the war.

    She adds that 120 schools have been "severely damaged".

    Tehran’s landmark Azadi Tower has sustained damage, she says on state TV.

    Iran’s minister of education said on 11 March that 206 students and teachers had been killed and 161 injured in the attacks so far, according to a report by official IRNA news agency.

    Iran’s Red Crescent Society says that, so far, 42,914 civilian properties have been damaged. Of these, 6,179 are commercial properties and 36,489 are residential, including 10,000 in Tehran.

    "Since the start of the war, 160 medical, health, and emergency centres across the country have been seriously damaged by enemy attacks," it adds.

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15. ### Trump says reports that five US planes were destroyed are wrong published at 13:57 GMT 14 March
    13:57 GMT 14 March

    Image source, Getty Images

    US President Donald Trump denies reports that five US tanker planes were heavily damaged at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

    Multiple media sites reported overnight that the planes were damaged in an Iranian missile strike, but in a post on his platform Truth Social, Trump says that while the base was hit a few days ago, the planes were not "struck or destroyed".

    "Four of the five had virtually no damage, and are already back in service. One had slightly more damage, but will be in the air shortly," he adds.

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16. ### Injuries reported in Eilat, Israel following strikes published at 13:49 GMT 14 March
    13:49 GMT 14 March

    An earlier attack aimed at Eilat, in southern Israel, appears to have hit a building.

    Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's ambulance service, says paramedics are providing treatment to a 12-yer-old boy and a 39-year-old man with shrapnel injuries.

    The boy is "in serious condition, conscious with injuries to his body", while the man is "in moderate condition with head and limb injuries", a spokesperson for MDA says.

    Rotem Basodo, from the service, says he saw "destruction, broken glass, and smoke at the scene".

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17. ### Sirens triggered in Jerusalem as missiles fly overhead published at 13:43 GMT 14 March
    13:43 GMT 14 March

    There have been reports of explosions above Jerusalem, Israel, after its military said Iran had launched further attacks at the country.

    One barrage was fired towards Tel Aviv, with another triggering sirens around Jerusalem.

    We are working to bring you more details on any potential impact from the strikes.

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18. ### Nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones intercepted by UAE today published at 13:39 GMT 14 March
    13:39 GMT 14 March

    The UAE's Ministry of Defence says it has intercepted nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones so far today.

    It brings the total to 294 ballistic missiles, 1,600 drones and 15 cruise missiles since the start of the conflict.

    There have been six deaths and 141 "minor to moderate" injuries over this period.

    Earlier, we reported that thick plumes of smoke were seen rising above the UAE's port of Fujairah, one of the largest oil storage facilities in the region, after it was targeted by a drone strike.

    The Iranian military has also told UAE residents to evacuate areas close to US targets.

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19. ### UAE port targeted by drone strike sits just off Strait of Hormuz published at 13:34 GMT 14 March
    13:34 GMT 14 March

    Image source, Reuters

    Earlier we reported the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates was targeted by a drone strike.

    A fire also broke out at the port after a drone was intercepted by air defences on 3 March, the Fuijairah Media Office reported.

    The port sits in a significant location on the Gulf of Oman around 70 miles from the Strait of Hormuz.

    The site is one of the biggest maritime service hubs in the world, according to its website, and provides "world class facilities" and equipment to service containers, cargo ships, livestock and cruise ships.

    Close to 12,500 vessels arrived at its anchorage in 2022 while more than 4,700 vessels were hosted at the port.

    Saudi Arabia and the UAE are among the few Gulf producers with pipelines designed to partially bypass the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE’s Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline can transport about 1.8 million barrels a day to the port of Fujairah.

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20. ### What is the Strait of Hormuz and why is it important?published at 13:25 GMT 14 March
    13:25 GMT 14 March

    The Strait of Hormuz is a key trade artery through which around 20% of the world's oil passes.

    Since the beginning of the conflict, numerous ships have been reported to have come under attack in the area and Iran's new supreme leader on Thursday said that Iran should keep using the "lever of blocking" the Strait.

    About 3,000 or so ships usually sail through the corridor each month. In 2025, about 20 million barrels of oil passed through the strait per day.

    It is deep enough for the world's biggest crude oil tankers, and is used by the major oil and gas producers in the Middle East – and their customers.

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