Trump says US may keep bombing Iranian oil facility 'just for fun'

 

• Donald Trump claimed on NBC News that Kharg Island, a critical Iranian oil infrastructure site, had been "totally demolished" by US bombing, but added that “we may hit it a few more times just for fun”.
• Trump called on allied nations, including the UK, France, and Japan, to deploy ships to the Strait of Hormuz to help keep the vital shipping channel open.
• He boasted that the US military had spent $11.3 billion on munitions in the first week of the conflict and largely destroyed Iran's missiles, drones, and manufacturing capabilities.
• The conflict, now in its third week, has resulted in the deaths of 13 US service members and over 1,000 Iranians, including at least 175 children and staff from a school.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the war would conclude when Trump decided it was finished, emphasising that the president controls the "throttle" of the operation.

Trump says US may keep bombing Iranian oil facility 'just for fun'

Story by Graig Graziosi

 

Iran issues major update on Supreme Leader's health as Trump says he may be dead

 

Iran’s foreign minister has given an update on the health of the new Supreme Leader after Donald Trump said he could be dead.

Mojtaba Khamenei replaced his father, who was killed in Israeli-US strikes at the start of the conflict - but he has not been seen since.

Mojtaba issued his first statement on the war last Thursday, but he did not appear on camera and the speech was read by a news anchor. He did not specify his condition or mention his location in the speech.

“I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him,” Trump told NBC. “I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender.”

But now Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has claimed: "The Leader of the Revolution is in full health and is fully managing the situation."

It has led to plenty of debate over his health and an Israeli assessment indicated he was wounded in the war’s opening salvo, which killed other members of his family including his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. If alive he’s likely in a secure, secret location to avoid a threatened Israeli operation to kill him.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Mojtaba Khamenei was “wounded and likely disfigured” on Friday. “Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father: dead; he’s scared, he’s injured, he’s on the run, and he lacks legitimacy."

In Mojtaba Khamenei's statement read by the state television news anchor, he said he would avenge not just the killings of his father and other leaders by the US and Israel, but that of every Iranian who has died in this war.

“I assure everyone that we will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs,” he said. “The retaliation we have in mind is not limited only to the martyrdom of the great leader of the Revolution; rather, every member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy constitutes a separate case in the file of revenge.”

He also promised to keep up attacks on Gulf Arab countries and use the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the US and Israel. Khamenei called on Gulf Arabs to “shut down” US bases in the region, saying protection promised by Washington was “nothing more than a lie.”

He also said Iran has studied “opening other fronts in which the enemy has little experience and would be highly vulnerable” if the war continues. He did not elaborate, but Iran has been linked to previous attacks on US, Israeli and Jewish targets around the world.

Iran issues major update on Supreme Leader's health as Trump says he may be dead

Story by Tim Hanlon

Meloni criticises Trump and labels Iran school attack a ‘massacre’

 

Giorgia Meloni has accused the US and Israel of acting “outside the scope of international law” with their attacks on Iran.

In her strongest criticism of the conflict yet, the Italian prime minister also demanded that Washington find out who was responsible for the missile strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school.

Ms Meloni labelled the attack in Minab, southern Iran, on Feb 28 a “massacre”. It killed more than 160 people, most of them children.

Her comments may upset Donald Trump, who can be sensitive to criticism from world leaders he considers allies. He and Ms Meloni have long appeared to have a close friendship.

She said the Americans and Israelis had broken international law by launching the Iran war and made it plain that Italy had no intention of getting involved in the campaign.

Coffins are lined up for the funerals of children and staff killed in the air strike on their school on the first day of the Iran

As the conflict entered its 12th day, Ms Meloni said Washington had not asked to use her country’s air bases for its bombers and fighters, and if a request were made, it would need to be debated by the Italian parliament.

She told the Senate on Wednesday the war was “an intervention that Italy is not part of and does not intend to take part in”. She drew parallels with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine four years ago, which she ⁠said triggered global destabilisation.

Ms Meloni said the US-Israeli war on Iran should be seen in the context of a “structural crisis in the international system” with threats ⁠becoming “increasingly frightening and unilateral interventions outside the scope of international law ... multiplying”.

However, she also said Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons and such a development would result in “dramatic repercussions for global security”, leaving Europe exposed to a potential nuclear threat from Tehran.

The Italian prime minister said: “We cannot afford a regime of ayatollahs in possession of nuclear weapons, combined with a missile capability that could soon be able to directly strike Italy and Europe.”

In remarks that may further antagonise Washington, Ms Meloni said the Americans must establish exactly who was responsible for the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school.

Meloni criticises Trump and labels Iran school attack a ‘massacre’

Story by Nick Squires

Ex-Bush advisor: Trump's Iran war is a 'catastrophe' built on lies

 

Steve Schmidt, a Republican political strategist who famously advised President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), warned on his Tuesday Substack that President Donald Trump’s war against Iran is a “catastrophe.”

“The lies never, ever stop,” Schmidt wrote. He played clips of Trump saying America is more respected in the world than ever before and that the Iran war has been “one of the most stunning operations ever conducted.” He also showed Trump claiming that the economy in his first term was “the greatest economy in the history of our country” and that the next one “is going to blow it away.”

Schmidt contested these assumptions.

“We're always told there isn't enough money for schools, for health care, or for our veterans — but there's always enough money to bomb people on the other side of the world,” Schmidt pointed out. “We can support the democracy movement in Iran. We can prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon — all without bombing innocent schoolchildren or sending American troops off to die on the other side of the world.”

He concluded, “The American people understand, and are seeing more clearly every day, that everything Donald Trump promised was a lie — and that what they've been given is a catastrophe. What we have to do is vote these people out and take away the political power they have abused so badly.”

This is not the first time that Schmidt, despite his Republican roots, has blasted the current president. Earlier in March he called out Trump for trying to suppress documents in which a woman alleged the president sexually assaulted her in the 1980s when she was a 13-year-old girl.

“A woman told FBI investigators that Epstein had trafficked her to Donald Trump,” Schmidt wrote. “The rot is otherworldly.”

Earlier in March, he also criticized Trump for invading Iran without a coherent plan.

“There has been no debate, no plan, and no thought given by Donald, his stooges and politicized generals about the second-and third-order effects of their decisions,” Schmidt wrote. “This is escalating.”

He also pointed out that we now “have war, chaos, economic crisis, corruption and insanity served up non-stop, extolling the wrong against the right, while abusing American citizens with violence, including murder.”

As he put it up earlier in the same article, “We had peace, and we chose Trump.”

Last month, meanwhile, Schmidt laid the blame for Trump’s abuses of power at the feet of the pro-Republican Supreme Court.

“The Roberts court has destabilized our American society through partisan rulings,” Schmidt argued. “We have a corrupt Supreme Court with [Judge Samuel] Alito’s misconduct, Clarence Thomas’s misconduct, flying around with all these billionaire extremist doners from here to there and everywhere.”

“The court has lost its reputation for a reason,” he continued, “and now we have Trump’s visage looming down at the American people from the Department of Justice, which is a corrupt institution that can’t be trusted, filled with corrupt prosecutor who abuse their oath, abuse the Constitution, and abuse the American people in the name of power.”

Ex-Bush advisor: Trump's Iran war is a 'catastrophe' built on lies

Story by Matthew Rozsa

 

Putin’s foreign minister fumes after Russia’s consulate in Iran hit by drone strike

 

Putin’s foreign minister fumes after Russia’s consulate in Iran hit by drone strike

Iran has supplied Russia with military equipment including Shahed drones used in attacks on Ukrainian cities, while the two countries have strengthened political and economic cooperation in response to Western sanctions.

The partnership has made Iran one of Russia’s most important allies on the international stage, especially as tensions between Tehran and Western powers continue to rise.

Russian consulate damaged in strike

Russia says its consulate in the Iranian city of Isfahan was damaged during recent strikes linked to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the incident occurred on March 8 when a nearby provincial government building was targeted.

According to her statement, the blast shattered windows in both the office and residential parts of the consulate building. The shockwave was strong enough to knock several staff members off their feet.

Fortunately, no one was killed or seriously injured in the incident.

Zakharova condemned the attack, calling it a “blatant violation” of international conventions protecting diplomatic missions and urged all parties involved in the conflict to respect the inviolability of diplomatic facilities.

War spreads across the region

The incident comes amid a rapidly escalating conflict that began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched large-scale strikes against Iranian targets.

The attacks triggered retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Iran across the Middle East, hitting military bases, infrastructure and strategic sites throughout the region.

Isfahan has been one of the locations repeatedly targeted during the campaign because it hosts major military and nuclear-related facilities.

Moscow backs Tehran

Russia has strongly condemned the strikes against Iran and has positioned itself diplomatically on Tehran’s side during the crisis.

The Kremlin has described the attacks as destabilizing for the region and has continued close political contact with Iranian leaders as the conflict unfolds.

At the same time, reports in Western media have suggested Moscow may be providing intelligence assistance to Iran, although U.S. officials have played down the significance of those claims.

Sources: Reuters, Digi24, The Guardian, Britannica,

Putin’s foreign minister fumes after Russia’s consulate in Iran hit by drone strike

Story by Kathrine Frich

Erika Kirk appointed to US Air Force Academy board by Trump: Is she actually qualified?

 

The appointment of political activist Erika Kirk to the US Air Force Academy's influential Board of Visitors by President Donald Trump has become a fresh flashpoint in the wider battle over who should help shape America's future military leaders. The move has ignited scrutiny over whether her background matches the oversight responsibilities of one of the country's most prestigious military institutions, and whether political loyalty is beginning to outweigh experience in defence and education.

The decision places Kirk, the widow of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, within a body tasked with evaluating the education, discipline and culture of future Air Force officers. While supporters argue she represents a new generation of conservative leadership, critics are questioning whether her professional experience adequately matches the responsibilities of a board historically populated by military leaders, policymakers and national security experts.

The Role And Influence Of The Air Force Academy Board Of Visitors

The Board of Visitors at the United States Air Force Academy is a federally mandated advisory body responsible for monitoring the academy's performance and reporting findings to senior defence officials.

According to official descriptions of the board's mandate, members are authorised to examine the institution's 'morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods and other matters relating to the Academy'. The board compiles annual reports for the Secretary of the Air Force and the US Congress and may offer recommendations for institutional reforms.

Although the board does not directly control academy operations, its oversight role can influence discussions about academic standards, military training and broader institutional direction.

The board typically consists of a mixture of congressional appointees, presidential appointees and senior military figures. Members have historically included former officers, defence policy specialists and lawmakers with experience overseeing the armed forces.

Presidents have long used these appointments to shape the philosophical direction of military education. In 2025, President Trump dismissed several board members across US service academies, arguing they had promoted 'woke leftist' ideology within military institutions.

Trump's Appointment Of Erika Kirk

Kirk's addition to the board emerged quietly in early March 2026 when her name appeared on the official membership list, despite no formal public announcement from the academy itself.

The appointment effectively places her in the position previously held by her late husband, Charlie Kirk, who had been selected by Trump for the same board in March 2025.

Charlie Kirk attended at least one board meeting before his assassination in September 2025 while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. Following his death, his widow became increasingly involved in national conservative politics.

Rep. August Pfluger, a Republican congressman from Texas who chairs the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors, publicly supported the appointment.

'Erika is the right person to fill Charlie's place on the Board and continue his work of inspiring the next generation of service members and advancing the academy,' Pfluger said in remarks reported after the appointment.

The White House has not released a detailed statement outlining the criteria used in selecting Kirk for the role.

Trump quietly appoints Erika Kirk to new leadership position

Story by Ariana Baio

Iran sends chilling assassination threat to Trump - 'You will be eliminated'

 

Iran has warned Donald Trump he could be "eliminated" in what appeared to be a threat to assassinate the US President.

Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, reposted on X a message Mr Trump shared on Truth Social adding what appeared to be a threat to the U.S. President.

Larijani said: "The Ashura-loving nation of Iran does not fear your paper threats. Even those greater than you could not eliminate the Iranian nation. Watch out for yourself-lest you be eliminated!"

This came after Mr Trump wrote that Iran could be hit "20 times harder than they have been hit thus far" if the country "does anything that stops the flow of oil within the Strait of Hormuz".

He said: "If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far. Additionally, we will take out easily destroyable targets that will make it virtually impossible for Iran to ever be built back, as a Nation, again - Death, Fire, and Fury will reign upon them.

"But I hope, and pray, that it does not happen! This is a gift from the United States of America to China, and all of those Nations that heavily use the Hormuz Strait. Hopefully, it is a gesture that will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your attention to this matter."

Iran sends chilling assassination threat to Trump - 'You will be eliminated'

Story by Antonio Scancariello