U.S. army bombs Kharg Island, Iran’s major oil export hub : NPR

This image, taken a place in northern Israel, reveals an Israeli Air Pressure fighter jet flying over the border space with southern Lebanon on March 13, 2026.

Jalaa Marey/AFP by way of Getty Photographs

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Jalaa Marey/AFP by way of Getty Photographs

President Trump asserted Saturday that the U.S. army had “destroyed 100% of Iran’s Navy functionality,” and that American forces had on Friday bombed the essential oil sea port, Kharg Island.

Trump mentioned the strikes had sought to keep away from damaging the island’s oil amenities, which has change into a significant focus in the course of the struggle as issues have grown globally about Iran’s power exports.

Kharg Island sits 15 miles off Iran’s southern coast and is important to the nation’s oil-dependent economic system. Roughly 90 p.c of Iran’s export crude oil passes via the island.

In a Reality Social put up Friday night, Trump wrote that “for causes of decency, I’ve chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the island.” However the president warned that if Iran “or anybody else” determined to intrude with the passage of ships within the Strait of Hormuz, he would “instantly rethink this choice.”

Additionally on Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as soon as extra renewed a name for Individuals to go away Iraq, after a drone strike hit the embassy compound within the capital’s closely guarded Inexperienced Zone.

On Friday, the U.S. army had mentioned that every one six crew members on a KC-135 refuelling plane had been killed when it went down in Iraq.

The crash brings the U.S. army demise toll to 13, seven of whom have been killed by enemy fireplace. Eight U.S. service members have been severely injured, in accordance with the Pentagon.

In the meantime President Trump and his protection secretary have touted the success of what they name Operation Epic Fury.

Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned Friday that joint U.S.-Israeli army strikes have hit greater than 15,000 targets, and likewise injured the nation’s new supreme chief.

President Trump, in a put up on Reality Social, mentioned the U.S. is “completely destroying” Iran’s regime, militarily and economically.

Each males have additionally complained about damaging media protection of the U.S.-Israeli struggle with Iran.

A lady appears at a constructing the place an house was focused by an Israeli airstrike within the Burj Hammoud space on the northern outskirts of Beirut on March 14, 2026.

Ibrahim Amro/AFP by way of Getty Photographs

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Ibrahim Amro/AFP by way of Getty Photographs

The humanitarian toll additionally deepened as the whole variety of folks displaced by the combating in Iran and Lebanon reached into the hundreds of thousands.

Iranian and Lebanese well being officers reported greater than 1,300 folks had been killed in Iran, and 773 folks in Lebanon. Israeli authorities mentioned 12 civilians had been killed in Israel, and two of the nation’s troopers killed in Lebanon.

Listed here are additional updates in regards to the battle.

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Trump asks different nations to help | Individuals instructed to go away Iraq | U.S. casualties | Extra struggle forward

Trump calls on different nations to help

Writing on social media on Saturday, Trump mentioned the U.S. bombing of Kharg Island had been internationally useful, saying “many nations” affected by oil disruptions could be sending struggle ships to work with United States to maintain the Strait of Hormuz open.

“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, which might be affected by this synthetic constraint, will ship Ships to the world in order that the Hormuz Strait will not be a menace by a Nation that has been completely decapitated,” he wrote on Reality Social.

“Within the meantime, the USA will likely be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and regularly capturing Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water,” he continued.

U.S. Central Command mentioned the focused strikes had destroyed a number of army amenities on the island with out compromising its oil infrastructure.

U.S. Embassy in Baghdad reiterates Individuals ought to “go away Iraq instantly”

In a put up on social media, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad as soon as extra warned Individuals to go away Iraq instantly after an airstrike early Saturday hit a radar set up on the embassy compound within the capital’s closely guarded Inexperienced Zone.

No casualties have been reported. An Iraqi safety official instructed NPR the strike hit a radar set up contained in the embassy compound. He requested for anonymity as a result of he was not approved to talk publicly.

“U.S. residents who select to stay in Iraq are inspired to rethink their choice given the numerous menace posed by Iran-aligned terrorist militias,” the embassy wrote.

Iran-backed militias have been attacking U.S. bases and different targets in Iraq since Iran started to retaliate towards U.S. and Israeli strikes initially of the struggle.

Israel continues operations in Lebanon

The Israeli Air Pressure wrote on X that Israel’s army, the Israeli Protection Forces — or IDF — had Friday accomplished “a number of” further strike waves focusing on Hezbollah in Beirut and southern Lebanon.

“Because the begin of Operation ‘Roar of the Lion,’ the IDF has been hanging headquarters of the terrorist group Hezbollah on a broad scale, impairing the group’s command and management capabilities, its financial scenario, and the munitions at its disposal,” it wrote.

“The IDF is performing forcefully towards the terrorist group Hezbollah, which selected to affix the marketing campaign and function beneath the auspices of the Iranian terror regime, and can act towards anybody who threatens the residents of the State of Israel and the residents of the North particularly.”

U.S. casualties rise and extra Marines head to Mideast

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) mentioned Friday all six crew members died when their refueling plane went down over Iraq.

CENTCOM, which oversees the U.S. army’s Center East operations, initially reported an unspecified incident involving two plane Thursday. It mentioned the U.S. KC-135 refueling plane was misplaced in western Iraq, whereas the opposite landed safely. It’s investigating the circumstances however confirmed the “lack of the plane was not as a consequence of hostile fireplace or pleasant fireplace.”

NPR has additionally confirmed that a further 2,200 U.S. Marines are heading to the Center East.

The thirty first Marine Expeditionary Unit primarily based in Okinawa, Japan, aboard the united statesTripoli, an amphibious assault ship, will be a part of an armada of ships participating within the Iran struggle, a supply instructed NPR on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk publicly. The supply didn’t specify what position the Marines will play.

The deployment was first reported by The Wall Road Journal.

— NPR’s Nationwide Safety Desk

Officers brace for an finish and not using a deal — and the chance of a “struggle routine”

A senior official within the area, talking on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to debate inner deliberations, instructed NPR they anticipated the struggle to final no less than one other week, and that Israeli leaders more and more consider the U.S. and Israel will finish the struggle unilaterally, and not using a negotiated settlement. In such a state of affairs, the official mentioned, Iran and allied teams, together with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Houthi rebels in Yemen, might set up a brand new regular of intermittent fireplace at Israel, prompting repeated Israeli retaliation.

The official mentioned that form of tit-for-tat change would go away Israelis dwelling with an insupportable “struggle routine” even when the depth of the battle fades.

The official additionally mentioned Israel just isn’t ruling out an expanded floor operation in southern Lebanon, however described Israel as holding again so removed from hanging broad civilian infrastructure, largely as a result of the U.S. sees Lebanon as a accomplice.

— Daniel Estrin, Carrie Kahn

Arezou Rezvani contributed to this report from Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdish area.