infinitenewsno algorithms. no accounts. just news.
MenuClose

Iran war

Diplomacy & politics

Talks, statements, sanctions, nuclear policy, and government decisions.

340 entries, newest first; showing 301–330. Show all updates

Filter or jump to a week

Tuesday, March 17, 20263 entries

  1. 3:05 AM in Tehran, Mar 18

    Projectile hits Bushehr nuclear plant grounds; IAEA says no damage or injuries reported

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundBushehr, Iran

    Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev said a strike hit near the metrology building at the Bushehr plant, close to the operating unit, and Iran's atomic energy agency said no part of the plant was harmed. The IAEA said Iran told it a projectile hit the premises Tuesday evening with no damage or injuries, and Director General Rafael Grossi urged maximum restraint.

    Why it matters Bushehr, run with Russian technicians, is Iran's only commercial nuclear power plant, and any hit there raises the risk of a radiological release that Gulf neighbors have long feared.

    Sources: Associated Press, Associated Press (2), CBS News (AP)

  2. 11:26 AM in New York

    Trump says NATO allies refused Hormuz mission and the U.S. needs no one's help

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, United States

    Trump said most NATO allies had told him they did not want to get involved in securing the Strait of Hormuz and posted that the U.S. no longer needs help from NATO, Japan, Australia or South Korea: 'WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!' Earlier Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said 'nobody is ready to put their people in harm's way' in the strait.

    Why it matters The rebuff left the U.S. to secure the strait largely alone; hours later CENTCOM said it had dropped 5,000-pound bunker-busters on Iranian anti-ship missile sites on the coast.

    Sources: Associated Press, CBS News, CBS News (2)

  3. 9:55 AM in New York

    Top U.S. counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns, says Iran posed no imminent threat

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, United States

    National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent posted a resignation letter on X saying he could not 'in good conscience' support the war, that Iran 'posed no imminent threat to our nation' and that the U.S. started the war due to pressure from Israel and its American lobby.

    Why it matters The Senate-confirmed official's letter cut against the administration's case for war, and the CIA director said the next day he disagreed with Kent.

    Sources: Associated Press, CBS News

Sunday, March 15, 20262 entries

  1. 8:28 PM in New York

    Trump says he demanded about seven oil-dependent nations join a Hormuz coalition

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundAir Force One, United States

    Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said he had 'demanded' that about seven countries reliant on Middle East oil help police the Strait of Hormuz, declining to name them. In a Financial Times interview he warned that a negative response would be 'very bad for the future of NATO.'

    Why it matters Allies were cool to the request: Germany's foreign minister said he saw no immediate need for German participation, and Japan's defense minister said he had no plans to send warships under current conditions.

    Sources: Associated Press, CBS News, Associated Press (2), Associated Press (3)

  2. 6:20 PM in Tehran

    Araghchi says Iran sees no reason to talk to U.S., keeps Hormuz shut to U.S. allies

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundIran

    Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CBS' Face the Nation that Iran never asked for a ceasefire or negotiations and sees 'no reason' to talk with the Americans, but is open to talks with countries seeking safe passage through Hormuz. He said the strait is closed only to the U.S. and its allies and that Iran's nuclear material lies under rubble with no plan to recover it.

    Why it matters It rebutted Trump's claim a day earlier that Iran 'wants a deal' and signaled Tehran would use selective Hormuz access as leverage while strikes continue.

    Sources: Associated Press, CBS News, Associated Press (2)

Saturday, March 14, 20261 entry

  1. 10:17 AM in New York

    Trump says many countries will send warships to Hormuz, urges China, Japan and U.K.

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundUnited States

    In a Truth Social post, Trump said many countries would join the U.S. in sending warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and named China, France, Japan, South Korea and the U.K. as nations he hoped would help. He said the U.S. would keep 'bombing the hell out of the shoreline' and shooting Iranian boats out of the water.

    Why it matters No country confirmed a deployment, and Araghchi mocked the appeal as 'begging' while urging Gulf neighbors to expel 'foreign aggressors.'

    Sources: CBS News, Associated Press, Al Jazeera

Thursday, March 12, 20263 entries

  1. 8:32 PM in New York

    U.S. temporarily lets buyers take Russian oil already at sea to ease supply crunch

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, United States

    The Treasury Department issued a one-month license authorizing delivery and sale of Russian crude and petroleum products loaded onto ships on or before March 12. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the narrow measure covers only oil in transit; analysts had estimated about 125 million barrels were at sea.

    Why it matters It was Washington's second Russian-oil carve-out in a week to offset Gulf supply lost to the Hormuz shutdown, and the next day Germany's Friedrich Merz said six G7 members considered it the wrong signal.

    Sources: CBS News, Associated Press, CBS News (2)

  2. 4:48 PM in Tehran

    Mojtaba Khamenei, in first statement, says the Hormuz 'lever' must stay in use

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundTehran, Iran

    In a statement read by a state TV anchor rather than by him, Iran's new supreme leader said "the lever of closing the Strait of Hormuz must certainly continue to be used," that attacks on U.S. bases in the region would continue, and that Gulf states should shut those bases down. He said Iran had studied opening "other fronts" and would take compensation from the enemy or "destroy its assets to the same extent."

    Why it matters His first words set a hard line on Hormuz and the Gulf, while his absence from camera fed questions about the injuries Iranian officials said he suffered in the strike that killed his father.

    Sources: Associated Press, Associated Press (2), Associated Press (3), Al Jazeera, CBS News (AFP)

  3. 2:39 PM in Tehran

    Israel says it struck Iran's Taleghan 2 nuclear facility at Parchin again

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundParchin, Iran

    Israel's military said it hit the Taleghan 2 facility at Parchin "in recent days." Israel had destroyed the site in an October 2024 airstrike, and satellite photos earlier this year had raised concerns Iran was working to restore it; Vantor imagery dated March 11 showed damaged buildings.

    Why it matters Israel was re-striking a nuclear site it believed Iran was rebuilding, signaling that restoration work at previously bombed facilities would be hit again.

    Source: Associated Press

Wednesday, March 11, 20261 entry

  1. 3:43 PM in New York

    UN Security Council demands Iran halt attacks on Gulf neighbors in 13-0 vote

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundNew York, United States

    The Security Council voted 13-0, with China and Russia abstaining, for a Bahrain-drafted resolution demanding an immediate end to Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE and condemning any Iranian move to obstruct navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. A Russian draft urging all sides to halt hostilities, without naming any country, failed to get the nine votes needed.

    Why it matters Tehran's Russian and Chinese allies declined to veto, isolating Iran at the council, though both faulted the text for not mentioning the U.S.-Israeli strikes that began the war.

    Sources: Associated Press, CBS News (AFP), Associated Press (2), Associated Press (3)

Monday, March 9, 20262 entries

  1. 10:39 PM in Moscow

    Trump and Putin discuss the Iran war in an hourlong call, Kremlin says

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundMoscow, Russia

    Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin offered "a few ideas aimed at a quick political and diplomatic settlement" of the Iran conflict, drawing on his talks with Gulf leaders and Iran's president, in a call of about an hour that also touched on Venezuela and the oil market. Trump confirmed the call and said he told Putin he could help most by ending the war in Ukraine.

    Why it matters Russia, Tehran's ally, was pitching itself as a mediator days after U.S. officials told CBS News that Moscow was giving Iran intelligence on U.S. positions in the region.

    Sources: Associated Press, CBS News, CBS News (2)

  2. 6:43 PM in Paris

    IAEA chief says strikes hit Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites but damage appears minor

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundParis, France

    IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told reporters in Paris that the campaign had caused "a couple" of impacts at Natanz and one at Isfahan, close to a tunnel, and called the damage "not a very major one." He did not say when the sites were hit or by whom.

    Why it matters The watchdog's account indicated Iran's nuclear infrastructure had so far taken only limited damage, even though Washington and Israel cited the nuclear program as a core reason for the war.

    Source: CBS News (AP)

Sunday, March 8, 20262 entries

  1. 10:42 PM in New York

    U.S. orders nonessential diplomats and families to leave Saudi Arabia

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, United States

    The State Department put the U.S. mission in Saudi Arabia on "ordered departure" as Iranian attacks on the kingdom escalated, and on Monday extended the order to the consulate in Adana, Turkey. That left 10 U.S. embassies and consulates in the region on reduced staffing, the largest drawdown since the 2003 Iraq war, AP reported.

    Why it matters The order followed the first U.S. military death from an attack in Saudi Arabia and the kingdom's first reported war deaths, showing Iran's retaliation reaching deeper into the largest Gulf ally.

    Sources: Associated Press, Associated Press (2), Associated Press (3)

  2. 12:51 AM in Tehran, Mar 9

    Iran names Mojtaba Khamenei supreme leader, succeeding his slain father

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundTehran, Iran

    Iran's Assembly of Experts said in a statement carried by state TV that it had chosen Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, the second son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the Islamic Republic's third supreme leader. The Revolutionary Guard, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf quickly pledged their support.

    Why it matters A hard-liner with close Revolutionary Guard ties who has never held elected office now has the central say over war strategy; Trump had called him "unacceptable" and Israel had described him as a potential target.

    Sources: Al Jazeera, Associated Press, NBC News

Saturday, March 7, 20262 entries

  1. 12:17 PM in New York

    Third U.S. carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, is set to deploy to the Middle East

    ReportedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundNorfolk, Virginia, United States

    The USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group is primed to deploy to the Middle East after finishing pre-deployment exercises off Norfolk, a U.S. official told CBS News. It is expected to overlap with the USS Gerald R. Ford, now in the Red Sea, and the USS Abraham Lincoln, already in the region.

    Why it matters It would be the third U.S. aircraft carrier committed to the war after the Abraham Lincoln and the Gerald R. Ford, though the Bush will take time to reach the region.

    Source: CBS News

  2. 10:57 AM in Tehran

    Pezeshkian apologizes to Gulf states, says Iran will halt strikes on them unless attacked

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundTehran, Iran

    In a prerecorded address on state TV, President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring countries Iran had attacked and said forces should stop firing at them unless attacks on Iran came from their territory. He called the U.S. demand for unconditional surrender a "dream that they should take to their grave."

    Why it matters Iranian strikes had hit Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE that morning, and hard-liners including judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said attacks would continue, underlining the leadership's limited control over the Revolutionary Guard.

    Sources: Associated Press, Associated Press (2), CBS News, Associated Press (3), Associated Press (4)

Friday, March 6, 20262 entries

  1. 9:12 PM in New York

    U.S. uses emergency powers to rush bomb sales to Israel without congressional review

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, D.C., United States

    The State Department approved the sale of 12,000 1,000-pound bombs to Israel late Friday, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio declaring an emergency to waive congressional review. A revised list released Saturday showed at least $650 million in expedited munitions, including general-purpose bombs worth $151 million and $209 million and critical munitions worth $298 million.

    Why it matters Rubio invoked emergency authority under the Arms Export Control Act, the same basis the Biden administration twice used during the Gaza war, cutting Congress out of the usual review.

    Sources: Associated Press, CBS News

  2. 9:02 AM in New York

    Trump says there will be no deal with Iran except "unconditional surrender"

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, D.C., United States

    President Trump wrote on Truth Social that "There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" and said the U.S. and allies would rebuild Iran after it chose a "GREAT & ACCEPTABLE" leader. The Dow fell more than 900 points and Brent crude broke $90 a barrel after the post.

    Why it matters The demand appeared to shut the door on mediation that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had just confirmed was under way.

    Sources: CNBC, Al Jazeera

Thursday, March 5, 20263 entries

  1. 8:15 PM in New York

    U.S. Treasury temporarily lets India buy sanctioned Russian oil to ease prices

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, D.C., United States

    The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a license allowing Russian crude and petroleum products already at sea to be offloaded in India from March 5 to April 4, applying only to oil bought by an Indian company and delivered to an Indian port. U.S. crude futures had climbed above $80 that afternoon.

    Why it matters Washington loosened its own Russia sanctions to offset the Gulf supply shock; a dozen Senate Democrats said the waiver handed Vladimir Putin "a free pass."

    Sources: CBS News, Associated Press, CBS News (2)

  2. 4:39 PM in New York

    House narrowly rejects war powers resolution on Iran, 212-219

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, D.C., United States

    The House voted 212-219 against a war powers resolution to halt U.S. attacks on Iran without congressional approval, with four Democrats joining all but two Republicans to defeat it, a day after the Senate rejected a similar measure.

    Why it matters The narrow margin was an early sign of unease in Congress, though it left the administration free to continue the campaign.

    Sources: Associated Press, Associated Press (2), CBS News

  3. 11:26 AM in New York

    Trump says he must be involved in choosing Iran's next leader, rejects Khamenei's son

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, D.C., United States

    President Trump told Axios he has to be involved in appointing Iran's next supreme leader, "like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela," and called Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader's son and the most likely successor, "a lightweight" and "unacceptable to me."

    Why it matters It put Washington openly at odds with the Assembly of Experts, which a member said on state TV was close to naming a successor.

    Source: CBS News

Wednesday, March 4, 20261 entry

  1. 5:25 PM in New York

    Senate rejects war powers resolution to halt the Iran war, 47-53

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, D.C., United States

    The Senate voted 47-53 against a war powers resolution that would have required congressional approval before further attacks on Iran. Republican Sen. Rand Paul voted for it and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voted against.

    Why it matters The mostly party-line vote gave the administration an early show of congressional support for a war with no clear U.S. exit strategy.

    Sources: Associated Press, Associated Press (2), CBS News

Tuesday, March 3, 20262 entries

  1. 11:03 PM in Tehran

    Israel says it destroyed a secret Iranian nuclear weapons headquarters in Tehran

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundTehran, Iran

    Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the air force destroyed a partly underground site in Tehran, which Israel calls Minzadehei, where it says scientists secretly developed knowledge for nuclear weapons. Israel did not say uranium was enriched there, and neither Iran nor the U.S. commented on the site.

    Why it matters The claim underpins Israel's case that Iran was rebuilding weapons work after the June 2025 strikes, which Washington had said destroyed the program; it has not been independently verified.

    Sources: CBS News, Associated Press

  2. 4:31 PM in Tehran

    IAEA confirms new damage to entrance buildings at Iran's Natanz enrichment site

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundNatanz, Iran

    The International Atomic Energy Agency said satellite imagery showed "some recent damage to entrance buildings" of the underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant, with no radiological consequence expected and no additional impact detected at the plant itself.

    Why it matters It was the first confirmed hit on one of Iran's main nuclear sites in this war; IAEA chief Rafael Grossi had said a week before the war that most of Iran's pre-June 2025 enriched material was still in the country.

    Sources: CBS News, Associated Press (via PBS News)

Monday, March 2, 20265 entries

  1. 9:41 PM in New York

    Trump sends Congress a War Powers notice on the Iran strikes

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, D.C., United States

    In a March 2 letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, President Trump reported the Feb. 28 strikes on Iran under the War Powers Resolution, saying the threat had become "untenable" and that no U.S. ground forces were used. He wrote that it was "not possible at this time to know the full scope and duration" of the operations.

    Why it matters The letter is the formal report the War Powers Resolution requires, and it preceded Senate and House votes that week on whether to halt the campaign without congressional approval.

    Source: CBS News

  2. 5:20 PM in New York

    State Department tells Americans to leave more than a dozen Middle East countries

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, United States

    Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar urged U.S. citizens to "DEPART NOW" by commercial means from countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the UAE and Yemen, as well as the West Bank and Gaza.

    Why it matters The blanket order signaled Washington expected a longer, wider war, while airspace closures and flight cancellations left many Americans with few ways out.

    Sources: Al Jazeera, Associated Press, CBS News

  3. 11:59 AM in New York

    Trump says Iran operation will likely last four to five weeks but could go "far longer"

    ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWhite House, Washington, United States

    Before a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, Trump said the U.S. had projected four to five weeks but had the capability "to go far longer," and listed four aims: destroying Iran's missiles, wiping out its navy, preventing a nuclear weapon and stopping Iran from arming forces abroad. He called the strikes "our last, best chance."

    Why it matters It was Trump's clearest statement of war aims, and he told the New York Post he did not rule out U.S. ground troops if they were necessary.

    Sources: Associated Press, Associated Press (2), Associated Press (3), Al Jazeera, Associated Press (4)

  4. 1:18 PM in Beirut

    Lebanon's government bans Hezbollah military activity and demands its weapons

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundBeirut, Lebanon

    Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called Hezbollah's military operations "illegal acts," banned the group's military and security activity, confined it to politics and ordered the army and security agencies to stop rocket and drone launches and detain those responsible. He reaffirmed the 2024 ceasefire with Israel and called for resuming talks.

    Why it matters The ban set the Lebanese state formally against Hezbollah's entry into the war; Hezbollah answered by accusing the government of "impotence" toward Israel.

    Sources: Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Times of Israel, Al Jazeera (2)

  5. 10:06 AM in Vienna

    IAEA says no sign Iran's nuclear sites are hit as Tehran alleges Natanz was targeted

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundVienna, Austria

    Opening a special board session in Vienna, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said the agency had no indication that Bushehr, the Tehran Research Reactor or other nuclear facilities had been damaged and no rise in radiation had been detected in neighboring countries, but Iran's regulator was not responding. Iran's envoy Reza Najafi said the strikes had targeted the Natanz enrichment site.

    Why it matters With the agency cut off from Iranian authorities, claims about strikes on nuclear sites could not be verified, and Grossi warned a radiological release with serious consequences could not be ruled out.

    Sources: Associated Press, CBS News, Associated Press (2), Al Jazeera

Sunday, March 1, 20261 entry

  1. 9:50 PM in London

    Starmer lets U.S. use British bases to strike Iranian missile sites

    OfficialDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundLondon, United Kingdom

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain had accepted a U.S. request to use its bases for "defensive" strikes on Iranian missile sites but would not join offensive action, citing the lessons of Iraq. Earlier Sunday, Britain, France and Germany said they were ready to help stop Iran's attacks, potentially by destroying its missile and drone capability "at their source."

    Why it matters Britain moved from refusing to enabling U.S. strikes from its bases, including Diego Garcia, and Trump still complained the next day that the permission took "far too much time."

    Sources: Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Associated Press (2), CBS News, Al Jazeera (2)

Back to top