US and Israeli strikes against Iran - 28 February 2026, Media, Maps & Timelines *NO DISCUSSION*

[SouthAussie]

The US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, deployed in operations against Iran, is expected to temporarily pull into port after a fire on board, US officials have told Reuters.

The carrier, America's newest and the world's largest, is currently located in the Red Sea. It's expected to temporarily go to Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, the two officials said.

One of the officials said nearly 200 sailors were treated for smoke-related injuries when the fire broke out in the ship's main laundry area. The fire took hours to bring under control and impacted roughly 100 sleeping berths.

One service member was flown off the ship for injuries, the official said.

The Ford, with more than 5,000 sailors aboard, has more than 75 military aircraft, including fighter aircraft like the F-18 Super Hornets.

Live: Trump says US 'no longer' needs NATO allies, Australia in Iran war

Donald Trump says the US "do not need the help of anyone" in the war against Iran, calling out NATO allies and Australia in a fiery social media post. Follow live.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Lyanna]

Iran war latest: Tehran admits leading figure has been killed - as Trump responds to senior official's resignation over conflict

As the war continues, not everyone in Donald Trump's administration is content - a senior counterterrorism official has quit his role in protest. Meanwhile, Iranian state media has reported a top Iranian commander has been killed, along with the powerful security chief. Follow the latest.

news.sky.com

 

[Lyanna]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/17/iran-us-war-latest-news-trump-israel-strait-of-hormuz/

 

[SouthAussie]

South Africa has no intention of cutting diplomatic ties with Iran, despite recent comments from the new U.S. ambassador suggesting the relationship hinders stronger Pretoria–Washington relations.

“We cannot be pulled into the sphere-of-influence politics that other nations try to impose,” Dangor said, referencing pressure from the United States.

Trump administration officials have also pushed Pretoria to adjust domestic policies, including Black economic empowerment laws, and to drop its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

South Africa refuses U.S. call to abandon relationship with Iran

South Africa has no plans to cut diplomatic ties with Iran despite U

africa.businessinsider.com

 

[SouthAussie]

The Royal Navy could be enlisted to enforce a ceasefire in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran and the US strike a peace deal.

Britain is in talks to send ships under plans for an “escort system” suggested by Emmanuel Macron, the French president.

On Tuesday, Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, told MPs that Britain would look to strike “some kind of negotiated agreement” that would “contain and constrain” the threat from Iran after the end of the war.

On Monday, Sir Keir Starmer called for de-escalation in the conflict, but talks have been hampered by Donald Trump’s hardline position. He has previously said he would settle for nothing short of “unconditional surrender” by Iran.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/17/iran-us-war-latest-news-trump-israel-strait-of-hormuz/

 

[otto]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/17/iran-us-war-latest-news-trump-israel-strait-of-hormuz/

"Donald Trump was warned that Iran’s regime would tighten its grip on the country if the US launched attacks, according to a report.

Several US intelligence analysts told The Washington Post that a significantly weakened but more hardline government would be likely to retain power, with the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and an emboldened Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) acting as partners.

Sources told the newspaper that Mr Trump was given “very sobering briefings” on this assessment and was told before giving the go-ahead to begin strikes that the IRGC would likely become stronger as a result.

“It wasn’t just predictable,” they told the newspaper. “It was predicted. He was told in advance.”

Aggressive strikes have killed dozens of senior IRGC commanders and officials but have not led to regime change in Iran."

same link: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/17/iran-us-war-latest-news-trump-israel-strait-of-hormuz/

 

[Lyanna]

"Donald Trump was warned that Iran’s regime would tighten its grip on the country if the US launched attacks, according to a report.

Several US intelligence analysts told The Washington Post that a significantly weakened but more hardline government would be likely to retain power, with the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and an emboldened Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) acting as partners.

Sources told the newspaper that Mr Trump was given “very sobering briefings” on this assessment and was told before giving the go-ahead to begin strikes that the IRGC would likely become stronger as a result.

“It wasn’t just predictable,” they told the newspaper. “It was predicted. He was told in advance.”

Aggressive strikes have killed dozens of senior IRGC commanders and officials but have not led to regime change in Iran."

same link: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/17/iran-us-war-latest-news-trump-israel-strait-of-hormuz/

Trump was warned of likely Iranian retaliation on Gulf allies, sources say

President Trump was warned that attacking Iran could trigger retaliation against Gulf allies despite his claims that Tehran's reaction came as a surprise, said a U.S. official and two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reports.

www.reuters.com

Trump was also briefed ahead of the operation that Tehran would likely seek to close the economically vital Strait of Hormuz, according to two other sources familiar with the matter.

 

[SouthAussie]

Senate Democrats are preparing to force a series of time-consuming repeat votes on the war in Iran in the coming days ... a conflict that has so far unfolded with little formal scrutiny from Congress.

The strategy, which is still being finalized, would mark the Democrats’ most aggressive effort yet to force accountability for the war, as they have grown increasingly frustrated that senior officials have yet to testify under oath in open session about the rationale, costs, and objectives of a war now entering its third week.


“I can't say that the vote will be different on the very next resolution,” Schiff says, “but I can tell you that if this continues, there's going to be more and more recoil among the President's own base against the war.”

Senate Democrats Prepare to Stall Chamber to Force Probe of Iran War

Senator Adam Schiff tells TIME Democrats plan to bring the Senate chamber to a halt by forcing repeated votes on the war in Iran in the coming days

time.com

 

[otto]

"The Strait of Hormuz will not return to the pre-war situation. That is what Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the chairman of the Iranian parliament, says.

Only a fraction of the ships that previously passed through the strait can still do so. Normally, nearly 20 percent of crude oil and nearly 20 percent of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are transported through the strategic Strait of Hormuz."
...

"German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says it is not realistic to think that a controlled regime change in Iran is possible. "There is no military solution, and a controlled regime change is a hypothetical idea and simply not realistic," he says.

"Chaos in Iran is – even though the regime is bad – not interesting to us, nor to the region, nor to the Iranian people," said Wadephul."

LIVE Iran bevestigt ook dood van veiligheidschef Ali Larijani, VS-ambassade in Irak opnieuw aangevallen | VRT NWS Nieuws

LIVE De VS en Israël voeren sinds 28 februari aanvallen uit op Iran, dat antwoordt met luchtaanvallen in de hele Golfregio. Volg alle updates in onze liveblog.

www.vrt.be

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, rejected proposals conveyed to Iran's Foreign Ministry for "reducing tensions or ceasefire with the United States," according to a senior Iranian official who asked not to be identified.

Khamenei, ⁠attending his first foreign-policy meeting since his appointment, said it was not "the right time for peace until the United States and Israel are brought to their knees, accept defeat, and pay compensation," according to the official.

Iran rejects de-escalation as Israel kills Iranian security chief

Iran's security chief Ali Larijani was killed by Israel, the government confirmed on Tuesday, the most senior figure targeted since the U.S.-Israeli war's first day, while a senior Iranian official said Iran's new supreme leader rejected de-escalation offers conveyed by intermediary countries.

www.reuters.com

 

[redflag71]

LIVE | BREAKING: Iranians Celebrate On Streets - IRGC Lose Control - Huge Missile Attack On Israel​

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Time and again on the campaign trail two years ago, Trump has said he would get America out of “endless wars” and put “America first”.

It was this messaging that, in part, persuaded some crucial voters in the upper midwest swing states to back him, voters who ultimately helped get him back in the White House.

Despite Trump’s promises, in a little over a year in office the US military has opened up a host of international interventions. It killed more than 100 people during the overthrow and imprisonment in January of president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and has launched airstrikes and other attacks in Nigeria, Somalia and Syria since Trump became president.

But following Israel into a conflict with Iran, one that has jolted the global economy in a way not seen for decades, has set a new precedent.
Home to a large number of so-called “Reagan Democrats”, Macomb county’s demographics makes it a key swing county in Michigan, an important battleground state.

“We represent hard-working, middle-class Americans who were the ‘forgotten class’ especially when we lost so many manufacturing jobs to other countries,” said Barbara VanSyckel, vice-chair of the Macomb county Republican party.

But the effect the conflict is having on energy prices is something Macomb county residents are readily aware of, she said.

“I am hoping to see the gas prices go back to a lower level as yes, the electorate votes by what is affecting them at the time they cast their ballots,” she said.

“The November elections are still months away, but if the gas prices stay high, it will likely affect voting for Republicans, which would affect the midterms and thus Trump’s agenda.”
[Will the Iran war turn midwest swing states against Trump after his ‘America first’ promise?

 

[tricia]

LIVE | BREAKING: Iranians Celebrate On Streets - IRGC Lose Control - Huge Missile Attack On Israel​

We are going to allow this YouTube creator since they appear to be a very legit person reporting what is happening.
Tricia

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2033936575881499052

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2034238171748134930

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2034084240132817149

 

[Rikissa]

From 18 March 2026:

Iran has executed a Swedish-Iranian man identified as Kourosh Keyvani after convicting him of espionage for Israel, according to reports by the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency.

BBM

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202603181159

Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard on the execution of a Swedish citizen in Iran​

The death penalty is an inhuman, cruel and irreversible punishment. Sweden, together with the rest of the EU, condemns its use under any circumstances.

https://www.government.se/statements/2026/03/statement-by-minister-for-foreign-affairs-maria-malmer-stenergard-on-to-the-execution-of-a-swedish-citizen-in-iran/

 

[Lyanna]

Gas prices in UK and Europe soar after strikes on energy facilities in Qatar and Iran - follow live

There have been attacks on Qatar's Ras Laffan energy complex following an attack on Iran's South Pars gas field.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Lyanna]

US spending on first week of Iran war raises stark questions about priorities

$11.3bn more than enough to fund EPA or National Cancer Institute, where administration sought to slash budgets

www.theguardian.com

The US spent $11.3bn on just the first week of its military assault on Iran. This huge expenditure dwarves the annual budgets of many of the public health and scientific agencies the Trump administration has sought to cut, raising stark questions about the country’s priorities.

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2034271917301977109