Month: March 2026

Yahoo – Trump Distracts From War Question by Flirting With Fox News Host

Donald Trump complimented a Fox News host’s looks right after being asked about the welfare of civilians in war-torn Iran.

Trump phoned into The Five on Thursday afternoon for a friendly interview, during which co-host Dana Perino inquired about how Iranian dissidents are faring and whether the civilian population as a whole has access to basic necessities.

The U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran, which is well into its fourth week, has killed more than 1,492 civilians there, the Human Rights Activists News Agency says.

“I think it is alarming that we have not been able to see or hear from any of the Iranian people, and I imagine that is because their internet is shut down, and I think there is some general worry about them,” Perino began. “Obviously, their government treats them terribly—killed tens of thousands of them in January…Do you have any insight as to how they are doing? Do they have drinking water? Do they have food? It’s upsetting.”

“I do,” Trump replied, before shifting gears entirely.

“But first,” he said, “remember when we had lunch years ago in the base of Trump Tower when it was a brand new building?”

“It was a long time ago,” said Perino, the married former George W. Bush administration press secretary.

It wasn’t clear which meeting they were referring to.

“You haven’t changed,” Trump added, as Perino smiled. “I’m not allowed to say this. It’s the end of my political career, but you may be even better looking, okay? So, I don’t know what you’re doing.”

Perino, 53, replied, “Fox hair and makeup has a lot to do with it.”

Trump, 79, continued: “I will not say that because that will end my political career. You are not allowed to say a woman is beautiful anymore.”

“You know that, Jesse,” Trump added, speaking to co-host Jesse Watters. “You have to be careful.”

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and Fox for comment.

While Trump has been known to compliment female members of the press he deems politically in line with his administration, he has targeted the appearance of those he views as critical. He called Katie Rogers of the New York Times “ugly” after she reported on his light second-term schedule, and when Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey asked about the delayed Jeffrey Epstein files release last November, Trump shouted, “Quiet, piggy!”

Trump eventually came back to Perino’s question, but didn’t directly address her points about food and drinking water. Instead, he highlighted the dangers of protesting the Iranian government.

“When you look at what has happened, they are petrified, because the one side has guns, and they have very nasty guns, the worst guns and machine guns, and what they do is they shoot you,“ he said. ”And the people are brave, but they are not brave when they see people going down left and who you are, I don’t care how brave, unless you are really stupid, you can’t really protest, and the only reason they are not protesting is because they are being shot, one after another.”

He added: “They are doing it with snipers, where they have snipers and buildings—not that they have to be snipers because they have, you know, free range.”

Since last December, the Iranian government has killed thousands of protesters.

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Shafaq – Iran’s Foreign Minister accuses US of undermining diplomacy amid war

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday accused the United States of obstructing diplomatic efforts and participating alongside Israel in military actions against Iran, urging the United Nations to condemn what he described as “aggression.”

Speaking at a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Araghchi said Iran is facing an “illegal and unjustified war,” adding that Washington had “overturned the negotiating table” despite Tehran’s pursuit of diplomacy.

He stressed that Iran had not sought war and would continue to act in self-defense as regional tensions escalate.

Araghchi also accused the United States of being responsible for an attack on the “Minab” girls’ school, which killed more than 175 people, mostly students, during school hours, describing the incident as one of the “most severe manifestations” of US-Israeli aggression.

He warned that the credibility of the United Nations is at stake if it fails to respond to the actions of the United States and Israel.

Earlier on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he would delay potential strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure by 10 days until April 6, while continuing to describe ongoing contacts with Tehran over a possible peace arrangement as “very good.”

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that Islamabad is relaying messages between US and Iranian officials as part of mediation efforts, with Turkiye and Egypt also supporting attempts to end the conflict.

Iran has not publicly responded to Trump’s latest remarks, but officials quoted by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency have previously said Tehran is awaiting a US reply to its conditions for a ceasefire. These include an end to attacks and assassinations, guarantees that hostilities will not resume, and compensation for damages, alongside a comprehensive halt to fighting across all fronts involving allied groups in the region.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that civilian fatalities in Iran have reached 1,492 people, including at least 221 children.

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New York Times – Iran War Live Updates: U.S. and Iran Send Conflicting Signals on Peace Prospects

Conflicting signals from leaders of the United States, Iran and Israel on Monday left a murky picture of whether peace talks were underway, and what prospects there were for ending the war in the Middle East any time soon.

President Trump told reporters that the United States and Iran were engaging in “very strong talks” toward resolving the war that began on Feb. 28, which had produced “many, like 15 points,” of agreement. He said he was postponing until Friday his threat to attack Iranian power plants while talks take place.

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Bloomberg – Iran Strikes Gulf Targets as Trump’s Hormuz Deadline Approaches

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The New Arab – Iran detains 500 on ‘espionage’ charges as wartime crackdown on information tightens

Iranian security forces have arrested roughly 500 people across the country on espionage charges, accusing them of collecting and transmitting sensitive information about military sites, airstrike locations, and emergency response operations to foreign intelligence agencies and opposition media outlets.

The mass arrests represent the most aggressive domestic security operation since the war began, carried out under an internet blackout that has severed most independent channels for verifying the government’s claims.

Authorities say the detainees were not ordinary bystanders or journalists but active operatives engaged in systematic intelligence gathering that posed a direct threat to national security.

Rights groups and families of those detained say the espionage label is being applied so broadly that it sweeps up anyone who documents the war or shares information with the outside world.

The crackdown comes at a moment when Iran is fighting on multiple fronts against Israel and the United States, managing the political transition following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and contending with the aftershocks of the anti-government protests that swept the country in late December.

Authorities have framed the arrests as part of a total war that extends beyond the battlefield to include what officials describe as an information front of equal strategic importance.

Those detained fall into several categories, according to official statements. Some are accused of photographing airstrike sites and military installations and sending the images to foreign parties.

Others are alleged to have collaborated with opposition media, particularly the London-based channel Iran International, which Iranian authorities consider an instrument of hostile intelligence services.

A third group is accused of direct contact with foreign intelligence agencies in the Middle East and Europe.

Authorities said some of those arrested had transmitted information about the locations of emergency rescue teams, which the state described as an additional crime because such data could be used to disrupt humanitarian operations during the conflict.

No transparent legal proceedings have been announced for any of the detainees. Security officials have said that any cooperation with opposition media or foreign intelligence constitutes a national crime punishable under Iranian law with severe sentences, including lengthy imprisonment.

The father of Hadi Reza Khalili, a man detained in Tehran, said his son had lived an ordinary life with no public political activity and had never participated in any protest.

“Suddenly, he was arrested and charged with espionage,” the father, 55, said. “The authorities considered him an agent of the enemy.

“We live in permanent fear. We don’t know when it will be the turn of the next family member. Everything is now monitored, from phone conversations to internet use. We avoid talking about anything sensitive.”

The espionage charges are being used as a tool of pressure and control rather than a means of enforcing the law, he added.

“This leaves a long-term impact on the mental health of those affected and on citizens’ sense of belonging.”

In Qom, the mother of Samira Ali Mousavi, who was detained a week ago, said the family has been unable to obtain any details about her daughter’s condition or the specific charges against her. She asked to be identified only by her first name, Zahra, 50.

“The authorities’ description of the charges as ‘espionage’ is extremely vague and does not allow any family to understand the nature of the alleged crime,” Zahra said. “This reflects the use of these charges as a tool of deterrence more than a means of justice.”

She said the arrests have created a climate of fear across the community.

“Residents live in a state of suspicion about every action or conversation that could be interpreted as a violation. From our perspective, espionage charges are being used systematically against anyone who could represent a symbolic threat to the system, even if their activities were entirely legitimate.”

The arrests are part of a broader strategy that combines the internet shutdown, the blocking of communication apps, and the detention of anyone suspected of sharing information outside state-controlled channels.

Mostafa Khalilzadeh, an Iranian journalist who works with an international Arabic-language news platform, said the crackdown reflects a comprehensive strategy to control the domestic narrative rather than a routine judicial operation.

“These arrests are not simply a reaction to potential leaks,” he said. “They are part of the state’s logic of securing what it considers national security by creating a climate of terror and social discipline that prevents any attempt at leaking or criticism.”

The definition of espionage has become so broad that it encompasses any media activity or information-sharing that authorities can interpret as a threat, even if the activity involves nothing more than documenting events or reporting news, Khalilzadeh said.

“This not only affects the lives of detainees and their families,” he said. “It also limits the ability of media to cover conditions objectively and places restrictions on investigative journalism that could expose mismanagement or internal violations.”

Imad Abshenass, a former media adviser to President Hassan Rouhani, said the arrests represent a crisis of trust between the state and society.

“The phenomenon is not new, but it has become more severe in recent years as a result of military escalation and regional conflicts,” he said. “Internally, it generates fear and confusion among citizens and restricts basic freedoms. Externally, it exposes Iran to criticism and weakens its political credibility, especially before international partners.”

Journalism and media in Iran face a double challenge, Abshenass said. Local coverage is restricted, and any content interpreted as a leak can lead to arrest.

“This reflects the state’s use of psychological and social deterrence more than legal or security measures,” he said, “creating a permanently tense environment that makes internal dialogue nearly impossible.”

A researcher at the Iranian human rights organisation Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), who asked for his identity to remain anonymous for security reasons, said the mass arrests and espionage charges reflect an escalating pattern of using security authority to suppress any independent or critical activity.

“From a human rights perspective, what is happening is a clear violation of the principle of criminal justice,” he said. “The accused are deprived of transparent trials, and the right to defence, and broad charges are used as a tool to control society.”

The impact on Iran is wide, he said. The arrests create an environment of fear and self-censorship, undermine citizens’ trust in state institutions, and weaken public participation in civic or media activities. Internationally, these practices expose Iran to rights-based criticism and increase the likelihood of further political and economic isolation.

Alireza Ardan, an Iranian researcher, said the mass arrests signal a shift in the relationship between the state and its citizens. The government now views any media, academic, or even community activity with suspicion, he said.

“This approach creates an environment of permanent self-surveillance where everyone feels monitored, and any statement can be interpreted as a threat to national security,” Ardan said. “The arrests reflect the system’s policy of tying internal security to external security, using espionage charges as a tool to subjugate society.”

Over the long term, he said, the continuation of these policies will deepen the disconnect between the state and the public and weaken Iran’s ability to adapt to regional and international changes.

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L’Orient Today – Casualty figures from across the region

Since the United States and Israel unleashed strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, war has spread across the Middle East, with casualties reported in countries across the region.

AFP has not been able to independently verify all of the following tolls.

The figures are based on numbers released by governments, militaries, health authorities and rescue organizations in the affected countries.

Iran’s government has not released an updated overall casualty toll in recent days.

However, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on March 21 that at least 3,230 people had been killed, including 1,406 civilians — among them at least 210 children — as well as 1,167 military personnel and 657 people whose status had not been classified.

Due to reporting restrictions, AFP is not able to access the sites of strikes nor to independently verify tolls in Iran.

Lebanon’s health ministry said the death toll had risen to 1,029, including 832 men, 79 women and 118 children, since the start of the war on March 2.

The ministry said the toll also included 40 healthcare workers, while 2,786 people have been wounded.

Hezbollah has not announced its losses.

Israeli emergency services and authorities say attacks have killed 16 civilians on the Israeli side since the start of the war.

They said Iranian missile attacks have killed 15 civilians, including 13 Israelis — among them four minors — as well as one Filipino caregiver and one Thai national.

Authorities said one Israeli civilian was also killed in northern Israel by rocket fire claimed by Hezbollah from Lebanon.

Magen David Adom, the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross, said around 450 people have been injured since Iran began firing missiles at the country in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes.

The Israeli military has separately announced the deaths of two personnel in combat in southern Lebanon.

The Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah said four women were killed by Iranian missile fire in the occupied West Bank.

Authorities in Gulf states and the US Central Command (CENTCOM) have reported 35 people killed — 17 of them civilians — since the start of the Iranian attacks.

The rest of those killed were military or security personnel, including seven US service members.

Kuwait’s military and health ministry have reported six deaths: two soldiers, two border guards and two civilians, one of them an 11-year-old girl.

The United Arab Emirates’ defense ministry has reported eight deaths: six civilians and two military personnel who died as a result of a helicopter crash blamed on a technical malfunction.

Saudi Arabia’s civil defense agency has reported two civilian deaths.

Bahrain’s interior ministry has also logged two civilian deaths.

Oman’s maritime security center reported the death of a mariner at sea and two other people in a drone attack on an industrial area.

Qatar’s defense ministry said four Qatari servicemen and three Turkish nationals — including one serviceman and two civilians — were killed in a helicopter crash in Qatar’s territorial waters.

CENTCOM has confirmed six U.S. service personnel killed in Kuwait and one killed in Saudi Arabia.

Armed groups and officials have said at least 68 people have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war, according to an AFP tally based on their announcements.

France said an Iranian drone killed a French soldier in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.

The U.S. military said a refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, killing all six crew members, in an incident not caused by hostile or friendly fire.

Pro-Iran armed factions and security sources say 49 Iran-backed fighters were killed in strikes they blame on the United States and Israel.

An Iraqi officer was killed on Saturday in a drone attack targeting an Iraqi intelligence services building in a residential Baghdad neighborhood, the agency said.

Kurdish rebel groups said at least five Iranian Kurdish militants were killed in strikes attributed to Iran on their positions in northern Iraq.

Kurdish security sources said one airport guard was killed in a drone attack on Erbil airport.

Officials said one civilian was killed by rocket shrapnel following a strike southeast of Baghdad.

Authorities on Tuesday said four people were killed in a strike on a house in Baghdad, with initial reports suggesting two of the victims were Iranian advisors to Tehran-backed factions.

In Jordan, security officials said 29 people have been injured by falling debris from Iranian missiles and drones in various parts of the kingdom.

No deaths have been recorded so far.

Syrian state media reported eight people injured by falling debris from exchanges of fire between Iran and Israel on Monday.

In addition to the deaths of seven U.S. personnel confirmed by CENTCOM in the Gulf and six in Iraq, the United States has said around 200 of its military personnel have been injured in seven countries across the Middle East since the start of the war.

Ten were categorized as seriously wounded and more than 180 have already returned to duty, CENTCOM said.

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The New Zealand Herald – War in the Middle East: Casualty figures from across the region

AFP has not been able to independently verify all of the following tolls.

The figures are based on numbers released by governments, militaries, health authorities and rescue organisations in the affected countries.

Iran’s Government has not released an updated overall casualty toll in recent days.

However, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said on March 20 that at least 3220 people had been killed, including 1398 civilians – among them at least 210 children – as well as 1165 military personnel and 657 people whose status had not been classified.

Because of reporting restrictions, AFP is not able to access the sites of strikes or independently verify tolls in Iran.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said the death toll had risen to 1024, including 827 men, 79 women and 118 children, since the start of the war on March 2.

The ministry said the toll also included 40 healthcare workers, while 2740 people have been wounded.

Israeli emergency services and authorities say Iranian missile attacks have killed 15 civilians since the start of the war, including 13 Israelis – among them four minors – as well as one Filipino caregiver and one Thai national.

Magen David Adom, the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross, said around 260 people have been injured since Iran began firing missiles at the country in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes.

The Israeli military has separately announced the deaths of two personnel in combat in southern Lebanon.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah said four women were killed by Iranian missile fire in the occupied West Bank.

Authorities in Gulf states and US Central Command (Centcom) have reported 28 people killed – 15 of them civilians – since the start of the Iranian attacks.

The rest of those killed were military or security personnel, including seven US service members.

Kuwait’s military and Health Ministry have reported six deaths: two soldiers, two border guards and two civilians, one of them an 11-year-old girl.

The United Arab Emirates Defence Ministry has reported eight deaths: six civilians and two military personnel who died as a result of a helicopter crash blamed on a technical malfunction.

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence agency has reported two civilian deaths.

Oman’s maritime security centre reported the death of a mariner at sea and two other people in a drone attack on an industrial area.

Qatar’s Interior Ministry, meanwhile, has reported 16 injuries and no fatalities.

Centcom has confirmed six US service personnel have been killed in Kuwait and one in Saudi Arabia.

Armed groups and officials have said at least 68 people have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war, according to an AFP tally based on their announcements.

France said an Iranian drone killed a French soldier in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.

The US military said a refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, killing all six crew members, in an incident not caused by hostile or friendly fire.

Pro-Iran armed factions and security sources say 49 Iran-backed fighters were killed in strikes they blame on the United States and Israel.

An Iraqi officer was killed on Saturday (local time) in a drone attack targeting an Iraqi intelligence services building in a residential Baghdad neighbourhood, the agency said.

Kurdish rebel groups said at least five Iranian Kurdish militants were killed in strikes attributed to Iran on their positions in northern Iraq.

Kurdish security sources said one airport guard was killed in a drone attack on Erbil International Airport.

Officials said one civilian was killed by rocket shrapnel following a strike southeast of Baghdad.

Authorities on Tuesday (local time) said four people were killed in a strike on a house in Baghdad, with initial reports suggesting two of the victims were Iranian advisers to Tehran-backed factions.

In Jordan, security officials said 29 people have been injured by falling debris from Iranian missiles and drones in various parts of the Kingdom.

No deaths have been recorded so far.

Syrian state media reported eight people injured by falling debris from exchanges of fire between Iran and Israel on Monday (local time).

As well as the deaths of seven US personnel confirmed by Centcom in the Gulf and six in Iraq, the United States has said around 200 of its military personnel have been injured in seven countries across the Middle East since the start of the war.

Ten were categorised as seriously wounded and more than 180 have already returned to duty, Centcom said.

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The Times – Iran has the missiles to hit London, Israel claims

Two missiles launched by Iran at a British military base in Diego Garcia — believed to be the furthest Iran has fired — were a warning message to Europe, diplomatic and intelligence sources have told The Sunday Times.

Sir Keir Starmer condemned Iran for “lashing out” after Tehran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles towards Diego Garcia, the joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean located roughly as far from Iran as London or Paris.

The Israel Defence Forces confirmed that it was “the first time since the start of Operation Roaring Lion” that Iran had fired a missile that could reach a distance of about 2,500 miles (4,000km). “We have been saying it: the Iranian terrorist regime poses a global threat … with missiles that can reach London, Paris or Berlin,” the IDF said.

It is not known for certain that Iran possesses a missile capable of reaching Diego Garcia. It is understood that the first missile was intercepted between Thursday night and Friday morning, before the UK expanded permission for its joint base in Diego Garcia, and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, to be used for “specific and limited defensive operations”.

The first missile was intercepted by a missile fired from a US warship, according to reports. The second fell after travelling 1,990 miles, some 400 miles from the US-UK outpost in the Chagos Islands, where about 100 UK personnel are based.

The UK had previously allowed US forces to use its bases only for defensive operations to prevent Iran from firing missiles that put British interests in the region at risk.

On Friday the UK went further by agreeing to allow the US to use British bases to launch strikes on Iranian sites which are being used to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial shipping channel. Downing Street insisted the basis of permission remained “collective self-defence”.

Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, accused the prime minister of “covering up” Iran’s unsuccessful attack on Diego Garcia by not informing the public sooner. “Keir Starmer has dithered and delayed on the Iran conflict from the outset,” she said.

The US military is not permitted to use RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus for the purpose of self-defence, including for the degrading of Iranian missile capabilities, Starmer confirmed after a call with the Cypriot president on Saturday.

Other developments:

• Iran’s ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz has been “degraded” by thousands of US strikes on sites used to store Iranian anti-ship cruise missiles and intelligence support sites, US Central Command said.
• Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency that the Natanz nuclear facility was attacked on Saturday morning. The IDF denied involvement in the strikes.
• Oil tankers shipping Iranian crude oil through the strait are broadcasting hidden codes to allow them to bypass Tehran’s maritime blockade.

Responding to the news that the US would be able to use some British bases, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi claimed Starmer was “putting British lives in danger”. President Trump said the UK “should have acted a lot faster”.

A former head of Israeli intelligence’s Iran desk told The Sunday Times that the strikes demonstrated unprecedented ballistic capability within Iran. Danny Citrinowicz, who works for the Tel-Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, said: “Today, it’s the missiles; tomorrow it could be nuclear. I think what is really worrying is that the Iranian leadership has no checks and balances right now.”

Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US and Israeli attacks on the first day of the war, did not want to give western countries any further reasons to pressure Iran to reduce its arsenal, Citrinowicz said.

“The Iranians limited themselves to 2,000 km not because of technological restraints, but because it was part of Khamenei’s policy to be very cautious in everything related to the firepower of Iran,” he added.

A diplomatic source said hitting Diego Garcia appeared not to be Iran’s objective — rather, the missiles were launched as a warning to the UK and European allies who have been indicating support for US and Israeli operations to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran wants Europe to stay out of the conflict,” the source said, adding that the missile appeared to be a type of weapon not previously known to be in Iran’s arsenal. Iran has threatened to use force against any country that allows use of its soil for American operations. “If the missile was launched from northern Iran, their range [could] cover all of Europe,” the source said.

RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire is about 2,700 miles from Tehran.

Citrinowicz agreed that the missiles could have been fired as a warning to the UK, but expressed doubt Tehran would target Europe even with the unpredictability of the new supreme leader, Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei. “It’s not that they think that tomorrow they will attack London or Paris, but I think that for them it’s another element that enables them to build the deterrence,” he said.

Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday that he was considering “winding down” the war because the US was getting “very close” to completing its objectives, which have remained ambiguous since the war started three weeks ago.

It also emerged on Friday that the Pentagon has drawn up plans for deploying thousands of American troops to the region.

General Sir Richard Barrons, a former Joint Forces Commander, said on Saturday the US had to choose between announcing victory and stopping the war, or escalating it. “I don’t think anyone really conceives of an invasion and an occupation of Iran — it’s the size of western Europe — but they‘re going to be tempted perhaps to do raids on places like Kharg Island or to blockade,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today.

An assault on Kharg Island would threaten the regime’s main source of oil revenue.

Iranian news agencies reported US-Israeli air strikes on an empty passenger ship at the island on Saturday afternoon as well as strikes on a passenger terminal in the southern Iranian port of Bushehr.

The Ministry of Defence said: “Iran’s reckless attacks, lashing out across the region and holding hostage the Strait of Hormuz, are a threat to British interests and British allies. RAF jets and other UK military assets are continuing to defend our people and personnel in the region.”

On Saturday, Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, reiterated that the UK would only offer defensive support to the US, saying: “We will not be drawn into a wider conflict. We were not and continue not to be involved in offensive action, and we’ve taken a different view from the US and Israel on this.

“But we are supporting defensive action to support our interests. That includes recognising Iran’s escalating threats to international shipping, as well as their threats to our Gulf partners.”

Badenoch called on the government to “come clean” over the details of the attempted attack on Diego Garcia.

She said: “Now we find out, from the media and not the prime minister, that the British base on Diego Garcia has been the target of Iranian missile attacks.

“As we saw with Peter Mandelson, Starmer’s first instinct is always to cover up the truth. On Wednesday he attacked me at PMQs for calling for the proper defence of our bases, now we learn that as he did so our base in the Chagos Islands was being targeted by Iran.

“The prime minister needs to immediately come clean about the details of this latest attack on British troops and explain why the public weren’t informed sooner.”

At least 640 strikes were carried out across 17 Iranian provinces on Friday alone, resulting in at least 68 casualties, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Overall, more than 8,000 Iranian military targets have been struck, including 130 Iranian vessels, Admiral Brad Cooper of US Central Command said. Israel confirmed it had targeted ballistic missile production sites on Friday, “severely” harming the regime’s “ability to continue producing essential components”.

On Saturday night Israel’s emergency services said that they were responding to a “large number of casualties” after an Iranian missile strike in Arad, southern Israel. At least 84 people were wounded, of which ten were seriously injured.

The attack came hours after a strike on Dimona, also in the south, about 13km from the Negev Nuclear Research Centre. A total of 33 people needed hospital treatment, with a 10-year-old boy in serious condition.

The IDF is investigating the failure to intercept Dimona missile, The Times of Israel reported.

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Open – Iranian Airstrikes Cause $800 Million Damage to US Bases in Two Weeks: Report

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The Christian Post – Iran executes champion wrestler, 2 others found guilty of ‘waging war against God’

Iran executed champion wrestler Saleh Mohammadi and two other men after convicting them of “waging war against God” in connection with the killing of two police officers during protests in January.

Nineteen-year-old Mohammadi and the other two men, identified as Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi, were hanged in Qom, south of Tehran, after being convicted of “moharebeh,” or waging war against God, a capital offense under Iran’s Islamic legal code, according to the non-profit Iran Human Rights.

Iran’s judiciary said the men were found guilty of involvement in the killing of two officers and of carrying out “operational actions” in favor of Israel and the United States, sources confirmed to CBS News.

The executions were the first hangings carried out by Iran in connection with nationwide demonstrations that began in late December over the rising cost of living and later turned into anti-government protests.

Rights groups said the three men were executed without a fair trial and after confessions were obtained under torture. There had been particular concern over Mohammadi’s case because of his age and status as an athlete.

Amnesty International said he was denied an adequate defense and forced to make confessions in fast-tracked proceedings that did not amount to a meaningful trial.

Dadban, an Iranian legal affairs monitor, also said the three men were denied effective access to independent counsel and the right to a defense.

The three men had been accused of using swords and knives to attack police officers attempting to subdue protests on Jan. 8, killing two of them, Washington Examiner reported, citing Iranian state media and other reports.

Mohammadi was arrested on Jan. 15, and Iran’s Supreme Court had recently upheld the death sentences of the three men, according to the Examiner, which noted that Iranian authorities frequently accuse dissidents of links to the United States and Israel.

The executions came a day after Iran hanged Kouroush Keyvani, a dual Iranian-Swedish national, on charges of spying for Israel. Sweden and the European Union condemned the execution.

CBS said it was the first publicly announced execution of that type since Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and setting off a war that has spread across the Middle East.

Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based group, said it feared a surge in executions during the conflict. The group added that hundreds of people were facing charges linked to the protests that could result in death sentences and warned of the risk of mass executions of protesters and political prisoners in the shadow of war.

Iran’s hardline judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, has declared there will be no leniency for those convicted of violent acts during the protests.

Iranian authorities blamed the unrest on the United States and Israel. Tehran has acknowledged that more than 3,000 people died in the violence, including members of the security forces and bystanders, and said the deaths were caused by what it described as terrorist acts.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported in February that it recorded more than 7,000 killings, while warning that the real toll could be far higher, along with tens of thousands of arrests.

Two senior officials in Iran’s Health Ministry told Time that as many as 30,000 people may have been killed on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 alone, though the magazine said it could not independently verify the figure.

Dr. Amir Parasta, a German-Iranian eye surgeon who compiled data from physicians and first responders, told Time that a hospital tally stood at 30,304 deaths as of Friday. He said that figure did not include protest-related deaths recorded at military hospitals or in places the inquiry did not reach.

According to witnesses, millions of people were in the streets when authorities shut down the internet and other communications, and rooftop snipers and trucks mounted with heavy machine guns opened fire. Images of bloodied bodies later reportedly emerged through banned Starlink satellite internet connections.

At least 1,500 people were hanged last year, according to Iran Human Rights.

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