LIVE UPDATES: Iran-linked terror cell disrupted as Tehran’s neighbors in Gulf fend off regime’s attacks

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., told CNN Thursday she is opposed to sending another $200 billion to fund the Iran war, warning that such efforts are endangering Republican chances in the midterms.

“I will not vote for a war supplemental. No. I am a ‘No.’ I’ve already told leadership, ‘I am a no on any war supplementals,'” Boebert told CNN’s Manu Raju.

“I am so tired of spending money elsewhere. I am tired of the industrial war complex getting all of our hard-earned tax dollars. I have folks in Colorado who can’t afford to live.”

“We need America First policies right now, and that — I’m not doing that.”

In the past few months, there has been a growing internal battle among President Donald Trump’s MAGA coalition over whether he has fulfilled the campaign promises he ran on for years.

Some podcasters who have praised or been friendly with Trump in the past, ranging from comedian Andrew Schulz to Joe Rogan, have blasted the Iran war as a huge departure from Trump’s rhetoric on ending such foreign conflicts.

Now the GOP is struggling to wrangle enough support to keep funding the military operation in Iran. 

In her declaration to CNN that she will not back the Pentagon’s bid for $200 billion in supplemental funding, Boebert echoed the common sentiment that the military operation is putting Republican chances in the midterms at risk, and other initiatives are far more pressing.

“We need the SAVE America Act, FISA with warrants. There’s a lot of hard lines that I have right now, and we’ve got to get our act together if we want to keep this majority, and the path that we’re going doesn’t look very promising,” she said.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday released video showing a series of strikes on Iranian targets, as commanders say Tehran’s military capabilities are weakening.

“Iran’s capabilities are declining,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in the post.

The unclassified video shows multiple explosions and apparent strikes on moving targets, part of ongoing operations under Operation Epic Fury.

U.S. forces have carried out thousands of strikes aimed at degrading Iran’s missile, drone and naval capabilities.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday the U.S. will temporarily allow the sale of Iranian oil already stranded at sea in an effort to stabilize global energy markets amid the war.

The Treasury Department authorization will bring roughly 140 million barrels of oil into circulation, expanding supply as prices surge.

“By temporarily unlocking this existing supply for the world, the United States will quickly bring approximately 140 million barrels of oil to global markets,” Bessent said.

The move is limited to oil already in transit and does not permit new purchases or production, officials said.

Bessent framed the decision as part of a broader strategy to counter Iran while easing pressure on global energy supplies.

“In essence, we will be using the Iranian barrels against Tehran to keep the price down,” he said.

The authorization runs through April 19, according to Treasury.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby warned employees that surging fuel prices tied to the Iran war could add billions in costs, even as the airline pushes forward with growth plans.

“Jet fuel prices have more than doubled in the last three weeks,” Kirby said in a message to staff Friday.

“If prices stayed at this level, it would mean an extra $11B in annual expense just for jet fuel,” he added.

Kirby said the airline is preparing for oil to reach as high as $175 per barrel, and stressed United is positioned to withstand the shock better than competitors.

“We’re ready, we have a plan and we’re going to continue executing that plan,” he said.

The Department of War (DoW) said Friday that U.S. forces are “dominating the air and sea” 20 days into Operation Epic Fury against the Iranian regime, as strikes continue across the region.

In a video update shared on social media, DoW Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson touted the scope of the campaign.

“20 days into this operation, we are dominating the air and sea while our forces have hit thousands of Iranian targets and we will continue to deliver devastating combat power,” Wilson said.

She added that roughly 50,000 U.S. service members are supporting the mission.

“To the 50,000 service members supporting this mission and their families, we are thinking about you and we are beyond proud of your resolve and resiliency,” she said. “You are the very best of our great nation.

Wilson also noted that President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine attended a dignified transfer this week.

“The President, Secretary Hegseth, and General Caine honored our fallen, attending a dignified transfer for the KC135 crew members who made the ultimate sacrifice during Operation Epic Fury,” Wilson added.

Switzerland has halted weapons exports to the United States over the ongoing war with Iran, citing its longstanding neutrality policy.

“The export of war materiel to countries involved in the international armed conflict with Iran cannot be authorised for the duration of the conflict,” the Swiss government said Friday, according to Reuters.

“Exports of war materiel to the USA cannot currently be authorised,” it added.

The move follows U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began Feb. 28. Swiss officials said no new export licenses to the U.S. have been issued since.

Switzerland has also recently rejected some U.S. military flight requests tied to the war, citing the same neutrality laws.

Officials said the restrictions will remain under review as the conflict develops.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned Friday that Iran-linked cyber actors are using Telegram to deploy malware against dissidents, journalists and opposition figures worldwide.

In a FLASH alert, the FBI said hackers tied to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security used the platform as a command-and-control system to infect targets’ devices and extract data.

The campaign has led to “intelligence collection, data leaks, and reputational harm,” the FBI said.

Hackers used social engineering, often posing as trusted contacts, to trick victims into downloading malware disguised as common programs. Once installed, it enabled remote access, including file theft and audio recording.

The FBI said the activity dates back to at least 2023 and warned the malware “could be used to target any individual of interest to Iran.”

Officials urged users to avoid downloading files from unknown sources and to enable basic cybersecurity protections.

It is unclear if the FLASH alert has any connection to the ongoing Operation Epic Fury against the Iranian regime.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Friday amplified remarks from President Donald Trump condemning Iran’s regime following the execution of 19-year-old wrestler Saleh Mohammadi.

“Co-sign this,” Fetterman wrote in a social media post, sharing a screenshot of a report on Trump’s reaction to the executions.

“What else to describe a regime that tortures and publicly hangs teenagers for wanting democracy for their country?” he added.

Mohammadi, a champion wrestler, was executed in a public hanging. Iran International reported he was killed alongside two other men after being accused of killing police officers during nationwide protests earlier this year.

Trump addressed the executions earlier Friday during a press gaggle.

“We’ve been hitting them awfully hard. I mean, I don’t know if you can possibly get hit harder, but these are thugs and animals and horrible people,” Trump said.

“But you can’t hit anybody harder than we’ve hit them. But I’m not surprised. They executed three young people for protesting,” he added.

Fox News Digital’s Jackson Thompson contributed to this reporting.

President Donald Trump said Friday the United States is “getting very close” to achieving its military objectives against Iran, signaling a potential winding down of Operation Epic Fury after nearly three weeks.

“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

He outlined five core goals of the campaign, including “completely degrading Iranian Missile Capability,” “destroying Iran’s Defense Industrial Base,” and “eliminating their Navy and Air Force.”

Trump also outlined that the U.S. would “never” allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and would remain ready to respond “quickly and powerfully” if needed.

The president said protecting regional allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remains a top priority.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Trump suggested the U.S. should not take the lead in securing the critical waterway.

“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not!” he wrote, adding the U.S. would assist if asked but “it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated.”

President Donald Trump on Friday said the Strait of Hormuz will “open itself,” despite NATO’s unwillingness to assist the U.S. in securing the key waterway.

“It’s a simple military maneuver,” Trump told reporters. “It’s relatively safe, but you need a lot of help … you need ships, you need volume. NATO could help us, but they so far haven’t had the courage to do so, and others could help us.”

The president added that “it’ll open itself at a certain point.”

“We’ve defeated the enemy and they are an enemy,” he said. “There is a sick group of people. The leadership is gone. The Navy is gone. The Air Force is gone. The anti-aircraft equipment that they have, the radar they have — it’s all gone. … We’re doing a good job, but it would be nice if the countries [that use the strait], including China, … would get involved.”

The Netherlands is increasing security for Iranian activists after Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel said an Iranian man, “who is known to be critical of the authorities in Tehran” was shot, according to a report from Reuters.

It is unclear what led to the shooting, and if it was politically motivated. 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Home Front Command rescue and salvage teams are working to clear debris at a fall site in the Old City of Jerusalem near the Temple Mount.

Debris from the missile injured at least one person, according to a report from The Jerusalem Post.

The update comes hours after Iran threatened to target tourist sites worldwide and launched missiles toward Israel.

The Home Front Command asked the public to continue to heed the life-saving instructions and act accordingly

Iran’s instability is unlikely to trigger a Syrian- or Afghanistan-style refugee crisis, a top immigration expert told Fox News Digital, even as questions mount over what comes next for the Iranian people once the fighting subsides.

With Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in an airstrike, several top officials dead and competing factions vying for control, questions are mounting over whether Iran’s turmoil could trigger a refugee crisis.

However, given the geography and environment in Iran, a mass refugee exodus appears unlikely, according to Andrew “Art” Arthur – a nationally-recognized national security and immigration expert at the Center for Immigration Studies.

“It’s actually an interesting question, and there are a couple of things to keep in mind,” Arthur said in a recent interview.

“One is Iran is about twice the size of Texas. It’s, I think, roughly the size as Alaska. It is a huge country, and I think there are 93 million people there, but it’s still a big country and most of it is untouched by the conflict, so it’s not like individuals couldn’t relocate in-country and be perfectly safe.”

Unlike Afghanistan, he added, the U.S. and the West don’t have a previous footprint on the ground and don’t have people inside the country offering assistance.

“[W]e don’t have the ability to do something like President Biden did where we load up C-130s with everybody we can get our hands on and fly them to the United States. So, that’s a huge distinction.”

The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that the Old City in Jerusalem, “right near the Temple Mount, was impacted by Iranian missile fragments.”

“The Iranian regime once again proves they fire indiscriminately — whether at civilian areas or holy sites — all with the intention of destroying the State of Israel,” it said.

The IDF shared an image on X of a plume of smoke rising into the air.

It later said, “Home Front Command Search and Rescue forces, both regular and reserve, are currently operating at the impact site in the Old City of Jerusalem, adjacent to the Temple Mount, where debris fell.”

Fox News’ Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans think that President Donald Trump will send U.S. ground troops into the fighting against Iran, a new national poll indicates.

A Reuters/Ipsos survey, conducted Tuesday through Thursday (March 17–19), also indicates that a majority of Americans, 55%, say they don’t support sending ground troops into the operation against Iran.

The poll’s release comes as the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran are about to close out their third week.

Only 7% of those questioned in the survey said they’d support a large-scale strike by American ground forces, with 34% saying they’d back a more limited-in-scope incursion by U.S. special forces.

Fourteen percent of Republicans surveyed said they’d support a large ground force operation, with 63% saying they’d back inserting special forces into a ground action. Twenty-one percent of Republicans gave a thumbs-down to sending in American ground troops.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at a Pentagon briefing earlier this month, declined to rule out the use of U.S. ground forces.

Trump said on Thursday that he was “not putting troops anywhere,” when asked by a reporter about his war plans.

President Donald Trump said Friday that, “Over the past few weeks, the world has seen the true strength and might of our sailors and aviators as they fought in one of the most complex and successful military operations of all time against the Iranian regime.” 

“And it’s amazing… I don’t want to get too crazy here, not a contest. It’s not even a contest. They do whatever they want,” Trump said at the White House during the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy Presentation, where he was honoring the U.S. Naval Academy football team.  

“They had a lot of great equipment. Russian equipment, Chinese equipment, a lot of, they had plenty of money. That equipment was useless against us, useless,” Trump said about Iran. 

“No force on earth can beat the American sailors or the American military, we’re the strongest in the world by far. To those standing behind me who will soon be joining these missions, I say sail fast, stay strong and go Navy,” he added. 

The USS Boxer amphibious ready group and attached 11th Marine expeditionary unit is deploying to the Middle East from California, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News on Friday. 

The task force of about 4,500 sailors and Marines is currently sailing across the Pacific Ocean to the Middle East, the official said.  

It could take the USS Boxer about a month to reach the Middle East. It left San Diego Bay on Wednesday, March 18. 

The USS Boxer amphibious assault ship carries F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters, MV-22B Osprey tiltrotors, AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters and MH-60S Seahawk helicopters. 

The USS Boxer amphibious assault ship, USS Portland amphibious transport dock ship and USS Comstock dock landing ship are the three ships that make up the USS Boxer amphibious ready group and 11th Marine expeditionary unit. 

Once in the Middle East, it will overlap with the USS Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group and 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit for some time, and then will replace the 31st MEU altogether, the official added, noting this will happen in coming weeks.  

The Tripoli ARG/31st MEU is still heading to the Middle East from Japan and is expected to arrive as early as next week.  

President Donald Trump said Friday that “nobody wants to be a leader over there” in Iran as losses continue to mount for Tehran during Operation Epic Fury.

“Their Navy’s gone, their Air Force is gone, their anti-aircraft is all gone. It’s all gone. Their radar is all gone. Their leaders are all gone,” the president said at the White House during the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy Presentation, where he was honoring the U.S. Naval Academy football team for winning the 2025 college football series between that team, the Army and Air Force.

“Their leaders are all gone. The next set of leaders are all gone. And the next set of leaders are mostly gone,” Trump continued. “And now, nobody wants to be a leader over there anymore. We’re having a hard time. We want to talk to them and there’s nobody to talk to.”

“We have nobody to talk to. And you know what? We like it that way,” he added.

Trump praised Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for doing a “fantastic job” with the military effort and added that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine has been “unbelievable.”

The president said he told Hegseth — who had two sons involved in the ceremony — that he could remain in the Situation Room at the White House instead of attending. 

“I told him, I said, Dan, if you don’t mind, stay in the Situation Room and you watch all those attacks that we are hitting those guys with,” Trump also said about Caine and Iran. 

Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening wave of strikes as Operation Epic Fury was launched against Iran on Feb. 28. 

He has been replaced by his son Mojtaba Khamenei, but Israeli national security sources described Mojtaba as little more than an “empty entity” who is not at the helm of the regime.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum on Friday that NATO isn’t coming to the aid of the U.S. in the Strait of Hormuz because the organization is “weak” and “they know that we will do it for them.”

“Now we know – this is a small one and now we know when the big one comes they will not be there for us,” Trump said. “All we need in the strait are numbers. Presence. Iran has nothing left. Just numbers and they won’t do it.”

When asked if Japan offered to help, following their prime minister’s visit to the White House on Thursday, Trump said, “they can’t constitutionally, but if we needed them, Japan would be there for us.”

“Japan is much better than NATO,” Trump said.

President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States is “not going to let” Iran have nuclear weapons, “because if they had them, they’d use them. And we’re not going to let that happen.”

“I want to begin by just saying we’re doing extremely well in Iran. The difference between them and us is they had a Navy two weeks ago. They have no Navy anymore,” Trump said at the White House. “It’s all at the bottom of the sea, 58 ships knocked down in two days. And we have the greatest Navy anywhere in the world it’s not even close. We are doing really well.”

Operation Epic Fury was launched by the Trump administration on Feb. 28. On Friday, U.S. Central Command said, “U.S. forces continue to degrade Iranian combat capabilities by striking military targets deep inside Iran.”

President Donald Trump ripped NATO for acting like “cowards” Friday, slamming their lack of help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz during the war with Iran.

“Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices,” Trump added. “So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

The Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, is vital for the global energy supply and has been threatened by Iran during the war.

Two people were arrested after unsuccessfully attempting to enter HM Naval Base Clyde in Scotland on Thursday, authorities confirmed to Fox News Digital. One suspect was an Iranian man, while the other was a woman of unknown nationality, The Telegraph reported.

“Around 5pm on Thursday, 19 March, 2026, we were made aware of two people attempting to enter HM Naval Base Clyde,” Police Scotland said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “A 34-year-old man and 31-year-old woman have been arrested in connection and enquiries are ongoing.”

The Telegraph reported that the man was Iranian, while the woman’s nationality was not immediately known. Citing the Times, the Telegraph said the suspects were turned away from the base because they lacked the correct passes and were later arrested nearby for allegedly “acting suspiciously in the vicinity.”

A Royal Navy spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “Police Scotland have arrested two people who unsuccessfully attempted to enter HM Naval Base Clyde on Thursday 19 March. As the matter is subject to an ongoing investigation, we will not comment further.”

HM Naval Base Clyde — commonly known as Faslane — is considered the primary base for the United Kingdom’s missile fleet. The Royal Navy says the base is home “to the core of the Submarine Service, including the nation’s nuclear deterrent, and the new generation of hunter-killer submarines.”

The U.K. Parliament says the Royal Navy currently operates a fleet of nine submarines, with the entire fleet based at HM Naval Base Clyde.

“Five of those are conventionally-armed nuclear-powered attack submarines of the Astute class. A further four are ballistic missiles submarines (SSBN) of the Vanguard class that comprise the UK’s submarine-based nuclear deterrent,” it added.

The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said Friday that the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was “targeted by drone attacks early today, causing a fire in several units and prompting the precautionary shutdown of parts of the facility.”

“No injuries have been reported, and emergency teams are actively working to contain the situation in line with established safety standards,” it added.

The refinery can process around 730,000 barrels per day.

The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said the refinery also was attacked by drones on Thursday.

The United Arab Emirates said Friday that its air defense systems “engaged 4 ballistic missiles and 26 UAVs launched from Iran.”

“Since the onset of the blatant Iranian aggression, UAE air defenses have engaged 338 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,740 UAVs,” its defense ministry wrote on X.

Heavy explosions shook Dubai early Friday as air defenses intercepted incoming fire over the city.

A missile alert sounded prior to the strike, with authorities activating air defenses to counter an Iranian barrage.

The Dubai Media Office said, “Authorities in Dubai confirm the success of all air interception operations, with no injuries reported.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Israel Defense Forces announced Friday that Ali Mohammad Naini, the spokesperson and head of the public relations array of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed overnight in an airstrike. 

“Throughout the years, Naini served in several propaganda and public relations roles. For the past two years, he served as the IRGC’s main propagandist as part of the Iranian terror regime,” the IDF said. 

“In his role, Naini disseminated the regime’s terrorist propaganda to its proxies across the Middle East in order to influence and advance terror attacks against the State of Israel from the different fronts,” it added. 

Israel’s military said the strike was carried out by the Israeli Air Force, acting on IDF intelligence. 

“Naini’s elimination joins a series of eliminations of dozens of senior figures of the Iranian regime during the operation,” the IDF added. “The IDF will continue to operate with determination against the commanders and senior officials of the Iranian terror regime.” 

Fox News’ Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

U.S. Central Command released a new video on Friday, March, 20, saying American forces “continue to degrade Iranian combat capabilities by striking military targets deep inside Iran.”

The footage showed one of the latest waves of airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure.

“No adversary is too determined, and no mission is too difficult for American troops who make up the world’s most powerful military force,” CENTCOM said in another message late Thursday.

As of Wednesday, U.S. forces have struck more than 7,800 targets in Iran, according to CENTCOM. 

“Iran has funneled decades of state resources not to their people, but into missiles and drones and proxies and buried facilities,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said at a Thursday press conference. “But we are hunting them down methodically, ruthlessly, and overwhelmingly, like no other military in the world can do. And the results speak for themselves. To date, we’ve struck over 7,000 targets across Iran and its military infrastructure. That is not incremental. That is overwhelming force applied with precision. And again, today will be the largest, largest strike package yet, just like yesterday was. As I’ve said from day one, our capabilities continue to build. Iran’s continue to degrade. We’re hunting and striking death and destruction from above.”

Hegseth added that U.S. forces have hit hundreds of Iranian defense industrial bases directly.

As he praises President Donald Trump for “taking the fight directly” to Iran, former Vice President Mike also argues that the attacks show that the president isn’t listening to the isolationist wing of the Republican Party.

“It’s one of the things I give President Trump great credit for,” Pence said this week in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Pence’s comments come nearly three weeks into the military strikes against Iran, as some loud voices in the MAGA and America First orbits have pilloried the president over the attacks.

The former vice president, who has long been a proponent of strong American deterrence around the world, highlighted that “around this administration, and to some extent in this administration, there have been some increasingly loud voices calling for America to pull back from our role as leader of the free world. Isolationist voices have taken hold in some quarters of the Republican Party.”

“But fortunately, President Trump turned a deaf ear to those voices last year when he struck Iran, and this year, when he launched Operation Epic Fury,” Pence emphasized. “I think it’s greatly to his credit.”

Pence argued that it’s “reflective of where the overwhelming majority of Republicans are. Republicans understand that America is the arsenal of democracy, that we’re the leader of the free world, that we have obligations to lead.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran can no longer enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles as it feels the impact of Operation Roaring Lion and Operation Epic Fury.  

“After 20 days, I can tell you — Iran today has no ability to enrich uranium, and no ability to produce ballistic missiles,” he said in Jerusalem on Thursday, according to The Times of Israel. “We are continuing to crush these capabilities. We will crush them to dust, to ashes.” 

“In [Operation] Rising Lion [in June], we destroyed missiles and we destroyed a lot of the nuclear infrastructure. But what we’re destroying now are the factories that produce the components to make these missiles and to make the nuclear weapons that they’re trying to produce,” Netanyahu reportedly added. “We’re wiping out their industrial base in a way that we didn’t do before.” 

Netanyahu also denied Israel pushed the United States into war with Iran. 

“This canard that we dragged the United States into this is not just a canard, it’s ridiculous,” he said. 

Netanyahu said President Donald Trump had told him more than a year ago: “Bibi, we’ve got to make sure that Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons.” 

“The world owes a debt of deep indebtedness, deep indebtedness to President Trump for leading this effort to safeguard our future,” Netanyahu said. 

Netanyahu also waved off rising fuel prices as a “spike” that will come down and said he expects the U.S. will reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

United Arab Emirates authorities have brought down a “terrorist network” funded and operated by Hezbollah and Iran and arrested its members, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The UAE’s state news agency said the network was involved in “money laundering, financing terrorism and threatening national security.”

“The network had been operating within the country under a fictitious commercial cover and sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country’s financial stability,” the state news agency said.

The development comes as Iran continued to launch large-scale missile and drone attacks across the Gulf, with the UAE among the most heavily targeted countries since the conflict began.