Updated March 20, 2026 at 5:25 PM CDT
More U.S. Marines are headed to the Middle East, even as President Trump said the administration is considering "winding down" military efforts in the region as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran reached the three-week mark.
Israel launched more strikes in and around Tehran early Friday, as Iranians marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Muslims around the world are also observing the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Overnight, Iranian drones hit Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery again, sparking fires as crews worked to contain the blaze. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates said the country's air defenses responded to missile and drone threats from Iran with explosions echoing across Dubai as worshippers marked the Muslim holiday of Eid.
Here are further updates from the conflict.
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Marines to Mideast | Iran strikes Gulf countries | Trump and Netanyahu on Iran's gas field | Netanyahu on Iran's enriched uranium | IRGC spokesman killed | EU on Strait of Hormuz
More Marines are headed to the Middle East
NPR has confirmed that another group of U.S. Marines is headed to the Persian Gulf.
The USS Boxer group of three ships, carrying thousands of Marines from the 11the Marine Expeditionary Unit, has left California and will take about three weeks to reach the gulf, according two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
That's in addition to the USS Tripoli group, with more than 2,000 Marines, expected to arrive soon from Japan.
The military's Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, would not comment on the deployment or its mission.
When President Trump was asked by a reporter Thursday if U.S. troops would be sent to the region, he responded, "No. I'm not putting troops anywhere. If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you, but I'm not putting troops. And we will do whatever is necessary to keep the peace."
Then on Friday, Trump suggested he could be looking for an off-ramp in the war.
"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He then went on to list progress he said the efforts had made, including degrading Iran's missile capabilities, destroying its defenses, navy, air force, anti-aircraft weaponry and nuclear capability, as well as protecting Israel and Gulf Arab countries.
Trump also reiterated that he wants other nations to police the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran hits Kuwait's Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery again
Kuwait said Friday that Iranian drones struck the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery overnight, igniting fires at several operational units. Authorities said firefighters were working to control the blaze and that no injuries were reported.
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The attack followed a strike on the same gas facility the day before, as Iran intensified attacks on Gulf energy sites after Israel's bombing of the South Pars oil field.
Mina Al-Ahmadi is Kuwait's largest oil refinery, making it a prominent target amid the conflict's widening energy front.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is urging people to work from home and avoid air travel as part of a series of measures deigned to try to ease a potential global fuel crisis triggered by the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran.
In a report published Friday, the IEA proposes actions that governments, businesses and households can take to ease the pain on consumers from recent hikes in energy prices. The suggestions include reducing highway speeds by at least 6 miles per hour and taking public transportation or car sharing.
"The war in the Middle East is creating a major energy crisis, including the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. In the absence of a swift resolution, the impacts on energy markets and economies are set to become more and more severe," IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a statement.
The IEA said it could take months or even years to restore oil and gas flows from the region.
Trump and Netanyahu diverge over strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure
President Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday he had complained to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu about Israel's strike the day before on Iran's South Pars gas field.
He urged Israel to avoid future attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure in order to prevent any further disruption on global energy supplies.
In a post on Truth Social published Wednesday evening, Trump claimed the U.S. "knew nothing" about the Israeli strike in advance.
But a person briefed on the matter told NPR that the U.S. and Israel are coordinated on all targets.
Netanyahu said late Thursday that Israel acted alone in carrying out the attack on South Pars. He said Israel would honor Trump's request.
"President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks, and we're holding off," Netanyahu said at a news press conference.
Netanyahu claims Iran "has no ability to enrich uranium"
Netanyahu claimed Iran "has no ability to enrich uranium" and "no ability to produce ballistic missiles." At the press conference, the first since the war began on Feb. 28, Netanyahu said Israel is now targeting industries that enable production.
Netanyahu said that the war on Iran was focused on destroying its nuclear and ballistic missile program and "creating the conditions that will allow the Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands."
His remarks on Iran's ability to enrich uranium contradicted recent statements from the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about Iran's nuclear capabilities.
On Wednesday, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the IAEA's director-general, told NPR he believes parts of Iran's nuclear program will remain, even after the heavy damage done by U.S. and Israeli military strikes.
"Of course, there is an enormous degradation of the physical facilities," Grossi told NPR's Geoff Brumfiel on Wednesday. "But most probably, at the end of this [military conflict], the material will still be there and the enrichment capacities will be there, perhaps some infrastructure will still be there."
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also pushed back against Netanyahu's claims.
"The question is not what Iran can do today, but what it will be able to do tomorrow, at the end of the war or in a year," Lapid wrote in a post on X.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard spokesperson is killed
Israel's military said it killed the top spokesperson for Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Ali Mohammad Naini, early Friday. Iranian state media later confirmed Naini's death.
Israel did not say how or where Naini was killed. He was one of the latest in a series of senior Iranian officials killed by Israel this week.
Before his killing, Naini issued a statement denying the Israeli prime minister's claim that Iran's missile production has been decimated. Naini said even during the war, Iran is having no problems producing and stockpiling missiles.
EU calls for reopening of Strait of Hormuz, moratorium on strikes on water and energy sites
European Union leaders met in Brussels Thursday, where they called for "de-escalation and maximum restraint," and pressed for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
"The European Council deplores the loss of civilian life and is closely monitoring the far-reaching impact of the hostilities, including on economic stability," the leaders said in a statement.
The leaders also called for a moratorium on strikes targeting energy and water infrastructure, as energy prices continued to climb as a result of the war.
A separate joint statement by France, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and Canada condemned Iran's recent attacks on commercial vessels and attempts to block the Strait of Hormuz, calling for an end to mine-laying, missile and drone attacks.
Carrie Kahn and Alon Avital contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Israel, Ruth Sherlock from England, Rebecca Rosman from Paris, Quil Lawrence and Alex Leff from Washington.
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