The 2026 US-Israeli strikes on Iran shattered decades of international norms, from assassinating a head of state to launching attacks during active diplomacy, with devastating civilian and economic consequences worldwide.
Trump issued Iran a 48-hour ultimatum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, then reversed course with a five-day extension while squeezing in a trip to Graceland, as both sides trade contradictory claims about whether talks are even happening.
UK newspaper front pages on 24 March are dominated by Trump's postponement of military strikes on Iran and the arson attack that destroyed four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green, London.
Iranian ballistic missiles scored direct hits on the Israeli towns of Dimona and Arad on 21 March 2026, wounding approximately 180 people after air defence systems failed to intercept the incoming weapons.
UK Housing Secretary Steve Reed insists there is no assessment Iran could strike London, following an IDF claim and Iran's attempted missile strike on Diego Garcia at nearly double its previously stated range.
Japan has secured the release of a national detained in Iran since June 2025, but NHK journalist Shinnosuke Kawashima remains imprisoned in Evin Prison following his arrest by the IRGC in January 2026.
Iranian ballistic missiles struck near Israel's Dimona nuclear research centre and the city of Arad, wounding over 100 people. Israel's air defence interceptors failed to stop them, marking a dangerous new chapter in the three-week-old conflict.
Three weeks into the US-Israel war on Iran, Trump talks of winding down while deploying thousands more troops and requesting $200 billion in funding. The contradictions are piling up faster than the coalition can explain them.
New analysis suggests Iranian retaliatory strikes on US military bases across the Middle East caused potentially billions in damage, with the $800 million BBC headline figure appearing to be just part of a much larger bill.
Trump is reportedly weighing a ground invasion of Iran's Kharg Island to force open the Strait of Hormuz, in what one former military analyst has called 'close to a suicide mission'.
Donald Trump compared US strikes on Iran to Pearl Harbour during a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister, raising questions about allied trust and unilateral military decision-making.
Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi visited the White House to reaffirm the US-Japan alliance, but faced pressure from President Trump to take a larger role in securing the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions with Iran.