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ABC News

State Department tells Americans worldwide to 'exercise increased caution'

PHOTO: This video grab taken from handout footage released by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on March 12, 2026, shows what it says was the "launch of wave #41 of Iranian missiles."
3:37
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps via AFP via Getty Images
War with Iran enters 4th week
By Kevin Shalvey, Jon Haworth, Nadine El-Bawab, Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: March 19, 2026, 7:01 AM

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes attack targeting military and government sites, officials said.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was among those killed in Tehran on the first day of strikes and his son Mojtaba Khamenei  was chosen to succeed him. Iran is responding with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, regional U.S. bases and multiple Gulf nations. Iran is also attempting to block some shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel is also intensifying its long-running strike campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

Watch special coverage on Nightline, "War with Iran," each night on ABC and streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

Key Headlines

  • Strait of Hormuz 'is not closed,' Iranian foreign minister says
  • Iran says Strait of Hormuz open to all except 'enemies,' state media, Iranian president say
  • 'Iran endangers the entire world,' Netanyahu says
  • Iran warns of retaliatory strikes if US attacks power plants, state media says
  • Trump threatens to 'hit and obliterate' Iranian power plants if Strait of Hormuz not opened in 48 hours
Here's how the news is developing.

Mar 19, 2026 7:01 AM

Vessel hit by 'unknown' projectile near Qatari coast, monitor says

A vessel was struck by an "unknown" projectile about 4 nautical miles east off the coast of Ras Laffan, Qatar, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center said in a warning posted early on Thursday.

"All crew are reported safe and well," according to the UKMTO, a marine monitoring organization that works with merchant shipping and military forces in the region.

Iran on Wednesday had launched retaliatory strikes that included the targeting of a liquified natural gas terminal in Ras Laffan, an industrial hub on the Persian Gulf.

PHOTO: A picture of Qatar Energy's operating facilities on March 3, 2026 in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar.
Getty Images
A picture of Qatar Energy's operating facilities on March 3, 2026 in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar. Qatar Energy announced a complete halt to liquefied natural gas (LNG) production at its Ras Laffan and Mesaieed facilities on March 2, 2026, after Iranian attacks targeted energy facilities.
Getty Images

The UKMTO warning, which was tagged as "suspicious activity," came several hours after the UKMTO said another vessel was similarly struck about 11 nautical miles east of Khawr Fakken, the United Arab Emirates, causing a fire onboard.

The UKMTO did not publish details about either of the ships struck overnight. It was not immediately clear what type of projectile had struck either vessel.

"Since the start of the hostilities on 28 February, more than twenty incidents involving commercial vessels and offshore infrastructure have been reported across the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman," the UKMTO said in an advisory note published on Wednesday.

As the U.S. and Israel have struck Iran this month, Tehran has vowed to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping channel off its southern coast, to most ships. Iranian officials have claimed to have launched attacks on several ships traveling in or near the strait.

"The incidents involve a wide range of vessel types and flag states, with no consistent pattern of Western ownership linkage," the UKMTO said on Wednesday, "suggesting that the current strike patter reflects a campaign aimed at broad maritime disruption rather than selective vessel targeting."


Mar 19, 2026 3:08 AM

Trump says Israel will not attack Iranian gas field again unless Iran attacks Qatar

President Donald Trump in a social media post late Wednesday night, called for Israel to not attack the South Pars Gas Field unless Iran again attacks Qatar's liquefied national gas facilities.

“NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar,” Trump said.

Trump said if Iran does so, the U.S. will respond and “massively blow up” the South Pars gas field.

"I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran, but if Qatar’s LNG is again attacked, I will not hesitate to do so," Trump said in the post.

Trump began his post saying the U.S. was not made aware in advance of Israel’s attack on South Pars on Wednesday, an escalation in the conflict.

Trump also claimed that Qatar was also not aware Israel would strike the Iranian gas field.

“The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen,” Trump wrote.

Iranian state media said Wednesday that Israel attacked Iran’s South Pars Gas Field, one of the nation’s largest gas resources and a key lifeline for Iran.


Mar 19, 2026 12:07 AM

Iran war powers resolution once again fails in the Senate

The Senate once again rejected an Iran war powers resolution, the second the chamber has considered this month.

The resolution would direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. Because the resolution was privileged, it only would have needed the support of 51 senators to advance. Still, the resolution was blocked by a vote of 47-53.

Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against the resolution. Sen. Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote for it.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin



Mar 18, 2026 11:31 PM

Gas facilities near Abu Dhabi shut down due to falling missile debris

Gas facilities near Abu Dhabi have been shut down due to falling debris from the interception of missiles, the Abu Dhabi media office said.

The missiles targeted the Habshan gas facilities and the Bab oil field, according to the office, which said operations at the gas facilities have been suspended.

No injuries have been reported, the office said.

The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it "strongly condemned the Iranian terrorist attack" targeting facilities and that the attacks "constitute a dangerous escalation and a violation of international law."


Mar 19, 2026 10:23 AM

Drone hits Saudi Red Sea refinery

An Iranian drone struck a Saudi Aramco refinery in Yanbu, on the Red Sea, on Thursday, according to the Saudi Ministry of Defense.

"A drone fell in the Samref refinery and the damage is being assessed," the ministry said in a statement.

PHOTO: This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows the oil infrastructure at Saudi Arabia's western Red Sea port of Yanbu on March 4, 2026.
2026 Planet Labs PBC/AFP via Getty Images
This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows the oil infrastructure at Saudi Arabia's western Red Sea port of Yanbu on March 4, 2026.
2026 Planet Labs PBC/AFP via Getty Images

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had issued warnings for several Gulf energy production sites, including the refinery in Yanbu, after Wednesday’s Israeli strikes on the South Pars Gas Field, the largest in Iran.

Kuwait earlier on Thursday said an Iranian drone had struck one of its refineries.

-ABC News' Lama Hasan and Zoe Magee


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