Images Show Military, Security Presence In Tehran
Images posted on social media, verified by RFE/RL, on March 11 show the movement of military vehicles with heavy weapons throughout Tehran.
These images also document the deployment of military forces with weapons throughout the Iranian capital.
Satellite Images Reveal Damage At Iranian Facilities After US-Israeli Air Strikes
Before-and-after satellite images show the scale of damage from US-Israeli strikes at multiple Iranian missile and aircraft facilities. The images showed significant damage to buildings and infrastructure in Khorgu and Kerman, as well as destroyed F-14 and F-7 aircraft at an Isfahan airbase.
Iranian Officials Knock Down Rumors Over Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's Health
Iranian officials went on the offensive on March 11 to knock down rumors over newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's state of health, saying he was injured in the air strikes that killed his father and other family members but is "safe and sound."
Mojtaba Khamenei was announced as the country's new supreme leader on March 8 following the death of his father in a bombing raid on February 28.
The 56-year-old has not been seen since the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, nor has he made any public statements, giving rise to speculation he too may have died or been seriously injured in the attacks.
To read the full report, click here.
US Military Urges Iranian Civilians To Avoid Ports
US Central Command warned Iranian civilians on March 11 to avoid port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating, saying the Islamic republic is using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz for military activity.
In a statement, CENTCOM urged civilians --including dockworkers, port staff, and commercial ship crews -- to stay away from areas where naval vessels and military equipment are present.
"US forces urge civilians in Iran to immediately avoid all port facilities where Iranian naval forces are operating," the command said.
It added that ports used for military purposes could lose protected civilian status under international law and become legitimate military targets.
"The US military takes every feasible precaution to minimize harm to civilians but cannot guarantee civilian safety near facilities used by the Iranian regime for military purposes," the statement said.
Is The US Considering Seizing Iran's Kharg Island?
Iran's Kharg Island, the country's main oil export outlet, could be a target for the United States, experts say, in a move that could cut off the revenues that sustain Tehran's sanctions-hit economy.
But the possible capture of the tiny island in the Persian Gulf, which handles around 90 percent of all Iranian oil exports, would mark a major escalation in the US-Israeli war on Iran. It is also unlikely to land a fatal economic blow to the Islamic republic, experts say.
To read the full report, click here.
Iran Says 'Under No Circumstances' Will Play In World Cup
Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali announced on March 11 that Iran cannot participate in the FIFA World Cup that will be held this year in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Donyamali told Iranian state TV that after the killing of Ali Khamenei, the former supreme leader of the Islamic republic, in attacks by the United States and Israel, "Under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup."
"Our sons are not safe, and fundamentally there are no conditions for participating in these competitions," he said, referring to the players of the national soccer team.
Hours earlier, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced he had met with US President Donald Trump, who he said told him he welcomes Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup.
Referring to the news of players from Iran's women's soccer team seeking asylum while in Australia, Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian football federation, said on March 10, that a "similar scenario" could happen with the men's national team at the World Cup.
"No reasonable person would support sending Iran's national soccer team to the United States," he said.
IRGC Claims Strike On Liberian-Flagged Vessel
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it had struck a Liberian-flagged vessel in the Strait Of Hormuz that it claimed was owned by Israel.
Tehran has indicated it considers the ships transferring oil to the United States, Israel, and "their partners" as "legitimate" targets.
"We won't allow even one liter of oil to reach the US, Zionists, and their partners. Any vessel or tanker bound to them will be a legitimate target," said Iran's military command spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari on March 11.
Amid Ongoing Public Absence, Is Iran's New Leader In Control?
Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is probably in charge despite making no public appearance since being appointed on March 8 and amid reports that he was injured in an air strike, according to a leading Israeli expert on Iran.
Speaking to RFE/RL in Tel Aviv on March 11, Raz Zimmt, who is head of the Iran program at the Institute for National Security Studies, said the question is whether Khamenei would be capable of maintaining "daily contacts with the political and security establishment" to preserve "the ability of the regime to function."
To read the full interview, click here.
War With Iran Has 'No Time Limit,' Israeli Defense Minister Says
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the US–Israeli military campaign against Iran will continue indefinitely until its objectives are achieved, The Times Of Israel reports.
Speaking after a meeting with senior military officials on March 11, Katz said the operation would "continue without any time limit, as long as required, until we accomplish all objectives and achieve victory in the campaign."
He said the strikes are targeting Iranian leadership figures as well as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Basij, a pro-government militia involved in suppressing protests.
Katz also repeated Israel’s message that military pressure could create conditions for Iranians to rise up against the government.
Some reports suggest Israeli officials are concerned that US President Donald Trump might seek to end the war sooner than Israel prefers.
Iran has seen 16 of its mine-laying ships attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, according to US Central Command, which released footage of several strikes on the vessels. The ships were hit on March 10, US officials say, following warnings by US President Donald Trump to Iran against laying mines in the strait.
