Sri Lanka to repatriate remains of 84 Iranians killed in US attack

This live blog follows updates for Day 14 of the US-Israel war on Iran. For a recap of Day 13, go here.

• Israeli army says launched new broad wave of strikes in Tehran
• Large explosions shake Tehran: AFP journalists
• Two dead as Oman thwarts drone attack: State media
• Iran Guards vow 'stronger' response than in January if new protests erupt
• Strikes target Gulf as French soldier killed in Iraq

Sri Lanka to repatriate remains of 84 Iranians killed in US attack

Published March 13, 2026 | 09:02 GMT

Sri Lanka is repatriating on Friday the remains of 84 Iranian sailors killed when their frigate was sunk nine days ago by a US submarine, the Foreign Ministry said.

The seamen were killed when IRIS Dena was torpedoed on March 4 just off the coast of Sri Lanka, in a move that extended the Middle East war to the Indian Ocean.

"All domestic procedures have been completed, and the Iranians are bringing a chartered aircraft for the repatriation," spokesman Thushara Rodrigo told AFP.

"The 32 sailors who were rescued by our navy will remain in Sri Lanka."

The embalmed remains, in sealed boxes, are to be flown out of Sri Lanka from the Mattala International Airport in the south of the country, officials said.

The first batch of 46 bodies was already at the airport by Friday afternoon, awaiting an Iranian chartered cargo plane, an official told AFP.

The bodies, which were plucked from the Indian Ocean, were taken to the Karapitiya Hospital in Galle, 115 kilometers (72 miles) south of the capital, where autopsies were carried out.

A local magistrate ordered that the bodies be handed over to the Iranian embassy in Colombo to be sent back to the next of kin.

There was no immediate comment from the Iranian embassy when contacted by AFP.

US refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq: US military

Published March 13, 2026 | 08:50 GMT

An American KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while a second plane involved in the incident landed safely, the US military said Thursday.

"One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement.

Iran's military, however, said in a statement carried by state TV that an allied group in Iraq had downed the aircraft with a missile, killing all its crew.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed to have downed a KC-135. They also said they had targeted another plane that escaped.

Australia orders all 'non-essential' officials to leave Lebanon

Published March 13, 2026 | 08:40 GMT

Australia has ordered all non-essential officials in Lebanon to leave, Canberra's foreign minister said Friday, after issuing the same command to diplomats in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

In a post on X, top diplomat Penny Wong said they had been ordered to depart due to the "deteriorating security situation".

"Essential Australian officials will remain in-country to support Australians who need it," she added.

The warning came hours after Canberra issued the same order to officials in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Canberra has said there are about 115,000 Australian nationals across the Middle East, of whom about 2,600 have returned home.

Nepal sells half-filled gas canisters due to war

Published March 13, 2026 | 08:40 GMT

Nepal has started selling half-filled cooking gas cylinders to curb hoarding and panic buying, officials said Friday, following import disruptions caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The landlocked Himalayan nation of 30 million relies almost entirely on India for its fossil fuel needs.

About 90% of India's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint where maritime traffic has largely stalled.

As supplies tighten, New Delhi has prioritized households, transport, and other essential sectors such as hospitals.

Nepal, however, said it still has sufficient gas but has reduced cylinder volumes to stretch the available supply.

"A decision was made to begin selling half-filled cylinders," government's Nepal Oil Corporation spokesman Manoj Kumar Thakur told AFP.

"Our supply remains intact but the war in the Middle East, and news of shortages, has caused resourceful consumers to buy more than they need," he added.

"This has meant that people who only have a single cylinder in their homes are not getting to buy. This way, our supply will reach more households."

Israeli army says launched new broad wave of strikes in Tehran

Published March 13, 2026 | 07:15 GMT

The Israeli military said it launched a new wave of strikes in Tehran on Friday morning, on the 14th day of its campaign against the Islamic Republic.

"The IDF has just begun a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime across Tehran," the military said.

Large explosions shake Tehran: AFP journalists

Published March 13, 2026 | 07:15 GMT

A series of powerful explosions shook Tehran on Friday, AFP journalists reported, on the 14th day of the United States and Israeli war on Iran.

The unusually intense blasts occurred around 10:00 am (0630 GMT) and shook the homes of two AFP journalists located several kilometers apart in the north and center of the capital.

Two dead as Oman thwarts drone attack: State media

Published March 13, 2026 | 07:15 GMT

Two people died after security forces intercepted a drone in northern Oman, state media said on Friday, without giving further details.

Both victims in the incident at Al Awahi industrial area were expatriates, the Oman News Agency said, adding that other people were injured.

Iran Guards vow 'stronger' response than in January if new protests erupt

Published March 13, 2026 | 06:55 GMT

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the country's military, warned on Friday that any new protests against the authorities would be met with a stronger response than in January, when several thousand people were killed.

"The evil enemy, failing to achieve its field battle goals, is once again pursuing the instillation of fear and street riots," the Guards said in a statement broadcast on TV, promising "a stronger blow than on January 8" in the event of new unrest.

Strikes target Gulf as French soldier killed in Iraq

Published March 13, 2026 | 06:55 GMT

Though France is not taking part in the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Israel, Paris has troops in the Middle East.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday his nation's first soldier was killed during the war, in an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq that also wounded other soldiers.

Macron did not give details on the attack, or who was behind it, but France's military said earlier that drones hit a base where troops were taking part in counter-terrorism training with Iraqi counterparts.

France has said its stance in the war is "strictly defensive."

Saudis down drone targeting Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter: Defense ministry

Published March 13, 2026 | 06:55 GMT

Saudi forces intercepted a drone targeting Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter housing foreign embassies, the defense ministry said on Friday.

The "hostile drone" was downed "during an attempt to approach the Diplomatic Quarter", the ministry posted on X. Three more drones were intercepted elsewhere in Saudi Arabia around the same time, the ministry said.

Israel says struck over 200 targets in Iran in past day

Published March 13, 2026 | 06:55 GMT

Israel's military said Friday it had struck more than 200 targets in western and central Iran in the last day, including missile launchers and defense systems.

It said fighter jets carried out "20 wide-scale strikes" that targeted "ballistic missile launchers, defense systems, and weapon production sites."

Sirens heard at Incirlik air base, key NATO facility in south Turkey: state news agency

Published March 13, 2026 | 05:31 GMT

Sirens were heard early on Friday at Turkey's Incirlik airbase, a key NATO facility where US troops are stationed near the southeastern city of Adana, state news agency Anadolu reported.

There was no immediate official comment on the incident, which took place four days after NATO air defenses shot down a ballistic missile in Turkish airspace that was fired from Iran, the second in five days.

Residents of Adana, which lies 10 kilometers (six miles) away from the base, were woken at around 3:25 am (0025 GMT) by sirens, which sounded for around five minutes, according to the Ekonomim business news website.

It said a red alert sounded at the base.

NATO said it shot down a second ballistic missile fired from Iran on Monday, prompting a stern warning from Turkey to Tehran not to take "provocative steps".

The announcement came shortly after Washington said it was closing down its consulate in Adana, urging all American citizens to leave southeastern Turkey.

Blasts heard, smoke seen over central Dubai

Published March 13, 2026 | 03:39 GMT

Explosions rattled buildings in Dubai and a large cloud of smoke hung over a central area of the Middle East financial hub, AFP correspondents said.

An AFP correspondent felt the building shake and heard a huge explosion.

Iran-linked Iraq group says French interests in region are targets

Published March 13, 2026 | 03:26 GMT

Iran-linked Iraq group says French interests in region are targets
 

Iranian media reports several explosions in Tehran

Published March 13, 2026 | 02:41 GMT

US and Israeli strikes hit parts of Tehran, Iranian media reported, adding that homes shook from the blasts.

"The intensity of the explosions was such that residents of these areas reported their houses shaking. No further details have been provided about the extent of damage or possible casualties," Iran's Fars news agency reported.

IRGC says ‘multitude of missiles’ launched in 44th wave of attacks

Published: March 13, 2026 | 02:32 GMT

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has announced its 44th wave of attacks against Israeli and US forces in the region, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported according to Al Jazeera.

The IRGC said it had targeted with “a multitude of missiles” locations in the “north of the occupied territories”, including the Israeli cities of Kiryat, Shmona, Hadera and Haifa, as well as US bases in the region and the US Fifth Fleet, Fars reports.

Trump says Iran war moving 'very rapidly'

Published: March 13, 2026 | 01:39 GMT

US President Donald Trump said Thursday the war against Iran was moving "very rapidly," even as Tehran's new leader vowed defiance in his first public message.

"The situation with Iran is moving along very rapidly. It's doing very well, our military is unsurpassed," Trump said at the White House.

"They really are a nation of terror and hate, and they're paying a big price right now," added the US leader, who was attending a Women's History Month event with First Lady Melania Trump.

Israeli military says missiles from Iran heading towards Israel

Published: March 13, 2026 | 01:23 GMT

Israel said that Iran fired waves of missiles toward Israel, with emergency services reporting that two were injured in the country's north.

"A short while ago, the IDF identified missiles launched from Iran toward the territory of the State of Israel. Defensive systems are operating to intercept the threat," the Israeli military wrote on its official Telegram channel.

Saudi forces down drones after Iran vows to target oil resources

Published: March 13, 2026 | 00:22 GMT

Saudi forces intercepted more than two dozen drones after Iran vowed to attack oil resources in the Middle East and said it would maintain a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz that has sent crude prices soaring.

Israel also came under attack Friday from missiles launched by Iran, with the Israeli military saying its air defenses were working to intercept them.

The previous day, Iranian security chief Ali Larijani took aim at Trump, saying that the war "cannot be won with a few tweets" and that "we will not relent until making you sorry for this grave miscalculation."

His comments came after Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a defiant statement, his first since being appointed Sunday after the death of his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei in a strike.

Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly wounded in the strike, has yet to appear publicly since his nomination, and his message calling for vengeance was read by an anchor on state television.

"The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used," Khamenei said of the waterway through which a fourth of the world's seaborne oil trade usually transits.

The strait, which also normally accounts for a fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, lies off Iran and is just 54 kilometres (34 miles) wide at its narrowest point.

Trump says Iran shouldn't come to World Cup for 'own life and safety'

Published: March 13, 2026 | 00:44 GMT

US President Donald Trump warned Iran's football team their "life and safety" would be at risk if they took part in the upcoming World Cup in North America.

Trump's comments came just two days after he told FIFA chief Gianni Infantino the Iranian players would be welcome despite the Middle East war.

"The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don't believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.