🇮🇷🇦🇪⚡️- Explosions in UAE, air defense activity.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇮🇱 - WAR IN IRAN | MARCH 16th, DAY 17 RECAP:

🇺🇸🇸🇦🇮🇷 - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been secretly advising Trump to keep hitting Iran hard, despite Riyadh's public rhetoric against the war, the New York Times reports.

🇱🇧🇮🇱 - Israeli forces have begun a “limited” ground invasion of southern Lebanon. Clashes have been ongoing for hours between Hezbollah and IDF forces. Hezbollah says they destroyed five Merkava tanks throughout the day.

🇮🇷🇮🇱 - Iran launched missile attacks toward central and northern Israel and continues attacks on multiple Gulf states.

🇺🇸🇮🇱🇮🇷 - U.S./Israeli attacks continue in Iran, targeting western Iran.

🇺🇸🇬🇧🇮🇷 - “We will not be drawn into the wider war.” — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇦🇪 - Citibank said most of its branches and offices in the UAE will remain closed until further notice, part of a broader banking industry response to worsening security conditions due to the Iran war, according to Reuters.

🇮🇷🇦🇪 - Oil loading operations have been suspended at the Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates after a drone attack sparked a fire at the refinery.

🇺🇸🇩🇪🇮🇷 - “What does Trump expect a handful of European frigates to do that the powerful U.S. Navy cannot? This is not our war, and we did not start it.” — German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

🇬🇧🇫🇷🇩🇪 - The European Troika (E3), including Germany, the UK, and France, have rejected Trump's demand to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz and help lift the Iranian blockade.

🇮🇷🇵🇰 - Three Pakistani tankers safely transited the Strait of Hormuz in the past 10 days, suggesting Tehran is allowing certain countries safe passage, CNN reports.

🇺🇸🇮🇷 - Axios reported that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi resumed communication in recent days. Araghchi directly rejected the claim, saying it is absolutely false and an attempt to stabilize oil markets. He reiterated that Iran is not negotiating or communicating with the United States.

🇱🇧🇮🇱🇪🇺 - In a joint press release, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, and the United Kingdom opposed a major Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon.

🇮🇷🇮🇶 - A drone directly impacted the Al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq. Locals say the hotel is hosting European delegations.

🇺🇸🇲🇾 - Two Gulf-based U.S. minesweeper ships, the USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara, left the Gulf and traveled 4,000 miles to Malaysia for what the U.S. military is calling a “logistical stop,” according to the Financial Times.

🇺🇸🇮🇷 - The U.S. base in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, was struck by projectiles.

🇺🇸🇮🇶 - The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, was targeted by multiple drones and directly struck.

🇺🇸🇮🇱 - Reports indicate an ongoing emergency situation at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel involving a U.S. KC-135 refueling plane.

🇮🇷🇦🇪 - A drone struck oil facilities in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. A large fire broke out, and authorities are working to contain it.

🛢 - Crude oil is trading at $95.20. Brent oil is at $103.

Here's our recap from yesterday: https://x.com/officialrnintel/status/2033371422714736972?s=20

🇺🇸🇮🇶⚡️- Iraqi militant group Saraya Awliya al-Dam has released FPV drone footage roaming through the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraq, without any air defense activations.

🇮🇷🇦🇪⚡️- UKMTO reports that a tanker has been struck by a projectile 23 nautical miles east of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

🇺🇸🇮🇶⚡️- BREAKING: Visual confirmation of a drone impacting the U.S. Victoria Base in Baghdad, Iraq, moments ago.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- Hezbollah launches rockets to Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel.

🇮🇳🇮🇱 - Laura Loomer displayed poor historical knowledge by mistakenly implying the Taj Mahal was an Indian monument in a post on X.

The Taj Mahal was commissioned by the Mughal Shah Jahan, from Timurid (Central Asian) bloodlines and built by Ahmad Lahori from Herat, modern Afghanistan. It is of Muslim central Asian design, not Indian, and was built during the three centuries of Muslim conquerors' domination of India.

🇮🇷🇶🇦⚡️- Several explosions in Doha, Qatar.

Air defenses activated amid a missile attack.

🇺🇸⚡️- Rumors that Starbucks will be moving its corporate headquarters to Tennessee are spreading as the company is considering leasing office space for up to 2000 employees in Nashville.

The company, despite its progressive record, has faced major blowback from Democrats over its treatment of workers attempting to unionize.

🇦🇪🇮🇷⚡️- One death reported in Abu Dhabi from debtis.

🇳🇬⚡️- A suicide bombing was the cause of multiple blasts in Maiduguri, Nigeria, leaving at least 23 dead and 108 injured.

No group has claimed responsibility yet but the police are suspecting Boko Haram or ISWAP militants.

🇮🇷🛢⚡️- Since the start of the war, Iran has shipped 1.6 million barrels of oil per day from the Port of Kharg, according to the Financial Times.

🇺🇸🇻🇪🇮🇹- "Wow! Venezuela defeated Italy tonight, 4-2, in the WBC (Baseball!) Semifinal. They are looking really great. Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE? President DONALD J. TRUMP" - President Trump via Truth Social.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- Hezbollah launches rockets and drones towards the Lebanon-Israeli border, likely targeting IDF positions.

🇺🇸🇮🇱🇮🇷⚡️- "Hours after President Donald Trump launched his attack on Iran, he called one of his favourite influencers — the far-right activist Laura Loomer — to bask in her praise." - Financial Times.

🇨🇳🇮🇷🇱🇧⚡️- China announces it will send humanitarian aid to Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.

🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡️- Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, was among the targets in Tehran overnight, it is unclear whether the assassination attempt was successful, according to Israeli media.

🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡️- “A message from Ali Larijani will be published soon.” - Iranian state media.

🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡️- BREAKING: Ali Larijani was eliminated. - Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡️- Ballistic missile launches detected from Iran, to Israel.

🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡️- Sirens activated in northern Israel.