What you need to know
- Missile hits inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad
- Iran threatens attacks on US-linked oil targets after Trump says Kharg bombed
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An additional 2,500 US Marines will be sent to the Middle East
Here is a roundup of the main developments in the US-Israeli war with Iran on Saturday, March 14:
March 14, 2026
Missile hits inside US Embassy compound in Baghdad
A missile has struck a helipad inside the US Embassy in Baghdad.
Iraqi security officials told the Associated Press and Reuters news agencies the projectile landed within the embassy grounds, inside the Iraqi capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone.
Video obtained by the Associated Press shows smoke rising from inside the compound after the impact.
The officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly, asked to remain anonymous.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage beyond the helipad area.
The US Embassy in Baghdad has not yet commented on the incident.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ANxz
March 14, 2026
Trump says Iran has been ‘totally defeated’ despite ongoing strikes
Donald Trump said Iran has been “totally defeated” in the US-Israeli military campaign against the country, despite Tehran continuing to hit targets in the region, including in Israel.
The US president also wrote on his Truth Social platform that Iran wants a deal, “But not a deal that I would accept!” He gave no further details or evidence of such a deal.
Trump slammed the “Fake News Media,” which he said “hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran.”
He did not clarify why sending US Marines to the Middle East was necessary or when the war against the “totally defeated” Iran would actually end.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ANxy
March 14, 2026
US says first barrels from strategic reserve expected on market next week
The Trump administration says the first oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve could reach the market by the end of next week.
The announcement comes as Washington moves to counter the sharp rise in energy prices since the start of the Iran war. Oil prices stayed over $100 a barrel on Friday as investors worry about an extended crisis.
The Energy Department says the crude will be released as loans to oil companies. They will return the barrels with a premium, a system officials say helps stabilize prices without costing taxpayers.
The department has invited bids for 86 million barrels, the first portion of a planned 172-million-barrel release.
The US move is part of a wider international response.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ANxu
March 14, 2026
WATCH: Oil tankers race to Red Sea port
Saudi Arabia is diverting some of its oil to its western coast, in hopes it will be able to transport it safely through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. But the alternative route could be risky, too.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ANxr
March 14, 2026
Trump says US has destroyed all military targets on Iran’s Kharg Island
Donald Trump said the United States has “totally obliterated every military target” on Iran’s Kharg Island, a critical hub that handles nearly all of the country’s crude oil exports.
The US president warned that although he has held back from striking the island’s oil infrastructure, he would reconsider “should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Asked when the US Navy will start escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump told reporters on Friday, “It will happen soon.”
The Iranian armed forces said Saturday that any attack on Iran’s oil and energy infrastructure will trigger strikes on energy facilities owned by oil companies working with the US in the region, Iranian media reported.
US officials have said that capturing Kharg Island remains an option as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies.
Iran war: If Hormuz stays closed, the world pays the price
https://p.dw.com/p/5ANpy
March 14, 2026
Marines and assault ship deployed to bolster US forces
The United States is sending additional military forces to the Middle East.
US officials say elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, along with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, have been ordered to move into the area.
The Tripoli, currently operating in Asia, can carry fighter jets and will support the deployment of around 2,500 Marines.
Marine Expeditionary Units are capable of rapid amphibious landings, but they also often secure embassies, assist with evacuations, and provide disaster relief.
Officials stress that the move does not necessarily signal that a ground operation is imminent.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ANpz
March 14, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
The United States is upping the ante in its and Israel’s war with Iran.
Washington plans to send at least 2,000 additional Marines to the region, along with more naval ships.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says the US has struck military sites on Iran’s key oil hub, Kharg Island, and that the Navy will soon begin escorting commercial tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
It remains unclear how these moves will affect global oil markets as oil prices again spiked to more than $100 a barrel on Friday.
Inside Iran, the government’s nationwide internet shutdown has stretched past two weeks, according to the connectivity watchdog NetBlocks.
“It is a deliberate shutdown imposed by the authorities to suppress the flow of information and prevent further dissent,” said Raha Bahreini, an Iran researcher at Amnesty International.
We will keep an eye on these and other developments in this blog.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ANrD
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