LIVE: 22 countries urge Iran to reopen Hormuz amid attack-surge threat from Israel
Modi dials Pezeshkian; Trump gives mixed signals on further military ops in Iran as latter targets US-UK military base Diego Garcia in Indian Ocean 4000 km away
Here is the top, trending news of Saturday, March 21, 2026, including Iran war, Indian politics, states’ politics, geopolitics, federal issues, economics, development issues, sports, entertainment, and so on.
Scroll below for updates.
Live Updates
- 21 March 2026 4:17 PM IST
South Korea in talks with Iran over energy routes
South Korea said it is in discussions with Tehran over safeguarding key energy shipping lanes.
The update came after Iran’s foreign minister indicated that Japanese vessels could be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement released Saturday, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it was engaged in “multifaceted” consultations with Iran and other countries to explore ways to protect its citizens and keep energy supplies moving.
- 21 March 2026 4:14 PM IST
Drone strike hits intelligence HQ in Baghdad
An Iraqi official said a drone strike hit an intelligence facility in Baghdad.
The aircraft targeted the headquarters of the National Intelligence Service in the Mansour district, according to a brief statement from Gen. Saad Maan, who heads the Iraqi Security Media Cell. He did not elaborate.
No group has come forward to claim responsibility.
- 21 March 2026 4:12 PM IST
Iran's Natanz nuclear site hit again as West Asia conflict continues
Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment complex was struck by an air raid on Saturday, according to the state-linked Mizan news agency, which said there were no signs of radioactive contamination. The strike comes as fighting in the Middle East moves into its fourth week.
Natanz, the country’s primary enrichment hub, had already been hit during the opening days of the conflict. Satellite imagery at the time showed visible damage to several structures. The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog later assessed that the earlier attack was unlikely to produce any radiological fallout.
The facility sits roughly 220 kilometres southeast of Tehran and has been a repeated target. It was previously attacked during the 12-day confrontation between Iran and Israel in June 2025, as well as in strikes attributed to the United States.
- 21 March 2026 2:30 PM IST
Biryani gets dearer on Eid as hotels shift to firewood
The LPG crisis-forced migration to firewood in Tamil Nadu's hotel industry is going to soon lead to a rise in prices of food commodities but what has taken the fizz off in Eid season is Biryani getting dearer, PTI has reported.
Muslims rue the fact that family gatherings have shrunken during the Ramzan season, thanks to the LPG situation triggered by the conflict in West Asia.
Tamil Nadu Hotels Association President M Venkadasubbu said, this time the hoteliers preferred to prepare even the accompaniments of biryani using firewood.
“Whatever side dish people order will be available since hotels have started preparing those items using firewood as well, along with biryani. But the cost has increased since the price of firewood has also increased. However, hotels have stopped selling deep fried items,” he told PTI.
Due to the sudden commercial LPG cylinder crisis, 90 per cent of the hotels are not running on profits and there has been 30 per cent drop in business for hotels, especially in Chennai alone, industry insiders said. - 21 March 2026 1:26 PM IST
Iran continues with executions despite war; 3 hanged this week
Despite the war, Iranian authorities have kept up the crackdown on dissent. Authorities say scores have been detained since the war began on February 28, including some who took part in the January protests.
A 19-year-old star wrestler and two other young men were hanged in Iran this week, raising alarm among rights groups that a wave of executions may be underway as authorities facing relentless attacks from the US and Israel seek to squelch public dissent.
The wrestler, Saleh Mohammadi, was hanged early Thursday morning — along with Mehdi Qasemi and Saeed Davoudi — in Qom, just south of the capital, Tehran, according to state media. They had been sentenced on charges of “moharabeh,” or “waging war against God,” for allegedly killing two police officers during protests in the city.
Amnesty International said the convictions of the three, and of others arrested during the protests, came in “grossly unfair trials” that used confessions extracted by torture.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, an Oslo-based group that has documented detentions, said his group has documented at least 27 death sentences that have been issued against people arrested during the protests. Another 100 face charges that carry the death penalty, and Iranian state media have aired hundreds of forced confessions to crimes punishable by death, he said.
A complete death toll has been hard to gauge because of internet restrictions by authorities. - 21 March 2026 1:23 PM IST
Iran continues to fire missiles; death toll crosses 2,300
Israel said Iran continued to fire missiles at it early Saturday, while Saudi Arabia said it downed 20 drones in just a couple of hours in the country's eastern region, which is home to major oil installations. The defence ministry said there were no injuries or damage.
The death toll has risen to more than 1,300 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 US military members in the region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced. - 21 March 2026 1:17 PM IST
Iran holds funeral service for Revolutionary Guard spokesperson
Iran held funeral processions on Saturday for Revolutionary Guard spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini, who was killed a day earlier in an Israeli strike, according to Iran's state-run media.
Iran's state TV and other semiofficial outlets aired footage showing funeral prayers they said were for Naini. - 21 March 2026 1:17 PM IST
Sirens sound in Israel
Sirens sounded in Israel Saturday morning as the military said it was responding to a missile attack from Iran. - 21 March 2026 1:16 PM IST
Israel strikes targets in Tehran and Beirut
The Israeli military said early Saturday it was striking targets in Tehran.
The announcement came shortly after the military said it had begun a wave of strikes targeting Hezbollah positions across the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.
Hours earlier, the army renewed evacuation warnings for seven neighbourhoods in Beirut's suburbs, prompting some residents to fire gunshots to alert families who had returned to flee.
No casualties were immediately reported. - 21 March 2026 12:58 PM IST
Anti-US, Israel protests mark Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations in Rajasthan
Protests against attacks on Iran marked Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations in various parts of Rajasthan on Saturday as members of the Shia and Sunni communities staged demonstrations in Jaipur and other districts.
In Jaipur's Amber area, women and children from both communities took out a march, raising slogans against the US and Israel and expressing grief over reported deaths in Iran.
Protesters gathered near Amer Fort carrying placards, alleging that their religious leader had been killed and their festive occasion had turned into mourning. At Subhash Chowk too, members of the Shia community held placards and staged a demonstration.
Similar protests were reported from Sikar and Ajmer, where people offered Eid prayers wearing black bands as a mark of protest. Black flags were also put up at some mosques, and slogans were raised against the US and Israel.
In Ajmer, Imam-e-Juma Maulana Syed Taqi Jafar said the community was observing mourning over the reported death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Despite the protests, Eid prayers were offered peacefully across the state, with people praying for peace and greeting each other. In several places, members of the Hindu community welcomed worshippers by showering flowers.
Authorities had made elaborate security arrangements in Jaipur, deploying police and RAF personnel around major mosques, including Eidgah and Jama Masjid. Drone surveillance and flag marches were also carried out to maintain law and order, officials said.
