Iraq Iran US Israel
Iraqis hold a portrait of the new successor to Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the U.S. embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, March 9, 2026.
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U.S. President Donald Trump says that the war with Iran began because that country was starting work on a new site for developing material for nuclear weapons. Trump also told reporters at a news conference Monday that Iran was “going to take over the Middle East” if he hadn’t acted, and that he was disappointed with the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Iran’s supreme leader. Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes. Trump also had a call Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the war and other issues. According to the Kremlin, the two leaders had a “frank and businesslike” conversation.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Tuesday would be the most intense day yet of U.S. strikes inside Iran. The Islamic Republic, its firepower diminished, has vowed to fight on. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the aim of the war is the popular overthrow of Iran's government. U.S. President Donald Trump sent contradictory signals about how long the war could last, fueling uncertainty and wild swings in financial markets Monday. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed any suggestion that Tehran has sought a ceasefire. The U.S. joint chiefs chairman says Iran's missile attacks have fallen 90% and one-way attack drones have decreased 83% since the war began.
