War With Iran Enters A New Phase
- 19.03.2026, 9:00
(Updated) The US is preparing surprise moves against Tehran.
Operation Lion's Roar continues in the Middle East as Israel and the United States wage war against Iran.
The Charter97.org website is streaming online the 20th day of the war.
10:09 The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a request to Congress for more than $200 billion to fund the war on Iran, senior U.S. officials told The Washington Post. The amount is significantly more than the amount already spent on the military operation, they said. The money is expected to be used to urgently ramp up production of key weapons that have been used up in strikes on Iran.
09:29 Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran after the attack on Qatar. The US president has promised to destroy Iran's South Pars gas field if Tehran carries out further strikes on Qatar.
08:33 The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has eliminated the commander of the Imam Hussein Division, part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) Quds Force, Hassan Ali Marwan, five days after his predecessor was eliminated. This was reported by the Israel Defense Forces Press Service.
Marwan was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut, Lebanon, on March 17. He led the Imam Hussein Division after eliminating Ali Maslam Tabajeh, who was killed March 12 ago along with his deputy and several other senior militants.
08:11 The Trump administration is considering sending thousands of U.S. troops to bolster its operation in the Middle East. Preparations are now underway for possible next steps against Iran, Reuters reported.
The sources said these options include ensuring the safe passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, which would be accomplished mainly through air and naval forces. However, securing the strait could also mean deploying US troops to the Iranian coast.
In addition, Trump has discussed options for sending ground troops to Iran's Kharg Island, which is the center of 90% of Iran's oil exports. But such an operation, a US official says, would be very risky because Iran has the ability to strike the island with missiles and drones.
05:34 Iran has ballistically struck the world's largest LNG complex in Qatar.
Iran struck Qatar, with one of its ballistic missiles hitting the industrial city of Ras Laffan, a key liquefied natural gas production center. A fire broke out at the facility. This is reported by the Ministry of Interior of Qatar.