Kata'ib Hezbollah says that it will extend its pause on strikes on the United States embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, for five more days.
Source:
Gulf News 
March 23
Armed conflicts and attacks
A person is killed and another is injured in a strike on a transmission site of the Persian Gulf Radio and Television Centre in southern Iran.
Source:
AFP via LBCI
March 22
Disasters and accidents
A Bombardier CRJ900LR operating as an Air Canada Express flight from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, collides with a firetruck while landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, United States. Multiple victims are reported, and a ground stop is temporarily issued at the airport.
Source:
The Hindustan Times
One person is killed and 10 others are injured, including one critically, when a natural gas explosion collapses two residential buildings in Fatih district, Istanbul, Turkey.
Source:
The Canadian Press
Armed conflicts and attacks
Iran threatens to retaliate against the energy and water systems of the Gulf countries if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through with his 48-hours ultimatum to hit Iran's electricity grid.
Source:
Reuters
Source:
Ynet Global
One person is killed after a rocket fired from Lebanon struck a vehicle near Israel's northern border, marking the first reported Israeli fatality from cross-border fire since hostilities with Hezbollah resumed earlier in March.
Source:
The Daily Star
At least four Hatzalah ambulances are set ablaze and destroyed in an apparent anti-semitic arson attack in Golders Green, London, England. No casualties are reported.
Source:
The Jerusalem Post
Politics and elections
Between 200 and 300 National Council of Resistance of Iran-alligned demonstrators of the Iranian opposition gather in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to protest the war and the Iranian government.
Source:
NL Times
Italians begin voting on a constitutional amendment that proposes separating the careers of judges and public prosecutors by splitting the High Court of the Judiciary into two bodies, while also establishing a High Disciplinary Court to oversee disciplinary proceedings.
Source:
Reuters
Slovenians vote for 90 seats in the National Assembly. A tight race is forecasted between the incumbent prime minister Robert Golob and his predecessor Janez Janša.
Source:
Reuters
March 21
Sports
In women's association football, the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup concludes with Japan defeating hosts Australia in the final to win their third title.
Source:
Reuters
Armed conflicts and attacks
Israeli and U.S. jets strike the Natanz Nuclear Facility, according to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
Source:
Al Jazeera
At least 88 people are injured, including seven seriously, and nine buildings are damaged in an Iranian ballistic missile attack in Arad, Israel. A mass casualty incident is declared.
Source:
Channel 12
At least 78 people are injured, including a 10-year-old, in Dimona, Israel, by Iranian ballistic missile attacks.
Source:
The Jerusalem Post
U.S. president Donald Trump issues an ultimatum to Iran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz within the next 48 hours or the U.S. military will "obliterate" their energy infrastructure, including all Iranian power stations.
Source:
BBC News
A group of 22 countries in a joint statement calls on Iran to cease attacks and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Source:
The Shillong Times
reports that the U.S. has reportedly begun initial discussions on the next phase and what peace talks with Iran might look like.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Iran fires two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at the Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean. However, neither missile hits the base, with one of the missiles failing in-flight, and the other having been intercepted by a United States warship using a SM-3 interceptor.
Source:
The Wall Street Journal
The United States Central Command says that its military has struck over 8,000 targets in Iran, including 130 Iranian Navy vessels, since the start of the war.
Source:
The Times of Israel
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims responsibility for targeting 27 American military bases in Iraq and across the region over the past 24 hours. One police officer is killed in a drone strike on the headquarters of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service in Baghdad.
Source:
Al Jazeera
Russia launches attacks in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, against energy infrastructure, causing smoke contamination.
Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)Zaporizhzhia strikes (2022–present)Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
Source:
RBC-Ukraine
Two people are killed and six others, including two children, are wounded in a Russian drone attack in Zaporizhzhia.
Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)Zaporizhzhia strikes (2022–present)Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
Source:
AP
Two people are killed and another is injured in an Ukrainian artillery strike in Belgorod Oblast, Russia.
Source:
AP
Politics and elections
A anti-war protest organized by the Stop the War Coalition is held in London, United Kingdom against the Israel and U.S. strikes against Iran.
Source:
Richmond and Twickenham Times
Large scale protests occurs in Berlin, Germany against the war. Demonstrators call for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts.
Source:
Bastille Post
Anti-war protests and diaspora protests against the Iranian regime are held at the Colonial Building in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Source:
CBC
In South Australia, the Labor Party wins a landslide victory over the Liberal Party. One Nation also secures second place in first-preference votes.
Source:
The Guardian
Around 200,000 people gather in Prague, Czech Republic, to express discontent with some steps taken by the current government coalition, including cuts in defence expenditure and proposed changes to the financing of public service media.
Source:
Law and crime
The Iranian parliament says that it is preparing to pass a law that would impose fees on ships for "safe passage" through the Strait of Hormuz.
Source:
Middle East Monitor
Disasters and accidents
Cuba reports a nationwide power outage following a total electrical grid collapse, the third major blackout to occur on the island this month.
Source:
AP
Seven people are killed when a Qatar Emiri Air Force helicopter crashes after a techincal malfunction during a routine mission over Qatar's territorial waters.
Source:
ASN
Two skiers are killed and 25 others are trapped, including five injured, in an avalanche near Ratschings in South Tyrol, Italy.
Source:
CTV News
Two people are killed in an explosion when a tipper truck and a tank truck collide outside of a gas station on the Lekki-Epe Expressway in Ajah, Lagos State, Nigeria. Several surrounding buildings were destroyed in the initial blast and the ensuing fire.
Source:
The Punch
At least 230 people are rescued, ten of whom are hospitalized for hypothermia, during flooding and storms in Hawaii, United States. Around 5,500 people are evacuated ahead of a second storm.
Source:
CBC
International relations
March 20
Disasters and accidents
Fourteen people are killed and 60 more are injured in a fire at a car parts plant in Daejeon, South Korea.
Source:
The Straits Times
International relations
The United States says it will not allow Cuba to receive any shipments of fuel oil from Russia as two Russian tankers are en route to Havana to deliver around 190,000 barrels of oil amid a critical shortage on the island.
Foreign relations of Russia since the Russian invasion of UkraineForeign relations of the United States2026 Cuban crisisCuba–Russia relations
Source:
CNBC
reports that the United States rejected an offer by Russia to stop providing intelligence to Iran in return for the U.S. ending intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Foreign relations of Russia since the Russian invasion of UkraineForeign relations of the United StatesPeace negotiations in the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)Russia in the 2026 Iran warRussia–United States relations
Source:
Politico
Law and crime
American actor Kevin Spacey settles out of court with three men at the High Court of Justice in London, England, who accused Spacey of sexually assaulting them between 2000 and 2013.
Source:
AP
Two anarchist militants are killed after the accidental explosion of a bomb they were fabricating at a casalis in Rome, Italy.
Source:
in Italian
Business and economy
U.S. treasury secretary Scott Bessent announces that the U.S. will temporarily lift sanctions on Iranian oil at sea in an effort to ease energy supply pressures. The temporary relief will last for 30 days until April 19.
Source:
The Guardian
The U.S. energy department says it has awarded contracts to loan a first batch of 45.2 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Source:
The Business Times
Philippine Airlines announces it will halt flights to the Middle East until April 30 due to safety concerns regarding the Iran war.
Source:
Manila Standard
A United States jury in a civil trial finds that X (formerly Twitter) chairperson Elon Musk misled investors in two tweets, but absolves him of some fraud allegations.
Source:
Los Angeles Times
Armed conflicts and attacks
British prime minister Keir Starmer allows the United States to use British bases to strike Iranian targets near the strait to lift the blockade.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2026 Strait of Hormuz crisisUnited Kingdom–United States relations
Source:
BBC News
Belgium says that it will consider participating in securing the Strait of Hormuz if a ceasefire is in place and if the operation is conducted within a clear international framework.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says that Iran is ready to help the passage of vessels from Japan in the Strait of Hormuz.
Source:
Kyodo News
The Iranian army launches strikes against strategic aerial refueling aircraft stationed at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Source:
Shafaq
A second Marine Expeditionary Unit of 2,200 U.S. Marines is being sent to the region.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)2026 Iran war2026 United States military buildup in the Middle East
Source:
CBS
U.S. president Donald Trump says that the United States is considering "winding down" military operations in Iran as they "are getting very close to meeting [their] objectives" and urges the countries that "use" Hormuz to safeguard the Strait.
Source:
The Guardian
Source:
Al Jazeera
Ceasefire mediators in Cairo, Egypt, give Hamas and all armed groups in the Gaza Strip 90 days to hand over their weapons in the coming months, including their missiles and rocket launchers along with their tunnel network.
Source:
Times of Israel
Israeli forces strike Syrian military sites, including command and control centres and supply depots, in the country's south, claiming to respond to alleged Syrian government attacks on the local Druze population.
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)Syrian conflict (2024–present)Druze insurgency in Southern Syria
Source:
BBC News
Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announces the withdrawal of his forces from Iraq, stationed there as part of the CJTF–OIR joint task force against the Islamic State, citing the regional threat from Iran.
Source:
Devdiscourse
United States Air Force general Alexus Grynkewich announces that NATO has withdrawn troops from Iraq and will relocate from the Middle East to Europe amidst the Iran war.
Source:
Reuters
Government forces arrest three men suspected of participating in the February attacks and mass abductions in two villages in Kaiama, Kwara State, Nigeria. The suspects are cooperating with authorities to locate the kidnapping victims.
Source:
The Punch
At least 64 people are killed, including staff, patients and children, in a strike on a hospital in East Darfur, Sudan.
Source:
Reuters
A drone strike from the Rapid Support Forces targets Al Dabbah, Sudan, including a local power station, causing a power outage in the area and injuring three people.
Source:
Sudan Tribune